Tag: justification

“Paul vs. James: What We’ve Been Missing in the Faith and Works Debate” by Chris Bruno

~ Bob Hayton ~ Leave a comment

Paul vs. JamesThere are not many theology books that could be recommended equally to lay people in a church Sunday School class or students in a theological seminary. Nor would such widely varying audiences often come away with meaningful takeaways from such a book. Paul vs. James: What We’ve Been Missing in the Faith and Works Debate is just such a rare book. Chris Bruno and Moody Publishers are to be commended for such an attractive and useful book on such an important theological topic.

The attention of the reader is grabbed from the outset of this little book. The cover is catchy with its icon-like ancient paintings of James and Paul and the large font used for the title. The subtitle is explained helpfully by the equally arresting back cover. There, beneath their respective portraits, are Paul’s words on justification by faith apart from works, and James’ words that one is justified by works and not by faith alone. The back cover goes on to introduce the “problem” that is sure to intrigue the casual churchgoer and appeal to those who have already spotted such seeming contradictions in their own study.

In the foreword, Douglas Moo applauds Chris Bruno (the author) for his “readable and thoroughly biblical exploration of this issue” (p. 10). I second Moo’s motion, and agree that the book reads very smoothly and his point is driven home. Both James and Paul agree that the biblical faith that justifies, is a faith that inevitably manifests itself in and through good works. The charts and tables used throughout the book, as well as the large section headers, help ensure that readers of all levels don’t miss the argument.

Bruno begins with a mini-biography of sorts on both Paul and James. Students will catch his position on a wide variety of interpretative questions, and average readers will appreciate a review of just who James and Paul are. Then he goes back further to Abraham, who features prominently in both Paul’s (Galatians, Romans) and James’ (James) statements on justification. Bruno emphasizes that:

…James is standing in Genesis 22, looking back at Abraham’s faith in God’s covenant promises that was confirmed by his ongoing obedience. However, Paul is focused on Abraham’s initial belief in Genesis 12 and 15, looking forward to Abraham’s works of faith. (p. 74)

Paul’s context led him to stress that Abraham’s faith alone was what justified him, whereas James’ situation required him to emphasize that a mere faith without works was not what Abraham had – his faith was ultimately justifying faith because of his works (and his continuing in the faith). Bruno clarifies (concerning James’ assertion that “a person is justified by works” 2:24): “the way that good works serve to justify is by confirming, both during our lives on earth but especially in the last judgment, that we have durable, persevering, good-works-producing faith” (p. 85).

After driving this point home — and my only complaint is that at times Bruno can be overly repetitive — the book concludes with two practical ways of applying the doctrine of justification by faith. Now, up to this point, evangelical Christians will largely agree with his points (Roman Catholics will have a problem however). So this is where Bruno gets risky — he takes on both same-sex marriage and racism. These are polarizing topics in society, but fairly straightforward when it comes to Scripture. The book does not unpack each issue in depth, but illustrates how understanding James and Paul correctly informs how we approach these questions. With respect to same-sex marriage, the necessity of good works leads us to reject same-sex marriage as antithetical to the Gospel and potentially soul-damning. And when it comes to racism, any demands for cultural conformity in our churches can be seen as adding to the faith alone that justifies and are also a threat to the Gospel.

I encourage you to consider Paul vs. James for use in a small group or Sunday school (or even your seminary class). I highly recommend it.

Learn more about this book by looking at the preview available at Amazon or Westminster Bookstore.

Blurbs:
“Many pit the Old Testament against the New, the Gospels against Paul, James against Paul. Bruno argues that the two apostles, in reality, reinforce each other. The brilliance of this book lies in its accessibility and wholistic understanding of Paul and James. This project will serve the church well in its informed theology, responsible handling of biblical texts, and application for today. Well done.”
—Benjamin J. Gladd, Associate Professor of New Testament in Reformed Theological Seminary, Jackson, MS

“Bruno demonstrates that faith and works in both Paul and James are not enemies but friends, but at the same time he carefully explains what Paul and James mean by the key terms faith, works, and justification. I am confident that many will come to a clear understanding of how Paul and James fit together by reading this work.”
—Thomas R. Schreiner, Professor of NT Interpretation at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY

Where to Buy:
This book is available for purchase from the following online retailers: Amazon.com, Westminster Bookstore, Christianbook.com, or direct from Moody Publishers..

Disclaimer:
This book was provided by the publisher. The reviewer was under no obligation to offer a positive review.

In the Box: New Titles from Kregel & Moody

~ Bob Hayton ~ 1 Comment

“In the Box” posts highlight new books I’ve received in the mail.

I periodically showcase new titles that arrive at my doorstep in posts like this. Today’s post highlights two theology books. The first one is directed at a more popular level, while the second one has the academic reader in mind.

Paul vs. James

 
Paul vs. James: What We’ve Been Missing in the Faith and Works Debate by Chris Bruno (Moody Publishers)

Now this book has the best cover I’ve seen in a while. And the title is catching: Paul vs. James: What We’ve Been Missing in the Faith and Works Debate. On the back cover the book sets in juxtaposition these two statements: “One is justified by faith apart from works of the law” – Paul; “A person is justified by works and not by faith alone” – James. Christians at all stages of their spiritual growth have grappled with this apparent contradiction. I’m looking forward to reading how Chris Bruno clears up the matter. I am also drawn to this work since Chris Bruno has some fundamentalist roots (having taught at Northland and Cedarville) and now teaches at Bethlehem College and Seminary (founded by my former pastor John Piper). Look for my review of this title in the next month or two.

To learn more about this book, check out the product pages at the links below. You can purchase this book at Amazon, Christianbook.com, Westminster Bookstore, or direct from Moody Publishers.

Trinity without Hierarchy

 
Trinity without Hierarchy: Reclaiming Nicene Orthodoxy in Evangelical Theology edited by Michael F. Bird and Scott Harrower (Kregel Academic)

This book intrigues me because I have benefited from some of the authors who are critiqued in this work. Complementarian authors like Wayne Grudem and Bruce Ware have used the relationships between the persons of the Trinity (specifically the headship of the Father and subordination of the Son) in defense of their positions. (Complementarians defend the traditional view that husbands are the chief authority figure in marriage, fathers in the home, and only men should be elders or pastors in the church.) New to me is the term “eternal functional subordination (EFS)” which Grudem and others argue for. This book brings together both complementarian and egalitarian Evangelical scholars who together present a case from the Bible, historical theology and systematic theology to defend the historic orthodox view of the Trinity. The editors do not claim that Grudem and Ware are heretics, they go out of their way to appreciate “Wayne Grudem’s [clear and persuasive] description of the deity of Christ” and “Bruce Ware’s [effective and forceful] refutation of Open Theism” (p. 12). But they deny that Grudem, Ware and others are “at liberty to dispense with eternal generation, nor to substitute roles of authority for Nicene terms for articulating the relationships between the divine persons” (p. 13). I am merely an observer of the debate at this point and look forward to digging in and learning more. Expect my review in a few months.

To learn more about this book or to pick up your own copy, check out the book’s product page at the following sites: Amazon, Christianbook.com, or direct from Kregel Academic.

Disclaimer: My thanks go out to both Moody Publishers and Kregel Academic for review copies of these titles.

Sermon Download: Sola Gratia (Grace Alone)

~ Bob Hayton ~ Leave a comment

This past Sunday, I had the privilege of preaching for a special five-part series at our church. Each week a sermon has been devoted to one of the Five Solas of the Reformation. In English, the Five Solas are: Christ Alone, Scripture Alone, Grace Alone, Faith Alone, and to the Glory of God Alone. This is also the order we are using for the sermon series. Our pastor has opened the series and will finish it, and two other men and I are privileged to contribute one of the messages for the set.

My sermon from this Sunday was on Sola Gratia, or Grace Alone. I was especially burdened by this topic which is so all-encompassing. My sermon highlighted the role of Grace in salvation — we are saved not on account of our works (praise God!). And I also emphasized how grace opposes legalism, in both its doctrinal and practical forms. Finally I was able to touch on Sovereign Grace just a bit as well.

My text was Titus 3, and I was pleased to discover that Martin Luther preached a pair of sermons on Titus 2:11-4 and Titus 3:4-7 for Christmas of 1522. Those sermons were epsecially pertinent to my theme and I included some quotations. (You can find Luther’s sermons on Titus  here and here).

I’m sharing my sermon notes and audio in this post and welcome any feedback. You can also find all my recent sermons from The Heights Church, St. Paul, here.

If you don’t have time to listen to the entire sermon (52 minutes), please do look over my notes.

