scholarly journals Mission to the Gentiles: The construction of Christian identity and its relationship with ethics according to Paul

2012 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias Nicklas ◽  
Herbert Schlögel
Keyword(s):  
Coordinate System ◽  
Jesus Christ ◽  
Reference Points ◽  
The Body ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Body Of Christ ◽  
Christian Identity ◽  
Human Relationships ◽  
Ethical Decisions ◽  
In Christ

Paul allowed pagans to become members of the newly founded communities of Christ-believers and thus members of God’s covenant people, Israel, without becoming circumcised. However, even if many of the ‘pagan Christians’ who became members of the new messianic movement had a background as God-Fearers in the frame of diaspora synagogues, the radicalism of their ‘step in faith’ can hardly be overestimated. With their turn from different pagan cults and their gods to the mysterious God of Israel and his crucified and risen Son, Jesus Christ, a whole coordinate system of human relationships, expectations, hopes and norms must have changed. This paper explores the construction of Christian identity and its relationship with ethics according to Paul. It is illustrated how Paul himself describes the system of changed relationships: turning away from the idols towards the living God, being in Christ or – together with others – part of the ‘body of Christ’. Moreover, these three dimensions of new relations – to God, to Christ and to the fellow believers in Christ – correspond to three reference points for ethical decisions in Pauline communities: the command to love one another, the idea of human conscience (as a voice coming from God) and the idea of the ‘ethos of Christ’.

Missiological Reflections on Difference: Foundations in the Gospel of Luke

2009 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 64-79
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Glanville
Keyword(s):  
Jesus Christ ◽  
Human Dignity ◽  
Gospel Of Luke ◽  
Kingdom Of God ◽  
The Body ◽  
Cultural Barriers ◽  
Body Of Christ ◽  
Entire Body ◽  
Human Identity ◽  
Racial Ethnic

AbstractThis paper explores missiological reflections on the Gospel of Luke for valuing differences in order to develop an understanding of human identity. Our identity in Jesus Christ supersedes racial, ethnic, and social identity and is based on an understanding of difference that affirms the uniqueness of each individual.A perspective that values human dignity and the dignity of difference, as per Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, stands in sharp contrast to the biblical images of Pharisees who separated themselves from the sinners, tax-collectors, and others. Likewise, Jesus, himself, in the Gospel of Luke, sets his message of the Kingdom of God over against the perspective of differences that established divisions as taught and practiced by the Pharisees. Andrew Walls and Paul Hiebert expound the need to value the contributions of other cultures to the understanding of God which will enrich the entire Body of Christ. Together these perspectives provide a foundation for exploring biblical passages for missiological reflections on difference.Missiological implications of difference that value human dignity are drawn and applied to relationships within the body, crossing cultural barriers with the message of Jesus Christ, and interfaith dialogue.

Martin Luther and the Eucharist

1983 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 447-461 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Stephenson
Keyword(s):  
Jesus Christ ◽  
Martin Luther ◽  
The Body ◽  
Body Of Christ ◽  
Son Of God ◽  
The Real ◽  
Real Presence ◽  
The Reformation ◽  
Bodily Presence ◽  
The Church

Several years before the mode of Christ's eucharistic presence became a controverted issue which would presently provoke a lasting schism among the Churches of the Reformation, Luther could unaffectedly propound the traditional dogma of the bodily presence of Christ in the Sacrament of the Altar as a necessary consequence of the evangelical quest for the sensus grammaticus of the words of institution. The same exegetical method which led to his reappropriation of the doctrine of the justification of the sinner ‘by grace, for Christ's sake, through faith’ obliged him to confess that ‘the bread is the body of Christ’. Already here, in the mordantly anti-Roman treatise On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church, Luther has laid his finger on the model in terms of which he will understand the real presence to the end of his days: the consecrated host is the body of Christ, just as the assumed humanity of jesus Christ is the Son of God. The displacement of the scholastic theory of transubstantiation by the model of the incarnate person illustrates the Reformer's allegiance to the Chalcedonian Definition: ‘Luther is really replacing Aristotelian categories by those derived from Chalcedonian christology, to which he remained faithful: “unconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably”.’ While the doctrine of the real presence moved from the periphery to the centre of Luther's theology and piety as the 1520s wore on, his conception of the modality of the eucharistic presence remained constant throughout.

