Quote:
Originally Posted by JJ
House law is the literal translation of the Greek word sometimes translated economy. Since Paul said his purpose in writing to Timothy was so he would know how one should conduct oneself in the house of God . . . .
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I would not presume that just because Paul was talking about the house of God that the term should be understood in its most primitive form. There are many words that may have origins in separate terms spliced together that over time almost never mean what the original terms meant.
If we go back to find what kinds of teachings that might be included in the collection that Paul referred to as resulting in God's economy, I think we should consider what it was that Jesus commanded the disciples to preach/teach. It is found in the typically ignored part of the so-called great commission where he said to "teach them to obey all that I have commanded." If you look back at the breadth of His teachings over the prior 3+ years, there is much that goes way beyond what would be distilled down to a household administration. Surely that is included in there, but there is so much more.
And that is the point. It is not "simply" anything. It is always so much more. It is clearly not some straight jacket by which to restrict the content of teachings, but the descriptor of the tremendous diversity of what the combination of all the healthy teachings produce. While it may seem that this is much more than how we ought to conduct ourselves in the house of God, I would disagree. If you do not see the fullness of what God is doing, you can't properly realize the fullness of the God in whose house you are coming to worship and fellowship.
As for Paul's other letters, I was struck by a particular phrase in the letter to Titus in which Paul said that grace teaches us to obey. And for those who think of grace as some unmerited favor, and the thing that keeps us from needing to do works, it would seem that it also directs us on how to obey (i.e., do works). And if we are not obeying (doing) then we are not really experiencing what grace provides. I'm pretty sure that taking your spiritual temperature and determining that you do not yet have enough (whatever — dispensing, grace, time in the faith, etc.) to do the obedient thing is to reject the call of Paul to walk in (set your mind on) the Spirit. To reject Peter's word when he said we have all we need. To reject that Jesus is the way — not just to some future reward, but to live the life abundant right now.