DOCSLIB.ORG

Eschatological Pneumatology As a Theological Framework for Evaluating the Pneumatology of the International Church of God’S Grace in Brazil

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Eschatological Pneumatology As a Theological Framework for Evaluating the Pneumatology of the International Church of God’S Grace in Brazil Concordia Seminary - Saint Louis Scholarly Resources from Concordia Seminary Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation Concordia Seminary Scholarship 5-1-2017 Eschatological Pneumatology as a Theological Framework for Evaluating the Pneumatology of the International Church of God’s Grace in Brazil Gerson Linden Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.csl.edu/phd Part of the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Linden, Gerson, "Eschatological Pneumatology as a Theological Framework for Evaluating the Pneumatology of the International Church of God’s Grace in Brazil" (2017). Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation. 52. https://scholar.csl.edu/phd/52 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Concordia Seminary Scholarship at Scholarly Resources from Concordia Seminary. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation by an authorized administrator of Scholarly Resources from Concordia Seminary. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ESCHATOLOGICAL PNEUMATOLOGY AS A THEOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK FOR EVALUATING THE PNEUMATOLOGY OF THE INTERNATIONAL CHURCH OF GOD’S GRACE IN BRAZIL A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Department of Systematics in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy By Gerson Luis Linden May 2017 Approved by Dr. Robert Kolb Advisor Dr. Leopoldo A. Sánchez M. Reader Dr. Robert Rosin Reader © 2017 by Gerson Luis Linden. All rights reserved. ii To Denise iii Epigraph “I believe that by my own understanding or strength I cannot believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord or come to him; but instead the Holy Spirit has called me through the Gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, made me holy and kept me in the true faith, just as he calls, gathers, enlightens, and makes holy the whole Christian Church on earth and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one common, true faith. Daily in this Christian Church the Holy Spirit abundantly forgives all sins—mine and those of all believers. On the last day will the Holy Spirit will raise me and all the dead and will give to me and all believers in Christ eternal life. This is most certainly true.”(Martin Luther – Small Catechism) iv CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................................... ix ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................. xi CHAPTER ONE ............................................................................................................................ 1 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................... 1 The Thesis ............................................................................................................................. 3 The Current Status of the Question....................................................................................... 3 Pentecostalism in Brazil: The Three “Waves” ..................................................................... 3 Neopentecostalism in Brazil: A Multifaceted Reality in the Pentecostal Field .................... 5 The International Church of God’s Grace (ICGG) ............................................................... 8 Pneumatology and Eschatology in Pentecostalism and in Neopentecostalism .................. 10 The Dissertation in the Context of Current Scholarship ..................................................... 13 Main Aspects of Neopentecostal Spirituality ..................................................................... 14 The Holy Spirit and His Eschatological Ministry ............................................................... 20 The Methodological Procedure Employed ......................................................................... 28 The Chapters’ Contents ...................................................................................................... 29 CHAPTER TWO ......................................................................................................................... 30 PENTECOSTALISM AND NEOPENTECOSTALISM IN BRAZIL ........................................ 30 The North-American Beginnings........................................................................................ 30 Beginnings of Pentecostalism in Brazil .............................................................................. 38 The Metaphor of the Three Waves ..................................................................................... 43 Neopentecostalism: A Concept in Discussion .................................................................... 49 CHAPTER THREE ..................................................................................................................... 55 v THE INTERNATIONAL CHURCH OF GOD’S GRACE: HISTORY AND DOCTRINES .... 55 Missionary R. R. Soares: Founder and Leader of the ICGG .............................................. 55 Theological Emphases of the ICGG ................................................................................... 61 Theology of Prosperity ....................................................................................................... 66 Positive Confession............................................................................................................. 71 Spiritual Warfare................................................................................................................. 76 The ICGG As Evaluated from Outside ............................................................................... 