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1 thessalonians
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- 1 Thessalonians was probably
written between 50-51 AD.
- It is believed to be the
earliest of the letters of Paul that we now possess, and
therefore it is the earliest piece of Christian
literature.
- It is considered to be
authentic, or written by the apostle Paul himself.
- It was written to the
Christian community at Thessalonica, probably a mix of
gentile and Jewish Christians.
- Thessalonica was a
thoroughly Hellenized city
- A variety of pagan
cults were worshipped there.
- It was a major port
city and capital of the Roman province of Macedonia.
- Acts 17:1-9 tells the story of
Paul in Thessalonica:
- As is typical of his
ministry in Acts,
- Paul first took his
message to the synagogue,
- but eventually he
attracted many God-fearers and gentiles.
- Paul met some kind of
resistance in Thessalonica, apparently from angered Jews
who opposed his message.
- He was forced to leave the
city before he had fully established the church there, and
- when he and his companions
arrived in Athens he sent Timothy back to find out how the
community was faring in his absence.
- Paul was greatly
encouraged by Timothy's news: the community was doing
well.
- It is clear from this letter
that Paul cared very deeply for the community at Thessalonica.
- Among the themes that
stand out:
- Paul’s pride and
thanksgiving in the community (1:2-10; 2:13-16, 19-20;
3:6-13).
- Paul calls the
community his “glory and joy”- his “crown to
boast of in the presence of the lord”
- The Theological
Virtues of Faith, Hope, and Love:
- Mentioned twice,
at 1:3, and 5:8
- Suffering for the sake
of the gospel (2:2; 2:14-15; 3:4).
- Paul states that
he himself has suffered and that he knows what
the suffering
Thessalonians are going through
- Paul compares the
suffering the Gentile community at Thessalonica is
experiencing at the hands of other Gentiles to the
suffering experienced by the churches of God in
Judea at the hands of Jews.
- The notion of
shared suffering creates a bond between him and
the community and strengthens their resolve and
their faith.
- Encouragement to
remain virtuous (2:11-12; 4:1-12).
- Probably at this
time many Christian communities were being
criticized by Jews and Romans who saw their "cultish"
behavior as opposed to the unity of the empire,
- and much of the
criticism was in the form of accusations that they
behaved immorally.
- Paul wants the
church to avoid this image and for its members to
remain upstanding citizens- to avoid further
persecution.
- The second coming and
resurrection of the dead (4:13-18; 5:1-11).
-
Clearly
the issue that most concerned the community was
that many of its members had died while waiting
for Christ's return.
- This was
unexpected- and indication that the community was
apocalyptic and expecting Jesus' return at any
minute.
- Paul assures them
that those who have died will be raised and that
they in fact will be the first ones to join
Christ, with the living coming after them.
- Paul counts
himself among those living, which indicates that
he believes that Christ will return in his own
lifetime.
- See also 1:10- the
“coming wrath”
- Paul also claims
that the “Day of the Lord” will come “like a
thief at night”
- but Christians can
be prepared regardless, because they are children
of the light and the day, not children of darkness.
- Importance of
respecting church authority (5:12-13).
-
Paul
is most concerned with making sure that the
community of the faithful is preserved until the
end time,
- he believes that
maintaining order and stability in the church is
necessary to ensure this.
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1
corinthians
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- Paul established the Christian
community at Corinth in about 51 AD
, during his second
missionary journey.
- Corinth was known as a:
- major seaport city
- where a wide variety of
pagan cults co-existed
- It had been destroyed in
146 BC by the Romans, and re-founded a century later as a
Roman colony.
- It's economy was based on
trade and industry,
- but also on
"pleasure," so much so that the word "Corinthianize"
was slang for immoral behavior.
- Acts 18 discusses Paul's
mission to Corinth. From the letter, we can gather the
following:
- Most but not all of the
congregation at Corinth was working class or poor.
- During Paul's third
journey, he received disturbing news about the church in
Corinth
- it had
factionalized because of a variety of problems.
- Paul wrote 1 Corinthians
from Ephesus in 54-57 AD to respond to these problems.
- Paul spends most of the first
four chapters addressing these problems:
- After Paul left Corinth,
other Christian missionaries (incl. Apollos)came through
the city preaching a gospel possibly different from
Paul's.
- This caused divided
and conflicting loyalties among the Corinthians.
- They believe that
certain apostles possess superior knowledge, and
- they are therefore
superior to others if they acquire this knowledge
(ch.1:10 ff).
