He's still petulant, but at least he can no longer deny he's actually been in a learning process...

Comments from Doug Wilson's blog:

Hello Pastor Doug, I'm trying to understand your problem with "merit." Could we not say that Adam and Jesus obeyed by faith and still call the ground or basis on which they were accepted by God meritorious? It would be like me, a new covenant believer, doing good works by faith alone and then holding them up to God as the basis for my justification. I can't do that, but Adam and Jesus could. Their good works, done by faith, were the grounds of their acceptance (or would have been in Adam's case) before God. Any thoughts? Christ is all! Joseph

Joseph Randall - 3/10/2007 8:49:31 PM | Report Comment

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Joseph, no problem with the way you stated it. The problem is with medieval definitions of merit, where it is this "stuff" that can be accumulated. This kind of definition keeps sneaking into the discussion, in my view. The way you can tell it has done so is that grace is squeezed out of the discussion.

Douglas Wilson - 3/11/2007 2:47:16 AM | Report Comment

Doug, just admit you didn't have a clue what you were talking about and leave it at that. Better yet, don't leave it at that, but back down from the teacher's podium and chill for awhile...