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The Articles of Inerrancy

The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy – 1978

Preface

The authority of Scripture is a key issue for the Christian Church in this and every age. Those who profess faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are called to show the reality of their discipleship by humbly and faithfully obeying God’s written Word. To stray from Scripture in faith or conduct is disloyalty to our Master. Recognition of the total truth and trustworthiness of Holy Scripture is essential to a full grasp and adequate confession of its authority.

The following Statement affirms this inerrancy of Scripture afresh, making clear our understanding of it and warning against its denial. We are persuaded that to deny it is to set aside the witness of Jesus Christ and of the Holy Spirit and to refuse that submission to the claims of God’s own Word which marks true Christian faith. We see it as our timely duty to make this affirmation in the face of current lapses from the truth of inerrancy among our fellow Christians and misunderstanding of this doctrine in the world at large.

This Statement consists of three parts: a Summary Statement, Articles of Affirmation and Denial, and an accompanying Exposition*. It has been prepared in the course of a three- day consultation in Chicago. Those who have signed the Summary Statement and the Articles wish to affirm their own conviction as to the inerrancy of Scripture and to encourage and challenge one another and all Christians to growing appreciation and understanding of this doctrine. We acknowledge the limitations of a document prepared in a brief, intensive conference and do not propose that this Statement be given creedal weight. Yet we rejoice in the deepening of our own convictions through our discussions together, and we pray that the Statement we have signed may be used to the glory of our God toward a new reformation of the Church in its faith, life, and mission.

We offer this Statement in a spirit, not of contention, but of humility and love, which we purpose by God’s grace to maintain in any future dialogue arising out of what we have said. We gladly acknowledge that many who deny the inerrancy of Scripture do not display the consequences of this denial in the rest of their belief and behavior, and we are conscious that we who confess this doctrine often deny it in life by failing to bring our thoughts and deeds, our traditions and habits, into true subjection to the divine Word.

We invite response to this statement from any who see reason to amend its affirmations about Scripture by the light of Scripture itself, under whose infallible authority we stand as we speak. We claim no personal infallibility for the witness we bear, and for any help which enables us to strengthen this testimony to God’s Word we shall be grateful.

A Short Statement

God, who is Himself Truth and speaks truth only, has inspired Holy Scripture in order thereby to reveal Himself to lost mankind through Jesus Christ as Creator and Lord, Redeemer and Judge. Holy Scripture is God’s witness to Himself.

Holy Scripture, being God’s own Word, written by men prepared and superintended by His Spirit, is of infallible divine authority in all matters upon which it touches: it is to be believed, as God’s instruction, in all that it affirms, obeyed, as God’s command, in all that it requires; embraced, as God’s pledge, in all that it promises.

The Holy Spirit, Scripture’s divine Author, both authenticates it to us by His inward witness and opens our minds to understand its meaning.

Being wholly and verbally God-given, Scripture is without error or fault in all its teaching, no less in what it states about God’s acts in creation, about the events of world history, and about its own literary origins under God, than in its witness to God’s saving grace in individual lives.

The authority of Scripture is inescapably impaired if this total divine inerrancy is in any way limited or disregarded, or made relative to a view of truth contrary to the Bible’s own; and such lapses bring serious loss to both the individual and the Church.

Articles of Affirmation and Denial

Article I

We affirm that the Holy Scriptures are to be received as the authoritative Word of God.

We deny that the Scriptures receive their authority from the Church, tradition, or any other human source.

Article II

We affirm that the Scriptures are the supreme written norm by which God binds the conscience, and that the authority of the Church is subordinate to that of Scripture.

We deny that Church creeds, councils, or declarations have authority greater than or equal to the authority of the Bible.

Article III

We affirm that the written Word in its entirety is revelation given by God.

We deny that the Bible is merely a witness to revelation, or only becomes revelation in encounter, or depends on the responses of men for its validity.

Article IV

We affirm that God who made mankind in His image has used language as a means of revelation.

We deny that human language is so limited by our creatureliness that it is rendered inadequate as a vehicle for divine revelation. We further deny that the corruption of human culture and language through sin has thwarted God’s work of inspiration.

Article V

We affirm that God’ s revelation in the Holy Scriptures was progressive.

We deny that later revelation, which may fulfill earlier revelation, ever corrects or contradicts it. We further deny that any normative revelation has been given since the completion of the New Testament writings.

Article VI

We affirm that the whole of Scripture and all its parts, down to the very words of the original, were given by divine inspiration.

We deny that the inspiration of Scripture can rightly be affirmed of the whole without the parts, or of some parts but not the whole.

Article VII

We affirm that inspiration was the work in which God by His Spirit, through human writers, gave us His Word. The origin of Scripture is divine. The mode of divine inspiration remains largely a mystery to us.

We deny that inspiration can be reduced to human insight, or to heightened states of consciousness of any kind.

Article VIII

We affirm that God in His Work of inspiration utilized the distinctive personalities and literary styles of the writers whom He had chosen and prepared.

We deny that God, in causing these writers to use the very words that He chose, overrode their personalities.

Article IX

We affirm that inspiration, though not conferring omniscience, guaranteed true and trustworthy utterance on all matters of which the Biblical authors were moved to speak and write.

We deny that the finitude or fallenness of these writers, by necessity or otherwise, introduced distortion or falsehood into God’s Word.

Article X

We affirm that inspiration, strictly speaking, applies only to the autographic text of Scripture, which in the providence of God can be ascertained from available manuscripts with great accuracy. We further affirm that copies and translations of Scripture are the Word of God to the extent that they faithfully represent the original.

We deny that any essential element of the Christian faith is affected by the absence of the autographs. We further deny that this absence renders the assertion of Biblical inerrancy invalid or irrelevant.

Article XI

We affirm that Scripture, having been given by divine inspiration, is infallible, so that, far from misleading us, it is true and reliable in all the matters it addresses.

We deny that it is possible for the Bible to be at the same time infallible and errant in its assertions. Infallibility and inerrancy may be distinguished, but not separated.

Article XII

We affirm that Scripture in its entirety is inerrant, being free from all falsehood, fraud, or deceit.

We deny that Biblical infallibility and inerrancy are limited to spiritual, religious, or redemptive themes, exclusive of assertions in the fields of history and science. We further deny that scientific hypotheses about earth history may properly be used to overturn the teaching of Scripture on creation and the flood.

Article XIII

We affirm the propriety of using inerrancy as a theological term with reference to the complete truthfulness of Scripture.

We deny that it is proper to evaluate Scripture according to standards of truth and error that are alien to its usage or purpose. We further deny that inerrancy is negated by Biblical phenomena such as a lack of modern technical precision, irregularities of

grammar or spelling, observational descriptions of nature, the reporting of falsehoods, the use of hyperbole and round numbers, the topical arrangement of material, variant selections of material in parallel accounts, or the use of free citations.

Article XIV

We affirm the unity and internal consistency of Scripture.

We deny that alleged errors and discrepancies that have not yet been resolved vitiate the truth claims of the Bible.

Article XV

We affirm that the doctrine of inerrancy is grounded in the teaching of the Bible about inspiration.

We deny that Jesus’ teaching about Scripture may be dismissed by appeals to accommodation or to any natural limitation of His humanity.

Article XVI

We affirm that the doctrine of inerrancy has been integral to the Church’s faith throughout its history.

We deny that inerrancy is a doctrine invented by Scholastic Protestantism, or is a reactionary position postulated in response to negative higher criticism.

Article XVII

We affirm that the Holy Spirit bears witness to the Scriptures, assuring believers of the truthfulness of God’s written Word.

We deny that this witness of the Holy Spirit operates in isolation from or against Scripture.

Article XVIII

We affirm that the text of Scripture is to be interpreted by grammatico-historicaI exegesis, taking account of its literary forms and devices, and that Scripture is to interpret Scripture.

We deny the legitimacy of any treatment of the text or quest for sources lying behind it that leads to relativizing, dehistoricizing, or discounting its teaching, or rejecting its claims to authorship.

Article XIX

We affirm that a confession of the full authority, infallibility, and inerrancy of Scripture is vital to a sound understanding of the whole of the Christian faith. We further affirm that such confession should lead to increasing conformity to the image of Christ.

We deny that such confession is necessary for salvation. However, we further deny that inerrancy can be rejected without grave consequences both to the individual and to the Church.

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The Glory of Rome

By James Austin in Theology

This post is to bring into view the work of the apostle Paul as he brought the gospel to Jews and Gentiles in the first-century world of Asia Minor and Eastern Europe. More specially, Paul was appointed by Christ Jesus as an apostle to the Gentiles (1 Tim 2:7), and he fulfilled his mission with passion and strenuous attention.

