Beyond Justification
Liberating Paul’s Gospel
by Douglas A. Campbell and Jon DePue
Foreword by Brian Zahnd
Imprint: Cascade Books
Paul proclaims in 90 percent of what he wrote that we have been set free, resurrected, and transformed through Christ at the behest of a loving God. This gospel proclamation can be found wherever he speaks of being "in Christ." But this gospel and its account of salvation have been captured by "another gospel," which also lays claim to being Paul's account of salvation. And this gospel is retributive, conditional, and ultimately damaging. "Justification theory," as we call this false account, lays claim to just under 10 percent of what Paul wrote. The presence of both these gospels within Paul's interpretation causes numerous acute problems. To name just a few, they create an image of Paul as someone who is fundamentally confused, frequently harsh, and unavoidably anti-Jewish.
If we reread Paul's justification texts, however, paying more attention to the original historical circumstances within which they were composed, then they turn out to say something subtly but significantly different. Paul's justification texts can be interpreted carefully, faithfully, and consistently, in terms of his usual gospel--our transformation in Christ. Thus Justification theory is never activated. Paul's true gospel is thereby liberated from its long captivity to a false alternative. We can now see a kinder, gentler, and more consistent apostle.
Douglas A. Campbell is a professor of New Testament at Duke Divinity School. He has published six books on Paul including The Deliverance of God (2009), Paul: An Apostle's Journey (2018), and Pauline Dogmatics (2020). He co-directs two prison engagement programs at Duke.
Jon DePue is a graduate of Duke Divinity School and has served churches as director of Christian education for several years. He currently works as a learning community support specialist for Indianapolis Public Schools.
“There has never been a more complex and confusing idea in theology or biblical studies than justification by faith. And there has never been a scholar who has been more consistently helpful in thinking through this cardinal doctrine than Douglas Campbell. Campbell and DePue courageously intervene in troubled readings of Paul’s thought, which means they intervene in troubled readings of Christian life. This text rescues and restores a Christianity born in the freedom of God. I hope more people will see this beacon.”
—Willie James Jennings, associate professor of systematic theology and Africana studies,
Yale Divinity School
“Every time I read a Douglas Campbell work on the apostle Paul’s gospel, I wonder if I have Paul wrong. Campbell’s apocalyptic gospel challenges not only the standard views, and the new perspective, and the Paul within Judaism perspectives, but it challenges even lines in Paul’s own writings. Whatever one thinks of the apocalyptic gospel as framed by Campbell and DePue, it is pastoral, it is filled with hope, and it is grounded entirely in a God who liberates humans utterly in Jesus Christ. You can disagree with them, but you cannot ignore them. If you ignore them, you will miss the glory of the gospel.”
—Scot McKnight, professor of New Testament, Northern Seminary
“A powerful argument for hearing Paul’s gospel apart from the theory of justification. It is exciting to engage with the authors’ fervor for a gospel about Spirit-enabled participation in Jesus’s death and resurrection, resulting in transformative, life-giving liberation from sin and death. Deep concern for Jewish people and the condition of the church, combined with scholarly skill executed with graciousness, make this essential reading. The book offers challenge and refreshment to both scholars and church communities.”
—L. Ann Jervis, professor emerita of New Testament, Wycliffe College, University of Toronto
“The apostle Paul is a complex figure, whose writings are open to (mis)interpretations that can be enormously harmful. Not only do Douglas Campbell and Jon DePue offer a bulwark against hazardous uses of Paul, but they also provide a pastorally powerful message that will be an enormous source of hope, encouragement, and joy for so many. Moreover, they do so with a book that is beautifully crafted and highly engaging, while never ceasing to be sophisticated and profound.”
—Andrew Torrance, senior lecturer in theology, University of St. Andrews
“The misrepresentation of Paul’s account of justification has damaged our understanding of God’s grace and the outreach of the church. The rigorous exegetical corrective of Campbell and DePue establishes that Paul’s interpretation of God and our transformation in Christ reflects a radically inclusive vision—one with immense relevance for the Christian church and its witness to contemporary society. Throughout this outstanding monograph, the authors’ argumentation manifests scholarship of the highest order but also a conceptual clarity and coherence that reflect the profound logic of Paul’s vision.”
—Alan J. Torrance, professor emeritus of systematic theology, University of St. Andrews
“This. THIS. If you want to have any hope of navigating the sludge, both subtle and obvious, in academic and popular books on Paul, THIS. You’ll be given the keys for a beautiful, historically sensitive, and exegetically robust reading of Paul more clearly than perhaps anywhere else. Seriously, if you read that last sentence and don’t get this book, then you’ve got trust issues as this book could literally change your life.”
—Chris Tilling, head of research and senior lecturer in New Testament, St. Mellitus College
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