Renowned biblical scholar Thomas Schreiner looks at the historical and biblical roots of the doctrine of justification and offers an updated defense of this pillar of Reformed theology. Reinvigorating one of the five great declarations of the Reformation—sola fide—Schreiner: Summarizes the history of the doctrine, looking at the early church and the writings of several of the Reformers. Walks readers through an examination of the key biblical texts in the Old and New Testament that support the Reformed understanding of justification. Discusses whether justification is transformative or forensic and introduces readers to some of the contemporary challenges to the Reformation teaching of sola fide, with particular attention to the new perspective on Paul. Five hundred years after the Reformation, the doctrine of justification by faith alone still needs to be understood and proclaimed. In Faith Alone you will learn how the rallying cry of “sola fide” is rooted in the Scriptures and how to understand this doctrine in a fresh way. —THE FIVE SOLAS— Historians and theologians have long recognized that at the heart of the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation were five declarations, often referred to as the "solas." These five statements summarize much of what the Reformation was about, and they distinguish Protestantism from other expressions of the Christian faith: that they place ultimate and final authority in the Scriptures, acknowledge the work of Christ alone as sufficient for redemption, recognize that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone, and seek to do all things for God’s glory. The Five Solas Series is more than a simple rehashing of these statements, but instead expounds upon the biblical reasoning behind them, leading to a more profound theological vision of our lives and callings as Christians and churches.

This is one of our all-time bestselling books, over 12,000 copies sold thus far. As some stray from the long-held Reformation view and understanding of justification by faith alone, we felt it necessary to add a new chapter by Don Kistler. His chapter shows that any addition to what Christ has done becomes total subtraction in this vital area.

A leading theologian explains the biblical doctrine of justification by faith alone and urges fellow evangelicals to embrace this classic Protestant teaching.

Catholic in response to Protestant attacks against the Catholic Church's teaching on faith and justification in more than 100 years! As never before, the Catholic Church has been called upon to be the defender of Scripture and preserver of truth in modern times. Not by Faith Alone will set the biblical and historical record straight. But more important, as you learn the real truth about salvation and all that it embraces, this book will offer you the means to come to one of the deepest relationships with God that you have ever experienced. Faith alone? Is it justifiable? Not biblically, and Robert Sungenis shows why. Imprimatur.

"Living by faith" is much more than a general Christian precept; it is the fundamental posture of believers in a world rife with suffering and injustice. In this penetrating reflection on the meaning of "justification," Oswald Bayer shows how this key religious term provides a comprehensive horizon for discussing every aspect of Christian theology, from creation to the end times. Inspired by and interacting with Martin Luther, the great Christian thinker who grappled most intensely with the concept of justification, Bayer explores anew the full range of traditional dogmatics (sin, redemption, eschatology, and others), placing otherwise complex theological terms squarely within their proper milieu -- everyday life. In the course of his discussion, Bayer touches on such deep questions as the hidden nature of God, the hope for universal justice, the problem of evil, and -- one of the book's most engaging motifs -- Job's daring lawsuit with God.

This volume is the first of a two-part work that evaluates the teaching of justification by faith from the early church to modern times in light of the Scriptures and the ministry of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee. Part 1 begins with a thorough presentation of the evaluative standard by which the authors will measure the teachings of the various Christian traditions. Then, following a historical overview of justification by faith in the major traditions, they proceed to give a detailed assessment of the doctrine as taught in the patristic era, in the medieval era, and by Martin Luther at the inception of the Protestant Reformation. The volume aims to point out the shortcomings and contributions of the first 1,500 years of the church’s teaching on justification by faith and to offer a fresh understanding of this foundational truth of the Christian faith.

This study offers a fresh analysis of the place which "justification by faith" held in Paul's life and thought. In distinction from past attempts to define "justification" in relation to a logical "center", the investigation proceeds by assessing the relationship between this theme and two significant points in Paul's career: his conversion and his letter to Rome. The first chapter surveys a number of interpreters of Paul from William Wrede through E.P. Sanders. In an attempt to overcome the deficiencies of earlier proposals, the work then explores the soteriology of two early Jewish writings proximate to Paul, 1QS and Pss. Sol. Paul's references to his preconversion life reveal a connection between these forms of Judaism and that which Paul knew, making it likely that within a short time after his conversion Paul's soteriology underwent a radical change involving his adoption of ideas inherent to his later arguments on "justification by faith". Paul's aim in writing to Rome discloses that he came to regard "justification" as indispensable to his Gospel and relevant to issues beyond Jew-Gentile relations. This research challenges the "new perspective on Paul" (Dunn) while providing a historical and theological description of Paul's understanding of "justification by faith."