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Apostle Paul Biography

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Apostle Paul Biography

 

No person apart from Jesus himself, shaped the history of Christianity like the apostle Paul. Even before he was a believer, his actions were significant. Paul’s personal encounter with Jesus changed his life. He never lost his fierce intensity, but from then on it was channeled for the gospel. In The Apostle Paul Biography we will give a good idea of what his life was all about.

 

The Apostle Paul (died c. 66 A.D.), the first systematic theologian and writer of the Christian Church, has been the most influential teacher in the history of Christianity. He was the Christian Church’s apostle to the Gentiles.

 

Paul, whose original name was Saul or Sh’aul, was born in the town of Tarsus, Cilicia (in modern southeastern Turkey), of Jewish parents belonging to the tribe of Benjamin. Both his parents were Roman citizens.

 

It is safe to assume that Paul’s earliest language was Koine Greek, the household language of all educated Roman citizens throughout the empire.

 

Paul was sent at an early age to Jerusalem to attend Bible school. Studying with a famous rabbi, Gamaliel, he learned to write in both Greek and Hebrew and became thoroughly versed in the law. It seems certain that Paul studied in Jerusalem during the three years of Jesus’ public life and that he was present at the time that Jesus was crucified by the Romans.

 

He may even have seen and heard Jesus preach. He certainly must have heard of Jesus and his movement among the people.

 

Paul’s Life


Paul lived in the closing days of the Second Jewish Commonwealth. When he was young and studying rabbinic theology, Palestine already lay under complete Roman domination. The Jewish people no longer exercised any real national sovereignty.

 

The traditional boundaries of Israel, as known from the previous Hasmonaean and Salamonic kingdoms, had been severely reduced. Rome preferred to govern its captive peoples by dividing them into manageable provinces.

 

By the time Paul had converted to Christianity and was launched on his extensive missionary journeys, affairs in Palestine had taken a turn for the worse. The calm and relative stability that had lasted during the reign of King Agrippa I, was severely shaken after his death. A new spirit of nationalism and revolt against the foreign invader rose among the leading Jewish class, the Pharisees.

 

Throughout Palestine the younger generation of Pharisees molded the spirit of the people in such a way that the Jewish revolt of 66 A.D. and the consequent destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. became inevitable.

 

Paul derived from his early education a thorough knowledge of both the oral and the written Jewish law. He also learned of the traditional rabbinic method of scriptural interpretation and commentary. Paul was thus heir to the long, rich, and varied tradition of Pharisaism as it culminated in the latter days of the Second Temple.

 

Apparently, Paul had gained an outstanding reputation as a young rabbinic student because he was authorized by the Jewish authorities to seek out and prosecute members of a new sect who proclaimed that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah and that the Kingdom of God was at hand.

 

Paul apparently made several trips throughout Palestine in search of Christians. On one such trip from Jerusalem to Damascus, about the year 34 A.D., Paul was completely changed.

 


 Paul’s Conversion


Four accounts of Paul’s conversion exist (Acts 9:3-19; 22:6-21; 26:12-18; and Galatians 1:12-16). According to the essential spirit of these sources, Paul underwent a supernatural experience in which he came to believe that Jesus was actually the Messiah of Israel and that God had called Paul to preach the message of Jesus to all men.

 

The story adds that he was blinded and forced to fast for three days until a Christian named Ananais laid hands on him and restored his sight, after which he was baptized. The usual date assigned to this event is between 34 and 36 A.D.

 

Paul spent the next three years of his life in Damascus with the Christians. He then returned to Jerusalem and was accepted by Peter and the other Christians. Paul then went to his home city of Tarsus and spent about six years preaching in parts of Syria and Cilicia.

 

After a final year spent at Antioch, he and Barnabas were commissioned by the Christian authorities to go to the surrounding nations and preach the Christian message.

 


 Missionary Journeys

 

Paul undertook three extensive journeys in the eastern Mediterranean region during the next 15 years. At the time Paul undertook his travels, that part of the world was protected by the Pax Romana. Paul had no difficulty in traveling or in communicating.

 

Throughout the eastern Mediterranean a network of well-guarded and well-preserved roads, serviced by Roman garrisons, connected fortified and prosperous towns. A common language, Koine Greek, was spoken throughout the eastern Mediterranean and was used for all communications 

 

Correspondence by mail was a daily and ordinary method of communication. Furthermore, sea lanes for commerce and for passenger traffic were open between Palestine, Turkey, Greece, Italy, North Africa, and the main Greek islands.

