Concept of Redemptive in the Exodus Narrative - Term Paper Example

Using Christopher Wright’s key concepts of ‘Past Grace, Future Grace and Present Grace’, demonstrate how the concept of God’s redemptive plan unfolds through the narrative of scripture Introduction Redemption refers to the situation wherein God is considered as safeguarding people from evil deeds and errors. In this regard, Christopher Wright argues that redemptive is when God decides to do so, thereby rewarding His followers with redemption. Wright lays emphasis on the fact congruent to the exodus that was associated with social, political, as well as spiritual scope. A similar dimension can be noticed in His climactic act of redemption by God with respect to the cross of Christ.1 The history of human kind exhibits many such illustrations where God has acted on redemption. One such instance can be observed when God focused on freeing the Israelites from Egypt that not only brought freedom for Israel, but it also transformed the covenant status of Abraham and his sons. According to the scriptures, God’s sredemptive of Abraham was associated with the implementation of God’s own mission underlying redemptive blessings, which implies that humans have actually chosen people sheltered by Abraham’s blessings.2 However, the biblical meaning of ‘redemptive’ requires a much deeper understanding wherein Wright associates ‘redemptive’ to the act of ‘salvation’ or being saved.3 He explains that the doctrine of redemptive is associated with God preoccupying and calling someone to be saved and thus, He acts as an agent for others to be saved. A prime example of such as act can be found in the Exodus account.4 The exodus narrative refers to the journey undertaken by Israelites from Egypt to their motherland. Similarly, the gospel narratives refer to the Christian teachings wherein Jesus’ elects twelve men, known as the apostles, to reach the nations and act as agents for providing salvation to others. The Pauline narrative herewith refers to Paul’s teachings in the Bible and helps to develop an understanding of Paul’s own redemptive, and the manner in which Jesus selects and calls him for his fissional agenda. Again, God elected Israel in order to ensure that Israel acts as the agent of redemptive for missio Dei to all other nations.5 The story of Israel, as outlined in the Bible, from Abraham’s sredemptive to the Exodus event, and later in the New Testament, is written in such a manner that requires one to remember the past about the journey of appointment that Israel had made. Moreover, the same acted as a reminder regarding the manner in which God, in his grace, rescued and re-established Israel, such that all nations would ultimately enjoy the same redemptive grace.6 The Exodus Narrative Definition The Exodus narrative depicts the journey of Israelites from Egypt to Canaan. It unravels the painful story of the Israelites, who were then attributed as slaves.7 The exodus narrative comprises of two main genres, namely, laws, along with the narrative history. Its main personalities encompassed Moses, Aaron, the Pharaohs, Joshua and Miriam. These personalities acted as leaders for the Israelites in their path of relocating from Egypt to Canaan where Moses was selected by the God. Aaron and Miriam were selected as other personalities, who acted as the means by which freedom from oppression and exploitation would be ensured for God’s people.8 Furthermore, emphasis must also be placed on the role of elected, who are responsible for implementing their choices of fostering and bringing about conditions for God’s grace to be penetrated into the hearts of his chosen people. Brief History of the Narrative The story of Abraham can be dated back to centuries. Abraham lived in the city of Ur (capital of the ancient kingdom of Sumer). Near around 2,000 BC, the Israelites were enslaved by the Egyptians. God promised to give Abraham, a son by his wife Sarah, who was considered barren. Although by his son, a mighty nation would arise, Abraham was chosen by God at a time when he was considered the first Hebrew. This suggests that Abraham was told by God to leave the country so that he can be the father of several countries. Accordingly, Abraham obeyed God’s words.9 Noticeably, Abraham had faith in God, and hence, God provided him the responsibility considering his righteousness10. Later, many important events took place in Abraham's life. However, emphasis needs to be placed on one of the events that played an important role in the life of Abraham. With Abraham’s faith on God getting stronger, God ordered him to provide a burnt to Isaac, his own son to develop an idea regarding his faith.11 Abraham obeyed God and brought his son to Mount Moriah, where he made his son lay on altar. However, in the last moment, Lord ordered Abraham not to exterminate his son and offered Abraham with a ram with respect to the sacrifice. Herein, Abraham's faith and a beautiful picture of Christ are easily noticeable12. The Bible specifies Abraham as a God’s friend. There existed very beautiful yet wicked places in Canaan, known as Sodom and Gomorrah. The Lord told Abraham that he was going to demolish the places; however, Abraham pleaded God to spare the sinful cities, since Abraham’s nephew Lot lived in the place. God sent an angel to rescue Lot and his family, although, it destroyed the cities considering the existence of homosexuality as well as other abominations.13 Concept of Redemptive in the Exodus Narrative The concept of redemptive in exodus narrative refers to the process, through which God had chosen human beings to serve him and their fellow humans during the exodus. On a similar note, God also chose places those were considered significant during the era of exodus. The concept of redemptive is a term that further refers to the choices made by humans during the exodus.14 Redemptive, in this case, refers to the process of choosing someone or something for a specific purpose, or for instance, to enable Israelites perform a particular activity during their exodus that is categorized by moving away from Egypt to Canaan. God elected Moses as a representative and a leader to guide the Israelites away from Egypt to their homeland. This represents an example of the concept of redemptive in the scripture. Moses was born during a period when male children were killed by the king. In order to save Moses’ life, his mother hid him in river Nile. However, Moses was spotted by the king’s daughter who took him to the palace. Moses grew to be an outstanding boy until one day he became aware of Israelite’s plight.15 God chose Canaan as the dwelling place for Israelites, who left Egyptian land. Moses was told by God that he would lead the Israelites away from Egypt to the land of Canaan.16 Notably, Canaan was a fertile land owned by the Canaanites. God chose this place because His children, the Israelites, had no other place of their own to dwell in. The Israelites had left their own land for Egypt where they had lived for more than 400 years. Egypt had been their home until a cruel king took over the country and made them his slaves. To be specific, the judges had to be righteous and represent the will of God. The role of judges was to thus solve critical disputes characterized by lower level of impacts, whereas Moses solved the most critical ones17. This implied that redemptive was not only about being called to life in following the will of God. In fact, it was associated with the reign of God announced by those whom He had chosen and called to live their lifestyles as the story of grace. The exodus narrative was a portrayal of redemptive agenda of God, which can further be categorized as the elected nation journeying towards the ultimate future grace. God established the Ten Commandments and certain festivals to be celebrated by the Israelites. God handed Moses with several laws that were concerned with governing the Israelites. The Ten Commandments were meant to ensure that the Israelites remained righteous and obeyed God, and lived a model life of the elected ones. They were also supposed to be observing three main festivals in a year. The first one was the festival of unleavened bread.18 The second one related to the festival of shelters and the last one was the harvest festival19. The Feast of unleavened bread continued for seven days, unlike the Passover that lasted for 24 hours. The Festival of Shelters was performed annually however. The feast designated one of the three pilgrim feasts that accompanied the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Unleavened bread. Harvest festival was also performed annually, as it occurred around the time of main harvest with respect to a particular region. An important point that needs to be provided due consideration with respect to the festivals was that they served as a reminder concerning God’s continued act of past grace, future grace and present grace.20 God also elected Aaron and his sons as priests. Priests were considered vital during the period of migration since they provided guidance to the Israelites, particularly on religious matters. God instructed Moses to design apparels for his own brother. The garments were meant to be used by Aaron in his priestly duties. Such garments provided Aaron with beauty and a sense of dignity.21 God further instructed Moses to make use of anointing oil to anoint Aaron and his sons towards establishing them as God’s priests. The use of anointing oil is suggestive of the redemptive or calling by God. In a nutshell, the concept of redemptive in the exodus narrative refers to the process by which, God choose people and called them in order to reunite the humankind to Him.22 The Gospel Narrative Definition The term ‘gospel narrative’ in this essay, specifically refers to the story of God about Jesus, who is considered as the elect of God. There are four main gospel books, which include Matthew, Luke, John and Mark.23 The gospel narrative provides a detailed account of how Jesus was born, how he grew up and died in Nazareth, and after three days, resurrected from his death and rose to heaven.24 Brief History of the Narrative God promised His people that He would send them a