Paul’s Travel The Biography of Paul

Paul’s Travel The Biography of Paul
Welcome to a new year of Bible Study. This year’s focus is on Paul’s letters to various churches. Our focus for our time before Christmas will be 1 and 2 Corinthians and Galatians. We’ll learn the basics of what each letter is about and how Paul is trying desperately to convey a particular message for each congregation. If you haven’t had time to read Romans, I urge you to do that soon. While we won’t be looking at Romans this year (because a recent Bible Study did look at that), it really gives the crux of Paul’s understanding of the Bible.

Who Was Paul? What do you know about Paul in the Bible? It’s ok if you don’t know much about him. Just take a few minutes to think about everything you do know.

The Jesus We Know / The Paul We Know
Born 3 BCE Grew up as a rabbi Died 29/30 AD Born as Saul in 6 AD Grew up as a Pharisee Martyred Stephen (32-33 AD?) Converted 33 AD Then… While Paul and Jesus’ lives do overlap, Paul did not know Jesus until after the resurrection. As you see, Jesus was about 9 years older than Paul. Like Paul, Jesus was a Jewish person. However, we don’t believe Jesus was a Pharisee. A Jewish Pharisee was bent on observing the laws as closely as possible. In today’s world, it might be similar to Jews for Jesus, who follow the Jewish laws while still holding that Jesus is the messiah of the world or the Seventh Day Adventists. Jesus died around 29/30 AD. It led to Paul (who was actually called Saul before he converted) to be present at the first martyrdom in our church, that of Stephen. Paul was a persecutor of the church. He didn’t like this new Jewish group that was gaining power, following Jesus (they wouldn’t be called Christians until later… in fact, they were first called Jewish Christians before the word Jewish would be taken away; this will come in later when Paul writes about welcoming all to the church). Paul sees a blinding light one day on the road to Jerusalem and he meets Jesus, who asks him why Paul is destroying the church. Paul is left blind from the incident. He goes to a man named Ananias, who is told by God to heal him. And that is the first day of the rest of Paul’s life as a new man… and yet, he wasn’t taken as a changed man until much later.

Timeline of Paul’s Life
State the main ideas you’ll be talking about Paul’s life was complicated. Once he began a follower of Jesus, he became an apostle. An apostle is some who is literally “sent out” (what the word means) to preach to the world. The “X” on this map shows where Paul started, and while it may be confusing, Paul starts preaching just north of the “X” and then goes out in ever widening circles to form new churches, like the one in Corinth. Throughout his journeys, he always wrote to these churches he founded to help to encourage them on their own spiritual journeys and to make sure they are following Christ like he was. Paul’s journey to Rome was the end of the road for him; he was killed there over his belief in Jesus as God. However, Paul always wanted to go to Spain and form new churches there… another widening circle. Here is one possible timeline of Paul’s ministry: 33-34 AD: Paul converts to Christianity 35-43 AD: Paul’s life is pretty quiet as he lives in Syria/Cilicia and becomes acquainted with Christianity 43 AD: Paul ends up in Antioch (Turkey) 47/48 AD: Paul’s first missionary journey leads him near the Middle East and just north (to Galatia) 48/49 AD: Paul is back in Antioch and writes the letter to the Galatians 49 AD: Paul takes part in the Council meeting in Jerusalem 49-51 AD: Paul goes on the second missionary journey, this time to places as far east as Greece (including Corinth) 50/51 AD: Paul writes 1 and 2 Thessalonians (while on his journey) 52-56 AD: Paul goes on the third missionary journey, revisiting many churches in Greece 54 and 55 AD: Paul writes 1 and 2 Corinthians, respectfully 55 AD: Paul writes Romans 56 AD: Paul is arrested in Jerusalem 57 AD: Paul is imprisoned outside of Jerusalem in a place called Caesarea 58/59 AD: Paul’s trail in front of Festus 59 AD: Paul’s trail in front of Agrippa 59-60 AD: Paul is sent to Rome for a final trial; his voyage gets sidetracked 60-62 AD: Paul is imprisoned in Rome; he writes Philemon, Colossians, Ephesians, and Philippians 64 AD: Paul is executed ***Notice that this timeline doesn’t include all letters attributed to Paul; in some cases, scholars don’t know when all the letters were written; in other cases, some scholars don’t believe Paul wrote all the letters himself and believe that some of his own disciples wrote the letters using Paul’s voice—a common practice back then but today considered plagiarism.