 

Throughout the eastern Mediterranean, scattered but well-organized communities of Jews existed in all the principal localities. Between these Jewish communities and the central authority in Jerusalem, constant communication was maintained.

 

The communities of Jews living outside Palestine depended upon the Palestinian authorities for the fixing of the Jewish calendar, the regulation of the Jewish year, the offering of sacrifices in the Temple, and the general authentication of doctrines, scrolls, and teachers.

 

Until the latter period of his life, Paul moved through these Jewish communities as a Jew. This fact has often been obscured by the later opposition between Paul and the Jews and between Christianity and Judaism.

 

Only toward the end of his life was Paul not welcome in the synagogues of the Jewish communities. Christians in general were refused entry into synagogues only in the last 20 years of the first century.

 

Paul’s first journey, which began about 45 A.D., took him through Cyprus and southeastern Turkey; he then returned to Antioch by the same path. On his second journey, Paul went overland through Turkey and then to mainland Greece, passing through Athens and returning to Palestine in the same year through Rhodes.

 

He landed at Tyre on the shores of Palestine about 52 A.D. During this second journey Paul wrote his two Letters to the Thessalonians. On his third journey, Paul departed from Antioch, again traveled across Turkey, visited Ephesus and Chios, and then proceeded through Macedonia to visit mainland Greece again.

 

He returned home by sea from the southwest coast of Turkey to the Palestinian port of Tyre. During this third journey, Paul composed his Letter to the Galatians, his two Letters to the Corinthians, and his Letter to the Romans.

 

Between the beginning of his missionary journeys and his death, Paul wrote a number of letters that later became part of the Christian New Testament. Before, his death he composed a total of 13 letters. A 14th letter, the Letter to the Hebrews, traditionally bearing Paul’s name, is now generally considered to have been written by a disciple of Paul’s.

 

The Apostle Paul’s teaching rested on three main principles: Jesus was the Son of God and the Messiah foretold by the prophets of Israel; by his death, Jesus had atoned for all men’s sins and opened heaven for humanity; the Mosaic Law had, by the fact of Jesus’ salvation, been abrogated and replaced by the Law of Jesus.

 

There was, therefore, no longer any distinction between Jew and Gentile. Paul frequently used texts from the Bible to prove his points, interpreting them according to the rabbinic method of exegesis that he had learned in Jerusalem.

 

Attitude Toward The Law And The Jews

 

Two outstanding traits of Paul’s writings concern the Jewish law and the Jewish people as the chosen ones of God. His attitude on both points requires explanation. In regard to the law, Paul believed that since Christ had come the law had not been merely changed and ennobled but that it had been abrogated.

 

Later anti-Semitism fed on Paul’s terminology and concepts in describing the Jewish law, oral and written, as merely an exercise in legalities. No trace of this negative attitude exists in Paul’s writings.

 

A persuasion is posited that all the nobility of the law and all the salvation promised to the law had been transferred to the new law of Jesus. Paul separated world history into two distinct parts: the time prior to the coming of Jesus, when the law was God’s manifest way of leading men to salvation; and the time after the death of Jesus, when belief in and love of Jesus was the sole means of salvation.

 

In his later years, Paul probably eliminated any necessity of observing the law. In order to understand his attitude, it is well to remember that the Council of Jerusalem (ca. 49 A.D.) had liberated all Jewish converts to Christianity from any obligation of observing the Jewish law.

 

As Paul progressed in his teachings, he came up against sterner and sterner opposition from the Jewish authorities. Doubtless, this opposition hardened Paul in his opinion that the Jewish law served only to blind the Jews and possibly the Gentiles to the truth of Jesus.

 

One constant doubt, however, remained in Paul’s mind concerning his attitude to the Jews as the chosen people. In his Letter to the Romans, Paul declared that the Jews were and would remain the chosen people of God. He asserted this, as he remarked, because God’s decisions are immutable.

 

On the other hand, as a Christian believer, he maintained that Christians occupied a special place in God’s favor since they had become the carriers of the salvation of Jesus, which had become predominant in God’s scheme for man.

 

In order to escape this difficulty, Paul resorted to the subterfuge of declaring that the Jews remained the chosen people but that a veil of ignorance had been drawn over their eyes. He declared that this veil would be lifted only on the last day, when the world came to an end and Jesus returned to judge all men.

