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1 Galatians 5:15
2 There were religious belief controversies that were being argued
such as dietary issues and observance of special days such as the
Sabbath, Passover, and Pentecost.
3 Galatians 2:16
Jesus Christ died for our sins, he paid the price for our death. Paul
preaches that we will obtain salvation and everlasting life through our
faith5 as well as bring us to be at peace with Jesus Christ6. Christ is the
reason for our deliverance from sin and its consequences. Its his
sacrifice that makes our sinful lives possible and able to still be saved
from damnation with the greatest sign of redemption and deliverance.
It is explained that man is capable of controlling his own body
therefore he has the personal ability to be faithful or unfaithful to God.
Paul says that the Law of God helps man to realize his own sinfulness
and reminds him that he is a sinful creature. God is righteous and we,
as man, are not so we need to give in and have total faith in God and
his work. The Law is very useful to a person of strong faith but can be
proven unnecessary if that person lives their life out of love for God as
opposed to living out of fear of Him.
There were a few contradicting personal conflicts that Paul experienced
from his own teachings. Theres a dispute between him and those who
forced the estrangement of the Jewish and Gentile Christians. Paul was
pursuing vindication in Christ while simultaneously living his life as a
sinner. Its like saying that his recognition of Jesus Christ guided him to
sin so Christ was the source of it. Paul makes another argument in that
having faith in Christ essentially replaces and supersedes Jewishness
as the determining principle for belonging to a follower of God. Jews
5 Romans 10:9-10,13
6 Romans 5:1, 8:1, 38-39
Paul gets the foundation of his theology from the Old Testament and
the teachings of Jesus. Paul was a born Jew, which gave him an insight
into the Old Testament because Jewish theology was based off of this
book. Paul was able to combine his Jewish past and Hellenistic
religions. He spoke in the native tongue of the people he was
preaching to when teaching the word of god to each group of people.
From the Old Testament it can be said the Divine Spirit is also the
foundation of his theology. Pauls letter are responsible for helping
people realize exactly how much they need God in their lives. His
words have a deep and meaningful message that seem to touch a lot
of people and can even be said to be responsible for the New
Testament theology. Paul taught his theology the way the Jesus did and
even by reiterating what Jesus had preached before him9. Paul was a
Jew who was preaching a Jewish Saviors message to everyone that
God was the one and only true God of all.
New Testament Christianity has greatly affected our society and is
apparent throughout history as well as our current days. One example
is one of education and how its made its way into our lives today.
Back during the time of the early Romans and Greeks, there were no
educational facilities or even libraries; it was the Christians who
brought this concept about and introduced it to the world. Becoming a
disciple was so sought after that religious education would begin very
young thus, creating an education system that was religion driven.
Jesus also never discriminated against gender when teaching. His
teachings were for everyone no matter their sex, as long as they were
there under his instruction. During his time, Greeks and Romans were
very sexist so the fact that Jesus Christ taught to men and women was
a revolutionary concept therefore, womens rights and equality
couldnt have occurred due to any other influence. Another example
that is present today is human rights. The early Greeks and Romans
practiced abortion regularly and it was the Christians who stepped in
and condemned it. Pedophilia was also something was not seen as
shameful but today its considered child molestation and is a very
serious offense in the eyes of society. A third example of how the New
Testament has affected our society is in general charity and
compassion. Man is either caring or selfish; there really is no happy
medium. Since the early times in Jerusalem, giving to the poor was
very widespread and that has continued to today in many forms.
Helping the less fortunate has always been an act that is honored by
those with kind hearts and forgiving minds. The American Red Cross
was established by a Christian10 who was wanting to reach out and
help the injured and sick voluntarily. In the 18th and 19th centuries
many other forms of compassion and levels of care are expressed. Its
10 John Henry Dunant who also was a co-winner of the Nobel Peace
Prize in 1901
always have room for. Anyone has to capabilities to change, after all, I
can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.11
11 Philippians 4:13