18 October 2011

How the New Testament Describes Salvation

Here are the more important ones, noting which sphere of life from which they are drawn.
Justification – the lawcourt metaphor (Rom 5:1; Titus 3:7)

Sanctification – the cultus metaphor (1 Cor 1:2; 1 Thess 4:3)

Adoption – the familial metaphor (Rom 8:15; 1 John 3:1–2)

Reconciliation – the relational metaphor (Rom 5:1–11; 2 Cor 5:18–20)

Washing – the physical cleansing metaphor (1 Cor 6:11; Titus 3:7)

Redemption – the slave market metaphor (Eph 1:7; Rev 14:3–4)

Purchase – the financial transaction metaphor (1 Cor 6:20; 2 Pet 2:1)

Wedding – the marriage metaphor (Eph 5:31-32; Rev 21:2)

Liberation – the imprisonment metaphor (Gal 5:1; Rev 1:5)

New Birth – the physical generation metaphor (John 3:3–7; 1 Pet 1:3, 23)

Illumination – the light metaphor (John 12:35–36; 2 Cor 4:4–6)

New Creation – the redemptive-historical metaphor (2 Cor 5:17; Gal 6:15)

Resurrection – the bodily metaphor (Eph 2:6; Col 3:1)

Union with Christ – the organic or spatial metaphor (Rom 6:1–14; 2 Tim 1:9)
Inexhaustible richness. Luther was right--
If a person is without warmth about matters pertaining to God and salvation, as the common man does, then the devil merely laughs. But if your words are aglow in your heart, you will put the devil to flight. (LW 22:357)
at

6 comments:

  1. Gary HornTuesday, 18 October, 2011

    Very helpful and joy-inspiring. Our salvation is so complete!

    ReplyDelete
  2. EricTuesday, 18 October, 2011

    Dane, I totally don't want to mince words over your superb post . . . but is "metaphor" the right word? Is the courtroom only a metaphor? Aren't we literally declared righteous by the judge of the whole world? And literally made holy, able to enter God's temple?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dane OrtlundTuesday, 18 October, 2011

    Thanks E, yeah, I puzzled over that too...what word would you use in place of 'metaphor'?

    ReplyDelete
  4. EricWednesday, 19 October, 2011

    How about "dimension" or just "reality"?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Dane OrtlundWednesday, 19 October, 2011

    Hmm, I dono...

    I wonder if (mindful of Edwards!) the best thing would be to call our earthly courtrooms, adoptions, marriages, etc, the metaphors--metaphors of the real courtroom, the real family, the real marriage, etc. That turns the whole thing around in a Godward direction.

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousWednesday, 19 October, 2011

    This is SO helpful. Thank you for publishing.

    ReplyDelete