Redemption unto Life: Kierkegaardian Anthropology and the Relation Between Justification and Sanctification

The Protestant Reformation’s insistence on forensic justification developed the distinct concepts of justification and sanctification. The alien righteousness of Christ is all that is needed to justify the sinner rather than the co-operating of good works as proclaimed by The Roman Catholic Church at The Council of Trent. The justification/sanctification spilt leads to a practical problem among Protestants: what is the purpose of good works if the believer is already justified? In this paper, I argue Søren Kierkegaard’s theological anthropology aids us with the bifurcation of justification and sanctification. I start with examining the components of Kierkegaardian anthropology, showing the dynamic nature of humans as beings in process. All humans have a spirit which pushes them to actualize themselves. Second, I describe Kierkegaard’s view of humans as a negative unity, living outside of faith in the life of sin. Third, I explain humans as a positive unity—those who have posited faith. Lastly, I demonstrate how Kierkegaard’s anthropology shows that all humans will do something with their existence. The sinner sins, while the justified does good deeds. Kierkegaardian anthropology shows that sanctification is a necessary result of justification, not a necessary cause of justification.