Looking at the righteousness of God

Rom 1:16-17 NRSV "For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.  (17)  For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, "The one who is righteous will live by faith."

How is the righteousness of God revealed? Paul says it is through faith for faith. Hmnn, I think we need to unpack that statement what does through faith for faith mean. First, let's see how this phrase is rendered in other versions. The NASB renders it "to faith from faith." The KJV renders it "from faith to faith." Most versions render it "to faith from faith." to elaborate on this, Paul says, NET Gal 2:16  "yet we know that no one is justified by the works of the law but by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by the faithfulness of Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified." There you have it. We are justified by the faith of Jesus Christ or in other words by Jesus' faith. So the righteousness of God is revealed from Jesus faith to our faith in Jesus and his faith.

So how does the gospel reveal the righteousness of God? If you use what I believe is the clearest new testament statement of the gospel, found in Second Corinthians chapter five, it shows that God was righteous in creating humanity because he was in Christ reconciling the world to himself not counting sin. So the righteousness of God was proven in his pre-planning, prior to creation to have redemption as his purpose in creation. This can be problematic for those who believe that salvation is a choice that one can make. If any are allowed to not choose redemption then one could be suspect of the true righteousness of God. The problem being is framed like this,  "why would an all loving, all knowing, all powerful, God create beings that He foreknew would reject redemption?" Further, as so many evangelicals have been erroneously taught, "why would God create a humanity whereby He would send at the very least 80% of all the people who ever lived to eternal torturous punishment?" The evangelicals may be happy with that and think that it represents a righteous God, but it does not and fortunately the bible does not really teach that!

The first clue we get to God's righteousness is the fact that we have been justified by the faith of Christ as mentioned above. Humanity was justified by one representative, Jesus of Nazareth, the Father's Messiah/Christ. Then we have Peter assure us that God is not willing that any should perish but that all should have a change of mind. Well then, if an all powerful God is not willing that any should perish and not change their mind, why would anyone believe that there would be so many that would perish and not change their mind? In fact, why would you believe that there would be any that would perish and not change their mind?

Now, if you want to quote Heb 9:27 NRSV  "And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once, and after that the judgment," don't be so sure that you understand what the writer of Hebrews is saying, especially if you have been steeped in the presuppositions of evangelical dogma. And likewise, if you quote 2Co 5:10  For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense for what has been done in the body, whether good or evil", steeped in the presuppositions of evangelical dogma, do not be so certain that the doctrine of eternal torturous punishment is anywhere correct. I have spent a lot of key strokes in other blog posts to show that the references to Gehenna/hell are descriptive of the impending destruction of the temple and Jerusalem. And even of those, Jesus said on the cross, "Father forgive them for they know not what they are doing."

So what is the judgment seat of Christ, and what will it be like? As humans are confronted with what they did in this life both good and evil, they will see the true effect that justice was meant to have. Let me put it this way, It will be momentary pain and correction that will be consumed in agape/love. The eternal effect will be profound beyond our ability to comprehend now and it will be completely congruent, with the absolute fact that God is agape/love.

All of this points to the actual righteousness of God. But the term righteousness of God also refers to the way Father God views us. He declared according to the author of Genesis that humanity was very good (Gen 1:31.) He reinforces this after the cross event by stating that in view of Jesus perfect faith, humanity was/is justified before Father God and thereby possess the righteousness of God.

What should this good news produce if properly understood and fully believed? It should produce people who truly love God with all their heart, all their soul, and all their strength. I mean generally love Him at all times because of his grace. And, it should produce people who love their neighbor as they love them selves, including neighbor's who are enemies. What works show this love? Doing Justice, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, giving shelter to the homeless and visiting the sick and prisoners.

The New Humanity Part 9: Return to your first love!

Rev 2:4-5 NRSV  "But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.  (5)  Remember then from what you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent."

