NT Wright's new book, Justification: God's Plan & Paul's Vision
, has a very interesting format (in the American version I'm using -- I had an English copy but gave it to my colleague): the first four chps are called "Introduction" and chps 5-8 are called "Exegesis" and have chps on Galatians, Interlude on Phil, Cor, Eph), Romans, and Conclusion. In other words, the debate about the new perspective is not the critical thing; the critical issue is how to read Paul!Before I say another word: a huge, huge word of thanks to RJS for looking after this blog while we were in South Africa. RJS has made this blog a better space for all of us. Thanks RJS.
Now to NT Wright and Galatians...
If Tom Wright has a challenge to sum up Galatians in a few pages, I have a similar challenge: to sum up his chp in a few words. I highlight.
First, it does not mean to be granted free forgiveness of your sins or to come into right relation with God... but, second, rather "to be reckoned by God to be a true member of his family, and hence with the right to share table fellowship" (116). The point is to be in the family of God and it has to do with the coming together of Jews and Gentiles. Notice how the terms of this passage shift when the table fellowship is given importance here.
What does "works of the law" mean? It means to live like a Jew and separating Jews from Gentiles (cf. 2:14, 15). They are not here about the moral good works that humans intent on proving themselves before God seem to like (in the Reformed tradition). Works of the law here connect to not eating with Gentiles.
And we are justified by "the faith of Jesus Christ" -- is this faith in Christ or Jesus' own faith? Justification then is triggered by the obedience/faithfulness of Jesus Christ. And Christians believe in this Messiah. The law never could promote justification ... it reveals sin.
Point of emphasis: 2:16-21 is the Jewish experience with salvation and table fellowship in Christ through the lens of Peter's and Paul's life. The "I" of these verses -- "I am crucified with Christ" -- is the Jewish "I."
11 When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong. 12Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. 13The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.14When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, "You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?
15"We who are Jews by birth and not 'Gentile sinners' 16know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.
17"If, while we seek to be justified in Christ, it becomes evident that we ourselves are sinners, does that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! 18If I rebuild what I destroyed, I prove that I am a lawbreaker. 19For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. 20I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"
Add to Del.icio.us
Add to Technorati
Add to Digg
Add to Newsvine
Add to Facebook
Add to StumbleUpon
Subscribe
Aslan (#10), Lacking any particular insight beyond a broad general understanding, I decided to check and see if the OSB had anything interesting or relevant to add. I like its note on 1 Cor. 35-54. I think I'll just share it.
"How will the dead rise? What is the resurrection body like? Paul's most basic contrast is that between the natural (lit. 'soulish'; Gr. psychikon) and the spiritual (Gr. pneumatikon, v. 44), that is, between the present body and the deified body. Other contrasts are corruption vs. incorruption (v.42), dishonor vs. glory (v. 43), weakness vs. power (v. 43), living 'soul' (literal translation) vs. life-giving spirit (v. 45), of the earth vs. from heaven (v. 47), of dust vs. heavenly (v. 48), the mortal vs. the immortal (v.54). This present body is only a seed (v. 38) of the body to come. The 'spiritual' body is not a pale shadow of the material world we now know; the opposite is true. The resurrection body is the fulfillment of what God intends for our present body. It is the material fulfilled, not dematerialized."
So yes, I think Wright's use of "future body" is one way of putting it. It certainly cannot be taken to mean "immaterial" which seems to be how some modern readers have attempted to interpret "spiritual body". I gather Wright was pushing back against that particular misinterpretation.
Aslan,
I'm with Scott 100%. Given the close connection in the NT worldview between the coming of the Spirit and the presence of God's future kingdom/world, we'd do well to always think about the Spirit as "the future" and spiritual as having to do inescapable with the future, either as actual future or future-become-present. Good question.
Scott (#5) What I mean by 'saved' is what Paul means by it in Rom 10.1, where he says that Israel needs salvation.
I'm enjoying this series Scott. Keep it up!
This part is hard get through when you haven't read the book. I've been trying to follow along without doing that in hopes of keeping up until I could order a copy. ;) Sometimes that works; this time it isn't.
Thanks for this discussion, Scot.
I second your kudos for RJS; she's really added an interesting voice to the discussions.
Post a Comment
By submitting these comments, I agree to the beliefnet.com terms of service, rules of conduct and privacy policy (the "agreements"). I understand and agree that any content I post is licensed to beliefnet.com and may be used by beliefnet.com in accordance with the agreements.