Place: The Heights Church, St. Paul
Date: November 12, 2017
Title: Sola Gratia (Grace Alone)
Text: Titus 3:3-8
Notes: Download PDF
Audio Link: Click to listen (right click to download)

Reformation Gems 6: Henry Airay on Confidence Only in Christ

~ Bob Hayton

Reformation Commentary on Scripture Series: Volume 11 (Philippians, Colossians)Reformation Gems are excerpts from selections contained in the Reformation Commentary on Scripture, a new commentary series from IVP which gathers the best Reformation-era comments on the text together all in one set. The volumes in this commentary series resurrect long-forgotten voices from the Reformation age and in so doing they recover the piety and vivacity of that era. I hope that by sharing some excerpts from this series, I will edify my readers and promote this important commentary series.
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Today’s selection comes from the latest volume in the Reformation Commentary on Scripture series: Volume XI (Philippians, Colossians). Henry Airay, was the author of “one of the seventeenth century’s most prominent commentaries on the book of Philippians in English” (p. xlix). In commenting on Phil. 3:4-6, Airay zeroes in on the importance of placing one’s confidence in nothing but Christ.

Here is the excerpt from Airay’s work originally published in 1613 (with key sentences bolded for emphasis):

Confidence in Nothing but Christ.

Henry Airay: Let this, then, teach us not to have confidence in any outward thing whatsoever without Christ. You are baptized; it is well: so was Simon Magus (Acts 8:13). [You partake of] the Lord’s Table; it is well: so, no doubt, did Judas. He who eats and drinks worthily is made one with Christ, and Christ with him. But “he that eats and drinks unworthily, eats and drinks his own damnation” (1 Cor. 11:29). You are born of holy and godly parents; it is well: so were Ishmael and Esau. “They which are the children of the flesh are not the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted for the seed” (Rom. 9:8). You are of a holy profession; it is well: so was Demas. Holiness of profession does not commend to God, but a heart purified by faith which works through love. You distribute to the poor and do many good things; it is well: so did the Pharisees, and the young man in the Gospel (Mt 19:20). “Though I feed the poor with all my goods, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profits me nothing” (1 Cor 13:3). In a word, there is nothing under heaven without Christ that does profit us, so that we should rejoice or have confidence in it. (pg. 75, words in brackets added in an attempt to capture the flow of Airay’s thought)

About the Reformation-era author: Henry Airay (c. 1560-1616). English Puritan professor and pastor. He was especially noted for his preaching, a blend of hostility toward Catholicism and articulate exposition of English Calvinism. He was promoted to provost of Queen’s College Oxford (1598) and then to vice chancellor of the university in 1606. He disputed with William Laud concerning Laud’s putative Catholicization of the Church of England, particularly over the practice of genuflection, which Airay vehemently opposed. He also opposed fellow Puritans who wished to separate from the Church of England. His lectures on Philippians were his only work published during his lifetime. (pg. 264)

Learn more about this commentary series at the Reformation Commentary page at IVPress.com, or check out this sampler (PDF). You can pick up a copy of Reformation Commentary on Scripture: Volume XI (Galatians, Ephesians) at any of the following online retailers: Westminster Bookstore, Amazon, Christianbook.com, or direct from IVP. You may want to consider becoming a member with IVP and getting the entire series on a subscription discount of more than 40% per volume.

Disclaimer: This book was provided by IVP. I was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.

G.K. Beale’s “Three Angles of Assurance”

~ Bob Hayton

I’m almost finished making my way through G.K. Beale’s A New Testament Biblical Theology: The Unfolding of the Old Testament in the New (Baker Academic, 2011). It has truly been a rewarding experience in so many ways. Some may question the sanity of reading through a 1,000 page theology book. I have found Beale’s work, however, to be not only intellectually stimulating but also spiritually moving. He unpacks the soul-thrilling message of both testaments of Scripture and like a master jeweler, brings out the innate beauty of the Gem of the Bible in all its brilliance and power. Reading Beale is reading the big picture of Scripture.

Beale also repeatedly brings application and pastoral concerns to bear. He is a theologian with a pastor’s heart, and he never fails to provide the takeaways and connect the dots from theology to Christian living. A perfect example of this is his treatment of assurance. The graphic pictured below is my attempt to reproduce a drawing on pg. 867, in an excursus on assurance, which I found incredibly helpful. I hope my readers will as well.

