Question/Objection to UOJ:
Aren’t all people justified/forgiven through faith alone?
Defense for UOJ (Part 4 of 5):
If faith completes justification then forgiveness becomes potential rather than actual.
Analysis:
Elsewhere I asked, “What’s so bad about faith completing justification?” as a rhetorical question. Proponents of UOJ, however, do see a problem with faith completing justification. This is, of course, in light of their definition of what it means for faith to complete justification. Proponents of UOJ often argue that if justification is not already objectively true for all people, then forgiveness is not actual, but only potential forgiveness.
To that I have to say, what? Really? How does the forgiveness of God automatically become only potential rather than actual due to its being completed through faith? This is flawed logic from the get-go.
I mean, is there really no other option? Has God somehow become unfaithful or a liar? Can I somehow not rely on God, because he chooses to both apply and credit forgiveness to each person through faith and not before? I’m I really supposed to believe that forgiveness won (forgiveness which is acquired and available, but withheld) is somehow not valid or actual and that only forgiveness which has already been applied (realized) equates to actual forgiveness?
Besides, I’ve already demonstrated that JIC solves this supposed problem anyway. According to JIC, forgiveness is indeed actual and fully applied to Christ’s account, then distributed (applied and credited, if you will) to each individual account through faith. This, by itself, disproves the flawed logic which leads to the conclusion that UOJ has to be true, otherwise forgiveness must become only potential rather than actual.
I suspect the point that the UOJ proponent could ineffectively be trying to make, is this…if UOJ is not true, then how can anyone ever know for sure if he or she is actually forgiven? (Proponents of UOJ often speak of the comfort one can have from UOJ.) “How can anyone know that he has truly been forgiven if he was not already forgiven even before he believed it?” the proponent of UOJ might say.
But, this again, is flawed reasoning. Even if UOJ were true, it does nothing to solve this “uncertainty.” Why? Because according to UOJ, all are forgiven, yet not all receive the benefit of this forgiveness due to their unbelief. So, even when someone agrees with UOJ, he must still ultimately question whether or not he is one of those who is forgiven and yet still condemned (UOJ teaches someone can be both) or is he one who is forgiven and actually has eternal life. (See also: UOJ Defense B-3 The object of faith becomes faith.)
Which is more consistent with the entire testimony of Scripture, UOJ or JIC?