I. Introduction 1:1-9
In this opening chapter, Paul begins with a formal introduction of himself. He asserts the source from whom he obtained his apostolic call and ministry from- the risen Christ and “God the Father” (v.1). He follows with a stern rebuke of the Galatian Christians who have allowed themselves to be duped into to embracing the heretical teachings promulgated by the Judaizers. A. Salutation 1:1-5
Paul establishes his credentials forthrightly and formally. This was crucial in terms of validating the ensuing message of the epistle. His readership, as well as his critics (the Judaizers), needed to be reminded of his apostolic authority as he attacked the heresy that had taken foothold in the Galatian Christian community.
Denunciation 1:6-10
For Paul, the subversive teaching of the Judaizers warranted the pronouncement of a curse (i.e., anathema). The fact that Paul repeats the “anathema” in v.9 speaks to the seriousness of the offense. Clearly, this was a situation that required more than a mere reprimand. Thus, the apostle is not concerned with being socially lauded, esteemed, etc. The transgression was egregious and the consequences should be as well. II. Personal: Paul’s Credentials 1:11-2-2:21
Paul reasserts the authenticity and authority of his apostleship in this section. He does so by describing the unique manner by which he was called to into the Lord’s service (cf. Acts 9:1- 18). Years subsequent to the apostle’s special call (i.e., 3 and 14 years, respectively), he met some of the other apostles (i.e., Peter, James). It was crucial that Paul reassert and defend his divine appointment so that his message to the deceived Galatian believers would be regarded as legitimately apostolic and thus authorative. ...
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...cerning the intent of the Law, sonship vs. slave status, the Law vs. liberty in Christ, and the practical manifestation of justification evidenced in the production of spiritual fruit as the believer “walks by the Spirit”. Perhaps the passage that best represents the message of this theologically robust epistle is Gal. 2:16a which reads, “nevertheless knowing that a man is not
justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus”. This is the message that Paul asserts from his introductory comments in chapter one to his closing comments in chapter six.
Moreover, Christians today will avoid the mistake of the Galatian Christians provided that we continue standing firm in the grace of our Lord Jesus. We must always be mindful of the fact that it is Jesus who is the author of our salvation (Heb 2:10)- the author and perfector of faith (Heb. 12:2).
White, L. Michael. "Paul: His Life and Significance." White, L. Michael. From Jesus to Christianity. New York: HarperCollins, 2004. 143-168. Print.
Without the aid of modern technology, early Christianity had to rely on the missionary trips of its advocates to promulgate news and information. In First Corinthians, Paul’s intention was to spread the new message of God’s Anointed One and change how people led their lives. When Paul made his initial visit to Corinth, he stayed for a substantial amount of time in order to effectively educate the residents of the area. Similar to other letters like his letters to the Galatians, this epistle is Paul’s follow on interaction with the community, in an attempt to clarify details which may have been confused or overlooked during his visit. In passages 1:20-21, Paul expresses his frustration with the community’s lack of appreciation for the message of Christ Jesus. These passages discuss the differences which stand between the wisdom of God and what had been the prevailing wisdom of the world. Prior to the message of Christ Jesus, the wisdom of the world is what was universally known, however, the resurrection has communicated the wisdom of God. This is what Paul and the other apostles are attempting to communicate. The goal of this letter is to delineate the correct wisdom, and to further illustrate the actions and lifestyle required to be a truly devoted believer in God.
With possibly fourteen of the twenty-seven books in the New Testament, and no less than seven attributed to him, the Apostle Paul of Tarsus undoubtedly altered and continues to alter the course of Christianity. Through his extensive mission work, preaching, and letter writing, Paul has left behind an immense legacy that few people in history can compare to. To this day, some two thousand years later, Paul and his writings are extensively researched, discussed, and debated across all of Christianity and much of the non-Christian world. For most practicing Christians, Paul’s teachings from his letters hold extreme weight and significance in their attempt to follow the teachings and life of Jesus in conjunction with the Bible. One such writing of Paul’s that was canonized into the Bible is his letter to the church at Philippi. This work will serve as an introduction to the Pauline epistle of Philippians.
There is a lot of debate amongst scholars about who the author was of this epistle. Some scholars say that it was written by a “Paulinist” which is a follower of Paul who is to be one or two generations from the apostle Paul. Other scholars say that there are many stylistic differences such as; conjunctions, prepositions and pronouns. Many scholars made this argument to be a four pronged pastoral authenticity debate with; historical, stylistic, ecclesiastical, and theological questions about the epistle. Some scholars agreed on the fact that the historical arguments did not match up with the book of Acts but they do not understand how Acts can be used as historical reliability unless this letter was written after Acts which isn’t the case. The vocabulary of this epistle was questioned due to the fact that there were a high number of words used in the New Testament but these words were not used by Paul, they were used by other writers throughout the bible. Therefore scholars assumed that Paul did not write this epistle due to the amount of words used in the letter. This debate did not hold up to other scholars accusations because word counting cannot support the meaning of who wrote the epistle or not. The ecclesiastical issue was that the apostle Paul was writing about something within the church that was apparently after his lifetime although he was continuously in the church speaking in person about some things he put it into writing. This allegation did not have enough evidence for this argument to stand amongst scholars. Some scholars also argued that the theology was Gnosticism of the second century, meaning it was a secondary follower and that it was unlike the apostle Paul to write somet...
