The following is a rough transcription of my speaking.
Tonight, I'm going to talk about three important things concerning Paul and his letters.
The first is regarding Jesus and Paul—in other words, how Paul relates to Jesus. What are their teachings about God? Number two: perspectives on Paul. Who was the real Paul? Some people think of Paul in a certain way, and others think differently, so which is correct? We’ll discuss the old and new perspectives on Paul. Lastly, the third thing is the centerpiece of Paul's gospel. In other words, what is the central point of his gospel proclamation?
I'll briefly explain each of these one by one.
First, Jesus and Paul were both Jewish thinkers, and their thoughts and theology are rooted in God, the good news of God. The central point here is that God is the good news. God is good and righteous. Everything good you think about originates with God. God is the source of good news; God is the good news. This is a fundamental point made by both Jesus and Paul. For example, if you read Mark 1:14, after John was arrested, Jesus began to proclaim the good news of God, saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe in the good news." This is what Jesus proclaimed first, after he was baptized and after John was arrested: the good news of God. He did not proclaim his own good news. Jesus did not proclaim that he was the good news.
Paul also writes in his letter to the Romans (Romans 1:1), "Paul, a slave of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God." He also says he was set apart for the gospel of God. His apostleship, his mission, is set apart to proclaim the goodness of God, which God promised beforehand through the prophets, through the Holy Scriptures. Paul then talks about the work of Jesus, the Son of God, who exemplified, manifested, and proclaimed the goodness of God through his life, death, ministry, preaching, and good deeds.
Second, let's talk about perspectives on Paul. There are two main perspectives. The first is the old perspective on Paul, which reigned for almost 2,000 years of Christian history. Many Christians and churches have thought that Paul's view of Judaism and the Law is bad and negative. In other words, they thought Paul thought Judaism was wrong, that the Law was wrong, and that people couldn't be saved or justified through Judaism or the Law. They believed that the new religion, Christianity, offered a new way of salvation by faith, not by keeping the Law. The Law was imperfect and not a means of salvation, so Christianity provided a new way. According to the old perspective on Paul, Paul believed that Judaism and the Law were not the way to salvation; only faith was. Not by Judaism, but by Christianity; not by the Law, but through faith in Jesus. Through faith in Jesus, the Law became obsolete, and through faith in Jesus, you are saved.
However, there is a new perspective on Paul, which believes that Judaism itself is not wrong. Judaism is also a religion of grace. The Law is not inherently wrong. Paul says the Law is holy and its commandments are perfect and good. In Romans, when he says, "Do we overthrow the law by this faith?" he answers, "By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law." According to the new perspective on Paul, Paul's view of Judaism and the Law is not negative. The Law is not wrong, and Judaism is not wrong. The only thing Paul points out in his letters is the Jewish reaction to the Messiah, Jesus. They didn't believe in Jesus; they did not accept Jesus as the Messiah. Also, they absolutized the Law. Paul's fundamental point is that faith comes before the Law.
Lastly, I'm going to talk about the centerpiece of Paul's gospel—his threefold gospel. In other words, Paul's fundamental claim in his gospel is made in Romans 3:22. I would call this the threefold gospel. I find a threefold theology of Paul in this verse, with three parts: first, God's part—the righteousness of God, which means God is righteous. That is the fundamental claim and praise from the Old Testament. The second part is Christ's part—through the faith of Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ manifested the righteousness of God. Jesus showed the world who God was and how righteous God was. This is Christ's exemplified part, not merely your faith in Jesus, but Christ's own faith. The last part is for all who believe. The righteousness of God coming through Jesus Christ's faithfulness is effective for all who believe, for all who participate in this three-part relationship. This is the centerpiece of Paul's gospel, teaching, and theology. There are three parts; they have a threefold relationship.
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