Life and Deeds of Apostle Paul - Essay Example

APOSTLE PAUL 4 Discussion question Paul’s religious experience on the road to Damascus According to Brown, Saint Paulviewed that the followers of Jesus Christ were portraying a lifestyle and believe that was contrary to the beliefs of the Pharisees to which he was ascribing to. Paul’s sudden encounter with the Lord Jesus is an indication that all was not finished at the cross and he admits that he had been personally sent to minister to the gentiles and to bring them to the knowledge of God (Brown, 427). Apostle Paul received a great revelation from Jesus Christ. His transformation was based on a personal encounter with the Lord Himself and this is also manifested when he was taken for personal training and preparation for his future ministry in Arabia. He did not rely on any of the disciples or earlier converts to guide him in his ministry but he relied exclusively on the Jesus to guide him in his ministry. Written Assignment 1. Chronology of the life of Paul Date Event 5 A.D Apostle Paul is born in the city of Tarsus of Cilicia to an Israelite family belonging to the tribe of Judah. On the eighth day, he is circumcised in compliance with the Jewish laws of Moses (Philippians 3:5, Genesis 17:12, Leviticus 12). He became a Roman citizen owing to his birth location. 12-15 A.D Paul goes to Jerusalem in order to learn the way of the Pharisees in a Pharisaic Rabbinical school the school was under the leadership of Rabbi Gamaliel and he personally took the initiative to teach Paul. This is evident in Acts 5:34, 22:3. The Pharisees were well known for their rigid following of the laws of Moses which explains why Paul was very radical in his actions of persecuting those who had converted to Christianity. 32 A.D The martyrdom of Stephen takes place in which he is stoned to death due to his staunch faith in Jesus Christ. Stephen was among the seven deacons who were appointed by the disciples to assist in the distribution of food. Saul who later changed his name to Paul consented to have witnessed the death of Stephen. 36 A.D The conversion The conversion of Saul takes place which occurs when Saul was on his way to Damascus after receiving permission from the High Priest to go there and search for Christian believers in order to punish them. He then heard a voice of Jesus Christ asking him why he was persecuting his people. He became blinded after which he was led to Damascus to Ananias whom the Lord had directed to pray for him to be healed. He was later baptized and converted to Christianity. Acts 9. 39 A.D Paul makes his first visit to Jerusalem after his conversion. He began to preach there which angers some of the Jews to an extent that they plot to take away his life. He was later sent by the church to Caesarea and back to his home town of Tarsus. Acts 9:30, Gal 1:17, 18-19. 40 - 41 A.D A visit to Antioch and Cilicia A great number of people are converted to the Christian faith in Antioch. Barnabas then moves to Tarsus to seek assistance from Paul on how to go about teaching the new believers. They move together to Antioch so as to take part jointly in teaching the new believers. Acts 11:25-26 46-49 A.D The first missionary journey Together with John Mark and Barnabas, they set out from Syrian Antioch. They travelled first to Salamis which was located on the island of Cyprus where they preached across the towns. After that they headed to Paphos which was located on the opposite side of the island. In Paphos, they were able to meet with governer of the land together with his friend Elymas who was known to be a sorcerer. Elymas became blind after he tried to prevent the governor from receiving the gospel. Acts 13: 6-12 49 A.D. Paul together with other apostles travel to Jerusalem in order to meet with other church leaders in relation to the whole issue of circumcision and the role that it played in salvation. They held a meeting with a few apostles upon which they agreed that circumcision was not a necessity for salvation. They shared with the other apostles what the Lord had done through them among the Gentiles. Acts 15:12. 50 - 52 A.D. Second missionary journey Paul heads to Corinth from Athens where he is able to meet both Silas and Timothy. Paul would later be brought before Gallio but end up being released soon. He then travelled to Cenchrea upon which he takes a vow to remain faithful tp the Christian faith and marks the event by shaving his head. Towards the end of the year 51 A.D, Paul together with Priscilla and Aquilla set out to Ephesus by ship. Later he moved to Jerusalem in order to attend the feast. 54-58 A.D Third missionary journey Paul sets off for his third missionary journey. He begins by visiting the Galatian churches and later moves to Phrygia province so as to encourage the believers there. 58-61 A.D Arrest in Jerusalem Paul is held a prisoner by Governor Felix in Caeserea for more than two years. The case against Apostle Paul later comes before Festus who had replaced Felix as the new governor and Paul requests that he be tried in Rome under Caesar instead of being tried in Jerusalem. Festus agrees that Paul be taken to Rome for his trial. 