What is the center of Paul’s theology? Traditionally, Protestants taught that justification by faith was the center. More recently, scholars proposed reconciliation, union with Christ, and transformation as the center. In The Affections of Christ Jesus, Nijay K. Gupta proposes love as the center.

“The language of love in one form or another occurs over one hundred times in the Pauline corpus,” he writes. “Furthermore, every single letter contains love language — that cannot be said for other contenders for the so-called center of Paul’s thought.”

In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk to Gupta about what love is and why it may be “the bull’s-eye center” of Pauline theology. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.

Nijay K. Gupta is Julius R. Mantey Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary. He is editor of Dictionary of Paul and His Letters (2^nd ed.), The State of Pauline Theology, and most recently, The Affections of Christ Jesus: Love at the Heart of Paul’s Theology, published by Eerdmans.

This episode of the Influence podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of Open When . . . Parenting through Everyday Moments.

In Open When . . . Parenting through Everyday Moments, child development professionals and Christian education experts discuss the most common parenting scenarios faced by families today. Readers will be empowered with knowledge, tools, and strategies for navigating the complexities of each issue while also nurturing the child’s spirit through scriptural application.