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The apostle paul's contribution to christianity
The apostle paul's influence on the church
What influence did Paul have on Christianity
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The Apostle Paul was attributed to 14 out of the 27 books in the New Testament. Some of his most popular writings are in Acts and Romans and have had significant impact to Christians all over the world. Paul wrote letters to various churches and could be considered one of the most influential men in the Bible. In Ephesians 4:7-16, Paul addresses how all believers should have unity in Christ and they need to recognize and use their spiritual gifts. This passage gives significant implications for the personal and social life of Christians. What was the application he intended for those who heard it or read it? Why did he write this letter? Context Historical & Cultural Background Approximately A.D. 53, Paul and his associates took four
Paul the Apostle is the central figure in many New Testament writings. Many historians have attributed fourteen New Testament letters to Paul’s writing; seven of these letters are uncontested meaning historians are sure that Paul wrote them, the remaining seven are contested. Paul was not always a Christian; in fact, he persecuted Christians before Christ came and temporarily blinded him. Upon seeing Christ, Paul devoted his life to Christianity and set out to spread the teachings of Christ. Scholars often credit Paul’s leadership to the ability of the Church to become Hellenistic in one generation. Paul also answered specific worries and questions that his converters may have had in many of his writings; one of these writings is 1 Corinthians. In 1 Corinthians, Paul set out to deal with the many believers in Corinth who are divided into the followings of Paul or Apollos rather than Christianity as a whole. The converts of Paul in 1 Corinthians 12-14 were divided during times of worship because of jealousy invoked by the spiritual gifts received from the “Spirit”; the worships and the church became a place to boast who is closest to God, instead of a place of worship, interpretation, and love. In 1 Corinthians 14:26-33, Paul set guidelines in times of worship to heal the divide among his converts present in 1 Corinthians 12-14.
Scholars of the Pauline writings have divided them into the following categories: (1) those unquestionably by Paul: Romans, I and II Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, I Thessalonians, and Philemon; (2) a letter that was probably written by Paul, but has had serious questions raised about its' authorship: II Thessalonians; (3) letters that were not actually written by Paul but were developed from his thought: Colossians and Ephesians; (4) letters that bear Paul's name but clearly come from another time and different set of circumstances in the church: I and II Timothy and Titus (the so-called Pastoral Letters); (5) a letter not bearing Paul's name and which evidences a wholly different thought and religious vocabulary from that of Paul: the Letter to the Hebrews (Kee, 5th Ed. 224).
Throughout many of Paul’s letters there are many debates pertaining to the authorship, destination, date, and the purpose. In the book of Ephesians many scholars debate on the authorship and if Paul actually wrote the letter, or if it was a scribe. Although there are some debates on whether Paul actually wrote it or not, he does refer to himself twice in the letter. In 1:1 and in 3:1 Paul states himself, 1:3 states, “For this reason, I Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles” (NIV) In verse 1:3 Paul states that he is a prisoner, therefore it is debated that he did not specifically write this because he was imprisoned in Rome at this time. According to Wallace “This, of course, is not to say that the letter must be by Paul, but it is to argue that without such internal testimony, no such claim could be made” (Wallace). Many scholars also debate on the vocabulary usage and the structure of the letter. Some believe that the structure is similar, but the vocabulary seems to be different than his New Testament epistles. Hoehner claims that,” Though the book has a close affinity with Colossians, critics claim that Ephesians is uncharacteristic of Paul” (Hoehner 613). The destination of Ephesians is somewhat debated, but many do believe that the letter was sent to the church of Ephesus. “Some to claim that Ephesus is a better starting point, others suggest Caesarea.” (Wallace) Although this is an argument that has many valid points, it is obvious that Paul was imprisoned in Rome while he wrote Ephesians. It is said by Hoehner that “Ephesians was probably delivered by Tychicus (Eph. 6:21-22), who also took Paul’s letter to Colossians (Col. 4:7-9)” (Hoehner 613). As for the date goes m...
Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians was both his way of showing gratitude and to give further instruction to his early Christian followers on how to maintain their faith in Jesus Christ, they now all possessed. The Thessalonians had not always been followers of Christ they were previously Gentiles who then converted to Christianity. Paul gave thanks and further instruction to the Thessalonians so that they could stay prepared for the Advent. I believe that Paul was aware that the followers of Christ what be subjected to temptation and suffering for spreading the Gospel. The Gentiles and Satan could have a great influence on followers of Christ if they are not prepared. Paul knows the struggle of being converted and in result prepared the Thessalonians through ministry and prayer.
A major problem that needs to be addressed is the question of setting. Was the letter to the Ephesians only written to the church at Ephesus? Most sources suggest that it was not. The oldest manuscripts, such as codex Vaticanus and codex Sinaiticus, do not have the church at Ephesus as the recipient of the letter; this was added into later manuscripts (Donzé et al, 534). Many state that Ephesians was a circular letter, a letter that was meant to circulate among all of the churches in the area and not meant to be specifically addressed to one church. This theory is supported by the fact that there are very few proper names in the letter, unlike the other letters Paul wrote, and the fact that it does not address specific problems of the church, only general statements are mentioned. Also, if the letter were, in fact written solely to the Ephesians, Paul would probably have included some reference to the fact that he was the pastor of the Ephesian church for two years (Ramsay, 454). Instead of doing this, the author uses phrases such as “I have heard of your faith” (1:15), implyi...
