Sin and Its Remedy in Paul (Contours of Pauline Theology)
Digital Verbum Edition
Overview
This collection of essays considers what light is shed on Pauline soteriology by giving focused attention to the apostle’s language and conception of sin. Sometimes Paul appears to present sin and disobedience as transgression, while at other times sin is personified and treated as an enslaving power. Is there a model or perspective that can account for Paul’s conceptual range in his discussion of sin? What does careful study of Paul’s letters reveal about the christological and pneumatological remedies to the problem of sin as he conceives of them? These questions are explored with attention to individual Pauline letters towards a richer understanding of his attitude towards sin and its remedy.
- Focuses on the apostle’s language and conception of sin
- Examines individual Pauline letters towards a richer understanding of his attitude towards sin and its remedy
- Examines various salvations motifs
Research into Paul’s theology has recently unmasked the complexity as well as the profundity of the meaning of sin—sin as transgression against God’s will, sin against one another, and sin as a cosmic power as an agent intent on leading humans to death. But, the apostolic vision is that sin has been defeated and can be defeated and is being defeated—in Christ’s death that killed death and brought new life, in the Spirit of life that brings new life to God’s people. This book, Sin and Its Remedy in Paul, is a constant reminder of the good power of God to overcome what most ails us.
Scot McKnight, Northern Seminary
Despite its popularity in humanity as a whole, sin is something of a neglected topic among interpreters of the Apostle Paul. This collection of stellar essays by prominent scholars reveals the depth, breadth, and variety of the Pauline perspective(s) on sin/Sin, thereby helping us also to better understand the amazing sin-conquering, transformative grace of God revealed in Christ and experienced through the Spirit.
Michael J. Gorman, St. Mary’s Seminary & University, Baltimore
With their IBR research group, Nijay Gupta and John Goodrich have spawned a miniature renaissance in the study of Pauline theology. Now with this book, and the series that it inaugurates, they are bringing that renaissance to readers everywhere. The subject matter of Sin and Its Remedy in Paul is grim, but there can be no making sense of Paul’s letters without it.
Matthew Novenson, University of Edinburgh
The Pauline corpus represents ‘sin’ and ‘sins’ in complex ways that continue to inform and to challenge how we understand our flawed humanity. In this fine set of essays by high-quality scholars, the key texts are probed with searching questions and analyzed by means of a fruitful array of models and frames. This is a rich conversation that deserves the attention of all students of Paul.
John M. G. Barclay, Durham University