Posts Tagged salvation
Review: Images of Salvation in the New Testament
Posted by Joel in Book Review on February 7, 2011
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If you have read N.T. Wright and William Willimon, then you know that modern theologians are no longer concerned with one particular image, or imaging, of salvation in the New Testament, almost diving into the current trend of Scripture arguing with Scripture. Instead they offer an amendment to that discourse in that theologians now simply allow for different literary techniques to be employed to tell the greater story. Colijn’s great wealth as presented in this book is to compile the recent discussions on these images into one account which bears great interest for those tempted to repeatedly exchange their theological currency, inflating and thus deflating other marketable images. Instead, she is able to easily show that the various images of salvation aren’t opposed to one another, but instead, presents a salvic mosaic which helps to increase the reader’s literary participation in the epic which is the Gospel story. Using not only recent scholarship, but an acknowledged command of literary usage and the Greek language, Colijn is able to build a cohesive image of salvation – that no one pictured satisfied the ancient writers.
My one real issue with her book is that it is often times a restating of recent scholarship. Is this a real problem? Not really, especially when she is able to show that these images are not competing against each other, but completing one another. Her entire understanding of the existence of these images is bound up in the notion that salvation is too great of an event to cast in only one literary image by the authors (p13-14). Instead, she maintains that we cannot limit our understanding of what salvation means to one image, but we have to be ready to allow for often times more than one in order to fully express our current view of salvation. She is right, of course, that the ‘New Testament images of salvation tell a single story – the story of God’s love for his broken creation, his desire for covenant relationship, and his patient shaping of a people who would reflect his love to one another and to the world. (p313)’ In telling this story, she is able to deal easily enough with Justification, New Creation, Reconciliation (my big three), Election, Theosis, and Sanctification, among a few others. These are the images she sees and these are the images she believes tells us what has happened through Christ. She isn’t wrong.
While this book doesn’t break a lot of new ground, and indeed, her index of authors provides support that she is compiling more than she is telling, what is important here is that she is able to place one view of salvation next to the other, not as a slight or an argument against, but an argument for. This is important to modern theologians as often times, they are falling into the same compartmental patterns that their fore-bearers fell into – that only one image is right or necessary. Colijn’s book must be used in the formation of young theologians and clergy as well while they are attempting to find their own theological footing. Let them search for their theologia crucis, indeed, but a work like this shows that one image along shouldn’t be a bedrock or singular perspective, but rather perhaps a hermeneutic focus. In that, while Coljin often repeats current scholarly and theological trends, she is able to showcase the mosaic splendor of a life led in Christ – wherein one set of words can barely describe the joy which salvation truly brings.
Related articles
- More thoughts from Colijn on Baptism and Citizenship (thechurchofjesuschrist.us)
- Review: Reclaiming the Old Testament for Christian Preaching (thechurchofjesuschrist.us)
- Miscellany (eisdoxan.wordpress.com)
- Should Developed Christology form a basis for the theologising of the New Testament? (thechurchofjesuschrist.us)
- The Finest Theology of the New Testament Since Bultmann’s (zwingliusredivivus.wordpress.com)
- Tom Schreiner on NT Wright (ETS plenary) (westernthm.wordpress.com)
Chris Hitchens – Refuses to punk out, offers blessing
I agree with him, actually. Here is a man who hates Christianity and religion in general, faced with a possible death sentence (but aren’t we all?), and vows to not turn to Christ on his deathbed.
In his first television interview this week with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Hitchens said the only time he may “hedge [his] bets” is if he is very ill and half demented and does not have control over what he says.
While “the faithful love to spread these rumours” that on his death bed he will finally accept Christ, the atheist said he would not do “such a pathetic thing” while he’s lucid.
“I could be quite sure of that,” he told Cooper. And if there are any rumors saying otherwise, he said, “Don’t believe it.”
……
Hitchens – who has asserted that he distrusts anything that contradicts science or outrages reason and does not believe in heaven or hell – said he does not pray even as he faces a tough form of cancer.
“That’s all meaningless to me,” he said. “I don’t think souls or bodies can be changed by incantation or anything else.”
He expressed earlier that he was surprised by the number of prayer groups that formed – many of which are praying that Hitchens makes peace with God and gets saved. And he doesn’t want to stop them.
“I say if it makes you feel better, then you have my blessing,” he said of those praying for him.
Turning to Christ on deathbed would be ‘pathetic’, says Hitchens | Christian News on Christian Today.
Good for him, I say. No turning back now, I reckon.
Personally, I don’t like death bed confessions. I believe that when you live your life in full opposition to God and Christ, why punk out at the end, the last few minutes of your life?
I’ll pray for him, but in the end, not even most Christians have the strength of their convictions which I’ve seen some atheists have. We can all hope of a death bed confession – something to tell our children about, as they do with Darwin, Dakes, etc… – but would it really be sincere?
Sirach 3.24-29 – The Heart
Continuing our commentary on Sirach,
(24) A hard heart will be afflicted at the end, and whoever loves danger will perish by it.
The Hebrew adds to this verse,
But he that loves the good things shall walk in them
(25) A hard heart will be weighed down by troubles, and the sinner will add sin to sins.
Paul can be found to echo this thought in his Roman letter,
But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. He will judge everyone according to what they have done. (Romams 2:5-6 NLT)
This passage in Sirach concerns the heart of the man, which may be humble and given to God, or arrogant and given in to sin. Like the previous section of contrast, Sirach brings to us the contrast of the heart and the end of each one. Like Paul several centuries later, Sirach knew that the end of the arrogant heart, the heart which stood before God instead of kneeling, would end with no remedy, but the heart that was humble, will have a good future.
(26) The arrogant man is not healed by his punishment, for a plant of wickedness has taken root in him.
Contrast this with John’s statement in the Apocalypse that New Jerusalem would have ‘healing for the nations’ (Revelation 22.2). We may, however, go as far to point out that the ‘man’ in question is not he ignorant man – unlearned of God – but the man who knows of God and yet refuses to give heed unto Him. Here, Sirach tells us that a remedy for that man’s soul cannot be found.
(27) The mind of the intelligent man will ponder a parable, and an attentive ear is the wise man’s desire.
This brings to mind the discourse of Christ with the Apostles using parables. Many times in the Gospels, we find recorded parables, but only for those with ears to hear, and we can somewhat easily connect the Wise Man with Christ who is the Wisdom of God (1st Corinthians 1.24).
(28) Water extinguishes a blazing fire: and almsgiving atones for sin.
This verse inaugurates what many will assume to be the end of any talk of inspiration of Sirach; however, Jesus Himself considered almsgiving (charity) as method of righteousness (Luke 11.41). Briefly, we see Daniel counseling the King of Babylon (Dan. 4.27) to consider mercy to the poor as a means of cleansing iniquities. The Psalmist (Psalms 41.1-2) tells us that those that consider the poor will be delivered by God in their time of troubles while our Lord in several places speaks of the evils of not being charitable. The most prominent example is that of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16.19-31) who if we will read we see not a condemnation based on religious reasons, or one of immorality, but one of passing the beggar by every day, giving the excess of the table to the dogs. The Rich Man was not sent to the grave in torments because of his wealth or his lack of religious righteousness, but because he failed to take care of the poor.
When Christ is speaking about the hypocrisies of the Pharisees, he says,
Then the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness. Foolish ones! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also? But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you. (Luke 11:39-41 NKJV)
The French theologian Godet says,
Do you think it is enough to wash your hands before eating? There is a surer means. Let some poor man partake of your meats and wines.
And we hear from Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, and disciple of the Apostle John:
From Polycarp’s Epistle to the Philippians, ch. 10,
Stand fast, therefore, in these things, and follow the example of the Lord, being firm and unchangeable in the faith, loving the brotherhood, and being attached to one another, joined together in the truth, exhibiting the meekness of the Lord in your intercourse with one another, and despising no one. When you can do good , defer it not, because “alms delivers from death.” [Tobit 4:10, 12:9] Be all of you subject one to another, having your conduct blameless among the Gentiles, that ye may both receive praise for your good works, and the Lord may not be blasphemed through you. But owe to him by whom the name of the Lord is blasphemed! Teach, therefore, sobriety to all, and manifest it also in your own conduct.
Polycarp quotes another often hidden book, Tobit, directly, but the idea is the same. Charity comes by and produces righteousness. By the waters of baptism is the fires of hell quenched, just as mercy to the poor will bring forgiveness for our trespasses.
(29) Whoever repays favors gives thought to the future; at the moment of his falling he will find support.
Finally, words from John Chrysostom
Let us then travel along all these ways; for if we give ourselves wholly to these employments, if on them we spend our time, not only shall we wash off our bygone transgressions, but shall gain very great profit for the future. For we shall not allow the devil to assault us with leisure either for slothful living, or for pernicious curiosity, since by these among other means, and in consequence of these, he leads us to foolish questions and hurtful disputations, from seeing us at leisure, and idle, and taking no forethought for excellency of living. But let us block up this approach against him, let us watch, let us be sober, that having in this short time toiled a little, we may obtain eternal goods in endless ages, by the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ; (Chrysostom on John 7)
Sweet Sweet Song of Salvation
Posted by Joel in Devotional on April 12, 2010
HT – Debbie Kaufman (via Facebook)
Melito of Sardis – The Impassible Suffered
Posted by Joel in Godhead, Melito of Sardis, Theology on April 2, 2010
The whole creation saw clearly that for humanity’s sake the Judge was condemned, the Invisible was seen, the Unlimited was circumscribed, the Impassible suffered, the Immortal died and theHeavenly one was laid in the grave. (Discourse on the Soul and the Body, fragment, ACD vol 1 pg 53)
Irenaeus on the Pedagogue of the Law
But as many as feared God, and were anxious about His law, these ran to Christ, and were all saved. For He said to His disciples: “Go ye to the sheep of the house of Israel, which have perished.” And many more Samaritans, it is said, when the Lord had tarried among them, two days, “believed because of His words, and said to the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying, for we ourselves have heard [Him], and know that this man is truly the Saviour of the world.” And Paul likewise declares, “And so all Israel shall be saved;” but he has also said, that the law was our pedagogue [to bring us] to Christ Jesus. Let them not therefore ascribe to the law the unbelief of certain [among them]. For the law never hindered them from believing in the Son of God; nay, but it even exhorted them so to do, saying that men can be saved in no other way from the old wound of the serpent than by believing in Him who, in the likeness of sinful flesh, is lifted up from the earth upon the tree of martyrdom, and draws all things to Himself, and brings to life the dead. – Against Heresies 4.8
Two Roads, Diverged? Romans vs. Ephesians Road
I had to order the book, after reading this explanation of the Ephesians Road:
Wax’s Ephesians Road is simple and effective (though note I will discuss a complexity about it afterward):
- Salvation is about God’s plan for the world (Ephesians 1), including election, adoption, and uniting all things in Messiah. Wax says it’s not so much that God has a wonderful plan for your life, but that God has a wonderful plan.
- Salvation is only by unearned favor (Ephesians 2:1-9), raising us from the dead and saving us from God’s wrath. Wax says we weren’t rescued while drowning, we were already dead and God made us alive.
- Salvation comes with a calling that must be fulfilled in the community of faith (Ephesians 2:10-22), including good works, kingdom community, and imaging God to the world.
Whereas the Romans Road says, “You can be forgiven and live forever,” the Ephesians Road says, “God is making a perfected cosmos and you can join in.”
via Trevin Wax’s Ephesians Road Expanded « Messianic Jewish Musings.
Is there really a divergence? Since I haven’t read the book to know the basic arguments, I can only say that from this point, while the ‘Romans Road’ seems to be individualistic, the ‘Ephesians Road’ seems to be communal. In other words, God offers salvation individually, but through the community it is achieved. Such as in Acts 2.36-40 in which when the people were saved, they were added to the Church.
Should be an interesting book, as it has already started the wheels turning.
Heresy and Salvation – Join the Conversation
I saw this post this past week, found myself in general agreement and moved on:
Athanasius and Proper Contemplation of the Father and the Son
Posted by Joel in Athanasius, Theology on August 29, 2009
The Son is in the Father because his whole being is proper to the Father’s essence…so that whoever sees the Son sees what belongs to the Father and understands that the Son’s being, because it comes from the Father, is therefore in the Father. The Father is in the Son, because the Son is what is from the Father and belongs to him. They relate to one another as the radiance to the sun, the word to the thought expressed and the stream to the fountain. Whoever contemplates the Son like this contemplates what belongs to the Father’s essence and knows that the Father is in the Son. (Discourses Against the Arians 3.23.3 ACD vol 1 pg72)
