The New Perspective on Paul

The New Perspective on the Apostle Paul

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Throughout Church history, biblical scholars have attempted to read the letters of Paul and interpret them to the best of their abilities. Ever since the Reformation, the Protestant Church has looked to Martin Luther for key interpretations of Paul’s letters. Luther’s interpretations became the standard for understanding Paul’s theology. Beginning in the twentieth-century, some Protestant scholars questioned the Reformation’s view on first-century Judaism. This questioning led to a “new perspective” on Paul and first-century Judaism. This “new perspective” gained followers and soon became a challenge to the traditional Reformation-based interpretations.

The New Perspective is concerned with offering a new way to read Paul’s writings without the influence of traditional interpretations stemming from the Reformation. It is a different way of looking at first-century Judaism. It has allowed for an open dialogue between New Testament scholars on the context of Paul’s world. It solidifies the connection between the Old Testament and the New Testament.

Today’s message is about the New Perspective on the apostle Paul. The message will introduce us to the main ideas of the New Perspective and how the New Perspective differs from the Old Perspective. Today’s message is important for five big reasons.

Objective:

First, we are studying the book of Romans.

Second, Paul wrote the book of Romans.

Third, we want to understand what were Paul’s thoughts and what he was writing about.

Fourth, we seek to apply what God is teaching us through the book of Romans.

Fifth, I believe that the New Perspective better aligns with Quakerism than the traditional Lutheran/Reformed perspective.

Big Idea: First century Judaism should not be viewed as a legalistic religion, but like Christianity, as a religion of grace

First century Judaism should not be viewed as a legalistic religion, but like Christianity, as a religion of grace.

First century Judaism should not be viewed as a legalistic religion, but like Christianity, as a religion of grace

What is the Old Perspective?

What is the Old Perspective?

Influenced by Martin Luther’s spiritual experience, a traditional Protestant interpretation sees Paul reacting to a Judaism that was a religion of works instead of faith, of doing instead of trusting.

Luther began to interpret Paul as teaching a fundamentally different way of relating to God in contrast to the way of Judaism.

Luther read Paul’s description of Jews and of Old Testament religion through the lens of his own experience of medieval Roman Catholicism that emphasized the importance of works of penance to help secure one’s salvation.

Luther’s understanding of justification by faith alone, apart from works, then became for him and his followers the decisive truth revealed in Christ, and the center of Paul’s theology.

Key Points of the Old Perspective

Judaism was a religion of merit, in which one earns salvation.

In Judaism, Paul’s relationship with God was broken and needed fixing.

Justification by grace through faith is something new that came only with the person of Jesus.

Key Points of the Old Perspective

Paul’s focus in his writings was on how individuals can come to find acceptance with God.

Paul thought that faith and works, understood respectively as believing and doing, stand in stark contrast as two different principles.

The Law (OT religion) stands in opposition to grace (NT faith).

What is the New Perspective?

“Sought to understand the New Testament is such a way that balances text and context … But the New Testament was not written in a vacuum, and any reading of it has to be sensitive to the issues that were being debated within its own milieu, not ours … the four hundred years leading up to Paul are more important for our understanding of him than the four hundred years since the Reformation to the present day. Before we ask what the New Testament means, we have to ask what it meant. In the end, everything boils down to the interpretive task of determining both the “meaning” and the “significance” (application) of the text.” (Garlington)

Key Points of the New Perspective

Point 1: Judaism starts with the grace and loving kindness of God. The Law is a gift from God and a path of life. God has chosen the Jews freely, apart from anything they have done, and their religion teaches them to respond out of thankfulness to his loving kindness by seeking to show faithfulness in obeying what he requires. They do not see themselves as trying to earn God’s approval.

Point 2: Pre-Christian Paul (Saul) saw himself as blameless in regard to righteousness under the law. Paul was not looking for a ‘solution’ to a personal problem of unforgiven sin.

Point 3: Justification by faith is not something new, but was true for Abraham

Pre-Christian Paul (Saul) saw himself as blameless in regard to righteousness under the law. Paul was not looking for a ‘solution’ to a personal problem of unforgiven sin.

Justification by faith is not something new, but was true for Abraham

Point 4: Paul’s letters reveal more of an emphasis on relationships between groups of people, and more specifically, Jews and Gentiles within the body of Christ, than on the individual’s relationship to God.

Point 5: Since Jews were not espousing works-righteousness, Paul was not opposing legalism in his letters.

• Since Jews were not espousing works-righteousness, Paul was not opposing legalism in his letters.

Instead, at issue was a question of social identity: “Who belongs to the people of God and how is this known?” i.e., does one have to be Jewish—be circumcised, keep food laws, celebrate Sabbath, etc.—in order to inherit the promises to Abraham?

Paul’s letters reveal more of an emphasis on relationships between groups of people, and more specifically, Jews and Gentiles within the body of Christ, than on the individual’s relationship to God.

• Instead, at issue was a question of social identity: “Who belongs to the people of God and how is this known?” i.e., does one have to be Jewish—be circumcised, keep food laws, celebrate Sabbath, etc.—in order to inherit the promises to Abraham?

Paul does not differ from most other Jews as to the roles of grace, faith, and works in salvation; where he differs is the conviction that Jesus is Israel’s Messiah and the Lord of all creation. No longer is Torah the defining center of God’s dealings; what counts now is belonging to Christ.

• Paul does not differ from most other Jews as to the roles of grace, faith, and works in salvation; where he differs is the conviction that Jesus is Israel’s Messiah and the Lord of all creation. No longer is Torah the defining center of God’s dealings; what counts now is belonging to Christ.

O.P. Interpretations

“Jews could only be justified by faith.”

“Jews could only be justified by faith.”

