Reference
Radcliff, A.S. 2016. The
Claim of Humanity in Christ: Salvation and Sanctification in the Theology of
T.F. and J.B. Torrance. (Princeton Theological Monograph Series 222),
Eugene, OR: Pickwick. 208 pp
Per Radcliff, there is an eschatological
reserve (“time lag”) between the ascension and the parousia in which sin is an ongoing reality, both in the world and
in the Church. At the same time, we are given a new “eschatological
orientation” in the risen humanity of Jesus, so that, in the here and now, we
are privileged to share by the Spirit in Christ’s communion with the Father. This
means that a “holy life” does not stem from introspective self-examination or
muscular moral effort; a holy life stems from our free and liberating participation by the Spirit in the Father-
Son relationship.
Man Turned in Upon Himself
For the Torrances, sin is
“man turned in upon himself” (homo
incurvatus in se). Sin is the rejection of God in favor of personal
autonomy. (In the words of C.S. Lewis, sin is man’s desire “to set up shop on his
own.”) Robert Jensen suggests that pride, sloth and falsehood fall under the
conceptual umbrella of homo incurvatus in
se. As Radcliff argues,
Essentially, sin is homo
incurvatus in se (man turned in upon himself). Although we have been
reconciled for relationship, to share by the Spirit in the Son’s communion with
the Father, there is an irrational mystery that people choose to make
themselves their own center.
For Barth, sin is driven
by two errors: a misunderstanding of God as a despot and a misunderstanding of
humanity as self-determining. Paraphrasing Torrance, since we are created to
find our “center” in relationship with God, sin violates our center, so that we
become “ec-centric” (“off-center”). Barth describes this as “man rotating about
himself.” As Radcliff argues, the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to turn us out
of ourselves (homo excurvatus ex se),
so that we are re-oriented (by the Spirit) to find our lives in Jesus, and in
his relationship with the Father. Our “re-orientation” by the Spirit, in which
we are turned out of ourselves toward Jesus (homo excurvatus ex se), is the foundation of a holy life. Radcliff’s
assertion is in marked contrast to the neo-Puritan insistence on an
introspective turn inward to look for
vestiges of sin.
Comment: In many self-help
programs based on the Twelve Steps, there is a strong emphasis on a “moral
inventory” that requires a significant amount of introspection and self-examination.
Twenty-five years ago, when I was a therapist, I led a weekend workshop where
the participants spent the weekend in introspection and self-examination,
writing their findings down, so that they could lay it all at the foot of the
cross at the end of the workshop. I was amazed at the level of fear expressed
by the participants. The notion that they were supposed to look inside in order to “inventory” all their
character defects, shortcomings and sins was absolutely terrifying for almost everyone. In view of Radcliff’s argument for
a turn away from ourselves toward Jesus, I am wondering about the therapeutic
efficacy of the “moral inventory” of Twelve Step programs. Given that many
(most?) people in these programs are burdened with low self-esteem, would it
not be better to ask them to turn away from themselves in order to see who they
are in Jesus. I don’t know. Just thinkin’.
Back to Radcliff. For the
Torrances, God’s purpose for humanity is filial
(having to do with sonship, or relationship), not legal. We are reconciled for relationship,
not for a second chance to keep the law. As we participate by the Spirit in the
“right-ness” of the Father-Son relationship, we are enabled (by the Spirit) to
reflect the reality of who we are in Jesus. In short, our humanity is not
determined by Adam (despite the Calvinists’ insistence on “total depravity”);
rather, our humanity is determined by the
risen Jesus, as we participate by the Spirit in his sanctified humanity. Although
we live in the “eschatological reserve,” with the ongoing presence of sin, we
also live in the power of Pentecost, notes Radcliff (p. 171). At Pentecost,
argues TF Torrance, Jesus shared the Holy Spirit with humanity, so that
humanity might share by the Holy Spirit in Christ.
Comment: For me, here is the advantage of viewing
justification and sanctification as objectively realized for everyone in the
vicarious humanity of Jesus assumed in the incarnation. Because we are
justified-sanctified “in him,” we can
regard holy living as the consequence of participation, rather than the result
of puritanical effort. If I am understanding this correctly, and I think I am,
this is extremely liberating. It allows me to lay down the heavy yoke of moral
effort (which I’m no good at anyway!) and take on Jesus’ light yoke instead. It
will be interesting to see how this actually “lives out” for me.
To continue: Radcliff
asserts that “sin is driven by not knowing what has been objectively achieved
for us in Christ.” (That’s a nice assertion but sin can also be driven by “wine,
women and song,” or so they tell me!) In a sermon, Torrance preached that we
behave as though we are not dead to sin because we do not believe we are dead
to sin. Radcliff cites 2 Peter 1:9, where those who do not practice godliness
have forgotten that they have been cleansed by sin. As a former therapist, I
would argue that sin involves more than a lack of knowledge of our ontological
reality in Jesus (as important as that is). Behavior, good or bad, is driven by
a multitude of psychological, emotional and behavioral factors.
Metanoia
According to Radcliff, the
scriptural admonition to “fix our eyes on Jesus” is the essence of repentance (“a change of mind”). It is a
turning outward, away from ourselves
(homo excurvatus ex se), toward
Jesus. As I like to say it, this turn toward Jesus is “moving from
self-centeredness to Christ-centeredness.” It is finding our center in Jesus,
not in self. As Radcliff argues, “This challenges an introspective,
anthropocentric notion of repentance whereby we are turned in on ourselves to
examine our sinfulness and endeavor to offer satisfactory grief” (p. 173). She
contrasts this outward turn toward Jesus with the neo-Puritanism of J.I.
Packer, who describes repentance in terms of confessing and forsaking sins,
altering thoughts, habits and attitudes and “binding one’s conscience to God’s
moral law” (and more!). In the Torrance tradition, by contrast, we need not
rely on the adequacy of our own moral effort because our repentance is a
sharing in Jesus’ perfect vicarious repentance on our behalf. Where Packer describes
repentance in terms of displeasure and life-long pain, JB Torrance describes it
as a “joyful” activity. This is because, as Radcliff notes, JB conceives of
repentance as turning away from ourselves to Christ, in whose intimate
communion with the Father we are free to participate.
Comment: Following Radcliff, if sin involves an inward turn
toward self, one could argue that that the Puritan insistence on introspection
and self-examination may actually make matters worse!
As we live in the
“eschatological reserve,” the Church is directed away from itself toward those
things which are above, so that we may hold on to what is true of us in Jesus,
for our lives are hidden with Christ in God (Col 3:1-3). Not only are we
directed to Christ, we are directed to share in Christ, and in his mind and truth (1 Cor 2:16: “We have the mind
of Christ.”). As Radcliff notes:
This means that our beliefs should be shaped by the
truth of God rather than our own human experience. In the context of
sanctification, this means that what we believe should be informed by the truth
of our identity as saints in Christ, as opposed to our earthly experiences of
sinfulness (p. 174). Write it down folks.
That’ll preach!
Comment: Radcliff’s assertion finds
support in cognitive therapy, where
changing our beliefs about ourselves is an important part of the therapeutic
process.
Radcliff concludes this
section by examining the “pattern” of the apostle Paul’s letters. Since sin is
driven by a misunderstanding of God and humanity (per Radcliff), it is
necessary to have correct knowledge in order to live holy lives. Paul reminds
his readers of “who they are” in Christ, then exhorts them to live accordingly.
Richard Hayes (like Barth) argues that Paul exhorts his readers to view their
“obligations and actions in the cosmic contest of what God has done in Christ.”
This, of course, accords well with JB Torrance’s well-known assertion that the
“indicatives of grace are prior to the imperatives of law.” Finally, Andrew
Murray asserts that “[t]he whole Christian life depends on the clear
consciousness of our position in Christ.” In an extensive quote, Murray exhorts
us to “get hold of” the reality of our union with Christ, for “man’s acts are
always in accordance with his idea of his state.” For Murray, a man who knows he is a king will act like a king.
Comment: Andrew Murray (South African pastor) was roughly
contemporary with George MacDonald. Murray’s devotional writings are well-worth
a look.
As Radcliff rightly notes,
knowing “who we are” in Jesus does not necessarily mean we will always live
holy lives. However, the idea that our perceived identity is significant for
how we act finds support in Paul’s frequent affirmations of our identity in
Christ. Per Radcliff, “Scriptural exhortations to godly behavior are often
preceded by directing the early Christians to the truth of their identity in
Christ.” She cites a sermon by TF Torrance, who argued that our new life in the
vicarious humanity of Christ leads to a change in moral behavior. Torrance
preached that our identity as saints
is the basis for a holy life. It is the glorious paradox of the Gospel that,
while, to all outward appearances we remain sinners, we are, in fact, new
creations in Christ. When we are turned out of ourselves by the Spirit (homo excurvatus ex se), we find our
identities in the vicarious humanity of Jesus, where our primary ontological
reality is “saint.”
Comment: I continue to see many
implications for pastoral counselling in Radcliff’s excellent work.
Key points
·
Holy living stems from our participation by the Spirit in the
Father-Son relationship.
·
Holy living arises are we are turned out of ourselves by the
Spirit to fix our eyes on Jesus.
·
Sin is “ec-centric.” It seeks to find its center in self, not
in God.
·
Repentance is a change of mind, as we turn away from
ourselves to fix our eyes on Jesus.
·
Self-perception influences behavior. We must see ourselves as
“saints” in order to live holy lives.
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