Faith, Obedience and Perseverance: Aspects of Paul's Letter to the Romans

Trinity Journal, Fall 1997 by Karlberg, Mark W

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Don B. Garlington. Faith, Obedience and Perseverance: Aspects of Paul's Letter to the Romans. WUNT 79. Tibingen: J. C. B. Mohr (Paul Siebeck), 1994. xi 204 pp.

Burgeoning study on Paul and the law shows no signs of abating, due largely to the failure to reach a consensus of opinion among contemporary scholars. In Faith, Obedience and Perseverance Don Garlington demonstrates a solid command of the literature, while offering a stimulating and provocative (at times too provocative!) discussion of a number of key exegetical and theological issues. This study comprises an extensive revision of several previously published articles as well as the addition of its closing chapter. The author's indebtedness to the work of J. D. G. Dunn and E. P. Sanders is apparent throughout.

Chapters 1 and 2 contrast what the apostle Paul calls "the obedience of faith" (Rom 1:5; 16:26) with the disobedience of Israel mentioned in 2:22, and denoted as Israel's "sacrilege." Chapters 3 and 4 relate the obedience of faith to the doing of the law (2:13) and to the obedience of Christ (5:1-21). The description of the obedience of faith as "life between two worlds" (7:13-25) concludes the exegetical portion of the study. The final chapter, entitled "Reflections," draws the implications of Garlington's analysis for contemporary systematic theology. Like many other recent studies, this one calls for a revision of traditional Protestant teaching, most notably the doctrine of justification and sanctification, which comprises the central issue in this book.

The author contends that "only 'the doers of the law' will be 'justified' in eschatological judgment" (p. 1). The precise nuance given to this assertion is that eschatological judgment (that is, final justification) is contingent upon faith working through love (cf. Gal 5:6): it is faith and (non-meritorious) works that procure the believer's salvation from the coming wrath of God. Throughout his presentation, Garlington is emphatic that this work of grace-the believer's faith and good works-is the outworking of Christ's life in the believer by means of the internal operation of the Holy Spirit. (This viewpoint is compared favorably to that of Scot McKnight in his treatment of perseverance in the letter to the Hebrews [p. 3].) Garlington concedes that some of his argument is controversial.

Among the most hotly debatable issues, which have been placed on the agenda of Protestant/Roman Catholic dialogue from the Reformation onward, are two: (1) a future (eschatological) dimension of justification which takes into account "works"; (2) the relation of "justification" and "sanctification" as the two, in Reformed theology particularly, have been subsumed under an ordo salutis. In both cases, it has appeared to me that adjustments to the customary Protestant/Reformed scheme are in order. (p. 4)

The main plank in Garlington's thesis is Paul's "intentionally ambiguous" (p. 144) use of the phrase, "the obedience of faith." After surveying the grammatical options, Garlington opts for the adjectival genitive. In the words of Hans-Werner Bartsch: "Faith and obedience are one action. Faith has to be proven by obedience" (p. IS). Actually, two ideas are present: (1) the synonymity of faith and obedience; and (2) the evidential outworking of faith in good works. None of this, writes Garlington, is meant to obscure the sola fide character of justification as heralded by the Protestant Reformation (and the Counter-Reformation!).

While Paul is adamant that it is faith alone which justifies here and now, he is equally insistent that it is the "doers of the Law," Rom 2:13, who will be justified in eschatological judgment. As [Charles] Cosgrove rightly stresses, justification, not simply judgment, belongs not only at the beginning of life in Christ but also at its final consummation: there are, in fact, two moments of justification .... [And] it is none other than "faith's obedience" which bridges the gap between these seemingly polar opposites." iP 44)

Good works are "the outgrowth of 'the obedience of faith,' which alone satisfies the demands of the law" (p. 65). This is a rather curious (and troubling) assertion. It raises the all-important question: How are we to understand the demand(s) of the law? Is it perfect obedience or something less, namely, what Garlington and others have called "covenantal nomism"? Contra the position of Moises Silva, Douglas Moo, and others (this reviewer included), Garlington insists: "Even a foundation text like Lev 18:5 does not have in view sinless perfection, but perseverance within the standards of the covenant [i.e., covenantal nomism]" (p. 141; cf. p. 147, n. 15). Garlington maintains that this demand of the law is (equally?) applicable to the pre-Fall situation. He states: "`the doers of the law' to be justified in eschatological judgment (2:13) are defined not in terms of allegiance to the Torah but of Adam's original mandate to pursue glory, honor, and immortality (2:7)" (p. 114). Garlington elucidates Paul's teaching in terms of "creation theology," not in terms of the (Reformed) biblical-covenantal distinction between law and gospel. At the opening of his study Garlington noted: