Justification as the Speech of the Spirit: A Pneumatological and Trinitarian Approach to Forensic Justification - Paperback

by Jeffrey K. Anderson (Author), Peter Grabe (Foreword by)

In the past few decades there have been an increasing number of authors and movements that reject the classic Protestant understanding of justification (e.g., the New Perspective on Paul, Auburn Avenue Theology, the Renewal Movement, etc.). While the various proposals differ in many respects, they are generally united in their rejection of justification as a legal declaration made by the Father about the believer based on the work of the Son. In particular, among renewal (Pentecostal/Charismatic) authors, there have been several attempts to redefine justification, insisting that it is an umbrella term incorporating numerous redemptive ideas rather than a declaration of the believer's righteousness. These attempts are in part rooted in the absence of any overt pneumatology in the doctrine's typical formulation. One need only read the above sentences to see that there is no mention of the Holy Spirit. This book addresses these and other concerns, especially by renewal authors, and demonstrate that the doctrine is, in fact, pneumatologically informed, albeit latently rather than blatantly. As a result, there is no need to redefine the theology of the Reformers and their successors.

Author Biography

Jeffrey K. Anderson is Professor of Systematic Theology at Regent University's School of Divinity in Virginia. He has authored numerous journal articles, dictionary and encyclopedia essays, and academic book reviews.