Faith Speaking Understanding by Kevin J. Vanhoozer

Author:Kevin J. Vanhoozer
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781611645422
Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press

RECAPITULATION: THE PAULINE IMPERATIVE

Every drama involves memorable characters, persons who say and do striking things. The drama of redemption is no exception. And yet the protagonist of this story is also its playwright-producer. The creator God not only sets the stage but also enters into the drama. But this is not all. What is even more marvelous is not that God enters into human history to become one of us but that, through the work of the God-man, the triune God makes human beings into “little Christs,” who embody and enact God’s image in accord with God’s will.

We began this chapter by confronting head-on what is perhaps the most serious objection to the theatrical model, namely, that it encourages disciples to playact their faith. That way lies madness and hypocrisy. The way forward, we suggested, is to take the theatrical metaphor with all seriousness and encourage actors to become the role they play, the part to which they have been cast. This is not a matter of pretending. For, as we have seen, the New Testament affirms that we have indeed “put on” Christ. What we might call the Pauline indicative is just this announcement: “As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Gal. 3:27). That the saints have put on Christ’s righteousness is, for Paul, a fait accompli.

Christ is more than a costume, more than something that Christians hide behind. Nor is Christ an external (moral) example that disciples must emulate. On the contrary, throughout this chapter I have been at pains to insist that disciples act out only what is first inside them. To “put on” Christ is to acknowledge that the life of Christ has been conceived within us. In acting out Christ we are, through the Spirit, letting Christ live in and through our lives. I then suggested that, in an era where the issue of personal identity is more confusing than ever, we view ourselves first and foremost in terms of our union with Christ and all that it entails.

The Pauline imperative follows from the Pauline indicative: it is only because disciples have already put on Christ (Gal. 3:27) that Paul can then exhort his readers to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires” (Rom. 13:14). The preacher of the gospel walks a fine line, both reminding disciples what is already the case and encouraging them to conform their lives to what is in Christ. Realizing one’s identity “in Christ” is both gift and task. The chosen “in Christ,” those who have been elect/cast to play the part of saints, have the privilege and responsibility of playing the role of persons made new in Christ: that of persons destined to be remade in the image of Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:29). The divine call is decisive because it determines our identity. At the same time, our response to the call matters, for it determines whether we will embrace our God-given identities or seek to forge our own.

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