I don’t think I have to spend much time making my case that the way Christians talk about one another—especially online—is growing increasingly uncharitable. Hardly a day goes by when I don’t read of people I love and look up to engage in verbal knife fights. People who are supposed to be united in love and mission seem to have a mission to divide. People who delighted in being right with God now simply want to be right. 

During the Protestant Reformation, the church rediscovered the doctrine of justification, and the world got turned upside down. Today, I think it could be the church that is turned upside down if the application of the doctrine of justification were rediscovered. 

I don’t think I have to spend much time making my case that the way Christians talk about one another—especially online—is growing increasingly uncharitable. Hardly a day goes by when I don’t read of people I love and look up to engage in verbal knife fights. People who are supposed to be united in love and mission seem to have a mission to divide. People who delighted in being right with God now simply want to be right. 

I think I know part of the reason why. Many Reformed people love to study the doctrine of justification but don’t seem as keen to apply it.

I’m guessing that if you are reading a TGC blog, you are somewhat familiar with the doctrine of justification. We could define justification as God’s legal declaration of a sinner to be righteous and forgiven in his sight because he’s credited Christ’s obedience to them. 

One implication of loving the doctrine of justification by faith alone is that Christians will see (and therefore treat) other Christians the same way as God does through Christ. We should treat fellow believers as God does—and not less than he does. Why do many (not all) Reformed people tend to cling so tightly to the doctrine of justification and so loosely to its application?

If we were to ask someone where to learn about justification, they would likely direct us to the writings of Paul in general but especially the book of Romans. There we would find this doctrine explained and jealously defended. 

In Romans 3, Paul shows how all of humanity, whether religious or irreligious, are deficient of righteousness. We are all quarantined in the bondage of our sin. Apart from Christ, we are alienated, hostile in mind, and engaged in evil deeds (Col. 1:21).

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