- Several members of the
community were trying to surpass one another in displays
of secret knowledge (gnosis?)
- by speaking in
tongues, and using charisms to glorify themselves
rather than to serve God.
- Some of the members have
begun to believe that they are already enjoying the full
benefits of salvation in the here and now as members of
the church.
- Some of the members have
been indulging themselves at the Eucharistic meal, getting
drunk and eating everything before the others arrive; this
is probably class-related; the poor would have shown up
later after a full day's work (11:17-34).
- There was widespread
immorality among the community, particularly in the case
of a man living with his father's wife (ch.5).
- Disputes between those
within the community had gotten so bad that they were
suing one another in pagan courts (ch.6).
- Many were concerned about
whether or not it was sinful to get married, when they
believed the end time was fast approaching (ch.7).
- Some were concerned about
whether or not it is blasphemous to eat meat that had
previously been sacrificed to idols (ch.8).
- Themes & Important
Passages:
- 11:23-26 is the earliest
written account of the institution of the Lord's supper in
the New Testament.
- Paul claims that
discernment is necessary before partaking in the
Eucharist; one must be worthy.
- In 11:29-30, he
implies that those in the church who are ill or dying
are that way because they "ate and drank judgment
on themselves."
- Self-sacrifice. Paul
states that it is more important to build up the church
than to build up one's self:
- In 14:4-5, Paul
applies this to charisms in the church. Speaking in
tongues, he claims, builds up the self, while prophecy
builds up the church.
- In 10:23-30, Paul
addresses the issue of eating meat that has been
sacrificed to idols:
- One should not do it
if it will be a stumbling block to faith, particularly
someone else's faith.
- "Many parts of one
body." Paul asserts in ch.12 that there are many
different spiritual gifts in the community, but all come
from God, and all who possess such gifts are essential
parts of the "body of Christ," or the
Church.
- So all should be
treated equally (12:13). Reference 11:17-22, proper
conduct at Eucharist.
- Chapter 13 is the famous
"Hymn to Love," among the most famous of Paul's
writings.
- Here Paul uses agape
as opposed to eros.
- Eros is love that
seeks to possess another in order to fill an emptiness
in one's self.
- Agape, in contrast, is
"unmotivated," it is totally giving and
concerned only with the well-being of the one loved.
- It begins with God's
love for us revealed at creation (he needs nothing
from us in return), and
- In Paul's mind it is
also the type of love revealed in Christ's sacrifice
on the cross.
- The passage ends with
the mentioning of the so-called "Christian
virtues," of faith, hope and love. Paul claims
that agape/love is greater than any charism within the
Church.
- In Chapter 9, Paul
vigorously defends his rights as an apostle.
- Some in Corinth have
questioned the authority with which Paul speaks (See
also 15:6-9, where Paul places Jesus' appearance to
him on the same level as all of his other
appearances).
- In 10:19-23, Paul
states plainly what he has been willing to sacrifice
for the sake of the gospel.
- The essence of the kerygma
and the resurrection.
- In 15:1-11 Paul states
the essence of the message, an early example of how
Jesus' significance was understood.
- Details about Jesus'
life and teachings are scarce.
- 15:12-58 deals entirely
with the nature of the resurrection; both Jesus' and the
eschatological resurrection.
- Paul argues that when
we are resurrected we will have new/different bodies,
just as Christ had a new body.
- He uses soma (spirit
& body, or spiritual body) rather than sarx
(flesh/corpse). Contrast this to Luke 24:39-43.
- Paul's mission for the
Church in Jerusalem.
- In 16:1, Paul mentions
a collection for the "holy ones," the
disciples who lead the church in Jerusalem.
- Paul's meeting on this
occasion with the Jerusalem Church will have a
profound impact on his message.
- Problematic Passage:
- 14:34-36 has been seen
by many as a later addition;
- in this passage, Paul
asserts that women in Church should not be allowed to
speak. It is questionable for two reasons:
- The passage is
inserted in the middle of a discussion of prophecy
and tongues in the Church, which seems to be the
subject of the entire chapter; it interrupts the
flow of thought.
- It appears to
contradict 11:4-5, where Paul suggests that it is
acceptable for a woman to prophecy as long as her
head is covered.
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2
corinthians
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- After Paul wrote 1
Corinthians, Timothy traveled through Corinth only to find
that the situation there had further deteriorated.
- Paul's first letter had
apparently been ineffective in mending the divisions
within the community.
- Timothy reported this news
to Paul in Ephesus, and Paul immediately set out by sea to
visit the Corinthian church.
