2/12/06

5:12 PM Summarizing. Jesus dies for the redemption of all people because that was the only way that his disciples could receive the Holy Spirit (for they would not stop lording it over each other otherwise). It was that or just Jesus himself, living forever perfect in a world where people could not even understand what he was talking about. By virtue of that death (and the expectation engendered by the resurrection) the Holy Spirit enters into the hearts of sinful men and makes them clean.

Now with regard to the individual sins, these are paid for in the conversion itself and which, as stated, is only made possible by this death of Jesus in a practical way. I.e., the individual takes up his cross, thereby paying for his sins, on his own, but this was only possible to even be conceived of through the death of Jesus.

I think that’s clear. Kant is happy because the taking of the cross counts as payment in the moral (spiritual) court for one's sins. Paul is happy because it was only possible to conceive of taking up that cross because of the death of Jesus in showing the way to sinful men. For Paul it is as much as this: by virtue of Jesus death I was enabled to conceive of and understand and want and seek the Holy Spirit. I.e., Jesus died for the sake of sinful men, to convince all, even the convict, that they could obtain the Holy Spirit and peace with God.


Now Kant will be thinking of those people who resolve to do good and will find that makes them acceptable people morally (at least if the disposition itself is good and this is not transitory). This will be their own righteousness. The believing Christians such as the Paulians, the righteousness will be a conveyed righteousness, namely that of the Holy Spirit, and while conveyed nevertheless impeccable, for it is the Holy Spirit, the same spirit which possessed Jesus himself.

Perhaps then that is the difference. It is by virtue of faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior that the righteousness of the Holy Spirit can come as a robe to cover nakedness. Otherwise Kant’s self righteous man will need no clothes for like Jesus he will have nothing to hide, nothing to be ashamed of.

And so then finally the believers must appeal to a miracle, and this is the miracle attested to by Paul and Francis and Wesley among many others. By virtue of one’s belief in Jesus as Lord and Savior a miracle takes place and the person is transformed and becomes like Jesus, just in a different condition.