Active and Passive Obedience

TF Torrance in a selection from the anthology noted in an earlier post describes the rationale for the distinction of active and passive obedience in Reformed theology. They don’t differ with regard to time – Christ begins to suffer His passive obedience with the incarnation. Jesus is the Subject of both. Torrance says, “They are set in mutual unity in the whole life of Christ. Since this is so we must speak of the active obedience as actio passiva and the passive obedience as passio activa .” He goes on to say that this implies that both the active and passive righteousness of Christ is imputed to us, so that “justification means not simply the non-imputation of our sins through the pardon of Christ, but positive sharing in his divine-human righteousness.” He died an atoning death, but Torrance speaks also of “his atoning and justifying life.” The distinction thus serves to emphasize that “the whole course of Christ’s active obedience is absolutely integral to his work of reconciliation.”

This is helpful because it shows that it’s possible to include a notion of “imputation of active obedience” without treating active obedience as an entity in itself, or treating imputation of active obedience as any kind of distinct act from imputation. Torrance speaks of “sharing in [Christ’s] divine-human righteousness,” which is only possible if we are sharing in Christ Himself. By sharing in Christ Himself, we have Him as our righteousness, actio passiva et passio activa .