This book is well suited for those interested in the controversy surrounding the New Perspective’s view of justification, including the role of the Law and works. In this book, Piper makes the argument to prevent the reality of justification from moving off of the point where a person becomes a Christian. He wants to keep it there because that is where he believes the Bible locates it. He believes a person becomes a Christian by what happens in the event of justification. He also wants to keep justification from moving off of the basis of Christ’s death and obedience. He wants to keep the doctrine of justification from straying off of the imputation of Christ’s obedience to a believer by faith alone in union with Jesus Christ, so that a believer’s confidence that God is for them is based on the work and life of Christ and not the works of a person. The major difference between Wright and Piper is how they see the process of justification working. Wright’s view of justification is a future declaration, that has present implications, rather than a completed declaration in the past. For Wright, justification is not only the beginning, but it is the beginning and the end. Piper takes the traditional reformed viewpoint that justification is the point in time at the moment of salvation that God declares a person to be righteous. Wright never denies that justification, the declaration of the individual, is a point in time. He argues that it is more than that. Wright says it is the declaration of the individual and that a person is righteous as part of the community.
The Future of Justification sets out to defend the doctrine of justification by arguing from a traditional reformed perspective. The book takes an unorthodox viewpoint and demonstrates how and why it is an unbiblical concept. Piper sees this issue of justification as a primary part of soteriology that needs to be defended from ideas that distort the gospel, take away from the work of Christ, and diminish the glory of God. Piper shows that a Christian is to live in a way to glorifies and exalts God. Piper argues that the reason God is for a believer is not that a believer obeys or does works, but that the believer is enabled to obey producing works out of faith.