Why does 'judgment according to deeds' produce no discernible theological tension for Paul, the apostle of justification by faith? For students of his writings, paradox, incoherence, or eschatological tension come more readily to mind. Paul felt no such theological tension because there was none - neither within his own soteriology, nor in that of the Judaism from which he learned to speak of 'judgment according to deeds'. For both, salvation is wholly by God's grace and the saved will be repaid (i.e. saved or condemned) in accordance with what they have done. Thus, Paul can promise eternal life to those who 'do good', while threatening wrath upon the disobedient (Rom 2:6-11), and without undermining justification by faith. This thorough 1999 examination of second temple and pauline texts interacts with discussions of 'covenantal nomism', justification, and the 'new perspective' on Paul to explore the Jewishness of the apostle's theology.

Is salvation a gift of God's grace or something God's followers must earn by good works? How do we reconcile the two emphases that salvation is a bestowal of God's mercy and that the final judgment will involve an assessment of the way people have lived during their time on earth? In Paul and Palestinian Judaism (1977), E.P. Sanders defined the terms and laid the groundwork for this crucial debate. Sanders's "New Perspective" sought to resolve the tension between grace and good deeds by arguing that for the Jews of Paul's day as well as for Paul himself, entrance into God's saving covenant was a gift of God's grace, while remaining in the covenant required good works done in obedience to God. Sanders's most vigorous opponents have disputed the works side of his formulation, taking issue with his contention that obedience is required to retain right standing in God's covenant. In Judgment and Justification, Chris VanLandingham challenges the grace side of the Sanders thesis, arguing that Paul's teaching on salvation, following the prevailing Jewish thinking of his time, establishes good works as the criterion for salvation at the final judgment. In making his case, VanLandingham does a text-by-text survey of early Jewish literature, interacting with a wide range of biblical scholars who deal with the themes of salvation and literature and judgment found in these texts and in the Pauline writings. VanLandingham wraps up this survey with a challenging reassessment of Paul's teaching in the light of the Jewish thinking of his time.

Can someone please explain this "New Perspective on Paul"? Where did it come from and will it help or hinder Christian interpreters to grasp the apostle's writings more clearly? In The New Perspective on Paul: An Introduction, Kent Yinger provides concise, readable, and authoritative answers to these and other questions currently exercising students of Paul.

This book is novel in its questioning of the adequacy of interpreting Paul from the perspective of the Reformation and in its application of sociological methods to the New Testament.

How far did Paul stray from the view of salvation handed down to him in the Jewish tradition? Following a hunch from E.P. Sanders's seminal book Paul and Palestinian Judaism,Preston Sprinkle finds buried in the Old Testament's Deuteronomic and prophetic perspectives a key that starts to turn the rusted lock on Paul's critique of Judaism.

"A basic resource for serious teachers, pastors, scholars, or lay people interested in learning about the theology of the New Testament"--Provided by publisher.

Much has been written of late about what the apostle Paul really meant when he spoke of justification by faith, not the works of the law. This short study by Stephen Westerholm carefully examines proposals on the subject by Krister Stendahl, E. P. Sanders, Heikki Raisanen, N. T. Wright, James D. G. Dunn, and Douglas A. Campbell. In doing so, Westerholm notes weaknesses in traditional understandings that have provoked the more recent proposals, but he also points out areas in which the latter fail to do justice to the apostle. Readers of this book will gain not only a better grasp of the ongoing theological debate about justification but also a more nuanced overall understanding of Paul.