 

Teaching Methods

 

The Apostle Paul’s teaching methods never changed throughout his missionary journeys. In every town he visited, he went to the local synagogue or meeting place of the Jewish community and preached first to the Jews.

 

He then preached to the local Gentiles. His name however, became known and as his preaching expanded, he encountered greater and greater opposition from the Jewish communities. His preaching then became directed more and more toward the Gentiles.

 

From both Jews and Gentiles, Paul suffered severe physical and social hardships: being whipped, stoned, imprisoned, treated with indignity, and banished on several occasions. He developed from the beginning of his apostolate a rather acid critique of his former coreligionists, maintaining that in following the law of Moses and in refusing to believe in Jesus they were declining to follow their destiny as the chosen people of God.

 

Thus, opposition to Paul mounted in the Jewish communities that were outside Palestine, and the message filtered back to Jerusalem that Paul posed a threat to Judaism in the Diaspora.

 Final Days

 In Jerusalem after his third missionary journey, Paul proposed a trip to Rome and Spain. During his stay he was recognized by certain Asian Jews, who immediately attacked him as a renegade and troublemaker for the Jewish communities.

In the ensuing melee, Paul was saved by the Roman civil authorities who intervened. Paul was arrested as the cause of the disturbance. As a Roman citizen, he was saved from assassination and then transferred to Roman coastal headquarters, Caesarea, where he was tried by the Roman procurator, Felix.

 

To avoid being sent back for trial in Jerusalem, where he would have received certain death, Paul used his right as a Roman citizen to be transferred to Rome for trial by Caesar. He arrived in Rome after a sea voyage in the spring of 60 A.D.

 

During the years of his captivity in Rome, he composed his Letters to the Colossians, to the Ephesians, to the Philippians, to Philemon, to Timothy, and to Titus. Little is known of his subsequent life except that he possibly paid a visit to Spain before his death. He was martyred, according to all accounts, sometime in 66 or 67 A.D. in Rome.

 

The Bible doesn’t explain how the apostle Paul died but, in 2 Timothy 4:6–8 Paul feels that his end is near. This is the life of a man of God that gives us hope that God can use us no matter our past. Let us pray and seek God, Amen.

 

 

God Bless,

 

MyBibleQuestions 

Paul: A Biography

Paul: A Biography
By N.T. Wright / HarperCollins

For centuries, Paul has been one of the church’s most widely cited saints. In this compelling modern biography, Wright offers a radical look at the apostle—specifically illuminating the human and intellectual drama that shaped him. Moving beyond the essence of the man’s life, Wright also explores the extreme unlikelihood of what he achieved theologically. 496 pages, hardcover from HarperOne.

Martin Luther Biography, 95 Theses Explained

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Martin Luther Biography, 95 These Explained

Martin Luther Reformation

 

The Martin Luther 95 Theses are 95 statements explaining a Protestant interpretation of what penance and the penalty for sin means in the Bible. For those that need The 95 Theses explained, they are also known as the “Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences.” In these writings, Martin Luther claims that selling indulgences to finance the church and construction costs was immoral. Religious officials couldn’t control what happens in Purgatory and it was wrong to give people false hope and information about eternal salvation. In this time together we will give you a summary about the 95 Theses and give insight about Martin Luther’s Life.

 

Theologian Martin Luther forever changed Christianity when he began the Protestant Reformation in 16th-century Europe. If people know only one thing about the Protestant Reformation, Five hundred years ago, on October 31, 1517, one of the most significant events in history took place when a 34-year-old Augustinian monk named Martin Luther nailed his now-famous “Ninety-five Theses” to the door of the All Saints Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany.

 

A church door was like a bulletin board; tacking a notice to it was an accepted way of requesting a debate on an issue. Luther wrote his theses in Latin, which the average commoner could not read. But someone translated them into German and thanks to Gutenberg’s recently invented printing press, thousands of copies were quickly disseminated in Germany and beyond.

 

Luther had unintentionally changed his history and world history! Martin Luther Reformation 95 Theses. Luther is known mostly for his teachings about Scripture and justification.

 

Luther was born into a German Catholic home in 1483. His father wanted him to become a lawyer, so he dutifully began law school in 1505. But that year a lightning bolt nearly struck him. Luther believed that God unleashed that bolt to judge his guilty soul. In terror, he cried out to his father’s patron saint, “Help me, St. Anne, and I will become a monk!”

