The Doctrine of Justification in the Work of N. T.

Wright
By William N. Wilder Center for Christian Study Week 1
I Love to Tell the Story: The Narrative Substructure of Pauls Theology

Why You Should Spend At Least Six Hours Learning About N.T. Wright And His View of Justification
NTW is an extremely prolific scholar who writes faster than you can read. For NTW the original historical context is determinative for the meaning of the text. He writes for the heart as well as for the head. NTW is a first-rank scholar and churchman with increasing influence in both realms. He has been dogged by controversy. His writing is invariably fresh and insightful. NTW is a VIP in the NPP ..and an emerging storm center in Reformed circles, especially the PCA.

He has been accused of undermining Protestant theology in a way which threatens the Reformation and, indeed, the very truth of the Gospel.

He is a monocovenantalist. He questions the Reformed understanding of imputation.

He defines justification in a very non-traditional manner.

Copyright 2005 William N. Wilder

Overview of the Series

1. I Love to Tell the Story: The Narrative Substructure of Pauls Theology 2. Adam, Israel, Servant, Christ: Does Covenant Theology Get It Wright? 3. To Whom It Belongs: The Dis Imputed Righteousness of God 4. The Importance of Definition: Righteousness, Justification, Faith & Works

Copyright 2005 William N. Wilder

I Love to Tell the Story:

The Narrative Substructure of Pauls Theology

So Whats the Story?

The Creator God Chose Israel To Be a Blessing to the World

Copyright 2005 William N. Wilder

The Creator God Chose Israel

To Be a Blessing to the World

What Israel has always been tempted to forget, from Pauls point of view, is that the God who made the covenant with Abraham is the creator of the whole world and that the covenant was put in place precisely in order that through Israel God might address the whole world. NIB Romans, p. 482
Copyright 2005 William N. Wilder

There are three cardinal points of Jewish theology in this period:

The Creator God Chose Israel monotheism election and Monotheism Election

To Be a Blessing to the World eschatology. Eschatology

with the help of the law

(Covenantal Nomism)
There is one true God, the one true God of all the world; Israel is the people of this one true God; and there is one future for all the world, a future not very far away now, in which the true God will reveal himself, defeat evil, and rescue his people.
What Saint Paul Really Said, p. 31

Copyright 2005 William N. Wilder

The Creator God Chose Israel Monotheism Election

To Be a Blessing to the World Eschatology

with the help of the law

(Covenantal Nomism)
This is the patternor the storylineof Pauls thought prior to his conversion.

Copyright 2005 William N. Wilder

The Creator God Chose Israel Monotheism Election

To Be a Blessing to the World Eschatology

with the help of the law

(Covenantal Nomism)
This is the patternor the storylineof Pauls thought prior to his conversion. The first point monotheism was summed up in the Shema: Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God, the Lord is one. Jewish monotheism in this period was not an inner analysis of the being of the one true God... Instead, it made two claims, both of them polemical. On the one hand, Jewish monotheism asserted that the one God, the God of Israel, was the only God of the whole world... and that the true God would one day decisively defeat these pagan gods and their powers, and vindicate Israel as his true people. Monotheism, in short, was a fighting doctrine. On the other hand, Jewish monotheism contained the strong assertion that the dualists were wrong. The material world was not the evil creation of an evil god... Jewishstyle monotheism committed its adherents both to the effort to bring in the kingdom within the physical world... and to the belief that those who died ahead of time would be raised physically to life when the great day came
Copyright 2005 William N. Wilder What Saint Paul Really Said, pp. 63-64.

The Creator God Chose Israel Monotheism Election

To Be a Blessing to the World Eschatology

with the help of the law

(Covenantal Nomism)
This is the patternor the storylineof Pauls thought prior to his conversion. God took the initiative, when he made a covenant with Judaism; Gods grace thus precedes everything that people (specifically, Jews) do in response. The Jew keeps the law out of gratitude, as the proper response to grace not, in other words, in order to get in the covenant people, but to stay in. Being in in the first place was Gods gift. This scheme Sanders famously labelled as covenantal nomism (from the Greek nomos, law). Keeping the Jewish law was the human response to Gods covenantal initiative (WSPRS, p. 19).

