scholarly journals The kingdom, Israel and the church. Paul's thoughts on the relevance of God’s promises to Israel (Romans 9-11)

2001 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
M.C. Mulder
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
Jesus Christ ◽  
Personal Responsibility ◽  
Kingdom Of God ◽  
The Other ◽  
In Christ ◽  
The One ◽  
The Church

In Paul’s eschatology the kingdom of God is concentrated in Jesus Christ. In and through Him the kingdom has come and will come. Does this, however, imply that the old covenantal tradition has come to an end? If being in Christ is decisive for belonging to the eschatological kingdom of God, what then is the enduring relevance of the promises of God to his covenantal people, Israel? Romans 9-11 deals with these questions. Many scholars explain Romans 9-11 as an attempt to combine these two conflicting religious concepts, namely, on the one hand, the old covenantal tradition and on the other, the new eschatological soteriology, in which belonging to Christ is decisive. According to this viewpoint, different soteriologies clash in these chapters. Romans 11 represents the old covenantal tradition. Romans 9 cannot be compromised with this as a predestinational soteriology. In Romans 10 faith in Christ is decisive – faith which implies personal responsibility. Is it true that Romans 9-11 clearly demonstrates, as many scholars assert, that in Paul’s conception there cannot be a unanimous answer to these questions about belonging to the kingdom of God? In this article it is attempted to indicate that there is in fact more unity in Romans 9-11 than is frequently assumed. This unity can be demonstrated by especially paying attention to the background of the citations that Paul quotes from the Old Testament.

The Dimension of Depth: Thomas F. Torrance on the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper

2001 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
George Hunsinger
Keyword(s):  
Lord's Supper ◽  
The Other ◽  
John Calvin ◽  
Eternal Life ◽  
In Christ ◽  
The Dead ◽  
The One ◽  
Living Person ◽  
The Church

‘All the gifts of God set forth in baptism,’ wrote John Calvin, ‘are found in Christ alone’ (Inst. IV.15.6). The baptismal gifts, for Calvin, were essentially three: forgiveness of sins, dying and rising with Christ, and communion with Christ himself (FV.15.1, 5, 6). They were ordered, however, in a particular way. Communion with Christ, Calvin considered, was in effect the one inestimable gift that included within itself the other two benefits of forgiveness and rising with Christ from the dead. Forgiveness and eternal life were thus inseparable from Christ's person and so from participatio Christi through our communion with him. Only by participating in Christ through communion could the divine gifts set forth in baptism be truly received. Any severing of these gifts from Christ himself would result only in empty abstractions. No spiritual gift—neither forgiveness nor eternal life nor any other divine benefit—was ever to be found alongside Christ or apart from him. Christ's saving benefits were inherent in his living person. Only in and with his person were they set forth and available to the church. Communion with Christ was thus bound up with Christ's person in his saving uniqueness. He himself and he alone, for Calvin and for the whole Reformation, was our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption (1 Cor. 1:30).

scholarly journals Orygenes i hebrajski tekst Pisma Świętego

Vox Patrum ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 69 ◽  
pp. 393-404
Author(s):  
Janusz Królikowski
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
Hebrew Text ◽  
The Other ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Hebrew Version ◽  
The One ◽  
Christian Writer ◽  
The Church

Origen is the exegete and Old Christian writer whose influence on the under­standing of the Bible has always been determinative. Undoubtedly, for ecclesiasti­cal reasons he deemed the Septuagint superior and regarded it as the Christian Old Testament. He thought highly of Hebrew text as well, which he often used for his research. An expression of this belief was among others the Hexapla worked out by Origen, which can be regarded as an exceptional manifestation of esteem towards the Old Testament and its Hebrew version. Origen’s attitude towards the Bible can be characterized by two approaches: on the one hand it is the ecclesiastical approach which gives the first place to the text commonly accepted in the Church namely the Septuagint, but on the other hand he is open to every other text Hebrew or Greek, trying to understand it and take it into account in his commentary.

scholarly journals ‘n Kerk wat getuig, is ‘n kerk wat leef. ‘n Ekklesiologiese perspektief op die missionêre karakter van die kerk - Deel II

2004 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 423-441
Author(s):  
D J Dreyer
Keyword(s):  
Jesus Christ ◽  
Kingdom Of God ◽  
Vantage Point ◽  
The Other ◽  
Western World ◽  
Search For Meaning ◽  
The World ◽  
Missionary Church ◽  
Biblical Perspective ◽  
The Church

In the first of these two articles  we focused on  the Biblical perspective of the missionary church. The focus in the second article is on the ecclesiology. It is essential to remember that the church is rooted in the kingdom of God. Jesus Christ himself and his ministry was the beginning of the kingdom of God (Mark 1:15). The church exists not  for her own sake, but  for the world for whom Jesus was crucified. This is the vantage point  for a missionary church at the end of the Christendom paradigm. The missionary character of the church (the church as an apostolic church) and eschatology were not always in die focus of the theology of the reformed churches in the Western world. Of the four notes or marks of the church as one, holy, catholic and  apostolic, apostolic is  the norm for the other three. Apostolicity is a precondition and a result for the church as a missionary church. The message of a missionary church  is the only real answer in the search for meaning in this world.

