Tuesday, September 12, 2023

PRESERVED THRU CHILDBIRTH

 


“But she [the wife] will be preserved through childbirth—if they [the wife and husband] continue in faith, love, and sanctity, with moderation.” (1 Timothy 2:15)

One of the more confusing verses in the Bible – at first. Some have thought the “preserved” (sōzō) means “salvation” and refers to the eternal soul of women. That would be an unprecedented and unsupported idea, running afoul of all Christian and Jewish doctrines about salvation. The word sōzō can mean salvation in terms of being saved from enemies or death or disaster (e.g., Acts 27:20, 21). Here the word would refer to being saved from the dangers of childbirth, which could bring death. Therefore, “preserved” is a better translation of sōzō.

In this passage, Paul tells a young couple that the wife will be preserved through the dangers of childbirth if the couple continues in their Faith. The implication is that the young wife was bullying her husband by some deceptive teaching contrary to the Christian Faith. Significantly, the first wife recorded in the Bible was deceived, became a wrongdoer, resulting in greater pain in childbirth (Genesis 3:16), BUT helped EVE give birth (Genesis 4:1). Eve was preserved through the pains of childbirth by God. This is why Paul cites the Genesis 3-5 story to solve the domestic squabble of 1 Timothy 2:15, attempting to heal the relationship.

 


Thursday, May 26, 2022

Ehud and Eglon

The other day I was studying the story of Ehud and Eglon (Judges 3:15-30). While doing so, I was reminded of three films …


In Orson Welles’ Touch of Evil (1958), the hero, Mexican special prosecutor Miguel Vargas, confronts the evil and immense police captain Hank Quinlan. The way that Welles constructs the scene, Vargas is portrayed as a matador encountering Quinlan the bull.

In Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now (1979), Captain Benjamin L. Willard confronts the evil and immense U.S. Army Special Forces Colonel Walter E. Kurtz. The latter’s death is intercut with the ceremonial slaughter a water buffalo by indigenous people.


In Coppola’s The Godfather, Part II (1974), evil mafiosi Don Ciccio murders Vito Corleone’s father, Antonio Andolini, for refusing to give tribute. He then attempts to kill the young Vito, despite his mother’s protestations.

"But Vito is only nine, and dumb-witted. He never speaks."

"It is not his words that I am afraid of."

―Signora Andolini and Don Ciccio

The adult Vito eventually returns and avenges the death of his family, with a ritualistic dispatch. Traditionally, Ciccio was akin to “Chubby.”


The story of Ehud’s assassination of Eglon appears in Judges 3:15-30 – a passage I’ve frequently referred to as “The Gospel According to Quintin Tarantino.”[1] The passage is a thriller full of deception, mockery, humiliation, humor, puns, grotesqueness, the Grand Guignol, and death in the potty.

The obese King Eglon of Moab is a man of insatiable appetite and conquest. He gathers a small force, defeats Israel, seizes part of the land, and exacts tribute from the Israelites. Ehud, the left-handed Benjamite, is sent to deliver the “tribute” personally (v. 15).

Being left-handed, Ehud straps a two-edged sword to his right thigh under his cloak (vv. 16, 21). Thus, Eglon’s guards, who wouldn’t have known Ehud’s sinister difference, would’ve checked his left thigh for a weapon. Even more deceptively, Ehud tells Eglon, “I have a secret word for you” (v. 19). The Hebrew word for “word” (dāḇār) can also mean “thing” (i.e., sword). So, alone together in the rich restroom (v. 20), Ehud says to Eglon, “I have a word (dāḇār) from God for you …” (v. 20).[2] Ghastliness follows (vv. 21-22).[3]

While the story is exciting, there is a theological message. Significantly, Ehud passes idols when he goes to see Eglon (v. 19) and then passes them again (v. 26) after he leaves, making his Andy Dufresne-esque escape. This bookending indicates that idolatry relates to the king’s weight, greed, and conquest.[4] Even the Moabites soldiers are said to be “robust” (šāmēn), which can have connotations of fatness (Judg 3:29; Ezek 34:16; Hab 1:16). The name Eglon suggests "calf," indicating the hero confronts a "fatted calf.” There was no question about how this story would end. Interestingly, a fattened calf is one set aside for a special occasion. While most cattle simply grazed in fields, these select animals were fed in stalls. The extra food and the inability to roam freely meant that they would gain more weight.

The bible frequently notes that oppression, exploitation, and societal injustice are rooted in idolatry. Essentially, idolatry is the elevation of the good aspects of God’s creation to the point of “worship,” whether it be food, possessions, sex, entertainment, etc. When that happens, humans (who are made in the image of God) become less like the image of God (Rom 1:23; Phil 3:19-21) and more like the image of the idol they worship (Pss 115:8; 135:18; Rom 1:23; Phil 3:19-21). They become “slaves” to these idols thru sin – indulging in like a habit or addiction that becomes almost impossible to shake. The more they worship the idol and indulge sin, the deeper enslaved they become. The enslaving sin and idolatry has a deluding effect upon the worshipper, so they have difficulty recognizing the truth (Ps 115:5-8; Zech 10:2; Rom 1:21-22, 28, 31; Rev 21:8; 22:15; Isa 6:9-10). At the same time, the idolatry debases (Rom 1:24, 26-27; Col 3:5; Ezek 22:9-11; Phil 3:19; Eph 5:5; Judg 3:17).

The idol eventually has a totalizing effect upon the person, absolutizing itself in the mind of the idolater, becoming all-consuming, encompassing the individual or group making itself appear permanent, inevitable, and inescapable. The “prison” becomes the ultimate reality, and the prisoner can never even think that there is any other way than that of the idol. Now, not only does the idolater become more like the idol, but he or she begins to see other people thru that idol. That’s part of idolatry’s deluded all-encompassing effect. The image of God in other people begins to break down in the mind of the idolater. People are objectified and then exploited by the idolater in service of the sin and the idol. Thus, a person can be used by an idolater for sex, money, power, or food. Idolatry then is what leads to oppression. That is the overall, general biblical conception of why things are bad in our era.

Both the narrative structure of Judges 3 and how the story’s thematic dynamics work in other biblical passages, all indicate that the Ehud-Eglon episode isn’t just a thrilling adventure or a piece of anti-Moabite propaganda. It also presents, in narrative form, the common effects of idolatry (pagan or otherwise): insatiability, lethargy, debasement, loss of image, negative influence, and social injustice. Call Eglon of Moab the pre-summation of our times.

