Faithfulness to Faithfulness: The Compass of Spiritual Reading in the Letters of Saint Paul

Abstract

This paper is intended for the spiritual reading of St. Paul’s Letter. It investigates the dynamics and movements in the relationship between Divine and human reality. For the Divine reality, it investigates God’s Hesed in the covenantal promise, particularly with Abraham, and its fulfillment in Jesus Christ, who will come on the last days. In human reality, the Shema and commandments are explored together with Emunah and Hineni as the human response to God’s faithfulness. Also, it investigates the tradition of zealousness for God, having no idols, and living a moral life. The key to human reality is conformity to Jesus Christ and having faith like that of Jesus in the Father, through which there is justification and participation. Maranatha is the human disposition to the parousia of the Lord. Finally, the paper investigates the eschatological dimension of One God, One People, and One Future: the new creation, new heaven and earth, new mind, and new ways of relating called the Church.