Four Views on the Role of Works at the Final Judgment

Counterpoints

by Alan P. Stanley (Editor), James D.G. Dunn, Thomas R. Schreiner

Through a discussion of Biblical texts, this book presents four perspectives on the role of works at the final judgment including:

Robert N. Wilkin: Works will determine rewards but not salvation: At the Judgment Seat of Christ each believer will be judged by Christ to determine his eternal rewards, but he remains eternally secure even if the judgment reveals he failed to persevere in good works (or in faith).

Thomas R. Schreiner: Works will provide evidence that one actually has been saved: At the final judgment works provide the necessary condition, though not the ground for final salvation, in that they provide evidence as to whether one has actually trusted in Jesus Christ.

James D. G. Dunn: Works will provide the criterion by which Christ will determine eternal destiny of his people: Since Paul, Jesus, and the New Testament writers hold together 'justification by faith and not by works' with 'judgment according to works', we should not fall into the trap of playing one off against the other or blend them in a way that diminishes the force of each.

Michael P. Barber: Works will merit eternal life: At the final judgment, good works will be rewarded with eternal salvation. However, these good works will be meritorious not apart from Christ but precisely because of the union of the believer with him.

Genres: Theology, Christianity, Religion, Christian

240 pages, Paperback

First published July 9, 2013

About the author

New Testament lecturer at Brisbane School of Theology, Brisbane, Australia.

Alan Stanley was born in New Zealand spending his child and teen years on a farm. After university he worked as a Farm Management Consultant for five years before he and his wife moved to Dallas where he completed his ThM and PhD at Dallas Theological Seminary. In 2003 they moved to the Sunshine Coast, QLD, where Alan has been a Teaching Pastor in addition to lecturing at Crossway College. Alan was a visiting scholar at Singapore Bible College in the first half of 2010.

Alan is married to Kathleen and they have three boys. In addition to his boys, Alan is an avid rugby union supporter (of the All Blacks) and enjoys long distance running. He lectures, and is published, in New Testament and is passionate about understanding, developing, and teaching Spiritual Formation.

Reviews

[Радостин Марчев · Rating 4 out of 5]

Доста читава книжка особено предвид ограниченията на формата counterpoints. С изключение на първия автор, Р. Уилкин, който (лично мнение) прави варварска егзегетика, есетата на останалите трима участници - Том Шрайнър, Джеймс Дъм и Майкъл Барър са много добри.
Шрайнър защитава типичното евангелско виждане, че делата са следствие на и доказателство за вярата, но в същото време добавя, че макар те да не са основа за спасението все пак делата са критерий, по който християните ще бъдат съдени. Чел съм много малко от Шрайнът и той ме изненада приятно с много честното си отношение към свидетелството на библията. Голямата ми забележка към него е по отношение на критиката на Дън където на практика сведе реформацията до калвинистикото разбиране на реформираната църква.
Есето на Дън за мен е най-добре написаното и стилистично и егзегетично. Авторът признава известна полярност в писанията на НЗ автори. Той ни напомня, че според конкретните нужди, на които апостолите целят да отговорят с писанията си те подчертават различни богословски страни на своето учение ( понякога спасение чрез вяра,понякога значението на делата)и ние не трябва да смятаме, че задължително можем да подредим всички парчета от пъзела в една цялостна и изчистена богословска система.
Накрая, Майкъл Барбър представя католическото разбиране за делата като носещи заслуга за крайното оправдание и спасение на вярващия. Той обаче веднага прави две важни допълнения. Първо, първоначалното оправдание е изцяло чрез вяра (цитатът на папа Бенедикт, който привежда е много показателен в това отношение). Второ, делата могат да имат стойност пред Бога като заслуги единствено понеже благодатта ги е направила такива, а не сами по себе си. По този начин цялото спасение - от началото до самия му край е изцяло и единствено по благодат и по никакъв начин не е продукт на човешка сила или заслуги. Дори за самите дела може да се каже, че са вършени от Самият Христос, с когото вярващият се е свързал. Шрайнър предлага, според мен, доста удачна критика на подобно виждане, но Барбър показва завидно познаване на протестантската литература по въпроса и добри умения на егзегет. Като цяло, ако бъде четен внимателно (при това не само основното му есе, но и отговорите към другите участници) той би успял да разчупи доста от традиционните предубеждения на евангелските християни към католиците. Като човек, който има съвсем слаби познания за католическото боголсовие есето беше особено полезно за мен.
Една допълнителна добродетел на книгата е, че в хода на анализите доста ясно се показва колко по-сложно и нюансирано понятие е спасението (заедно с различните му компоненти) от обичайните евангелски представи. Няколко автора разглеждат неговата съставност и актуализация във времето (минало настоящо и бъдеще), както и напрежението между условност и сигурност.
Личното ми мнение се колебае някъде между Дън и Шрайнър, бе да мога да заема твърда позиция.
Полезна книга за хора, които имат желание да се заровят малко повече в детайлите и да слушат внимателно без да бързат да съдят. Тя също така изисква известна зрялост от страна на читателя иначе последният може да бъде доста повече объркан отколкото да получи някаква полза.

