BIBLE COURSE PTB 101

GRACESTAND LEADERSHIP ACADEMY

{GSGC BIBLE SCHOOL}

                                      

LEVEL ONE: CERTIFICATE

COURSE TITLE: PAULINE THEOLOGY

COURSE CODE: PTB 101

GRACESTAND GOSPEL CHURCH UKRAINE

Clemzyclementministry.blogspot.com

gracestandleadershipacademy@gmail.com

PAULINE THEOLOGY

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TOPICS                                                                             PAGES

Course objectives                                                                     3

Introduction                                                                             3

Who was Paul the Apostle?                                                3-4

The period he ministered                                                     4-5

A critical analysis of the gospel given to Apostle Paul for the Gentiles  5-8

COURSE OBJECTIVE

At the end of this course student should:

1.   Introduce the person of Paul and the nature of his ministry

2.   Understand the period he ministered

3.   Examine Paul’s revelation on the following doctrines for the Gentiles

·        Righteousness

·        Holiness and Sanctification

·        Deliverance

·        Salvation

·        Prosperity

·        Sin

·        Redemption from curses, sickness and diseases

·        Redemption from Satan’s control

·        The word of God

·        Prayer

·        On the new creation

·        Faith e.t.c

PAULINE THEOLOGY

COURSE OBJECTIVES

This course is intended to expose the students into what the total gospel entails. It is designed to explain what the gospel of Christ is and what it is not.

It is to carry out a survey of the entire books written by Paul who was God’s apostle to the Gentiles.

Lastly, it is to give us an insight into the life of one of the world‘s most notorious terrorist.

INTRODUCTION

The message that Paul preached was a command by God to preach to the gentiles and cannot be complete without an adequate understanding of the person of Paul and the period under which he ministered.

An effective analysis of the time and the person of Paul would help us greatly to understand his message.

WHO WAS PAUL THE APOSTLE?

Paul the apostle was God’s messenger to the gentiles. He confirmed this himself in the following scriptures. Gal. 1:11-2; 1:21; Acts 9:15-23, 26-27

No other person apart from Jesus himself shaped the history of Christianity like Apostle Paul. Before his conversion, he was the chief persecutor of the church which he believed was dangerous to Judaism.

It was one of those trips to Damascus to capture the Christians and bring them back to Jerusalem that he had an encounter with Jesus Christ personally and his life was never the same again.

He preached for Christ throughout the Roman Empire on three missionary journeys. He writes letters to various churches, which became part of the New Testament. He was never afraid to face an issue head-on and deal with it. He was sensitive to God’s leading and despite his strong personality always did as God directed.

He preached that the good news is the forgiveness of sin and eternal life. It is available to all people and are gifts of God grace through faith in Christ.

He was born in Tarsus but became a world traveler for Christ. He was trained as a Pharisee and learned the tent making trade and served as a missionary.

He was the contemporaries of Gamaliel, Stephen, The Apostles, Luke, Barnabas, Timothy e.t.c.

THE PERIOD HE MINISTERED

 Paul never had the opportunity of meeting with Christ Jesus physically during his earthly ministry. However, he had an encounter with Christ Jesus while on his way to Damascus to carry out a terrorist mission against the church in Damascus.

The period that Paul was converted was a period that witnessed the rise of the Christian faith in Israel after the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus.

After the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the death and the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, followed by the message of Peter on the day of Pentecost, many Jews came to know Jesus Christ as their lord and savior.

Those who were with Jesus Christ and others that came later were Jews by background, meaning that they were people who were followers of the Jewish traditions and keeping the Law of Moses.

These people after becoming Christians through the confession of faith in Christ Jesus held that in addition to faith in Christ Jesus, every follower of Christ Jesus must as a matter of necessity obey the Law of Moses such as observing the circumcision rite before they can be considered as Christians.

They saw nothing wrong with the Law of Moses and regarded Christianity as an appendage to the Law of Moses i.e. the Old Testament.

These people who were often referred to as Judaziers became thorn in the flesh of Apostle Paul and others who held that salvation was the expression of faith in Jesus Christ alone. Acts 15:1-34; the whole book of Galatians was actually written by the Holy Spirit to address this issue.

These Judaziers had the habit of following that footstep of Paul by going to places he had visited to evangelize. On reaching those places, they often tell the people that Paul did not preach the complete message to them. According to them the complete message is faith in Christ Jesus, observing circumcision and keeping the Law of Moses.

It was therefore, against this background, that Paul was commissioned by God to preach the message to the Gentiles.

Meanwhile, we still have many of these Judaziers today who are still adding other things to the message of faith in Christ Jesus as the requirement for salvation.

These people who Paul says that preach another gospel from what was revealed to him by God, must be stopped in their tracks before they frustrate the gospel message for their selfish gains.

A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE GOSPEL GIVEN TO APOSTLE PAUL FOR THE GENTILES

·        Righteousness: The Apostle Paul held that the righteousness that God expect from the Gentiles is based on their confession of the person of Christ Jesus as their lord and savior.