Copyright 2005 William N. Wilder

The Creator God Chose Israel Monotheism Election

To Be a Blessing to the World Eschatology

with the help of the law

(Covenantal Nomism)
This is the patternor the storylineof Pauls thought prior to his conversion. The Shammaites, and the revolutionaries in general, were eager to bring these prophecies to fulfilment by their zeal for Torah... The one true God, YHWH, was dishonoured by the present state of things; his glory demanded that the pagans, idol-worshippers as they were, would receive what they deserved. For this to happen, Israel needed to keep Torah. Observing Torah would hasten the time of fulfillment (WSPRS, p. 31; my emphasis). Gaffin: If righteousness constitutes covenant fidelity, what is the standard of fidelity, or of infidelity? Wright: The obedience of faith. What is the sign of your being faithful to the covenant [in the Old Testament]? The Shema. The obedience which consists in faith. This is the Israel-obedience or fidelity: confessing Jesus is Lord. . . . We need to be unshackled from this works-righteousness view of obedience. The gospel is a command: bow the knee and obey this Lord - [that is] submit to the statement that Jesus is Lord. It's an obedience - not meritorious, but the badge of believing.
(Auburn Avenue Conference 2005, day 3, session 13; from notes by Tim Gallant, www.RabbiSaul.com) William N. Wilder Copyright 2005

The Creator God Chose Israel Monotheism Election

To Be a Blessing to the World Eschatology

with the help of the law

(Covenantal Nomism)
This is the patternor the storylineof Pauls thought prior to his conversion. Jews like Saul of Tarsus were not interested in an abstract, timeless, a historical system of salvation. They were not even primarily interested in, as we say today, going to heaven when they died. (They believed in the resurrection, in which God would raise them all to share in the life of the promised renewed Israel and renewed world; but that is very different from the normal Western vision of heaven). The purpose of the covenant, in the Hebrew Bible and in some subsequent writings, was never simply that the creator wanted to have Israel as a special people, irrespective of the fate of the rest of the world. The purpose of the covenant was that, through this means, the creator would address and save his entire world. What Saint Paul Really Said, p. 33.
Copyright 2005 William N. Wilder

The Creator God Chose Israel Monotheism Election

To Be a Blessing to the World Eschatology

with the help of the law

(Covenantal Nomism)
This is the patternor the storylineof Pauls thought prior to his conversion. DAMASCUS ROAD ENCOUNTER
WITH

CRUCIFIED AND RESURRECTED

LORD
The GOSPEL: Proclamation of Crucified, Risen King and Lord

Copyright 2005 William N. Wilder

The Creator God Chose Israel Monotheism Election

To Be a Blessing to the World Eschatology

with the help of the law

(Covenantal Nomism)
This is the patternor the storylineof Pauls thought prior to his conversion. DAMASCUS ROAD ENCOUNTER
WITH

CRUCIFIED AND RESURRECTED

LORD
The crucified Jesus: ...it was the fulfilment of Gods promise that through Abraham and his seed he would undo the evil in the world. God established his covenant with Abraham in the first place for this precise purpose... And always the fulfilment focuses on the death of Jesus, the covenant-fulfilling act, the moment when God executed judicial sentence on sin itself..., the moment when Gods astonishing love was unveiled in all its glory... This is fulfilment, not abrogation... Israels fate, in other words -- the suffering at the hands of the pagans -- had not been swept aside. It was not irrelevant. It had reached its climax precisely in the death of Jesus, the representative Messiah of Israel (WSPRS, p. 48).
Copyright 2005 William N. Wilder

