The Apostle Paul Teachings, His Main Themes

By Kathleen Perry


Apostles of Jesus remained behind to amplify his message. Something stands out in the messages of each follower. The apostle Paul teachings focus on particular themes that can be traced in almost all his epistles. Here are some of these themes that stand out whenever one looks at the works of Christ.

The Lordship of Jesus Christ. This seems to be an emphasis that Christ is the lord and King. An example can be seen in his message to Corinthians in the first book chapter 16 and verse 22. He tells anyone who does not love Jesus Christ as Lord to be accursed. This is an emphasis on His majesty as Lord. It indicates a person who recognizes the supremacy of Christ and invites every Christian to be so.

Paul is emphatic about the place of resurrection in Christian life. Having been a Pharisee, he understood the idea too well. He could also interpret scripture with a unique depth that was not available to other apostles. He borrowed heavily from the resurrection of Lazarus when he stated that if death obeyed Christ, then everything on earth should follow suit.

Justification is at the center of the themes handled by the works of Paul. A look at his works shows a repetition of justification and justified on numerous occasion. In his words, it is Christ who grants the world legitimacy, without which humanity is useless. This message is borrowed from chapter 1 of the Gospel of John where those who have accepted Christ are given the right to be called his children.

Paul is emphatic about the place of grace in Christian living. It can be seen intensely in his benedictions and salutations, mostly at the end of his epistles. An example is chapter 2 of Ephesians, verse 8 where salvation arises from faith, which brings unique grace. Romans chapter 3 and verse 24 captures the two elements of justification and grace together.

Faith cannot be divorced from the teachings of Paul. Faith is one of the most frequent words you will find in his epistles. In fact, Romans 1, 17 features the word three times in a single sentence. Hebrew chapter 11 is considered the heaviest chapter in the bible about faith. His message borrows heavily from the Old Testament and is therefore impossible to divorce the two.

A common characteristic of the message of Paul is its clarity. He is deep about the issues affecting the people he is writing to. Having traveled widely, he gave sufficient time to the people who hosted him along the way. His focus was to ensure that they understood the message deeply. His message was so powerful that it caused him to be kicked out of some cities. Because of concern for Christianity wherever he went, his message resonated intensely.

Paul did not depart in any way from the teachings of Jesus Christ. He only emphasized them and played a greater role in domesticating the message so that Christians can easily relate to it. He ranks among the most traveled apostles, ending up in Rome. Historical records indicate that he was martyred alongside Peter, though his death was by beheading. This was under empire Nero.




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