Did Jesus Teach Salvation by Works?

"A New Testament study that is worth pondering...Stanley's study shows how...God's grace is even greater than we have imagined, covering not only our justification, but our sanctification as well. Any work that shows the depth of God's great grace is worth commending. This is such a book."

--Darrell L. Bock, from the foreword



"This study is notable first for its nuance. It does not shy away from apparent biblical contradictions but arrives at carefully balanced explanations that make sense of the writers' various voices. A second virtue of the book is its scope: it pretty much covers the waterfront, both of biblical teachings and of modern understanding of them. Of course no book can cover all the evidence and discussion surrounding such a foundational Christian doctrine. But Stanley has omitted little of substance and importance. (I admit that he goes a little too light on the Old Testament for my taste.) A third strong point of the book is its timeliness. The 'salvation by works' issue is of course perennial and therefore always before us. But this is particularly true at present, where doctrinal fuzziness and even erosion abound and where boundary lines between Protestant understanding of the gospel, on the one hand, is being conflated with the teaching of ancient Judaism as well as contemporary Catholicism, on the other. Stanley's study commends itself to us, therefore, not only because it is sound and wise, but also because its conclusions are currently urgent."

--Robert W. Yarbrough

Trinity Evangelical Divinity School