Beale's 'Three Angles of Assurance'

[Since] Christians do not reach perfection and they sin to varying degrees and in varying ways, and even the most righteous saints become increasingly aware of how sinful they are, how can they be assured that they have a true saving relationship with God? There is no simple answer to this, but there is what may be understood as a cumulative answer that comes from different angles of consideration. We may view the believer’s assurance from three angles, with each angle contributing to an aspect of assurance.

Each point of the [above] triangle represents a truth about how a Christian receives assurance.

Trust in God’s Promise of Salvation through Christ

First, God promises throughout the NT that those who place their faith in Christ and his redemptive work will receive an inner assurance that they have truly benefited from Christ’s work (the top of the triangle). [Beale goes on to discuss 1 John 5:9-15 in support of this point and continues] in this passage from 1 John assurance of true faith comes from (1) the internal witness of the Spirit; (2) the reliability of God’s word that he will give life in the Son to those who believe; (3) the confidence that God hears and answers the faithful prayers of those who ask for salvation in the Son. In fact, the purpose of the entire epistle of 1 John is to give this assurance (v. 13).

Good Works

The role of “good works” is a second angle from which to view the nature of assurance (the bottom left part of the triangle). As we have seen, one who has truly been resurrected (Eph. 2:4-6) and thus becomes a part of the new creation will inevitably and increasingly be characterized by good works (Eph. 2:10) instead of behaving like “dead people” in bondage to “trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1-3). Likewise 2 Pet. 1:3-4 explains that Christians possess God’s “divine power” and reflect God’s image (the “divine nature”), and on this basis they are to grow in the fruits of godliness (vv. 5-8). [Beale goes on to discuss verses 10-11 and concludes that] assurance of one’s “calling and choosing” and final “entrance into the eternal kingdom” increases with growth in doing godly things.

Accordingly, believers’ assurance of truly being part of the new creation comes as they look back at their former life and see the changes that have come about since they became Christian. Those who may have grown up from an early age as a Christian may not have such radical differences between their past and present. Nevertheless, they should not be characterized by the kinds of sins that Paul lists in 1 Cor. 6:9-10. Such people also gain a degree of assurance from this recognition. All Christians, to one degree or another, ought to be able to look back and see that they have progressed in godliness during the course of their Christian lives (recalling also that as such growth occurs, ironically so does increasing awareness of remaining sin). This observation ought to bolster Christians’ confidence that they are genuine.

Given time, if confessing believers have not changed the ungodly lifestyles of their former believing lives, then such people should not be given assurance that they have truly believed. Perhaps they are true Christians, but they should not have affirmation that they are…. Possibly, such a lack of assurance might shock them either into the reality of their faith, so that they change, or shock them into truly believing for the first time.

Conviction by the Spirit

The presence of the conviction of sin within professing Christians is a third angle from which to understand assurance… When Christians think or do unholy things, there should be immediate conflict and dissonance with the indwelling Holy Spirit, who is in the process of causing the believer to reach the goal of complete end-time righteousness. Those who are accordingly convicted about their sin will express repentance and change their sinful ways. Those who have no conviction about indwelling sin should have no conviction that they are genuine saints.

Therefore, faithful, growing Christians should receive multiple assurances from these three angles, which have a cumulative force, enhancing the overall sense of confidence about the reality of their Christian experience. What if a Christian is inconsistent in progressing in good works, and an area of life is not under submission to the Lord of the new creation? Such a person should be under great conviction about this sin, and if so, it is a good sign that the Spirit is really in the person, bringing about conviction. Such a person should not doubt knowing God, unless as time goes on the conviction over sin does not issue into repentance, a turning away from the sin being committed.

However, no confidence should exist in those who profess to believe in Jesus but who reflect no discernible change for the good in their lifestyles and who have no conviction about changing their sinful ways.

Generally, the closer people get to God as faith grows, the more such people will desire to please God by what they do, and the more they will be convicted by the remaining sin in them. As a result, they will have even greater assurance as they progress in their Christian lives. [excerpted from pp. 867-870]

I find Beale’s advice to be both important and encouraging. Even our awareness of failure can encourage us, and the very fight against sin is an evidence of being a legitimate child of God (see my post on Heb. 12 on that point). For more on the Biblical teaching on perseverance see any of the following articles:

You can purchase Beale’s book at any of the following retailers: Westminster Bookstore, Monergism Books, Christianbook.com, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or direct from Baker.