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Spirituality According to Paul: Imitating the Apostle of Christ
Spirituality often evokes images of quiet centeredness, meditative serenity and freedom from life's pressures. It?s become a chic commodity, with its benefits evoked by images of sunrises and secluded retreats. Contrast the apostle Paul, who promotes a cross-shaped spirituality for fools making their way though life's trials. Paul realized that images of crucifixion, burial and resurrection would never be popular images of the spiritual life. So he encourages his fellow travelers, who are spiritually united with Christ, to "follow me as I follow Christ." As he explores this ancient spiritual path, Rodney Reeves probes our understanding of what Christian spirituality should be. And to illuminate its transformative power, he gives us living illustrations of what it means to follow Paul as he followed Christ. Here is a book that joins a deep understanding of Paul with a pastoral and spiritual wisdom born of experience.
253 pages, Paperback
First published September 28, 2011
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54 people want to read
About the author
Rodney Reeves
12 books7 followersRodney Reeves (PhD, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) is dean of The Courts Redford College of Theology and Ministry and professor of biblical studies at Southwest Baptist University, both in Bolivar, Missouri. Previously a pastor with churches in Arkansas and Texas, Reeves is author or coauthor of A Genuine Faith, Spirituality According to Paul, Rediscovering Paul, and Rediscovering Jesus. His articles have appeared in journals such as Perspectives in Religious Studies, Biblical Illustrator, Southwestern Journal of Theology, and Preaching.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 31, 2011
Paul asks the readers of his epistles to imitate him while he imitates Christ. Reeves, a seminary professor is often asked "So What" in his academic presentations of Paul, and here he answers that question by showing us how "for Paul, the gospel was not merely what he taught, but how he lived." Dividing the book into three sections: crucified with Christ, buried with Christ, and raised with Christ, Reeves then elaborates in four chapters for each section. In the first section the chapters are Foolish Death: Suffering the Loss of All Things; Living Sacrifice: Crucifying the World; Holy Temples: Denying the Flesh; Free Slaves: Graceful Obedience. The next section highlights community and the chapters are Whole Body: One Faith; Common Bonds: Worship as Corporate Reality; Sacred Community: Sex and Marriage; Generous Fellowship: Work and Money. The final section's chapters are Bold Confession: Wasting No Time; Blessed Hope: The Wait/Weight of Glory; Putting Up A Fight: Opposing the Powers; Seeing Things: Mystical Journeys. The chapter titles reveal the challenge the book presents to modern American evangelical life, especially coming from Reeves' emphasis on the communal and sacrificial nature of the faith that Paul calls us to. In each chapter he explains Paul in context and includes a few well-chosen modern examples to clarify his points. I will be working through his insights in my own life and hopefully in the life of my community for some time to come. I recommend it highly.
An example of his prose from the first chapter:
"When bad things happened to Paul he interpreted them as opportunities to experience the cross of Christ. I must admit that I have a hard time looking at life the same way. I've been taught that good things come to those who work hard, play by the rules, make the right choices and avoid unwarranted risks - and I'm not the only one. Indeed, we're all puzzled when bad things happen to good people. We automatically look for ways to make sure the same doesn't happen to us. In fact, I think most of us are obsessed with our own sense of well being. Americans manage risk, buy insurance, guard reputations, require warranties to avoid loss. We go to great lengths to insulate ourselves from the anxiety that accompanies disappointment. We build our lives on the rock of our own sensibilities; we protect ourselves within the fortress of our self-assurance. Ironically when bad times eventually crash through our defense mechanisms, we cry out to God in bewilderment. 'Why me?' We are neither content with what we have (we always want more), nor do we welcome loss as an opportunity to gain Christ. So here's the question that haunts my soul: if I spend most of my time protecting my interests and devote much of my energy trying to avoid loss, how will I gain Christ? For those of us who prize comfort, will we ever experience the crucified life? We may see the cross in the lives of others - especially those who have obviously given up everything to follow him - but what about us? Can others see the cross of Christ in us?"
