What are Pauls most important contributions to Christian theology?
One is justification by faith, the concept that humans are saved from sin by believing in Jesus. Jewish tradition focused on ritual observations and living according to Jewish law. Paul created a theological framework for understanding that Jesus’ death and resurrection triggered a fundamental change in humanity’s relationship with God–a relationship in which faith, rather than behavior, was the central element. This idea is sometimes described as “faith alone”–in Latin, “Sola fides.” Justification by faith was one of the main points of difference raised by Martin Luther and other reformers that led to the Protestant break with the Roman Catholic Church.
