Chapter 3

  Suffering and Omnipotence

Paul does not deny the reality of the current struggle, but he does proclaim the indisputable triumph of good over evil, rejoicing over the suffering that he understands as integral to the redemptive process. Paul genuinely and absolutely believes that God, through these seemingly chaotic ages, is working a plan that will culminate in the best of all possible worlds—all things, events, and individuals each accounting for a stitch in the tapestry of the whole.

There is zero tolerance in the theology of Paul for doubting the omnipotence of God.  God to Paul is the sum of all perfections; undefeatable, indivisible, all loving-one. God has never failed, is not failing, will never fail and on this truth Paul stands unflinchingly. When he does not understand God’s dealings, he waits, sometimes in silent suffering, sometimes with a loud cry of pain, but always with faith. Distressed, yes at times, but not despairing; under intense pressure but never crushed; persecuted but not left alone; beat down, but always returning to the fight. Paul sees himself quite literally as superman, overseeing the initiation and instruction of many others of his same order. All that transpires in this earthly human experience is for the purpose of training, testing, preparing, and perfecting the royal heirs of God, anticipating the predestined age of the cosmic restoration of all things.[1] Paul and his Gentile disciples are understood to play leading roles in the unfolding drama of the universe; no less than joint heirs with Jesus the cosmic Christ and King of Kings. Paul has unfairly and mistakenly been considered an exclusionist by shallow, unlearned detractors who interpret him with academic prejudice. Admittedly, Paul is difficult to interpret, but a thorough, comparative study of his letters carefully and objectively contextualized reveals a man with a vision of God as consuming love; a God who will be no less than all in all. The themes of Paul range from God’s cosmic plan with universal implications for all orders of created beings to his special plans and purposes for Israel, and most prominently in his letters, the high and holy calling of the church. His letters address all important questions philosophical and theological. If Paul’s letters represent any truth at all it behooves the seeker of truth to approach his writings as the one who is indeed the arbiter of revealed truth in this age. Paul has easily been the most read, most influential, most contemplated writer in the Western tradition, yet, in this modern era he has faded into obscurity, as pop culture embraces every fanciful explanation of things imagined. Christianity, not to be out modernized, has parsed him down to categories of convenience, picking and choosing snippets of his thoughts to support denominational party lines and best-selling books on self-improvement. At the same time modern New Testament scholarship has swallowed camels while straining out gnats, casting doubt on the validity and authenticity of the traditionally received Pauline corpus. Paul himself warned of decline into academic arrogance, describing it as “philosophy and vain deceit…”