PAXTL
574
PAUL
Jews. Many modern Protestant theolopcians, es-
pecially among the more or less faithful followers of
the Tiihingon School, maintain that Paul's dortrino
is "anthropocoiitric", that it starts from his coiiccp-
tion of man's inability to fulfil the law of (iod without
the help of grace to such an extent that h(" is a slavj!
of sin and must wage war against the flesh. But if
this be the genesis of Paul's idea it is astonishing that
he enunciates it only in one chapter (Rom., vii), the
sense of which is controverted, so that if this chapter
had not been written, or if it had been lost, we would
have no means of recovering the key to his teaching.
However, most modern theologians now agree that
St. Paul's doctrine is Christocentric, that it is at base
asoteriology, notfrom a subjective standpoint, according tothe ancient prejudice of the foinideisof Protest-
antism who madejustification by faith the quintessence
of Paulinism, but from the objective standpoint, em-
bracing in a wide synthesis the person and work of the
Redeemer. This may be proved empirically by the
statement that everything in St. Paul converges
towards Jesus Christ, so much so, that abstracting
from Jesus Christ it becomes, whether taken collec-
tively or in detail, absolutely incomprehensible. This
is proved also by demonstrating that what Paul calls
his Gospel is the salvation of all men through Christ
and in Christ. This is the standpoint of the following
rapid analysis:
C. Humanity xvilhoul Christ. — The first three chap- ters of the Epistle to the Romans shows us human nature wholly under the dominion of sin. Neither Gentiles nor Jews had withstood the torrent of evil. The Mosaic Law was a futile barrier because it pre- scribed good without imparting the strength to do it. The Apostle arrives at this mournful conclusion: "There is no distinction [between Jew and Gentile]: for all have sinned, and do need the glory of God" (Rom., iii, 22-23). He subsequently leads us back to the hi.storical cause of this disorder: "By one man sin entered into this world, and by sin death; and so death passed upon all men, in whom all have sinned" (Rom., v, 12). This man is obviously Adam, the sin which he brought into the world is not only his personal sin, but a predominating sin which en- tered into all men and left in them the seed of death: "All sinned when Adam sinned; all sinned in and with his sin" (Stevens, "Pauline Theology", 129). It remains to be seen how original sin which is our lot by natural generation, manifests itself outwardly and becomes the source of actual sins. This Paul teaches us in chap, vii, where describing the contest between the Law assisted by reason and human nature weakened by the flesh and the tendency to evil, he represents nature as inevitably vanquished: "For I am delighted with the law of God, according to the inward man: But I sec another law in my mem- bers fighting against the law of my mind, and captivating me in the law^ of sin" (Rom., vii, 22-2.3). This does not mean that the organism, the material sub- stratum, is evil in itself, as some theologians of the Tubingen School have claimed, for the flesh of Christ, which was like unto ours, was exempt from sin, and the Apostle wishes that our bodies, which are des- tined to rise again, be preserved free from stain. The relation between sin and the flesh is neither in- herent nor necessarj'; it is accidental, determined by an historical fact, and capable of disappearing through the intervention of the Holy Ghost, but it is none the less true that it is not in our power to overcome it unaided anrl that fallen man had need of a Saviour.