The narrative of the seven churches in Revelation offers some great insight. First, let me be clear, this narrative was first and foremost written to the actual seven churches in Asia. However, I believe that it is descriptive of aspects of the church as it exists throughout history first century foward. And, further, it has a message for the church at all points and stages of its history. I think that in this case it should be obvious what is meant by the love you had at first or as the King James renders it your first love.

Join me in an exercise of reminiscing. Think back to the time that you realized that Jesus had finished the work that gave you forgiveness with the father and cleaned your slate so to speak. Think of that specific moment in time. Think of the peace you felt at that unique minute. You did not have a care in the world. You felt completely cleansed and whole. What you had cleansed in that moment was your conscience. You had your conscience cleansed from dead works to serve the living God. It was the result of the story of redemption. It was the result of the story of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. You had peace with Father God. This welled up in your spirit to bring about a profound love for God in light of his grace in Christ Jesus.

However, due to erroneous teaching you slowly began to once again feel the weight of your sin. You were constantly confronted with the law, with statuates and commands. You were confronted with the need to continously manage your sin. You were often made aware of how you were unable to measure up to Jesus and his law. Then, you would repent, and would again feel momentary relief but would again become aware of your sin and slowly it would spiral downward into a state of ever increasing guilt. However, you would be forced to keep a happy face in front of your believing peers. The love that you had in the beginning would slowly devolve to a sense of miserable duty. Even though you would continue with the works of love, your motivation would be fear and duty and not really love.

Add to the above that you may be one with a more addictive personality and you end up with secret sins that make you feel even lower. Some may not have that problem and then would convince themselves that they were righteous, but like the good son in the Prodigal Son parable, they would be consumed with jealousy and judgment. I hope you are beginning to see the state of current evangelical teaching for what it is. Guilt producing error.

This is precisely the reason for the gospel of unlimited grace/unmerited favor. A proper understanding of the gospel will allow the saint to be continually basking in his or her first love.  It is the necessary atmosphere to create a new humanity. It was in large part the atmosphere of the first century saints. It is the reason that Paul penned the following: Eph 2:15-16 NRSV  "He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace,  (16)  and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it." This is the importance of the focus being placed squarely on God's grace and love. It is not "sloppy agape" as some like to accuse. It is the life blood for creating the peace with Father that causes the first love to flow and remain day after day.

When will groups of believers embrace this truth and begin to transform into a new humanity that will truly alleviate some of the problems of this world by demonstrating agape and being true image bearers of God.

Clarifying the Misunderstanding about the Gospel of the Kingdom and the Gospel of Grace.

1Co 15:1-8 NRSV "Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand,  (2)  through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you—unless you have come to believe in vain.  (3)  For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures,  (4)  and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures,  (5)  and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.  (6)  Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died.  (7)  Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.  (8)  Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me."

Luke 17:20-21 NRSV "Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, and he answered, "The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed;  (21)  nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or 'There it is!' For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you."

I was in a discussion on a Facebook group that I am a member of and it became somewhat heated. I had made the following statement in a post. "Until we recapture the pure gospel of grace that was preached in the first century, community is ineffectual at best, and downright damaging at worst." Well, several jumped on the post saying that they knew of the gospel of the kingdom but were not sure about the gospel of grace. Others jumped in stating that the gospel of grace was just a license to sin. This should not be suprising to me because the Calvinist Preacher John MacArthur wrote a book entitled the gospel according to Jesus. The thrust of the book was similar to all of those who jumped onto the post to criticize what they consider "easy believism" and "sloppy grace." One person adamantly stated that the gospel was the Sermon on the Mount, that grace was an entry point into following this Sermon that they referred to as the Law of Christ.

I, of course believe, that these positions come from not really understanding the transitional nature of the New Testament writings. Especially that the gospels are almost entirely Old Covenant in nature because Jesus came strictly to Jews under the Mosaic Covenant before the cross event which was the instatement of the New Covenant.

So what about the gospel of the kingdom?

