Whatever things were written before were written for our learning (Romans 15:4)

Paul's example regarding the Scriptures. One of the most notable aspects in the life of Paul is his devotion for the Scriptures and his fidelity to its letter and spirit. He insists that his Christian faith is supported by what was written by Moses and the prophets: Believing all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets (Acts 24:14); he appeals to the Scriptures to prove that the redemptive work of Jesus had been announced by the prophets; and he quotes the Scripture to demonstrate his fundamental thesis: that justification is not by works but by faith in Jesus Christ.

Paul's example is a teaching for us. On several occasions Paul recommended devotion to the Scriptures, but mainly it is with his example that he taught and admonished Christians to have devotion to the Scriptures. Through this book we have shown Paul quoting the Scriptures, in particular when he was addressing or writing to the Jews, since to them were committed the oracles of God (Romans 3:2).

The writings of Paul are Scripture. When Paul talked about the Scriptures, he was referring to the Old Testament: Whatever things were written before were written for our learning (Romans 15:4). But we have the testimony of Peter who compares the letters of Paul to the rest of the Scriptures: In all his epistles... which those who are untaught and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures (2 Peter 3:16).

The Canon of the Scriptures. When, at the beginning of this book, we talked about the Original Text of the New Testament, it was said that at the beginning there was not a "canon" or index of the books of the bible considered as Sacred Scripture, and that it was only with use that the list or canon of the books of the Scripture, as we have today, was formed.

Divine inspiration of the Bible. It is by the books inspired by God that the Holy Scripture is formed, which means that the canonicity is due to the inspiration. According to Paul, all Scripture is given by inspiration of God (2 Timothy 3:16). The Greek word for inspiration is theopneustos, which essentially consists in the assistance and guidance of God upon the mind of the hagiographer in order that his product, —the Scripture,— might be a divine product or Holy Writing. There is no complete consensus as to the point at which the hagiographers enjoyed autonomy when writing.

The original writings were inspired. Only the original writings were inspired, not the translations, although it might be affirmed that the text that we have today is faithworthy. Regarding the scientific or historical errors of the Scripture, they do not affect the inspiration; the hagiographers spoke the language of their age, and they were not writing a scientific work of the XX century.

Jesus Christ predicted a future revelation. Jesus Christ told His disciples clearly that, when they would receive the Holy Spirit, He will teach you all things (John 14:26); and it was only after His resurrection that Jesus opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures (Luke 24:45). These words mean that the Apostles would understand in the future, something they hadn't understood so far.

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All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction (2 Timothy 3:16)

There are in God things that we do not know. Paul admits in Corinthians that what is in God is inscrutable; he says this: As it is written: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him (1 Corinthians 2:9); and in Romans, he says: Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! (Romans 11:33); and in Ephesians, he speaks about the unsearchable riches of Christ (Ephesians 3:8).

Revelation of God through His Spirit. Paul, after he has recognized the inscrutable things of God (above, 1 Corinthians 2:9), he affirms that God reveals them through His Spirit: But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God... No one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.... Now we have received the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God (1 Corinthians 2:10-12).

Even Paul's words are inspired. Paul recognizes that even the words that he uses, when he writes, are inspired by the Spirit: These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual (1 Corinthians 2:13. Compare 2 Corinthians 3:5 and 1 Thessalonians 2:13).

Paul distinguishes his words from God's. When Paul writes he is careful to distinguish if something is his opinion or the word of the Lord. In the same letter we are quoting, he says later: But to the rest I, not the Lord, say (1 Corinthians 7:12). And to the end of the chapter, he says: According to my judgment (1 Corinthians 7:40), to establish a clear distinction between the teachings of the Lord and his personal opinion.

Paul speaks inspired by God. Early in his ministry Paul writes to the Thessalonians and says: We also thank God because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God (1 Thessalonians 2:13). Paul affirms categorically that his doctrine and preaching were word of God.

Attitude of Christians toward the word of God. Paul recommends Christians to hold fast the word of God: Holding fast the word of life (Philippians 2:16). Then and today a Christian ought to be grounded in the word of God. The cause of the main divisions in the church has been that Christians have wandered from the word of God. On other occasions they have wanted that the word of God would express their own opinion, and it isn't taken into account that many times God didn't want to reveal something, most of the time regarding the how and the why of His actions.

Fruits of the Scripture. Paul writes to Timothy: From childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work (1 Timothy 3:15-17). On the contrary, natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 2:14), which could be understood as "to flavor" the Scriptures.

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Always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body (2 Corinthians 4:10)

Paul, a master of suffering. Paul is an excellent master of the way the believer must face pain and suffering, since he suffered all kind of tribulations for the gospel. As we saw in chapter VII, his call to the apostleship included a call to suffering: I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name sake (Acts 9:16). Let us remember here something of what Paul suffered and the way he confronted pain.

The suffering of Paul. It is particularly in 2 Corinthians where Paul makes references to his sufferings: We commend ourselves... in tribulations, in needs, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings (6:4-5); in labor more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often, beaten with rods, stoned, shipwrecked; in perils of robbers, perils of the Gentiles, in the city, in the wilderness; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in cold and nakedness; besides the other things (11:23-28, uncompleted). That is, every kind of sufferings.

Paul doesn't let himself to be knocked down by pain. The first thing that Paul says is that he does not get crushed by suffering: We are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken, struck down, but not destroyed (2 Corinthians 4:8-9). Paul's message is that a Christian shouldn't be crushed down by tribulations.

