Rest and Reflect

He is trending in the direction of “New Perspectives on Paul”, in saying that the question Paul is answering in Romans is not how can I be saved, but can God be trusted? See Brad Cole’s comment.

http://spectrummagazine.org/blog/2009/10/24/richard_hays_targets_misreading_scripture_loma_linda_university

Here’s a quote from the article by Dave Larson:

Hays thinks it best to think of the Bible as the grand story of God’s endeavors to redeem the word, a story in which we ourselves continue to live today. [This should come as no surprise to people who read books with titles such as “The Story of Redemption,” “The Drama of the Ages” and “The Great Controversy!]

He offered five good ways to read the Bible:

1. As a story that it is primarily about God;
2. As a coherent narrative from Genesis to Revelation, requiring each portion of it to be read in light of the whole;
3. With awareness that specific texts can have multiple meanings;
4. In collaboration with others in contemporary Christian communities; and
5. A willingness to be surprised, challenged, and transformed.

Hays emphasized the importance of reading the Bible with others who also approach it with a willingness to be transformed by the renewing of their minds. (Romans 12: 1 – 3) No individual can be a symphony all alone, he observed. Neither can any individual successfully read the Bible.

On Friday Hays took up three case studies in Biblical interpretation. The first was a discussion of “The Bible and the Story of God’s Faithfulness,” especially as articulated in Paul’s letter to the early Christians at Rome. He made a special call for greater emphasis upon the faithfulness of Jesus to us and less on our faith in Jesus. Among other things, this switch (from an objective to a subjective genitive in Koine’ Greek) makes the ethical portions of Romans the summit of Paul’s message rather than the slope on its other side.