When Jesus spoke of the gospel of the kingdom he was really speaking of the first part of a two part gospel that would only be consummated upon His death, burial, and resurrection. The consummation would bring about the really good news. Since that is the meaning of the word gospel, it is the good news of the kingdom. Meaning that the kingdom of God had arrived on the world scene. It arrived there because the King was there. The Jews were expecting an earthly king that would reinstate the glory of the kingdom of David and Solomon. The good news/gospel of the kingdom was simply that the Kingdom was at hand. Jesus told the Pharisees in the Luke 17 passage above that they were not going to be able to find the kingdom with observation, but He assured them that the kingdom was finally in their midst. Yes indeed that was good news.

Establishing a law that was even more rigorous than the Mosaic Law was not good news. And while there was a lot of encouraging information in the Sermon on the Mount, its purpose was not to create a new legal code. It was to demonstrate to the Jews who were taught by the Pharisees that they were living the law blamelessly (Phil 3:6) that it was not the case. See Paul had stated that as a Pharisee, when it came to righteousness in the law he was blameless. Yes indeed, that is what they taught. Jesus showed them that it wasn't so. Adultery and murder were a matter of the heart and not just actions. So no, the Sermon on the Mount had good news in it but it was not the good news of the kingdom. As previously stated the good news of the kingdom was the news of the arrival of the King.

Moving on to the gospel of grace

The second part of the gospel was even better good news. Not only had the King arrived on the scene but he had OVERCOME DEATH AND HADES. He had declared that God was our Father. He had reconciled fallen humanity with the Father. He had provided a way for peace with the Father. He had come to execute a plan that had been set in motion before creation. It was a plan that would bring praise to the Father because of His glorious grace. It was God's absolute purpose in creation (Eph 1:3-14.) Imagine what good news that was and still is. God's purpose in creation was redemption. Paul says that all who are in Christ Jesus were put there before the foundation of the world and guess what, that is before creation. So then, the only scripture that reveals God's purpose in creation is Ephesians chapter one and Paul says it was to bring praise to God's glorious grace.

There is no such thing as easy believism or sloppy grace. That is nothing more than the musings of the good son in the prodigal son story, you know, the one that would not rejoice over the Father's grace for the prodigal. The one that would not come into the party because of anger and jealousy. People who fight against the gospel of grace do not realize that it is grace that leads to repentance.

But getting back to the statement that started all the hullaballoo,  "Until we recapture the pure gospel of grace that was preached in the first century, community is ineffectual at best, and downright damaging at worst." It was unconditional grace that the Holy Spirit used to transform the saints in the first century to turn the religious world upside-down. Here is the operation that the Spirit used in the transformation process. Unlimited grace produces peace with God and love for God. Ah ha, it is the catalyst that produces the fruit of the Spirit. The last of the fruit mentioned that is really an aspect of agape/love is self control. That will only come with communities that determine to know nothing among each other save Jesus Christ crucified and risen... That is the gospel of grace. 

In the passage posted above by Paul he states that the gospel is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. He says that it is the gospel he preached, it is the gospel in which they stood, it is the gospel by which they were saved. If the gospel is more than that then Paul is simply a liar and there is no salvation for anyone.

A New Humanity Part 8; The Pristine Gospel, Shabbat and Shalom

Eph 2:14-15 NRSV  For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us.  (15)  He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace,

Heb 4:9 NRSV  "So then, a sabbath rest still remains for the people of God;"

It is important to remember that Jesus was born a Jew. He, like all Jewish boys in the first century was taught the Torah. He no doubt attended Torah school as a child. Therefore, He thought in Hebrew even though his native language was Aramaic. And, since most of the first century apostles were Jewish there is a lot to be gained from understanding the Jewishness of the first century gospel.

What is the pristine gospel?

