There has been an interesting discussion going on at Duncan’s blog, What’s Your Point Caller. You can find the discussion here. It peaked my interest as it was a passage we were looking at with the students in their cells last week. I posted on the student blog an image that NT Wright uses, in his book: "Paul for everyone - Romans"
He tells of watching a beech tree being felled, but to his eyes, the tree looked healthy and fine. If you looked closely you might have noticed a few signs of ill health a the top of tree. But the experts assured him that the tree had to come down, as there was a fungus killing off the root system, so a year or so, the roots wouldn’t hold in a high wind.
When the tree was cut down, for the first 10 or 15 feet of the trunk the outer two or three inches of the trunk were sold, strong wood. But the inside was rotten, and was spreading higher up the tree and down into the roots.
"What looked to the casual passer-by as a fine, solid old beech would have become a serious accident waiting to happen"
NT Wright says this is essentially what Paul is saying about the whole human race and the world is rotten to the core, and although at first glance looks OK, it could come crashing down at any time. This is why the unveiling of God’s justice and salvation (restoration) is so desperately needed.
great analogy…go Wright! Seriously tempted to buy his commentary on Romans now…
It is a good book, but i wouldn’t call is a commentary. It is more a of an explanation of the book of romans, without delving into all the detail of each verse. It’s beauty is its simplicity, without being simplistic. I would certainly recommend it for individuals who are interested in getting more a grasp on the overview of Romans. But i think you could do (able to wrestle) with something more in depth Alastair!
I have Moo on Roman, some Martin Lloyd Jones on Romans too. Moo is excellent, possibly more conservative than my natural inclination. Hence i bought Wright, to get his take too … compare and contrast.
Thanks for stopping bye again … i miss our interactions!