As we get ready for the next BNTC in Aberdeen in early September, I still remember John Barclay's paper from last year on, "Two Versions of Grace: Romans 9-11 and the Wisdom of Solomon". Moreover, I've finally been able to access a quote from that presentation that has stuck in my head:
"The purposes of God are reducible to his will, a will that initially appears equally set to harden or to save, but turns out on closer inspection, and in the end, to harden only in order to save, to hate only in order to love, and to consign all to disobedience only in order to have mercy on all. What has twisted Paul's theology into this strange shape is his understanding of a "gift" that has redefined the meanings of charis and eleos and defies explanation or rationale. That gift is the Christ-event which reconciled the world "while we were enemies" (Rom 5:6-10) and justified the ungodly (4:4-6)"
- John Barclay
- John Barclay
