October 2005 New Mlp.Pmd

CONCORDIA JOURNAL Volume 31 October 2005 Number 4 CONTENTS EDITORIALS Editor’s Note ............................................................................... 342 Theological Observers .................................................................. 344 ARTICLES The Wrath of God: A Biblical Overview Scott A. Ashmon................................................................... 348 Orignial Sin in the New Testament Charles A. Gieschen.............................................................. 359 Sin in Cyril of Alexandria’s Commentary on John David R. Maxwell.................................................................. 376 The Origins and Consequences of Original Sin in Luther’s Bondage of the Will Cameron A. MacKenzie......................................................... 384 Speaking to Contemporary American Culture on Sin and the Wrath of God John W. Oberdeck................................................................. 398 God’s Wrath Against Sin James V. Bachman, Peter L. Senkbeil, Kerri L. Thomsen..... 411 GRAMMARIAN’S CORNER .............................................................. 425 HOMILETICAL HELPS .................................................................. 428 BOOK REVIEWS ............................................................................... 450 BOOKS RECEIVED ......................................................................... 469 INDEX ............................................................................................. 471 CONCORDIA JOURNAL/OCTOBER 2005 341 Editor’s Note The six articles in this issue were originally papers presented at a convocation of professors of theology of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, which met in Dallas, Texas, on March 4-5, 2005. They address the issues of human sin, sinfulness, and the wrath of God as understood from Holy Scripture, historically in the church, and in contemporary society. In the first article, “The Wrath of God: A Biblical Overview,” the Rev- erend Scott A. Ashmon discusses God’s wrath as one aspect of His Law. He probes such topics as the term “wrath” in both testaments, the nature of God’s wrath, the justification of objects of His wrath, the persistence and end of God’s wrath. He concludes that God’s wrath is God’s response to human disobedience to His will and plan of salvation. The purpose of God’s wrath includes the punishment of sinners and their separation from God and His blessings. Finally, God’s wrath led to Christ Jesus satisfying it through His suffering and death on the cross. Dr. Charles A. Gieschen in the second article, “Original Sin in the New Testament,” examines the New Testament for evidence that “sin” should not be understood primarily as individual acts of disobedience to God, but it should be understood as an “enslaved condition” that reveals itself in the individual acts of human beings. He focuses primarily on Romans 5, espe- cially verse 12, as the sedes doctrine for Scripture’s teaching on original sin. It is clear from Romans 5 and other Pauline epistles that sin as a universal human condition originated with Adam in the Garden of Eden when he ate of the forbidden fruit. A full appreciation of human sinfulness is necessary for a true understanding of our redemption in Jesus Christ. Dr. David R. Maxwell, in “Sin in Cyril of Alexandria’s Commentary on John,” raises the question of whether the spiritual problem for human beings is the fact that they are sinners or that they are created beings. Related to this is the question, Does God’s plan of salvation through Jesus Christ overcome or remedy our creatureliness, or is it primarily to overcome sin and death and thereby restore us to the original condition of Adam in the Garden of Eden? For answers he turns to Cyril of Alexandria’s Commentary on John. Cyril’s writing is helpful in leading us into a deeper reflection on what Adam lost when he fell into sin. For a better appreciation of this we can seek to understand the nature of humanity prior to the Fall and human nature as revealed in the second Adam, Jesus Christ. In the fourth article, “The Origins and Consequences of Original Sin in Luther’s Bondage of the Will,” Dr. Cameron A. MacKenzie looks at Martin Luther’s understanding of the origin and consequences of original sin as discussed in Luther’s treatise, The Bondage of the Will. Original sin has corrupted all human beings and made them entirely incapable of saving themselves. Through original sin all people have become slaves of Satan. 