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Commentary on Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians 2 Kyle Camerlinck Jupiter Christian School Mr. Bryan White Bible 9 Introduction Author Paul, also known as Saul, was an apostle of God who wrote the book of Ephesians and was sent to set up churches for Him. He changed his name from Saul to Paul because he wanted to start his life over, follow God, and live for Him. He wanted to start over because he was known as a man who persecuted Christians. Saul did not even notice he was doing wrong until he started to reach Damascus and a voice yelled from the Heavens saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” Saul answered back, “Who are you, Lord?” then the Lord answered, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But, rise and enter the city, and you will be told what to do.” For three days Saul was made blind by Jesus and did not eat or drink. Then, Ananias walked into where Saul was staying and restored his sight, something like scales fell off his eyes and he could see. After being in Damascus with the disciples he proclaimed that Jesus is the one true God. Then, he fled to Jerusalem where he joined the disciples with the help of Barnabas, changed his name to Paul and became a missionary to Christ. He set out on three missionary journeys where on his third, he was put under house arrest in Rome for two years where he wrote the book of Ephesians. After his release, he left, went to Spain, and was eventually persecuted and martyred by Nero. Date and Place of Writing Paul wrote Ephesians when he was in prison in Rome. He was there because Jews attacked him after his third missionary journey, but he was the one that got arrested. The epistle was written to the church in Ephesus, to help them with their unity. Thychicus deliver... ... middle of paper ... ... showed all this and rewarded us so that one day we would be notice his kindness. The Christian is made alive in God and does good works for him. He does this to show his everlasting grace to everyone. Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (ESV) In verses 8 and 9 of Ephesians 2, Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for his good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (ESV) In verse 10 of Ephesians 2, Application Ephesians 2:1-10 is basically saying not to over use God’s grace. The verses say that God’s grace is a gift and even though every time you sin God gives you grace, you should not over use it. God wants you to good for Him, after all that is what he created you for.
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...
After his conversion to Christianity, Paul traveled throughout the Roman Empire and preached the Gospel, similar to Jesus’ own ministry across Galilee. Paul’s teachings were more focused on the community and the relationships of its members with each other and with non-Christians, whereas Jesus’ teachings were geared towards the individual and his/her personal relationship to God. Despite this discrepancy in their doctrines, Paul’s teachings remain consistent with those of Jesus. In his First Letter to the Corinthians, Paul’s teachings, such as unity in the community and love for others, echo the teachings of Jesus as depicted in the Gospel of Mark and Matthew. Paul essentially reiterates the teachings of Jesus, and applies them to the lives of the people he preaches to, so that they may understand Jesus’ teachings and embrace Christianity.
In my passage Ephesian 1:15-23, this is Pauls prayer to Jesus of giving thanks, God has given us so much, and when God gives us a lot our perception can be changed based on how much we get from God, but we are blind because we can never be satisfied so we ask for more. We can build a wall of ungratefulness and never see the “light of God”.
... is that he comes to each and every person in need. When we start sinking in the storms of life, we need to cry out to the Lord and he will reach out and will bring you out of the water that has begun to drown you.
We assume that Paul had not been in Rome until after the epistle had been written. This is why an introduction was probably formulated; in the first seven verses Paul describes his relationship to the gospel of Jesus Christ and in 8-15 he persisted in his relationship with the Romans to whom his epistle was written. Paul was the harbinger of the theme of Romans, the object of the Gospel was Jesus Christ; Gods revelation of His righteousness (Galatians 1:15). The gamut of Paul’s message was universal. The epistle was written to the believers in Rome (Romans 1:13) and to the saints; this was not a one way street for Paul would also be blessed.
...is simple truth we learn that man must acknowledge when his work is complete and then chose to focus on that which is better and cannot be taken away from us – time spent in communion with the Lord, memories shared with loved ones, and rest. But, most importantly, from this passage we learn that man must not put his faith in anyone or anything else but the Lord, for he is sufficient to provide for our needs and desires. He knows each person before their birth, he gives each of them a purpose in life, salvation from their sins, a place to dwell God’s presence after death, and selfless love. Man’s only true need is salvation from the sins that have condemned him. The only way to receive that salvation is through faith in God. Christ’s sacrifice on the cross has allowed man to do that, anything more is futile for he alone is sufficient and his work is complete.
