MM Thomas - Life, Legacy and Theology

THEOLOGY OF MADATHILPARAMPIL MAMMEN THOMAS
the end, sinful human beings will always need the fear of moral law in their own
conscience, and when that fails the fear of the law of State, with the Police behind it.
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In the ‘penultimate’ reality of the world before the end in Christ, when creativity
can turn so easily into destruction and exploitation, questions of law and justice demand
constant revision and accountability. Here the Cross becomes not a once for all
occurrence but a vital daily reality in the world, challenging structures of power manifest
in the form of class, caste or nation, in order to redress the balance of power in favour
of justice.
3.5. Consummation of the Kingdom
In a sermon to a group of graduating students at United Theological College,
Bangalore, M.M. Thomas reminds those gathered of the core of Christian Gospel
message: “Then comes the end, when he [Jesus] delivers the Kingdom to God the
Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign
until he has put all his enemies under his feet.” 186 (I Cor. 15:24-25) Here Thomas
points to the end, when Christ delivers the Kingdom to God. Expressing the
significance of this passage, he writes:
This whole Corinthian passage is most significant for an understanding
of the Gospel of Christ. It speaks of its various dimensions. It is the
Gospel of the Risen Christ as the guarantee of the resurrection of all
men in Christ. It is the gospel of the kingly rule of Christ, overcoming sin
and all the structures of evil, and finally death itself, and of the end-event,
namely the conversion of the kingdoms of this world into the Kingdom of
God through
Christ. 187
Ultimately, therefore, salvation is interpreted by Thomas in eschatological terms.
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