A Letter to a Divided Congregation
First Corinthians A Letter to a Divided Congregation Let’s now get into 1st Corinthians a little bit. Next week, we’ll look at the city of Corinth and see some of the major factors at play for those who lived there, but we don’t really need that information this week.

A Letter, Not Let’s first look at how the letter is set up. The first thing to note is that 1 Corinthians, and all of Paul’s writings, were letters, not s. Letters are often held together by common threads. Some scholars have argued that many of Paul’s letters are pieces of letters put together to form one massive letter. There is not enough evidence to say for certainty if this is the case, and so I personally choose not to entertain this discussion. As many other scholars note, whether or not this is one or many letters, it was put together for a reason; so to figure out that reason would unlock the real purpose of this letter to the Corinthians. Think of it more like a story that has a plot, not like an where it might start out with you sending an to your boss checking in about yesterday’s meeting; and yet, by the time the replies have gone back and forth a couple of times, you might be receiving advice from your boss on a totally unrelated project (yet still using the same subject line). Instead, there is a core theme going throughout the letter, which builds up to Paul’s final argument in chapter 15. If you ever find yourself asking, “What’s at stake here?”, look to chapter 15 to give you what’s at stake for Paul and the Corinthians.

Outline of Text 1 Corinthians 1:1-3: Greeting and Point of Letter
1 Corinthians 1:4-9: Opening Praise 1 Corinthians 1:10-17: Opening Argument: Divisions 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:16: God’s Wisdom versus the Earth 1 Corinthians 3:1-23: Divisions and Wisdom Bound Up 1 Corinthians 4:1-5: Judging Paul 1 Corinthians 4:6-13: True Wisdom (Revisited) 1 Corinthians 4:14-21: Paul’s Future Travel Plans Let’s just look at a breakdown of 1 Corinthians (see above). You may begin to notice that there are reoccurrences of topics (like division, wisdom, judgment, travel plans, etc.).

Outline of Text 1 Corinthians 5:1-13: Paul’s Judgment on Immorality
1 Corinthians 6:1-20: Correct Ways to Judge 1 Corinthians 7:1-16: Correct Judgment of Sexuality 1 Corinthians 7:17-24: God’s Calling to Position 1 Corinthians 7:25-40: Judgment on Sexuality (Again) 1 Corinthians 8:1-13: Food as Idolatry 1 Corinthians 9:1-27: God’s Judgment (Revisited) 1 Corinthians 10:1-33: Food as Idolatry (Revisited) 1 Corinthians 11:1-16: Imitating Paul/God The church in Corinthian was in trouble, as you might be able to tell. The whole problem begins with division and unity. Paul’s theme of division and unity runs throughout the entire book.

Outline of Text 1 Corinthians 11:17-34: Lord’s Prayer, Imitation, & Food 1 Corinthians 12:1-13:40: Spiritual Gifts and Division 1 Corinthians 15:1-58: Resurrection (or the main point) 1 Corinthians 16:1-18: Expectations 1 Corinthians 16:19-24: Closing Now that you have seen the breakdown, let’s back up once again and see the common themes come through the different sections.