scholarly journals Arminius, Arminian, dan Kaum Injili: Sebuah Klarifikasi

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-32
Author(s):  
Marlon Lahope
Keyword(s):  
Jesus Christ ◽  
The Body ◽  
The Other ◽  
Body Of Christ ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
False Accusations ◽  
Determinant Factor

Tulisan ini akan memberikan klarifikasi terhadap tuduhan-tuduhan palsu yang sering dilontarkan sebagian besar kaum Calvinis kepada kaum Arminian dan kemudian mendiskusikan alasan utama kaum Arminian menolak ajaran Calvinisme.  Klarifikasi ini akan difokuskan pada dua tuduhan yang sering menjadi kartu favorit, yakni Arminianisme menolak konsep kerusakan total dan mengajarkan manusia sebagai penentu keselamatannya.  Jawaban terhadap tuduhan ini sederhana, kedua tuduhan ini adalah hasil dari pembacaan yang keliru atau representasi yang cacat terhadap teologi Arminian.  Setelah itu, penulis akan mendiskusikan alasan utama penolakan kaum Arminian terhadap ajaran Calvinisme, yakni konsep kedaulatan Allah Calvinisme membawa logika kepada konsekuensi yang sulit dihindari bahwa Allah adalah sumber dari segala dosa.  Di sisi yang lain, tulisan ini tidak dimaksudkan untuk melebarkan jurang pemisah dalam tubuh kaum Injili.  Sebaliknya, kaum Injili harus melihat perbedaan sebagai keragaman dalam tubuh Kristus daripada menjadikannya sebagai pemicu keterpecahan.  Di tengah perbedaan yang ada, injil haruslah menjadi prioritas utama dan bukan perdebatan-perdebatan minor yang akhirnya hanya menghambat pemberitaan injil Yesus Kristus.      Kata-kata Kunci:  Arminian(isme), Calvinis(isme), Kerusakan Total, Keselamatan karena Anugerah, Kedaulatan Allah, Injili    English : This paper will provide clarification of the false accusations that most Calvinists often make to the Arminians and then discuss the main reasons Arminians reject the teachings of Calvinism. This clarification will focus on two accusations that are often favorite cards, namely Arminianism rejects the concept of total depravity and teaches that human as a determinant factor of their salvation. The answer to these accusations is simple, these two accusations are the result of a false reading or defective representation of Arminian theology. After that, the author will discuss the main reason why the Arminians reject the teachings of Calvinism, namely the concept of God's sovereignty in Calvinism brings logic to the inevitable consequences that God is the source of all sins. On the other hand, this paper is not intended to widen the gap in the body of the evangelical. Conversely, evangelicals must see the differences as diversity in the body of Christ rather than making it a trigger for division. In the midst of differences, the gospel must be a top priority and not minor debates which ultimately only hinder the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Keywords: Arminian(ism), Calvinis(m), Total Depravity, Salvation by Grace, Sovereignty of God, Evangelical

scholarly journals Exegesis Integrative Review of Salvation Because The Love Of God Is The Basic of The Church As The Unity of The Body of Christ (Ephesians 2:11-22)

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-29
Author(s):  
Tonny Andrian
Keyword(s):  
Jesus Christ ◽  
Church History ◽  
The Body ◽  
Body Of Christ ◽  
Shed Blood ◽  
Major Subject ◽  
The World ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Temple ◽  
The Church

