THE LETTERS OF PAUL (Part 1)

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1. Being Made Right With God (Romans 1:17-23; 3:20-24; 5:1, 6-8; 8:1-2)

2. Apostolic Correction and Counsel (1 Corinthians 3:1-11; Galatians 3:1-14)

3. Significance of the Resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:12-22, 50-58)

Central Truth: The writings of the apostle Paul provide instructions for the Church.

Focus: Analyze and apply God’s instruction through Paul to the Church.

Evangelism Emphasis: Through Jesus Christ, sinners are made right with a holy God.

Text: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16).

INTRODUCTION

Through the enabling power of the Holy Spirit given at Pentecost, the Church began growing at a rapid pace, especially through the missionary journeys of Paul, Barnabas, and Silas. As seekers found Christ through the ministry of the apostles and early believers, local fellowships were established in homes, and sometimes in public meeting places. The need for teaching these new believers the tenets of the faith, divine order in the body of Christ, and appropriate church government quickly became apparent.

This expansion also brought into focus a new problem. The question arose that if Gentiles received Jesus as Messiah and Savior, to what degree should they be required to observe the Law of Moses—especially the rite of circumcision? With the Gentiles entering into Christian fellowship solely by faith, and with Jewish believers still clinging to Old Testament precepts, the conflict within the Church became an extremely serious issue; hence, the growing need for concentrated instruction and training.

On the return trip home from their first missionary journey, Paul and Barnabas retraced their steps in order to confirm the new disciples and exhort them to continue in the faith (Acts 14:22). After arriving back at Antioch in Syria and spending some time preaching and teaching God’s Word there, Paul suggested to Barnabas that they go again and visit their brethren in the cities where they had preached to see their development (15:36).

Paul not only had the heart of an evangelist, but also had the heart of a pastor/teacher. His passion extended beyond leading people to a confession of faith; it expanded to establishing individual believers, as well as entire church fellowships, in the faith and instructing them in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. New believers, both Jews and Gentiles, needed to cut their ties to the past: the ceremonial law for Jews; familiar pagan practices for Gentiles; as well as deep-rooted prejudices, sinful tendencies, and misconceptions of God.

Paul’s letters constitute more than a fourth of the New Testament, and his instructions to believers are as relevant today as they were then. Merrill C. Tenny said, “Next to the work of Christ himself, the conversion of Saul was probably the most important event in the history of Christianity, for it not only removed an active enemy of the Gospel, but also transformed him into one of its chief propagators” ( New Testament Survey ).

1. BEING MADE RIGHT WITH GOD

A. God’s Righteousness and Our Unrighteousness (Romans 1:17-23)

17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness.

The Epistle to the Romans focuses mainly on two themes—man’s sin and God’s righteousness. It is the revelation of God’s righteousness to us and its application to our spiritual needs. Throughout this epistle, Paul explains how God reveals and imparts His nature to us through faith, thereby re-creating us in His righteousness. Righteousness in the Biblical sense has to do with being right in relationship to the ideal standard—that is, to God. God’s judicial declaration of our righteousness, grounded in His perfection and in our faith, has a direct bearing on our relationship with Him and manifests itself in behavior that conforms to His image. Simply put, holiness in position produces holiness in nature and practice.

The Gospel is a revelation of God’s righteousness “from faith to faith” (v. 17). It is a promise, and an act of judgment. It is God declaring that, through Christ’s atonement, He is prepared to pronounce us righteous and accept us as if we had never sinned— justification . The Cross became the means whereby the justice of God could be satisfied and the mercy of God could be realized.

There is another revelation in verse 18. This one is also grounded on justice, but it has to do with God’s wrath. Here, wrath comes from the Greek word orgē and is defined by one scholar as “a wrath of God who would not love good unless He hated evil, the two being inseparable, that He must do both or neither.” This wrath does not speak of the punishment of sin but rather of God’s attitude toward it. That is, His posture is against the ungodliness of people who “suppress the truth in [their] unrighteousness” (v. 18 NKJV). They know the truth because God has shown it to them (v. 19), but in their unrighteousness they try to suppress it.

Revelation is always the direct act of God, even though He may use different means to accomplish it. And although He has chosen to employ the visible universe to testify of His invisible existence, the revelation of God is not inherent in the material universe. His revelation is always a supernatural act. In verse 20, He uses His visible creation to render defenseless those who are guilty of trying to stifle the truth; they are without excuse. “The outward creation is not the parent but the interpreter of our faith in God” ( Jamieson, Fausset , and Brown Commentary ).

Further proof that these unrighteous people were not ignorant of God is found in verse 21, for “when they knew God,” they did not glorify Him nor thank Him. Their hearts became darkened and, in their foolishness, they “exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things” (v. 23 ESV). In practice, they became idolatrous, worshiping things created instead of directing worship to the eternal God and Creator of all things.

How do you see the truth of verse 22 being lived out in our society?

B. Righteousness by Faith (Romans 3:20-24)

21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.

Paul’s initial objective in his letter to the Romans was to expose Jew and Gentile alike as helplessly falling under God’s judgment (v. 9). “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one” (v. 10). Therefore, the guilt of sin is universal; the human race is depraved, having no fear of God and having no knowledge of peace, with the Law being incapable of providing justification (vv. 11-20). The stage being thus set, Paul pursued his next objective of revealing the offering of God’s righteousness through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, whereby we might receive justification through faith.

The phrase “without the law” (v. 21) is placed forward in the Greek text to read: “But now, apart from the law.” In arranging this phrase accordingly, Paul immediately sets forth the separation of divine righteousness from any works of the Law. Righteousness is based on a principle other than our doing right, for good works can never make us righteous. Since we cannot possess righteousness by the Law, if we put our trust in the Law, we cannot be saved.

Regardless of their incomplete knowledge, “The Law and the Prophets bear witness” (v. 21 ESV)—they anticipated and spoke of this great truth of justification by faith. The first reference to being justified by faith comes from Habakkuk 2:4. This concept was not birthed in God’s mind following Adam’s sin. It not only predated Adam’s sin, but existed in God’s thoughts and plans even before He laid the foundation of the world (see Rev. 13:8).

While God’s righteousness has been made available through Christ, we can access this treasure only through faith (Rom. 3:22). Although all have sinned and have fallen woefully short of God’s glory, all now have access—Jew and Gentile; there is no difference. God invites all to be “justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (v. 24).

Explain the two uses of the word “all” in verses 22 and 23.

“All sinners need the glory of God because they do not have their own.”—Pelagius

C. Peace Through Justification (Romans 5:1, 6-8)

1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

When a person accepts Christ as Savior, a remarkable change takes place in that person’s state of being. Being justified by faith, that person now has “peace with God” (v. 1). It is impossible for a holy and righteous God to be at peace with a sinner who continues to live under the guilt of sin. The barrier of sin prevents a meaningful relationship between the Creator and the one created. But justification—God’s declaration that the individual is free from sin—removes the guilt by breaking down the wall of separation, and opens the door for peace.

When we were still in sin and without the strength to liberate ourselves, “Christ died for [us] the ungodly” (v. 6). Paul said it is rare for someone to die on behalf of a good person (v. 7), but God manifested His love to vile sinners by giving His Son to die a sacrificial death (v. 8). As believers, we all now live in a state of grace, not because of an entitlement, but because God has led us into it; He has freely pardoned our offenses.

Andrew Maclaren said, “You must come to the full-toned belief which, as I think, permeates and binds together every page of the New Testament—God so loved the world, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for sins.”

D. No Condemnation (Romans 8:1-4)

1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

These verses show how “the law of sin and death” (v. 2) is robbed of its power to bring believers again into bondage. On one hand, the Law, “weakened by the sinful nature” (v. 3 NIV), could only reveal sin but had no power to deal with it. On the other, Jesus met the demands of the Law, becoming a “sin offering” for us that we can now live “free from the law of sin and death” (vv. 2-3 NIV). He who “knew no sin” became “sin for us” that we might become “the righteousness of God in him” (2 Cor. 5:21).

Being “in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1) assumes a “walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (v. 4). So, the predicate for “no condemnation” is to be in Christ, and to be in Him means to walk in the Spirit. The cloud of condemnation no longer hangs ominously over our head, and the fear of death—both physical and spiritual—is gone, because we have the righteousness of God.

What does it mean to live “according to the Spirit” (v. 4 NIV)?

What God Can Do

We are justified by faith. This truth burst upon the heart and mind of Martin Luther like a bombshell as he considered the words: “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1 NIV). After long struggling in unsuccessful self-effort to win the favor of God, Luther suddenly realized it was not what he could do, but what God had done, that made justification and peace possible. The Protestant Reformation resulted from this discovery.—Paul E. Little

2. APOSTOLIC CORRECTION AND COUNSEL

A. Carnal Christians (1 Corinthians 3:1-7)

3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? 4 For while one saith , I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?

Paul faced a formidable challenge in Corinth. In other writings he compared believers with unbelievers, the obedient with the disobedient, and light with darkness. Not so here. In this letter, Paul’s comparison is between different classes of Christian, having to do with the level of spiritual maturity.

These immature believers (carnal Christians) were weak in spiritual principles and exercises. Therefore, Paul wrote that he spoke to them as “babes in Christ” and fed them “with milk, and not with meat” (vv. 1-2). The world was still much too attractive to them; therefore, they allowed Satan to hinder their progress. Even though they loved Christ, their love was not deep enough to lead them as close to Him as they needed to be. These carnal Christians did not create a spiritual hunger in others, because their own lives offered no real tribute to Christianity, but rather made it dubious in the eyes of the world.

The proof of their carnality lay couched in their feelings of jealousy, their words of strife, and their actions which produced divisions. They reveled in being baptized by certain prominent ministers of Christ (v. 4), prompting Paul to declare that he was glad he had only baptized Crispus , Gaius, and the household of Stephanas (1:14, 16). He emphasized that he and Apollos were simply “ministers by whom [the Corinthians] believed” (3:5). Although he had “planted” and Apollos had “watered,” God had given “the increase” (v. 6). So then, the one who plants and the one who waters are nothing in themselves (v. 7). To think and act otherwise is carnal.

How can Christians act as “mere men” (v. 3 NKJV), and why must we not do so?

B. Unity in Service (1 Corinthians 3:8-11)

9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.

Instead of being jealous and divisive, Paul emphasized to the Corinthians that they were to be fellow laborers (v. 9). That is, they were members of the same Body and were responsible to work together in a spirit of harmony and cooperation. Not only were they workers with each other; they were “ labourers together with God.” One day each person would “receive his own reward according to his own labour ” (v. 8).

Our being God’s fellow workers rests on the truth that we are His “husbandry”—His tilled land . We are God’s field into which He has planted the seed of divine life. Bible authors frequently used vineyards, wheat fields, and cornfields as representative of spiritual life. As His field, we receive His seed of truth and life; as “God’s building” (v. 9), we are beautifully joined together to grow into a “holy temple in the Lord” (Eph. 2:21).

Paul continued making his case for unity in the body of Christ by announcing he had become a “wise masterbuilder ” by “the grace of God” (1 Cor. 3:10). Through this grace, Paul had laid the foundation on which others had begun to build. Issuing the warning that all must be careful how they build, he clarified that the foundation is Jesus Christ, and no other foundation will endure (v. 11).

How are you working with other believers and with God?

C. Hearing of Faith (Galatians 3:1-14)

1 O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? 2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

What caused Paul to call the Galatians “foolish”? Having received the truth of salvation by grace in the beginning, they now were claiming that circumcision and other works of the Law were necessary for justification. The apostle was deeply disturbed that these Galatians who knew about Christ’s sacrifice and had received the Spirit, now wanted to turn to the ceremonial Law. The idea of adding good works to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ to obtain salvation was an offense to His finished work on Calvary.

Paul’s question in verse 2 was not about whether the Galatians had received the Spirit, but about whether they received Him by the Law or by faith. He wondered how, after beginning in the Spirit, they now expected to finish in the flesh (v. 3). In verse 5, he reiterated the question of how God’s Spirit, salvation, and miracles had come: “by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?”

Paul’s reference to Abraham (v. 6) was brilliant. The Judaizers who were misleading the Galatian Christians viewed Moses as their teacher and Abraham as their father. For Paul to connect faith with faithful Abraham was an act of divine inspiration. God promised Abraham and Sarah a son in their old age, a promise that both believed God would fulfill. And this was the faith God counted as righteousness (v. 6). The Judaizers ’ actions were communicating to Gentile converts that the only way they could become the children of Abraham was through circumcision, but Paul’s rebuttal was that they were already children of Abraham—not by circumcision, but by faith (vv. 7-9).

