God's Saving Grace: A Pauline Theology by Matera Frank J

Author:Matera, Frank J. [Matera, Frank J.]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
Published: 2012-11-17T05:00:00+00:00

A Spirit-Empowered Ethic

The Spirit is the link between the indicative of salvation and the moral imperative. Those who enjoy the gift of the Spirit have been transferred from the realm of the flesh to the realm of God’s Spirit. This Spirit, which is made available to believers through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, empowers them to carry out the moral imperative of the ethical life. To be sure, the Spirit does not relieve believers of their moral responsibility, nor does it magically guarantee their good behavior. Believers remain moral agents responsible for their actions. This is why Paul writes that those who belong to Christ “have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Gal 5:24).4 But if one accepts the Pauline analysis of the human condition apart from Christ, it is clear that one cannot live in a way pleasing to God apart from the inner dynamism that comes from the Spirit. Given the importance of the Spirit in Pauline thought, in this section I will examine the role that the Spirit plays in Pauline ethics. After a few remarks about Paul’s teaching in his Thessalonian and Corinthian correspondence, I will focus my attention on Galatians and Romans before concluding with some comments on the Spirit in Ephesians.

At the outset of 1 Thessalonians Paul draws a connection between the (1) election of the Thessalonians, (2) their moral life, and (3) the gift of the Spirit. First, he commends them for the quality of their moral life, which is revealed in their work of faith, their labor of love, and the steadfastness of their hope (1:2-3).5 Next, he expresses his confidence in their election, which was confirmed by their acceptance of the gospel that came to them in the power of the Holy Spirit (vv. 4-5). Finally, he notes that they imitated the pattern of Paul’s life when they received the gospel, despite afflictions, with the joy that comes from the Holy Spirit. As a result, they have become a model for others to imitate (vv. 6-7).

Paul returns to this relationship between election, the Spirit, and the moral life in the moral exhortation of 4:1-12. God’s will for the Thessalonians is their sanctification (v. 3). Accordingly, God has called them to holiness, which is made possible by the Spirit that God has given to them (vv. 7-8). Aware that the Thessalonians have received this Spirit, Paul acknowledges that they have been taught by God to love one another (v. 9).6

Paul draws a similar relationship between the moral life, election, and the Spirit in 2 Thessalonians. There he gives thanks for the Thessalonians “because God chose you as the first fruits for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth. For this purpose he called you through our proclamation of the good news, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2:13-14). The moral life, according to this passage, begins with God’s elective call whose goal is the salvation of those who will believe.

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