NT Wright, John Piper, & Matt Chandler on Justification

What is the doctrine of Justification?  Well this has been a hotly debated question in recent years within Christian theology.  Justification boils down to what gives us right standing when we stand before God for judgment.  On what basis can we plead our case before the Creator of the Universe and be found to be good?

Trevin Wax has posted a helpful synopsis of the ongoing debate between John Piper and NT Wright on this matter which you can read here.

So why should you be concerned about all of this?  Why should it matter to the layman Christian if John Piper and NT Wright want to carry on a debate about justification?  Great question and probably one that deserves to be answered above any other.

Truth is just about everyone you meet is in the process of trying to justify themselves.  We are constantly comparing and contrasting ourselves with our friends, peers, and those around us.  We receive a boost of “self-esteem” when we find others who fail or sin more than we do.  Our culture encourages us to strive to be better than others and all of us our caught up in the cycle of doing so.  In the deep chasms of our thought lives it gets even darker; we can even take joy at the failures of others because it raises us and makes us feel a little better.  It is why we have become a culture that sensationalizes and mocks the failures of the famous and well known.

Bottom line we are all DEEPLY self-righteous and seeking to justify ourselves… How foolish.

In the best sermon I have heard in some time and one that struck me to the core was Matt Chandler’s recent sermon on Luke 18:9-14 titled “Christ Alone.”  Listen to it as Chandler unpacks the deepest reality of our need for justification and the truth that no doctrine is of greater practical importance to all of us than how we stand justified before God.

ryan