[Tim Maddock · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book delivers on what its title promises. Demonstrating the complexities and nuances surrounding this subject, 'Four Views on the Role of Works at the Final Judgment' reinforces the need to be cautious in hastily dismissing another's position without taking the time to hear and consider their arguments. As Stanley concludes, this doctrinal issue really is a puzzle that is not simple to solve.

The calibre of all four contributors is high, each one being thoughtful, respectful and balanced rather than polemical. Even Wilkin, whose position I am least convinced by, put forth arguments that deserve consideration. I was also impressed by Schreiner's serious and refreshing treatment of passages pointing to 'judgment by works', given Schreiner's Reformed theology. The differences in the views of Schreiner, Dunn and Barber are awfully subtle, yet important. Personally, I am torn between Schreiner and Barber's position. While I really appreciated Dunn's essay, I struggle with his final conclusion that we are not able to reconcile the apparent tension between Paul's passages on judgment by faith and by works.

I would be keen to tease out Barber's (and the Roman Catholic Church's) position further to understand how God's final judgement by works works in practice (in other words, what it would look like for someone to have faith but by condemned due to works). Barber's discussion at times seemed, at least on the surface, hard to reconcile with what I understand is the Catholic position that any baptised person who has faith and has not committed an unrepentant mortal sin will be saved. But I expect I am missing something here.

I appreciated that following each essay, the other writers are given a chance to explain their objections to the essay and the position in question. This usefully made the book more like a written dialogue than a debate. Reading through these objections, while admittedly a little tedious in parts, helped to narrow in on the genuine points of disagreement (as oppose to instances of talking past each other). It also provided examples of good and not so good approaches to exegesis.

The final chapter by Stanley is an excellent wrap-up and summary of all four views - a very handy reference if ever I wish to come back to this book. If you're like me, this book might not on its own confirm your position on the role of works at the final judgment, but it should give you an engaging overview of the key issues at play, fuel your appetite to investigate further, and hopefully lead you a step closer to truth.

[Zach Waldis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought that I had a decent handle on this question but this is really a thought provoking volume. Wilkin, the most fundie of the group, is the most ridiculous (one judgment for believers, another for the reprobate), but even he echoes what many everyday believers think. Well worth the read.

[Jean-Sébastien · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book !

[Colm Alton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the format of this book as it shows four different author’s perspectives on the role of works in the final judgement. It was very informative and the book provided a spectrum of views of how to look at this theme in the bible. The book was well structured as each author had an essay each to write their perspectives and then each author was able to respond to each others essays highlighting points of agreement and disagreement.

I was surprised that three of the authors seemed to have significant agreements despite coming from different perspectives (reformed, catholic, quasi-Protestant). I found this encouraging as it shows that scripture is coherent and can offer consistent interpretations despite one’s denominational background.