- This visit is believed to
be the "painful visit" Paul refers to in 2 Cor
2:1.
- The reason it was
painful for Paul is that someone in the church
confronted him publicly and challenged his authority
as an apostle (2 Cor 2:5-11).
- Paul left the church
humiliated, and planned to pay a return visit after a
brief cooling off period, but he later changed those
plans believing that another visit would only cause
more pain, and instead he wrote a letter "with
many tears" (2:4-3, 7:8-9).
- This letter has
been lost, although some have argued that it is
contained within the text of 2 Cor 10-13.
- Titus carried this
letter, and returned to Paul with the news that
the Corinthians had a change of heart, and sought
to reconcile with Paul (7:5-10).
- Paul wrote 2 Corinthians in 57
AD in response to this promising news
- 2 Cor is among Paul's most
personal letters, and as such it is often difficult to
follow Paul's train of thought or to interpret the
letter's meaning.
- It has been argued that
one reason the letter is so difficult to follow is that it
is actually a compilation of
several letters, and scholars have suggested that
from two to five letters have been edited together to form
the text as we have it.
- It is generally agreed
that there are at least two separate letters present in 2
Cor,
- one in ch. 1-9, and the
other in ch.10-13.
- Letter A: 2 Cor 1-9
- In this letter,
Paul discusses his recent travel plans and recent
dealings with the Corinthians.
- In 2:5-11, Paul
reveals that the "tearful" letter he had
previously sent had resulted in the disciplining
of the person in the community who had publicly
challenged him: here Paul urges the church to
treat him mercifully.
- In 3:7-18 Paul
contrasts the new covenant in Jesus with the old
covenant formed with Moses.
- In ch.8-9, Paul
again brings up the collection for the "holy
ones" in the church in Jerusalem. In the
context of this discussion, Paul explains his
theology of giving.
- Letter B: 2 Cor 10-13
- This section of
the letter is characterized by a sudden, harsh
change in tone which has led many scholars
to identify
this part of the letter with the
"tearful" letter referred to by Paul.
- In ch.10 Paul
offers a bit of biographical information about
himself: apparently his physical presence was
unimposing, causing many of his detractors to
label him as "weak" (10:10). In 10:11,
Paul demands to be
judged by his actions, not his appearance.
- In 11:1-14, Paul
mentions the problem at Corinth about which he is
most concerned: the presence of "superapostles"
who preach a gospel different from his and perform
mighty deeds to back up their claim of having apostolic authority. Paul contrasts himself with these
false apostles by claiming that true authority
comes from suffering for the sake of the gospel,
something both Paul and the Corinthians have done
(11:16-29).
- In 12:2-4, Paul
offers a few details about his experience of the
risen Christ. In 12:7 Paul goes on to mention the
controversial "thorn in the flesh" that
was given to him (see 12:7-9).
- Regardless of how the
letter is divided, its primary theme is clear:
- the true nature of
apostleship.
- Chs. 10-13 focus
on apostleship negatively defined.
- Chs. 2:14-7:4
focus on apostleship positively defined.
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galatians
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- Galatians is critical to our
understanding of the relationship between possessing faith and
(good) works, or in Paul's words, faith and the law.
- It was in Paul's rejection
of justification through the works of the law found in
Galatians (and Romans) that Luther found support for his
rejection of salvation by good works, a key issue during
the Protestant Reformation.
- Galatians has also been used
as a source of valuable historical information about the
relationship between Paul's gospel and the gospel of the
Jerusalem church, led by Peter and James, the "brother of
the Lord."
- The two most likely dates are:
- 54-55 AD from Ephesus, and
therefore one of Paul's earlier letters.
- 57 AD from Macedonia, and
therefore a later letter.
- It is not written to one
church, but to a
group of churches in the Roman province of Galatia.
- Paul apparently never
intended to establish churches there, but while traveling
through the area he was stricken with an illness (4:13)
that made travel impossible, so he changed plans and
settled temporarily in Galatia to preach his gospel.
- After Paul left Galatia to
continue his mission, the region was visited by Jewish
Christians (probably from Jerusalem) preaching a different
gospel.
- Apparently, many
of the Galatians were won over by this new gospel
and had begun to question Paul's authority.
- They were convinced that
Paul had taught them an incomplete or abbreviated gospel
in order to convert them quickly,
- a gospel that failed
to mention such requirements as circumcision or
observance of the law.
- They may have claimed
that Paul's gospel was not directly from Jesus at all,
but had come from other humans.