Outline of Text 1 Corinthians 1:1-3: Greeting and Point of Letter
1 Corinthians 1:4-9: Opening Praise 1 Corinthians 1:10-17: Opening Argument: Divisions 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:16: God’s Wisdom versus the Earth 1 Corinthians 3:1-23: Divisions and Wisdom Bound Up 1 Corinthians 4:1-5: Judging Paul 1 Corinthians 4:6-13: True Wisdom (Revisited) 1 Corinthians 4:14-21: Paul’s Future Travel Plans As will be more apparent later on, Paul’s letter gets deeper and deeper as you read it. He introduces one topic, like divisions or sexual immorality or food idolatry (all big topics and which will be explained later on), takes a break, and then comes back giving another perspective on the issue, which sometimes might seem completely different than his first position but which he argues is really complementary to what he knows of God’s Word. Also note that 1 Corinthians 4:14-21 ends with Paul’s future travel plans. We’ll talk about this later but this is common at the end of a letter, not in the middle (like at the end of 1 Corinthians where it comes back up again). This is one reason some suspect that this is actually at least two letters put together.

Outline of Text 1 Corinthians 5:1-13: Paul’s Judgment on Immorality
1 Corinthians 6:1-20: Correct Ways to Judge 1 Corinthians 7:1-16: Correct Judgment of Sexuality 1 Corinthians 7:17-24: God’s Calling to Position 1 Corinthians 7:25-40: Judgment on Sexuality (Again) 1 Corinthians 8:1-13: Food as Idolatry 1 Corinthians 9:1-27: God’s Judgment (Revisited) 1 Corinthians 10:1-33: Food as Idolatry (Revisited) 1 Corinthians 11:1-16: Imitating Paul/God Paul is working towards a main point. You might begin to notice some building blocks here. Good judgment is building on divisions that Paul addresses at the beginning of the letter. Imitating God (and Paul) builds upon sound judgment. If you imitate God (and Paul), you will know the power of the Last Supper and can trust God’s promise in a resurrection. Imagine if you try to instantly believe in the resurrection without having sound judgment or being that unity in mind would be important. You can’t get to the belief about the resurrection without reading the chapters about Jesus’ life and ministry before the crucifixion; and you can’t get to the resurrection without growing in God’s Word (which is a promise to eternal life). As Paul states in chapter 14, “Brothers and sisters, do not be children in your thinking; rather, be infants in evil, but in thinking be adults” (14:20). Paul wants the Corinthians to grow up; he doesn’t start with calling the Corinthians children (which would turn the Corinthians off as much as it would us, should we be called children), but he does gently and subtly call the Corinthians children: “I am not writing this to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children” (4:20). Children fight. Children think they can do anything. Paul says, “It’s time to grow up.”

Outline of Text 1 Corinthians 11:17-34: Lord’s Supper, Imitation, & Food 1 Corinthians 12:1-13:40: Spiritual Gifts and Division 1 Corinthians 15:1-58: Resurrection (or the main point) 1 Corinthians 16:1-18: Expectations 1 Corinthians 16:19-24: Closing Again, everything leads to chapter 15 and the resurrection. Notice how the beginning and the middle sections are touched upon quickly in the closing section of the letter.

Context of the Letter Authority: Apostleship Divisions and Wisdom
Judgment Idolatry/Food Sexuality/Immorality Apostleship/Imitation Resurrection Unity Here’s one more way of looking at Paul’s writing. He starts with some broad terms (like apostleship, which he doesn’t define until later, when he talks abut imitation of God and which this diagram puts towards the latter section). And these topics come back time and time again, taking on new and deeper meanings throughout the letter. However, even as the topics are coming back and even as there topics take on new meaning, it’s leading to something much more important: imitation, the belief in the resurrection, and ultimately, unity in the church. Keep this in mind as we go through 1st Corinthians.

First Corinthians 1:1-9 Greetings!
1Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, 2To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: 3Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Read 1st Corinthians 1:1-9.

4I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, 5for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind— 6just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you— 7so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. 8He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

How does Paul describe himself? An apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God Who is traveling with Paul? Sosthenes (meaning “savior, strong, powerful”) What does sanctified mean? To be made holy or set apart, literally to be cleaned What were the Corinthians sanctified for? To be made into saints Corinth is not alone here Ask yourself the above questions, noting the following: Already, Paul has defined the central issue. Did you see it? Paul disguises the issue at the very beginning. He calls himself an apostle, doing God’s will. Who could argue with Paul, then? If God has commanded Paul, then Paul must have all authority to speak. But then, the issue goes farther. Not only was he called, but (at least at one point) the Corinthians were also made to be holy. There’s a double-edged sword here: might they not be acting holy any more? Might Paul be using the literary technique called sarcasm? I think he is! As if these two techniques weren’t enough, Paul then does the Trinity of concerns when he also says that Corinth is not the only church here (aka. “every place”). Paul had ministered to many churches. Why should Corinth act like it was divided within its own body and with all the other churches whom Paul had ministered to?

How does Paul know God’s grace has come to the Corinthians? They have been enriched in speech and knowledge, having every gift needed What might the “revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ” be? Jesus’ return to earth How does one know God is with you? When you are called into fellowship with God. Paul also uses a technique here similar to what Jesus himself used. Jesus told people to “keep awake” for they wouldn’t know when Jesus would come back to earth. He told a parable about 10 bridesmaids, of which 5 weren’t ready for the wedding’s “after-party”. Paul’s message to the Corinthians is, “Be ready, for Christ is coming back soon”. How embarrassing it would be for the Corinthians to rest now that the end was so close (or so Paul thought). But not only that—Paul says that everything they need has been already given. Paul’s refuting something we will discuss later on, that there are others who are trying to attack the church and Paul’s claim to apostleship. These later “apostles” are arguing that Paul has made things worse because of what he has (and has not) said. Part of Paul’s chief concern in this letter is that everything has been made clear to the Corinthians, that everything has come from God voice straight to Paul’s mouth and into the Corinthians ears, and that nothing new needs to be added to their teaching. Anything new is creating division and destroying the fabric of the church.

Check Your Reading The Letter Format Paul’s Authority
The Church’s Problem Hinted At Let’s take a moment to make sure everything we have discussed so far is understood. Paul is writing a letter (we assume a unified letter) to the Corinthians because they are not so unified in their theology. Paul’s claim to the Corinthians is that he’s an apostle and speaks with God’s voice. If he speaks with God’s voice, no one who professes the faith can contradict his words. If they do contradict his words, they are nothing but false apostles (we’ll get to that later too). The big problem, and the first thing Paul will address, is the unity of the church in Corinth, which is not so unified—either within its own body and with the other churches which had been founded by that point.

First Corinthians 1:10-17 The Main Problem in Corinth
10Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you should be in agreement and that there should be no divisions among you, but that you should be united in the same mind and the same purpose. 11For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters. 12What I mean is that each of you says, “I belong to Paul”, or “I belong to Apollo”, or “I belong to Cephas”, or “I belong to Christ.” 13Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? Read 1st Corinthians 1:10-17.

14I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name. 16(I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power.

How does Paul try to give power to his words? He speaks to them invoking Jesus’ name What two qualities should the Corinthians have? Same mind and same purpose What was one of the quarrels happening in Corinth? That the leader of the church was Paul, Apollos, Cephas (Peter), or Christ How does Paul try to unify the divided church? He asks a series of rhetorical questions and diminishes his role Answer the above questions, noting that: Every time Paul thinks there might be a problem with the Corinthians not taking him seriously, Paul invokes (calls upon) the name of God, Jesus Christ, and/or the Holy Spirit. Off the bat, he has invoked at least one of these names every single sentence up through verse 10 (and sometimes stated several times in the same sentence). There’s a big problem here, but if Paul speaks with God’s voice, the problem should diminish; after all, who is going to fight God? Paul wants the Corinthians to have the same mind (taken to be in the present) and purpose (in the future). The mind is what guides actions in the here and now; purpose is what move towards. Paul doesn’t care as much about their past. He’s more interested in what is happening now and forward. Even though part of the Corinthian’s past is with Paul, most of what is troubling the church is in the present, and they need to deal with that now. Paul, Apollos (an apostle like Paul), and Cephas (Peter, who was a disciple of Christ), are logical leaders. But Christ? Christ was never in Corinth (or much outside Israel). What’s more, Peter and Paul didn’t agree much when it came to how who to preach God’s Word to. Peter wanted to preach more to the Jewish people, but Paul reached out to the Gentiles (non-Jewish people). They also disagreed with if you had to become Jewish before becoming a Christ-follower. (con’t on next slide)

