Amen! Says Beckwith...
"the Catholic view of justification, correctly understood, is biblically and historically defensible. Even though I also believe that the Reformed view is biblically and historically defensible..."
LOL. So both are right?!?
Nope. The RC view of justification is antithetical to Scripture and to the correct Reformed understanding as outlined in Scripture and here in Hebrews --
From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified." -- Hebrews 10:12-14"But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
If Beckwith gets the heart of Christianity wrong, he can't get much else right. He obviously prefers the yoke of Rome to the liberty of Christ.
Thus the rediscovery of the gospel brought a rediscovery of evangelism, the task of summoning non-believers to faith. Rome had said, God's grace is great, for through Christ's cross and his Church salvation is possible for all who will work and suffer for it; so come to church, and toil! But the Reformers said, God's grace is greater, for through Christ's cross and his Spirit salvation, full and free, with its unlimited guarantee of eternal joy, is given once and forever to all who believe; so come to Christ, and trust and take!...""...where Rome had taught a piecemeal salvation, to be gained by stages through working a sacramental treadmill, the Reformers now proclaimed a unitary salvation, to be received in its entirety here and now by self-abandoning faith in God's promise, and in the God and the Christ of that promise, as set forth in the pages of the Bible.
Regards
Here is my response, posted on Beckwith’s weblog:
Dr. Beckwith,
I find it very sad you’ve chosen to “err on the side of the Church with historical and theological continuity with the first generations of Christians” instead of staying with the Christians who are the most faithful to the very first generation of Christians, the authors of the New Testament.
The more I’ve studied the history of the Reformation, the more I am thankful for the work of the Reformers—rejected, excommunicated and utterly repudiated by your Church, if not burned alive.
May you influence the Church of the Bishop of Rome for the Gospel—and help reform that body.
Sola Scriptura, Solus Christus, Sola Gracia, Sola Fide, Soli Deo Gloria!
At the same time, I think it is important to remember the huge movement in the last 40 years, even in the last 20 of Rome. Officially Trent is still in effect, but unofficially yes, the anathamas are no more....
As you can see by my remarks above, I’m not defending the man, however, a mistake I see my reformed and conservative evangelical brothers make all the time is thinking Roman dogma is the same as it was in 1570, and even when Rome claims it is... it simply is not. I’ve even seen respected Roman theologians use the term “alien righteousness” the very same phrase coined by Luther, when speaking of justification. The Catichism of 1993 is MUCH softer on Protestants than anything which has come before—and it’s official Catholic dogma (the first universal catechism since Trent, I might add), largely written and approved by Ratzinger himself.
Yes Trent in all its horror is still on the books, but from Ratzinger on down, Rome is changing. Maybe Beckwith will help with such reform—we should pray for it.