82 CHAPTER FOUR ........................................................................................................................ 89 ESCHATOLOGICAL PNEUMATOLOGY: THE ROLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT CONSIDERED ESCHATOLOGICALLY .................................................................................. 89 The Role of the Holy Spirit in the Anticipation of the Coming of the Kingdom ............... 89 The Nature of the Kingdom of God: An Overview of an Ongoing Debate .............. 89 The Kingdom of God Anticipated in Christ’s Person and Mission: A Description of “Inaugurated Eschatology” ........................................................................................ 97 L. A. Sánchez M.: A Contemporary Lutheran Approach of Spirit-Christology ..... 101 The Role of the Holy Spirit in Christ’s Coming, Ministry, and Messianic Work ... 107 The Holy Spirit and Jesus’ Earthly Origin. .................................................... 107 The Holy Spirit in Jesus’ Baptism and Temptation. ....................................... 108 Jesus’ Ministry in the Spirit. ........................................................................... 112 Jesus’ Death and Resurrection and the Holy Spirit ........................................ 114 The Spirit-guided Life of the Church: The Community of the End Times ............. 119 The Community of End Times Living in the Spirit ....................................... 119 F. D. Bruner: A Christocentric Approach to the Work of the Holy Spirit in the Church ............................................................................................................ 123 R. Prenter: Luther’s Doctrine of the Holy Spirit — spiritus creator .............. 132 vi The Holy Spirit and Future Eschatology .......................................................................... 139 T. D. Beck: Holy Spirit and Eschatology in Paul and J. Moltmann ........................ 139 The Holy Spirit as “Seal,” “Guarantee,” and “First-fruits”: The Future Consummation Anticipated in the Life of the Church ...................................................................... 144 The First-fruits of the Spirit ............................................................................ 144 The Holy Spirit as Down Payment and Seal .................................................. 147 The Holy Spirit and General Resurrection: The “Spiritual Body” .......................... 150 CHAPTER FIVE ....................................................................................................................... 156 PNEUMATOLOGY OF THE INTERNATIONAL CHURCH OF GOD’S GRACE .............. 156 The Faith Course ............................................................................................................... 156 Official Magazine “Jornal Show da Fé” .......................................................................... 159 General Characteristics of the Magazine ................................................................. 160 Teaching about the Holy Spirit ................................................................................ 161 The Holy Spirit and the Revelation of God and His Will .............................. 162 The Holy Spirit is Present and Active in the Fight against the Devil ............. 164 The role of the Holy Spirit in Christian Life .................................................. 167 Results from an Interview with Members of the ICGG.................................................... 172 General Remarks about the ICGG Teaching on the Holy Spirit ...................................... 175 CHAPTER SIX .......................................................................................................................... 178 CONCLUSION .........................................................................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Towards an African Inculturation Biblical Pneumatology: a Response to the Rise of Neo- Pentecostalism in Tanzanian Christianity Faith Lugazia Luther Seminary
    Luther Seminary Digital Commons @ Luther Seminary Doctor of Philosophy Theses Student Theses 2010 Towards an African Inculturation Biblical Pneumatology: A Response to the Rise of Neo- Pentecostalism in Tanzanian Christianity Faith Lugazia Luther Seminary Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.luthersem.edu/phd_theses Part of the Christianity Commons, History of Christianity Commons, and the New Religious Movements Commons Recommended Citation Lugazia, Faith, "Towards an African Inculturation Biblical Pneumatology: A Response to the Rise of Neo-Pentecostalism in Tanzanian Christianity" (2010). Doctor of Philosophy Theses. Paper 15. This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Theses at Digital Commons @ Luther Seminary. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctor of Philosophy Theses by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Luther Seminary. For more information, please contact [email protected]. TOWARDS AN AFRICAN INCULTURATION BIBLICAL PNEUMATOLOGY: A RESPONSE TO THE RISE OF NEO-PENTECOSTALISM IN TANZANIAN CHRISTIANITY by FAITH LUGAZIA A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Luther Seminary In Partial Fulfillment of The Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA 2010 LUTHER SEMINARY LIBRARY 2375 Como Avenue 8 t P*ul, MN 65108-144? © 2010 by Faith Lugazia All rights reserved LUTHER SEMINARY ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA PH.D. THESIS Title of Thesis: Towards An African Inculturation of Biblical Pneumatology: A Response to the Rise of Neo-Pentecostalism in Tanzanian Christianity. Author: Faith Kokubelwa Lugazia Thesis committee: L . jA JL a- ABSTRACT Towards an African Inculturation Biblical Pneumatology: A Response to the Rise ofNeo- Pentecostalism in Tanzanian Christianity By Faith Lugazia In this dissertation, 1 seek to lay the groundwork for developing an African inculturation of biblical pneumatology relevant to the Tanzanian context.
