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Further Thoughts on John Piper's "The Future of Justification"



I really didn't want to shift the conversation toward one topic so soon, but because I'm such an ardent proponent of the biblical vision heralded by N.T. Wright, and because of the dust that is being stirred up by Piper's latest book, The Future of Justification, and because that is the book I just happen to be reading right now, I guess that's where my head is right now.

So, anyways, in my last post about the book, I discussed something that struck me as I was reading the first few pages. Today, as I tried to get in a bigger chunk, I again got stuck after just a few pages. I guess given the amount of Wright I've digested over the last few years and how familiar I've become with his theological vision, I simply can't ignore the passages in Piper that keep coming up every page that scream to someone like me, "This guy simply doesn't grasp the subject of his own book!" I guess this book is gonna take me quite some time to finish, if this keeps up.

OK, in the Introduction, Piper discusses, in admittedly summary fashion, the eight critical areas of disagreement he has with Wright's position. Like I said in my previous post on this subject, you simply cannot appreciate Wright's conclusions unless you go through the entire process of how he arrives at them, from his eschatological "big picture" on down, if you will. Before I've even gotten through Piper's Introduction, I can clearly tell that he hasn't grasped this "big picture," that it is so far removed from his tradition of understanding the gospel as being about "God and me," or "How individual sinners get saved," that he doesn't even recognize Wright's vision, which is, I believe, the true biblical vision that is so much vastly bigger than that.

Twice Piper asserts as his critical argument against Wright's eight heresies. First, as pertaining to Wright's insistence that "the gospel" is not an account of how people get saved (even though that is a consequence of it) but rather news that the crucified and risen Jesus is the Messiah and therefore Lord of the world, Piper states:

"But one wonders how the death and resurrection of Jesus can be heard as good news if one had spent his life committing treason against the risen King. It would seem as though one would actually have to be told how the death and resurrection of Christ actually saves sinners, if sinners are to hear them as good news and not as a death sentence"

And then, as pertaining to Wright's insistence that the doctrine of "justification by faith" is not what Paul means by "the gospel," Piper resorts to the same type of argument:

"And again it is difficult to see how a sinner could hear the announcement of the cross and resurrection as good news without some explanation that by faith it makes a person forgiven and righteous before God."

These two arguments highlight Piper's apparent misunderstanding of Wright's "big picture," which I also believe to be the biblical "big picture" when the Bible is read holistically, from Genesis to Revelation. They highlight the reason why I anticipate that the rest of Piper's book will be an exercise in shadowboxing.

Wright makes clear, and his entire theological vision stems from the fact, that God's plan, from the beginning, was not to create a system where individual sinners could be saved. That presupposes a dangerous, anti-creational theology, a theology of a God who created the world, declared it good, but who then sets His sights on rescuing a few, chosen people and dumping the rest of creation in the trash can. No! The plan of God, since the beginning, was to save not just individuals, but the whole cosmos!! Read Romans 8. Better yet, read Genesis 1, then read Revelation 21-22, then read everything in between. Yes, within that vision, individual sinners are also saved, but, just like the calling and election of Israel, which she often misunderstood, that gift of salvation is not a gift primarily to us but through us for the benefit of the whole world. The eschatological vision of both the Old and New Testament is that, one day, the whole earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea, that, one day, God will be ALL IN ALL! All space, all time, all matter, was made by God, is cherished by God, and will one day be claimed by God.

Is your vision of the purpose of God in the the world THAT BIG!? Or do you think, like Piper, that its all about "me and my salvation?"

In some ways, I guess, I'm glad for Piper's book, because it seems to be highlighting the fundamental, category-level misunderstandings of the modern western Church, misunderstandings that Wright has been trying to point out and remedy for the last few decades. But I fear that, unless his readers are familiar with Wright's work, they will gloss over those category mistakes and get swept up in an act of kicking the shadow's ass.

Anyway, I'll do my small part to see that that doesn't happen to everybody...if I ever get done reading the thing.

Grace and Peace (and Patience),

Raffi




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2 Comments:

  1. abcaneday said...
     

    Raffi,

    I followed the link on your name from your post on my blog.

    I think you are correct to identify a main distinction between John Piper and N. T. Wright as being the difference in how they grasp the "big picture." I make the same observation, just in different words. Hence, it is not surprising that the two seem at odds. Wright's strength is that he sees the large scope of the biblical storyline. Piper's strength is in the minutia. They really need one another, it seems to me, to learn from one another to strengthen and to fill out their own respective understanding of Scripture.

  2. Anonymous said...
     

    Hi Raffi

    I'm basically on the same page as you in terms of appreciating Wright's 'big picture' / metanarrative of Scripture.

    I was reflecting on the end of your 9th(?) paragraph (that starts 'Wright makes clear...') and your comments on the eschatological vision of the OT/NT. I basically agree, but I wonder if that's the whole picture?

    What I've been considering lately is the role of human beings in this big story. I've been pondering the significance of Jesus' humanity - that it is specifically Jesus who is to be judge and lord, to rule over God's kingdom. I've been thinking about Jesus' lordship not as God 'taking over' where we've messed up (although of course that's part of it!), but as actually fulfilling God's purposes for humanity (I've blogged on this).

    Wright talks about Jesus as the representative of Israel and fulfilling the promise to Abraham, but perhaps there's more to say about him as the last Adam? (if he's covered this you'll have to point me to it - I haven't read everything!)

    Anyway, enjoyed your reviews!

    Blessings

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Parables of a Prodigal World by Raffi Shahinian is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.