Challenging the Traditional Interpretations of Justification by Faith, Part 1

by John A. Campbell, Tony H. Espinosa, Mitchell J. Kennard

This volume is the first of a two-part work that evaluates the teaching of justification by faith from the early church to modern times in light of the Scriptures and the ministry of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee. Part 1 begins with a thorough presentation of the evaluative standard by which the authors will measure the teachings of the various Christian traditions. Then, following a historical overview of justification by faith in the major traditions, they proceed to give a detailed assessment of the doctrine as taught in the patristic era, in the medieval era, and by Martin Luther at the inception of the Protestant Reformation. The volume aims to point out the shortcomings and contributions of the first 1,500 years of the church’s teaching on justification by faith and to offer a fresh understanding of this foundational truth of the Christian faith.

520 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 30, 2021

Reviews

[Reese Walling · Rating 5 out of 5]

This first part of a two-part series on Justification by Faith traces the developments and deteriorations of the church's understanding of justification and the means by which one is justified. Beginning with the patristics and mapping all the way to Martin Luther, the authors offer a piercing evaluation of just how the church has understood (and misunderstood) this cardinal truth of the Reformation in light of what's revealed in the Scriptures, particularly in light of how the Scriptures have been elucidated through the ministries of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee.

The authors first present their understanding of justification according to the Bible, primarily having to do with our being declared righteous in the sight of God based upon our union with Christ, the righteousness of God, through uniting faith. This faith, the means by which we are joined to Christ, is itself a gift of God, resultant from His appearing in glory and infusing of His very person into the depths of our being.

This brief definition and mode of justification, powerfully argued for (as being the faithful interpretation of the revelation of the Scriptures) in the opening of this book, becomes the evaluative standard of the authors in critiquing and appraising church history. The nuances of justification tend to be obfuscated in the minds of Christians, and this book really brings these nuances into lucidity.

Is justification merely the forgiveness of sins? What role do the sacraments (e.g. baptism, penance, auricular confession) play? Is faith equivalent to mental assent? Can one be assured of their justification? Is that justification eternally secure? These are the difficult questions (among others) that the authors address in their survey of the largest figures of the first 15 centuries of church history.

The authors don't hold back any punches (be it against Luther or Augustine), nor are they unfair or unappreciative of figures traditionally bashed by protestants (e.g. Aquinas, Albert the Great, Bonaventure). They faithfully adhere to their evaluative standard as laid out in the first section of this book. I believe anyone with a desire to understand justification will appreciate this challenge of "the traditional interpretations of justification by faith," enabling them to better understand their own positions and just where that position is sourced in the history of Christian thought.