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction to Christian Ethics
    LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO Department of Theology Christian Ethic Syllabus Template1 Introduction to Christian Ethics Building, Room #, Days and Times: Instructor’s Name: Office Hours: Contact Info./E-mail: Course Description Introduction to Christian Ethics is a core course that explores the major sources, methods, and insights of Christian social and theological ethics. Particular attention is given to Roman Catholic thought. The course will concentrate on the foundational sources in Christian ethics and examine the moral significance of major theological themes and affirmations. It will show how these foundational sources and themes guide ethical understanding concretely by examining one or more pressing issues of the day (e.g. ecology, immigration, poverty, medical ethics, among others). Learning Objectives This course will expose students to some of the central theological themes and affirmations of the Christian tradition, such as understandings of the God-human relationship, the nature of the human person, creation, sin, and salvation. We will see how various theological commitments contribute to Christian ethical reasoning about contemporary moral problems in their personal and social dimensions. The course will ask students to think about what constitutes an ethical problem. Students will learn basic ethical concepts and theories, such as deontological and teleological approaches, natural law, and virtue theories. Students will identify the major sources of Christian ethics (Scripture, Church tradition, philosophy, the social and human sciences, and human experience), and gain practice in identifying how different thinkers use, interpret, and prioritize these sources. Students will think critically about how to interpret each source, how the sources interrelate, and which sources take priority when they conflict.
    [Show full text]
  • Church History
    Village Missions Website: http://www.vmcdi.com Contenders Discipleship Initiative E-mail: [email protected] Church History Ecclesiology Church History History of Christian Doctrine Church History - Ecclesiology and the History of Christian Doctrine Contenders Discipleship Initiative – Church History Student’s Guide TRAINING MODULE SUMMARY Course Name Church History Course Number in Series 5 Creation Date August 2017 Created By: Russell Richardson Last Date Modified January 2018 Version Number 2.0 Copyright Note Contenders Bible School is a two-year ministry equipping program started in 1995 by Pastor Ron Sallee at Machias Community Church, Snohomish, WA. More information regarding the full Contenders program and copies of this guide and corresponding videos can be found at http://www.vmcontenders.org or http://www.vmcdi.com Copyright is retained by Village Missions with all rights reserved to protect the integrity of this material and the Village Missions Contenders Discipleship Initiative. Contenders Discipleship Initiative Disclaimer The views and opinions expressed in the Contenders Discipleship Initiative courses are those of the instructors and authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Village Missions. The viewpoints of Village Missions may be found at https://villagemissions.org/doctrinal-statement/ The Contenders program is provided free of charge and it is expected that those who receive freely will in turn give freely. Permission for non-commercial use is hereby granted but re-sale is prohibited. Copyright
    [Show full text]
  • The Role of the Holy Spirit in Contemporary Moral Theology
    • CTSA PROCEEDINGS 51 (1996): 97-113 • THE ROLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN CONTEMPORARY MORAL THEOLOGY This exploration of the role of the Holy Spirit in moral theology will be divided into two major movements. First, the paper will review several themes from contemporary moralists which seem to suggest that an integration of pneumatology into moral theology may be of great assistance to moral theology. Second, the paper will review current pneumatology with a view to showing a series of themes from today's pneumatology which might serve to enhance contemporary moral theology. In some cases, the themes raised from moral theology will match those raised from pneumatology. But in other cases, a theme raised from moral theology will not yet have been addressed in much detail by pneumatology, or, vice versa, pneumatology will suggest a fresh approach to moral thinking which has not yet been developed extensively in moral theology itself. The decision to frame the paper by exploring the movement from moral theology to pneumatology and then the movement from pneumatology to moral theology will create some overlap in the treatment of different issues, but my judgment is that the exploration of both of these movements will be the most fruitful way to proceed. Hopefully my approach will help show how a number of potentially rich connection points between pneumatology morality and a natural law morality can cohere with one another. MORAL THEOLOGY'S NEED FOR PNEUMATOLOGY Many aspects of post-Vatican II moral theology suggest that moral theology has the potential to be much enriched by pneumatology.