Here ends the word of God for you.



[1] Perhaps “The Gospel According to Francis Ford Coppola” would be more accurate.

[2] See Hebrews 4:12 and Ephesians 6:17.

[3] The king dies on the throne?

[4] See also Psa 73:3-8; Ezek 34:16-20; Jer 5:27-29; Neh 9:25-26; Deut 32:15; see Isa 6:10 especially, which includes a “fattened” mind with other effects of idolatry (i.e., the inability to recognize the truth).

Wednesday, March 02, 2022

Idols & Fasting

 

The primary problem that the bible seeks to address isn’t sin; rather, it’s idolatry. “Idolatry” is elevating an aspect of God’s good creation above its station (i.e., “worshipping”). Sin is what imprisons (or addicts) humans to idols, and always to the detriment of the idolater and everyone else. Biblically, idolatry is the source of all social injustice.

There are several symptoms or characteristics of idolatry. One is delusion or blindness to the truth (Ps 115:5-8; 135:16-17; Isa 44:17-20; Zech 10:2; Rom 1:21-22, 31 [cf. Rom 8:5-7; 12:2-3; Eph 4:17-25]). Such delusion is an immense problem that affects everyone, including Christians. Because of this delusion, one chief difficulty is that you can only realize the trap until you are out of it or headed out.

There are ways of recognizing the hold of idolatry. Given that we enter the season Lent today, I wanted to share this very brief article about how fasting can help you exit idolatry by making you aware of the problem.

Ask God right now, “What is my ‘idol?’” … What’s the first thing that popped into your mind? What have people said to or about you that might indicate your “idol”? … What popped into your mind? What do you do when you’re stressed or anxious? …

What ever it is (e.g., food, buying possessions, work, sports, politics …), try fasting from it and see what you haven’t seen before.


Fasting at the Feet of Jesus


For more Scriptural passages on the delusionary effect of idolatry, see Pss 81:8-13; 115:5-7; 135:16-17; Isa 30:9-22; 44:9-20; Jer 3:17; 5:7-23; 7:24-28; 9:13; 10:8-14; 11:8-10; 13:10; 16:11-12, 18-21; 18:12-15; 23:13-32; 51:17-18; Ezek 12:2; Hab 2:18; Zech 10:2; Rom 1:21-22 (cf. Rom 8:5-7; 12:2-3; Eph 4:17-25).


Monday, December 06, 2021

THE FALL AND RISE OF MANY - A Christmas Devotion on Luke 2:34

 


And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel” (Luke 2:34)

The holiday classic, A Christmas Story (1983), is well-known for its hero Ralphie’s mission to get a Red Ryder B.B. Gun for Christmas. The boy pursues many schemes to influence his parents, his teacher, and even a store Santa in hopes of fulfilling his fantasy of becoming a sharp-shooting sheriff – all while dismissing the warnings of adults that he’ll shoot his eye out. If you don’t already know, I’m sure you’ve guessed. Spoiler Alert: Injuring his eye (breaking his glasses!) is exactly what happens when Ralphie gets his Ryder B.B. Gun for Christmas. He heard the warnings but couldn’t see the truth. A great example of “Be careful what you wish for.”

For almost half a millennium, the Jewish people had lived under foreign rule by a succession of pagan empires. Most recently, the Roman Empire occupied Israel, polluting the promised land in the eyes of many Jews. The people longed for a messiah to sit on David’s throne, for salvation from their Roman enemies, and for God to return to his Temple (Luke 1:68-71, 74, 77-79; 2:30, 32; 19:45-48). But throughout the prophetic witness of God’s inevitable deliverance, there was an ominous undertone: Who can endure the day of his coming? (Mal 3:1-2; Mark 1:2-3; Luke 3:4, 8, 16-7; 7:27; 19:41-44; 19:11-27; 20:9-19). In Simeon’s prophecy, he speaks to this point: God’s deliverance will be great for many in Israel, but not for all. As Mary notes in her poem, God “brings down the rulers and exalts the humble” (Luke 1:52). There will be a reversal of fortune when God acts (Luke 6:20-25; 16:19-31). When hope arrives, God will balance the books (Luke 4:18-19; 7:22-23; 14:7-24; 18:18-30; 19:1-10; 21:1-4; 22:24-30). Be careful what you wish for. Are you ready?

Like Ralphie, we often long for a great hope to be fulfilled and a glorious outcome to realized, but we don’t often see the truth when we hear the warnings of what that hope will look like. We want God to bring revival, reform, and renewal, but we don’t think that when God answers our prayers, that WE will be the one revived, reformed, and renewed – often by “painful” measures! With whatever sin you are currently struggling, with whomever you are treating as less than yourself, pray to God for help turning away from such behavior. Heed the biblical warnings that result from such sins. In this way, when God does act mightily, you will see the truth, recognize the time, and be ready when hope arrives (Luke 19:41-44).

 

Friday, November 05, 2021

Spirit and Flesh - The Egalitarian Basis of Galatians 3:28

 

 

Scholars have long recognized the egalitarian sentiments in Paul’s letter to the Galatians, particularly in verse 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (NASB20). They note Paul’s concern that requiring Jewish ethnic practices (like circumcision) for full membership in the Church would divide Christians, assert Jewish privilege over Gentiles, and enslave both under spiritual Powers. While many understand the place of 3:28 in Paul’s argument, few recognize its Scriptural basis, the underlying theological framework, and how Paul conceptualized his “egalitarian” approach to ministry and mission. We can recognize the apostle’s understanding by observing the patterns of his argument throughout his letters.[1] In short, Paul bases his egalitarianism on Christ’s death and resurrection, the outpouring of the Spirit, and the nature of God.

In the biblical conception, inequality and the privilege-oppression dynamic begin in idolatry. Humans elevate the good aspects of God’s creation to the point of worship, particularly those aspects which order our world and mark out distinctions in creation’s diversity. For example, God creates the sun, moon, and stars that order days, years, and seasons (Gen 1:16-18), and humanity worships them (Deut 4:19; 17:3; 2 Kings 23:5). God creates beasts of various kinds (Gen 1:20-26), and humanity worships them (Rom 1:23). God creates cooperating authorities (Rom 13:1-3), and humanity worships government (Rev 13:12, 15; 14:9, 11). In the process, humanity becomes more like the idols they worship and less like the image of God (Ps 115:8; 135:18; Isa 6:9f; Rom 1:23ff; 8:29; 12:2; Phil 3:19ff). At the same time, the idolator sees others in terms of their idolatry. A person who idolizes wealth from the vegetation of the ordered seasons will enslave a person of a different race to feed his greed. The idolator has objectified another human, treating him as less than the image of God. Or man who idolizes sex and masculinity, sees women in those terms, objectifies them, treating them as both subordinate to men and less than the image of God. The result is the establishment of various privileged-oppressed patterns of behavior that objectify, exploit, and diminish the image of God in humanity.

