Download Highlights of the Teachings of Paul

Highlights of the Teachings of Paul
Goals for This Session
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 Five “highlights” of Paul’s teachings
 What Paul had to say to the churches in the 1st
Century
 What Paul has to say to the Church in the 21st
Century
 Gather information from the text and experience
transformation as a result
Biblical Interpretation
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 Determine “what the
text (teaching) says”
 Expose “what the text
means”
Biblical Interpretation
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 Select a specific text for study
 Broaden the study to include the literary context
(verse, chapter, book, whole counsel of God)
 Determine the historical context (date, author,
audience, place, purpose, principles)
 Interpret scripture with scripture
5. The Second Coming
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1 Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to
you, 2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief
in the night. 3 While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will
come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will
not escape. 4 But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this
day should surprise you like a thief. 5 You are all children of the light and
children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6 So
then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. 7
For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at
night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and
love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 9 For God did not
appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus
Christ. 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live
together with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other
up, just as in fact you are doing.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
Thessalonica and Paul’s Letter
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  Written 51 – 52 A. D.
  Planted the church and
left hastily
  Sent Timothy to
encourage and bring a
report
  Wrote in response to his
report
The Broader Context of the Letter
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 Gave thanks for their “work of faith and labor of
love”
 Commended their turning from idols to serve the
living and true God
 Followed with a series of admonitions based on
Timothy’s report
 Urged them to abstain from sexual immorality
Expectation of Jesus’ Return
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 Degenerated into excited and irresponsible
enthusiasm
 Resulted in the neglect of duties of daily life
 Spread rumors that the Lord had already returned
 Confused as to the fate of those who die before the
Lord’s return
Instructions to the Church
  Assured them the Lord will
return
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  “Like a thief in the night”
  “Keep awake and sober”
  “Put on the breatplate of faith
and love and the helmet of the
hope of salvation”
  “Admonish the idlers,
encourage the fainthearted”
Further Instructions
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  13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those
who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who
have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we
believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive,
who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those
who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from
heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with
the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that,
we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in
the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord
forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
 
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Application of Paul’s Teaching
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 What was Paul saying to the Church at Thessalonica?
 What is he saying to us today in regards to the
expectation of the Lord’s return?
 How then are we to live in terms of this hope?
Impact of this Expectation on
Paul’s Life and Teaching
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 Believed Christ’s return was imminent
 Focus of his theological vision
 Framework for his apostolic activity and moral outlook
Belief in Christ’s Imminent Return
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  Fired his sense of urgency
in reaching Spain
  Compelled Paul to reach
the greatest number of
converts before return
  Undergirded his “stay as
you are” rule of thumb
(slave, circumcised,
married, widow)
4. Hot-Potato Issue:
“Meat Offered to Idols”
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 
 
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Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge
puffs up while love builds up. 2 Those who think they know something do not yet know as they
ought to know. 3 But whoever loves God is known by God. 4 So then, about eating food sacrificed
to idols: We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world” and that “There is no God but one.”
5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many
“gods” and many “lords”), 6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things
came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things
came and through whom we live.
7 But not everyone possesses this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that
when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their
conscience is weak, it is defiled. 8 But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do
not eat, and no better if we do.
9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the
weak. 10 For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an
idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols? 11 So this weak
brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12 When you sin against
them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if what I
eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause
them to fall.
1 Corinthians 8:1-13
1
Corinth and Paul’s Letters
  Written 56 or 57 A. D.
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  Two – four lost letters
  Wrote like a father to his
wayward child
  Focus was on problems,
pressures, and struggles of
house/shop churches living
in a pagan society
  “To live like a Corinthian”
The Larger Context of the Letter
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 Expressed concern for factions in the Church as
reported by Chole’s people
 Condemned reported case of immorality – “of a kind
that is not found even among pagans”
 Addressed numerous “hot-potato” issues – lawsuits,
conjugal rights, hairstyles, tongues
 Provided earliest account of Jesus’ resurrection
“Food Sacrificed to Idols”
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  Meat sacrificed to the gods during festivals in Corinth
was sold in the market
  Meals were shared in temples and halls with leftover
meat
  Meat in the diet was limited to such occasions especially
for the poor
  New Christians were perplexed as to whether
participation and the eating of meat constituted idol
worship and compromise
Instructions to the Church
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  “All of us possess
knowledge” – one God
  “Not everyone…has this
knowledge”
  “Their conscience, being
weak, is defiled”
  “Take care that this liberty of
yours does not…become a
stumbling block to the
weak”
Timeless Principles
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  “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up”
  “There is no God but one”
  “Food will not bring us close to God”
  “Weak believers for whom Christ died”
  “Therefore, if food is a cause of their falling, I will never
eat meat, so that I may not cause one of them to fall”
Further Instructions
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  23 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I
have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. 24 No one should
seek their own good, but the good of others. 25 Eat anything sold in the meat market
without raising questions of conscience, 26 for, “The earth is the Lord’s, and
everything in it.”[a]
  27 If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put
before you without raising questions of conscience. 28 But if someone says to you,
“This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, both for the sake of the one
who told you and for the sake of conscience. 29 I am referring to the other person’s
conscience, not yours. For why is my freedom being judged by another’s conscience?
30 If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of
something I thank God for?
  31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 32
Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— 33
even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but
the good of many, so that they may be saved.
1
Corinthians 10:23 - 33
Application of Paul’s Teaching
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  “All things are lawful, but not all things are beneficial”
  “For why should my liberty be subject to the judgment of
someone else’s conscience”
  “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do
everything for the glory of God”
  “Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the Church of
God. Just as I try to please everyone in everything I do,
not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, so that
they may be saved”
Hot-potato?
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  May sound distantly irrelevant after two-thousand years
  What contemporary intra-Christian disputes will seem just as dated and
irrelevant to subsequent Christian generations?
  How Paul sought to resolve this issue may speak time and again today and
in the future
  “Strong” must not despise the weak, and the “weak” must not judge the
strong
  Rather “welcome one another just as Christ welcomed you, for the glory of
God” (Romans 15:7)
  Stand and labor side by side
3. The Nature of the Church
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  27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of
you is a part of it. 28 And God has placed in the
church first of all apostles, second prophets, third
teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of
helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of
tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all
teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of
healing? Do all speak in tongues[b]? Do all interpret?
31 Now eagerly desire the greater gifts. And yet I will
show you the most excellent way.
 
