Justification: Two-Volume Set (New Studies in Dogmatics)

“This work is very impressive and a major contribution to the clarification of the significant issues. Horton anchors his presentation of the Protestant Reformers’ teaching on the justification of the sinner in an extensive, carefully wrought exploration of the biblical roots, and he anchors conceptualizations of the relationship between sinners and their Creator within a covenantal framework that takes seriously both the sacramental nature of how God operates and the re-creative power of the gospel delivered by Christ. He challenges false interpretation of the Reformers’ understanding of justification with thorough, perceptive assessments of patristic and medieval doctrines of justification, providing an alternative that capitalizes on the sixteenth-century insights to address the twenty-first-century person in the midst of the turmoil of our times.”

“Doctrine, as the Reformers never tired of saying, flows from and leads back to Scripture. Michael Horton has demonstrated this thesis with Justification, a project that is at once a rich and rigorous exegetical investigation of the doctrine of justification and at the same time a model of theologically engaged scriptural interpretation. As all theology must, this book drinks from the well of Scripture as it walks the path of reading and doctrine towards the horizon of praise and proclamation. The result, both exegetically informed and theologically significant, is good news “for your bones and mine” (Luther): God justifies the ungodly in Christ, an unconditioned gift given in the word of promise that creates faith.”

“It is not often one finds a book ranging across the three “CDs”—the Damascus Document, Augustine’s City of God, and Barth’s Church Dogmatics! This is a volume bristling with theological insight and intellectual energy. Add to that Horton’s learning and clarity, and you have that rare thing—a gripping and intelligent treatment of justification.”

“This is a serious and important work coming from a leading Reformed theologian. It concerns a pivotal doctrine that was at the heart of the Reformation and that continues to provoke differences between Protestants and Catholics. Both Protestant and Catholic readers—not only scholars but also theologically interested laity—will profit by wrestling with this learned historical study.”

“This is a superb theological study that creatively retrieves the doctrine of justification from the patristic era to the Reformation. Horton seeks to revitalize the contemporary ecumenical discussion regarding justification by showing not only the enduring merits of the Reformation’s exegetical, theological, and pastoral legacy, but also its hermeneutical and theological superiority to alternative views, namely, Roman Catholic, Radical Orthodoxy, the new perspective on Paul, and new Finnish interpretations. Some of his interpretations are questionable, for example, “the triumph of Nominalism occurred with the Counter-Reformation (Council of Trent) rather than with the Reformation.” Still, I came away from reading this engaging book marked by a careful and generous listening to others, both reenergized with a passion for understanding the long-running doctrinal conversation about God, grace, and justification and challenged to engage critically the author’s vision.”

“Respectfully yet relentlessly pressing Horton’s many conversation partners in New Testament, this thorough, systematic, and far-ranging work advances a reading both distinctive and yet more traditional than many of today’s dominant paradigms. Horton also exposes some of our blind spots, properly challenging mischaracterizations of the Reformers. In contrast to some New Testament scholars driven too much by modern philosophic premises, Horton is often more faithful to ancient interpretations relevant to the biblical cultures. As a New Testament scholar, I profited repeatedly from his historical context for various theological approaches in modern New Testament scholarship.”

“Dr. Horton's two-volume treatment of the doctrine of justification mounts an historical and systematic-theological defense of the forensic character of justification, seeking to counter Pelagian and Roman Catholic (e.g., Aquinas, Bellarmine, and Trent) denials of this critical biblical truth. Following the confessional Reformed tradition, Dr. Horton affirms 'union with Christ' as the indispensable context for every saving blessing Christians receive by faith, including justification, sanctification, and adoption. While his additional claim that justification provides the ‘legal basis’ for the believer’s union with Christ will engender further important discussion, we are grateful for Dr. Horton's reminder that the church is justified only in her union with the crucified and ascended Christ by Spirit-forged faith.”

“I won’t mince words, it’s in the top three books of the year for me, if not the top spot....I have read a lot of Horton, but this might be his magnum opus. If you’re a pastor, and you think you don’t have time, or you feel you’ve dealt with the doctrine before (back in seminary, all those years ago…), you might be surprised at how much you can still gain with the engagement with contemporary scholarship and close exegesis of several passages. I got to preach out of Galatians this last week at my church and Horton’s work was reverberating in the background of my sermon at several points. There’s a lot of academic, heavy-lifting, but this is theology that preaches.”