Judgment According to Works in Romans: The Meaning and Function of Divine Judgment in Paul's Most Important Letter

by Kevin W. McFadden

Overview

Giving careful exegetical attention to Paul’s letter to the Romans, Kevin W. McFadden shows that Paul wrote the letter to remind Roman Christians of his gospel because of his vocation as apostle to the Gentiles. The letter simultaneously demonstrates the guilt of the world and calls Paul’s audience to live out the implications of the gospel. The theme of judgment thus appears in two distinct ways. Paul opposes justification by works of law, but simultaneously affirms––as did most of the early Christian movement, McFadden argues––a final judgment according to works. These are not contradictory observations but belong together in a cohesive understanding of Paul’s theology and of his purpose in the letter. McFadden turns at last to the implications of his study for a reassessment of Protestant interpretation of Paul, and of the present impasse in interpretation caused by hasty or inexact generalizations made within the “New Perspective.”

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781451469776
Publisher:	Augsburg Fortress, Publishers
Publication date:	09/01/2013
Series:	Emerging Scholars
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	208
File size:	429 KB

About the Author

Kevin W. McFadden is assistant professor of New Testament at Cairn University. This is a revision of his dissertation completed at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary under the direction of Tom Schreiner.

Table of Contents

Abbreviations ix

Foreword xiii

Preface xv

1 Introduction 1

2 "The Wrath of God Is Revealed from Heaven" (Rom. 1:18-32) 21

3 "God Will Repay Each Person according to Their Works" (Rom. 2:1-29) 43

4 "Is the God Who Inflicts Wrath Unrighteous?" (Rom. 3:1-8) 63

5 "No Human Being Will Be Justified before God" (Rom. 3:9-20) 83

6 "Each of Us Will Give an Account of Ourselves to God" (Rom. 14:1-23) 103

7 Judgment and Justification in Romans 121

8 Making Sense of Romans 2 139

9 Conclusion 155

Bibliography 165

Index of Names 185

Index of Biblical and Ancient Literature References 189