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A man is sitting in a small room in Rome. His hand is tied with a Roman soldier's chain. He picks up a pen.He is not writing a book. He is not writing anything about heavy studies. He is just writing a letter.To those people whom he loves with all his heart. People who are confused. People who are fighting with each other.People who are slowly losing their way. And these letters were written on ordinary paper. People took these letters from hand to hand, crossing the sea from the streets of Rome.
And these letters became the most effective letters in the world. 13 letters. In the new law, 13 letters are considered in the name of Prerit Paulus.These letters were written in about 15 years. From about 49 AD to 60 AD. And one thing that most people do not know.These letters are not in that order. Like they are kept in your Bible. They have been kept in the Bible according to their length.The longest is first. The shortest is last. Romeo is first.
Philemon is last. But if you read them in the order in which they were actually written, then everything changes. You see the journey of a person's entire life.You see how he fights for the gospel. When everything had just begun, you see how he builds a church. From the very beginning, from the very beginning, In such cities where the environment was very bad, you sit in jail with him.You feel his pain. When his own people leave him and go. And then you stand behind him.
In a dark Roman jail. When he is writing his last words, to a young boy whom he considered like a son, he says to him, Bring me my coat, because winter is coming. And this stone ground is very cold.So we are going to do the same. We will read every letter. In the same order in which Paul had written them.
And we will understand what every letter was about. Why was it necessary at that time? And how does it relate to your life today? Come on, let's start from the beginning. Paul's very first letter, or at least the oldest, which we still have today.It is a letter written in anger. This is a letter in the name of Galatians. It was written around 48 or 49 AD.
And if you want to understand why there is so much pain and anger in it, then it is important to know who is writing it. It is the same man who used to catch the Christians first, used to torture them. He was standing there when the crowd killed Stiphnus with stones.As it is written in chapter 7, And then one day, a bright light came on the way to Damascus and he fell down. And that light was Jesus himself, whom he wanted to destroy. Now the same man is writing to save the same news which he wanted to finish first.Paul had just returned from his first journey. He had gone to the area of Galatians. It is a part of today's Turkey.
He went to many cities, such as Pisidia, Antioch, Iconium, Lustra and Derbe. In Lustra, a crowd threw stones at him. They dragged him out of the city and left him as if he was dead.It is written in the work of inspiration, chapter 14, verses 19 and 20. Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium. They provoked the crowd.And Paul threw stones at him and dragged him out of the city. They thought he was dead. But when his disciples gathered around him, he stood up and went back to the city.And the next day he went to the next city and propagated again. He built churches in every city. And then he returned to Antioch, Syria.
He got the news. Some other people came to those new churches. And they said to the non-Jews, it is not enough to believe only in Jesus.You must also follow the rules of Moses. First you must become a Jew. Then you can become a Messiah.These people are often called Judaizers. It means that they were putting pressure on the non-Jewish believers to adopt Jewish ways. Only then will they get the true reward.
Just stop for a second and think. What does this mean? Paul had almost died to bring the truth to these people. And now someone is coming and telling them that what he told was not complete.That with God's grace, something else will have to be added. Paul's answer is the most angry in the whole new rule. Usually, Paul starts his letter like this.
Every time I think of you, I thank God. But this time, there is nothing like that. In the mistakes, he starts directly like this.Chapter 1, verses 6 and 7. I am surprised that you are moving away from the one who called you by the grace of the Messiah and going towards a different truth. There is no other truth. There are some people who are confusing you and want to change the words of the Messiah.
No greetings, no greetings. Directly to the point. And then he says a very sharp thing.Mistakes, chapter 1, verse 8. If we or any messenger from heaven tells you a different truth than we told you, then he is cursed. He says this once. And then he repeats it in the next line so that no one can say that he did not hear.
The biggest message of the letter of mistakes is very simple. Paul says in chapter 2, verse 16. We know that a person does not become right Rather, by believing in Jesus Christ, we also believed in him.
So that we remain right by faith. Not by rules. Because by rules no one can become right.To remain right. That is, to be considered right in front of God. To be accepted.This is not because of what you did. But because of what Jesus did for you. And then Paul goes further.To Abraham, who was much earlier than Moses. And he shows that Abraham was considered right. Because he believed in God.Not because he followed any rules. Because until that time, those rules were not given. In chapter 3, verse 6. Abraham believed in God.
And that is why he was considered right. Paul explains that the rules of rituals, such as sacrificing, or different religious rituals, all these came later. So that people understand that they need a Saviour.These were to be taught in a way. Like a teacher who shows the way. Galatians chapter 3, verse 24 and 25.That is why the system was like a teacher to bring us to Christ. So that we remain right by faith. But when faith came, then we are no longer below that teacher.