What was Paul called to do? To proclaim the gospel simply So, if Peter and Paul were fighting, what chance was there for the church in Corinth? That’s why Paul tries to diminish the roles of the leaders of that church. We don’t know much about Apollos other than he had visited Corinth and was someone who associated with Paul. It is possible that those who claim to be Christ’s are either: 1) really getting the message of Paul’s, or 2) being led by false apostles who are invoking Christ’s name to get what they want (similar to Paul’s technique in this letter). For those who use baptism (as much today as back then) as a way of saying who they belong to (i.e. “I was baptized by Pastor Kevin and he gave me all my knowledge about God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit”), Paul diminishes this rite (probably because he also didn’t baptism the majority of people in Corinth and knew he couldn’t win that way). Instead, he hints that we are baptized into Christ to have a purpose (although he could have made that argument stronger). We each have a role to carry out from baptism to the grave, Paul says. His was to proclaim the gospel (an evangelist); others are to be pastors, or teachers, or one speaking in tongues, or one to decipher tongues, etc. One who baptizes only doesn’t even make Paul’s list. Paul is called to preach the good news in simple terms so that the message God has isn’t hidden from those he preaches to. This is going to be important later, because some of his biggest opponents will accuse him of speaking secretly and deceptively.

Check Your Reading Paul Invoking God and Jesus’ Name
Called to Unity, Living in Division Paul’s Call Let’s quickly review. Because a part of Paul’s authority has been compromised, Paul uses a “higher power’s” authority, reminding the Corinthians that Paul isn’t speaking on his own behalf (although, when he does later in the letter, he’ll let you know he is speaking on his own behalf and not God’s). Unity is the central issue in this letter. If the church doesn’t have unity, there is nothing that holds the church together. It might as well be an arm trying to break free from the rest of the body. Paul was given a call from God, much as everyone has a call from God. To shirk that responsibility is foolishness!

First Corinthians 1:18-2:16 Wisdom’s Foolishness
18For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” 20Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. 22For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, 23but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling-block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength. Read 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:16.

26Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, 29so that no one might boast in the presence of God. 30He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31in order that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

2:1When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. 2For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. 4My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God. 6Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to perish. 7But we speak God’s wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. 8None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

9But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him”— 10these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11For what human being knows what is truly human except the human spirit that is within? So also no one comprehends what is truly God’s except the Spirit of God. 12Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. 13And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual.

14Those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to them, and they are unable to understand them because they are discerned spiritually. 15Those who are spiritual discern all things, and they are themselves subject to no one else’s scrutiny. 16“For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

Compare and contrast the world’s wisdom to God’s wisdom. Perishing/salvation; foolish/truth; limited/unlimited, human/spiritual, etc. Who decided the plan to save people? God did! How is “Christ crucified” a stumbling block and foolish? Something that was to end life actually has given new life Answer the above questions keeping in mind: You don’t have to look far into this section’s reading to discover the answer to who is better: God or the world? Anything the world emulates is wrong; anything moved by the Spirit is right. Even though the Corinthians might feel persecuted or wanting to rise in power, Paul reminds them to stay true to what God honors. And not only that, but he reminds them that God is in control. The final say over life and death is not the priests, the governors, the Caesars, or anyone on this earth. The final judgment comes solely from God. This is going to be important in the final chapter when that final say leads to a resurrected life (one the world cannot see). It’s important to remember that Paul relates his life to Christ’s journey to the cross in many ways. One of the key arguments coming from Paul’s opponents will be that Paul is being punished by God. Paul’s initial argument starts here: Jesus died on the cross and God transformed that death into something beautiful—new life. God is also transforming Paul into new life.