    [Show full text]
  • “Life-Giving Spirit”: Probing the Center of Paul’S Pneumatology Richard B
    JETS 41/4 (December 1998) 573–589 “LIFE-GIVING SPIRIT”: PROBING THE CENTER OF PAUL’S PNEUMATOLOGY RICHARD B. GAFFIN, JR.* A survey treatment, in short compass, of so rich and multifaceted a topic as the Holy Spirit in Paul is bound to be super˜cial. A surely more promis- ing alternative is to identify and re˘ect on those viewpoints in his teaching on the Spirit that are dominant and most decisive. My subtitle re˘ects certain convictions: (1) Paul had a theology, (2) this theology has a center, and (3) his teaching on the Spirit is tethered to that center/core. These sweeping—and for some, I recognize, debatable—assertions, along with related questions of method in doing Pauline theology, will largely have to be left in the background here. I limit myself to some brief comments. Does Paul have a theology? Paul, as Albert Schweitzer has put it, is “the patron-saint of thought in Christianity.”1 We need not agree with Schweitzer’s particular analysis of Paul’s thought or play Paul oˆ as a thinker against the other NT writers to appreciate that this statement captures an undeniable state of aˆairs. Is this to suggest, then, that Paul is a (systematic) theolo- gian? Yes and no, depending on how one de˜nes theology. Obviously Paul does not write systematic theology, at least not as we usually conceive of it. From beginning to end, even in the more generalized and re˘ective sections, say, of Romans and Ephesians, his writings are “occasional”—that is, gen- uine letters, pastoral pieces addressing speci˜c problems and circumstances in particular church situations.
    [Show full text]
  • The Origins of Pauline Pneumatology. the Eschatological Bestowal of the Spirit Upon Gentiles in Judaism and in the Early Develop
    Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament • 2. Reihe Herausgeber/Editor Jörg Frey Mitherausgeber / Associate Editors Friedrich Avemarie • Judith Gundry-Volf Martin Hengel • Otfried Hofius • Hans-Josef Klauck 194 Finny Philip The Origins of Pauline Pneumatology The Eschatological Bestowal of the Spirit upon Gentiles in Judaism and in the Early Development of Paul's Theology Mohr Siebeck FINNY PHILIP, born 1966; 1988 M.A. in English Literature University of Kerala; 1997 M.Th. in New Testament, Senate of Serampore University; 2003 Ph.D. in New Testament, University of Durham; currently working as the Academic Dean for Filadelfia Bible College, Udaipur, India and a visiting faculty to a Serampore affiliated college. ISBN 3-16-148598-X ISSN 0340-9570 (Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament 2. Reihe) Die Deutsche Bibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliographie; detailed bibliographic data is available in the Internet at http://dnb.ddb.de. © 2005 Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, Germany. This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any form (beyond that permitted by copyright law) without the publisher's written permission. This applies particularly to reproductions, translations, microfilms and storage and processing in electronic systems. The book was printed by Druckpartner Rübelmann GmbH in Hemsbach on non-aging paper and bound by Buchbinderei Schaumann in Darmstadt. Printed in Germany. Preface This book represents a minor revision of my doctoral thesis accepted by the University of Durham in 2003. I wish to thank Prof. Jörg Frey who read and accepted this work for publication in the WUNT 2 monograph series, Dr. Henning Ziebritzki, Mr. Matthias Spitzner, and the whole editorial team at Mohr Siebeck.