The New Testament Doctrine of Election

1958 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 406-422
Author(s):  
A. A. Solomon
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
Old Testament ◽  
Jesus Christ ◽  
Look Back ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
Meaning And Purpose ◽  
In Christ ◽  
Doctrine Of Election ◽  
Love Of God ◽  
The Church

‘Election is the love of God enacted and inserted into history in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, so that in the strictest sense Jesus Christ is the election of God. ’1 In these words of Professor T. F. Torrance, as I hope to show in this essay, lies the heart of the New Testament conception of election. It is ‘in Christ’ that the primitive Church under-stands the meaning and purpose of Election rather than in the Old Testament ‘teaching’ regarding election; although, of course, she does look back to the Old Testament as ground for claiming the existence of an election as such. That is to say, the Church does not invent the idea of the Election, but rather takes up that idea and finds in her own existence and nature the meaning and purpose of election. It is the New Testament that illumines the shadowy Old Testament figure of Election with the light of the glory of Christ. Because of this, we must expect not only to see Election more clearly, as it were, in the New than in the Old Testament, but also we must expect to find in it new truth and new implications.At precisely what point in the biblical witness did the act of election begin? Who are the elect or chosen in the sight of the biblical writers? Writers tend to vary among themselves as to the answer to these questions.

scholarly journals “Hey there, Brian”: Voicing Mormon Cosmopolitanism in a College Apartment

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 56-75
Author(s):  
Clayton Van Woerkom
Keyword(s):  
Jesus Christ ◽  
Linguistic Anthropology ◽  
Social Consequences ◽  
The Other ◽  
Latter Day Saints ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Brigham Young University ◽  
The One ◽  
The Church ◽  
Tools And Methods

In this paper, I discuss a humorous form of voicing called Brian Voice (BV) used by myself and my former roommates, all of whom are students at Brigham Young University and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Bringing the tools and methods of linguistic anthropology together with the anthropology of morality (especially ordinary ethics), I demonstrate the ways in which my roommates and I use this voicing to simultaneously inhabit the two seemingly contradictory identities of, on the one hand, a reverent Mormon and, on the other, a modern cosmopolitan. BV facilitates this identity by enabling speakers to voice both irreverence and anti- cosmopolitanism without incurring the normal social consequences associated with those stances. I contend that BV accomplishes this mitigation of negative consequences through indexing ridiculousness and absurdity. By situating BV within its Mormon context, I demonstrate that in distancing speakers from both hyper-reverence and irreverence, BV entails a practical engagement with the ethics, principles, and ideals of both Mormon morality and cosmopolitan morality, thus allowing speakers to inhabit a simultaneously Mormon and cosmopolitan self.

The Kingdom of God

2020 ◽  
pp. 85-102
Author(s):  
Michael Hubbard MacKay
Keyword(s):  
Kingdom Of God ◽  
The Other ◽  
Church Administration ◽  
Joseph Smith ◽  
Unique Position ◽  
Crucial Component ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
The One ◽  
The Church ◽  
Continuous Chain

This chapter explores Joseph Smith’s overarching narrative of priestly power by identifying a continuous chain of authority back to Adam in Mormon scripture. A crucial component of that chain was the idea of administrative keys that link priestly authority among the New Testament apostles with priestly authority in Joseph Smith’s church. The chapter focuses on how an emerging narrative about Peter, James, and John determined Mormon administration and the ecclesiastical hierarchy. This apostolic narrative enabled Joseph Smith to empower the Mormon clergy with authority without compromising his unique position within the church as its president and prophet. On the one hand, Smith centralized power in himself, like a monarch over the kingdom of God. He alone held all of the keys of full church administration. On the other hand, he empowered regional parallel sites of authority of priests and high priests by distributing some keys freely to others, who also distributed them regionally. The chapter further explores the notion of the Mormon kingdom of God and how the apostolic mythos about Peter, James, and John enabled and maintained a long-lasting Mormon hierarchy. The chapter explores the mythos historically as an evolving narrative, to demonstrate how it came to represent the foundations of Mormon authority.

scholarly journals Three perspectives on the Sabbath

2019 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Francois P. Möller
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
Focal Point ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
The Other ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
In Christ ◽  
The Creation ◽  
The Law ◽  
The One ◽  
The Church

