The Surprising God

This post continues a review of Alexandra Radcliff's book,  The Claim of Humanity in Christ, Salvation and Sanctification in the Theology of T. F. and J. B. Torrance . For previous posts in this series, click a number:  1 ,  2 , 3 , 4 , 6 ,  7 ,  8 ,  9 ,  10 ,  11 .   Last time we saw how the Torrances view the atonement (justification in particular) as participation , not mere imputation . Now we'll see how they view sanctification as  participation , not mere  imitation . The Way of Joy  by Greg Olsen (used with permission) It's somewhat common in Evangelical Christian circles to think of Christians as being called to "imitate Christ." To be fair, we should note that authors use the term "imitation," as it pertains to the Christian life, in various ways. However, it is often implied that Jesus came, set us an example, then left, calling upon his followers who remain to imitate his example, and so be transformed in character. They then note

This post continues a review of Alexandra Radcliff's book,  The Claim of Humanity in Christ, Salvation and Sanctification in the Theology of T. F. and J. B. Torrance . For previous posts in this series, click a number:  1 ,  2 , 3 , 5 , 6 ,  7 ,  8 ,  9 ,  10 ,  11 . Last time we saw what Torrance theology says concerning how the vicarious (substitutionary, representative) humanity of Jesus Christ is central to a biblical understanding of salvation and the atonement. We saw how the Torrance brothers emphasize that Jesus' resurrection not only confirms that by his death we have been forgiven, it also points to the new birth of a righteous humanity in Christ. The Torrances then note that in Jesus' ascension this new humanity "is raised up in Christ to share by the Spirit in his perfect relationship with the Father" (p. 61). JB Torrance puts it this way: The Son of God takes our humanity, sanctifies it by his vicarious life in the Spirit (John 17:17-18), carrie