3.5. Ethnic Identity and Culture in the Epistle to the Romans
The
epistle to the Romans is written with the mind that there are no
Judean-Yehudi per se as there are no gentiles per se in the audience.
All are Christians with their own backgrounds, and in need of
understanding, borrowing Hiebert's words, the “truth, beauty, and
holiness” of the Gospel.1
For this purpose the apostle masterfully engages the readers into a
deep, challenging, yet loving theological and ecclesiastical epistle.
A.
Andrew Das recognizes the “harshness” of the apostle's language
toward the Yehudi “interlocutor,” a fictive addressee propounded
by Stanley Stowers.2
The “harshness,” however, is not new. The “interlocutor” only
changes from “they” (the gentiles unbelievers) to “you” (the
Judean Yehudi). The apostle’s intention is to shake these two
‘worlds’ in order to bring Roman churches into one bigger world:
God’s world. He understands in-group dynamics within Roman
Christian circles; hence he uses Judean and gentile stereotypes as a
pedagogical tool to communicate the euangelion
to Roman Christian communities that are struggling with ethnic
dynamics wherein some religio-cultural practices come into play.
The
logical movement of the apostle’s theological engagement begins
with his pronouncement that “faith is the power of God to save”
(1:16-17). From here he continues to point out three areas of common
ground between Judeans and gentiles. He begins with the sinfulness of
the gentiles. Although St. Paul, in a way, is merely stating a
Judean's stereotypical view toward the gentiles, he is saying it from
a very different point of view. It is not that the true God is absent
among the gentiles, or that God is unknown to them; hence they live
in ungodliness. In contrast, this ungodliness is because they know
God (“they are without excuse” [1:20]), but do not glorify God as
God or give thanks to Him (1:21). They turn to images of mortal
human beings, birds, and animals. Therefore, God gave them up
to their bodily and
spiritually degrading lust and debased mind, which manifested in many
different vices (1:18-32). The word used for “gave up”
(paredoken)3
in 1:24 is charged with theological significance with regards to
God's work in Christ. Yet see also another important point in the
apostle's statement here: He affirms that God is not only working
with the Judeans, but with the gentiles as well (cf. 3:29).
In
turn, while the Judean Yehudi may think that they are safe because
they are not as ‘miserable’ as the gentiles, so to say in this
scenario, the apostle's news for them is the wrath of God. For they
indeed rely upon the Law (the Law itself is good),4
boast in God, know the will of God, etc., but they do still
transgress the Law (2:1-24). Hence both sides, or rather all, from
the most pious to the most degraded, whether Judeans or gentiles, are
set on the same level by the apostle: sinful (cf. 3:9). This is the
first common ground.
The
second common ground is that the people of God are not defined by
ethnicity or religio-cultural practices, but by faith. The Judean
take their lineage from Abraham very seriously. It is the claim that
separates them from the rest of the nations; the presumption is that
God's people are within the perimeter of Israel (i.e. Judean)
ethnicity and circumcision is a significant sign of membership. Yet
the apostle points out that theologically not all of Israel are
children of Abraham, and that non-Israel may be children of Abraham.
The covenant of God with Abraham is received by faith, before Abraham
was circumcised, and “[t]he purpose was to make him the
ancestor of all who believe without being circumcised and who thus
have righteousness reckoned to them...”
(4:11, NRSV).
Being
Israel, in this sense the Judeans as the remnant of Israel, means
following their traditions, honoring their ancestors and preserving
their identity as Judeans. Circumcision is the symbol of God's
covenant with Abraham and his offspring (i.e., Israel's election to
be a blessing to the nations), and for the apostle, this sign of the
covenant is nullified for other nations because it is Israel's. In
other words, it is for the Judeans to have circumcision and not other
nations. The Judeans are free to observe the Mosaic Law and their
traditional practices, although it must be understood that they are
not warrants of God's salvation. For the apostle this is by no means
to eliminate the Law or the covenant, but to usher God's work of
salvation for all; this is salvation, through grace, accepted by
faith that bears fruit of the Spirit-led life. The Law shows that
everyone sins. It is faith in Jesus Christ that brings God's grace.
Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the covenant that offers God's
blessing to the rest of the nations. The symbol of Judeans as the
people of God opens up a new metaphor that true
Judeans may also
come from other nations (4:1ff).
The
third common ground is justification through faith in Christ Jesus
alone, which leads into dikaiosune
(righteousness and
justice) and holiness,5
applicable both for Judeans and gentiles. The apostle Paul uses the
same word paradidomi
to express what God has done through Christ for every human being
from every nation. Jesus Who was given up (paredothe)6
for our trespasses,7
and was raised again for our justification (4:25; cf. 8:25).
Paradidomi
contains the idea of being surrendered to another's hand; hence one's
well-being depends on the one who is being surrendered to, whether to
be punished or to be saved. In God's work of salvation, the Messiah
is being surrendered for both reasons, to be punished and to be
vindicated. Jesus bears the punishment of sins, and here, while the
application is for all, it is with a special attention to the sins
and salvation of the gentiles. Jesus Christ “whom God hath set
forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate
His righteousness, because in His forbearance God has passed over the
sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present
time His righteousness, that He might be just, and the justifier of
the one who has faith in Jesus” (3:25-26, NKJV).
