Brian J. Arnold - Justification in the Second Century

Brian J. Arnold

Justification in the Second Century

Studies of the Bible and Its Reception

Edited by

Dale C. Allison, Jr., Christine Helmer,

Thomas Rmer, Choon-Leong Seow,

Barry Dov Walfish, Eric Ziolkowski

Volume 9

ISBN 978-3-11-047677-4

e-ISBN (PDF) 978-3-11-047823-5

e-ISBN (EPUB) 978-3-11-047683-5

ISSN 2195-450X

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

A CIP catalog record for this book has been applied for at the Library of Congress.

Bibliographic information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek

The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data are available in the Internet at http://dnb.dnb.de.

2017 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Logo: Martin Zech

www.degruyter.com

To Lauren,

my hearts captor

I am indebted to many professors, colleagues, pastors, friends, and family who all played a special role in the completion of this work. Without the careful guidance, meticulous editing, and constant encouragement from Michael Haykin, this project would have never taken flight. I spent years studying the fathers under him and learned more than anything else to love them. Jonathan Pennington has stretched my thinking more than any other person, pushing me to reflect on every angle, which has always served to sharpen my own thoughts. This is the greatest gift a professor can bestow. And Brian Vickerss work on justification and imputation informed my own views on these critical doctrines. He reminds me that justification by faith is not primarily academic, it is missional. These men served on my dissertation committee, which is where this work began, and have shaped me far beyond the pages of this book.

I am thankful to the members of Smithland First Baptist Church who called me as pastor when I had no experience and afforded me the time to write, even as I was learning to preach. Their tender love and tireless patience allowed me to spend countless hours away from church business as I completed this arduous task. The leadership of Bubbie Martin, Kenny Martin, Philip Orr, Garrick Ramage, and Mike Ramage made this possible. They are men of gold.

Between completing the dissertation and revising the work for publication, I took a post teaching theology and history at Phoenix Seminary. I have been overwhelmed by the kindness and encouragement of my colleaguesparticularly, John DelHousaye, Wayne Grudem, John Meade, and Justin Smithas well as my dean, W. Bingham Hunter. John Meade has been a friend for over a decade and he is a large reason why I am at Phoenix Seminary. Additionally, his help on chapter five was invaluable. The depth of my gratitude to him is bottomless. The library staffDoug Olbert, Jim Santeford, and Mitch Millerdeserve more than an honorable mention. They combed over my bibliography and secured the sources I needed. Also, they do not seem to mind that my books never make it back by their due date.

Writing a book is filled with many highs and many (perhaps more) lows. There were countless times when I needed friends who were willing to encourage me, prod me, and act as sounding boards when I was stuck. Adam Smith is a first-rate friend. He received daily phone calls and kept me from capping the pen on numerous occasions. He also provided me with advice on how to reframe this work for publication. But if these changes are not well-received, I blame him. J. Ryan West pushed me all through the doctoral program and kept me accountable to write as often as possible. Brad Henson was a providential gift who distracted me, in a good way, and gave me countless pieces of advice on finishing strong. And Charles Loder came through for me in a pinch by providing a thorough index for this book.

Family has also been a constant source of encouragement. My parents, Gary and Chris Arnold, have relentlessly pushed me to do my best. As a child, I hated how my mom refused to give me easy answers but would instead force me to look up whatever it was that had piqued my curiosity. I did not know at the time that I was making my first forays into research. And my dad always wanted me to receive the education that was unavailable to him. Even though I became a different kind of doctor than he had hoped, his pride for me always beamed. I also had another set of parents who encouraged me through this process, my in-laws David and Gail Black. For the past decade, they have provided for us in countless ways, and I cherish the time we have spent at their home in the lazy river town of Hickman, which is a haven to me.

My wife Lauren deserves the most credit, for she endured not only the long, demanding dissertation process, but the constant strain of school and work even before we exchanged vows. Her sacrifice as a mother and longsuffering as a wife have bound our family together when the need to read, write, and think stole me away to the study for hours on end. This work is her accomplishment as much as it is mine. I gladly dedicate this labor to her.

Brian J. Arnold

Phoenix, Arizona

Fall 2016