Law and Its Fulfillment

Thomas Schreiner's comprehensive examination of Paul's theology of law emerged from the heated debates of the 1980s and early 1990s over the New Perspective on Paul, particularly E.P. Sanders' influential work on Palestinian Judaism and James Dunn's reinterpretation of Pauline justification. Writing as a Reformed New Testament scholar, Schreiner sought to provide a systematic biblical-theological treatment of one of the most contested issues in Pauline studies: how the apostle understood the relationship between the Mosaic law, justification, and Christian living.

Schreiner argues that Paul's view of law is neither uniformly negative nor positive, but nuanced and contextual. He demonstrates that Paul distinguishes between the law as a covenant of works, which condemns sinners and from which believers are freed, and the law as God's moral will, which finds fulfillment in the life of faith. Central to Schreiner's thesis is that believers are simultaneously freed from the law as a means of justification while being enabled by the Spirit to fulfill the law's moral demands. He carefully traces Paul's argument that Christ's death ends the Mosaic covenant as a system while establishing believers in a new covenant relationship where the law's righteousness is fulfilled through Spirit-enabled faith working through love. Schreiner particularly emphasizes that justification by faith apart from works of law does not lead to antinomianism, but rather to a life that fulfills the law's true intent through the power of the indwelling Spirit.

This work established itself as a significant contribution to Pauline scholarship by offering a via media between traditional Lutheran readings that emphasized discontinuity and emerging New Perspective interpretations that stressed continuity. Schreiner's careful exegesis and systematic approach provided evangelical scholars with scholarly tools for engaging contemporary debates while maintaining traditional Protestant convictions about justification. Who should read this: New Testament scholars, systematic theologians, and pastors seeking a rigorous evangelical response to New Perspective interpretations of Paul, particularly those wrestling with questions about law, gospel, and sanctification. This work assumes substantial background in Pauline studies and contemporary scholarly debates.