 

Two weeks later, much to his father’s disapproval, he dropped out of law school and entered a monastery.

 

“I myself was a monk for twenty years. I tortured myself with praying, fasting, keeping vigils, and freezing—the cold alone was enough to kill me—and I inflicted upon myself such pain as I would never inflict again, even if I could…. If any monk ever got to heaven by monkery, then I should have made it.”

 

But Luther found no relief from his guilt. He continued his studies and was a brilliant scholar. In 1510, Luther’s spiritual supervisor, who didn’t quite know how to deal with Luther’s extraordinary guilt, thought that a trip to Rome might help the troubled young man.

 

But when Luther got to that supposed “holy” city, he was shocked by the debauchery, hypocrisy, and blatant sinfulness that he saw.

 

Luther returned to earn his doctorate in theology and teach at the University of Wittenberg. But his studies did not resolve his turmoil. He struggled with the question, “How can I be righteous before God?”

 

The Catholic Church prescribed things like confession, penance, accumulating merits, and good works, but nothing helped alleviate his guilt.

 

As he continued to study the Scriptures for his classes, he began to see that there was a huge difference between what Scripture taught and what the church taught.

 

In trying to grasp the meaning of Romans 1:17, “But the righteous man shall live by faith,” at some point (scholars debate the exact time), Luther came to the radical realization that we are not made right with God through our righteousness, but rather through God’s imputing the righteousness of Christ to us through faith.

 

He later wrote of this breakthrough (Christian History, 34:15), “I felt as if I were entirely born again and had entered paradise itself through gates that had been flung open.”

 

As Luther grew in understanding, he grew increasingly frustrated with the church’s sale of indulgences. So he posted his Ninety-five Theses, not knowing how that action would radically change both his life and the course of history.

 

The pope at that time was the corrupt, hedonistic Leo X. Through his father’s wealth and connections, Leo had become a priest at age eight and a cardinal at 14. He became pope at the relatively young age of 37. He had no personal faith in Christ and no pretensions of being a religious man. His motto was, “God has given us the Papacy—let us enjoy it.” As pope, when someone had quoted to him from the Gospels, Leo remarked, “How very profitable this fable of Christ has been to us through the ages.”

 

Leo had spent so much on his lavish lifestyle and extravagant tastes in art that he drained the Vatican treasury. So to raise funds to build St. Peter’s Cathedral, he sold positions in the church and he sold indulgences.

 

Albert of Mainz in Germany had already bought two bishoprics, but at age 23 he wanted a third because of the money and power that went along with them. But it was against church law to hold so many bishoprics, so it required a papal act to grant it. So the pope and Albert struck a deal. Albert needed the cash he had agreed to pay the pope. And the pope needed funds to build his cathedral. So the pope authorized Albert to sell special indulgences. He could keep half for himself and give the other half to the pope.

 

Albert recruited a monk, Johann Tetzel, to sell the indulgences, a complex system that basically involved being able to shorten the time in Purgatory for yourself or a deceased loved one by paying money to the church. Tetzel was a showman and a salesman.

 

He played on people’s emotions: “Listen to the voices of your dear dead relatives and friends, beseeching you and saying, ‘Pity us, pity us. We are in dire torment from which you can redeem us for a pittance.’” His advertising jingle was, “When a coin in the coffer rings, a soul from Purgatory springs.”

 

At first, Luther naively thought that the pope would endorse his objections to this crass scheme. And the pope wrongly underestimated the threat of Luther’s Ninety-five Theses, which were spreading like wildfire across Europe. The pope dismissed Luther as the ramblings of a drunken German who would think differently when he sobered up.

 

But the issue quickly became not just the sale of indulgences, but rather the authority of the pope. Did he have the right to issue forgiveness of sins on the basis of someone paying money to the church?

 

Things quickly escalated, fueled by more of Luther’s writings, which urged major reform in the church. He declared that “a simple layman armed with the Scriptures” was superior to both popes and councils without them.

 

In 1520, a papal bull threatened Luther with excommunication. He publicly burned it. These events led to the Diet of Worms in the spring of 1521, called for by the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V.

 

Luther went, thinking that he would get to debate his Ninety-five Theses. But he quickly realized that this wasn’t a debate—it was a judicial hearing where he was asked to recant his controversial writings that challenged the authority of the church.

