THESIS NO.9
The focal point of the
New Testament is the person of Jesus Christ.
The Damascus experience constituted Saul, the Pharisee and the
persecutor of the Church, into a believer in Jesus Christ and an apostle to the
Gentiles. The theological perspective of
the Pauline Corpus is centered on the death and resurrection of Jesus
Christ. The salvific effects of the
Christ-event can be appropriated by faith in Jesus (Rom.1:16-17; 3:21-26). This has practicaL consequences in the life
of the Christians and in their dealings with one another (Rom.8:1011; 12:9-13).
The focal point of New Testament is the person of Jesus
Christ Each evangelists presents Jesus in different
way as experienced by them in different life situations and different faith
responses are made by the community who received it. New Testament presentation of Jesus reveals
the fact that Jesus is the centre of it.
Let us make a cursory glance of each gospel's theology which will add
precision and clarity to the theme the centrality
of Jesus Christ in the New Testament.
Marcan Theology
Mark's gospel is addressed to
gentiles. This is evident from 7/12 ff
and 15/42 ff, which explains the Jewish
customs which is alien to the gentiles and 3/17
("James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, whom he
surnamed Boanerges, that is, sons of thunder;"), 4/41, 7/11, 34, 15/22,
translate Aramaic words which help the gentile readers to understand more
meaningfully. Mark seems to have special
interest in persecution and martyrdom (8/34-38, 13/9-13). This is because the occasion of his gospel
was written during the period of the persecution under Nero. So Mark may be writing to prepare his readers
for this suffering by placing before them the life of our Lord. Mark presents Jesus as the Suffering Servant.
Mark's gospel is a gospel of secret epiphanies, proclaiming the
words and works of Jesus, the hidden manifestations of the Suffering Son of
God. The idea took its rise from the
several instances in which Jesus commands people to be silent about his action
or identity. After Peter's confession
(8/27-30 "And Jesus went on with his disciples, to the villages of
Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, "Who do men say
that I am?". And they told him,
"John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others one of the
prophets." And he asked them, "But who do you say that I am?"
Peter answered him, "You are the Christ." And he charged them to tell no one about
him.) of Jesus as the Messiah the meaning of the messiahship of Jesus is given
namely, the suffering messiah. So
Mk.8/27-30 is the watershed of Mk's Gospel because the main thrust of the first
part is the progressive revelation of the
Mystery of Jesus' messiahship while the chief thrust of the second part is the
mystery of the suffering Son of Man (Mk 8/27-30). is terminus ad quem of all that proceeds and terminus ad quo of all that follows. In Mark the messianic authority is revealed
in Jesus' preaching,teaching, healing and casting out demons. He reveals his mysterious power through the
parables and miracles.
Mathean Theology
Mt's Gospel is addressed to the
Judeo-Christians and he presents Jesus as the Kingly Messiah, that is the long awaited eschatological saviour of
Israel and the world. Jesus is the
messiah foretold and promised in the OT whose coming was awaited by Jews. Mt quotes
41 times from OT. 37 times by the
formulae "that it might be fulfilled", "as it was written",
"as the prophet said". Jesus'
messiahship as the Son of David is seen in Mt 9/27, 12/33, 15/22. He is not the New Moses but he is more than
Moses. (In Dt 18/15-19 God gives commandments to Moses (Israel) but in Mt 5/1
Jesus is in the place of God preaching the new law). He is the `foretold one' is explained by
showing how he in his life and ministry fulfilled the OT scriptures 1/22-23,
2/15, 2/17-18, 2/24, 8/17, 12/17-21, 13/35, 27/9-10. He is born into the family of David (1/1-13)
and realizes his messianic role by fulfilling Old Testament prophecy through
his actions and OT Law through his teaching (5/17). But his saving mission reaches beyond Israel
to the gentiles (8/5-13). This gentile
mission is justified by Mt's portrayal of the mission of Jesus as one which
meets with increasing rejection by the leaders of the Jews (21/13,21/33) and
finally by the whole people (27/25). Because Israel rejects its Messiah,
Jerusalem is destroyed (22/25), and kingdom is now entrusted to a new people
(21/43) made up of Jews and gentiles alike.
It is this new people that makes up the community of the disciples of
the Risen Lord.
