Apostle's Closing Admonitions

The letters Paul writes to the Church in Corinth are prompted by desire to save save their souls, because their actions are defying their claim to being God's children. He's clearly disappointed that they many members have continued practicing sinful behaviors - including, perhaps the most prevalent- sexual sin. Paul cautioned the church that continuing in these sins does not demonstrate that one has become a new creature in Christ Jesus, and that unrepentant, habitual sin will keep them out of heaven (1 Corinthians 6 vs 9-11). He questions how they can judge the church, as unrepentant sinners.

The Corinthians had a way of self-praise and boasting over their superior actions. They would speak in tongues and prophecy in public “not to benefit others who are in attendance but, in Paul’s view, simply to elevate themselves in the eyes of others” (Bart Ehrman, A Brief Introduction to the New Testament, p. 228). In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul lists the variety of gifts that various members of the church possess, saying that the Spirit has assigned each gift to each individual. Paul wants the Corinthians to understand that God has given the individuals in the community distinctive roles and gifts that, when used appropriately, better the church as a whole. To emphasize the importance of unity in the church, Paul writes, “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ” (1 Cor 12:12). Paul shows how each member of the church has imperative value, just as each part of the body is essential for it to work properly. The Corinthians’ problem of boasting would fade away as soon as they acknowledge that there is value in the diversity of the members of the church. God placed each person in the role that He intends for them to fill and everyone must recognize His placement. Greater than all other gifts is the gift of love. Love is crucial because it builds up the community and strengthens every believer, regardless of their differences. Paul stresses that the most excellent gift is love, writing “If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing” (1 Cor

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 wrote in his first letter to the church in Corinth: 1 Corinthians 2:1-2 (ESV)

Paul begins his letter with honesty and speaks of his genuine dealings with the church of Corinth. He goes on to

In the 4th chapter leading up to the 5th chapter of this book of Thessalonians which the essay entails to be watchful of the Lord. The Lord had an expectation or a calling upon the Thessalonica. Which were to remain holy in their lives and pure of any sexual sin 4:3 (NLT). God knew that the church will be tempted to sin by harming or cheating each other, so Paul had to tell the church that if they were to sin, they were rejecting God and his laws. Paul writes to them that whomever were against the will of God, then God will punish those sinners accordingly. Paul writes the church to tell them to continue to live the way they were living for they were pleasing God in their actions, as well showing the unbelievers that they are respectable people of God.

Around 51 AD, Paul was in the city of Corinth. This city was made up of many different people with very different ideas concerning God, cults, and moral depravity. While in Corinth, Paul was approached by a woman named Chloe who described to him the misdeeds of dissention, immorality and wrong doing in the city. Dismayed, Paul immediately addressed the issues in his letters to the Corinthians.

The Corinthian believers who knew that it was not a matter of right and wrong to eat meat should be more concerned with helping their brothers and sisters in Christ understand the Christian liberty they have when it comes to eating. The understanding the first century Christian needed is the same understanding that applies to the 21st- century Christians today.

While Paul was in Ephesus, around the year 54 AD, he wrote two letter to the church to Corinth. He wrote these letter to direct and to bring some correction to the church in Corinth. I am going to look at the first letter he wrote, 1 Corinthians. The people of Corinth had been polytheists, meaning they worshiped more than one god, and they we having a hard time wrapping their minds around the idea of Christianity. There area host of issues that Paul addresses in this letter such as: sexual immorality, women, the abuse of the Lords Supper, division in the church and the abuse of spiritual gifts. It is important to point out the way that Paul addresses these issues not from a condemning standpoint, but from the mindset of fatherly correction.

Chapter sixteen of 1 Corinthians is a freshener of countless items. There appear to be a few final issues with which Paul wishes to deal. Two of these include the collection for the Jerusalem church and the return of Apollos to Corinth. The second part of verse six may be seen as an attempt to meet the Corinthian desire to give Paul some financial support. He will not accept support for preaching there or an offer of investment that would make him someone’s in-

Chapter 7 of Engaging Christian Scriptures focuses on Paul’s ministries, letters and writings, and the Pauline tradition. The seventh chapter gives perspective over the books of Thessalonians, Galatians, Philippians, Ephesians, and The Pastoral Letters. In the books of Thessalonians the first principle is seen as Paul accentuates and commends them for their faithfulness to the Lord. Paul highlights Love and Hope and encourages the church to walk in love. Galatians has greatly influenced Christian understandings of the significance of Jesus’s death, a law-free gospel, and the equal status of Gentile and Jewish Christians.

Paul’s final request towards the people of Corinth is found in his second letter (2 Corinthians). The last chapter however is similarly a conclusion, or overview of the letter. Although there are some differences throughout the translations, Paul’s final message/warning is evident and clear.

The first letter to the Corinthians as a whole alternates between responses to reports and answers to questions from the church, and 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 is found in the beginning of Paul’s first response to reports dealing with factions and divisions within the body of believers.

The Acts of the Apostles and Religious Intolerance The Acts of the Apostles is the geographical and political story of