SHERMAN 'Getting in and Staying in' 115
relationship between Paul's background and his faith and work as an
apostle of Christ, and has countered some of Sanders's perceptions. One of
Dunn's cogent points is that, whilst the centrality of justification by faith
—'getting in'—is common to both Judaism and Christianity, the point of
separation for Paul comes when specific ritual obligations or 'works of the
law'^7 are reckoned to determine status within that relationship of grace.
Grounds for this are found in the close relationship of Paul's argument in
Galatians to the conflicts over circumcision and dietary restrictions at
Jerusalem and Antioch and the threat that this posed to Paul's apostolicpreaching. These 'works of the law' were never seen by Paul as works to
be done to earn God's favour, or a sort of fee for salvation, but more like a
badge by means of which the wearers demonstrate their status and accept-
ability in contradistinction to others. Galatians 2.16 reflects the parting of
the ways precipitated by the conflict at Antioch which
provoked Paul into pronouncing what was to become his most memorable
and telling principle: that no one is justified by works of the law, but only
through faith in Christ. Evidently, however, the 'works' he had in view
were not deeds done to attain righteousness, but commandments of the law
practised in order to maintain covenant righteousness, not least by
separation from Gentiles.^8In his arguments, Dunn is far from arguing back to the traditional view
for comfort's sake. Indeed, along with Sanders and Krister Stendahl, he
may be seen as being responsible for undermining that conviction without
which Protestant theology, and Christian insight, would lose its heart:Another serious challenge has arisen to the orthodox Protestant doctrine of
justification and this time the opponents of Luther's doctrine are not mitred
cardinals with flowing robes gathering for yet another definitive ecclesiastical
response to a renewed Protestant menace. This time, those challenging
Luther's interpretation of the kerygma of the Apostle Paul are themselves
self-consciously Protestants, and ironically, in many cases, ministers and
theologians in churches that bear Luther's name.^9So reads an introductory polemic from one Lutheran perspective, critical
of Sanders's attempts to dispose of the law-gospel antithesis, even though- See Gal. 2.16, 21; 3.11; 5.4; Rom. 3.20, 28.
- J.D.G. Dunn, The Theology of Paul the Apostle (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark,
1998), p. 360. - Kim Riddlebarger, Reformed Confessionalism and the 'New Perspective' on
Paul: A New Challenge to a Fundamental Article of Faith (Provenance: Alliance of
Confession Evangelicals, 1996).