In my first semester of grad school, I took a class in ancient Greek and Roman rhetoric. No, I will not wax on and on about Aristotle, Plato, or Cicero. It is enough to say that I surprised myself by actually liking the study of ancient persuasion. Actually, I was really excited about the class and bored my family members by quoting from the ancients periodically. Sigh. I am such a nerd.
You're wondering why this is relevant, and here's the deal.
I discovered, as I was reading about rhetorical strategies, that Paul, the author of at least half the New Testament, used most of Aristotle's best techniques. As an aside, all truth is God's truth.
But back to the point, we see some of those here in this letter.
In particular, Paul has introduced several main points in his letter, and now he concludes it by summarizing.
"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage, be strong. Do everything in love."
And I've blogged on all these topics.
Watch out.
Don't get lax in your faith.
Take it seriously. Make it a priority.
Live a life of love. All the time.
If Paul thinks these things are repeating, who am I to think differently?
Now if only I could just do all those things all the time.
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