Studies in Historical and Systematic Theology Archives

The Fall and Redemption of Conscience

The Fall and Redemption of Conscience (Studies in Historical and Systematic Theology), Andrea Ferrari, foreword by Paul T. Nimmo. Lexham Academic (ISBN: 9781683598725) 2026.

Summary: A study of conscience in relation to the Triune God as created, fallen, redeemed, and perfected.

Andrea Ferrari argues that at one time conscience was an important theological topic. He cites John Calvin who wrote: “The theologian’s task is not to divert the ears with chatter, but to strengthen consciences by teaching things true, sure, and profitable.” However, he argues conscience has suffered neglect in contemporary Christian thought. Thus, this book is an effort to recover a robust Christian theology of conscience. Ferrari sets out to provide an account that is biblical, theological, trinitarian, and covenantal. It follows a stream of influences in the Reformed tradition from John Calvin, Herman Bavinck, Michael Horton and Simeon Zahl. Ferrari was especially influenced by an essay by the late John Webster, seeing himself fleshing out Webster’s “skeleton.”

Ferrari distinguishes his work in several ways. Firstly, he offers a comprehensive account of conscience based on the whole of scripture. Secondly, he offers a specific analysis of the Old Testament. Thirdly, he explores conscience within the doctrine of creation, showing conscience existed prior to the fall, deriving from inner life of the Triune God. Finally, his study focuses on a reorientation of conscience away from self and toward God.

The plan of the book follows a classic Reformed structure of creation, fall, redemption, and consummation. What distinguished the book for me is how Ferrari elaborated that structure. He begins in the first three chapters to consider conscience in light of creation. He looks at conscience first in prelapsarian terms, reflecting something of the inner life of the Trinity and key to humans’ covenantal relationship with God.

Then Ferrari considers, in chapters four and five, the fall, condemnation and corruption of conscience as it relates to other human capacities. He builds on Calvin’s idea of sensus divinitatis, of conscience as a nonphysical perceptual awareness of God. He then considers how the fall corrupts the integrity, innocence, capacity for true self-knowledge and self-scrutiny of the conscience.

The third section, chapters six through nine, addresses the redeemed conscience. Ferrari’s focus is on the renewal of conscience as a manifestation of new creation. This involves reversing the noetic effect of sin. Furthermore, this renewal includes the subjective experience of justification in cleansing from guilt and shame, moving the redeemed from a stance of hiding to openness to God.

Finally, as the last chapter in part three, Ferrari describes the perfection of conscience. He elaborates the visio Dei, our heightened awareness and clear perception of God. He likens this to Christ’s human conscience in its perfection. This enables us to enter into the very inner life of the Trinity from which our conscience derived.

As Ferrari notes, I thought this treatment moved us from conscience as an aspect of self-consciousness to recognizing the wonder of conscience as God’s gift, enabling our covenantal relationship of trust and faithfulness. All the more is this so as one weighs the contrast of the fallen and renewed conscience, especially the shift from darkened understanding to increasing clarity of perception, and from hiding from to openness to God. And then there is the hope of the perfected conscience! This is a rich study that recovers the doctrine of conscience as a glorious gift of the Triune God.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

Cover image of "Crowned with Glory and Honor" by Michael A Wilkinson.

Crowned with Glory and Honor (Studies in Historical and Systematic Theology), Michael A. Wilkinson. Lexham Academic (ISBN: 9781683597308) 2024.

Summary: Argues for a Christian anthropology based on Chalcedon’s understanding of Christ’s person-nature constitution.

There is what seems to be a stalemate in contemporary Christian circles when it comes to anthropology. Basically it is a debate between dualism in various forms versus physicalism. In Crowned with Glory and Honor, Michael A. Wilkinson argues for beginning in a different place from discussions that are largely around philosophic categories. He believes the place to begin is Jesus Christ, who as the Incarnate Son is the human, man extraordinaire. Jesus is the ultimate expression of what it means to be human. Wilkinson believes the clearest and definitive expression of the church’s understanding of who God the Incarnate Son is may be found in the definition that resulted from the Council at Chalcedon.

To begin with, Wilkinson establishes both the biblical and epistemological warrant for defining what it means to be human in light of Christ. He then traces the antecedents to the Chalcedonian ontology of Christ. Briefly, this arose from the debates over the Trinity, how God may be both one substance (ousia) subsisting in three persons (hypostases). In a sense, Chalcedon both used and flipped this language in saying the person (hypostasis) of the Son subsisted in two natures, one divine and one human. In the incarnation, the divine person of the Son acted through a human nature with a human will.

Wilkinson offers one of the clearest summaries and explanations of the councils that led to the church’s understanding of the Trinity and of Christology I have read. However, the challenge for me was in moving from Christology to anthropology. Based on his understanding of Christology, he would argue for a similar person-nature understanding of human beings. He argues that the human person is created and exists by God’s power subsisting in and acting through a body-soul human nature. At first glance, this is an interesting alternative to the stalemate between dualism and physicalism. But I found myself considering several difficulties as I weighed the proposal:

Wilkinson rightly states Christ is one divine person (hypostasis) subsisting in two natures, divine and human. Yet to argue that he is man extraordinaire, but not a human person, but a divine person subsisting in a human nature, seems problematic given the analogy Wilkinson pursues. Man ordinaire seems more human than Jesus as both human in person and nature. Wilkinson acknowledges the analogy needs to be modified but his explanations did not resolve this difficulty for me.
It was unclear to me how the created human person acts through the body-soul nature.
Wilkinson comes down on the side of body-soul dualism but does not explain his reasons for doing so.
How is the human person different from the soul? Why is a soul necessary in this anthropology?

These difficulties noted, I am nevertheless intrigued by this proposal. It has always seemed intuitively obvious that we look to Christ for what it means to be fully human. Wilkinson adds to that intuition a biblical and theological warrant and the rich formulation of Chalcedon. Wilkinson’s mentor, Stephen J. Wellum, describes this proposal as “not the final word on the subject, but it is the place to begin.” I would agree and hope Wilkinson will continue to refine this proposal as God gives more light.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.