Subject: New Perspective of Sha'ul |
Bible Note: Dear MJH, Much that Wright has to say appeals to conservatives because he tends to stand pretty solidly against liberal teaching. "The enemy of my enemy..." etc. I've even quoted him on this forum, before I really started to look into the NPP. :-( Their error is pretty subtle for most of us because of our shallow grounding in sound doctrine and general ignorance of church history. Consequently, I'm loathe to discuss it lest I draw attention to it! If you want to drop me an email, though, I can give you a brief summary of what I've learned. You're right about the speciation of Pharisaical thought. Although that's interesting and, perhaps, helpful in understanding men like Nicodemus, I think it is a discussion that -- without caution -- can lead us down the wrong trail. Matthew 23 pretty well sums up what God thought of them. But instead of going about the business of justifying them or condemning them, perhaps we should identify with them! I must confess that my own tendency is to listen, arms akimbo, self-righteously, to the pronouncements of Jesus in Matthew 23. "You tell 'em, Lord!" Instead, what I should be doing is noting how much I am like the Pharisees. The gospel is a balm to be applied after the law does its work... and both must be applied to our lives daily. Legalism and antinomianism are like the ditches on opposite sides of the road. Nevertheless, they are still both ditches we are warned to avoid. It wasn't my intention to accuse you of legalism. In Him, Doc |