Virtually all scholars accept the Apostle Paul as the author of Philemon. Paul, who was formally called Saul prior to his work as an Apostle, was born in the city of Tarsus, the Capital of ancient Cilicia. Tarsus was declared a free city by Rome, thus making Paul a Roman citizen. He was Jewish by blood from the tribe of Benjamin. Paul studied under the teaching and influence of the rabbi Gamaliel and became a Pharisee. As a Pharisee, Paul possessed a rigid adherence to the letter of the law and strongly opposed and fought against Christianity. Paul was converted to Christianity by Jesus on a persecution journey to Damascus in AD 33. After his conversion, Paul became a missionary to the Gentile world. He is believed to have written at least thirteen books of the New Testament before his death in AD 67-68.
At a bird’s eye view, the audience sees Paul’s letter as seemingly addressed to the Christians in Ephesus, where Paul “labored for well over two years.” Because the Ephesians as the addressee of the letters are absent from the early manuscripts, it suggests that “it is a letter generated not by the immediate circumstances of Paul or a specific community crisis, but by the desire to communicate the implications of his mission to a wider circle of Gentile churches.” Matera validates this by explaining that it was indeed “a circular letter to Gentile believers in Asia Minor” and that it “functions as a summary of Paul’s teaching for a new generation of Gentile believers.” Paul wanted to show his addressees how salvation is brought about by God’s divine
When we speak of God 's grace, we mean all the good gifts we enjoy freely in life.
Outside of Jesus Christ, there may not be a more important figure in Christianity other than St. Paul the Apostle. Paul was at one point a persecutor of early Christians, however a revelation experience in the mid-30’s AD changed his view of the faith. He ultimately became the most prominent figure in the spread of early Christianity, as his many missions established Christian churches throughout the Roman Empire. During the time of his missions, Paul penned numerous letters to the various Christian communities that he had helped establish. Pauline writings were the earliest of the New Testament writings, and ultimately comprise a third of the New Testament. One letter of particular interest when studying the theology of Paul and the early
Throughout the New Testament there are several noteworthy characters who draw a reader 's attention and help share the Good News message. This being said just who are these characters? There is of course the most important one who is known as Jesus, then there are those like Peter and John the Baptist who are often mentioned throughout the Gospels, but by far one of the most prominent characters (aside from Jesus) is Paul the Apostle. But, the question then becomes just why can Paul be placed at such a high standing? In party the reason for this is because he wrote much of the New Testament, but not only this he also lived quite the interesting life. For instance, his life prior to his conversion adds important information to his post conversion
Bruce, F.F.. The Epistle of Paul to the Romans. (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1983)
Although many authors referred to Paul as the apostle to the Gentiles, but it’s a fact that he was most probably the most significant and chief Christian preacher, evangelist, and theologian ever lived and who took the Divinity of Christianity to its new heights. According to the Book of Acts he was born in Tarsus at the close hour of Christ’s emergence in this mortal world. He was a member of the tribe of Benjamin (Phil. 3:5) and also was a Roman citizen (Acts 16:37;22:25). He was born in the Diaspora in the city of Tarsus in Cilicia, present day Turkey. At the early age of twelve or thirteen probably at the time of his Bar-mitzvah (an age when Jewish boys become accountable for their own actions), Paul might left Tarsus for Jerusalem to study Torah under the supreme guidance of Greatest Rabbi of that time Rabban Gamaliel the Elder, a Pharisee. The Rabbi Gamaliel is considered a significant and respected person in history as he was the one who counsels against the persecution of Disciples. He was given the title of “Rabban” meaning leading rabbi of the nation or head of the Sanhedrin (Feingold,
The Apostle Paul was born around the year of 3 A.D. in the Jewish community of Tarsus originally Saul. When he was born, his strict Pharisee parents dedicated him to the service of God and did all they could to bring him up as good Jew. From age five to ten he studied under his father, a Jewish Pharisee. His father taught him the scriptures and traditional writing. Saul was sent to Jerusalem at about ten years old to attend the rabbinical school of Gamaliel. Gamaliel was the most famous rabbi who is mentioned in the New Testament (Acts 5:34). Gamaliel soon discovered Saul was an enthusiastic student and expected great things from him. He felt that he would be a great leade...
Csuniv.edu has quoted Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advanced for us to do,” to emphasize integration through faith by serving. On Tuesday of the second week of college, I noticed an event escalating outside of the chapel. So, I walked over to see what the occasion was. There were about 12