Think deeply about Paul,
Broaden your theology through Paul!

There is a surge of writings on Paul, enough to be called a Pauline Renaissance, and cutting-edge discussions are being introduced to Korea at a rapid pace.
But surprisingly few Pauline introductory texts were reliable.
With so many controversies raging in the public eye, understanding of Paul can sometimes show a serious bias.
In this context, "Paul" is a book that serves as a "faithful and honest guide" rather than putting forward its own arguments.
The authors, notable Pauline scholars, not only present a balanced overview of the complex debate surrounding Paul, but also demonstrate an open theological attitude that respects perspectives differing from their own.
The most important distinction of this book is that it helps readers understand Paul's rich and complex thought while simultaneously encouraging them to wrestle with Paul's theology themselves.
The work will never be finished, but it is possible to begin with authors who encourage us to 'consider Paul deeply.'

Why did we give this book the original title "Thinking through Paul"? It's because it symbolizes the two perspectives that characterize every chapter in this book.
First, “consider Paul deeply” means “think about Paul,” which means to look through his letters carefully and think deeply about what he is saying in each letter.
From this perspective, Paul is an object of study, a subject of deep reflection, and an object of inquiry.
But sometimes another meaning will stand out.
In this case, “consider Paul deeply” would mean “think the way Paul thought,” looking at the world from his perspective and thinking along his thought patterns.
From this perspective, Paul should be seen not so much as an object of study as a catalyst for shaking up our own thinking about the issues at stake.
In our experience, these two meanings of “contemplating Paul deeply” complement and reinforce each other.
The more we contemplate Paul (in the first sense), the more deeply we can contemplate Paul (in the second sense).
_From the introduction

Of course, we readily acknowledge that Paul perceived his Damascus experience as being similar to the Old Testament calling narrative and spoke of it in terms similar to those found there.
I also fully agree that there is considerable continuity between Paul's thoughts and practical activities before and after his Damascus experience.
But to say that the word "conversion" is inappropriate to describe the change that took place in Paul's life as a result of his encounter with the resurrected Christ seems to unnecessarily narrow the scope of its application.
Above all, he began to proclaim the very faith he had previously sought to destroy.
Furthermore, as time goes by, he begins to talk about his life 'before' in Judaism and how he considers it insignificant compared to his desperate desire to know Christ.
Moreover, the Christocentric nature of Paul's theology suggests that it may be appropriate to combine language indicating change ('conversion') with language indicating calling ('vocation') when describing Paul's Damascus experience and his subsequent life in Christ.
_01.
From Paul's life and ministry

Now let's look at gratitude.
As soon as we look at the first of the two thanksgivings in 1 Thessalonians, we encounter the pillars of Paul's letters: faith, love, and hope.
In 1:2-3, Paul offers a prayer of thanks to God for the Thessalonians' "work produced by faith, [their] labor, [their] perseverance, [their] hope in Christ Jesus."
There is a theological logic to presenting these three items (triad: faith, love, hope) in this order.
Life in Christ begins with faith, continues with love, and is completed in hope.
_02.
From 1 and 2 Thessalonians

The meaning of Jesus' death and resurrection permeates the deepest parts of the universe.
Therefore, participating in Christ's self-giving has an 'apocalyptic' dimension that swallows up the identity of those who follow Christ.
Paul says this in Galatians 6:14:
“May it never be that I would boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” Paul believes that the Galatians will find solutions to their problems within this eschatological framework of understanding and power.
That is why he says in the next verse:
“It is not about being circumcised or not that matters, but about being created anew.” Ultimately, the ethos and practice of self-giving love encompasses the ‘new creation.’
Paul believed that if the community of Jesus' followers lost its fundamental character as a community inspired by the Holy Spirit, it would lose the essence of the gospel.
_03.
From the Epistle to the Galatians

If some Christians thought Paul's gospel could be summarized with the slogan, "I have the right to do anything," Paul tempers this slogan with the words, "But not everything is beneficial" and "But not everything edifies."
When we examine the context in which these clues appear, they infuse the mixed thinking of the Corinthians with a spirit of community as one body.
Paul's emphasis that not everything is beneficial or edifying means that following Jesus means keeping the well-being of the community in mind.
Paul sees actions that benefit others as having a cross-centered attitude when dealing with others.
For this reason he writes, “Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.”
In a world obsessed with the pursuit of glory, this teaching may sound foolish.
But this is precisely how the “way of the cross” is applied at the community level.
_04.
From 1 Corinthians

Therefore, we will proceed with the argument that 2 Corinthians is best understood as consisting of two separate letters.
Loosely bound together by hinges that connect the texts, 2 Corinthians 1-9 and 10-13 provide testimony to the two-stage relationship between Paul and the Corinthian church, each with distinct aspects. They also vividly illustrate the pastoral strategies Paul employed at different moments within the tense relationship between the two.
Moreover, it is highly probable that 2 Corinthians 10-13 is actually the main part of the "Tearful Epistle" (although the concise introduction to that epistle no longer exists, and perhaps the conclusion as well).
If so, 2 Corinthians 10-13 would have been written before chapters 1-9.
This sequence suggests that when Paul wrote 2 Corinthians 10-13, he had moved from a very difficult and dangerous relationship with the Corinthians to one in which he was beginning to enjoy a fragile but reconcilable relationship with them.
_05.
From 2 Corinthians

Paul makes a surprisingly bold move by describing Jesus as a propitiatory sacrifice (a depiction that may well echo the theological claims of the early Jesus movement).
But in the context Paul presents in Romans, the sins Jesus dealt with were the sins of all people—Jews and Gentiles—held in the grip of the "power of sin."
Although it is not said openly, the Day of Atonement has been reshaped.
The new Day of Atonement concerns all people groups (not just Israel) and the forces of sin (and other cosmic forces) at work within God's good creation to achieve ungodly purposes.
Now, redemption or “deliverance” (liberation) from this matrix of destruction has been accomplished “through Jesus Christ,” and “everyone who believes” can enjoy redemption and liberation through God’s gracious initiative (perhaps “through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ,” as the NIV puts it in a footnote to 3:22).
_06.
From the Book of Romans

Although the transition from the beginning of Chapter 3 to the next text is certainly awkward, there are a growing number of people who are dissatisfied with the scenario in which Philippians is a work of several letters.
Furthermore, those who support the unity of Philippians argue that the thanksgiving at the end of the letter is not as problematic as some might think, especially when we consider the thanksgiving Paul expresses at the beginning of the letter.
As Polycarp says, Paul could well have written several letters to the church in Philippi.
However, this does not necessarily mean that the canonical book of Philippians must be viewed as a collage.
In short, more and more interpreters, including ourselves, are trying to view Philippians as a single letter.
I admit that there are a few places in Philippians where the transitions are not so smooth.
Even so, the canonical book of Philippians that we see today is not a hodgepodge of things thoughtlessly thrown together.
Indeed, the recurring themes and words in Philippians suggest that this letter is a single work.
_07.
From Philippians

Paul calls Philemon “brother” and expresses his hope that Philemon will bring him “joy [profit] in the Lord.”
The word translated as 'benefit' is the Greek word onaim?n (from the verb oninamai, meaning 'to benefit').
The reason I mention this is because it is possible that Paul was using another wordplay.
Is Paul playing on Onesimus' name here again? If so, the apostle is subtly requesting (and not so subtly requesting) that Philemon send Onesimus back to him.
Reading it this way would also be consistent with the final words of verse 20, where Paul asks Philemon to “breathe my heart (splanchna) in Christ.”
Paul now asks Philemon to do for himself what he had done for other believers—to renew their “minds.”
So what should Philemon do? Paul doesn't say.
But Paul seems to be suggesting that Philemon's heart will be renewed if he sends back to him one person who is Paul's own heart, Onesimus.
_08.
From Philemon and Colossians

If Ephesians wasn't written to the church in Ephesus, then who was it addressed to? Perhaps it was initially addressed to the church in Laodicea.
Finally, Colossians 4:16 encourages the church in Colossae to “read the letter from Laodicea.”
Moreover, Marcion, Tertullian's greatest adversary in the 2nd century, was a 'Ephesian
The book of Laodicea was called 'Seo'.
Or perhaps Ephesians was written as a circular letter to be circulated among believers in western Asia Minor, and over time became associated with Ephesus, the central metropolis of that region and one of the places where the letter was circulated and preserved (which seems more likely).
_09.
From Ephesians

1 Timothy 2:8-15 This instruction to women certainly has a specific context in mind.
For example, if we assume that the ideas presented in 1 Timothy regarding women's hairstyles, jewelry, and attire were previously accepted norms, then most congregations in most places today would treat these special concerns as irrelevant and treat them as such.
Rather, it is highly probable that the presence of 'false teachers' within the church and their influence on the church shaped the perceptions and teachings given to women presented in 1 Timothy.
For example, if the “deceivers” were deceiving the women mentioned in this letter, then preventing them from teaching and preaching in the community gatherings would have significant pastoral significance.
Moreover, if false teachers were forbidding marriage, as 1 Timothy 4:3 suggests, then 2:15 is more plausible (though not perfect).
Some question whether the salvation the author speaks of in this passage with regard to women is not the salvation that false teachers taught came through (marriage) childbirth and continued proper abiding in faith, love, and holiness.
_10.
Pastoral Epistles: Titus? From 1 and 2 Timothy

Many Pauline interpreters believe that certain passages in Paul's letters provide a richer theological dimension if they are seen as referring to the faith (faithfulness) of Jesus Christ.
For example, a passage like Romans 3:21-26 does not simply say that God's faithful righteousness penetrates "to all who believe," but rather "through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ."
Moreover, it does not say that God offered Jesus as a sacrifice merely “to be received by faith” (though this is also true), but “through [His] faithfulness.”
So, in a sense, Paul's theological work is carried out within the triangle of faith/faithfulness.
_11.
Among the apocalyptic narratives of Paul's theological discourse,

But the big problem with using Paul as a basis for "replacement theology" is that it is at odds with what Paul says in the only text where he seems to seriously address the issue of replacement theology.
In Romans 11, Paul does not use the fact that many Jews, unlike the Gentile followers of Jesus, do not have a Christ-centered faith as grounds for denying that God excluded the Israelites from His purpose and called them to be His covenant people.
Rather, Paul demonstrates that God actually used the unbelief of the Israelites to accomplish His own saving purposes, thereby allowing His own will to be worked throughout the world, particularly (though ironically) through His covenant people.
_12.
Among Paul's theological narrative and the macro narrative of his time,

Paul seems to think that only when we read the Bible in a way that is consistent with the morality of following Jesus and following the cross can we truly read the Bible correctly.
Presumably, Paul saw this very characteristic as validating his interpretation of Scripture.
Christ, who gave himself for us, came to live in Paul.
For this reason, Paul's own interpretation of the Bible is also valid.
Because his interpretation of the Bible helps the Jesus group live a life of self-giving like Christ, while other interpretations of the Bible do not.
Therefore, it is no coincidence that Paul first talks about his own life in Galatians 1-2 and then develops his interpretation of the Bible in chapters 3-4.
Paul's interpretation of the Bible is the result of his own embodiment of Christ in his own life, empowered by the transforming power of God.
_13.
Among Paul's theological narrative and the micro-narrative of the Jesus group,

--- From the text