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This week we turn the corner from five sections on “The Beginning of Salvation” to two sections on “The Process of Salvation”. While I’m most excited to read the next section on Israel, the process begins here, with “The eschatological tension.” Already / Not Yet, here I come … . . .

This chapter on baptism rounds out Dunn’s entire section on “The Beginning of Salvation”. Dunn took such pains to show how “in Christ”, “justification”, and the “gift of the spirit” fit together, it will be interesting to see how he fits baptism into the picture. . . .

Ah, we’ve made it to the chapter that torments Pentecostals: The gift of the Spirit. Why doesn’t Paul’s discussion of this theme follow the pattern established in Acts? It will be good for this Pentecostal-trained boy to hear what Paul has to say on this topic without Lukan interference! . . .

Now that we’re through that monster chapter on “justification” (the foci of the new perspective), let’s move in a more mystical direction: en Christō. . . .

This chapter’s a biggie. It’s almost double the size of any preceding chapter and, given its subject (justification by faith), it’s easy to understand why. This is pretty much the central doctrine of every Protestant congregation. Let’s hear Dunn’s take on this metaphor. . . .

We’re now turning the corner from Christology to Soteriology. (As I wrote that sentence, I had mental flash-backs to 8 a.m. Bible College classes. Thankfully, I’m far more interested in the subject matter now!) Let’s dive into God’s plan in Christ to save this world. . . .

My particular background in the Christian tradition used to speak of the foursquare gospel: Jesus saves, Jesus heals, Jesus baptizes, and Jesus is coming again. I’m not interested in debating the amount of skew that places on our understanding of Jesus. I want to point out how cherished the topic of Jesus’ second coming is [...]

Now we enter mysterious territory. The question is: how did Paul understand Jesus’ existence before the incarnation, and how does that line up with the Old Testament? I’m really looking forward to this discussion. Let’s get to it. . . .

In this chapter we move from Good Friday to Easter Sunday. Just what is the relationship between Jesus’ death and resurrection? We know that his death is Paul’s most important theme—is his resurrection an afterthought or something more significant? . . .

This chapter transitions us from what we don’t know to what are overwhelmed with. As much as Paul assumes most of Jesus’ life, he makes explicit the significance of his death as a key part of the substance of Gospel. . . .