
The Purpose of Election
Re-Examining the Doctrine of Predestination Through the Theology of the Cross
Paul Chua Wang(Author)
Wipf & Stock Publishers
Published on 29. May 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
408 pages
979-8-3852-7955-5 (ISBN)
Description
The renewed interest in the reading of Romans 9-11 over recent decades is indicative of the attempt to settle the controversy concerning the doctrine of double predestination. In reference to Luther's directive that the theology of the cross be the lens through which all other doctrines be examined, and based on the "New Perspective" on Paul's writings and his Jewish background, this study reassesses the Reformed doctrine of predestination through Paul's convictions concerning the cross and his theological reading of the Old Testament.
Accordingly, this study establishes that the primary principle, which Paul underscores within the context of Romans 9, is that the cross is the supreme expression of God's purpose of election. The cross of Christ not only is a statement about God's determination in election, but it also has an existential purpose in its ways and works. Furthermore, the readers of Romans 9 will recognize that when Paul discusses election, he engages a specifically Trinitarian articulation of God, who works out his election of grace in a definite yet surprising manner. Since the correlation between election and the cross is held together in Christ through his crucifixion, Wang puts "cruciform election" foremost in the understanding of predestination.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
589 gr
ISBN-13
979-8-3852-7955-5 (9798385279555)
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Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Paul C. Wang has been engaged in theological education and pastoral ministry in North America and around the world for over fifty years. He had served as Vice Principal of the Canadian Chinese School of Theology at Tyndale Seminary in Canada, and was the Chair for the English track of the seventh Chinese Congress on World Evangelization (CCOWE). He is the lead translator and editor-in-chief of the Chinese edition of Karl Barth's Church Dogmatics: The Doctrine of the Word.