- Paul wrote Galatians in
response to this challenge (see Ch.2).
- It is an apologia
(apology) or defense of Paul's interpretation of the
gospel.
- The Galatians may have
also been convinced by the newcomers that Paul's gospel
lacked authority because he did not know the earthly
Jesus, as the apostles had.
- After all, Jesus
himself was Jewish and had been circumcised in
accordance with the covenant, and he had never
exempted anyone from circumcision (see also Mt
15:21-28).
- Also, all of the
apostles were still keeping the food and purity laws.
- It is important to
remember that all of Galatia was pagan, so there were
no Jews already familiar with Judaism among the
converts.
- Both gospels were new
to the Galatians, and Paul probably did not have to
spend a lot of time arguing against the claims of
Judaism during his initial visit.
- The Letter itself:
- Galatians is the only
undisputed Pauline epistle without a thanksgiving (see
1:6-10, compare to 2 Cor 1:3-5; 1 Cor 1:4-5; 1 Thess
1:2-5), an indication of
how disappointed Paul is with the Galatians.
- The letter is modeled
after a courtroom setting, with Paul as the defendant, the
newcomers as the accusers, and the Galatians as the judge.
- Paul seeks to defend his
claim that his gospel came from a divine source rather
than a human one. He defends the legitimacy of his gospel
by means of six arguments from experience and scripture:
- 3:1-5
- Paul claims that
the Galatians first received the spirit through
faith in Paul's proclamation of Jesus.
- If this was
sufficient when he was there, what has changed?
- 3:6-14
- The newcomers
claim that circumcision is necessary because of
Abraham's covenant with God.
- Paul claims that
God promised to Abraham that all nations would be
blessed- independent of circumcision- because God
judged Abraham as righteous as a result of his
unwavering faith.
- 3:15-25
- Paul claims that
the law came 430 years after the covenant with
Abraham, and cannot nullify it.
- Instead, the law
was intended only as a disciplinarian until Christ
arrived (see esp. 3:16).
- 3:26-4:11
- Paul claims that
before the Galatians knew Christ, they were slaves
to the elemental powers of the world, and now they
have been freed.
- Why would they
want to become slaves again, this time to the law?
- 4:12-20
- The Galatians
treated Paul well when he was sick, how then could
he be an enemy?
- 4:21-31
- When the newcomers
appealed to Abraham, Hagar, and Sarah, they drew
the wrong lesson.
- Hagar represents
the earthly Jerusalem, the Jews who had rejected
Jesus as the Messiah, not the Gentiles.
- Sarah represents
those who have been made free through faith in
Jesus, not those who observe the Mosaic law.
- An interesting
interpretation: Jews are not the children promised
to Abraham, but Christians are.
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philippians
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- Philippians is difficult to
date but
- it is probably written
between 50-60 AD,
- from Ephesus, Caesaria, or
Rome (all places where Paul was imprisoned).
- Philippi was a kolonia, or
settlement of retired Roman troops.
- it was a major Roman city
- a century before Paul
visited there (42 BC), Mark Antony andOctavian had
defeated Brutus and Cassius, Julius Caesar's assassins.
- Veterans from that war had
settled in Philippi.
- Philippi became the city where
Paul founded his first church in Europe.
- Paul's situation in Philippi:
- 1:7,13,17 indicate that
Paul was in prison while writing- but there is no
indication of where.
- 1:19-21 & 2:17
indicate that Paul has accepted the possibility that death
is near, but why? Execution? Age? Health? Martyrdom? No
indication is given.
- The unity of Philippians has
been challenged,
- scholars see 2-3 letters
edited together in the letter as we have it;
- the key break is at the
end of ch.2 and the beginning of ch.3.
- But the debate is far from
resolved, as all parts of the letter share a vocabulary
that is rare among Paul's letters.
- The letter itself:
- Greeting:
- mentions overseers
("episkopos" a term that later came to mean
"bishop") and ministers ("diakonoi"
a "deacon").
- the only undisputed
letter that mentions these offices together.
- The mention of these
offices in other letters has been used as a way of
determining authenticity
- the two offices became
important in the church only as it began to develop
and become more structured.
- During Paul's ministry
these two words are presumed to have a different
meaning
- so see 1 Tim
3:1-13, where the two words are translated
differently and in a different context.
- Paul's imprisonment is key
to understanding his theology in this letter.
- In 1:12-18, Paul
states that he is suffering as a result being jailed,
but that this suffering is encouraging him rather than
discouraging him, because it is advancing the gospel.
