Habakkuk 2:4 and the Resurrection of Jesus

Introduction

If asked to sum up the gospel in a nutshell, many Christians would answer with John 3:16.  I think that Habakkuk 2:4 should also be in the running.  This may be odd given that it is an Old Testament verse, but it is quoted three times in the New Testament (Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; and Hebrews 10:38).  I think that this verse is wrongly understood by most evangelicals, and though I have commented on it on my website, I want to flesh out the meaning some more here.  I contend that as used by Paul, Habakkuk 2:4 refers to the death and resurrection of Jesus and therefore of all Christians generally.

Original Context

The book of Habakkuk begins with a dialogue between the prophet and God:

• 1:2-4 complaint by prophet
• 1:5-11 God answers
• 1:12-2:1 second complaint by prophet
• 2:2-20 God answers

In the first complaint, Habakkuk questions why God allows the wicked in Judah to surround the righteous (1:4).  He claims that because of God's inaction the law (torah) fails (1:4).  It fails because the law (Deuteronomy in this case?) promises reward for obedience and punishment for disobedience.

God responds by noting that he will punish the wicked in Judah by raising up the Chaldeans (Babylonians).

This does not please Habakkuk because he still questions why the wicked (the Babylonians) are allowed to devour the righteous (1:13).  The righteous in this case being the victims in the first complaint?

God responds by promising that the Babylonians are doomed.  In the midst of this response God promises that the righteous by faithfulness will live (2:4).  The context favors the interpretation that life is a reward for the faithfulness of the righteous, just as punishment is the reward for wickedness (there are five woes on the wicked in 2:6-20).  There is no thought about different paths to righteousness, one of them being faith, which is how most Christians would interpret the sentence: "the righteous lives by faith".  The Jewish Publication Society translates 2:4 along the lines I advocate:

the righteous man is rewarded with life for his fidelity

Paul's and Hebrew's Christocentric Reading of Habakkuk 2:4

I contend that Paul interpreted Habakkuk 2:4 Christologically: the righteous man (Jesus) is rewarded with life (resurrection) for his fidelity (death on the cross).  This is what I claim is the Gospel in a nutshell.  I will now lay out the argument drawing on Douglas A. Campbell's work.  I present seven arguments.

(1) Paul uses "the righteous one" (o dikaios) in his quotation.  Paul often refers to Jesus with an arthrous construction.
(2) o dikaios is also a Christological title elsewhere in the New Testament (Acts 7:52; 22:14; 3:14; 1 Peter 3:18; 1 John 2:1)
(3) Evidence in Hebrews (10:37-38): the book of Hebrews quotes Habakkuk 2:3-4 and the text that author used (LXX) probably already has a messianic interpretation ("the one who is coming", "my righteous one").  The context of Hebrews also favors the interpretation that life is a reward for faithfulness.
(4) In the Wisdom of Solomon, a work Paul probably knew, there is "a righteous man" who suffers and is granted life by God.
(5) If Paul draws the key phrase "by means of faithfulness" (ek pisteos) from Habakkuk 2:4, then this explains why he may have eliminated a pronoun from the LXX.  [The LXXb reads: "the righteous out of my faithfulness shall live".]  It concerns Jesus' faithfulness.
(6) Messianic reading delivers on what Paul says in Romans 1:2-4, which mentions the resurrection and the predictions of the prophets!  If Habakkuk 2:4 in Romans 1:17 is interpreted Christologically then we have a perfect example of what Paul stated in 1:2-4.
(7) That Paul could interpret Scripture Christologically is not a stretch.  I may add that Leviticus 18:5 ought to be interpreted Christologically too.

Importance of the Christological Reading

We can now settle the dispute whether ek pisteos modifies the righteous or life.  It modifies life because Paul would not suggest Jesus was righteous by faith.  Paul uses the phrase ek pisteos only in Galatians and Romans and he quotes Habakkuk 2:4 only in Galatians and Romans.  This is strong evidence that elsewhere in Paul's thought ek pisteos refers to Jesus' faithfulness!  This has devastating theological consequences (see my website).  This helps make my case that it is Jesus' obedience that atones and not his animal-like sacrifice.  It also serves as a perfect example for Christians, we too will be rewarded with eternal life for our faithfulness.  This also gives us a smooth interpretation of Romans 1:17:

The righteousness of God is being revealed through it [the gospel] by means of [Jesus'] fidelity and for [our] fidelity, as it is written, 'The righteous one, be means of fidelity, will live.'

Resurrection in John: a Commentary on John 10:17

Introduction

The Gospel of John has been call the "Gospel of Life".  This is clear from the stated purpose of the Gospel itself: "But these things have been written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that [through] believing, you may have life in his name" (20:31).  By "life" (zoe) here John means eternal life.  "Eternal life" (aionios zoe) occurs 17 times in the Gospel (3:15, 16, 36; 4:14, 36; 5:24, 39; 6:27, 40, 47, 54, 68; 10:28; 12:25, 50; 17:2, 3).  However, even without the modifier "eternal", "life" for John means eternal life; zoe occurs 19 times in the Gospel (1:4 [x2]; 3:36; 5:24, 26 [x2], 29, 40; 6:33, 35, 48, 51, 53, 63; 8:12; 10:10; 11:25; 14:6; 20:31).  This can be proven by context and by John's use of "life = psyche" when discussing normal life (10:11, 15, 17; 12:25 [x2]; 13:37, 38; 15:13).

I want to argue the importance of the resurrection of Jesus for John by looking at one verse (10:17):

Therefore, the Father loves me because I lay down my life that again I may take it.

10:17 and Context

One of the key words in 10:17 is the word "that" (hina).  Jesus lays down his life in order to take it back again.  in other words, the reason Jesus dies is in order to resurrect.  I would think that this is a bold statement for most evangelicals.  It is interesting to see how 10:17b is translated:

• NIV: --only to take it up again
• King James: that I might take it again
• NAS: so that I may take it again
• NRSV: in order to take it up again

To my ears anyway, the NIV seems the weakest, eventhough it logically makes sense.  The word "only" logically makes "take it up again" a necessary condition for the "laying down of life".  However, the double dash seems to needlessly separate the two phrases and their logical connection.  Be that as it may, a good argument from context can be made for the more purposive reading.

 John goes on (10:18):

No one takes it from me but I lay it down of my own accord.  I have the authority to lay it down and I have the authority to receive it again.  This command I received from the Father.

Jesus' death and resurrection are both commanded by the Father.  God's commandment is related to his will and earlier we were told (6:38-40):

for I have come down from heaven not to do my will but the will of him who sent me.  And this is the will of him who sent me that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me but raise it up on the last day.  This indeed is the will of my Father that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day.

What is missing here is the link between Jesus' resurrection and its necessity for the resurrection of Christians.  However, the Gospel make this clear (14:19b): because I live, you also will live.  See also 11:25 (I am the resurrection and the life) and 14:6 (I am the way, the truth and the life).  In 3:14-15 (one of three "lifted up" passages, along with 8:28 and 12:32-34) we read:

and as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so it is necessary for the Son of Man to be lifted up, that (hina) everyone believing in him may have eternal life.

The content of "lifted up" surely includes the cross because of a) the comparison with the serpent on the pole (Num. 21:9) and b) the kind of death Jesus was to die in one of the other "lifted up" passages (12:33).  However, the "lifting up" ought to also include the resurrection and ascension:

•  8:28 When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will have realized that I AM
• 12:32 When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to myself.

The realities envisioned here would not likely have been the case at the crucifixion alone; see R. Brown (vol. 1, p. 146).

This brings us to one final point.  In 10:16 we are told of "other sheep" (Gentiles?).  In 12:20-23, there are hints that the Greeks will come only when Jesus is glorified (resurrection etc.) and that a grain of wheat if it dies will bear much fruit (12:24).  Clearly, Jesus' resurrection is to have "cash value".

Theological Upshot

The resurrection in John is huge.  It is perhaps not a coincidence that in all three of the main predictions of the death and resurrection of the Son of Man in the synoptic gospels we have lessons on discipleship.  Also in John, the saying about the grain of wheat dying is followed by a saying of discipleship (12:25):

Those who love their life will lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

The reason that this radical life is possible is because of the resurrection.  Jesus has conquered death!  Amen.

 

    

The Role of Resurrection in 2 Corinthians

Introduction

I want to analyze the role that the resurrection of Jesus plays in 2 Corinthians.  It will turn out that it plays a crucial role. The theme I wish to highlight is that Paul models his ministry on the gospel event (suffering/death of Jesus followed by the resurrection).  This fact, I think, has some theological consequences, the main one for my purposes being that for Paul the gospel event ought not to be interpreted solely, if at all, in terms of Jesus as an animal-like sacrifice.  This is so, because Paul no where specifies an analogue to Jesus as an animal-like sacrifice in his use of the gospel as his model.

