I listen mostly to Christian radio, this is especially true when I am in my car driving to and from work. Today I just so happened to get a little clip of a show on Moody radio called “The land and the book by Dr. Charlie Dyer.” They were talking to a couple who are ministering in the Middle East to Muslims and Christians. They talk about the fear that Christians have in preaching the “Good New” outside of the church in Syria, and how much persecution/genocide is happening there. (Moody Radio, 2014) Although I knew that the world was having trouble it didn’t quite sink in until this point. Becoming a Christian has changed my view on the world; I would have never thought twice about these issues until I opened my heart to Jesus Christ. In this essay I will talk about the Apostle Paul’s writings to the people in Rome on the matters the natural world (Adams sin, the evidence of God’s power, etc.), human identity (Our identity through Christ), human relationship (Paul’s relationship with the people, and God), and culture (Jewish circumcision, the Abrahamic covenant)
All of what God has created on Earth is considered the natural world. The natural world has played a role in our sinful nature since Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden tree of knowledge. (Geneses 3) “Sin entered the world because of one man (Adam), and death came because of sin.”(Romans 5:12) Paul talks about how God’s power is evident through what he has made (natural world), and therefore the “people have no excuses for what they do.” (Romans 1:20) Since the Law is of this natural world, we are only bound to it until death. (Romans 7:1) Paul says that no-Jews by human nature “do naturally what the law requires.” “They are a law for themselves, even if they don’t have ...
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...e his circumcision and explains that the physical act of circumcision is not enough, that faith is more important. He places importance on the word being for the Jews first and the gentiles second; because of the Abrahamic covenant. In conclusion, it is apparent that Paul’s letters (that which were written so long ago) still hold meaning for us as Christians today. We should approach them with the back knowledge that the early Christian suffered greatly to get us where we are today, and we should thank God for these divine works that keep us going on the right path to righteousness.(Romans 1-8)
Works Cited
Ed Hindson, E. L. (2013). Illustrated Bible Sruvey . Nashville: H&B Publishing Group.
Moody Radio, D. C. (2014, 5 3). The Land and The Book with Dr. Charlie Dyer. Retrieved from Moody Radio, where you turn for life: http://www.moodyradio.org/thelandandthebook/
In Romans the apostle Paul is conveying to the Jews that the righteous shall live by faith and that he is not ashamed of the power of the gospel. The theological themes in this book includes the unrighteousness of man, justification righteousness, and sanctification. The book of Romans message flows with the Old Testament
Neglect the “Nations of the World” and instead focus on the “Nation of God”. Christians path in life can be boiled down to giving their full allegiance to the Kingdom of God. In doing so they need to denounce the coercive and violent ideologies of the natural world. Translating this to the Christian call to action, we must follow the Kingdom of God in transforming the world, rather than using politics as a means towards such a transformation. This is based upon his destroying of the notion that America is a Christian Nation: “What gives this understanding of the kingdom of God such strong emotional force is the long standing myth that America is a 'Christian nation. ' From the start, Americans have been inclined to believe that God’s will was manifested in the founding of our country and is yet manifested in the global activity of our nation. Throughout our history, most Americans have confidently assumed our nation’s causes and wars were righteous and just and that God was 'on our side. ' In our minds, and often in our churches, the cross and the national flag have gone hand in hand. Consequently, the conservative church has, to a large extent at least, tended to view itself as the religious guardian of all that is godly in our culture. America is a holy city 'set on a hill, ' and the church’s job is to keep it shining” (Reknew). Remove the temptation and allegiance to the natural world and it can and will distract
Paul, once being a highly religious and zealous persecutor of Christians because he was passionate about keeping the Mosaic laws, encountered Christ while on his way to persecute more Christians. As he encountered Christ, Paul’s life was changed from a highly zealous man to one who emptied himself to become a follower of Jesus and spread the gospel. Thus, making him one of the most important characters in the history of Christianity.
Goheen, Michael, and Craig Bartholomew. Living at the Crossroads: An Introduction to Christian Worldview. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008. Print.
In the essay "Worldviews in Conflict," Charles Colson and Nancy Pearcey compare and contrast the ideas of Christianity and the views of today's society. Throughout the essay they provide information about how the changes in society affect views regarding Christianity. Charles Colson and Nancy Pearcy's essay was written to contribute information so others could understand their views about the shifting cultural context and how it affects society's beliefs.
Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, Second Edition. Edited by Walter A. Elwell. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2001.
In this week’s Christian worldview we looked at Philippian's chapters two and four. In chapter two we are looking at putting others needs and interest first and in chapter four we are looking at doing the right thing through God’s help. Paul explains the benefits of us living our lives with the mindset of Christs.
