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| English: Their are thousands of artworks created in the art world depicting St Paul. This painting was created by the famous artist called Rembrandt. It hangs on the walls of the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
The World or the Individual?
“The
theological equivalent of supposing that the sun goes round the earth is the
belief that the whole of Christian truth is
all about me and my salvation.” *
The
crux of a debate between two respected Christian theologians, about
justification, is summed up in the above statement by one of them.*
Tendencies
of theologians to appear to be quarreling or nitpicking estrange many simple
people who want the plain truth about the essentials.
That’s
why, as a simple layperson, I think of words like those from John’s gospel:
For
God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever
believeth on Him should not perish but have everlasting life. --John
3:16
There
we have it spelled out, truly beautiful because it is true... God’s love, Love's object, Love's Gift; accepting the Gift, and thereby crossing over the perishing gap of unbelief in order to have Life, which is in God through Christ Jesus, His beloved Son.
God
has given this teaching, as all of scripture, from His Son’s own lips, to and for the world and to and for individual persons.
Therefore,
why the debate about justification in this point? Are not the world and individuals samely included in this salvation through Christ of the Cross and Resurrection? If not, what is the “world” that is to be saved is apart from the
individual persons in it, the “whosoever”s? Are not both N. T. Wright and John Piper, then,
the two differing theologians, correctly, yet differently, interpreting Paul’s teaching on justification? Is not salvation about God’s Gift to the world and including its working out individually, for the “whosoever” people?
My view sounds simplistic; yet I believe it is truly correct. I have
not, as has Wright, spent 35 years studying the writings of the apostle Paul in
depth, in Aramaic or Greek versions, or in English translation. I have not equaled Piper’s study either.
The
beauty of Christ, the Son, the Teacher, is that He gave those words first to simple people. Intimately.
Theologians like Wright
and Piper study carefully, out of their sense of deep responsibility to
teach correctly.
And we, as well, need to read and to think for ourselves, applying the minds
and hearts that God has given to us, individually and across the entire world.
In
these days where I live (USA), churches of different names often appear to be more concerned with
numbers—growth, attendance, and money—than with the chief mission of exalting Christ, with
preaching the Word in season and out of season, with continuing against the
tide of the world’s changing scene. Each of us is called of God to grasp the Gift of salvation for
ourselves as we live in Christ, the risen Lord.
Others
can debate, mindful not to get lost in it or because of it. The days are shortened.
The time is short.
*Source of quote: N.
T. Wright, e-book page 23, Justification: God’s
Plan and Paul’s Vision, Intervarsity Press, author’s copyright 2009.
Copyright (c)2012 Opinari Writers
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