A Brief Book Summary from Books At a Glance
by Steve West
Table of Contents
1 Thanksgiving as God-Centeredness
2 Thanksgiving within the Covenantal Traditions
3 Thanksgiving and Covenantal History
4 A Life of Thanksgiving
5 Thanksgiving and the Future
6 Ingratitude
Appendix: Pauline Thanksgiving and the Greco-Roman Benefaction System
Summary
Chapter 1: Thanksgiving as God-Centeredness
There is no NT author who mentions thanksgiving more than Paul. He is the only author to call the church to thanksgiving, and he does so frequently. Even though more than three-quarters of the NT references to thanksgiving come from Paul, this theme has not been fully explored in works that examine Pauline theology and ethics. A focus has sometimes been placed on the thanksgiving theme in the introductory sections of Paul’s epistles, but we must not separate those sections from the rest of his material on this topic. Paul’s thanksgiving is not mainly offered in response to gifts received, but rather is often praise given to God for God’s work in the lives of others. Paul’s thanksgiving is given directly to God rather than other people. It can have an eschatological element, where Paul thanks God for what God will do in the future for his people. Thanksgiving stands as the ethical response to God; ingratitude is tied to sin and is a characteristic of unbelievers. Given what God has done for us in Christ, Paul calls us to be thankful in all circumstances.
In Philo, we find a wider context for thanksgiving that should help us interpret the concept in the OT. For Philo, thanksgiving is part of the essence of a right relationship with God; it is tied to proper expressions of theology and the supremacy of God. Thanking God is a way of praising him, and in the OT praise is often the thanks-response to God for his goodness and mercies. In fact, thanksgiving and praise can be identical, and when we respond to the gifts of God, worship and thanksgiving merge into one. Paul’s view of thanksgiving is not a matter of social etiquette, it is worship. Praise, blessing, and thanksgiving are inseparable. Giving God glory is an act of thanksgiving, and thanking him gives him glory. Since worship is God-centered, thanksgiving is God-centered. Giving God thanks is the right way to acknowledge his character and works. We are completely dependent on God and should be filled with gratitude for all that he is and does for us. This gratitude expresses itself in thanksgiving to our Creator and Sustainer. Having been saved by grace, we return praise in thanksgiving. It is God himself more than his gifts that should be the focus of our thanks. It is because of Paul’s theological and Christological focus that thanksgiving is only given to God rather than others. . . .
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