Acts 20:21
I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus
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New Perspective on Paul revisited
- Thread starter Martin Marprelate
- Start date
I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus
Wright seems to be wanting to get us back to "mother Church Rome"
I've never challenged the truth of that. Your passage does not state what Charlie states.
Same ol', same ol' Reformed cop-out.
As many things are not clearly written in Scripture, there is a process of elimination seen.
Paul makes it clear that works has nothing to do with salvation, and in fact shows us it's the opposite of Grace.
He further shows us that if salvation is by works it is no more of Grace. Rom. 11:5-6.
There are many major doctrines in Scripture determined by the process of elimination, because there in no single verse that confirms it.
Justification by faith in Christ alone is only one of them.
It's called determining doctrine by Scripture explaining Scripture.
I'm sorry! Here's the link:
A movement called the 'New Perspective on Paul' (NPP) first began quietly reshaping how evangelicals understood the gospel back in the 1970s. From British and Canadian universities, it gained influence in seminaries through the 1980s and '90s, then made its way into some Bible translations, study Bibles, and local churches.
The changes are subtle, the language careful, the scholars respected – but the trajectory is unmistakable. NPP offers insights connecting Paul's thinking to Israel's history and Old Testament theology that has attracted moderate Reformed thinkers like Douglas Moo who attributes value to some aspects while claiming to hold fast to Reformed soteriology. Moo chaired the Committee on Bible Translation for the widely criticised NIV 2011.
Yet at heart, NPP carries a corrosive seed that eats away at post-Reformation gospel clarity and steers towards the very errors the Reformers opposed. NPP interpretation poses danger to gospel truth in three key areas: justification, the law, and salvation assurance. While positions vary among proponents, core claims centre on these doctrines.
Three scholars
Three scholars are primarily responsible for developing and popularising NPP ideas.E. P. Sanders launched the movement with his 1977 book Paul and Palestinian Judaism. His concept of 'covenantal nomism' claimed Judaism was a religion of grace: God established his people by choice, but obedience maintains their covenant status. While Sanders's own view on Christian justification remained Reformed, he opened a concept that others would apply to salvation.
New Testament scholar James D. G. Dunn coined the phrase 'New Perspective on Paul' in 1982. Developing Sanders's ideas, he argued that 'works of the law' referred to ethnic boundary markers such as circumcision, and Paul's concern was not works-righteousness but Jewish ethnocentrism – the exclusion of Gentiles.
N. T. Wright, former Bishop of Durham, is arguably NPP's most influential populariser. The widely respected scholar, prolific author, and persuasive speaker claims the Reformers misread Paul by imposing medieval debates onto the first century. Wright says justification isn't about 'How can I get saved?' but 'Who are God's covenant people?' He denies or minimises imputation and teaches final justification will be 'according to the whole life lived'.
Mapping NPP to old heresies
NPP stands as an imposing and plausible academic edifice, but its ideas represent well-understood historical errors.First-century Judaisers insisted faith in Christ must be supplemented by works of the Mosaic law (Acts 15:1, 5; Galatians 2:3-4). Paul's response was uncompromising: 'You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace' (Galatians 5:4, ESV). This verdict applies precisely to NPP's departure from the principle of grace alone.
Semi-Pelagianism, condemned by the Council of Orange (529), taught that humans can cooperate with divine grace towards salvation, making them partial contributors. NPP follows this same structure: grace initiates justification through faith, but final justification depends on the believer's faithful life of obedience.
The Council of Trent (1545–1563) formalised Rome's view that justification is ongoing, requiring believers to 'increase in that justice' through 'observance of the commandments' (Session 6, Chapter 10). Trent denied assurance: 'no one can know with certainty... that he has obtained the grace of God' (Session 6, Chapter 9).
The Reformation recovered Paul's teaching that justification is complete at the moment of faith – a judicial declaration based entirely on Christ's finished work.
NPP preaches another gospel (Galatians 1:8-9) that offers neither liberty nor assurance. Christ's gospel declares that justification is complete at the moment of faith (Luke 18:14) and on the basis of his perfect sacrifice alone. This is the good news that must not be compromised by giving even an intellectual foothold to error.