Justification

Is Christ’s righteousness counted, imparted, or both?

Christians agree that salvation is grounded in Christ rather than human merit. The debate asks whether Paul’s righteousness language is primarily a counted verdict, a transformative gift, or a union in which verdict and renewal cannot be separated.

The question

Where the disagreement lies

The distinction is often sharpened by later theological systems. Paul himself moves between courtroom, resurrection, union, Spirit, and new-creation language, so the question is how these images relate rather than which one exists.

Key texts

Different Perspectives

TransparencySources, generation and reviewHuman review pending

AI generation record

System
OpenAI Codex AI assistant
Generated
14 August 2026
Review
Human review pending

The AI synthesized the content from the listed biblical and scholarly sources. Associations describe broad affinities, not formal endorsements by every person or tradition represented.

  1. John Calvin, Commentary on Romans

    A classic account of righteousness received through faith in Christ.

  2. Michael J. Gorman, Wright about Much, but Questions about Justification

    A scholarly argument for relating justification to participation and transformation.