Paul developed new theological categories based on his experience with Christ that moved beyond Jewish theology. He understood salvation as being saved from sin, which he saw not just as actions but as a self-centered attitude disconnected from being God's creation. Christ's death and resurrection reconciled humanity to God and provided new life beyond what the Law could do. The Good News is that God offers grace and communion through Christ's death, and faith in the crucified and resurrected Christ leads to salvation and righteousness rather than following rules alone.

1. Theology of Saint Paul
Paul's letters show a minister in tune with the communities he founded. He is
interested in knowing how the communities are growing, the difficulties they have, and he
tries to give guidance in specific situations. The letters cannot be considered containing Paul's
Gospel. They are more like snippets of his thoughts and understanding of Jesus. Nonetheless,
some of the threads can be followed and build a substantive case on Paul's theology.
Paul is a Jew, a fact he strongly underlines, yet he is not simply trying to explain
Christ as a continuation of the history of Old Testament-Jewish tradition. On the contrary,
even though he claims to be irreprehensible as a Jew, he is quite free from following the
tradition of the fathers, he prefers following the Gospel. Everything he previously counted as
gain he now sees as loss for the sake of Christ; indeed, he considers everything as loss in
view of the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus Christ (Phil. 3:7-8). As a result, Paul's
theology is not a mere extension of Jewish theology. The event of Christ is such a novelty for
him that he develops new theological categories; categories that are shaped by his experience
and the experience of his communities. Paul's main interest is to understand God's electing
action and, at the same time, how people react to this action in a life of faith, love, and hope.
Paul also writes from a particular point of view. He belongs to the first generation of
disciples, those who believed that the parusia, the second coming of Christ, was at hand. This
is why, in formulating his understanding of God, Christ, community, Paul adopts a limited
horizon. His statements on election, reconciliation, and justification are misunderstood when
they are not interpreted with this view in mind. It is also not surprising that Paul focuses on a
narrow range of themes. Since the end-time is close at end, clearly what is important to know
is Christ, his relationship with the Father and the disciples, his place in creation. Other
aspects of life could be left out, as they were perceived as not immediately important.

2. Christology
Jesus is the Christ, and in the Christ God shows his love for us. Christ is simply the
central figure of the end time, he is the saviour of all humankind (1 Thess. 1:10; 2 Cor. 5:18;
Gal. 4:4; Rom. 5:8). The Gospel of the Christ must be proclaimed so that people may be
saved (2 Cor. 5:18-6:2). Jesus saves the people while sharing the experience of being human.
God acts in history, there is no need to transcend reality to understand God. Mystical
experiences are possible, yet other manifestations which are not usual - speaking in tongues
or rapture - are pushed to the side (1 Cor. 14:18-19; 2 Cor. 12:l). God is near to people and
makes this day the day of salvation. This is the God who in Christ reconciled the world to
himself (2 Cor. 5:19; 6:2).
Salvation comes through Christ, but the Crucified Christ, it is the folly of the cross.
Here we must underline that the Cross is not understood as the instrument of suffering, but as
the sign of social rejection. The crucified was expelled from society, and anyone linked to a
crucified person was considered suspicious. To trust in a Christ crucified means to accept the
yoke of social rejection, of misunderstanding, of being a scandal to those who do not
understand the pedagogy of God.
The trust required is a total acquisition of Christ like life and behaviour. The disciple
'wears' Christ as he would wear a piece of cloth (Gal. 3:27). The disciple identify totally with
Christ. In this way, he lives in his own flesh and his own life the values of faith, love, and
hope, like a second skin (1 Thess. 5:8-9). Similarly, it is not he who lives but Christ who lives
in him (Gal. 2:20). This is true also of the whole community of disciples, the church. Because
of this deep identification with Christ, the whole community becomes the body of Christ (1
Cor. 12:4ff.; Rom. 12:4-5).

3. Christ himself is the apex of creation. Everything and everyone created by God does
find unity in Christ. One of the theme of Paul's Christology is exactly the pre-existence of
Christ. The two opening hymns in Colossians and Ephesians make this clear. "(God) chose us
in him (Christ) before the foundation of the world" (Eph. 1:4); "(God) delivered us from the
power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: ... Who is the image of
the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature. For by him were all things created, that are
in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, ... all things were created by him, and
for him, and he is before all things, and by him all things consist" (Col 1:13-17).
However, since everything is created by God the Father, everything is simply from
him, through him, and to him (Rom. 11:36). Everything is as it is because God is Creator.
Therefore even where polytheism still reigns, the theme of the one true God is taken up, and
Christ as Saviour in the last judgment comes in as a second theme (1Thess. 1:9-10). If
everything comes from God, it is permanently related to him, and moves toward a final union
with him. This is an important theme in Jewish thought also: Creation is on a journey towards
final unity with the Creator, the eternal Shabbat (Gen 2:1-4a).
The Good News
Often in his letters, Paul suggests that his missionary work is the result of God's
action in his life. It is God who took the initiative and sent Paul to preach the Gospel. Again,
it is God's action in the world that gives origin to the Good News. In Romans 1:1-4 he refers
to himself as a 'consecrated' for the gospel, and claims that God's Good News had been
prepared throughout Salvation History. The Gospel is the completion of a promise that can be
traced back to prophetic literature, especially when the prophets speak of a Messiah who will
bring good tidings on behalf of God.