The Data

I will present some verses as data for my thesis:

1:5
A: as abound the sufferings of the Messiah to us
B: so through the Messiah abounds also the encouragement to us

1:6
A: now whether we are being afflicted
B: it is for your encouragement and salvation

1:7
A: as sharers you are of the sufferings
B: so also of the encouragement

1:9
A: We ourselves in ourselves have had the death sentence
B: that we should not have trust in ourselves but in God, the one raising the dead

3:6
A: the letter kills
B: but the Spirit gives life

4:10
A: always the dying of Jesus in my body bearing about
B: that also the life of Jesus in the body of us might be manifested

4:11
A: to death are are being given over because of Jesus
B: that also the life of Jesus may be manifested in the mortal flesh of us

4:12
A: death works in us
B: but life in you

4:16
A: our outward body is being decayed
B: yet our inward man is being renewed day by day

4:17
A: the present lightness of the affliction
B: works out for us an eternal weight of glory

5:14-15
A: one on behalf of all died then all have died; and on behalf of all he died
B: that the ones living no longer to themselves may live but to the one on behalf of them having died and having been raised

8:9
A: he became poor though being rich
B: that you by the poverty of that one may become rich

11:7
A: humbling myself
B: that you may be exalted

12:9
A: in weakness
B: power...is perfected
A': I will boast in the weaknesses of me
B': that the power of the Messiah might be a shelter over me

12:10
A: whenever I am weak
B: I am strong

13:4
A: he was crucified out of weakness
B: but he lives by the power of God
A': we are weak in him
B': but we will live with him by the power of God toward you

Commentary

The first thing to notice is how often negative descriptions appear in the A's (suffering, death) and how often positive descriptions appear in the B's (consolation, life).  Also, there are many times different actors in the A's and B's for the individual verses.  I think this data goes to show that for Paul, what Jesus was for us, Paul and his co-workers are to the Corinthians.  This means that there is a correlation between the gospel event of which Jesus is the main actor and the ministry of Paul.  This correlation can tell us something because the mission of Jesus is for Paul a model for his own ministry.  This would not be the case if Jesus' mission was seen primarily as an animal-like sacrifice, for Paul does not say that his own blood has any atoning value.

Paul can justify himself and his ministry because it is based on the gospel event itself.  This shows how crucial for Paul is the resurrection of Jesus.

5:21

I have already blogged on this one verse but let me add it to the data and then analyze it some more:

5:21
A: the one not knowing sin he [God] made sin on behalf of us
B: that we might become the righteousness of God in him

What does it mean that Jesus was made sin?  The standard evangelical story might claim that the second "sin" would be a "sin-offering".  This is unlikely because the first use of "sin" cannot mean a sin offering and it would be strange for Paul to use the word twice so close together and change its meaning.  A better referent would be to the scapegoat of Leviticus 16.

What does it mean to become the righteousness of God?  See my blog, but suffice it to say that it pertains to the activity of God in making things right, which in our case is through Jesus and the gospel event.  Since sin is related to death, how is life related to the righteousness of God, since we would expect to see that concept given all the other data.  However, in two other occurrences of "righteousness of God" we do see life mentioned:

• Philippians 3:9-11  not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through the faithfulness of the Messiah, the righteousness of God based on faith.  I want to know him and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

This sounds a lot like 2 Corinthians!  The faithfulness of Jesus is also mentioned in 2 Corinthians, at least arguably, in 4:13 ("having the same Spirit of faithfulness [as Jesus]").  It could then be argued that the speaker of Ps. 116:10 would be Jesus.  See my website on "the faithfulness of the Messiah".

• Romans 10:3 to the righteousness of God they did not submit.

The mention of resurrection occurs in 10:9.

Conclusion

The resurrection is all-important for Paul.  Without it, we simply do not have the gospel event.  This ought to make us reexamine our views of the atonement and our belief the Jesus' is an animal-like sacrifice.  For Paul, the gospel event is something we participate in, it is not something that only Jesus does for us.  Of course, this is NOT to say that we exactly mirror Jesus, because it is Jesus perfect faithfulness that saves and nothing we could or did do.  