saviour who would enable safeguarding people from their sins. He promised to send His Son Jesus to the world responsible for saving the lives of people. Jesus was born in Nazareth to a virgin. Mary was the mother of Jesus who raised him together with Joseph, her husband. Jesus initiated his work after being baptized and overcoming temptations from the devil. He chose twelve disciples to work in coordination with him. Jesus’ life was centred on preaching God’s messages to people, healing them, performing miracles and forgiving their sins.25 He met a lot of resistance from conservative Jews who believed in the laws given to Moses. They saw Jesus as an impostor and deceiver. Jesus was later on betrayed by one of his disciples, Judas. He was crucified and killed but eventually rose from death on the third day. His death and resurrection is symbolic of God’s willingness to protect people from sins through Christ Jesus. To be noted in this context, the gospel narrative is central to God’s plan of mankind. Concept of Redemptive in the Narrative The concept of redemptive in the narrative refers to the process of choosing people and places. God elected Bethlehem as the birthplace of His son. Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem to be registered in the ongoing census. Their son was born in a manger26. The couple, with their new born son however returned to Nazareth, which God had chosen as His son’s place of residence. Jesus was often referred to as Jesus of Nazareth thus. This symbolized the place He came from. The concept of redemptive is used to refer to the process of God choosing Mary as Jesus’ mother. Mary’s pregnancy was a fulfilment of God’s promise that He would choose a virgin to have His son. An angel appeared to Mary and spoke God’s intentions to her. Mary was petrified after being told that she would get pregnant, but through the power of the Holy Spirit.27 Certainly, Joseph was angered on hearing that Mary was pregnant even though he knew her to be a virgin and decided to split their engagement. Peter, John and James were the first three disciples whom Jesus elected. Levi, who was a tax collector, was the fourth disciple whom Jesus had chosen to follow him. The other disciples included Bartholomew, Matthew, Simon, Judas, Philip, Thomas, Andrew, and Alphaeus’ son James. Jesus also chose seventy-two men referred as apostles. He sent the men in pairs to spread God’s word in various towns28. They were supposed to go at the forefront of Jesus in all the towns where he was supposed to visit in the interests of the Romans. He was also supposed to serve under emperor, Augustus.29 Herod was a ruthless leader who murdered those who were against him. The Romans elected Herod’s sons to rule the three newly created kingdoms. However, in the sense of redemptive as a calling, it is evident to see the concept expressed in service, through the lives of the apostles as narrated by Luke, as to how the believers pooled their possessions and lived together, wherein their lives attracted many other people to the church.30 The Pauline Narrative Pauline narrative refers to another gospel of Christ. Paul was an apostle of Christ and is credited for writing most of the books in the New Testament.31 Pauline narrative thus revolves around the thirteen books that Paul wrote. They express Paul’s zeal for the word of God. The redemptive and the predestination conceptions never appeared as important principles of Pauline literature. The aspects those have rather been depicted in Pauline literature revealed that redemptive is often related with predestination. Principal in Paul’s message is thus asserted as the message that the universe was created through Christ who sustains it and by shedding of his blood on the cross provides the means by which the universe is reconciled to God.32 Most importantly, it stated that God selects people and guides them towards attaining salvation. This sredemptive of people or group of people is generally performed by God to form His covenant people who can spread His teachings at large. From a broader perspective, it can be affirmed that the Pauline literature considered the redemptive approach or procedure of God to be completely predestined, having no difference persisting between individual and corporate redemptive. Accordingly, the literature of Pauline claimed that superiority of the deeds is one of the bases, based on which God selects His special ones. Paul shows through his own life, the implications which come from redemptive. It is thus about responding to God’s call with commitment and being witness to the gospel of Jesus, thereby spreading His messages. At separate instances, there have been different predicaments for the sredemptive of the special ones. Pauline literature, in this regard, depicts the viewpoints of the seventh day of the predicament wherein God establishes His disciple on the seventh day of creation. This line of creation certainly forms a relationship between the redemptive of the selected person and obedience maintained by the divine law.33 Brief History of the Narrative Paul was initially