I found myself not completely agreeing with any author (however I did largely disagree with the author Wilken as did the other three authors), but saw strengths and weaknesses with each.

[Michael Boling · Rating 5 out of 5]

The debate has raged for many years concerning the role of works in the life of the believer. Some take the position that works are a necessary part of the equation with varying positions on just how necessary they are with others negating the whole idea of works instead embracing a heavy dose of grace with works being something we can do but rejecting the overall necessity of such actions.

Zondervan through their excellent Counterpoints series has provided yet another salvo of discussion on this topic in their book Four Views on the Role of Works at the Final Judgment. Scholars Robert Wilkin, Thomas Schreiner, James Dunn, and Michael Barber provide their views and positions on this perennially thorny theological issue with a great deal of skill and fervor. Wilkin provides what could be classified as the free grace approach, Schreiner and Dunn support a mixture of works and grace while Catholic scholar Michael Barber endorses the necessity of works to include the sacraments.

As is the typical format of the Counterpoints series, each scholar provides their perspective with a follow on engagement of their respective position by the other contributors. The discussion at times can be very direct with the authors noting varying levels of disagreement and at times agreement with their colleague’s opinions and positions. While disagreement is very pointed, any element of challenge to another contributor’s thoughts on a matter is done with a spirit of respect and in the spirit of irenic debate. With that said, no punches are pulled and the back and forth debate can be quite intense which only serves to provide the reader with the intended variety of thought on a particular issue, in this case the role of works at the final judgment.

The material in this book is admittedly very heady theological and arguably at times over the head of the average layman. However, this is a subject of great importance and one that can be understood provided the reader takes the necessary time to read through each contributor’s presentation, taking into account the pros and cons of each argument as noted by the follow-on responses. Additionally, due to the limited amount of space each other is provided in which to state their case, there is often the feeling that much more could be said by any of these authors. Thankfully, each author recognized that fact and did a great job of providing the reader with footnotes or references to additional reference material to read through in addition to what they had the space to discuss. Furthermore, the scripture and subject index make this book a valuable resource for future engagement of the topic of works for anyone desiring to dig a little deeper in their personal bible study.

Understanding the role of works in the life of the believer is truly an important issue and each author approaches the topic with great care and precision. Each argument for or against a particular position is done with a great deal of theological acumen, something I noted very quickly even in regards to a few positions I took issue with such as that of Wilken and Barber. Despite my personal disagreements, after reading this book, I came away with a much deeper appreciation for the subject matter as well as a more fully developed understanding of not only the various positions taken within the theological community on the issue of works, but also a better scripture understanding of the passages used to support one idea or the other. Knowing the scriptural background and how this subject is outlined throughout scripture is a great help and this book does a marvelous job through the discussion provided by the contributors of enabling the reader to have a more broad understanding of what scripture has to say. So despite being a somewhat heavy theological book at times, tools are provided for the reader to engage the topic of works in the future.

As with the other books I have read in the Counterpoints series, Four Views on the Role of Works at the Final Judgment is a valuable resource. In just a little over 200 pages of quick but very engaging reading, the reader will find themselves engaged and in a clear learning mode, a true sign of a book that fulfills its overall intended purpose, that of providing the reader with an overview of how to approach the topic of works according to what scripture has to say. One will not be disappointed with this book and I highly recommend it as well as the entire suite of Counterpoints books provided by Zondervan.