    

1 Peter and the Resurrection: A Case Study

Introduction

1 Peter is an excellent example of the importance of Jesus' resurrection in the scheme of salvation.  1 Peter has been plagued by its position in the canon, its relative brevity and its inevitable association with 2 Peter, but its message is in total agreement with what I term the Gospel Beyond Belief.

The Clarion Call of Resurrection

It does not take Peter long to mention Jesus' resurrection.  Already in verse 1:3 he says:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  By his mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

What Jesus' resurrection means is nothing short of "salvation"; this can be seen by what immediately follows.  The Greek preposition that precedes "living hope" also precedes two other analogous phrases:

• to/for a living hope
• to/for an inheritance imperishable and undefiled and unfading
• to/for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last times

I think the thought is clear that Jesus' resurrection makes possible the resurrection of others and it is primarily this resurrection that is salvation.

In verse 1:21 we read:

Through him [Jesus] you have come to trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are set on God.

Once again "hope" is associated with the resurrection of Jesus because it makes possible the resurrection of others.

Finally, in 3:21, a very revealing passage, we read:

And baptism...now saves  you--not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

It is clear that the basis of salvation is the resurrection of Jesus.  For Peter, salvation is eternal life with God and this life is based on the resurrection of Jesus.  Peter tells us that the prophets were told of the career of Jesus (1:11): "sufferings and after these glories".  The sufferings [plural] no doubt include Jesus' crucifixion but are not limited to these.  Peter, after quoting Isaiah 53:9,  mentions suffering that goes beyond crucifixion (2:23):

When he was abused he did not return abuse; when he suffered he did not threaten

The glories mentioned in 1:11 no doubt refer to Jesus resurrection and exaltation.

"Atonement" Passages

I now want to look at some passages that have been read to bolster the view that Jesus' death is as an animal-like sacrifice for sin.  The first occurs already in verse 1:2:

[chosen] in the foreknowledge of God the Father and consecrated by the Spirit for obedience and sprinkling with the blood of Jesus Christ.

The reference here is most likely to Exodus 24:3-8.  After the Israelites profess to obey [note the obedience in our present verse] Moses sprinkles them with blood, the blood of the covenant.

Another passage also speaks of Jesus' blood (1:18-19):

You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like a lamb without defect or blemish.

The word "ransomed" is not  a word associated with animal-like sacrifice.  It has to do with the buying back of slaves and its referent is most likely the Exodus.  The same Greek word appears in the LXX of Exodus (6:6; 13:13, 15) and in passages often associated with the second exodus (Isa. 35:9; 51:11; 52:3).  The lamb therefore is the Passover lamb which is not an animal-like sin sacrifice. 

Another "atonement" passage is 2:24:

He [Jesus] himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that free from sins, we might live for righteousness.

This seems not to be about animal-like sacrifice for the simple reason that the sacrificial animal was not to be stained with imperfection (sin).  Rather, the imagery could be the scapegoat of Leviticus 16 or the condemed criminal of Deuteronomy 21:23 (in the LXX of that verse, we have the same words for "body" and "tree" that we find in 1 Peter 2:24).  Similar things can be said about 3:18, where we are told that Christ suffered for sins.  There is no clue about animal-like sacrifice and we are told that though Jesus was put to death in the flesh, he was made alive by the Spirit--a clear reference to his resurrection.  Anyway, the thought in 2:24 is close to Paul and the mention of "to live for righteousness" is a key for the path of salvation in 1 Peter.  This provides a nice segue.

Path to Salvation

Recall that in 1:3 we are told that we are given new birth through the resurrection of Jesus.  This new birth is the path to salvation.  Peter tells us to desire spiritual milk as new-born babes (2:2).  The reason is so that "you may grow into salvation".  Obedience is the key for Peter.  We are to be holy in all conduct (1:15, see Lev. 19:2), live in fear because God judges impartially on works (1:17!), purify our souls by obedience (1:22), live by the will of God (4:2), love one another because love covers a multitude of sins (4:8).  Peter tells us that it is hard for the righteous to be saved (4:18), but the clear implication is that one must be righteous to be saved!

Grace

Grace for Peter is none other than eternal life itself.  He calls it the "Grace of life" (3:7).  Elsewhere, salvation (again = resurrected life) is called a grace (1:10) and grace is something brought when Jesus is revealed, which again refers no doubt to resurrected life (1:13).  So, grace is always in the background for Peter.  

  

Jesus' Faithfulness in the book of Revelation

Introduction

I intend to argue that the book of Revelation nicely confirms my basic hypothesis that it is Jesus' obedience, which certainly includes his death, and not his crucifixion seen as an animal-like sacrifice that atones.


Jesus as Faithful Witness

In part of the prescript to the entire book, we are told that Jesus is "the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and ruler of the kings of the earth" (Rev. 1:5).  These three descriptions coincide with Jesus' death, resurrection, and exaltation respectively.  I contend that the reason why Jesus is the firstborn from the dead and ruler of the kings of the earth is precisely because he was obedient.  Jesus' death is described as a faithful witness (martyr), which highlights his obedience.  This description of Jesus also occurs in 3:14 ("the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation").  Jesus is the beginning of God's creation because (and I borrow the words of G.B. Caird) "when God set in motion the creative process, what he intended to produce was Christ and men like Christ who would respond to him with utter faith and obedience."  Jesus is also called faithful and true in 19:2.

The two witnesses in Rev. 11 also deserve comment because their career mimics that of Jesus.  They die (we are even told in the same city where Jesus was crucified [11:8]), they are raised to life [11:11] and are exalted [11:12]).

Human Faithfulness like Jesus' Faithfulness

One of the key arguments that it is Jesus' obedience that is the important factor is that humans are described with the same language with which Jesus is described.  For example, in Rev. 2:14 Antipas is described as a "faithful witness" because he was killed where Satan dwells.  Also, Jesus is described as a conqueror (3:21; 5:5), just as are those addressed in the seven letters to the churches.  In fact, the same reward that Jesus accrued because of his obedience is open to his followers.  Jesus promises authority over the nations to the conquerors (2:27) just as he received authority from the Father (2:28).  A similar idea is expressed in 3:21: "I will give a place with me on my throne, just as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne."

Two verses containing genitive phrase are also important here.  In 2:13 (my faith) and in 14:12 (the faithfulness of Jesus), the genitives are probably both subjective and therefore refer to Jesus' faithfulness and not "faith in Jesus".  [Oddly enough, Dunn and Hays disagree on this!]

Atonement Verses

It is now time to look at both 1:5-6 and 5:9-10.  1:5-6 reads as follows:

To the one loving us and having freed us from the sins of us by the blood of him and made us a kingdom of priests to his God and Father.

Similarly, 5:9-11:

Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain and purchased ones for God with your blood from every tribe and tongue and people and nation and made them for our God a kingdom and priests, and they will reign on earth.

 Given the Exodus reference in both passages (Ex. 19:6), and the language of setting free in the first, it is likely we are dealing with a reference to the Passover Lamb, by whose blood Israel was freed from Egypt.  In the present case, the blood of Jesus frees us from sins.  The verb "to purchase" in the second passage also relates to Exodus in that slaves are bought with a price (see 1 Cor. 6:20; 7:23; Gal. 3:13; 4:5).  The important point here is that the Passover Lamb is not a sin sacrifice.  Its blood brought life, just as Jesus' blood brought life by conquering the effects of sin, namely, death.  On Jesus as the Passover Lamb see also 1 Peter 1:18-19; 1 Cor. 5:7; and importantly if the gospel is related to the apocalypse, the Gospel of John: 1:29 (see my previous blog on this); 2:13; 6:4; 18:28; 19:36.  Additional Exodus reference in Revelation adds to the connection: the Song of Moses in 15:3 and the living water in Rev. 7:17 and 22:1 reminds us of the water Moses brought forth from the rock.

It should also be noted that blood is used as a symbol of death throughout Revelation and this shows that we ought not to put too much weight of the word "blood" so as to tie it to sin animal sacrifices: see 6:10; 16:6; 17:6; 18:24; 19:2.

Primary Eschatological Goal in Revelation is Life and not Forgiveness of Sins

What humans are saved from in Revelation is primarily Death and Hades, not sin per se.  One of the first things Jesus says in the book is that he is living and that he holds the keys of death and hades (1:17-18).  Many of the rewards for the conquerors refer to life: eat from the tree of life (2:7; cf. 22:2); crown of life (2:10), name not blotted out of book of life (3:5; cf. 21:12).  The battle in the end results in Death and Hades being thrown into the lake of fire (20:14).  This explains why the resurrection of Jesus is tied to his death (1:17-18; 2:8).

Conclusion

 I have tried to show the meaning of Jesus' death in Revelation.  I have tried to show that the image of Jesus as a animal-like sacrifice is simply not there.  This ought to give us pause.