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The second of a two-volume project delving into the doctrine of justification. Michael Horton seeks not simply to recover a clear message of its role in modern Reformed theology, but also to bring a fresh discovery of the gospel in a time when contemporary debates around justification have reignited.The doctrine of justification stands at the center of our systematic reflection on the meaning of salvation and grace as well as our piety, mission, and life together. And yet, within mainline Protestant and evangelical theology, it's often taken for granted or left to gather dust in favor of modern concerns and self-renewal.Volume 2 embarks on the theologically constructive task of investigating the biblical doctrine of justification in light of contemporary exegesis. Taking up the topic from a variety of theological vantage points, Horton engages with contemporary debates in biblical, especially Pauline, scholarship.Part 1 draws out The Horizon of Justification from the Old Testament narratives of Adam and Israel.Part 2 defines The Achievement of Justification in the blood of Christ and seeks to lay the groundwork for understanding its extent.Part 3 focuses on The Gift of Righteousness, delving into a clear articulation of what justification means, its mechanism, and the role of works on the day of judgement.Part 4 proposes a way forward for Receiving Justification and understanding faith and justification within the broader framework of union with Christ.Engaging and thorough, Justification shows that the doctrine of justification finds its most ecumenically significant starting point and proper habitat in unity with Christ, where the greatest consensus, past and present, is to be found among Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant theologies.

The first of a two-volume project delving into the doctrine of justification. Michael Horton seeks not simply to recover a clear message of its role in modern Reformed theology, but also to bring a fresh discovery of the gospel in a time when contemporary debates around justification have reignited.The doctrine of justification stands at the center of our systematic reflection on the meaning of salvation and grace as well as our piety, mission, and life together. And yet, within mainline Protestant and evangelical theology, it's often taken for granted or left to gather dust in favor of modern concerns and self-renewal.Volume 1 is an exercise in historical theology, exploring the doctrine of justification from the patristic era to the Reformation. This book:Provides a map for contemporary discussions of justification, identifying and engaging principal sources: Origen, Chrysostom, Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, John Duns Scotus, William of Ockham, Gabriel Biel, and the magisterial reformers.Studies the transformations of the doctrine through Aquinas, Scotus and the nominalists leading up to the era of the Reformation and the Council of Trent.Concludes by examining the hermeneutical and theological significance of the Reformers'understanding of the law and the gospel and the resultant covenantal scheme that became formative in Reformed theology.Engaging and thorough, Justification will not only reenergize the reader—whether Protestant or Catholic—with a passion for understanding this essential and long-running doctrinal conversation, but also challenge anyone to engage critically with the history of the Church and the heart of the gospel.

Paul writes that we are justified by faith apart from'works of the law', a disputed term that represents a fault line between'old'and'new'perspectives on Paul. Was the Apostle reacting against the Jews'good works done to earn salvation, or the Mosaic Law's practices that identified the Jewish people? Matthew J. Thomas examines how Paul's second century readers understood these points in conflict, how they relate to'old'and'new'perspectives, and what their collective witness suggests about the Apostle's own meaning. Surprisingly, these early witnesses align closely with the'new'perspective, though their reasoning often differs from both viewpoints. They suggest that Paul opposes these works neither due to moralism, nor primarily for experiential or social reasons, but because the promised new law and covenant, which are transformative and universal in scope, have come in Christ. This work was named'Jesus Creed Book of the Year 2018'on Scot McKnight's Jesus Creed blog.'Thomas's work on second-century interpreters is a significant contribution to reception or effective-history in general and certainly will have a transformative effect on the character of contemporary interpretation of Paul's texts.'Timothy Gombis in Bulletin for Biblical Research Vol. 29, No. 4, 2019

Can faith as trusting God make a difference? Absolutelyby relieving our anxiety over self-justification and the need to scapegoat others. Sin Boldly! provides an experiential analysis of the contrast between self-justification and justification by God. We must pose the question: how can the gospel of grace provide transformation for both fragile and broken souls? This book proposes the following answer: trusting in the God of grace relieves anxiety and provides a divine vocation that transcends our moral universe with the promise of forgiveness, renewal, and resurrection. Winner of the 2017 Patricia Codron Memorial Book Award from the Pacific Coast Theological Society!