Covenantal nomism, in opposition to
merit
Merit may refer to:
Religion
* Merit (Christianity)
* Merit (Buddhism)
* Punya (Hinduism)
* Imputed righteousness in Reformed Christianity
Companies and brands
* Merit (cigarette), a brand of cigarettes made by Altria
* Merit Energy Company, ...
theology, is the belief that 1st century
Jew
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...
s in the land of Israel did not believe in
works righteousness
In Christian theology, ''legalism'' (or nomism) is a pejorative term applied to the idea that "by doing good works or by obeying the law, a person earns and merits salvation."
The ''Encyclopedia of Christianity in the United States'' defines ' ...
. Essentially, it is the belief that one is brought into the
Abrahamic covenant
According to the Old Testament, the covenant of the pieces or covenant between the parts () is an important event in Jewish history. In this seminal event God revealed himself to Abraham and made a covenant with him (in the site known nowadays a ...
through birth and stays in the covenant through
works
Works may refer to:
People
* Caddy Works (1896–1982), American college sports coach
* Samuel Works (c. 1781–1868), New York politician
Albums
* '' ''Works'' (Pink Floyd album)'', a Pink Floyd album from 1983
* ''Works'', a Gary Burton album ...
.
E. P. Sanders
Ed Parish Sanders (April 18, 1937 – November 21, 2022) was an American New Testament scholar and a principal proponent of the "New Perspective on Paul". He was a major scholar in the scholarship on the historical Jesus and contributed to the v ...
and other proponents of Covenantal nomism do not ask the question of whether this is simply another type of works righteousness, since works are necessary to maintain standing in the covenant. It suggests that the
Jewish view of relationship with God is that keeping the law is based only on a prior understanding of relationship with God.
The "structure" of covenantal nomism can be described as follows:
(1) God has chosen Israel and
(2) given the law. The law implies both
(3) God's promise to maintain the election and
(4) the requirement to obey.
(5) God rewards obedience and punishes transgression.
(6) The law provides for means of
atonement
Atonement (also atoning, to atone) is the concept of a person taking action to correct previous wrongdoing on their part, either through direct action to undo the consequences of that act, equivalent action to do good for others, or some other ...
and atonement results in
(7) maintenance or re-establishment of the covenantal relationship.
(8) All those who are maintained in the covenant by obedience, atonement and God's mercy belong to the group that will be saved.
An important interpretation of the first and last points is that election and, ultimately, salvation are considered to be by God's mercy rather than human achievement.
[ Sanders, E. P., ''Paul and Palestinian Judaism'', Augsburg Fortress Publishers, 1977.]
See also
*
Christian–Jewish reconciliation
Christian−Jewish reconciliation refers to the efforts that are being made to improve understanding and acceptance between Christians and Jews. There has been significant progress in reconciliation in recent years, in particular by the Catholic C ...
*
Judaism and Christianity
Christianity began as a movement within Second Temple Judaism, but the two religions gradually diverged over the first few centuries of the Christian Era. Differences of opinion vary between denominations in both religions, but the most importa ...
*
Legalism (theology)
In Christian theology, ''legalism'' (or nomism) is a pejorative term applied to the idea that "by doing good works or by obeying the law, a person earns and merits salvation."
The ''Encyclopedia of Christianity in the United States'' defines ' ...
*
New Perspective on Paul
The "New Perspective on Paul" is a movement within the field of biblical studies concerned with the understanding of the writings of the Apostle Paul. The "new perspective" was started with liberal scholar E. P. Sanders' 1977 work ''Paul ...
References
External links
* (a
Confessional Lutheran
Confessional Lutheranism is a name used by Lutherans to designate those who believe in the doctrines taught in the ''Book of Concord'' of 1580 (the Lutheran confessional documents) in their entirety. Confessional Lutherans maintain that faithfulne ...
response to E. P. Sanders's Covenantal Nomism).
Christian terminology
Mosaic law in Christian theology
Early Christianity and Judaism
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