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The Way of Righteousness
Norman Shepherd's views on covenant theology, justification, and Gospel and Law have sparked vitriolic controversy in Reformation Christianity. His definition of saving faith - a submissive, penitent, obedient trust, which has nothing whatever to do with man's merit, virtue or performance to curry God's reward - has been met not only with disagreement and opposition but also with recrimination and anathema. Faith alone justifies, teaches Shepherd, but that faith is active in hanging onto the promises of God in Jesus Christ and in submitting to His will. The present work is an exploration and elucidation of saving faith according to the Old Testament, to Jesus, to James, to Paul and to the rest of the New Testament
- GenresTheology
100 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 20, 2010
Absolutely spectacular. This is the first time Shepherd has been able to flesh out his views on the doctrine of justification, and to "say what he really means." Shepherd is a sometimes controversial figure in Presbyterian circles, who has been accused of teaching justification by obedience. This book is his demonstration that his view is evangelical and Reformed to the core, all the way down.
February 24, 2013
Since Shepherd was on the faculty at Westminster, he knows how to say the right things to appear within the bounds of orthodoxy. However, this book has several serious errors relating to the doctrine of justification.
1. Shepherd makes repentance and obedience co-instrumental with faith. This is against the teaching of WCF XI.II.
2. He is confused as to when justification occurs, giving several possibilities. However, none of those possibilities count if justification is not complete until the final day of judgement. This is against the teaching of WCF XI.IV.
3. He seems to teach a form of mono-covenantalism. There is no substantial difference between Adam under the Covenant of Life and believers under the Covenant of Grace. This is against the teaching of WCF VII.I and II.
4. The imputation of Christ's righteousness becomes a "legal fiction". This is against the teaching of WCF XI.I.
This is case and point of someone who thinks he can improve on the classic reformed understanding and yet strays out of orthodoxy. He thinks that he can reconcile James and Paul, but ends up misrepresenting both. With this pre-determined conclusion he pulls in other Scripture out of context to back up his point. This book should be read with care and examined against the classic reformed understanding, lest a babe in the faith fall into its heresy.
1. Shepherd makes repentance and obedience co-instrumental with faith. This is against the teaching of WCF XI.II.
2. He is confused as to when justification occurs, giving several possibilities. However, none of those possibilities count if justification is not complete until the final day of judgement. This is against the teaching of WCF XI.IV.
3. He seems to teach a form of mono-covenantalism. There is no substantial difference between Adam under the Covenant of Life and believers under the Covenant of Grace. This is against the teaching of WCF VII.I and II.
4. The imputation of Christ's righteousness becomes a "legal fiction". This is against the teaching of WCF XI.I.
This is case and point of someone who thinks he can improve on the classic reformed understanding and yet strays out of orthodoxy. He thinks that he can reconcile James and Paul, but ends up misrepresenting both. With this pre-determined conclusion he pulls in other Scripture out of context to back up his point. This book should be read with care and examined against the classic reformed understanding, lest a babe in the faith fall into its heresy.
May 2, 2022
This book has no significant difference from Shepherd’s early book published in 2000, The Call of Grace: How the covenant Illuminates Salvation and Evangelism. Both advocate a neonomian view that mixes law and Gospel (Shepherd himself explicitly rejects the law and Gospel distinction as “Lutheran” and not reformed).
Having read Shepherd to let him speak for himself on his views it is surprising that his views caused so much controversy when he clearly taught justification by works when you read both his published books.
Listen to how he ends his book on justification:
“The Gospel is not clearly as complicated as we might think from looking at the many heavy tones of scholastic theology written on the subject. We are justified and saved according to the eternal plan and purpose of God. We are justified in the death and resurrection of Christ 2,000 years ago. We are now justified by a living, active, penitent, and obedient faith in Jesus. And we are sure to be justified when the ascended Christ returns to this earth to judge the living and the dead. That is the good news of the Gospel, the Gospel we believe and proclaim” (pg. 92-93)
Many of the statements are orthodox, but Shepherd subtext slips in a caveat. He redefines faith alone (sola fide) as a living, active faith. You must maintain your covenant faithfulness/obedience to be justified at the final judgment. Shepherd himself argues that we are not truest justified until the final judgment. Historically reformed theologians would refer to being vindicated at the final judgement, but Shepherd’s view more closely resembles Rome and the papists view of a second justification of believers at the final judgment:
“All of these things are true: I was justified when Jesus died for me; I was justified when I was converted; I am now in a justified state; and I will be justified in the Day of judgment. But it is precisely because of what will happen in the Day of Judgment that I can speak of a justification now, by faith. Justification as a present benefit in the application of redemption has meaning only because of what will happen in the Day of judgment” (pg. 88).
