Recently, I was asked, "Has the approach to the Bible changed much since you graduated from seminary?" Great question! And the answer is, "Yes," in one significant aspect.

 

I learned that first century Judaism embraced adherence to the Law as the means of salvation while Christ, 'the end of the law,' made the path of salvation 'faith through grace.' Law (Judaism) vs. grace (Christianity). I have come to understand, however, that a closer reading of Jewish literature of the time (see E.P. Sanders, 'Paul and Palestinian Judaism') shows that Jews also understood the gracious nature of salvation. The Law was not the means of salvation but a response to living a life in covenant with God.   

 

If the 'law' vs. 'grace' divide is not as strong as it once appeared, then what was the problem that led to Paul's strong critique of Judaism? In a word, "exclusivism." The Jews believed in salvation for the Jews. This 'exclusive ethnocentricity' effectively blocked Paul's missionary work with non-Jews. Why is this important? The issues of hospitality vs. exclusivism, 'us' vs. 'them,' 'our type of Christianity' vs. 'those other type of people' has never gone away. Jesus is not 'our' Messiah; "God so loved the world..."

 

We must resist a narrow reading of our faith that excludes others. We must seek to be inclusive--God alone can decide if any shall be left out. May our own errors be on the side of grace!

There is a town in Norway named Hell. A couple of Lutherans from the U.S. visited Hell, Norway sometime back and then sent a postcard to their pastor back home. He read it at a meeting of the ministerial association, and it broke up the group. "Dear Pastor," it said, "We passed through Hell today, and we're concerned, almost everyone here seems to be Lutheran."