I’m not sure, but I suppose a number of you have been following the intra- Gospel-Coalition exchange between Kevin DeYoung and Tullian Tchividjian regarding the Gospel, its relationship to sanctification, and what place there is for the believer’s effort, if there’s any place at all. As may be expected, blogger-extraordinaire Justin Taylor has provided a helpful roundup and summary of the interaction, as well as some helpful additions to the discussion from Bavinck and Berkouwer via Dane Ortlund, and from J. I. Packer. Since those posts, Tullian has responded once more, and also has posted an open letter from Elyse Pitzpatrick to Mr. Grace-Loving Antinomian.
As I’m sure will be much to your delight, I’m not planning on writing a thesis that thoughtfully engages each of the well-reasoned points from every one of those posts. Neither do I have any illusions of settling the matter once and for all, though to be honest I’m not sure there’s much to be settled, as I’m unable to discern a whole lot of disagreement between Kevin and Tullian. But the exchange has indeed been helpful, as it’s forced those reading to consider afresh what Scripture has to say about how the believer grows in the grace and knowledge of Christ (2Pet 3:18), becoming increasingly conformed to His image (Rom 8:29; 2Cor 3:18). And we need to think about that, because that’s where we all live. Our sanctification is the will of God for us (1Thess 4:3), and so it’s important that we know (a) if we have any part of that at all, and, if we do, (b) how we go about pursuing our sanctification in ways that are honoring to God and that magnify the sufficiency of Christ. Keep Reading...
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