Customer Reviews

Not by Faith Alone: A Biblical Study of the Catholic Doctrine of Justification

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I've been a Catholic all my life, and have believed with all my heart and soul! Unfortunately, the last few years I've been confronted with the concept of "Faith Alone" like never before. Having married a very god loving faithful Protestant -- I've had difficulty reconciling the the Catholic and Protestant doctrines of Justification. I found myself uncomfortable with the notion of "Faith Alone" from the first time I heard it and I began seeking the theological evidence for the Catholic Doctrine of Justification which I felt so strongly in my heart. "Not by faith alone", answered my questions, gave me respect for the Protestant position but strenghtened my belief in the Catholic Doctrine, helped me connect my faith, love and feelings with the evidence, and helped me explain the Catholic Doctrine to my Protestant husband in terms he could understand too.

Mr Sungenis does an excellent job in this book explaining the Catholic position of justification and simultaniously working through the problems with the many approaches to sola fide found in Protestantism. The work is heavily footnoted which I appreciate. All the examination is done directly in light of sacred Scripture, and he also uses a favorite Protestant translation, the NIV, to show how sola fide is not workable even with a translation heavily slanted towards Protestant thought. Chapter 9 gets into different Protestant points of view and deals with them directly and the appendics covers in detail many of the subjects related to sola fide. And in the very back is an index of Scripture and where it is referenced in the book which is an excellent tool for when you want to come back and view certain passages for that occasional discussion with a fellow non Catholic Christian. This book I believe is the best this century on this subject.

While the book is quite long, unlike a couple of the hostile critics below, I didn't have any difficulty understanding this book. I wonder what book they were reading, honestly, as one says he's an English teacher (I guess that explains a lot about the problem in our schools!) I'm protestant, so I certainly didn't come in agreeing with this book, but at least I respect the Catholic position now. I used to think they were totally wrong, with no good arguments on their side. Not that I'm ready to become Catholic just yet!

I also didn't see anything personal or unkind in this book, and question whether a couple of reviewers are just on a personal vendetta, really. They didn't give any actual evidence, so I conclude this is what is going on.

If you really want to understand the Catholic position, buy this book. I have siblings who are Catholic, and it really helped me.

While I've spent almost my entire life as a Baptist, I believe Mr. Sungenis was very thorough in his explanations. I thought it was very clear over all and certainly very deeply researched. I didn't have trouble understanding it, although it did take me a long time to read it through completely.

I will say though, that I don't understand why anyone would attack him personally like I've seen in the other reviews. It is just not logical, or Christian to say that because a man writes a book on faith and works that this makes him fair game for such unsubstantiated, personal attacks. It's too bad it drew a response of a personal nature in his defense, too, but I think I can understand and forgive that one.

Really, I'm a bit embarrassed because I suspect these people doing this are also Protestants who just don't like what he wrote. Well, I'm not thrilled about reading it either, it's not easy to read something that disagrees with you about such serious things . But I didn't see anything that struck me as one reviewer charged. I didn't feel personally attacked. And I wish everyone would stop this stuff. It's just sinful and wrong. I'm sorry if that sounds harsh.

Robert Sungenis goes beyond simple apologetics and does some serious exegesis- especially regarding the Jutification of Abraham. This book has been called exhaustive by many- I prefer the word energizing or thrilling. This book is valuable because of its strict biblicism and most especially for its interaction with the doctrines presented by the Reformers as well as modern day "Faith Alone" theologies- MacArthur and Ryrie etc... It is adressed to both Catholic and Protestant- whether scholar or layman. The book hits on key themes over and over again in order to try and cut through the fog. The book first covers the biblical testimoney from Paul and James (especially in regards Abraham) as well as the teaching of Jesus on Jutification. Then the book over several chapters covers the nature of Justification Whether it is a One time event or an Ongoing Process, Imputed or Infused Righteousness, Courtroom Decree or Familial Restoration. Soon we move on to the issue of Free Will and Predestination in a concentrated dose. The last full chapter deals with Protestant doctrines and theologians since the reformation and their critiques of the Catholic faith. This is perhaps the most caluable Chapter in the book. After reading other clear presentations from Scripture the reader sees with stuning clarity the differences within Protestantism itself as well as the chasm that exists between modern Protestants and the Reformers. The Apendixes are numerous and helpful. The footnotes throrough are invaluable. I only have a few shallow criticisms. First there is little ineraction with the 4th century fathers on this issue. Mostly because the Biblical testimoney is sufficient and because there is less written by the fathers on this issue than one might expect. Also as another reviewer commented there is not too much interaction with Arminian theology. The shape of the book is nice but someday a hardback edition should come. Because this is at once apologetics and hard biblical and historical theology this deserves a hardback- I've beaten my copy up already- the binding still holds. In short this is the most balanced, full throtled book on jutification written by a Catholic in some time. Bravo Sungenis.

