Justification In The Second Century

This book seeks to answer the following question: how did the doctrine of justification fare one hundred years after Paul’s death (c. AD 165)? This book argues that Paul’s view of justification by faith is present in the second century, a thesis that particularly challenges T. F. Torrance’s long-held notion that the Apostolic Fathers abandoned this doctrine (The Doctrine of Grace in the Apostolic Fathers, 1948). In the wake of Torrance’s work there has been a general consensus that the early fathers advocated works righteousness in opposition to Paul’s belief that an individual is justified before God by faith alone, but second-century writings do not support this claim. Each author examined—Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, Epistle to Diognetus, Odes of Solomon, and Justin Martyr—contends that faith is the only necessary prerequisite for justification, even if they do indicate the importance of virtuous living. This is the first major study on the doctrine of justification in the second century, thus filling a large lacuna in scholarship. With the copious amounts of research being conducted on justification, it is alarming that no work has been done on how the first interpreters of Paul received one of his trademark doctrines. It is assumed, wrongly, that the fathers were either uninterested in the doctrine or that they misunderstood the Apostle. Neither of these is the case. This book is timely in that it enters the fray of the justification debate from a neglected vantage point.

The Lutheran confessions call the doctrine of justification by faith alone the "chief article" of the Christian faith. Clarifying and defending this article of faith have been the major concern of Lutheran theologians since the sixteenth century. It is not surprising, then, that one of today's most prominent Lutheran thinkers, Gerhard O. Forde, has chosen to devote most of his career to probing the depths and developing the implications of the doctrine of justification. And as this volume aptly indicates, Forde's teaching and publications, his public lectures and sermons, and his influence on ecumenical scholarship and debate constitute one of the most important contributions to a theological understanding of justification in the second half of the twentieth century. By Faith Alone celebrates Professor Forde's distinguished career, but it also goes well beyond by offering a sustained and serious engagement with his theological motif. Written by twenty theologians from seven countries and several different Christian communions, the book provides a full-orbed, cutting-edge discussion of the doctrine of justification from a wide range of perspectives. The first set of essays explores the theological foundations of the doctrine of justification. The next set examines some key moments in the doctrine's historical development as well as its ecumenical trajectory. The last set of essays asks how the doctrine of justification applies to church life today, including such ecclesiastical concerns as preaching and pastoral care. A rich collection of lively and profound thinking, By Faith Alone is an ideal resource for teachers, preachers, church leaders, and all those pursuing a deeper understanding of Christian belief. Contributors: C. FitzSimons Allison Oswald Bayer Robert Bertram Joseph A. Burgess Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J. Reginald H. Fuller Leif Grane Roy A. Harrisville Scott Hendrix Robert Kolb Marc Kolden George Lindbeck Inge Lnning James Arne Nestingen John H. Rodgers Jr. Klaus Schwarzwller Jane E. Strohl George H. Tavard Timothy J. Wengert Vtor Westhelle

This volume is the second of a two-part work that evaluates the teaching of justification by faith from the early church to modern times in light of the Scriptures and the ministry of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee. Part 2 continues the evaluation begun in part 1 by examining the teaching of justification by faith from the mid-sixteenth century to the twenty-first century. Throughout these centuries numerous accounts of this foundational Christian truth have been offered, and many controversies have been and continue to be fought. Beginning with the Lutheran tradition in the opening chapter, the authors identify the contributions and shortcomings of each of the major Christian traditions. While many of the Christian traditions have contributed some light to the church's understanding of justification by faith, the authors contend that most of them have fallen short of the truth that in justification God approves the believers solely on account of their union with Christ as righteousness through faith.

We are very familiar with the New Testament and can easily verify its teachings, but what happened to these teachings subsequently? Were they upheld, diluted or discarded? In particular, what did the Church Fathers make of Paul's cardinal doctrine 'justification by faith'? The sixteenth-century Protestant Reformers thought it was ignored prior to Augustine (354-430). Were the writers of the second century influenced by Paul, or did they manipulate his meaning to support their own arguments and new situations? This study looks first at the New Testament to see what Paul actually says before turning to six important early Fathers: Clement of Rome at the tail end of the first century, Ignatius of Antioch, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria from the second century, and Tertullian from the late second to the early third century. 'I commend this booklet..[which] encourages us to see that Paul's teaching on justification by faith was present in the writings of Early Church leaders. He does not claim that it had the prominence or detailed and applied expression that it had at the Reformation: it would be unrealistic to expect that to be the case. However the evidence ...gives us a useful insight into the Early Church, and its perception and use of this key Pauline and Biblical doctrine.' Peter Adam Andrew Daunton-Fear gained a love of the Early Church as a student at Cambridge. He has been an incumbent in the UK, taught New Testament and Church History at Ridley College, Melbourne, and is currently teaching at St. Andrew's Theological Seminary, Manila. His publications include Healing in the Early Church (Paternoster, 2009) and (jointly with Roger Beckwith) The Water and the Wine: A Contribution to the Debate on Children and Holy Communion (Latimer Studies 61, 2005).

In light of new studies on early Judaism, an international group of New Testament scholars reexamines Paul's understanding of the Old Testament law.

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.

John Owen presents one of the most rigorous defenses of the Reformed doctrine of justification ever written. This reprint of The Doctrine of Justification by Faith, taken from the 19th century edition produced by the Presbyterian Board of Publications, will serve as a welcome improvement for many readers. Latin and Greek quotations have been moved to footnotes, and English translations are given for those large blocks of material that Owen left untranslated. It also contains a new introductory essay by Carl Trueman, which analyzes Owen's treatment of justification in light of the highly charged debates of his day. While Owen's work is technical and challenging, this edition is an effort to make his profound exposition more manageable.

When lobbyist Faith Lockhart stumbles upon a corruption scheme at the highest levels of government, she becomes a dangerous witness who the most powerful men in the world will go to any lengths to silence in this #1 New York Times bestselling thriller. In a secluded house not far from Washington, D.C., the FBI is interviewing one of the most important witnesses it has ever had: a young woman named Faith Lockhart. For Faith has done too much, knows too much, and will tell too much. Feared by some of the most powerful men in the world, Faith has been targeted to die. But when a private investigator walks into the middle of the assassination attempt, the shooting suddenly goes wrong, and an FBI agent is killed. Now Faith Lockhart must flee for her life--with her story, her deadly secret, and an unknown man she's forced to trust...