CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY THE BASICS Christian Theology: The Basics is a concise introduction to the nature, questions and central concerns of theology – the study of God within the Christian tradition. Providing a broad overview of the story that Christianity tells us about our human situation before God, this book will also seek to provide encouragement and a solid foundation for the reader’s further explorations within the subject. With debates surrounding the relation between faith and reason in theology, the book opens with a consideration of the basis of theology and goes on to explore key topics including: (cid:1) The identity of Jesus and debates in Christology (cid:1) The role of the Bible in shaping theological inquiry (cid:1) The centrality of the Trinity for all forms of Christian thinking (cid:1) The promise of salvation and how it is achieved. With suggestions for further reading at the end of each chapter, along with a glossary, Christian Theology: The Basics is the ideal starting point for those new to the study of theology. Murray Rae is Professor of Theology at the University of Otago, New Zealand. The Basics ACTING ECONOMICS(THIRDEDITION) BELLAMERLIN TONYCLEAVER AMERICANPHILOSOPHY EDUCATION NANCYSTANLICK KAYWOOD ANCIENTNEAREAST ENERGY DANIELC.SNELL MICHAELSCHOBERT ANTHROPOLOGY EUROPEANUNION(SECONDEDITION) PETERMETCALF ALEXWARLEIGH-LACK ARCHAEOLOGY(SECONDEDITION) EVOLUTION CLIVEGAMBLE SHERRIELYONS ARTHISTORY FILMSTUDIES(SECONDEDITION) GRANTPOOKEAND AMYVILLAREJO DIANANEWALL FINANCE(SECONDEDITION) ARTIFICIALINTELLIGENCE ERIKBANKS KEVINWARWICK FREEWILL THEBIBLE MEGHANGRIFFITH JOHNBARTON GENDER BIOETHICS HILARYLIPS ALASTAIRV.CAMPBELL GLOBALMIGRATION BUDDHISM BERNADETTEHANLON CATHYCANTWELL ANDTHOMASVICINIO THECITY HUMANGENETICS KEVINARCHER RICKILEWIS CONTEMPORARYLITERATURE HUMANGEOGRAPHY SUMANGUPTA ANDREWJONES CRIMINALLAW INTERNATIONALRELATIONS JONATHANHERRING PETERSUTCHANDJUANITAELIAS CRIMINOLOGY(SECONDEDITION) ISLAM(SECONDEDITION) SANDRAWALKLATE COLINTURNER DANCESTUDIES JOURNALISMSTUDIES JOBUTTERWORTH MARTINCONBOY EASTERNPHILOSOPHY JUDAISM VICTORIAS.HARRISON JACOBNEUSNER LANGUAGE(SECONDEDITION) RELIGION(SECONDEDITION) R.L.TRASK MALORYNYE LAW RELIGIONANDSCIENCE GARYSLAPPERANDDAVIDKELLY PHILIPCLAYTON LITERARYTHEORY(THIRDEDITION) RESEARCHMETHODS HANSBERTENS NICHOLASWALLIMAN LOGIC ROMANCATHOLICISM JCBEALL MICHAELWALSH MANAGEMENT SEMIOTICS(SECONDEDITION) MORGENWITZEL DANIELCHANDLER MARKETING(SECONDEDITION) SHAKESPEARE(THIRDEDITION) KARLMOOREANDNIKETHPAREEK SEANMCEVOY MEDIASTUDIES SOCIALWORK JULIANMCDOUGALL MARKDOEL METAPHYSICS SOCIOLOGY MICHAELREA KENPLUMMER THEOLYMPICS SPECIALEDUCATIONALNEEDS ANDYMIAHANDBEATRIZGARCIA JANICEWEARMOUTH PHILOSOPHY(FIFTHEDITION) SUBCULTURES NIGELWARBURTON ROSSHAENFLER PHYSICALGEOGRAPHY SUSTAINABILITY JOSEPHHOLDEN PETERJACQUES POETRY(SECONDEDITION) TELEVISIONSTUDIES JEFFREYWAINWRIGHT TOBYMILLER POLITICS(FIFTHEDITION) TERRORISM STEPHENTANSEYANDNIGELJACKSON JAMESLUTZANDBRENDALUTZ PUBLICRELATIONS THEATRESTUDIES(SECONDEDITION) RONSMITH ROBERTLEACH THEQUR’AN WOMEN’SSTUDIES MASSIMOCAMPANINI BONNIESMITH RACEANDETHNICITY WORLDHISTORY PETERKIVISTOANDPAULR.CROLL PETERN.STEARNS This page intentionally left blank CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY THE BASICS Murray Rae AddAddAddAdd AAAdddddAdAddddAdd AddAdd AdAddd Firstpublished2015 byRoutledge 2ParkSquare,MiltonPark,Abingdon,OxonOX144RN andbyRoutledge 711ThirdAvenue,NewYork,NY10017 RoutledgeisanimprintoftheTaylor&FrancisGroup,aninformabusiness ©2015MurrayRae TherightofMurrayRaetobeidentifiedasauthorofthisworkhasbeenasserted byhiminaccordancewithsections77and78oftheCopyright,Designsand PatentsAct1988. Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereprintedorreproducedorutilised inanyformorbyanyelectronic,mechanical,orothermeans,nowknownor hereafterinvented,includingphotocopyingandrecording,orinanyinformation storageorretrievalsystem,withoutpermissioninwritingfromthepublishers. Trademarknotice:Productorcorporatenamesmaybetrademarksorregistered trademarks,andareusedonlyforidentificationandexplanationwithoutintentto infringe. BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationData AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary LibraryofCongressCataloginginPublicationData Rae,Murray. Christiantheology:thebasics/MurrayRae.--1[edition]. pagescm.