Date
2-7-2025
Department
Rawlings School of Divinity
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Bible Exposition (PhD)
Chair
James Gifford
Keywords
Romans 8, Pauline Studies, New Testament Biblical Theology, Participatory Soteriology, Ontology
Disciplines
Christianity | Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion
Recommended Citation
Wilder, Derek E., "Ontological Overtones of Participatory Soteriology in Romans 8:1-17" (2025). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 6492.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/6492
Abstract
The burgeoning scholarly interest in the concepts of deification and Paul’s “in Christ” participatory soteriology necessitates a deeper exploration of their interrelation with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Regardless of the increase in recent scholarship, the connection between participation in Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit remains underexplored. This study examines the relationship between deification, Pauline participatory soteriology, and pneumatology through an exegetical analysis of Romans 8:1–17. This exegetical framework posits that the believer’s union with Christ initiates a profound ontological metamorphosis, actualized through the Holy Spirit’s immanent indwelling and transcendent relational dynamic. The pneumatological dimension of this transformation is intrinsically linked to Christological participation, aligning with patristic and contemporary conceptions of theosis or deification. The findings suggest a dynamic interplay between Christology and pneumatology in the process of deification, highlighting the Spirit’s crucial function in actualizing the believer’s union with Christ. Accordingly, this ontological reconfiguration engenders significant implications for the believer’s ethical praxis, suggesting a synergistic interplay between divine agency and human moral responsibility. This hermeneutical approach integrates soteriological, pneumatological, and ethical dimensions within a coherent theological paradigm, resonating with both Pauline thought and broader Christian theological traditions.
