The imputation of Christ's righteousness to the wicked in the American great awakening and the Korean revivals

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:This study considers the doctrine of the forensic imputation of Christ's righteousnessin both the Great Awakening and the Korean revivals through the six revivalists from theview of the Reformation doctrine oiforensic justification: Jonathan Edwards, TimothyDwight, Sun-Ju Kil, Ik-Doo Kim, Yong-Do Lee, and Sung-Bong Lee.The key question is whether they maintain the Reformation doctrine of the forensicimputation of Christ's righteousness, affirming the sola fide-sola gratia language of theReformers such as Martin Luther and John Calvin. The prime concern facing the sixrevivalists is the question of the status of humanity and the necessity of Christ'srighteousness for forensic justification. It is of the utmost importance to see thatjustification by faith alone is fully embedded in the understanding of union with Christ.Jonathan Edwards stood firmly against any attempt to shrink God's free grace downto the size of human works in justification, following closely the Reformation doctrine ofthe forensic imputation of Christ's righteousness. Edwards elucidated Adamic andChristologicalforensic union in terms of divine constitution. He firmly held that throughunion with Christ Christ's alien righteousness is legally transferred or reckoned to thebelievers. Timothy Dwight, standing in a quite different tradition, rejected Edwards's notion of justification that justification is an absolute unmerited gift of God, apart from humanworks. Dwight affirmed neither prevenient grace nor justification in the Reformation termsof solajide, sola gratia, sola scriptura, solus Christus, sola Deo Gloria, a iustitia aliena(an alien righteousness), and a iustitia extra nos (a righteousness apart from us).By stressing the power of the human will, Sun-Ju Kil clearly thought that justificationis exclusively an act of human beings. Kil's view of the act of faith alone made all thedifference in imputation, connecting the wicked to the righteousness of Christ. Ik-Doo Kimalso departed from the Reformation doctrine ofJorensic justification in failing to presentthe implications of Christ's imputed righteousness. Kim's doctrine of the power of prayerdetermined his view of justification. Kim's notion of repentance centered on the act of faiththrough prayer, which made Luther's solajide a human work or accomplishment in theimputation of Christ's righteousness. Yong-Do Lee placed his understanding of thejustification of the wicked within the setting of the principle of oneness with Christ, withwhich he laid the foundation for the double exchange of life in his theology. Lee did notrecognize a necessary connection between justification and the free grace of the sovereignGod. Although Sung-Bong Lee found considerable depth in the imputation of Christ'srighteousness in comparison with the three Korean revivalists, he failed effectively todistinguish between justification and sanctification. Lee's decisive proposal of union withChrist cannot be identified as the Reformation doctrine offorensic imputation. This studysuggested that the five revivalists except Jonathan Edwards were unwilling to favor theReformation doctrine offorensic justification regarding original sin, alien righteousness,union with Christ, and the forensic imputation of Christ's righteousness to the wicked.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University