 

After a day of soul-searching, Luther gave his famous reply, “Unless I can be instructed and convinced with evidence from the Holy Scriptures or with open, clear, and distinct grounds of reasoning … then I cannot and will not recant, because it is neither safe nor wise to act against conscience.” Then he probably added, “Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me! Amen.”

 

Luther was condemned, but granted the safe conduct that he had been promised. (A century before, the Czech reformer Jan Hus had been promised safe conduct, but was imprisoned, tortured, and burned to death at the stake).

 

Now as an outlaw, anyone could kill Luther without fearing reprisals from an imperial court.

 

On his way back to Wittenberg, a group of armed horsemen came suddenly out of the forest, snatched Luther from his wagon, and rode off. They had been sent by Luther’s prince, Frederick the Wise, to keep Luther safe. They took him to Wartburg, one of Frederick’s castles, where he was hidden for ten months.

 

During that time, he continued writing, but his most important accomplishment was to translate the New Testament into common German. And so the Reformation was launched.

 

 

 

As it spread across Europe, the heart of the Reformation was to recover, clarify, and emphasize the gospel of God’s grace, as opposed to the system of works that had engulfed the church.

 

The Reformation challenged the authority of the pope and church tradition, subjugating it to the Bible. It replaced the Mass with the sermon. This abolished the system of indulgences and merits as necessary for salvation. This abolished the unbiblical doctrine of purgatory. This did away with venerating Mary, praying to her and the saints, and venerating relics, idols, or icons in the church.

 

It reintroduced congregational singing. It put the Bible in the common language of the people, who could then read it for themselves. It taught the priesthood of every believer. It recognized only two sacraments or ordinances, not seven. It taught that a person’s vocation is his calling and has significance before God. It taught that marriage is good and that church leaders may marry.

 

But today some Protestant evangelicals think that the Reformation created sinful division in the church and that we should set aside our differences, come together where we agree, and reunite with Rome.

 

Others, attracted to the ancient liturgy, are joining the Orthodox Church, believing that it is the only true church. So on this 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, I want to talk about why it still matters:

 

The Reformation matters because it recovered the gospel, summed up in the “Five Solas”: Scripture alone; Christ alone; grace alone; faith alone; and glory to God alone.

 

While sola Scriptura, sola gratia, and sola fide were used in the 16th century, no one seems to know for sure who first put the five solas together. One source states that all five were not systematically articulated together until the 20th century.

 

But scholars today agree that these Five Solas sum up the heart of the gospel truth that the Reformation recovered. Each one could easily be expanded into a sermon, so my treatment here will be brief.

 

Sola Scriptura: The Gospel Is Revealed Through Scripture Alone.

 

This plank of the Reformation deals with the source and authority for spiritual truth.

 

How can we know God and spiritual truth?

 

Is it through the pope, the church, church councils, or personal experiences or feelings?

 

The Reformers rightly brought us back to the Bible alone as the authority for spiritual truth. This rests on several key Scriptures:

 

(2 Timothy 3:16-17): “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”

 

(2 Peter 1:20-21): “But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”

 

(John 17:17): “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.”

 

In Luther’s day and beyond, the Catholic Church taught that Scripture is authoritative, but it could only be understood and taught by apostolic tradition, handed down through the teaching authorities in the church (the magisterium) and that these teachings may develop and deepen over time.

 

Thus doctrines such as Purgatory, the infallibility of the pope, the immaculate conception and assumption of the Virgin Mary, praying to the saints, and other doctrines not found in the Bible are taught as true and equal to Scripture because the teaching authority of the church has declared them to be true.

 

Besides church tradition, an additional threat to the sole authority of Scripture is the claim of personal, direct revelation from the Holy Spirit. Many today in the Pentecostal tradition claim that the Lord has revealed to them things that are not in Scripture, sometimes things that are contrary to Scripture.

 

For example, I once heard a well-known charismatic preacher claim that the Lord told him that he should have performed a wedding for a couple where one person was not a believer, even though Scripture is clear that believers should not marry unbelievers.

 

But Luther and the other Reformers saw that when Scripture, church tradition, or personal experience are placed on the same plane, tradition or experience end up trumping and perverting Scripture, resulting in all sorts of errors.

 

This is not to disregard the wisdom embodied in the early church Creeds or the teachings of the church Fathers. But it is to say that even the creeds and teachings of the Fathers must be subject to and judged by the Bible, properly interpreted.

 

Thus all spiritual truth, especially the central truth regarding the gospel, must come from Scripture alone. It is only through inspired Scripture that we can know and understand the gospel of salvation through faith in Christ.