This
notion of faith in Christ culminates in chapter six with baptism.
Baptism symbolizes a new identity as a member of a new entity beyond
ethnic identity; it is still defined by blood, although not in the
meaning of blood-tie, but Christ's blood shed for the world that ties
every believer into one body. The language of kinship is retained,
that they have become the children of God; hence they become the
heirs of God (8:14-17) with citizenship in the Kingdom of God (cf.
14:17). Their life is marked by transformation into one
inter-national community of believers (12:1ff).
Chapters
9-11 serve as a new episode that bears the weight that is crucial to
drive home the apostle Paul's point on why, within their interaction
with one another, they should also consider the non-Christian
Judeans. The Judean Yehudi with their strong ethnic and religious
identity are still God’s people. It is not out of God’s plan that
they are estranged from the salvation of God through Christ. The
Church should perceive them as part of the future eschaton
(cf.
11:11ff.), and if
they are part of the future eschaton,
the Christians and the Yehudi should be able to live together in such
a manner that reflects this hope. The implication of this pastoral
exercise is that the Judeans, who are starting again in Rome, will
not be treated contemptuously by their Christian brothers and
sisters.8
By
living in faith, led by the Holy Spirit, Judeans and gentile
Christians will live a life that reflects God's grace and salvation
(cf. 7:6; 8:4ff). This implied message eventually has some in-group
implications to how those who have a different opinion, whether
within the context of the individual congregation or in their
inter-church relations, will behave. This is especially in regards to
things related to (Judean) culture, such as day observation and food
or drink prohibition. In effect, this is a call to provide the space
for “walking in love” with one another, which is not to cause
others to stumble (14:13-15). This admonition is indirectly
applicable to the God-fearer group. At the same time, Judean or
gentile Christians, who through faith in Christ have come to believe
that in Christ “nothing is unclean in itself” (14:14), may live
in that freedom, but they ought also to walk in love in order not to
make others stumble, “for the kingdom of God is not eating and
drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit”
(14:17, NKJV);
this is to be understood in contrast to the way of living the apostle
describes in chapters one and two.
In
conclusion the apostle accentuates the importance of understanding
the new identity possessed by the Roman Christians and invites them
to see it beyond their ethnic identity. This does not dismiss their
ethnic identity. As St. Paul maintains, “I myself a Judean,”
appointed as an apostle to the gentiles. He recognizes that God is
also at work in other nations, and the time has come, the promise has
been fulfilled, that all the nations shall be blessed. A good news
for all. Saul, the multicultural apostle, became Judean with those
who are Judeans and gentile to those who are gentiles. He sees it as
a freedom in Christ, the good news of the Gospel, not to despise but
to honor the richness of cultural differences among God's people.
This affirms that in Christ it is not Judean traditions and culture
that set the matter, nor any other traditions and cultures, but it is
faith in Christ
that leads into
love (13:8,10), righteousness and justice (dikaiosune),
peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (14:17), that
is the Spirit-led life (cf.
8:4ff).
Here, the question
of whether or not Minahasans may become Christians without having to
be Judeans, or European by extension, is answered.
Yes, we can.
But now, what may
the term Minahasa suggest?
------
1 Hiebert,
Transforming Worldviews, 275.
2 A.
Andrew Das, Solving the Romans Debate (Minneapolis: Fortress
Press, 2007), 88.
3 Paradoken,
verb aorist indicative active - 3rd person
singular from paradidomi “[God]
gave [them] up.” In Thayer's Greek Lexicon paradidomi
means (1) properly, to give into
the hands (of another); (2) to give
over into (one's) power or use, further explanation shows that in
contexts it may mean either for the purpose of judgment,
condemnation, punishment, etc. or to be taken care of, for one's
salvation, etc.; (3) equivalent to to commit, to commend; (4)
to deliver verbally; (5) to permit, allow
(http://biblesuite.com/greek/3860.htm [accessed September 11,
2012].)
4 For
apostle Paul, the Law is a tutor (paidagogos)
for the people of Israel, but cannot save, either Israel or
non-Israel. “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no
flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the
knowledge of sin” (3:20, KJV); Cf. 3:31. The Law is good if
one obeys it (cf. 1 Timothy 1:8).
5 Against
the allegation of his 'anti-nomian' Gospel apostle Paul reminds
Roman Christians: “Owe no one anything, except to love one
another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law…Love
does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of
the law” (13:8,10). Bruce points out that apostle Paul is not only
preaching about “righteousness” but also “holiness” (The
Romans Debate – Continued in Romans Debate, 183).
6 Verb-aorist
indicative passive - 3rd person singular from
paradidomi “was delivered.”
7 Bahasa,
pelanggaran;
Minahasa, kaselokan.
8 Cf.
Bruce, “The Romans Debate – Continued” in Romans Debate,
184.
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