//Over and over, throughout Jewish writings prior to Paul’s day, Abraham (the father of the Jews) is presented as a paragon of righteousness. Read Maccabees, read Sirach, read Jubilees. All of these will tell you that Abraham was pleasing to God because of his works; in particular, probably the act of nearly sacrificing his son.

But Paul turns this line of thought on its head. In no uncertain terms, Paul, in this letter to the Romans, claims Abraham was wicked, not righteous. Indeed, Paul’s entire argument regarding justification by faith rests on the assumption that Abraham was ungodly! Paul’s argument runs like this: If Abraham failed so miserably, but still found favor with God, what makes us think we can ever earn our place with God by our works?

Yet Paul did believe works were important! He’s one tough dude to figure out. Tomorrow, I’ll list a number of verses that Paul wrote, verses that demand good works so that we can be justified before God, and discuss how Paul makes sense of these two contradictory ideas.

★★★★

This is an encyclopedic reference book for students of Biblical studies, providing definitions and discussions of many of the terms you may hear or read. Here are some examples of topics, chosen at random:

Eisegesis

The Gospel of Thomas

The Jesus Seminar

The New Hermeneutic

You get the idea. The book is quite exhaustive now that it’s reached its fourth edition, and I use it for occasional reference, but I do once in a while feel frustrated by the emphasis of precision in definitions over simple explanations, particularly when the discussion is not accompanied by examples. In other words, it could sometimes be more user-friendly. Never-the-less, there is a lot of good information, presented quite compactly.

//Today’s verse tells how Peter (Simon) was the first person called into discipleship by Jesus. Peter is not only the first disciple called, but the first disciple mentioned in the Gospel.

He is also the last:

Thus the mention of Peter forms a literary convention called an inclusio, centered on Peter himself. Scholars call this the Petrine Inclusio.

How much meaning are we supposed to read into this inclusio? Hengel suggests, “Simon Peter is as a disciple named first and last in the Gospel to show that it is based on his tradition and therefore his authority” (Hengel, Four Gospels, p. 82) . I mention in my book about John’s Gospel that Mark’s Gospel quickly became associated with Peter. Indeed, Eusebius, writing about Papier the presbyter, would write:

“This also the presbyter said: Mark, having become the interpreter of Peter, wrote down accurately, though not in order, whatsoever he remembered of the things said or done by Christ. For he neither heard the Lord nor followed him, but afterward, as I said, he followed Peter, who adapted his teaching to the needs of his hearers, but with no intention of giving a connected account of the Lord’s discourses, so that Mark committed no error while he thus wrote some things as he remembered them. For he was careful of one thing, not to omit any of the things which he had heard, and not to state any of them falsely.” These things are related by Papias concerning Mark.

★★★★★

Is it about time for another Great Awakening?

This is the fourth book by Cornwall that I’ve reviewed and his writing never disappoints. Although this isn’t the type of book I usually enjoy, it’s one I can say I’m glad I read. I needed this.

Cornwall wonders if the Church isn’t on the verge of a new transition, guided by the Spirit. Though now a Disciples of Christ pastor, his roots are Pentecostal, and he recognizes that charismatic Christianity has a deep appreciation for the Spirit that many of us shrug off. Maybe the Spirit is making a comeback? Is it breaking in a new age of spiritual experience, discipleship, and hope? I found Cornwall’s portrayal of the Spirit inspiring: “Offering a variety of gifts, activities, and services, the Spirit moves through the community of faith like a refreshing breeze, enlivening and empowering the community’s worship, fellowship, and service.” Today’s Spirit-empowered communities are committed to bringing into play the world-healing presence of God’s Spirit. The goal is not to rescue us from hell to heaven but to fulfill God’s promise of making Abraham’s offspring a blessing to the world.

Yes, that’s you and me, and anyone else who carries the banner of “Christian.” Are you familiar with the Briggs-Myers personality test? Cornwall, like me, fits the mold of INTJ, so perhaps that explains the kinship I’ve felt with his writings in the past. Let me put it this way: I have an Introverted, iNtuitive, Thinking, Judging personality (INTJ), as contrasted with the other extreme, an Extroverted, Sensing, Feeling, Perceiving personality (ESFP). This tangential discussion isn’t really a core part of Cornwall’s book, and there are no “right” or “wrong” personalities; I bring it up just to emphasize what rare, leave-me-alone oddballs he and I are. How can people like us possibly feel the flow of the Spirit, and then contribute productively to the community? What spiritual gifts might even we be given that we can use?

Cornwall approaches this topic with practicality and pastoral care. He suggests assessing our spiritual resources with a “gift inventory.” This will help sort through our ministry opportunities and our feelings about various ways of contributing. Yes, each of us in the Church has a ministerial role, not just pastors. Cornwall calls this “embracing a theology of giftedness,” while pointing to the teaching of Paul that all members of the Body play a worthwhile and necessary part. In gift-based ministry, it’s assumed that every member of the body contributes to the welfare of that body. We INTJ’s will leave a hole as deep as any other if we neglect to make use of our own God-given gifts.

Having convinced us of our unique importance, then, the second half of the book tells us how to get our hands dirty. It provides practical advice for various types of Christians, emphasizing how each gift is needed for a healthy community.

Every Christian should read this one.

//Nestled in between two curious verses about David’s wives is this even more curious verse.

Verse 42 tells how, after Nabal dies, his wife Abigail hastens to marry David. Then verse 43 tells how David also married Ahinoam. Finally, verse 44 tells how Saul had given Michal, David’s wife, to another man. So in these three consecutive verses, David gains two wives and loses one.

But who is this Ahinoam? In all of the Bible, there is only one other woman named Ahinoam. It is the wife of Saul, mother of Jonathan and his two brothers (see 1 Samuel 14:50). Is this the same Ahinoam David married?

Well, we have one clue. Saul is said to have two more sons after Jonathan and his brothers, but they are born not to Ahinoam, but to a concubine named Rizpah. Indeed, after David marries his Ahinoam, Saul’s Ahinoam seems to disappear from the record, replaced by Rizpah. It seems, then, that David did indeed take Saul’s wife.

Could it be? If true, then today’s verses may show how the feud between David and Saul began to escalate. As sordid as this all sounds, the story gets even stranger. Continued tomorrow.