Justification, Volume 2

New Studies in Dogmatics

by Michael Scott Horton, R. Michael Allen (Editor), Scott R. Swain (Editor)

The doctrine of justification stands at the center of our systematic reflection on the meaning of salvation as well as our piety, mission, and life together. In his two-volume work on the doctrine of justification, Michael Horton seeks not simply to repeat noble doctrinal formulas and traditional proof texts, but to encounter the remarkable biblical justification texts in conversation with the provocative proposals that, despite a wide range of differences, have reignited the contemporary debates around justification.

Building on his historical-theological exploration of justification in volume 1, in this second volume Horton embarks upon a constructive task of investigating the biblical doctrine of justification in light of contemporary exegesis. Here he takes up the topic of justification from biblical-theological, exegetical, and systematic-theological vantage points, engaging significantly with contemporary debates in biblical, especially Pauline, scholarship. Horton shows that the doctrine of justification finds its most ecumenically-significant starting point and proper habitat in union with Christ, where the greatest consensus, past and present, is to be found among Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant theologies. At the same time, he proposes that the union with Christ motif achieves its clearest and most consistent articulation in forensic justification. The final chapter locates justification within the broader framework of union with Christ.

Genres: Theology, Christian

528 pages, Paperback

Published November 27, 2018

About the author

Dr. Horton has taught apologetics and theology at Westminster Seminary California since 1998. In addition to his work at the Seminary, he is the president of White Horse Inn, for which he co-hosts the White Horse Inn, a nationally syndicated, weekly radio talk-show exploring issues of Reformation theology in American Christianity. He is also the editor-in-chief of Modern Reformation magazine. Before coming to WSC, Dr. Horton completed a research fellowship at Yale University Divinity School. Dr. Horton is the author/editor of more than twenty books, including a series of studies in Reformed dogmatics published by Westminster John Knox.

Reviews

[Ronni Kurtz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an underrated resource. Amongst my favorites on the doctrine.

[Jeremy Fritz · Rating 4 out of 5]

5 star content, but at times was repetitive, so it gets 4 stars.

[Wyatt Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/5.

Sell your car. Buy it now.

An excellent, detailed, and vigorous exploration and affirmation of the doctrine of justification in conversation with a wide range of scholarship.

[Zachary Horn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is just phenomenal. Here is a brilliant display of systematic, elenctic and practical theology on one of the most important subjects of soteriology, treated with the rigor of a scholar but wrapped in a shockingly readable form (if formidable, checking in at nearly 500 pages). This is a gem that deserves significant attention. The chapters on imputation and union alone to close the book are worth the work to get there.

As an aside--I haven't engaged enough of N.T. Wright's work recently, but surely his soteriological views (treated at length throughout this book) minimally make him heterodox? Is that an accepted assessment at this point? I had been under the impression that he was a widely respected evangelical theologian with some eccentric positions (and I've profited from some of his writing on non "new perspective" matters, though with significant points of disagreement at times), but I find that position difficult to maintain given some of the really problematic views of justification and imputation he holds... Maybe I'm just (very) late to this conversation.

[Mitch Bedzyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

This 2 volume, comprehensive work has to be Horton's magnum opus. He doesn't simply repeat the Reformers but also interacts with modern NT scholarship, combining historical, systematic, biblical, and exegetical theology. There are many excellent in-depth discussions on key issues like the role of works, the "faith of Christ"/"faithfulness of Christ", faith, imputation, and the atonement.

What I enjoyed the most was his identification, rejection, and dismantling of the many frustrating false dichotomies one encounters in Pauline studies and the doctrine of Justification (ecclesiology/soteriology, Christus Victor/Agnus Dei, corporate/personal, faith/works, New Perspective/Apocalyptic, etc.).

It's easy to read a massive work like this and forget how relevant and eternally significant the matter of justification is. For as scholarly as the debates over justification can get, Horton's treatment constantly brings the reader back to doxology and assurance, reminding us of the ineffable glory and grace of the triune God in Christ.

[Gwilym Davies · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was actually quite disappointed by this. Don't get me wrong, the theological content is excellent, and there were plenty of 'five star' flashes. I'd quibble over Horton's understanding of sanctification, and I think he's over reliant on the categories of covenant theology at times, but I am entirely on board with his retrieval of an orthodox, reformational understanding of justification, I think his desire to ground it in faith-union and an adequate appreciation of the historia salutis is spot on, and on all the key debates I'm nodding along.