It is of utmost importance to define the gospel. Is the gospel a series of books with that name attached, like the Gospel of John, The Gospel of Matthew? It seems that there is a variety of answers to the question even in evangelical orthodoxy. But, what was the content of the pristine gospel that caused the religious leaders of the first century to complain that their world had been turned upside down?  If we are to hope to gain a new humanity in this fourth age since the beginning of the biblical narrative we have to be certain that we have a precise definition of the gospel. The reason is that the Holy Spirit used the gospel in the first century to supernaturally transform individuals and communities.

I will try to summarize the gospel that I believe the first century saints were taught. It must be stated that the gospel means good news. The Parent God, who established the gospel before the creation of anything so that humans would praise God's glorious grace established a plan of redemption. In the creative act, when the Word created humanity, He declared that it was very good. Not wanting robots, but rather, thinking, rational beings, God provided the opportunity to choose to have the knowledge of good and evil, without which, humanity would not be able to praise at all. God knew full well that the choice would be made, but that in choosing the knowledge of good and evil, there would be a chasm between God and humanity because the choice would result in the entrance of death into the human condition.

Death produced uncertainty and resulted in fear of the unknown. Likewise, God became unknown. Humanity could hope that there was a benevolent God and that fear was unfounded, but could not know that aside from faith. The knowledge of good and evil, Paul called it the wisdom of the world coupled with death made perfect faith impossible to acheive. This describes the human state of being lost. It is important to explain that in all of this God never changed is original declaration that the creation of humanity was very good. However people and societies could choose to be evil. Fear of death made them choose evil all too often. In many ways, it was part of the survival instinct without which humanity would not continue to thrive.

Humanity needed a redeemer, a savior to restore rest and peace. Humanity needed to be reconciled to the Parent Creator. How could this savior, redeemer, reconciler restore rest and peace with the Parent God? The answer is by having perfect faith in the benevolence of God. What would be the ultimate proof of the qualifications of this savior, redeemer, reconciler? He would have to be willing to die, knowing that by having perfect faith in the Parent God, that he would be resurrected to his eternal state of being. In other words, the death, burial and resurrection of the chosen redeemer would be necessary for humanity to have faith in their eternal nature. Likewise, there would have to be an agent that would give this assurance, a comforter of sorts. The Holy Spirit is that agent of assurance and as such is the transforming agent.

Thus, the gospel is the story of this savior, redeemer, reconciler and how he, by his perfect faith, overcame death by experiencing it and being resurrected. The thing that humanity feared most which was death and the grave, was rendered impotent by the death burial and resurrection of Jesus. The good news is that it was all done by God in Christ Jesus. There is nothing for humanity to do except apprehend this knowledge by faith and allow the Holy Spirit to bring rest and peace, Shabbat and Shalom. This is where the Jewish terms Shabbat and Shalom come into importance. Shabbat is a joyous peaceful rest from care and Shalom is prosperity, peace, well being, in other words more than just rest and peace as we know it.

The really good news is that all one need do is apprehend it by faith. Further, redemption and reconciliation is already accomplished once for ALL. The real benefit of the gospel comes from believing this message during this life. It is transformative because it creates peace and rest with the Parent God. Knowing that God and Jesus did it all causes a supernatural love for God and being reminded of this good news, humanity can begin to love one another in the same way that the Parent God loves them.

Stop working so hard to gain favor with God. You have had that favor since the actions described in Genesis 1:31!

A New Humanity Part 7; 1 Co1:18, the preaching of the cross and ongoing salvation

Eph 2:15 NRSV  "He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace,"

1Co 1:18 NRSV  "For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

One of the most troubling things about evangelical dogma and doctrine is the notion that the gospel of grace is merely an entry point. I don't think that Paul and the first century apostles saw it that way at all. For them, it was the entry point, but it was also a necessity for continuing the process, and would continue to have importance through out the life of a saint. Yes, I believe that God ultimately redeems all, however I see salvation as a process that plays out in this life to bring peace with the Parent God. All of the versions that I have looked at with the exception of the King James has "being saved" in 1Co 1:18. This reinforces the idea that salvation is a continuing process that plays out over a complete life. I want to reemphasize that I do not believe one can loose salvation. Still, there is a multitude of benefits in hearing the gospel over and over and allowing it to continue to produce peace with the Parent God.

