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corpus-paul - Re: [Corpus-Paul] Audience of Romans/Symbolic Paul

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  • From: "Tim Gallant" <tim AT rabbisaul.com>
  • To: "Loren Rosson" <rossoiii AT yahoo.com>, "Corpus-Paul" <corpus-paul AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Cc:
  • Subject: Re: [Corpus-Paul] Audience of Romans/Symbolic Paul
  • Date: Mon, 2 May 2005 13:03:11 -0600

[Tim]
Even more damaging is 14.6ff, which speak
of living and dying to the Lord,

[Loren]
14:6ff is precisely what points to unbelieving
Israel, since "weakness" has nothing to
do with the Torah's
works. "Let all be convinced in their minds
what is right [on the subject of works]..."
4:19-21 actually explains what
"weakness/strength" is about: belief in
God's ability to give life to
death (Isaac~Jesus).

[Tim]
That sidesteps the question,

No, it answers the question: Paul defines weakness in
Rom 4, and he shows what it isn't in Rom 14-15 (as I
explained to Justin this morning). It is failing to
believe in the resurrection (4:18-25), not about
living by works (14-15). In other words, it is about
being non-Christian, not about being Judean (Jewish).

In other words, just because Abraham was not weak in faith, that means that "weak in faith" necessarily means failure to believe in the resurrection? It seems to me that is a rather large assumption. It seems much more natural to recognize that Paul defines "weak" in ch. 14 itself - the weakness is characterized by believing one may only eat vegetables, for example (14.2).

which is simply this: does Paul see
unbelieving Jews as "living to
the Lord"? Clearly not.

Clearly so. God, the Lord, are terms inclusive of
non-Christian faith (in this case, anyway), and this
shouldn't befuddle you. In Romans, Paul applies many
terms to Christians in one place and then unbelieving
Israel in the next, and both in others.

The examples you cite, however, are not parallel. Notice that terms such as "beloved" by God and "foreknowing" are terms describing God's purpose manward. But the terminology we are disputing is the reverse: the weak's living Godward - more specifically, "Lordward," which Paul clearly defines in this passage as living for Jesus.

Saying that God has chosen Israel is nothing like saying that unbelieving Israel is living to/for Christ. But that is how Paul describes the weak in Rom 14.

tim

Tim Gallant
Pastor, Conrad Christian Reformed Church

http://www.timgallant.org
tim | gallant site group





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