Plantinga Chapter 4

Plantinga speaks in this chapter of the redemption. From what do we need to be redeemed? Plantinga brings again the two ideas of corruption and guilt, which have taken us over and separate us from the love of God. However, the story does not just end with this separation; rather, hope is found through regeneration. This regeneration, Plantinga points out is found only through Christ. There is a “double grace” factor found through this regeneration, consisting of justification and sanctification, both countering the problems of corruption and guilt. These things, Plantinga states, “platform” on the incarnation, death, and resurrection of Christ. Justification was once explained to me in this way—just as if I’d never sinned. This atoning for our sins is part of the regeneration. To be fully regenerated, Plantinga says that we must also become “one with Christ” in a perfect union. But how can such a union be possible? Christ rose as our head—but we also have to rise with Him. The only way to rise from the dead with Christ is to become dead. It is true that we are dead in trespasses and sins, but we must also become dead in another sense. We must become dead to ourselves before we can truly become one with Christ in a perfect union. After this regeneration of ourselves, we are called to live lives of thankfulness to God for our regeneration. To do this, we must do everything to God’s glory, and model our lives after Christ. Plantinga paraphrases C. S. Lewis here, telling the story of a child who dresses up in her parents clothes, tramping around through the house in shoes that she could not fill. Lewis says that the purpose of this is that children are trying to walk in the ways of their parents, even though they are not yet ready. The important part is that they are trying. Likewise, we cannot ever hope to fill the “shoes” of Christ and live a life perfectly like His. We can only be like the child dressing up in clothes that don’t fit us.