The subject of the unity of the church has appeared several times during the period of church history as a major subject. Even in the 20th century, differences of opinion on the subject of unity led to divisions. This point cannot be ignored. That is why the researcher conducted an integrated exegessa study on the meaning of the Church as the unity of the body of Christ Ephesians 2: 11-22. Ephesians 2: 11-22 is not a separate passage, but integrative, with other passages in the book of Ephesians. (this would be integrative both with Ephesians 2: 1-10 and Ephesians 4: 1-6) The conjunction "therefore" in Ephesians 2.11, describes the preceding verses that speak of grace. The suffering of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on the cross, and His shed blood, are manifestations of grace that saves sinners. A demonstration of grace, which is free gift. It is the grace that saves people from sin. Thus Ephesians 2: 11-22 must be seen as a context that comes from grace. The saving or salvation based on the grace of God, as a building body of Christ, which is a union, which was previously "distant", ie those who are without Christ, not belonging to the citizens of Israel, become one body of Christ as intended by God. Ephesians 2: 11-22 explains that the unification of the body of Christ is a reflection of the journey of a Christian individual who has been saved by the grace of Christ God, is united or united with other Christian individuals to move towards the unity of building the body of Christ, as the Temple of God. the church as the unified Body of Christ, is built on the teachings of the Apostles and Prophets. Thus, the church, which has a government, a doctrine that may not be the same as one another, but the church is a unity in the bonds of the Spirit of peace, one faith, one Baptism, one god, one GOD the FATHER of all God, as salt and The light of the world, brings transformation and restoration for the world, through the carrying out of the task of the grace of Christ, namely the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom of heaven, so that all knees will kneel and all tongues confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of the heavenly Father.

scholarly journals Sobór chalcedoński. Kontekst historyczny, teologiczny, następstwa

Vox Patrum ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 58 ◽  
pp. 137-179
Author(s):  
Józef Grzywaczewski
Keyword(s):  
Roman Empire ◽  
Jesus Christ ◽  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
The Body ◽  
Catholic Faith ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
In Christ ◽  
Definition Of

The article presents the Council of Chalcedon; its theological and historical context and its consequences. The author starts with the theological context of this Council. In that time the question of relation between humanity and divinity in Christ was discussed. Apollinarius of Laodicea taught that in the person of Christ there were two elements: the Logos and the body. The Logos replaced the soul. He propagated the formula mia physis tou theou logou sesarkomene. Others theologians were not agree with his opinion. Generally, there were two theological schools which worked on this matter: school of Alexandria and of Antioch. In the first one, the Christ was seen especially as God who became man. In the second one, He was seen as the man who was God’s Son. With other words, in Alexandria the starting point of reflection was the Divinity of Christ. In Antioch the starting of reflection was His humanity. The author mentioned Eutyches whose ideas on Christology produced a lot of trouble. In such a context, the Council of Chalcedon was organized (451). It was the proposal of Emperor Marcjan. The Council, after having condemned Eutyches and Dioskur of Alexandria because of their position on theological matter, proclaimed a new definition of the catholic faith. The base of this definition was the Letter of Pope Leo the Great Ad Flavianum. The most important point of this definition was the statement that Divinity and humanity meet in Christ, and both form one person. Such a declaration seems to be clear, but it did not satisfy Greek theologians. They did not want to accept the formula two natures (duo physeis) in one person, because in their opinion it signifies a separation between the Divinity and the humanity of Christ. They preferred to speak about mia physis tou Theou Logou sesarkomene. Surely, by the term physis they did not understand nature, but a being. While saying mia physis they did not mean one nature, but one being. In their conception, Jesus Christ was a Being in which met Divinity and humanity. Many theologians were suspicious of the term person (prosopon); they supposed that it had a modalistic meaning. The main opinion of Modalists is: there is only One God who appears sometimes as Father, sometimes as Son, sometime as Holy Spirit. There were also other reasons of contesting the definition of Chalcedon. It was known that that this definition was imposed by the Greek emperor, influenced by the Bishop of Rome (Pope). Many theologians, especially in monastic milieu, did not want to accept the intervention of the civil authorities in religious matter. They did not have a very good opinion about Latin theology. In the fifth century there were some anti-Hellenic tendencies in the eastern part of the Empire. Many Oriental theologians rejected the definition of Chalcedon because it was „a for­mula of Rom and Constantinople”. In such circumstances, a lot of Christians separated themselves from the Catholic Church, forming Monophysite Churches. Those who remained in unity with Rome and Constantinople, keeping the defini­tion of Chalcedon, were called Melchites. Another problem was the canon 28, which gave some privileges to the bishop see of Constantinople. Pope Leo the Great did not approve this canon. Anti-Hellenic tendencies were so strong that in the time of Islamic invasions the people of Palestine, Syria, and Egypt welcomed Arabic soldiers as liberators from Byzantine domination. It is to be said that Arabic authorities, after having taken power in a country, were friendly towards Monophysites and persecuted Melchites. So, the contestation of the definition of Chalcedon prepared the ground for the victory of Islam in the East. The article is ended by an observation of a French theologian Joseph Moingt: declaration that Divinity and humanity make union the person of Jesus Christ produced division not only in the Church, but also in the Roman Empire. This is one of great paradoxes in the history of Christianity.