4. The Good News of Jesus Christ is that God looks for communion with people. We are
asked to accept this offer of grace, leave sin and adopt choices that give life, that bring
redemption. God is present in Christ in such a way that "for us" God ordained Christ to
become "our righteousness and sanctification and redemption" (1 Cor. 1:30). Jesus' death is
our salvation because Christ is "God for us," his death is salvation for people if they accept
the word of reconciliation.
Paul claims he received the gospel during the mystical encounter with Jesus on the
way to Damascus. This revelation was followed by the commissioning to all the Nations on
earth. The conscience of being a missionary to proclaim the Good News of Christ is renewed
in most letters.
Paul's gospel proclaims Jesus as the Lord (Christ and Lord are the two most frequent
titles for Christ in Paul). The glory of God shines in Jesus. His death and resurrection have a
salvific strength: "I should remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I
proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, through which also
you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you—unless you
have come to believe in vain" (1 Cor 15:1-2).
The condition to receive this salvific strength is to adhere totally to Jesus. He, who
died for our sins (1 Cor 15:3-4) is risen and is alive. His death is a scandal for the Jews, not
understandable to the pagans (1 Cor 1:23) but is the tools for salvation chosen by God. Paul
says that " I know nothing ... except Jesus Christ, and him crucified" (1Cor 2:2). The cross is
the place where the human being meets the free love of God.
So the cross becomes the pivotal force of Paul's gospel. If the gospel is the
proclamation of the cross, the mission cannot but be conducted with a methodology that
springs up from the cross. Once again, the cross here is not the instrument of torture and
death. Cross is the social exclusion, the subversion of human thought, the logic of the

5. oppressed that Jesus experienced/adopted, and which must be the methodology of the
believer, also.
Sin and Reconciliation
Jesus saves us, but from what? Paul sees salvation as salvation from sin. Sin is not an
action, the action is the external manifestation of sin. Sin is the attitude a person has towards
life (see Rom 7). When a person becomes self-centred, when the perception of being a
created being disappears, then the person is in sin. In fact, when one does not perceive to be a
creature of God, then the relationship with God is changed radically, giving space for self-shaping
of reality. The result is the wrong attitude towards God and, most importantly,
towards fellow human beings.
Those in sin seem to be doomed. They do not recognize God for who he is, and then
have a wrong image of Him. This brings to an erroneous relationship with God and people. It
seems a cycle impossible to break. Yet, not impossible for God, who reconciles people to
himself in Christ (Rom. 5:1ff.; 2 Cor. 5:14ff.) and gives them new life (Rom. 6:1ff.; 2 Cor. 5:
14ff.). This is the content of the Pauline gospel, which turns sinners destined to death into
believers forgiven and capable of receiving life (Rom. 3:21-4:25).
God's behaviour is due to freedom and love. It necessarily follows that the Law has
been overtaken. Paul does not want to abolish the Law - he claims to be irreprehensible as far
as the Law concerns - but realizes that building a new relationship with God and living a
vivid experience of Christ does not need following the Law. Sin cannot be qualified simply as
the external actions of a person; rather, sin depends on the person's inner attitude. The
essential question is not whether one follows rules but whether one does that in thankfulness
to God (Rom. 14:5-6). Without love no human action - even a good deed - is worth anything
(1 Cor 13). The Law commands certain actions, but they are not good as such. What is

6. important is the involvement of the person, the inner commitment, this is what makes an
action worthy or unworthy. This is why Paul stresses that God probes the heart and knows a
person's feelings (Rom. 8:27; 1 Cor. 4:5; 14:25; 1 Thess. 2:4) and that Jesus' followers should
always act according to what is right (Rom. 12:8, 11; 2 Cor. 8:7-8; Phil. 2:14).
Social Transformation
The Pauline communities did not consider social transformation urgent. They were
the first Christians, for many years they believed the Parusia was at hand. Changing society
was not the priority. However, the values that support social transformation were there and
Paul addressed them, not in an orderly fashion, but with many texts nonetheless.
We can explore these ideas especially under the heading of liberation. Paul knows that
Christ freed us to gives us freedom (Gal. 5:1). Those who are united with Christ cannot be
condemned, because Jesus Christ frees them from the power of the Law and of death (Rom
8:1-2). So, by adhering to Christ, people reach a new level of freedom. Even nature will enjoy
liberation from corruption (Rom 6:18-22). This liberation may seen only individual or even
intimate, but this view would be a mistake.
Paul is aware that Christians give shape to the body of Christ. It is the lives of the
believers that make Christ alive in the world. Baptism, the acceptance of Christ, the listening
to the Word, reconciliation with God the Father, all are actions that must be reflected in the
way of life. This is why Paul writes "do not shape yourselves according to this world, but
transform yourselves continuously following your conscience" (Rom 12:2).
The Christian is first of all liberated from the slavery of idolatry. The idol is the
wrong image of God. Idolatry is not only considered in relation to worship of gods. Idolatry
is first of all the greed for possessions, lust, egoism and egocentrism, the wish to appear
important in the world, etc. So slavery to idolatry for Paul covers a wide area, and from the

7. religious world spills over to politics and economics. Jesus, instead, has freed us from every
power, from every structure of dominance, and has inserted us in his realm of freedom, a
realm born in the Spirit. Christ has freed us from the mortal slavery of idolatrous powers,
opening new spaces of reconciliation and freedom. The Church is the place where the
reconciled society can become a sign of liberation for the whole world (2 Cor 5:17-21)