Treasures From Paul Series

The city of Corinth in southern Greece was founded by Julius Caesar in 46 B.C. as a Roman colony, upon the ruins of an ancient town. Within 100 years it had grown to a great cosmopolitan seaport, and eventually attained a population of possibly 500,000 inhabitants, many thousands of whom were slaves. The location of Corinth on a narrow isthmus gave it both access to the sea from a port on either side, and a pleasant climate. It was a favourite site of the Roman emperors, who frequently endowed the city until it became the richest and finest in Greece. It was deemed the capital of southern Greece, although it was only 80km west of Athens. It was a major centre of travel and trade, and also of philosophy (1:18-31; 15:12). The Isthmian Games held in Corinth every two years rivalled the Olympic contests in splendour and importance. Paul's work at Corinth was mostly among the lower classes, with only a handful of disciples from the upper echelons of society (1 Co 1:26-31). His converts would have been mostly working class people, both slaves and freedmen, artisans, clerks, shop-keepers, dock hands, sailors, housewives, school teachers, and the like. The church in Corinth had its roots in the arrival of Priscilla and Aquila (Ac 18:2, c. 49 A.D.). Paul arrived about a year later, on his second missionary journey, and remained there 18 months (Ac 18:1-11, 18a). Our letter was written from Ephesus some 2½ years later. In between, Paul wrote another letter, but no trace of it remains (1 Co 5:9). The occasion of the letter we are examining here was probably the arrival in Ephesus of visitors from the Corinthian church, who brought Paul both a report (1:11; 16:7) of conditions there and a letter (7:1) that contained a series of questions (1 Co 1:10-11; 16:15-17). Paul's reply therefore did not take the form of a doctrinal treatise (as in Romans or Ephesians), but is built around a set of practical and ethical instructions, and a response to the queries raised by the Corinthian delegates. It has often been remarked that Paul provides in this letter a more personal testimony of his relationship with Christ than occurs in any of his other writings – In no other letter does Paul give so full a picture of what Christ meant to him. It is clear that Jesus was a person who lived in history, for he had brothers (9:5), was a teacher (7:10; 9:14), suffered betrayal (11:23), died on a cross (1:18; 15:3), and was buried. Yet he was not simply an earthly figure. All things had come into existence through him (8:6); he had been the Rock from which the Israelites drank in the wilderness (10:4). We might assume that a pre-existent being would necessarily be eternal, but Paul does not take that for granted. God raised him from the dead (15:4), confirming him as Christ and Lord ... This Christ will soon come (1:7; 4:5), to complete the conquest of the God-opposing powers, for through him the new age of redemption has come. I hope that I have maintained the spirit of Paul's relationship with Christ in the pages that follow.

If one word could be used to summarise Paul's Letter to the Philippians, it would be "joy"; and if there is one verse that encapsules the theme of the letter it would be "rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, 'Rejoice!'" (4:4; 1:4, 25; 2:2, 29; 4:1) That the letter should be so redolent of laughter is astonishing, given Paul's painful first contact with the city. The dramatic story is told in Acts 16:12-40, how Paul and Silas arrived in Philippi, preached there, were arrested for causing a public nuisance, and brutally flogged. They were then thrown into a cell, where their legs, chained into stocks, were agonisingly stretched to the point of dislocation. There, at midnight, despite their lacerated backs and tortured limbs, they sang hymns and praised God. The Lord responded by causing an earthquake to smash open the stocks and to release the prisoners from their chains. Observing these extraordinary events, the chief jailer and his family converted to Christ and were baptised that same night, while the magistrates, learning to their horror that Paul was a Roman citizen whom they had illegally flogged, came to him and Silas, humbly apologised, and begged them to leave the city. I remain uncertain what my reactions would have been to such an amazing sequence of misery and miracle! Would I remember mostly the pain and so look on the city with loathing thereafter? Or would my recollections be dominated by the marvellous earthquake, the delight of a family's embrace of Christ, the satisfaction of receiving an abject apology from the city authorities, and the loving welcome of Lydia and her family? I would hope the latter! But in any case, that is what Paul did. He chose to remember the miracle of the earthquake, the love of the new Christians, the joy of a successfully planted church, and the pleasure he had found in two later visits to the city prior to writing his letter to them. And so his letter laughs! Paul had an obvious love for the church at Philippi (1:8; 4:1). Alone among the churches to whom he wrote, he had no criticism of that church for false doctrine, or for divisions, ungodly deeds, and the like. True, there were some individuals whom he felt obliged to rebuke (1:15; 3:2, 18; 4:2), but he had no criticism to offer, only affection, which he expressed to the church as a whole. His letter was written in part to assure them of his love and his care for them, and also to deal with a handful of other matters of interest, without any special overriding theme, except perhaps gratitude. Paul was grateful for a generous gift that he had received from them, and for which he thanked them heartily. The gift was carried to him by Epaphroditus, whom Paul was particularly glad to see again (4:10, 14-18), especially because he (Epaphroditus) had only recently recovered from a serious illness (2:25-27).

