The Christian, according to the apostle Paul, lives between two times. The end is already present with Christ's death and resurrection, but the end is yet to come with his second appearing. Following the seminal work of Oscar Cullmann, Marvin Pate argues that this "already/not yet" eschatological tension lies at the heart of all writings of the apostle Paul and is, in fact, the key to understanding them. Pate traces the concept of “already/not yet” back to its Jewish roots and shows with exceptional clarity how Paul’s teachings on God, Christ, human beings, salvation, the Holy Spirit, the church society, and the last things can be successfully placed within this “already/not yet” framework. In his analysis, Pate exegetes numerous key passages in the Pauline letters.

The key to understanding the apostle Paul's teaching lies in the apostle's understanding of eschatology or "the last days."