Denise I Ratliff BIB-354 Jesus: Son of God and Son of Man Grand Canyon University August 10, 2014
Pauline Epistle Reflective Essay 2
The Pauline Epistles are the harvest of his apostolic works exposing the teachings of Jesus Christ. Exceptional as they are Paul did it through a close network of churches that were developed and established by him all awhile under and during his own personal sufferings and apostolic laborings. His teachings were in close collaboration with his own personality, his character and understanding of his life it assisted in comprehending them. Therefore Apostle Paul without the Grace of God no man could undertake the tasks that he partook as well as accomplishing the many deeds.
The first major theme in Paul Epistles is Jesus Christ the Son of God is the fulfillment of Gods promises in compensatory history; it is the increasing expression of Gods plan of salvation delivered through His deeds of redemption. Yesteryear accounts of the Old Testament and the New Testaments are a great advancement of God's saving purposes. Everyone of God's prior redemptive acts are to be or is part of the development of His plan to re-establish the sinful and lost into closeness with Him and to again have a relationship with Him. Straight away after mans fall to sin he became subject to anguish, despair and condemnation, God immediately declared to man His thoughts of peace and rapprochement. God's divine plan of redemption was progressively revealed over the evolution of time. In the Old Testament its context is of promises, and messianic prophecies that was all in the directions to the promise of the coming of the Messiah mankinds Savior to whom in God's purposes of redemption would be fulfilled.
Pauline Epistle Reflective Essay 3 Being shadowed forth, to the Old Testament saints, the one and only way of salvation through the death of the Lamb of God. Colossians showed concernment with what Paul regards as a false interpretation of the significance of Christ, combined with an erroneous understanding of the natural essence of the world. Jesus Christ is the exclusive agent of all creation and reconciliation and it means that while the transparent orders of sovereignties, thrones, authorities and powers continue, they are indebted because of their existence to Him and therefore are to be inferior to Him. We are not to stop giving thanks that Lord Jesus Christ given by Father God saved us and have given to all the wisdom by spirit and revelation in recognition of Him. Because of who He is, my eyes of understanding has been enlightened, for me and others, we know the hope in His calling and the richness of glory of His Divine Sovereign legacy. Each member of the church will have his or her own calling. Christ has secured in paradise for us what is in Him. His completeness fills church members with all that is needed to rule with Him in His kingdom. Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior the only authority and head over all things have given the control and power to the members of His body.
Secondly, The new beginning and new life of followers and believers is a gift of God, secured in the cross and empowered by the Holy Spirit. As believers and members of the church we all have the advantage of meditating and conferring with God, conversing with Him in heart to heart fellowship and calling on Him in Jesus' name. Our command is to pray in the Spirit, with all sorts and kinds of prayer and supplication. Because it is God's strategy for us to be engaged in His work especially through prayer, it is important and essential that prayer becomes an important condition of our individual Pauline Epistle Reflective Essay 4 and community lifestyle. The Lord is worthy of our best in everything. (1 Corinthians 10:31, WDB).
Christ has filled the faithful with the fullness of Him and He alone fills all. The gospel establishes over and over and time again that Savior Jesus Christ, the incarnate son of Lord God elected to set aside his Sovereign character to live by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is not to be mistaken that a Christian life is about religious rituals, especially to make any follower of Christ a better person, it is about being in pursuance of Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was empowered for public ministry, led by and fought with temptation, empowered to heal and taught in the power courtesy of the Holy Spirit. We as Christians are unable to live the life that Jesus calls us to do without the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will do for us as it did for Jesus; it administers the stamina and strength to live our lives for Lord God from the beginning to the end. This means to me that Gods work at the cross by Jesus is applied to me by the Holy Spirit. This was the very beginning of my life as a Christian. From this I learned I have to live a life of repentance from my personal sin, because Jesus Christ is perfect and sinless and never had to do what I must and need to do for salvation. In order for me to live a Spirit empowered life will include enduring lifes hardship, lifes pain, weaknesses, and loss as Jesus endured. I understand that when I do suffer while Spirit-empowered, I will, like Jesus, grow in perfection through my hardships.
Thirdly, we as Christians experience salvation by faith, and faith expresses itself in a transformed life. The new life in the spirit, the Bible provides affirmation that the Pauline Epistle Reflective Essay 5 only power that will forgive mankind for their sins is the shedding of Jesus blood. It is known that His death paid the penalty for mankinds sins (Ephesians 1:7; Romans 5:6-9; Hebrews 9:14; 1 Peter 1:18,19; Rev. 1:5, WDB). Therefore, salvation by faith only or faith alone instructs that all sinners can receive forgiveness by the simple but yet true belief in Jesus without obedience or works of any kind. My New Life in the Spirit has been made possible through my faith in Jesus Christ as Lord of Life. He brought to me the deliverance from the bondage of sin and death. Paul declared the same grace that saved him and also enabled him, surrendering and transferring his trust for his sanctification. When we as Christians turn from the self-empowered life we will then have the freedom to live the Spirit empowered life.
The Christian life is life in the Spirit, which is to say a life that is animated, sustained, directed and enriched by the Spirit. Without the Spirit, the Christian life is impossible. (John Stott. Romans. Press, Dowers Grove, IL 1994)
Pauline Epistle Reflective Essay 6
References
Arp, W. (2013). Preaching the Epistles. Journal Of Ministry & Theology, 17(1),
Jesus the Messiah a Survey of the Life of Christ. Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity, 1996. Print.
Women's Devotional Bible. Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan, 1995. Print