"...It is because God will be true to that outward-facing generous, creative love that he must also curse those ways of life, particularly those ways of life within his covenant people, which embody and express the opposite. It isn't that God basically wants to condemn and then finds a way to rescue some from that disaster. It is that God longs to bless, to bless lavishly, and so to rescue and bless those in danger of tragedy--and therefore must curse everything that thwarts and destroys the blessing of his world and his people...
"...God made humans for a purpose: not simply for themselves, not simply so that they could be in relationship with him, but so that through them, as his image-bearers, he could bring his wise, glad, fruitful order to the world. And the closing verses of Scripture, in the book of Revelation, are not about human beings going off to heaven to be in a close and intimate relationship with God, but about heaven coming to earth...
"...Within the logic of love is the rich, theological logic of the work of the Holy Spirit. This brings us back to a point made much earlier. When, by clear implication, I am charged with encouraging believers to put their trust in someone or something 'other than the crucified and resurrected Savior,' I want to plead guilty - to this extent and this extent only: that I also say, every time I repeat one of the great historic creeds, that I trust in the Holy Spirit...N.T. Wright, Justification: God's Plan & Paul's Vision
Wright is has such an amazing talent to say things that sound so true and almost feel right. Look at quote two. What is the purpose of life? According to Wright, for humans to be used by God in order that He might change the world. Sounds as good as any Eric Clapton tune, especially when you put it into the context of Revelation 21. But it is simply not true, and not true to the passage. The wise, glad, fruitful order God brings to the world is a result of "the dwelling place of God is with man". We only become image-bearers as we are able to gaze upon and display the image which we bear. 2 Corinthians 4 And in Revelation 21 there is no indication that heaven comes to earth "through us" at all. Heaven arrives at earth by the power of the One sitting on the Throne at the end of chapter 20, to the glory of the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb (21:22-26). In fact, there is less of an indication that God comes down to earth to bring Himself to earth and more of an indication that God in the Heavenly Jerusalem descends upon the earth in order to be glorified by the kings of the earth and the nations.
1 comment:
What are the key arguments or perspectives presented by N.T. Wright in the article, and how do they contribute to the overall understanding of the topic?
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