Constructio ad Sensum (or, A Collection of Unrelated Items)

This is an exam essay I wrote for a class at Covenant Seminary, Christ and Salvation. It was written in about 2hrs and without sources, so please forgive any typos or other minor errors.  I. What is justification/sanctification? Justification One of the primary issues in Scripture is the asymmetry between the transcendence of God and the finitude of human beings – exacerbated by humans’ willful rebellion against and disobedience towards God with respect to not only his laws but also his covenantal relationship with us. God does not respond to this problem by utterly destroying humanity; in his grace he makes a way for salvation through Christ our Lord.              Justification is defined in the Westminster Shorter Catechism as an act of God’s free grace wherein he pardons our sin and accepts us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, received by faith alone (W...

The other day I finished reading Shūsaku Endō’s Silence , a book which is haunting, beautiful, and difficult. Having seen Martin Scorsese’s film adaptation over a year ago, my initial excitement for reading the novel on which it was based dissipated as time passed, but was revived as I came across Karen Swallow Prior’s chapter on the virtue of faith in On Reading Well. Prior’s reflections reignited my interest in reading the book, and when I found a copy at our library I immediately picked it up (characteristically giving no thought to the impending spring semester). I devoured the book in two days—no doubt it would have been one if I had no other responsibilities—and I found it incredibly compelling, despite having prior (pun intended) knowledge of its plot. In fact, my reading was probably improved by having read Prior’s reflections, as it tuned me in to one of the more subtle themes in Silence. Father Rodrigues, though often giving the appearance of piety, harbors within hims...