However, even within this privileged-oppression dynamic, both privileged and oppressed are imprisoned by the spiritual forces behind these idolized, ordering powers of creation thru sin, though the former enjoy the benefits that result from greater collaboration. There are numerous designators for these forces. Both Paul and Peter identify them, in part, as “principalities and powers” (Rom 8:38; 13:1-3; Col 1:13-16; Eph 1:21; 3:10; 6:12; 1 Cor 15:24; 1 Pet 3:22). The idea of spiritual forces behind the ordering powers of creation is well-recognized.[2] The same idea is present in the so-called gods that were said to exist behind idols (1 Cor 10:19-21). Similarly, there are spiritual powers (such as angels) closely connected to nations,[3] governments (1 Cor 2:8; Col 1:16; Rom 13:1-3), and even churches (Rev 1:20).

One term Paul uses for these ordering powers of creation is stoicheia (Gal 4:3, 9; Col 2:8, 20). This term has a range of meanings dependent upon its context. It can refer to the essential elements of the universe (2 Pet 3:10, 12), to basic principles of religious teaching (Heb 5:12), or to the spiritual forces that are connected to the elements of the cosmos (T. Sol. 8:2, 4). In Colossians 2:8-10, Paul warns the church to not be “taken captive” (sylagogeo, a likely pun on synagogue) by false philosophies and traditions rather than that of Christ who is above all “principality and power,” and who has both disarmed and triumphed over the powers in his death (vv. 14-15). In 2:18, he warns them about the worship of angels (see Acts 7:42-43; Amos 5:25-27). As in Galatians, Paul dissuades the Colossians against circumcision (2:11-13) and both Jewish calendric and its aesthetic practices such as food, drink, festivals, new moons, and sabbath days (Col 2:11, 16, 21-23). In Galatians 4:3 and 4:9, Paul mentions the stoicheia of the world, identifying them as basic elements of pagan idolatry that held the Gentiles in bondage, and from which Christ has freed them (again, see Col 2:20). In doing so, Paul again identifies the basic elements of the Jewish Law as stoicheia, citing the observance of days, months, seasons, and years (Gal 4:10). This follows a close connection between (or identification of) angels and the mediation of the Law (3:19), an idea that is present elsewhere.[4] Therefore, in both Galatians and Colossians, Paul likens religious practice under the Law to pagan idolatry; both were characterized by bondage to spiritual powers. That, of course, is Paul’s argument in Galatians 3. The Law confined the Jews under bondage and under sin,[5] with the intent of separating them from the corruption and influence of the pagan Gentile world (Eph 2:12-19). In Acts 10:12 & 11:6, the noted “unclean” animals that, in part, separated Jews from Gentiles are the same mentioned in Rom 1:23 and Genesis 1:20-26. Yet, the Spirit is poured out upon the Gentiles as had happened to the Jews at Pentecost (Acts 2:2-4, 17-21; 10:44-47).

Importantly, there was nothing evil in the Law itself (Rom 7:7). Rather, it was human sin corrupting the Law in the flesh (Rom 7:5, 25; 8:3-8). The same corruption was at work with other ordering aspects of God’s good creation. The biblical conception is of sin corrupting aspects of our base natures, then corrupting others, and finally creating corporate solidarities or allegiances along the lines of the aforementioned orders and distinctions. The term Paul frequently uses to denote this corruption-solidarity dynamic is “flesh.” In neutral terms, the Hebrew conception of “flesh” (basar) lends itself to solidarity thinking in terms of marriage (“one flesh” [Gen 2:23f.; 1 Cor 6:16]), families or kin groups (“bone and flesh” [2 Sam 19:12f.; Gen 29:14; Rom 9:3]), and humanity in general (“all flesh” [Gen 6:12; Joel 2:28f.]). While the Greeks had a term for “flesh” (sarx) and a term for “body” (soma), the Hebrews had only one word, basar (“flesh”), to cover both ideas. Therefore, there are times when “flesh” and “body” are near synonymous terms in Paul (1 Cor 6:15-19; 15:39-40; Eph 5:28-33).

Paul teaches that participation in Christ’s death (Rom 6:3-11; Col 2:12, 20; 3:32; 2 Cor 5:14-15; Phil 3:10) strips believers of “fleshly” solidarities - essentially dying to such solidarities and dying to the ordered distinctions that create them. For example, both Paul and Jesus say the “one flesh” solidarity of marriage ends at death (Rom 7:2-3; Mark 12:25). Similarly, Paul says that the jurisdiction of the Law ends at death (Gal 2:19-20; Rom 6:14; 7:1, 4-9). In Colossians 2:20, Paul tells the Gentile Christians that they’ve died with Christ to the stoicheia. We can add to this that death to sin liberates from the slavery to the body of sin, or the flesh of sin (Rom 6:2-22; 8:3). There are different ways in which Paul expresses this idea, including, being baptized into Christ or into his death (Rom 6:3-5; Col 2:12), stripping off or crucifying the “old self” or “old human” (anthropos [Rom 6:6; Eph 4:22; Col 3:9]), and removing the body of the flesh (Col 2:11). But while death in Christ breaks the old solidarities of the flesh, participation in Christ’s resurrection (Rom 6:4-11; Col 2:12-13; 3:1) creates a new solidarity in Christ, energized by the Spirit. Paul refers to this as being clothed with or putting on Christ (Gal 3:27; Rom 13:14; 1 Cor 15:53-54) or putting on the “new self” or “new human” (anthropos [Rom 6:6; Eph 2:15; 4:24; Col 3:10]).

Importantly, these distinctions and solidarities aren’t eliminated by participation in Christ; they are just no longer the bases for exclusion, division, privilege, and oppression. Rather, believers are One in Christ, and creation returns to the ordered goodness of God’s original intention, which is why Paul can state that neither the Law’s circumcision (Gal 5:6; 6:15; 1 Cor 7:19) nor food sacrificed to idols (1 Cor 8) ultimately matters.

