For this week’s blog, I thought we would spend a bit of time focusing on Paul as a letter writer in the mission of God…
Paul, the Man
To understand Paul, it is important to examine not only the letters of Paul but also his life, reflected in the letters of Paul. Also, we can make use of the book of Acts, since a good deal of the book is about the life and missionary work of Paul in the spread of the Gospel (especially Acts 13-28). Before taking a look at the letters of Paul in general, let’s come to an understanding of Paul as a man and servant of Christ. Paul was a man impacted and shaped by God’s grace. Jesus Christ had revealed himself to Paul in a very radical, revolutionary way.
God got a hold of Paul and changed him from a Pharisaic Jew radically committed to a misunderstanding of the Law to the faith of the Gospel and the amazing grace of God. God had accepted him through faith in Christ alone by God’s grace, and Paul had learned and proclaimed that this grace of God is also available to every people groups. The two main things that come through all of his letters are the Gospel of God and the grace of God. In other words, Paul is always concerned with and passionate about the good, gracious news of Jesus Christ and the faith and life consistent with this Gospel. Paul’s letters, in many ways, are a proclamation and explanation of the Kingdom of God in the present and the future (through Jesus Christ, in fulfillment of the Old Testament expectations and promises).
Paul, the Missionary
We not only need to understand Paul as a man of God, but also as a missionary of God. The book of Acts records for us certain, important aspects about the missionary life of Paul. It seems that Paul went on three major missionary journeys and that his life was ended after imprisonment in Rome. The letters of Paul need to fit into this context in some way, although the connections between Paul’s letters and Acts are not always clear and complete. In other words, there may be some times when there might be more than one option or when some things just don’t make that much sense. But on the whole, the letters and life of Paul are pretty clear.
To understand the letters of Paul (and all the letters in the New Testament), we have to go through a process called “mirror-reading.” It’s as if we are holding up a mirror to each letter and seeking to see reflections of the particular situations and readers Paul is writing to and Paul’s own particular situation. Again, these reflections are not entirely clear and complete, although some times there are greater degrees of certainty. In each letter, the overall goal is to instruct and influence readers to be faithful to their identity and mission as Christians and Churches. We need to seek to understand how each letter would do this in particular situations.
The Format of Letters
There is a very particular format to letters in the first century world of the Scriptures, and the letters of the New Testament and especially those of Paul mostly follow this format. Consider the general characteristics of the average letters of our day and culture. Here are the general characteristics of New Testament letters, as well as that of the average letter in the ancient culture of the New Testament: name of the writer; name of the recipient; greeting; prayer wish or thanksgiving; body of the letter; final greeting and farewell. To varying degrees, the letters of the New Testament follow this pattern.
The Historical Framework for Paul’s Letters
Below is a possible historical framework for Paul’s letters (as it relates to Paul’s three missionary journeys in Acts). Note that some of the letters could have been written during these journeys.
• 1st missionary journey – 47/48 AD
• Galatians
• 2nd missionary journey – 50-52 AD
• 1-2 Thessalonians
• 3rd missionary journey – 53-57/58 AD
• 1-2 Corinthians
• Romans
• Philippians, Philemon, Colossians, and Ephesians (the Prison Letters)
• 1-2 Timothy and Titus (the Pastoral Letters)
Year in the Bible 