Paul's Phraseology

3/15/2019

PAUL'S PHRASEOLOGY

Pastor Cornelius R. Stam

The careful student of the Epistles of Paul soon observes that the Apostle makes many specific statements as to the distinctiveness of his ministry and message. Even apart from this, however, and considering his phraseology alone, we often wonder how anyone could possibly deny that his message was distinct from that which the twelve had proclaimed. Note the following examples:

Rom. 2:16: “In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to MY GOSPEL.”

Rom. 16:25: “Now to Him that is of power to stablish you according to MY GOSPEL, and the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began.”

II Tim. 2:7,8; “Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.
“Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to MY GOSPEL.”

Gal. 1:11: “But I certify you, brethren, that THE GOSPEL WHICH WAS PREACHED OF ME is not after man.”

Gal. 2:2: “And I went up [to Jerusalem] by revelation, and communicated unto them THAT GOSPEL WHICH I PREACH AMONG THE GENTILES, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain.”

I Cor. 15:1: “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you THE GOSPEL WHICH I PREACHED UNTO YOU, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand.”

Add to this the Apostle’s explicit claims as to the distinctive character of his ministry and message and you have irrefutable proof of the fact.

2 Comments

Charles

6/10/2019 23:37:36

"Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel."

What supposedly happened according to Peter's gospel? Seriously. Is God lacking the power to establish Jewish believers (Rom16)? Is He unable to judge the secrets of Jewish men? I am not being sarcastic but this is an incredibly weak argument.

I would think a logical student of the Bible would notice that Paul was typically contrasting "his" gospel preaching against those false teachers, the Judaizers, as Paul continually opposes their counterfeit gospel in many of his writings - and they clearly prompted this letter to the Galatians:

Gal 1:6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
9 As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

Paul's point of consulting with Peter, James and John in Galatians 2 is to affirm that they are all preaching the exact same, consistent gospel - even as they focus on reaching different people groups. This is made clear later in Chapter 2 when Peter falls into hypocrisy:

Gal 2:11 But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed.
12 For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision.
13 And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation.
14 But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of THE GOSPEL, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?
15 We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles,
16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

There was not a separate gospel for Jews like Peter or like the Judaizers (the “circumcision.”) The Jews should have already known that they could not be justified by the works of the law. Their use of the food laws to create division within the Church was in violation of the one and ONLY gospel.

Your blog header even quotes Gal 3:28 that there is “neither Jew nor Greek,” yet you don't seem to really believe that scripture. I don't get it.

When the Judaizers lied to the Galatian church and told them they needed circumcision to be accepted like Abraham, Paul taught that the gospel wasn't even really that new at all:

Gal 3:5 He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before THE gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham...
29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

(In Gal 3:8, Paul is simply affirming Jesus' teaching in John 8 - “39 They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham.” And what exactly did Abraham do, according to Jesus in v56? 5”Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.”)

And not only are these faithful Gentiles considered the “children of Abraham” and “heirs according to the promise.”

Gal 4:24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
27 For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.
28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.

Paul gives these uncircumcised Gentiles a history lesson. Instead of contrasti

6/17/2019 12:44:28

Didn't realize there was a word limit...Here is the rest if you'd like to refute it:

Paul gives these uncircumcised Gentiles a history lesson. Instead of contrasting the old covenant (made with Moses at Sinai) with new teachings for a supposedly Gentile Church, Paul again goes back to Abraham (which involves the promise of that same new covenant paid with Jesus' blood in the NT). These faithful Gentiles (along with believing Jews like Paul) are told that they also have the true Jerusalem as their “mother” (v26; Psalm 149:2; Joel 2:23) and are like Isaac, “children of the promise.” (v28; Rom 9:7,8)

(I know you hate the idea that the “Israel of God” in Gal 6:16 refers to these uncircumcised Gentiles, who have already been taught that in faith, they have Abraham as a father, the true Jerusalem as a mother and are children of the promise just like Isaac, but it's the logical conclusion of Paul's teaching throughout the book. Paul spent a lot of effort explaining to the Gentiles that they were full heirs to the promises to Abraham and that physical circumcision was of no value and that there is "neither Jew nor Greek" - and going ballistic on Peter for being divisive with Jewish traditions - to conclude by separately praising the believing Jews.)

This article also omits the context of 1Cor15:1, which clearly teaches that there is ONE gospel – as Paul says, “whether it were I or they (including Cephas and the disciples, per the context), so we preach and so ye believed.”

1 Cor 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you THE GOSPEL which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:
6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.
8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.
9 For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
11 Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.

"For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures..." Still not clear how you think the "Jewish gospel" is different than this?

Blog

Paul's Phraseology

PAUL'S PHRASEOLOGY

Leave a Reply.

@ GBCOshkosh