New Testament Chapter 13

Paul's letters to the church, also known as epistles, are considered some of the most important documents in the New Testament. Paul's writings continue to shape and forge church even today. His letters were written in some of the darkest, most intense moments of Paul's life, but they also celebrate the grace, love, and life changing power of Jesus. Paul's journey in faith is shown in raw, unapologetic honesty, and inspires Christians to maintain a forward momentum, and to run the race Paul speaks so passionately about in Hebrews 12:1. Paul is able to write with both confidence and humility as he writes about the Christian journey.

Are the copies in existence today an accurate representation of the original copies of the New Testament? There are many facts and studies that prove this claim to be true contrary to popular belief by non-Christians and other religions alike. There are at least three reasons that it can be know with certainty that the New Testament in existence today is an accurate representation of the originals. Including the amount of copies, age, and determining that the variants within the Bible do not make a difference.

When Ephesians is analyzed for authenticity, first scholars look into the text of the Book of Ephesians. The text of Ephesians starts with “Paul” and then continues the same greetings, doctrinal styles, salutations, etc, which can simple conclude that Paul was the writer. On the other hand, “Extremely long sentences frequently contain vocabulary not found in the unquestioned Pauline letters;” (Barth) are found. This makes Ephesians look like it is a pseudonymous writer, imitating Paul’s teachings, having their own spin on it. Also within the book, it was found that there were thirty-five words that are never used by Paul in any other letter (Wallace).

The letters to the Ephesians is the 10th book in the New Testament. The texts that were written before and after it, are the letters to the Galatians and the letters to the Philippians respectively. According to tradition, the Apostle Paul wrote the letter while he was in prison in Rome, around 62 AD. Paul wrote the letter to the to Gentile (non-Jewish) followers of Christ, most likely a church in Ephesus. Paul wrote this letter to encourage Gentile believers, and to make it clear that Jews and Gentiles have been brought together as part of one body in Christ. Paul was also wanted his audience to be made aware of the moral laws they may have been  poor in following, or that they were unaware of. The literary form of the Ephesians is of letter form.

The problems and questions created by each community necessitated Paul’s writings. For he Paul’s writing to the Thessalonians was to convince them to turn away from the idols. Moreover, writing letters were important to Paul as it was one of the effective way

This form of criticism, however, works under the assumption that the biblical texts were created, transmitted, reworked and preserved in communities where they are authoritative. Another assumption is that this criticism includes study of how the texts functioned in believing communities. Therefore, Canonical Criticism focuses on the communities that found these texts authoritative and how they functioned and shaped the traditions of that time. This criticism has shaped my perception of biblical interpretation by demonstrating that not only are the writings important in gaining insight into text, but also is examining why faith communities found the text authoritative. Along with considering their cultures, Canonical Criticism helps explain why the scriptures are canon and gives insight into the communities, how they interpreted the text, and the text’s function in society. Pertaining to biblical interpretation, Canonical Criticism offers insight into the text that looks beyond the text into its function in believing communities during its creation and by examining that relationship, one is able to gain a better understanding of why texts are considered inspired and others are

Harris, S. L. (2015). The New Testament: A student's introduction (8th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill Education.

Borchert, G. L. is an Evangelic scholar. This resource is a well-rounded commentary that examines not only the grammar and syntax of John’s Gospel; looking at each verse, but it also examines the themes found in that text. Discussing aspects of John 13 the author says, “This chapter, which introduces the Farewell Cycle, is one of the masterpieces of Christian literature that sears itself on the mind of anyone who has heard or read it. Indeed, the foot-washing scene is a classic turnabout that is made increasingly more vivid by contrasts with the human miscues of the well-meaning Peter.” Because this work is well written and easy to follow it will be useful in research relating to leadership because it helps one understand the text of John 13:1-20

In the ESV study bible, the authors wrote an excerpt on Ephesians prefacing the author, title, date, background information, and a description of the ancient city of Ephesus. Relating to the author of Ephesians all scholars believed that Paul wrote the letter, until recent times where many scholars propose that an imitator or a follower of Paul wrote the letter. The scholars give two reasons for this theory, the first is the letter’s style does not represent Pauline thought, and the second being the authors unfamiliarity with the recipients. In contrast, some scholars say there is ample proof of Pauline authorship; the first reason is the letter explicitly claims to be Paul’s in Ephesians 1:1 and 3:1, and the second reason subsists in more analysis of the text and that it is similar to other Pauline texts. The final argument for Pauline authorship is the forcefulness of the author’s speech mentioned in Ephesians 4:15, and verse 25. In these two verses, the argument that the author is unfamiliar with the audience stands debunked because the author commands of them and the author addresses the unity they all possess.

“ Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.” Rom 5: 20-21, what a great news; whoever believes in Him is free indeed! Our salvation does not rely on us through works, but it is the free gift God to whoever believes in His son. Paul discusses the Mosaic Law, he explains that the Mosaic Law in itself is right and without flaws, it is our incapacity to uphold the law that creates our dilemma. Anyway, the

Finally, the Book of John concludes the Gospels within the New Testament. The Book of John is broken down into four sections. The first section serves as a prologue. Subsequently, the second section accounts for the miracles Jesus’s performed. Following the second section, the ascension to the third section entails the glory of God. Conclusively, the fourth section finishes off with epilogue, including the reappearance of Jesus after his resurrection. Similarly to the other books of the Gospels, the Book of John introduces Jesus’s baptism performed by John the Baptist and concludes with Jesus’s death and resurrection. On the contrary, the Book of John focuses on literal elements and symbolic elements. The Book of John included seven miracle

The New Testament is rooted in history; real histories like time and space. It is also striking in its personal tone. The great majority of its documents are letters; personal letters similar to those used in the modern era. The format may be somewhat different for moderns; however, for those recipients receiving and reading the letters in the 1st Century they represented normal writing conventions. The four Gospel accounts the New Testament contains are personalized accounts of the life and work of Jesus Christ as he came too initiated in the Kingdom of God. They are informative and actually contain the very words of Jesus. Luke, the writer of one of the accounts, gives, early on, in his account, the genealogy of Jesus as traced

Genesis 1:28, “…and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth…” is the verse most Jews and Christians turn to in an effort to justify marriage, committed sexual relations, and procreation within the marital relationship. Yet, the Bible teaches that the most prominent figure of the New Testament, Jesus of Nazareth was a staunch practitioner of the celibate lifestyle. As a partner in the creation of the universe, Jesus Christ would understand the mandate given by God the Father to populate the earth. The Christian Scriptures are clear that the historical Jesus was well steeped in knowledge of the Hebrew Scriptures (Luke 2:32-49, John 6:59, Luke 4:15-21) and as a devout and practicing Jew, He would understand the importance of progeny and family to the Jewish faithful. Yet, in His role as an itinerant preacher and leader of as nascent Jewish sect, from our understanding of the Gospels, Jesus led what seems to be an asexual existence, leading to the practice of celibacy. Why? The New Testament leads one to believe that Jesus saw sexual relations in particular, and marriage in general, as a time wasting and ultimately unnecessary endeavor, in the big scheme of things.

First Timothy 4:11-15 was written by the Apostle Paul to Timothy. He writes this letter after he leaves Timothy and goes to Macedonia during his fourth missionary. At the time of these letters, Timothy was serving as pastor of the local church in Ephesus. Timothy was a native of Lystra, a Roman colony in the province of Galatia. He was a pastor who accompanied Paul on his second and third missionary. He seemed to become Paul’s protégé, and Paul spoke of himself as Timothy’s “father” and of Timothy as his “son”. First Timothy, along with Second Timothy and Titus are known as the Pastoral letters. Paul has previously warned the Ephesian elders that false teachers would distort the truth and lead people

The book of Ephesians is an epistle written by Paul to the church in Ephesus. It takes the form of a letter aimed at addressing the Christian congregation. Paul wrote the letter, along with several other epistles, while incarcerated in a Roman prison. With the assistance of Tychicus, Paul sent his letter to Ephesus, the capital of lesser Asia (Weber, 2000). Paul’s letter aims to expound on the critical role played by the church as a constituent of God’s plans. The church is presented as furthering God’s eternal purpose, with Christ as its head. With its comprehensive and insightful analysis, Ephesians offers further discourse on issues pertaining to Christ’s church as explained in other epistles. From Ephesians, Christians are also able to comprehend the dimensions of God’s grace. The epistle examines the greatness of God’s love, highlighting the privilege of a spiritual rebirth made possible by God’s grace (Weber, 2000). Paul also warns the Ephesus Christians against the false doctrines and misleading philosophy prevalent in Ephesus at the time (Ephesians 4:14 New International Version). Ephesians establishes the church’s place as a critical component in God’s divine plan and offers lessons on the workings of salvation and grace.