The Creator God Chose Israel Monotheism Election

To Be a Blessing to the World Eschatology

with the help of the law

(Covenantal Nomism)
This is the patternor the storylineof Pauls thought prior to his conversion. DAMASCUS ROAD ENCOUNTER
WITH

CRUCIFIED AND RESURRECTED

LORD
The crucified Jesus: ...it was the fulfilment of Gods promise that through Abraham and his seed he would undo thewas in the with the fact of Jesus resurrection, he The risen Jesus: When Paul evil faced world. God established his covenant with Abraham in that first return for this precise in fact happened. Exilethe fulfilment focuses concluded the the place from exile had purpose... And always had reached its height on the death of Jesus,he had come through death, through the ultimate exile, and was in Jesus death; now the covenant-fulfilling act, the moment when God executed judicial sentence from Greece or Rome, fromwhen Gods astonishing love was from sin set free not just on sin itself..., the moment Herod, Pilate and Caiaphas, but unveiled in all its glory... This is fulfilment, not Cor 15:25-6)... This meantin other words --Come, and death, the ultimate enemies (1 abrogation... Israels fate, that the Age to the suffering at theof Jewish the pagans -- had not been swepteven though itnot irrelevant. It the Eschaton hands of expectation, had already arrived, aside. It was didnt look like had reached its climax precisely in the death of Jesus, the summoned to join Israel in Paul expected. It meant that the Gentiles were now to be representative Messiah of Israel (WSPRS,new day, the day of deliverance (WSPRS, p. 51). celebrating the p. 48).
Copyright 2005 William N. Wilder

The Creator God Chose Israel Monotheism Election

To Be a Blessing to the World Eschatology

with the help of the law

(Covenantal Nomism)
This is the patternor the storylineof Pauls thought prior to his conversion. DAMASCUS ROAD ENCOUNTER
WITH

CRUCIFIED AND RESURRECTED

LORD
The crucified Jesus: ...it was the fulfilment of Gods promise that through Abraham and his seed he would undo thewas in the with the fact of Jesus resurrection, he The risen Jesus: When Paul evil faced world. God established his covenant with Abraham in that first return for this precise in fact happened. Exilethe fulfilment focuses place purpose... And always had reached concluded the There are from exile hadtexts in which the historical sequence its height King Jesus: the many Jewish of thought, on the death of Jesus,he had come through death, through the ultimate exile, and was the covenant-fulfilling act, the moment when God executed inin answer to the question how will God be true to his promises to Abraham?, reaches Jesus death; now judicial sentence from Greece or Rome, fromwhen Gods astonishing love was from sin unveiled set free not just on sin itself..., the moment David, the Messiah Central buthis argument its answer and fulfilment as in the Son of Herod, Pilate and Caiaphas, to in all its glory... This is fulfilment, not Cor 15:25-6)... This meantin other words --Come, abrogation... Israels fate, that the Age to the andthe idea of the seed: the true seed of Abraham, the fulfillment of the promises is death, the ultimate enemies (1 suffering at theof Jewish the pagans -- had not been swepteven though itnot irrelevant. It aside. It was didnt the Eschaton hands of expectation,Abraham, Paul is operating with an implicitlook like Within his overall argument about had already arrived, royal had reached its climax precisely in the death of Jesus, the summoned to join Israel in representative Messiah of Paul expected. exegesis Christos canwere now to be theology and It meant that the Gentiles best be explained in terms of incorporation into Israel (WSPRS,new day, the day of deliverance (WSPRS, p. 51). p. celebrating the the 48). the people of Messiah. (WSPRS, p. 54).
Copyright 2005 William N. Wilder

The Creator God Chose Israel Monotheism Election

To Be a Blessing to the World Eschatology

with the help of the law

(Covenantal Nomism)
This is the patternor the storylineof Pauls thought prior to his conversion. DAMASCUS ROAD ENCOUNTER
WITH