The main message of this passage is that whatever He calls us for to do we shall do it, and hope for the best, to experience the riches of his glorynessasked, and to feel his Almighty power. But be grateful for all that He has done for us. In the passage it is easy to catch that Paul is praying/asking for “Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.”(olive tree ESV Ephesians 1:17) So he himself Paul can know him better. Also he asked for “having the eyes of your hearts enlightened” (olive tree ESV Ephesians 1:18) That verse means to flood us/him with light, because God is light, and those lights go on we may see something that we have seemed to miss before our switches have been flipped. Paul is asking for overflowing knowledge from God. The major themes I've noticed in this passage is “hope," ‘inheritance” an “power”. The main idea of this letter is to show thankfulness to what God is providing us in this life.
Ephesians is comprised of six chapters and is considered a Deutero-Pauline epistle meaning that it is considered dispute. In other words, Ephesians is thought to perhaps not been written by the apostle Paul. The audience that this book is directed towards are the people of Ephesus who are already considered to be following Christ (Ephesians 1:1). Later, in Ephesians 2:11, the author states that the audience was previously considered to be Gentiles but had since been converted into followers of Christ.
The passage I have chosen to critically analyze is Ephesians 1 :7-10. It states: “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment---to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.”
The book of Romans was written by Paul. It is actually a letter that Paul wrote to the Romans telling them about his understanding of the Gospel. In this book his explains our sins and how we can achieve forgiveness through Christ. The most specific sin that he explains is that of judging one another. He helps address the problem of religious disagreements about different customs or religious convictions. These customs or religious convictions include the days on which people worship the Lord and the things that people will and will not eat. He wrote about the fact that we should not judge each other for God is going to judge us all in the end.
Literary Context In trying to understand Philippians 2:5-11 it is equally important to understand what is going on both before this passage occurs and what happens after. Paul is writing a letter to the church in Philippi and unlike some of his other letters he is filled with joy when writing to them. Immediately his letter begins with praise and thanksgiving directed towards the Philippians due to their kindness and provisions that they had consistently provided for Paul while he was in Prison. Paul then goes on to write about the fact that his imprisonment has advanced the Gospel of Christ.
In this brief book, the presumed author Solomon dictates the idea that everything we do, outside of a God-centered worldview, is futile and unfulfilling. To begin with, there is some debate as to whom the actual author of Ecclesiastes is, but the overwhelming majority of critics deem the authorship of this book to Solomon, King David’s son, based on textual clues. It is also generally accepted that this book was written late in King Solomon’s life based on the text in chapter 12:1-7. Ecclesiastes is similar in style to several Biblical poetic books as well as in context to various ancient Near Eastern texts, which demonstrate that practical wisdom is of little value in the real world. Having been blessed with great wisdom, Solomon would have been a prime candidate to explain the futility of wisdom (Hill & Walton 458-459).
The story of God contemplating killing Moses in Exodus 4:18-26 is a story that is not prominently taught in churches, yet it is important to learn and understand. Whether taken allegorically or literally, the stories in God’s Word should be processed and wrestled through. Understanding the plot of the story and formulating a personal response are two components that are important when reading passages, such as in Exodus.
Essentially, at least to the modern day reader, the wording in James 2:8-11 is clear and unambiguous, making it imperative to search for the most important words within the passage, i.e. the words “keep”, “law,” and “commit.” While the overarching theme of the passage is to love one’s neighbor as oneself, James is speaking about the “law.” Ordinarily, laws are “kept;” and if they are not kept, sins are “committed.” Webster’s defines commit as “to carry into action deliberately;” keep as to “take notice of by appropriate conduct;” and law as, “the revelation of the will of God set forth in the Old Testament; the first part of the Jewish scriptures.” Researching those words via the Greek of Biblical times reveals many meanings for the word law, but, as James used it in Chapter 2:8-11, it is the rule of action prescribed by reason and approved by God; or the moral instruction given by Christ, especially the precept of love.
Throughout passages in Paul's letter to the Romans, there are many themes that we have seen before in his other letters to the Corinthians, Galatians, and Thessalonians. Paul's passage in Romans 8:1-17 is a summary of all of his main thoughts that he wants every Christian to live his or her life according to. Paul uses references of the "Spirit" and the "Flesh" to communicate his ideas.
Opening and reading others’ mail is not something any of us would do to today. But if we did, aside from a felony, we would find there are things in the letter between two people we would not understand. Continuation to narratives we are unfamiliar with, inside jokes, references to experiences and conversations they are privy to and all not elaborated on in the letter. When one reads the letter of 1 Timothy, one needs to realize this a personal letter from Paul, the teacher, to Timothy, his student and, besides the fact that they are in the first century, there are going to be statements one does not understand. Therefore, to understand 1 Timothy 5, one must first perform an exegesis, then consult a commentary, and lastly, attempt to provide