by Bret Capranica | Nov 2, 2006 | Biblical Studies, Pauline Theology
Paul spreads the gospel, particularly to the Gentiles, through his suffering. That is the summation of Thom Schreiner’s chpater on “Suffering & the Pauline Mission.” Paul was attacked for his suffering: accused of being a vacillator, criticized for his lack of success in evangelism, told he needed letters of recommendation, charged with hypocrisy and attacked for his failure to take pay for his work (88). Schreiner does not see the Corinthian letter as a battle between he, his apostleship and the Corinthians [I was not convinced] (91). “. . . his sufferings do not disqualify him from his apostolic office but are the means by which God’s Spirit is poured out in the lives of his converts” (95). Regarding the enigmatic verse in Col 1:24 about Paul filling up what is lacking in Christ’s suffering: “The ‘filling up’ of Christ’s afflictions is the pathway by which the gospel is ‘fulfilled’ in the lives of the Gentiles” (102). “Paul through his sufferings, however, extends the message of Christ’s all-sufficient death to the Gentiles, for such a message was concealed from the Gentiles during the life of Jesus of Nazareth. . . . What is lacking in Christ’s afflictions is that the benefit of those afflictions had not yet been proclaimed among the Gentiles. . . . Paul’s sufferings, in other words, are corollary of Christ’s . . . Paul’s sufferings mirror and reflect what Christ has done, so that the messenger in this sense replicates the life of the one proclaimed”...
by Bret Capranica | Nov 2, 2006 | Biblical Studies, Pauline Theology
I did keep up with my reading plan of Schreiner’s book yesterday, but not my posting of it. so here’s some quotes from yesterday’s reading: “The gospel of Christ fulfills what was written in the Old Testament scriptures, and believers inherit the promises made to Abraham” (73). Schreiner then moves into a brief history of Israel. I thought this was a quaint quote: “The promises of land and seed were substantially fulfilled at this juncture [Joshua’s conquest], but there was little evidence that all nations would be blessed through Abraham” (74). What does substantially fulfilled mean? Obviously Dr. Screiner does not even see Joshua’s conquest and the completion of the promise made to Israel regarding the land. The most fun portion of Schreiner’s chapter is his discussion of the Gentiles being included in the community of Israel through the gospel. He is careful throughout, not to refer to the Jew/Gentile oneness as “the church,” but as “the people of God.” This is language that will suit his position well, but not that which is used in the salient passages he quotes. Romans 2:28-29 are not verses directed at Gentiles who can become Jews, but rather Jews who have never understood God’s original intentions for their Jewishness. Gentiles are never called Jews in Romans (81). He further acknowledges the great debate of “the Israel of God” in Galatians 6:16. Plausible interpretations can be made for it referring to Gentile inclusion with the Jews as well as Israel as an ethnic reference (82-83). Ephesians 2:11ff never calls the Gentile-Jew oneness Israel. In fact he states that both groups have become one...
by Bret Capranica | Oct 31, 2006 | Biblical Studies, Pauline Theology
From Schreiner on Paul’s Mission: “With the exception of Romans [I don’t think I totally agree with this exception] most of Paul’s remaining letters were written to maintain the faith of those who had joined the new community, for persistence in faith was the mark of a successful mission. . . . Paul had no conception of his mission advancing apart from the proclamation of the gospel, and thus we see again that the missionary and theological task of Paul are indissoluble” (64). “Wherever the gospel is preached, fruit is the inevitable consequence, for the prolcaimed word is a performative word, accomplishing what it demands” (65). “Faith is not a private reality that arises from inner reflection or as a result of philosophical investigation” (65). “. . . the Pauline emphasis on perseverance indicates that simply laying a foundation was not sufficient. He did not believe his work as an apostle was accomplished unless both the churches were established and they persevered” (66-67). “It is likely, therefore, that preaching the gospel (euangelizomai) and “gospel” (euangelion) in Paul cannot be confined to the initial proclamation of the message. We have already seen that the gospel involves the obedience of faith (Rom 1:1-5; 16:25-27); and this obedience of faith cannot be restricted to conversion but is borne out by perseverance. Under the umbrella of the gospel is every aspect of Christian existence, for Philippians 1:27 calls on believers ‘to live in a manner worthy of the the gospel of Christ'” (67). Schreiner believes that the mentionof Euodia and Syntyche in Philippians 4:3 is evidence that they were preaching the gospel to...