342 Believers in Christ are fortunate to have a sovereign God who is in charge of the universe. When God speaks graciously in the Gospel, He offers de- liverance and salvation to all who believe. There remain imponderable questions about why God permitted Adam to sin, why He allowed sin to affect all human beings, and why He allows people to suffer the dire consequences of sin. While such questions remain divine mysteries, God does provide answers in the Gospel. In the next article, “Speaking to Contemporary American Culture on Sin and the Wrath of God,” Dr. John W. Oberdeck discusses the difficult task Christians have of communicating the message of sin and God’s wrath to our contemporary culture. The church’s message of sin and the wrath of God speaks about alienation and disobedience, death and damnation. He demonstrates religious themes, which parallel some aspects of the Christian message and how people confront it in literature, such as Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, in films like Blade Runner, in studies of human response to terminal illness by Kübler-Ross, and in a music album by Pink. In their difficult task Christians are enabled to confront people of our culture because we have died to sin in our Baptism and are empow- ered by the Holy Spirit in our vocation to lead people to see that death under the Law leads to rebirth to a new and better life through the Gospel. In the final article, “God’s Wrath Against Sin: Echoes in Contempo- rary Culture?,” Drs. James V. Bachman, Peter L. Senkbeil, and Kerri L. Thomsen explore evidence of the wrath of God in their respective disciplines of philosophy and ethics, theater, and English literature. In contemporary culture there is an awareness not only of sin, but also a consciousness of original sin and the corrective pressures of God’s wrath. While there is ample evidence of people wrestling with these important issues, the authors are not optimistic that people in our affluent, materially com- fortable society will make any significant changes in their thinking or com- mitments. Instead of confronting these issues directly, they have “found highly sophisticated ways to ignore God and keep consciousness of our original sin and of God’s genuine wrath at bay.” Quentin F. Wesselschmidt CONCORDIA JOURNAL/OCTOBER 2005 343 Theological Observers Theologische Realenzyklopädie (TRE) I-XXXVI, Completed After nearly three decades of work, at last, the full Theologische Realenzyklopädie (TRE), thirty-six volumes in total, ed. by Horst Balz and Gerhard Müller (Berlin: Walter de Gruyter,1977-2004) has finally been completed. It began under the leadership of editors Gerhard Müller and Gerhard Krause. Since the death of Krause, Müller has been solely responsible from volume 12 to the publication of the last volume in 2004. The TRE, a very worldly renowned project, is significant in both size and scope, with approximately eight hundred pages in each volume and covering an enormous range of subjects contributed by writers in different disciplines of theology from various lands, mainly Germany. All articles, large or small, include the writers’ names and responsibilities. The very first fascicle (of five) of the first volume appeared in October 1976 and the entire first volume in July 1977. Two cumulative indices have already appeared, first to volumes 1-17, and later to volumes 1-27 (1998). The final cumulative, en- larged, and enhanced index of the entire TRE, presumably with special emphasis on Christian theology, is almost ready to appear for users and libraries. The publisher has also offered other reference aids to facilitate the use of TRE. Among them are an index volume of abbreviations on theology and related disciplines (Abkürzungsverzeichnis, 1994) and sepa- rate indices beyond the indexing offered in each volume. The entry points are divided by Biblical citations (name, place, and subject) and by the authors of articles. A high standard of excellence has been maintained. It can be an enormous task to provide evaluations and comments not only on an individual volume but also on some major individual entries with special importance in theology. A thoughtful attempt could be made on the con- tent and the approach to the subject concerned. Each entry concludes with a very comprehensive bibliography (or bib- liographies), including the sources of the materials handled. These alone can be very meaningful to users. In the Vorwort of the final volume, Professor Bishop Emeritus Gerhard Müller, the representative editor, ex- presses his appreciation to the people who were chiefly involved for the production of the historical undertaking with the words: “Ihnen allen sei herzlich für ihre Mitarbeit gedankt” (July 30, 2004). The “Theological Observer” serves as a forum for comment on, assessment of, and reactions to developments and events in the church at large, as well as in the world of theology generally. Since areas of expertise, interest, and perceptions often vary, the views presented in this section will not always reflect the

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