Solus Christus: The Gospel Is Centered On Christ Alone.

 

Because God is holy (1 Pet. 1:15-16; 1 John 1:5) and all humans are sinners (Rom. 3:10-18, 23), neither religious rituals nor good works nor any religious leader can reconcile us to God.

 

Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and people (1 Tim. 2:5).

 

Personal faith in His atonement on the cross is sufficient to reconcile us to the holy God. Jesus said (John 14:6), “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

 

Peter testified about Jesus (Acts 4:12), “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” Paul said (Rom. 3:24) that a person is “justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.”

 

The gospel is not about how you can be financially successful, have good self-esteem, be happy, or have a happy family. The gospel (good news) is that you can be rescued from God’s judgment through trusting in Christ’s sinless life, sacrificial death, and bodily resurrection (1 Cor. 15:1-4; 2 Cor. 5:21; Rom. 8:1-3; Heb. 10:1-10).

 

You can’t save yourself or help Christ save you. Rather, you must trust in Him alone to save you.

 

Sola Gratia: The Gospel Is Believed And Received By Grace Alone.

 

The scripture says in Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

 

The Apostle Paul says in Romans 11:6: “But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.”

 

God’s grace means His undeserved favor. God owes us nothing but judgment because of our sins. He didn’t choose to save us based on anything good that He foresaw in us, including our faith, but only because of His grace.

 

Unwarranted confidence in human ability is a product of fallen human nature … God’s grace in Christ is not merely necessary but is the sole efficient cause of salvation. We confess that human beings are born spiritually dead and are incapable even of cooperating with regenerating grace.

 

We reaffirm that in salvation we are rescued from God’s wrath by his grace alone. It is the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit that brings us to Christ by releasing us from our bondage to sin and raising us from spiritual death to spiritual life. We deny that salvation is in any sense a human work.

 

Human methods, techniques or strategies by themselves cannot accomplish this transformation. Faith is not produced by our unregenerated human nature.

 

 

Sola Fide: The Gospel Is Received Through Faith Alone.

 

The scripture says in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

 

Paul says in Romans 4:4-5: “Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness.”

 

Paul also mentions in Galatians 2:16: “Nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.”

 

The Catholic Church in Luther’s day taught that in addition to faith in Christ you had to add penance, good works, the merits of Mary and the saints, and keeping the sacraments to cut down your time in Purgatory so that maybe eventually you could get into heaven.

 

Also, they viewed justification as a process involving the infusion of forgiveness of sins and sanctifying grace, received initially through baptism (usually in infancy) and continued throughout life by good works.

 

The Councils of Trent (an attempt to counter the Reformation), condemned to eternal punishment any who taught that we are justified by faith alone.

 

The Reformers rightly taught that genuine saving faith always results in a life of good works. As James (2:14-26) asserts, “Faith without works is dead.” But good works are the fruit of salvation, not the cause of it (Eph. 2:8-10).

 

Soli Deo Gloria: The Gospel Results In Glory To God Alone.

 

Something really important: If sinners can contribute anything to their own salvation, then they can share the glory with God. But if God saves sinners through Christ’s finished work alone, by grace alone, through faith alone, and it’s all a gift, then no one can boast.

 

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:26-31: “For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.

 

But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, ‘Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.’”

 

Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 1:4-6: “just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.”

 

Romans 11:36: “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.” (See, also, Isa. 42:8; 43:7; 48:11; 1 Cor. 10:31.)

 

It’s important to understand that while God commands sinners to believe in Jesus (John 14:1, 11; Acts 16:31), at the same time, no one is able to come to Christ in faith unless the Father grants it and draws him (John 6:44, 65).

 

The natural man is not able of understanding the things of the Spirit of God unless God opens his eyes (1 Cor. 2:14). Paul explained (2 Cor. 4:3-4), “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

 

So, how can an unbeliever see and believe? Paul explains (2 Cor. 4:6), “For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”

 

If salvation depends on God graciously shining into our hearts, opening our eyes to the truth, and imparting faith so that we turn from trusting in ourselves and instead trust in Christ alone, then He gets all the glory!

 

Conclusion

 

In my opinion does the Reformation still matter?

 

Yes, it matters greatly! It recovered the wonderful truth that the good news of salvation comes to us through Scripture alone.

 

It is based on Christ and His finished work alone. It is received by grace alone through faith alone.

