Subject: Re: Why do you believe the bible?
Date: 29 Oct 1999 00:02:23 GMT
From:  (Ken Smith)
Organization: University of Queensland
Newsgroups: aus.religion.christian

A brief comment on some of what Nigel writes here.

Nigel Mitchell < > writes:
>On Wed, 27 Oct 1999 14:26:58 +0800, Graeme Hunt wrote
>(in message < >):


>> a) What do you believe the Bible teaches about the doctrine of
>> redemption?

[deletions]
>> b) What do you believe the Bible teaches about reconciliation?

>The whole purpose of God’s work in Christ was to reconcile human beings with 
>God and with each other. The driving force between this is described in some 
>passages as divine Wrath, but in many more as divine Love. 

>Some people believe that God is angry towards human beings, and needs to be 
>changed through the propitiating sacrifice of Jesus. I do not believe that 
>the Bible supports this view at all. Rather, God is loving towards humanity, 
>and that cannot and will not change. The Cross of Christ is the ultimate 
>expression of that love. It has achieved our reconciliation. (Romans 5:6-11), 
>and it challenges us to change our lives, so that we may Love as God has 
>first loved us.

The first Ph.D. awarded in the Department of Studies 
in Religion at the University of Queensland was for 
a thesis by a Baptist Theological College lecturer, 
entitled “Right with God: Paul and his English 
translators”.  It was by Richard Moore, now at 
the Baptist Theological College in WA - I’m sure 
he’d be happy if you rang him, Nigel, for a chat.

He made a close examination of the phrase usually 
translated “the righteousness of God”, 
which occurs many times in the early part of Romans. 
 
He came to the conclusion that it *should* be 
translated in much the way the Good News Bible does 
in, for example, Rom. 1:17:

“... the Gospel reveals how God puts people 
right with himself...” Richard’s 
conclusion, after several years of study of the Greek 
words involved, and as many English translations as 
he could lay hands on, was that it wasn’t an 
*attribute* of God that Paul was writing about, but 
an *activity* of God.

[rest deleted]
>cheers

>N+

Ken Smith