Purpose and Background

With every bit of his mind, body, soul, and strength, Paul brought the message of reconciliation to God through Christ among people who were culturally alien to the messianic prophecies and the old covenants that extended back for generations. This post surveys the subject matter of Paul’s letters to the Romans. In his writing, he engages a people steeped in Greco-Roman culture with all of its pagan influences and Gentile customs of early gnostic and epicurean thought. The purpose of Paul’s letter itself cannot be narrowed to a single topic (i.e., systematic reasoning of God’s salvific power to the Gentiles). Paul wrote numerous additional matters of concern to the formative Gentile Church. Issues about the Church, humanity’s sin problem, God’s method of redemption, personal and shared holiness, sovereignty, ethnic cohabitation, and ministry work together inform the readers of Romans what principles to understand and abide in a life of hope and godliness.

Earlier in life, Apostle Paul was a Jew known as Saul of Tarsus (Acts 21:39), a province in Cilicia, southeast Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). He was a tentmaker by trade who became a Pharisee and relocated to Jerusalem to live by the old covenant faith of Judaism. He was an educated man and a Jewish rabbi ardent in observing the Torah and tradition. The Torah of Moses was a focal point of his life, and he was devoted to the traditions of Israel. Paul was a rigorous student of the Torah as a Hebrew legal scholar under Gamaliel, a Jewish leader of his time (Acts 22:3). Paul’s achievements and status within his circles of Judaism earned him respect and admiration. His intellectual accomplishments and influence produced an authority recognized and accepted by Jewish religious leaders as necessary for his development and continuing work in Jerusalem and synagogues throughout Judea and various Mediterranean locales.

Paul was a Roman citizen by birth. A Jewish Roman citizen with status and privileges befitting a family of means. While his accomplishments were impressive and carried a significant weight of influence, he was of the tribe of Benjamin sealed as a Jew by circumcision (Phil 3:5). Moreover, as an official Roman citizen, he was recognized by the Roman and Israeli governments as a prominent social figure having cultural stature and notoriety. Paul was resourceful, driven, intelligent, strong-willed, persistent, and zealous. His convictions concerning the Torah and Jewish traditions were so fierce that he captured and prosecuted Christians of the emergent church in Jerusalem and Judea. While Paul did not accept Jesus’s status as the Jewish Messiah, he would come to know Him as the Christ of humanity to include Jews and Gentiles. Specifically, while Paul was on a journey from Jerusalem to Damascus toward Syria, Jesus appeared before him to confront his persecution (Acts 9:1-22). After His resurrection and ascension, Jesus revealed His identity to Paul as the risen Christ foretold. Paul’s direct encounter with Jesus confronted his understanding of Scripture, as he was very attuned to the experience of Jesus’ appearance as Messiah yet not to Pharisaic expectations. From within the Torah and across the various covenants down through the centuries, through divine encounter, Paul was granted mercy and a mission concerning what he must suffer and accomplish (Acts 9:15-16). Paul was converted from Judaism to Christianity in a flash of divine revelation while on the Damascus road.

Structure

As Paul was chosen to bear the name of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel, his actions were guided and propelled by the Spirit to suffer hardships, form churches, shepherd God’s people, and write letters (2 Pet 3:16) to testify to the truth of the gospel, answer questions, and provide teaching. Accordingly, as Paul undertook his travels, he likely wrote to the Church of Rome by an amanuensis while in Corinth.¹ The apostolic era of the early Church were recipients of direct verbal and written communication to shape their form of assembly and practice of faith according to principles and instruction concerning their development. Namely, the substance and body of Paul’s letter to the Romans were written in 56 A.D., while on his third missionary journey. His letter centers around doctrinal and practical concerns² for the unification of the Church and furtherance of the gospel.

Doctrinal Concerns

Before delving further into the various sections of Paul’s letter, it is helpful to understand the circumstances around the hope of the gospel for both Jews and Gentiles. These were expressed as doctrines of depravity, sin, judgment, and the solution through a redemptive path. Involving justification, sanctification, and glorification of believers in Christ, God provides a way of reconciliation for eternal life and salvation. Those who accept and receive Christ Jesus by faith to include both Jews and Gentiles unified in the gospel. By one gospel as a reliable means of return to God through Christ Jesus, the Church of Rome was informed of what it meant to live by hope and grace to place individual and corporate confidence in Christ for reconciliation and escape from judgment due to the consequences of sin. Through the first eleven chapters of Romans, Paul precisely describes what this entails in thorough detail.

Practical Concerns

As Paul writes in contiguous form from the first eleven chapters, he informs the Roman Church about the day-to-day implications of fruitful godly living. Notably, in light of the redemptive work of Christ as a practical matter to any ethnicity. Together in the hope of the gospel, Jews and Gentiles transitioned to new lives as they set aside traditions, preferences, fears, and concerns about the requirements of the law, culture, and matters of conscience. In the face of religious and cultural baggage, interpersonal tensions and obstacles had to be overcome through peace and renewal of perspectives and attitudes applicable to each individual. Routine matters of fellowship, sharing meals, and work habits had to be resolved in light of the unity in the gospel and well-being of the Church.

Synthesis

Bringing together both doctrinal and practical concerns is rooted in the teaching of Paul as stipulations of the new covenant were formed as standards to live by. It just was not enough to become informed of principles concerning justification, righteous living, and their obligations to God and one another. The Church of Rome needed to know what was different and new and what was expected of them as they lived lives pleasing to God, befitting their faith and fruitful lives in the Spirit. It was necessary to practice what they learned and were taught as one people.

Introduction (Romans 1:1-17)

Paul’s credibility was necessary to establish before beginning his instructions to the Church. In doing so, he specifies his authoritative position as an apostle of God and servant of Christ set apart and appointed to inform others of the gospel and obedience of faith among all nations. In the opening comments to the Romans, he was explicit in greeting by way of encouragement and a longing to visit them from Corinth. As he intended to visit Rome, he was under obligation to Jesus Christ that he must preach the gospel to Gentiles elsewhere as well. Paul was committed to satisfying the expectations placed upon him. It was necessary to include the Greeks and Barbarians, and he informed the Church of Rome of such obligations while prevented from an earlier visit. Paul’s greeting followed an epistolary format of salutation that explicitly informs the reader of the gospel, Christ the Son, Scriptures, Paul’s gospel, the obedience of faith, and the name and glory of God.³

The Problem of Depravity & Judgment (Rom 1:18–3:20)

As Paul wrote that “the righteous shall live by faith” (Rom 1:17), he contrasts that state of being with God’s wrath upon the unrighteous. Paul articulated the infamous Romans 1 passage about everyone lost in sin with observations concerning the culture at the time. Both Jews and Gentiles of first-century Rome were indicative of unrighteous people and ungodliness in suppression of the truth. Contrary to the evidence of God’s existence through creation and His divine attributes, people exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped creatures instead of God the Creator. The consequences of self-delusion, error, and degrading passions led people into depravity to remove them from a desire for the Creator and truth. Instead, people become filled with evil and thoroughly opposed to natural order and righteousness.

As given over to unrighteousness, covetousness, and malice, the sin itself involves envy, murder, strife, deceit, gossip, slander, hatred, insolence, arrogance, conceit, disobedience, dishonor, foolishness, faithlessness, heartlessness, and cruelty. As indicative of Greco-Roman culture, people who deny Truth and God their Creator were and are desperately lost while subject to God’s righteous judgment. Without recourse, the problem was a staggering loss of peace, order, and a common harmony with one another and God to fill a purpose of contentment and life to glorify God and love Him and each other as designed and intended.

The judgment of God involves a “giving over” people to their sinful and erroneous interests (cf. Rom 1:24, Acts 7:42).⁴ The suffering and misery of people that ensues as an outcome of depravity and evil conduct is a manifestation of hardships and distress in physical life that was certain and against the created order of humanity. The passive and foreboding wrath of God actively against humanity engaged in the error and depravity constitute the sinfully lost disposition. Enmity with God involved depraved people who were subject to judgment as anyone without Christ is lost in sin.

Paul further elaborates on the truth that sinful people cannot mitigate the judgment of God by their efforts. Following and abiding by the law in an attempt to satisfy God’s requirement for righteousness was a futile undertaking (Rom 3:19) because if anyone offends in one point of the law, then there is the guilt of the whole law (Jas 2:10). Paul makes it clear to the Church that God’s righteousness solves the problem of sin as no one is righteous and fit to stand before God in judgment. While there is condemnation upon those separated from Him due to sin, there is no way for an individual to make up for offenses. The deep corruption of all humanity laid bare before God was a debt paid through Christ regardless of individual merit, ethnic status, or nationality (Rom 3:1-4). It was God’s righteousness as the intervening solution to humanity’s sin problem that required judgment and wrath. No person can be justified before God by works of the law as the corrupt nature of everyone involves an inevitable rejection of God by knowledge of sin. An absence of the fear of God reveals to those who violate His law all unmet obligations to cement their condemnation before Him without Christ.