Of all the works dealing with the subject of justification, Sungenis' work is by far the most thorough and comprehensive book available. Mr. Sungenis begins his defense of Catholic Tridentine soteriology by telling the reader what Catholic doctrine is not; This is accomplished by a devastating critique of Protestant sola fide theology. Sungenis devotes the first three chapters to an explanation of justification and salvation in the writings of Paul and James, and Jesus' views as derived from the gospels. Mr. Sungenis does an admirable job of dealing with the Pauline texts and is fair and accurate with the views of various Protestants, often commenting on the views of various famous Protestant scholars(Luther, Calvin, McGrath, Sproul, MacArthur, etc.). Sungenis' main point is that Paul is opposed to works of the Law, or works which attempt to put God in one's debt so that God must honor those efforts with salvation. Sungenis rightly points out that Paul's phraseology only disqualifies 'works of the Law' from salvation, and that Protestant arguments which somehow transform works of the Law into just works, are reading more into the text than is really there. Works of the Law are performed under the system of law which is unforgiving and permanent, one infraction will disqualify you from salvation. In contrast, works done under the auspices of grace are pleasing to God and God will reward those with eternal life.

After dealing with Paul, Sungenis delves into James' epistle and the gospels, and here is where his arguments seriously harm the Protestant viewpoint. Sungenis convincingly illustrates that the context in James 2 is completely salvation oriented, and Protestant attempts to place this chapter in a proof/vindication of righteousness framework do serious injustices to the context of the chapter. Sungenis' exegetical work dealing with Abraham's justification, his faith and obedience mentioned in Hebrews 11 referring to events in Genesis 12, and James' comparison between Rahab and Abraham all support the Catholic viewpoint and oppose the Protestant understanding. Sungenis deals another blow to the Protestant view when he discusses Romans 4 and shows that Abraham had to be a genuine believer before Genesis 15, or Hebrews 11 is nonsense. Finally, dealing with Jesus' teachings, again Sungenis convincingly argues that Jesus stressed the importance of works and that they would be the criterion upon which one's judgment was based. Sungenis has beautifully melded the seemingly contradictory teachings of Paul, James, and Jesus into one cohesive unit, something no Protestant work on the subject attempts to do.

This book really shines in chapters 5 and 6 where Sungenis deals with the questions of imputed vs. imparted righteousness and the nature of justification. He does tremendous damage to the Protestant idea of imputed righteousness by arguing that God cannot declare someone righteous who is not so because God only condemns on the basis of intrinsic quality. Justification is transformative and internal and this is something some Reformed Protestants even admit, which Sungenis later illustrates. Sungenis also notes that the Greek verb dikaioo although forensic in nature also carries with the connotation of making just, since verbs ending in oo mean to make whatever the action of the verb specifies. In chapter 6 Sungenis argues that justification is a familial restoration and not a courtroom decree. After being exposed to this view, I can't believe how thoroughly it permeates the Scriptures. We are all wayward sons and daughters of God in need of restoration and Jesus' sacrifice placates the Father allowing us to return. Nevertheless, if a child returns but becomes disobedient once again, he will turned over to the Law to be punished by it's exacting standards. I think this framework does more justice to the biblical texts since God is by nature a Father, but is only a judge in relation to His creation, which is finite and not eternal.

Nevertheless, from an Eastern Orthodox perspective I did have some disagreements with Mr. Sungenis' conclusions. First, the Orthodox understanding of justification is slightly different than the Catholic one, but the differences are minor. Also, the arguments for purgatory I found to be quite weak. The Orthodox have never insisted on the necessity of purgatory, but have always believed the doctrine was a thelogoumena of some theologians. Finally, the Catholic view of original sin is really a foundation upon which the arguments of the book are founded, so the Orthodox have a slightly altered view since our take on original sin differs. Overall, this is a well-researched and convincing book.

This is an exhaustive work that covers every aspect of the topic. I couldn't have asked for a more complete, thorough, and accurate work on the issue of Justification. This book is a must have for all bible students and anyone who is interested in learning more about and defending the Catholic faith

Sungenis is absolutely amazing. I've never read a book so biblical, scholarly, and honest in my life. He teaches the Protestant and Catholic postitions on salvation perfectly because he's been on both sides. My understanding and relationship with God has been lifted to a higher level. I'm sharing this book with my Protestant brothers and am watching the love for truth guide them into a closer realationship with God. This book is a must read for everyone who craves the truth to the question "How can I be saved?". Sungenis brilliantly shows that the Holy Spirit does guide the Church into all truth.

The full title of this great book is "Not by Faith Alone: Biblical Evidence for the Catholic Doctrine of Justification." It certainy deserves that title and fully lives up to it. Justification is the most important doctrine in the Bible. I highly agree with the other reviews that give this book good ratings for its Biblical content and precision. If you are a Catholic Christian and you need a reference to help you or to share with other people who question your faith, this is the book for you. If you are Protestant/Evanglical or Fundamentalist I think you will find this book to show clearly the Biblical evidence for the Catholic position on the doctrine of justification. This book has plenty of scriptural references to support the Catholic understanding of this important doctrine. You can read it from cover to cover or use it as a reference and turn to a topic of discussion such as what St. James or St. Paul had to say, what made Abraham's faith complete or what Jesus had to say about faith and actions.

Never has anything so jarred my belief system off of its foundation, as this book did. Engaging, scholarly, thorough, accurate, and abundantly fair. I never imagined ANYTHING could make me join the Catholic Church. But the truths contained in this superb work, were much too convincing to ignore and those truths pryed open a closed mind and a distrustful heart. God has helped me remove life-long blinders. Now, I am truly home. To Mr. Sungenis - THANK YOU! To my Protestant brethren, I bid you, COME AND SEE FOR YOURSELF.