His teachings make a significant
contribution to moral teachings of
christians today
His letters
Community Ethic
Freedom from the law
teaching on love
teaching on marriage
Sexual Ethics
The role of the state
He was from a Jewish
background and took part in
the persecution of christians
Stephen: "Saul began to
destroy the church. Going
from house to house he
dragged off men and
women and put them in
prison"
Christ appeared to him in a vision and asked him
"Saul Saul,why do you forspersecute me?"
May have met a martyrs death under the reign of Nero in 64ad
Community ethic
Jenkins "Paul's
ethic is a
community ethic."
He encouraged Galations to
live in harmony with one
another
According to Pilch
"Differences are not
important so dont
bother about them"
His community ethic involves all types of
christians and teaching them to live in divine
harmony
Freedom from the law
Christians are free from mosaic law
a man is not
justified by
observing the law
but by faith in
Jesus Christ
The law was to prepare people for the
coming of Jesus. Now that Jesus had
arrived, the law as not required
The law had a short term
role. Child custodian
example.
Teaching on Love
Agape was central to the moral
teaching of Jesus
When Christians are faced with a moral
dillemma, they have a moral duty to follow
the most loving course of action
Marriage and Sexual Ethics
Describes incest as "a man living with his father's wife."
Christians must rid the community of the corruption
and wickedness that contaminates it
Paul encourages those who are married to remain faithful
Beatitudes
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for
theirs is the Kingdom of heaven
Barclay "The man who is poor in spirit is the man who has
realised that things mean nothing and God means everything"
Mathews intention in spiritualising this beatitude may be to highlight that it is not material poverty being
blessed by Jesus but blessing someone who is totally lost without God in their lives.