Shepherd starts his treatise on Justification by going to James 2:24 and ends up agreeing with the papists and uses his interpretation of a living and active faith as his hermeneutical grid to read all references to justification in the Bible.
“Only if “justify” in verse 24 carries the forensic-soteric sense does the verse answer the question posed in verse 14. This is the compelling argument for the forensic-soteric sense of “justify” in verse 24. James is saying that a person will stand in judgment of God on the last day by works and not by faith alone” (pg. 25).
“To summarize, the justification in view in James 2:24 is soteric justification. It is salvation in view in verse 14. The passage contemplates a Day of Judgment to come when all people will appear before the Lord Jesus Christ to be judged. Will they escape from a judgment that is unto condemnation and death? James says in verse 24 that they will be justified and saved by what they do and not by faith alone” (pg. 26).
“Justification is by faith, but not by a faith that stands all alone devoid of action and unproductive good works. Saving faith in Jesus Christ is a faith that works. It is a living and active faith. Only a living and active faith justified and saves. That is the point James is making in verses 14-26” (pg. 27).
Shepherd briefly reflects on covenants at the end of his book but affirms the same substance from his earlier book on covenant theology. He argues that all covenants consist of promise and obligation, therefore all covenants are conditional, which also implies salvation is conditional upon your covenantal obedience to persevere in covenant obedience until the final judgement.
“All biblical covenants have these two sides, promise and obligation; and this was true before the fall into sin as well as after the fall” (pg. 67).
Shepherd does have a brief chapter applying his hermeneutic to the old covenant. I will only give one brief example of how he interprets the righteous man in the Psalter. Shepherd emphatically denies the righteousness man is Christ and Christ’s imputes righteousness to believers. He affirms that the righteousness man is/are believers in the church who persevere in their covenantal faithfulness/ their active, obedient, and persevering faith.
“Psalm 15 asks, “Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill?” The answer is, “He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart.” We should not say that no person meets this qualification, only Christ whose active obedience is then imputed to us. That thought renders the Psalm meaningless to the people who first sang it. This idea is not in the Psalm and it is not the point of the Psalm. Nor, on the other hand, does the Psalm teach justification and salvation by the merit of good works. The point of the Psalm is that the man who keeps covenant with the Lord, who does what is right in the eyes of the Lord, and who walks in the footsteps of father Abraham, is a man of faith. He is the righteous man who lives by faith. Our churches today have many such people as members, and if we don’t we are in very, very serious trouble!” (Pg. 76-77)
In summary Shepherd tries to affirm justification sola fide but merely redefined faith alone as a working, active, living faith. He is arguing for a papist justification with a facade of reformed clothing. This is no new teaching, it is the Old hereby of neonomianism, my faith plus my works merit justification before God rather than the historical reformed affirmation that faith alone is the instrument that rests on the person and work of Christ and the righteousness of Christ alone for a right standing before God.
Having read Shepherd to let him speak for himself on his views it is surprising that his views caused so much controversy when he clearly taught justification by works when you read both his published books.
Listen to how he ends his book on justification:
“The Gospel is not clearly as complicated as we might think from looking at the many heavy tones of scholastic theology written on the subject. We are justified and saved according to the eternal plan and purpose of God. We are justified in the death and resurrection of Christ 2,000 years ago. We are now justified by a living, active, penitent, and obedient faith in Jesus. And we are sure to be justified when the ascended Christ returns to this earth to judge the living and the dead. That is the good news of the Gospel, the Gospel we believe and proclaim” (pg. 92-93)
Many of the statements are orthodox, but Shepherd subtext slips in a caveat. He redefines faith alone (sola fide) as a living, active faith. You must maintain your covenant faithfulness/obedience to be justified at the final judgment. Shepherd himself argues that we are not truest justified until the final judgment. Historically reformed theologians would refer to being vindicated at the final judgement, but Shepherd’s view more closely resembles Rome and the papists view of a second justification of believers at the final judgment:
“All of these things are true: I was justified when Jesus died for me; I was justified when I was converted; I am now in a justified state; and I will be justified in the Day of judgment. But it is precisely because of what will happen in the Day of Judgment that I can speak of a justification now, by faith. Justification as a present benefit in the application of redemption has meaning only because of what will happen in the Day of judgment” (pg. 88).
