The significance of obedience under the power of Christ for our thinking and understanding of development: A study of one aspect of Paul's theology and its implication for today

Abstract

I. Obedience under the power of Christ 1. The liberty of the children of God (the believers) is a new reality freed by the absolute liberating power of Christ from slavery by the power of sin. This liberty is in no way an autonomous freedom to do whatever one likes to do; that would mean a new slavery by the power of sin! In fact the believer now lives in an obedient relationship to Christ, to become the slave of righteousness/the slave of God. He is the slave of righteousness in the way of the Spirit, to fulfil "the law of Christ" ("the law of love") in the midst of the reality of life. The faithful subjugation of the self in absolute dependence to Christ/God is the response to His word and action which happen to the believers. This faithful subjugation to Christ is a continuous event. The faithful service of the believer as a slave of righteousness occurs concretely in the midst of life; the believer presents his whole body to love his neighbor. This is the realization of his obedience to Him. The consciousness of the slave of righteousness under Christ's dominion makes him a volunteer servant of Christ/God. As such he is called to be a messenger by His will and obeys His command and carries out the calling of His ministration in humility, faithfulness, and responsibility. The authority of Christ (the power of His word) as a reality in this life edifies the believer and gives him the strength in his daily struggles. In his daily life, the believer makes a number of common considerations not valid, because of Christ. For him many things have lost their power. By living out the new reality in Christ over against these powers, he fulfils a critical function in the life of society. 2. Life in Christ is a new reality under domination of His love. A reality, which is valid now. This new reality is a reality of life which is no longer self-centered but a life lived for Christ/God. This means a radical change of life, which is now freed to be lived in the interest of others and so it is a life in ministry of reconciliation according to His will. This new reality is “a baptized life into Christ" to be a member of the body of Christ/the real community of the believer. It is a life "dead to sin, but “vivid to God/Lord!" The believer belongs to a community of the new creation in Him, under the power of His Spirit, therefore his life is a "life according to the Spirit". It is His Spirit that enables each believer in that community to serve each other and to grow together in faith, love, and hope. 3. The obedience of faith is the real acting in faith under the power of His Spirit, to do the working of his Love in the midst of this reality of life: (a). Because the veiled new life which is to be lived in this old aeon must become real in a concrete life of obedience/the obedience of faith. The believer is called to present the members of his body to become instruments of the righteousness of God; he is called to obey the law of love under the presence of the hope of His future. (b). because the obedience of faith must become concrete in the context of life in the Light of the validity of his righteousness, power, and grace now. (c). because the power of His Spirit brings about hope in the believer and activates in him the serving spirit of faith. That hope gives the courage, the strength, and the steadfastness to the believer in the midst of daily life under the remaining powers in this old aeon. II. The ethical implication of the obedience of faith 4. The obedience of faith in the real involvement of life always means making choices. The believer has to put himself under the power of His truth in order to make the choices of life as a servant of Christ/God. 5. The slave of Lord/the believer finds himself in the midst of the structures of life, which he considers critically by his freedom of faith. That external state is not a thing to be anxious about; it must by no means become a hindrance to the service of faith. "In Christ" all people are one; they all have the same dignity before God. Thus the difference of status, the external identity, and the social status of someone within the structures of common life can not be made constitutive; also other structures of life like group inclinations, traditions, etc. can't be made constitutive. However this does not mean the abolishment of the external individuality of anyone in the social structure and in the society. But it does mean renewal in the light of the new humanity in Christ. This is important for the understanding of human rights, where the social structures may not violate the dignity and the rights of the person. So the calling of the slave of the Lord is for a positive service to his fellowmen and for a critical discernment of what is true and good, and what is the will of God, and to work for new structures promoting social justice and human dignity. 6. The attitude of the slave of the Lord/ the believer towards the governing authorities is positive and critical at the same time. The task of governing authorities is to bring order in the common life; protecting and guarding an order for the advancement of a common welfare. For that purpose they are given authority. In principle the government is "a temporal ruler", as such it is willed by God to serve Him in human history. The consciousness of the liberty of the "sons of light" becomes visible also in his ability to respect the governing authorities properly. But his subjugation to the governing authorities is critical, because in all that he is to be the slave of righteousness. In this connection, it is important for him to discern sensitively, what is the will of the Lord in history, and then to make decisions to do the will of the Lord courageously. This consciousness of the slave of righteousness to test himself continuously and allowing himself to be renewed by the domination of his Lord and so becoming critical towards the problems of the society is the normal life of the believer. II. The obedience of faith and the development 7. Development 一 as the creativity of man in history - must be considered in the light of faith and in the light of the power of the Lord over history. Development is men’s effort to liberate himself from the bond of life which make him unable to respond, whereas all human beings are called for responsibility for his reality of life. Development is a process of change which involves man in that change. Change, embracing all the aspects of life, not only his material life, but also his social, psychological and mental life. All these changes are included in the term "modernization" as the result of progress in knowledge and technology. Such progress has certainly positive value for human-prosperity. Yet there are also dangers present which can destroy values of life and culture, and destroy nature also. Therefore, it is important to emphasize the consciousness of responsibility in using men's authority, and men's technology for advantage of prosperity for the whole human race. All this is also aggravated by the emergence of a crisis of identity in the midst of social change, and by various other crises. Therefore, it is important to develop ethics of development, which emphasizes value of humanity, justice, partnership, and peace, by a deeper understanding of human relationships and mutual dependence among all people. Here lies the significance and the function of the slave of the Lord within the life of the community in Christ, i.e. in pioneering models of life together promoting true human relationships. The crisis of identity is not merely caused by the social change. Its main reason lies in the nature of man, in his sinfulness. The recovery of the true identity of man is made possible by the domination of Christ which recovers the disintegration and the disharmony of human relationships in the structures of life; this power of Christ raises new hopes and develops a spirit for responsible acts in development. Thus development needs theological reflection every time, to be tested by the will and the power of the Lord in history. 8. The participation of the slave of the Lord/the believer in the process of development is the actualization of his obedience of faith. The fruits of a new life in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit, evidently must become real in acts of love. Participation in development grows out of faith which directs this life to God/Lord and which moves life dynamically in the direction of the future in the power of His Spirit. This is the service of love to liberate the sufferings of the neighbor in this reality of life on this earth. A service of love in the light of His will and righteousness, and not according to the human will and righteousness. The faithful believer moves forward to God's future; it begins with repentance and it gives positive influence on the life of society. The service of love is also the critical function of the slave of righteousness. The renewal of the mind is most important in order to be able to discern what the will of the Lord is. The slave of righteousness directs the process of development critically and responsibly. He respects the dignity of all people; he acts justly and promotes justice in the common life. 9. The crises of history are always felt as pushing life into various dangers. Here eschatology becomes significant to contribute decisively to the efforts of development. The eschatological hope is overwhelming in the existence of the slave of the Lord. This life of hope is made possible by the power of the Holy Spirit. The man of hope is not afraid to confront the realities and the crises of history. The Holy Spirit gives hope, spirit, courage, perseverance, and readiness to responsibly in the reality of life. The believer lives actively and responsibly in the direction of His future. He lives in full confidence of His promises!