In Galatians, some Christians were mandating circumcision as a requirement for full membership in the Church and in the family of Abraham. Paul responds to this perceived threat to the freedom of the Christian (2:4; 5:1, 13) by noting the Law’s intent, which included contemporary confinement until the fulfillment of God’s promise to bless the Gentiles in the family of Abraham. He argues that requiring circumcision and other “works of the Law” (see 2:11-14) will divide the Church along ethnic lines (3:16), assert Jewish privilege over and against Gentile Christians, and bring them back under the bondage of the same kinds of spiritual powers from which Christ had freed them (1:4; 4:3, 9-10).

The word “promise” (epangelia) is mentioned six times in Galatians 3 (twice more in Galatians 4), starting with verse 14, which identifies it as the “promise of the Spirit.”[6]

It is in Acts 2 that the promised Spirit was poured out on Jesus’ Jewish disciples,[7] so that Peter (v. 17-18) could proclaim it to be the fulfilment of Joel’s prophecy:

It will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind [literally “flesh”]; and your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will have dreams, your young men will see visions. And even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days” (Joel 2:28-29 NASB).

In Acts 10:44-47 (see also 11:15-18; 15:8), the Spirit then comes upon Gentiles.

In chapter 3, Paul reminds the Galatians that they’re received the Spirit of promise (3:2-3, 5, 14; see also 4:6; 5:16, 18). He then notes in vv. 27-28,

“For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Paul is citing Joel 2:28-29. Both passages are about the Spirit coming upon people. Instead of “flesh” (which includes both Jew and Gentile), Paul makes the point explicit since the distinction is vital to his main point, but he similarly includes the references to men and women and both slave and free – the free being implicit in Joel.

E. C. Rust says, “Joel promises a democratization of the prophetic consciousness in the new age when God shall pour out his Spirit upon all flesh.”[8]

And note the language Paul uses in v. 27: “baptized into Christ” and “putting (enduo) on Christ.” This is the language of dying to the solidarities of the “flesh” (Gal 3:3) and living in the solidarity of Christ – a solidarity energized by the Spirit, rather than the flesh (3:3; 4:29; 5:16-25; 6:8) - so that Jew, Gentile, slave, free, man, & woman are now one in Christ. And Galatians isn’t the only letter in which Paul makes a connection between Joel 2 and the solidarities of the “flesh.” In 1 Corinthians, Paul writes,

“For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit” (1 Cor 12:13).

In this chapter, Paul notes the varieties of gifts, ministries, and effects but the same Spirit, Lord, & God (vv. 4-11), with the example of many members but One body (vv. 12-13, 20, 27) with One Spirit (v.13), in which there should be no division (v. 25; see also 1:10; 11:18).[9] Again, body and flesh can be near synonyms in Paul and in this letter (1 Cor 6:15-19; 15:39-40). Again, we have the language of participation in Christ’s death. In chapter 15, when he addresses the reality of Christ’s resurrection, the believer’s relation to that resurrection, the subjugation of “principalities and powers” (vv. 24-28), the inability of the flesh to inherit the next age (vv. 35-50), and how resurrected believers will bear the image of the heavenly Christ (vv. 47-49), Paul says the perishable will “put on” (enduo – same as in Gal 3:27) imperishable (vv. 53-54; see also vv. 42-52). In chapter 6, he had already noted the Christians participation in Christ (vv. 14-15), noting the “one flesh” solidarity of marriage (v. 16; see also 7:4). Back to 12:13, Paul says that all our baptized into One body with One Spirit, whether Jews or Greek or slaves or free. This is the same argument Paul used in Gal 3:27-28, and he appears to be thinking again of Joel 2:28-29. Even as he applies the Oneness of Christ’s body to the varieties of gifts by the One Spirit, he emphasizes the importance of all these gifts. Even if some gifts and their positions are more important to the body (12:28-30; 14:1-40), Paul encourages the Corinthians to earnestly pursue those gifts and positions (12:31; 14:1, 39; 11:5). Regardless, we see a pattern emerging in Paul’s thinking: participation in Christ’s death and resurrection takes off the old solidarities of the flesh and puts on the new solidarity of Christ – a solidarity energized by the Spirit (6:17-19; 12:11-13; 15:42-47). We see the same line of reasoning in Colossians where Paul writes,

“Do not lie to one another, since you stripped off the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self, which is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created it— a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, and free, but Christ is all, and in all” (Col 3:9-11).

Here again, Paul tells the Christians that they’ve died to the solidarities of the “flesh.” Paul had already noted that the Colossians had died and been raised in Christ (1:22; 2:12-13, 20; 3:1, 3). They’ve stripped off the old self and put on (enduo – as in Gal 3:27 and 1 Cor 12:13) the new self (see 2:11). And just as in Galatians 3:28, there is now no distinction among Greek-Jew, circumcised-uncircumcised, barbarian-Scythian, and slave-free. “Christ is all, and in all.” Bound together in the unity of Christ’s one body (2:19; 3:14-15). The pattern in Colossians 3 is the same as in 1 Corinthians 12 and Galatians 3, even if particularities are stressed more than others in a given letter and even if the distinctions vary: death and resurrection in Christ, new solidarity in unity (3:14-15), including victory over the Powers (1:16; 2:15), the stoicheia (2:8, 20), and references to Jewish ethnic rituals such as circumcision (2:8, 11-23: 3:11). References to male and female are absent here, but barbarian and Scythian are included. Of course, Paul was primarily an apostle to the Gentiles (Rom 11:13), and his variations on the “all flesh” of Joel 2:28 bear this out. Nevertheless, the pattern reveals the principle - one that could be interchanged depending upon situation. Circumcision separated Jews and Greeks, “culture” separated Greeks from “barbarians” and Scythians. Certainly, patriarchy separates men and women. Indeed, as a sign of the covenant, circumcision established both Jewish and male privilege.

