T&T Clark Studies in Systematic Theology Edited by John Webster Ian A. McFarland Ivor Davidson Volume 10 This page intentionally left blank FAITHFUL TO SAVE Pannenberg on God’s Reconciling Action Kent Eilers Published by T&T Clark International A Continuum Imprint The Tower Building, 11 York Road, London SE1 7NX 80 Maiden Lane, Suite 704, New York, NY 10038 www.continuumbooks.com All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Copyright © Kent Eilers, 2011 Kent Eilers has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identifi ed as the Author of this work. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN 13: 978-0-567-44911-5 Typeset by Newgen Imaging Systems Pvt Ltd, Chennai, India Printed and bound in Great Britain For my parents, Don and Sue This page intentionally left blank contents Acknowledgments ix Abbreviations xi Introduction 1 1 The Anticipation of Reconciliation 16 1. The Presence of Salvation and the Concept of Reconciliation 19 2. Representation as the Form of the Salvation Event 28 3. The Triune God as Reconciler of the World 40 2 The Actualization of Reconciliation 71 1. Three Hallmarks of Pannenberg’s Doctrine of the Spirit 73 2. The Spirit’s Activity in Creation and Reconciliation 82 3. The Spirit and the Proclaimed Gospel 104 4. Conclusion 116 3 The Proclamation of the Reconciled Community 121 1. Justifi cation as Participation in Christ 125 2. The Church’s Ecstatic Participation in God’s Reconciling Activity 137 3. Conclusion 154 4 The Completion of Reconciliation 158 1. The Promise of God’s Faithfulness 162 2. The Spirit as the Agent of Consummation 173 3. The Harmony of Human Totality 181 4. Faithfulness, Time, and the Trinity 203 Conclusion 207 Bibliography 217 Scripture Index 231 Subject and Author Index 233 vii This page intentionally left blank acknowledgments This book starts with a celebration of debts. My extended conversation with the theology of Wolfhart Pannenberg took shape in the supportive and stimulating environment of King’s College, University of Aberdeen, and from that work the present book was born. Don Wood’s ability to suggest timely (and at times infuriating) questions was matched only by his capacity for humanizing a process that could have been oppressive and sterile. The research carried out under his patient companionship was richer and fuller for it. Offering me time they could not spare, John Webster and Philip Ziegler each took a valuable and con- structive interest in my work as well, and for their mentoring in theological discernment I am forever indebted. I would be wrong to suppose that whatever truth the present work contains was gained without the insights and support of others. Seasoned readers of Pannenberg were important to me throughout my research and writing, and from several in particular I gained fresh, wise perspective. Christiaan Mostert was generous in the way he read a preliminary version of my discussion of Pannenberg’s view of the Spirit and offered extensive comments which helped in its development. I am thankful also for the insightful, spirited interaction offered by my doctoral examiner Timothy Bradshaw; he is a model of irenic theological engagement of the fi rst order. F. LeRon Shults was consistently quick to respond to inquiries, and his encouragement was a boon to my motivation on more than one occasion. I have debts to those who inspired me to love theology. It was in the home I grew up in that I learned to love talking and thinking about the Christian faith and everything else in light of it. My parents modeled the best kind of theological wisdom, and it is to them that this book is dedicated. There were other mentors and one deserves special mention. Matt Heard’s extended investment in my life has had the effect of providing vision for how the sub- stance and robustness of the Gospel fi nds breath in the life of the Church, how faith seeking understanding springs out from then turns back toward worship. Then there are those friends who, in overabundance, invited me into their worlds; far beyond their comments and suggestions their company was a gift to me beyond measure. My dear friends Kyle Strobel, Mark McDowell, and James Merrick were and continue to be best described, like those to whom Paul sends his greetings in Romans 16, as “my beloved” (a)gaphto&n mou). ix