What is the Free Grace Response to the New Perspective on Paul?

Added: 2026-05-11

[00:00:00]The following is a listener supported ministry from the Grace Evangelical Society. Some [music] theologians lately have a new idea about Paul's teaching about grace and other things. What is this about? We will have [music] a discussion about it today on Grace in Focus and we are glad you are with us.

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[00:01:22]Now, with [music] today's question and answer discussion, here's Bob Wilkin along with Sam Morris. All right, Bob, we've got a question from Daniel. He's asking about something called the new perspective on Paul. So, let me read a little bit of his email, give us some context, but essentially the question is just going to be what is our defense against that perspective. But, so he says, I was able to read part of the commentary of Zane Hodges in the Bible Knowledge Commentary. But, at the time was not convinced of the whole issue.

[00:01:52]And I think this is about the issue there for him is free grace theology in general. And then he says he was previously heavily influenced by Lordship Salvation and Reformed Theology. But, then he read a defense of free grace theology by Fred Chay and Tough Questions About Grace by Grant Hawley. So, he's in a limbo, I guess, right now between where he's come from but what he's learning about free grace theology. But, he said he's just come across something called the new perspective on Paul and this seems to be troubling him, too. So, he wanted what's the free grace answer to the new perspective on Paul. Okay, so first off, we ought to talk about what the new perspective on Paul is. And this new perspective started around 1977, which was the year before I entered Dallas Seminary. It wasn't widely talked about during my 7 years at Dallas Seminary between 78 and 85. But, a guy named E.P. Sanders wrote a book called Paul and Palestinian Judaism and called this the new perspective on Paul. And later on, two British scholars, uh James D.G. Dunn and N.T. Wright, have both picked up this same concept. But, the basic idea is that Lutherans and Calvinists and Evangelicals misunderstood Paul. That Paul was not saying that first-century Judaism was legalistic and that the Jews of the first century were unregenerate.

[00:03:33]Instead, they're saying the concept that Paul was teaching was covenantal nomism, which is kind of odd because covenantal means a covenant or an agreement and nomism means of the law. Mhm. And what Sanders suggested is that the Jews of the first century entered the Christian life by grace through faith apart from works and they stayed in it by works.

[00:04:03]So, they retained their salvation, they retained everlasting life by works. And they're saying Paul never contradicted that. Right.

[00:04:13]>> I printed out some of the Wikipedia page for the new perspective on Paul. They have a heading called something like grace and favor. And so, I guess one of the big points is they think that grace would be better translated favor because they think Paul did not mean to convey the idea of a gift with nothing expected in return, but that God bestowed his favor on believers, but that favor expects something back in return. So, you're saved by grace through faith, but then God expects you to give back to him and the implication there is if you don't, then you lose the favor that you've been given. Right. And all of that is correct, except if by lose the favor you've been given, you mean lose everlasting life.

[00:05:04]>> Right. I even agree in my book The 10 Most Misunderstood Words, I say that the the Greek word charis, typically translated grace, has multiple meanings, but that the basic meaning that's most common through the New Testament is favor. God's favor is charis, it's grace. That God's gifting us of everlasting life doesn't mean that he has no expectations of us. Yes, he does expect us to live godly lives, but where they go off the reservation is when they say if you don't, well, then you lose your salvation.

[00:05:43]>> Right.

[00:05:44]>> The other problem, they were saying that first-century Judaism did not practice works righteousness or works salvation.

[00:05:52]By their own explanation that you get in by grace through faith apart from works, but you stay in by works, that's the very definition of work salvation. For example, for a Roman Catholic, you enter by baptism. You know, the same thing with Orthodoxy, you would start with the baptism. And that's true with some Protestants. They believe that you're regenerated when you're baptized. And a lot of these people would say you keep it by being faithful. So, there's a lot of problems with this, but the main one is that they're trying to reinterpret verses like Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 4:1-4, Galatians 3:6-14.

[00:06:36]When Paul is saying justification is by faith alone apart from works, they're saying initial justification is by grace through faith apart from works, but to keep that justification requires good works.

[00:06:51]>> Right. The problem with that is, well, the entire New Testament contradicts it, but specifically Jesus, when he evangelized people in the Gospel of John, he didn't say believe in me for initial justification and then in his, you know, tiny script or in the fine print he said and keep doing it or else you'll lose it. He said it actually is going to last forever. He said you'll never perish, you'll never hungry, you'll never thirst.

[00:07:16]>> [music] >> And he didn't add any conditions onto it.

[00:07:18]>> Amen.

