Fallen Into Knowledge

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form, he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death - even death on a cross.
Therefore God exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father

And,

But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself.

The connection between these two passages, the first from chapter two, the second from the end of chapter three, was first pointed out to me by Andy Teeter and started a revolution for me, theologically. As these things often go, Andy’s comments were very brief - all of 30 seconds worth - but they stuck with me. Basically he pointed out the use of “morphe” in both passages (italicized above) and the word “politeuma” (citizenship). That was all it took.
Well, actually it steeped in my brainpan for a good while, but by the time those comments had infused properly, I had given up on Constantinian-ism.

the Church is a political entity, whose political agenda is shaped by Jesus’ self emptying - a community which is shaped “summorphe” by into the imago dei as we enact the logic of the cross, communally.

How Jesus’s Death on the Cross is Paradigmatic for Christians’ life of love: Love of Christ in Ephesians 3:14-21

The NRSV reads, for verses 18-19a:

I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge

This Love of Christ in verse 19 apparently informs the “as you are being rooted and grounded in love” in verse 17: Christ’s love ought to shape our manner of loving.

The “love of Christ” in verse 19 could be read in several different ways:

1. The love that Christ feels: we should know how much Christ feels love for us. The implication is, that we should experience love in a way what approaches the love that Christ experiences
2. Christ’s act of Love: Namely, the cross. Christ’s act of love on the cross defines for Christians “love”

I am arguing here for the second: that the second reading accords more than the first (which is not a un-biblical reading) with the stream of argument that Paul here is making.
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Paul comes down pretty hard on those who would distort the theology of the church:

But even if we or an angel from heaven should proclaim to you a gospel contrary to what we proclaimed to you, let that one be accursed!

Good doctrine is of utmost importance. I find myself torn between two poles: i sometimes talk with people who are so certain of what they believe that any disagreement with them constitutes heresy. Are all of these people hard-core calvinists? Probably not, but sometimes it feels that way to me. The other group of people with which I talk seems to make the opposite mistake: Theology doesn’t really matter. In an effort to “maintain unity,” some people avoid theological issues to the extent that theology becomes a non-issue. Admittedly, because of the circles I travel in, I see this more often.
Both groups make be very uncomfortable. I want to affirm that theology really does matter, that any amount of time invested in searching out the scriptures and evaluating the conclusions drawn from them is worthwhile. On the other hand, to call someone a “heretic” requires me to first presume that I have the “right answer.” I am uncomfortable making that claim also.
And yet, the force of Paul’s denouncement echoes in my ears.

So, how do I reconcile these two tendencies?
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