Status Updates From Paul: A Biography

When a person has come to faith in Jesus, as the risen, Lord, that event is self assign of the spirit work through the gospel, and that, if the spear has begun that, “Good Work,” of which that Faith is the first fruit, you can trust that the spirit will finish the job.(Philippians 1:16 & Romans 5-8)

Believing allegiance; altogether larger, in a way that this PISTIS, this heartfelt trust in and allegiance to the God revealed in Jesus, was the vital marker, the thing that showed whether someone was really part of this new community or not.

One obvious Greek term for loyalty is one of Paul’s favorite words, PISTIS, regularly translated as Faith.
But, PISTIS, could also point to the personal commitment that accompanies any genuine belief, in this case that Jesus was now LORD THE WORLD RIFLE SOVEREIGN. HENCE THE TERM MEANS, LOYALTY, OR ALLEGIANCE. THIS WAS WHAT CESAR DEMANDED FOR HIS SUBJECTS.

We easily forget that the author of these letters spent most of his waking hours with his sleeves rolled up, doing hard physical work in a hot climate, and that perhaps two-thirds of the conversations he had with people about Jesus and the gospel were conducted not in a place of worship or study, not even in a private home, but in a small, cramped workshop.

When people in churches today discuss Paul and his letters, they often think only of the man of ideas who dealt with lofty and difficult concepts, implying a world of librar-ies, seminar rooms, or at least the minister's study for quiet sermon preparation.