{"id":4996,"date":"2009-05-25T06:03:13","date_gmt":"2009-05-25T06:03:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/jesuscreed\/2009\/05\/justification-and-new-perspect-9.html"},"modified":"2009-05-25T06:03:13","modified_gmt":"2009-05-25T06:03:13","slug":"justification-and-new-perspect-9","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/jesuscreed\/2009\/05\/justification-and-new-perspect-9.html","title":{"rendered":"Justification and New Perspective 10"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"NTWright.jpg\"<\/span> NT Wright’s new book, Justification: God’s Plan & Paul’s Vision<\/a>\"\"
\n<\/strong><\/em>, has a very interesting format (in the American version I’m using — I had an English copy but gave it to my colleague): the first four chps are called “Introduction” and chps 5-8 are called “Exegesis” and have chps on Galatians, Interlude on Phil, Cor, Eph), Romans, and Conclusion. In other words, the debate about the new perspective is not the critical thing; the critical issue is how to read Paul!<\/p>\n

Before I say another word: a huge, huge word of thanks to RJS for looking after this blog while we were in South Africa. RJS has made this blog a better space for all of us. Thanks RJS.<\/b><\/p>\n

Now to NT Wright and Galatians…<\/p>\n

If Tom Wright has a challenge to sum up Galatians in a few pages, I have a similar challenge: to sum up his chp in a few words. I highlight.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n


\nWright has a suggestive idea for Galatians 2:11-21. What does justification mean in this context? (The text is at the bottom.) Here’s Wright’s observation:<\/p>\n

First, it does not mean to be granted free forgiveness of your sins or to come into right relation with God… but, second, rather “to be reckoned by God to be a true member of his family, and hence with the right to share table fellowship” (116). The point is to be in the family of God and it has to do with the coming together of Jews and Gentiles. Notice how the terms of this passage shift when the table fellowship is given importance here.<\/p>\n

What does “works of the law” mean? It means to live like a Jew and separating Jews from Gentiles (cf. 2:14, 15). They are not here about the moral good works that humans intent on proving themselves before God seem to like (in the Reformed tradition). Works of the law here connect to not eating with Gentiles.<\/p>\n

And we are justified by “the faith of Jesus Christ” — is this faith in Christ or Jesus’ own faith? Justification then is triggered by the obedience\/faithfulness of Jesus Christ. And Christians believe in this Messiah. The law never could promote justification … it reveals sin.<\/p>\n

Point of emphasis: 2:16-21 is the Jewish experience with salvation and table fellowship in Christ through the lens of Peter’s and Paul’s life. The “I” of these verses — “I am crucified with Christ” — is the Jewish “I.”<\/p>\n

11 When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong. 12<\/sup>Before
\ncertain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when
\nthey arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the
\nGentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the
\ncircumcision group. 13<\/sup>The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray. <\/p>\n

 14<\/sup>When
\nI saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I
\nsaid to Peter in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a
\nGentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to
\nfollow Jewish customs? <\/p>\n

 15<\/sup>“We who are Jews by birth and not ‘Gentile sinners’ 16<\/sup>know
\nthat a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus
\nChrist. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be
\njustified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by
\nobserving the law no one will be justified. <\/p>\n

 17<\/sup>“If,
\nwhile we seek to be justified in Christ, it becomes evident that we
\nourselves are sinners, does that mean that Christ promotes sin?
\nAbsolutely not! 18<\/sup>If I rebuild what I destroyed, I prove that I am a lawbreaker. 19<\/sup>For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. 20<\/sup>I
\nhave been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives
\nin me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God,
\nwho loved me and gave himself for me. 21<\/sup>I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”
<\/sup><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NT Wright’s new book, Justification: God’s Plan & Paul’s Vision , has a very interesting format (in the American version I’m using — I had an English copy but gave it to my colleague): the first four chps are called “Introduction” and chps 5-8 are called “Exegesis” and have chps on Galatians, Interlude on Phil,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":70,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[61],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4996","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-new-perspective"],"yoast_head":"\nJustification and New Perspective 10 - Jesus Creed<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/jesuscreed\/2009\/05\/justification-and-new-perspect-9.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Justification and New Perspective 10 - 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