The Claim of Humanity in Christ

Salvation and Sanctification in the Theology of T. F. and J. B. Torrance

Radcliff

• Publisher: Pickwick Publications
• Year: 2016
• eBook ISBN: 9781498230209
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Religion

Today much preaching and teaching throws people back upon themselves to earn their relationship with God and to try to achieve by their own efforts the kind of person that they ought to be. In The Claim of Humanity in Christ, Alexandra Radcliff counters the Torrances' critics to show the significance of their controversial understanding of salvation for the interface between systematic and pastoral theology. Radcliff then constructively extends the implications of the Torrances' work to a liberating doctrine of sanctification. The Christian life is conceived as the free and joyful gift of sharing by the Spirit in the Son's intimate communion with the Father whereby we are turned out of ourselves to reflect the reality of who we are in Christ.

Part 1

The Triune God of Grace and Salvation

1

The Father as Covenant not Contract God

Filial over Federal

The purpose of part 1 of this book is to present the significance of the Torrances’ filial, ontological, and objective soteriology, particularly in the face of current criticism by contemporary Federal theologians. The Torrances boldly challenged the Federal theology of their day when they believed that the preaching and teaching made salvation dependent upon our own efforts. This first chapter will explore the Torrances’ belief that God the Father is revealed in his Son as a covenantal God, not a contractual God, with primarily filial rather than judicial purposes for humanity. Prior to any contribution that we could make, God chooses the whole of humanity for salvation in Christ. This liberates us to offer ourselves back to God wholeheartedly in freedom.

In order to understand where the Torrances stand within their Reformed tradition and the conflict that arises, it is helpful to consider Charles Partee’s distinction between three kinds of Calvinism:

(I) Conservative Calvinists, represented by Charles Hodge and his sympathizers, advance Scripture alone emphasizing its divinity before its humanity; (II) Liberal Calvinists, represented by Friedrich Schleiermacher and his sympathizers, advance faith alone emphasizing its subjectivity before its object; and (III) Evangelical Calvinists, represented by Karl Barth and his sympathizers, advance Christ alone emphasizing his person before his work.40

Conservative Calvinism, represented by Charles Hodge, Louis Berkhof, Richard Muller, the Canons of Dort (1618–1619), and the Westminster Confession (1648), seeks to be a faithful follower of Calvin.41 Liberal Calvinism, driven by the challenge of contemporary issues, does not wish to be so restricted.42 Evangelical Calvinism wishes to follow Calvin but is not so concerned with getting “back to” Calvin, on the grounds of ecclesia reformata, semper reformanda.43 The Torrances have been grouped into this third way, along with figures such as Thomas Erskine, Edward Irving, John McLeod Campbell, and Karl Barth. “Evangelical Calvinism” has the vicarious humanity of Christ, and union with Christ, at its center. It claims to be in continuity with John Knox and the Scots Confession of 1560, and in contention with the Synod of Dort, the Westminster Assembly, and the Federal theology of Conservative Calvinism.44

Federal theology was the prevailing preaching and teaching of the Torrances’ Scottish Reformed tradition in their time. Federal theology has had a history of dominance in the perspective of those wishing to adhere to Calvinism and it continues to have an abiding authority today.45 It currently governs the North American Reformed perspective and “is considered, by many, to be the only orthodox Reformed theology acceptable.”46 According to Federal Calvinism, God made a covenant with Adam as the “federal” head of the human race. God created Adam to discern the laws of nature by reason and, if Adam was obedient, God would give him eternal life. If he was disobedient, it would lead to death. Adam disobeyed the law and, as federal head of the human race, his curse affected all of humanity. Out of his love, God made a new covenant, electing some to be saved by Christ. In order to forgive humanity, God had to satisfy his righteousness and justice and Christ therefore became a penal substitutionary sacrifice to atone for the sins of the elect.47 This Federal scheme is expressed confessionally in the Irish Articles and in the Westminster Confession of Faith.48

The Torrances believe that Federal theology is a distortion of Calvin’s theology.49 J. B. contends that the Federal doctrine of election presents God’s relationship with humanity in contractual terms, which is foreign to Calvin’s teaching of one eternal covenant of grace. J. B. argues that “old” and “new” do not denote two different covenants; they are two forms of the one eternal covenant.50 Federal Calvinism presents a covenant of works for all and a covenant of grace only for the elect.51 J. B. argues that this means that God is related to all of humanity in terms of law, but only to some in terms of grace.52 Primacy is given to law over grace.53 J. B. considers, “In the federal scheme, the focus of attention moves away from what Christ has done for us and for all humanity to what we have to do IF we would be (or know that we are) in covenant with God.”54 He observes that this leads to a lack of assurance regarding salvation and people turning inward upon themselves to examine whether they are bearing enough “fruit” as evidence of their salvation.55

There is much debate as to whether Federal Calvinism is faithful to Calvin.56 More importantly, however, A. T. B. McGowan, who disagrees with J. B.’s criticism of Federal theology, considers that the “crux” of J. B.’s argument does not concern a perceived lack of faithfulness to Calvin but rather “a misunderstanding of the nature of a Biblical covenant.”57 For the Torrances, the essential difficulty with Federal Calvinism is that it distorts the nature of how God relates to humanity in salvation because it does not subordinate human logical constructs to God’s revelation of who he is in Christ. Lack of assurance in salvation and weariness from trying to obtain it can be rem...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Foreword
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Part One: The Triune God of Grace and Salvation
• Part Two: Sanctification and Human Participation
• Conclusion
• Bibliography