Wright’s Into the Heart of Romans– Part Six

Last updated on: February 19, 2025 at 1:43 am by Ben Witherington

Wright’s Into the Heart of Romans– Part Six 2025-01-28T08:07:13-05:00 Ben Witherington

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As it turns out, it was not just human beings that experienced the consequences of human sin, or ‘the Fall’, so did all of creation, and Rom. 8.17-21 is the passage that highlights this disturbing reality. Creation has been subjected to decay and death, just like human beings, and its fate is linked to ours, hence creation is looking forward to the day when God’s children will be revealed as raised from the dead, and beyond disease, decay and death. The latter is what Paul means when he refers to God’s children being glorified. Something that has not happened yet. And this is because there are three stages to salvation— being set right and born again, being sanctified, and finally being glorified when we are raised from the dead and finally fully conformed to the image of the Son. And frankly, until we go through all three stages of salvation and reclamation we are still Christians under construction.

Tom thinks, in addition (p. 110) that being glorified has to do with humans being put in authority over creation (and presumably getting involved in creation care and restoration). Tom provides a clear witness to the implications of how we are trashing our eco-sphere with greenhouse gases and yes, trash. Which the opposite of what we should be doing, which involves giving a preview of coming attractions with creatures and creation are renewed at the resurrection and there is a new or renewed creation. As Tom rightly insists— glorification is not about dying and going to heaven, its about creation and creatures being rescued from disease, decay and death. Just so. Going to heaven is not a final destination, at best in the NT is depicted as an intermediate state– an ultra clean bus station on the way to the new heaven and new earth.

On p. 120, Tom makes his point emphatically as follows: “In the Hebrew Scriptures glory regularly comes to refer specifically to rule or power. That is why glory regularly is a royal term, symbolized visually in crowns, sometimes with rays of bright light streaming in all directions, The bright light isn’t the glory itself. The light tells you about the glory…the honor of the person is symbolized by the bright light. So when scripture promises that God’s glory will flood the whole of creation, that doesn’t mean the whole world will become luminous, as if it had a powerful light bulb somewhere deep inside…It means that God’s creative power and wisdom will shine out visually all around..[which involves] the glory of human beings put in charge of the world– [this] is a major theme for Paul.” To this he adds the glorious return of God to dwell and rule with his children.

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Wright's Into The Heart of Romans-- Part Five

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