According to Matthew, Christian
existence is discipleship: "Make disciples of all nation"
(28/19). People become disciples through
baptism and by observing whatever Jesus had commanded them. By doing the will of the Father, the
followers of Jesus show themselves to be the disciples of the Risen Lord who is
for them Immanuel. Jesus is the Immanuel because He is the Son of the
living God (16/16). And this is because
he can communicate His sonship to his followers (11/27).
Jesus is the Son of God is acclaimed in baptism 3/17, by Peter's
confession in 16/16 and 14/33. `Kingdom of Heaven' (peculiar to Mt
which is found 33 times compared to `kingdom of God' which is found 4 times) is
present by the coming of Jesus Christ.
Kingdom of God is the reign of God.
Lukan Theology
Luke wants to create an accurate
chronological and comprehensive account of the unique life of Jesus the Christ
to strengthen the faith of the gentile believers and stimulate saving faith among
non-believers. Jesus is presented with
Messianic Dignity as Son of David in
1/32; 2/4; 11/29; 20/42-44; Acts 2/25.
Jesus is the liberator and
the saviour of humanity is seen in
4/18-22 and 4/31. Jesus is the prophet in 7/16; 7/37; 11/14. Jesus is seen as human person who really feels sympathy towards the poor, the
downtrodden and the sinners (egs.10/30 - Good Samaritan, Widow at Naim 7/13,
Parables in Chapter 15 and Zachaeus Episode in 19).
Johannine Theology
The focus of attention was on Jesus Messiahship and Sonship. The messianic status is often discussed among
the Jews. For John, Jesus was the fulfiller of all the messianic hopes of the
jewish people. Secondly, Jesus as
the Son of God is much
emphasized. Many times Jesus himself
brings out His own filial relationship with the Father. The plan of salvation was affected by the
Father through the Son. It was out of
love for the world that God sent his son (3/16). The Son is the agent through whom the Father
reveals Himself. This Sonship and
Messiahship of Jesus is never allowed to distract from the perfect human nature
of Jesus. There are clear indications of
the perfect humanity of Jesus in this Gospel.
He experiences human emotions, hunger and thirst etc.
`Son of
Man' title is seen 13
times in Jn. Jesus is the divine glory
which the Incarnate word possess in Himself. He is the same Son of God in
Resurrection Jn 8/28. Jesus is the life-giver (bread narrative). He is the light of the world. He is the way, the truth and the life. John encounters Jesus Christ as the saviour
of the world. The horizon of his gospel
is not Palestine but the world.
Incarnation and pre-existence (Logos) are given importance. This is the main thrust of John. John brings in, the contrast between man and
God in symbolisms like light and darkness, life and death. Eg. Jn 1/5 `The light shines in the darkness
and the darkness has not overcome it.'
Jesus is the radical contrast to the world. Jesus not only preaches against death,
darkness etc. but He himself is life, truth and light. Jn 6/35-48 says, `I am the bread of
life.' Jn 8/12 says, `I am the light of
the world.'
Jesus is sent for the salvation of
the world. Jn 3/16 f says `..for the
eternal life of all God sent his only son.'
The two dimensions of Jesus is seen here, i.e., there is a full
integrity between the divinity and humanity of Jesus. Jesus' union with his Father is seen in Jn
16/28. We read, that He came from the
Father and will return to the Father.
In
short, what we have in John is that the Divine-Man Christology deepened by
Son-Christology. The summary of Jn's
gospel is given in Jn 20/31. Its aim is
to stimulate faith in non believers as well as in believers to continue in
their faith. Jesus is presented as God's
word sent down to earth to declare to men the hidden things about God and to be
witness to all that He has seen and heard from God His Father.
Theology of Acts, Pauline and Catholic Epistles
Acts proclaim the Risen Lord and He is the only name given by God for salvation
(Acts 4/10-12). Peter's speech during
the Pentecost is a solemn affirmation of the resurrection of the crucified
Messiah.
The Pauline Epistles stress is too
on the Risen Lord. God is the author of the salvation but it is
mediated through Christ by His saving act.
1 Cor 15:17 "If Christ has
not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins."
The purpose of the Letter of James
is to wipe of all kinds of social injustice from among the jewish Christian
community. Main themes dealt are faith
must be lived in charity, control of tongue, love for peace and sin the cause
of disunity. So there is no explicit
references to the person of Jesus Christ.
