Iustitia Dei

The central teaching of the Christian faith concerns the reconciloiation of man with God in the person of Jesus Christ or teh doctrine of justification. This doctrine is often interpreted with cultural overtones although it is independnent of culture. The church is not only interested in the what man must do to be right with God, but also the process and consequences of such a new relationship. The doctirne is also center of the Christian theological system and teh existence of the church hignes on it. The doctrine of justification has to do with the transformation of sinner into a 'justified' person; changing a man without God to one with God, for God and before God. It is the ultimate expression of the Church's conviction of the work of Christ and tied closely to the historical revelation of God. It defines the conditions under which man can be reconciled to God.Hence, Christ is known through his work and as the locus in which Gdo reconcile the world to himself. It is this soteriological context which provides the framework for teh discussion of the doctrine of justificaiton. The discussion of this doctrine must be distinguished from the discussion of teh concept of justification. The concept has to do with God's saving action toward his people as revealed in the Bible, while the doctrne concerns the method thgrough which man can be reconciled to God. The doctrien of justification is independent of Biblical origins and absent from the NT.It is interesting to note that in the discussion of justification as we hear it today is quite independent of its Pauline origins and its origin lies in an anti-Judaising polemic quite differnet from today, it is still interesting to discover why of all metaphors, justification is singled out for the explication of soteriology.It is an inccident fo history that justification instead of other soteriological methaphor cna be creditted to the following factors:1. The rise of Pauline scholarship during the 12th Century2. High regard for classical jurisprudence3. semantic relationship between iustitia and iustificatio gives rise to the rationalizing of the divine dispensation towards mankind in terms of justice4.Luther's theological difficulties concerning teh Righteousness of God as Gospel, which tied the Reformation closely to the doctrine fo justification5. reconciliation is discussed under teh ageis of doctrine of justification in teh council of TrentIt is only within the west that the doctrine of jsutification has its sphere of influence. The east talks about the concept of deification rather than justification. This is due to the difference in the understand ing of the work of the Holy Spirit, influence of neo-platonism in the east and the west's interest in Roman Law which naturally placed interest in justification.(Alister McGrath, Iustitia Dei 2nd ed., 1-4. )