CRUCIFIED AND RESURRECTED

LORD
The crucified Jesus: ...it was the fulfilment of Gods promise that through Abraham and his seed he would undo thewas in the with the fact of Jesus resurrection, he The risen Jesus: When Paul evil faced world. God established his covenant with Abraham in that first return for this precise in fact happened. Exilethe fulfilment focuses place purpose... And always had reached concluded the There are from exile hadtexts in which the historical sequence its height King Jesus: the many Jewish of on the death of Jesus,he had come through death, through the ultimate exile, and was the covenant-fulfilling act, the moment when God executed inthought,death; now to the question how will God be true to his promises to Abraham?, Jesus in answer Jesus is Lord: As with gospel, so with Lord: Pauls language love judicial sentence from Greece or Rome, fromwhen Gods astonishing is borrowed not only set free not just on sin itself..., the moment Herod, Pilate and Caiaphas, was from sinhis but unveiled reaches its answer and fulfilment as in the Sonseveral texts from the Roman empire, fromglory... This also from thenot abrogation... Israels fate, in other words -- the to Isaiah, but is fulfilment, imperial cult. In of David, the Messiah Central in all its and death, the ultimateof the seed:Cor 15:25-6)...of Abraham, that fulfillment of the enemies (1 the true argumentformulaic phrases, referring to theseed This meant the the Age to Come, is we find thethe idea the pagans -- had notemperors accession, was not irrelevant. It suffering at hands of been swept aside. It in which the the Eschaton Within his expectation, had already arrived, even though it didnt look like of Jewish promises of thought overall argumentSuch-and-such a person operating with an or about Abraham, Paul is (Augustus, Nero, as had sequence climax precisely in the death of Jesus, the summoned to join Israel in reached its It meant runs the follows. were now to Paul expected.theology and exegesis Christos canbe representative Messiah of that Gentiles implicit royal been a good servant of the state, perhaps by winning someterms of best be explained in great whoever) hasp. 48). Israel (WSPRS,new day, the day of deliverance (WSPRS, p. 51). celebrating the into the people of the Messiah. (WSPRS, p. 54). incorporation victory; we therefore hail him as our lord, and entrust ourselves to him to be our saviour. We hail him as Kyrios, and trust him to be our Soter (WSPRS, p. 57).
Copyright 2005 William N. Wilder

The Creator God Chose Israel Monotheism Election

To Be a Blessing to the World Eschatology

with the help of the law

(Covenantal Nomism)
This is the patternor the storylineof Pauls thought prior to his conversion. DAMASCUS ROAD ENCOUNTER
WITH

CRUCIFIED AND RESURRECTED

LORD
The GOSPEL: Proclamation of Crucified, Risen King and Lord This means everything is different now!

Copyright 2005 William N. Wilder

The Creator God Chose Israel Monotheism Election

To Be a Blessing to the World Eschatology

with the help of the law

(Covenantal Nomism)
This is the patternor the storylineof Pauls thought prior to his conversion. DAMASCUS ROAD ENCOUNTER
WITH

CRUCIFIED AND RESURRECTED

LORD
The GOSPEL: Proclamation of Crucified, Risen King and Lord This means everything is different now!

Monotheism Redefined

Election Redefined

Eschatology Redefined

Copyright 2005 William N. Wilder

The Creator God Chose Israel Monotheism Election

To Be a Blessing to the World Eschatology

with the help of the law

(Covenantal Nomism)
This is the patternor the storylineof Pauls thought prior to his conversion. DAMASCUS ROAD ENCOUNTER
WITH

CRUCIFIED AND RESURRECTED

LORD
The GOSPEL: Proclamation of Crucified, Risen King and Lord This means everything is different now!

