"Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold new things have come." NASB
2 Corinthians 5:17 is one of the most widely quoted verses in the New Testament. On a first reading, it no problem to understand.
If anyone has given their life to Christ (is a Christian, a believer in Christ), God fashions them into a completely new person (born anew, re-generated). The person they were no longer exists. See (examine with your own eyes, observe, it is obvious), a new person has appeared.
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But this understanding poses a logical dilemma:
Either this is absolute literal truth or it is relative truth
If absolute literal truth, then for anyone who is a Christian, their old ways of life are no longer a part of them; the life they are now living is a new way of life, different from the old.
If relative truth, then for anyone who is a Christian, their old ways are relatively gone; the life they now live is relatively new.
Therefore, either they are complete converted, or they are not completely converted.
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This verse is in the form of a conditional (if, then) statement. Logically, when the if part of the statement is true, the then part of the statement must be true. To state it a different way, when the then part of the statement not true, the if part of the statement cannot be true.
If an individual is completely converted, their old life is completely gone
The old life is not completely gone; elements of the old life remain
Therefore, they are not completely converted.
To restate:
If an individual is "in Christ," then it is a certainty that their old attitudes, values, and way of life have disappeared. If we find that the life of a person who claims to be "in Christ" retains any of the same old attitudes, values, and ways of life, then we must conclude they are not truly "in Christ."
Long-term observation indicates that some old attitudes, values, and ways of life continue in the lives of all professing Christians. If this is true (and I think it can be demonstrated), then no professing Christian is "in Christ." In fact, there are none "in Christ." Can one be a Christian, but not "in Christ?" If so, then what does "in Christ" mean?
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On the other hand, if we understand this verse to be relatively true, then it is possible that an individual might have a definitely positive relation to Christ--relatively in Christ--but not completely. They could be a relatively new creation with their old life relatively gone. The new is in the formative process, and the old in the process of being eradicated.
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Of course, this raises a question about the nature of the entire Bible.
If the Bible is absolutely true, then 2 Corinthians 5:17 must be absolutely true
2 Corinthians is not absolutely true (so it seems from the preceding)
So, the Bible cannot be absolutely true
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If 2 Corinthians 5:17 is relatively true, then the Bible is relatively true
2 Corinthians 5:17 is relatively true (so it seems from the preceding)
Thus, the Bible must be relatively true.
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This necessitates a complete re-viewing of the Bible, a re-vision of our understanding of the Holy Scriptures. Now, it must be looked at from a new perspective, a perspective that differs from the consensus of Christian tradition.
2 comments:
You've shown that the Bible cannot be absolutely true, but I'm not convinced that "relatively" is the best word to describe the nature of scripture's truth. Would it not be more accurate to say that scripture is "essentially" true? Even with your more precise definition and more appropriate usage of the word relative I don't think you'll be able to avoid communicating that scripture conforms itself to our sitz in leben when in reality it calls us to conform to Jesus Christ.
The word essential, on the other hand, communicates the eternal and (in some ways) unchanging nature of scripture's truths while at the same time allowing for those truths to be big enough to meet us in our sitz en leben without having to conform to it.
Regardless I'm looking forward to learning the new perspective you propose. Perhaps you will show me that "relative" is the only word big enough to describe the gospel.
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