Philippians is one of Paul’s four prison epistles, whereas like Ephesians, Paul wrote to the Philippians from a Roman prison. He begins his letter in Philippians 1:12-14, “Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the good news. For everyone here, including the soldiers in the palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ. And because of my imprisonment, many of the Christians here have gained confidence and become bolder in telling others about Christ.” Paul continued to express the seriousness of his circumstances in Philippians 1:19-26, where he speculates about the fate of his future, whether he would live or be executed. While imprisoned in Rome, Paul received a visitor name Epaphroditis. Epaphroditis was a member of the church in Philippi, who was sent to Rome to deliver a financial gift from the church to Paul and to learn of his circumstances and upcoming trial in prison. There are …show more content…
several purposes for Paul’s letter to the Philippians. As he received the gift from the church, he used this moment not only to thank them, but also to give confidence to them by expressing the happiness he has found in Jesus Christ. Also, his aim was to minimize inaccurate false teachings, and he writes of the health plans for Epaphroditis, who became ill during the visit. Paul’s plan was to send Epaphroditis back and send Timothy who had previously helped him deliver the good news. In Philippians 1:15-18 Paul begins to speak harshly about a group of people who seemed to be teaching opposing views.
He warns the Philippians that “some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry. But others preach about Christ with pure motives. They preach because they love me, and they know the Lord brought me here to defend the good news. Those others do not have pure motives. They preach with selfish ambition, not sincerity. They intend to make my chains more painful to me.” These opponents were most likely Judaizers who taught that New Gentiles had to be circumcised according to the law, in order to be considered a part of God’s covenant. Early Jewish Christians viewed the covenant relationship as maintaining loyalty to Mosaic Law. Paul responded to his opponents by teaching the Philippians not to instill confidence in flesh, instead place all of their confidence in Jesus Christ. He used his own experience being circumcised on the eight day as meaningless in terms of him knowing
Christ.
When one reads the New Testament, a contradiction appears in reading Paul and James’ teachings concerning ‘faith’ and ‘works’. There is also question about the word ‘justified’ as to its meaning. In Paul’s letter to the Galatians, Paul writes this “16 yet we know that a person is justified[a] not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ.[b] And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by faith in Christ,[c] and not by doing the works of the law, because no one will be justified by the works of the law,” in 2:16. (NRSV) And in Galatians 3:6-7 says this, “6 Just as Abraham “believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” 7 so, you see, those who believe are the descendants of Abraham.” (NRSV) Paul also stated in Romans a similar idea, “28 For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law,” in 3:28. In chapter 4 of Romans, Paul uses Abraham as an example from
Aquinas, St. Thomas. COMMENTARY on SAINT PAUL'S EPISTLE to the GALATIANS. Trans. F. R. Larcher. Albany: Magi Books, 1996.
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...
Unlike the other churches like Galatians, when Paul writes to Romans, he is writing to a group of Christian converts that he has never actually met before. Despite not knowing his audience personally, his message to the Romans is similar to that of the Galatians- a bad destiny comes to those who do not remain faithful and follow evil and God determines the fate of those who have faith. Near the beginning of Paul’s incredibly long letter to the Romans, he warns them outright of their destinies if they reject all that is true and commit sins, proclaiming, “But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for
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.
In continuance of Romans chapter 5 verse 20, the next sentence of this verse reads as follows: “But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound”, notice, the beginning portion of the sentence as stated just before the comma is implemented, it says, “But where sin abounded. What this means is, that where sin was exceedingly plentiful and beyond measure in the sense of it having dominion, it no longer abound having dominion over the lives of those who were born and shaped in iniquity, but instead are made free from this curse through Jesus Christ. Because of the grace of God, we were justified by faith unto redemption in salvation, praise God, sin is no longer present.
