Pauline Epistles DQ4

Paul employs diverse metaphors and images to describe the identity of the church.

Despite the variations, the community of Christ is the crux of Pauline’s ecclesiology.

Specifically, Paul emphasizes the stability and integrity of the churches that he founded as

communities of Christ. Consider the case where Paul characteristically uses the term “brothers”

or “brethren” in his epistles. He also uses the term “sisters” in the letters. The terms signify

sibling language that emphasizes emotional or spiritual attachment between believers, as well as

enriching group solidarity. The use of the sibling language underscores the communal nature of

the church, effectively challenging believers to live in harmony (Wolter, 2015). 1 Corinthians 12

reinforces the unity of the church whereby Paul acknowledges unity and diversity of spiritual

gifts. A notable observation is Paul’s use of the sibling language when addressing the Gentiles.

The action is critical because Paul evangelized to the Gentiles who the Jews considered as non-

believers or pagans (Scholz, 2013; Porter, 2016). Thus, the sibling language supports Paul’s

ecclesiology of the community in Christ.

Paul’s ecclesiology views the church as an inclusive community that pervades personal

and demographic differences. The title of brother that Paul ascribes to the Gentiles denotes that

the Church of Christ crosses ethnic and racial boundaries. Both the Jews and Gentiles become

equal partakers in the body of the church, which is Jesus Christ. As such, the centerpiece of

Paul’s ecclesiology is that Jesus Christ has reconstitute the family of God where both the Jews

and other nations have equal rights to salvation and eternal life. The ecclesiology of Paul does

not consider the church as a preserve of a few but incorporates believers from diverse nations

(Porter, 2016). Therefore, Paul’s sibling language becomes the standard for Christian ministry

because it promotes a sense of community. Consequently, Paul uses harsh language when the
unity of the church is challenged. A case in point is when he confronts the question as to whether

the Gentiles can be true Christians. The harsh language does not invalidate the brotherly

language, but it is instead an act of love aimed at correcting with love to sustain the unity of the

church.
 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

Wolter, M. (2015). Paul: An outline of his theology. Baylor University Press.