An example of his prose from the first chapter:
"When bad things happened to Paul he interpreted them as opportunities to experience the cross of Christ. I must admit that I have a hard time looking at life the same way. I've been taught that good things come to those who work hard, play by the rules, make the right choices and avoid unwarranted risks - and I'm not the only one. Indeed, we're all puzzled when bad things happen to good people. We automatically look for ways to make sure the same doesn't happen to us. In fact, I think most of us are obsessed with our own sense of well being. Americans manage risk, buy insurance, guard reputations, require warranties to avoid loss. We go to great lengths to insulate ourselves from the anxiety that accompanies disappointment. We build our lives on the rock of our own sensibilities; we protect ourselves within the fortress of our self-assurance. Ironically when bad times eventually crash through our defense mechanisms, we cry out to God in bewilderment. 'Why me?' We are neither content with what we have (we always want more), nor do we welcome loss as an opportunity to gain Christ. So here's the question that haunts my soul: if I spend most of my time protecting my interests and devote much of my energy trying to avoid loss, how will I gain Christ? For those of us who prize comfort, will we ever experience the crucified life? We may see the cross in the lives of others - especially those who have obviously given up everything to follow him - but what about us? Can others see the cross of Christ in us?"
August 11, 2016
This book is the best book on or about the Bible that I have read in a long time and if I had the resources I'd give a copy to everyone I know (lending of it is unfortunately not enabled for Kindle). I think every Christian should read it. Dr. Reeves is a Greek expert and Pauline scholar, Dean of the Courts Redford College of Theology and Ministry at Southwest Baptist University. As I mentioned before my encounters with him really influenced me and I've never met a Southern Baptist pastor/theologian/teacher who talks, teaches, and writes like him. I had the privilege of hearing him preach a sermon series on Paul while he wrote this book, and his passion for imitating Paul was quite evident.
Reeves does an excellent job explaining the context of Paul's day and the situations of the churches which received his letters. He lucidly explains various lines of scholarly thought on confusing passages. Reeves asks thought-provoking questions about how we imitate Paul as we do church today. What is this "crucified life" that Paul talked about?
I think as believers we often think of Paul as the greatest preacher who ever lived, who was wholeheartedly admired and respected by believers he came into contact with--the children's Sunday School version of Paul. We also think of the Church in Paul's day as being relatively undivided--non-denominational. In reality, Paul's letters to Corinth tell us that he was not a great public speaker-- far inferior to the famous Corinthian orators trained in rhetoric. Churches looked at Paul's life of hardship--beatings, shipwrecks, etc.-- and wondered if he was under God's punishment rather than blessing.
"(T)he Corinthians had come to despise the messenger. That's because Paul sounded like a fool to them." (loc. 406).
They questioned his teachings. There were plenty of factions and groups who thought their doctrine was superior to others. James and the Judaisers in Jerusalem questioned his Gentile disciples' rights. Paul spent much of his ministry collecting money for the famine-stricken church in Jerusalem (even though there were churches in Greece and Asia likely just as impoverished) likely to try and unite the factions, particularly Jew and Gentile, but scholars are divided as to whether Jerusalem even accepted Paul's gift.
"Paul saw every event in his life, every relationship he had, as opportunities to experience the death, burial and resurrection of Christ Jesus." (loc. 95)
Paul saw Jesus several times in visions and appearances, but we forget he wasn't around Jesus to soak in his teachings while on earth. Yet, Paul's writings and life are such a fantastic reflection of what Jesus' life meant.
Reeves contrasts Paul's life with the American life-- we're constantly striving to avoid loss and gain security. We're also constantly trying to stand up for our rights.
"(I)f I spend most of my time protecting my interests and devote much of my energy trying to avoid loss, how will I ever gain Christ? For those of us who prize comfort, will we ever experience the crucified life?" (Loc. 335).
Christians are often quick to judge a person who they see in poor circumstances as "reaping what he (presumably) sowed" or as suffering due to some secret sin. Reeves reminds us that followers looked at Paul's (and Jesus'!) hardships the same way-- surely these were fools:
"(T)he cross should make us all reticent to declare who is cursed by God...There was nothing about him that looked like success. I can imagine Paul's converts saying, 'If that's what the cross does to a man, I'll try something else'" (Loc. 206 and 284).
