Gathercole on the New Perspective on Paul

The August issue of Christianity Today features an article by Simon Gathercole (Theopedia), Senior Lecturer in New Testament at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, on the New Perspective on Paul (Wikipedia) entitled “What Did Paul Really Mean?” (pp. 22–28).

It’s a solid, balanced, and fair introduction to the issues. For those acquainted with the New Perspective, there’s nothing earth shattering here. But this would make a great introduction for those who are asking, “What’s the New Perspective?” or “New Perspective on what?”

The 6 page article consists of four main parts: (1) a brief history and introduction, (2) some positive contributions, (3) areas of critique, and (4) a summary of the biblical teaching.

Here’s an overview of sections two and three with a concluding quote that nicely sums up the piece.

Contributions

Gathercole is not entirely negative in his evaluation. He makes it clear that “the new perspective cannot merely be written off as a disaster from start to finish, as some critics would have us believe” (25).

He highlights some of the helpful correctives that the New Perspective has brought to the table.

1. It “accentuates the worldwide focus of God’s dealings in Christ [by] . . . highlight[ing] how all Christians, Jewish and Gentile, come to God on the same basis—that of faith” (25).
2. It “elevates our historical awareness of Paul’s situation” (26).

Criticisms

He also points out six areas where the New Perspective has gone astray, primarily by becoming imbalanced or taking an either-or approach to the issues.

1. The Jewish sources must not be handled onesidedly. Ample evidence demonstrates that legalism was indeed a problem in Paul’s day.
2. “Works of the law” must not be too narrowly defined so that the discussion ends up being exclusively about matters of Jewish identity.
3. The proper emphasis on corporateness must not obliterate the individualistic dimensions of justification.
4. The meaning of justification (being made right with God) must not be confused with the application of justification (Gentiles are included in the people of God in the same way as Jews are).
5. Emphasis on inclusion must not replace an emphasis on sin.
6. Emphasis on unity must not minimize the importance of right doctrine.

Conclusion

At its core, the doctrine of justification says that sinners can be miraculously reckoned righteous before God. This happens for all who believe and has nothing to do with observance of the law, which for sinners is impossible. With this foundation in place, we can move on to see how Paul uses the doctrine of justification by faith. The new perspective rightly observes that Paul uses justification to argue that Gentile Christians need not take on the yoke of the law (Galatians) and that Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians should live together in harmony (Romans 14–15). While we must not neglect these demands, we should not allow the tail to wag the dog.

Update: This article is now available online.

See also CT’s recent article: Virtue That Counts

What are your thoughts on the New Perspective? Do you know much about it? Has it been an issue in your churches?

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