Even though there is a note on the day of the coming of the Lord, main
intention of the Petrine Epistles are to exhort regarding Christian moral life.
The purpose of the letter of I John
is to stress on life of integrity viz.,
faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God
and love of brethren. The purpose of II
John is answer to those who publicly denied the reality of incarnation. The purpose of III John is to settle some
disputes regarding jurisdiction which had risen in one of the churches
acknowledging John's authority.
Apocalypse speaks of dreams and visions.
It speaks of visions of Christ,
Second Coming and New Heaven and New Earth.
Jude's letter is a defence
against false teachers. It speaks of the
only God our Saviour, through Jesus
Christ, our Lord.
The most significant difference
between Gospels and letters is that, in the Gospels we see Jesus preaching the
Kingdom of God. Whereas in the letters
we see that Jesus is proclaimed. But in
both the focal point is Christ himself, though presented differently. Another difference is that the Gospels
present the words and works of Jesus, but the letters presents experience about
Jesus.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[This part if you wish only read,
otherwise leave it. I have just copied
from the previous thesis. The
various titles of Jesus may help us to see more clearly the centrality of Jesus Christ.
New Testament Presentation of Jesus:
1. Various Titles given to Him signify this fact.
a. Messiah: means the Anointed. Jesus as the
Messiah is a key expression of faith within the early Jewish mission and it
probably formed the decisive step of faith for Jewish converts. Christos
usually serves as a proper name, a way of referring to Jesus, rather than as an
expression of faith in Jesus as Messiah ROM 9:5
To them belong the patriarchs, and of their race, according to the
flesh, is the Christ. God who is over
all be blessed for ever. Amen. ROM
15:3 For Christ did not please himself;
but, as it is written, "The reproaches of those who reproached thee fell
on me." In the OT, the word
anointing is very much connected with royal consecration. Anointing was a sign that someone is chosen
as God's instrument to govern the people.
It also expresses the idea of sharing in God's spirit. But as time went on people got disappointed
with their kings. This and especially
the bitter experience of exile made the Israelites expect the final Anointed
one, the Messiah. Ps 2 expresses this
clearly. Ps 2:2 "The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and his anointed,
saying,". Jesus comes at a time
when this expectation is at its zenith; Jesus is expected as the one who will
build a new Israel (political).
Therefore in the New Testament Jesus shows a reserve when he is called
Messiah. (e.g. Peter's confession Mk 8:30,"And he charged them to tell no
one about him.").
Because Peter's confession has the nuance of
a messiahship in nationalist and political terms. Jesus was put to death as a Messianic
pretender (Mk 15:26 And the inscription
of the charge against him read, "The King of the Jews.") also feeding
the 5000 has the messianic overtones. In
all the above three episodes Jesus rejected such a Messianic role because it
was linked up with the popular expectation of hope which Jesus did not
embrace. Jesus' concern seems to have
been to explain his role in terms of suffering and eschatological consummation
rather than to dispute concepts of messiahship.
But after resurrection the title becomes an expression of the core
experience of Christians. (Acts 2:36 Let
all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly that God has made him both
Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified."). We can thus see that the title (Messiah)
suggests Jesus has fulfilled hope and history.
b. Son of God: Sonship in the OT does not just point out to a blood relationship. It also expresses a belongingness to a
group. Thus Israel is called `child',
`son', etc. (Hos 11:1 When Israel was a
child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. Ex 4:22 And you shall say to Pharaoh, 'Thus says the
LORD, Israel is my first-born son). With
the enthronement of David, the idea of King as God's son came to Israel from Egypt,
Babylon (Ref.Ps 2.7). Once the kingdom
was destroyed this concept attained a messianic interpretation. Son of God language has its roots within
Jesus' own ministry. The title attains a
deeper meaning in the New Testament.
Jesus thought of himself as God's son in a distinctive way and conveyed
this sense to his disciples (Mk 6:9 But
to wear sandals and not put on two tunics., Lk 22:29 And I assign to you, as my Father assigned to
me, a kingdom,). We see the title used
in Heb, Synoptics and in John. Son of
God in these texts expresses the idea that in Jesus God has spoken his final
word and brought the work of salvation to fulfillment (Mk 1:1 + 15:39). The inner relationship of Jesus to his Father
is brought out in the title `Son of God'.
