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A Note On The First Missionary Journey Of Paul(At Least 2 Pages)
A Note On The First Missionary Journey Of Paul(At Least 2 Pages)
A Note On The First Missionary Journey Of Paul(At Least 2 Pages)
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Galatians: Controversy of the Law
Paul’s letter to the Galatians is said to be the first intra-Christian controversy on record because there are so many points Paul tries to make and clear up with the Galatian people that lead to the purpose the law. There are many ideas in Christian theology but the one that stands out the most is the controversy of law. The Galatians turned to a different gospel and this appalls Paul. The Galatians believe that circumcision is the next step that needs to be taken to show their trust in Jesus. Paul, on the other hand, believes it to be unnecessary because there is no need for physical proof to prove their trust and that faith in Christ is enough. “Listen! I, Paul, am telling you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you” (“The Harper Collins” Galatians 5:2). In this essay, I will be describing how Paul proves his argument by his personal experience, the issue of circumcision, hypocrisy, and the justification of law.
Paul had already preached to the Galatians once before and they took to his message quite well. Once Paul left, however, to preach somewhere else, the Galatians started to follow Jewish Christians that had a different gospel than Paul’s. This infuriates Paul and therefore writes a letter that concerns this problem. In Galatians chapters one and two Paul traces back the origins of his gospel to prove to the Galatians that his gospel is the one to follow, not the Jewish Christians who are trying to convert them to false claims and that believe that the Gentiles must be circumcised or else they will not be saved. Throughout Paul’s whole letter to the Galatians, he tries to prove to them that this is all false and by just having faith in G...
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...wish Christians that were trying to change their beliefs. Having faith is all one needs to get God’s love and redemption.
Many of Paul’s points were relevant to social concerns and Christian faith in the 21st century. We have laws that lead us on the right path to not sin and therefore having faith for God to forgive us for our sins. The hypocritical part of Paul’s letter to the Galatians also reminded me of some 21st century concerns as well. For example, people sin everyday but choose to lie about it because they are embarrassed by their actions. I know I am guilty of sin and have been somewhat hypocritical and choosing to bend the truth just to get out of trouble. Paul is saying throughout the letter to live by faith and you will be saved. The law is there to help guide you on a righteous path but faith in God is the big message to take and to live by.
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.
Aquinas, St. Thomas. COMMENTARY on SAINT PAUL'S EPISTLE to the GALATIANS. Trans. F. R. Larcher. Albany: Magi Books, 1996.
In the Galatian letter, Paul offers a stern rebuke to the Christians there for accepting false teachings. In fact, they had turned aside to what he describes as a “different gospel” (Gal. 1:6-10). Undoubtedly, this “different gospel” sounded good. But was it really good? Most certainly not! We live in a deceitful world, and Satan seeks to find ways to infiltrate a Christian’s life and lead him/her astray. Chimney corner Scriptures are merely one avenue he might
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
After Reading Mark and Galatians, one might notice the overarching theme of ethical guidance presented in each of these books. If we analyze this, we can compare and contrast Mark’s view on ethics with Paul’s. We see many similarities when discussing faith and trust. Both Mark and Paul believe that one must believe and trust in the Lord for them to live a proper ethical life. However, we also see contrast between the two books when talking about forgiveness. In Mark, Jesus forgives many people and tells them that they are cleansed of their sins. In Galatians, Paul does more scolding than forgiving, telling the Galatians how they should be living their lives and what they are doing wrong. In fact, if we compare Mark to Galatians we can see many large similarities and key differences that can help us better understand the text as a whole.
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.
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.
For centuries it has been debated whether Paul and James contradict each other’s theology. At times, they do seem to make opposing statements. The Book of Galatians affirms over and over that we are justified by faith in Christ alone, not by works of our own. Most evangelical Christians agree to that concept of sola fide. We are faced with an interesting dilemma when James famously says, “faith without works is dead.” Martin Luther, himself, felt that the Book of James should be removed from the canon of scripture because of such statements. When one looks at the context of these verses, we realize that the theology of both books complement rather than contradict each other. Although they both deal with the relationship between faith and
The Apostle Paul rights about the conviction of the heart (Romans 2:15), when as Christians our perception of right and wrong is only justified by a common morality of other Christian believers. How instead we should live is in our justification of our savior, giving to him our body, sprite and mind and all he asks of it. By using the meaning of our life and our talents to influence those with the naturalistic and pantheism beliefs, shows our God is the creator and alive (Hebrews 11:32-40).
God’s written law is something that is and should be continuously turned, to not only when Christians find themselves in need, but also throughout in one’s daily life. The four gospels tell to story of Jesus’ life and his teachings he gave while on the earth making it possible for there to be a true example of Christ-like faith. The proposition that there are differences in the story of Jesus and in his teachings seems to question the basis upon which the Christian faith is found upon. Rather than proclaiming the gospels as falsehoods because on the differences they possess, by analyzing the differences in the context of the particular gospel it can be understood that the differences are not made by mistake, rather as a literary device. While the four gospels have differences and similarities, they cannot be regarded as an argument against the faith because their differences are what point to the many aspects of Christ.
Paul was angry with these baby Christians because they were trying to live out the Christian life by keeping the law!" (https://www.ptm.org/legalism/legalismConfessions.htm) II. Biblical Perspective A. Old Testament In the Old Testament, mainly in Leviticus and then again in Deuteronomy, God lays out a vast number of laws for his people to follow. Some people, today, still take all of these laws and apply them to their everyday lives, but what they don't understand is that God established these laws for a reason. The laws were simply God, protecting the Jews from themselves.
After all, “God is a God not of disorder put of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33). It is important to first understand the contexts of each of their teachings. Jesus ministered to Jews and was sent to fulfill the law. Jesus states, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17). Jesus was preaching to a group that understood the prophecies and was attempting to convince the Jews of his identity by fulfilling the law. Conversely, Paul ministered to Gentiles who were apart from the law. Instead of the law creating opportunities for Jews to come to Jesus, it was dividing the church and creating problems. This may help explain why Paul seemed to focus more on grace. The two were preaching the same religion, but presenting it in a different way to fit to what their audience needed to hear at that time. Paul writes to the Romans that, “sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace” (Romans 6:14). This does not imply that the law is now completely irrelevant and that “we [should] sin because we are not under law but under grace” (Romans 6:15). Instead, “through the law comes the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20). Therefore, we should have a desire to not sin and please God since Jesus has provided us so much grace. Jesus actually does teach about grace, but not in a way as straightforward as Paul’s letters. One example is the parable of the laborers in the vineyard. The landowner hired workers who could not find a job and then was “generous” in providing wages, paying everyone the same no matter how many hours they worked (Matthew 20:1-16). Jesus may have been indirect in his teachings of grace because he taught the Gospel before his resurrection, which means the people could not yet fully comprehend the large amount
This is the corner-stone of the whole Christian building. We are justified without the works of the law,” (Sermon 35). Wesley believed that Morals and perceptions in the eyes of God are more important and necessary in order for society to work
They argued that the gentiles must be circumcised and follow the commandments of Moses There were discussions but James made two prominent statements that save the church. There must be unity in the Church and that unity must be firmly defended, protected and promoted in the Church as inspired by the Holy Spirit. In spite of lots of discussions and confusion, the whole assembly had been greatly challenged with the testimony of Paul and Barnabas about great miracle and wonders God did among gentiles through