Justification: God's Plan Paul's Vision - Softcover

Wright, Fellow And Chaplain N T

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0830851399 ISBN 13: 9780830851393

Publisher: IVP Academic, 2016

Synopsis

Few issues are more central to the Christian faith than the nature, scope and means of salvation. Many have thought it to be largely a transaction that gets one to heaven. In this riveting book, N. T. Wright explains that God's salvation is radically more than this. At the heart of much vigorous debate on this topic is the term the apostle Paul uses in several of his letters to describe what happens to those in Christ--justification. Paul uses this dramatic image from the law court to declare that Christians are acquitted of the cosmic accusations against them. But justification goes beyond this in Paul's writings to offer a vision of God's future for the whole world as well as for his people. Here in one place Wright now offers a comprehensive account and defense of his perspective on this crucial doctrine. With anew introduction, he provides a sweeping overview of the central points in the debate before launching into a thorough explanation of the key texts in Paul's writings. While fully cognizant of tradition and controversy, the final authority for his conclusions is the letters of Paul themselves. Along the way Wright responds to critics, such as John Piper, who have challenged what has come to be called the New Perspective. For Wright, what Paul means by justification is nothing less than God's unswerving commitment to the covenant promise he made to bless the whole world through Abraham and his family. This irenic response is an important contribution for those on both sides of the debate--and those still in between--to consider. Whether you're a fan of Wright's work or have read his critics and would like to know the other side of the story, here is a chance to interact with Wright's views on the issues at stake and form your own conclusions.

About this title

Review:

"Wright's work is brilliant, so full of inter-textual allusions and quotes that one can only stand in awe of the final product!"--Susan K. Hedahl, Currents, Winter 2011

"Wright is pretty succinct in his argument. Wright's perspective falls in line with what is commonly referred to as the new perspective on Paul. Because, in Wright's mind, this perspective is much older than other conceptions. Put simply, it is an approach to Paul from within the interpretive context of Paul's original, Jewish milieu. Wright, and others on the same "quest" have argued that we have missed much of what Paul was getting at because we failed to read him through the original lens."--Darren King, Precipice (precipicemagazine.com), July 2009

"Wright does provide a vision of justification that - perhaps not surprisingly - is more in touch with the understanding of the 17th century Mennonite church than it is with Reformed theology. This is a great book."--Young Anabaptist Radicals (young.anabaptistradicals.org), June 14, 2009

"For those interested in this ongoing debate regarding justification, this book offers an introduction to the overall debate, as well as a detailed biblical-exegetical understanding of Wright's onwn position."--Mary L. VandenBerg, Calvin Theological Journal, April 2010

"Wright offers a passionate and stimulating treatment of the core of Paul's theology. . .Both an engaging exploration of Paul's theology and alively defense of his own approach to what in some circles is regarded as the heart of Christian doctrine."--Daniel J. Harrington, S.J., American, March 8, 2010

"An outstanding book. Written in lively, if somewhat polemical style, not encumbered with many footnotes, Wright has here laid out his views with exemplary clarity. In fact, he is affirming all the major Reformation perspectives on justification. The burden of Wright's work, however, is to highlight how dwelling exclusively on the Reformers' emphases in Pauline soteriology can easily cause us to miss the bigger picture and the grander narrative in which those emphases are set. The problem for Wright with much of the Reformation and especially with John Peper's version of Calvinism is that it can quickly lose sight of the plan of God to redeem the entire cosmos through the people of Israel, culminating in the Messiah, as a blessing for the whole world. While one may still disagree with Wright's take on this or that passage or on one specific exegetical conundrum in a given passage, the only way I can see how one can deny that his major emphases are both correct and profoundly important is to ignore large swaths of Paul's writing and especially Ephesians. Perhaps Wright's critics will finally recognize him as a crucial ally and not an opponent."--Craig Blomberg, Denver Seminary

About the Author:

N. T. Wright is research professor of New Testament and early Christianity at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. He taught New Testament studies for twenty years at Cambridge, McGill and Oxford Universities, and was formerly the bishop of Durham and canon theologian of Westminster Abbey. A prolific writer of both scholarly and popular books, N. T. Wright has written over thirty books, including What Saint Paul Really Said, The Challenge of Jesus, The Meaning of Jesus, Jesus and the Victory of God and Paul and the Faithfulness of God. His N. T. Wright For Everyone Series includes commentaries covering the entire New Testament.

About this edition

• Publisher: IVP Academic
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0830851399
• ISBN 13: 9780830851393
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 279