PAULS GREATEST LETTERS

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PAULS GREATEST LETTERS

• 1 Corinthians
• 2 Corinthians
• Romans

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1 CORINTHIANS Historical Concerns

• Author Paul, without debate
• Date probably about 54
• During the third missionary journey
• Place of origin Ephesus, Pauls longest place
  of ministry
• Destination and recipients
• Corinth, Roman capital of Achaia
• A mixed-race congregation

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1 CORINTHIANS Historical Concerns

• Background and occasion
• Establishing church, 2nd journey, AD 50
• 18 months with Priscilla, Aquilla, Apollos
• Now-lost letter sent from Ephesus (59)
• This Previous Letter was misunderstood
• Divisions (111-12, Chloes people report)
• Questions sent by committee (1617)
• Also reported immorality in the church (51)

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1 CORINTHIANS Theological Concerns

• Purpose to address the specific issues raised by
  Chloes people, the committee report, and the
  questions sent by the church
• Division, immorality, congregational worship,
  resurrection
• Key concept Every problem a local congregation
  has will be resolved as that church submits
  properly to Christ.
• Key text 1558

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1 CORINTHIANS Theological Concerns

• Key term worldly (carnal)
• Themes
• Christian unity
• Personal sexual morality
• Women in the congregation
• Spiritual gifts
• The resurrection

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1 CORINTHIANS Literary Concerns

• Greek style typical Pauline Greek
• Special literary feature
• now concerning (peri de)
• 71
• 725
• 81
• 121
• 161

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1 CORINTHIANS Outline

• Greeting and thanksgiving (11-9)
• Divisions in the church (reply to report from
  Chloes people, 110-421)
• Sexual morality (reply to the committee report,
  51-620)
• Reply to the churchs letter (71-1618)
• Conclusion (1619-24)

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1 CORINTHIANS Special Issues

• Christian sexual purity (612-20)
• Definition
• Why fornication is wrong
• The command flee!
• Spiritual gifts (12-14)
• Definition
• Categories
• Gifts and fruit
• Responsibility

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1 CORINTHIANS Special Issues Tongues in Acts
and 1 Corinthians

• ACTS 1 CORINTHIANS
• understood by all understood by none
• all spoke Do all speak . . . ?
• speak to humans speak to God
• no interpreter interpreter required
• irresistible controllable
• initial experience continuing gift
• known language unknown tongue

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1 CORINTHIANS So What?

• Gods people are to be part of a local
  congregation that seeks to submit properly to
  Christ.
• This will resolve all the problems it will have.
• AND TODAY?

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2 CORINTHIANS Historical Concerns

• Author Paul, without debate
• Date probably about 56
• 2 years after 1 Corinthians
• Late in the third missionary journey
• Place of origin Macedonia
• Destination and recipients
• See 1 Corinthians

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2 CORINTHIANS Historical ConcernsBackground

• Timothy was sent with 1 Corinthians
• Poorly received and brought Paul a bad report
• Paul went to Corinth briefly (21)
• Interruption of ministry in Ephesus
• Faced Jewish Christian opponents, false
  apostles
• Sorrowful painful visit, with Paul rejected
• Paul wrote another now-lost letter (23-4)
• Severe letter sent by Titus, had a good effect
• Titus reported to Paul in Macedonia (75-6)
• Paul wrote 2 Corinthians (4th known letter)

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2 CORINTHIANS Theological Concerns

• Purpose
• To express relief at the success of the severe
  letter and Tituss ministry
• To ask for money to be taken to the poor
  Christians of Jerusalem
• To defend his apostolic ministry to the
  unrepentant minority
• Key concept True Christian ministry is both
  Christ-commissioned and Spirit-empowered.
• Key text 129

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2 CORINTHIANS Theological Concerns (2)

• Key term defense
• Themes
• Apostolic authority
• New covenant
• Intermediate state
• Sacrificial giving

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2 CORINTHIANS Literary Concerns

• Greek style typical Pauline Greek
• Special literary features mood of 2 Cor.
• chapters 1-9 warm, friendly, mellow
• chapters 10-13 cool, harsh, defensive
• Written after fresh news of new trouble?
• Written to the unrepentant minority
• GREAT DIGRESSION 214-74

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2 CORINTHIANS Literary ConcernsOutline

• Pauls itinerary as an apostle (11-716)
• The Great Digression on doctrine (214-74)
• Collection for Jerusalem saints (81-915)
• Defense of Pauls ministry (101-1313)

1
7 8 9 10 13
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2 CORINTHIANS Literary ConcernsSpecial Issues

• Pauls opponents at Corinth
• Jewish Christians, probably Judaizers
• Hellenistic, emphasis on rhetoric
• The intermediate state (chapter 5)
• Nature of a believers death
• Consequences of a believers death

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2 CORINTHIANS So What?

• Gods people are to seek to have a
  Christ-commissioned and Spirit-empowered
  ministry.
• They are to show proper recognition for true
  ministers.
• AND TODAY?

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ROMANSHistorical Concerns

• Author Paul, without debate THE
  ULTIMATE PAULINE LETTER
• Date about 57
• At the end of the third missionary journey
• Place of origin Corinth, Pauls winter-bound
  address
• Destination and recipients
• Rome, capital of the empire
• Mixed-race house churches of unknown origin

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ROMANS Historical ConcernsBackground and
Occasion

• Completion of collection for poor Jewish
  believers in Jerusalem
• Winter in Corinth, waiting for good weather
• Plan to travel to Spain for more church planting
• Desire to visit Roman Christians (for mutual
  encouragement)
• A long, formal letter introducing himself and his
  theology

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ROMANS Theological Concerns

• Purpose
• To give the Roman Christians a résumé of his
  theology (Pauls theological confession)
• To prepare them for his intended ministry there
• To create interest in his mission to Spain
• Key concept Righteousness with God is given
  freely to all those who have faith in Jesus
  Christ alone for salvation.
• Key text 116-17

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ROMANS Theological Concerns

• Key word righteousness (dikaiosuné)
• Subjective genitive view the sinless character
  and actions of God in His relationships with
  other beings
• Gods own holiness God acts righteously, OT
  view, medieval view
• Objective genitive view that right character
  and behavior which is valid before God
• Rightness before God, a standing He gives to the
  believing sinner Luther and the Reformation
• IMPUTED (forensic, status, legal position) or
• IMPARTED (relational, nature, actual condition)?

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ROMANS Theological ConcernsKey Terms

• justification declared legally righteous by God
  (delivered from penalty of sin)
• sanctification being made righteous by God
  (delivered from power of sin)
• glorification confirmed in righteousness by God
  (delivered from presence of sin)
• salvation being rescued from our hopeless
  condition, past, present, and future

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ROMANS Literary Concerns

• Greek style the best Pauline Greek
• Special literary features
• The genre of Romans
• Possibly a tractate (rather than a pastoral
  letter)
• Also Ephesiansas well as Hebrews and 1 Peter
• The literary device of diatribe
• Debate with imaginary opponent
• Who are you? O man May it never be!
  
• Most important Bible book, use in history

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ROMANS Literary ConcernsOutline

• Introduction and theme , 11-17
• The need for righteousness (sin, 118-320)
• The gift of rness (justification, 321-521)
• The effect of rness (sanctification, 61-839)
• The extent of rness (91-1136)
• The service of rness (practical, 121-1513)
• Conclusion (1514-1627)

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ROMANSSpecial Issue Justification
GOD
SIN
SINNER
In ChristGod declares the believing sinner to
be righteousLEGAL ACTION (like legal adoption)
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ROMANSSpecial Issue Sanctification
Legal Position in Christ
C O N V E R S I O N
C R I S I S
D E A T H
Actual Condition Christ in you
God makes the believing sinner holy changed
life work of Holy Spirit
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ROMANS So What?

• Gods people are to live a lifestyle reflecting
  that righteousness with God is given freely to
  all those who have faith in Jesus Christ for
  salvation.
• AND TODAY?