The Apostle Paul Teachings, His Main Themes

By Kathleen Perry


The apostles of Christ worked by amplifying His message. However, each chose different areas to focus on, something that can be seen in their works. The Apostle Paul Teachings show a unique focus on some themes that can be said to be unique to him. Here is a look at areas that stand out whenever one looks at the works of this follower of Christ.

Christ as Lord is a central theme whenever you read his epistles. Christ is not just regarded as the source of authority but as a king who is the source and reason for all authority. Chapter 16 and verse 22 of First Corinthians states that those who fail to recognize the authority of Christ as Christians must be accursed. It means that there is no claim of Christianity if it is not accompanied by recognition of Christ as the authority.

Paul taught the church to believe in resurrection. It must be noted that his background was a Pharisee. This explains his remarkable understanding and interpretation of the theme of resurrection. In reference to the work of Christ during the resurrection of Lazarus, he proclaims that even people in the grave hear the voice of Christ and respond. As such, all should respond in the same manner.

Justification is at the center of the themes handled by the works of Paul. A look at his works shows a repetition of justification and justified on numerous occasion. In his words, it is Christ who grants the world legitimacy, without which humanity is useless. This message is borrowed from chapter 1 of the Gospel of John where those who have accepted Christ are given the right to be called his children.

Paul is emphatic about the place of grace in Christian living. It can be seen intensely in his benedictions and salutations, mostly at the end of his epistles. An example is chapter 2 of Ephesians, verse 8 where salvation arises from faith, which brings unique grace. Romans chapter 3 and verse 24 captures the two elements of justification and grace together.

Faith cannot be divorced from the teachings of Paul. Faith is one of the most frequent words you will find in his epistles. In fact, Romans 1, 17 features the word three times in a single sentence. Hebrew chapter 11 is considered the heaviest chapter in the bible about faith. His message borrows heavily from the Old Testament and is therefore impossible to divorce the two.

Paul is outstanding as an apostle because of his travels and forthright way of passing his message. He spent time with all the communities he visited to ensure that they had enough time to learn. In this way, it would be impossible to produce half baked Christians. He was sometimes sent out of places he went preaching. This explains his deep message that seemed to address the issues of his host city or community.

Paul did not deviate in any way from what Christ taught. It is his address of particular themes that made him standout and a source of great wisdom despite starting as Saul the persecutor. He was an incredibly travelled preacher who ended up in the hands of Emperor Nero in Rome Italy. He was martyred by beheading, alongside Peter who was crucified, albeit in a different position from Christ according to history books.




About the Author: