- The obedience of faith is a programmatic statement of the main purpose of the letter.

- To bring about the OOF for the sake of the name of Christ is Pauls goal. - See Gen 19:10, Ps 2:8 - The OOF has an eschatological character, Paul sees himself as fulfiling prophecy. - The obedience of faith serves to remove distinctions between Jew and Gentile. - OOF options: hupakoen pisteos: the genitive is deliberately ambiguous! 1. Objective genitive: obedience to faith, the faith or Gods faithfulness. 2. Subjective genitive: the obedience which faith works/required by faith. - could also be seen as a genitive of source. 3. Adjectival genitive: believing obedience. 4. Genitive of apposition: the obedience which consists in faith. (held by majority) - Paul does not use a definite article, like the faith, only - While the genitive of apposition is fair, does it exhaust the meaning of the the phrase? - Cranfield himself admits that true faith includes in itself the desire/ will to obey in all things. - the Old Testament does not set trust and obedience in contrast to each other as separate ways of satisfying the demands of God. emuna comprehends the totality of what we commonly mean in the familiar expression faith and works. Obedience without trust (i.e. obedience not genetically generated from trust) is not the obedience God requires. Only the obedience of trust is reckoned to man as righteousness and everything else is exposed for the sham that it is, lying wind words, false lips and deceitful ways. Conversely, trust inevitably expresses itself in action. Trust in the Lord and do good are two aspects of the same act of will by which man is declared righteous.38 FW Young - D Hill Greek Words and Hebrew Meanings: Judaism has really no place for a rigid distinction between faith and works. Faith can only fully exist when it is embodied in works. Faith is action, this holds true for biblical faith as well as for post biblical Judaism G. Fohrer - But did Paul break with Jewish heritage? - Paul nowhere debates the definition of faith, what he debates is faiths object: Chrrist. - Pauls issue with the Jews was christological/eschatological. - Every other occurrence of obedience language in Paul refers to behavior:
Rom 2:8; 5:19; 6:12, 16, 17; 1 Cor 14:34; 2 Cor 2:9; 7:15; 10:5, 6; Eph 6:1, 5; Col 3:18, 20, 22; Phil 2:12; Phlm 21; Tit 2:5, 9; 3:1.

- Faith is both in the resurrection and in the obedience/means of participation

- Psalm 62:12, Prov 24:12: vindication is for faithful covenant keepers. - 2 Macc 7:9, 4 Macc 17:11-12, Tob 4:9-11, Pss. Sol. 9:3-5 Tob 4:5-11 5 Revere the Lord all your days, my son, and refuse to sin or to transgress his commandments. Live
uprightly all the days of your life, and do not walk in the ways of wrongdoing; 6 for those who act in accordance with truth will prosper in all their activities. To all those who practice righteousness[b] 7 give alms from your possessions, and do not let your eye begrudge the gift when you make it. Do not turn your face away from anyone who is poor, and the face of God will not be turned away from you. 8 If you have many possessions, make your gift from them in proportion; if few, do not be afraid to give according to the little you have. 9 So you will be laying up a good treasure for yourself against the day of necessity. 10 For almsgiving delivers from death and keeps you from going into the Darkness. 11 Indeed, almsgiving, for all who practice it, is an excellent offering in the presence of the Most High

- The Jew would have understood his justification in terms of his faithful practice of the full range of covenant obligations.