The Gospel According to Paul: Justification in Faith and Life in the Spirit

One cannot speak of Pauline theology without taking into consideration two major facts about Paul’s life: first his conversion and second his vocation prior to this conversation. It is in the radical encounter with the risen Lord on the road to Damascus that Paul begins his mission, making this event the starting point of departure for Paul’s ministry and Christian theological

thought. Paul believed in the resurrection of the dead prior to this event and the encounter with the risen Lord only confirmed this belief and it affirmed for him that Jesus was the messiah (Ludwig, 123). His violent conversion-experience marked him for life, but Paul’s personality and work prior to this event also provide insights on his theology. In Acts of the Apostles and in some of the letters attributed to him, we come to know that Paul is a Jew (2 Cor. 11:22) and moreover an educated Jew on religious matters. Paul is well versed in the Torah and a zealot proclaiming it. (Gal 1:14). His upbringing, education and life-work put him in a paradox with his encounter with the risen Lord. This irony is clear. Paul traversed the same towns as Jesus, yet never met him, he persecuted Christians and then is called to be a Christian apostle and he was a zealot for the law and now encounters the risen Lord that stands above it. This paradox speaks to much of Paul’s opposing themes in his writings. Paul uses juxtapositions in order to make intellectual claims. In many ways, his writings reflect the paradox he experienced in life. In his writings, he speaks of law and grace, Jew and gentile, circumcised and uncircumcised, life in the flesh and life in the spirit, death and new creation, slavery and freedom, fruits of the spirit and fruits of the flesh, reconciliation and alienation, salvation in faith and salvation in works. Of all of these opposite themes that are product of Paul’s theological thought, two stand above all: Justification through faith in Christ and life in the spirit are the two fundamental themes that Paul uses in all of his writings and form part of his main theological thought. 

Justification through Faith in Christ

Paul sews a theological thread throughout his entire correspondence in the New Testament on the theme of justification through faith in Christ. It is in his the letter to the Romans that we can find Paul’s gospel in its entirety and his argument for justification laid out elegantly. First, it is important to understand what Paul means by justification. The word comes out of the context of a law court and

could be translated today as acquittal (Ludwig, 129). Often, justification is also used interchangeably with salvation. It is also fundamental to understand Paul’s outlook on the human race, since the argument found in Romans is a complete theological position on the history of salvation culminating in Christ. For Paul, sin is a religious and not a moral act (Johnson, 309). Sin is a turning away from God’s will, it is a life orientation, a rebellion, a boasting, a self-aggrandizement and Paul sums up this state-of-being by often referring to it as living according to the flesh. In short, it is our human condition to be sinful and because of it we are in need to be justified. In fact in Romans, Paul claims, ‘There is no one just, not one, there is no one who understands, there is no one who seeks God. All have gone astray; all alike are worthless; there is not one who does good, (there is not) even one” (Rom. 3:10-12). The argument then proceeds, because all have sin, Jew and gentile alike, all have access to justification through faith in Jesus. The Law alone cannot save. Through justification all are made righteous and reconciled with God (5:10). The letter continues with a powerful and yet simple message, justification through faith in Christ transforms. This gift we have received has real implications in our life and it demands change, ‘for the love of God has been poured into our hearts,’ (5:5) so that we may put to death the sins of the body (8:13) leading to a newness in life grounded on radical hope (8:22). The change that comes as a product of justification through faith in Jesus in the life of a believer, Paul calls life in the spirit. 

The response to the Romans to live in faith is far from a superficial assertion. Paul’s convocation to live in the spirit as one who is reconciled with God has ethical dimensions. Paul tells the Romans that this transformation must be revealed in works. In other words, there must be clear signs of Christian living that demonstrate a life lived in the spirit. As this transformation seeks what is perfect, ‘Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect’ (Rom 12:2). It is here that Paul mirrors directly Jesus’ gospel according to Matthew in the works of salvation (Getty, 224). His culmination of the life in the spirit as it is lived in the Christian life is found in Romans chapters 12-15 and it is summed up by the blessing of all, especially those who persecute you. He commands Romans to love one another in a genuine love, in a love that is mutual and perfect (12:9-21) for love is the fulfillment of the law (13:10); for a life of those who live in faith is expressed in mutual love and acceptance of one another. (Johnson, 321).

Life According to the Spirit

The life in the spirit, or the life of God, is a powerful theme for Paul. In his correspondence to the Galatians, he argues that the life in the spirit begins with the freedom received by Christ referring to the insignificance and bondage of circumcision (Gal.5:4). Instead, it is faith working through love that sets us free (Gal 5:6). It is here that Paul sums up the life in the spirit by the word agape—a love that builds up and is expressed in joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal 6:22).