What two attributes are given to Christ through the cross? Power of God and wisdom of God According to the world, what was wrong with the Corinthian Christians? They weren’t powerful or of noble birth How did God reverse this assumption? Foolish shames wise, weak shames strong What does the phrase “things that are not” mean? That what this world thinks as foolish or weak is actually not Wisdom was an important quality to have in those days. If you had wisdom, you likely also had power and authority. Think of the great Greek philosophers of the day, like Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates. Paul, though, is laying out his argument: that even the wisest on earth are no comparison to God, who is the true power and wisdom of the world. What the world expected then, and now, is that those who have power on earth were people who had true power. Paul argues a different case. He says that the Christian Corinthians, who were shunned by the rest of the city because of their faith, were actually more powerful than the who appeared powerful on earth. It’s because they were disciples of God, who had the true power and could do anything to help God’s own people. The other disciples (those of the Greek philosophers and leaders) may be noble to the world, but to God, it meant nothing because they were faithless. Thus, Paul plays on paradox: they are weak, we are strong; they are foolish, we actually are the wise ones. Paul’s whole argument rests on this cornerstone idea: that what we experience in this world is not true. Instead, God’s world, which can’t be experienced on this side of life and which is described as the “things that are not” because they are outside our purview, are the things of real truth.

How was Paul’s message to the Corinthians like Jesus crucified? He came in weakness, fear, and much trembling How would Paul’s message make sense? Only by the power of God (through the Spirit) What did human’s wisdom say about Jesus? That he must be crucified What do those who are in the Spirit get from God? Gifts of God’s Spirit Who’s authority really matters? Christ’s (God’s) Paul argues that the surest sign that things are really wrong in this world is that Jesus, who is the savior of the world, was condemned and executed on a cross. If we are to live in God’s world, which is the truth, we must live like Jesus did—knowing that weakness somehow shows forth the glory of God. However, Paul’s opponents are going to say that Paul, like Job, the Israelites in the desert, and so many other Biblical characters, is being punished by God for his unfaithfulness in God. They will argue that Paul’s punishments delivered by human hands are God’s vengeance for a wayward “apostle” (they wouldn’t call him that). But Paul keeps going back to Jesus on the cross, showing that suffering can, in some cases, actually be redemptive and freeing. After all, it’s not: you get what you give theology. It’s about knowing that in all of our lives, we must suffer because this world is completely broken and following false gods (known as sin). So, instead of following the way of the world, we must instead be gifted by the Holy Spirit to follow God’s way, for after all, the only thing that truly matters is Christ (God).

Check Your Reading Paul’s Long Explanation on True Wisdom
Humanity versus Spirituality (Holy Spirit, that is) Paul’s Defense Set Up: “Be in the Mind of Christ” To end class today, let’s review a couple of key points to remember. First off, this opening section defines the rest of Paul’s argument. He’s going to go into a longer discourse on true wisdom which this world doesn’t understand, but he may not talk about wisdom directly. Wisdom is following God’s path, not the world’s. Wisdom isn’t about being segregated in church; it’s about a unified body. Paul has only just begun to convince the Corinthians that they are no longer following what the body of Christ (all churches together) is doing and thus have become their own wayward body part. There’s a clear difference, for Paul, in following human nature (and all the laws and rituals that come with it) and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit can’t be seen but it can be felt; human nature can be seen but hardly does it do anything for the next life. Paul’s major defense is found in the path of Jesus Christ, who went to the cross and suffered death for the redemption of the world. If God is punishing Paul because Paul is going through tough times, then God also punished Jesus Christ with the cross (a most grave sin)… and that just doesn’t make sense. So, then, we are being prepared for what it means to follow Christ and to understand the wisdom that God gives us. It’s not always tangible, but it is the true wisdom this world would never understand. Next Presentation

Paul’s Travel The Biography of Paul

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