To best discuss salvation history throughout the Old Testament, it is essential that one first knows exactly what salvation history is: the order of occurrences throughout human existence where God reveals himself along with His saving actions. This definition may look simple, but it is a lot more complicated than one may think. When looking at the variety of different stories that the Old Testament is composed of, like the call and covenant made with Abraham, the purpose of election, the gathering of the people of God, Israel’s struggles to be faithful along with Israel’s history itself, and the Old Testament’s “openness to the future”, it is evident to see how they create and unify salvation history. These stories of salvation can be seen
…show more content…
A time this call is made to Abraham is when he is told by God that he will have many descendants and the “seed” that will supply him with these descendants will be from his own body, not a donor (Gen 15:4). Abraham, continues to have faith in this promise by God, and eventually his son Isaac is born. By doing this, God deems Abraham head of the family from which his “seed” will come from, and leads to the Abrahamic Covenant. This Abrahamic Covenant is first established when God says to Abraham, “go forth from your land, your relatives, and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you” (Gen 12:1-3). In these few but important lines, Abraham is promised by God that he will receive land and new individuals to fill this land, eventually making Abraham a predecessor of this great new nation. He is the sole predictor in whether all of mankind will be blessed or cursed. Abraham believes in all of God’s promises due to his trust and devotion to God, making him a vital figure in salvation …show more content…
“Election” is seeing the problem at hand through God’s point of view. The concept of “election” works hand-in-hand with the idea of “confluence”, so to understand one, you must understand the other. According to Lohfink, confluence “is the coming-together into a single constellation of three things: the right place, the right time, and the right people” (Lohfink, 32). Election then, means that God alone is making the choice of where to start in the world and where to follow God’s cause. Election occurs when Abraham is selected as the right leader to be a blessing to all nations, as well as Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses (Gen 12:3). This happening during a time when the world was in need is why God elects Israel (Lohfink, 35). Israel’s election reveals an important aspect: God requires a spectator in the world, or more specifically speaking, a people that can make God’s salvation become visible. The selecting of Israel does not reveal any sort of partiality over others, but instead creates a presence for others, making this the heaviest burden in all of history (Lohfink, 26-39). With the election of Abraham and Israel by God, the following step in salvation history is easily
A time this call is made to Abraham is when he is told by God that he will have many descendants and the “seed” that will supply him with these descendants will be from his own body, not a donor (Gen 15:4). Abraham, continues to have faith in this promise by God, and eventually his son Isaac is born. By doing this, God deems Abraham head of the family from which his “seed” will come from, and leads to the Abrahamic Covenant. This Abrahamic Covenant is first established when God says to Abraham, “go forth from your land, your relatives, and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you” (Gen 12:1-3). In these few but important lines, Abraham is promised by God that he will receive land and new individuals to fill this land, eventually making Abraham a predecessor of this great new nation. He is the sole predictor in whether all of mankind will be blessed or cursed. Abraham believes in all of God’s promises due to his trust and devotion to God, making him a vital figure in salvation …show more content…
“Election” is seeing the problem at hand through God’s point of view. The concept of “election” works hand-in-hand with the idea of “confluence”, so to understand one, you must understand the other. According to Lohfink, confluence “is the coming-together into a single constellation of three things: the right place, the right time, and the right people” (Lohfink, 32). Election then, means that God alone is making the choice of where to start in the world and where to follow God’s cause. Election occurs when Abraham is selected as the right leader to be a blessing to all nations, as well as Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses (Gen 12:3). This happening during a time when the world was in need is why God elects Israel (Lohfink, 35). Israel’s election reveals an important aspect: God requires a spectator in the world, or more specifically speaking, a people that can make God’s salvation become visible. The selecting of Israel does not reveal any sort of partiality over others, but instead creates a presence for others, making this the heaviest burden in all of history (Lohfink, 26-39). With the election of Abraham and Israel by God, the following step in salvation history is easily