The Epistle to the Romans, often shortened to Romans, is the sixth book in the New Testament. Biblical scholars agree that it was composed by the Apostle Paul to explain that salvation is offered through the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the longest of the Pauline epistles and is considered his "most important theological legacy. The Apostle Paul wrote it roughly about A.D. 57. The key personalities in the book of Romans are the Apostle Paul, and Phoebe who delivered this letter. Paul wrote the letter to the believers in Rome, hence the name “Romans”. He wrote it to give them a concrete theological foundation on which to construct their faith and to live for and serve God effectively” a servant of Christ Jesus called to be an apostle and set
The rest of this letter to the Philippians is much more praise and thanks from Paul. The interesting part about this and something to remember is that Paul is in fact imprisoned and rather than complaining about his situation, he takes the opportunity to give God the glory. Paul in fact uses the word “joy” sixteen times throughout this letter and overall that is a summary of what he is expressing to the Philippians. Rather than Paul merely rebuking the Philippians and making a laundry list of all the things they were doing incorrectly, Paul was taking delight in knowing that the Philippians were doing God’s will. Along with this, ...
The term “hope” appeared many times within the letters of Paul, fifty-four in the NIV Bible to be exact. The Greek term that Paul used for “hope”, “ἐλπίς ”, conveys a sense of trust in a divinely given future. Paul amplified this definition for hope in Romans; he wrote, “For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have?”
Apostle Paul of Tarsus has been described as a one who "gave his heart and strength as he ministered to each flock" (Moore 115). This description is definitely applicable to Paul?s ministry in Corinth.? Though Paul?s ministry began with a visit to Corinth that is chronicled in Acts 18:1-18, the majority of knowledge about the nature of his relationship with the Corinthians comes from the letters that he wrote to them after his departure.? By examining the account of his initial visit and the letters, it is possible to determine a few of Paul?s main themes.? These include the proclamation of Jesus as Christ, clarification of theological disputes in I Corinthians, and Paul?s own authenticity as an apostle in II Corinthians.
Paul, the great apostle of Christ, now well into years, is a prisoner at Rome. He is there because of his faith in Jesus; he is a Christian and the Caesar has sentenced him to die. As winter approached, Paul wrote a letter to Timothy (II Timothy) and in that letter, Paul reminisced about those days, when he had taken the young man Timothy as his own beloved son. When Paul was stoned and left for dead at Lystra, it may well have been Timothy, who wiped the blood stains from the apostle’s face, bound his wounds and cared for him until he was able to continue his journey. Paul greeted Timothy with the salutation: “To Timothy, a beloved son.” And, he longed for the joy of seeing him. Even though, Paul asked Timothy to
Paul lays himself out for poor Onesimus, and with all his means pleads his cause with his master: and so sets himself as if he were Onesimus, and had himself done wrong to Philemon. Even as Christ did for us with God the Father, thus also St. Paul does for Onesimus with Philemon… We are all His Onesimi, to my thinking(The Book of Philemon. (n.d.).” The book of Philemon is metaphor of what Jesus did, so sinner would be set free from the bondages of sin. God having the power to forgive sin. Jesus the mediator also the one who pays for the sin. Lastly, sinners who are slave to sin and death. Philemon represents God, Paul represents Jesus, and Onesimus represents sinners bound to slavery. Paul came before Philemon asking him to forgive Onesimus and to no longer view him as a slave, but a brother in Christ. He also informs Philemon to charge him for Onesimus wrongdoing. Christ did the same thing for us with God. Jesus came before God and paid the price for sin of the world. Through this sinner could now become saved and become children of God. This letter retells what Christ did for us through the greatest theme of
Introduction In a world of cell phones, instant messages, and constantly growing communications, letters such as Paul’s can seem outdated or misunderstood. Styles and approaches used thousands of years ago become unmatched to the mold of current generations. For many modern day individuals, a piece of paper that takes days to arrive, is a waste of time. However, during the time of Paul, a piece of paper that took weeks, months, or even years to receive, meant the world to an individual.
The beginnings of my life are an interesting jumble, and they highlight the cosmopolitan world that was the Roman Empire. I was born in an Asian city now located on the southern coast of Turkey called Tarsus in about the year 10. My parents were Jewish, presumably strict Pharisees. They were also Roman citizens.
He preached to the gentiles his own experience of baptism and conversion. Paul thought that by being immersed in water you were joining Jesus as he died for our sins and when emerging from the water you were arising into a redeemed life. In comparison baptism is similar to Jewish circumcision in the idea that it stripped of the ways of the flesh and initiated a convert into the ways of the spirit. Pauls theology of baptism was the first Christian attempt to explain the death of the past and beginning new. Going into the Patristic period just a confession of your belief was no longer enough for admission to baptism.