Paul

{PAUL'S LETTERS}

[Click on the title to open an article]

{GALATIANS}

1. Controversy in Galatia - {PDF Copy} - (The key issue in Galatia is whether Gentiles must be circumcised and keep some, at least, of the deeds required by the Torah)
2. Christ is Risen! - {PDF Copy} - (Paul anchored all that God has done in the resurrection of Jesus, which also inaugurated the Messianic Age - Galatians 1:1-5)
3. Evidence of Sonship - {PDF Copy} - (The Gift of the Spirit demonstrates beyond question who belongs to the covenant community of Jesus, and who does not)
4. Even an Angel - {PDF Copy} - (Paul warned the Galatians not to heed any gospel that deviated from the one preached by him - even if it came from an angel)
5. This Evil Age - {PDF Copy} - (The death of Jesus inaugurated the messianic age with consequent changes in the status of the Law and God’s people)
6. Justified From Faith - {PDF Copy} - (Paul presents the points of agreement and disagreement with his opponents in the assemblies of Galatia – Galatians 2:15-21)
7. The Promise of the Spirit - {PDF Copy} - (The Promise of the Spirit is one of the blessings of Abraham promised by God for the nations and the children of the Patriarch)
8. Having Started in the Spirit - {PDF Copy} - (The receipt of the Spirit while in an uncircumcised state is irrefutable proof that Gentiles are accepted by God AS GENTILES)
9. The Spirit of Life - {PDF Copy} - (The Spirit of God imparts life, especially the everlasting life of which the Gift of the Spirit is the First Fruits, foretaste, and guarantee)
10. Doing the Whole Law - {PDF Copy} - (Anyone who is under the Law is obligated to keep all its required deeds and rituals, and therefore, risks coming under its curse)
11. Why, Then, the Law? - {PDF Copy} - (If a man is not justified from the works of the Law, what was the purpose of the Law given at Sinai?)
12. Limits of the Law - {PDF Copy} - (The jurisdiction of the Mosaic regulations over the covenant community reached its limit with the arrival of Jesus, the true seed of Abraham)
13. One in Christ Jesus - {PDF Copy} - (Returning to the custodianship of the Law would mean rebuilding the wall of separation between Jews and Gentiles)
14. Fullness of Time - {PDF Copy} - (The Law was an interim stage with a termination point, the Fullness of Time when Jesus redeemed those who were under the Law)
15. Rudimentary Things - {PDF Copy} - (The Messianic Age dawned in Jesus, therefore calendrical rituals and other Levitical regulations belong to a now obsolete order)
16. Circumcision - Cutting Issue - {PDF Copy} - (With the new era inaugurated by Jesus, circumcision is no longer the sign of membership in the covenant community)
17. Spirit and Covenant - {PDF Copy} - (The Church and the gift of the Spirit have been integral to the redemptive plan of God from the very beginning)
18. Heirs of the Covenant - {PDF Copy} - (With the outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, the blessings for all nations promised to Abraham commenced)