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[00:07:59]Therefore, it is argued that when Paul speaks of how God did humankind a favor, and that's to replace grace with the word favor, God did humankind a favor by sending Jesus, he is saying that God took the initiative but not implying a lack of human effort in salvation. So, according to this Wikipedia article's examination of the new perspective on Paul, salvation does require human involvement. So, I haven't read E.P.

[00:08:27]Sanders' book, but it seems like at least him or the people that were influenced by him, that's the conclusion they've come to. So many things you've read to me and that they're saying have some element of truth.

[00:08:38]>> Right.

[00:08:39]>> For example, God sent his only son to die on the cross for our sins is God's favor. The fact that he gave us the New Testament and particularly the Gospel of John is God's favor. The fact the Holy Spirit is drawing us to Christ is God's favor. There's all these things. And how did they say it that there is some human element to it?

[00:09:01]>> It's not to imply a lack of human effort in salvation.

[00:09:04]>> Even calling it human effort in salvation. There is some sense in which for many people it requires prayer and church attendance and study to find out what the saving message is.

[00:09:19]>> Right. But, it's open-mindedness. If you are open to receiving God's word, to the calling of the Holy Spirit that's pulling on everybody, then in that sense, yes, human involvement. And you have to believe in Christ for everlasting life. So, that belief or being convinced, yes, that is human involvement, but it's very dangerous to say because then you get into they can take it too far and you get into like Ephesians 2:8-9. And then they might interpret Ephesians 2:10, for we are his workmanship, then they start to say, "Okay, that proves you have to do good works or else either you were never really saved or you lose the salvation he's given you. So, if it's an ongoing human involvement in salvation, then I think it's incorrect.

[00:10:07]>> Right.

[00:10:08]>> And realistically, the salvation part of it is 100% Christ cuz he did the work.

[00:10:14]He gives everlasting life as a free gift. It's about whether you believe he's going to do that for you or not.

[00:10:20]>> Exactly. What these people are trying to say is effort is required to keep your salvation right and that's clearly wrong. Once we're born again, we're never going to hunger, never going to thirst, never [snorts] going to die.

[00:10:32]But, there may be effort required for us to find the truth. Remember Jesus said strive to enter by the narrow way >> Mhm.

[00:10:40]>> and Paul said in Acts 17:27 that people might grope after God and find him for he's not far from us. Not everybody grows up in a Christian home. Not everybody is evangelized from birth to the time they come to faith. Yeah, even if you grew up in a great Christian household with parents that teach you exactly what the Bible says, you still have to be open to understanding that, but some kids are rebellious. They'll believe the opposite of whatever their parents tell them until they figured out for themselves. So, yes, in that sense, there's always human involvement. There has to be a willingness. You can't harden your heart. You can't deny God's word or shield yourself from God's word.

[00:11:24]You have to be open to it. But, the saving part of it is all him. We couldn't have saved ourselves if in >> Right. no matter how hard we tried, how much time we had, there's no way. He had to do that for us. And that's why the funny line in here to me is it's almost an understatement in the English to say God did humankind a favor cuz then at least in American English, doing someone a favor is almost a menial thing. It's kind of >> the trash out or picking somebody up.

[00:11:52]Yeah, he did us a favor. He did us greatest >> anybody's ever done. But, that's why to me, that's what a gift is. A gift is a much better word. From what you've been saying, Sam, in a sense, the new perspective on Paul is a new perspective on Jesus cuz they're rejecting what the Gospel of John says. And they're then rejecting what the Apostle Paul says.

[00:12:14]>> [music] >> So, they're rejecting all of it. It's just kind of sad how scholarship is seeking for lots of ways to come up with new ideas that kind of give them some prominence in the Evangelical world because, "Hey, I've come up with this new idea." But, if the new idea is contrary to scripture, it's what we call a bad idea. Yeah. So, hopefully that's [music] helpful for you, Daniel. The best advice we could give you is to read the Bible for yourself. Challenge any commentaries, any preachers, [music] any authors, no matter who they are, what denomination they are, us, anybody else.

[00:12:51]Challenge what they say with God's word because God's [music] word is not really up for debate. Hopefully that helps you and hopefully that helps all of us keep grace >> in focus. [music] We invite you to check out our Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 5-minute [music] YouTube videos at YouTube Grace Evangelical Society. You will love the content and learn a lot.

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[00:13:40]In the meantime, let's keep grace in focus.

[00:13:45]The preceding [music] has been a listener-supported ministry from the Grace Evangelical Society.