recognized as Saul. He had dedicated his life to persecute apostles as well as disciples. Paul was on his way to Damascus to persecute Christians when Jesus appeared to him. Paul was thus blinded, but after three days, he was able to regain his sight.34 This incidence sparked Paul’s transformation to a man of God. Paul began his ministry by preaching about Jesus and his resurrection. He taught about the church and unity in the church. Paul was steadfast in his faith and his teachings continued to impose a positive influence to the life of Christians. Concept of Redemptive in the Narrative The concept of redemptive in Pauline narrative refers to the process of declaring the good news of the power and benefits of the gospel for all creations.35 Paul was elected by God through Jesus Christ to serve the church. Paul was further considered as Saul, who was a ruthless person who persecuted Christians. Saul had been offered some letters by the high priest to visit Damascus and arrest Christians.36 Saul received his salvation after Jesus appeared to him on his way to Damascus. However, Saul got blind but regained his lost sight after three days, when Ananias, a Christian, prayed for him. After this occurrence, Saul’s name was changed to Paul. It can be apparently observed that our expedition is based on texts as well as themes pertaining to a biblical theology associated with the mission of Gods people, this is an example of issues along with the questions that one will countenance. As I have said, we will not necessarily follow the same order as a framework. I have just made use of a survey for those questions. For this is biblical, and not an organised religious study, my hope is that we render ourselves to biblical texts based on vivid facts obtained from both the testaments.37 Paul also elected elders or bishops to serve in churches. Paul’s missionary work had led to the establishment of many churches in areas wherein he had converted people to Christianity. The new churches lacked leadership and faced the threat of departing. Barnabas and Paul took it upon themselves to elect elders in the new churches. The elders, together with the deacons, helped to uphold the church and lead missionary work in their regions. Paul also influenced other apostles to appoint elders. For instance, Paul asked Titus to elect elders in towns. Elders were elected to serve in newly founded churches with few people.38 Deacons would thus be elected once the church was able to establish them. Furthermore, there was a clear division of work in the church wherein the elected leaders were considered responsible for performing different roles. Elders committed themselves to praying and teaching God’s word. Furthermore, deacons assisted the church by representing Christians and serving their physical as well as spiritual needs. Deacons also helped in distributing donations and funds within the church. Redemptive of leaders in the church was thus perceived as a part of the tradition, established in the Old Testament, to be agents of the salvific power of God. Relevance in Post-Modern Society The concept of redemptive in the scripture is relevant in our postmodern society. Our society is marked by redemptive that are often held to elect officials or politicians to lead us. The postmodern society herewith places value on redemptive because they give people with a chance to elect leaders who will represent them and help in solving issues within the society.39 Redemptive are, thus, a source of hope in solving problems and issues affecting the society40. This is because it is through redemptive that people select personalities to lead them towards achieving their goals. Redemptive in the bible are thus considered as relevant in our postmodern society, as they teach the importance of electing good leaders who are morally upright. Elected leaders should therefore be made responsible and committed towards their work. Jethro thus advised Moses to choose judges who would assist him in his work. Moses also chose judges who were righteous and feared God.41 The seven deacons in the bible were committed Christians and of good character. Paul also asked Titus to elect deacons who were committed and God fearing. This is relevant to our postmodern society, as it establishes the rules based on which, we should elect leaders.42 Leaders in the contemporary world are chosen to serve God and His people. God chose Moses to serve Him and the Israelites. Redemptive in the bible thus refers to the process by which God chooses people to serve His missions43. Observably, the responsibilities of the chosen people chosen before, concentrated to serve by providing essential services to humanity. This is relevant to our postmodern society because it explains the work of leaders or elected persons. Redemptive in our postmodern society thus provide an opportunity for us to elect leaders who will serve our needs and not only focus on sufficing their personal requirements.44 They should also serve God because redemptive are considered as a calling from Him45. It is critical to note that leadership comes from