I received this book from Zondervan for free for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

[James Korsmo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another nice entry in this very solid series. The four views are all relatively well defended (I found Wilkin's case for works playing no role to be rather feeble). Many Christians (and especially evangelical protestants) will be surprised at the similarities between the views expressed by Schreiner, Dunn, and Barber (a conservative calvinist, a progressive evangelical, and a catholic): they agree that Christians will stand before God at the final judgment and that our works will matter. They do disagree on how those works will be understood (fruit/evidence, necessary condition, meritorious), but the unanimity on that basic point will probably surprise many. Paul is the primary focus in a number of the essays and responses, but the whole New Testament is kept in view. The book could have benefited from a Lutheran perspective, I think, given Luther's watershed role in the formation of protestantism and the role of works in that key moment, and also given the centrality of justification in Lutheran thought. Criticism aside, I think this book is a very worthwhile read. It is nicely positioned to be easily understood by nonspecialists, but is still solid scholarship. In the end, I think Dunn is right when he writes, "It is hard to avoid the conclusion, then, that as Paul insisted on the need for faith, so he was equally insistent that his converts should demonstrate their faith by the quality of lives they lived" (130). God is gracious, and salvation is in and through Christ, but believers remain responsible before God for their doings. We may not be able to fully piece together how this is so (as Dunn affirms), but we clearly see both streams firmly present in the New Testament. There's lots to ponder here. Enjoy.

[Josh Washington · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stanley articulates my recommendation quite well:

"One thing I hope this book has done is to show that we cannot so easily dismiss the views of others without thoughtful engagement. It is all too easy for readers to pick up a book like this and with the information they already have accumulated in their time as believers, simply latch on to one view and rather dismissively—and perhaps disrespectfully—brush the others to the side.
But each of these four scholars deserves respectful attention. Who knows? You might be persuaded.
I personally have found that before critiquing someone’s point of view, it is always helpful to try and put myself in their shoes, to try and see the text with their eyes, and to seek to really understand where they are coming from. Otherwise, I’m tempted to write them off before giving them a hearing.
The four contributors here have given us good models, I think, in how to go about responding to one another thoughtfully." (210)

I’d encourage people to read this book for the following reasons;

To learn more about what the scriptures say about judgment according to works,
To get a greater understanding and appreciation of other views out there, and
To learn how to interact with others with different positions in truth and love.

http://thescripturesays.org/2016/08/0...

[Josh Maurer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Phenomenal volume on this crucial question - a question that is at the very heart of the Gospel. The views are all fairly well represented and the debate, particularly over key exegetical points in the most important texts, is very helpful. Even if you don't agree with some of the conclusions (everyone will at some point) this is a great model of responsible exegesis and interpretation as well as on how to conduct oneself with charity in the midst of heated debate. In the words St. Augustine heard some 1700 years ago, "Take and read!"

[Jesse Hellman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading these counterpoint books is one of the very few ways you can get a balanced perspective on a theological topic. I used this book when I did my dissertation on the same topic in Bible College.
Sadly some arguments for some cases were very weak, and probably the most important lesson I learned from this book didn't really come from the text of the book: That we need to learn critical thinking so we can discard the weak arguments and accept the good ones.
In any case, this was a good read and the topic is very important. Your eternal destiny could depend on getting this right!

[Bill Forgeard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alan Stanley's summary of the justification debate in the introduction is worth the price of the book. As usual, the multiple views formula is an efficient way to engage with the variety of viewpoints, although the inevitable duplication of material across each author's contributions is evident. Personally I appreciated Dunn and Schreiner's contributions, and was struck by the level of agreement between them.

[JS Godin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perspectives presented are of unequal value. Wilkin's is especially worse than the others, and he gets more critizied than the others. Dunn and Schreiner stand above the rest and are worth the price of admission by themselves. Both of them show clear scriptural support for the ideas of justification by faith as a past event for believers, and final judgement based on works. They differ on how they resolve this tension, with Dunn even refusing to resolve it

[G Walker · Rating 2 out of 5]

because of my background with Hodges and Dillow and Neimela, I was expecting something very different in this volume... needless to say, with that as the context, I was pleasantly surprised. Not a great volume, but helpful... if you have the money, the time, the space on your shelves AND if you are gonna actually read it - then I would say go for it.

[Dave Gibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good book if you're looking for an introduction to different approaches to soteriology. Each contributor gives an overview of his approach, and each of the other three responds. It's a quick and easy read.