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[RCV]
Rom5:6 For while we were yet weak, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
5:7 For scarcely for a righteous man will anyone die, though perhaps for
the good man someone would even dare to die.
5:8 But God commends His own love to us in that while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us.
5:9 Much more then, having now been justified in His blood, we will be
saved through Him from the wrath.
5:10 For if we, being enemies, were reconciled to God through the death
of His Son, much more we will be saved in His life, having been reconciled,
Glancing at these verses, we almost pass through these as a matter of course.
Now, pay attention to the time while we were yet weak and the time when
Christ died for us. Both are the same, aren't they?（v.6）
Similarly, the time while we were sinners and the time when Christ died
for us are same.（v.8）
The time while we were enemies and the time when we were reconciled to
God through the Son's death are same.（v.10）
And combining these together,
While we were yet weak, sinners, and enemies, Christ the Son died for us
and we were reconciled to God.
For Paul, these "we" may have been "we" who lived in
the same age as he.
But as soon as this epistle becomes one in the Bible, "we" transcend
the time.
In a word, "we" become those that contain those in the ages of the people who read this epistle.
You may think, is it OK? May be only for the age of Paul, isn't it?
It's OK. The Bible has its universality.
It is "Objective we" that support(?) this universality strongly.
"Objective we" include all the people in all the ages.
I don't know Paul did recognized it.
He thought His second coming was near at hand while he was alive, and so
he may have not thinked so(1 Thess. 4:15)
Therefore, we understand that these verses show the state of "Objective we" before the crucifixion of Christ, that is, our old man(Rom.6:6).
We can say similarly about Epesians 2:1-6
[RCV]
Eph.2:1 And you, though dead in your offenses and sins,
2 In which you once walked according to the age of this world, according to the ruler of the authority of the air, of the spirit which is now operating in the sons of disobedience;
3 Among whom we also all conducted ourselves once in the lusts of our flesh,
doing the desires of the flesh and of the thoughts, and were by nature
children of wrath, even as the rest;
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
5 Even when we were dead in offenses, made us alive together with Christ
(by grace you have been saved)
6 And raised us up together with Him and seated us together with Him in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus,
verses 1-2 say, you(gentiles) were dead in your offenses and sins. ...(v.1-2)
And verse 3 says, we(Jews) also all conducted ourselves once in the lusts
of our flesh...
But verse 4 says, God being rich in mercy, ... which He loved us(Jews and
gentiles),
And verse 5-6 say even when we(Jews and Gentiles) were dead in offenses,
made us alive together with Christ,
and raised us up together with Him and seated us together with Him in the
heavenlies in Christ Jesus,
Whien "we"(jews and Gentiles) were dead in offenses and sins,
together with Christ God made us alive and reised us up and seated us in
the heavenlies.
Crucifixion is omitted here but it is clear that we passed through it together
with Him.
As I told above, "you" and "we" transcend the time
and those denote “Objective we“ that include all the people in all ages.
And the events in these verses of Ephesians show our states whlile we were old men and the new man, our ultimate consummation the throne.
This is also our, "subjective we" 's ultimate consummation in
the near future.
END
2017/3/10
東 信男
East Nobuo
(Higashi Nobuo)
ftmp2009(atmark)gmail.com
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