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Pauline Epistles DQ1

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Pauline Epistles DQ1

Apostle Paul’s theology is complicated because of the remarkable integration of Greek

thought and Jewish theology. However, Paul’s seven undisputed letters lays the foundation for

understanding the Christocentric nature of this theology. Paul’s theology is Christocentric

because he sets out to proclaim the risen Christ among the Gentiles after his encounter with Jesus

on the way to Damascus. The Christocentric nature of Paul’s theology stems from the death and

resurrection of Jesus Christ. Specifically, the crucified and resurrected Christ is the core message

of Paul’s theology among the Gentiles (Scholz, 2013). Scholtz (2013) describes Paul as the first

and greatest Christian theologian. Paul reveals to the Gentiles the Christian God revealed through

Jesus. According to Paul, God was inaccessible because of the sins of humanity, but He is now

accessible through the divine act of the crucifixion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Faith

in Christ, rather than works of the Mosaic law, brings salvation.

Justification by faith in Christ is the cornerstone of Paul’s Christocentric theology, which

is a contradiction of Judaism. Paul references the resurrection of the crucified Jesus as God’s

decisive plan for all who profess their faith in Christ. The Pauline epistles appeal to Christ’s

resurrection as the only solid foundation for both the Christian faith and the hope for the

resurrection during the second coming (Scholz, 2013). Porter (2016) supports Paul’s

Christocentric theology presented in Scholz (2013). According to Porter (2016), the good news

or gospel that Paul proclaims is about the crucified and resurrected Christ. Porter (2016) further

illustrates how Paul considered the work of Christ as superseding Jewish beliefs and practices.

The Christocentric nature of Paul’s theology can be seen from two perspectives. First, Paul

challenges the Jewish tradition of keeping the law as the sole basis for justification. Second, Paul

preaches Jesus as the Christ and fulfiller of prophecies in the Old Testament (Porter, 2016).
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On the other hand, the eschatological nature of Paul’s theology is unclear. Nonetheless,

Paul’s eschatological accounts can be drawn from the Christocentric nature of this theology.

Paul’s gospel to the Gentiles emphasized a key message: salvation was only possible through

faith in the risen Christ. The eschatological nature of Paul’s theology is not direct in the Pauline

epistles (Porter, 2016; Scholz, 2013). Porter (2016) draws parallels between justification and

sanctification. According to Porter (2016), sanctification forms the first step to justification, with

eternal life being the culmination of this process. Paul does not directly talk about the second

coming of the risen Christ. Instead, he emphasizes how faith in the risen Christ brings about

sanctification, justification, and salvation. Eternal life is a crucial theme in Pauline epistles that

alludes to the eschatological nature of his theology. Preparation for eternity/eternal life begins

with justification and salvation from both sin and death, followed by reconciliation with God,

and final sanctification (Porter, 2016).

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References

Porter, S. E. (2016). The apostle Paul: His life, thoughts, and letters. Wm. B. Eerdmans

Publishing Co.

Scholz, D. J. (2013). The Pauline letters: Introducing the New Testament. Anslem Academics