We can see further evidence of this pattern and principle in Ephesians 2. Gentiles once separated and excluded have now joined in the “blood of Christ” (v. 13), tearing down the divider of the Law’s commandments and ordinances in his flesh (vv. 14-15), putting to death the hostility (v. 16), making Jew and Gentile into one new person (anthropos - v. 15), in one body (v. 16),[10] by one Spirit (v. 18). Two chapters later (4:17-25), he notes that the Gentile Christians are no longer excluded from the life of God, no longer walking in the futile thinking of their idolatrous ways. They’ve taken off the old self and put on (enduo) the new self, renewed in the spirit of their minds, all members of one body.[11] Additionally, in Romans 13:14, Paul tells the church to “put on” (enduo) Christ and make no provision for the flesh. He immediately follows this in 14:1-23, reprimanding them on quarrels and disunity over the subjects of eating, drinking, and kosher diets, noting that no food is truly unclean (14:14), but that the believer should make considerations for the conscience of the “weaker.”

That’s similar to the point Paul makes in 1 Corinthians 8 on the respecting the consciences of “weaker” believers and food sacrificed to idols. He nevertheless notes that because there is One God, One Lord, by whom all things are made (v. 6), all foods are open for consumption. He’ll touch on this point again at 10:26, asserting that all food is kosher because all the earth is God’s and all that it contains (Ps 24:1). In Acts 10, Peter's vision of unclean animals to eat results in his understanding that all Gentiles can come to God because God shows no partiality (v. 34). Paul agrees with Peter (Gal 2:6; Eph 6:9; Rom 2:11). The idea of divine impartiality comes this from Deuteronomy 10:17, which bases societal justice and impartiality on the impartiality of God (see also 2 Chron 19:7). Thus, because God is impartial, his image-bearers are to be impartial (Deut 1:17; Job 13:10; Ps 82:2; Prov 18:5; 24:23; 28:21; Mal 2:9; 1 Tim 5:21). In his letter, James calls partiality a sin, reprimanding his audience for their unequal distinctions,[12] while tying impartiality to “love of neighbor” (2:4-9). Indeed, that’s a point Paul makes in Colossians 3:10-15: to put on the new self is to put on compassion and love, dwelling in the one body of Christ. In Christ, neither circumcision nor circumcision matters, but faith working through love (Gal 5:6).

While Paul appears to have rightly understood the “pouring out of my Spirit on all flesh” to refer to the solidarity of all humans (Gen 6:17), implying both Jew and Gentile, he also understood it to refer to all types of "fleshly" solidarities needing the Spirit poured out upon them. The so-called "Household Codes" in Ephesians 5:21 to 6:9 are a further elaboration of what it means to be filled with the Spirit (5:18) and covers many of the same ideas found in Galatians 3, Colossians 3, and 1 Corinthians 12, also probably based on Joel 2:28-29, particularly as it covers the similar subjects of the Spirit working through the “fleshly” solidarities of women and men, parents and children, free and slave. Paul had already talked about the Spirit working thru the "fleshly" solidarities of Jews and Gentiles in 2:11-22.

As such, the “household codes” describe a life of mutual submission (v.21), love of neighbor as self (5:28-33), reciprocity (6:5-9), and impartiality (6:9). As “one flesh,” “one body,” or “one self,” (1 Cor 6:16; 15:39; Eph 5:31; Gen 2:4; Matt 19:5-6; Mark 10:8), the wife and husband each “have authority/rights” (exousiazō) over the other’s body (1 Cor 7:4), just as an individual as “authority/rights” (exousia) over one’s self (1 Cor 7:37; 8:9; 9:4, 5, 6, 12, 18), even as no one is to “have authority” (exousiazō) over others in the Church (Luke 22:25; 1 Cor 6:12), even as the Church is one body (Rom 12:4-5; 1 Cor 10:17; 12:12-13, 20; Eph 2:16; 4:4; Col 3:15). Therefore, the "Love of wife as self" is the same as "love of neighbor as self" (Lev 19:18; Mark 12:31; Gal 5:14). However, I'd note the old solidarity of marriage ends at death, but the new solidarity in Christ necessarily continues into eternity (Mark 3:33-34), extending beyond Israel (Luke 10:29-37). Also, note “masters according to the flesh” (6:5) – similar to Gentiles in the flesh (2:3) and circumcision in the flesh (Col 2:11). Again, both distinctions and “fleshly” solidarities are parts of God’s good creation; the problem arises when they are used for privilege & oppression.

Returning to 1 Corinthians 8, Paul’s point in v. 6 about their being One God, the Father and One Lord, Christ is a reference to the Shema prayer of Deuteronomy 6:4-5 that the Lord God is One, in which Paul now includes Jesus. In 12:9, 13, he mentions the One Spirit. And as we look through all these focused passages, we see the unity of Church based on the unity of God: One Lord (Col 3:15; 1 Cor 12:4; Eph 4:5), One body (1 Cor 12:12-13, 20; Eph 2:16; 4:4; Rom 12:4-5), One Christ (Gal 3:16), One Spirit (1 Cor 12:4, 8-9, 11, 13; Eph 2:18; 4:4), One Father (Eph 4:6), One God (Gal 3:20; 1 Cor 12:6; Gal 3:20; Eph 4:6). If God is One then he is the God of all races, sexes, ages, & classes. Not just men. This is the social justice implications of creative monotheism. And just as with God’s impartiality, so with his love. In Matt 22:36-40, Jesus takes the greatest commandment of Deuteronomy 6:5, combines it with the second greatest commandment of Leviticus 19:18 ("love of neighbor"), which we understand as irrespective of distinctions.[13] Love, impartiality, unity, and equality flow out of the Oneness of God. And God wants his creation and his image-bearers to reflect that unity and equality.

Therefore, we can see how Paul conceptualized his egalitarian approach to ministry. The apostle understood the basic problem of inequality, which faced both society and the Church: humans worship the ordering aspects of creation and the various marks of distinction as idols. In doing so, they create solidarities or allegiances (“flesh”) with a privilege-oppression dynamic, which separates and excludes as the basis of unequal, societal injustices. Once again, there is nothing fundamentally wrong with these orders and distinctions or with these solidarities or allegiances. Food, drink, circumcision, the Law, marriage, race, and sex are all the good creation of a God. It is only when these good creations are idolized and used as the basis of oppression and injustice that become tools for evil. Paul’s solution to this privilege-oppression scenario is participation in Christ's death & resurrection. In doing so, we die to the idols and the “principalities and powers” behind them, shedding the old solidarities, putting on the new solidarity of Christ.[14] We become part of that One unified body, for One crucified and resurrected Lord, by One poured out Spirit, all accomplished by One creator God. This is the thinking that undergirds Paul’s teaching in Galatians 3:28. Properly understood, it is a fundamental point of biblical egalitarianism.



