Comments on: What is ‘the Point’? http://hepburnmusings.wordpress.com/2006/08/10/what-is-the-point/ Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:24:33 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=MU hourly 1 By: Gil http://hepburnmusings.wordpress.com/2006/08/10/what-is-the-point/#comment-785 Gil Tue, 15 Aug 2006 17:04:19 +0000 http://hepburnmusings.wordpress.com/2006/08/10/what-is-the-point/#comment-785 Dale,<br/>For Newbigin, the resurrection is the key to all of Christian thinking and acting. Death is the great barrier, the one reality that reduces all of our accomplishments to nothing, the shadow that haunts every part of our existence. <br/><br/>Jesus' resurrection is quite literally 'God raising his body' from the dead. Sometimes we have these ideas like 'Well Jesus was God, of course he could rise from the dead' but that is not the way the gospels present it. Rather it was God taking a defeat and turning it into a triumph. <br/><br/>Where this gets more interesting is in Newbigin's concept that our earth has this future as well. Just as our bodies are doomed to decay and death, so is our world. Paul makes some comments in Romans 8 about how creation is awaiting a future bodily resurrection just as we are. <br/><br/>In the area of ethics Newbigin believes that our efforts to make the world a better place will survive death as well. He quotes 2 Timothy 1:12, "I am sure that he is able to guard until that day what I have entrusted to him" and argues that every faithful act that we offer in obedience to God will survive death and be part of 'eternal reality' in God's future kingdom. I don't pretend to know exactly what this looks like but it's a hopeful thought. Dale,
For Newbigin, the resurrection is the key to all of Christian thinking and acting. Death is the great barrier, the one reality that reduces all of our accomplishments to nothing, the shadow that haunts every part of our existence.

Jesus’ resurrection is quite literally ‘God raising his body’ from the dead. Sometimes we have these ideas like ‘Well Jesus was God, of course he could rise from the dead’ but that is not the way the gospels present it. Rather it was God taking a defeat and turning it into a triumph.

Where this gets more interesting is in Newbigin’s concept that our earth has this future as well. Just as our bodies are doomed to decay and death, so is our world. Paul makes some comments in Romans 8 about how creation is awaiting a future bodily resurrection just as we are.

In the area of ethics Newbigin believes that our efforts to make the world a better place will survive death as well. He quotes 2 Timothy 1:12, “I am sure that he is able to guard until that day what I have entrusted to him” and argues that every faithful act that we offer in obedience to God will survive death and be part of ‘eternal reality’ in God’s future kingdom. I don’t pretend to know exactly what this looks like but it’s a hopeful thought.

]]> By: Incoming... http://hepburnmusings.wordpress.com/2006/08/10/what-is-the-point/#comment-784 Incoming... Tue, 15 Aug 2006 15:44:08 +0000 http://hepburnmusings.wordpress.com/2006/08/10/what-is-the-point/#comment-784 Gil can you expand on newbiggin's ideas. I have not read this book and would be curious to know how his view of resurrection is that much different from the 'hold-on-til-heaven' view...<br/>By the way does he suggest or do you that Jesus, "had what seems to have been a physical body"? Gil can you expand on newbiggin’s ideas. I have not read this book and would be curious to know how his view of resurrection is that much different from the ‘hold-on-til-heaven’ view…
By the way does he suggest or do you that Jesus, “had what seems to have been a physical body”?

]]> By: Paul Morgun http://hepburnmusings.wordpress.com/2006/08/10/what-is-the-point/#comment-782 Paul Morgun Fri, 11 Aug 2006 17:17:40 +0000 http://hepburnmusings.wordpress.com/2006/08/10/what-is-the-point/#comment-782 I saw the title and thought this is going to be about you... :)... I saw the title and thought this is going to be about you… :)…

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