Debates about justification and New Perspective on Paul (NPP) seemed to have quietened down for a while, but recently the debates have received new impetus with the publication of three books by Matthew Bates – Salvation by Allegiance Alone, [SAA] Gospel Allegiance [GA] and Beyond the Salvation Wars [BSW]. It is undeniable that the teachings of the NPP (represented by N.T. Wright-Scot McKnight-Matthew Bates) are in conflict with the doctrine of justification and salvation taught in the historic Confessions of the Reformation. However, Bates writes, “Yet the creeds are not good stand-alone teaching tools about the gospel without an intervening reframing. The biblical and apostolic gospel relentlessly emphasizes Jesus’s messianic kingship—and this is muted in the creeds. Furthermore, creeds are doctrinal statements that invite intellectual affirmation – belief – more than allegiance.” [BSW54] Apparently, Bates seeks to intervene, reframe (and revise) the historic Reformation teaching of salvation based on his new perspective on faith and salvation, that is, salvation is by allegiance to Christ the king.
The kingship of Christ emphasized in Wright-McKnight-Bates soteriological paradigm tends to overshadow the prophetic and priestly office of Christ. Likewise, Wright casts doubts on other Reformation doctrines such as the penal substitutionary death of Christ as propitiation to avert the wrath of God against sin; he rejects the doctrine of imputation of righteousness of Christ and argues that justification by faith is primarily about ecclesiology rather than about soteriology.
Now, Bates intervenes with a revisionist soteriology based on the “King Jesus model” or “gospel allegiance model” which follows the trajectory set in the earlier writings of Wright & McKnight. Some of Bates’ claims include the following:
1) Faith (pistis) means allegiance (loyalty and obedience) to Christ. For Bates, faith as allegiance to Jesus, is primarily about our loyalty to King Christ with emphasis on faith actively expressing obedience and good works. Allegiance is also expressed as “public, embodied loyalty” through social and political action. Bates’ view of faith as allegiance emphasizes acting and achieving while the Reformation view emphasizes faith as believing or assenting to gospel truths of Jesus saving death for all my sin being receptive of God’s gift of righteousness of Jesus Christ.
2) Bates argues that “possession of the righteousness that comes from God via the faithfulness of the Christ is described here not by using the language of imputation or crediting; it is by inclusion within the Messiah’s loyalty framework. It is a sharing in righteousness that comes from God and that is through the loyalty of the Messiah but that is accessed by our partnership in the Messiah’s loyalty.” [BSW 247] Bates’ “remodelled justification” teaches that individuals are never justified on their own. Instead, they receive “incorporated righteousness” when they are integrated into King Jesus’ justified community and are thus enabled to participate in the life of the justified community.1To justify means “to declare righteous,” but its purpose is not personal or even communal right-standing before God as an end unto itself. Justification’s practical ethical and pastoral aim is to safeguard the unity of the one “declared righteous” church as that is constituted when we confess allegiance to the one king together. In Scripture, a primary function of justification by faith (allegiance) is to guarantee that the one true church can never be divided into we-are-more-righteous-than-you-in-God’s-eyes parts or tiers. [BSW 86]…” Personal justification is neither the gospel nor part of the gospel but is a result or benefit of the gospel. Justification’s logic is group first (see chaps. 2–3). The Jesus-is-king community was justified together first when the Spirit was poured out at Pentecost. Subsequently, any individual can receive “justification” as a gospel benefit too. When a person repentantly declares allegiance to Jesus as the Christ, the king’s justified body obtains a new member as the Spirit applies the benefits of salvation to that individual. [BSW 91] In contrast, the Reformation views justification as personal, forensic or legal acquittal. Justification is the legal act of God by which he declares a sinner righteous on the basis of the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ. The result is imputed righteousness of God through faith rather than infused or incorporated righteousness.
3) Bates argues that works are integral to allegiance. He writes, “Saving pistis is not a once-for-all-time act” [GA 156], “The final judgment for eternal life will be based at least in part on the allegiance-based quality of the works we perform with our bodies…Biblically speaking, justification may not be distinguishable from so-called sanctification within an order of salvation,” [GA 208] “good works will determine final salvation on the day of judgment” [GA 184] and “allegiance-based good works performed with the assistance of the Spirit are part of the basis of our final justification.” [BSW233] Obvious Bates’ view differs from the Reformation view that while works are evidence of saving faith, nevertheless works are not the basis of salvation. Salvation is by grace alone. Bates lists what he considers to be several errors of the Reformation: “The following are common wrong ways of describing the gospel within classic Protestantism: “The gospel is primarily about how an individual person can get saved,” “The gospel is that Jesus has done it all for you so that you don’t have to do anything yourself for salvation” and “The gospel can be accurately summarized as Jesus died for your sins so that you can be forgiven when you die,” The gospel includes the personal receipt of justification by faith,” etc. [BSW55-56]2Regarding final destiny of salvation, Bates writes, “In the story of God’s relationship with humanity, the answer is always grace—God approaching us. In the final analysis, we don’t go to heaven; God brings his heavenly abode down to earth, having re-created the universe so that there is a new (that is, radically renewed) heaven and earth. We do not go to God, but he comes to us.” [SAA 139-140]
4) Bates asserts that election and regeneration are false starts. “To suggest that personal election or pre-faith regeneration is the true starting point for personal salvation does not respect what Scripture teaches holistically.” [BSW139] Instead, Bates argues that election is corporate vocational rather than personal. God predestined that a group of people who choose to swear allegiance to King Jesus will be granted justification as members of the group. Membership depends solely on individual choice. It is not surprising that Bates concludes that there is no assurance of salvation or at least it is conditional on continued allegiance to Christ. This is a rejection of the Reformation view that assurance is certain through trust in Christ and is a fruit of faith.
Bates critique of the “wrong ways of describing the gospel within classic Protestantism” provides is a window into how the New Perspective on Faith and Salvation (NPFS) of Wright-McKnight-Bates offers a revisionist soteriology which challenges the classical evangelical understanding of the gospel. Evangelicals should be ready to refute the revisionist teaching of the New Perspective on Faith and Salvation and defend the doctrine of justification by faith which assures believers of their liberation from the bondage of sin.
Long my imprisoned spirit lay
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray,
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee. [“And Can it Be”]
Relevant teaching from the Westminster Confessions of Faith
WCG 1.1 Justification
1. Those whom God effectually calls he also freely justifies, not by infusing righteousness into them, but by pardoning their sins and by accounting and accepting them as righteous. It is not for anything wrought in them, or done by them, but for Christ’s sake alone that they are justified. It is not by imputing faith itself, the act of believing, or any other act of Christian obedience to them, as their righteousness, but by imputing the obedience and satisfaction of Christ to them who receive and rest on him and his righteousness by faith. Men do not have this faith of themselves; it is the gift of God.
WCF 16.2-3 Good Works
2. These good works, done in obedience to God’s commandments, are the fruits and evidences of a true and living faith. By them believers show their thankfulness, strengthen their assurance, build up their fellow believers, adorn the profession of the gospel, shut the mouths of the adversaries, and glorify God. They are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, so that, bearing fruit unto holiness, they may attain the outcome, which is eternal life… 3. Their ability to do good works is not at all from themselves, but entirely from the Spirit of Christ.
Useful References
John Fesko, Justification.
John Murray, Redemption Accomplished, Redemption Applied.
Thomas Schreiner & Christopher Morgan, Salvation.
Will Timmins, “A Faith unlike Abraham’s: Matthew Bates on Salvation by Allegiance Alone.” JETS 2018.