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. From His Faithfulness - {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 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. Watchful and Sober - {PDF Copy} - (The Day of the Lord will mean salvation for those living in the light who remain vigilant while awaiting its sudden arrival – 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11)
12. 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)
13. Signs and Seasons - {PDF Copy} - (Paul did not provide detailed information on the times and seasons since the Lord would return like a thief in the night – 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11)
14. Disinformation - {PDF Copy} - (Disinformation about the day of the Lord caused alarm in the congregation at Thessalonica – 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2)
15. The Day of the Lord - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus will arrive to gather his people on the Day of the Lord. In the New Testament, this event becomes the Day of Christ)
16. The Final Onslaught - {PDF Copy} - (The New Testament warns of a future apostasy caused by deceivers and false prophets before the return of Jesus)
17. Two Missing Events - {PDF Copy} - (The Man of Lawlessness must appear, and the apostasy must occur before the Day of the Lord commences)
18. 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)
19. 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)
20. 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)
21. 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)
22. Lying Signs and Wonders - {PDF Copy} - (The Lawless One will use lying signs and wonders to deceive saints into abandoning the faith)
23. 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)
24. Stand Fast! - {PDF Copy} - (Believers prepare for the Apostasy and the coming Man of Lawlessness by standing firm in the apostolic tradition)
25. 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 Imperative of the Cross - {PDF Copy} - (Christ Crucified is the example we are summoned to follow daily, and it is the test of the genuine Apostolic Faith and true spirituality)
4. 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)
5. 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)
6. The Day of our Lord Jesus - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus will arrive on the Day of the Lord at which time the dead will be raised, the wicked judged, and death will cease forever)
7. Death, the Last Enemy - {PDF Copy} - (The arrival of Jesus at the end of the age will mean the termination of the Last Enemy, namely, Death)
8. 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)
9. The Quickening Spirit - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus grants his people the Spirit without which there is no enduring life or salvation. His words are Spirit, and they are Life)
10. The Last Day - {PDF Copy} - (In explaining the resurrection, Paul listed key events that will coincide with the arrival of Jesus on the Last Day)

{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 expressed his goal of going on to completion, a process that would culminate in bodily resurrection when Jesus arrived in glory)
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 Gentiles - {PDF Copy} - (The equality of Jews and Gentiles before an impartial and just God is pivotal to Paul’s Gospel. They 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. Seed of Abraham - {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]