The eschatology described in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 begins similarly to the undisputed Pauline letters with in verse 2 the author essentially says beware of false teachings that say the day of the Lord is already here and that Christians on earth were already living an exalted life, staying on par with his letter to the… Continue reading →
Adam was the first man ever created by God. He was sent down to Earth and ultimately disobeyed God by eating the apple and acquiring knowledge and sin. Man was enslaved by sin from the very beginning. Christ was then sent down later on to relieve man of this slavery and sinful oppression. If Adam… Continue reading →
In Romans 5:12-21, Paul develops compares the figures of Adam and Christ to put emphasis on two things: how death and sin came into the world, and how the problem is overcome by Jesus. Adam was the first man to sin (along with his wife, Eve) which we read about in Genesis, at the beginning… Continue reading →
a. How does Paul’s reading of Abraham’s story support this belief? Pay attention to the way Paul reads the story of Abraham in chronological sequence: 1) Genesis 15:6//Rom 4:3, 9 2) Genesis 17:10-11//Rom 4:10-11a In Jewish culture and in early scriptures, Abraham is considered the first of the Jews. God spoke to Abraham and the… Continue reading →
Paul’s letter to the Romans starts in Acts 18. Acts 18:1-2 states, “After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. There he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome.” We see that at Rome Paul… Continue reading →
a. How does Paul’s reading of Abraham’s story support this belief (that the law actually points to the importance of faith)? Pay attention to the way Paul reads the story of Abraham in chronological sequence: 1) Genesis 15:6//Rom 4:3, 9 2) Genesis 17:10-11//Rom 4:10-11a “Righteousness is being true to one’s social obligations and commitments” (Footnotes,… Continue reading →
Paul’s letter to the Philippians definitely has a kinder tone than ones we have read before. It is encouraging instead of berating and was intended to relieve worries of the Philippians. Paul is telling the Philippians that as long as they humble themselves before God and give everything up just like Jesus did, they have… Continue reading →
The letter of Paul to Philemon is short, but contains a powerful message the has greatly influenced our interpretation. The letter is essentially a plea from Paul to Philemon in regards to his slave Onesimus. According to the annotations in our Bible, it seems that the most likely way the Onesimus and Paul meet is that… Continue reading →
