7 Soteriological Semantics: Righteousness and Grace in Wisdom and Romans

Chapter Summary

This chapter introduces the Exodus-soteriology of Wisdom in order to initiate a conversation between Wisdom and Paul on the topic of divine justice and grace. To facilitate this dialogue, the aforementioned sections of Wisdom considered in relation to portions of Romans in which Paul reflects on the revelation of divine righteousness and grace. Stated as a thesis, the argument that in contrast to the symmetrical soteriology Wisdom identifies in the Exodus event, Paul's location of the revelation of God's righteousness and grace in the giving of Christ for the ungodly occasions a contextually radical redefinition of the shared theological terms. Grace is an exercise of divine favour directed toward a fitting recipient that demonstrates the justness of the gracious God. For Paul, the righteousness and grace of God are not exemplified in an event; divine righteousness and grace are an event.

Keywords: divine justice; Exodus-soteriology; God's righteousness; grace; Paul; Romans; Wisdom