While the letter to the Galatians lays out Paul’s theological thought on the life in the spirit as it begins with freedom in order to serve one another in love, the letter to the Corinthians points out to the dimension of transformation that is demanded when one is committed to the life in the spirit. In the first century AD, Corinth was a metropolis and cosmopolitan society. Jews and gentiles found Christianity appealing for different reasons. As an infant Christian community, some of the challenges they faced were spiritual elitism which led to factionalism (Johnson, 264). The communities overemphasized the powers given by the spirit, causing them to identify themselves by the spiritual gift they had received. Paul’s response is drastic but it provides a clear vision of his theological outlook on Christian life. He demands two things from the Corinthians: first that they transform to be of the same mind (1 Cor. 1:10) and second, that they acquire the mind of Christ (2: 16). Those who accept this calling will put their gifts in service to the entire community, for the primary gift of the spirit is love (1 Cor.13:1-13) and its main manifestation is the building up of the entire community (Johnson, 268).

Pauls’ correspondence to the Galatians and to the Corinthians lay out a theological foundation of the life in the spirit. The life in the spirit as Paul understands it begins with the freedom received by Christ. This freedom is not to be distorted in order to neglect the law and be replaced with self-indulgence, but rather we are set free to serve one another in love. Agape—a love that builds up, is the measurement of our justification, is the measurement of our freedom, and is the measurement of our spiritual gifts.

We can see two real examples of Christian living in how Paul responds pastorally to his communities. In Corinth, the dispute between those Paul called ‘strong’ and those he called ‘weak’ demand a communal response. While Paul sides with the ‘strong’ supporting their thinking (a thinking that rejects being subject to idols), he criticizes them as spiritual solipsists and reminds them that to live in the spirit should lead them to build up the ‘weak’ (Johnson, 268). However, in Galatians, Paul speaks to the personal response to the life in the spirit. The Galatians’ aggrandizement attitude toward freedom led them to antinomianism—the notion that they were saved by faith alone (Johnson, 299). Paul urges the Galatians to retract from perverting their freedom gained by Christ.  This response is personal speaking to the conscience of the individual. 

Implications in Ministry

            The themes of justification through faith in Christ and life in the spirit that compose Paul’s gospel mirror the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul boldly claims that a transformative relationship with the risen Lord should come first, and without it the Christian life is dead. But the gospel also has implications in our personal and communal lives so that we may hope in Christ and serve and build up our communities. 

The first practical application of understanding Paul’s theology in my ministry is that it gives me the ability to be in dialogue with non-Catholic. Many Christians receive a particular understanding of salvation through faith in Christ. For instance, they often emphasize the individual journey of the Christian faith and often base it on the Letter to the Romans. I believe my role and response in dialogue is to invite Christians that embrace this theology to see Paul fully. This reflection allows me to re-direct this understanding of Paul to the demands of justification as we see in Romans, First Corinthians and Galatians. Not only to challenge Christians of all denominations to reflect in the personal relationship with the risen Lord, but to point to the measurement of this relationship in the building up of their communities—starting with the present community that they find themselves in. 

This new understanding from which to see Paul speaks to my own faith deeply as well. The theological dispute between Catholics and Protestants on salvation becomes now a personal calling to enrich the conversation further. By studying Paul, the claim that salvation is through faith alone must be supported by the entire thought of Paul’s theology not only in Romans but also throughout all correspondence attributed to him. The claim of salvation through faith alone must respond to what Paul calls life in the spirit. Justification through faith in Jesus must also answer to how Paul describes the Christian life that originates from living the life in the spirit. In other words, the measurement of justification—must be what Paul calls agape, a love that builds an entire community. 

            Finally, the Christian journey is not merely empty intellectual and theological discussion but a personal commitment to live to these ideals. Understanding Paul in a new light pose the question of whether I am living up to the standard of what he describes as the Christian life. Paul utters Jesus and therefore he reiterates the challenge to love enemies as a clear sign of what it means to be Christian. This statement is a challenge to anyone whoever comes across it. In my own life, to love enemies as Paul refers to it by addressing the Romans, Corinthians and Galatians, has a lot to do with my interactions with those who I do not agree with. As Paul describes intentionally, Greek and Jew belong to the Body of Christ and all are called as a community to do both: establish and hope for the kingdom of God.