    [Show full text]
  • The Second Adam and the New Birth;
    The Second Adam and the New Birth; or, The Doctrine of Baptism as Contained in Holy Scripture by the Rev. M.F. Sadler, M.A. Prebendary of Wells; Rector of Honiton; Author of “The Sacrament of Responsibility”; “Church Doctrine—Bible Truth,” “The Church Teachers’ Manual,” etc. “Adam, who is the figure of Him that was to come.” “The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” “The second man is the Lord from heaven.” “The last Adam was made a quickening spirit.” “We are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones.” “Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ!” 2004 Athanasius Press Monroe, Louisiana ! Introduction "# M.F. Sadler’s The Second Adam and the New Birth: Looking at Salvation through the Lens of the Covenant By Rich Lusk lassic Reformed theology has always maintained that the divine- Chuman relationship may be looked at from two perspectives.1 On the one hand, we can look at things from the perspective of God’s sov- ereignty. God has planned and controls whatsoever comes to pass. Every event in history is simply the outworking of his eternal decree, according to his irresistible purpose. God has graciously predestinated a great multitude for eternal life in Christ, while others have been justly foreordained for eternal destruction because of their sin. Of course, the identity of the elect and reprobate are known only unto God in an ulti- mate sense. On the other hand, we have the covenantal perspective (for lack of a better term). We come to know God’s decree of election and reproba- tion (in a creaturely way) through his administration of the covenant.
    [Show full text]
  • JESUS and CHRISTIAN ETHICS New Scholarly Approaches Account for Much of the Recent Rise of Interest in Jesus
    Theological Studies 56 (1995) CURRENT THEOLOGY NOTES ON MORAL THEOLOGY 1994 JESUS AND CHRISTIAN ETHICS New scholarly approaches account for much of the recent rise of interest in Jesus. Instead of starting from Christological and trinitar- ian doctrines, scholars have turned to history, literary criticism, and the social sciences to discover the identity and meaning of Jesus. Two conflicting responses based on historical methods appear in the works of John P. Meier and John Dominic Crossan.1 The well-publicized Jesus Seminar scrupulously sorts biblical texts and the Gospel of Thomas into five layers of authenticity printed in different colors.2 The "quest for the historical Jesus" has moved into a new phase. First, the 19th-century "lives of Jesus" presented him as a teacher of universal moral truths; then Rudolf Bultmann and the "second quest" portrayed Jesus as the eshatological prophet; now the "third quest" considers him a teacher of unconventional wisdom.3 Jewish scholars have reclaimed the Jewishness of Jesus.4 Major recent works on New Testament ethics anchor these teachings in the person of Jesus of Nazareth.5 The 1994 convention of the CTS A addressed the theme of Jesus for the first time in its fifty-year history.6 Revisionist moral theology has generally brought in Jesus via Chris­ tological doctrines rather than "from below," i.e. from gospel accounts of Jesus' words and deeds. That too appears to be changing. Jon So­ brino has written the first volume of what promises to be liberation 1 John P. Meier, A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus, vol.
    [Show full text]
  • Faith Evangelical College & Seminary
    Faith Evangelical College & Seminary Updated: September 2015 Online DVD Courses MA, MDIV Programs Course Name Lecturer Instructor Delivery System OLD TESTAMENT OT 5111 Old Testament Exposition 1 Chung, David Hardy, Tyrone DVD OT 5112 Old Testament Exposition 2 Chung, David Hardy, Tyrone DVD OT 5118 Elements of Hebrew Jowers, Dennis Jowers, Dennis DVD OT 5121 Introduction to Hebrew 1 Jowers, Dennis Jowers, Dennis DVD OT 5122 Introduction to Hebrew 2 Jowers, Dennis Jowers, Dennis DVD NEW TESTAMENT NT 5211 New Testament Exposition 1 Garland, Daniel Garland, Daniel DVD NT 5213 New Testament Exposition 2 Garland, Daniel Garland, Daniel DVD NT 6242 Sermon on the Mount Mounce, Bill Jowers, Dennis DVD NT 6256 Exposition of I Corinthians Jowers, Dennis Jowers, Dennis DVD NT 6267 Pastoral Epistles Mounce, Bill Jowers, Dennis DVD SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY TH 5301 Biblical Interpretation House, H. Wayne Stewart, Robbin DVD TH 5311 Theology 1: Prolegomena and Bibliology House, H. Wayne Stewart, Robbin DVD TH 5312 Theology 2: Paterology, Christology, and Pneumatology House, H. Wayne Stewart, Robbin DVD TH 5313 Theology 3: Angelology, Anthropology & Soteriology House, H. Wayne Stewart, Robbin DVD TH 5314 Theology 4: Ecclesiology & Eschatology House, H. Wayne Stewart, Robbin DVD TH 5351 Lutheran Systematics 1 Varvil, Brad Varvil, Brad DVD TH 5352 Lutheran Systematics 2 Varvil, Brad Varvil, Brad DVD TH 5353 Lutheran Systematics 3 Varvil, Brad Varvil, Brad DVD TH 5354 Lutheran Systematics 4 Varvil, Brad Varvil, Brad DVD APOLOGETICS TH 5322 Introduction to Apologetics
