Subject : Romans NT 3013

Professor : Dr. E Kalin

Theme : The relationship between "Obedience and Faith" in Romans 1 : 5

Student : Tae-Jin Bae

School : Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary

                      

                               What is faith?

What is faith? There are various kinds of faith. The faith that the Bible speaks of is not particular to a single form. Every religion preaches about the importance of its members practicing a pious faith, but the kind of faith that each denomination calls for is different. What does Paul say? He did not say that faith is having a theory of God but rather than it begins with obedience to God. In the Epistle to the Romans, Paul talks about faith by asking humankind to listen to God rather than thinking one already knows God in the mind. Romans is woven into the fabric of Paul's vocation which is to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles. Paul says that "In the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: 'The righteous will live by faith'."(Rom 1:17 NIV) What does this faith that Paul discusses really call for? Is it unchanging solid recognition of God or just faithfulness to the doctrine? This paper will explore the concept of faith, researching Rom 1 : 5, obedience of faith.

1

To fulfill this purpose, I will first review 1:5 in several versions of the New Testament. Secondly, I will examine 1;5 looking at different exegetical scholarship. And finally I will discuss ways that this passage may be illuminated for believers who seek to be faithful and obedient in a contemporary context.

Different versions of the Romans 1:5 as follows

New International Version(NIV) / Through him and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.

New King James Version(NKJV) / Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name,

King James Version(KJV) / By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:

New English Bible(NEB) / Through him I received the previleage of a commission in his name to lead to faith and obedience men in all nation,

2

Today's English Version / Through him God gave me the privileage of being an apostle, for the sake of Christ, in order to lead people of all nations to believe and obey

The Revised English Bible(REB) / Through him I received the privilege of an apostolic commission to bring people of all nations to faith and obedience in his name,

The Living Bible / And now, through Christ, all the kindness of God has been poured out upon us undeserving sinners; and now he is sending us out around the world to tell all people everywhere the great things God has done for them, so that they, too, will believe and obey him.

Examining 1;5 as exegeted by several different scholars

Glenn N. Davies, a New Testament theologian focused specifically on the issue of faith and obedience in Romans.<1> He asserted that the two faith and obedience are inseparable. He explains and interprets the relationship between obedience and faith as follows: "Obedience and faith are cleary interrelated concepts in Paul's letter to the Romans, yet they are are not identical. This is perhaps nowhere so clearly seen as in Romans chapter 4, where Abraham's faith and obdience are distinguished. Although Paul does not use in

3

Romans 4, the emphasis upon working( )as opposed to believing( )is essential for an understanding of the nature of Abraham's justification, which in turn is paradigmatic for Christian faith and justification(4.23-25). To have stated in 1.5 that faith was the act of obedience required by God of humans, therefore, would have obscured the distinction between the two, upon which the example of Abraham depends. This is not to say, however, that faith cannot be viewed as an obedient response to God (10.16), but that that it is only one aspect of the obedience required by God (cf. 2.7-16,25ff). Obedience for Paul, is more than faith as mere believing, it involves doing. Paul is interested in promoting no other concept of obedience than that which arises from within the matrix of faith (14.23) It is the obedience which springs from faith which characterizes Paul's Gospel and his letter to the Romans as a whole. Thus when Paul states that the Romans' obedience is known to all (16.19), he is not repeating his statement with regard to the fame of their faith in 1.8. Though it is their faith which provides the context for their obedience, Paul is discussing here the ethical consequences of that faith rather than the act of believing per se. This is not to divorce their faith from their obedience, but to place the emphasis upon the latter without explicating the assumed presence of the former. This is most likely the case in Rom. 15.18 also.<2> Davis explains this as a marriage relationship. They should not be divorced. He

4

emphasizes that Abraham's faith comes from his obedience. In chapter 5 of his book mentioned above, he reinforces his assertion using two cases with Abraham. First is Abraham's circumcision. "Circumcision was an act of obedience for Abraham which was necessary for him to remain in covenant relationship with God (Gen.17.14). Yet it was not Abraham's fulfilment of this law (or any law) which guaranteed the promise, but the righteousness of faith (Rom.4.13). That is, Paul's stating that it is not the response of obedience which guarantees the relationship with God (characterized by righteousness), but rather it is faith in God's promises. Obedience is the fruit of faith, but it tis faith and not obedience which maintains a relationship of righteousness with God. 'The just man lives by faith.'"<3> Second is Abraham's procreation. "A second clue to the relationship between faith and obedience in the life of Abraham concerns God's promises of a seed. Paul draws attention to the unlikelyhood of Abraham begetting and Sarah conceiving, yet in hope the patriarch believed against hope (4.18). Abraham's trust did not waver, but grew strong as he gave glory to God (the benefactor of righteousness and giver of grace). Yet his faith was not inactive. For at the most elementary level, conjugal responsbilities were required of Abraham in his relationship to Sarah (and to God). Abraham'sresponse, therefore, to God's promise of a seed required faith and obedience. Yet his obedience in no way compromised the righteousness which he had by faith

