Christians and Biblical Law

Tom Schreiner recently published a book about the relationship between Christians today and Old Testament law. His book quite simply asks and answers 40 different questions related to the subject. The book is approachable and enjoyable -- especially to those interested in the New Perspective on Paul (but don't know too much about it).

I sat down with Dr. Schreiner and discussed his newest publication; you can read our conversation here (pages 8-9).

Here is my reportishreview of the book.

40 Questions about Christians and Biblical Law (Kregel $17.99), Thomas R. Schreiner

Asked to consider the most important issues in life, probably not too many people put understanding Old Testament law on their list. But an understanding about how the law relates to Christians today is paramount; understanding how the New Testament church relates to the law means understanding how God saves people from sin.

Toward that understanding, Thomas R. Schreiner, James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, interacts with various questions about the relationship between Christianity and the Old Testament law in his new book, 40 Questions about Christians and Biblical Law. For questions ranging from “What does the word law mean in Scripture?” to “Is the Sabbath still required for Christians?” Schreiner offers six to 10 pages introducing the question, naming some key positions and presenting what he thinks is the biblical answer to the respective question.

“[The issue of Christians’ relationship to the law] is absolutely central because justification and law relate to how we are right with God; and that’s the most important question in life. So when people are discussing the nature of the Gospel, and how we are right with God, that’s not a trivial issue,” Schreiner said about the importance of his subject.

Schreiner divides his book’s 40 questions into five parts: the law in the Old Testament, the law in Paul, the law in the gospels and Acts, the law in the general epistles and the law and contemporary issues. The second section concerning Paul makes up the largest portion on the book. And much of the discussion centers on what is known as the New Perspective on Paul, which is primarily a discussion about how Paul viewed the Old Testament law and Second Temple Judaism, an idea first introduced by E.P. Sanders and later promoted by James Dunn and N.T. Wright. The New Perspective has found its way, primarily through Wright, into evangelical circles, and so Schreiner devotes substantial space to overviewing the issues presented by the New Perspective.

Closely related to the New Perspective is Schreiner’s sub-section about Paul’s teaching about justification. There, the author focuses on issues of salvation though faith versus salvation through works, the potential moral laxity resulting if justification is simply by faith, the apparent conflict between the teachings of James and Paul and several other key issues related to salvation.

Throughout 40 Questions about Christians and Biblical Law, Schreiner draws both from his scholarly acumen and pastoral experience to present a work that will serve the church as both a primer to more substantial works about the law and as an accessible resource for those looking for understanding about specific issues related to the biblical law.