Looking beyond the New Testament documents, the confession of Jesus as
the son of God became classic in creed for instance to emphasize on the one
hand his divinity and on the other hand his difference from the Father.
c. Lord:
This is certainly the principal confession of faith for Paul and his
churches. Pauline epistles use the title
Lord (Kyrios) of Jesus nearly 230 times.
`Jesus is the Lord' is a central Pauline kerygma (2 Cor 4/5, Col
2/6). The title kyrios can denote a
whole range of dignity - from a respectful form of address as to a teacher or
judge to a full title for God. The
confession `Jesus is the Lord' originated primarily from the post-Easter faith
of the first Christians. It is a belief
that Jesus had been raised from the dead which gave the decisive nudge along
the `spectrum of dignity' towards a
connotation of divinity. According to
Acts 2/ 36 and Phil 2/9-11 kyrios is the title given to Jesus at his
resurrection/ exaltation. This view is
confirmed from Lk 24/34- it is after the resurrection that for the first time
Jesus is called `the Lord' and in Jn.20/28, only after the resurrection `my
Lord and my God' is invoked by Thomas.
Therefore, Jesus became Lord by virtue of his resurrection and
exaltation.
Other titles like Saviour,
Bridegroom, Shepherd etc, are used to help us understand the person of Jesus.
In the synoptics we find Jesus' own
preaching itself is the christological
content which again reinforce the centrality of Jesus christ in New
Testament.
Jesus proclaimed the nearness of
God's reign. Therefore he demanded a
radical conversion and accepting of God's universal and absolute reign
(Mk.1/15). God's reign includes final
victory of good over evil and the final revelation of God's mercy and love. eg
Mk 2.17 `I came not to call the righteous, but sinners'. Jesus' proclamation is with personal authority;
`I say to you' sayings of Jesus point out to (Mk 5,21,27,31,33,43) his
authority. The kingdom and the person
Jesus are inseparably connected. Mt
13/16 f, Mt 12/41, Lk 11/20. The
fullness of the manifestation of God is not fully revealed in the preaching of
Jesus. It is yet to come. Thus the Synoptic Gospels present Jesus as
Lord and Messiah. They do this by giving
him titles and showing his absolute authority (Mt.12/8 - Jesus is Lord over
sabbath, Mt 8. - Lord I am not worthy and Mk.1.1 - The gospel of Jesus Christ
the son of God). Secondly, Jesus is seen
as judge (Mt 25.31-46 - Son of man
as judge). Thirdly, Jesus is with
authority for he works miracles with authority.
Mk 4/39 Jesus speaks to the storm `be still'. Mk 5/11 to the dead girl `get up'. Fourthly, Jesus is depicted as saviour. Acceptance or rejection of Jesus is crucial
for salvation (Mk 11/21 f, Mt.21/33-45).
Fifthly, in relation to God Jesus is shown as someone different from
others. He calls God `My Father'.]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Damascus experience constituted Saul, the Pharisee
and the persecutor of the church, into a believer in Jesus Christ
Saul the Pharisee was born of Jewish
parents at Tarsus in the region of Cilicia.
He was from the tribe of Benjamin.
Paul had inherited two cultures; jewish culture by birth and hellenistic
culture by life. Paul studied law in
Jerusalem under Gamaliel (Acts 22/3).
Since he was born in Tarsus, the
capital of the province of Cilicia, a centre of culture and learning and
philosophy, he had a great mastery in the Greek language. Out of 2446 Greek terms, 800 terms are
exclusive to Paul in New Testament. He
claimed himself to be a Pharisee a strict observer of the law (Phil 3/6). His original name was Saul. He might or might have not seen Jesus. 2 Cor 5/16 says, `We saw
Christ from the human point of view.'
Saul was a persecutor of Christians.
And we can see this in his indirect participation in Stephen's martyrdom
(Acts 7/58-8/3).
Damascus experience became the
turning point in his life and he realizes that Crucified Jesus is the Messiah.
Now he changes his name to Paul.
And from this time onwards Jesus became centre of his life and activity
and he realizes that salvation is extended to the gentiles also. He calls himself as an apostle to
Gentiles. After conversion, he spent
several days in Damascus (Acts 9/19) and then goes to Arabia (Gal 1/17) and
then returns to Damascus. He makes his
first journey to Jerusalem after conversion.