Reeves expounds on Paul's teachings on marriage, fellowship (particularly the Lord's Supper), legalism, eschatology, and more than I can review here-- I highly recommend reading all of it. One example of a poignant question Dr. Reeves asks the modern church: Has today's church made "family" an idol? We're always reading about liberals' "war on the family" and that "adulthood means marriage; marriage means children." That's not supported by Paul at all, quite the opposite. Paul urged his disciples to love Christ more than anything, and marriage-- where you have to divide attention among the needs of spouse and children-- was to be avoided given the imminence of Christ's return:
(W)e often misunderstand (or completely ignore) his advice about marriage because we don't share Paul's eschatological outlook...Paul didn't write for posterity, believing one day his advice would become our Scripture. No, he wrote because he believed the time was short" (Loc. 1504 and 1700).
(Paul) presumes that a man will love Christ more than any woman. He thinks that women won't look for fulfillment in a man because they find everything they need in Christ...In our attempts to make Christian families ideal, we forgot our most important obligation: devotion to Christ (not the family) is what makes a man or a woman a Christian...As far as Paul was concerned, true love isn't found in marriage" (Loc. 1542, 1564, and 1587).
Reeves imagines what it would look like if Paul were doing marriage counseling. Husband and wife bring their grievances to his office and Paul responds with questions about their individual walks with Christ--the heart of the problem, but sadly missing from most books and counseling on marriage and communication.
In independent-minded America, we often believe we can be Christians by ourselves. That our denomination--our team-- is the "winner." That our sins only have private consequences. Paul's letters overwhelmingly paint the Church as a united family, what helps one is to help all-- what hurts one hurts all (most people never grasp that the "you" in Phil 1:6 is a plural noun). That's the overarching theme of the crucified life-- our old families, customs, beliefs, our rights to ourselves are crucified with Christ.
"He would encourage us to find a way to sacrifice ourselves for the sake of others, even for those with whom we disagree. Paul would remind us that we can't be Christians by ourselves." (Loc. 2827).
This book is five stars. One complaint I have (besides lending being disabled) with the Kindle version is that the references aren't hyperlinked for easy flipping back and forth.
Reeves does an excellent job explaining the context of Paul's day and the situations of the churches which received his letters. He lucidly explains various lines of scholarly thought on confusing passages. Reeves asks thought-provoking questions about how we imitate Paul as we do church today. What is this "crucified life" that Paul talked about?
I think as believers we often think of Paul as the greatest preacher who ever lived, who was wholeheartedly admired and respected by believers he came into contact with--the children's Sunday School version of Paul. We also think of the Church in Paul's day as being relatively undivided--non-denominational. In reality, Paul's letters to Corinth tell us that he was not a great public speaker-- far inferior to the famous Corinthian orators trained in rhetoric. Churches looked at Paul's life of hardship--beatings, shipwrecks, etc.-- and wondered if he was under God's punishment rather than blessing.
"(T)he Corinthians had come to despise the messenger. That's because Paul sounded like a fool to them." (loc. 406).
They questioned his teachings. There were plenty of factions and groups who thought their doctrine was superior to others. James and the Judaisers in Jerusalem questioned his Gentile disciples' rights. Paul spent much of his ministry collecting money for the famine-stricken church in Jerusalem (even though there were churches in Greece and Asia likely just as impoverished) likely to try and unite the factions, particularly Jew and Gentile, but scholars are divided as to whether Jerusalem even accepted Paul's gift.
"Paul saw every event in his life, every relationship he had, as opportunities to experience the death, burial and resurrection of Christ Jesus." (loc. 95)
Paul saw Jesus several times in visions and appearances, but we forget he wasn't around Jesus to soak in his teachings while on earth. Yet, Paul's writings and life are such a fantastic reflection of what Jesus' life meant.
Reeves contrasts Paul's life with the American life-- we're constantly striving to avoid loss and gain security. We're also constantly trying to stand up for our rights.
