As we digest Paul’s ministry and look at the background to his letters we are given a greater understanding of the Christian church birth. Barnabas and Paul were commissioned by the apostles to start their ministry with specific outreach toward the Gentile community. They soon realized the effectiveness of the gospel toward people with no previous exposure to Judaism. This was probably because they had no legalistic barriers to understand the salvation of Jesus Christ.
At the beginning of their ministry there is an atmosphere of urgency to abolish devotion toward the Torah and explain faith only as the reliance on Jesus. This revolution needed to happen quickly and in as many people as possible.
This urgency to proclaim the gospel was counteracted by an urgency of the Jerusalem church to renounce Paul’s teachings. This rebuttal was based on the idea that to follow in the sovereignty of Jesus (as Paul taught) was turning away from God and was therefore blasphemous. We see that they were placing great emphasis on the Torah, however they unfortunately did not place enough emphasis on the prophecy brought forth in the Torah and therefore were not sensitive to recognizing when the Messiah had come. The influence of the Judaizers caused great confusion as the Galatians had no previous knowledge or understanding of the Old Testament and how it fit in with their faith in God (because Paul had intentionally explained faith with Jesus as the center-point). Paul needing to then rebut the claims made by the Judiazers, wrote a letter.
The format in this first letter is substantially consistent with the rest of his letters (and all ancient letters from this time) giving us important information on how to interpret the NT scriptures. The general letter format is as follows:
1. Begin with author and then to the party being written to
2. Greeting in the form of one or two words- Peace. Grace.
3. Note of thanks to others as well as God
4. Body= Doctrinal Teaching, Advice on Christian living
5. Church/Personal News
6. Genuine exhortation or blessing
7. Prayer for the reader
We note though, that in the Galatian letter, there is no praise or thanksgiving for the reader’s condition as Paul was probably disappointed and frustrated that they quickly disregarded his teaching. Paul begins by establishing that his authority to preach Christian teachings came from his encounter with Christ and therefore doesn’t require an authority commission by the Jewish church. Paul explained that the Galatians were God’s children because of receiving the Holy Spirit and believing in Jesus supported by evidence from the Old Testament. Paul explains that the Law was set in place to give God’s people understanding about sin and the defiance of his will; it was a temporary system until Jesus would come. Since the Galatians had accepted Jesus, they were now filled with the Holy Spirit which would give them discernment and direction regarding morality and God’s will.
God is in the business here of revolutionizing the way he interacts with his people. There are tremendous changes moving from the Jewish Law to the Holy Spirit as the main vehicle for discernment and truth. We can see that for much of the Jewish community the Holy Spirit was (and still is) a difficult change to make and because of the perspective they insisted upon having, they deemed Jesus as blasphemous. The Galatians, not by their own choice, are stuck in the one of the biggest “God-people” revolutions in the history of the world! Their hearts were open to hearing and accepting the salvation of Jesus but their legs were quickly knocked beneath them as they had minimal theological roots to ground themselves in. They were the one of the first peoples without Jewish knowledge/background or fundamental teachings who God challenged to trust them by the Holy Spirit alone. They had NO Old Testament to even learn about the great faith stories of men like Moses, Abraham, Nehemiah or David. They had no Psalms or Proverbs to read for daily encouragement or growth. They had no New Testament because it was being written! They had no written gospels either for the same reason! Paul may have been frustrated with them but I think we should give the Galatians a break and realize the extent of what God was challenging them to do.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Chapter 15
In Chapter 15, Drane goes through a proposed chronology of Paul’s conversion and the beginning of his ministry thereafter. Paul is introduced in the book of Acts as a Jewish persecutor of Christians. He soon is met by Jesus on his way to bring Christians to Jerusalem for trial. Paul converts to Christianity and then proceeds to travel to various locations and then joins the Christian movement in Antioch. Here Paul begins his ministry with the Gentiles; however it is still clear from his letters and testimony that the Jewish people had always been a priority to share the gospel with. I wonder when, where and by whom Paul underwent discipleship following his conversion. Was it a gradual learning process or did he not need formal leadership training?
Before Jesus came to Earth, many prophets discussed the Messiah and the restoration he would bring to the Jewish people. Perhaps as God communicated to humans the prophecy was made into being something different than what God was trying to tell us. The Jewish people’s idea of what a Messiah was to be was extremely skewed due to the Jewish teachings and understanding of salvation at that time. Were there though Jewish people that did have a deeper relationship with God that wasn’t legalist and would be able anticipate the true Messiah? I imagine this question could be answered through the gospels. The disciples, Mary, and individuals like Nicodemus were open or curious about Jesus’ character rather than his battle skills.
The Jews violent acts toward Stephen (Acts 7:54-8:1) and Paul’s perusal to persecute Christians don’t seem as absurd when knowing the background context. The Jewish people were absolutely convinced that Jesus was not the prophesied Messiah and therefore Christians with huge claims regarding Christ’ sovereignty would have sounded like blasphemy to them. This however does not give justification to their actions but merely understanding as to their reactions. The Jews acting in violence and hatred at this time had a faith based not on God’s character or principles and therefore resulted in hurtful decisions and actions.
Paul was an individual whom due to his upbringing and personal choices had put up many blinds preventing him from seeing who Jesus actually is. Paul’s conversion is a powerful statement of the lengths Jesus will go to save. This reveals his deep love for his people and the active role he longs to have in all our lives.