Die kerk in die Nuwe Testament

1995 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
G. M.M. Pelser
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
The Body ◽  
Body Of Christ ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
People Of God ◽  
The Poor ◽  
The People ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
In Christ ◽  
The Church

The church in the New Testament The article explores the documents of the New Testament in search of the concept church' and finds that,  in a nutshell, the answers are as follows: the  Spirit-controlled, charismatic togetherness of people 'in Christ' (Paul); cross-bearing followers of Jesus (Mk); the people of God on their way through history (Lk-Ac); the faithful locked in battle with Satanic powers, but with the expectation of occupying the heavenly Jerusalem (Rv); the  community with which Christ became solidary, and which is heading for its heavenly place of rest (Reb); the poor but pious community, putting their faith into practice (Ja); the body of Christ in which his universal reign can be experienced (Col); the sphere in which salvation is  realized (Eph); disciples following Jesus as God-with us, experiencing the  rift between synagogue and church (Mt); friends and confidants of Christ, living at loggerheads with the synagogue (In); the household of God, governed by householders (Pastorals); and the socia-ly ostracized elect of God whose way of life should be a demonstration of their otherness as Christians (1 Pt).

The Work of Memory

2021 ◽  
pp. 158-184
Author(s):  
Kevin G. Grove
Keyword(s):  
The Body ◽  
Body Of Christ ◽  
In Christ

Chapter 6, on the work of memory and the life of grace, shows how remembering and forgetting form a binary construction that images and supplies language for Augustine to hold together any number of oppositions in Christ. Highlighting how Augustine applies remembering and forgetting, imagery, concepts, and language, the chapter revisits four central Augustinian binaries that emerged in chapter 1: lyre and psaltery (Christology from below and above), labor and rest, solitude and communion, and praising and groaning. The work of memory, for Augustine, extends to all created reality and structures the life of grace within the body of Christ.

Reply to Panelists

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-56
Author(s):  
Andrew Loke ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Human Nature ◽  
The Body ◽  
Strong Sense ◽  
Body Of Christ ◽  
Human Soul ◽  
The Unconscious ◽  
Alternative Models ◽  
Islamic Tradition ◽  
In Christ

I explain why my model of the Incarnation avoids the problems with alternative models and reply to objections concerning my model’s coherence with scripture (for example, Heb. 4:15), the understanding of personhood and natures (using resources from Islamic tradition concerning Jesus’s human nature), the concrete–abstract distinction, the human soul of Christ, the lack of the unconscious in Christ, and the incompatibility with a strong sense of immutability and simplicity. I conclude that my model stays faithful to scripture and can help to secure unity in the body of Christ concerning the doctrine of the Incarnation.