Consider it as if the small wheels of a cycle help you for a while. But when you learn to drive, then they are no longer needed. And the Bible itself clearly shows the difference between the two.God Himself spoke with His voice. On the Mount Sinai. And He had written it on stone with His hand.Deuteronomy chapter 31, verse 18. When God spoke to Moses on the Mount Sinai, He gave him two stones, which He had written with His finger. But the rules of rituals, such as sacrifice, the rules of festivals, were written by Moses.
In a separate book. And they were not kept in a box, but kept close to him. Deuteronomy chapter 31, verse 26.Take the book of this system and keep it close to the box of God. One was eternal, which God Himself wrote on stone. And the second was for a while, which man wrote.Which was pointing to the great thing that was yet to come. The rules of right and wrong, that is, the ten commandments, are still in force. Because they tell us how God is.
But the system of rituals, which was pointing to Christ, was fulfilled. When Christ came, and then Paul writes something that was very different for that time. Something very courageous.Deuteronomy chapter 3, verse 28. There is no Jew, no Greek, no slave, no free, no man, no woman. Because you are all one in Christ Jesus.
In the world of that time, people were clearly divided. What caste are you from? How rich or poor are you? And are you a man or a woman? But Paul says that in Christ all these walls have fallen. It is not that the differences are over.But now they do not decide who you are before God. This is the letter that clearly shows the decision. Grace or hard work, faith or only rituals, freedom or bondage.And Paul is not afraid at all. Now the story moves on from Galatia to Greece. Paul's second journey takes him across the sea and takes him to Europe for the first time.
And he reaches the city of Thessaloniki. This was a large port in northern Greece. And the Roman capital of Macedonia is about 50 or 51 A.D. Inspirational work chapter 17 says that he spoke there for three weeks and some Jews and many Greeks who were afraid of God, they believed.But some people got jealous. They provoked the crowd. Inspirational work chapter 17 chapter 6 and 7 When they did not find him, they dragged Jason and some brothers to the city officials and began to shout.
These people have shaken the world. Now they have come here too. Jason has kept them in his house.And they are all going against Caesar's rules. They say that there is one more king, Jesus. Paul had to leave the city at night.He stayed there for just a month. And now these new believers were left alone. He went ahead to Athens, then to Corinth.And from there, he began to worry a lot about those he had left behind. So he sent his young companion, Timothy, back so that he could go and see how they are. When Timothy came back and gave good news, Paul got a lot of relief.
And he sat down and wrote a letter, which we call today, the first chapter of the Gospels. This letter is one of Paul's most beloved letters written from his heart. Chapter 2, verse 8 We love you so much that we have not only given you the message of God, but also given our lives because you have become very dear to us.He is not a person who is just writing a book. He is a spiritual father who truly loves his people. But the people of Thessalonica had a question in their minds that was bothering them from within.
Some of them died after Paul left. And they were afraid. They thought that those who died would be left behind when Jesus came again.
They were sad, not only because they lost their people, but also because they felt that they were out of that promise forever. Paul's answer is one of the most famous parts of the Bible. 1 Thessalonians, chapter 4, verses 13 to 18 Brothers, I do not want you to be unaware of those who have gone to sleep, so that you may not be so sad as the rest of the people who have no hope.
For if we believe that Jesus died and then rose again, then God will also bring them with Him. Those who have gone to sleep in Jesus, we tell you according to the word of God, that those who are still alive and will live until the coming of the Lord, we will not be ahead of them who have died. Because the Lord Himself will descend from the sky with a loud voice, with the voice of the messenger of heaven and with the voice of God.
And those who have died in Christ, they will be the first to rise. Then we who are alive and will be saved, we will all be picked up in the clouds with them so that we may meet the Lord in the air and then we will always be with the Lord. Therefore, let each other be comforted by these things.Those who have died, they have not left behind, but they are first of all. And pay attention to how Paul ends this thing. Let each other be comforted by these things.
This is not a difficult or heavy thing. This is the hope that you can hold even standing near someone's grave. After a while, Paul had to write another letter to Elisha because Elisha had now turned away.Some people heard about Jesus' return and misunderstood him. They left their jobs. They stopped working.They just sat and waited. They thought, when the world is about to end, why should we work? Paul had to explain to them. 2 Thessalonians chapter 3 verse 10 When we were with you, we said it clearly, if someone does not work, he will not even eat.
Believing in the coming of Jesus does not mean that you stop doing something. It means that you live with more purpose. Hope does not mean sitting idle.Faith does not teach you to run away from responsibility. Now just think, you have come to a new faith. Maybe it has been only 30 days and what was teaching you ran away at night.Saving your life, you have no Bible, no church, no training. Just a matter of a few weeks and now you are alone. This was the case with Thessalonians.
And yet they did not give up faith. That is why Paul was able to write to them. In chapter 1 verse 8 On your behalf, the message of the Lord has spread everywhere.Not only in the world of maize and acacia, but everywhere it shows what the Holy Spirit can do. When a little truth is sowed in the true heart, now the story goes on. Towards such a church, which was very special and very difficult.
