For the last two weeks I’ve been writing about what is arguably the core doctrine of Reformed theology: Justification by grace through faith. We have now arrived at faith. In Greek, faith (the noun), to believe (the verb), and faithful (the adjective) all have the same root, while in English, two unrelated words are used …
Last week I wrote about the Greek word variously translated as “just,” “justified,” “justification,” and “righteousness” [dikaion]. In its most generic meaning, the just is “one who conforms … who observes custom.” It was a very common word that had application in pagan religion, where it was used in the sense of the fulfillment of …
A new “Legend of Zelda” computer game has arrived. I don’t give credit to gaming companies for actually having a 40 year marketing plan, but the timing of the game is brilliant. Children who got Nintendo game consoles in the 90s are now parents, and the new Zelda game provides the opportunity for them to …
Communicating Christian teaching is a fine art. It is not good enough to simply say what the church has always said. Neither is it acceptable to say something new and different. The art of Christian teaching is to say what has always been said in a manner that communicates what was said accurately. A month …
The problem of the relationship between faith, justification, and works is as old as the church itself. James addresses the issue in the second of his three meditations (James 2:14-26). But in the Protestant world, justification is associated with Paul’s letter to the Romans far more than James 2, so I want to begin in …
Possibly the easiest way to understand the perspective of Hebrews is to consider the word "inheritance." We're probably most familiar with the word in the Gospel story of the rich young ruler who asks, "What do I have to do to inherit eternal life?"
In the previous essay I explained why our “redemption” is a bit ironic (and therefore in quotes). In this essay I want to consider a second reason why we might want to keep those quotation marks around this Big Salvation Word. A cynic might look at the Christians all around and say that salvation is …
In this essay I would like to address three critiques offered in response to my recent series on justification. The first critique is from Mark. I opined that no one (both in the responses on the web site as well as in face-to-face conversations) was addressing the exegetical issues of Gal. 2. Mark pointed out …
Alongside listening to and reading James Dunn (see here and here), in an attempt at balance I have been reading Guy Prentiss Waters' Justification and the New Perspectives on Paul (and have John Piper's The Future of Justification in line after I'm done with Waters). The difference in analytical style is so striking that I …
Continue reading St. Paul, Prof. Dunn, Dr. Waters, and Bultmann (the theologian, not the schnauzer)
Just Another Jim 