Paul's Strategy Of Reasoning With The Athenians

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

Paul’s letter to the Romans is known as one of his greatest theological works. It has been passed down for thousands of years and is still just as relevant today as it was in Paul’s time. How exactly is it relevant the modern day Christian may ask? What with its harsh language that includes strong sentences such as “the wages of sin is death” (6:23) and “the wrath of God” (1:18) one may say that the times have changed. Some may say that these issues in Paul’s time are acceptable in society today. Jesus is all loving not wrathful. What exactly is the Christian to think? The purpose of this short essay is to examine how the Book of Romans relates to the Christian in the twenty-first century and how it helps to shape his worldview.

Paul’s letter to the Romans is of his greatest theological works, passed down for thousands of years and still as relevant today as it was in Paul’s time. How exactly is it relevant the modern Christian may ask? What with its harsh language that includes statements such as “the wages of sin is death” (6:23) and “the wrath of God” (1:18), one may say that current times have changed. Some may say that the issues Paul addresses are acceptable in today’s society. What exactly is the Christian to think? The purpose of this short essay is to examine how the Book of Romans relates to the Christian in the twenty-first century and how it helps to shape his worldview.

However, though Paul did not know much about rhetoric, he is being judged to the same extent as any Greco-Roman orator. Further, Litfin admits that the split in the church between Paul and Apollos was based on the fact that Paul was unskilled while the latter was an eloquent orator (P.156).

A major situation confronting Paul during ancient times was trying to make sense of the barriers between Jews and Gentiles. Ultimately, the solution to breaking the barrier comes through Christ alone. Christ died for all humankind not just one kind. This view of Christ as the true solution is also the answer to the oppositions in the book of Romans. Two major oppositions are seen in Romans 8:1-11, between good and evil and spirit and flesh. Paul, who confronts many issues in Rome, cannot resolve these oppositions. Rather, "he proclaims liberation from the existential rupture in human nature, formulated by means of the figures that express opposition between flesh and the spirit, through participation in Christ." Romans 8:1-11 proves that living in the Spirit results in ultimate freedom and everlasting life. This freedom in the Spirit then means that the bondage of the law of sin and death is released.

“The apostle Paul could be similarly indirect. Instead of hitting the Athenians head-on with their idolatry, he first engaged them on a point of common interest and moved gradually into the good news of the one true God.”

The opening of Paul’s sermon is quite a masterpiece (Acts 17:22). First, he addressed them as ‘Men of Athens’. This way he makes it clear that his message is meant for everyone since his audience is composed of Jews, Stoic and

St Paul’s letter to the Galatians is regarded as on of his most important letter, not because it is usually considered one of the earliest writings of the New Testament, rather, because it gives us an insight into the problem which occurred in the infant Church. Moreover, the letter gives us an insight into what Paul considers to be the essential theological concept of Christianity, marking it in contrast to Judaism. Therefore, it has been traditionally believed that St Paul’s letter to the Galatians seeks to reject Judaism because it is a legalist religion which in turn is misleading the people of Galatia from the path of salvation. However, in more

The Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians is one of great intriguing distinction. The letter possesses unique properties in comparison its fellow Prison Epistles namely, Philemon, Philippians and Colossians. The author of this work seeks to further expound upon these unique properties and its implications for how one should interpret the Epistle, specifically Ephesians 1:3-14.

Thesis: the Power of the Gospel (1:16-17) The power of Paul’s gospel of the universal lordship is that in Christ, God has taken in brought together all peoples of the world, Jews and Gentiles alike, “For the righteous man shall live by faith.”.

Paul’s letter to the Romans can be broken down into four major sections. Within each of these sections there is a single compelling issue. Within the context of these respective issues, several interpretive questions can be answered through the interpretative process. These answers help us to understand how to apply the spiritual principals to our lives, as well as, help us compel other individuals to apply these spiritual principles within their lives.

The Apostle Paul (formerly Saul) is responsible for the spread of Christianity throughout the areas of Asia Minor and Greece. Through his 3 mission trips to the region Paul created a base of support for the Christian faith and implemented a support strategy for future growth. The time period for his journeys was 45 AD – 58 AD. The story of Paul is interesting from the perspective that the man best known as the author of most of the New Testament started out as a devout Jew and despised the Christian faith. After his conversion he made it his life’s work to spread the Christian message throughout the world. To this end, Paul made several mission trips to the area of Asia Minor and Greece.

iv. Teaching: Paul could also profit others by speaking to them from the Scriptures themselves,

Our source of knowledge of the apostolic work of Paul comes first from the Book of Acts. The epistles written by Paul serve to further our knowledge of his mission. These letters were written to churches that he had founded or churches that were known to him. Luke’s account of Paul introduces us to the basic facts about this important biblical figure. A more complete understanding of Paul’s journeys can be gleaned from his letters. These epistles were written almost at the time they occurred and they comprise some of the earliest works contained in the New Testament.

The major themes of Paul’s gospel come to the forefront in Galatians and Romans. Galatians reveals one of the most important