Rating: 
Summary: Strikes Down Legalism and All Its Forms
Review: This book is a great service to evangelical and Protestant Christians all over the world. Sproul does an excellent job striking a contrast between the traditional Evangelical/Protestant view of justification held by Lutherans, the Reformed, and Calvinistic Dispensationalists and their opponents (Romanists, Arminians, nomists, and other groups who believe in a synergistic soteriology). In chapter one, Sproul gives us a pretty good overview of the doctrine of justification throughout Church history since the Reformation. In chapters two, four, five and six, he gives us an excellent argument that the doctrine of justification held by the Romanist (and all other semi-Pelegian groups) and the doctrine of justification held by the Reformers cannot be reconciled or compatible (if one wants a good understanding between the differences of the Reformation view of justification and the Romanist view consult chapters five and six respectively). Chapter seven is an excellent discussion on how Romanists DO add works (and other man-made rituals) to earn justification contrary to many Romanist protestations, and that Romanism is actually semi-Pelegian (a view that downgrades the depravity of man and God's grace). Chapter eight is an adequate discussion on the differences between faith and works in the Romanist system and the Reformation system. Below are the major views on justification in Christianity today. 1. The Romanist view: Faith + Works----->Justification 2. The Reformation view: Faith----->Justification + Works 3. The Dispensational view: Faith (in varying degrees)----->Justification + Works (in varying degrees) 4. The New Reformation view (D. Fuller, T. Schreiner, S. Hafemann, D. Garlingtion, F. Thielman, J. Piper): Faith (believing + working)----->Justification The problem above shows that only options 2 and 3 are truly Evangelical and Protestant. Option 4 is a nomistic "Gospel" in a Protestant costume. Option 1 and 4 are virtually identical. Perhaps in a revised edition Sproul should address the move towards a more legalistic "Gospel" presented by some Reformed scholars today. However, Sproul in this chapter moves towards dangerous grounds when he states: "Works are not the ground of our justification or our salvation, but there will be no salvation without them" (p. 171). I agree with Sproul that "true faith necessarily, inevitably, and immediately yields the fruit of works" (p. 26). However, I would add that one cannot easily come up with a simple solution saying that ALL true believers yield fruit in the same amount and consistency. Sanctification is a complex working between God's grace and human responsibility. As a result some believers do not progress and work as consistently and abundantly as they should. In chapter nine, Sproul pulls back no punches and argues that there can be only ONE Gospel. Either the Gospel presented by the Reformers is Biblical or the one presented by the Romanist is Biblical. He gives a scathing indictment of those "Evangelicals" who signed the ECT document and accused them of compromise. I believe that Sproul is correct when he states that the ECT signers are compromisers of the Gospel. Unity is good, but not at the expense of theological orthodoxy. Perhaps many "Evangelicals" today should heed the warning of Paul in Galatians 1:6-9. This book is a required read in a generation where too many Christians compromise the Gospel for the sake of promoting "common grace" to the world. What we need to do is present the pure Gospel presented by Christ, and the New Testament writers.
Rating: 
Summary: A gift you have to work for isn't a gift!
Review: This is a fine book which should help the reader understand the gospel and the true relationship between faith and works. It deals in part with the "Evangelicals and Catholics Together" dialogue as well as "Lordship salvation". It's sad how gullible people fall for the inane argument that James taught salvation by faith AND works. If James did, then he absolutely contradicted Paul and the rest of the NT. The "faith alone" that doesn't justify according to James is the (intellectual) faith that demons have who simply believe there is one God. (James 2:19). James speaks of being considered righteous before men (2:18) whereas Paul speaks of how a sinner is acquitted and declared righteous at the judgment seat by God. Paul says unequivocally that Abraham (and Christians) are justifed before God by faith, APART FROM WORKS. (Rom. 4:1-6) which can mean nothing other than by faith alone! Justification/salvation is FREE and is a GIFT (Eph. 2:8-9, Rom. 3:21-24) received through simple faith/trust in Christ. If one is still trying to partially merit it, then he is really not trusting 100% in the sufficiency of Christ and therefore does not possess saving faith at all--there is no middle ground. Christ fully saves those who trust 100% in him--not those who trust 50% in him and 50% in their own righteousness. Christ doesn't give a person an unmerited job and train him to become righteous through sacraments and works so he can save himself. Such a salvation would NOT truly be FREE, nor be GRACE (meaning unmerited favor), nor be the gospel (Rom. 1:16-17). If you are broke and someone gives you $10,000 and it's free that is a gift; if he says, oh by the way you have to paint my house to get the money, then that's not a free gift IT'S A JOB. When the pope went to Israel recently, Larry King, on his cable show, asked two Catholic priests what the fate of a person would be who had works but NO faith. They replied and said he would be saved. Modern Catholicism also teaches Muslims and Jews will be saved and has wandered so far from the gospel as to make Christian faith unnecessary. Compare this to Acts 4:12: "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
Rating:
Summary: Dr. Sproul is an apt teacher
Review: this is one of the finest introductory books on the historical doctrine that split rome with the reformers... the book is concise and easy to read coming from an apt teacher who always seems to make difficult concepts easy to understand which is the true art of a teacher...this book should be read by all christians, especially evangelicals who have departed from their reformation heritage...this doctrine is, as luther said, that which the church stands or falls on.
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