Saint Paul, Epistle to the Romans

Christianity was born and flourished in an empire where the common language was Latin and Greek. Two important people like Paul and Constantine further influenced and were a major part of the development of Christianity. The history of the Jews leading up to the time of Jesus had a major impact on the development of Christianity. “When Christianity was clearly identified as a distant religion, the new religion was considered by its members to be the fulfillment of Judaism rather than a new religion.” “Since Jesus was a Jew and preached to the Jews, Christianity was closely linked to Judaism.” The development of Christianity was due to several historical, political, and social circumstances.

Though Jesus was sinless and undeserving of death, he offered himself as a sacrifice in atonement for all sin (Invitation to World Religions, pg.418). Paul was always emphatic in maintaining that salvation cannot be earned by “works”, whether humans’ effort to obey the commandments in the Torah or excellent work in general. Instead, he taught that the salvation made possible by Christ’s sacrifice is a gift, the ultimate expression of God’s love and grace. Salvation is given to those who respond to God’s grace in faith, the conviction that God has acted through Jesus Christ to amend for human sin. Although Paul was very clear in teaching that salvation depends on God’s grace and the individual’s turning to God in faith, he did not dismiss the importance of works (Invitation to World Religions, pg.419). For Paul, faith does more than bringing salvation; it unites the believers with Christ in a “newness of life”. He believed that the spirit lives in believers and brings them into union with God. As a divine presence within, the spirit encourages the growth of spiritual virtues, the greatest which is love and makes all Christians one in the church often called “the body of Christ”.

Christianity was founded by Jesus Christ approximately 2,000 years ago; Christianity is one of the most influential religions in world history. Christianity developed out of Judaism in the first century C.E. Christianity is the life, teachings, miracles, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the followers "Christians." Without Jesus, there is no Christianity The Prophets of God spoke

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.

In Paul’s epistle to the Romans he gives us the foundation of Christian life in regards to how we should not only see the world, but also how we should act in a world that rejects the gospel of Christ. In Romans 1-8 Paul teaches us how we are not able to come to a saving grace through our works, but that it must come from Christ alone, and not only to the Jews, but to the Gentiles also. Paul tells us however, that this will not be easy, but we that we need to remember who is ultimately in control of everything around us.

The earliest recorded text teaching Christianity has its roots buried deep within Judaism. The birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, as the Messiah, created a new ideology of worship. The Messiah is the savior for all people and of all sins. Paul carried the message of the Messiah to the Gentiles. His missionary journeys and establishment of churches enabled the spreading of the message throughout the Roman Empire. Christianity grew in acceptance; those that believed in the Messiah separated and began to worship on their own. This marked the beginning of the split of Judaism and Christianity.

Saint Paul, originally named Saul, was a crucial part in the development of Christianity. Paul, who was born in Tarsus, Cilicia, grew up Jewish and was trained as a rabbi (Adcock). Paul eventually converted to Christianity, but before he did, the future of the religion was looking very slim. Rome had made it illegal to practice Christianity. Paul was a pious Jew, so his conversion to Christianity surprised many of his followers. They viewed him with much suspicion and treated him with hostility. Paul was dedicated to his new life and made it his mission to spread Christianity throughout the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire and eventually to Rome itself. Paul made two separate journeys throughout the Mediterranean. He preached about the message of Jesus to many and sent his letters to the people he had not visited. Paul saw that his new faith had a message for everything and everyone. By converting to Christianity, St. Paul has saved Christianity from extinction, has written crucial letters about his faith, has preached to hundreds of people, has spread Christianity throughout the Roman Empire, has caused

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.

Christianity is the outcome of historical events. This all began with the teachings of Jesus, whom lived and worked among his fellow Jews in rural Judea and Galilee around the year 30 C.E. Keep in mind, this started in the Hellenistic world, the cosmopolitan, in Greek-speaking cities around the eastern Mediterranean, which had now been absorbed into the Roman Empire, the emergence of Christianity overlapped with the Roman Empire’s most intense period of growth and with so many struggles. Paul was a key figure to develop this new understanding of Jesus’s divinity. His younger mentee, Paul of Tarsus was never being able to meet Jesus so he claimed

Dustin Kirchner CH 201 Professor Murdock 23 April 2015 Title What is Christianity? Christianity is monotheistic religion based upon the teachings of Jesus Christ as presented in the New Testament. Christianity first began in the mid-1st century, originating from the Levant region of the Middle East and quickly spreading to Europe, Asia, Syria, and Egypt, and after several centuries more, Christianity became the dominant religion to the majority of the world.

The book of Romans is considered, by many in Christianity, to be the greatest book comprised in the Holy Bible. This is a very strong view to hold, considering the great details of Jesus and His ministry that are given in the book of Luke, the direct, to the point style of truth written by James, and the great lessons of faith in Hebrews. The other books in the New Testament are all great within themselves also but, Romans is very distinctive in itself. Written by the Apostle Paul, Romans can be viewed as the Christian Life handbook or the Christianity 101 manual. When we read Romans, we can see that Paul took every thought and possible counter thought by any

Dr. Elmer Towns and his co-author Ben Gutierrez in their book “In Essence of the New Testament: A Survey” supports the idea and the importance of all Christians grasping the knowledge put forth in the book of Romans. Biblical educators such as Samuel Coleridge and Martin Luther holds Paul’s epistle to the Romans in high esteem (Towns & Gutierrez, 2012). They refer to as “the most profound work in existence and “the purest gospel (Towns & Gutierrez, 2012). These claims are evident when reading Paul’s epistles in the book of Romans, one can feel Jesus Christ’s inspiration in his words and message. In Romans 1:6 -7

Holy living is one of the more difficult aspects of the Christian life, and in chapter five in his epistle to the church in Galatia, Paul exhorts this living. This exhortation is especially seen in verses 16-18, when Paul contrasts a life in walking in the Spirit as opposed to the flesh. The difficulty for a Christian, Paul points out, is that there will always be a struggle between the desires of the flesh and fruits of the spirit. He sets up this exhortation in v.16-18 with a statement in v.13, he says “For you were called to freedom….do not use your freedom for an opportunity for the flesh, but through love.” This is message that would have contrasted a false teaching of works of the flesh at that time in Galatia, and this message would have been a correction of that teaching.

In this chapter, Saint Paul’s objective is to warn against profane and vain babblings and foolish and ignorant disputes and to consider how servants of God are supposed to be a vessel of honor prepared for every good work. He encourages Saint Timothy (bishop) to be a hard worker, endure hardships, and remain faithful through the solider, athlete, and farmer examples he gave. As a result, he stated that as we die with Christ, we shall also live with him and if we endure we shall rein with him. On the contrary, if we deny him, he will deny us. Saint Paul explained God’s love for us and stated that even if we are faithless, He will always remain faithful to us. Then, Saint Paul warn Saint Timothy and reminded him of things he should avoid like ignorant disputes, vain

1 and 2 Timothy and Titus, also known as the Pastoral Epistles, attempt to describe proper hierarchy in the early church. They reject the idea of having women being significantly involved in the community. Libertarian theology interprets Christianity through the viewpoint of the poor. Leftist theology is a more liberal political party. It advocates equality and rejects the idea of social hierarchy. These three ideas were considered heterodidascalia, or “the other teachings,” in the early church (Menendez, 185). The Pastoral Epistles attempted to limit the number and type of people who could have power and authority, and they did this by “[addressing] specific church leaders and [targeting] specific groups” (Menendez, 186). By narrowing the gap between the secular and religious groups, it is possible to “deepen the national dialogues” (Menendez, 187). Based on the conservative, Pastoral interpretations of 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus, there is no room for equality amongst the people and it seems to me like they are taking certain rights away from these different groups of people. If the Pastorals were more sensitive to the three issues stated above, it could allow a better understanding between the state and church.