Paul's Three Paths to Salvation by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub

Life after Forgiveness

The possibility for people to be justified in life before the last judgment as well as the delay of the end (a time necessary to carry out the forgiving mission of the apostles) soon complicated the picture and opened the door for even more dramatic developments in the later Christian tradition. Although believed to be short (as the end was still announced to be imminent), an intermission now separates the time of forgiveness from the time of the last judgment. A new problem arose. Once a person was justified, what was he/she expected or required to do before the final judgment? The first followers of Jesus did not regard justification (forgiveness of sins through baptism) as insurance for eternal life but as the opportunity for a new beginning for those who were oppressed without hope by the power of evil. They did not think that the forgiveness of God made them exempt from judgment; on the contrary, they believed that the judgment will “begin with the household of God, it will begin with us” (1 Pet 4:17).

The problem is addressed directly in texts such as the parable of the unforgiving servant (Matt 18:21–35). Jesus is now answering a question that concerns not the prerequisites for

justification but the responsibilities of those who have been forgiven: “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive?” (18:21). As an act of mercy, “out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt”

(18:27) and then left. But the forgiven servant was oblivious to the grace he had received. He was blessed with an act of justification, even though according to justice he deserved punishment. A new life was graciously given to him to live in. Nonetheless he sinned again by showing no mercy to his neighbors. When the king returned he judged the servant for what he did after being justified. It was a verdict of condemnation, despite the mercy he had received. The final sentence is a warning specifically addressed to all the sinners who have been justified by the forgiving Jesus. “So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart” (18:35). Justification is not salvation. The forgiveness given by the Son of Man does not annul the reality of the judgment according to deeds.

The Gospel of Luke also talks of ungrateful servants:

Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.

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