Pauline Epistle Reflective Essay 1

Pauline Epistle Reflective Essay

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.

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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
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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
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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)









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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