Theme:
The

new

the Spirit of God dwells in you. Any one who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him; but if Christ is within you, though the body is dead as a result of sin, the spirit is living as a result of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells within you, then he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also make your immortal bodies live because his Spirit is dwelling within you." Like certain of the early writers in Acts, Paul evidently uses the terms "Spirit of Jesus," "Holy Spirit," and "Spirit of God" interchangeably. The ultimate basis of his mysticism is the contrast between a life governed by the fleshly passions and a life governed by the higher spiritual emotions which find their source and inspiration in God. It is a life of fellowship and loyal co-operation with God made possible as the individual is touched by the personality and inspired by the teachings of Jesus. It is this spiritual experience which Paul describes by his favorite term "faith in Christ." It is not mere subscription to articles of belief, but it is the effect of the Spirit of Christ at work in the heart of the individual. It is the spirit of love which Jesus proclaimed and exemplified, which transforms men into his likeness and binds them together in loyal, devoted, self-sacrificing service of the great brotherhood which he founded. When this Spirit is at work in the heart of a man his past sins and his evil habits no longer have power over him; he is conscious of God's forgiveness, and is invincible against the pains and perils of life, for he is more than a conqueror through him who loved us. No power in heaven or earth can separate him "from God's love in Jesus Christ our Lord." It is thus that men are saved through faith in Christ. Well is this transforming spiritual process described in the primitive Christian prayer preserved in the Teaching of the Twelve Apostles: "We thank thee, our Father, for the life and the knowledge which thou hast made known to us through Jesus thy Servant."

§ CLXI. PAUL'S SOCIAL TEACHINGS

66

I beseech you, therefore, brothers, on account of the mercies of God, dedicate your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, for this is your reasonable of self- service. And do not be moulded in conformity to this world,

principle

sacri

fice

but be transformed through the complete renewal of your (Rom. mind, so that you may be able to make out what is the will 121, 2) of God, even what is good and acceptable and perfect.

EACH TO DO HIS TASK

the

for

fitted

By virtue of the divine authority granted to me, I charge Each every one of you not to think of himself more than he ought to do to think; but so to think that he will attain a sane estimate fully of himself according to the degree of faith which God hath task apportioned to each. For just as in our one body we have which many members, and all the members do not have the same he is functions, so we, though many, are one body in Christ and (-8) we are each members one with another. We have different gifts according to the grace that is given us; if it is prophecy let us use it in proportion to our faith; if practical service, in practical service; the teacher must do the same in teaching; he who exhorts in his exhortation; he who gives must do it liberally; he who is an authority must be in earnest; he who does acts of mercy must do them cheerfully.

social

to his

Chris

16)

Let love be without hypocrisy; abhor what is evil, cleave In his to what is good. In your love for your brothers feel true relaaffection for one another. In matters of honor yield to one tion! another. Be not lacking in zeal; keep alive the spiritual fellow glow; serve the Lord; rejoice in your hope; be steadfast in tians trouble, persistent in prayer; contribute to the needs of (9-13, 15. the saints, constantly practise hospitality. Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. Think in harmony one with another. Strive not for the high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be self-conceited. Bless those who persecute you, bless and curse them not. Do not pay back evil for evil to anyone; take thought for what is seemly in the eyes of all. If possible, as far as it attidepends on you, live at peace with all men. Never revenge toward yourselves, beloved, but give place to the wrath of God; a me for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the ") Lord. Rather, if your enemy is hungry feed him, if he is thirsty give him drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head. Be not conquered by evil, but conquer evil by doing good.

The

Christian's

tude

all

civil

Every individual must obey those who rule over him, for The there is no authority apart from God; the existing author-Chrisities have been constituted by God. Therefore, whoever duty to resists authority is resisting the order established by God, authorand they who oppose will bring judgment on themselves. (131-7) For rulers are no terror to right-doers but to wrong-doers.

ity

To his

fellow men

(8-10)

Obligations

of the

You wish, do you not, to have no fear of authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended by it, for a ruler is the servant of God for your good. But if you do wrong, you have cause to fear, for he does not bear the sword for nothing, for he is God's servant to inflict divine punishment upon evil-doers. It is necessary, therefore, that we should obey, not only to avoid divine vengeance, but also for conscience' sake. For this same reason we pay taxes, for tax collectors are God's servants, devoting their energies to this very thing. Render to all their dues, tribute to whom tribute is due, taxes to whom taxes, respect to whom respect, and honor to whom honor is due.

