Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

corpus-paul - Re: The purpose of the law in salvation-history

corpus-paul AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Corpus-Paul

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Loren Rosson <rossoiii AT yahoo.com>
  • To: Corpus-paul <corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: The purpose of the law in salvation-history
  • Date: Sun, 2 Sep 2001 02:35:03 -0700 (PDT)


Bob, thanks for chiming in.

> 1. Loren wrote of the need to
>
> >>exonerate God (and the law) from the perverse
> implications of these texts
>
> 2. Then subsequently focusing the issue of theodicy
> >>There is no getting around the fact that in
> these texts, Paul connects sin to God's will, and,
> moreover, that His purpose in doing so was to
> "confine
> all things under sin" (Gal. 3:22) (or to "imprison
> all
> people under disobedience" (Rom. 11:32)), "so that
> the
> promise of faith may be given" (Gal. 3:22) (or "so
> that he may be merciful to all" (Rom. 11:32))
>
> My non-scholarly reading is as follows (you tennis
> pros need to hear from
> the stands occasionally)
>
> 1. God needs no exoneration; more ancient texts than
> Paul associate God with
> evil (e.g. Amos 3:6 Is there evil in the city
> and I the Lord have not done it?)

And yet, Bob, Israel's history is punctuated with
certain instances of protest against the "injustices"
of God (or what are perceived as such, anyway). Look
at Job. Sanders actually has some nice commentary
about this. He writes:

"Just as the problem which touches off Rom 7 is
directly expressed in the question of 7:7, 'is the law
sin?'...so is the overriding concern of the chapter
expressed in 7:13: 'Did that which is good, then,
bring the death of me?' There lurks not far behind
that question a criticism of God...How could God, who
along intended to save on the basis of faith, have
given a law which does not save...Paul then recoils
from the potential denial that God acted for the good:
it was not God's fault, nor the law's, but sin's...It
is in no way remarkable that a Jew of the ancient
world would be moved to passion [speaking of the
passion and anguish in Rom. 7:7-25, especially verses
14-25] when history or beliefs raised challenges to
the view that God is constant and fair. One may call
to mind Job and IV Ezra, in both of which theology and
experience combine to call into question precisely the
same aspects of God's dealing with humanity." (Paul,
the Law, the Jewish People, p. 79)

Indeed, however one approaches this issue, it's hard
to see how Paul is NOT trying to "exonerate" God in
Rom 7. He is (rather desperately) driving a wedge
between God and sin (7:7-25), and also between the law
and sin (7:14-25). He saves God at the expense of His
own sovereignty -- for now sin is portrayed as a power
capable of foiling God's holy intentions.
>
> 2. This allows Paul to "connect" sin and the good
> things we have from God
> (mercy, the Law, God's very self) and not
> to see any perversity in his judgment.

Maybe that's how Paul reconciled the issue in later
years, but I'm fairly confident that in struggling
through these issues (in the writing of Gal/Rom) he
was hardly comfortable with the above reconciliation.
Anguish, torment, and repeated recoils run through
Rom. 7:7-25.

Loren Rosson III
Nashua NH
rossoiii AT yahoo.com

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Get email alerts & NEW webcam video instant messaging with Yahoo! Messenger
http://im.yahoo.com




Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page