PAUL'S LETTERS

                                 

                   

                                 PAUL'S LETTERS

1. Epistle of 1 Thessalonians

    Thessalonica is a large port city built by Kasaandros, a general of Alexander the Great in 315 BC, on the East coast of Greece. Thessalonica was not only a bustling port city and a base for the Roman fleet, but it was also situated on the road that connected Rome with the eastern half of the Roman empire. In Acts it is explained that the apostle Paul entered the city of Thessalonica through Philippi (Acts 16: 1-40), then to Thessalonica (Acts 17: 1-9). The Epistle of 1 Thessalonians was written around 50/51 AD in Corinth in the second preaching of the Gospel. The Thessalonians were founded by Paul among the Gentiles (1 Thessalonians 1: 9), the churches in Thessalonica experienced persecution from the Jews as well as from the Greeks, they were persecuted for their faith in God. There were also some Thessalonians who experienced a shaky faith and there were also those who had not left their disbelief. The theological points contained in this Surah are: (a) defending the faith in the midst of suffering; (b) truly love; (c) faithfully awaits Jesus' second coming.

2. The Epistle of 1 Corinthians

    The city of Corinth is a port city that connects Northern Greece and Southern Greece. Paul's letter was written by the Apostle Paul when he was in Ephesus (1 Corinthians 16: 8), around the year 55 AD When the Apostle Paul was with the Corinthians they were very excited and very open to the gospel preached by Paul, but the church in Corinth was very fussy because they were easily influenced by new things. In 1 Corinthians 11: 2-14: 40, there are several problems faced by the Corinthians, including: (a) regarding the way married women dress in church meetings; (b) concerning holy communion; (c) regarding the gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12: 1-31; 14: 1-40). The theological points contained in this Surah are: the church must become one community as there is only one Lord; live holy as the body of Christ; resurrection of the dead.

3. Letters to 2 Corinthians

    The letter 2 Corinthians was written around AD 55 in Macedonia. Paul came under fire from his enemies who considered him to be a false apostle and thought that the gospel he preached was also not the true gospel (2 Corinthians 2: 6; 10:20), Paul's enemies are thought to have come from a background of Judeo-Hellenic apologetic, an offshoot of the Jewish wisdom movement. The theological points of 2 Corinthians are: comfort in the midst of suffering; live amidst sadness; live in the midst of death threats; help the poor as a form of God's love.

4. Galatians

    Galatians is addressed to the churches in Galatians (Galatians 1: 2). The writer of Galatians is the Apostle Paul, he wrote this letter around the year 54-55 AD. The Galatians had not fully turned to God. There were still many of them who did not believe in Jesus and many false teachers had sprung up, so the Apostle Paul tried to advise the congregation to keep their faith in Jesus. The theological points in Galatians are: the gospel that Paul preached; Faith or the traditions of the Law ?; Baptism as a change in status.

5. The Philippians

    Philippi is a small town which was formerly called Krenides. The city was full of idolatry, where they believed in Roman gods, including Jupiter, Mercurius, Mars, Yuno, and Minerva. Philippi was the first city Paul visited in Europe. The Philippians were relatively well off. They like to help poor fellow believers, they even helped the Apostle Paul a lot when he was in prison. The points of theology contained in the Letter of Philippians are rejoice in the midst of suffering because of the progress of the Evangelist, the threat of division in the fellowship of the church, the threat of heresy against the church.

6. Letters of Philemon

    Philemon's letter was written to ensure the safety, peace, and re-acceptance of Onesimus by his master. Paul promised that he would compensate for the harm he had suffered while Onesimus stayed at Philemon's house. The theological points contained in the Epistle of Philemon are love beyond all social status boundaries (the attitude of a Christian in relation to all believers with God); all believers in Christ are brothers (the apostle Paul said that all believers in Christ are brothers, be they a free person or a slave).

