Previously, I shared with you three of the themes from Pauline Letters: Suffering, Joy, and Discipleship. Let me continue to share three more themes, which Paul has imparted in his letters.
Grace:
More than any other Apostle, Paul is the one, who has emphasized that Salvation is by faith alone. If one would read the letter to the Galatians, it is clear that the focus is on the gift of new life which Christ offers to the one who believes as his gracious gift. In the same way in his letter to the Romans, Paul exposes that salvation is by grace alone and it is by faith in Chris alone: “Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God” (Romans 5:1-2).
Jesus will return in glory:
Paul confidently proclaims that the day will come, when Jesus, whom we seek and hope for will return in glory and bring us life, mercy, and justice: “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first; then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so, we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
Obligation to offer forgiveness:
Paul’s logic is simple: we have received allencompassing forgiveness from God. Hence, we should offer forgiveness. In his letter to the Colossians he writes: “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness and patience, forbearing one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive” (Colossians 3:12-13).
To be continued.
May The Lord of life lead us to that life
Fr. Arul Joseph V
0 Comments