Corpus-Paul

[Harold Holmyard <hholmyard AT ont.com>]

Siu Fung Wu wrote:

> Also, I wonder whether I can advance my thoughts further. Perhaps suffering
> has more important roles in Romans than one might have thought. If Paul has
> in mind, in part, to explain to Jewish believers why they are still
> suffering from sword and famine even though the new age has come, then
> maybe there is a strong link between Romans 8:18-39 and Romans 9-11.
> Perhaps to some degree the present suffering is part of the necessary
> salvation history in which Gentiles have to come to Christ in order to
> cause jealousy in Israel. Also, Paul's previous argument on God's wrath and
> judgement may have a lot to do with the sufferings that are supposed to
> come as a result of wrath and judgement, which is of course a clear theme
> in the OT. Maybe all along Paul has been thinking about the suffering of
> believers and, at least to some degree, he has 8:18-39 in mind when he
> wrote Romans 1-8. Does this make any sense?
>  

HH: To the extent that Jesus did not bring the blessed eschatological 
kingdom in its fulness during His incarnation, certainly the presence of 
trials (Romans 8:18-39) speaks to the Jewish rejection of the Messiah 
(Romans 9-11). But we should not characterize the trials of Rom 8:18-39 
as wrath, whatever peripheral connections they may have to divine wrath. 
(All suffering connects back to sin, doesn't it? Otherwise we would all 
be in Eden.) These are all trials from whatever source. Christian 
sufferings are not all due to divine displeasure, and certain Pauline 
statements separate Christians from divine wrath:

Rom. 5:9 ¶ Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more 
shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!

1Th. 1:10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the 
dead — Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.

1Th. 5:9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive 
salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

HH: Wrath is for the disobedient in contrast to the Christians:

Eph. 2:3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the 
cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. 
Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.

HH: Christians were objects of wrath but are no longer.

Eph. 5:6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such 
things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient.
Eph. 5:7 Therefore do not be partners with them.
Eph. 5:8 ¶ For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the 
Lord. Live as children of light

HH: "Those who are disobedient" is more or less a designation for the 
unsaved here, because Paul is warning believers not to join such people 
because of the wrath which is to fall on them.

1Th. 2:16 in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so 
that they may be saved. In this way they always heap up their sins to 
the limit. The wrath of God has come upon them at last.

HH: Paul speaks of the unsaved Jews as recipients of wrath in contrast 
to believers in Christ such as himself.

Yours,
Harold Holmyard