From Being to Love: Reconceiving the Trinity in Light of Jean-Luc Marion's Phenomenological Shift

Horizons ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-48
Author(s):  
Heidi Russell
Keyword(s):  
Jesus Christ ◽  
Human Person ◽  
The Body ◽  
Trinitarian Theology ◽  
Body Of Christ ◽  
Parallel Shift ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Trinity

This article uses the work of Jean-Luc Marion, emphasizing his shift from Being to Love as an analogue for God, to make a parallel shift from Person to Love in Trinitarian theology, thereby addressing some of the issues raised by the social trinitarians. The article then focuses on the work of Catherine Mowry LaCugna as particularly congruent with the shift suggested by Marion, but adds to LaCugna's work a conception of the immanent Trinity that is grounded in Marion's phenomenological shift. Conceiving of God as the unoriginate source of Love that is revealed in Word and enacted in Spirit allows one to understand personhood and community, not in and through the relationships between the Trinitarian Persons, but in and through Love incarnate in the human person of Jesus Christ, and Love enacted in the Spirit present in the community, forming it into the Body of Christ.

scholarly journals Pendekatan Interpretasi Teologis Kitab Suci dan Prasuposisi-Prasuposisi Teologis di Baliknya

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-160
Author(s):  
Carmia Margaret
Keyword(s):  
Jesus Christ ◽  
The Body ◽  
Body Of Christ ◽  
Theological Interpretation ◽  
People Of God ◽  
Normative Function ◽  
The People ◽  
Royal Priesthood

Cukup banyak tokoh dan tulisan yang berupaya memperkenalkan, mendiskusikan, dan menunjukkan cara kerja pendekatan Interpretasi Teologis Kitab Suci atau yang lebih dikenal sebagai Theological Interpretation of Scripture (TIS), tetapi tidak banyak yang sebenarnya menbedah pemikiran-pemikiran teologis-filosofis di baliknya.  Tulisan ini akan memperkenalkan natur, esensi, dan karakteristik khas pendekatan TIS melalui beberapa konviksi pembentuk yang melatarbelakanginya, yang dapat diibaratkan sebagai “DNA” bagi pendekatan TIS dan sekaligus membedakannya dari pendekatan-pendekatan tafsir lainnya.  Pendekatan TIS agaknya paling baik dipahami sebagai pembacaan yang dilakukan di dalam dua konteks, yaitu konteks teologis dan ekklesial.  Dalam konteks teologis, pendekatan TIS percaya bahwa Kitab Suci sebagai tulisan yang bersifat sakral, Kitab Suci adalah medium komunikasi Ilahi kepada umat di sepanjang sejarah bahkan hingga hari ini, Kitab Suci memiliki kesatuan dalam seluruh bagiannya dengan Yesus Kristus sebagai pusat dan pengikat, dan Kitab Suci paling baik dibaca dengan kesadaran akan lensa teologis pembacanya.  Dalam konteks ekklesial, pendekatan TIS menekankan keimaman rajani seluruh anggota tubuh Kristus sebagai pembaca teks, keniscayaan komunitas di dalam pembacaan, dan fungsi normatif teks yang bertujuan menghasilkan transformasi dalam kehidupan umat. There are plenty figures and writings that attempt to introduce, discuss, and show the workings of Theological Interpretation of Scripture (TIS) as an approach in reading the Holy Scripture; however, not many that actually dissect the theological-philosophical thoughts laid behind it. This paper will discuss the nature, essence, and characteristics of the TIS approach through some of the forming convictions behind it, which can be said as "DNA" for the TIS approach and at the same time, differentiates it from other interpretive approaches. The TIS approach seems best understood as a reading that happened in two contexts, namely theological and ecclesial contexts. In a theological context, the TIS approach believes that the Scripture is a sacred writing, the Scripture is a medium of divine communication to people throughout history even today, the Scripture has a unity in all its parts with Jesus Christ as the center and binding, and the Scripture is best read with an awareness of theological lenses of the reader. In an ecclesial context, the TIS approach emphasizes the royal priesthood of all members of the body of Christ as readers of the text, the necessity of the community of believers in reading, and the normative function of the text aimed at producing transformation in the lives of the people of God.

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