|
The
earliest Christian text we possess is 1 Thessalonians, written sometime
in the early fifties of the first century. Paul tells this little
church, which he had founded, to be ready for the coming of the Savior:
“Now may God himself, our Father, and our Lord Jesus direct our way to
you, and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one
another and for all, just as we have for you, so as to strengthen your
hearts, to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the
coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones” (1 Th 3:11-13).
Paul
had seen the risen Jesus, and everything else in his life fell away.
Everything he had considered central—the law, his livelihood, his own
tradition—now appeared to him as “rubbish.” Everything was re-arranged
around this new massive reality of a crucified man having come back from
the dead.
The
Resurrection meant that God was truly the Lord of history, that all of
the suffering, anxiety, and injustice of the world would be conquered
and that a new, transformed life was held out to us. And so now the
obligation was clear and simple: start living life in accord with the
coming Christ.
Wait
and watch for him, for a new world is undoubtedly coming. Paul almost
certainly felt that this new world would fully emerge in his own
lifetime, but though he was wrong about that detail, his recommendation
is of permanent value.
As
Paul tells the Thessalonians, in light of Christ, risen from the dead,
the old world is marginalized, disempowered, and passing away. And
therefore, those who live in accord with Christ are, in fact, on the
winning side.
|
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment