God Sees Us All As Equal

Christianity over the course of history has a vast influence on individuals, society and the way believers conduct themselves. It provides morals, practices and ethics that every Christian attempts to live by. Throughout the many denominations in the Christian church, Paul of Tarsus had a significant influence on the faith. His contribution to the development and expression of Christianity is immense and can be seen to stem from his writing and missionary journeys which have implemented his ideas and interpretations onto the development of Christianity. After Jesus, Paul was arguably the most significant figure in Christianity as his teachings form a significant part of the New Testament. Like may other Pharisees of that time in history, Paul sought to suppress the early Christian movement. He accused early Christians of blaspheming against God and breaking Mosaic Law. However, Paul had a life-changing experience when he had a vision of Jesus, and he spent the remainder of his life as a missionary for the early church. Centuries after his ministry, his teachings still influence Christian theology.

In this passage of the second letter to the Corinthians, Paul addresses several concerns. He is addressing the situation of a man who has sinned not only against himself, but against the Corinthian Church as well. He explains why he wrote a letter rather than bringing sorrow upon them. Paul is sensitive to the Lord’s leading, and in love, writes to the church encouraging them to discipline this man in love for the purpose of restoring him. He urges the Corinthians to be obedient and love the man through forgiving and encouraging him. Paul shares with them his trust in the Lord for the outcome of this matter and how burdened he was for restoration to take place. He warns them of the need to not allow Satan a foothold through this

The purpose in writing Colossians was to express Paul’s personal interest in the Colossians to warn them against reverting to their old pagan vices, and to counteract both the theological heresy and its practice within the church at Colosse. We live in a world where religious confusion is ramped, just as it was in the days of the apostle Paul we are confronted with false teaching without and within the church and as the early church rejected all forms of syncretism because they were convinced that Jesus alone was God and the only way of salvation, this truth was firmly stressed. Thus, as with the early church, so the church must not tolerate the syncretism of our day. We can tolerate genuine pluralism, the idea that the religions of the world can peacefully co-exist, but not syncretism, the idea that the beliefs of various religions can be combined. Our society wants a tolerance that accepts all beliefs. Tolerance can be defined in two ways, legal tolerance is the right for everyone to believe in whatever faith (or none at all) he wishes. This is important in our society, and we as Christians should maintain our conviction that no one should ever be coerced into believing as we do. Another legal way of tolerance is social tolerance, a commitment to

Paul, having figuratively died and rose again with Christ, demonstrates a profound change in his outlook. Armed with a transformed mindset, the once vitriolic man who had been possessed by the demonic “Us vs. Them” mentality, goes on to champion unity and equality -- “In Christ’s family there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female. Among us you are all equal” (Gal. 3:28; The Message). He then implores fellow Christians to defy conformity, exhorting them to be transformed by gauging their values against the credo that holds ultimate significance -- the will of God, which Micah defines as acting justly, loving mercy and walking humbly with God (Rom 12:2; Micah 6:8).

Here again Paul refutes the interlocutor that it is not just the Gentiles that have sinned; however all of humanity

Even though this is good news, Paul knew that not everyone viewed this as good. Of those that choose to reject the saving message of salvation in Christ Jesus consistently, he tells them that God turns that person over to the fulfillment of the shameful inclinations of their own mind. This is shown in chapter 1, beginning at verse 18. Because of the rejection of God, the human situation only gets more and more depraved. We descend to fulfilling our carnal, base cravings, and that is get involved in everything that

The book of Colossians is another of the Pauline letters which Bible scholars argue against Paul writing. When observing the letter to the church at Colossae, the author is writing to address a particular theological concern, which is consistent with validated Pauline letters (Harris, 2014). Additionally, the writer of Colossians also denounces tradition and legalistic practices, which Paul vehemently condemned. Also, just as Paul did in his authenticated letters, the writer of Colossians states that Christians should live a virtuous life due to their portrayal of Christ. However, there are also arguments against Paul’s authorship of Colossians.

