Apr 11, 2009

1 Corinthians 15:20–28: A Christian Approach to History


Tim Chester has posted on 1 Corinthians 15:20–28: a Christian approach to history. Tim notes that Garry Williams suggests that 1 Cor 15:20–28 tells us six things about history.


1. There is a centre to human history - the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. The resurrection is the beginning of the new age in history.
2. There is a order in human history. History is ordered according to God’s purposes.
3. There is an inevitability to human history. The first resurrection leads inexorably to the final resurrection.
4. There is a goal to human history - the total rule of God over creation.
5. There is a conflict in human history. 1 Corinthians speaks of enemies.
6. There are uncertainties in human history from our perspective. Paul twice speaks of ‘whenever’. This means there is a provisionality to our history telling. We cannot exhaustively know what God was doing in historical and personal events. We must attempt this, but we must do so provisionally.

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