Acknowledge the work of God among them through the works of love characterized in their community. The church is to become the righteousness of God, not just know about it or believe in it. The church lives in between the times. Those who enjoy the blessings are paradoxically those who suffer with Christ in the present age. The sense of imminence of the coming of the Lord heightens rather than negates ethical action.
Redemption is for all creation.
The cross . Paul points to what Jesus did on the cross. His death on the cross is an act of loving self-sacrificial obedience that becomes paradigmatic for the obedience for all who are in Christ. The cross become the ruling metaphor for Christian obedience while the resurrection becomes a sign of hope that those who suffer will be vindicated by God . The twin themes of conformity to Christ's death and the imitation of Christ are foundational elements of Paul's vision of the moral life.