It is instructive to look at salvation as it would have been understood in the first century Roman Empire. Caesar was savior and salvation was the peace that Rome provided. It is not an accident that the first century apostles used that language about Jesus. There are perhaps two other words used in the New Testament that better describes what Jesus did for humanity. Redeemed and reconciled describe what He accomplished at the cross event. As Savior Jesus continually saves his people from their sins. Since the writer of Hebrews tells us that sin is deceitful and deceptive and that it clings to us therein lies the necessity for the gospel to be heard and believed over and often. In fact, it was the reason that the writer of Hebrews encouraged the saints to continue to meet together. It was not as current evangelical pastors use that passage to keep people attending every service. Services that rarely really preach the gospel of Christ. More than not they are services in which the cleric accuses the brothers and sisters before God.

So then, "being saved" is a way of expressing an ongoing process whereby the Holy Spirit uses the gospel of grace to keep the saint in perfect peace. It is the vehicle that keeps the mind stayed on Jesus. I am confident that the first century saints were taught this by their apostles and teachers and practiced that continuously. This underscores the importance of the gospel message. I am amazed however to find that when I go to churches that I hear very little gospel. What I hear is how to use faith as a self help remedy, and how to strive to measure up while falling so short. These messages do nothing to supernaturally transform people. The Holy Spirit does not use self improvement and moralizing messages to transform.

Paul said that he urged, exhorted, begged, beseeched, the saints by the "mercy" of God. What is the mercy of God? THE GOSPEL OF GRACE! In another place Paul said that the grace of God leads to repentance, and that the grace that appeared teaches one to live Godly. It should be so obvious but alas I sigh it is not. Evangelical doctrine is so far off the mark that it presents a different gospel and a different Jesus. The result is that you have people who are reconciled, redeemed but not regularly being saved. It is not like some of the churches that have saints come to the alter every Sunday to get saved all over again because they are lost. That is not what I am writing about. That is silly. Saints are justified. Saints are redeemed. Saints are reconciled. But, in Paul's understanding, saints are BEING saved, an ongoing process. This necessitates hearing the gospel often.

I think back to my days in institutional ministry. I have always been a staunch grace preacher and I always preached the gospel. The Pastor that ordained me always preached the gospel. Now it may not have been the pristine gospel but it was the gospel of the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and it always, produced saints full of praise. It was always attended by a genuine anointing. The amazing thing about the gospel of grace that it would get little old church mothers that had been walking with Jesus for fifty years happy in the Spirit.

The point of this is that if we are to return to the gospel of grace of the first century we have to be proclaiming it often. It has to be the gospel that emphasizes the finished work of the cross. It has to be a gospel that assures that through the faith of Jesus humanity is reconciled and justified and in good standing with the Parent God.

A New Humanity Part 6; Matthew 5:17-20 vs. Ephesians 2:15 and Colossians 2:14

Eph 2:15 NRSV  He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace,

I cannot count the times some well meaning heresy hunter has called me an antinomian. I don't even pay attention these days as I have realized that evangelical doctrine and dogma is so erroneous, and so toxic that their accusations are meaningless. So much of this error is hinged on a false understanding of Matthew 5:17-20. My reason for bringing this up in the New Humanity series is that until Matthew 5:17-20 is properly understood within the entire New Testament writings, accepting the pristine gospel of grace is virtually impossible. Further to the point, until we can return to the pristine gospel of the first century church, the transformation of people and communities cannot happen. I realize this requires me posting a fairly large portion of scripture below to look in context at the seemingly contrasting passages. I will underline the portions that are contradictory.