Righteousness from God’s Justification (Rom 3:21–5:21)

While everyone is conscious of sin, whether later suppressed or not, everyone has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23). The law makes the need for faith evident, and it is a witness to our fallen condition apart from Christ. Therefore, the law in Paul’s mind performed a positive function in this way as it pointed to Christ.⁵ More explicitly, the imputation of faith to believers for righteousness through God’s forbearance. Faith is imputed for righteousness, counted for righteousness, and reckoned for righteousness by God’s righteousness (Rom 4:3, 5, 9, 22, 24).⁶ Paul brings attention to the authority of Scripture to make clear Abraham’s Justification before God by faith. “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness” is declared in Scripture to highlight the principle of faith to become made righteous.

Abrahams’s righteousness was counted to him without considering what he accomplished through performance or circumcision in an effort to earn God’s favor. As circumcision was a seal for all those who believed, he was made the father of faith for all without being circumcised. The seal of circumcision itself was a covenant indicator of distinction for righteousness by faith to count for others. While there was the presence of sin and guilt upon Abraham and those of the seal of circumcision, faith in God was the means of their justification for right standing with God and salvific righteousness. Justification by faith as righteousness is a claim for all believers validated by Paul from the authority of Scripture. Paul makes vividly clear that believers who are the spiritual offspring of Abraham (Gal 3:29) are people in Christ as heirs according to the guaranteed promise of God (Rom 4:16). Those who share in Abraham’s faith and believe God participates in justification by faith about God’s promise, “so shall your offspring be” (Gen 15:5).

Paul further elaborates to the Roman Church that faith’s intended effect of justification is peace with God. Achieved by the Lord Jesus Christ, access to God is obtained as He died for the ungodly. The death of Christ to redeem people of faith made righteous was to bring to God heirs of inheritance according to His promise. As the blood of Christ (Rom 5:9) justifies the redeemed, His people are saved from the wrath of God. As the cost of this work of redemption is far beyond human wisdom and comprehension, God gave up His Son for reconciliation.

Furthermore, Paul stressed that once believers are reconciled, they are saved through the life of Christ (Rom 5:10). This free gift of reconciliation to escape condemnation is the gospel hope for all only in Christ. To live in Christ by grace made possible through His sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection, where believers are made righteous by faith.

Holiness and Sanctification (Rom 6:1–8:39)

Paul’s letter to the Romans transitions from justification to sanctification as he instructs believers about holy and righteous living. Where people of faith were formally slaves to righteousness, he urges them to present their bodies as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification (Rom 6:19). While people were set free from the slavery of sin through the gospel, the righteousness lived leads to sanctification, ending in eternal life.⁷ Grace as an active ingredient appears as a functional impetus at work in the life of a believer. To affect a drive toward individual sanctification as people transition from slaves to sin to slaves of righteousness. Grace, in this sense, is not a passive activity that allows for God’s favor or merit to override the presence of sin. It is an active ingredient in the catalyst of sanctification.

Free from condemnation, believers in Christ are no longer under the law but under grace. As promised, any person given eternal life is righteous by faith and free from the law. More specifically, freedom from the law correlates to freedom from condemnation as believers under grace are united in Christ to bear fruit and live by the Spirit. Those in Christ are cut off from the law and bound to grace as a husband’s death releases a woman from one covenant to render her bound to another in marriage.⁸

While those in Christ are free from sin, the struggle against sin continues because while a person belongs to God, that person still lives in the body where sin dwells. The law is righteous and holy, but sin itself within produces death. As the law is spiritual, that law of sin in the flesh holds us captive. The struggle with sin is the person’s bodily flesh waging war with the inner being or spirit of those in Christ. Aurelius Augustin further expressed this condition as the carnality of the mortal body “sold under sin” (Rom 7:14) until the spiritual body is clothed in immortality.⁹ Until physical death, therefore, as it is of those in Christ, Paul served the law of God with his mind to bear fruit, yet in his flesh, he served the law of sin.

As those in Christ by the spirit inhabit the flesh subject to death, believers walk by the Spirit. That is, to set the mind on the Spirit where there is life and peace. Living and walking by the flesh is enmity with God, and it cannot submit to God’s law. Conversely, righteousness that abides in the believer is made alive to the Spirit as the body is dead because of sin. As by the Spirit, the deeds of the flesh are put to death, then by the Spirit, those in Christ will live. This hope was made possible by the love of Christ to bring us into union and fellowship with him.

The Sovereignty of God (Rom 9:1–11:36)

Paul distinguishes the children of the flesh and children of the promise. There are children of Israel according to the flesh, and there are the children of Abraham according to the promise (Gal 4:23). He elaborates on the difference between the flesh and the promise to bring into view the wisdom and sovereignty of God through “vessels of wrath” (Rom 9:22) and “vessels of mercy” (Rom 9:23). The declared “sons of the living God” (Rom 9:26) is in contextual reference to the adoption as sons (Rom 8:23) as heirs of the promise. As those in Christ justified by faith walk in the Spirit, they are reckoned righteous and heirs to eternal life. The sovereign difference between the children of the flesh and the children of the promise is between those in Christ and those who are not.

The believers within the first-century Roman Church were informed of these doctrinal concerns to contrast between the belief and unbelief of Jews and Gentiles. To the Gentiles, righteousness is pursued by grace through faith that produces fruit. With the Jews, righteousness is pursued by works of the old covenant law. Within the new covenant context, by the sovereignty of God, the children of promise and children of the flesh are regarded intentionally separate through the “rock of offense” of Christ, who God placed upon His old covenant people.

Israel’s unbelief does not preclude their ultimate justification and reconciliation to God. It is through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles (Rom 11:11). God does as He wills between the elect and the justified (Rom 9:11-24) in His redemptive plan to bring people to Him through Christ. It is along a span of time that people become reconciled either as Jews or Gentiles through faith in Christ as made present for purposes of justification and righteousness. Salvation unachievable by the law, Israel was hardened by a rejection of the gospel as God’s sovereign means of their corresponding redemption across covenantal periods. Israel will eventually be restored and reconciled, but until that time, the sovereign work of God prevails.

Renewed Life & Mind (Rom 12:1-2)

Paul again transitions to an appeal to the Church. Predicated upon his discourse concerning the sin problem of Jews and Gentiles, he makes clear the mercies of God through the gospel. For all in Christ who believe, His people are called to faith for justification and righteousness, whether Jew or Gentile, to become reconciled to God. While there is life in the body of flesh, sanctification is the spiritual course of life in the Spirit. The work of God between unbelief and belief among Jews and Gentiles is a sovereign work alongside the redemptive accomplishments of Christ. The inclusion of Israel will be saved and restored (Rom 11:1-32), but until then, Gentiles are ushered into belief and justification for God’s good pleasure and for those who would believe.

It stands to reason that those in Christ should present their bodies of flesh as a sacrifice to God. Spiritual service as a form of worship is a rational endeavor in the life of the Spirit. Romans 12:1-2 is a prelude and theme to the remainder of what Paul’s letter concerns.¹⁰ The life of a believer should be devoted to the service of others as a means of living by the Spirit. Made evident in the believer’s life by the Spirit are the fruits of the Spirit. As Paul wrote to the believers in Galatia (Gal 5:1-26), the fruits of the Spirit yield positive and meaningful character and work toward individual conduct and the life of a body of believers.

In contrast to the works of the flesh that come into opposition to the life of the Spirit, Paul charges believers to renew their minds. Where it becomes necessary to recognize and follow the will of God, this involves a transformation of priorities and values in keeping with a change of heart and mind holy, acceptable, and pleasing. The freedom that belongs to those in Christ renders to them the capacity to serve God and people by the Spirit from a renewed life.

Life of Peace, Unity, & Love (Rom 12:3-13:14)

As Paul’s discourse transitions from doctrinal concerns to practical concerns, he sets course to write specifics about what believers are to do by faith through grace. With a renewal of mind and life by the Spirit that gives way to service and worship, behavioral principles for Godly living become a daily practice. Numerous examples of such performative outcomes result from gifts “assigned” by God (Rom 12:3). Functions within the church that metaphorically compare to the body of a person represent the necessity and purpose of its various members. Suppose a concern or dispute should surface about one church member being more important than others. In that case, Paul communicates the unity of the body as its diverse members achieve a given purpose. As Paul addressed in 1 Cor 12, a diversity of gifts must be honored. Otherwise, members could become tempted to compare each other with false pride.¹¹

Further practical instructions were written to the Romans and for believers today. The marks of a Christian include living at peace with one another. Furthermore, Paul instructs those in Christ to live in peace with society and authorities. There is no ambiguity about what positive attitudes and inner motivations must become externally evident toward others. Living in submission, harmony, cooperation, and gratitude are necessary Christian dispositions. It is contradictory to the life of peace, unity, and love to live contentiously with people. Christians are called to live by faith and walk by the Spirit both inwardly and outwardly.