There is still confusion in theology and especially among members of the church concerning the fourth commandment and its observance. The following questions could be asked: What is the meaning of the Sabbath? What is the intention of rest on this day? Ought this commandment still be honoured like the other nine commandments of the Law? Does it still have any meaning for the church, or is Sunday a replacement for the Sabbath? The objective is to obtain greater clarity concerning the meaning, contents and application of the Sabbath as presented in both the Old and the New Testament. This is done from a dogmatic emphasis by dividing the Sabbath into three perspectives: The Creation Sabbath (God’s identification with it), the Covenant Sabbath (Israel’s identification with it), and the Atonement Sabbath (the church’s identification with it). This division does not assume three separate Sabbaths, but they are perspectives on the one Sabbath of God. The threefold perspective will contribute to a universal view on the Sabbath as presented in the creation narrative, the nation of Israel, and the church of the New Testament. This universal view is grounded in Christ who is the focal point, contents and connection between the three given perspectives. It is a Christocentric point of view that gives perception on the meaning, observance, application and message of the Sabbath for the church and every believer of our day.

scholarly journals Die een wat sal kom: 'Messiaanse tekste' in die Ou Testament en ander Joodse geskrifte

2010 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alphonso Groenewald
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
Old Testament ◽  
Hebrew Bible ◽  
Jesus Christ ◽  
Ancient Israel ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
Long Time ◽  
To Come ◽  
The One ◽  
The Church

The one who is to come: �Messianic texts� in the Old Testament and other Jewish writingsAccording to the New-Testament authors, the life of Jesus, as Christ, should be seen in light of the Old-Testament texts. It seems that all the messianic texts in the Old Testament had been fulfilled in Jesus. The Messiah, who had been expected for a long time, was born in Bethlehem. This interpretation by the New-Testament authors has caused the church and Christians throughout the centuries to read the Old Testament as a prophecy, which is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. This interpretation has caused impatience with Jews, who did not accept Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah. This article addresses the question: How did ancient Israel understand the concept �messiah�? It seems that the term is much more complex than a single meaning would allow the reader to believe. This article thus focuses on the theological functioning of the term within the Hebrew Bible as well as in other Jewish writings.

scholarly journals Conflicting models for mission and reconciliation: Future perspectives

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 621-644
Author(s):  
P Verster
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
South African ◽  
Social Gospel ◽  
The Other ◽  
Future Perspectives ◽  
The South ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
In Christ ◽  
The One ◽  
The Church

The debate between proponents of the ecumenical movement on the one hand and the evangelical movements on the other, often led to different models of reconciliation. On the one hand, social upliftment was regarded as essential in any view on reconciliation. Without a deeply entrenched “social gospel” no reconciliation was deemed possible. Evangelicals, on the other hand, were of the opinion that no reconciliation is possible without conversion and acceptance of the atonement in Christ. This debate has since waned, because both groups have in some instances accepted views from the other side, as stated by David Bosch. However, differences remain in the models for reconciliation, even in the South African church communities. Emphases on social justice and restitution viewed from a specific theological point are often contrary to the view that true reconciliation is only possible if the church proclaims conversion to God and the acceptance of the atonement in Jesus, who is the only Saviour. Evaluating the essence of reconciliation, as put forward by Paul in the Letter to the Romans, might give an acceptable view for future reconciliation.

scholarly journals Ku wolności wyzwolił nas Chrystus (Ga 5,1). Teologiczne aspekty ludzkiej wolności

2018 ◽  
pp. 49-66
Author(s):  
Janusz Królikowski
Keyword(s):  
Jesus Christ ◽  
Saint Paul ◽  
Thomas Aquinas ◽  
Human Freedom ◽  
The Other ◽  
Christian Tradition ◽  
Catholic Theology ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
The One ◽  
The Church

The discovery of universal freedom is an achievement of Saint Paul, and an achievement of the Church is a consequent propagation of this fact throughout the centuries. The Christian character of this discovery was already noticed by Hegel. In today’s world, so strongly marked by the search of freedom it is necessary to reiterate the Christian vision of freedom which is a universal one. This vision is profoundly theological in character and deeply rooted in the mystery of redemption brought by Jesus Christ. This article touches upon this fact and points out its certain aspects, especially the soteriological one. Bearing in mind the theology of freedom we cannot ignore its abundant anthropological references. The article recalls the proposition of St. Thomas Aquinas, which has been largely accepted by Catholic theology and constitutes a benchmark of anthropological philosophy which has a special application in ethics. Christian tradition stresses the fact that for a human, freedom is above all “a vocation”. Therefore, on the one hand God’s definite design through Jesus Christ concerning man has to find its eschatological realization, on the other hand man’s freedom which is solidifying in this design has to revel and show itself to the full. Undoubtedly, the eschatological issue in Christian vision of freedom is worth mentioning as well.

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