The curse of the Law, Paul wrote, was the inability of anyone to perfectly keep all the commandments and, therefore, brought condemnation and death (v. 10). However, the blessing of God is that “the just shall live by faith” (v. 11). Death and condemnation came through the Law; justification and life came through Jesus Christ. Through His death, Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the Law, being made a curse for us (v. 13), so that the blessings of Abraham might come upon Jew and Gentile alike. Consequently, we receive the promise of the Spirit by faith (v. 14).

The Law Versus the Gospel

The Law says, “Do this”; the Gospel says, “Christ has done it all.” The Law requires works of human achievement; the Gospel requires faith in Christ’s achievement. The Law makes demands and bids us [to] obey; the Gospel brings promises and bids us [to] believe.—John Stott

3. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESURRECTION

A. Futility Without the Resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:12-19)

14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.

19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

There were some in Corinth, like the Sadducees, who did not believe in the resurrection. “Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen” (vv. 12-13). To counteract this unbelief, Paul delivered a treatise on the resurrection to prove its validity. In effect, he maintained that the entire superstructure of Christianity rested firmly upon the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Otherwise, the professed “church” would be putting faith in a dead man, not in the risen Lord.

If Jesus did not rise from the dead, our testimony, our faith, and our preaching are to no avail, and we are nothing more than deceitful bystanders (vv. 15-16). Not only that, we are still in our sins, and the ones who have passed away are eternally lost (vv. 17-18). If this be the case, faith in Christ’s deity is meaningless; faith in Christ as our Savior is worthless; and faith in Christ as the promise of our resurrection is of no value. In essence, Christianity is an exercise in futility. Thus, without hope we would be completely despondent (v. 19).

How would our world be different if Jesus had not been resurrected?

B. Assurance of the Resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:20-22)

20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

With the words “But now,” Paul transitioned from discussing the bleak thought of Christ’s perpetual entombment to announcing that Christ had actually burst forth from the grave as “the firstfruits ” of the resurrection—a pledge that the entire resurrection harvest will follow. This reference to “ firstfruits ” hearkens back to the priests waving a sheaf offering of the firstfruits of the harvest (Lev. 23). It was a thanksgiving to God and the promise of the much fuller harvest to come.

Just as death came into the world through the first Adam, life came through the Second Adam, Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 15:22). “The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit” (v. 45). Following the predetermined order of the resurrection addressed in verse

23, the end will come, and Christ will deliver the Kingdom to God the Father, having conquered all earthly power and authority, and having destroyed death as the last enemy.

How does Christ’s victory trump Adam’s failure?

C. Change Through the Resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:50-58)

51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

The word “mystery” (v. 51) does not refer to what cannot be known but, rather, what has not yet become known. It comes from the Greek mustērion and denotes that which can only be known by divine revelation. Kenneth Wuest explained, “In the ordinary sense, a mystery implies knowledge withheld; its Scriptural significance is truth revealed.”

Paul now stepped forth with a deeper revelation. Although he had discussed this theme in an earlier letter to the Thessalonians (1 Thess. 4:13-17), he now explained more fully what will happen to believers at the coming of our Lord. And that is, not everyone will sleep as in death, but all who are in Christ will be “changed.” And that change will occur “in the twinkling of an eye” (1 Cor. 15:52). This describes the shortest possible period. The change from mortality to immortality and from corruption to incorruption will happen that quickly. The human body develops gradually from infanthood to adulthood over a period of years. Not so in the resurrection. Faster than the speed of light, we shall be changed.

Seeing that we must put on the immortality of Jesus Christ, this change is necessary. John wrote that even though we do not know much about what our resurrected body will be like, we do know we will “be like him [Jesus]; for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2). “Death [will be] swallowed up in victory” (1 Cor. 15:54). Through the resurrection of Jesus, the sting of death is gone; the victory of the grave has disappeared (v. 55). It is upon this resurrection promise that we remain steadfast and unmovable and continue faithfully in the Lord (v. 58).

“People are amazed that God, who made all things from nothing, makes a heavenly body from human flesh. . . . Is He who was able to make you when you did not exist not able to make over what you once were?”—Augustine

BLESSED ASSURANCE

The hope embraced by an ever-expanding church is the promise of Christ coming again, the assurance of the resurrection, and the anticipation of spending eternity in an indescribable place we call heaven. The road is sometimes arduous, the battles many, and trials intense. To navigate these troubled waters, we need the strength of God’s Word, good counsel, and, at times, correction. But at journey’s end, we have the assurance that our God and Savior will escort us from this world of sin and suffering and from this body of death to a perfect world of life, joy, and peace.