Revisiting Paul's Doctrine of Justification: A Challenge to the New Perspective. With an Essay by Donald A. Hagner

Peter Stuhlmacher. Revisiting Paul's Doctrine of Justification: A Challenge to the New Perspective. With an Essay by Donald A. Hagner. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2001. 108 pp. $12.95 paper.

This slim volume consists of three lectures on Paul's doctrine of justification that Peter Stuhlmacher, Professor Emeritus of the University of Tubingen, presented at Beeson Divinity School and the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. In addition to Stuhlmacher's lectures, the volume also contains an updated essay by Donald A. Hagner of Fuller Theological Seminary that appeared previously in Bulletin of Biblical Research (BBR). As the title of the volume implies, Stuhlmacher and Hagner reexamine Paul's doctrine of justification in the light of the new perspective on Paul.

In lecture one, "The Gospel of God's Righteousness" (pp. 13-31), Stuhlmacher examines the conceptual world and historical background of Paul's proclamation of justification. He suggests that Paul's doctrine of justification is grounded in the OT, has ecumenical roots in pre-Pauline Christianity, and is in its Pauline horizon forensic in nature. One source of Paul's doctrine of justification was the OT and early Judaism, which taught that God's righteousness was his activity to create welfare and salvation in the creation, in the history of Israel, and in the situation of the end-time judgment. Paul's second source was pre-Pauline Christianity, which was based in scriptural reflection on the death of Jesus (e.g., Isa 52:10-12; Leviticus 16). Paul's personal stake in the doctrine of justification was the result of his dramatic encounter with the risen Christ on the road to Damascus, which completely re-orientated his life and was the occasion of his being called to Gentile mission. In this encounter Paul realized that God's righteousness was not based on the Torah but is rather the gift of God by faith in Christ. For Paul, then, justification was not merely a polemical doctrine (contra Wrede), nor simply a "subsidiary crater" to Paul's mystical doctrine of redemption through being in Christ (contra Schweitzer). The gospel of God's righteousness that Paul proclaimed is not exhausted by the message of the forgiveness of sins for individual Jews and Gentiles but "involves the saving message, which must be passed on to all the peoples of the world, concerning the end-time rule of God that the one God will establish through his Christ" (p. 30).

Lecture two, "God's Righteousness and God's Kingdom" (pp. 33-53), focuses on the missionary perspective and eschatological framework from which Paul viewed justification. Stuhlmacher first provides a general overview of the new perspective as developed by K. Stendahl, E. P. Sanders, and J. D. G. Dunn, who in varying ways maintain that Judaism was not a religion of works-righteousness, and that Paul's doctrine of justification is soteriological in orientation, dealing with matters related to the equality of Jews and Gentiles. Stuhlmacher observes five deficiencies in the new perspective. First, Sanders's view of the soteriology of ancient Judaism is one-sided, focusing exclusively on the principle of grace and not recognizing the counterpart principle of retribution. Second, Stendahl and Dunn evade the question about justification in the final judgment, which is the main problem that occupies Paul in Romans. Third, the new perspective does insufficient justice to Gal 2:16 and Rom 3:20, 28, passages that cannot be restricted to a correction of Jewish (soteriological) exclusiveness. Fourth, the phrase the "works of the law" as used elsewhere in Jewish literature cannot be confined to "boundary markers" (circumcision, food and purity regulations, and Sabbath observance), but relate to obeying God's commandments. Fifth, the new perspective fails to allow for any clear relationship between Christology and justification, but merely reaffirms the erroneous distinction of justification and Christ mysticism, thereby giving insufficient attention to the atonement. In response, Stuhlmacher sketches what he calls the true perspective of Paul, set against the backdrop of Paul's mission as apostle to the Gentiles and the framework of Zion-"kingdom" eschatology. With E. Kasemann, Stuhlmacher views God's basileia ("kingdom") to be the content of Paul's doctrine of justification. Jesus' mission, vicarious death, resurrection, and exaltation provide the basis of justification, which is then extended through the missions of Paul and the other apostles. The justification of individuals before the judgment throne of God is the soteriological climax of the event of justification. The goal (telos) of justification is the achievement of God's justice in heaven and on earth-namely, the reconciliation of the cosmos and the establishment of the kingdom of God (basileia tou theou).

In lecture three, "The Process of Justification" (pp. 55-73), Stuhlmacher delineates the content of Paul's doctrine of justification. For Paul the central figure in the process of justification is Christ Jesus. Stuhlmacher further notes that there is a clear connection in Paul between justification, atonement, and reconciliation, which renders the new perspective's two-part analysis of Paul's soteriology (i.e., juristic and participatory streams) superfluous. In terms of the realization of justification, Stuhlmacher contends that God acts as creator and gracious judge in sending his Son for the salvation of Gentiles and Jews as well as to reconcile the whole creation. Justification is by faith (i.e., trust in God) alone, which is effectively equivalent to the grace of God alone. Justification places people in sanctification and the service of righteousness. The place of justification is the (final) judgment. Following the inclusion of the full number of Gentiles, God's hardening will be removed from Israel and it shall experience redemption from unbelief by the Christ who appears from Zion. The last aspect of God's soteriological purposes is the redemption of the creation from the curse of futility. In sum, Paul's doctrine of justification is "the doctrine about the implementation of God's righteousness through Christ for the entire creation. Its goal is the establishment of the kingdom of God" (p. 73; his italics).