Hands of Faith: A Historical and Theological Study of the Two Kinds of Righteousness in Lutheran Thought

by Jordan Cooper, Biermann (Foreword by)

Overview

It is a common misconception that Lutheran theology is inherently antinomian, or unconcerned with Christian ethics. This unfortunate caricature of the doctrine of the Reformation has been furthered by certain strands of Lutheran theology, which reject the third use of the law and the necessity of expounding Christian ethics in preaching. In this book, Jordan Cooper challenges the claim that Lutheranism emphasizes justification at the expense of sanctification, demonstrating that the two kinds of righteousness are a historical Lutheran framework that gives prominence to both salvation by grace and one's duty to serve the neighbor in love. Through an evaluation of Luther's writings, the confessional documents, Lutheran Orthodoxy, and contemporary writers, Cooper demonstrates that an emphasis on the passive nature of one's relationship to God does not diminish or negate the necessity of sanctified living. This is done not by departing from Lutheran teaching, but by delving deeper into historic Lutheran theology as found in the scholastic tradition.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781498235945
Publisher:	Wipf & Stock Publishers
Publication date:	07/15/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	168
File size:	532 KB

About the Author

Jordan Cooper is pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in Watseka, Illinois, and Adjunct Professor of Systematic Theology at The American Lutheran Theological Seminary. Among his previous books are Christification: A Lutheran Approach to Theosis (2014), and The Great Divide: A Lutheran Evaluation of Reformed Theology (2015).
Jordan Cooper is the pastor of Hope Lutheran Church in Brighton, IA, host of the Just&Sinner podcast (visit http://www.justandsinner.com), and the author of The Righteousness of One: An Evaluation of Early Patristic Soteriology in Light of the New Perspective on Paul (2013).

Table of Contents

Foreword Joel Biermann ix

Diagnosing the Problem: Why This Study Is Important 1

Two Kinds of Righteousness: Three Proposals 11

Two Kinds of Righteousness in Luther's Theology 37

The Two Kinds of Righteousness in the Lutheran Confessions 63

The Two Kinds of Righteousness in Lutheran Orthodoxy 88

Conclusion 113

Appendix: Two Kinds of Righteousness in Scripture 135

Bibliography 153