- While in prison, Paul
is forced to contemplate death, and in 1:20-26 he
wonders which is better
- to die and be with
Christ or
- to continue
preaching the gospel.
- Key themes:
- 1:27-30:
Christians must "struggle together"
for the sake of the gospel, just as Christ and Paul
himself have suffered
- 2:1-4: Christians must
be "of the same mind" acting not out of
selfishness but out
of humility, seeking the benefit of everyone rather
than one's self.
- Paul sees three
challenges to unity in Philippi:
- Internal
dissent (4:2-3), brought on by a lack of
humility.
- External
opposition (1:28-29) from pagans who oppose
the strange teachings of Christianity and
appeal to local authorities to have them
controlled.
- The
"evil-workers" (3:2-11); there were
some in Philippi who were trying to convince
the church that circumcision/the Mosaic law
was necessary for righteousness. 3:7-11 is
Paul's response.
- 2:6-11: the "Hymn
to Christ."
- It is the most
famous passage in this letter.
- Most likely it was
an early Christian hymn not written by Paul but
preserved by him in this letter.
- If the hymn
pre-dates Paul's letters, it may offer us a
glimpse of how Christians in the early church
understood Jesus' significance.
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philemon
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- Philemon was probably written
between 55-63 AD, from as unknown location.
- In 1:9, Paul mentions both
that he is
- in prison
- and that he is an
"old man,"
- This is the only undisputed
letter written to an individual rather than a community.
- Philemon was apparently a
church leader with whom Paul was close, and he apparently
learned about the gospel from Paul. Paul believed that
Philemon was indebted to him for this.
- Onesimus was a slave who
has escaped from Philemon (possibly because he has stolen
money; see 1:18-19) and had somehow met up with Paul.
- Onesimus asked Paul to
intervene in the dispute between him and his master, to
make it possible for him to return home unpunished.
- Paul asks for this and
more: He asks Philemon to take Onesimus back not as a
slave but as a "brother in Christ."
- More importantly, Paul's
real purpose for writing the letter becomes clear:
- He wants Philemon to
free Onesimus
- so that he could
return to Paul and continue to help him preach the
gospel.
- In 1:11, Paul
describes Onesimus as "useful," a play on
Onesimus's name, which is Greek for
"beneficial" or "useful."
- Most likely a
nickname, as such was customary among slaves in
Rome (other ex.: Fortunatus= "Lucky";
Felix= "Happy").
- Paul's attitude towards
slavery in this letter has been long debated, since he
seems to have so little to say about the institution
itself.
- The most likely reason
for this, however, has to do with Paul's eschatology:
- He believes that Jesus
is going to return any moment, and therefore
attempting any long-term social reforms would be
irrelevant.
- In 1:24, the names
"Mark" and "Luke" are mentioned;
tradition claims that these are the two that wrote the
gospels of the same names.
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romans
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- Romans was probably written between
57-58 AD from Corinth.
- Paul had never been to Rome,
making Romans
the only letter written by Paul to a church he did not found.
- The Roman church had been
founded in the early 40's AD by Jewish Christians (possibly an
apostle, Peter traditionally) from Jerusalem.
- The community was probably made
up originally of Christians who practiced the Mosaic law,
- but by the time Paul writes
his letter the community seems to be shifting towards a
Gentile-Christian majority.
- The community is primarily
Gentile by the time the Gospel of Mark is written from Rome
in 65-75 AD.
- During Paul's day, there
were 40k-50k Jews in Rome.
- Such a strong Jewish
presence meant that Christians probably started out
worshipping in the synagogue with Jews,
- but were forced out as
tensions rose between Jews and Romans, and then between the
different sects of Judaism.
- Paul intended to travel to Rome
after dropping off his collection for the church in Jerusalem,
on his way to begin a mission in Spain.
- The letter is intended as an
introduction of Paul's gospel to the Romans.
- Ironically, if Paul eventually
did make it to Rome, it was probably as a prisoner of the Roman
empire, and he probably remained in prison there until his
execution in 62-64 AD, during the reign of the emperor Nero and
after Nero had blamed a fire in the city on the Christians,
starting a persecution of the Christians living there.
- The Letter Itself:
- 1:3-4
Paul mentions that Jesus fulfills the Jewish concept of
the Messiah (as son of David), but that his power as son of God
comes from the spirit through his resurrection, and not because
he happens to conform to any Jewish idea of the Messiah.