As love is a fruit of the Spirit, Paul makes it evident that the love of one another fulfills the law (Rom 13:8). Accordingly, those in Christ are urged to cast off “works of darkness” that bring harm to others through the gratification of the flesh. Such behavior is incompatible, whether by immoral conduct, undue abrasive attitudes, or verbal animosity and abuse.

Conscience, Discernment & Deference (Rom 14:1-15:13)

Paul further narrows his instructions to the church in Rome concerning the presence and diversity of new believers and Jews among them. Explicit guidance is given to believers in Christ about unity within the church, and Paul was precise concerning the conscience of people who object to acceptable yet divergent faith practices. The opinions of some people who were weak in faith were not to be disputed or accused of stringent rules around meals or the abstention from valued traditions. Paul’s concern amounted to the spiritual preservation of believers and Jews who were in the presence of Christians that appeared to violate people’s conscience and not just their preferences or tastes. More seasoned and mature believers were warned about causing others to sin by violation of conscience. And Paul’s tone is severe in the matter as he verbally brought to mind the inevitable judgment of God by which everyone must stand (Rom 14:10). It is abundantly clear that each person must give an account of themselves to God.

To sin against Christ was to cause a brother or sister in the Lord to violate their conscience (1 Cor 8:13). It was Paul’s exhortation that Christian’s strong in the faith must not destroy the work of God in the lives of fellow believers. Inconsiderate exercise of freedom in eating anything at-will could distress the ‘weak’ and lead them to act against their consciences, thus causing shipwreck of their faith.¹² The ‘strong’ who would destroy the work of God in the lives of the ‘weak’ merely for the sake of food were not living according to the principle of love Paul earlier wrote about (Rom 13:10). To pass judgment on fellow believers or grieve them by what others do in their freedom of conscience by faith is unacceptable and counterproductive.

Method & Ministry (Rom 15:14-33)

Paul wrote to the church in Rome to express his satisfaction with them. He acknowledged their advanced development in the gospel. Their goodness and knowledge had matured where they could instruct one another without undue burden or strife. It is apparent that Paul delighted in their growth as believers in Christ as he shared his confidence in them by what he accomplished and valued. Inclusive to their place in the Kingdom of God, Paul had fulfilled his ministry. From Jerusalem all the way to Illyricum (modern Yugoslavia) to the North of the Adriatic Sea, Paul reached yet further people beyond the rim of the Mediterranean. Paul’s recorded missionary journeys extended farther and farther in duration to ensure the fulfillment of Christ’s commission. Namely, to bring the Gentiles the gospel and obedience by word and deed (Rom 15:18). Location after location, Paul planted churches and formed them with believers in Christ to involve fellow ministry workers. Paul’s work of the gospel of Christ was an epic undertaking to which God obtains the fullest measure of glory.

Paul’s affection for the church in Rome was a pleasing experience. Their spiritual blessings translated to material blessings of welcomed support for furtherance of the gospel and Paul’s ministry work in Jerusalem and later toward Spain if he were to reach that far. As Paul began to conclude his written discourse, his appeal for prayer was on his mind as safety from the Church was concerned.¹³ He knew that he would encounter conflict once he arrived in Jerusalem, and he desired deliverance from people opposed to his work further West toward Spain. As his work in the region ended, Paul sought to further the gospel. He hoped to gain the favor of the saints in Jerusalem for continued support and encouragement.

Final Commendations & Farewell (Rom 16:1-27)

The closure of the letter to the church at Rome is a roster of greeting to acknowledge numerous people active in the faith. Its length is unique and comprehensive as the people that Paul personally greeted were a listing of notable figures involved in the work of ministry and the church’s growth. While the identities of each person were explicit by name, various contributions and associations among the saints were made clear. The roster also somewhat served as a listing of risks undertaken by first-century prisoners and missionaries of the Church alongside Paul. Behind each of the names made apparent in the letter is a notable person responsible for the advancement of the Kingdom.

Paul’s final appeal was written in the form of instructions. He warned the church in Rome to guard against people who would stir up divisions and obstacles that contradict the doctrines they were taught. Paul’s doctrinal concerns through the first eleven chapters of his letter were not up for contravening opinions or perspectives. The teachings of Paul to the Romans and the churches throughout Asia-Minor were a work of collaboration from among additional apostles and their disciples to assure a lasting and coherent belief. The strengthening of the saints according to the gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ was in bloom for the world to witness. Paul’s heartfelt interest was toward the obedience of faith to the Gentiles. It was and is for the glory of God through Christ Jesus for all eternity.

Conclusion

The apostle Paul’s ministry and his passionate written letter to the church in Rome is an incredibly beautiful expression of spiritual significance. The direct inspiration and active involvement of the Holy Spirit is the only viable explanation for its meaning and purpose. As the letter to the Romans is intended for mature believers in Christ, it is a tenderhearted work of profound importance. While it is intellectually rich, a reader of the letter cannot escape the plain content of the text. The surface of the letter as constituted by words assembled without further depth is in itself unspeakably heartwarming. As the letter speaks to the inner being about truth and the work of God through Christ Jesus, it is impossible to miss the joy and peace that comes with its message. The gospel of Christ is a treasure, and the love of God through the Lord Jesus is of incomparable worth.

The comprehensive nature of the letter as a guide for doctrinally sound theology and Christian living is undeniable. While the text of the letter is specific to the church in Rome, it has immeasurable value to those in Christ. Those who wish to probe the depths of justification, sanctification, righteousness, faith, grace, unity, and many other topics of crucial necessity, will never fully exhaust the wonder of God’s love, wisdom, and sovereignty.

Citations

¹ F. F. Bruce, Paul: Apostle of the Free Spirit (Milton Keynes, UK: Paternoster, 1977), 16.
² M. Scott Bashoor, Visual Outline Charts of the New Testament (B&H Academic, 2016), 44.
³ Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2157.
⁴ William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 762.
⁵ Scott Hafemann, “Review of Paul, the Law, and the Covenant by A. Andrew Das,” Trinity Journal 25, no. 2 (2004): 265.
⁶ John Miley, Systematic Theology, Volume 2 (New York: Hunt & Eaton, 1893), 319.
⁷ Mark A. Seifrid, “Romans,” in Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, UK: Baker Academic; Apollos, 2007), 631.
⁸ C. E. B. Cranfield, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans, International Critical Commentary (London; New York: T&T Clark International, 2004), 333.
⁹ Augustine of Hippo, “A Treatise against Two Letters of the Pelagians,” in Saint Augustin: Anti-Pelagian Writings, ed. Philip Schaff, trans. Robert Ernest Wallis, vol. 5, A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, First Series (New York: Christian Literature Company, 1887), 383.
¹⁰ Thomas R. Schreiner, Romans, vol. 6, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1998), 649.
¹¹ Douglas J. Moo, The Epistle to the Romans, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1996), 763.
¹² Colin G. Kruse, Paul’s Letter to the Romans, ed. D. A. Carson, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Cambridge, U.K.; Nottingham, England; Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Apollos, 2012), 524.
¹³ John Chrysostom, “Homilies of St. John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, on the Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans,” in Saint Chrysostom: Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistle to the Romans, ed. Philip Schaff, trans. J. B. Morris, W. H. Simcox, and George B. Stevens, vol. 11, A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, First Series (New York: Christian Literature Company, 1889), 549.

Bibliography

Bashoor, M. Scott. Visual Outline Charts of the New Testament. Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2016.
Bruce, F.F. Paul: Apostle of the Free Spirit. Milton Keynes, UK: Paternoster, 1977.
Chrysostom, John. “Homilies of St. John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, on the Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans.” In A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, First Series, vol. 11, by trans. J. B. Morris, W. H. Simcox, and George B. Stevens ed. Philip Schaff, 549. New York: Christian Literature Company, 1889.
Cranfield, C.E.B. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans, International Critical Commentary. London: T&T Clark International, 2004.
Crossway Bibles. The ESV Study Bible. Wheaton: Crossway Bibles, 2008.
Hafemann, Scott. “Review of Paul, the Law, and the Covenant by A. Andrew Das.” Trinity Journal 25, no.2, 2004: 265.
Hippo, Augustine of. “A Treatise against Two Letters of the Pelagians.” In A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, Saint Augustin: Anti-Pelagian Writings Vol. 5, by trans. Robert Ernest Wallis ed. Philip Schaff, 383. New York: Christian Literature Company, 1887.
Miley, John. Systematic Theology. New York: Hunt & Eaton, 1893.
Moo, Douglas J. The Epistle to the Romans, The New International Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1996.
Schreiner, Thomas R. Romans, vol. 6, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1998.
Seifrid, Mark A. “Romans.” In Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament, by G.K. Beale and D.A. Carson, 607-694. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007.
William Arndt, et al. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000.

