The story of Christianity in four words:
Creation, Fall, Jesus, Salvation.
Right?
Wrong! At least according to N.T. Wright. He says we're missing something in that industry-standard list that will actually shape how we read the entire Bible, and thus to ignore it is to miss one of the keys to unlocking who Jesus is and therefore who God is. Wright's list looks like this:
Creation, Fall, Israel, Jesus, Salvation.
Scot McKnight's is something very similar (though aided by its alliteration):
Creation, Cracked Eikons, Covenant Community, Christ, Consummation
This is starting to look like a page from one of Rob Bell's books what with all the gaps, but I just thought it was interesting how quick we as Christians are to ignore Israel when it comes to the gospel of God.
Perhaps we need to introduce the song "Father Abraham" into our corporate worship times. I'll let you know how that goes...
Creation, Fall, Jesus, Salvation.
Right?
Wrong! At least according to N.T. Wright. He says we're missing something in that industry-standard list that will actually shape how we read the entire Bible, and thus to ignore it is to miss one of the keys to unlocking who Jesus is and therefore who God is. Wright's list looks like this:
Creation, Fall, Israel, Jesus, Salvation.
Scot McKnight's is something very similar (though aided by its alliteration):
Creation, Cracked Eikons, Covenant Community, Christ, Consummation
This is starting to look like a page from one of Rob Bell's books what with all the gaps, but I just thought it was interesting how quick we as Christians are to ignore Israel when it comes to the gospel of God.
Perhaps we need to introduce the song "Father Abraham" into our corporate worship times. I'll let you know how that goes...
Did you say Israel..I thought the church has replaced Israel...we are niw the "Israel" of God...I want to hear more..i am not convinced that God has indeed rejected Israel, forever...can a Mother reject the child she has borne?...maybe Israel is the missing Jewel in the Evangelical church..maybe the predominatly Gentile is arrogant and proud...maybe we have forgotten that we are just the wild olive branches that have been grafted into the Jewish vine...maybe it is that someday God in His infinite Grace and Mercy will make one "new man" out of the 2, Gentiles and Jews????would'nt that be something...maybe the Church should be praying for revival in Israel, so that the latter rain, which God has promised, maybe poured out...
ReplyDeleteYou've just summed up Romans 11 there, Manuman. A chapter we like to think of as being a side issue for Paul but in reality there was perhaps few topics more dear to his heart.
ReplyDeleteTaking N.T. Wright's lead, my former teacher puts it like this:
What Adam was created to be,
What Abraham/Israel was called to be,
That’s what Christ incarnate is.
That’s what we are in Christ (the body of Christ).
In other words, you won't fully understand who Christ is unless you understand what Israel was called to be.
We as the church are the "new Israel" in one sense, but we're still part of that covenant family which began with Abraham. One translation which people like Wright and Richard Hays favour for Romans 4:1 is "What then shall we say? Have we found Abraham to be our father according to the flesh?" The answer, of course, is no. He is our father according to faith in God. In other words (I think), "new Israel" didn't begin with the Church. It began with Abraham!
I liked the shout out to Father Abraham :)
ReplyDeleteI was actually gonna put up yours and Sarah's version (Sarah on melody, you on echoes), but that would take too much time, so I didn't. I did listen to it recently though. High quality stuff.
ReplyDelete