Yet God did not abandon sinful man. He contin- ued to manifest Him.self through this visible world (Rom., i, 19-20), through the light of conscience (Rom., ii, 14-1.5), and finally through His ever active and paternally benevolent Providence (.Acts, xiv, 16; xvii, 26). Furthermore, in His untiring mercy. He "will have all men to be saved, and to come to the
knowledge of the truth" (I Tim., ii, 4). This will is
necessarily subsequent to original sin since it concerns
man as he is at present. According to His merciful
designs (!o<l leads man step by step to salvation. To
the Patriarchs, and especially to Abraham, He gave
his free and generous promise, confirmed by oath
(Rom., iv, 13-20; (!al., iii, 15-18), which anticipated
the Gospel. To Moses He gave His Law, the obser-
vation of which should be a means of salvation (Rom.,
vii, 10; X, 5), and which, even when violated, as it was
in reality, was no less a guide leading to Christ (Gal.,
iii, 24) and an instrument of mercy in the hands of
God. The Law was a mere interlude until such time
as humanity should be ripe for a complete revelation
(Gal., iv, 1-7). In fact the Law brought nothing to
perfection (Heb., vii, 19); it heightened the offence
(Gal., iii, 19; Rom., v, 20), and thus provoked the
Divine wrath (Rom., iv, 15). But good will arise from
the excess of evil and "the Scripture hath concluded
all under sin, that the promise, by the faith of Jesus
Chri.st, might be given to them that believe" (Gal.,
iii, 22). This would be fulfilled in the "fulness of the
time" (Gal. iv, 4; Eph., i, 10), that is, at the time set
by God for the execution of His merciful designs, when
man's helplessness should have been well manifested.
Then "God sent his Son, made of a woman, made
under the law: that he might redeem them who were
under the law: that we might receive the adoption of
sons" (Gal., iv, 4).
D. The Person of the Redeemer. — Nearly all state- ments relating to the person of Jesus Christ bear either directly or indirectly on His role as Saviour. With St. Paul Christology is a function of soteriology. How- ever broad these outlines, they show us the faithful image of Christ in His pre-existence, in His histori- cal existence, and in His glorified fife (see F. Prat, "Theologie de Saint Paul").
(1) Christ in His pre-existence. — (a) Christ is of an order superior to all created beings (Eph., i, 21); He is the Creator and Preserver of the World (Col., i, 16- 17); all is by Him, in Him, and for Him (Col., i, 16). (b) Christ is the image of the in\'isible Father (II Cor., iv, 4; Col., i, 15); He is the Son of God, but unlike other sons is so in an incommunicable manner; He is the Son, the own Son, the well-Beloved, and this He has always been (II Cor., i, 19; Rom., viii, 3, 32; Col., i, 13; Eph., i, 6; etc.). (c) Christ is the object of the doxologies reserved for God (II Tim., iv, 18; Rom., xvi, 27); He is prayed to as the equal of the Father (II Cor., xii, 8-9; Rom., x, 12; I Cor., i, 2); gifts are asked of Him which it is in the power of God alone to grant, namely, grace, mercy, salvation (Rom., i, 7; xvi, 20; I Cor., i, 3; xvi, 23; etc.); before Him every knee shall bow in heaven, on earth, and under the earth (Phil., ii, 10), as every head inclines in adoration of the majesty of the Most High, (d) Christ possesses all the Divine attributes; He is eternal, since He is the "first born of every creature" and exists before all ages (Col., i, 15, 17); He is immutable, since He exists "in the form of God" (Phil., ii, 6) ; He is omnipotent, since He has the power to bring forth being from nothing- ness (Col.,i, 16); Heisimmense, since He fills all things with His plenitude (Eph., iv, 10; Col., ii, 10); He is infinite, since "the fulness of the Godhead dwells in Him" (Col., ii, 9). All that is the special property of God belongs of right to Him ; the judgment seat of God is the judgment seat of Christ (Rom., xiv, 10; II Cor., v, 10); the Gospel of God is the Gospel of Christ (Rom., i, 1, 9; xv, 16, 19, etc.); the Church of God is the Church of Christ (I Cor., i, 2 and Rom., xvi, 16 sqq.) ; the Kingdom of God is the Kingdom of Christ (Eph., v, 5), the Spirit of God is the Spirit of Christ (Rom., viii, 9 sqq.). (e) Christ is the one Lord (I Cor., viii, 6); He is identified with Jehov.ah of the Old Covenant (I Cor., x, 4, 9; Rom., x, 13; of. 1 Cor., ii, 16; ix, 21); He is the God who has purchased the church "with his own blood" (Acts, xx, 28); He is our "great
