Justification in Perspective: Historical Developments and Contemporary Challenges
Overview
Not since the sixteenth century has the doctrine of justification stood so clearly at the center of theological debate as it has in the last 30 years. This often polemical dialogue has been fueled particularly by discussions on the “New Perspective on Paul.” This important collection draws together diverse voices, committed to an irenic engagement, to explore the historical development and contemporary understandings of the Protestant doctrine of justification.
Justification in Perspective assesses major contributions of the Christian tradition to the subject. This volume constitutes a progress report on the state of the Protestant doctrine of justification in the midst of challenge and change and serves as a way station to greater understanding and resolution.
Essential for students, scholars, pastors, and laypeople, this informative volume brings fresh perspectives on theological matters. With the Logos Bible Software edition, searching by topic or Scripture references will further help your understanding—you’ll compare, for example, the systematic theologies of various scholars or denominations.
Key Features
- Collects essays from diverse backgrounds on the doctrine of justification
- Evaluates Christian contributions to justification
- Contains a variety of viewpoints on a divisive theological issue
Contents
- The Protestant Doctrine of Justification: The Heart of Protestant Preaching
- “Edinburgh Dogmatics Conference Sermon,” by Mark Bonnington
- The Protestant Doctrine of Justification: Its Antecedents and Historical Development
- “Justification in the Early Church Fathers,” by Nick Needham
- “Justification in Augustine,” by David F. Wright
- “Simul peccator et justus: Martin Luther and Justification,” by Carl Trueman
- “Calvin’s Doctrine of Justification: Variations on a Lutheran Theme,” by Karla Wübbenhorst
- “A Tale of Two Imperial Cities: Justification at Regensburg (1541) and Trent (1546–1547),” by Anthony N.S. Lane
- “Justification and the ordo salutis,” by A.T.B. McGowan
- The Protestant Doctrine of Justification: Continuities and Discontinuities in Current Challenges to the Traditional View
- “Justitia aliena: Karl Barth in Conversation with the Evangelical Doctrine of Imputed Righteousness,” by Bruce L. McCormack
- “The Lutheran-Catholic Declaration on Justification,” by Henri A. Blocher
- “The Doctrine of Justification in Paul and Beyond: Some Proposals,” by Simon Gathercole
- “New Perspectives on Paul,” by N.T. Wright
Top Highlights
“You do not so much desire your sins to be forgiven, as He desires to forgive you your sins.” (Page 46)
“So, according to Calvin, justification has these two parts: one in which God acts negatively, desisting from imputing our sins to us and forbearing to exact their punishment, and another in which God acts positively, imputing Christ’s righteousness to us and including us in its reward. Both the negative and the positive actions, we note, are imputative.” (Page 114)
“We can now take the argument a step further and say that the righteousness of Christ is imputed through the instrumentality of faith, a faith that is not itself meritorious and that exists only because of God’s grace.” (Page 155)
“In general, Reformed theologians have taught that faith is the formal or instrumental cause of justification and is not in itself meritorious.” (Page 154)
“‘the event of justification’ and ‘the process of justification’ without always distinguishing between the two” (Page 56)
Contributors
- Mark Bonnington
- Nick Needham
- David F. Wright
- Carl Trueman
- Karla Wubbenhorst
- Anthony N.S. Lane
- A.T.B. McGowan
- Bruce L. McCormack
- Henri A. Blocher
- Simon Gathercole
- N.T. Wright
Praise for the Print Edition
That [this volume] is offered as something of an ‘in-house’ conversation among evangelicals of a Reformed flavor is, arguably, part of the collection’s strength. . . . A valuable collection from which the undergraduate or informed historian and systematician will glean much.
—Religious Studies Review
An immensely helpful and sane treatment of the historical, theological, and biblical issues involved in current discussions of Paul and justification. . . . What is needed is a vigorous engagement with the actual issues involved in the discussion that is both penetrating and gracious, embodying the very best of evangelical scholarship. This volume represents a mature work designed to bring clarity to the various debates. . . . This volume of essays is an excellent contribution to the discussions of justification by faith and the ‘new perspective’ on Paul currently up and running in evangelical circles. Its historical and theological discussions provide a rich array of perspectives that have been sorely lacking to this point. It is the hope of many that the increased clarity and sense of historical proportion will be accompanied by a renewed commitment to Christian charity in theological discussion. If this hope goes unrealized, the blame for such a tragedy can in no way be put to the account of McCormack and the contributors to this volume.
—Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
[This collection] provide[s] a useful window into the various angles from which justification has been assessed and hint[s] at the future prospects for development.
—Themelios
Product Details
- Title: Justification in Perspective: Historical Developments and Contemporary Challenges
- Editor: Bruce L. McCormack
- Publisher: Baker Academic
- Publication Date: 2006
- Pages: 288
- Resource Type: Collected Essays
- Topic: Atonement
About Bruce L. McCormack
Bruce L. McCormack received his PhD from Princeton Theological Seminary, his MDiv from Nazarene Theological Seminary, his honorary DrTheol from Friedrich Schiller University. He is the Charles Hodge Professor of Systematic Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary. A world-renowned Barth scholar, he is a frequent writer and lecturer on topics of Reformed theology.