Mat 5:17-20 NRSV "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.  (18)  For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished.  (19)  Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  (20)  For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

In contrast with...

Col 2:13-15 NRSV  "And when you were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses,  (14)  erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the cross.  (15)  He disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it."

Eph 2:13-17 NRSV  "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.  (14)  For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us.  (15)  He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace,  (16)  and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it.  (17)  So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near;"

For all who would try to say that they are not contradictory, I would like to contrast the following clause with the Matthew passage; "He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances." He has abolished the Law, how much more plain can it be? How can these passages be squared with Matthew 5:18? Well, the simple answer should be sufficient but alas, the toxic doctrines of evangelicalism make it not so. But first, the simple, and I believe correct answer is as follows. Matthew 5:17-20 was spoken to an audience that was strictly Jewish. The were under the Mosaic Covenant before the cross event; before the resurrection when the vail of the Temple was torn in two. The cross event and the resurrection encapsulated the phrase "all is accomplished." When Jesus said it is finished, it was indeed finished.

But let me continue for those who are steeped in a demand for a wooden legal-constitutional reading of all scripture. This is for the literalists that demand one accept the scripture as simple to understand and forthright in its meaning. To the wooden literalist, there are far more than jots and tittles that have been removed by scripture from the Law. I capitalize law because I mean Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament. The verses are found respectively in Genesis 17 and Exodus 12, and are removed by Acts 15 and Galatians 3.

In Genesis 17 Abraham is told that all of his decedents, all of his slaves, and any male that is within his household must be circumcised. This is an absolute command as evidenced by Gen 17:14 NRSV "Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant." It is absolutely impossible to be a descendent of Abraham without circumcision. Later on in Exodus, when Moses brought the Israelites out of Egypt they were given a way that a Gentile could become part of the people of God and decedents of Abraham. Exo NRSV 12:48-49  "If an alien who resides with you wants to celebrate the passover to the LORD, all his males shall be circumcised; then he may draw near to celebrate it; he shall be regarded as a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat of it;  (49)  there shall be one law for the native and for the alien who resides among you." According to the Torah there was a way for a Gentile to become a part of the people of God. It was through circumcision. The operative verse was that there was just one law for the native (Jew) and one law for the alien (Gentile.) However, according to Acts 15 and most of Paul's letters there was a second way for Gentiles to become a part of the people of God. It was in Christ Jesus. Paul wrote about it this way... Gal 3:28-29 NRSV  "There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.  (29)  And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise." The fact is simple. The death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ negated a lot more than a pen stroke or a punctuation mark. It negated a portion of the scripture itself so why would it be difficult to believe Ephesians 2:15 and Colossians 2:14?

For further clarification look at what Paul wrote about the Law in Romans. Rom 10:4 NRSV  "For Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes." It is the end of the law for righteousness in other versions. This does not mean that the law cannot be instructive in how to love your neighbor. What it does mean is that one does not gain their righteousness from the works of the law. It also means that grace is the driving force in the New Humanity. It means that the antinomian accusation is invalid. But most of all, it means that the first century saints realized that the purpose of the law being abolished was to give them absolute peace with the Parent God. Truly, God was in Christ reconciling the world not counting trespasses. This peace with God, was designed by the foreknowledge and foreordination of God to supernaturally produce agape/love. 

I am convinced beyond doubt that this was in fact the gospel of grace that transformed so many in the first century church, and I am confident that as people begin to embrace the true gospel, and reject the different gospel, the "another gospel" that began to evolve in the second century forward that real transformation will once again take hold. Yes, people are broken. Some are addicts, some have been victims of loveless lives, but as communities spring up that proclaim the absolute love of a Parent Creator, who loves us much more that the most loving human parent is capable of, we will be able to embrace those broken pieces of humanity and together nurture one another with love as we love the creator. The truly effective gospel is one that is believed and shared in community.