    [Show full text]
  • Transnational Exorcism? the Spiritual World of Brazilian-Japanese Neo
    Transnational Exorcism? The Spiritual World of Brazilian-Japanese Neo-Pentecostalism Rafael Shoji In 2008 a Japanese tv broadcaster announced the discovery of something dreadful: the existence in Japan of something called macumba, an African-Brazilian magic practice involving sacrifices and offerings at public spaces in the prefecture of Shiga.1 The program followed with a search for evidence and testimonials, searching for justification of the practices of “black magic” in Japanese parks. If other minorities were once the main source of the exotic in Japan, Brazilian immigrants are now also a source of otherness in the Japanese society. In fact the sensationalism in the reports on macumba in Japan reflects the same negative perception and fear that many Brazilians have, something * Rafael Shoji holds a PhD from Leibniz University of Hannover (Germany) and is a co-founder and researcher at the Center for the Study of Oriental Religions (ceral) at the Pontifical University of Sao Paulo. He has published on Japanese religions in Brazil, Japanese-Brazilian culture, and comparative studies on Buddhism and Christianity. This research was supported by the Japan Foundation and Nanzan University. 1. Macumba is a generic term for “black” witchcraft in Brazil. Initially the term was not used in a negative sense. The word is derived from the name of an old African instrument, but in Brazil the term gradually came to be used for magical practices, usually for reasons of love or the attempt to harm someone, especially in offerings to African-Brazilian deities (especially Exus), and sometimes involving animal sacrifice. 30 rafael Shoji | 31 well known and especially exploited by neo-Pentecostals in Brazil.
    [Show full text]
  • Jesus Is the Last Adam
    Unit .19 Session .01 Jesus is the Last Adam Scripture Luke 3:23,38; Romans 5:12-21 23 Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, but the free gift following many trespasses brought the son of Heli, … 38 the son of Enos, the son of Seth, justification. 17 For if, because of one man’s trespass, the son of Adam, the son of God. … 12 Therefore, just death reigned through that one man, much more will as sin came into the world through one man, and death those who receive the abundance of grace and the through sin, and so death spread to all men because all free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one sinned—13 for sin indeed was in the world before the man Jesus Christ. 18 Therefore, as one trespass led to law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by over those whose sinning was not like the transgression the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made 15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many righteous. 20 Now the law came in to increase the died through one man’s trespass, much more have the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also man Jesus Christ abounded for many.
    [Show full text]
  • Trinitarian' Pneumatology in the New Testament? -Towards An
    'TRINITARIAN' PNEUMATOLOGY IN THE NEW TESTAMENT?-ToWARDS AN EXPLANATION OF THE WORSHIP OF JESUS ... MAx TURNER. Members of the British New Testarnent Society have spent considerable time and energy on the important questions of when, how and why Jesus came to be worshipped as God.' Very much less time has been spent on the status of the Spirit, and a trawl through the massive secondary literature of our discipline catches rela­ tively few relevant fish. There are I think at least two obvious explanations for this. One is what Professor Hurtado has called 'the binitarian shape of early Christian worship' - that is, it appears that in the apostolic church cultic veneration was offered to the Father and to the Son, but not apparently to the Spirit.2 We have to wait for the 2nd Century Martyrdom and Ascension of Isaiah (9.33-36) before we encounter worship addressed to the Spirit. Second, debates about the personhood of the Spirit are understood to be secondary to and even largely parasitic on the Christo logical debates. One first settles the question of the divinity of Jesus, this establishes the all­ important principle of plurality within the unity of God; then one can set about the relatively minor mopping up operation with respect to the Spirit. Arthur Wainwright comments: The Spirit seems to have been included in the doctrine of God almost as an afterthought about which men had no strong feelings, either favourable or hostile'.] Wainwright was speaking, of course, about Patristic developments, but one could apply it (mutatis mutandis) to NT scholarship.
    [Show full text]