{THESSALONIANS}

1. Your Endurance of Hope - {PDF Copy} - (The Thessalonians received the Gospel in tribulation but remained faithful while eagerly anticipating the return of Jesus – 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10)
2. Waiting for Him - {PDF Copy} - (The Thessalonians began to serve the Living God and now eagerly await His Son’s arrival from Heaven – 1 Thessalonians 1:8-10)
3. Appointed for Tribulation - {PDF Copy} - (The disciple who faithfully bears witness to the Gospel and Jesus will endure tribulation and persecution for his sake)
4. His Return - {PDF Copy} - (The arrival of Jesus will mean the resurrection of the dead, the commencement of the New Creation, and the final judgment)
5. Crown of Glory - {PDF Copy} - (If the Thessalonians continue to emulate the apostolic example, they will receive the Crown of Glory when Jesus arrives from Heaven – 1 Thessalonians 2:1-20)
6. Blameless in Holiness - {PDF Copy} - (Paul prays for the Thessalonians to be found holy and blameless on the day when Jesus arrives in glory – 1 Thessalonians 3:13)
7. Meeting Jesus - {PDF Copy} - (Paul responded to concerns about the dead in Christ by pointing to the resurrection that will occur when Jesus arrives from Heaven – 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
8. Sanctified Wholly - {PDF Copy} - (Considering the future arrival of Jesus, Paul summons the Assembly to become sanctified completely by that Day – 1 Thessalonians 5:23)
9. Sorrow Not - {PDF Copy} - (Foundational to the believer’s future hope is the bodily resurrection of the righteous dead when Jesus arrives in glory)
10. Redemption, not Abandonment - {PDF Copy} - (Salvation includes the bodily resurrection and the New Creation that will take place at the arrival of Jesus)
11. Just Judgment of God - {PDF Copy} - (The arrival of Jesus will mean vindication and rest for the righteous, but everlasting loss for the wicked - 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10)
12. Times, Signs, and Seasons - {PDF Copy} - (Paul does not detail the times and seasons since the Thessalonians understand that the Lord will come like a thief in the night – 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11)
13. Disinformation - {PDF Copy} - (Disinformation about the day of the Lord caused alarm in the congregation at Thessalonica – 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2)
14. Two Missing Events - {PDF Copy} - (The Man of Lawlessness must appear, and the apostasy must occur before the Day of the Lord commences)
15. The Apostasy - {PDF Copy} - (Paul warned the Thessalonians of the future apostasy which he linked to the unveiling of the Man of Lawlessness, the Son of Destruction)
16. The Son of Destruction -  {PDF Copy} - (Many saints will apostatize when the Lawless One, the Son of Destruction, seats himself in the sanctuary of God)
17. Seated in the Sanctuary - {PDF Copy} - (The Man of Lawlessness will be unveiled when he seats himself in the House of God - 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4)
18. Until Revealed - {PDF Copy} - (The mystery of lawlessness is at work preparing the way for the unveiling of the Lawlessness One – 2 Thessalonians 2:5-7)
19. Lying Signs and Wonders - {PDF Copy} - (The Lawless One will use lying signs and wonders to deceive saints into abandoning the faith)
20. Lawless One Destroyed - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus will destroy the works of the Lawless One and paralyze him at his glorious arrival on the Day of the Lord)
21. Stand Fast! - {PDF Copy} - (Believers prepare for the Apostasy and the coming Man of Lawlessness by standing firm in the apostolic tradition)
22. The Sanctuary of God - {PDF Copy} - (The New Testament applies Temple language from the Hebrew Bible to the Assembly, the Body of Christ, the true Sanctuary of God)

{CORINTH}

1. Power and Wisdom - {PDF Copy} - (The power and wisdom of God are revealed in the proclamation of the Messiah who was crucified on a Roman cross)
2. The Spiritual Man - {PDF Copy} - (The spiritually-minded man understands that the Gospel of Christ Crucified is God’s true power and wisdom - 1 Corinthians 2:14)
3. The Ends of the Ages - {PDF Copy} - (The Apostle Paul linked the commencement of the Last Days to the death and resurrection of Jesus, the hinge on which History has turned)
4. Final Events - {PDF Copy} - (In explaining the future resurrection, Paul lists key events that will precede or coincide with the arrival of Jesus at the end of the age)
5. Day of Christ - {PDF Copy} - (The return of Jesus will be the Day of the Lord when the dead are raised, the wicked are judged, and death will cease)
6. The Death of Death - {PDF Copy} - (The arrival of Jesus at the end of the age will mean the termination of the Last Enemy, namely, Death)
7. Ekklesia - Assembly - {PDF Copy} - (The Christian use of the term church or ekklésia is derived from the assembly of Yahweh gathered for worship in the Hebrew Bible)
8. Life-Giving Spirit - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus dispenses the Life-Giving Spirit without which there is no enduring life. His words are spirit, and they are life)

