Paul: Adoption and Inheritance

"How were adoption and inheritance related in Paul's thought?"



In Paul's thought, they were related by the fact that they were both spiritual matters.  The adoption was an adoption into the church, and the inheritance was that of the Kingdom of God.  Both of these are matters of the heart and have to do with salvation.  You are not adopted into the Lord's church without salvation, nor do you inherit the blessings that come along with it.  You need one in order to have the other.  This is how I believe that he thought the two were related.

Thanks for reading, and please let me know what you think!

The Main Issue Dividing Jesus From the Leaders of Isreal

"According to Mark's gospel, what was main issue dividing Jesus from the leaders of Israel?"


I strongly believe that it was how he was taking charge of what they held in their possession.  What they held was the law.  Jesus was taking the law, changing it, and in their minds he was hindering their power.  He of course was doing this, and it extremely bothered the leaders of Israel.  Out of their jealousy of Jesus' new found power, they killed him.  In doing so, they violated one of the Ten Commandments.

  “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”  (Exodus 20:17)

The leaders coveted a possession of their neighbor (Jesus' power), and they broke a law which they had vowed to uphold.

Thanks for reading!

Tha

T

The Importance of Miracles in Jesus' Early Ministry

"How important were the miracles in the book's account of Jesus' early ministry?"


The miracles were certainly crucial to the progress of Jesus' early ministry!  They not only drew multitudes of people in to listen to what he had to say then, but they also draw people in to the Gospel by giving them something interesting to read or listen to now.  With the credibility of the miracles, he was able to build a firm reputation of good works as a foundation for his teachings.  This is why the miracles were very important to the account of Jesus's early ministry.

Thanks so much for reading, and please let me know what you think!  

Comparison of Christianity and Other Ways of Life

     This week I will be writing an essay that compares the teachings of Christianity to the ways of life in some of the ancient civilizations.  (This includes their values and thoughts.)  Let's get started by comparing the teachings of Christianity to the values held by the ancient Greeks, and then I will compare the teachings of Christianity to the values taught in the works of Homer.

     The Christian teachings stated extreme respect for their god.  The same goes for the ancient Greeks who respected their gods a great deal.

     Another comparison that I would like to make is that the Greeks (as well as Homer) talked about the value of hospitality.  The Christian teachings also talk about the value of hospitality.  I am referring to one of their most cherished teachings, which is to treat your neighbor as you would yourself.

     The last thing that I would like to discuss is the way that some of the ancient thinkers thought compared to Christianity.  The first thinker that I would like to talk about is Plato.  He believed in things called the forms.  The forms were things things that we cannot see.  The Christian teachings also talk about things separate from this world.  For instance, the Christian teachings talk about God, Heaven, angels, and the Devil which  are all unseen things.

     And for my final example I will be using all of the ancient philosophers.  Other than the fact that all philosophers are human, (but my dog does seem to be a kind of philosopher considering the amount of thinking that she does...just kidding, haha!), all philosophers are trying to use logic to explain things, and Christianity also talks about thinking through things logically.

     As you can see, there are many similarities between Christianity, the ancient Greeks, Homer, and the ancient Greek philosophers.

     Thank you so much for reading this essay, and please let me know what you think!        

Proverbs 1-7: Sanctions and Ethics

"Discuss the relationship between ethics and sanctions in Proverbs 1-7." 

       Today we will be focusing on the ethics and  sanctions in Proverbs 1-7.  
     One of the first ethical sanctions  in Proverbs is in chapter 1 verses 8-9 

  "My sonne, heare the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother.

 For they shall be an ornament of grace vnto thy head, and chaines about thy necke."

      Here is a positive sanction.  He will have an "ornament" of grace and "chaines" around his neck.  (This doesn't mean chains in a bad sense.  In those times, people of wealth would sometimes wear chains around their necks.)  It is saying that listening to the parents is an ethical thing to do.  It will bring about good sanctions.  

     Here are some more verses that use ethical sanctions. Chapter 6: verses 9-11. 

     "How long wilt thou sleepe, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleepe?

 Yet a little sleepe, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleepe.

 So shall thy pouertie come as one that trauaileth, and thy want as an armed man."

     These sanctions are negative.  These verses say that if we are lazy and do not work, we will descend into poverty. Poverty is obviously a negative sanction.  

     Ethics and sanctions go hand in hand.  We have no need for sanctions if the sanction is not ethical.  

     Thank you so much for reading, and please let me know what you think!

"Discuss some of the reasons offered in the Psalms for long-term optimism."

    As we read through the Psalms we find David and others in many different situations.  The people in Psalms find themselves in quite a "pickle" very frequently but they never deserted God.  Why?  Because they knew that as long as they followed God's instructions, that he would protect them from their enemies and occasionally, themselves.  In return for their "anti-desertion" God never deserted them.  He would sometimes leave for a certain portion of time, but he would NEVER desert those who truly loved him.  The people in Psalms were sad at times but knew that God would prevail over the wicked and this is the reason for their long-term optimism.  Without this optimism, the people in Psalms would be "dead in the water" so to speak. They would only be focusing on the bad and in the end, the bad circumstances would have taken over.
 
     Just like those people in the Psalms, we need long-term optimism in order to prevail over the hard, even dangerous situations in our own lives.  Weather it be in politics, sickness, or our own little problems in every day life, stay optimistic!  The Psalms teach us that if we don't, then we will eventually be taken over by our grief and sorrow.  Don't let those ridiculous things weigh you down!  Get up, brush off the dust, and remember just like those in the Psalms, you will prevail!