The Doctrine of Justification

Author:

JAMES BUCHANAN (1804-1870) was born in Scotland in 1804 and ordained in 1827 in the Church of Scotland. In 1828 he commenced a very successful ministry at North Leith where he gained a great reputation as an earnest, eloquent, evangelical preacher. In 1845 he was appointed to the Chair of Apologetics at New College, Edinburgh, and in 1847 he succeeded Thomas Chalmers as Professor of Systematic Theology. He retired in 1868 and died two years later. Buchanan was a prolific and popular writer: his first book, Comfort in Affliction (1837), sold nearly 30,000 copies. His two most valuable works were The Office and Work of the Holy Spirit (1842), an exposition which still merits study, and Doctrine of Justification, the Cunningham Lectures for 1866, reprinted here.

Endorsement:

James Buchanan's Doctrine of Justification is THE classic work on this cardinal doctrine by which a church stands or falls. After lucidly covering the historical development of the doctrine through the Old Testament, the apostolic age, the scholastic divines, the Reformation and Counter Reformation, and in the Church of England, Buchanan expounds the doctrine itself by covering the scriptural meaning of the term, its relation to the law and justice of God, its relation to the mediatorial work of Christ, its relation to grace and works, and more. The chapter on justification in relation to the work of the Holy Spirit is alone worth the price of the book. Throughout, Buchanan systematizes the doctrine of justification in an orthodox Reformed manner that is fully reliable, is consistent with all the doctrines of grace, and is still relevant to the burning issues of our day, such as the New Perspective. A new introduction by Dr. Gerald Bilkes on the New Perspective is also a great help. If you can only afford to read one book on justification, read this definitive work. ---Joel R. Beeke

Additional Information: