An Introduction to the Bible and Theology
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5. THE CHRISTOLOGY OF PAUL
Paul was a man who was in a unique position to communicate the truth of the Good News in a form that could be clearly understood. He had both a Jewish and a Greek background. He was a man who knew the OT but was also acquainted with the environment in which the Gospel was to be preached. We must also remember that Paul was not part of the Christian scene until the Damascus road experience - in fact he opposed the new faith with violence.
It is important to remember that Paul writes with certain factors underlying his Christology. His emphases are determined by his starting point and his essential purpose in writing each letter. As far as his starting point is concerned his experience on the Damascus road meant that Jesus was alive, he was the Christ and his claims were true. Naturally he thinks of Christ as the risen and exalted one. In Acts 9:20, straight after his conversion, it is recorded of Paul, "At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God". No wonder his hearers were astonished!
It would appear that to facilitate his vendetta against the Christians he had learnt a great deal about Jesus. What he did not know appears to have been made good by the local Christians and by the Holy Spirit. It was the Holy Spirit who brought alive Paul's extensive knowledge of the OT. Due to threats against his life Paul was moved out of Damascus and then Jerusalem until he finally settled in a ministry in the church at Antioch. There God prepared him for the needs of the Gentile mission.
Bearing in mind the extent of Paul's writings we can only look at a small sample of his teaching on the person of Christ. Let us examine certain aspects of that teaching.
[1] Jesus As The Son Of God
Paul uses the title "Son of God" some 17 times when writing of Jesus. This is sparing when compared to his use of the title "Lord".
He uses the full phrase in: Ro.1:4; 2Co.1:19; Gal.2:20; Eph.4:13.
Paul uses abbreviated forms of the phrase as follows:
"His Son" - 9 times.
"The Son" - once.
"His own Son" - twice.
"The Son of his love" - once
In addition Paul uses language implying the special nature of the sonship of Jesus in the following places: 2Co.1:3; 2Co.11:31; Eph.1:3; Col.1:3.
Paul is very careful in his writing to differentiate between Jesus as the special and unique Son of God and believers in general as "sons of God".
[2] Jesus As Lord
If Paul is sparing with one title he certainly is not with the title "Lord". He uses it over 250 times to refer to Jesus! It should be noted that he normally uses the title "God" when speaking of the Father and reserves "Lord" for when speaking of Jesus. Rarely does he use the terms the other way around.
Some examples of his use of the title Lord are to be found in: l Co.11: and l Co.12:
In the OT, with which Paul was so familiar, the use of "Lord" indicates deity. In our English translations the use of "LORD" indicates the Hebrew proper name for God, i.e. YHWH, from which we derive our 'Jehovah'.
Bearing the above comments in mind we find that confession of Jesus as Lord is absolutely basic to the Christian faith. (Ro.10:9) This confession can only be made through the work of the Holy Spirit (Ro.12:3) and not through the insight of the natural man. It is not possible to argue a person into that position because it is by revelation that we know that Jesus is Lord. Implied in this confession is our submission to Jesus so that we follow his own example.
Paul has the full OT significance of the title in his mind as he uses it in his letters. As an exercise in comparison compare:
lCo.1:2 with Ge.4:26
Ro.10:13 Ps.116:17; Joel 2:32
lCo.2:16 Is.40:13
2Co.3:16 Ex.34:34
[3] The Humanity Of Jesus
It must be remembered that Paul in his letters is addressing specific situations that had arisen in the particular church. He does not set out to give an ordered and balanced theological treatise. Nevertheless we find his theology of the humanity of Jesus emerging in various places between the other content of his writings.
One passage that explicitly deals with the human nature of Jesus is found in Php.2:5-11, but we will leave our consideration of this passage until we study the Incarnation.
In Ro.5: Paul expounds the doctrine of the work of Christ in saving us when we were helpless to help ourselves. In 5:15-19 the emphasis is on the comparison between the first man and the second man, i.e. Adam and Jesus. The emphasis here is that God's plan could not have worked unless Jesus was a man in reality, although without sin.
Ro.8:3 repeats the same theme. Jesus identified with man physically.
When Paul is writing of the resurrection he uses the same parallel between Adam and Christ emphasizing again the humanity of Jesus. See l Co.15:21-22 and :45-49.
[4] The Deity Of Jesus
The question may be asked "Does Paul ever call Christ God?" He certainly does when he is speaking to the Ephesian elders - Ac.20:28. (Note that some manuscripts here use the word Lord, but the evidence is best for God.)
In lTi.3:16 the pronoun 'He' at the start of the quotation is 'God' in some manuscripts. (See NIV footnote).
In some passages Paul uses the phrase 'God was in Christ...' or a similar expression. For example: Eph.4:32; 2Co.5:19; lTh.3:11.
In many other cases Paul brackets God and Christ together, sometimes including the Holy Spirit. The implication is that they are not really divisible, although the different persons do have different functions.
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About the Book
The series of studies in this book came about as a result of a concern to see God’s people equipped to implement his purposes in the area in which they live. Not everyone has the opportunity to study full-time, and these studies are flexible enough to be useful either as a study guide or as a reference book. They were originally written to train Christians in the local church situation and have now been revised and reformatted in order to provide an accessible introduction to Christian doctrine and other matters for all who wish to study but cannot attend a bible college.
The various chapters will enable the student to approach the Bible in such a way as to have a proper understanding of the text and the truth that it reveals to us. There is an introduction to the historical situations of the biblical period and their relationship to the world of that time. Space is also given to summarizing the content of each biblical book in order to provide an overview, helping you to see the big picture. In each study of a particular doctrine, the emphasis is on what the Bible teaches and the place of a personal God with whom we can have a living relationship through Jesus Christ his Son.
Each chapter is complete in itself and is written in plain English, with technical terms explained where necessary. They provide a foundation upon which the student can build to whatever level is appropriate.
About the Author
John Heywood was a professional aircraft engineer for over fifty years. He worked in over forty countries and has managed several different engineering businesses. He was a chartered engineer, fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, a member of the British Association of Aviation Consultants, and has written two books on aircraft maintenance. But that has been only part of his busy life.
He also studied theology at the Bible Training Institute, Glasgow, and ICI University. He and his wife, Ann, served with Mission Aviation Fellowship in Kenya and Ethiopia and, subsequently, church planted in Scotland. They have four adult daughters and six grandchildren.