5

(4.22), or his trust in GOd's promises. Rather it was the appropriate response of one who walked by faith in obedience to God's commands." <4>

Another NT theologian, D. B. Garlington, dealt with this issue. He described Rom 1 : 5 and 16 : 26 as an ambiguous phrase - the obdience which consists in faith or the obedience which is the product of faith. He explains the relationship like this. "Through his works we can examine the relation of the obedience of faith to the final vindication (justification) in the day of judgement with particular focus on the theology of Rom 1 : 5. Here he discusses how Paul can leap from present justification by faith alone to future justification, which entails an assesment of one's life 'in the body'. Paul himself provides the bridges between these seemingly polar opposites. The phrase (Rom 1:5; 16:26) embodies a twin idea: (1) the obedience consisting in faith and the obedience arising out of faith. (2) Faith's obedience, defined in the first instance as perseverence, is the link between present justification by faith and eschatological justification for the "doers of the law"(Rom 2 : 13)". <5>

Garlington also states that 'obedience' and 'faith' are linked with each other. "Paul's unique phrase is deliberlately ambiguous, denoting simultaneously the obedience which is faith and the obedience which is product of faith. Because of its

6

essentially two-sided character, it was suggested that the notion of faith's obedience provides the link between present justification by faith alone and future judgement according to works. Since faith, obedience, and judgement generally in Paul are such well-worn territory."<6> Garlington uses Jewish tradition to explain that relation. There are several meanings in one Hebrew term. He says that hearing and faith are not two different things. "Hearing and faith in the OT and later Jewish thinking are virtually synonymous: to hear rightly is to obey. Consequently "the obedience of faith" and "the hearing of faith" depict the same activity,i.e.,believing and responding to the gospel. In fact, the resemblance of the two phrases would be even clearer were we to translate the latter as "the hearing of faith"(Christianity) and "works of the law"(Judaism/Judaistic Christianity)." <7>

I would like to screen a couple of Bible commentaries to know the more exact meaning of this that relationship.

The Anchor Bible Romans commentary comments it like following. "The gen. in hypakoe pisteos is epexegetical or appositional, i.e., faith that manifests itself as obedience, or possibly a gen. of source, "obedience that springs from faith." <8> Here obedience belongs to faith according to the commentary. Faith is a bigger conception than obedience. We could say that hope springs from faith.

7

The International Critical Commentary(ICC) comments the following. " has been variously understood as meaning:(1) 'obedience to the faith'(i.e., to faith in the sense of fides quae creditur, the body of doctrine accepted); (2) 'obedience to faith'(i.e., to the authority of faith); (3) 'obedience to God's faithfulness attested in the gospel'; (4) 'the obedience which faith works'; (5) 'the obedience required by faith'; (6) 'believing obedience'; (6) 'the obedience which consists in faith'. The first three of these interpretations assume that the genitive is objective, the forth and fifth that it is subjective, the sixth that it is adjectival, the last that it is a genitive of opposition or definition. Of these the one which seems to us to suit best the structure of Paul's thought in Romans is (7). The equivalence for Paul of faith in God and obedience to Him may be illustrated again and again from this epistle. Paul's preaching is aimed at obtaining from his hearers true obedience to God, the essence of which is responding to His message of good news with faith. It is also true to say that to make the decision of faith is an act of obedience toward God and also that true faith by its very nature includes in itself the sincere desire and will to obey God in all things. <9>

Douglas J Moo comments, "Paul saw his task as calling men and women to submission to the lordship of Christ. This obedience to Christ as Lord is always closely to related to faith,

8

both as an initial, decisive step of faith and as a continuing "faith" relationship with Christ. In light of this, we understand the words "obedience" and "faith" to be mutually interpreting: obedience always involves faith, the faith always involves obedience. They should not be equated, compartmentalized, or made into separate stage stages of Christian experience. Paul called men and women to a faith that was always inseparable from obedience and to an obdience that could never be divorced from faith." <10> Marriage is that two become one. When man and woman are one in marriage is when obedience and faith are one in Romans, according to Moo.

