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More Than Heaven: A Biblical Theological Argument for a Federal View of Glorification
The Protestant church has wrestled since the time of the Reformation with how believers can be saved by grace but rewarded in degrees based on their works. Though some through the years have argued that the Scriptures don’t actually teach differing degrees of reward, this has been the predominant view. This book takes the minority view. Believers are saved by grace alone through faith alone, and the believers’ rewards and glorification are based on the finished work of Christ alone. It is grace from start to finish. The church is the bride of Christ, and in the end all that is his is hers.
306 pages, Paperback
Published June 10, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 28, 2024
An extremely illuminating and insightful read!
Jesus and all he has has merited and earned IS our reward. Taylor makes a compelling case against the view that though believers are saved by grace through faith on account of Christ, they somehow are still judged by God and receive “degrees of rewards” according to their works.
In part 1, he gives a solid biblical survey from the standpoint of covenant theology and showing that there is only two outcomes for every human: you are either represented before God by the first Adam and must fulfill the covenant of works & gain eternal life by your obedience (not possible, thanks to sin); or you are represented by the last Adam, whose perfect life of obedience & atoning death on the cross has counted you as sinless & perfect in God’s courtroom (Romans 5:1, 19)
In part 2, Taylor gets into the necessary weeds and persuasively makes a case:
- that “reward” in scripture is always understood, OT & NT, as a earned wage, not something additive or bonus or gift. As a result, we must view it through the lens that scripture provides: our Holy God does not grade on a curve and requires absolute no-questions-asked perfection if you are to earn anything that is eternally lasting in His impartial sight, such as “rewards” that exist in the new creation
- Judgment according to works & deeds in the OT & NT is seen in eschatological terms, like heaven and hell, not partial blessings. The only works that will stand (legally) in God’s sight are perfect works, which is part and parcel why even our works as believers don’t play a part in our justification before God
- Scripture is clear that we are co-heirs with Christ & share in his inheritance, all because of grace. A simple biblical syllogism is fitting then: if Jesus has earned everything & owns everything in the cosmos, as the God-Man, then what makes us think that we could somehow earn something additionally or extra? Something to think about.
- though the book parses it out more, Taylor shows quite persuasively that there a grammatical possibility of 1 Cor. 3’s infamous temple building & false teachers passage being about false teachers’ works being burned up and they themselves being “saved” for judgment through fire (aka, the fires of hell), with “saved” connoting “continuing to exist”, rather than being about believers being judged by their works and being “saved” by the skin of their teeth.
May it never be, since the Father is unquestionably pleased with Christ’s works…the very works that represent Christians before God
- Revelation speaks on the great white throne of judgment, where two books are opened: a book of deeds for nonbelievers whereby they are judged & book of life where the only thing in them is…the names of believers, not their deeds
If you made it this far in the review, congrats to you. What a champ. Though I gave you a SparkNotes version of the book, if you have questions, you really should just read it yourself and be informed on such a controversial topic.
Highly recommend!
Jesus and all he has has merited and earned IS our reward. Taylor makes a compelling case against the view that though believers are saved by grace through faith on account of Christ, they somehow are still judged by God and receive “degrees of rewards” according to their works.
In part 1, he gives a solid biblical survey from the standpoint of covenant theology and showing that there is only two outcomes for every human: you are either represented before God by the first Adam and must fulfill the covenant of works & gain eternal life by your obedience (not possible, thanks to sin); or you are represented by the last Adam, whose perfect life of obedience & atoning death on the cross has counted you as sinless & perfect in God’s courtroom (Romans 5:1, 19)
In part 2, Taylor gets into the necessary weeds and persuasively makes a case:
- that “reward” in scripture is always understood, OT & NT, as a earned wage, not something additive or bonus or gift. As a result, we must view it through the lens that scripture provides: our Holy God does not grade on a curve and requires absolute no-questions-asked perfection if you are to earn anything that is eternally lasting in His impartial sight, such as “rewards” that exist in the new creation
- Judgment according to works & deeds in the OT & NT is seen in eschatological terms, like heaven and hell, not partial blessings. The only works that will stand (legally) in God’s sight are perfect works, which is part and parcel why even our works as believers don’t play a part in our justification before God
- Scripture is clear that we are co-heirs with Christ & share in his inheritance, all because of grace. A simple biblical syllogism is fitting then: if Jesus has earned everything & owns everything in the cosmos, as the God-Man, then what makes us think that we could somehow earn something additionally or extra? Something to think about.
- though the book parses it out more, Taylor shows quite persuasively that there a grammatical possibility of 1 Cor. 3’s infamous temple building & false teachers passage being about false teachers’ works being burned up and they themselves being “saved” for judgment through fire (aka, the fires of hell), with “saved” connoting “continuing to exist”, rather than being about believers being judged by their works and being “saved” by the skin of their teeth.
May it never be, since the Father is unquestionably pleased with Christ’s works…the very works that represent Christians before God
- Revelation speaks on the great white throne of judgment, where two books are opened: a book of deeds for nonbelievers whereby they are judged & book of life where the only thing in them is…the names of believers, not their deeds
If you made it this far in the review, congrats to you. What a champ. Though I gave you a SparkNotes version of the book, if you have questions, you really should just read it yourself and be informed on such a controversial topic.
Highly recommend!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 24, 2024
This book is helpful for two reasons: it's an excellent biblical-theological overview of the Bible from a covenantal and redemptive-historical perspective, and secondly, placing the believer's reward in context of the Christ's accomplishing the Pactum Salutis. I would highly recommend for pastors and teachers of the Bible to understand more clearly what every believer receives in Christ.
April 3, 2023
This was a wonderfully written book with so much richness to take away from this federal view of glorification.
100% recommend. It puts to rest this notion that the believer is saved by Grace but then somehow earns more or lesser rewards based on works. Jesus is even better than we imagine.
100% recommend. It puts to rest this notion that the believer is saved by Grace but then somehow earns more or lesser rewards based on works. Jesus is even better than we imagine.
June 20, 2024
The last third of the book was helpful. Overviewed biblical data, challenged preconceived notions, and situated judgment passages in the eschaton.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews