Customer Reviews

The Law and Its Fulfillment: A Pauline Theology of Law

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Schreiner's treatment of Paul's theology of law is clear, thorough, and scholarly. He argues persuasively for Pauline consistency and defends a traditional Protestant interpretation of Paul's understanding of the Law of Moses. Every relevant Biblical passage is discussed and Schreiner does not shy away from interaction with other New Testament scholars. His conclusion is that the deficiency of the law is really in man's inability to obey it, and that therefore justification must be by faith. However, Schreiner is careful to emphasize the Spirit's enabling power to keep the divine commandments and the fact that works are necessary to inherit salvation on the day of judgment. His insight into these areas opens the door for showing the remarkable agreement that exists between James and Paul (and other New Testament authors), which he unpacks in chapter eight. Overall, the work was excellent, and I highly recommend it, to evangelical and Catholic readers alike.

The previous reviewers are quite accurate in their apparaisal of Schreiner's critique of the so-called "New Perspective" on Paul. He shows how it is lacking time and again in the terms Paul sets out for the Law.

However, although he is correct in his defense against the New perspective, I am unconvinced that he adequately lays out a correct understanding of "nomos" from the Greek NT. Quite simply, he does not deal with the totality of Paul's statements on the Law, and thus is forced to charicature Paul's position just as surely as the New Perspective does. If the New Perspective desires to say Paul was not critiquing "authentic" jewish religion and re-defines him in that light, Schreiner for his part reads Paul in light of Calvinist formulation. THis is more accurate, but not the same as exegeting a true "Biblical Theology" of Paul's use of the Law as he claims to aim.

I would suggest that anyone interested in a thorough formulation of this look to Frank Thielmann's outstanding "Paul and the Law, A Contextual Approach." Thielmann examines the WHOLE of the Pauline corpus in his work. And his conclusions as a result are, in my mind, far more convincing.

This book was very well done. Whether or not you agree with Dr. Schreiner or not, you will definitely get an exegetical explanation of the understanding of Pauline Theology and Law. Mostly, this book was a polemic against Sanders and others that try and show that Pauline theology when looking to law is not only controversial, but contradictory to his own writings and others.

Although this book was written in 1993 and deals primarily with older works by Sanders and no new works by N.T. Wright, Schreiner gives great explanation of why Pauline writings were indeed writing and preaching against a legalistic Judaism. Sanders, and now N.T. Wright, both try and point to the fact that Second Temple Judaism was not legalistic, but saw its works as an outworking of loving the grace of God. Schreiner shows exegetically why this cannot be true through looking at key texts within the writings of Paul. Schreiner, like most, do agree that it was God's plan for this to take place, but the Jews, by the showing of Paul's writing were not following the plans of God in the outworking of the grace shown to them. Because of this you will see explained what works and grace meant to Paul and what justification, grace and works of the law meant to Paul and the bottom line that is answered masterfully is: Why does the Law exist?

Schreiner meticulously goes through much in this book to try and show the real purpose of the writings of Paul and his view of Law. Even though there have been many writings after Schreiner's to this point, Schreiner's work will stand pretty firm because it went from more an exegitical argument instead of a mere argument from the writings of others.

Anytime you get into the writings of Paul or the commentaries in respect to them, you will find it to be a very difficult read. I believe though that Schreiner's work was done in a way for the reader to understand easier than other works that I have encountered. This work is a great read for anyone desiring a better understanding of some of the arguments against the New Perspective of Paul and why the historic reading of the law and Paul still stand. Highly Recommended.

Chapter Titles:

1. The Meaning of the Term Law in Paul
2. Why the Works of the Law Cannot Save
3. The Purpose of the Law
4. Is Paul Opposing Jewish Legalism?
5. The Temporary Nature of the Mosaic Covenant
6. The Fulfillment of the Law by Christians
7. Did Paul Teach Justification by Works?
8. Soundings from the Rest of the New Testament

If one wants a pretty good interpretation of Paul's view of the law from a generally Lutheran and evangelical perspective (though the author is a Calvinistic Baptist) this book is the one for you.

There are eight chapters in the book and each of them are nicely organized. Schreiner structures his work well and (though scholarly) his work is not that difficult to read. The highlights of the book include his discussion of the term "Law" (Gk. nomos) and why the Law was given in the first place. Schreiner gives a good summary of the various meanings of the term "Law" and argues well that Paul uses the term primarily for the Mosaic law in its entirety. Regarding his discussion on why the Law was given in the first place, Schreiner puts forth the standard Protestant view that the Law was given "to increase sin, for the multiplication of transgressions would demonstrate that no one could be righteous through obeying the law. Salvation is only through Jesus Christ" (p. 91). He makes a good case for this position by analyzing passages like Romans 5:20; Galatians 3:19; 2 Corinthians 3; 1 Corinthians 15:56; and Romans 7. Contrary to some modern biblical scholars (e.g., E. P. Sanders, J. D. G. Dunn, N. T. Wright), the Law was never given as a means to obtaining eternal life. This position is the most viable if one looks at the Pauline theological landscape.

Another interesting discussion is on the chapter regarding Jewish legalism (chap. 4). Though Schreiner does not label all first century Jews as legalistic, he does state that there were some legalistic Jews during this time - some of whom became the opponents of Paul and Jesus. This chapter blows away the more popular idea in modern scholarly circles that first century Judaism was a highly grace-oriented religion. I also enjoyed Schreiner's brief discussions on some "alternative views" on the Law (pp. 136-143). He does a good job showing that the contradictoary approach (Raisanen), developmental approach (Hubner and Drane), the legalistic approach (Cosgrove and Fuller), and the Reconstructionist approach (Bahnsen) are all flawed in their understanding of the Law. I especially agreed with Schreiner's comment that Reconstructionism fails "to see the salvation-historical shift from the Mosaic covenant to the new covenant" (p. 141). Reconstructionists should see their position as a system that has no biblical basis or support.

Having said all that, however, there were some problems in the work (especially in chaps. 7 and 8). Though I generally agree with Schreiner's assertion that Christians fulfill the Law via the Holy Spirit (chap. 6) I disagree with his assertion that Paul believed that good works are "necessary to obtain an eschatological inheritance" (p. 203). Though I agree with Schreiner that good works are necessary (necessary as fruits of regeneration and faith), I disagree, however, that they are necessary in the sense that believers who do them will be REWARDED with salvation at the last judgment (p. 201). (Schreiner's exegesis of Romans 2:6-16 is hardly adequate considering that Paul was just reminding his readers of the awful state of humankind in Romans 1:1-3:20. Not only that, Schreiner's exegesis of Romans 2:6-16 directly contradicts Paul's statement in Romans 3:20: "Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin" [NIV].) Schreiner also tries to prove in chapter 8 that the other NT writers believed in final justification by works. Though I agree with Schreiner that genuine faith leads to doing of good works, I disagree with him that the NT writers believed that these good works were somehow necessary TO OBTAIN an entrance into the eschatological kingdom (he writes that the NT writers considered "obedience and good works essential for entrance into the kingdom" [p. 208]). I would argue that these warnings and exhortations were given to the readers to remind them of the dangers of false faith and conversion.

Overall, I found this book very good and helpful. Though I disagree with the last two chapters of the book it is still a good treasure mine of information on Paul's view of the Law from a generally standard evangelical Protestant perspective.

Schreiner appears to defend the old perspective on Paul, but if he is actually saying that works are necessary to inherit salvation (chapters 7-8) he is actually presenting a "different gospel" and in effect supporting the new perspective on Paul by default. A very tricky approach.