Paul’s mission and writing was for the sake of guiding God’s people to a life of righteousness. Paul’s opponents, believed, that the law of Moses’, (to be circumcision is the way to salvation) , Paul, taught about the Law of Christ is the way to salvation.

Paul of tarsus outlined the expression of Christianity through his missionaries and letters. Paul’s conversion happened after a Christian said “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” Acts 9:4. Paul embarked on three missionary journeys, He firstly went to Cyprus, Pamphylia, Pisidia and Lycaonia and he visited established Christian communities. Paul talked to the apostles and convinced them that salvation came from faith in Christ not observance of Jewish law. Paul also conveys the importance of faith in Christ “We have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by doing the works of the law, because no one will be justified by the works of the law” Galatians 2:16. Secondly, Paul went to Europe via Galatia and revisited Christian communities. On Pauls last mission he went to Ephesus and stayed there for 3 years. Paul had wrote 14 epistles and taught that God became incarnate in Jesus to save all Christians from sin. Jesus did this by sacrificing himself on the cross and then resurrecting. Paul persuaded the council of Jerusalem that circumcision and laws don’t have to be done by gentile Christians.“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” Philippians 4:13

St. Paul sanctifies the human body as a temple in Romans and 1 Corinthians by describing the human body as a “temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not nor your own” (1 Corinthians 6:19). St. Paul suggests that believers in the Christian faith are not only living for themselves but for the Lord and out of the Lord’s grace; thus, as Lord’s creation, the physical, human body is to be sanctified. St. Paul brought forth the idea that marking the body through circumcision is unnecessary for a person that has faith because God doesn’t discriminate between those who have newly-turned to Christianity and those who were brought up Christians. “Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision?” (Romans 2:27) The Christian faith a person holds is not a mark on a body, it is a lifestyle. Christ’s body has been marked so that his disciples’ bodies don’t have to be. This faith, as an extension of the Old Testament, was created through Abraham, who himself was uncircumcised. “Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? For we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.” (Romans

How much society has changed over the centuries as we re-learn what to most was shared with good intention through word of mouth mostly or through the occasional weekend trip to town on Sunday most of which neglected sufficient research dedicated to knowing and understanding the Apostle to the gentiles, Paul! Reading Rediscovering Paul it is apparent that the Apostle was influenced by the society he was raised in.

     The meaning of the passage to Paul is to strengthen his brothers in the faith. Paul wrote this to show them that things will not always be perfect and that some times they will face trials but with Jesus all things are possible. Paul also encourages himself through the encouragement of the church of Colosse. I think that when Paul writes to the church’s and tell them what he thinks, encourages them , prays for them, or even just telling them what he face for the gospel, that it gives him a sense of accomplishment or even a sense of why he is doing what he is doing.

To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; to those who are without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partake of it. In doing so, Paul states, “I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be

Paul makes it clear in Romans and then again in Acts, that just because you are a Christian, and have accepted Christ and come to salvation, does not mean you can break the law. Paul is clear in Romans to the Jews that they are not to break the old ways or Mosaic Laws. In our text you will read that a person born to a Jewish woman is considered a Jew. So Timothy who had a Jewish mother, but a Greek father, would have been considered a Jew. Paul was not being hypocritical because the Jerusalem Council had come to these rules and written the letter to the Gentiles. Timothy was not by any standards a Gentile. He was considered a Jew because of his mother’s heritage. Paul would have wanted Timothy circumcised as a Jew should have been. Not to be circumcised in this matter would have been

All throughout the beginning of Paul's missionary journeys and after, he suffered great trials. In 2 Corinthians 11:23-28 Paul recounts what he went through such as imprisonments, countless beatings, and near-death experiences. Paul also struggled with sin just like a typical man. In Romans 7:15-25, Paul speaks of his inability to do what he desires, but instead he does what he hates. He aims to do good and not evil. Also in 2 Corinthians 12:7 it says, "And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure." Paul was given abundant revelations and a thorn in the flesh. The following verse mentions that he asked God to remove it three times; however, God refused and told him that His grace is sufficient.