The Doctrine Of Grace In The Apostolic Fathers

T.F. Torrance aims in this book to discover how and why there came about in the early history of the Christian Church the enormous difference that exists between the faith of the New Testament and that of the second and third centuries. He explores how the concept of grace is distinctively characteristic of every doctrine of the New Testament, and yet at the same time is the most sensitive to change.

T.F. Torrance aims in this book to discover how and why there came about in the early history of the Christian Church the enormous difference that exists between the faith of the New Testament and that of the second and third centuries. He explores how the concept of grace is distinctively characteristic of every doctrine of the New Testament, and yet at the same time is the most sensitive to change.

'Justification by faith - by faith alone - on the basis of God's grace alone is a key gospel doctrine. Indeed, with Martin Luther, I would argue that it is the cardinal doctrine of the gospel. Naturally, therefore, the devil can never leave it alone; he makes sure that it is constantly under attack - remorselessly undermining it. He has been engaged in his nefarious practice right from the time the apostles, and never has he let up! Nor will he until the end of the age (2 Thess. 2:3-12; 1 Tim. 4:1; 2 Tim. 3:1; 2 Pet. 3:3). He has met with considerable success, and continues to do so - not least in that there are grim signs that the Apostolic Fathers and their doctrines are coming into vogue. Moreover, not a few former Evangelicals and Reformed are defecting to Rome or the Orthodox Church, both of which Churches are heavily dependent on the Apostolic (and later) Fathers. I deplore this rising interest in the Fathers, for they gravely impaired the doctrine of justification, the consequences of which are with us still. And all this explains why I publish this designedly-simple booklet on the work of Thomas F.Torrance: "The Doctrine of Grace in the Apostolic Fathers." Torrance's book is invaluable in this area... By this annotated digest of Torrance's work, I will set out how the Apostolic Fathers warped the doctrine of justification by faith. Consequently, to return to the Apostolic Fathers - which, as I have explained, not a few are doing - is to take a fatal step over this cardinal doctrine of the gospel. It really is that serious! I write, bearing in mind the apostle's injunction to Timothy when faced with apostasy in his day: "If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed" (1 Tim. 4:6)'. So writes David Gay as he opens this booklet. For a free audio book of the author reading this title, please go to davidhjgay.com

A study of a group of terms which have a central importance in the New Testament.

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.