According to the revelation he received from God. Mankind is presently made right with God by simply exercising faith in Christ Jesus. Rom. 3:21-22; 24:25; 1:17; 9:30; 4:11; 10:4, 12; Gal. 2:16; Eph. 2:8; Heb. 9:12, 10:14; 1 Cor. 1:30; 2 Cor. 5:21

·        Holiness and Sanctification: On the issue of the holiness of the Gentile believers, Apostle Paul said that, since Christ Jesus now reside in the believer by faith; the presence of Christ in the believer makes him holy.

What this means is that Jesus Christ is made into the believer his/her holiness. This has nothing to do with what you do or say but rather on who is now residing in you. 1 Cor. 1:30; Thess. 2:13; 1 Peter 1:2.

This holiness or sanctification is a pre-determined state by God for the believers, into which He calls them, and in which they begin their Christian course to pursue it. Hence, they are called “saints.” 1 Thess. 4:3; 4, 7; 1 John 4:16-17; 1 Thess. 3:13; 2 Cor. 7:1. 1 Cor. 1:2

However, it is worthy of mentioning here that while the holiness of Christ Jesus is perfect. The believer grows towards perfection. The Holy Spirit in us and the word of God that is heard and often are the agents that God uses to produce change in the believer.

·         Deliverance: The Apostle Paul position on deliverance as revealed to him by God is that, the believer’s deliverance took place at the point of conversion. Col. 1:13; Acts 26:17-18; Eph. 1:7; 6:12; Col. 2:20; Rom. 6:6; Gal. 2:20; 5:24-25; Col. 2:12; Eph. 2:2; Gal. 1:4; Col. 2:15; Heb. 2:14-15; Col. 1:12; Philip 3:20; 1:27.

·        Salvation: The Apostle Paul held that salvation is only and purely function of faith in Christ Jesus only. Gal. 3:26-28; Rom. 10:4; Gal. 3:24-25; Rom. 1:7; 3:21-22; 9:30

·        Prosperity: The Apostle Paul taught that every believer is a potential wealthy person. He said that through Jesus Christ, the greatest son of Abraham that the Gentiles have been given access to the covenant blessings God has given to the natural children of Abraham.

In addition, he also said that Christ Jesus was made poor for us to be made rich. Gal. 3:14; Deut. 8:18; Pro. 10:22; Hosea 2:8; Deut. 28:1-14; 2 Cor. 8:9; Gal. 3:29-16; Rom. 8:32; Eph. 2:11-18; 2 Cor. 9:6-13

·        Sin: The message that Christ Jesus gave to Apostle Paul for Gentiles about sin is that at the point of the sinner’s conversion, he/she is given remission of sin. It is called “aphesis” in Greek which means a “dismissal, release.” The important of this statement is that the sinner now converted is seen by God as a saint. 1 Cor. 1:2; Rom. 10:12

The believer did not come to God through the cross carrying any dot of sin. This is because such sins have been remitted or removed. 2 Cor. 5:17; Matt. 26:28; Mk. 1:4; Lk. 1:77; 3:3; 24:47; Acts 2:38; 5:31; 10:43; Acts 13:38; 26:18; Heb. 9:22; 10:18; Rom. 24:28.

·        Redemption from Curses, Sickness and Diseases: The man of God, Apostle Paul told the Gentiles that they have been totally freed from curses, sicknesses and diseases. Gal. 3:13-14; Rom. 7:1-4; 8:1; Gal. 4:5; 1 Peter 2:24; Matt. 8:17; Deut. 21:18; Num. 23:23

·        Redemption from Satan’s Control: In his message to the Gentiles, Apostle Paul taught the freedom that the death of Jesus Christ brought on mankind broke the power and authority of Satan over the believer at conversion. Col. 2:14-15; 1:13; Acts 26:18; Eph. 1:19-20; 2:2; 6:12.

·        The Word of God: The Apostle Paul’s position on the place of the word of God in the believer’s life is as follows:

o   The word of God according to him is the spiritual sword with which spiritual warfare are made and won. Eph. 6:17; Heb. 4:12

·        On Prayer: Covering the subject of prayer, Apostle Paul held that the believer has the privilege of having two intercessors, speaking on his behalf. The first on the list is Christ Jesus that is seated at the father’s right hand making intercession for the believer. Rom. 8:34.

The second is the person of the Holy Spirit that is making intercession for the church here on earth. Rom. 8:26-27.

He also counsel that the name of Jesus should always be used while praying. Philip 2:9-11

Still on prayer, he advised that during church or public meetings of the Christians that prayer should be made in most popularly understood language than in tongues. 1 Cor. 14:26-39.

Lastly, on prayer he encouraged the believer to pray more in tongues that with understanding. However, it must be done mostly in the private place than in the public. 1 Cor. 14:1-25

·        On The New Creation: Lastly on the new creation Paul unmasked a mystery that the birth of Jesus Christ brought about the entire new creation.

This mystery is simply the birth of God’s sons and daughters. He made a strong statement with this by saying that any one that is born again is seen by God as a new creature or creation.

The import of this statement is that God sees the person as His child (i.e. He sees the person the way He saw His son Jesus Christ). 2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 6:15; 2 Cor. 1:2.