God. Even in modern times, Christians believe that God chooses the best people who can lead them and base their leadership on the principles of Godliness and morality. Leaders chosen by God are therefore sent to help human beings to identify the necessity of Christianity in addition to being rescued from the jaws of worldly pressures. Moses, for example, was sent by God to rescue the Israelites from the cruel hands of the Egyptians. At the first instance, Moses was worried because the Israelites would not listen to him. The king of Egypt, at first, resisted the request by Moses to let the Israelites leave. It took plagues and deaths to finally set the Israelites free.46 This implies that people should be subjected to their leaders. This is relevant in our postmodern society because it points the need for people to respect their elected leaders. Redemptive in the bible marked the emergence of new changes. Furthermore, there is a need to emphasize the fact that people should select leaders capable of bringing changes in the society47. Moses was chosen by God to bring change among the Israelites. He was tasked with the duty of setting the Israelites free and leading them to their own land. He was also supposed to act as an agent between them and God. This further implies that the judges elected by Moses were a symbol of change. They marked the beginning of judges who would help in settling disputes among the Israelites. The disciples of Jesus were hence supposed to bring new changes in the society by preaching God’s word and salvation with the help of His son Jesus. They brought changes by establishing new churches, which did not teach the Law of Moses but the gospel of Jesus. Redemptive of the deacons and elders also marked new changes in the church.48 In the initial stages, only the disciples were concerned with leading the churches. However, this scenario was later changed by the electing elders as well as deacons. Christians in most of the churches, existing in our modern society, elect deacons to represent them. In another instance, Paul’s redemptive by God as His servant also marked an important change in the life of Paul. He was transformed from Saul to Paul and grew to be one of the most popular apostles of his times. In a nutshell, redemptive in the bible teach us that electing new leaders should be a process that sparks new change in the society for betterment. Conclusion Redemptive are considered as an important phenomenon in our modern society. They are meant to choose people who can lead us and make decisions on our behalf. In the Scripture, the concept of redemptive refers to the process by which, God chose mankind to serve Him and his fellow mankind. It also refers to the process by which God chose places that would serve His people. Men too held redemptive. It was a process of selecting people to represent and serve them. In the exodus narrative, we learn how God chose Moses to lead the Israelites. In the gospel narrative, we learn of how Jesus chose his disciples to serve God and other human beings. The Pauline narrative explores how Christians chose deacons.49 It also explores how Paul and the disciples elected deacons and elders in the churches. The concept of redemptive is thus also found to be relevant to our postmodern society in a number of ways. They teach us that leadership comes from God. Leaders or those chosen by the God should serve people. They should be responsible and committed in their work. Hence, to be concluded, it can be asserted that redemptive give people hope and are meant to create change in the society. Bibliography Carmichael, C. 2008. Law and Narrative in the Bible. New York: Lea and Blanchard. Coogan, D. 2012. The Oxford Guide to Ideas Issues of the Bible.New York: New York University Press. Dockery, D. 2011.Holman Concise Bible Commentary.New York: New York University Press. Holy Bible.New International Version 1984.By international bible society Great Britain. Morgan, T. 2014. If God Won Our Redemptive.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Muddiman, J. 2010. The Pauline Epistles.London: Routledge. Rice, E. 2009.The Biblical Doctrine of Redemptive and Predestination.New York: Routledge. Rowe, C. 2006. Early Narrative Christology: The Lord in the Gospel of Luke. New York: Harper Collins. Sharkansky, I. 2014. Israel and its Bible: A Political Analysis. Massachusetts: McGraw Hill. Sugirtharajah, R. 2008. The Postcolonial Biblical Reader.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Trevett, T. (2014) ‘BIB200 Session 4 C.J.H. Wright People Who Represent God to the World’ Study Guide. Springdale College: TiM, Birmingham Varughese, T. 2009. Bible and Theology Mysteries Solved. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Wiarda, T. 2010. Interpreting Gospel Narratives: Scenes, People and Theology.New York: Pelican Wright, Christopher J. H. (2010). The Mission of God's People: A Biblical Theology of theChurch's Mission (Biblical Theology for Life) Grand Rapids, Zondervan. Website http://www.biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/pauline-studies-1_porter.pdf Read More