Three years after conversion (Gal 1/18) he spent 15 days with Peter and
goes to native city Tarsus in Cilicia via Ceasaria (Gal 1/21 and Acts 9/30) and
he does his ministry and missionary activities.
His three missionary journeys and his letters reveal his zeal for the
people of God.
The theological perspective of the Pauline Corpus is
centred on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ
For Paul God is the author of
creation Rom 1/16-17. Though God is the
author of salvation, it is mediated through Christ. So Pauline theology is christo-centric but
ultimate reference is God (I Cor 15/28).
Pauline concept of God is of Judaism
of his time. But God's will and purpose
is revealed in his new and final act in Christ.
It is here he differs.
Righteousness of God is revealed
in Gospel Rom 1/17. Righteousness of God
is not objective genitive but subjective genitive i.e., the righteousness that
originates in God. God is not the object
of righteousness but his righteousness makes us righteous. God is the subject
of righteousness.
God is the source of
righteousness. God has done it by his saving act (passion, death and
resurrection) in Christ and we must posses and be possessed by this
righteousness in order to be saved. We
do not stand before God righteous but he reveals in order that we become
righteous before Him through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
In the process, salvation through
Christ is offered to humankind as a free gift and we have to accept it by
faith. In this way human beings becomes
a new creation in Christ. Paul calls all
these as `revelation of mystery', `making it known' or `being manifested of
that which until now was kept secret and hidden' (Rom 16/25-26, Eph 1/9-10,
3/4-5, I Cor 2/7, II Tim 1/9-10, Col 1/26).
Revelation is not merely divulging a particular truth but the appearance
itself or becoming a historical reality of that which was kept hidden by God
alone. Now it is going to affect
everyone. It is a realized redemptive
plan of God.
Christ is the power and wisdom of
God (I Cor 1/24). In other words Christ is the centre of the Gospel. Paul says, `We preach Christ crucified.' Paul would say Jesus descended from David
according to the flesh and designated son of God according to spirit ... and by
his resurrection from the dead, Jesus
Christ is our Lord. For Paul Christ
is not mere Son of David but Christ our Lord and therefore Christians are
called sons of God (Rom 8/30) and of Christ (Rom 1/6, I Cor 7/22). God is the Father of Christ (Col 1/13). Christ is called God (Tit 2/13). Christ is the Son of God and the Lord are
frequent expressions. Christ is called
Second Adam in Rom 5/12-20. Christ is
the heavenly man (I Cor 15/45-49). He is
in the form of God (Col 1/13-20 and Phil 5/11).
He is on one hand, in equality with God and the other, by obedience and
self-emptying he destroyed death i.e., he became equal to mortal man. Obedience of Christ makes him mediator
between God and cosmos (Col 1/13-20).
Christ is the head of the new humanity I Cor 15/20-28. Paul affirms the pre-existence of Jesus (Gal
4/4, Phil 2/6-11 and 2 Cor 8/9). Christ
was in the form of God but became
poor. He is the inaugurator of the new
humanity and the New Adam.
Our response to this revelation of God in Jesus Christ is in faith. Faith is the obedience, surrender and
receptivity to the revealing God. It is
not giving assent to but response of the whole person to the heavenly unbelievable
love of God in Christ freely offered to mankind which we do not deserve. "Accept the acceptance though
unacceptable", says Paul Tilich. It
is a surrender, heeding to the revealing God.
It is a condition for receiving salvation. It is more than a virtue. It is an attitude or an experience. It is actually a fundamental option for
Christ. It is the existential
commitment. It is the continuous act of
submission or receptivity to God's grace in Christ. Faith is the response of the whole person to
the revelation of God in Christ. Fruits
and works of the spirit issued from faith will put the human person in creative
relationship with God.
Paul develops his christology on the
basis of the apostolic proclamation and presents it in the context of his
personal and apostolic experience. Jesus
Christ is God's gift. `God sent forth his son... to redeem those who were under
the law.' (Gal 4/45). Jesus has been
given to us as our justification and salvation.
Jesus brings our justification and salvation through his death and
resurrection (1 Cor 2/2). Faith in Jesus
Christ means total self surrender. Phil 3/3
says `We glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh'. Paul speaks of Pre-existent Christ. Pre-existing means the transcendence of the
Christ event. Phil 2/6 ff is a hymn
expressing the theology of the pre-existing Christ. 2 Cor 8/9 also conveys the same, using
`rich-poor' imagery. Rich symbolizes
divine existence and Poor symbolizes human existence, self-limiting existence of
Jesus.
