THE MINISTRY OF THE APOSTLE PAUL

 In the endeavour rightly to divide the Word of truth we are sure to have difficulties, one great reason being that centuries of neglect and tradition have left us prejudiced in favour of a system foreign to the teaching of Paul, and further, the low spiritual state of the church as a whole has rendered it incapacitated for the reception of the mystery (I Cor. iii. 1-3). Those who have had the eyes of their heart enlightened (Eph. i. 18), still find many difficulties and problems, which we must all expect while in the flesh, and among the many causes of difficulty is the fact that the ministry of Paul has a two-fold aspect; in one case he is seen severed from the teaching of the twelve, while in another he is found working in harmony with them. His epistles, covering a space of some sixteen years, are not confined to one period, some epistles being written while he worked in fellowship with Jerusalem, and some being written after Israel was set aside and Paul was a prisoner at Rome. [More]