Bird’s Four Views of the Apostle Paul
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Introduction
Apostle Paul was one of the most influential forces, which shaped the development of
Christianity. According to Michael F Bird during his life, Paul had been jailed, beaten, and
hunted by both Jews and gentiles because of Christian faith and how he spread the gospel1.
Apostle Paul was an outspoken preacher, and his actions were mostly considered controversial
and offensive. The intention of Bird in the book is thus to elaborate Apostle Paul’s views about
Salvation, Significance of Christ to Christianity, his theological outlook, and his vision for the
church. To do this comprehensively, Bird reaches out to four Pauline scholars who have done
several projects about Paul's writings. Each one of them had a unique religious background.
Over the years, Paul’s historical and social background has had a tremendous influence
on theology. However, in the recent past, his teachings have been surrounded by debates and
controversies. The book includes four leading academicians presenting their views on the best
framework, which can describe Apostle Paul's theological perspectives. It includes a reformed
evangelical view, Catholic, post-new perspective, and a Jewish view2. The authors contributing
to this volume include Thomas R. Schreiner, who represents a reformed Baptist perspective of
Paul3. Thomas is also known for his commentaries on Romans, Galatians, and Paul, Apostle of
Gods' Glory in Christ, A Pauline Theology. Luke Timothy Johnson is the R.W. Woodruff
Professor of the New Testament and Christian Origins at Emory University and represents an
1 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
Schreiner.7Four Views on the Apostle Paul. Zondervan Academic, 2012.
2 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
Schreiner.7Four Views on the Apostle Paul. Zondervan Academic, 2012.
3 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
Schreiner.7Four Views on the Apostle Paul. Zondervan Academic, 2012.
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argument for the Roman Catholic perspective. He is also known for his commentaries on the
Pastorals. Douglas Campbell represents a post-new perspective and is a lecturer of the New
Testament at Duke Divinity School. He has written two major projects on Paul: The Deliverance
of God: An Apocalyptic Rereading of Justification in Paul and The Quest for Paul’s Gospel: A
Suggested Strategy. Mark Nanos is a renowned scholar at Rockhurst University and stands for
the Jewish viewpoint. He has written two volumes about Paul: The Mystery of Romans: The
Jewish Context of Paul’s Letterand The Irony of Galatians: Paul’s Letter in First-Century
Context. In this book, four major ways of reading the Apostle Paul writing are presented, with
each contributor weighing in all the four areas and respond to other views.
Thomas Schreiner Reformed Baptist Perspective of Apostle Paul
The Evangelical perspective by Schreiner is Christ-centered based mostly on scriptures
and used the Old Testament to provide proof of Paul’s view of Christ4. His arguments are based
on Hebrews, Ephesians, and Colossians, which primarily talks about the issue of Christology5.
According to Schreiner, Paul’s basic theological framework can be summed up as teaching of the
new exodus, the new covenant, and the new creation, which has been realized through Christ6. .
However, although the new age of Christianity has come, it is yet to be fully realized. In his
essay, Schreiner explains to the reader that even though Christ has brought the new age, there
exist some eschatological tensions because Paul's preachings offer answers that were previously
missing, and the prophesies of salvation have been fulfilled7. To justify his argument Schreiner
4 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
Schreiner.7Four Views on the Apostle Paul. Zondervan Academic, 2012.
5 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
Schreiner.7Four Views on the Apostle Paul. Zondervan Academic, 2012.
6 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
Schreiner.7Four Views on the Apostle Paul. Zondervan Academic, 2012.
7 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
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make us of prophecies from the Old Testament that were already fulfilled. According to Paul,
salvation was offered to all those who believed in Jesus Christ and his resurrection8. In addition,
Schreiner points out that Paul lets all those who believe in Christ understand that their
resurrection in the future is assured because Christ had also resurrected (Rom. 8:11; 1 Cor. 6:14;
2 Cor. 4:14; 1 Thess. 4:14). In (Romans 8:18-25), Paul writes that although a new creation has
dawned through Jesus Christ, the old one still continues to exist. For that reason, all those who
trust in Jesus Christ will long for the day when they will resurrect from the dead, and the
universe will be renewed9. As such, Schreiner argues that these accounts by Paul inform the
reader of his perspective on both his framework and his thoughts about salvation10.
Schreiner explains Paul’s teaching on the significance of Jesus Christ and how he makes
different readers aware that his heart and theological standpoints are in line with the will of
Christ11. According to Schreiner's argument, Jesus Christ is at the center of all Paul's letters.
Therefore it is an indisputable fact that throughout his life and teachings, Paul was centered on
the life of Christ. Through his teachings, he encouraged all those who were believers to do the
same and focus their strength living just like Jesus12. Schreiner tries to make the audience
recognize the importance of Jesus Christ through letters to the Ephesians when he writes,
“Clearly Jesus Christ fulfills Old Testament prophecy13. “ But the mysteries of God’s will also
8 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
Schreiner.7Four Views on the Apostle Paul. Zondervan Academic, 2012.
9 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
Schreiner.7Four Views on the Apostle Paul. Zondervan Academic, 2012.
10 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
Schreiner.7Four Views on the Apostle Paul. Zondervan Academic, 2012.
11 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
Schreiner.7Four Views on the Apostle Paul. Zondervan Academic, 2012.
12 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
Schreiner.7Four Views on the Apostle Paul. Zondervan Academic, 2012.
13 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
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center on Christ, for it was God's purpose to unite all things in history in Christ” (Eph. 1:9-10)14.
Schreiner also points out that the coming of Jesus was prophesized in the Old Testament, but the
fulfillment and his significance was concealed until now15. As such, the audience must
understand that Christ was one of the main subjects in the Old Testament as his coming was
foretold in these books.
In the last part of his essay, Schreiner elaborates on Paul’s visions about the church. He
comprehensively explains the term church, which has been coined in the Old Testament and the
people of Israel who he refers to as an assembly of Yahweh16. . According to Schreiner Paul's
vision was that through believers, the church would live up to its intended calling, which is to
protect the unity of the members, which already exists through Jesus Christ17. To conclude his
essay, Schreiner argues the theological framework of Apostle Paul is not important, his thoughts
about salvation, or the vision about the church18. There is only one central theme, which is to
embrace Christ, ask for forgiveness and give up all worldly things for Salvation (Phil. 3:7-9) and
do everything in his name (Col. 3:17)19.
With his Roman Catholic perspective, Johnson responds to Schreiner, stating that his
evangelical view has exaggerated on the connection between the prophecies in the Old
14 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
Schreiner.7Four Views on the Apostle Paul. Zondervan Academic, 2012.
15 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
Schreiner.7Four Views on the Apostle Paul. Zondervan Academic, 2012.
16 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
Schreiner.7Four Views on the Apostle Paul. Zondervan Academic, 2012.
17 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
Schreiner.7Four Views on the Apostle Paul. Zondervan Academic, 2012.
18 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
Schreiner.7Four Views on the Apostle Paul. Zondervan Academic, 2012.
19 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
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Testament and their fulfillment in Christ in the New Testament20. According to Johnson,
Schreiner’s views are entirely based on Galatians and Romans rather than all the scriptures by
Apostle Paul21. On the other hand, Campbell also disagrees with Schreiner’s views, arguing that
his claims that Paul's writings are Christ-centered are speculative22. According to Campbell, the
evangelical view by Schreiner is more of a “Melanchthonian" than "Lutheran," and at some
point, it is somehow "Arian23. He agrees with Schreiner's conclusions but disagrees with the
specifics, used to arrive at the conclusion24. Lastly, Mark Nanos, with his Jewish view, also terms
Schreiner's views as being more ideological than historical. He accuses Schreiner of putting his
views into the text instead of reading the meaning from the text25. Nanos also disputes
Schreiner’s view of the church being the “true Israel." He argues that it is clear Israel and
gentiles are two distinct groups; there is no mixture of identity26.
Luke Johnson Roman Catholic Perspective
Unlike Schreiner, whose essay is non-interactive, Campbell allows interactivity between
viewpoints to ensure more inclusivity. First, Johnson acknowledges that he is a devout catholic
from a young age27. In his perspective, how an individual interprets Apostle Paul’s view depends
20 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
Schreiner.7Four Views on the Apostle Paul. Zondervan Academic, 2012.
21 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
Schreiner.7Four Views on the Apostle Paul. Zondervan Academic, 2012.
22 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
Schreiner.7Four Views on the Apostle Paul. Zondervan Academic, 2012.
23 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
Schreiner.7Four Views on the Apostle Paul. Zondervan Academic, 2012.
24 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
Schreiner.7Four Views on the Apostle Paul. Zondervan Academic, 2012.
25 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
Schreiner.7Four Views on the Apostle Paul. Zondervan Academic, 2012.
26 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
Schreiner.7Four Views on the Apostle Paul. Zondervan Academic, 2012.
