Letters to the Church

The Bible speaks of the “ mysteries ” of God, His ways that are hidden from this world’s “wisdom” and defy human expectations. In his teachings, Jesus declared that not everyone can understand the “ mysteries of the kingdom .” It is God who reveals the deep and obscure things to whomever He pleases, and in His Son, He has done so for all the world to see. In the death and resurrection of the Nazarene, God has disclosed His true nature and the salvation that He now offers to all men and women.

The promises of the Hebrew Bible are fulfilled in the Son of God and Messiah of Israel, Jesus of Nazareth . The promises of God find their fulfillment in Jesus, their “ Yea! ” and “ Amen! ” The mysteries previously “ hidden ” are revealed in Christ’s life and words, and especially in his Death, Resurrection, and Exaltation. Jesus is the Messiah in whom  all  the shadows and types prefigured in the Hebrew Bible find their substance.

Followers of Jesus must cling tenaciously to the Word spoken in the Son or they will drift away from God’s gracious salvation . The Letter’s first literary section concludes with an exhortation and warning. The disciple of Jesus who fails to heed the far “ better word ” God is speaking in His Son will suffer an even “ sorer punishment ” than the rebellious Israelites when they disobeyed the Mosaic Law. The Torah was delivered to Moses by angels. Nevertheless, it was God’s word, and therefore, lawbreakers received severe punishments – (Hebrews 2:1-4).

Paul introduces his ministry to the Church of Rome and begins explaining the Gospel by identifying Christ’s messianic qualifications . The Letter to the Romans begins with a lengthy introduction as the Apostle Paul identifies himself and describes his mission. His calling and God’s grace equipped him to preach the “ obedience of faith ” to the Gentiles. Paul lists Christ’s qualifications to be the Messiah and links what God did through Jesus to the promises of the “ Holy Scriptures .”

When certain “ super-apostles ” began undermining his authority, the Apostle Paul warned the Assembly in Corinth not to heed anyone who “ proclaimed another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or a different spirit, or a different Gospel .” He pointed to the same Jesus that he first proclaimed, the “ Crucified Messiah ,” the Jesus who is the measuring rod against which all other messianic claimants must be evaluated.

Believers prepare for the Apostasy and the coming Man of Lawlessness by committing themselves to the traditions received from the Apostles . After explaining the coming “ Apostasy ” and the “ Man of Lawlessness ,” Paul instructed believers on how to avoid the coming deception and thereby find themselves standing “ blameless ” before Jesus when he arrives on the Day of the Lord. We must “ stand fast ” by adhering to the teachings and “ traditions ” the Church has received from the Apostles.