Quote:
Originally Posted by Backwoods Presbyterian  Quote: |
“…And our death to sin is guaranteed by our union with Christ in his death and resurrection (6:3-5). The strength of sin is the law and if we have been put to death to the law by the body of Christ (7:4), we have died to sin. Furthermore, by union with Christ we have come under the reign of grace and sin can no longer exercise dominion (6:14). This is the basis and assurance of sanctification. Christ died for us-this is our justification. But if he died for us, we who also died with him-is the guarantee of sanctification.”
| -- pg. xxv, John Murray, The Epistle to the Romans |
I emphasise the careful phrasing, "by our union with Christ" and "this is the basis." In this way Prof. Murray makes the unio mystica to be the "common basis" of the two distinct benefits of Christ's meditation -- justification and sanctification, which are related to the union by different modes of operation. This is in accord with Larger Catechism answers 69, 70, 75, 77. Problems only emerge when the unio mystica is itself made the all inclusive benefit of Christ's mediation, and justification and sanctification are mixed together as if they are different modes of explaining the same thing.