I’m on somewhat of a mission to explore the New Perspective on Paul and evaluate specifically the claims of N. T. Wright concerning imputation of righteousness from Christ to believers. Recently I checked out J. V. Fesko’s Justification: Understanding the Classic Reformed Doctrine from the library and started reading it last night. The first chapter is devoted to “Justification in Church History.”

Earlier on Fesko quotes Justin Martyr, saying:

“We also find Justin Martyr affirming the idea of the imputation of righteousness in justification: ‘For the goodness and loving-kindness of God, and His boundless riches, hold righteous and sinless the man who, as Ezekiel tells, repents of sins; and reckon sinful, unrighteous, and impious the man who falls away from piety and righteousness to unrighteousness and ungodliness.’”[1. Fesko, Justification (P&R, 2008), 8. There’s a footnote at the end of the quotation which cites Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho 47, in Ante-Nicene Fathers, 1:218-19.]

I, however, fail to find any explicit reference to imputation in the words of Justin. “Hold righteous and sinless the man…” is the closest I see, but even there one must make an inferential jump to assume that imputation of righteousness was what Justin had in mind as to how God can hold one righteousness and sinless.

As far as I can tell Fesko’s use of the quote is unwarranted and far from buttressing “the classic Reformed doctrine” of justification. Was denkst du?