Paul then continues on to talk about the way in which the Philippians need to compose themselves and tells them to “stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel” (1:27). He says this because at the time the Philippians had a lot of forces that opposed them, just as Christ did when he was here on earth. Rather then becoming boastful or prideful Paul urges the Philippians to be like a servant who gives all the glory to God and not upon
Davids, Peter H. Theological Perspectives on the Epistle of James. Journal of Evangelical Theological Society. JETS 23:2, 1980.
This has been made profoundly conspicuous by his ability to apply his intense personality to spreading the Gospel. Further to this, his plethora of recorded actions such as convincing citizens in Athens, Paul’s actions at the Council of Jerusalem, and his authaurialship of almost one fourth of the Bible, all coexist as evidence proving Paul’s lasting and highly significant impact on the proclamation and progress of
The issue Paul addressed in Philippians 3 that he already was forced to address in his letter to the Galatians is the justification by faith in Christ and the vision of freedom from the Mosaic Torah. Paul’s mood during this part of his letter was angry. While using the Hebrew language to indicate how he feels.
The Apostle Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, is a central figure within both Christian tradition and New Testament thought and writing. With such a crucial place, it is vital that we come to understand more of his life and thinking, as well as the world in which he and, more specifically, his theology were shaped. With this in mind, this essay will seek to explore Paul’s conversion and call experience as understood from Acts, and his personal references to it, drawing from them the ways in which this time was significant for Paul’s theological thinking, as expressed in his letters and work. To achieve this we will begin by addressing the call and/or conversion debate, arguing that the term ‘conversion and call’ best encapsulates Paul’s experience as reported. From there we will explore the theological implications of this conversion and call, particularly the way in which a distinctive Christocentrism develops and forces new understandings and revisions of his past theological insights
The apostle Paul wrote the epistle to the Galatians around 49 A.D. it is the ninth book in New Testament.Paul writes to the Galatian church they have quickly abandoned the gospel of freedom to return to the yoke of the Law .Paul once known for persacuting the church tries feverntly to reach the Galatia churches to remind them of the grace through faith in Jesus Christ. The introduction in Galations is different from Pauls other writings he goes right into the issue at hand. In Galatians Paul speaks about faith and being free from the law he reminds them of Abrahams two sons one born as a slave and born because of the Promise of God.The theme of the letter to the Galatians is to show them that
And again, “Nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus. . . since by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified.” Gal. 2:16.
Paul’s letter to the Galatians is said to be the first intra-Christian controversy on record because there are so many points Paul tries to make and clear up with the Galatian people that lead to the purpose the law. There are many ideas in Christian theology but the one that stands out the most is the controversy of law. The Galatians turned to a different gospel and this appalls Paul. The Galatians believe that circumcision is the next step that needs to be taken to show their trust in Jesus. Paul, on the other hand, believes it to be unnecessary because there is no need for physical proof to prove their trust and that faith in Christ is enough. “Listen! I, Paul, am telling you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you” (“The Harper Collins” Galatians 5:2). In this essay, I will be describing how Paul proves his argument by his personal experience, the issue of circumcision, hypocrisy, and the justification of law.
Additionally, it is important to understand Luther’s distinction between the Law and the Gospel in order to further explore Luther’s understanding of human freedom. The Law is God’s commands; it allows humans to coexist, limits chaos and condemns sinfulness, though it is not God’s road...
As shown above, the occasional nature of the Galatian Epistle provides a window into Paul’s intentions as well as early Christianity. However, only Paul’s epistle remains. John Barclay, a scholar of the New Testament, explains a critical method used to counteract this predicament called mirror reading. Mirror reading utilizes extant polemical text, in this case Galatians, “as a mirror in which we can see reflected the people and the arguments under attack” (Barclay, 1987, pp. 73–74). While Barclay considers mirror reading an “essential” tool in studying Galatians, he also emphasizes that the method is “extremely problematic” (Barclay, 1987, p. 74). He identifies three general problems that limit the mirror-reading of Galatians: Paul officially writes the epistle to the Galatians and not his opponents; the epistle is very argumentative and not like a “rational conversation”; and, the inability to fully know the linguistic impact of statements on the Galatian community (Barclay, 1987, pp. 74–77). Other scholars like Mark Goodacre and Graham Stanton agree with Barclay by highlighting the uncertainty of when Paul is directly refuting opponents’ claims or simply utilizing rhetoric (Goodacre, 2016a; Stanton, 2001, p. 152). In addition to the importance of these limiting factors when mirror-reading Galatians, they are also important when reading the epistle more
I must admit that I have never been a prodigious reader of Paul. My initial understanding of Paul is that everything points to the cross and therefore away from the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. I have always felt that his proclamation of “Christ crucified” ignored the inclusion of the sayings and works of Jesus prior to his death and resurrection, and because of this, Jesus’ sayings were relegated to second place over and above Paul’s own theological vision.