Paul 's Life Before Christ

With the ability to assimilate to various aspects of the universal Roman society, the apostle is able to relate to and address many different types of people. This aspect of his life makes Paul able to apply the collective ‘we’ when instructing believers of opposing backgrounds. Likewise, after his conversion

Paul’s distinctive contribution to Christianity is his heresy- the doctrine of salvation by faith. A salvation available not just to the descendants of Abraham, but to the pagan, non-Jewish world as well. When he was writing to those in the Roman capital, Paul makes the declaration that proved to be the cornerstone of all his writings Romans 1:16-17, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, ‘The one who is righteous will live

The first section of the note on 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 in the HarperCollins Study Bible leads the reader to contemplate the issue of unity in the body of Christ, the lack of which is arguably the origin of most, if not all of the issues facing the Corinthian church. The Christians in Corinth were challenged with several internal problems, many of which could have been solved by the members seeking unity in their diversity. Paul introduces the idea that the church should function as the body of Christ, valuing the abilities and roles that God chose for each member. The first part of the note states, “Like certain other ancient writers, Paul regards the human body as illustrating the point that unity and diversity are not incompatible, applying

Analyse the contribution that Paul of Tarsus had on the development and expression of Christianity.

Jesus is the center of Christianity, but without Paul, Christianity would never exist. Paul organized Jesus’s disciples after Jesus’s death. Paul introduced Christianity to Non-Jewish people. He was extremely talented at converting others. The New Testament is largely based off Paul’s teachings. Paul also shaped the way Christianity thinks, he was the man who took a small cult and shaped it so that it would become a world religion; Paul was the most important figure to the growth of Christianity, even more than Jesus of Nazareth.

In the first close reading of the text, I discovered Paul articulated his desire for all believers to be of the same attitude or frame of mind as Christ. Creating a sense of relationship with God through the example of the servanthood of Jesus. This study revealed the traits of Christ’s life and character found in verses: “he was formed of God” (2:6), “emptied himself’ (2:7), “in human form” (2:8), “name above every name” (2:9), “every knee should bend” (2:10), and “every tongue confess … glory to God” (2:11). Looking at each verse, challenged me to read between the lines and wonder what might be happening within the church of Philippi. Textual Criticism

When considering the strengths and weaknesses of the book, the strengths dramatically outweigh the shortcomings. Allen succeeded in showing the reader that there is no excuse to discount the ministry of Paul as irrelevant in today’s missionary setting. He powerfully implemented scripture throughout the book with precision. Every verse, story, and biblical example of Paul’s practices and teachings that Allen used were necessary and served to back up his claims with ultimate truth. Also, the open addressing of his opponent’s arguments served to strengthen Allen’s thesis in a way that a simple stating of facts would be incapable of

Paul, also in romans 12 sets before the church not only their relation to Christ who is Head but also the relations between brothers and sisters in Christ. It was vital for Paul to begin by entreating them to present their bodies a living

Paul was a persecutor of Christians before becoming a strong follower, and even a leader, himself. Through the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 6:13), we know that he was present among a group of Jews who had killed a Christian leader named Stephen. It is explained that Stephen was speaking out against the Temple and Jewish Law (Acts 8:3). Paul continues this persecution of Christians as it is apparent in Act 8:3 that he would harass followers of Jesus by breaking into their homes and sending them off to prison. Our textbook says that Paul went as far as writing a letter to the high priest of the Jerusalem Temple to grant him the authority to arrest individuals in Damascus that “belong to the Way” (Acts 9:1-2). Paul was only protecting the faith that he was raised in, studied, and lived by. He was very faithful to his Jewish

Before Christ, Paul was a persecutor of Jews who followed Jesus. Zeal was the driving force behind Paul’s aggression “to protect the covenant by punishing the disobedient so the path to Israel’s glorious future could be realized and the covenantal blessings restored” (Capes, Reeves, & Richards, 2007, p. 85).

1. Paul’s “impaired vision” is ironic because he can see what others cannot even though he is legally blind. First of all, Paul can see how Erik is a very dangerous kid. Paul sees Erik as a dangerous kid because Erik is always making fun of his friends. Erik is dangerous because he has anger problems and has been terrorizing Paul his whole life. When Erik is around adults however, he acts like a normal child. The side that his parents try to see in him. Furthermore, Paul can see the osprey. Most people besides Paul who live in Lake Windsor Downs see the Osprey as just birds. But, Paul sees them as the reason that all the koi fish in the lake are disappearing. Others think that the fish are being stolen. Paul sees it in a different way the everyone else. Finally, Paul can also see his father like know one else. Everyone around Paul sees Mr. Fisher as a hardworking man who supports his family. Paul sees his dad as a man who only cares about his older son, Erik and his football dream. Paul’s dad is so concerned about Erik that he doesn’t even know what position he plays in soccer.

Paul wrote letters to churches and went on long, dangerous journeys in order to share the Word. Humbly serving the Lord, no matter what the cost, he became a disciple who made disciples. His personal, deep relationship with Timothy reveals the kind of atmosphere and level of commitment required in discipleship. The discipleship model Paul follows allows for a personally invested relationship between any amount of gathered people whether it be an entire church congregation, a small group, or

The life of Paul is an interesting one, in that Paul was once persecuting Christians, but would later fight to keep the faith alive. The letters which he would write would set the foundation for the faith of the new Christian church and lead it through the tumultuous times of Roman persecution. Yet, what led Paul to take this path and why would a man who hated Christians become one of God’s greatest messengers? Through Paul’s transformation and rebirth through Christ, we can see one of the greatest redemption stories ever seen within scripture and how Paul truly was one of the greatest apostles in modern Christianity.

Paul knew that God had set him apart to proclaim the gospel to the Gentiles (non-Jews). The gospel was his life, and he poured himself out to see the name of Jesus go to the ends of the earth. He stopped at nothing to see the advancement of the gospel. Paul says, “I have done the Lord’s work humbly and with many tears. I have endured the trials that came to me from the plots of the Jews” (Acts 20:19,

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