Brendan Byrne, S.J interprets an obedience of faith as follows. "This much-discussed genitive construct(appearing again in the deutero-Pauline doxology at 16:26) is open to three main interpretations in grammatical terms: 1. obedience to the faith (objective genitive: understanding "faith" as the content of the message, as in Gal 1 :23; cf. 2:3,5); 2. obedience required by faith or which faith works (subjective genitive); 3. obedience which consists in faith (explanatory or qualifying genitive). The last gives the best sense in the present context, where the focus lies upon initial response rather than upon continuing pattern of life. While obedience and faith are closely related concepts in Paul's understanding (cf. 10:16a and 10:16b), it is unhelpful to regard them as virtually interchangeable, thereby rendering the present

9

phrase pleonastic. 'Obedience' indicates response in a general kind of way; 'faith' defines what precisely that response should be." <11>

Today's meaning of obedience of the faith

Often Korean parents scold their children saying "Why didn't you hear your parents?" Here, the word "hear" is exactly same as "obey" rather than hear itself. A word has several meanings in the cultural context of Korea. "To trust" means not only to count on, to believe in his or her mind but also "to follow" in action.

What is the faith to Paul? I would like to put in order "faith" in Paul. What Paul means in this verse is not that faith is only to be recognized in mental area. What Paul means in this verse is not that faith is only a good deed or practice of ethics. What Paul means in this verse is that faith itself is the act of the obedience.

We Christians are liable to misunderstand the concept of faith only when we are told that "the righteous will live by faith". The errorneous interpretation and doctrine about faith might lead Christianity to pseudo-religion. I had a negative opinion about the theory of the justification by faith. When I was told to write a research paper about Rom 1 : 5, I came to find a new dimension

10

about faith after I read a lot of materials about it. Through exegesis and commentaries, I came to encounter diverse expressions about the relationship between "faith and obedience". For example, 1. the obedience that comes from faith(NIV) 2. Obedience to the faith(NKJV, KJV) 3. to lead to faith and obedience(NEB) 4. to believe and obey(Today's English Version) 5. to faith and obedience in his name(REB) 6. will believe and obey(The Living Bible) 7. obedience which springs from faith, faith comes from faith(Davies) 8. to hear rightly is to obey(Garlington). To synthesize these, it comes to my mind that faith is like a large pot. There are several virtues which are hope, love, perseverence, temperance, courage in a pot of faith including obedience. So obedience comes from and springs from a pot of faith. If salt is a pot of faith, the saltyness would be obedience. No salty, no salt. So I find out that faith includes a deeper meaning in it. I came to a conclusion. "Without obedience to God, it is not the faith in the Bible but a mere belief". "Without faith in God, obedience is mis-oriented and meaningless". I would like to explain obedience and faith as having a marriage relationship. Faith and Obedience are married together to be one". "So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."(MT 19 : 6)

11

<1> Davies N. Glenn, Faith and Obedience in Romans - A study in Romans 1 -4, Journal for the study of the New Testament Supplement Series 39 (JSOT Press Sheffield 1990).

<2> Ibid, 28 -29.

<3> Ibid, 168-169.

<4> Ibid, 171.

<5> Garlington, D. B. The Obedience of Faith in the letter to the Romans. part 2: The Obedience of Faith and Judgement by Works, Westerminster Theological Journal 1991. Vol 53(1)., 87.

<6> Ibid, 47.

<7> Ibid, 63.

<8> Fitzmyer, A. Joseph, S.J., The Anchor Bible Romans - A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary (Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group 1993), 237.

<9> Emerton,J. A, The International Critical Commentary on the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, The Epistle to

the Romans(Edinburgh T & T. Clark Limited 1977) vol 1. 66 - 68.

<10> Douglas J Moo The Epistle to the Romans, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company 1962 52-53.

<11> Byrne, S.J, Brendan, Romans, Sacra Pagina Series vol 6(The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minnesota 1996), 45-46.

[이 게시물은 관리자님에 의해 2016-11-03 20:59:55 총무 칼럼에서 이동 됨]