27 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
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on the scriptures used, the level of abstraction of the scriptures chosen, and the extent of
acknowledgment of the significance among various letters of Paul28. Johnson classifies the letters
into disputed and undisputed (Romans, 1/2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians,
and Philemon)29. In addition, Johnson describes Paul’s letters as “occasional," "official
correspondences," "least favored responses," "diverse," and "complex.”30. Therefore Johnson
argues that it is almost impossible to “homogenize” Paul based on his letters because his
thoughts are extremely diverse31. Johnson also identifies the distinctive perspective of Paul; that
is a deep “personal religious experience with the communities he has served.”32. With regards to
Salvation, Paul uses various descriptions which are based on the Graeco-Roman and Jewish
culture, in "economic language," "Diplomatic language," "kinship language," “cultic language”
and “economic language”33. Johnson puts emphasis on the fact that for Apostle Paul, Salvation
has a "distinctive temporal dimension.”34 Concerning the church Johnson explains that Paul is
more concerned with the formation of the “community ethos” and according to him; the church
is holy and has the responsibility of being the sacrament of the world’s possibility35.
28 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
Schreiner.7Four Views on the Apostle Paul. Zondervan Academic, 2012.
29 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
Schreiner.7Four Views on the Apostle Paul. Zondervan Academic, 2012.
30 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
Schreiner.7Four Views on the Apostle Paul. Zondervan Academic, 2012.
31 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
Schreiner.7Four Views on the Apostle Paul. Zondervan Academic, 2012.
32 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
Schreiner.7Four Views on the Apostle Paul. Zondervan Academic, 2012.
33 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
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34 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
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35 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
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Although Johnson's scrutiny of salvation is inclined and argued through a catholic
standpoint, they are in some way similar to Schreiner's view. According to Johnson, humans will
only receive deliverance through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and God acts on behalf of all
humans36
On the issue of Christ's significance, Johnson argues that although Paul did not meet
Jesus Christ in person, after His resurrection, he acknowledged that all religious traditions are
centered around him37. Jesus establishes the new age and certainly the new creation. It is through
Christ that all the previous understanding of God and religion must be assessed. He is more than
just a human; he is the son of God. Johnson also indicates that Paul calls Jesus the Lord because
he has all the power and he is God38.
Johnson also states that Paul’s theological framework has been derived from various
places including his experiences in Damascus, the experience of his followers who lived in the
Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 1:2; Gal. 3:26)39. In addition, the complex traditions of the communities
during Paul’s time, the facts around Jesus' life, his resurrection also had a huge impact on his
theological framework40. Johnson argues that Paul viewed the church for people who believed in
Jesus Christ. He quotes Paul's writing, where he urges his listeners to live a life demonstrated by
Jesus, seek unity and reconciliation 41.
36 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
Schreiner.7Four Views on the Apostle Paul. Zondervan Academic, 2012.
37 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
Schreiner.7Four Views on the Apostle Paul. Zondervan Academic, 2012.
38 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
Schreiner.7Four Views on the Apostle Paul. Zondervan Academic, 2012.
39 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
Schreiner.7Four Views on the Apostle Paul. Zondervan Academic, 2012.
40 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
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41 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
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To respond to Johnson's, Schreiner criticizes his failure to provide an explanation about the
death of Christ also as a propitiation on top of expiation 42. He does not expand on the law,
especially the negative assessment of the law by Apostle Paul. On the other hand, Campbell
criticizes him for his lack of sensitivity to Judaism. According to him, Johnson has made the
distinction between Jews and Graeco-Roman believers as being “Binary opposition.”43 Using this
line of thinking concerning the “Household codes” makes his analysis of Paul’s writing not only
contradictory but also to be problematic for the harmony of the modern-day community44. Mark
Nanos, on the other hand, continues to insist that there should be no mixing of identity.
Douglas Campbell Post-New Perspective
Campbell focuses on the two-pronged understanding of Judaism and Paul’s responses to
Judaism. In his essay, Campbell makes use of two unique categories that is an Eschatological
approach and an Ethical argument, which is mostly centered around Paul's letter s to the
Romans45. First, Campbell uses the eschatological opinion to talk about Paul's view of salvation
and the significance of Christ. He argues that Jesus Christ's revelation of God is at the heart of
his significance46. Therefore God loves the world so much that he gives up his only son to save
it. As such as Campbell argues that God reveals himself through the Triune God so that human
beings can participate in God's Mission through the help of the Holy Spirit47.
42 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
Schreiner.7Four Views on the Apostle Paul. Zondervan Academic, 2012.
43 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
Schreiner.7Four Views on the Apostle Paul. Zondervan Academic, 2012.
44 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
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45 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
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46 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
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47 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
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When addressing Paul’s vision of the church, Campbell argues that the church is a
brotherhood, which is on a mission48. Campbell states, “The apostle everywhere presupposes but
also seeks to shape a community of “brothers.”49. A caring God has therefore established the
church, and which has been mediating reconciling the multitudes to God.