[1] In this article, I accept the tradition of attributing Pauline authorship to both Colossians and Ephesians along with the generally undisputed letters. The authorship of Second Thessalonians and the Pastorals do not factor into my argument.

[2] Rev 7:1; 14:18; 16:5; Jub. 2:2; 1 En. 21:3; 43:1; 60:11-24; 80:1, 6-7; 2 En. [Longer recension] 4:1-2; 12:1; 15:1; 16:7; T. Sol. 4:6; 8:2; 18:1-42

[3] Deut 4:19; 32:8 (LXX); Dan 10:13, 20-21; Sir 17:14; 1 En. 89:59-61; 4QDeutj,n; 1 Clem. 29:2.

[4] Deut 33:2; Ps 68:17; Jub. 1:27-29; Acts 7:53; Gal 3:19; Heb 2:2; Somn. 1:140-44; Ant. 15.5.3)

[5] Gal 3:19, 22-24; 4:1-3, 5, 8-9, 21-31; 5:1, 18; Rom 5:20; 7:8-13; 11:32

[6] See also Eph 1:13; 3:5-6; Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5; 2:33, 38-39.

[7] See Isa 32:15-20; 44:3; Ezek 36:24-30; 39:29; Joel 2:28-29; Zech 12:10; Rom 5:5; Titus 3:5-6.

[8] E.C. Rust, Nature and Man in Biblical Thought (London: Lutterworth Press, 1953), 137.

[9] 1 Corinthians 12 shares many of the same ideas of Romans 12: diversity amidst unity, the analogy of the human body and the “body of Christ,” and the gifts of the Spirit.

[10] If you’re thinking of man and woman becoming “one flesh,” you are on the right track.

[11] The deluding effects of idolatry are noted in Scripture (Ps 115:5-8; Zech 10:2; Rom 1:21-22, 31). What Paul says here in Ephesians 4 about the futile thinking of idolators and need for mind renewal, he says in Romans 1:18-32 and 12:1-8, including being members of one body and the aforementioned unity amidst charismatic diversity.

[12] See also Acts 10:20; 11:12; 15:8-9 and Romans 10:12.

[13] See also Romans 13:8-10 and Galatians 5:14.

[14] In 2 Corinthians 5:1-17, in much the same way that justification by faith in Christ is the new badge that identifies in the present the final verdict on the last day, Paul points to that final judgment in which the Spirit who presently “clothes” the believer in the new solidarity in Christ as a pledge from God (v. 5; see also 1:22; Eph 1:14), bring a renewed, imperishable body. Therefore, because of participation in Christ’s death and resurrection (vv. 14-15), “we recognize no one by what they are in the flesh” (v. 16).

Wednesday, November 03, 2021

On Sanctification Through the Flesh ...


Last year, I surveyed the writings of the early Church Fathers to see if any early Christian source saw an “order of creation” in such passages as 1 Corinthians 11 and 1 Timothy 2. None what soever. However, I was intrigued by the general curiosity the early Greek Christians showed in their engagement with the “one flesh” of marriage (1 Cor 6:16; 15:39; Eph 5:31; Gen 2:4; Matt 19:5-6; Mark 10:8). While Paul in  Eph 5:32 saw the unity of Christ and Church as a great mystery (not the “one flesh” of marriage which is a common idea in Judaism and ancient Hebrew anthropology), the Church Fathers, with their background in Hellenistic and Platonic anthropology of body-spirit dichotomy, thought this “one flesh” concept was, indeed, a great mystery (a sacramentum), which suggests unfamiliarity.

The ancient Greeks had two terms: sarx (“flesh”) and soma (“body”). The sarx was the stuff of the body and the soma gave the sarx/flesh form. The soma was the factor of individualization among the ancient Greeks. The ancient Hebrews had a term for “flesh”: basar. They did not have a term for “body.” The ancient Hebrews did not have a “form” word marking off individualization, thus, there was a blurring of lines separating people. The nephesh (“soul,” psuche, the vital principle that animated the basar/sarx/flesh or “body”) could extend beyond the contours of the individual, encompassing a household, a tribe, a nation, humanity itself in both positive and negative ways. This is how corporate solidarities are created in ancient Hebrew anthropology and thought. Thus, the “flesh” (basar) lends itself to solidarity thinking in terms of marriage (“one flesh” [Gen 2:23f.; 1 Cor 6:16]), families or kin groups (“bone and flesh” [2 Sam 19:12f.; Gen 29:14; Rom 9:3]), and humanity in general (“all flesh” [Gen 6:12; Joel 2:28f.]). Again, the Greeks had terms for “flesh” and “body,” the Hebrews only had “flesh” to cover both ideas. Therefore, there are times when “flesh” and “body” are near synonymous terms in Paul (1 Cor 6:15-19; 15:39-40; Eph 5:28-33). Look at all the references to the Church being the “body of Christ” (Romans 12:5; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27; Ephesians 3:6; 5:23; Colossians 1:18, 24), of believer’s being “in Christ” (Romans 8:2, 39; 12:5; 1 Corinthians 1:2, 30; 15:18, 22; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 2:4; 3:28; 6:15; Ephesians 1:3, 10, 12, 20). In Ephesians 5:18-6:9, it’s about being filled with the Holy Spirit; like Galatians 3:27-28, 1 Corinthians 12:13 and Colossians 3:9-11, it’s partially based on Joel 2:28-29. It’s about the Spirit working through the “flesh” (Paul had already noted the Spirit working thru "fleshly" solidarities of Jew-Gentile in chp. 2). Note how Paul uses Christ-Church as an analogy for husband-wife: head and body. Husbands should love their wives as their own bodies like Christ loves his body, the Church. Paul quotes Gen 2:23-24 to this effect. Again, “flesh” and “body” are frequently near synonyms. Now look at what Paul says v.26 of our Ephesian 5 passage:

“… so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word.”

