The Righteousness
of the Son in the Epistle to Diognetus
The Epistle to Diognetus
provides an important window into early Christian theology. In chapters 7-9 the
author discusses Christology and salvation. The preexistent Son was active in
planning and accomplishing redemption (Diogn. 9.1-6). In 9.2-3, 5b the
Son’s righteousness covers sins. Here a positive work of salvation is
attributed to the Son’s righteousness. It appears that the author finds the
answer to humanity’s (plurality of) unrighteous deeds in the (singular)
righteousness of the Son.
This possibility is further supported
by one of the more interesting passages in Diognetus: “O the sweet
exchange, O the incomprehensible work of God, O the unexpected blessings, that
the sinfulness of many should be hidden in one righteous person, while the
righteousness of one should justify many sinners!” (9.5a). This “sweet
exchange” points to the entirety of the life of the Son given in exchange for
unrighteous sinners, who are themselves unable to attain eternal life (9.1,
3-4). It is the Son’s righteousness that enables to humanity to attain God’s
kingdom, life, and justification (9.1, 4). In short, in Diognetus the
“sweet exchange” is best viewed as the entirety of the work of the Son in the
incarnation, both extending to a positive accomplishment of righteousness and
serving as a sacrificial ransom in his death.
Further this argument from Diognetus
9 appears to echo languages from Paul’s Letters, and Romans 5:18-19 in
particular. Most noteworthy are the contrasts between the one and the many
and between disobedience and righteousness. In Diognetus
9.5b the righteousness of one man overcomes the lawlessness of humanity, and
this righteousness includes the entirety scope of his redemptive life. This
seems to take the “righteous act” and “obedience” of Jesus in Romans 5:18-19 to
refer to the entire, singular, unified obedience of Jesus
To summarize, Diogetus echoes
Pauline language and concepts and draws upon language from Romans 5 to
communicate the wide-ranging obedience of Jesus that qualifies believers for
eternal life. This is especially communicated by the language of “exchange.” (Brandon
D. Crowe, Why Did Jesus Live a Perfect Life? The Necessity of Christ’s
Obedience for Our Salvation [Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic, 2021], 52-53)
Faith—even true, saving faith—remains
imperfect, which means that even if faith were a work, it would not meet
the demands of God’s justice and would be insufficient to secure eternal life.
Since eternal life must be gained by the perfect work of Christ, faith is the means
by which sinners benefit from the perfect work of Christ. Nothing a sinner
can do—not even faith—can secure or hep secure, justification. (Brandon D.
Crowe, Why Did Jesus Live a Perfect Life? The Necessity of Christ’s
Obedience for Our Salvation [Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic, 2021],
159)
The Reality of
Good Works
Sanctification is not optional; it is
necessary for salvation. This also means that good works are not figments for
Christians; they are actually possible. The life of faith entails “confident
dependence” and “obedient submission.” Though justification is apart from any
work a sinner can do, those who are renewed really can do good works that
please God.
It’s important to understand what
constitutes a good work. Though we can admit that even unbelievers, by God’s
common grace, can do virtuous deeds, properly speaking four things are
necessary for works to be truly good:
1. Truly good works must be done by
those who have been justified and renewed in Christ. No work of a sinner is
perfectly good, and thus no such work is the basis for acceptance before God.
Further, even good works of redeemed sinners are always imperfect. And yet God
is pleased to accept the good works of those who are in Christ, who atones for
our good works.
2. Good works are only those that are
commanded in Scripture. Thus, no person can bind another person’s conscience by
requiring something not required by Scripture. This is an important point
today, for there are many worthwhile causes in the world and many ways to apply
Scripture’s command to love your neighbor as yourself. It is probably true
that, given today’s connected world, we are now aware of more worthwhile
causes, needs, and injustices to address than previous generations. The command
to love our neighbor is non-negotiable. But how we love our
neighbor—where we invest our time, prayers, resources, and energy—may vary from
one person to the next. The church comprises people with a wonderful diversity
of gifts and callings, so that what might be a good and proper application of
the commands of Scripture for one person might be different for another. No
person can require another person to do something or participate in something
as necessary if that activity is not commanded in Scripture. The moral
law of God is actually quite flexible in terms of how it is to be applied.
3. Good works are not merely external
deeds, but are done with proper motives. The law of God is spiritual and
concerned with the heart and not only external actions. This means, for
example, that it is not right to give the work of the Lord while grumbling, for
God loves a cheerful giver (2 Cor. 9:7).
4. Good works are done to the glory of
God.
Thus, good works of believers are
truly good, but they are never inherently good enough to be accepted before the
tribunal of God. We can never stand before God on the basis of our own
works—even our works of true Christian obedience. Even the most holy in this
life realize only the beginnings of obedience that is truly required. The
“evangelical obedience” of believers (that is, “Christian obedience”) never
suffices for justification. In that sense, our works will always be “filthy
rags” (Isa 64:6 KJV). Even so, “filthy rags” is not the only category we
need to understand our works. Since the message of salvation includes
sanctification along with justification (and thus assumes the reality of our
good works), “filthy rags” does not adequately describe the lawful works done
by those in Christ with the right mortification and for the proper ends.
In sum, it is a mistake to think that
sinful human works can provide an adequate foundation for justification. But it
is also a mistake to think that true Christians can never do anything that
pleases God. (Brandon D. Crowe, Why Did Jesus Live a Perfect Life? The
Necessity of Christ’s Obedience for Our Salvation [Grand Rapids, Mich.:
Baker Academic, 2021], 167-69)