- 1:16-17
Salvation comes to everyone, but "for Jew first, and
then Greek." Paul does not want to deny the importance of
the Jews in God's overall plan for salvation, but he wants to
make it clear that everyone is included in that plan.
- Paul's Argument:
- The Problem with the world,
according to Paul, is this:
- All stand condemned before
God (1:18-3:20).
- God has made the truth about
himself visible to everyone in creation.
- The potential to know God
has been available to all, but all have perverted it.
- The gentiles have perverted
the truth by failing to worship the creator and instead
worshipping the creation in the form of idols (1:18-32).
They worship a created thing which they can control rather
than the creator. Because they have failed to acknowledge
God's sovereignty, and to see God's law revealed
within creation, God has responded by letting them
fall under the power (become slaves to) their own impulses
(the elemental powers?). As a result, human reasoning is
corrupted.
- Jews also have failed,
because they were given the law and circumcision but failed
to practice them and so stand condemned (2:1-29). Both Jew
and Gentile alike are under the power of sin, and both stand
condemned before God under the law, be it the law of Moses
or the law of nature.
- Fortunately for us, the problem
has a solution:
- God has a solution:
Salvation through Christ's death (3:21-31). While the Mosaic law may make one aware of sin, it cannot
resolve it. The solution comes through Jesus' sacrifice,
because he is the fulfillment of the law. Faith in this
sacrifice opens up the possibility of salvation, and since
both Jews and Gentiles are capable of faith, both can
receive salvation.
- To those who say that Paul is
being blasphemous , that his teachings are contrary
to Judaism, he responds:
- The truth of Paul's gospel
can be proven by reference to sacred scripture (4:1-25). As
in Galatians, Paul uses Abraham as the archetypal example of
the type of faith that earns one salvation. Abraham's trust
in God's promise made him righteous, and his true descendants are those who
trust in the fulfillment of God's promise- namely Jesus.
- This, according to Paul, is how
Jesus fits into the Old Testament story:
- Christ's death and
resurrection free those who have faith from the powers of
sin and death in the world (5:1-8:39). Sin and death entered
this world because of Adam's disobedience, but through
Christ's obedience they have been conquered. Those who have
faith are united with Christ and participate in this
victory.
- It is important to
understand exactly what Paul means by sin. He is not
referring to moral failure or "sinful behavior,"
but rather to a basic human disposition. Paul uses two
different ideas about sin throughout this letter; each idea
representing a different worldview.
- Paul uses the
Hellenistic idea of sin/evil: It is a cosmic power that
exists in the world independent of the actions or
dispositions of humans. This is the sin that Adam
allowed to enter the world.
- He also uses the Jewish
idea of sin: It is an act of rebellion or turning away
from God. Sin is the act of
refusing to acknowledge one's dependence on God
and trying to assert one's own value or worth
independent of the creator. It breaks down our
relationship with God, creating distance between us and
our creator. It is, in the end, a form of idolatry. It
leads one to believe that we can establish our worth
through our own effort ("works"), but this
inevitably requires such constant effort that it becomes
a form of slavery.
- Paul sees Jesus as a
"second Adam." While the first Adam allowed sin
and death to enter the world by disobeying God, Jesus allows
grace (a gift of God's love, freely given) to enter the
world to defeat death by offering eternal life. It will also
be used to defeat sin at the parousia, but in the meantime,
Christians must still battle against sin by trying to be as
Christ-like as possible.
- Not only can Paul's gospel be
supported from scripture, he claims that it is the correct
interpretation of scripture:
- Paul's gospel is consistent
with Israel's history and represents a fulfillment of God's
promises (9:1-11:36).
- One might ask, if God has
made salvation available to both Jew and Gentile alike, has
God gone back on his promises to Israel?
- Paul says no, that God
has all along promised to make a nation of people who
were "not his
own" (9:19-29), rejecting some but not all of the
Jews in the process.
- In fact, Paul says that
God has used the
salvation of the Gentiles to bring about his ultimate
purpose, which is the salvation of the nation of Israel
through this "remnant."
- But doesn't giving up the law
lead to lawless or immoral behavior?
- Paul claims that a law-free
gospel does not lead to lawless behavior (12:1-15:13).
- Those who are true followers
of Christ must give of themselves in accordance with
Christian love/agape, and such giving demands that they be
upright/moral citizens as they await salvation.
- In fact, this is the
"new sacrifice" that replaces the cultic acts of
sacrifice associated with the temple.
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The
Narrow Gate
2003-2004 |