Tarsus

A few years after Christ, Paul was born to a family of Jews in the City of Tarsus. His parents were both of Jewish lineage, resulting in his practicing of Judaism in his adolescence. During his schooling, Gamaliel, a Pharisee in Jerusalem, was Paul’s teacher. Paul spent his childhood learning to convert all followers of other faiths to Judaism using any means necessary. The occasional quotes from Greek poets in Paul’s writings allude that Paul also learned Greek and other languages from Gamaliel…

have been “hostile witnesses” during the time of Jesus’ appearance. A hostile witness is defined as a witness who is antagonistic to the party calling them, and being unwilling to tell the truth, may have to be cross-examined by the party. Saul of Tarsus would be the last person you would believe to be a follower of Christ. He hated and murdered Christians, but when Jesus appeared to Saul; his life was completely changed and he was later to become the apostle Paul. Paul would have been the…

Saul was out of the picture as recorded chapter 9. There was a plot to kill Saul, as a result, the Jewish brethren took him to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus. From Gal 1–2 we gather that Saul was away for approximately ten years until Barnabas found him. Luke indicates the challenge Barnabas had finding Saul because of the verb he used, “look” (anazēteō) (a na za tay o) means to (seek out, search through…

encounter with Jesus and began preaching the gospel to the Gentiles while helping to establish the church through missions. He was a very passionate man who was inspired by the Holy Spirit to spread the gospel. He was formerly known as “Paul of Tarsus”. He had a troubled beginning before he took a journey down Damascus Road. After his conversion, Paul wrote 13 books in the New Testament. Many people’s lives were transformed by Paul’s willingness and diligence to spread the gospel to…

This course of Biblical Worldview has certainly helped shape my ever growing theological view on life. On this final assignment, I plan to take all that I have learned throughout this course and put my biblical worldview to the test. I want to discuss in this essay, exactly what the Apostle Paul’s epic epistle The Book of Romans teaches about many different aspects of the world and how it has affected my worldview. Most importantly in this essay, we will discuss what Romans 1 – 8 teaches…

Anything titled ‘new’ in regards to views on the Bible should be dealt with cautiously. Of course, throughout history it was necessary that some doctrines be revised (e.g. the Earth as center of the universe***) and in such cases, ‘new perspectives’ were quite beneficial. While the New Perspective on Paul is certainly thought provoking and even brings up some good points in regards to Judaism, the Church should treat it with caution and not regard it as a replacement for the traditional views of…

There are 27 books in the New Testament, if only choose two of them, I would select Galatians and Philemon. Not because these two are more spiritual and more depth than others, but they are easier to understand towards me. Galatians and Philemon both have straightforward themes and contents, which are easier for me to catch the key points. Though, as explaining one plus one equals two, the simpler ideas show the deeper truths. These two books teach me a lot of words of Jesus. Galatians is an…

In his best-selling book by the same name, Christian inspirational author Og Mandino calls the Apostle Paul, The Greatest Salesman in the World, a fictional tale that serves as a motivational guide about life and success. Mandino’s subtle message is effective and clear; earthly riches may be achieved, but true success comes from living the Christian principles and seeking personal transformation. Through his own conversion and suffering, Paul became the top Gospel salesman, the broker for…

FASTING IN THE NEW TESTAMENT A Common Discipline The discipline of fasting is a practice that is commonly misunderstood. The connotations that surround this spiritual discipline leave many people to view fasting in one of two extremes: something that is hazardous to one’s health, or something for those in a seemingly unreachable spiritual state. However, the reality is neither of these. To quote John Wesley, “Some have exalted fasting beyond all Scripture and reason; and others have…

Romans 22-25 refers to him about this being credited to him as righteousness. All though it was not for him alone. It was credited to everyone. As long as you believe in the one who raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Paul recounted this story of Abraham to teach the Romans that we are not justified by our own works, but rather in the faith in Jesus Christ and by His righteousness. Paul wraps up chapter 4 of his letter to the Romans with a summary of the entire gospel (Osiek 1840).…