--(Thebasics) Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex. 1.Theology,Doctrinal--Popularworks.2.Theology.I.Title. BT77.R252015 230--dc23 2014037953 ISBN:978-0-415-81495-9(hbk) ISBN:978-0-415-81494-2(pbk) ISBN:978-1-315-73026-4(ebk) TypesetinBembo byTaylor&FrancisBooks CONTENTS Preface viii 1 Speaking of God 1 2 Creation and Covenant 23 3 Jesus and the Spirit 43 4 The Triune God 70 5 Salvation 89 6 Christian Hope 113 7 A New Community 138 Glossary 160 Bibliography 170 Index 175 PREFACE The subject matter of Christian theology is the God who meets us in Jesus of Nazareth. That God is the same God who created all things, who called and formed Israel to be the bearer of his promise that all the families of the earth should be blessed, and who brings that promise to fulfilment through Jesus Christ and through the Spirit. Christian theology goes about its work in light of this reality and in attentiveness to it. It deals, therefore, with something that is given. It deals with God’s gift of himself as creator, redeemer and sustainer of all that is. This account of what Christian theology is arises from a long history,beginningwithIsraelandcontinuing throughthelifeof the Christian church. In order to understand the content of Christian theology, it is necessary to develop some familiarity with that his- tory, particularly as it is told in the Bible. The Bible is a collection of many different kinds of literature, including historical narrative, but including as well prayers, laments, parables, laws, theological reflectionsandsoon.Itisa literature,soChristiansbelieve,thatwas called forth by God, that bears witness to God’s gift of himself, and that becomes, again and again, an instrument through which God makes himself known. It is for this reason that the Bible is the pri- mary source and authority for the work of Christian theology. The Bible is also, therefore, the primary source and authority for this PREFACE IX book. As you read the chapters that follow, it will be helpful to have the Bible at hand. It would be helpful too, if you have not done so already, to familiarise yourself with some of the Bible’s content. Begin by reading one of the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke or John, and, from the Old Testament, the books of Genesis and Exodus, which give a good orientation to the central elements of Israel’s story. Alongside the frequent reference to biblical texts, this book will also introduce beginners in the field of Christian theology to some oftheterminologythattheologycommonlyuses.Whereverpossible, themeanings of theological terms are explained withinthe text,but readers are also referred to a glossary of terms, movements and events that can be found on pp. 160–169. TherearevariouswaysinwhichthecontentofChristiantheology could be presented in a book such as this. I have chosen to organise the chapters around major themes of Christian theology, beginning with Revelation and proceeding then to discuss God’s work in Creation and Covenant, Jesus and the Spirit, the Trinity, Salvation, Christian Hope and then, finally, the church. Although the Spirit appears in the title of chapter three, discussion of the Spirit is in fact woven through the whole book and rises to prominence in several chapters.Likewise,thereisnochapterdedicatedexplicitlytohuman- ity, but, again, this theme appears in all chapters, while receiving particular attention in chapter two. While the organisation and content of a book such as this reflects the theological convictions of theauthor, it also reflects the author’s particular cultural and ecclesial context. Those with a trained eye will recognise in the content of this book that I belong to the Reformed theological tradition as it has developed in a Western culturalcontext.Thatshapeseverysentencethatisfoundinthisbook, butIhavetriedwhereverpossibletodrawuponwidertraditions, and to point readers in the direction of further reading that should be done in order to appreciate the rich diversity and breadth of Christian theology. I hope, however, to have introduced readers to the central content of Christian theology, and to have done so in a way that will encourage further exploration. There are many people whose own theological work and Christian faith have enriched and encouraged my own – far too many to mention here. I am especially grateful, however, to Lucy