A New Humanity Part 5; Looking at the Church, second century forward

Ephesians 2:15 NRSV  He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace,

In my view there is a huge disconnect between the first century church prior to 70AD/CE and the church that we see emerging in 110AD/CE. In the second century church I do not see the gospel of grace emphasis that was in the first century church. First and foremost, Paul et. al., always lead with the gospel of grace when addressing the saints. By gospel of grace, I mean proclaiming the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus for redemption, salvation and forgiveness. This was true of all of Paul's epistles, and even when he was exhorting them to deal with problems, he always proclaimed the gospel first. He explains why in the verse posted below.

1Co 2:1-2 NRSV  "When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom.  (2)  For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified." 

In fact, in the most corrective letter of Paul's ministry, the first epistle to the Corinthians, he spent a multitude of verses in the beginning proclaiming the efficacy of the preaching of the cross. However, in reading the letters from even the first bishop's of the second century it is obvious that a legalism akin to the leaven of the Pharisees had already crept in.  While the letters of Ignatius of Antioch did mention, the cross, the blood of God, it did not have the imperative focus of the grace of God and the gospel as did the letters of Paul and even Peter, James and John for that matter. Undoubtedly, the  writings of that early period that are so legalistic that they would have been rejected by Paul, were the Shepherd of Hermas and the Didache.

The Shepherd of Hermas is considered to be a product of the second century, and was read widely and included in the canon of the early church. It was loved by the saints, and used in worship and sermons and it was ultra legalistic. It would have made the Rabbi's of the first century Pharisees happy indeed. The didache makes no mention of redemption and justification by the faith of Jesus Christ. Rather, it is a compilation of the Sermon on the mount and many sayings of Jesus. It completely ignores the transition that took place within the early history of Jesus earthly mission. It seems to miss the fact that the Sermon on the Mount and all of Jesus sayings for that matter were given to Torah observant Jews who were under the Mosaic Covenant before the cross event. Those who believe that the Sermon on the Mount was an amplification of the Law to show the Jews who believed that they were obeying the Torah blamelessly were not doing so and were actually incapable of it are much closer to right than those who see it as the law of Christ.

It is almost as if the great doctrines of grace and gospel expounded in such depth by the Apostle Paul was forgotten or relegated to an unessential status. There is no mention of one of the most profound teachings that is found in Paul's letter to the Ephesians. In that letter, chapter one, verses three though fourteen explain that God's PURPOSE in creation was redemption. Further the purpose was to bring praise to God's glorious grace. I feel like when I say that revelation is profound I am not doing it proper justice. Think about it, the language, before the foundation of the cosmos, means before anything was created. Paul states plainly and forcefully that God had chosen the redemptive work of Christ before the foundation of the world. This means that the only clue to the mind of God in creating was that it was set on redemption so that the glory of the gracious plan would be praised. Yes and amen! That is certainly worth all the praise humanity can muster!

It is not like there was no warning about the church falling victim to a different gospel and a different Jesus. Paul told the Ephesian elders in Acts 20 that after he left savage wolves would come in not sparing the flock. Paul told the saints in Thessalonica that God would turn the saints over to a strong delusion so that they would believe what was false. Jesus told his disciples that they need to take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and further explained to them that the leaven of the Pharisees was their doctrine. He said in Matthew chapter thirteen that the entire kingdom would be leavened.

As the centuries progressed orthodoxy got farther and farther afield from the pure gospel of grace that Paul and the other Apostles taught. Yes, I mean all of the other apostles. James, who wrote to Jewish believers before the destruction of the temple, while the Old Covenant still hobbled alongside the New Covenant, an Apostle that Luther rejected... calling his epistle an epistle of straw, wrote this. Mercy triumphs over judgment!

It is my hope that this series of posts will build on one another, and point the way to a return to the gospel of grace that Paul taught the first century church, and that in doing this, we will be able to re-capture the agape, joy and peace that will transform the world into a new humanity, one person, one community at a time.