Faith Alone: The Condition of Our Salvation: An Exposition of the Book of Galatians and Other Relevant Topics. By Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, San Antonio, TX: Ariel Ministries, 2014. 144 pp. Paper, $13.00.
Fruchtenbaum heads Ariel Ministries in San Antonio, TX. He has long championed what he calls Israelology, the study of the place of Israel in the Scriptures.
This book is partly a brief commentary on Galatians (pp. 1-72), partly a detailed proof that “the Israel of God” in Gal 6:16 refers to believing Jews, not to the Church as Replacement Theology argues (pp. 60-71), partly an explanation of why believers are no longer under the Law of Moses but are instead under the law of Messiah (pp. 73-90), and partly a defense against any additions to faith alone in Christ alone as the sole condition for everlasting life (pp. 91-134).
JOTGES readers will enjoy his explanation of Gal 5:19-21 (p. 53) and Gal 6:7-9 (p. 58). And they will applaud his discussion of false additions to faith as the sole condition of everlasting life.
Fruchtenbaum shows that Yahweh (YHWH) in the OT sometimes refers to the Lord Jesus (pp. 103-105), whom he routinely calls Yeshua.
I highly recommend this book in spite of the fact that it is a bit disjointed (commentary + related articles) and that it is a very small book. There are enough excellent insights given to make it well worth owning and reading carefully.
Robert N. Wilkin
Associate Editor
Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society