David Pawson - ’Unlocking the Bible’ Podcast

Part 78 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series  This study is a must for every Christian. The problems in the Colossian church are with us today as we find when we examine Paul’s letter to see what he was responding to. Paul had neither founded nor visited this church, but he’d been told of problems there. Colossae was a cosmopolitan town with many religions which presented relational problems. David believes they had brought too much from outside into the church, which is again a problem in our modern age. He says Colossians gives us a wonderful tool to analyse syncretism, the mixture of faiths. Christ loses his preeminence in the church when other beliefs are mixed in. “If there’s one thing Christ does, he saves us from religion. Christianity is not a religion… It is a relationship with Christ.” This letter can be summarised by two themes – Syncretism that makes a religion of Christianity; and the simplicity of centring everything on relationship to Christ. The New Testament does not tell us to observe Sunday as a special day, or Christmas or Easter. Colossians warns against losing our salvation.

Part 77 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series  David Pawson tackles Philippians’ “controversial” passage in this study – Scholars debate: How much of God did Jesus empty himself of when he became a man? David declares “The things he gave up were not of his nature but of his privileges.” He says that the passage in question is not about theology but about ethics – it is “about Christ’s attitudes and his choices”.  Paul said: “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.” David also warns that we need to take note of the conditions attached to promises of God. Regarding the letter to Philemon, David says that, though it is very short, it is important. It is private correspondence about a runaway slave. David answers the question: Why was it put in the Bible?  He shows that when we are converted, rather than running away from our past, we should put our past right. The story in Philemon is a perfect picture of our salvation.

Part 76 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series  ‘A colony of heaven’ Paul termed the Philippian church though it was in a Roman- occupied city. David Pawson says that God had his eye on this strategic city and sent Paul there. Thus this became the first church in Europe. Paul was now under house arrest in Rome, hence the need to write a letter of gratitude for a gift he’d received, including an ‘apostle’ to help him. David discusses what it is to be an apostle, and also what healing is for. From this letter we have a glimpse of Paul as a person and the kind of relationship he had with his converts. ‘Fellowship is far more than a cup of tea.’ With real fellowship, what happens to one happens to all. Though facing possible death, Paul’s favourite word in Philippians is joy – plus rejoice and thanksgiving. He lived for Christ and therefore he had nothing to lose.  Paul’s true address was ‘in Him’, that’s where he lived.

Explore the powerful teachings of Paul to the Ephesians, focusing on solid doctrine as a defense against heresy. Discover how salvation is not just a gift but a journey requiring good deeds. Delve into the balance of faith and works, emphasizing unity and moral integrity. Learn about the spiritual armor needed for battles beyond the physical realm. Reflect on the interplay between divine predestination and human choice, revealing the transformative power of grace in the Christian life.

Part 74 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series  David Pawson says that many Christians love the letter to the Galatians while others don’t like it. Paul was emotional about its subjects. Galatians ‘strips off all spiritual veneer’.  It was this book which triggered Luther’s Reformation. David says that we need to talk together about our differences. In Galatians, Paul tackles ‘fundamental issues without which you lose the Christian Gospel’. Peter and Paul had a disagreement on one of these issues and this had to be put right. Paul, though a Jew, was a Roman citizen and spoke the Greek language so he was equipped for the mission God had for him. David says that later leaders who come in and take over another’s work often lead it astray and this was happening in Paul’s time. Jewish believers had come into the church in Galatia to try to convince the members that they needed to keep the Law as well as believe in Jesus. They were adding to Paul’s message of the Gospel. This would bring them back into slavery to the flesh, and negate the work of Christ, so Paul angrily wrote against this teaching to rescue those he had won to the Lord.

Part 73 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series  David Pawson says of Galatians, that it is the Magna Carta of Christian Liberty. It wrestles with issues caused by the differences between Judaism and Christianity in the early church. It came to a head with the issue of whether a person is saved by faith or by works. The Judaisers were saying that they needed to start with faith and then go on to keep the Law. So Paul asked the Galatians: having started in the Spirit, are you going to continue in the flesh? Paul was fighting for ‘faith alone’ as the means of salvation. He emphasized the need to ‘go on believing’. David says to introduce the Law at any stage is to put believers under a curse because the only pass mark Jesus would accept for the Law is 100%. Galatians explains why God gave the Law. In speaking on the 3 themes of the book, David says that Legalism is an enemy of Liberty but what people don’t always realize is that License is too. It is a delicate edge we walk in the Liberty of the Spirit. It’s so easy to slip either into Legalism or into License. Real freedom is the freedom not to sin.

David Pawson delves into the duality of body and spirit, emphasizing the Greek influence on Corinthian beliefs. He explains how different perceptions of the body impact spirituality, asserting that our physical actions relate closely to our spiritual lives. The conversation shifts to love, dissecting its various forms and their roles in unity. Paul’s defense against critics highlights true validation not as qualifications, but as the fruit of ministry. The narrative also contrasts genuine ministry integrity with that of deceitful figures, showcasing the challenges within leadership.

The early church in Corinth faced significant struggles, including divisions and immorality, reflecting the city's chaotic culture. Paul’s letters provide vital insights into addressing these challenges, highlighting the tension between maintaining faith and worldly influences. Issues like snobbery and social status exacerbated conflicts among members. Key biblical themes emerge, such as love and resurrection, urging a deeper understanding of principles over mere practices. The podcast untangles these complexities, offering relevant lessons for modern faith communities.

Part 70 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series  In Part 1 of Romans, David Pawson showed that the reason for Paul to write to the Roman church was the tension between Jew and Gentile within the fellowship. Because of their different backgrounds, he deals specifically with the issues confronting them – whether to eat food offered to idols, keeping one day special each week. David shows that the keyword in Romans is ‘God’, occurring more than any other. Paul had to discuss the Law for the sake of the Jews and license for the sake of the Gentiles. The main theme is the righteousness of God, and David says their own good deeds are more likely to keep people out of Heaven than anything else. Salvation is a process that must continue to the end. God justifies us before he sanctifies us. David’s brief outline of the book: Chapters 1-4 Faith which looks to the past; chapter 5 Hope which looks to the future; chapters 12-16 Love which is concerned with working out the present. Chapters 9-11 dwell on the Jews. Paul communicated the Gospel by word, deed and sign. David encourages us to examine a book to break it up to find the structure to aid our understanding.    

Part 69 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series  David Pawson says that Paul’s letter to the Romans is the longest letter we have from the ancient world, and is very important. Paul is obviously countering arguments. Paul has never met the Roman church so why did he write to them?  David believes that chapters 9 to 11, where Paul speaks so much about the Jews, are the key to the whole letter. David asks what the need in Rome was. There were serious social issues there and that is why Paul deals with such subjects as homosexuality, antisocial behaviour, disobedience to parents, uncontrollable violence and crime. Paul seeks to minister to Christians who have to live in the midst of this city of vice and crime. David explains that what had begun as a church of Hebrew believers in Rome had become one of Gentiles as Jews had been expelled by the Emperor Claudius. But then, when the next emperor invited the Jews back for financial reasons, they found that their church had changed in the hands of Gentiles. David says that everything in this letter is to get those two groups back into fellowship. Chapters 9 to 11 counter replacement theology, the thinking that the Church has replaced the Jews.