After Paul’s conversion he was quick to proclaim his new faith and meet with other believers. Was there a time period of study and discipleship though? Perhaps this was done by Barnabas in their time at the Antioch church? Paul would have been well versed in the scriptures and teachings of Jesus before he was a Christian. Maybe though, he would have still needed intentional discipleship regarding Christian community.
Before Jesus came to Earth, many prophets discussed the Messiah and the restoration he would bring to the Jewish people. Perhaps as God communicated to humans the prophecy was made into being something different than what God was trying to tell us. The Jewish people’s idea of what a Messiah was to be was extremely skewed due to the Jewish teachings and understanding of salvation at that time. Were there though Jewish people that did have a deeper relationship with God that wasn’t legalist and would be able anticipate the true Messiah? I imagine this question could be answered through the gospels. The disciples, Mary, and individuals like Nicodemus were open or curious about Jesus’ character rather than his battle skills.
The Jews violent acts toward Stephen (Acts 7:54-8:1) and Paul’s perusal to persecute Christians don’t seem as absurd when knowing the background context. The Jewish people were absolutely convinced that Jesus was not the prophesied Messiah and therefore Christians with huge claims regarding Christ’ sovereignty would have sounded like blasphemy to them. This however does not give justification to their actions but merely understanding as to their reactions. The Jews acting in violence and hatred at this time had a faith based not on God’s character or principles and therefore resulted in hurtful decisions and actions.
Paul was an individual whom due to his upbringing and personal choices had put up many blinds preventing him from seeing who Jesus actually is. Paul’s conversion is a powerful statement of the lengths Jesus will go to save. This reveals his deep love for his people and the active role he longs to have in all our lives.
After Paul’s conversion he was quick to proclaim his new faith and meet with other believers. Was there a time period of study and discipleship though? Perhaps this was done by Barnabas in their time at the Antioch church? Paul would have been well versed in the scriptures and teachings of Jesus before he was a Christian. Maybe though, he would have still needed intentional discipleship regarding Christian community.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Chapter 14
Chapter 14 gives understanding behind a few of the topics that tend to come up regarding Paul’s letters and his ministry. Paul was born in Tarsus and had formal education in Jerusalem as a student of Gamaliel, grandson and successor of the influential Hillel. Here he learnt the influential idea of encouraging Gentiles to come to know and understand God. He became a proud Jewish Pharisee and a prominent leader. He soon became a Christian upon meeting Jesus on the Damascus Road. The cultures, teachings and environment that Paul experienced from his adolescence to adulthood shaped the many letters he wrote that comprise almost half of the New Testament. Understanding these experiences gives insight to understanding his writing and why Paul uses certain types of language.
After his conversion, the Jewish religion and teachings remained prominent in his letters. Because of his Jewish background, Paul, had a longing for the Jewish people to see Jesus and expresses a belief that the Jewish people have an ‘important part to play in the whole history of salvation’ (227). Paul would go to the synagogue first upon arriving to a town in attempts to share the Gospel with a people that were heavy on his heart.
Because of his Pharisee past, Paul often discussed the Pharisee viewpoint in his letters and used his knowledge when on trial. Paul on occasion would use the Pharisee’s an example of religious legalism. People may misinterpret that Paul was condemning the entire Jewish culture. However, I believe he was merely using an example from his own life where he saw how legalism can lead us away from God and cause pain. Drane touches on the idea that with any religion there will be individuals who choose to live with a legalistic interpretation. He also elaborates on the idea that Paul doesn’t seem to dismiss Judaism or regret its impact on his life. These examples all point toward the idea that Paul was not anti-Semitic but instead longed for the Jewish people to know Jesus. Paul made a clear separation from Jewish religion however by proclaiming that to have salvation in God one had to accept Jesus as their Lord.
A couple other examples of how Paul’s background and environment influenced his writing would be: Greek literature, Stoic philosophy, and mystery religion. Several times in his letters Paul may use language or poems from the above examples. This however does not imply that he was closely tied with any other philosophies or religions. Drane investigates perhaps why Paul wrote the way he did and we can make a logical conclusion that it was because of the culture he was in at the time.
After his conversion, the Jewish religion and teachings remained prominent in his letters. Because of his Jewish background, Paul, had a longing for the Jewish people to see Jesus and expresses a belief that the Jewish people have an ‘important part to play in the whole history of salvation’ (227). Paul would go to the synagogue first upon arriving to a town in attempts to share the Gospel with a people that were heavy on his heart.
Because of his Pharisee past, Paul often discussed the Pharisee viewpoint in his letters and used his knowledge when on trial. Paul on occasion would use the Pharisee’s an example of religious legalism. People may misinterpret that Paul was condemning the entire Jewish culture. However, I believe he was merely using an example from his own life where he saw how legalism can lead us away from God and cause pain. Drane touches on the idea that with any religion there will be individuals who choose to live with a legalistic interpretation. He also elaborates on the idea that Paul doesn’t seem to dismiss Judaism or regret its impact on his life. These examples all point toward the idea that Paul was not anti-Semitic but instead longed for the Jewish people to know Jesus. Paul made a clear separation from Jewish religion however by proclaiming that to have salvation in God one had to accept Jesus as their Lord.
A couple other examples of how Paul’s background and environment influenced his writing would be: Greek literature, Stoic philosophy, and mystery religion. Several times in his letters Paul may use language or poems from the above examples. This however does not imply that he was closely tied with any other philosophies or religions. Drane investigates perhaps why Paul wrote the way he did and we can make a logical conclusion that it was because of the culture he was in at the time.
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