Michael GREEN. The Meaning of Salvation, Redemption and Hope for Today. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 2023. Pp. 256. $29.99 pb. ISBN 978-0-8028-8258-5. Reviewed by Francis BERNA, La Salle University, Philadelphia, PA 19141.
Several months ago, while preaching to university professors, I mentioned that I believe our young adults carry a heavy burden. With a majority of them raised with nominal religious faith, at best, they must create their own sense of meaning and value in life. They lack the experience and language of faith that can speak of hope as well as that which is good. Michael Green concludes his text writing that there is still a hunger for salvation. While first published in 1965, Green’s insight holds as much if not more significance today.
The concluding chapter of The Meaning of Salvation addresses some “current” problems related to understanding salvation. He identifies four: Healing, Universalism, Perseverance, and Modern “Man.” Identifying himself with Evangelical Christianity, Green appreciates the claims in certain circles that salvation manifests itself in physical healings. With the precision of careful textual analysis, the author recognizes healing in the ministry of Jesus, but demonstrates that bodily healing is not a prominent part of the Christian Gospel.
Green takes up the conviction of Bishop J A T Robinson regarding a hope for universal salvation. He shows a good knowledge of the theological arguments of Robinson and others. With a recognition that these theologians may be right, Green again gives a sound perspective that the idea cannot be found in New Testament teaching. Likewise, the author challenges those who believe salvation is accomplished as conversion or baptism in this life. Drawing particularly on the text of Hebrews, Green underlines the possibility of apostasy. He sides with Calvin noting that salvation is completed only in the life to come.
Of importance to those who appreciate the situation of young adults – and more mature adults, Green raises the question, does salvation still make sense? Yes, the New Testament and Green’s text frequently identify salvation in connection with the experience of sin, topics not always understood or valued in the contemporary world. He also identifies salvation as an authentic understanding of self and a God who freely pardons; hope over despair concerning the world situation with the ability to see beyond materialism; and a corporate sense of belonging saving one from frustration and aimlessness in life.
The text arrives at a conviction that salvation still makes sense based on a carefully executed study of the language of salvation in Scripture as well as the cultural context and preaching of the early Church. He demonstrates an excellent familiarity with themes of salvation in the Hebrew Scriptures. His rich use of the Psalms gives the reader a deeper appreciation of these prayers as theological conviction. Green explains well the ideas of realized and unrealized eschatology in Scripture and the life of the church.
Green complements his impressive linguistic analysis with the work of primarily major Protestant theologians of the Twentieth Century. He considers scholars both within and external to Evangelical Christianity. The scholarly reader will appreciate his detailed notations. Lest anyone think Green leaves behind Evangelical theology, quite frequently throughout the text he underlines the gift character of salvation; the absolute necessity of grace and faith for salvation, not human works.
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company has provided a solid resource in reprinting this and nine other works of Michael Green. As noted in the brief biography on the back cover of the text, Green “had a passion for evangelism and a rare talent for communicating complex ideas in easy-to-understand language.” The quality of his scholarship makes his work appealing to Evangelical thinkers as well as Christians in every denomination and Church. The book offers a word of hope for today.