"(I)f I spend most of my time protecting my interests and devote much of my energy trying to avoid loss, how will I ever gain Christ? For those of us who prize comfort, will we ever experience the crucified life?" (Loc. 335).
Christians are often quick to judge a person who they see in poor circumstances as "reaping what he (presumably) sowed" or as suffering due to some secret sin. Reeves reminds us that followers looked at Paul's (and Jesus'!) hardships the same way-- surely these were fools:
"(T)he cross should make us all reticent to declare who is cursed by God...There was nothing about him that looked like success. I can imagine Paul's converts saying, 'If that's what the cross does to a man, I'll try something else'" (Loc. 206 and 284).
Reeves expounds on Paul's teachings on marriage, fellowship (particularly the Lord's Supper), legalism, eschatology, and more than I can review here-- I highly recommend reading all of it. One example of a poignant question Dr. Reeves asks the modern church: Has today's church made "family" an idol? We're always reading about liberals' "war on the family" and that "adulthood means marriage; marriage means children." That's not supported by Paul at all, quite the opposite. Paul urged his disciples to love Christ more than anything, and marriage-- where you have to divide attention among the needs of spouse and children-- was to be avoided given the imminence of Christ's return:
(W)e often misunderstand (or completely ignore) his advice about marriage because we don't share Paul's eschatological outlook...Paul didn't write for posterity, believing one day his advice would become our Scripture. No, he wrote because he believed the time was short" (Loc. 1504 and 1700).
(Paul) presumes that a man will love Christ more than any woman. He thinks that women won't look for fulfillment in a man because they find everything they need in Christ...In our attempts to make Christian families ideal, we forgot our most important obligation: devotion to Christ (not the family) is what makes a man or a woman a Christian...As far as Paul was concerned, true love isn't found in marriage" (Loc. 1542, 1564, and 1587).
Reeves imagines what it would look like if Paul were doing marriage counseling. Husband and wife bring their grievances to his office and Paul responds with questions about their individual walks with Christ--the heart of the problem, but sadly missing from most books and counseling on marriage and communication.
In independent-minded America, we often believe we can be Christians by ourselves. That our denomination--our team-- is the "winner." That our sins only have private consequences. Paul's letters overwhelmingly paint the Church as a united family, what helps one is to help all-- what hurts one hurts all (most people never grasp that the "you" in Phil 1:6 is a plural noun). That's the overarching theme of the crucified life-- our old families, customs, beliefs, our rights to ourselves are crucified with Christ.
"He would encourage us to find a way to sacrifice ourselves for the sake of others, even for those with whom we disagree. Paul would remind us that we can't be Christians by ourselves." (Loc. 2827).
This book is five stars. One complaint I have (besides lending being disabled) with the Kindle version is that the references aren't hyperlinked for easy flipping back and forth.
December 26, 2019
No cold, dead analysis of Paul’s theology here. Reeves’s reflections are powerful, thoughtfully organized, and confrontational. The heart of his thesis is that Paul’s approach to discipleship was to encourage believers to follow his example as he followed Christ. His was the only Gospel they had at the time, with none of the Gospels having been written yet. This writing challenges me to deepen my love for Jesus; it is a wake up call in my own spirituality. Reeves’s reflections on Paul’s approach to the law are especially poignant. With personal illustrations scattered throughout, the chapters read like a sermon, each with its own consistent message. This is a scholarly reflection on Paul with a penchant for holiness.
December 27, 2021
[3.5 stars] Diminishing returns here. Reeves is an excellent communicator, but I’m wondering if he dedicated so much space to clever ideas and metaphors that it limited the depth he could’ve gone into. Not a bad book by any means, but definitely old hat to someone who has spent a decent amount of time in Pauline studies. I did like the focus on spirituality, rather than theology (although there’s inevitably some of that) - it helps keep the book couched in more practical terms.
May 4, 2021
This book had some really good thoughts in general about the life and especially theology of the Apostle Paul. There is some mysticism and other poorer judgments of theology throughout. It was good to engage with this work, but not one that I would highly recommend.