Same idea as 1 Corinthians 7:14 and for the same reason: the Spirit working thru the solidarity of the flesh. Look at 2 Corinthians 7:1:

“Let’s cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

In the previous chapter he had talked about corruption and defilement from idolatry and being mismatched with unbelievers. He uses more corporate language this time the imagery of Christian believers being a temple of God (v. 16), just as he does in Ephesians 2:21 and in 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 and 6:19 where he notes the Spirit dwells within that “temple” and that it shouldn’t be corrupted (3:17). Of course, Christ is frequently referred to as a temple in the works of Paul, Peter, and John. We see references to various corruptions and defilements in Paul’s writings (1 Cor 15:33; 2 Cor 11:3; Eph 4:22). One of the main reasons why the “flesh” (basar, sarx) is defiled, weak, and corrupting is because it creates these corporate solidarities that spread corruption. Paul notes this when he’s speaking about a Christian man becoming “one flesh” with a prostitute (1 Cor 6:14-20). The corrupting nature of the “flesh” is one of the reasons why God wanted the Israelites to be separate the surrounding pagan influences, which Paul notes 2 Cor 6:17, quoting from Isaiah 52:11 and Leviticus 26:12. As Paul notes in Galatians and Ephesians, the Law was given to separate Jew from pagan Gentile until the time of Christ and the coming of the Spirit. Those who are in Christ (a part of his body) partake of the Spirit. The Spirit lives in them like God always promised would happen. When did the Spirit come? Pentecost. Peter says it fulfills the Promise of Joel 2:28-29: “I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh. And your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will have dreams, your young men will see visions. And even on the male and female slave. I will pour out My Spirit in those days.” The “all flesh” here refers all humankind (again, see Gen 6:12), and thus, includes Jew and Gentile. So, in Joel 2:28-29 we have Jew, Gentile, slave and free, and male and female. Sound familiar? Galatians 3:28:

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

The word “promise” (epangelia) is mentioned six times in Galatians 3 (twice more in Galatians 4), starting with verse 14, which identifies it as the “promise of the Spirit.” In chapter 3, Paul reminds the Galatians that they’re received the Spirit of promise (3:2-3, 5, 14; see also 4:6; 5:16, 18). Again, Ephesians 5:18-6:9 is about what it means to be filled with the Spirit and how (as in Joel 2:28-29) the Spirit works through the “fleshly” solidarities of women and men, parents and children, free and slave. And, again, Paul had already talked about the Spirit working thru the "fleshly" solidarities of Jews and Gentiles in 2:11-22, saying, “the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called ‘Uncircumcision’ by the so-called ‘Circumcision’ (v. 11), you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the people of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of the promise (v. 12), “who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall” (v.14), “by abolishing in His flesh the hostility, which is the Law composed of commandments expressed in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two one new human (anthropos)” (v. 15). The new human/anthropos/person/self is, of course, that of Christ and those in him as his body. This new solidarity occurs by participating in Christ’s death (Rom 6:3-11; Col 2:12, 20; 3:32; 2 Cor 5:14-15; Phil 3:10), which strips believers of “fleshly” solidarities - essentially dying to such solidarities. For example, both Paul and Jesus say the “one flesh” solidarity of marriage ends at death (Rom 7:2-3; Mark 12:25). Similarly, Paul says that the jurisdiction of the Law, around which was created the solidarity of the Israelites, ends at death (Gal 2:19-20; Rom 6:14; 7:1, 4-9). We can add to this that death to sin liberates from the slavery to the body of sin, or the flesh of sin (Rom 6:2-22; 8:3). There are different ways in which Paul expresses this idea, including, being baptized into Christ or into his death (Rom 6:3-5; Col 2:12), stripping off or crucifying the “old self” or “old human” (anthropos [Rom 6:6; Eph 4:22; Col 3:9]), and removing the body of the flesh (Col 2:11). But while death in Christ breaks the old solidarities of the flesh, participation in Christ’s resurrection (Rom 6:4-11; Col 2:12-13; 3:1) creates a new solidarity in Christ, energized by the Spirit. Paul refers to this as being clothed with or putting on Christ (Gal 3:27; Rom 13:14; 1 Cor 15:53-54) or putting on the “new self” or “new human” (anthropos [Rom 6:6; Eph 2:15; 4:24; Col 3:10]).

Back to Galatians 3:28, look at the verse 27:

“For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”

This is the language of participation in Christ’s death and resurrection. This is the language of dying to the solidarities of the “flesh” (Gal 3:3) and living in the solidarity of Christ – a solidarity energized by the Spirit, rather than the flesh (3:3; 4:29; 5:16-25; 6:8) - so that Jew, Gentile, slave, free, man, & woman are now one in Christ. In 1 Corinthians 12:13, Paul writes,

“For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.”

Then in Colossians 3:9-11,

 “Do not lie to one another, since you stripped off the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self, which is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created it— a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, and free, but Christ is all, and in all.”

And this same idea appears in other places in Paul such as 2 Corinthians 5 and in brief expositions in Romans and Ephesians.

Back in Galatians and the context of its writing, some Christians were mandating circumcision as a requirement for full membership in the Church and in the family of Abraham. Paul responds to this perceived threat to the freedom of the Christian (2:4; 5:1, 13) by noting the Law’s intent, which included contemporary confinement until the fulfillment of God’s promise to bless the Gentiles in the family of Abraham. He argues that requiring circumcision and other “works of the Law” (see 2:11-14) will divide the Church along ethnic lines (3:16), asserting Jewish privilege over and against Gentile Christians. Rather, Paul asserts that the badge of identity in Abraham’s family is not circumcision or other “works of the law,” but faith in Christ (Gal 2:16, 20; 3:2, 7, 9, 22) identifying one as belonging to Christ or being in Christ (Gal 3:29), including Gentiles (Gal 3:8). The Law is not of faith (Gal 3:12); its solidarity was a temporary measure that has now ended (Gal 3:22-25; Rom 10:4) with the coming of Christ and the Spirit. As noted in Ephesians 2:11-22, the Law - which necessarily separated Israel from the corrupting, “fleshly,” influence of its pagan, gentile neighbors - is no longer needed now that the Spirit has been poured out on those in Christ. In fact, the Law can be a hindrance to the working of the Spirit thru the flesh if it separates the Spirit-filled people of God from their non-Christian neighbors. With the outpouring of the Spirit, the partitioning must come down in order that the defilement of the world can be reversed. Now that the idolatrous Powers have been defeated by Jesus on the cross, the Spirit pours thru Christ as the head sanctifying the body of the Church/Israel. And thru the Church/Israel and its members, the Spirit and the Word liberate, revitalize, and recreate the world. Essentially, God's uses the same “fleshly” solidarities and dynamics of creation, through which sin corrupted the world, in reverse with the Spirit sanctifying, revitalizing, and eventually resurrecting - first Christ to Israel/Church, then Israel/Church to the world.


