Major Themes of Paul’s Writings

One of Paul’s major themes is that of eschatology, a word that means the study of last things, and concerns the fate of humanity and all the universe. It thus considers what happens to individuals after death (judgment, resurrection, etc) as well as the cosmic dimension of the end of the world, including the Parousia, the second coming of Christ. Paul’s statements on this subject are based on his encounter with the risen Lord who exists both as a cosmic figure in God’s kingdom and, more personally, inside each of us. Paul believed that the arrival of the Messiah started the end time, and, in his early letters, he thought the end of the world would be coming soon.

Central to Paul’s thought always was the belief that God saved the world through Jesus. Although he says little about Jesus’ teachings, Paul writes often about the heavenly Christ who is God’s wisdom, the one through whom God rules the universe and the means through which the Spirit lives inside believers. Although Paul did not write directly about the Trinity (a term that never appears in the Bible), he sees the Spirit as God’s active presence in the world. Christ is also the new Adam. The latter, through his failings, brought sin and death into the world which Christ, through his saving act, undid. All those who follow Christ will share in his resurrection. Therefore, Christ is the one who frees us from sin and death, and there is no need any more for the Jewish law, which God gave humans in order to make them conscious of their own sin.

Martin Luther, and many Protestants who followed him, placed a great deal of stress on the idea of justification by faith. Paul believes that one is justified (made right) through complete trust in Jesus. This has sometimes been misinterpreted as meaning that, if one has faith, one’s behavior doesn’t matter. Paul, however, would insist on the contrary: that true faith is shown by how we behave. Paul also stresses that one may serve Christ in any circumstance in life: prisoners and slaves can do God’s work just as much as other people. This is a major theme of the captivity letters since Paul is himself in prison.