Universal cosmic dimension of Christ
event is also seen in Paul's thinking. 1 Cor/6 says, `For us there is one God,
the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus
Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist'.
Paul believed that he was dealing
with God in Christ and God as Christ.
Christ was one way God had manifested himself to the world. Paul's letter do not present a developed
doctrine of Trinity but in predicating divinity of Father, Son and Spirit, Paul
provided the raw data for later Christian trinitarianism. Christology was a form of theology for Paul
though by no means the only form. When
Paul spoke of Christ handing over the kingdom to the Father "so that God
may be all in all" (I Cor 15/28), he was not dissolving christology into
theology. For Paul it was the Father
alone who had sent the Son, the Son alone who had died on the cross and the Spirit alone by whom believers were
baptized into the one body of Christ.
Paul not only distinguished these three by their functions but also by
their nature inasmuch as they might be compared to Christ's human nature i.e.,
the father and spirit do not have a human nature. casting Paul's theology as a
christomonism fails to appreciate the apostle's differentiation between the
distinctive roles, functions and characteristics of Father, Son and Holy
Spirit.
The salvific effects
of the Christ-event can be appropriated by faith in Jesus Christ (Rom
1/16-17; 3/21-26)
This means that God's salvation is
granted to a believer who commits himself in total surrender to the gratuitous
gift of God in the person of Jesus Christ.
Exegesis of Rom 1/16-17: Gospel is God's declaration of the salvation of the
whole world. It becomes a reality
itself in the proclamation by the action of the spirit. It is the power of God that is actualized. `To those who believe in gospel' means the
gospel is received in the context of faith.
For Paul faith is an appropriation
of the eschatological public proclamation made to the whole world and each
individual. Faith is the openness to
the gospel which God himself creates.
Righteousness of God is derived not from law but from Gospel. Righteousness of God for Paul is a divine
quality found in God and a divine gift given to man. It is a Divine quality because it is God's
act of justifying and conferring a righteous status in relation to
himself. It is an activity of God
because it is proper to his nature. It
is his saving power in action. It is his
divine love. By the result of God's act
of justification man is made righteous
Rom 10/13.
`From faith to faith' means from
faithfulness to man's response of faith.
This means the faithfulness of God to those who believe. It is a
movement either in the individual Christian's life or in the salvation
history. The revelation of God's
righteousness takes place in the sphere of faith only. It is an initial act of receiving Gospel and
continuing process of believing till the end.
Righteousness will be preserved.
For Paul righteousness means life with God and also faith in the gospel
and fullness that will be hereafter.
Rom
3:21-26: `But now' - it is
the situation before and after. `Before', Jews and gentiles were under God's
wrath. Situation `after' - it is the
decisive series of events with which God saves humanity. `But now' - it is the
turn of eon (eschatological turn).
Revelation is an on going process and it goes with the preaching of the
gospel. Revelation comes not in Law and
Prophets but in Jesus Christ.
Righteousness of God is through faith in Jesus Christ.
Christ is the content of faith. Content means believing in that manifestation
and offer of God's righteousness which is achieved through Christ event - his
death and resurrection. God manifest his
righteousness through Christ event. Now
we have to believe it.
All have sinned and fall short of
the glory of God reveals the universality of sin. Glory will be restored at the eschatological
time. Justified by Grace means
justification is a gratuitous gift of God which is given freely. Redemption is in Christ Jesus. Jesus ransomed us by his life. The believers
status of righteousness has been brought about by God by means of definitive
and decisive action on the part of God.
It implies deliverance from slavery under sin, satan, death and
law. Expiation by his blood means Christ
crucified is the mercy seat (hilasterion)
of the new covenant of dispensation. He
wipes away the sins of mankind once and for all. Man's acquittal comes from God and initiative
is from God. In Paul the act of
acquittal has already taken place in Christ (no atonement day).
`Passed over from the former sins'
has got three connotations: I.
Christ's death demonstrates God's uprightness in wiping out sin in contrast to
the forbearance previously shown in passing over human sins of the past. II.
Christ death demonstrates divine uprightness that remitted sins committed in
bygone times. There is no waiting for
the remission of the sins till the Day of At-one-ment. III. The present justification is the
eschatological gift of salvation. It is already given. All the sins are remitted from the beginning
to now. Through Christ's death eternal communion between God and man is
established.
