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Faith in the Son of God: The Place of Christ-Oriented Faith within Pauline Theology
A Study of "Faith in Christ" in Pauline Theology
Over the last fifty years, the apostle Paul's theology has come under immense critical examination. One important issue prompted by recent scholarship is the correct translation of the Greek phrase pistis Christou as "faith in Jesus Christ" (Galatians 2:16). Many English-speaking scholars now interpret this Greek phrase as the "faithfulness of Jesus Christ." This new translation is bound up with the theological argument that we are not justified by our own faith but by the faithfulness of Christ.
In his latest book, professor Kevin McFadden argues that faith in Christ is a proximate cause of salvation that accords with grace. Academically rigorous, theologically steeped, and pastorally wise, this treatment is not only a helpful introduction to the pistis Christou debate, but it demonstrates the central role of faith in salvation as the church brings the good news of the gospel to the world.
Over the last fifty years, the apostle Paul's theology has come under immense critical examination. One important issue prompted by recent scholarship is the correct translation of the Greek phrase pistis Christou as "faith in Jesus Christ" (Galatians 2:16). Many English-speaking scholars now interpret this Greek phrase as the "faithfulness of Jesus Christ." This new translation is bound up with the theological argument that we are not justified by our own faith but by the faithfulness of Christ.
In his latest book, professor Kevin McFadden argues that faith in Christ is a proximate cause of salvation that accords with grace. Academically rigorous, theologically steeped, and pastorally wise, this treatment is not only a helpful introduction to the pistis Christou debate, but it demonstrates the central role of faith in salvation as the church brings the good news of the gospel to the world.
304 pages, Paperback
Published May 18, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 24, 2021
I would say I was only minimally aware of the "Pistis Christou" debate coming into this book, and unfamiliar with Richard Hays' "Faith in Jesus Christ." But McFadden has written what I feel is a very important exploration into this niche theological discussion. It is definitely a rigorous and academic study, but proves fruitful for those interested in Pauline theology. His exegesis is sharp, and his advocacy for a "Christ-oriented faith" is helpful.
November 5, 2023
I always think, as I drift off to sleep, that I am well enough equipped in theology to combat whatever may be handed to me, or at least the major arguments. But when a co-worker dropped that we misinterpreted all the scripture mentioning "faith in christ" and it is supposed to be interpreted "our faithfulness to christ" I was stumped. And while common sense would supply us with the rejoinder that noone has interpreted these passages this way until theologians with an axe to grind have had their way with them, I am very glad that there is also a hermeneutical reason for the rendering of "faith in" not "faithfulness of."
After recieving this book, I realized that the person I was talking to had misunderstood the thesis of the New Perspective as meaning our faithfulness towards Christ, not the faith of Christ.
This notwithstanding, and my new answer being that no one, even the NPP folk, believe that these passages refer to our faithfulness, I am glad that I read the rest of this book. McFadden makes the great argument from context that Paul very much talks about faith and belief in Christ, not just the faithfulness of Christ and God. He even provides a large spread of scripture references from Paul to prove it. He make the claim that belief "in" is not a foreign concept to Paul, and that in re-interpreting faith in christ to faithfulness of Christ has no hermeneutical necessity behind it. In fact, even the NPP interpreters try to have their cake and eat it too when they say that it can both be faithfulness of christ and faith in christ, which McFadden easily rebukes as an abuse of the ambiguity of language. When we speak, we very rarely mean two things at the same time, there are only a handful of times that it happens in the NT, hence basing our hermeneutic off of an exception is generally an unfavourable method to interpret scripture.
Worth your time, very approachable and very enjoyable.
After recieving this book, I realized that the person I was talking to had misunderstood the thesis of the New Perspective as meaning our faithfulness towards Christ, not the faith of Christ.
This notwithstanding, and my new answer being that no one, even the NPP folk, believe that these passages refer to our faithfulness, I am glad that I read the rest of this book. McFadden makes the great argument from context that Paul very much talks about faith and belief in Christ, not just the faithfulness of Christ and God. He even provides a large spread of scripture references from Paul to prove it. He make the claim that belief "in" is not a foreign concept to Paul, and that in re-interpreting faith in christ to faithfulness of Christ has no hermeneutical necessity behind it. In fact, even the NPP interpreters try to have their cake and eat it too when they say that it can both be faithfulness of christ and faith in christ, which McFadden easily rebukes as an abuse of the ambiguity of language. When we speak, we very rarely mean two things at the same time, there are only a handful of times that it happens in the NT, hence basing our hermeneutic off of an exception is generally an unfavourable method to interpret scripture.
Worth your time, very approachable and very enjoyable.
May 21, 2021
The Greek phrase pistis Christou has typically been understood to mean "faith in Christ," such as in Galatians 2:16 ("we know that a person is justified not by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ"). But recently a large number of NT scholars have claimed the phrase should be translated "faithfulness of Christ" (a grammatically tenable translation), which would revolutionize the Reformational understanding of salvation by faith.
But is this new translation right? McFadden argues that it is not. I certainly agree, though I don't think he makes the best case he could. It is unfocused and too comprehensive, obscuring his main interaction with the "faithfulness of Christ" argument. Don't get me wrong, he has lots of good things to say about the priority of faith in Paul and the lack of contextual support for the latest rendering. But at times I felt like I was reading two different books, one that addressed the title of the work and the other that handled the translation question discussed above.
Yet, this is an important issue that isn't going away, so the book is worth one's time. And don't miss the foreword by Robert Yarbrough. It is superb and probably worth the price of the book itself.
But is this new translation right? McFadden argues that it is not. I certainly agree, though I don't think he makes the best case he could. It is unfocused and too comprehensive, obscuring his main interaction with the "faithfulness of Christ" argument. Don't get me wrong, he has lots of good things to say about the priority of faith in Paul and the lack of contextual support for the latest rendering. But at times I felt like I was reading two different books, one that addressed the title of the work and the other that handled the translation question discussed above.
Yet, this is an important issue that isn't going away, so the book is worth one's time. And don't miss the foreword by Robert Yarbrough. It is superb and probably worth the price of the book itself.
October 3, 2022
Excellent overview of Christ-centred faith. The author is a careful exegete moving step by step through Paul’s exposition of Christ-centered faith. Very enlightening read.
August 28, 2021
4.5 actually, only because the other dangers of the "faithfulness of Christ" view were left out. But solid argumentation and leading to theological conclusions... something biblical scholars often miss.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews