God Our Savior: Theology in a Christological Mode Book

Preface     12
Introduction     13
The Function of Theology     13
Theology and the Knowledge of God     15
Theology as Contextualization     16
Jesus Christ and Theological Reflection     20
Introduction     20
Jesus as Revelation     21
Jesus' Character
Self-Disclosure in Historical Events
A Surprising Disclosure
Jesus as God's Presence with Us     25
A Historical Presence
Describing the Presence
The Person Disclosed
Jesus the Clue to Human Nature and Destiny     31
Definitive Humanity
Christ's Humanity and Our Salvation
Jesus as a Present Reality     35
Jesus as Spiritual Presence
Jesus and His Church
Jesus as the Eschatological Savior     38
Jesus and Discipleship     39
Revelation: The Word That Became Flesh     41
Introduction     41
Types of Revelational Claims     42
Extrabiblical Types
Prophetic Inspiration
Personal Embodiment
The Christian Concept of Revelation     46
Why Speak of Revelation?
The Nature of Revelation
Christ Our Clue to Revelation
The Universality of Revelation     53
The Idea of General Revelation
The Limitations of General Revelation
Revelation and Scripture     57
The Primary Meaningof Revelation
Scripture as Revelation
Hermeneutical Implications
Inspiration and Authority     63
Inspiration as the Guarantee of Revelation
The Authentic Witness of Scripture
God the Parent-Creator as Father of Jesus Christ     68
Introduction     68
The Idolization of God
Contemporary Pluralism
Naming the True God     72
Identifying the Living God
God Known as "Lord"
The Nature and Character of God     77
The Spirituality and Holiness of God
God's Attributes
The Unity of God
The Love of God
God as Trinity     88
Difficulty of Formulation
How and Why Formulated
Anabaptist Concerns
Trinity as God Revealed
"The Glory of God in the Face of Christ"     93
Jesus as the Representation of God
God and Masculine Imagery
God as "Abba": Redefining God's Character
Humanity in the Image of Christ     102
Introduction     102
A Crucial Current Issue
The Anthropological Context for a Definition
The Traditional Christian Synthesis
Creation as the Context for Humankind     107
Creation as Prophetic Insight
Creation by God's Word
Creation "Ex Nihilo"
Humans as Creatures     111
Psychosomatic Creatures
Creaturely Limitations
Creaturely Dependence
Humans in God's Image     114
Meaning of the Image
Christ as the True Image
Characteristics of the Image
Male and Female in the Image
The Nature of Sin     119
Sin as Transgression of the Taboo
Sin as Creatureliness
Sin as Offense Against Law
Sin as Rejection of a Personal God
Sin and Human Potential     124
The "Original Sin"
Satan and the Origin of Sin
The Primal Temptation
Grace and Human Potential
The Holy Spirit as the Spirit of Christ     131
Introduction     131
The Personification of the Spirit     132
New Testament Conceptions
Trinitarian Developments
The Spirit as Personal Power
Jesus and the Spirit     137
From Israel to Church
The Spirit in the Life and Ministry of Jesus
The Spirit as the Presence of the Risen Christ     141
The "Coming" of the Spirit
The Identity of the Spirit
The Mode of Christ's Presence and God's
The Spirit of the Church     149
Where in the World?
The Sphere of the Spirit as Church
Participation in the Spirit
The Role of the spirit
The Authority of the Spirit in the Church
The Church: The Messianic Community     161
Introduction: The Origin of the Church     161
The Church as a Messianic Movement     163
The Changing Status of "Church"
The Eschatological Community
The Community of the Resurrection
The Community of the Spirit
The Church and the Churches
The Church and the Rule of God     169
Interpretations of the Kingdom
The Kingdom in Biblical Perspective
The Church and the Kingdom
Life and Organization of the Community     174
Movement or Community?
Visible or Invisible?
Organization and Leadership in the Church
Koinonia in the Church
Conclusion     185
Eschatology: The Victory of Christ     187
Introduction     187
Time, Change, and Consummation
Prophecy and Apocalyptic
Hermeneutical Considerations
Jesus and Eschatological Fulfillment     198
Christ, the Eschatological Transition
The Kingdom of God
The Eschaton as Kingdom of God
Eschatology as Futurology     203
The Time of the End
The "Signs of the Times"
The Eschaton as Judgment     206
A Hermeneutical Approach
God's Justice as Fairness
The Wrath of God
The Final Outcome of Judgment
Death and Resurrection     215
A Biblical Perspective on Death
The "Intermediate State" of the Soul
Death and the Essential Self
The Resurrection
Christ's Resurrection and Ours
Notes     224
Bibliography     250
General Index     256
Index of Persons     263
Scripture Index     265
The Author     271