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Letters from Prison

By James Austin in Theology

While Paul was in Rome, there is some evidence he was released and afterward wrote his epistles to Timothy (1 Timothy) and Titus. After about 63 A.D., Paul was reportedly released from his first Roman imprisonment. Upon his release, he travels East before pressing on to new territories. His objective was to visit churches on the Eastern side of the Aegean. If he were released, he would have made it farther West to Spain, and this would have been the time to have reached the farthest extent of the known world with the gospel (Matt 28:19-20, Mark 16:15). Possibly setting out to Spain in 64 A.D., he left Timothy at Ephesus and Titus at Crete. Upon rearrest around 67 A.D., he is subject to execution from Roman imprisonment, and he summons Timothy. After Paul’s first release from prison, there is significant effort to explain what he did. There is some theory that he wasn’t released from Roman imprisonment at all (i.e., “stricter confinement” from libera custodia; Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free, Bruce, 444).

Among a fragmented range of speculation about Paul’s historical travels (2 Tim 2:23), there is a puzzling sense of reason to reconstruct Paul’s whereabouts and his meta-narratives for delivery to the churches after the first imprisonment that doesn’t concern the substance of his message among the pastoral epistles. Historical records from Clement or Eusebius do not provide clear and concise detail to stitch together where Paul was before a rearrest, or the relevance of that was (other than to indicate 2 Timothy was written during the second imprisonment: Eusebius Hist. Eccl. ii. 22.2). There is a lot of equivocation, such as “maybe” or “could be” or “might have” to settle upon evidence of what he did. Meaning, it is merely theory that Paul wrote from release or exile (1 Clem 5:6), between a first and second Roman imprisonment (Bruce, 444-445). Paul’s writing of the pastoral epistles (1 Tim, 2 Tim, Titus, and Philemon) doesn’t explicitly indicate an exoneration or acquittal from Roman justice as he was incarcerated in Rome the first time.

As Paul wrote to the churches through Timothy and Titus, he gave specific instructions to their formation, order, and discipline. Toward that purpose, Paul quoted Epimenides (6th-century BC philosopher and religious prophet) in Titus 1:12. Much earlier on in the Bruce text (Bruce, 242), it is clear that Paul elaborates upon the context of “The Cretans, always liars, evil beasts, idle bellies!” or more explicitly from Titus 1:12b, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” Before the Athenians, Paul places upon them the problem of self-reference in logic, which renders to the reader or listener a self-referential incoherence as it concerns the messaging and credibility of pagan philosophy or the Cretan prophet Epimenides. The Cretan prophet Epimenides declared all prophets as liars when such a statement was self-defeating. As such, that statement was written to the letter to Titus as a way to highlight the line of thinking about Cretans who called attention to their own prophet (who also declared Cretans as liars) as credible. Instead, they were empty talkers, deceivers, and the rebellious that Titus was to guard against while in Crete.

Paul quotes the pagan Greek writers to bring attention to the perils of entrusting the early church to those who were treacherous in thought and conduct. Warnings against those who would instruct believers of the early church lived dishonorable lifestyles inconsistent with Pauline instruction—especially concerning the gospel and the truth of what that means in terms of new covenant hope and instruction. To make room for errant thoughts and philosophies of false teachers was rejected as specific writings of Greco-Roman culture otherwise held in regard as having authority.

To both Timothy and Titus, Paul produced listings of qualifications for elders. The listing given to Titus was shorter than to Timothy. Of believers, Paul has great concern that they should produce the fruits of the Spirit in their own lives. Namely, as a foundation of elders, at a minimum, there should be qualities to include love, patience, gentleness, meekness, and self-control. The character qualities of Christ must be evident among converts who were to grow in maturity. The fruits of the Spirit were a baseline among believers converted as a bedrock of what members of churches were to live by.

The state of development among churches on Crete with Titus or at Ephesus with Timothy differed as a function of where believers were in their faith walk. Moreover, social conditions that placed pressures upon the churches in each region were unique and required attention as to their needs. Concerning situational circumstances, the regional Church becomes developed through formative instruction, producing an escalating value of service, worship, and gospel outreach. To achieve stability for foundational growth, the churches in Crete were at a different state of situational readiness, where Titus could assure and enforce its development according to the written instructions he obtained from Paul.

As Paul spent years in Ephesus with multiple visits and support from churches in the area, elders’ roles, responsibilities, and duties were likely more advanced toward their ministry charter, discipleship, individual care, and service of Christ and His people.

While Paul was imprisoned and wrote to the churches in Asia-minor, he had support from fellow workers of the gospel. Particularly during house arrest while in Rome, he had the help of Onesimus who was a derelict slave from across the Aegean. Onesimus’ obligation to Philemon, his master, was a serious matter that required attention. There were legal implications that threatened Paul as he kept a runaway slave in his company while in Rome. While Paul wrote his letter to Philemon concerning Onesimus, the runaway slave (Philemon 1:10-21), he was at some risk because he violated Roman law.

During Paul’s house arrest in Rome, his actions with Onesimus were self-acknowledged (v.11) while he was under Roman guard. And yet Onesimus was not only a runaway slave. He was harbored —a slave under the legal ownership to someone who had a claim to him as human property. As Onesimus was legally obligated to render service and work to his owner’s interests, he was of particular use to Paul instead during his imprisonment (v.11, cf Col 4:9). Paul attained beneficial human capital through Onesimus as he was a slave displaced from Philemon as a rightful owner. Paul gained Philemon’s time value of money vis-a-vis Onesimus for some time, and Philemon could have reported the matter to authorities.

From a Western cultural perspective, one could argue that Paul was in possession of stolen property. Onesimus, under his choice and free agency, made a series of decisions to leave his obligations and instead attend to Paul to some extent in support of his ministry and well-being. While in an apparent contradiction of interest, Paul’s letter to Colossae identifies Onesimus as a fellow ministry worker. Philemon was of the faith as well and treasured by Paul. Still, the apparent ethical concerns of displaced labor without Philemon’s consent had Paul concerned about Onesimus’ offenses, and the ministry, in general, could have been perceived as tainted or corrupt. It was an unwanted situation that carried perpetuated legal standing from a brother in Christ, and it had to be resolved.

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The Echoes of Suffering

By James Austin in Theology

Today I finished reading the entirety of Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free by F.F. Bruce. The title of the text in the U.K. is Paul: Apostle of the Free Spirit. The text is 510 pages in length, and it is a comprehensive exposition of all Paul’s letters and related writings of him within the apostolic era. F.F. Bruce (1910-1990) is a well-known Rylands Professor of Biblical Criticism and Exegesis at the University of Manchester, England. He wrote over forty commentaries and various other books, including The Acts of the Apostles, The Gospel of John, The Message of the New Testament, and A Mind for What Matters. Scholars, academics, students, and the pastorate throughout the world of believers in Christ recognize the author’s work as credible and of immense weight.

As Bruce walks through Paul’s books, he presents an in-depth look at the apostle himself as a way to get at the apostle’s character, heart, and mind to probe the tenacity and strength of his convictions. With grace and a divine imperative to accomplish just exactly what God appointed him to do. Luke, the author of the gospel Luke and the book of Acts, wrote of the trajectory of Paul’s remaining adult years after his conversion on the Damascus road. As Jesus Himself spoke of Paul’s commission: “for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake” (Acts 9:15-16).

Paul was appointed the apostle to the Gentiles. And while he did suffer hardships, distress, and persecution, he took delight in that suffering for Christ. Paul boasted of all he survived as described by all his sufferings recorded in Scripture. Unlike anything that ever was or ever will be, the glory of Paul’s suffering was as an offering of love and eternal service of worship. Even for all of his labors and the churches he formed throughout Asia and Europe, by grace and the power of the Holy Spirit, he set the momentum and perpetual development of early Christianity that would span populations throughout the centuries.

As Paul moved about Ephesus and Troas, then to Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Corinth, Galatia, and along the Aegean coast, he was accompanied by various disciples and fellow workers. He worked by a church formation process that repeatedly involved synagogues wherever he went. The Gentile God-fearers, uncircumcised, and ethnic congregants among Jewish fellowships who attended synagogues were attracted to the gospel as made clear during Paul’s ministry. New converts of Christ met in homes and gathering places that did not conform to the requirements and traditions of Judaism or Greek temples. Consequently, in due time, Paul was ultimately imprisoned in Rome because of the deepening impact of his ministry throughout Greco-Roman culture because of social, political, and religious animosity. Isolated from nearly all associates, he was eventually executed after two years of house arrest during the reign of Nero, Emperor of Rome. Yet, throughout Mediterranean territories from the first century onward, the body of believers as a Church increased by size and geographical distribution.

Within F.F. Bruce’s book Paul: Apostle of the Free Spirit, there was a substantial range and depth covered around the historical background of Paul’s religious, political, ethnic, and cultural environments to set the stage of first-century developments, primarily characterized by social tensions, religious upheaval, and political strife since the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus. Numerous opposing cultural differences between Jewish, Roman, Greek, and Gentile peoples defined the social undercurrent of the Greco-Roman era. Paul’s kingdom work was through a diversity of enormous significance. Paul situated himself among people mixed with deeply rooted Hellenistic lifestyles and Judaic traditions reaching across languages, religious expression, traditions, social classes, and territorial pressures. By necessity, Bruce set up a detailed profile, with a historiologically substantiated context of Paul’s surroundings and occasion. To present to his readers what was to occur of enormous spiritual significance, Paul often hurriedly traveled, underwent beatings, survived shipwreck, experienced cold and hunger to reach Gentiles with the gospel. The fruit of his labors would last for thousands of years and reach millions.

As the reader progresses through the Bruce text, there is an intuitively chronological feel to the author’s exposition. First through the book of Romans, then the letters to the Corinthians, and all canonical letters thereafter written to the early churches. Namely, within Asia-minor and along the Aegean, including Anatolia, Crete, Cyprus, Macedonia, Acaiah, and Italy. However unlikely, there is speculation by some that he made it to Spain with the gospel as he wanted. The sequence of territorial progress along the chronological timeline of Paul’s work matches the narrative of the Bruce text. More specifically, apostolic instruction, training, discipline, and corrective efforts were iterative construction methods around the formation of lasting fellowships. Paul’s cyclical and pastoral letters were written and delivered to fellowships along a timeline across various corresponding churches that underwent growth pangs. The formative Church in numerous locations was guided by visitation and teaching according to each community’s maturity, unique needs, and cultural climate.

Paul’s written work as Scripture to the early Church was to pastor a people and shepherd them through a new covenant apart from the law, as sustained by grace, faith, and sanctification amid cultural treachery, false teaching, and interpersonal hostilities. He brought the gospel to people through outreach, and he discipled many. He planted Churches, and he set in order fellowships and assemblies of believers for sustained growth. He was especially known for his teachings (doctrines) of justification and sanctification as they accompany the work of the Holy Spirit through the gospel.

As F.F. Bruce meticulously traverses Paul’s letters, he illuminates apostolic revelation from divine inspiration around numerous subjects. Paul’s work and writings fully immerse the reader in undeniable foundational truths from the most profound theological topics to eschatological concerns and daily living by faith and obedience. Moreover, the author’s caliber, range, and volume of citations from scholars, patristics, and numerous primary and academic sources are entirely impressive. To such an extent, this labor of love from F.F. Bruce is a treasure of timeless analysis to bring out precisely the truth and meaning of the gospel for all who would believe. As appointed by Christ Jesus, Paul’s work served our LORD with all his heart, mind, soul, and strength. Paul suffered well.

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The Macedonian Path

By James Austin in Theology

It is technically incorrect to conclude that the dominant message of Philippians is the nurturing of Christian joy. The Greek word for “joy” (χαρᾶς) that Paul wrote in his letter to the Philippians appears several times to the reader. According to A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (BDAG), this word is a term that refers to the human experience of gladness. As Paul uses the term in various locations, they together do not substantiate the letter’s intended purpose. When a reader carefully examines each use of the “joy” term among all verses (Phil 1:4, 1:25, 2:2, 2:29, 4:1), without including the similar term “rejoice,” it becomes clear that the purpose of the letter does not rest upon the meaning of joy concerning the Philippian believers. The use of the term joy and its meaning is intended to describe a state of being that accompanies the actual purpose of the letter.

The letter’s purpose is to direct the Philippian church toward a joyful unity in the life of the gospel. Paul warns believers against false teachers and ministers who would lead people into error and cause division and the loss of peace. By Paul’s encouragement, “joy” is merely an adjective to the noun “unity” in the gospel and life of the church. Paul doesn’t explicitly inform his readers that the purpose of his letter was to pursue joy, but their pursuit of unity infers its presence. Paul urges believers to strive toward a humility of mind in pursuit of unity. Like Christ, by following His example and practice, believers are to conduct themselves in peace, gentleness, confidence, and the knowledge of the gospel toward unity of mind. In contentment, while circumstances were either easy or difficult, Christ and Paul were models to imitate.

Conversely, from Philippi to Thessalonica, the believers in Macedonia were new believers (less than 2-years of age) concurrent to when Paul and his fellow workers established the church. The Thessalonian believers were susceptible to doubt, instability, and suspicion, so when Jewish hostilities emerged concerning Paul and the development of the church, he fled the city only to cause a loss of confidence among those left behind. As Paul proclaimed, his visit was not in vain, but it was necessary to restore their confidence after his abrupt departure by elaborating upon his background and further intentions. Paul’s ministry was made thoroughly credible by his appointment by Christ, background, hardships, and intentions, as demonstrated by other churches established within Cilicia, Galatia, and elsewhere. While he left Thessalonica, he did not abandon them.

Paul’s aspirations for those in Thessalonica aligned with Christ’s charge to make disciples. Their growth, development, and sanctification were a priority as he immediately sent his disciple Timothy toward that purpose. To build confidence upon his background and apostolic authority further, he commissioned Timothy to visit them and strengthen their faith. His appointment to Timothy was immediate while they were gathered together in Athens. Moreover, to further remove any suspicion from the Thessalonian church, Paul appeals to their memory about the warnings against the afflictions he was to suffer. They witnessed firsthand his escape as necessary to continue his ministry. The situation they together endured was a testimony to the authenticity of Paul’s work with them in the gospel and their fellowship as believers. Paul informed them that this was an indication that his work was for their benefit, and he did not intend to leave them to the wolves.

The location of the Thessalonian church in Macedonia was a region of convergence around a diversity of thought. Cultural influences from the Greco-Roman worldview of the populace had a bearing upon people to include new coverts and believers who brought with them presuppositions or religious and ideological baggage. In reference to 2 Thess 2:2, Paul’s warning about deceptive messages and letters was further attestation about the false intentions of people who were of some influence upon believers or the church itself.

Intentional or not, errors circulated among believers about the Parousia and eschatological concerns carried enough weight that he elaborated on what implications arose from false conclusions that potentially grew more widespread. As a corrective measure, to align diverse views and erroneous instruction toward eschatological truth, Paul draws the reader’s attention to revelatory facts based upon the authority of the Spirit and God’s word.

Paul doesn’t specifically elaborate upon the diversity of erroneous thought but instead focuses on truth as necessary to inform those of the church about what to believe. Regardless of background, Jew, Gentile, God-Fearer, Roman, Greek, or otherwise, Paul makes clear that the strengthening of the Thessalonians was of utmost necessity. Diversions from their sanctification stemming from the diverse and erroneous views without apostolic authority did not hold sway as formative doctrines and traditions were taking shape within the church.

It was false teaching among believers that the Parousia had already occurred. And while the Thessalonians didn’t believe the false teaching, there was a warning from Paul concerning neglect and abstention from work. With a sense of imminence concerning the return of the LORD taken root, the daily needs and interests of the church were not attended as they should. Believers, even recent converts, were obligated to satisfy daily life demands to assure the needs of people were met. Specifically, as no one would know the specific day or hour of Christ’s return, families and church members needed to remain in proper standing as contributors to the community, the economy, and family life. It was unethical to abstain from duties and responsibilities that assured sustenance and the growth or maintenance of people and the church.

As the Parousia had not already occurred, it was false teaching that it was in the past. Suppose believers had concluded that the second coming of Christ had already occurred, and they were consequently left out. In that case, they could have given themselves over to licentiousness or grave immorality in betrayal of their faith. False teaching to have this effect was of concern to Paul and his fellow workers in the gospel. A falling away of believers into apostasy would impede the growth and development of the church founded in Thessalonica. Consequently, it was necessary to clarify what circumstances and expectations were surrounding the return of Christ to believers there and in the region as a whole.

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The Dispatch of Antiquity

By James Austin in Theology

The significance of communication within the early church within Asia-minor can not be overstated. As there were numerous nationalities, languages, cultures, traditions, and religious commitments within the Greco-Roman empire located further East of Rome, the distribution of populations beyond Judea grew more widespread. Until the 19^th century, the traditional perspective was that Paul traveled through Northern Galatia in 56 A.D as the Gauls inhabited it. The inhabitants of Southern Galatia were Galatian in name only as Roman imperialism and its populace consisting of different ethnicities occupied the area. They were not ethnically Gauls. By comparison, the biblical record explicitly identifies Derbe, Iconium, and Lystra as the towns Paul visited with the gospel. While there is no record of his visitation to North Galatia that consisted of ethnic Gauls, churches formed in Southern Galatia would have been supported by correspondence as read from his letters to the Galatians. To conclude that Paul was writing to a Galatian church in the North is to speculate from silence and an absence of specific revelatory detail and the historiographical record. Paul specifically wrote to the Galatian people of Southern Galatia, which likely made its way to Northern Galatia.