Paul was suddenly faced with a situation where the success and fulfillment he was planning to reach had to be completely eliminated. Paul then decided that if he was going to go, he wanted to be able to share his experience through the expression of writing based on his intellectual knowledge and personal realizations. This ideology is similar to what this religion course has elaborated on in relation to morality and the decisions we make based on different circumstances. In the face of a life and death crisis, it is human nature to try and find spiritual peace, which is what Paul does. He uses past experiences and current ones, based on his belief system to help him accept the inevitable and realize what matters most in life. Three core concepts Paul exhibited the most during this process that we explored in this religion course are, finding and exploring one’s vocation, the dignity of the human person and its impact on one’s sense of responsibility towards ourselves and others, and the use of revelation and how it affects humans when put in circumstances that are personally
For my essay I have chosen to focus on Paul’s concerns of christian freedoms in his letter to Corinth. Paul seemed to be very concerned with this issue and he used two different chapters to discuss it. To examine these issues i will use the New International Version, King James Version, and New Living Translation. Throughout my essay I hope Paul answers the following three questions; 1. Was idol worship a major concern in the church? 2. How did Paul suggest the people deal with this issue? 3. How can these texts be applied in christian life today?
Paul wrote a letter to Philemon while he was in prison thus called the Book of Philemon. Paul appealed to Philemon to forgive his slave and no longer view him as a slave, but a brother in Christ. By following the format (Salutation, Thanksgiving, The Plea for Onesimus, Final Greeting) Paul skillfully build up his plea for Onesimus. Through this letter Paul tactfully persuades Philemon through means of emotional kinship.
Vincent van Gogh once said, “Great things are done by a series of small things that are brought together.” This is the case with religion, especially the monotheistic three, for each religion is a building block for the next. The stories of Christianity are an essential part of Islam, and Judaism provides the foundation for all three. Today, Christianity is the largest religion in the world, having grown tremendously from the small persecuted group of Jews who revered a carpenter’s son. However, without Paul, it is quite possible that Christianity would have never have split from Judaism, much less flourished into the world’s leading religion. Because of this, I believe that Paul is the most important thing I have learned about in Christianity over the last two months because he provides an example that everyone can be saved, he spread the word of Jesus Christ, and he opened Christianity to the Gentiles; all
Paul was upset that the Galatians could be succumbed to other influences rather than the spirit. “I would like to learn just one thing from you; Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard?” (Galatians 3:2). Paul was telling the Galatians that they didn’t need a cultural identity (Jewish circumcision) to experience the spirit. “Those who want to impress people by the means of the flesh are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. Not even those who are circumcised keep the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about our circumcision in the flesh” (Galatians 6:12-13). I think that Paul was trying to show them that just being circumcised wouldn’t bring them closer to
After debate on the necessity of circumcision among the barbarians (Gentiles), the “Council of Jerusalem” took place to resolve the dispute. Acts recounts Paul attending the Council because he was “sent forth by the church” (προπεμφθέντες ὑπὸ τῆς ἐκκλησίας); effectively, Paul was summoned by those leaders in Jerusalem who possessed authority over him. This notion of subservience is in stark contrast with Paul’s aura of independence and pious. Paul records the events leading up the Jerusalem council including a “revelation” from God, which lead him to the city. There is a good chance that Paul was attempting to flaunt his autonomy regardless of whether or not it actually existed. Doctrinally, the conclusion of the Council at Jerusalem would have been a great victory for Paul. Paul’s vehement fight against the necessity of circumcision for the Gentiles was validated by the distinguished church leaders, namely Peter and James. As it is written in Acts, Paul was “dismissed” (ἀπολυθέντες) from the council, with only a few especially important Jewish laws for Gentiles to uphold. Possibly as a matter of hubris, Paul neglects to mention any laws imposed upon his gentile
Sometimes people have asked me “What are we studying today” And Ive responded “Oh you know, the 7 steps to a successful circumcision” and as people look at me like what? really? Then I say . . . In Christ! And they laugh and say of course! And so when the teaching team got together to talk about this series and we were diving up the scriptures and assigning who was going to preach about what, Pastor Tom gave me this passage about circumcision! Take a look at verses 11 - 13a . . . 11 When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature. 12 For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. 13 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. God initiated circumcision in the Old Testament as part of His covenant with His people in order to set them apart and identify them as true followers. One of the problems at Colosse was that legalist were demanding that Christians submit to circumcision and obey the OT Law. These false teachers were a bit different than the ones that Paul confronted in the book of Galatians. In Galatia, the false teachers were insisting that circumcision was necessary for salvation. Here in
Upon reading his letters on the accounts of Jesus, I am deeply disturbed by Paul’s numerous contradictions, jarring hypocrisies, blatant anti-Semitism, and demeaning antifeminism. Even more troubling is Paul’s consistent failure to not ever quote Jesus, but to make the recipients of his letters rely solely on the fact that God and Jesus consecrated him, Paul—according to Paul, himself (of course). Paul believes that he has been chosen, much like Abraham, Noah, Moses and the Prophets to carry out Jesus’ demands of how people should live until Jesus returns. However, unlike Abraham, Noah, Moses, and the Prophets, Paul does not dictate t...