But did I love, or really like, or even particularly enjoy this book? No. It's too long, it's repetitious, it feels poorly edited. It feels a little bit like argument by bullet point. It has all the right chapters (and so the contents page is excellent), but every one of them is probably 40% longer than it needs to be - partly because too many of the same points keep coming back. Sometimes the repetition is within chapter; sometimes across the book. Either way, it's a bit annoying. And tiring. And the tone is, well, school masterly, hold-forthy, preaching to the choirish. Not quite shrill, but perhaps a little patronising. The result is that I can't imagine this book persuading anyone who isn't already fully on board. And I wasn't totally sure that he'd been fair to all his conversation partners either. With every chapter of the book I read the first few pages and thought, 'excellent, this is just what we need to talk about, and I couldn't agree more...' And with every chapter of the book I felt weary by about half way through.

And so I was disappointed, frustratedly disappointed. Because Horton addresses all the right issues, and reaches all the right conclusions, and makes all the most telling points. Five stars for being right. Together with the first volume, this is a good orientation to the shape of the doctrine, and a useful church historical index. But is it a good book? But did I like reading it? Not really. To tell the truth, it was exhausting. Five star content in a two star package. Let's split the difference and call it three...

[Nate Claiborne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Conceptually helpful, although repetitive at points. Horton’s writing style leaves much to be desired, as he seems to be patching together excerpts from other writings making this have a remix feel to it if you’ve read him elsewhere.

Also, there are numerous errors in the footnotes related to citations (wrong author, wrong publication info, lazy attributions, etc). I’ll ask one of the editors what went wrong next chance I get.

That being said though, this is probably the most up to date treatment of the doctrine from a Reformed perspective that covers history, theology, and pastoral application. Worth the read if this topic interests you.

[Neil Kruger · Rating 4 out of 5]

A comprehensive treatment of the doctrine of justification from a bi-covenantal perspective.

Horton certainly makes a strong case for Reformed Theology having the tools to deal with contemporary challenges to the traditional Protestant understanding of justification.

[Jae H Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite Horton's quirky views on the Mosaic covenant, an excellent treatment of justification with a great deal of exegetical work.

[Ian Hammond · Rating 4 out of 5]

In volume two, Horton sets out to defend the reformational understanding of justification over and against its contemporary challengers. It would be hard to beat the definition that has been laid down in the Westminster Shorter: "Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardoneth all our sins, and accepteth us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone." The two schools that have proffered the most popular new definitions are the New Perspective and the Apocalyptic. The New Perspective (think N.T Wright) claims that justification is not about soteriology (how one is saved) but ecclesiology (who are members of God's people). The Apocalyptic school (think Barth) claims that justification is something that happened in Christ and not in the life of the believer. Horton's critique of these views in the opening chapter is very insightful. First, both explain their view in contrast with the view of the reformers but neither of them accurately represents the reformed view (Wright even admits that he has not even read these sources). They, instead, contrast their view with pietistic revivalism that separates the ordo salutis (redemption applied) from the historia salutis (redemption accomplished) by centering on the subjective, individual experience of the believer. Second, in doing this, they make the opposite error of separating the historia salutis from the ordo salutis. They oppose cosmic redemption & personal salvation, Christus Victor & the Agnus Dei, among other dichotomies. Why all these false choices? They both tend to the central dogma approach, which is reductionistic and goes like this: You locate what you believe is a core idea for Paul and deduce everything else from it. In other words, you get a "big idea" (i.e. covenant nomism/participationism) and then every other pericope becomes a puzzle piece you must fit. In contrast, the Reformed tradition does not a have central dogma but instead marches in a business-like way from God to God's free purpose and work in the economy of Grace. Instead of false choices, the Reformed tradition integrates the personal & ecclesial, individual & cosmic, the covenant-historical & apocalyptic, the forensic & transformative, and the divine & human agency into its theology.

[Ben K · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finally got around to reading volume 2 in this work on justification. Volume 1 was an exercise in historical theology and set the stage for this followup, a systematic study of justification from a reformed perspective. This was a dense read, but by no means a slog. An excellent outline coupled with cogent writing kept me absorbed all the way through. I found Horton’s engagement with competing contemporary views very helpful, particularly with regard to the so-called “new perspective on Paul” that has become popular through the likes of N.T. Wright and others. He did an excellent job of affirming the valid contributions such views bring to the table, while also cautioning against false dichotomies that tend to downplay or eliminate the personal, soteriological, forensic, and legal aspects of justification. This is not an entry-level theology book, but if you are looking to deepen your understanding of one of the core doctrines of the Christian faith, this is a simply outstanding book!

[David Roche · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing work on the doctrine of justification, incredibly comprehensive.

[Nick Roark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent systematic exposition and defense of the doctrine of justification. Four star rating because it was a bit redundant at points and could have be trimmed down.

[Richard Mounce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding

[Connor Longaphie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I preferred volume 1, myself