[image error]

The understandable tendency of the Protestant church is to lean heavily on the doctrine of justification. After all, as Calvin rightly appraised, “Justification is the main hinge upon which salvation turns.” 

The Reformation was largely a backlash against the Roman Catholic interpretation of sanctification–a “sanctification” divorced from the biblical foundation of justification. In summarizing Martin Luther’s appraisal of the matter, a modern scholar writes: “Sanctification is…simply the art of getting used to justification.” 

I point this out because Paul Miller does a superb job of expounding the unique role of sanctification in J-Curve. Primarily focusing on the New Testament book of Philippians, Miller references directly and indirectly a significant number of (footnoted) sources, with anecdotal accounts generously sprinkled throughout (those familiar with A Praying Life will recognize some crossover here).  

The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ lies at the core of Christianity. However, a read through the New Testament reveals an ongoing process of deaths and resurrections that will occur throughout the lifetime of a believer. These are what the author refers to as the “J-Curve.”

Miller builds off of this thesis: “Jesus lived the J-Curve for me [that is, justification], so that He can reproduce the J-Curve in me [that is, sanctification].”  

He identifies three primary ways to trace the curve: (1) “In the repentance J-Curve, we put to death the evil in us.” (2) “In the love J-Curve, my dying is for your rising.” (3) “In the suffering J-Curve, external dying leads to internal resurrection.”   

The book manages to strike a manageable balance between the theoretical and the practical. It might not appeal to those who would prefer a strictly academic treatment. At the same time, I imagine a number of readers will appreciate the accessibility of the material. 

Any time theological concepts are expounded, the danger is that explanation will be divorced from application. Because Miller takes such pains to make sure this isn’t the case, he goes over some of the same ground from multiple angles. This might seem unnecessarily repetitive. For me, there was enough variation on the theme, as well as consideration of its practical import, that this was not a problem.  

The Incarnation is the J-Curve. The Incarnation defines love. Just as Jesus willingly humbled Himself even to the point of death, so love is sacrificial, costly and inconvenient. But, the author argues, love as defined by the Incarnation renews a vision for goodness and beauty. Goodness and beauty are abstract concepts. They need fleshing out. 

“Since the Reformation, the church (in general) has been better at seeing sin than seeing and celebrating love. We have a clear vision of what we shouldn’t be but a dull vision of what we should be. Our wonderful Reformation emphasis on sin and grace needs to be enlarged to encompass a vision of beauty and love. Otherwise, we will get stuck in the darkness.”

Life consists of a series of mini-deaths and mini-resurrections that often occur within a larger, multiple year death and resurrection. All of these, of course, find their expression in the grand narrative of Jesus’ death and resurrection. The author takes a biblical lense, polishes it, and holds it up for the reader to see more clearly and with greater clarity what the Lord is up to. 

Life is hard. How do we deal with unfairness, raw-deals and suffering? Consider:

“Almost everyone I’ve seen who has been trapped by bitterness has focused on the big dying and been blind to multiple mini-resurrections in their lives. Almost counterintuitively, the most thankful and happy people I know are confined to wheelchairs…People cultivate bitterness by retelling the story of what life has done for them. We can cultivate joy by watching for the Spirit to re-enact the story of Jesus’ dying and rising.” 

My hat is off to Miller for tackling this topic. Since Jesus said it is incumbent upon the Christian to take up their cross daily, it is certainly worthwhile to explore what that looks like. The church can benefit from the way the author has handled it.