James Jordan sends the following concerning justification, glorification, and the gospel:
The Nicene Creed says something else about the gospel. It says about Jesus Christ: Who (a) for us and (b) for our salvation. Then it expands: (a) came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary and was made man; (b) ALSO (different connective) was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried . . . .
The Creed assumes that the incarnation was necessary for us, and the Fathers all explain that this was in order to “bring many sons to glory.” They called this theopoesis, the process of becoming more and more like God. We usually call it glorification. In other words, Jesus came to bring the human race to full maturity, and He would have come for that purpose even if Adam had not sinned.
Some Reformed theologians today seem to be confused about this. Jesus died for our sins; we all admit that. But Jesus also did what Adam failed to do. Or more accurately, Jesus completed what Adam failed to start. But what did Adam fail to start? Some list of good works that earned merits? Or did Adam just fail to remain faithful and grow up? Either way, Jesus gives us more than we lost in Adam. But that extra is not justification; it’s glorification. Yet, over and over, this extra that Jesus did, whether called merit or something else, is seen as having to do with justification and forgiveness of sins, with being made fundamentally right.
Having for the most part ignored or postponed glorification (“Those whom He justified some day in the future He will glorify” is the common gloss on Romans 8:30), too many Reformed thinkers have confused the two and imported into the doctrine of forgiveness elements that have to do with glorification. They say we are declared righteous because of Jesus’ completion of Adam’s work. Rather, we are made glorious thereby.
The gospel is both justification and glorification. Both are by faith in the present age. But when they are confused, the gospel itself is confused.
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