PAUL THE APOSTLE 6
PAUL THE APOSTLE 6
Romans. After introducing himself, Paul sets out his qualifications and explains his reason for writing. He makes God's righteousness the theme of the epistle and then shows that all humanity is in need of salvation. The only way anyone can be saved is by believing in Jesus and the redemption He has purchased for them with His blood. Paul explains the impact and implication of what God does in Christ for Christians, and how the result of salvation is a victorious new life which results in Christians' ability to overcome sin, because Christ's obedience to God has reversed the results of Adam's disobedience. At the heart of salvation is the Christian's continuous but victorious battle with sin under the empowering of the Holy Spirit.
Paul emphasises the fact that the righteousness of God is demonstrated in His faithfulness to all His promises, even to Israel, notwithstanding that they rejected Christ. Their rejection of the gospel and antagonism toward God did not cause God to totally reject them however. He has merely set Israel aside temporarily and given the gospel to the Gentiles until His purpose is fulfilled in the Gentiles. Paul admonishes Christians to live transformed lives in practical obedience to God. Transformed lives will be demonstrated by good stewardship of Spiritual gifts, in fulfilling obligations to the state, in making love supreme, not engaging in sin and fulfilling fleshly desires and in nurturing, bearing with and building up Christians weaker in the faith. Paul then speaks of his ministry and of his plans to visit both Spain and Rome. In closing, Paul commends Phoebe to the brethren in Rome - she delivered the epistle for him - and sends greetings to many Christians there who he personally knew, he concludes by lifting up God in praise (CP 1:1 - 16:27).
1 Corinthians. After his salutation, Paul reminds the Corinthians that they were not saved by persuasive doctrines of human wisdom, but by the foolishness of preaching the gospel, not with enticing words, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that their faith would not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. Paul's purpose for writing this epistle was to instruct them how to mend the divisions in the church caused by factionalism and a party spirit. Paul spends the first four chapters addressing this issue. The Corinthians were spiritually immature and carnal, and Paul warns them against a party spirit factionalising the church and defiling it. He outlines the role of apostles in the Divine order in the form of a rebuke for the Corinthians, not to shame, but to admonish them.
Paul commands the members to excommunicate one in the church committing incest with his stepmother. He reproves them for prosecuting one another in civil courts before unbelieving judges, when others in the assembly were quite capable of judging the matters. He stresses the need for moral purity in the church. He deals with various phases of the subject of marriage, advising unmarried Christians to marry rather than engage in illicit sex, and married Christians on how they are to treat each other. Paul commends his own celibate state, but advises anyone unable to contain themselves to marry. He forbids divorce except by unbelieving spouses. He forbids Christians altering their status in life to try to improve their standing with God - the Christian calling is not defined by status, but by obedience to God's word. Paul advises virgins and single men not to marry but assures them they are not in sin if they do. His main concern is that once Christians marry they can no longer give their undivided attention to the things of God - the compelling necessity for married Christians to look after each other restricts their capacity to devote all their attention to God.
Paul stresses the fact that mature Christians demonstrate their love for those weaker in the faith by exercising self control and not participating in the things their faith allows, but which the weaker Christian's faith does not, and which would cause them to sin if they participated. Paul exercised the same self control in his apostolic office. He had the right to be financially supported by the Corinthian church, but he chose not to, lest it hindered the gospel. Paul used the Old Testament example of Israel failing God's grace to warn Christians that they can be redeemed, partake of Divine grace and yet later be rejected by God because of evil conduct. He warns Christians to flee from idolatry, because whatever its form, it involves the worship of demons. Christians must always consider the conscience of other Christians and observe the law of love. Freedom to do anything must be waived if it could damage the conscience of a weaker Christian.
Paul sets the record straight concerning head coverings for women in the church. A woman's long hair is her head covering. In this part of his teaching Paul also reveals that angels are always present in the church, which is why women's heads should be covered with long hair. Also in this section Paul draws out the implications of the nature of the Lord's Supper - it must never be treated as though it was meaningless. Whoever treats it as such is guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord and eat and drink judgement upon themselves. Before they partake, Christians need to examine themselves for any sins they may have committed, and judge themselves by God's word. This is how God chastens His children. Paul next outlines the gifts of the Spirit and their diversity among Christians - not all have the same gifts. He teaches that they must all be exercised in love. Love is the only context in which Spiritual gifts can fulfil God's purpose in the church and it must be the governing principle of all the manifestations of the Spirit. Paul also deals with abuses of Spiritual gifts here