“Justified is a legal term which means 'to express acquittal … to express freedom from guilt and condemnation.'”

“Justification is a legal term and Paul is dealing with the pardon of sin and the gift of righteousness.”

“Justification is a legal term and Paul is dealing with the pardon of sin and the gift of righteousness.”

[1] Pipa, Galatians: God’s Proclamation of Liberty, 71.

New Perspective Interpretation:

· can be summarized by two statements: “losing one identity and reconstructing another," and “It is a matter of who you are in the Messiah.”

[1] N. T. Wright, Paul for Everyone: Galatians and Thessalonians, 2nd ed. (London : Louisville, KY: SPCK ; Westminster John Knox Press, 2004), 24.

“Second Temple Judaism was not teaching a works religion,"… “Paul was not writing against salvation by works,"… “Paul is dealing with the issue of gentile standing in the church; he teaches that Gentiles do not have to become Jews to be equal in the covenant community.”

“Justification refers to covenant membership and as such is a declaration that a person’s sins have been forgiven, but involves no legal action on God’s part,"… “Justification means that sinners are declared in the present, to be what they will be in the future, namely the true people of God.”

[2] Wright, Paul for Everyone, 24.

[1] Pipa, Galatians: God’s Proclamation of Liberty, 77.

New Perspective:

· can be summarized by two statements: “losing one identity and reconstructing another,"[1] and “It is a matter of who you are in the Messiah.”[2]

· “Second Temple Judaism was not teaching a works religion,"… “Paul was not writing against salvation by works,"… “Paul is dealing with the issue of gentile standing in the church; he teaches that Gentiles do not have to become Jews to be equal in the covenant community.”[3]

· “Justification refers to covenant membership and as such is a declaration that a person’s sins have been forgiven, but involves no legal action on God’s part,"… “Justification means that sinners are declared in the present, to be what they will be in the future, namely the true people of God.”[4]

[1] N. T. Wright, Paul for Everyone: Galatians and Thessalonians, 2nd ed. (London : Louisville, KY: SPCK ; Westminster John Knox Press, 2004), 24.

[2] Wright, Paul for Everyone, 24.

[4] Pipa, Galatians: God’s Proclamation of Liberty, 77.

Old Perspective Interpretation:

The Law pronounces a curse upon anyone who fails to keep it.

No human being can keep the Law perfectly.

All human beings fall under the Law’s curse.

Christ took upon himself humanity’s sin and curse at the cross and thus purchased release from this curse.

The problem is rooted in the Law’s demand and humanity’s sinful inability to deliver such obedience.[1]

[1] Kent Yinger, The New Perspective on Paul: An Introduction.

New Perspective Interpretation:

“The curse refers to the consequence of Israel’s national disobedience, and especially to the curse of exile.”

· “The curse refers to the consequence of Israel’s national disobedience, and especially to the curse of exile.”

“The Roman occupation was a daily reminder that the promised land did not belong to sinful Israel. This ongoing spiritual exile of the nation was the curse the Christ took upon himself at the cross as Israel’s representative.”

· “The Roman occupation was a daily reminder that the promised land did not belong to sinful Israel. This ongoing spiritual exile of the nation was the curse the Christ took upon himself at the cross as Israel’s representative.”

The curse of the law does not refer to a deficiency in the law or Judaism itself, to an impossible demand for moral perfection. Instead they see covenantal nomism at work, and blessing or curse is tied to faithfulness to the divine way revealed in the covenant.”[1]

“The curse of the law does not refer to a deficiency in the law or Judaism itself, to an impossible demand for moral perfection. Instead they see covenantal nomism at work, and blessing or curse is tied to faithfulness to the divine way revealed in the covenant.”[1]

[1] Kent Yinger, The New Perspective on Paul: An Introduction (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2011).

Old Perspective Interpretation:

“‘Boasting’ as boasting in one’s own obedience according to the Law, or principle of works; it is self-righteous boasting.”

No human being can keep the Law perfectly.

“Faith excludes such boasting since believing is contrasted with doing (faith versus works); one who simply believes is justified, wholly apart from any doing (‘apart from works’), and, thus, no such boasting is possible.”

All human beings fall under the Law’s curse.

Christ took upon himself humanity’s sin and curse at the cross and thus purchased release from this curse.

“This applies equally to Jews and Gentiles since both are to be justified by believing and not by doing.”[1]

The problem is rooted in the Law’s demand and humanity’s sinful inability to deliver such obedience.

[1] Kent Yinger, The New Perspective on Paul: An Introduction.

[1] Kent Yinger, The New Perspective on Paul: An Introduction.

New Perspective Interpretation:

“‘Boasting’ as boasting in Jewish covenantal privilege,"

“Such boasting is ruled out by the ‘law of faith’, that is, by the new identifying mark of faith in Jesus as Messiah.”

“This opening of salvation to non-Jews without becoming Jewish is precisely why Paul immediately says the God is no longer ‘of Jews only’.”[1]

[1] Kent Yinger, The New Perspective on Paul: An Introduction.

What are the potential dangers of the New Perspective?

• The doctrine of justification by faith will be lost.

• Rejection of the Protestant Reformation

• Salvation by Works?

• Individual salvation no longer matters

What good is the New Perspective?

• Allows us to get closer to what Paul was actually trying to say

• Reduces the Western overemphasis on the individual

• Reduces the Christian tendency toward anti-Semitism or anti-Judaism

• More continuity between the Old Testament and the New Testament

• Puts Paul and Jesus on the same page

• Reconciliation between Catholics and Protestants over justification

How does the New Perspective apply to us today?

Whether you agree or disagree with the New Perspective, we can all agree that at the center of Paul’s theology is being “in Christ”. Understanding Paul starts and ends there. From this point in mind, we can now read and interpret Paul in context.