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영어

The goal of this paper is to explicate how the understanding of the doctrine of justification can affect the preaching of justification. In justification Paul greatly emphasizes the individual's lack of worthiness and need of grace before God. Since the rise of the New Perspective on Paul (NPP), the traditional interpretation of the doctrine of justification has changed in many ways. The NPP unanimously rejects the Protestant grace/work antithesis as the key to the doctrine. This paper attempts to re-emphasizes the place of the individual in justification based on textual considerations, while not neglecting important corporate elements highlighted by the NPP. Salvation for Paul was not merely about the individual, but was part of a much larger scheme where God reconciles all humankind to himself. With respect to the term of imputation, Paul never expressly states that the righteousness of Christ is imputed to believers. The NPP made it fashionable to regard imputed righteousness as legal fiction. However this paper proposes that the notion of imputation is entirely legitimate as a way of restating the forensic nature of justification against an infused righteousness. Besides it suggests the use of language that more readily comports with Paul's concept of justification, that is, union with Christ. Since salvation and eschatology are integrally and organically connected, the focus in our preaching should be both on the salvation which is already experienced as a present reality and on the eschatological fullness of salvation which still remains a future hope. This paper argues that the doctrine of justification is an utterly Christocentric doctrine in that the justification of sinner takes place only in and through the justification of God in the event of the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The only righteousness of Christian that will avail before the judgment of God is the righteousness of Christ. Therefore preaching justification should be preaching Christ. Preachers must set forth Christ in their preaching of justification, as Christ is the center of the whole Bible.