BL1 Paul's Letters – Introduction

After the Lord Jesus ascended to heaven, the mission of spreading the gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven was entrusted to the disciples. Among the disciples, Paul became a key figure in spreading the gospel to the Gentiles. His letters to different churches and individual believers also contain sophisticated theological theories and are an important foundation for the study of New Testament theology.

This course, through the study of thirteen theological themes, helps readers decipher the content of Paul's letters and, by relying on God's grace in their lives, live a new life. The entire course is divided into three parts:

• Reviewing God's Will — To understand the meaning behind the Old Testament law, to clarify the relationship between the grace and blessings that God has already prepared for us, and to confirm that we live in grace and await the day of Christ's return. Lesson 1 provides background information, and lessons 2 through 5 cover the fundamental tenets of the believer's faith, understanding our relationship with God.

• Seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit —Understand that believers are people with the Holy Spirit present, and that their conduct should be commensurate with the grace they have received. Also understand that the Holy Spirit will reveal His guidance through the Bible. Lesson 69 is an admonition for the personal spiritual life of believers.

• Consecrated into the body of Christ — To understand that believers must be a part of Christ's body, that is, the church, and that believers accepting and reminding one another, praising and praying together are all ways for us to keep ourselves in God's grace. Lesson 13 discusses the communal life of believers in the church.

Paul's letters provide the primary foundation of truth for the Christian faith. However, the mode of expression in these letters is limited by history, culture, and environment. Therefore, we provide information on contemporary culture and the geographical and social context in which they were written to help readers more easily grasp the truth of God's revelation. We hope this course will not only demonstrate Paul's theological thought but also inspire many to understand the immeasurable and profound grace of God, the source of life force for believers.