Our Thread

Pasa Graphe' Theopneustos Kai Ophelimos (Greek) is one of the most often-repeated passages from the Scriptures, ie, the Bible. The passage appears in the heading of our Facebook page. But what does it say to us in our various tongues? Well, for those of us who speak English, this passage is a bold testimony from the pen of one Paul, a first-century scholar from the Isrealite tribe of Benjamin. It is also a statement steeped in the thelogy of the Biblical narratives. So, Paul wrote to a young ethnic Jew named Timotheus: "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable......"
At the time Paul wrote those words, there was not yet a codex known as the "New Testament." The scrolls of papyrus on which were written the Scriptures are what we call today the "Old Testament." In its immediate and limited interpretation, Paul is saying that the messages in the Old Testament are inspired by God. That being so, who is the man who would say that the record of the flood in Noah's day was simply an allegory, and not an historical account?

Galatians

One of the first challenges faced by the early church is discussed in the book of Galatians. Simply put, the question was this: were converts to the Christian faith saved by keeping the law?

Paul’s answer to this question was No. The only sound basis for life in Christ was faith. In no other way could a person be made right with God, certainly not through any merit earned by law-keeping.

Apparently, the churches in Galatia contained some teachers who disagreed with Paul on this point. So Paul felt he must assert his authority in this letter. In the first part of Galatians, he claimed that he was an apostle appointed by Jesus Christ and was commissioned to give His message.

The last part of Galatians shows how faith results naturally in proper Christian conduct.