Epistle

Paul’s final call of the church in Colossians 3:1-15 is witnessed in Colossians 3:14-15 which reads, “And above all these, put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.” Both love and thankfulness, but especially love, are some of Christ’s most prominent characteristics. 1 John 4:19 states, “We love because he first loved us.” (ESV 1 John 4:19) Again, we are taught to…

The apostle Paul, in Hebrews chapter 12 verses 1 and 2, uses Jesus as the example of how we should live our lives. He admonishes the reader to run with perseverance the race set before them. Looking deeper into the thoughts of this particular phrase one can surmise that not every race is identical. Each runner with have a different course and be expected to run it at a different pace. Further, some runners will be long distance runners, some will be sprinters, and some will be a combination of…

Why me? Thoughts race through my head as I wonder why I am someone standing in front of all these people leading them to the King’s throne through song. I know this is where God has nudged me, but why do I feel so ill-equipped. Beginning to ponder the words in my head, I start to believe that I’m not worthy to do this. I don’t know enough. I am not talented enough. I have screwed up way too much. The truth is all of that is true. “I” am not worthy, “I” do not have the same amount of talent or…

Women in the Bible are respected, cherished, and honored. Within the American culture, however, women are most predominantly not shown dignified treatment. The undignified treatment shown to women is seen most clearly through the lens of popular media (i.e. magazines, television, social media, etc.). In America “too often, the media practices symbolic annihilation” (Stillman 52) where both the behavioral aspects and outward perception of Biblical womanhood are condemned by the media. Magazines…

H. Lecture 8 – 2 Corinthians Word Count: 525 1. Itemize four main principles of giving that Paul enunciates in 2 Cor. 8:1-15? The principles that Paul enunciates are for giving are: (1) it should be sacrificial. Paul contrasts them to the Macedonian church—which gave even in extreme poverty, (2) Christians should surrender even themselves as a gift to God, (3) giving should be done with sincerity and gladness, and (4) giving ought to be proportionate to ones blessings. Those with excess…

Paul wrote what is now the book of First Corinthians as a letter to the church of Corinth. After hearing of disputes and worries from members of the church, Paul wrote the congregation letters (including first and second Corinthians) as counsel to guide the church back to the right path (Elwell & Yarbrough, 273). One of the problems listed is the concern of marriage. Paul responds to questions such as: should Christians get married? And what basis is there for divorce? In relation to today’s…

The lesson this week’s discussion starts off with the question “can we resist temptations”. The author of our lesson points out that our temptations are a part of life from the time we first trade our favorite pacifier in for those temper tantrums that insure everything is going to be done on our terms. I am also sure that none of us every faced a temptation that could have directed us down the wrong path in life during our teenage years. Then when we finally think we are mature adults, and we…

Paul commences his letter to “the Church of God that is in Corinth” as he thanks the Corinthians for their efforts and faithfulness (Corinthians 1:2). However despite making such assertions, the author of this letter directly proceeds to list the problems that had arisen among such converts. The first issue addressed is the division existent within the church. It has been brought to the author’s attention that the Church of Corinth has become divided between the preachers of Cephas (Paul) and…

Next, one should consider the Biblical context of these passages. 1 Cor 14 is about order and keeping the purpose of church assemblies as the building up of others. Within this chapter, an issue arises with the command that tongues speakers, who do not have an interpreter present, should “keep silent in church.” This would lead to a strange conclusion that a tongue speaker is not allowed to sing or pray in normal speech. This same problem applies to 1 Cor 14:34-35. There is an absolute…

Through striving to learn more of what it means for Christ to truly be preeminent in life, Christians are called to consider how that affects our health. The result of Christ’s preeminence can be seen when applying it to the understanding that we are created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27), and we have a responsibility as image bearers to honor God with how we maintain our image. The Bible clarifies for believers how one is to honor God with our bodies through choices that involve nutrition, time…