Hands of Faith: A Historical and Theological Study of the Two Kinds of Righteousness in Lutheran Thought

It is a common misconception that Lutheran theology is inherently antinomian or unconcerned with Christian ethics. This unfortunate caricature of the doctrine of the Reformation has been furthered by certain strands of Lutheran theology which reject the third use of the law and the necessity of expounding Christian ethics in preaching. In this book Jordan Cooper challenges the claim that Lutheranism emphasizes justification at the expense of sanctification demonstrating that the two kinds of righteousness are a historical Lutheran framework that gives prominence to both salvation by grace and ones duty to serve the neighbor in love. Through an evaluation of Luthers writings the confessional documents Lutheran Orthodoxy and contemporary writers Cooper demonstrates that an emphasis on the passive nature of ones relationship to God does not diminish or negate the necessity of sanctified living. This is done not by departing from Lutheran teaching but by delving deeper into historic Lutheran theology as found in the scholastic tradition. Coopers contribution to the study of the two kinds of righteousness is notable for its overall grasp of the topic and its prodding to consider further implications. In his broad accessible historical and systematic sketch of the teaching he clarifies misconceptions in relation to other topics such as law and gospel alien righteousness and cooperation in good works. Hands of Faith is a welcome advance in the ongoing research on the two kinds of righteousness. --Gifford A. Grobien Assistant Professor Systematic Theology Concordia Theological Seminary Fort Wayne Indiana Jordan Cooper is pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in Watseka Illinois and Adjunct Professor of Systematic Theology at The American Lutheran Theological Seminary. Among his previous books are Christification: A Lutheran Approach to Theosis (2014) and The Great Divide: A Lutheran Evaluation of Reformed Theology (2015).