First Pres Podcast

July 19 -- If the Gentiles are to be included in the community of Christ, what then of Israel? What role do they play in God’s on-going work in the world? In Romans 9-11, Paul attempts to respond to these questions by once again turning to the pages of the OT. This lesson examines how Paul distinguishes between all Israel and the “true” Israel even in the stories of Genesis and the prophets.

July 12 -- Paul’s calling to preach Christ to the Gentiles (i.e., non-Jews) marked a radical shift in the early church — one that occasioned a good deal of controversy, especially among Christian Jews. In order to defend the validity of his mission as an “Apostle to the Gentiles” (Rom 11:13), Paul turns to the story of Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 12-17. In this lesson, we discuss how it is that Paul comes to see the Gentiles as the true and rightful descendants of these well-known figures from the Israelite Scriptures.

July 12 -- Paul’s calling to preach Christ to the Gentiles (i.e., non-Jews) marked a radical shift in the early church — one that occasioned a good deal of controversy, especially among Christian Jews. In order to defend the validity of his mission as an “Apostle to the Gentiles” (Rom 11:13), Paul turns to the story of Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 12-17. In this lesson, we discuss how it is that Paul comes to see the Gentiles as the true and rightful descendants of these well-known figures from the Israelite Scriptures.

June 28 -- We tend to think about Paul as many things: Convert, preacher, missionary, theologian, and, perhaps most of all, writer. While Paul is all of these things, he also can be understood as an interpreter whose Scriptures consisted of what we now call the Old Testament. This lesson explores how and why Paul uses the OT so often in his letters to the earliest Christian churches.

July 5 -- Needless to say, the Apostle Paul did not possess a leather-bound, NRSV Study Bible with Jesus’ words highlighted in red. But what did Paul’s Bible look like? How was it like or not like our Old Testament today? This lesson takes a closer look at the content, format, name, and language of Paul’s Bible.

July 5 -- Needless to say, the Apostle Paul did not possess a leather-bound, NRSV Study Bible with Jesus’ words highlighted in red. But what did Paul’s Bible look like? How was it like or not like our Old Testament today? This lesson takes a closer look at the content, format, name, and language of Paul’s Bible.

June 28 -- We tend to think about Paul as many things: Convert, preacher, missionary, theologian, and, perhaps most of all, writer. While Paul is all of these things, he also can be understood as an interpreter whose Scriptures consisted of what we now call the Old Testament. This lesson explores how and why Paul uses the OT so often in his letters to the earliest Christian churches.