Building upon the Reformation’s solas, there is now a complex argument within Protestantism concerning the use of the word faith and how it is interpreted through related texts and the whole of the biblical narrative. A specific field within this argument is the debate concerning Πίστις Χριστοῦ (Pistis Christou). Paul utilizes the phrase Pistis Christou in seven verses (Rom. 3:22, 26; Gal. 2:16, 20; 3:22; Phil. 3:9). New Perspective proponent N.T. Wright prefers “faithfulness of Christ” while Wright’s NP counterpart, James D.G. Dunn chooses “faith in Christ."[1] The debate matters, because “The interpretation of Pistis Christou affects a whole constellation of issues about the nature of salvation, the person and work of Christ, the contents of faith, the character of the church, and even Bible translations.”[2] Schreiner’s Galatians commentary only lists two options of interpretation; faith in Christ, and faithfulness of Christ.[3] But I believe that there are more options. So here we go!
Faith In Christ: Objective Genitive / Anthropological Interpretation
The first interpretation to consider is the Objective genitive interpretation. Some have concluded that the objective genitive is the oldest interpretation.[4] The basic premise of the objective reading is that a believer is saved by believing in Christ. “Faith in Christ,” is an action accomplished by the individual believer, contrasting “the faith/fullness of Christ.”[5] Further evidence for the objective genitive is the argument that in Galatians Paul is contrasting human works of the law, and so Pistis Christou must also be a human action.[6] Thus, one may suppose Pistis Christou as a contrasting “work,” which yields salvation, unlike the Law.
Theological Implication
|
|
The believer’s belief, in Jesus, leads to eternal salvation; focus upon action of believer.
|
|
Interpretive Reading of Galatians 2:16
|
|
yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. - ESV
|
Faithfulness of Christ: Subjective / Christological Interpretation
The second most common interpretation of Pistis Christou is called the Subjective Genitive interpretation. Richard Hays may have been first to clearly articulated the subjective view in his dissertation (1981- Emory University). Dunn noted two ways which Hay’s view adds to Pauline theology: 1. He “highlights ‘the narrative elements that undergird Paul’s theology” 2. He highlights how “To believe in Christ is to share in his faithfulness.”[7] Where the objective genitive proponents focused upon the grammatical structure and allusions to other notable New Testament passages, the subjective genitive camp looks to the whole narrative of Scripture. One might say that the faith, of the believer, is reliance in something already seen / revealed, in this case God’s faithfulness.[8] Furthermore, in the New Testament a godward focus is refined by looking to Christ for the righteousness of God has been revealed in the faithfulness of Christ. “Hays and Campbell contended that Pistis Christou is a metonymy for Christ’s passion as ‘obedience’, ‘blood’, ‘death’, ‘cross’, and ‘crucifixion.’”[9] This particular interpretation is theologically attractive, especially for those who are primarily focused upon topics such as God’s glory, yet it does not seem that John Piper holds this view.
|
Theological Implication
|
|
Jesus’ faithfulness leads to eternal salvation; focus upon action of Christ.
|
|
Interpretive Reading of Galatians 2:16
|
|
“Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” – K.J.V.
or
yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by the faithfulness of Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. – personal application of interpretation
|
Christ-Faith: Eschatological Interpretation
"For those readers who cannot accept the view that Pistis Christou means Christ’s own faith but who recognize weakness of the traditional translation “faith in Christ, I offer an alternative: when Paul wishes to stress that even the capacity to accept the grace of God coming finally, from beyond man’s own power of willing and doing, he speaks of the source of eschatological faith, Pistis Christou, which might be rendered “Christ-Faith.”[11]"
|
Theological Implication
|
|
Christ-Faith, the event, is the source for eschatological faith; Focus upon coming action.
|
|
Interpretive Reading of Galatians 2:16
|
|
yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through the Christ-Faith, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by the Christ-Faith and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. – personal application of interpretation
|
Faith of Christ: In God / Exemplum
A second variant view of Pistis Christou is that one may find is somewhat of an exemplum understanding. In 1891, Johannes Haußlelter was the first to suggest that Paul's expression Pistis Christou should be Interpreted as the “faithfulness of Christ.”[12] Though it reads the same as the subjective genitive Haußlelter referred to Christ’s belief. The basic premise of this rarely mentioned interpretation is that Christ had faith in God and humans can be saved by following his example of faith placed in the Father. Similar to the objective genitive interpretation, the Exemplum finds the contrast in Gal. 2 to be between human actions. Where the Exemplum differs is that Christ through Pistis Christou yielded an example of how to exercise a saving faith. At the time of this writing, this view has only one known adherent, who wrote in German, possibly highlighting why there aren’t more adherents. The chief theological problem of this view is that Jesus’ life is reduced to being a moral story. In essence, Pistis Christou as Exemplum, shows man how he can act and be saved. Such a view undermines Christ’s saving work through death, burial, and resurrection.
|
Theological Implication
|
|
Jesus’ faith in God is the example to eternal salvation; focus upon Christ’s personal faith.
|
|
Interpretive Reading of Galatians 2:16
|
|
yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith [like] Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith [like] Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. – personal application of interpretation
|
Faith of Christ: Source of Faith
Where some hold that Christ’s faith is an example, Mark Seifrid contended that “the expression ‘faith of Christ’ (in its various forms) describes Christ as the author and source of faith.”[13] Thus, if one is saved by Pistis Christou, it is because Christ gave his personal Pistis to the believer.
