Faith Alone: The Doctrine of Justification

Faith Alone

Author: Thomas R. Schreiner

Historians and theologians have long recognized that at the heart of the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation were five declarations, often referred to as the ‘solas’: sola scriptura, solus Christus, sola gratia, sola fide, and soli Deo gloria. These five statements summarize much of what the Reformation was about, and they distinguish Protestantism from other expressions of the Christian faith. Protestants place ultimate and final authority in the Scriptures, acknowledge the work of Christ alone as sufficient for redemption, recognize that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone, and seek to do all things for God’s glory.

In Faith Alone—The Doctrine of Justification renowned biblical scholar Thomas Schreiner looks at the historical and biblical roots of the doctrine of justification. He summarizes the history of the doctrine, looking at the early church and the writings of several of the Reformers. Then, he turns his attention to the Scriptures and walks readers through an examination of the key texts in the Old and New Testament. He discusses whether justification is transformative or forensic and introduces readers to some of the contemporary challenges to the Reformation teaching of sola fide, with particular attention to the new perspective on Paul.

Five hundred years after the Reformation, the doctrine of justification by faith alone still needs to be understood and proclaimed. In Faith Alone you will learn how the rallying cry of “sola fide” is rooted in the Scriptures and how to apply this sola in a fresh way in light of many contemporary challenges.

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A HISTORICAL TOUR OF SOLA FIDE

1. Sola Fide in the Early Church
2. Martin Luther on Justification by Faith Alone
3. John Calvin on Justification by Faith Alone
4. Sola Fide and the Council Trent
5. Glimpses into Further Reformed Discussions on Sola Fide: The Contribution of John Owen, Richard Baxter, and Francis Turretin
6. The Status of Sola Fide in the Thought of Jonathan Edwards and John Wesley

A BIBLICAL AND THEOLOGICAL TOUR OF SOLA FIDE

7. Human Sin
8. Faith Alone
9. Faith in Jesus Christ
10. The Importance of Justification in Paul
11. God’s Saving Righteousness
12. Righteousness Is Eschatological
13. Righteousness Is Forensic
14. The Righteousness of God
15. Imputation of Righteousness
16. The Role of Good Works in Justification

CONTEMPORARY CHALLENGES TO SOLA FIDE

17. Sola Fide and the Roman Catholic Church
18. Frank Beckwith’s Return to Rome
19. T. Wright and the New Perspective on Paul
20. New Perspective on Paul: The Sin of Israel and the Rejection of Imputation
21. A Concluding Word

288 pages, Paperback.