Shepherd starts his treatise on Justification by going to James 2:24 and ends up agreeing with the papists and uses his interpretation of a living and active faith as his hermeneutical grid to read all references to justification in the Bible.
“Only if “justify” in verse 24 carries the forensic-soteric sense does the verse answer the question posed in verse 14. This is the compelling argument for the forensic-soteric sense of “justify” in verse 24. James is saying that a person will stand in judgment of God on the last day by works and not by faith alone” (pg. 25).
“To summarize, the justification in view in James 2:24 is soteric justification. It is salvation in view in verse 14. The passage contemplates a Day of Judgment to come when all people will appear before the Lord Jesus Christ to be judged. Will they escape from a judgment that is unto condemnation and death? James says in verse 24 that they will be justified and saved by what they do and not by faith alone” (pg. 26).
“Justification is by faith, but not by a faith that stands all alone devoid of action and unproductive good works. Saving faith in Jesus Christ is a faith that works. It is a living and active faith. Only a living and active faith justified and saves. That is the point James is making in verses 14-26” (pg. 27).
Shepherd briefly reflects on covenants at the end of his book but affirms the same substance from his earlier book on covenant theology. He argues that all covenants consist of promise and obligation, therefore all covenants are conditional, which also implies salvation is conditional upon your covenantal obedience to persevere in covenant obedience until the final judgement.
“All biblical covenants have these two sides, promise and obligation; and this was true before the fall into sin as well as after the fall” (pg. 67).
Shepherd does have a brief chapter applying his hermeneutic to the old covenant. I will only give one brief example of how he interprets the righteous man in the Psalter. Shepherd emphatically denies the righteousness man is Christ and Christ’s imputes righteousness to believers. He affirms that the righteousness man is/are believers in the church who persevere in their covenantal faithfulness/ their active, obedient, and persevering faith.
“Psalm 15 asks, “Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill?” The answer is, “He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart.” We should not say that no person meets this qualification, only Christ whose active obedience is then imputed to us. That thought renders the Psalm meaningless to the people who first sang it. This idea is not in the Psalm and it is not the point of the Psalm. Nor, on the other hand, does the Psalm teach justification and salvation by the merit of good works. The point of the Psalm is that the man who keeps covenant with the Lord, who does what is right in the eyes of the Lord, and who walks in the footsteps of father Abraham, is a man of faith. He is the righteous man who lives by faith. Our churches today have many such people as members, and if we don’t we are in very, very serious trouble!” (Pg. 76-77)
In summary Shepherd tries to affirm justification sola fide but merely redefined faith alone as a working, active, living faith. He is arguing for a papist justification with a facade of reformed clothing. This is no new teaching, it is the Old hereby of neonomianism, my faith plus my works merit justification before God rather than the historical reformed affirmation that faith alone is the instrument that rests on the person and work of Christ and the righteousness of Christ alone for a right standing before God.
November 23, 2025
A must read.
April 15, 2013
Another book on justification to be read only for awareness. Shepherd's views are sneaky. He says all these things you agree with and then sneaks in untruth. He talks about an active faith, but what he means by that is that "justification and salvation are contingent upon obedience." P. 59. For him, justification = salvation and to have that you have to have obedience (works). He makes it no longer by faith alone. He also lumps in the truth of when justification occurs (at conversion) right in the same sentence with the RC view of justification at baptism. But all the other views get their own sentence...wow.
I don't know how people can read this book carefully and come out thinking he's done a great job talking about justification. If it isn't truth it isn't good.
I wish I could give negative stars to some of these books...
I don't know how people can read this book carefully and come out thinking he's done a great job talking about justification. If it isn't truth it isn't good.
I wish I could give negative stars to some of these books...
March 26, 2011
This is an outstanding exposition of justification throughout Scripture, highlighting a living and active faith. Hats off to John Armstrong for studying the issue out and bringing Shepherd to the microphone and press.
April 9, 2009
Classic and clear
October 13, 2010
James and Paul "reconciled". Both taught justifcation by faith, a faith that is alive, penitent, obedient and loving!
February 1, 2013
Necessary teaching in the churches today. Read it twice and then give it to someone else.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews