Review of the salutations to churches in chronological order revealed that the omission of "saints" in the intro to Galatians is consistent with the stylistic development in Paul's epistles. This episode addresses a natural follow-up question: why did Paul fail to mention "church" in his salutations in his last 4 letters? Was his address to "saints" an intentional swipe at established churches in preference to the more personal and individual address to "saints?" In Augustinian terms, was Paul preferring the "invisible church" ["saints"] over against the established "visible church?" No evidence in the Pauline corpus indicates a demotion in Paul's mind of the visible church, for Paul seems to presume that visible churches are mostly comprised of genuine saints. And the visible church is the primary means of Christian growth. The five-fold ministry of Christians leadership mentioned in Ephesians 4:11-13 is indispensable for Christian growth. So Paul's omission of "church" in his salutations of his last 4 church letters should NOT be interpreted as Paul's "developing theology" in which the visible church matters less than maverick saints.
“Also no Salutations to Saints in Thessalonica”
On the road to answering the question regarding the omission of the word "saints" in the intro to Galatians, this episode notes that the same omission occurs in the books of 1 and 2 Thessalonians. Paul uses the words "saints" in 6 of his 9 epistles to churches. The episode notes Augustine's distinction between the visible and invisible church, and posits that Paul addressed his letters to the visible church, which included believers and unbelievers. Christ's use of the word church in Matthew 16:18 only referred to believers. "Upon this rock, I build my church." The distinction between the visible and invisible church might possibly influence how the question is ultimately answered.
How an Exclusive Romans 7 Theology Undermines Delight in God’s Law
This episode provides another possible reason why many Christians do not have a full appreciation of the Law, and this lack is made more salient because the psalmist in psalm 119 wasn't even born again. The psalmist was nevertheless beside himself with love and delight in God's law. So how is it that NT believers, who by definition are born again, have less delight with the Law of God than the unregenerate psalmist in Psalm 119? The episode first addresses the presumption of many that the psalmist was born again, showing that the Scripture indicates regeneration is a result of the resurrection (1 Peter 1:3) and the glorification of Christ (John 7:39) Believers consequently were NOT born again in the Old Testament. They nevertheless put their faith in God and even delighted with the Law of God, based on the influence of the Holy Spirit. So again, how is it that the unregenerate psalmist, who is INFLUENCED by the Spirit, delighted more with the Law than many REGENERATE Christians today? The episode contends that the sanctification expectations of "Romans 7" Christians stunt appreciation of God's Law. If Christians are at best divided souls, where the fleshly and spiritual principles are intractably at war, WITHOUT the expectation that the Spirit gains the upper hand, then the natural consequence is that these believers can never attain a holistic appreciation of God's Law. But this purely Romans 7 theology collapses in light of Romans 8:2, "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death." The episode closes by exhorting believers to embrace the substantial victory of the Spirit over the fleshly principle and as a bi-product holistically delight in God's Law.
You’ve Been Freed..Why Are You Still in that Prison Cell?
This continuation of "Don't Be a Romans 7 Christian" focuses on Romans 8:6, "The mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace." This statement articulates the intentional effort required of every believer to engage the mind on the Spirit. We are free to engage either one, and intentional choices to live for Christ lead to substantial victory over the flesh. The victorious message of Romans 8:2 is that Christians have ACCESS to a higher, more powerful source to live according to the Spirit, "The Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death." All believers experience the tug-a-war between these two competing principles (Romans 7:14-25), but Christians who INTENTIONALLY engage the mind set on the Spirit access the power to get victory over the flesh. Unfortunately many believers resign themselves to being Romans 7 Christians because they are unaware that they've been liberated. This freedom however requires intentional engagement with the Spirit. The last 20 minutes of the episode provides practical tips on how to set the mind on the Spirit.