Trust and Obey (Norman Shepherd and the Justification Controversy at Westminister Seminary)

There are those in the Church today who are fearful about anyone who raises a question concerning the ambiguities associated with the formula "justification by faith alone." The exclusive particle sola introduced by Luther has undoubtedly performed a valuable service in signalizing the distinction between the Protestant and Roman Catholic doctrines of justification and in preventing the intrusion of merit on the part of man as a criterion of acceptability before God. The long and cherished tradition that lies behind "justification by faith alone" as a theological formula would make it appear to be an act of ingratitude, if not impiety, to raise the question of its adequacy as a summary of the thrust of the biblical doctrine of justification. Even so, it was the Reverend Professor Norman Shepherd's examination of the Scripture alone that gave him the courage to raise precisely this question.