Journal: Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
Volume: JETS 38:3 (Sep 1995)
Article: Awesome Analogies: Kathōs Constructs In The NT
Author: George J. Zemek, Jr.

JETS 38:3 (September 1995) p. 337

Awesome Analogies:
Kathōs Constructs In The NT

George J. Zemek*

Experiential sanctification 1 is divinely designed to stand soteriologically in the gap between God’s past and future eras of what has been completed in Christ. 2 The Church’s past salvation history is a fait accompli attributed to the inexplicable, sovereign grace of God. As such, its reality is held up before members of Christ’s body as one of the greatest incentives for holy living in the here and now. The same is true in reference to the divinely guaranteed consummation of the soteric process. 3 Consequently the theological indicative of salvation history past (i.e. the historically finalized dimension of “already”) is to function ethically in the experiential “not yet” by lovingly goading disciples forward along a pathway of practical righteousness. From the other end our Lord’s inviolable, inscripturated promises concerning ultimate perfection (i.e. the guaranteed-to-be-historically-finalized dimension of “already”) are similarly intended to function with impact upon his people in the “not yet,” transitional phase by graciously drawing them toward their moral goal of Christlikeness. Therefore our area of acute responsibility is conveyed through a theological imperative to be who we are and ultimately shall be in Christ (i.e. we are to live our lives ethically between the unfathomable bookends of these indicatives). Herein lies the major motif for sanctification according to the NT. 4

* George Zemek is vocational pastor-teacher at Grace Bible Church, Brandon, FL, and lives at 2701 Sablewood Drive, Valrico, FL 33594.

JETS 38:3 (September 1995) p. 338

Means of grace are abundantly offered for the experiential trek associated with the imperative. 5 As far as the eye can see, revelation bridges from God’s Word are provided to span even the most precipitous terrain so that his people might make moral progress. Constituting one group of these bridges is a majority of occurrences of kathōs clauses in the NT. Some operate in a theological arena so as to encourage pilgrims along their journey through vivid corroborations of the veracity of the God of the Word and/or the Word of God. 6 Others, very significantly, operate directly in an ethical arena so as to challenge the travelers, via some very awesome analogies, to make more progress. From the perspective of disciples who are in and of themselves insufficient, thes...