The Final Result of Salvation in Paul's Epistles

The Final Result of Salvation in Paul’s Epistles

I might seem odd to the casual bible student that the apostle Paul did not look forward to “going to heaven” or to “receiving his eternal reward.”  Paul doesn’t refer to the accoutrements of heaven.  He is not the author or source of any such references as “streets of gold,” “mansions,” or “pearly gates.”  To Paul these things hardly matter.  That he is to be one with Christ, in whatever physical or metaphysical sense it precisely means, is everything to him.  The key concept of Paul’s theology is organized around Christ, and Christ alone.

To Paul, Jesus is the origin of the gospel as well as the subject of the gospel.  The focus of the gospel, first and foremost, is Jesus the Christ, once crucified, the risen Kyrios of all men.  In II Corinthians 4:5 Paul states clearly, “We do not proclaim ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord.”  The use the (Greek) Kyrios for Jesus is equivalent to using the forbidden name represented in simplified form, Yahweh.  Essentially, it equates Jesus with Yahweh.  It is a form of worship in the early church.  Note Philippians 2:6-11 (italic mine): 

 “Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.  Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Paul’s preaching was inseparable from the sense of the coming fulfillment of history, the grand, eschatological finale of history itself.  The gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ is the virtual sole focus of Paul’s writing.  According to Paul, the primary result of the suffering and death of Jesus Christ is reconciliation of man and God, the restoration of man to a state of peace and union with the Father.  This reconciliation of Paul is the essence of peace.  Peace is a characteristic of a new relationship, particularly when a former relationship of enmity existed in its place.  Those who are in this blessing of peace have “hope in the glory of God” (Romans 5:2), but also of the inner peace of the heart that pervades the whole man in all he does.  Note Romans 15:13  “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the holy Spirit.” 

The whole meaning of life can be expressed in the single word shalom, which is not easily or accurately translated.  It is the core of an idea of completeness, or wholeness, and can take on a range of related meanings.  It is typically a word denoting community experience.  When disobedience to God is rampant, shalom is destroyed.  An antagonistic reality overshadows the earth, and it affects all things.  In particular, shalom is often linked to the two closely related terms “righteousness” (tsedhaqa) and “justice” (mishpat).  Note both Isaiah 59:8 and Zechariah 8:16, regarding the absence of righteousness and justice and the result.  Where there is no justice, there can be no true peace.

Peace and reconciliation do not perfect the course of history in themselves.  The ultimate exaltation of the Christ must follow.  When the divine plan has reached that point of reconciliation of all men to God, then the Great End will come.  Note I Corinthians 15:22-28.  This does not mean that Jesus is somehow finished with his people, or that he transforms further into some foreign aspect.  In the same way that he was existent with God from eternal beginnings, (Phil 2:6; Col 1:15), he continues because his attributes are permanent.  As it is written in Ephesians 1:21:  “...not only in this age but also in the one to come.”  And so, those people who are found in Christ can expect to share in his attributes as well as his power and dominion (Rom 5:17; II Tim 2:12).  The phrase “in Christ” is appropriate for describing the unity of the Christ and his people, as individuals as well as a body of people.  “If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature.” (II Cor 5:17)  Equally apt is the phrase “Christ in me” (Gal 2:20; II Cor 13:5; Rom 8:10; Col 1:27; Eph 3:17).  The Christian experience, then, which is founded in the reality of the actual, physical Christ, is an actual and physical, if transcendent and hyper-dimensional, union with the risen Kyrios.


Supporting Resources:

Fitzmeyer, S.J. Pauline Theology, A Brief Sketch.  Englewood Cliffs:  Prentice-Hall, 1967.

Ridderbos, Heman.  Paul, An Outline of His Theology.  trans. De Witt, John Richard. Grand Rapids:  William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1975.

Scobie, Charles H. The Ways of Our God.  Grand Rapids:  William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2003.