Summary Of The Future Of Justification By John Piper

The debate between N.T. Wright, former bishop of Durham and canon theologian of Westminster Abbey, and John Piper, theological author and pastor of preaching at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, has captured the attention of Christians across the nation. This debate, detailing controversy in the areas of First Century Judaism, the motives of the Judaizers in Romans and Galatians, the importance of Jewish Law, and definitions of “the gospel” and God’s “righteousness”, is dialogued through two books in particular: Justification: God’s Plan and Paul’s Vision, by N.T. Wright, and The Future of Justification, by John Piper. Wright, a forefather of the New Perspective on Christianity, outlines what he refers to as a “fresh perspective”, while Piper holds fast to the Reformer traditions of Christianity.

According to Piper, many First Century Jews practiced a works-based righteousness, through the Law of the Torah. Following works of the law, Piper argues, was the basis of a First Century Jew’s right-standing with God. He connects that apart from divine grace, humans will always incline toward legalism and one’s own moral acts: a phenomenon he claims is universal. In response to Wright’s theory of First Century Judaism, largely based on external historical sources, Piper resolves that Christians ought to be skeptical of accepting extra-biblical literature as impositions on Scripture, claiming these sources to be less reliable, and more subject to variation and