Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!psuvax1!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: cms@dragon.uucp Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Justification by Faith (was: The New Revised Standard, just out!) Message-ID: Date: 5 Jun 90 04:08:54 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: Computer Projects Unlimited Lines: 75 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article , cattanac@casca.cs.uiuc.edu (Scott Cattanach) writes: > emory!dragon!cms@gatech.edu writes: >>Nevertheless, I still like to the New American Bible translation best: > May I put in a plug for my trusty NKJV? > Actually, I have always considered psalm 136 to be the test of a > Bible translation, but I won't post it here to save bandwidth. > -catt (cattanac@cs.uiuc.edu) Actually, I have always considered I Corinthians 13:1-13 to be the test of a Bible translation. NRSV has a good one: If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love. I'd like to discuss the meaning of this passage in terms of justification by faith. Paul says that if we have all faith, faith great enough to move mountains (as Jesus said, the faith of a mustard seed), but have not love, it does us no good whatsoever, we are nothing. It's interesting that this discussion of Paul's is centered on gifts; Paul considered faith to be a gift just the same as tongues, healing, prophecy, teaching, etc. are gifts. Thus, faith is a gift from God; we must accept the gift of faith to be justified. We must always pray for our faith to be increased. Yet, faith is inferior to hope and love. Love is the greatest of all the gifts of God. Paul is not saying that our love for one another or even our love for God is greater than faith; rather, Paul is saying that God's love for us, poured out in Christ, is greater than our faith in God. In other words, if God does not give us his gift of love (in the blood of Jesus Christ), then all our faith, the mightiest faith in the world, powerful enough to move mountains (or a mustard tree), cannot justify us. Our justification cannot be gained by faith alone but only by the action of God in Jesus Christ. Our good works in conjunction with our faith fail to justify us without the love of God in Christ; faith alone fails to justify us without the love of God in Christ. Yet Christ does not act unless people have faith (a gift of God, remember). Thus, faith, works, and the blood of Christ work together for our justification before God. Martin Luther said, paraphrased, "If you read this chapter every day for a month, it will change your life." Comments? -- Sincerely, _///_ // SPAWN OF A JEWISH _///_ // _///_ // <`)= _<< CARPENTER _///_ //<`)= _<< <`)= _<< _///_ // \\\ \\ \\ _\\\_ <`)= _<< \\\ \\ \\\ \\ <`)= _<< >IXOYE=('> \\\ \\ \\\ \\_///_ // // /// _///_ // _///_ // emory!dragon!cms <`)= _<< _///_ // <`)= _<< <`)= _<< \\\ \\<`)= _<< \\\ \\ \\\ \\ GO AGAINST THE FLOW! \\\ \\ A Real Live Catholic in Georgia