Paul: An Outline of His Theology by Herman Ridderbos

Author:Herman Ridderbos [Ridderbos, Herman]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Eerdmans Publishing Co - A
Published: 1997-09-10T22:00:00+00:00

. . . I am become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal

. . . I am nothing.

. . . it profits me nothing.

Just because love, even as faith and hope, is the mode of existence of the Christian church, it must reveal itself in this bond to the brethren, in placing itself at the service of this upbuilding; therefore Christian love is not individualistic, proudly separative, but always above everything else concerned with the body and not the individual. For this reason to lack this love means to be nothing, with whatever brilliant charismata one may be endowed. For without love there is no communion with the body, in which alone a share in Christ is to be found.

Finally, it holds for love, in distinction from the charismata, that it never perishes. For it is not in the charismata that the church is rooted and grounded, but in love. And the charismata do not constitute the vital element of the body of Christ, the power that binds it together, but love. The breakthrough of the reality that has dawned in Christ also manifests itself in the charismata, and as such they constitute a possibility of entrance105 to that which will one day be the portion of believers in perfection. However, they are again to be rendered inoperative106 and disappear (vv. 8-10). They represent the period of immaturity, they do not lead to a real and adequate knowledge of what is to come and are as temporary possibilities doomed to pass away (vv. 11ff.). But it is not so with love. With faith and hope it has an abiding107 significance, indeed it is the greatest of these three. For love consists not only in the relationship to the salvation of the Lord (as faith and hope), but in it salvation is already realized108 as the re-creation of human life in the communion of the body of Christ. For this reason love, although not possible without faith and hope, is nevertheless the greatest. And it is that not only in its individual appearance, but, as is evident from the whole context of 1 Corinthians 12 and 13, above all on account of the unity manifesting itself in it of the church appropriated to himself by God, the body of Christ, the temple of the Holy Spirit.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.