Perspectives on Paul: Paul’s Gospel or Another Gospel IV
Continuing … !
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OT v. NT: God Does It
One of the differences some claim between the Old and the New Testaments is that in the Old Testament it’s about works, while in the New it’s about God’s grace. I’ve found vanishingly few Old Testament scholars who hold this difference, but in the pews it’s fairly common. One response, of course, is to read…
Psalm 119:62
I reflect on the challenges of waking up at night, often due to worry, and discusses the importance of prayer and rest for mental clarity and health improvement, but also for simple rest and relaxation.
I am not an expert in Biblical criticism, but could it be that the writing in Ephesians is different from that of Galatians because Paul, not having to be in an apologetics mode, could allow his thoughts to flow through his pen onto the page without the feelings of defensiveness, without fear of counter attack? However, if Paul did not write Ephesians, it must certainly have been someone who had accepted his gospel, and been endowed with double portion of the Spirit that inspired him. In that connection I have often wondered, as I read Melancthon, what we might have learned from Martin Luther, as well as Paul, had not they been forced to always be on the front lines of battle. I think of Luther as a mighty rushing cataract, a warrior, sweeping away centuries of the false; while Melancthon, like a good shepherd, with stones forming gentle, still pools of water so that the lambs and sheep can drink safely. To me this represents the difference we see in the writings of Galatians and Ephesians.