October 23, 2012
Who was Paul really? Many books have been written on this subject of who Paul is, what his viewpoints were, and what he was trying to accomplish with his life and ministry. With Spirituality According to Paul, Rodney Reeves studies Paul from a different perspective. Reeves asks what Paul's spiritual life was like, and how he believed people were spiritually formed in Christlikeness.
All of what Reeves has to say hinges on two concepts, both of which are very biblical. The first concept is that Christian spirituality and Pauline spirituality are grounded in the paschal rhythm of dying, being buried, and being raised with Christ. The second concept is related to it, and is actually stated first in this text, and that is that Paul presents his life and ministry as a model of this rhythm to those that need further instruction, going to the point of calling people to follow him as he follows Christ.
The entire book follows the outline of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ as a model for understanding Paul and his leadership and spiritual life. In the process, some very important and common matters are discussed such as human sexuality, work, and worship. Reeves also covers some more esoteric concepts such as mystery, spiritual warfare, and the life. In addition to this, Reeves covers some attitudes of disciples, such as self-denial and obedience to God.
I thought throughout Spirituality According to Paul, Reeves did a great job of understanding Paul's spirituality in light of a series of narratives. He showed how Paul adopted Jesus' narrative as his own and let the Jesus story inform Paul's story. He also showed how Paul's influence in turn encouraged other people to adopt the Jesus narrative, and define their lives by being "in" Christ. Reeves appropriately shares his own story at times, and describes how the concepts communicated in the book find touchpoints in his narrative.
I read a lot of books relating to spiritual formation. This book is a keeper. It is grace-filled, brilliant, and utterly biblical. It will allow those who follow the trends of spiritual formation to return to the basics of Christian spirituality, and it will encourage people to understand that the message of Paul is not separate from the gospels but instead united with it.
All of what Reeves has to say hinges on two concepts, both of which are very biblical. The first concept is that Christian spirituality and Pauline spirituality are grounded in the paschal rhythm of dying, being buried, and being raised with Christ. The second concept is related to it, and is actually stated first in this text, and that is that Paul presents his life and ministry as a model of this rhythm to those that need further instruction, going to the point of calling people to follow him as he follows Christ.
The entire book follows the outline of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ as a model for understanding Paul and his leadership and spiritual life. In the process, some very important and common matters are discussed such as human sexuality, work, and worship. Reeves also covers some more esoteric concepts such as mystery, spiritual warfare, and the life. In addition to this, Reeves covers some attitudes of disciples, such as self-denial and obedience to God.
I thought throughout Spirituality According to Paul, Reeves did a great job of understanding Paul's spirituality in light of a series of narratives. He showed how Paul adopted Jesus' narrative as his own and let the Jesus story inform Paul's story. He also showed how Paul's influence in turn encouraged other people to adopt the Jesus narrative, and define their lives by being "in" Christ. Reeves appropriately shares his own story at times, and describes how the concepts communicated in the book find touchpoints in his narrative.
I read a lot of books relating to spiritual formation. This book is a keeper. It is grace-filled, brilliant, and utterly biblical. It will allow those who follow the trends of spiritual formation to return to the basics of Christian spirituality, and it will encourage people to understand that the message of Paul is not separate from the gospels but instead united with it.
Read
August 11, 2012A must read for those who only think that Paul's only ministry to the church was giving us theology. Rodney Reeves looks deeply at how the Apostle shows us how to follow Jesus as disciples and be transformed into his image.
October 30, 2013
Read and/or reread this on my trip to Bulgaria. Several good chapters and a number of moving illustrations. Well-written reflections on key themes from Paul's approach to living in relationship to Jesus.
January 1, 2017
This book was intriguing to me. By the time I finished, my respect and admiration for Paul had grown substantially. Sometimes he gets a bad rap, but once you read this book, you will understand him, his times, and what he wrote much better.
January 9, 2013
My own Greek and New Testament professor presents Paul's life and thought in an academically informed, but deeply personal and accessible volume that makes me proud to be his student.
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