`Present time' is the eschatological
time. God vindicates his claim as the
saviour of the people. He justifies who
has faith in Jesus. Jesus died in
satisfaction for our sins. God's recent
intervention that is Christ-event in human history proves his uprightness and
he makes us upright through faith in Christ.
Conclusion: The heart of the gospel preached by Paul is a series of
events. It is the crucifixion,
resurrection and exaltation of Christ.
It is the decisive act of God by which righteousness of God is
manifested and the human person is justified by faith.
This has practical consequences in the life of the Christians
and their dealings with one another.
(Rom 8/1-11, 12/9-13)
Those who believe in God are
saved. The practical consequences of a
believer in Jesus Christ is seen in the spirit-filled life of a person. Exegesis of Rom 8/1-11; Believers
are not in condemnation but in Jesus Christ.
The law of spirit of Christ will set us free from all sins and
condemnation. Spirit effects
eshcatological life and bodily resurrection.
It is the power of new creation.
It links the present faith with the future consummation. Law of spirit is the spirit himself in his
ruling functions in the sphere of Christ.
God sent His only Son in the likeness of the sinful flesh.
He was passively exposed to sin but did not actively exposed to it. Gospel is made into means for the `just
requirement of the law'. And this was
made possible when God allowed Christ to die on the cross.
God plans and engineers the new
beginning through sending his son. He
inaugurates the new humanity. The
humanity is lead by spirit. `Flesh' in
Paul has three connotations; (1) Christ's solidarity with the
humanity. (2) Christ condemned sin in the flesh. (3)
Flesh is the power sphere in which Christ found Himself.
Those who are in the flesh are
devoid of Christ. The works of the flesh
are proper to them. They are heading to
death (spiritual,physical and eternal death).
They cannot please God.
Those who are in the spirit are
baptized Christians who are living in Christian faith. The fruits of the spirit are seen in
them. The spirit leads them to life and
peace. They belong to Christ.
Indwelling of the spirit is the
manner of Christ present within us. The
death of the body is effected in baptism.
The indwelling of the spirit in the baptized is a guarantee of the
eternal life. Christian life is a being
in spirit.
A spirit-filled person will manifest
his grace in action. His love will be
genuine and non-hypocritical. Love will
manifest itself in warm affection, in courtesy and in ardent devotion to
Christ. Love is the specific pattern of
life by which grace forms the new reality of the believer. The supernatural infusion of the love through
the Holy Spirit produces the character upon which eschatological hope about the
final judgement of God is built (Rom 5/3-5).
Love is the first fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5/22). When love is actualized, the other demands
of God are fulfilled. Freedom in Christ
is not an opportunity for selfishness, but compels us to be slaves to one other
in love (Gal 5/13-14, I Cor 9/19). The
fulfillment of the Law then is not its termination but the full expression of
its principles, purpose and motivation.
Good and evil are determinate realities established and revealed by God,
rather than, in terms of content,
subjectively grounded in the relationship to God by faith. Loving one's neighbor as oneself (Lev 19/18)
fulfills the second half of the Decalogue and "any other
commandment" (Rom 13/8-10). Love is
not a replacement of the law, but a new motivation, understanding and power of
meeting and surpassing its moral demands.
Exegesis
of Rom 12/9-13: `Rejoice in
hope and patient in tribulation' remind us of I Cor 13/7 i.e., Love hopes all
things." Rom 5/2-3 says `rejoice in
hope' and it reminds that tribulation worketh patience. `Contribute to the needs of saints' means
sharing and participating in their needs and
sympathetically feeling with them and generously serving them. Sharing is more than contributing. Church is a communion. Hospitality is the most important
manifestation of koinonia. The nature of
love is revealed by its power to transform every type of human
relationship. Love is the secret of
Christian conduct. Spirit sustains and
inspires our zeal. Hope is the quality
of new life. Joy is the counterpart of
inner growth. Hope leads to joy. Where
there is true life, there is true joy.
A patient person can discover that there is comfort in the darkest
valley. Prayer is the ground of all
Christian graces. Pray without ceasing
and practising the presence of God is effective for grace-filled life. Active charity is the touchstone of
good-will. These are the practical
consequences in the ethical behaviour of the believer in Christ.