Reading Paul's letter to the Ephesians should be enough to convert anyone to Christ. Try to imagine a devout Christian of our time suddenly converting to the worship of the Greek god Zeus, and being willing to endure fearful hardship, floggings, torture, imprisonment and eventual execution, in order to spread his beliefs around the world. Not only that, but this new convert now derides all other religions, and passionately insists that salvation and eternal life can be found only through total belief in Zeus and the other deities who were presumed to reside on Mt Olympus! What sort of cataclysmic event would be necessary to bring about such an improbable transformation? Probably something like what happened to Paul! He met the risen Christ on the road to Damascus, and was changed for ever. At once a fiercely patriotic Jew, who was actively persecuting the church became its most fervent and famous member. Nothing less than the truth of the gospel can explain Paul's letters, especially Ephesians with its wonderfully exalted portrayal of Christ. If the gospel is not true then some other equally astonishing explanation of the letter must be found, which no one has ever been able to do. This book digs up and displays some of the amazing treasures that lie in Paul's short but immeasurably lovely letter to the Christians in ancient Ephesus.

Christ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (1:15-17, ESV) Did Paul just conjure those exalted ideas out of a fevered imagination? Are his revelations nothing more than wild human invention, irresponsible fantasy? No one who has ever truly read the letter could deem it so shallow. No matter how improbable the vision Paul presents, it has about it the ring of truth, divine truth. To suppose otherwise is to supplant one miracle with another! That is, if Paul is not simply telling the truth about the supernatural Christ and the glory every believer may discover in him, then the letter itself becomes an inexplicable marvel. If Colossians is in fact a piece of human caprice, a literary contrivance, then it is a greater wonder than the wonders it purports to reveal! It is easier to accept that the letter genuinely reports the real splendour of the gospel than to suppose that Paul concocted its treasures out of nothing. Yes, the Letter to the Colossians is a miracle, but only because it is filled with Christ, who was revealed to Paul by the Spirit of God. It tells the awesome wonder of who Christ is and what he has accomplished for all who heartily believe in him. But the letter itself is simply a record of what Paul had seen, and heard, and knew to be the truth – Christ is pre-eminent and is our only Redeemer (Cl 1:18, KJV)

Five hundred years ago Martin Luther changed the world by his preaching and his writing, which included his superb Commentary on Paul's Letter to the Galatians. How can it ever be surpassed, or even equalled? Probably, it will stand supreme until Christ returns! Happily, the book you are holding makes not even a slight claim of equalling Luther's masterpiece. However, it does have the merit of being modern, and easy to read, and it is certainly Luther's equal in its passion for Christ and its commitment to the supremacy of scripture. In these pages you will find a lively presentation of what it means to be saved by faith alone, apart from any good works; and of the true meaning of fellowship in the church; and of the difference between law and grace; and of the joys of righteousness; along with our promised inheritance in Paradise, the Golden Rule, Whipping Boys, Butterflies, and many other striking themes. Each chapter sparkles with the life of Christ who justifies and sanctifies every true believer, needing only trust in his promise to bring them safely from earth to glory. Read, believe what scripture says, and discover the real freedom that only Christ can bring!

The essence of Paul's second letter to the church at Corinth is summarised in the expression "changed from glory to glory". (2 Co 3:18) The entire letter is, in one way or another, a description of what that transformation means and how it is achieved for us in Christ. May that be your experience as you read the following pages, and especially as you search the scriptures, to which I will constantly draw your attention. And one further explanation. You may wonder why there is no comment in this book upon several significant passages contained in 2 Corinthians? The reason is simple: I have already expounded those verses in other books. Then again, if you discover in this book things that you have read in one or more of my other books, you may wonder about the repetition. That too is simply explained. I felt the material was too significant to be omitted. And it seldom does us any harm to be reminded even of what we already know! Perhaps the greatest orator the church has ever known was John, Archbishop of Constantinople, who flourished during the latter part of the 4th century. He is today called "Chrysostom" – a Greek word that means "the golden-voice". It is said that he could make his vast congregation roar with laughter one moment and convulse with tears the next. On one occasion, he preached so eloquently against people who applauded his sermons that he received a standing ovation! His style of preaching followed a consistent pattern. He would start with a text, or a passage of scripture, and begin to expound it carefully and sequentially. But then, in the middle of his exposition, a thought would enflame his soul, stir his imagination, and rouse him to glorious eloquence. He would then roam far and wide, developing this thought in manifold and amazing ways. Even after many centuries, and often dull translation, his sermons still ring with passion and conviction. Martin Luther (the great 16th century German Reformer), in his writings, followed much the same pattern. He begins with a text, expounds it, but then wanders to all parts of the Bible seeking explanation and illustration − in a word, treasures! Why do I mention Chrysostom and Luther? Simply to justify my style in this present book! It is not a sequential commentary on Corinthians. On the contrary, following the wonderful example of the great men just mentioned, I too begin with an idea from the letter, then travel throughout the Bible finding ways to explain and apply that idea. Of course, I make no claim to their greatness; but I am not embarrassed by following their pattern. Indeed, I had thought to begin this introduction with the cry of the patriarch – Would that my words might be written down, that they might be engraved in an inscription, incised with an iron tool and filled with lead, carved in rock as a witness! (Jb 19:23-24, WEB) But that seemed too much like claiming a level of inspiration akin to the divine, to which I have not the smallest pre-tension. But I do hope the words you will find here are worth reading and remembering and will be life changing. Even more, may the scriptures, whose ambassadors they are, truly capture your heart and mind, and, if your steps have become hesitant, propel you irresistibly onward to Paradise! Perhaps a more useful quotation is this, from Proverbs – One has joy from an apt response; a word in season, how good it is! (15:23, NABRE) For it is indeed my prayer that you will find in these pages useful expositions and applications of scripture, but even more, that reading in the providence of God you will find many a "word in season" – that is, may the book truly speak to you in your present situation and possible need.