{PRISON LETTERS}

1. Beginning and Firstborn - {PDF Copy} - (Paul emphasized the exalted position of Jesus that he attained through his Death and Resurrection to the Colossians – Colossians 1:18-19)
2. Until the Day of Christ - {PDF Copy} - (Paul expresses his goal of going on to perfection, a process that will culminate in our physical resurrection when Jesus arrives)
3. One Spirit, One People - {PDF Copy} - (By his death and resurrection, Jesus formed one covenant community - One New Man - based on faith in him, not ethnicity or nationality – Ephesians 2:11-22)
4. The Suffering Servant - {PDF Copy} - (Disciples are summoned to adopt the same mind that Jesus had when he poured out his life unto death for the sake of others – Philippians 2:5-11)
5. The Mind of Christ - {PDF Copy} - (The submission of Jesus to an unjust death becomes the paradigm for the love and service to others that disciples are summoned to manifest)

{ROMANS}

1. Concerning His Son - {PDF Copy} - (Paul introduces his ministry to the churches of Rome and begins his exposition of the Gospel by identifying Christ’s qualifications as Messiah)
2. The Power of God - {PDF Copy} - (In Romans, Paul presents his Gospel from humanity's plight due to sin to the resurrection of the dead and the New Creation)
3. The Message - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus summoned his disciples to proclaim the Good News of his Kingdom to every inhabited corner of the Earth)
4. From Faith For Faith - {PDF Copy} - (Men are not set right before God from the works of the law but from the faith of Jesus Christ)
5. Salvation and Wrath Revealed - {PDF Copy} - (Paul presents his gospel to the assemblies of Rome, a message about God’s righteousness and wrath for all men)
6. Food and Calendars - {PDF Copy} - (Paul argues for tolerance on matters of food and the observation of holy days – The shadows now find their fulfillment in Jesus)
7. The Works of the Law - {PDF Copy} - (In Romans, references to justification from works have a specific category of works in view, the works required by the Mosaic Law)
8. The Faithfulness of God - {PDF Copy} - (The righteousness of God refers to His faithfulness to fulfill His promises, and this is demonstrated by the salvation He has provided in Jesus)
9. The Faith of Abraham - {PDF Copy} - (The faith of uncircumcised Abraham provides an example for Jewish and Gentile believers who live from the faith of Jesus – Romans 4:11-17)
10. Resurrection and New Creation - {PDF Copy} - (According to Paul, the future resurrection and the New Creation as inextricably linked)
11. Spirit and Resurrection - {PDF Copy} - (The Gift of the Spirit is the First Fruits of the bodily resurrection and a foretaste of the promised New Creation)
12. The Day of Wrath - {PDF Copy} - (According to Paul, the Day of Wrath is coming when the wicked will pay the ultimate price for their disobedience to God – Romans 2:5)
13. Both Jews and Greeks - {PDF Copy} - (The equality of Jew and Gentile before God is a pivotal theme in Romans. Members of either group stand or fall before Him on the same basis)
14. Plight to Solution - {PDF Copy} - (In Romans, Paul argues from plight to solution as he presents his gospel to the churches of Rome, a message for both Jews and Greeks)
15. If God is for Us! - {PDF Copy} - (Paul summarizes what God did for believers through Jesus and prepares for his explanation of the status of the Jewish people – Romans 8:18-39)
16. Coheirs with Jesus - {PDF Copy} - (The covenant with Abraham is fulfilled in Jesus, his seed and heir, including the promise of land – Romans 8:1-23)
    
17. The Redemption of our Body - {PDF Copy} - (Paul links the bodily resurrection of believers to the New Creation, and both events are part of the promised redemption – Romans 8:1-23)
18. Abraham's Seed - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus is the promised Seed of Abraham, the heir of the covenant promises, and receipt of the inheritance is based on faith in Him)
19. Paul on the State - {PDF Copy} - (Paul instructed believers living in the Roman Empire not to resist the government since its existence and authority were arranged by God – Romans 13:1-8)

{PASTORALS}

1. Abolishing Death - {PDF Copy} - (Paul reminded Timothy of Christ’s own resurrection since false teachers were denying the future resurrection of believers)
2. Howling Imposters - {PDF Copy} - (The New Testament warns repeatedly of coming deceivers and false prophets who will cause many disciples to depart from the faith)
3. We Shall Live! - {PDF Copy} - (Paul reminded Timothy of the resurrection of Jesus and his victory over death since false teachers were denying the resurrection of believers)

[Ebey's Landing Beach, Coupeville, Washington]