Righteousness

John Calvin's understanding of works-righteousness is more complex than is often recognized. While he denounces it in some instances, he affirms it in others. This study shows that Calvin affirms works-righteousness within the context where faith-righteousness is already established, and that he even teaches a form of justification by works. Calvin ascribes not only a positive role to good works in relation to divine acceptance, but also soteriological value to believers' good works. This study demonstrates such by exploring Calvin's theological anthropology, his understanding of divine-human activity, his teaching on the nature of good works, and his understanding of divine grace and benevolence. It also addresses current debates in Calvin scholarship by exploring topics such as union with Christ, the relation between justification and sanctification, the relation between good works and divine acceptance, the role of good works in the Christian life, and the content of good works.

Hans Joachim Iwand's 1941 monograph, The Righteousness of Faith According to Luther, is an important contribution to contemporary appreciation of Luther's theological significance for today. Although Iwand wrote his study three decades after the beginning of the Luther Renaissance, it nevertheless developed some of the central insights of Luther scholarship during that period. Two concepts--in particular, promise and simultaneity--are crucial to an appreciative understanding of Luther's doctrine of justification. The language of promise presents justification to the believer as a reality that has yet to arrive or is hidden under present reality. And the language of simultaneity attests that humans remain throughout their lives one in the same, sinner and saint. This beautiful translation by Randi H. Lundell makes Iwand's down-to-earth presentation of the doctrine at the heart of Luther's theology, at long last, available to English-language readers.

Ellet Joseph Waggoner (1855 – 1916) was a leading Seventh-day Adventist preacher and writer. In his famous book Christ and His Righteousness, he writes, "Christ has been set forth by God as the One through whom forgiveness of sins is to be obtained; and this forgiveness consists simply in the declaration of His righteousness (which is the righteousness of God) for their remission. God, “who is rich in mercy” (Eph. 2:4), and who delights in it, puts His own righteousness on the sinner who believes in Jesus, as a substitute for his sins. Surely, this is a profitable exchange for the sinner, and it is no loss to God, for He is infinite in holiness, and the supply can never be diminished." Chapters include: 1. How Shall We Consider Christ? 2. Is Christ God? 3. Is Christ a Created Being? 4. God Manifest in the Flesh 5. Important Practical Lessons 6. Christ the Lawgiver 7. The Righteousness of God 8. The Lord Our Righteousness 9. Acceptance With God 10. The Victory of Faith 11. Bond-Servants and Freemen 12. Practical Illustrations of Deliverance From Bondage

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The acclaimed social psychologist challenges conventional thinking about morality, politics, and religion in a way that speaks to conservatives and liberals alike—a “landmark contribution to humanity’s understanding of itself” (The New York Times Book Review). Drawing on his twenty-five years of groundbreaking research on moral psychology, Jonathan Haidt shows how moral judgments arise not from reason but from gut feelings. He shows why liberals, conservatives, and libertarians have such different intuitions about right and wrong, and he shows why each side is actually right about many of its central concerns. In this subtle yet accessible book, Haidt gives you the key to understanding the miracle of human cooperation, as well as the curse of our eternal divisions and conflicts. If you’re ready to trade in anger for understanding, read The Righteous Mind.