Aspects of Forgiveness: The Basis for Justification and Its Modern Denial

This book is a study in the forgiveness of sins and how it relates to Christ’s work, specifically His resurrection. This is often termed objective justification, a hotly contested teaching within Lutheranism today. Using both historical sources and modern authors, this work probes and clarifies one of the most important and neglected doctrinal topics in Christianity and even conservative Lutheranism. It shows how errors and divergences in this doctrine affect preaching, teaching, and the definition of the Gospel itself. I attended Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne from 1979-1983, when the waters were being roiled by those denying the teaching of objective justification. Papers were written, pamphlets published, and even professors were accused and defended. It was all very painful. It’s still unpleasant, but it’s a necessary pain to bear as the very Gospel itself is at stake in the doctrine of objective justification.Rev. Hale’s book addresses this subject in a way and to a depth no other book I have read on the subject does. He answers the deniers, as well as asking and answering questions that reveal the many faceted aspects of this jewel of a doctrine. If you are going to read only one book on this subject, read this one. It reaches into the past history of this teaching in an extremely helpful way and looks at what the future holds for those who would handle the Word of God deceitfully by denying objective justification. Rev. Paul R. HarrisTrinity Lutheran Church, Austin, Texas