Pain assimilates us with the death of Jesus. The answer of Paul to suffering is that it should be viewed as a similarity with the death of Christ, in order to obtain also the similarity with His risen life; he says this: Carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. We are always delivered to death for Jesus sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh (2 Corinthians 4:10-11). Life is not attained but by suffering and death. (Compare Steps 21 and 22).

Tribulations unite Paul with God. Paul finds in suffering a means to be united with God; that is why he says that nothing, no pain, could separate him from the love of God in Christ: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? I am persuaded that neither death nor life... nor things present, nor things to come, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:35, 38-39, uncompleted).

Hope makes pains positive. If we ask ourselves what motivates Paul to see pain in such a positive way, the answer is hope. It does not mean that the only function of hope is to make suffering tolerable, but certainly hope enables the believer to see pain in a positive manner. Paul says that we'll be glorified with Christ, if we suffer with Him; and he adds: I consider that the suffering of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us (Romans 8:17, 18). And to Timothy, Paul says: If we endure, we shall also reign with Him (2 Timothy 2:12).

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God comforts us in all our tribulation (2 Corinthians 1:4).

Sublimation of Christian suffering. According to the teaching of Paul, a Christian does not suffer without comfort, and he might even experience joy and peace in suffering. This is not a kind of masochistic perversion as that of those who get excited by pain, but is a sublimation of faith, love and hope, as we can see by his statements.

Joy sprouts from faith and love. Everything comes together in Paul's heart in order that he might rejoice when he is in the middle of sufferings: his faith, his love for his brethren, and above all his unbreakable faithfulness to his Lord: I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation (2 Corinthians 7:4). Paul compares himself with a victim ready to be sacrificed, and he expresses joy because that is in service of faith: If I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all (Philippians 2:17).

Suffering identifies with Christ. One of the reasons why Paul experiences joy in his sufferings is because they identify him with the Lord: I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church (Colossians 1:24). This was explained before in Step 22.

Comfort in tribulation. In 2 Corinthians Paul is particularly affectionate about the comfort of the Spirit in tribulations. He repeats the words comfort and consolation nine times just in the first seven verses of this letter, in spite of the greatness of his anguish, so that he despaired even of life (2 Corinthians 1:8). Among all this, he says: Our consolation also abounds through Christ (2 Corinthians 1:5).

Comfort comes from God. Paul says that his comfort in tribulations comes from God, because He is a "God of all comfort." The Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation; and he adds that he is comforted in order that he'd be able to console others: That we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble (2 Corinthians 1:3, 4).

Comfort is the work of the Spirit. Jesus said: I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever... the Spirit of truth (John 14:16, 17, 26). It is by the work of the Holy Spirit that Paul experiences comfort in his tribulations, since God has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a deposit (2 Corinthians 1:22). The Spirit is the guarantee and pledge of joy.

The believer shouldn't worry in his sufferings. Another teaching of Paul about suffering is that the believer shouldn't be anxious in his tribulations; Paul says: Be anxious for nothing; and he adds that when in pain, the believer should resort to prayer: But in everything by prayer and supplication. Then the fruit, which is interior peace: And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7).

To suffer for the gospel is a privilege. Paul teaches finally that to suffer for the gospel is a privilege; the Apostle says: For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake (Philippians 1:29).

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I suffer these things, nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day (2 Timothy 1:12)

Paul's use of "I am not ashamed." Paul used the expression "I am not ashamed" in several important contexts of his message. The Greek words for to be ashamed, are: kataishyno, which has the meaning of humiliation and guilt, and epaischynomai, which means to suffer shame or confusion.

A synonym of confession of faith. The word epaischynomai, which in its negative form means "I am not ashamed," was used by the early Christians to confess their faith, as when they intended to say: "I am not ashamed of Jesus Christ," which is the equivalent of an emphatic confession of faith: "I believe and confess Jesus Christ." Let us see how Paul uses it.

"I am not ashamed of the gospel." We have quoted several times the words of Paul: I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes (Romans 1:16). We must remember that Paul was a Jew, and he had been a Pharisee, faithful observant of the law. To say now that salvation does not come from the law but through faith in the gospel, was a "treason." With the purpose of emphasizing his faith in the salvific power of the gospel, he says: I am not ashamed of the gospel, which is powerful to save whoever believes.

"Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame." Twice in the letter to the Romans Paul repeats the words of Isaiah, Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame (Romans 9:33; 110:11; Isaiah 28:16); but in this context they refer to Jesus Christ, a stumbling stone and rock of offense (Romans 9:33). Paul wants to say that he feels sure in Christ, because whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:13; Joel 2:32). The words that the Prophets attributed to Yahveh, Paul refers now to Christ.

"I know whom I have believed." Paul is not ashamed of the chains he is suffering for the gospel because of his faith in Jesus Christ, and because he is sure of That in whom he has confided his trust, Jesus Christ: I suffer these things, nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day (2 Timothy 1:12).

Paul, certain of his hope. Paul affirms of hope the same he has said of faith: Hope does not disappoint (Romans 5:5). We'll see this more in the detail in the last chapter about hope. With the same meaning he says in Philippians: According to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed (Philippians 1:20).

God humiliates the powerful and wise. Paul uses the word kataischyno, which in our version is translated "to put to shame," and has the meaning of guilt and unworthiness, when he says to the Corinthians: God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are. That is the way God acts, that no flesh should glory in His presence (1 Corinthians 1:27-29).

"Do not be ashamed of our Lord." With the intent that Timothy would make a bold profession of faith, Paul recommends to him: Do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord (2 Timothy 1:8). Let us we also confess our Lord Jesus Christ, for with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation (Romans 1:10).

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