60-61 A.D Paul sets off for his fourth missionary journey accompanied by other prisoners towards Rome. Due to the bad weather, the ship settles in the port of Phoenix located on the western side of Crete. They move to Malta where they stay for a short period of time before heading back to Rome. 61-63 A.D Paul is imprisoned in Rome for a period of two years. This is where he gets to write his second letter to Timothy 64 A.D Paul dies as a martyr at around may in 64 A.D. 2. In two pages, respond to someone who asks, “When you say Paul did not actually write The Letter to Titus aren’t you condoning forgery?” Any of the pseudonymous letters could be substituted for Titus. The book was Titus was indeed written by Apostle Paul as indicated in the first chapter one verse one of the book and the letter was being addressed to Titus. The epistle is approximated to have been written at around 66 A.D and that Paul was in Nicopolis in the region of Macedonia. The epistle is considered among the Pastoral Epistles which was written in order to encourage and inspire Titus whom he considered as a true brother in faith. He had left Titus in Crete so that he could take care of the church that Paul had managed to establish during his missionary works. He is advised to take a keen look when selecting leaders to serve in the church in various positions. Paul encourages Titus to go back to Nicopolis in order to pay them a visit. Though the name of Titus does not appear anywhere in the letter, we can deduce from the other epistles about him and their close relations. Titus who was a Gentile by birth had accompanied Paul to Jerusalem where they faced the challenge of circumcision. During the third missionary journey of Paul, Titus had become his personal assistant as well as his emissary to the church in Corinth. Their close tie is manifested in the letter and how they had been connected by their desire to reach out the entire world through the gospel (Pollock, 308). Paul identifies himself as the author of the letter to Titus when he referred to himself as the bond-servant of God as well as an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. However, where the relationship between the two originated still remains a mystery which cannot be explained by the texts. Paul regarded Titus in high esteem and as a true friend who was there for him in times of difficulties. He praised him for his deep affection and his ability and desire to ensure comfort among the Gentile believers. 4.2 Discussion question The most favorite letter of Paul is the one written to the church in Rome. The main theme in this letter is justification in which a Paul justifies his past actions as well as clarifying and making people to understand the saving grace of God. The letter is well backed up key facts and historical references about the life of the apostle from the point that he underwent spiritual transformation. Being the second letter to be written after the one written to the church in Corinth, it lays a firm foundation for other letters as well as setting the pace for the future ministry of Paul to the Gentiles. The doctrine of justification by faith and not deeds which is one of the major themes in the book is well demonstrated in the chapter three of the book offers a major platform for Paul to sail through in his ministry and to dismiss all his critics. Paul clearly outlines the weaknesses of the law and its inability to make them righteous before God which marks a clear distinction between the Old Testament teachings and the New Testament teachings. He defines the saving grace of Christ that was revealed to him on the day he was heading to Damascus (Pollock, 209). Despite that fact that Paul had not visited the church at the time that he was writing the letter to them, it is well evident that he knew so many people in that church whom he sends personal greetings to in chapter sixteen. The chapter has made many scholars to be at crossroads of which some have concluded it forms part of the letter to the church in Ephesus. The book of Romans has been termed as Paul’s greatest work since it contains a deeper account the desire of someone to be in a place which he could not be at the time. So he sought to unleash all his inners emotions and to tell them all the things that he would have told them if he had met them physically. The book prepares the way for his visit to Rome. As opposed to other letters, the book of Romans seeks to address specific problems that were affecting the church at that time. One of the main issues that it was responding to the question that used to arose among the Gentiles and the Jews about the Old Testament doctrine of circumcision and whether such rites were only reserved for the Jews. Written Assignment 1. The major reason for Paul’s anger as found in his letter to the Galatians The epistle to the Galatian churches is regarded as a cry of reformation due to justification by faith. The letter is considered as the one that clearly demonstrates the true nature of Apostle Paul. The letter stands very firm as a powerful polemic against all the negative teachings of Judaism that focused on the law. Paul’s anger is drawn by the fact that those who had already embraced the Christian faith were still being entangled in the old practices of Judaism and therefore he writes to them in order to refute the false teachings which focused of works and encouraging them to embrace the superiority of justification by faith through sanctification by the Holy Spirit (Brown 469). It is accounted that after Paul had left the place, some believers with Jewish origin who had come from Jerusalem began to preach another form of gospel that was contrary to what Paul had been preaching. Their teachings were greatly dependent on the Old Testament teachings and doctrines which tended to alienate the Gentiles since they were not following the practices that were conducted by the Jews. This necessitated Paul to stump his authority in advocating for true gospel of Christ with a lot of firmness and finality since the effects of the teachings from the false teachers was already manifesting itself in the life of believers in those churches. 2. Briefly address one of the issues about which Paul instructs the Church in Corinth in the First Letter to the Corinthians The first letter to the church in Corinth is composed of very open discussion of the church affairs as well as the issues that had impacted in the people during the first century. The church was corroded with all manner of sinful situations and Paul offered to provide an important model on how the church could properly handle sins in their midst. He sought to face the problems head on rather than turning a blind eye towards them. Paul advocated for purity within the church and he showed them the intention of willing to loose some of the members of the church in his bid to cleanse the sin that had tainted the church. One of the main issues that Apostle Paul sought to address in the church in Corinth in his first letter was idolatry which was evident by the presence of the temple of Aphrodite. The city of Corinth had a reputation of deep idolatry; it was filled with shrines and temples. The immoral nature of the city had negatively impacted on the morality and spirituality of the Christian church. The letter was therefore seeking to demonstrate the new way of life that was established by Christ and with was to be applied in every day life after undergoing the sanctification by the Holy Spirit. The new life in Christ therefore called for a new way of living through the power of the Holy Spirit and it had to be manifested by change in our individual and societal levels. 4.3 Discussion Question The understanding of “faith” according to Pauline epistles According to Apostle Paul, faith is what justifies those who have believed in Christ and not their works. In Romans 5:1 he says that its by faith in God that believers are judged to be righteous and it is what qualifies them to be at peace with God. Fidelity to the law is not sufficient for one to attain the level of righteous that is required of Christian believers but it is by faith and belief in the unseen things and expectations. Hope is closely connected to faith in the sense that faith offers an assurance of the things that believers are hoping to be fulfilled in their lives. Written assignment An illustration of what God has done according to Paul to bring humanity from the power of sin and death is evident in his epistles through the doctrine of justification by faith and not works so that people do not have a reason to boast. Salvation is manifested to all human beings and it is not restricted to the Jews alone as had been an earlier thought among the early believers. Paul sought to explain that the Gentile were also entitled to the kingdom of God as long as they were able to confess their sins and surrender fully to the lordship of Jesus Christ (Brown, 433). While writing to the church in Rome, Paul made an outstanding statement that he was not ashamed of the gospel in any way for it is the power of God through which any man could attain salvation and that God’s righteousness is revealed to all men irrespective of their origin as long as they believe in Jesus Christ. Paul had emerged at the time when the spread and acceptance of Christianity was at the turning point and his emergence brought a clear direction towards God’s desire to bring all human races into a relationship with him. The period was at the time when Judaism was becoming more attractive to a more cultured society because the notion of multiple pagan gods was proving increasingly anachronistic Paul sought to explain that God sent his son Jesus Christ through whom men are to be saved. The salvation is to be attained through intangible expression of faith in the son of God and that faith is as a result of the grace of God and not by works of men or human performance. Those who have acquired and demonstrated faith in the son of God have direct access to God and need not to go through any mediator for Christ had become the perfect mediator between God and man. God through Jesus Christ his only begotten son, had made human beings joint heirs with him thus becoming members of his household. Work Cited Brown, Raymond E. An Introduction to the New Testament. New York: Doubleday, 1997. Print. Pollock, John C. The Apostle: A Life of Paul. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985. Print. Pollock, John. The Apostle: A Life of Paul. Colorado Springs, CO: David C Cook, 2012. Internet resource. Read More