7. Romans

    The city of Rome was the center of the Roman empire, the city population was very large, namely four million people. The city of Rome is very fast to receive communications so it is possible to be visited by anyone, this also allows them to receive the preaching of the gospel that is brought or the Christians who came to Rome. The Roman church came under a lot of pressure, not only from the Jews but also from the Romans. The theological points in Romans are: the gospel as God's saving power (1: 1-17), the gospel is part of God's plan, the gospel is a representation of God's saving power where God's saving action takes place in the gospel and its purpose is to save. every one; curses and justification, Paul wrote in his Letter that everyone who sins is under God's wrath but through God's grace they are justified by having faith in Jesus as their Lord and Savior (grace is freely given); live in hope, hope emphasizes the efforts of believers in the midst of suffering, when believers are able to endure suffering, they will experience the glory of Allah; God remained faithful to Israel as His chosen people; the church as the body of Christ should protect all people (12: 1-15: 23), all of God's people must love and accept one another as members of the family of God's people.

8. Colossians

    The Epistle of Colossians was written by Paul, but this church was not founded by him so that they did not know Paul personally (Col 2: 1 cf. 1: 4). The problem in this congregation is the entry of a group of “false teachers” who infiltrated the congregation and spread heretical teachings that threaten the congregation's faith. The theological points in Colossians are: the superiority of Christ over all rulers and powers in the universe; Christ is the head of the Church, the firstborn of the resurrection and reconciler; The Church as the Body of Christ; Christ is the fulfiller of God's purpose in history; The Church as the Body of Christ; Christ is the fulfiller of God's purpose in history; Christ has conquered and saved from power.

9. Epistles of Ephesians

    The city of Ephesus in New Testament times was the capital of the Province of Future Asia. This city was very important to Paul in his work of preaching the gospel. The Epistle of Ephesians was written to encourage the majority of Greek Christians to accept the minority of Jews in the fellowship of the church and maintain its connection with the traditions of Israel; Paul also wanted to repair the influence of being free from the gnostic circles or the mystery religions of the day. The theological points in the Epistle of Ephesians are: One Church, the one church is described as the body of Christ, the church is described as one building or more precisely as the Temple of God, the church is also described as a bride. Christ is the unifier of the church. The unity of Jews and Gentiles as a new people by Christ, Paul thanks God that God has unified everything in the world. The church is still struggling, in this case the church must wear all the armor of God, namely the shield of faith, the helmet of safety, and the sword of the Spirit (the word of God. 

10. Letter 2 Thessalonians

    This letter was written by the Apostle Paul in Corinth around AD 52. Paul stated that the Lord's coming had not come soon, so that the congregation would not be misled by false news because at that time the false teachers stated that the coming of Christ had arrived so that the congregation was confused and there was uncertainty in the church. Some among the congregation also did not want to work so Paul advised them to stay away from these people. The theological points contained in Chapter 2 Thessalonians are: to persevere in the midst of suffering, to face the heresies about parosi, to pray and to work (ora et labora). 

11. Letters 1, 2 Timothy and Titus

       Letters 1, 2 Timothy and Titus were addressed to two of Paul's co-workers who accompanied him in his mission to preach the gospel. Timothy became a Christian because of Paul's preaching in Lystra (Acts 16: 1 cf. 1 Cor 4:17). Paul really appreciated Paul as a beloved and faithful son. Meanwhile, Titus was a non-Jew who became a Christian and joined Paul's party as a fellow worker. These letters contain advice for those in pastoral positions and rules regarding church organization. The congregation that was there was under threat because of the influx of false teachers who were very contrary to Paul's teachings. Therefore, Paul wrote this letter so that Timothy, Titus and the church he served would still hold fast to true teaching.

    The theological points contained in these epistles are, Allah as the only Lord of the universe; Allah is the one and only God, God who is sovereign over all creation. God also wants all people to be saved and come to righteousness (1 Timothy 2: 4; 4:10). God as savior, God's saving work is carried out in Christ, He is the savior of all  people (who believe in Him). Christ became the mediator between God and man, so that humans could have another relationship with God. Gospel and Mission, the gospel is something that God entrusted to Paul and by Paul to Timothy and also Titus. This trust given to Paul, Timothy and Titus became a way of spreading the gospel to other nations, so that all people could believe and come to worship God. The arrangement of ministry in the church, this is an important emphasis in the Pastoral Letters because this is very much needed to deal with false teachers who are spreading in the congregation. Paul instructs Timothy to set order in the church when they fellowship together. Paul also wants church leaders to have good attitudes so that they can be role models for the church. Exemplifying in the ministry, Paul advised Timothy and Titus to be role models for the congregations they lead and also teach healthy doctrine. They should not be ashamed to preach the gospel, they must continue to preach the gospel even though they face suffering as did the Apostle Paul.

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