emacy of Christ. Principal
Divisions and Chief Points.

+The Second Epistle to the Corinthians+--Occasion and Purpose.
Place and Time. Principal Divisions and Chief Points.

+The Epistle to the Romans+--The Church at Rome. Occasion and
Purpose. Place and Time. Central Thought. Principal
Divisions and Chief Points.

III. PAUL'S WRITINGS

STUDY VIII

THE OLD FAITHS AND THE NEW

SECOND GROUP OF EPISTLES

GALATIANS. FIRST AND SECOND CORINTHIANS. ROMANS.

PROBLEMS OF EARLY CHRISTIANITY

+The Old Faiths and the New.+--In this second group
of Epistles, Galatians, First and Second Corinthians, and
Romans, we enter upon a period of conflict in which
Christianity is being defined, and differentiated from
Judaism and Heathenism. No great truth ever came into
the world without a battle for its right to the attention of
men.

The new faith in Christ made large claims for itself.
It marked an advance upon Judaism and maintained that
in Christ was fulfilled all the promises made by the
prophets of the coming of the Jewish Messiah. It radically
antagonized the heathen religions. It had a double task to win
men out of Judaism and heathenism. Only by a careful
study of these great doctrinal Epistles, and the circumstances
out of which they arose, can it be seen how really
great was this task.

+The Great Question+ was: "On what terms does God
save men? Does He owe salvation to any because of
what they have done, or does He bestow it as an
unmerited favor upon condition of trust and self-surrender?" Paul
maintained that the sole basis of salvation is the
grace of God through Jesus Christ to be appropriated by
faith on the part of man. This is still the great question.

+The Jewish Faith+ had been long in the world. Its
prophets had two great themes, the Messiah and the
Messianic Kingdom. All Israel, while observing feast and
fast days, the precepts of the Mosaic law and offering
sacrifices, looked forward to the coming of the Messiah
and the establishment of His kingdom upon earth, as the
supreme fulfillment of its hopes.

It is the contention of Paul in these Epistles that this
Messiah has come in the person of Jesus Christ and
fulfilled all the promises made to Israel, and that, through
faith in Him, believers are released from the observance
of the precepts of the Mosaic law.

There were two parties of Jews who sought to check
the advance of the early church, with its all sufficient
Sa