It was possible at this time to begin an informal letter from a religious leader with a prayer. This is how Paul begins this letter.
#### Special concepts in this chapter ####
##### The day of Christ #####
This is probably a reference to the day when Christ returns. It was common for Paul to connect the return of Christ with motivation for godly living. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/godly]])
#### Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter ####
A paradox is a seemingly absurd statement, which appears to contradict itself, but it is not absurd. A paradox occurs in this chapter: Paul rejoices in his suffering. Most people do not think that they will rejoice in difficulty. Paul's statement, "to die is gain" is another paradox.
See in Reader
