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Essay on the book of ephesians
Essay on the book of ephesians
The book of ephesians response essay
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The book of Ephesians was written by the Apostle Paul. He ministered to Ephesus. Paul lived in the city where the famous temple was owned by the Greek goddess Artemis. This city was run by the Romans in 190 BC. This city is known to have really well-known christian leaders visit. The population was roughly around 33,600-56,000 people when the Romans were in control. The main language spoken in the city was Latin. Paul saw many people follow the faith in Jesus Christ. Paul did not only right Ephesians but wrote Colossians and Philemon also. Paul spent three years preaching and also teaching the ways of Jesus Christ, trying to get people to understand. Ephesians is one of Paul’s most formal letters. Ephesians deals with topics at the very core of what it means to be Christians, in faith and in practice. Ephesians acts as a base for the Christian people’s faith in Jesus Christ being the lord and Savior. Ephesians …show more content…
The word “preach” in this verse means “announce the good news” in the Greek translation. Paul was doing just that, he was ministering to the Gentiles and also the Jews but Paul’s mission was to “preach” to the Gentiles. The Gentiles know something of the riches of Christ blessings (“the riches of God’s grace” in Eph. 1:7 and 2:7 and the riches of his mercy in 2:7). Even though Paul wasn't standing before the Gentiles in person or publicly, God’s message was heard loud and clear by the Gentiles he was trying to reach out and teach. God Knew What he Wanted to do With the Gentiles God had a plan for the Gentiles all a long but just kept it hidden. He wanted the Gentiles to be saved by the Gospel. God saw that Paul was desperate from all the sins that he has committed and used Paul to help spread the word to the Gentiles so that his plan for them would come true. He told the Gentiles to no be discouraged because of the mystery he brought up to them. The authorities in the heavenly
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.
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.
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...
As one begins to read the letter to the Ephesians, he is intrigued not only by the many topics that the letter mentions, but also the fact that there are some major differences between this book and Paul’s other writings. The purpose of this essay is to explore the book of Ephesians by commenting on critical issues, such as date, authorship, and setting, major theological themes, the purpose of the letter, and to offer an outline of the book itself.
a) The most important was the letter to the Romans that he wrote while he was in Corinth, Greece. b) Poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge regarded Romans as, "The most profound book in existence. " c) Commentator Godet called it, "The cathedral of the Christian faith." d) Martin Luther wrote, "This epistle is the chief part of the New Testament, and the very purest gospel.the more it is dealt with, the more precious it becomes.
His aim is to teach his audience how they can be saved from the price and power of their own sin. Paul says that the root of man’s spiritual distance from God is found in his sin. He tells us that Jews and Gentiles are all alike through sin and that no man is righteous. There is no difference between the two because all have sinned, however, all are redeemed by the acts of Jesus Christ and have been justified in their sins if they have faithfulness. He uses Abraham as an example to this. Though Abraham may not have been an heir to the world under the law, he received righteousness through his faith. He says that those who have been justified by faith will have peace through God. Not only so, but we also have glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope(5:3-4). Paul illustrates a connection between the gospel and everyday life. He tells us not to conform to the
The city Ephesus was founded in about 1044 B.C. It was considered to be a wealthy city due to the fact that it was a commercial center of trade. Ephesus was the most important city in the Roman province of Asia. It was a center of great commercial life and a crossroads of the empire. "The city was known throughout the Roman world as the center for the worship of the goddess Artemis, and the great temple of Artemis was located there. This great temple was larger than two football fields in length, and was one of the seven wonders of the world. (1)" Due to this, the city had a powerful influence in the Roman community. The church was began by Paul (Acts 19). Paul preached Jesus to some disciples who had been led to some knowledge of truth by Apollos, they believed and were baptized by the Spirit and so the church in Ephesus came into existence.
in the work of sharing the gospel. During three years Paul was in Ephesus teaching them about
“Paul wrote his letter to the church in Corinth during the winter A.D. 56-57” (“An Introduction To The Book Of Romans | Bible.org”) to the faithful Jews who had established this church. Paul wanted to meet them face-to-face and provided this letter as his introduction until he could travel there. Paul’s message begins by addressing human identity in which everyone is ungodly and unrighteous. He tells us that we all have sinned, rebelled and not followed God’s will. The sinful way of humanity keeps us a part for God, although He has clearly shown His marvelous wonder since creating the world and through his Son Jesus Christ.
In approximately 50 A.D. Paul had traveled to Philippi and then to Greece for the first time. During this time, he and two traveling companions, Timothy and Silas, they spread the word about Jesus to the Thessalonians. They formed a community of believers there and Paul was the founder of this new Christian community. He, Timothy, and Silas exercised authority over the Thessalonians according to 1 Thessalonians 4:7. “we were able to impose our weight as apostles of Christ”. The three stayed with the newly founded community for quite a while and it was not specifically stated as to how long they stayed all the book said was that “they stayed for a time to be”.
The book of Hebrews is a unique portion of the Bible because it is written as though it were a letter, directed at people the writer may have known. However, the book targets a seemingly broad audience of those without faith and also those that could be described as believers that have experienced persecution. A salient message within Hebrews is that people must persevere when they feel persecuted because Jesus Christ is their salvation, regardless of anything else that is happening in the people’s lives. An emphasis on the greatness of Jesus and his role as a mediator between God and those on Earth is dominant throughout the chapters and verses.
Contribution of School of Alexandria: Alexandria is one of the greatest cities in Egypt. The Hebrew bible was translated into Greek Septuagint here. The Pantaenus was the first teacher of this school. Clement of Alexandria (A.D. 155-215) and Origen (A.D. 185-254) was the outstanding member of this school.
Corinthians is an authentic Pauline epistle this letter compared to Ephesians uses church in a plural form considering the word “you” refers to a group of
The Apostle Paul is known as the greatest missionary of the early church. Paul, who once vowed to wipe out belief in Jesus Christ, was later converted to do the work of Christ. He would author almost half of the 27 books in the New Testament. He endured sickness, rejection, and repeated attacks on his life to bring the message of God's grace and forgiveness to Gentiles. Paul was the apostle largely responsible for the solid inception and growth of Christianity. He spoke before Jews, Greeks, and Romans. Paul is known as the apostle to the Gentiles. He defended God's Word before kings and emperors of this world. By the end of his life, much of the Mediterranean world had been reached with the gospel.
Talbert, Charles H. Ephesians and Colossians. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2007The New Interpreter's Bible: General Articles and Introduction, Commentary, and Reflections for Each Book of the Bible, Including the Apocryphal deuterocanonical Books. Vol. XI. Nashville: Abingdon Press, ©1994-2004.