Passive and Active Righteousness

POSTED ON SEPTEMBER 14, 2012 BY JONO LINEBAUGH

Theological Dictionary: Passive and Active Righteousness

“This is our theology, by which we teach a precise distinction between these two kinds of righteousness, the active and the passive” (Martin Luther, Lectures on Galatians 1535). There are “two kinds of righteousness” because human beings live in two kinds of relationships: 1) creature with Creator and 2) creature with creature. Before God (coram Deo), people are passive, receiving righteousness by grace through faith on account of Christ (Rom 3:21-24; 5:17; 10:6; Phil 3:9; cf. Rom 3:28; Gal 2:16). Before the world (coram mundo), people are active, serving their neighbor in love (Rom 13:8-19; Gal 5:13-14). This distinction is essential because, as Luther put it, it ensures that “morality and faith, works and grace … are not confused. Both are necessary, but both must be kept within their limits” (Lectures on Galatians1535). To be human is to be two-dimensional: passive (i.e. receptive) before God and active (i.e. loving) before the world. These two kinds of righteousness are distinct, but they are inseparable: passive righteousness from God precedes and produces active righteousness for the neighbor. In Paul’s words, what “matters is faith [in God] working through love [for others]” (Gal 5:6). This “double-definition” of righteousness avoids the twin errors of one-dimensional definitions: either supposing that human activity (love) is the basis of the Creator-creature relationship or, conversely, imaging that because justification is by faith works of love are irrelevant. To say there are two kinds of righteousness is to affirm the importance of faith and love while also identifying the proper place for faith and love. As Luther describes the Christian, “he lives not in himself, but in Christ and the neighbor. He lives in Christ through faith and in his neighbor through love” (Freedom of the Christian 1520).

Evangelistic Opportunities In Disguise (or How I Almost Put Apple Out Of Business)

by BrianJones.com

April 4, 2013 15 Comments

I’ve been having laptop problems all week.

I was told by my worship pastor that my new MAC laptop would be 100,000,000 times better than my PC because it would “Never have problems.”

MAC’s, I was told, could withstand every attack the dark side could proffer:

• Cat videos on YouTube
• Country music in iTunes
• My mom’s 6,234 email forwards (“This is funny…read this…”)

Alas, I was sold a bill of goods. My MAC crashed this week. Twice.

To say I was ticked, frustrated, etc., is an understatement. So off I headed off in a fit of rage to my local Apple store to get it fixed.

Once in line I began rehearsing my 5 point speech for the manager:

1. Hey idiot, I went from PC to MAC to prevent these problems.
2. Snarky comment about how “All these un-showered hipsters standing around in blue shirts doing nothing remind me of a state highway construction crew.”
3. I read Steve Jobs’ insufferable 1,934 page biography, which should count for something, ANYTHING.
4. Demand a replacement for the lemon I was given.
5. End with a threat – I have 3014 Twitter followers, and JUST ONE TWEET to my coalition of 3 pastors and 3011 online get-rich-quick experts posing as real people, and we’ll bring your stupid company to a grinding halt!

I was ready for ‘em.

But, to his loss, Sean, the manager, never heard my riveting speech.

I was only able to get out the words, “I’m having problems,” before he grabbed two techs who patiently worked on my laptop for over an hour, ultimately fixing my problem.

No, I never got to express my pent-up frustration.

But I did get to talk to one of the techs about what’s going on in his life for over an hour, how God fits into that, and then invite him to visit CCV this weekend.

Which, I realized later, was probably the reason my laptop malfunctioned in the first place.

And which, when you think about it, is probably a good explanation for why we go through most of the lousy things we experience in life.

It’s probably a good practice to remind ourselves that for every computer problem in our life there’s a tech somewhere that needs to hear the gospel.

Ever noticed that in your life?