Paul's Christian Worldview

     Some believed that since God’s righteousness is made evident when people commit unrighteousness, God would not be able to punish people for their sins because their sin showed God’s righteousness. Paul argued that if this was so, God could not judge the world (3:5-7). Some went so far as to allege that Paul taught that people should sin to bring about good (3:8).

With the ability to assimilate to various aspects of the universal Roman society, the apostle is able to relate to and address many different types of people. This aspect of his life makes Paul able to apply the collective ‘we’ when instructing believers of opposing backgrounds. Likewise, after his conversion

Paul’s distinctive contribution to Christianity is his heresy- the doctrine of salvation by faith. A salvation available not just to the descendants of Abraham, but to the pagan, non-Jewish world as well. When he was writing to those in the Roman capital, Paul makes the declaration that proved to be the cornerstone of all his writings Romans 1:16-17, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, ‘The one who is righteous will live

In the time Paul was writing to the Romans there was conflict between the Gentiles and the Jews. Many of today’s scholars have presented a number of likely reasons as to why Paul may have written the book of Romans. One of these believed reasons was for him to address the continued power struggle between the Gentiles and the Jews. In the book of Romans, Paul encourages unity as people of God and begs the Jews and Gentiles to have peace and love with not only each other but with everyone in the world.

The Bible was inspired by God and given to people in order to give guidance and clarity on how to view the world. A biblical worldview can be established by looking at the Bible, specifically at certain passages such as Romans 1-8. These chapters in Romans explain a biblical worldview in four categories: the natural world, human identity, human relationships, and culture. The secular worldview has immense differences in these same categories. The biggest difference between the secular worldview and the biblical worldview is that the biblical worldview is founded on the truth of scripture.

Not only is our human existence and spiritual life dependent upon God but also our own decisions. God has blessed us with beautiful land, relationships, and His never-ending love for us. In romans it gives us a great diversity of how we should view the Christian life, including, the natural world, human identity, human relationships, and culture. This book goes into such great depth in the first eight chapters that I had to read it and completely break it down a hundred times. In just the first eight chapters is goes from Gods faithfulness in justifying, blessing, and adoring us by our faith through his grace.

Romans 1-4 is the first section of Paul’s letter. This section has two major structural units. The first unit defined the human problem of sin. The second unit of the first section defined the solution to the human problem of sin. Paul’s outline of this solution is the first section’s single most compelling issue. Romans 3:22-24, “This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” The solution to our human problem, righteousness credited to us as a result of faith in Christ’s sacrifice, is available to all of us only because of God’s compassionate grace.

With regards to the natural world, Romans states that “For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God” (Romans 1:20, NLT). The world was made perfect from God’s hands and science taken the credit away from Him and given it to Evolution other erroneous ideas. It goes on to say they thought foolishly of what God was like and eventually became lost and confused. So instead of worshipping God, they worshiped idols and God abandoned them to do whatever their hearts wished (Romans 1:21-24). People in this world are no different from those in Paul’s days. The idols people worship today range from people, statues, wealth, material things, etc. It may not be the physical and literal act of bowing down to those things but in their actions, it’s clear that that’s all their minds are set on. Verses 25-32 is a perfect example of how people live; a perfect example of how we are not to live. Naturally we are all sinners but because of Jesus we can be forgiven for those sins and free from

Paul makes it clear that the world was created by God and that we are without excuse if we choose to deny that. Romans

Because of the "Fall" of mankind and man’s blatant outward expression of disobedience sin thus entered onto the scene. Where once man had peace with God and walked with God and knew God in a way that no man has known since, when Adam openly disobeyed God that shared communion was shattered and along with it, any hope of redemption outside of God’s ultimate plan. What then does Romans teach about sin? Ultimately, Paul teaches that

Christianity over the course of history has a vast influence on individuals, society and the way believers conduct themselves. It provides morals, practices and ethics that every Christian attempts to live by. Throughout the many denominations in the Christian church, Paul of Tarsus had a significant influence on the faith. His contribution to the development and expression of Christianity is immense and can be seen to stem from his writing and missionary journeys which have implemented his ideas and interpretations onto the development of Christianity. After Jesus, Paul was arguably the most significant figure in Christianity as his teachings form a significant part of the New Testament. Like may other Pharisees of that time in history, Paul sought to suppress the early Christian movement. He accused early Christians of blaspheming against God and breaking Mosaic Law. However, Paul had a life-changing experience when he had a vision of Jesus, and he spent the remainder of his life as a missionary for the early church. Centuries after his ministry, his teachings still influence Christian theology.

Due to the "Fall" of humanity and man’s blatant expression of disobedience sin thus entered the scene. Where once man had peace with God and walked with God and knew God in a way that no man has known since; when Adam openly disobeyed God this shared communion was shattered and along with it, any hope of redemption outside of God’s ultimate plan. What then does Romans teach about sin? Paul teaches that the wages of sin is death (6:23). James Dunn includes these additional consequences; “Misdirected Religion,” “Self-Indulgence” and “Sins.” Of the four that Dunn lists,

Firstly, Paul makes it abundantly clear than no man is good by his own strength, regardless if they are a Jew or Gentile. Due to the fall, none can be righteous before God. (Romans 3:10) Every person is a sinner and has failed to live up to God’s divine standard. (Romans 3:23) Yet God’s image is still in the hearts of mankind. Though sin has entered the world and morality has been distorted, the Creator’s moral character is woven into the hearts of humans. (Romans 2:15) This can be seen even now as those without faith still abide by a sense of inner morality, a true picture of the image of God within them. Yet sin is still a part of the human identity. However, Paul tells the Romans that, because of the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross and the justification of his resurrection, mankind can be made righteous. Just as it only took one man, Adam, for sin to enter the world, it only took one extraordinary man, Jesus, for man to be made righteous in him again. (Romans 5:19) Therefore, the human identity is redeemed through faith in Christ so that the sinful nature of man is no more; no longer enslaved to sin, man can be set free. (Romans 6:6-7) Yet this change in identity, from sinful to righteous, requires a response in the physicality of the human identity, as every part of the body must now be used for righteousness (Romans 6:19), even though the sinfulness of man’s flesh wars against righteousness.

To understand whether Paul was a universalist we must first define universalism. The Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms defines Universalism as: “The view that all persons will ultimately receive salvation from God”. Using this definition we must examine whether the bible verse quoted in the title implicates or absolves Paul as a universalist. It is near impossible to truly know someones theological opinion from one sentence, therefore we must also include the rest of Paul’s letter to the Romans, and finally, the rest of his letters. This structure should provide us with enough evidence to attempt a conclusion on Paul’s theological standpoint.

A major situation confronting Paul during ancient times was trying to make sense of the barriers between Jews and Gentiles. Ultimately, the solution to breaking the barrier comes through Christ alone. Christ died for all humankind not just one kind. This view of Christ as the true solution is also the answer to the oppositions in the book of Romans. Two major oppositions are seen in Romans 8:1-11, between good and evil and spirit and flesh. Paul, who confronts many issues in Rome, cannot resolve these oppositions. Rather, "he proclaims liberation from the existential rupture in human nature, formulated by means of the figures that express opposition between flesh and the spirit, through participation in Christ." Romans 8:1-11 proves that living in the Spirit results in ultimate freedom and everlasting life. This freedom in the Spirit then means that the bondage of the law of sin and death is released.