Monotheism Redefined
Jesus and the Spirit seen to
be within the inner being of God 1 Cor 8; Phil 2; Col 1; Gal 4; 1 Cor 12; Rom 8

Election Redefined
Gods people marked by
faith, not works of the law Israels failure: to see temporary function of law

Eschatology Redefined
Fulfillment in the middle of time Eschatological purpose of
covenant achieved: inclusion of Gentiles

Copyright 2005 William N. Wilder

The Creator God Chose Israel To Be a Blessing to the World Monotheism A Long Story in Search of an Ending Eschatology Election
For the majority of Jews of this period,with the help of the law in search of an ending. The theirs was a long story story has somehow "got stuck" (Covenantal enslaved to the pagans; they are still in exile. - they are still Nomism) Daniel 9 suggests that notwithstanding the passing of the requisite 70 to his conversion. to This is the patternor the storylineof Pauls thought prior years, there is going be much more: 70x7 (a Jubilee theme). Forgiveness of sins will mean the end of exile, but Israel will need to wait for it. Many Jews made calculations on the basis of this text.

DAMASCUS ROAD ENCOUNTER

WITH The end of slavery was seen in terms of a new exodus: God would again rescue Israel; this CRUCIFIED AND RESURRECTED was a warning to the pagans and comfort for Israel. This is to be God's future. God will "come into His own:" "In that day Yahweh will be king of all the earth" (Zech 13.1). LORD

For Paul, all this had now come to pass in Messiah Jesus. Paul's eschatology remains deeply The GOSPEL: Jewish, with a retelling of the same keyCrucified, Risen King Christology, Paul details how Proclamation of texts. Through his high and Lord God's own future has burst in; through his incorporative Christology, he describes how Israel's future has burst in.This means everything is different now!
(NTW: Auburn Avenue conference 2005, day 2, session 10; from notes by Tim Gallant, www.RabbiSaul.com).

Monotheism Redefined
Jesus and the Spirit seen to
be within the inner being of God 1 Cor 8; Phil 2; Col 1; Gal 4; 1 Cor 12; Rom 8

Election Redefined
Gods people marked by
faith, not works of the law Israels failure: to see temporary function of law

Eschatology Redefined

Fulfillment in the middle of time Eschatological purpose of

covenant achieved: inclusion of Gentiles

Copyright 2005 William N. Wilder

The Creator God Chose Israel To Be a Blessing to the World Monotheism A Long Story in Search of an Ending Eschatology Election
For the majority of Jews of this period,with the help of the law in search of an ending. The theirs was a long story story has somehow "got stuck" (Covenantal enslaved to the pagans; they are still in exile. - they are still Nomism) Daniel 9 suggests that notwithstanding the passing of the requisite 70 to his conversion. to This is the patternor the storylineof Pauls thought prior years, there is going be much more: 70x7 (a Jubilee theme). Forgiveness of sins will mean the end of exile, but Israel will need to wait for it. Many Jews made calculations on the basis of this text.

DAMASCUS ROAD ENCOUNTER

WITH The end of slavery was seen in terms of a new exodus: God would again rescue Israel; this CRUCIFIED AND RESURRECTED was a warning to the pagans and comfort for Israel. This is to be God's future. God will "come into His own:" "In that day Yahweh will be king of all the earth" (Zech 13.1). LORD

For Paul, all this had now come to pass in Messiah Jesus. Paul's eschatology remains deeply The GOSPEL: Jewish, with a retelling of the same keyCrucified, Risen King Christology, Paul details how Proclamation of texts. Through his high and Lord God's own future has burst in; through his incorporative Christology, he describes how This Auburn everything is different now! Israel's future has burst in (NTW: meansAve conference, day two, session ten; notes by Tim Gallant).

Monotheism Redefined
Jesus and the Spirit seen to
be within the inner being of God 1 Cor 8; Phil 2; Col 1; Gal 4; 1 Cor 12; Rom 8

Election Redefined
Gods people marked by
faith, not works of the law Israels failure: to see temporary function of law

Eschatology Redefined
Fulfillment in the middle of time Eschatological purpose of
covenant achieved: inclusion of Gentiles

Copyright 2005 William N. Wilder

The Creator God Chose Israel To Be a Blessing to the World Monotheism A Long Story in Search of an Ending Eschatology Election
For the majority of Jews of this period,with the help of the law in search of an ending. The theirs was a long story story has somehow "got stuck" (Covenantal enslaved to the pagans; they are still in exile. - they are still Nomism) Daniel 9 suggests that notwithstanding the passing of the requisite 70 to his conversion. to This is the patternor the storylineof Pauls thought prior years, there is going be much more: 70x7 (a Jubilee theme). Forgiveness of sins will mean the end of exile, but Israel will need to wait for it. Many Jews made calculations on the basis of this text.

DAMASCUS ROAD ENCOUNTER

WITH The end of slavery was seen in terms of a new exodus: God would again rescue Israel; this CRUCIFIED AND RESURRECTED was a warning to the pagans and comfort for Israel. This is to be God's future. God will "come into His own:" "In that day Yahweh will be king of all the earth" (Zech 13.1). LORD

For Paul, all this had now come to pass in Messiah Jesus. Paul's eschatology remains deeply The GOSPEL: Jewish, with a retelling of the same keyCrucified, Risen King Christology, Paul details how Proclamation of texts. Through his high and Lord God's own future has burst in; through his incorporative Christology, he describes how This Auburn everything is different now! Israel's future has burst in (NTW: meansAve conference, day two, session ten; notes by Tim Gallant).

Monotheism Redefined
Jesus and the Spirit seen to
be within the inner being of God 1 Cor 8; Phil 2; Col 1; Gal 4; 1 Cor 12; Rom 8

Election Redefined
Gods people marked by
faith, not works of the law Israels failure: to see temporary function of law

Eschatology Redefined
Fulfillment in the middle of time Eschatological purpose of
covenant achieved: inclusion of Gentiles

Copyright 2005 William N. Wilder

The Creator God Chose Israel Monotheism Election

To Be a Blessing to the World Eschatology

with the help of the law

(Covenantal Nomism)
This is the patternor the storylineof Pauls thought prior to his conversion. DAMASCUS ROAD ENCOUNTER
WITH

CRUCIFIED AND RESURRECTED

LORD
The GOSPEL: Proclamation of Crucified, Risen King and Lord This means everything is different now!

Monotheism Redefined

Election Redefined
covenant membership law

Eschatology Redefined
court eschatology

1. Righteousness of God 2. Justification

Copyright 2005 William N. Wilder

The Creator God Chose Israel Monotheism Election

To Be a Blessing to the World Eschatology

with the help of the law

(Covenantal Nomism)
This is the patternor the storylineof Pauls thought prior to his conversion. DAMASCUS ROAD ENCOUNTER
WITH

CRUCIFIED AND RESURRECTED

LORD
The GOSPEL: Proclamation of Crucified, Risen King and Lord This means everything is different now!

Monotheism Redefined

Election Redefined
covenant membership law

Eschatology Redefined
court eschatology

Albert Schweitzer: eschatological, mystical, juridical E. P. Sanders: participationist eschatology (juristic elements)
Copyright 2005 William N. Wilder

The Creator God Chose Israel Monotheism Election

To Be a Blessing to the World Eschatology

with the help of the law

(Covenantal Nomism)
This is the patternor the storylineof Pauls thought prior to his conversion. DAMASCUS ROAD ENCOUNTER
WITH

CRUCIFIED AND RESURRECTED

LORD
The GOSPEL: Proclamation of Crucified, Risen King and Lord This means everything is different now!

Monotheism Redefined

Election Redefined
covenant membership law

Eschatology Redefined
court eschatology

1. Righteousness of God 2. Justification

Copyright 2005 William N. Wilder

Next week. Adam, Israel, Servant, Christ:

Does Covenant Theology Get It Wright?