Customer Reviews

No Condemnation: A New Theology of Assurance

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This book was an answer to prayer for me! For many years I have been frustrated by apparent contradictions in the bible concerning security and perserverance. I've grown weary of reading quotes such as "Eternal life is a free gift for those who forsake everything and follow Christ." This has really threatened my faith in the integrity of the Bible.Michael Eaton does a wonderful job in shedding the light on many confusing interpretations. He is a brilliant theologian with a passion for the truth, even when it goes against the grain of traditional views. If you're one othe few seeking the truth' this book is a must! Other related authors include R.T.Kendall, Zane Hodges, & Bob Wiilkin.

Eaton's primary concern is preaching rather than writing, and this book gives us some insight into his theology concerning faith and works. A courageous effort and encouraging for anyone who is passionate about Salvation by faith alone. He argues that works play no role in even confirming our Salvation, but are important for gaining inheritance and reward with God. I agree completely! This theology is very liberating and biblically accurate. It is disappointing he does not present his understanding of James Chapter Two, see his work on James (Preaching through the Bible) which is vital in this continuing theological debate.
He will be the talk of tomorrows generation. The language is theological and requires the mind to work hard.

Highly commendable in that it supports a systematic theology which differs from both Arminianism and Calvinism: one that holds to the eternal security of the believer yet does not see holy living as the inevitable result of regeneration. This view strongly leans on the doctrine of individual rewards for faithful believers and that sonship is established by grace through faith alone in Christ. This position has been more strongly outlined and defended by authors such as Zane Hodges and Joseph Dillow.

His study focuses primarily on the use of the Torah in the OT, Matthew and Galatians. His thesis is that assurance is found in Christ' saving work alone, and that introspection is harmful to that assurance. He shows how introspection, examination and doubt are entrenched in the Arminian and Calvinistic systems. It seems, overall, the work sets out to distinguish unconditional eternal security and conditionality of rewards for believers, yet the exegesis of the Torah, a branching-off of this theme, occupies a large section of the volume.

Eaton, other than his liberal view of biblical authorship, has one major difficulty in presenting his arguments: that is his frequent display of uncertainty when positing certain supports or conclusions. Specifically, most of his word studies are somewhat superficial and inconclusive.

This book gives an interesting view of the law as seen in the writings of Paul. I like how the author rejects both Calvinist and Arminian systems and plows a furrow down the middle of them both while remaining faithful to the Bible. His point about the necessity of a general atonement for assurance is very interesting, and convincing. I also appreciate his insights on introspection; it is indeed very destructive to the doctrine of assurance. I also recommend Zane Hodges' book "Absolutely Free! A Biblical Reply to Lordship Salvation".

Eaton's book is very interesting and in many ways refreshing. His view of the Law in relationship to the New Covenant believer is very sound. I also like his view of Assurance. I do have a few concerns though:

1) He defends a General Atonement as opposed to a Definite or Particular Atonement and makes it central to his view of Assurance. As a 5-point Calvinist, I believe that his view of Assurance can be maintained without recourse to a General Atonement.

2) Some of his statements concerning the nature of the Biblical text seem to imply a downgraded view of the inspiration of the Scriptures that I am uncomfortable with.

3) He seems to hold to a view of God who can change his mind and repent. The influence of Clark Pinnock's "evangelical process" theology is apparent.

These criticisms aside, Eaton's work is a great contribution to the subjects of Law, Grace and Assurance.