by Bret Capranica | Oct 30, 2006 | Biblical Studies, Pauline Theology
More from Schreiner: “Bringing the gospel to the Gentiles was a distinctive advance in the mission of early Christianity, and Paul perceived the theological implications of the gospel more clearly than did the pillars and th other apostles in Jerusalem” (50). Schreiner sees Acts 15 and Galatians 2:1-10 as referring to the same incident (though he does not support the North Galatian hypothesis) (51-52). “God has planned history in such a way that the unity of the Jews and Gentiles would occur though the work of his Messiah on the cross. Enmity marked the relations between Jews and Gentiles before the arrival of the new covenant (Eph 2:14-19). Peace between these factions has been accomplished through the cross of Jesus the Messiah” (55). “Those Gentiles who believe in Christ are no longer excluded from the people of God. They are ‘no longer strangers and aliens but are fellow citizens of the saints and members of God’s household’ (Eph 2:19). Paul emphasizes in Ephesians 3 that his role in proclaiming the unity of Jews and Gentiles in the church is a divine gift” (57). I kept waiting for Dr. S. to say that the Gentiles has become Jews, but he, like Paul, does not make such a statement. Although, I’m anticipating it from Dr. S. at any point now. I would have also loved for a fuller description of what the “one new man” is in Ephesians 2:15. “What was previously hidden was the Gentiles’ equal status in the people of God” (57). “When Paul says he has ‘fulfilled the gospel of Christ from Jerusalem to Illyricum,’ he does not...
by Bret Capranica | Oct 28, 2006 | Biblical Studies, Pauline Theology
From Schreiner – ch 2: Proclaiming a Magnificent God “Magnifying God in Christ was the animating principle of Paul’s life and the foundational principle of his theology” (37). “. . . Paul’s primary aim was not to leave an epistolary legacy in which subsequent generations would marvel at his theological system. He was a missionary who wrote letters to churches in order to sustain his converts in their newfound faith” (38). “When Paul reflects on his calling as a missionary, he invariably attributes it to God’s grace and mercy” (40). “. . . he also emphasizes his untiring effort and work as an apostle. . . . He labors as a wrestler, runner and boxer (Col 1:28-2:3; 1 Cor 9:24-27) to bring all to completion in Christ and in Christian maturity. Concerted discipline and painful exertion characterize his ministry. The apostolic ministry is not one of serenity in the sense that the nitty-gritty nature of everyday life is transcended” (41). “The remarkable change of course [Paul’s conversion and call] is ascribed to God himself; his induction into the ministry was due to God’s ‘good pleasure’ (eudokesen), God’s ‘separating’ (aphorisas), God’s ‘calling’ (kalesas) and God’s ‘revealing’ (apokalypsai, Gal 1:15-16). In other words, the radical change in Paul’s allegiance can only be attributed to God himself” (44). “As Paul reflects on his past, he says the he was ‘formerly in Judaism’ (Gal 1:13). The word formerly (pote) surely implies that he is no longer part of Judaism. Indeed, it is telling that the term Judaism (Gal 1:13-14) is used twice to depict Paul’s allegiance before his calling. He never uses this...
by Bret Capranica | Oct 27, 2006 | Biblical Studies, Pauline Theology
Today I began reading through Dr. Thom Schreiner‘s book, Paul, Apostle of God’s Glory in Christ: A Pauline Theology (PAGGC). I recently purchased it to look through as I preach through the book of Romans. I had the privilege to sit under Dr. Schreiner’s tutelage for one day during a doctoral seminar at Southern Seminary and I have attended the church he pastors, on two occasions. I plan to read about thirty minutes a day in PAGGC and as a means of capturing quotes and insight, I may post a bit from the book here at THE CAPRANICA. Chapter One: The Centrality of God in Christ in Paul’s Theology. The goal in writing a Pauline theology is to unearth Paul’s worldview and to present it to contemporaries. . . . to rightly estimate what is most important in his thinking and to set forth the inner connections between the various themes. Dr. Schreiner seeks to unearth and expose the center of Paul’s thought, which he admits is a dangerous employment because it could leave someone with the idea that only one element is central and the remainder of a person’s contributions become less and less central as the emanate outwardly from that center. It may be better then to think of the center of Paul’s thought like the foundation of which a house is built. “God is not only the foundation of the house; he and his Son, Jesus the Messiah, are the means by which the house is built. They are the architects, the contractors and the workers who build the house” (20). Perhaps we can say that...
