Paul's Soteriology

Dr. Mike Burer has provided a nice diagram created by some of his students on Paul's soteriology. Check it out here.

Christology and Soteriology in Hebrews

  

"The Christology and soteriology of Hebrews can be summarized in this way. Jesus is the Son of God, a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek. As the Son of God, he is greater than the angels. But in order to rescue humanity from the fear of death and deal effectively with sin, it was necessary for the Son to share in the flesh and blood of humans so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest. According to Heb 7:21, God appointed him high priest by an oath: "The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, 'You are a priest forever.'" As a priest according to the order of Melchizedek, Jesus enjoys a superior priesthood that he exercised in a unique way through his death. By dying, he entered the holy of holies, the heavenly sanctuary, where he offered his blood—his very life—for the sins of his brothers and sisters once and for all. In Hebrews, then, Christology and soteriology are intimately related in the person of Jesus, who is both priest and victim."

Frank J. Matera, "The Theology of the Epistle to the Hebrews," in Reading the Epistle to the Hebrews: A Resource for Students, ed. Eric F. Mason and Kevin B. McCruden (Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2011), 198

Paul, Christology, and Soteriology

"Since the Christian message is one of salvation, it is not surprising that Saint Paul's christology begins as a soteriology. Here we have a great intervention of God in the world of men, a drama of which God is the author and in which Christ is the central figure. The action begins with Christ's death, and continues through his resurrection, the preaching of his gospel, the concerted resistance of powers inimical to Christ, and the persecution of the gospel preachers. It comes to a climax in Christ's final victory and second coming. It would be wrong to suppose that the whole drama was played out on the cross, once and for all, and thereafter reproduced as a mystery, or shared in by the faith of believers participating in the fruits of Christ's victory. The power of God is the same throughout the whole action of Christ's death and resurrection, and in the preaching of the gospel and the salvation of believers (Rom. 1:16). At the parousia, this same power will receive its full manifestation. God is always at work, saving men through Christ, from Good Friday until the last day."

Lucien Cerfaux, Christ in the Theology of Paul (New York: Herder & Herder, 1959), 11.

The Theological Implications of the Historicity of Adam

Although not new, this essay by Robert Strimple from 1989 nicely summarizes the inherent biblical and theological problems associated with denying an historical Adam. At the end of the essay, Strimple states:

"To conclude: Our understanding of the reality of Adam affects our understanding of sin, of redemption, and of the Redeemer. The one who rejects the Biblical teaching regarding the historical Adam and the historical Fall will find no firm basis for accepting the Biblical teaching regarding the historical, Incarnate Redeemer."

HT: Richard

An Overview of Supersessionism

I had two discussions recently that involved the past, present, and future relationship of Israel and the Church. While the following is not exhaustive some might find the following summary of a recent article helpful.

Michael Vlach's recent article entitled “Various Forms of Replacement Theology,” The Master’s Seminary Journal 20 (2009): 57–69, defines and delineates various forms of suppersessionism (“fulfillment theology” and “replacement theology”). “Supersessionism . . . in the context of Israel and the church, is the view that the New Testament church is the new and/or true Israel that has forever superseded the nation Israel as the people of God. The result is that the church has become the sole inheritor of God's covenant blessings originally promised to national Israel in the OT. This rules out a future restoration of the nation Israel with a unique identity, role, and purpose that is distinct in any way from the Christian church” (p. 60). Vlach (following R. K. Soulen and others) goes on to identify three variant forms of supersessionism.

1. “Punitive/Retributive Supersessionism” (pp. 60–1) = A doctrinal/theological that holds that God is punishing Israel by displacing her as the people of God for her rejection of Christ. Adherents include Origen and Luther.

2. “Economic Supersessionism” (pp. 61–3) = A doctrinal/theological approach that holds that God’s plan for Israel’s role as the people of God expired with the coming of Christ when Israel was replaced by the church. Adherents include Barth, N. T. Wright.

3. “Structural Supersessionism” (pp. 63–5) = A hermeneutical approach which holds that much of the Old Testament is largely irrelevant in the formulation of Christian conviction about God’s work as consummator and redeemer. No Adherents are identified clearly in the article.

Vlach further suggests that, “Two terms are important for understanding what some supersessionists believe about Israel. These terms are salvation and restoration. In short, some supersessionists believe there will be a future salvation of Israel, but this salvation does not mean a restoration of Israel” (p. 65). Furthermore, “there are two major variations on the future of Israel among supersessionism. ‘Strong’ supersessionism asserts that Israel will not experience salvation as a nation. Moderate supersessionism, though, holds that the nation Israel will experience a salvation. Thus, the major distinguishing factor among supersessionists is whether they believe in a future salvation of Israel or not. ‘Strong’ supersessionists say ‘No’ to a future salvation of Israel. Moderate supersessionists say "Yes" to a future salvation of Israel” (pp. 65–6).

Total Depravity

Travis Carden has categorized and compiled a list of verses on total depravity. You can access the list here.

Four Reasons Not to Give a Altar Call

Larry Moyer has written a thought-provoking piece on altar calls, whether one believes in using them or not. Check it out here.

Salvation in Acts

Two choice quotes from I. Howard Marshall

"It is our thesis that the idea of salvation supplies the key to the theology of Luke. Not salvation-history but salvation itself is the theme which occupied the mind of Luke in both parts of his work."

"Our claim is not that salvation is a feature unique to Lucan theology in comparison with the rest of the New Testament, but that it is the central motif in Lucan theology."

I. Howard Marshall, Luke Historian and Theologian (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1988), 92, 93.

Penal Subsititution and the Atonement

I appreciated this post on penal substitution and the atonement, especially the identification and discussion of six signs supporting the idea that Jesus died under God's judgment.

Piper on Never Letting the Gospel Get Smaller

From John Piper:

Here is a simple exhortation that I have been trying to implement in our family:

Seek to see and feel the gospel as bigger as years go by rather than smaller.

Our temptation is to think that the gospel is for beginners and then we go on to greater things. But the real challenge is to see the gospel as the greatest thing—and getting greater all the time.

The Gospel gets bigger when, in your heart,

• grace gets bigger;
• Christ gets greater;
• his death gets more wonderful;
• his resurrection gets more astonishing;
• the work of the Spirit gets mightier;
• the power of the gospel gets more pervasive;
• its global extent gets wider;
• your own sin gets uglier;
• the devil gets more evil;
• the gospel's roots in eternity go deeper;
• its connections with everything in the Bible and in the world get stronger;
• and the magnitude of its celebration in eternity gets louder.

So keep this in mind: Never let the gospel get smaller in your heart.

Pray that it won’t. Read solid books on it. Sing about it. Tell someone about it who is ignorant or unsure about it.

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel.... For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)

Why We Believe Children Who Die Go to Heaven

Albert Mohler and Daniel Akin have posted on "Why We Believe Children Who Die Go to Heaven." You can read it here.

1 Thessalonians 1:3–5: A Few Observations

Yesterday, I noted briefly the nature of Paul’s thanksgiving in 1 Thessalonians 1:2. Today, I want to offer a few observations about the rest of the thanksgiving, namely vv. 3–5. We begin by noting that a key component of Paul’s thanksgiving is his continual remembrance of the manifestation of Christian virtue (faith, love, hope) in the lives of the Thessalonians (v. 3; cf. 5:8). Another observation is the Trinitarian character of the thanksgiving with the Father and Son mentioned in v. 3 and the Holy Spirit noted in v. 5. A third observation is the soteriological character of the thanksgiving. We see election in v. 4, proclamation in v. 5a, and calling in v. 5b. Finally, one observes a foreshadowing element in the closing statement: “You know how we lived among you for your sake.” This previews the discussion of Paul’s ministry and character that will dominate chapter 2.