To be found in Christ is to have a righteousness already given and effected through the faith of Christ. Both the passivity of Paul’s person as well as the participatory thrust of the entire passage suggests that “the faith of Christ” signifies faith which comes as a gift from Christ. The righteousness from God that Paul desires is the righteousness that God effects through the faith which comes from Christ.[14]
|
Theological Implication
|
|
Jesus is the source of saving faith; focus upon Christ as actuator of faith and hope.
|
|
Interpretive Reading of Galatians 2:16
|
|
yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith [from] Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith [from] Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. – personal application of interpretation
|
Messiah Faith Interpretations: Attributive Genitive / Faith in Christ’s Faithfulness
There remains one more variant interpretation which will be presented as a mediating interpretation. Dan Wallace noted that the subjective/objective categories were traditionally dealt with in grammars under the attributive rubric.[15] If you apply the attributive rubric to the Pistis Christou debate you’ll find a dual focus and flexibility. Joel Willitts stated, “I’ve opted for the attributive category because of both its flexibility, but also its specificity; by flexibility I mean that it cannot be reduced to the subj/obj debate.”[16] By permitting both faith and faithfulness to be held within Pistis Christou, the interpretation yielded is, “faith in Christ’s faithfulness.”
|
Theological Implication
|
|
The faith of a believer placed in the faithfulness of God leads to salvation; focus upon trust of a believer and the continued actions of God.
|
|
Interpretive Reading of Galatians 2:16
|
|
even so, we have come to realize that a person is not declared righteous by God on the ground of his legalistic observance of Torah commands, but through the Messiah Yeshua’s trusting faithfulness. Therefore, we too have put our trust in Messiah Yeshua and become faithful to him, in order that we might be declared righteous on the ground of the Messiah’s trusting faithfulness and not on the ground of our legalistic observance of Torah commands. For on the ground of legalistic observance of Torah commands, no one will be declared righteous. - CJB
Or
yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith [in the faithfulness of] Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by Christ’s Faithfulness and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. - personal application of interpretation
|
[1] N.T. Wright, Paul: in fresh perspective (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2005), 110-22., James Dunn, The Theology of Paul the Apostle (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2006), 381.
[2] James Dunn, ‘Forward’, in The Faith of Jesus Christ: Exegetical, Biblical, and Theological Studies, eds. Michael Bird and Preston Sprinkle (Milton Keynes: Paternoster), 3.
[3] Thomas Schreiner, Galatians (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010), 162-166.
[4] For earlier views see: Schliesser, Benjamin. 2015. “Exegetical Amnesia’ And ΠΙΣΤΙΣ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥ: The ‘Faith of Christ’ In Nineteenth-Century Pauline Scholarship. Journal of Theological Studies, NS, VOL. 66. April 2015. ALSO Matlock, “Saving Faith,” 174.
[5] Hunn, “Debating the Faithfulness,” 27.
[6] Murray, Romans, 365-67, Hultgren, The Pistis Christou, 258-59. Dunn, “Once More,” 270-71 and Fee, Pauline Christology, 226.
[7] Dunn, “Intro,” xv-xvii.
[8] D.A. Campbell, “The Faithfulness of Jesus Christ in Romans 3:22,” in The Faith of Jesus Christ: Exegetical, Biblical, and Theological Studies, eds. Michael Bird and Preston Sprinkle (Milton Keynes: Paternoster, 2009), 68.
[9] Ardel Caneday, “The Faith of Jesus Christ as a Theme in Paul’s Theology in Galatians,” in The Faith of Jesus Christ: Exegetical, Biblical, and Theological Studies, eds. Michael Bird and Preston Sprinkle (Milton Keynes: Paternoster, 2009), 186.
[10] Seifrid, “The Faith,” 144.
[11] Sam Williams, “The ‘Righteousness of God’ in Romans,” (JBL 99, 1980), 266
[12] Translations of Johannes Haublelter in Hunn, “Debating the Faithfulness”
[13] Seifrid, “The Faith,” 130.
[14] Ibid., 145.
[15] Wallace, Greek Grammar, 89-91.
[16] Joel Willitts, “Pistis Christou – A working Hypothesis,” Patheos, March 22, 2014. http://www.patheos.com/blogs/euangelion/2014/03/pistis-christou-a-working-hypothesis/, Others with Similar Views. George Brunk III. Galatians: Believers Church Bible Commentary. (Harrisonburg: Herald, 2015), Buttrick, George ed. “Faith,” in The Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible. Volume 2. (New York: Abingdon Press, 1962). R. Alan Cole, Galatians: Tyndale New Testament Commentaries. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999). Timothy George, Galatians: The New American Commentary. (Nashville: B&H, 1994), Joseph Pipa. Galatians: God’s Proclomation of Liberty. (Glasgow: Bell & Brain, 2010), Todd Wilson, Galatians: Gospel-Rooted Living. (Wheaton: Crossway, 2013).
