The Saving Righteousness of God: Studies on Paul, Justification and the New Perspective [Paperback]

Michael F. Bird (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 28, 2007

This book presents a series of studies on contentious aspects of Paul's doctrine of justification including the meaning of 'righteousness', the question of imputation, the role of resurrection in justification, an evaluation of the New Perspective, the soteriological and ecclesiological significance of justification, justification by faith with judgment according to works and debates over the orthodoxy of N.T. Wright. The burden of the volume is to demonstrate that both Reformed and 'new' readings of Paul are indispensable to attaining a full understanding of Paul's soteriology.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Michael F. Bird is a New Testament Lecturer at Highland Theological College in Scotland. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 266 pages
• Publisher: Wipf & Stock Publishers (February 28, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556352743
• ISBN-13: 978-1556352744
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,017,325 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Get a Birds-eye-view on the NP, May 23, 2007

By 

J. R. Schow (Orange County, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Saving Righteousness of God: Studies on Paul, Justification and the New Perspective (Paperback)

Although he is a "historical Jesus specialist and Synoptic Gospels kind-a-guy," Michael Bird is also an insightful academic that has been well versed in reformed and revisionist readings of Paul; being such, in this monograph he is conversant with the aggressive questions that have both camps up in arms. Evenhandedly, the book embarks upon the fundamental issues and finds both parties lacking in areas and needing each other's help in their endeavor to better understand Paul. Naturally, the discussion surrounds itself around the gamut of righteousness language: imputed righteousness, the righteousness of God, Justification to the doers of the law, covenant membership, forensic justification, etc. Among these, I thought the developments and arguments made in chapter six, "Justification as Forensic Status or Covenant Membership," to be the most rewarding, which gives a tour de force of relevant intertestamental and first century common era literature in discussing Galatians and Romans. Additionally, this volume puts forward an alternative to imputation in a discussion of the helpful phrase "incorporated righteousness." Michael also gracefully challenges the skeptical and critical reader of NT Wright to take a good second look at the bishop and his views, hoping for them to come away less discordant as he shows them the profits to be made in Wright's scholarship. Furthermore and particularly noteworthy is that SROG gives nineteen of its pages to treating its readers to the developments made by Seifrid and Gaffin concerning the role of resurrection in salvation, calling attention to its vital function in justification.

While this book could be a difficult read for one unfamiliar with Paul's world and the NP, readers of Paul will lament if they pass this monograph over; it must be read if one is to continue to be reasonable in their exploration of the apostle to the gentiles and remain in balance with reformed and revisionist views concerning Paul's thought.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A spectacular, irenic contribution to Pauline theology, April 7, 2010

By 

James Korsmo "developing theology" (Moorhead, MN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Saving Righteousness of God: Studies on Paul, Justification and the New Perspective (Paperback)

I've been greatly enjoying, over the past year or so, delving deeply in to the world of Pauline theology, but that joy has been often tempered by frustration or even angst at the fragmented world of Pauline scholarship: so much seems contested these days, with many scholars working at cross purposes. And much of the debate is far too acrimonious. But Bird's offering in the Paternoster Biblical Monographs series is truly a gem. It offers great exegetical insight into Paul's letters, a clear-headed appraisal of what is important to the Apostle, and a constructive proposal that integrates the fruit of both the "traditional" reading of Paul and an open but critical inclusion of the "new perspective" on Paul and other contemporary approaches and estimations of the Apostle. In short, even beyond the great wealth of knowledge on Paul and his understanding of God's saving righteousness, imputation, justification, and many other contested topics, Bird's book gives me great hope that especially the divide between old and new perspectives on Paul will be transcended as we move forward. This book is truly a must-read for anyone interested in Paul, the new Perspective, Romans, or even the New Testament more generally.