The Pastoral Paul Was Always Looking Ahead

Last updated on: May 21, 2015 at 7:31 am by Brandon D. Smith

The Pastoral Paul Was Always Looking Ahead 2015-05-21T07:31:10-05:00 Brandon D. Smith

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ctr cover Yesterday, we looked at Andrew Clarke’s article in the most recent issue of the Criswell Theological Review. Today, I want to highlight one other: “Paul’s Eschatological Outlook in the Pastoral Epistles” by Matthew Emerson (now) of Oklahoma Baptist University. In this article, Emerson contests that the Pastoral Epistles, when considered in light of the New Testament canon, have a thoroughly biblical-theological eschatology set within the already/not yet schema.

Here’s a snippet:

Instead of isolating a few texts (e.g., 1 Tim 4:1; 6:14; 2 Tim 3:1) in a discussion of Paul’s eschatology in the Pastorals, and thereby only seeing eschatology as a minor and under-represented theme in the letters, reading them in the context of the canon sheds light on their thoroughly eschatological character.

Paul’s letters to his protégés are not merely instructions for pastoral ministry or ecclesial structure or ethical concerns, unhinged from any chronological mooring, but instead are eschatologically charged epistles meant to teach the church how to guard the good deposit and defend against false teaching in between the times. This of course includes instructions about ministry and structure, but these instructions are given within this larger eschatological framework.

To purchase the entire issue, click here. Or you can find the individual article on ATLA.

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