The New Testament doctrine of justification is under attack from several quarters at the present time. On the one hand are the ecumenical dialogues and compromises as evidenced in statements such as The Evangelical and Catholics Together document. Then there is the so-called “New Perspective” on Paul. Finally, there are those who deny that justification is the imputation of the righteousness of Christ to the believer; rather faith is the instrument of justification, being imputed to the believer, resulting in something very similar to the doctrine of infused righteousness as taught by the Roman Catholics.
It is this final attack that is addressed by Piper in Counted Righteous in Christ. By-and-large Piper is dealing with the teachings of Robert Gundry on this subject, partly because of his influence and partly because his writings are understandable, unlike some others who seem to want to mask what they are really saying. In the process Piper does some excellent exegetical studies on a number of passages, in particular Romans chapters four and five.
This is a rather detailed little book, which most would find a bit tedious. But for those embroiled in the justification wars it is a good book to have in their arsenal.