1 Corinthians 12:27 - 31
Broader Context of Paul’s
Teaching
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  Wrote to Corinth 56-57
A. D.
  Wrote to Rome in 57
  Wrote to Ephesians in
60-63 A. D.
  To all, Paul wrote of unity,
spiritual gifts, and places
of service
Two-fold Teaching
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  “Now you are the body of
Christ and individually
members of it” – 1 Cor.
12:27
  “For just as the body is
one and has many
members, and all the
members of the body,
though many, are one, so
it is with Christ” – 1 Cor.
12:12
Instructions to the Church
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  The Church is “the body of Christ”
  The Church is like the human body
  Like the body, the church is made up of many members
  Each member has her or his function/ministry and
contributes to the health of the entire body
  The Church is at its best when the body functions
harmoniously as one body which is God’s design
Further Instructions
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  15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the
body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear
should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not
for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye,
where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where
would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body,
every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part,
where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
  21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say
to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that
seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less
honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are
treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special
treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts
that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts
should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part
suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
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1 Corinthians 12:15 - 26
Romans 12:4-8
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  4 For just as each of us has one body with many
members, and these members do not all have the
same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form
one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given
to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then
prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7 if it is
serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it
is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is
giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it
diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
Ephesians 4:1-13
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  1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life
worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely
humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the
bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you
were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one
faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all
and through all and in all. 7 But to each one of us grace has
been given…11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the
prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip
his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may
be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the
knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to
the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Applications of Paul’s Teaching
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  Embrace the unity given by Christ
  Know that all members have been given gifts and all
members and gifts are necessary
  Discover the gifts given for the common good
  Employ all gifts in Christ-like service and in a variety of
places
  Source of the gifts eliminates arrogance and confusion
2. Salvation by Grace through Faith
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“We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles 16 know that a
person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus
Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be
justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by
the works of the law no one will be justified.
  17 “But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves
also among the sinners, doesn’t that mean that Christ promotes sin?
Absolutely not! 18 If I rebuild what I destroyed, then I really would be a
lawbreaker.
  19 “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. 20
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives
in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God,
who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace
of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ
died for nothing!”
Galatians 2:15 - 21
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15
Circular Letter
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 Written sometime between 53-56 A. D.
 Addressed to the churches he planted either during
the first journey or revisited on the second journey as
well as visits to new communities of faith in Galatia
 Recurrent theme to all the churches where Judaizers
sought to turn the faith of Gentile converts (Romans
and Ephesians)
The Broader Context of Galatians
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 Defended his apostolic authority in the face of
questions and criticism by “false teachers”
 Defended the truth of the gospel of grace against the
false gospel of works
 Explained the gospel of grace
 Applied the gospel of grace
Instructions to the Gentiles
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  “A person is justified not
by the works of the law
but through faith in
Christ”
  “I died to the law, so that I
might live to God”
  “I have been crucified
with Christ, and it is no
longer I who live, but it is
Christ who lives in me”
Applications
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  Salvation is the work of God on behalf of His people out
of His sheer grace
  Believers lay hold of the offered salvation through faith
  God’s mighty act in Jesus has freed the believer from
license (sin) and legalism, to liberty
  The believer is called to stand firm in this liberty and not
return to the bondage of the gospel of works
Clear What Was at Stake
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 “Works without faith” was the issue
being addressed
 “Faith with works” is never the issue
 Remember, the “indicative-imperative”
pattern
1. In Your Own Words
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  A “highlight” of Paul’s teachings for
you?
New Perspective?
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  New perspective called for regarding 1st Century Judaism
  Judaism then was not legalistic but held to the belief that forgiveness was
the gift of a merciful God
  Rules of Judaism was for the sake of preserving identity (circumcision,
sabbath, dietary laws)
  Therefore, new perspective called for regarding Paul and certain teachings
  Yet many 1st Century Jews were legalistic and excessively moralistic and
many of these dogged Paul throughout his ministry
  Indisputable fact is that salvation by grace through faith and not works is
the core truth of Christianity
More Bones or More “Pauls?”
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  In 2006, Vatican archaeologists unearthed a sarcophagus
believed to contain the remains of the Apostle Paul
  Buried beneath the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls
  Carbon-dating tests on the bone fragments point to a time
in the 1st or 2nd Century
  While reverence is called for, what we need are more
“Pauls” or at least a rediscovery of the life and teachings
of Paul in today’s Church