Owe no man anything, except to love one another, for he who loves his fellow man has fulfilled the law. For the commands, Thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not covet, these and all other commands are summed up in this one word, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

You also know what this crisis means: that it is high time to arouse ourselves from sleep, for salvation is nearer present to us now than when we first believed. The night is far (12-14) advanced, the day is near. Let us, therefore, lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armour of light. Let us behave ourselves becomingly, as in the light of day without revelry or drunkenness, without lust or sensuality, without quarrelling or jealousy. Rather let us put on the character of the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for gratifying the cravings of the flesh.

Toleration

others

(141-12)

Receive a man of weak faith, but not to pass judgment toward upon his scruples. One man has faith enough to eat all things; while the man of weak faith eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats look down upon the one who does not eat, nor let the man who does not eat condemn him who eats all things, for God hath received him. Who are you that you should criticize the servant of another? Whether he stands or falls concerns only his own Master, and stand he will for the Master hath power to make him stand. One man rates one day above another, while another man rates all days alike. Let every man be fully

TOLERATION OF OTHERS' CONVICTIONS

convinced in his own mind. He who rates highly a certain day does it for the Lord. The eater also eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who refrains from eating, refrains for the Lord's sake and he also gives thanks to God. For none of us lives for himself and none of us dies for himself; for if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord. Thus whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. It was for this that Christ died and lives again in order that he might be the Lord both of the dead and of the living. And why do you criticize your brother? Or you, why do you look down upon your brother? All of us will have to stand before God's tribunal, for it is written:

As I live, saith the Lord,

Every knee shall bend before me,

And every tongue shall make confession to God.

Every one of us, therefore, will have to give an account of himself to God.

sideration

for an

other's

con

scien

ples

Therefore, let us no longer criticize one another. Rather Conmake this decision, never to put any stumbling block or hindrance in your brother's way. I know and am convinced in Christ that nothing is in itself unclean, except that it is unclean to the man who considers it unclean. If your tious brother is being troubled because of food that you eat, then scruyou are no longer living in accordance with the law of love. 13-18) Do not by the food that you eat ruin that man for whom Christ died. Therefore let not what is good for you become a cause of reproach, for the Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. He who serves Christ in this way is acceptable to God and esteemed by men.

tions

weak

We who are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the Obligaweak, and not to please ourselves. Each of us should toward please his neighbor in order to do him good by building the him up. And this is our duty, for Christ did not please (151-6) himself, but, as it is written, The reproaches of those who reproached thee fell on me. For what was written of old was written for our instruction, that through our steadfastness and the encouragement of the scriptures, we might

The unity

have hope. May the God who inspires steadfastness and encouragement grant to you that you may think in such harmony, one with another, after the example of Christ Jesus, that with one heart and voice you will glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, welcome one another, as Christ has welcomed of both you, for the glory of God. Christ, I say, became a servant Jewish to the circumcised in order to vindicate God's truthfulness Gentile in showing how sure are the promises given to our forefathers

and

believ

The great

life

work (16b-21)

and also that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. Even so it is written, For this reason I will praise thee among the Gentiles and sing to thy name.

My aim has been to make the Gentiles an offering acaim in ceptable to God and consecrated by the Holy Spirit. TherePaul's fore, I have cause to be proud in Christ Jesus of the work which I have done for God, for I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in securing the obedience of the Gentiles, by word and deed, by means of signs and miracles, and by the power of the Holy Spirit. The fact is that, from Jerusalem around as far as Illyricum, I have proclaimed fully the gospel of Christ. My ambition, however, has always been to preach the gospel only where Christ's name had not been mentioned lest I should be building on a foundation laid by another man, but, as it is written,

That they might see to whom no report about him had come,

That those who had not heard of him should understand.

I. The Two Sides of Paul's Personality and Teaching. Paul's breadth and greatness are attested by the fact that throughout the ages the most diverse types of mind have found in him their supreme inspiration. Ignatius, Luther, and Calvin are only a few of his many devoted, spiritual disciples. For eighteen centuries each generation has taken from Paul that which most appealed to its interests and needs and left the rest of his teachings almost untouched. A theological age found in Paul's writings the materials from which it reconstructed a complete metaphysical system. Now, in the present strongly

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