Theology for Everybody: RomansSample

Many people want the message of Christianity to be like ordering a meal at a restaurant where the ingredients can be changed to suit the tastes of the individual diner. The strength of Paul’s preaching and writing is in how he presents the gospel of Jesus Christ like math—fixed, unchanging, and true whether we like it or not. God does not change, the human problem of sin does not change, and the divine solution of Jesus Christ also does not change. These truths explain why Paul was willing to suffer for the sake of the true gospel, refusing to present a more palatable, less offensive version to his listeners and readers.

Theologian and Bible scholar Paul Barnett calls Paul the “first theologian in the early church, and arguably the greatest in the history of Christianity.” This apostle had an incredible, impeccable mind. He studied under Gamaliel, the leading rabbi of the day. This training was the equivalent of studying at an Ivy League school and graduating at the top of the class. Paul was fluent in the Old Testament language of Hebrew, the New Testament languages of Greek, Aramaic, and possibly Latin. In his letters, he uses more than 100 Old Testament quotations and innumerable echoes and summations of biblical themes and terms. This broad knowledge base was committed to memory, which proved important as Paul spent much of his ministry traveling on foot and writing from jail cells.

Early church father John Chrysostom wrote, “Put the whole world on one side of the scale and you will see that the soul of Paul outweighs it.” Paul’s thoughts are heavier, weightier, and deeper. Not everyone understood his letters. In 2 Peter 3:16, the apostle Peter admits, “There are some things in them that are hard to understand.” Peter began as a fisherman, but he spent more than three years following Jesus and learning from Him. Peter was also one of the first followers of Christ to be filled with the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. So, for Peter to essentially say Paul is so much smarter than the rest of us, he must have trusted “the wisdom given to [Paul]” by God (2 Peter 3:15).

Martin Luther calls Paul “the wisest man after Christ.” Our world values intellect but not wisdom. Some people have more degrees than Fahrenheit, but if they don’t have the Spirit of God, they do not possess real wisdom. If you don’t know what this looks like, then find a college, walk onto campus, and ask a professor a few questions. You can have a great education and no wisdom that comes from God. Paul was as highly educated as he could be, but more importantly, he had divine wisdom.

Today’s Reflection

Why do you think divine wisdom is more important than human knowledge?