DEATH IN ADAM LIFE IN CHRIST: THE DOCTRINE OF IMPUTATION PB

The doctrine of imputation is the ground in which salvation is rooted. It is often seen as superfluous or splitting hairs, and yet, without it, redemption automatically becomes reliant on our own works and assurance of salvation is suddenly not so sure

J. V. Fesko works through this doctrine looking at its long history in the church, its exegetical foundation, and its dogmatic formulation. In exploring imputed guilt from the First Adam alongside the imputed righteousness from the Second, this volume offers a helpfully well-rounded explanation of the doctrine.

Author Biography

Dr. Fesko has taught at Westminster Seminary California since 2009. He is a minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. He served in church planting and pastoral ministry for more than 10 years. His research interests include the integration of biblical and systematic theology, soteriology, and early modern Reformed theology.

Dr. Fesko’s most recent publications include, The Trinity and the Covenant of Redemption, Who is Jesus?, The Theology of the Westminster Standards, Songs of a Suffering King, and Beyond Calvin: Union with Christ and Justification in Early Modern Reformed Theology. His scholarly essays have appeared in various books and journals including Reformed Theological Review, Journal of Reformed Theology, Church History and Religious Culture, Calvin Theological Journal, Trinity Journal, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, and the Westminster Theological Journal.

Dr. Fesko and his wife, Anneke, have three children and reside in Escondido.

Book review by GLO General Director, Dr. Stepehn McQuoid 01/06/2017
'Death in Adam, Life in Christ: The Doctrine of Imputation', from JV Fesko who teaches Historical Theology out of Westminster Seminary. Fesko’s concern in this book is to defend the doctrine of imputation (Adam’s sin imputed to all people, our sin imputed to Christ, Christ’s righteousness imputed to Christians) and to show that it is essential to the Christian faith. He begins with a substantial history of the doctrine beginning with the early church, working through the Reformation and beyond and right up to the present day. He mentions both detractors and key defenders of the doctrine and suggests that in our present day some evangelicals like Peter Enns and NT Wright seem to go soft on the doctrine, mainly because of their questioning of the historicity Adam.

In the next section Fesko works his way through key passages in both the Old and New Testaments demonstrating that imputation is clearly annunciated in scripture. This then leads to the third section of the book where Fesko deals with the theology of the doctrine, demonstrating that even among supporters there are a variety of shades of opinion as to exactly how the doctrine should function.

Fesko writes from a Reformed perspective and claims this doctrine as an important element of reformed theology. However, we should not conclude that only those of a reformed persuasion believe in imputation. On the contrary it is a widely held belief among evangelicals and so cannot be claimed as the preserve of any one part of the church. What he has done well is to do all the spade work on this aspect of theology and I could see this book being a useful text for anyone studying theology or biblical studies.

Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Mentor (2 Dec. 2016)