By comparison, as Paul wrote to the believers at Ephesus, the introduction of the letter itself was explicit concerning its intended readership. The letter was written to the saints who were at Ephesus. The text doesn’t specify “the Church” or the equivalent in Greek by way of introduction. Further along in the body of the letter, there are various references to the church, but not as a directed reading of the saints at a specific assembly in Ephesus per se. The assemblies in Ephesus are inclusive of the language and terminology of the church as it concerns Paul’s apostolic instruction. Early manuscripts that do not specify the population of believers in Ephesus don’t expressly exclude them by inference. If Paul’s letter was copied to form another early manuscript and circulated to exclude the locale at Ephesus, it would serve as a circular letter among congregations of saints in Asia-minor without a specific target audience for more widespread instruction and applicability.

The biblical text doesn’t indicate that the letter was initial correspondence to the saints at Ephesus or that it was intended for eventual circularity at the outset. To conclude otherwise that there is evidence is simply a matter of historical theory outside the authority of scripture itself. Conversely, whether corroborated or not by other literary means, it is reasonable to conclude that all letters were eventually shared and served as a basis for apostolic instruction toward Godly living, doctrine, discipleship, and many other matters of pertinent interest and truth. Paul’s letter from Laodicea specified in Colossians doesn’t specify it as the letter written to the saints in Ephesus (Col 4:16). There is a compelling rationale about the nature of the letter’s intended circularity, and a reader could surmise its origin from Ephesus. Still, there isn’t explicit certainty, or biblical proof, that it was intended as a generic letter or from a template for broader consumption later in time.

More distinct from other correspondence, Paul wrote to the believers of Colossae about false teaching (Col 2:8) as the Colossian heresy formed and threatened to produce a corrosive effect. These believers were exposed to gnostic Judaism or at least primitive gnostic thought that inferred that the redemptive work of Christ and the grace of God wasn’t enough. More specifically, and according to F.F. Bruce, Paul: Apostle of the Free Spirit, false teachers from the synagogues of Phrygia were the source of Hellenistic Judaism that produced false and speculative beliefs that didn’t have a place for the gospel and Christ as a salvific necessity. As a form of syncretism took shape and found its way to believers in Colossae, specific emphasis was placed upon the angels and their agency responsible for creation. As elemental beings (stoicheia), they were to be feared and served through asceticism. Christ Himself was subject to the spiritual world’s divine plenitude (plērōma), or principalities and powers according to the spiritual élite presented as advanced and progressive wisdom and knowledge (gnōsis). Essentially, through false teaching, Christ wasn’t enough.

By comparison, Paul’s defense of the gospel to the Judaisers of Ephesus with different circumstances. He contended with Jewish Christians who held bodily circumcision as necessary to attain right standing before God. As an inclusive requirement of the new covenant, it was asserted that Gentiles must become circumcised to share in the fellowship of those who belong to Christ. As concluded of the Colossian heresy, Christ again wasn’t enough, but for different reasons. Through false teaching, Christ wasn’t sufficient.

While correspondence continued, in various locations within the Eastern Anatolian peninsula of Asia, several churches were planted that were undergoing spiritual development. They were under the apostolic leadership of Paul and his fellow laborers in the gospel of Christ. Their instruction delivered in oral and written form originated from shepherds appointed, and letters read for the purpose of teaching, rebuke, correction, and training in righteousness. In such efforts, written correspondence and spiritual gifts were given among people for God’s glory and growth in well-being. To that purpose, the distribution of letters interspersed included letters “coming from Laodicea.” In contrast, they would pass from the saints at Ephesus, the saints of Asia as a circular letter, or from Hierapolis and Laodicea itself (c.f. Col 4:16). Concerning the specific reference to Colossians 4:16, where Paul wrote, “see that you also read the letter from Laodicea” (ESV), some would reference it (without conclusive evidence) as the circular letter to the Ephesian believers. While others could surmise that the letter was directed explicitly to the Laodicea church – a letter now lost and absent from the canon of scripture. The perspective that the letter was yet additional correspondence circulated among the various churches in Asia is another theory of interest. It indicates a corpus of texts that served multiple purposes over some time. As needs and coordination for instruction, guidance, travel logistics, supplies, and support became a necessity for a network of churches, the body of believers in Asia had to rely upon a means of communication involving Paul and his variously named helpers.

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The Apostolic Burden

By James Austin in Theology

When thinking through Paul’s teachings to the church at Corinth in the first century, about the resurrection body (1 Cor 15), there are corresponding principles about purity (1 Cor 6-7) that concern the church today. The coming transformation of the saints is predicated upon perishable flesh that belongs to the LORD (1 Cor 6:20). As the LORD inhabits His people by the Spirit, we are in this life set apart for a resurrection body as mortality must put on immortality (1 Cor 15:53). The likeness, character, and perception of our bodies together constitute an image of the earthly that will bear the image of the heavenly. Just as there is no sin in the resurrected body, there is to be no sin in the flesh among the saints, as Paul charges believers to “stop sinning” (1 Cor 15:34). The person who joins himself to the LORD (1 Cor 6:17) is to flee immorality as the body is a seed sown for spiritual immortality at the resurrection.

Impurity has no place in the believer’s life as the body is meant for the LORD, as it dwells in a perishable state subject to imperishability through the resurrection, Apostle Paul wrote about (1 Cor 15:50-57). The body indwelt by the Holy Spirit is not to be joined with another in immorality.

Paul wrote concerning unbelievers who have no business being in judgment over believers. As they are “unrighteous,” they do not inherit the Kingdom of God (1 Cor 6:9) since it will at some point be given over to the Father (1 Cor 15:24). The text of Scripture is explicit that sin will no longer have a place as death is defeated. As death is the outcome of sin, and the sting of sin is removed by washing and regeneration (Titus 3:5), impurity has no place in the resurrection body.

The Corinthian church’s situation regarding such matters weighed upon Paul. In fact, the markers between Paul’s interlude (2 Corinthians 2:14 through 7:4) concerned his loss of heart and his restoration through the work of God within the Corinthian Church. While he wrote of his depression and sorrows as he was disheartened by what was occurring at the Church in Corinth, he set about to write of the glory of the Gospel ministry. He emerged from his sorrow and heartache to produce a written exposition of his commissioning, empowerment, and ministry for the reconciliation of people to God through Christ. In elaborate detail, he wrote of the meaning and depth of the calling, affliction, and glory to the endurance of believers for reconciliation. For reconciliation, repentance was necessary for the Corinthian Church as well as their separation from those immersed in sinful and self-destructive lifestyles.

Upon completion of Paul’s interlude, he wrote of his comfort and renewed confidence as he met with Titus to continue his ministry. Titus’ report that the Corinthian Church repented brought joy to Paul, and God restored his heart to continue on an itinerary of ministry to the churches in Macedonia. To include those further around the coastal regions of the Aegean. Paul’s letter to this effect was of significant encouragement as he described the circumstances and events surrounding his absence. Moreover, the facts involving his ministry about the suffering, disappointment, and restoration were of redemptive merit as reconciliation was a fruit of his labors toward the Church at Corinth. The instabilities resolved were directly about his intentions concerning the development of the Church in Achaia, as the body of believers there was aligned to the gospel ministry. Namely, the ministry Paul set upon and delivered according to his commissioning in Christ. He was accountable for the Church.

To dissuade Paul from exalting in his stature as an Apostle of Christ, he was given a thorn in the flesh. To keep him in check, where he would remain in a humble state before God and others, he was given a condition that impeded or blocked his ability to make a big deal about himself or his accomplishments. There are various theories about the identity of the “thorn in the flesh” as they involved a messenger of Satan (2 Cor 12:7). The various speculations about what the affliction was about consist of a range of possibilities. The leading explanations were a physical disorder or adverse circumstances that negatively affected his ability to pursue self-glory.

There is substantial speculation that Paul’s expression was idiomatic as a way to make clear a condition he endured, as it rendered him incapable of borrowing on his own stature or achievements to bring about certain outcomes involving the development of the Church. While Paul was at times harsh and direct in his epistolary dialogs, the work of the Spirit and the glory of God didn’t belong to Paul, even through his aggressive methods and assertive messaging. The glory of God and Christ through his ministry was the perspective to sustain, and Paul was intentionally situatedas subordinate to that. Likely for the development and well-being of the Church and Paul’s spiritual well-being.

In addition to a physical malady or adverse circumstances, personal adversaries were a possibility to explain how Paul was physically subdued, somehow to keep him in check. Personal foes could have included false apostles, a continual opponent, or the Corinthians themselves.