Responding to Campbell's arguments, Schreiner suggests that his essays are hyper
Calvinist and fascinating50. He criticizes Campbell for painting the historical responses of
Christians towards Jews with a broad brush. He is also concerned about people who want to
blame events like those in the Holocaust on the theology of Paul. He accuses Campbell of
painting the image of Paul after himself51. On the other hand, Johnson disapproves of Campbell
for being so much obsessed with Romans without sufficiently using other writing by Paul. For
Nano, the main issue is how they continue to view Jews and Gentiles under the Law52
Mark Nanos Jewish Perspective
Nanos start by explaining why Jews had a negative view of the Apostle Paul calling him
a Traitor”, “Apostate," "Convert” and “Deceiver53. The reason why the Jews disagreed with
48 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
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49 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
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50 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
Schreiner.7Four Views on the Apostle Paul. Zondervan Academic, 2012.
51 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
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52 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
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Christ is due to the fulfillment of the law54. Nanos indicates that the aim of Paul’s teachings was
to win everyone to the gospel of Christ no matter who they were. Nanos argues that Paul’s view
of salvation and the significance of Christ is evident when Paul declared a gospel free from the
law. He magnifies the heartfelt love of God and offered freedom to everyone55. The gospel thus
offers eternal life as a substitute for the previous curse by the law56. Nanos also explains that
because Jesus had already fulfilled the law, all people had received the grace of God, and the
gospel offered salvation57. According to Nanos, Paul never moved away completely from the
reaching of Torah, and his theological framework remained with a Jewish focus58. As such,
Apostle, Paul, did not have any relative visions for the church.
To respond to the Nanos Jewish perspective, Schreiner appreciates his argument but
opposes the claim that Paul always kept the Torah. According to Schreiner, Paul has clearly
converted to Christianity on his way to Damascus. In addition, he maintains the way to salvation
is only through Christ59. On the other hand, Johnson maintains Paul’s Jewish background and
focus on Jesus. He also adds that any perspective of Paul should be based on all his letters, not
just a few selected writing60. Campbell terms his reconstruction of Paul “unfair.”61. He argues
54 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
Schreiner.7Four Views on the Apostle Paul. Zondervan Academic, 2012.
55 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
Schreiner.7Four Views on the Apostle Paul. Zondervan Academic, 2012.
56 Gorman, Michael J.7Becoming the gospel: Paul, participation, and mission. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2015.
57 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
Schreiner.7Four Views on the Apostle Paul. Zondervan Academic, 2012.
58 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
Schreiner.7Four Views on the Apostle Paul. Zondervan Academic, 2012.
59 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
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60 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
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that Nanos should view the “law” as the teachings and should not be equated to a legal
framework.
Perspective I Disagree With
The perspective, which I most disagree with, is the Jewish standpoint by Mark Nanos.
According to this viewpoint, Paul has been painted negatively as a traitor, but he preached the
gospel 62. He also suggests that Paul is double-minded and unstable in his thinking by saying that
he never completely left the Torah 63. Looking at Paul's teachings, it is evident that he taught
about Christ and Salvation.
My Thoughts on Paul Perspectives
According to my understanding, salvation is the redemption or deliverance through the
death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus died for our sin; Paul elaborates in his letter to the
Hebrews that all those who believed would be delivered by participating in the death of Christ
and rising. According to Paul, this is only possible by following the laws of God, as provided in
the Bible. Paul’s perspective of the significance of Christ is the one who saves us from the
worldly sins and takes it upon himself to redeem humanity. As such, Christ did not come to
abolish the law but came to fulfill it. With regard to Paul's theological framework, it began after
his experience on his way to Damascus. At this moment, Christ began to shape the person who
would go on and preach to both the Jews and gentiles. At the instant, when Saul changed to Paul,
he recognized that all things were done through Christ for Christ. Finally, Paul's vision for the
62 Williams, Charles Bray.7A Commentary on the Pauline Epistles. Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2013.
63 Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Thomas R.
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church was to spread the gospel to everybody. This manifests itself as Paul spreads the gospel to
both Jews and Gentile to work in harmony and fulfill the calling by Jesus Christ.
Bibliography
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Bird, Michael F., Stanley N. Gundry, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos, Luke Timothy
Johnson, and Thomas R. Schreiner.7Four Views on the Apostle Paul. Zondervan Academic,
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Gorman, Michael J.7Becoming the gospel: Paul, participation, and mission. Wm. B. Eerdmans
Publishing, 2015.
Strawbridge, Jennifer R.7The Pauline effect: the use of the Pauline epistles by early Christian
writers. Vol. 5. Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG, 2015.
Prince, Deborah Thompson. "Picturing Saul’s vision on the road to Damascus: A question of
authority."7Biblical Interpretation, 25, no. 3 (2017): 364-398.
Williams, Charles Bray.7A Commentary on the Pauline Epistles. Wipf and Stock Publishers,
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