 

Sunday, June 27, 2021

Complementarianism & Idolatry



Idolatry is worshipping a creation of God as a god. When that happens, humans (who are made in the image of God) become less like the image of God (Rom 1:23; Phil 3:19-21) and more like the image of the idol they worship (Pss 115:8; 135:18; Rom 1:23; Phil 3:19-21). They become slaves to these idols thru sin – like an addiction that is almost impossible to shake. The more they worship the idol and sin, the deeper enslaved they become. The enslaving sin and the idolatry has a deluding effect upon the worshipper, so they have difficulty recognizing the truth (Ps 115:5-8; Zech 10:2; Rom 1:21-22, 28, 31; Rev 21:8; 22:15). At the same time, the idolatry is debasing (Rom 1:24, 26-27; Col 3:5; Ezek 22:9-11; Phil 3:19; Eph 5:5). The idol eventually has a totalizing effect upon the person, absolutizing itself in the mind of the idolater, becoming all-consuming, encompassing the individual or group making itself appear permanent inevitable and inescapable. The prison becomes the ultimate reality, and the prisoner can never even think that there is any other way than that of the idol. Now, not only does the idolater become more like the idol, but he or she begins to see other people thru that idol. That’s part of idolatry’s deluded all-encompassing effect. The image of God in other people begins to break down in the mind of the idolater. People are objectified and then exploited by the idolater in service of the sin and the idol. Thus, a person can be used by an idolater for sex, money, power, etc. Idolatry then is what leads to oppression. That is the overall, general biblical conception of why things are bad.

Now, let’s take patriarchy. Result of the fall of humans (Gen 3:16). Men worship sex, possessions, power, masculinity, etc. as idols and begin to treat women like objects that they can take (Gen 4:19; 6:2; 11:29; 12:19; 20:3; 21:21; 24:3-4, 7, 37-38, 40, 51; 26:34; etc.). Thus, the result is polygamy, female slavery, prostitution, sexual assault, etc.

Now, specifically complementarianism. It’s become all-encompassing and totalizing to many complementarians to the point of being raised to the level of a gospel issue that there can be no “agree to disagree,” no tolerance, egalitarians must be excluded. Many complementarians are completely deluded on this issue, unable to see the truth in Scripture. They can’t even imagine another reality than their own, even to the point of believing complementarianism (as somewhat distinct from historical patriarchy) has always been what Christians have always believed. Whether they see it or not, complementarians deem women as subservient in some capacity. 

So, what are complementarians worshipping? Could be sex, power, possessions, tradition, masculinity, a theological doctrine or system, the past … many options.

There are biblical methods of addressing idolatry. One of the most important is truth. If idolatry deludes and deceives, truth is dangerous to idols. Because of that danger, idolatrous systems attempt to silence the truth thru bullying, peer pressure, and general fear. But even silence is not enough. Idolatry ultimately creates a delusional system so all-encompassing that no one will even think there is an alternative to it. Idolatry will create a world silent to the truth, so that people born into it never know there is an alternative. So, there are many people who are complementarians/patriarchists only because they were born into that system and knew no other until much later in life. They may have heard of egalitarianism but were told how evil it was by other people born into the system.

This is the reason Jesus is said in the bible to “set the captives free,” to “bring sight to the blind,” to be “the way the truth and the life,” “the light of the world, piercing the darkness,” and why what Jesus does is compared to a new Exodus and why his victory on the cross occurred during Passover.


Tuesday, March 30, 2021

Eternal Life and the Kingdom of God: Interpreting zoen aionion

 


The confusion surrounding the definition of the gospel frequently involves the misconception that the good news refers to a penal substitutionary death of Jesus instead of humans, in which he takes their punishment from God and they take his righteousness, thereby permitting humans to attain eternal life, either in heaven or in the resurrected body of new creation. While the gospel, in truth, is best defined as the Kingdom of God and Jesus as its king, the misconception that mistakes one of the gospel’s implications for the whole continues to squint at the magic eye of “justification by faith”, hoping to see a gospel with blurred vision. However, one occasionally hears a voice noting that the idea of inheriting “eternal life” appears frequently in Scripture, indicating that the concern of Jews in the first century was more about living eternally than hoping for the coming of God’s Kingdom. Let’s set the record straight.

The phrase zoen aionion is frequently translated as “eternal life” but is better to be translated as “the age to come”, referring to the age of the Kingdom of God, as opposed to “this present evil age” (Gal 1:4). This is most clearly seen in Mark 10:17-30. The rich young ruler asks, “What shall I do to inherit the age to come?” Note verses 23 & 24: “How hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!” The phrase “eternal life” then is practically synonymous with the “Kingdom of God.”

Therefore, we see the following verses:

1 Tim 6:12 – “take hold of the life of the age to come to which you were called”

Matt 19:29 – “inherit the life of the age to come”

Matt 25:34 – “inherit the kingdom”

Mark 10:17 – “inherit the life of the age to come”

Luke 10:25 - “inherit the life of the age to come”

Luke 18:18 – “inherit the life of the age to come”

1 Cor 6:9 & 10 - “inherit the kingdom of God”

1 Cor 15:50 – “inherit the kingdom of God”

Gal 5:21 - “inherit the kingdom of God”

John 3:3 – “unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

John 3:36 - “He who believes in the Son has the life of the age to come; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

John 3:4 – “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter (eiserchomai) a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?”

John 3:5 – “unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter (eiserchomai) into the kingdom of God.”

John 3:15 - “whoever believes will in Him have life in the age to come.”

John 3:16 – “whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have life in the age to come.”

Again, the phrase “eternal life” must be understood as another way of describing the “Kingdom of God.” Will that age to come be one in which believers are resurrected into Spirit-empowered bodies so as to live forever in the perfect new creation of glory? Yes, of course, but that is a part of the Kingdom that must not be mistaken for the whole. One can understand the gospel as including release from prison of sin/idolatry (Luke 4:18; Acts 14:15), favor (Luke 4:19; Acts 20:24), peace (Acts 10:36; Eph 6:15), and salvation (Luke 1:69-71; Acts 16:17), if that latter term is properly understood. But all of those individual aspects are parts of the whole that is the Kingdom of God as the rule & reign of God in Jesus. To say the gospel is about salvation (properly understood) is no different than saying the gospel is about peace. Don't mistake a part for the whole.