Spirit as eschatological fulfillment 1.

Have you ever had a moment in your life that you were expecting and longing for an event to happen? What was it? 2. If you were asked to explain who Holy Spirit is to you, what is the metaphor you use?

The Pauline framework

1. Eschatology a. Already Eph 1:7 (Kingdom of God is near. We are at the end time already) b. Not yet Eph 4:30 2. From the Messianic Kingdom => Last days (Joel 2:28-30) 3. Pauline metaphors . Down payment 2 Co 1:21-22; 5:5; Eph 1:14 a. First fruits Ro 8:23 b. Seal 2 Co 1:21-22; Eph 1:13; 4:30 4. Spirit and Resurrection . Agent of resurrection Ro 8:11 a. Our redeemed bodies 1 Co 15:44-48

Interpretation

The early church recognized that the future had already been set in motion. It is like looking forward to Christmas holidays or summer holidays but you have to go through exams before that. Based on Pauls metaphors, how do you think this understanding / mindset affected how he lived?

Application

How do you link your redemption to the Holy Spirit? How do you think this can affect our lives / living in this world? Unlearn our busy lifestyle and grasp Pauls metaphors of the Holy Spirit.

REDEEMER, REDEMPTION. Redemption means deliverance from some evil by payment of a price. It is more than simple deliverance. Thus prisoners of war might be released on payment of a price which was called a ransom (Gk. lytron). The word-group based on lytron was formed specifically to convey this idea of release on payment of ransom. In this circle of ideas Christs death may be regarded as a ransom for many (Mk. 10:45). Again, slaves might be released by a process of ransom. In the fictitious purchase by a god the slave would pay the price of his freedom into the temple treasury. Then he would go through the solemn formality of being sold to the god for freedom. Technically he was still the slave of the god, and some pious obligations might accordingly be laid upon him. But as far as men were concerned he was thenceforth free. Alternatively, the slave might simply pay his master the price. The characteristic thing about either form of release is the payment of the ransom price (lytron). Redemption is the name given to the process. Among the Hebrews we may discern a different situation, well illustrated in Ex. 21:2830. If a man had a dangerous ox he must keep it under restraint. If it got out and gored someone so that he died the law was plain, the ox shall be stoned, and its owner also shall be put to death. But this is not a case of wilful murder. There is no malice aforethought. Thus, it is provided that a ransom (Heb. k per) might be laid on him. He could pay a sum of money and thus redeem his forfeited life.

Redemption not only looks back to Calvary, but forward to the freedom in which the redeemed stand. You were bought with a price, Paul can say, so glorify God in your body (1 Cor. 6:20). Precisely because they have been redeemed at such a cost believers must be Gods men. They must show in their lives that they are no longer caught up in the bondage from which they have been released and are exhorted to stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free (Gal. 5:1, AV). The New Bible Dictionary, third edition

ESCHATOLOGY. From Gk. eschatos, last, the term refers to the doctrine of the last things. In contrast to cyclical conceptions of history, the biblical writings understand history as a linear movement towards a goal. God is driving history towards the ultimate fulfilment of his purposes for his creation. So biblical eschatology is not limited to the destiny of the individual; it concerns the consummation of the whole history of the world, towards which all Gods redemptive acts in history are directed. I. The OT perspective The forward-looking character of Israelite faith dates from the call of Abraham (Gn. 12:13) and the promise of the land, but it is in the message of the prophets that it becomes fully eschatological, looking towards a final and permanent goal of Gods purpose in history. The prophetic term the Day of the Lord (with a Variety of similar expressions such as on that day) refers to the coming event of Gods decisive action in judgment and salvation in the historical realm. For the prophets it is always immediately related to their Present historical context, and by no means necessarily refers to the end of history. Increasingly, however, there emerges the concept of a final resolution of history: a day of judgment beyond which God establishes a permanent age of salvation. A fully transcendent eschatology, which expects a direct and universal act of God, beyond the possibilities of ordinary history, issuing in a radically transformed world, is characteristic of *APOCALYPTIC, which is already to be found in several parts of the prophetic books. II. The NT perspective The distinctive character of NT eschatology is determined by the conviction that in the history of Jesus Christ Gods decisive eschatological act has already taken place, though in such a way that the consummation remains still future. There is in NT eschatology both an already of accomplished fulfilment and a not yet of still outstanding promise. There is both a realized and a future aspect to NT eschatology, which is therefore probably best described by the term inaugurated eschatology. It is important to preserve the theological unity of Gods redemptive work, past, present and future, already and not yet. Too often traditional theology has kept these aspects apart, as the finished work of Christ on the one hand, and the last things on the other. In the NT perspective the last things began with the ministry of Jesus. The historical work of Christ ensures, requires and points us forward to the future consummation of Gods kingdom. The Christian hope for the future arises out of the historical work of Christ. The Christian church lives between the already and the not yet, caught up in the ongoing process of eschatological fulfilment. III. Christian life in hope; IV. Signs of the times; V. The coming of Christ; VI. The *RESURRECTION; VII. The state of the dead; VIII. The judgment; IX. *HELL; X. The millennium; XI. The new creation The New Bible Dictionary, third edition