God's Plan and Paul's Vision - Book Report/Review Example

Gods Plan and Pauls Vision Department Gods Plan and Pauls Vision This paper will present an objective analysis of the book thatis titled Justification: Gods Plan and Pauls Vision which was written by N. T. Wright, a bishop from the United Kingdom. In the course of the analysis, the main claims of the author will be presented as well as points which might challenge them. In addition to that, the analysis will also contain personal reflection about the text in question. The purpose of this text is to provide the audience with an unbiased review of the book which has been involved in the controversy as it challenges vision of numerous clerics all over the world. Moreover, a careful balance between the two opposing sides is maintained: the view of the author receives as much attention as the view of the critics. The paper will cover the major ideas which were articulated by Wright, grouping them into four points; it will also show the counter claims as well as omissions that were made by the author in the course of presentation of his ideas. Finally, the analysis will provide a personal reflection, including the merits of the work, its importance and significance for the future readers. It must be noted that the book in question was written in response to the criticism of John Piper who challenged the views of N.T. Wright which were expressed previously. In spite of the fact that it would not be logical to diminish the significance of the book to a simple answer to criticism, it is obvious that the author did his best in order to refute all the allegations and present a comprehensive account of his position on the issue. To begin with, it would be highly advantageous to articulate the thesis which is claimed by the author. Thus, N.T. Wright argues that the Christian Church, particularly the those confessions which belong to Protestantism have interpreted the teaching of Paul the Apostle in the wrong way, making emphasis on the points that he did not consider to be important or those which contradict with his point of view. In order to prove that the author explains the message that is conveyed by the Pauline letters and develops positions that is currently referred to as the New perspective. Furthermore, N.T. Wright engages legal discourse of the first century Common Era in order to explain the peculiarities that letters of Paul hold and how they should be understood correctly. As has been noted previously, the author primarily wrote his book in response to the views which were presented by John Piper and his idea of righteousness and role of faith in the process of salvation of the Christian soul. Being an opponent of such an approach, N.T. Wright challenges the above mentioned views, presenting a well structured system that proves a completely different perspective on salvation. One might point out that the book in question is primarily focused on several elements: the Pauline letters, the doctrine that they contain as well as the implications that they have for the salvation of the soul of a true believer. It is clear that the discussion omits other important aspect such as sacrifice of Jesus Christ; however, it may be explained by the desire of the author to focus his book on a particular part of the Christian teaching and root in texts which were written by Paul exclusively. Now, the analysis should turn to presenting the main claims which are expressed in the book in question. First of all, N.T. Wright provides a rather surprising interpretation of the significance of the covenant between Abraham and God in the Old Testament. According to the author, this covenant was not intended for the Jewish nation only, but was made for the entire world. In other words, it would not be logical to suggest that the first Covenant was focused on one particular nation only. Another point which is particularly important for the understanding of the message which is sent by N.T. Wright is the interpretation of the Pauline letter through the legal language of the time. Thus, the author suggests that important terms, including justification, might have had a different meaning. The next idea that is being promoted by the book is that the salvation of one’s soul is gained not through mere faith, as it is usually preached by Protestantism, by through deeds that a person does on a daily basis. This might be a rather controversial point of view, but the author clearly bases this opinion on numerous parts of the Pauline letters. Finally, one of the crucial points of difference that are presented in the work of N.T. Wright is focused on the relationship between righteousness and morality. It is often thought that these two notions are closely connected, but the author presents a different approach. According to his, righteousness should be viewed as the adherence to the articles of the original covenant that and does not have to do with morality per se. However, there are some points that should be mentioned which might provide a valid opposition towards the above mentioned claims which are advocated by the author. First of all, according Christian tradition the multi-ethnic appeal of this doctrine was achieved only after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, making the New Testament a book at addressed to people all over the world, while the Old Testament as well as all the events that are depicted in it, including the covenant with Abraham, are more addressed to the Jews exclusively. What is more important is that the author also challenges the fundamental view of Protestantism. Thus, according to the latter, genuine faith should be considered to be one of the biggest merits of a true Christian. That is why the final judgment will be primarily focused on the faith that a person hold, not taking into the account the deeds of a person than much. The third claim which opposes the ideas that are articulated by N.T. Wright would suggest that this author diminishes the significance of morality in life of a true believer, putting great emphasis on the righteousness as a mere compliance with the covenant. In other words, the Christian religion should not be regarded as a spiritual tradition. I personally agree with some of the claims which were made by the bishop in question. Thus, it is rather obvious that the message which is sent by the Pauline letters should be interpreted through the prism of the language that was used by his contemporaries. Indeed, his letters were addressed to those people who perceived some of the terms, such as justification, in the meaning that they took for granted, but which is now long lost. Another point which I would like to state is that the omission of different parts of the Christian teaching does not distort the significance of this work. Indeed, the author did not want to provide an explanation of the Christian faith in general, but one particular as well as essential aspect of it, namely salvation of the soul. Having read the book, I felt an inspiration to reread the Pauline letter myself, paying great attention to the passages that are quoted and analyzed in the work of N.T. Wright. I believe that this will allow me to design my own perspective on the way Paul the Apostle saw the process of salvation as well as the significance of the events of the Old Testament. Therefore, a quite logical step after reading the book in questions and the Scripture would be to look for other interpretation of this particular part of the Christian dogma, preferably from different sides of discussion as this will allow me to develop an unbiased review of the situation and come up with my own perspective that may or may not coincide with the views which have already been articulated. As one can easily see, the book of N.T. Wright possesses a considerable number of merits. To begin with, it provides a peculiar insight into the legal language of the Judea and uses it in order to interpret some of the ideas that are proclaimed in the Pauline letters. Considering the reasons why the book in question might be regarded as an important reading, one should focus on the fact that the author of it was able to provide not only a different approach towards treating the notion of justification and the process of salvation, but also back it up with comprehensive analysis of one part of the Bible, contributing to the formation of a strong evidence that proves the validity of this claims. Lastly, this book will be extremely valuable and interesting to other readers as it provides the audience with some peculiar details that are not usually analyzed by other researchers, such as the aspects of legal discourse of the ancient Jewish state or the implications that they have for understanding the sacred texts. In addition to that, the book encourages people to put more emphasis on their moral actions which is likely to bring positive changes in their lives. References Wright, N. T. Justification: Gods Plan & Pauls Vision. Downers Grove, Ill.: IVP Academic, 2009. Read More