Obedience in Synoptics

[arapahoepark]

I found this thought provoking article from JETS with regard to salvation in the Synoptics. At times he seems ambiguous so I was wondering what your thoughts? What is a good way to square the issue of obedience (follow me) with justification by faith? Any other articles or books on the matter? All that is really necessary to read is the intro and the concluding remarks, in between are just gospel summaries.
http://www.etsjets.org/files/JETS-PDFs/51/51-2/JETS%2051-2%20267-296%20Neufeld.pdf

 

[arapahoepark]

Bump

 

[Peairtach]

I haven't (yet) read the essay.

Is he pitting Scriptures in which Christ commands His disciples to follow Him against clear theological passages on justification by faith?

We follow Christ in faith and repentance. Faith in Christ involves trusting in Him alone for justification. Repentance involves turning from sin, by God's grace, to God in Christ.

Remember that Christ also provided the other writers of the New Testament, Paul, John, James, Peter, Jude, the writer to the Hebrews, also the writing of Luke in the Book of Acts, along with the OT, to teach us what He means by asking us to follow Him.

Of course in the immediate context, there are particular aspects of the way in which the disciples were asked to follow Christ that don't apply to us. E.g. joining our Lord in His journeying through first century Palestine.

Part of following Christ is to follow His teaching on justification, which is provided in Scripture in His own "red letter" words and also through the inspired words of the men which he chose to write the NT.

 

[MW]

The article seems to reflect the widespread confusion in modern evangelicalism as to how to connect the teaching of the Gospels with the Epistles. Many things which are assumed as "Christian" were still being established by the Gospel-witness. The distinctive "Messianic" message of the Gospels is often overlooked when it is simply taken for granted that Jesus is Messiah (Christ). What was future to them is not future to us. Justification and the acceptance of Jesus as the One to come were intricately connected. The Epistles open up this gold mine in terms of personal appropriation of (faith in) the Messiah, and so justification is viewed more in terms of a benefit which comes through the Messiah.

Also, the call to "follow" had physical and material connotations which were peculiar to the fact that the kingdom was physically present in the person of Jesus. The Messiah Himself spoke of His work ending on earth and of a ministry of Another Paraclete. The continuing relevance of the call to "follow" should be adapted to take in the spiritual character of this ministry.