Paul was also addressing those within the Corinthian fellowship who were professed believers within the church he established. If the people of the church, while they professed their faith, did not repent (as the Lord grants them; 2 Tim 2:25) and live out their lives by the Spirit, genuine saving faith was apparently absent. Paul’s imperative was for church members to examine themselves and self-assess if they were in the faith or not. While it is not immediately apparent from his letter what one does to perform a self-assessment (2 Cor 13:5), the context of the passage indicates that Paul turned the tables on those who cast into question his authority and the authenticity of his apostleship. Their rebellion against Paul brought into question the presence of the indwelling Spirit among them as he wrote to the Romans (which was after his letters to the Corinthians):

“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” – Rom 8:15-16

This bearing of witness appears to be a means of authentication, as the early Corinthian church did not have the full testimony and instruction of the New Covenant scripture. Paul urged them to self-test, but the professing believers in the Corinthian church (who were authentic believers) were also warned about the Spirit who should indwell them. Otherwise, more specifically concerning consequences, compare what he wrote about the division between Israel and Gentiles; as he warns elsewhere at a later time:

“Then you will say, ‘Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.’ That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.” – Rom 11:19-22

Paul’s pleading to the Church at Corinth is explicit within the letter itself as it is with his message of appeal (2 Cor 5:20). To borrow on the authority and identity of God as Paul and Timothy were ambassadors for Christ, he sets aside his authority, which the Corinthian Church questioned. Furthermore, Paul wrote in the 2^nd person plural on behalf of Christ to beg Church members to become reconciled to God. Paul’s premise upon his appeal was that some within the body weren’t in right standing before God and that reconciliation was necessary to Him through Christ as necessary.

Only through Christ is reconciliation to God possible. Yet, through Paul’s appeal, their circumstances and status were more evident through their situation itself and direct correction to inform them of pressing sinful problems and reverse course. The Corinthian Church was made entirely aware that to obtain reconciliation, their conviction of wrongdoing and repentance was of necessity ,as they were under grace (2 Cor 6:1-2). The church body would have understood their letter of Paul’s charge as correspondence continued, and their obligation was to continue not as unbelievers but as those who live by the Spirit as they were under grace.

Paul was God’s ambassador through Christ. They were to abide by New Covenant imperatives concerning faith and the fruitful living that followed, as the Church had corresponding obligations concerning morality.

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The Waters of Contention

By James Austin in Theology

In the 1980s, when the notion “New Perspective of Paul” (NPP) was first offered, it intended to reinterpret the soteriological meaning of Apostle Paul’s writings. To shape differently an understanding of justification by faith to include (by necessity) the personal maintenance of salvation by works righteousness. Among NPP interpreters of Scripture who advocate grace and forgiveness by repentance for salvation under the new covenant, NPP advocates insist there is a works righteousness that must accompany initial salvation as an ongoing way to perpetuate a person’s salvific status. Grace through faith to include works of the law as a fully effective performance-based means of sustained justification. Where without observance of the law, or works of righteousness, salvation is unattainable as a born-again believer inevitably lives through dry seasons of faith, devotion, and practice. Fruits of the Spirit are evidence of justification and sanctification, not a prerequisite to holding up salvific favor. Salvation belongs to the Lord.

The NPP was set against the “Old Perspective” of the Reformers’ doctrine Sola Fide (faith alone) by grace as a means of justification. Its objections against Protestant doctrines of salvation by faith alone stemmed from how the Reformers reacted against the RCC’s abuses. NPP wrongly concluded that protestants read their objections of RCC abuse into Scripture and asserts that the “Old Perspective” holds a false understanding of Paul’s Judaic opponents and their view that justification is by grace through faith to include righteousness that comes by further effort and obligations.

First introduced by E.P. Sanders in 1977, Covenantal Nomism are together terms that claim 2nd temple Judaism accepts salvation by grace as valid, but its maintenance was through Mosaic Law. The Mosaic covenant involved the free grace of God, as shown to Israel. Still, it was necessary to sustain law-keeping and keep oneself in the covenant to inherit salvation. The term nomism (from the Greek nomos, law) originates from the notion that ethical and moral observance of the law involves personal conduct. In his Systematic Theology, Grudem defines Covenantal Nomism as the belief of Jews during the time of Christ who obeyed Mosaic laws out of gratitude to remain God’s people. Still, an initial inheritance of salvation was by election and grace. To remain the people of God, it was necessary to “stay in” or continue in the faith by satisfying the Mosaic law to maintain the covenant. Covenantal Nomism is correlated to a marriage covenant where marriage is maintained by effort, continued intimacy, and consummation once vows are made.

In contrast to Covenantal Nomism, Variegated Nomism involves Jews within 2nd temple Judaism who held that salvation was through law-keeping by various ideas. To attain and maintain salvation, legalism extended through the lives of individuals by different means of covenantal adherence. The distinction between the two rests upon the various forms of Judaism that held a keeping of the law by covenant, gratitude, and faith, to set a person on a path of justification involving progressive sanctification for final eschatological salvation. Both reject the imputation of Christ’s righteousness and personal belief (union with Christ) as considered righteousness.

The timeline of Paul’s mission work in Asia-minor is historically recounted as a period of church development at Corinth by iterative attention. The church was founded between 50 and 52 A.D., with initial success and stability until Paul heard reports of discipline issues sinful behaviors. In about 55 A.D., Paul wrote initial correspondence to the Corinthian church concerning what he learned about the church’s spiritual condition. In reply, in the Spring of 56 A.D., the Corinthian church writes to pose questions of Paul. After that, Paul writes more comprehensively, 1 Corinthians to immediately return the church to order involving instruction and spiritual correction. The course of 56 A.D. escalated further with Paul’s emergency visit (“painful visit) to Corinth for more direct personal attention toward the fledgling church immersed in sinful Greek culture.

Further along the Spring of 56 A.D., Paul wrote a scathing follow-up letter of contention about the purpose of his visit. His motives were of a position and “abundant love” and “anguish of heart” as his desire would be their joy and obedience according to the Spirit and the teachings entrusted to them. Undue divisiveness, isolation, and alienation of members in the Corinthian Church were especially of deep concern. After a period of anxiety while in Troas (Troy) and Macedonia, Paul wrote again to the Corinthians (Fourth letter; 2 Corinthians) and sent his letter ahead before his third and final visit. Before leaving for Jerusalem to conclude his 3rd journey, he spent time in Corinth to deal with the core of individuals of the Church who were causing problems and divisions.

As 1 Corinthians was written as a letter of various concerns about the Church in Corinth (chapters 1 through 6), Paul wrote at considerable length to answer questions from the body of believers there (chapters 7 through 16). The second part of the Corinthian letter responded to questions that were brought to Paul while he was in Ephesus. Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus (1 Cor 7:1, 16:17), were those who delivered the questions answered by Paul as he undertook the completion of the first part of the letter. There is speculation that the questions answered in the latter half of 1 Corinthians were stimulated by the initial letter Paul wrote (letter A) not long after the church was planted.

The literary structure of the letter is further evidence of the clear partitioning between the first and second half of the correspondence between Paul and the Church. The first several chapters (1 Cor 1:10 – 6:20) involve Paul’s concerns about general divisiveness, disorder, and the necessity of church discipline. While the first three chapters involve divisiveness as significant divisions within the church were evident, he addresses the matter with principles as he doesn’t appear to attend to specific disputes or questions. The distinction with the latter half of the letter was a body of disparate matters to indicate responses to particular questions posed by the Corinthian congregation. The interpersonal hardships among Corinthian church members imposed upon one another exerted undue strain that needed resolution. To relieve the strain, the Church leadership, or its body, leaned upon Paul’s authority to resolve specific issues of contention.

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Preface

A Short Statement

Articles of Affirmation and Denial

Article I

Article II

Article III

Article IV

Article V

Article VI

Article VII

Article VIII

Article IX

Article X

Article XI

Article XII

Article XIII

Article XIV

Article XV

Article XVI

Article XVII

Article XVIII

Article XIX

Purpose and Background

Structure

Doctrinal Concerns

Practical Concerns

Synthesis

Introduction (Romans 1:1-17)

The Problem of Depravity & Judgment (Rom 1:18–3:20)

Righteousness from God’s Justification (Rom 3:21–5:21)

Holiness and Sanctification (Rom 6:1–8:39)

The Sovereignty of God (Rom 9:1–11:36)

Renewed Life & Mind (Rom 12:1-2)

Life of Peace, Unity, & Love (Rom 12:3-13:14)

Conscience, Discernment & Deference (Rom 14:1-15:13)

Method & Ministry (Rom 15:14-33)

Final Commendations & Farewell (Rom 16:1-27)

Conclusion

Citations

Bibliography

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