Corinthos, for this church, the letters written by Paul between 53 to 56 were among his longest and deepest letters. If Galatia was the place where Paul fought for true education, then Corinthos was the place where he had to fight for the behaviour of the people. Corinthos was one of the richest cities of the Roman Empire, but at the same time it was also very ruined.It was settled on a thin land between two seas. From there, the roads of great businessmen passed. Those who connected the east and west, all kinds of people came there.Boatswains, merchants and travellers. In that city, there was a temple of a goddess named Aphrodite. According to a writer of ancient times, Strabo, there were many people who were attached to the rituals of the temple.
At that time, living like Corinthos had become a saying, which meant living without any restrictions, without any limits. And in that same city, Paul started a church. He stayed there for 18 months.In his second trip, he made a tent during the day and taught people at night. He built something real and then he left. And as soon as he left, the church began to break.1 Corinthians It seems like a pastor is handling one problem after another. The church was divided into different groups. Chapter 1, Verse 12.Everyone of you says, I am of Paul, or I am of Apollos, or I am of Caiaphas, or I am of Jesus. People were taking each other to court over small things. A man was living with his stepmother in Cilicia.And instead of correcting her, Cilicia was proud of how open-minded he was. Chapter 5, Verse 1. It is being heard that you have a wrong relationship with people who are not from the outside world. A man was living with his father's wife.
Some people were getting drunk during the feast. It was like a party. The rich people were eating and the poor were starving.They were fighting over spiritual gifts. Some people were showing off their gifts and considering others small. In every chapter, a new problem and Apollos takes care of everyone.
But when he is talking about the gifts among them, he stops for a while. And then he writes about love, which many people believe to be the most beautiful part First Corinthians, Chapter 13, Verses 1 to 3. First Corinthians, Chapter 13, Verses 1 to 3. First Corinthians, Chapter 13, Verses 1 to 3. First Corinthians, Chapter 13, Verses 1 to 3. First Corinthians, Chapter 13, Verses 1 to 3. First Corinthians, Chapter 13, Verses 1 to 3. First Corinthians, Chapter 13, First Corinthians, Chapter 13, Verses 1 to 3. First Corinthians, Chapter 13, Verses 1 to 3. First Corinthians, Chapter 13, Verses 1 to 3. First Corinthians, Chapter 13, Verses 1 to 3. First Corinthians, Chapter 13, Verses 1 to 3. First Corinthians, Chapter 13, First Corinthians, Chapter 13, Verses 1 to 3. First Corinthians, Chapter 13, Verses 1 to 3. First Corinthians, Chapter 13, Verses 1 to 3. First Corinthians, Chapter 13, First Corinthians, Chapter 13, Verses 1 to 3. We don't know what that thorn was. People say different things.
Maybe it was a disease, or a constant trouble, or a person who bothered him. But whatever it was, it bothered him a lot. And he asked God three times to remove it.Three times, but the answer was not yes. God said, My grace is enough for you. Paul did not get what he was asking for.He got something else, which was better than that. The strength to bear it. And this answer has taken care of millions of people.
Those who kept praying to get well, but they got the strength to bear it. Those who wanted the storm to stop, but they got the strength to walk through it. So now, just stop and see, where have we reached so far? Four chalices, four different problems, in Galatia.People were joining things in truth. And Paul said, Grace is enough. In Thessaloniki, people were sad and confused.And Paul said, Those who have died in Christ, they will live first. In Corinth, people were breaking each other in pride and quarrels. And Paul said, If there is no love, then everything else is useless.
And in the second letter, Paul himself broke from within. And he learned that the power of God is clearest when a man is weak. In the four letters, and between each one, He is the Messiah.If these things are helping you to understand these letters in a new way, then send it forward. Subscribe, comment, and share it with your friends, so that other people can also hear it. Thank you for being here.
Now, Corinthus is left behind. But ahead, something big is going to come. A kind of Calicia, where Paul never went.A city, where he really wanted to go. Rome, the largest city in the world. And in about 57 A.D., before reaching there, he sends a letter.His deepest, most thoughtfully written letter. If mistakes, or a simple fight for grace, then Rome is a whole case, where everything is slowly explained. Paul, takes one step forward.
He starts with the rules. And the special thing about this letter is that he is writing such a Calicia, which he did not start. He never met most people.So, he has to prove himself. And he does. He starts.With a truth, which is a little difficult to hear. Romans chapter 1 to 3. Every human being, whether he is a Jew or not, whether he is religious or not, everyone is a sinner before God. Romans chapter 3, verse 23.
Everyone has sinned, and could not reach the level of God. No one is different. All the good people you know, they are also less in front of God.This is the real situation. This is the problem. And then, Paul tells that solution.
Romans chapter 3, verses 24 and 25. We are set right for free by the grace of God. Because Jesus Christ set us free.God gave him to us. To be set right by his blood, by faith, means to be considered right in front of God. For free.It means he was not earned.
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