Francis Turretin (17 October 1623 – 28 September 1687) was a Swiss-Italian Reformed scholastic theologian. He is recognized
for the "precision" of his work.
In the debate about the role of holiness to salvation-by-free-grace; or
stated otherwise: to those who are justified by faith alone, how does their
works, work with Christ's imputed righteousness? Or in relation to the innumerable
debates regarding the instruction of James, e.g., James 2:14–26 (ESV)[i], how are we to understand
this body of instruction? Turretin is
very helpful! Here's what he says,
translated in English:
“Works can be
considered in three ways: either with reference to justification or
sanctification or glorification. They
are related to justification not antecedently, efficiently and meritoriously,
but consequently and declaratively. They
are related to sanctification constitutively because they constitute and
promote it. They are related to
glorification antecedently and ordinatively because they are related to it as
the means to the end; yea, as the beginning to the complement because grace is glory begun, as glory
is grace consummated.”[1] [Emphasis mine]
Let me try to
paraphrase. Righteous works of holiness and good deeds are never irrelevant.
They impact all three dimensions of the Christian life: salvation,
sanctification and glorification. In
relation to salvation good works do not cause salvation, salvation does not
occur because of them nor is salvation the prize of good works. God has decreed that good works are the
effect of salvation. In relationship to our growth in Christlikeness, i.e.,
works of holiness and good works, are the sum and substance of that
experience. In relationship to our
final reward – our glorification -- no one will see God without good works. God
has ordained that holiness and good works vindicate and verify His grace, on
the final day. In this way a person is "justified [arrives in glory with a
defensible status] by works and not by faith alone" (v24). Though we are not saved because of them,
equally true is it that we cannot be saved without them.
Most of the time we
err, not by denying these three essential points, but by not holding them in
dynamic tension – in balance.
[1] –Francis Turretin, Institutes of Elenctic
Theology, (17.3.15). Ed. James Dennison (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R,
1692/1996), 2:705.
[i] "14 What good is
it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that
faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and
lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace,
be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what
good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works,
is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.”
Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my
works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons
believe—and shudder! 20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person,
that faith apart from works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our
father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22
You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by
his works; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham
believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a
friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and
not by faith alone. 25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the
prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them
out by another way? 26 For as the body apart from the spirit is
dead, so also faith apart from works is dead."
