The Place of Grace and Justification by Faith in the Thought of Paul

Abstract

This thesis aims to shed some light on the debate regarding the centre of Paul's thought; in particular, the place of justification by faith in Paul's thought. The approach used is an exegetical examination of Paul's letter to the Galatians, for many of those involved in the debate refer to this letter to support their views. The aspect of this thesis which is designed to add a fresh clarity to the debate is the division of Paul's thought into his theological framework and the focus of his message, then to examine the focus of his message through the lens of his own theological framework. This stands in contrast to the popular modern approach of viewing Paul's thought from the angle of his approach to of the Law. This thesis shall put forward the case that in the letter to the Galatians, Paul's thought is shown to be dominated and controlled by the dual concepts of grace and justification by faith. On the one hand, Paul's theological framework is dominated by the key concept of grace. Three other concepts also emerge as significant components of his framework: the fulfillment of salvation history; eschatology; and "in Christ". On the other hand, justification by faith is the central concept which both gives focus to the message of the letter to the Galatians, and at the same time, is the one concept that gives expression to all the major concerns of Paul's framework. Therefore, it is the focus of his thought.