 

Thus we give glory to God alone! Don’t be seduced by any other message. “This is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it!” (1 Pet. 5:12b).

 

God Bless,

MyBibleQuestions 

 

Does The Bible Say Marriage Is Between A Man And A Women

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God’s Word About Marriage

God’s Word is very specific about marriage. God made It clear in Genesis (2:18) that it was not good for man to be alone and God created the woman. The first marriage in the Bible is between a man and a woman. Marriage between a man and a woman was instituted by God with Adam and Eve. (Genesis 2:24) states: “Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh.” Jesus reaffirms this in Matthew (19:4-5) “He answered, ‘Have you not read that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one’?” So, the man and woman are no longer two but, one flesh. Marriage is between a man and a woman, only. Even with regard to temptation the Bible speaks about how each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband (1 Corinthians 7:2). The Bible says no such thing as a same-sex, plural, or any other type of marriage in the Bible except for one that is only between one man and one woman.

 

God’s Love

It’s important to note even though we find ourselves in a culture that doesn’t value the things of God or respect the way He has created and designed things (marriage, value of life, our world, our bodies, etc.), that doesn’t give us the right to not love others. God is love but, is also a consuming fire. Jesus taught us to love our neighbor like we love ourselves (Mark 12:31). We must not judge but, rather love them and pray for them so that God will open their spiritual eyes and they can make sense of what they are doing. God loves everybody but, He despises sin , we can find his Grace by repentance. Repentance is sincere regret for our sins and that’s what our Lord wants from us. He doesn’t want a man or woman with a perfect heart but, rather a contrite heart (Psalm 51:17). Our God Is perfect and just and he will love us no matter how we have lived. All we have to do is repent our sins and seek a relationship with him.

 

So, in conclusion marriage is only between one man and one woman. That’s what the God’s Word says and His Word is the authority. He is the creator and designer of marriage so He knows what’s best for all of his children and how it all works. We as Christians need to reiterate what real marriage is, in these times when the definition can be confusing to so many. We need to go back to the Bible, this is the spiritual food that we need for a better life and best of all eternal life with our Lord and Savior. These are the moments all of us as believers need to love and minister to those who don’t have an accurate understanding of marriage. Before we write someone off with their sin, let’s remember just how sinful we still are and how much all of us need Jesus (Romans 3:23).

 

God Bless,

MyBibleQuestions

What Does God Say About Tattoos And Body Piercings

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Christians And Tattoos

 

The Old Testament law commanded the Israelites, “Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD” (Leviticus 19:28). So, even though Christians today are not under the Old Testament law (Romans 10:4; Galatians 3:23–25; Ephesians 2:15), the fact that there was a command against tattoos should raise some questions. It is true The New Testament does not say anything about whether a christian should get a tattoo or body piercing.

In 1 Peter 3:3–4: “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” Granted, this passage is directed at Christian women, but there is a principle here that may be apropos: namely, a person’s external appearance should not be the focus of our attention. We put a lot of effort into “elaborate hairstyles” and “fine clothes” and jewelry, but that’s not where a woman’s true beauty lies. In the same way, tattoos and body piercings are “outward adornment,” and we should be careful to give more effort to the development of the “inner self,” regardless of our gender.

A good test is to determine whether we can honestly, in good conscience, ask God to bless tattoos and use that particular activity for His own good purposes. “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). The New Testament does not specifically command against tattoos or body piercings, but it also does not give us any reason to believe God would have us get tattoos or body piercings.

Conclusion

 

An important scriptural principle on issues the Bible does not specifically address is if there is room for doubt whether it pleases God, then it is best not to engage in that activity. Romans 14:23 reminds us that anything that does not come from faith is sin. We need to remember that our bodies, as well as our souls, have been redeemed and belong to God. Although 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 does not directly apply to tattoos or body piercings, it does give us a principle: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your body.” This great truth should have a real bearing on what we do and where we go with our bodies. If our bodies belong to God, we should make sure we have His clear “permission” before we “mark them up” with tattoos or body piercings.

So in conclusion we need to know what sets us apart from the world and everything it has to offers (Ephesians 5:1, 5:10) tells us to be imitators of God and to try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. This doesn’t exclude us from being saved because, we all have a past when we come to Christ. He forgets all our sins when come to Him (Micah 7:19). What we do after we are saved is what we have to be careful with. He chose us for a purpose. Everything we do, we must do it to Glorify his name.

 

God Bless,

MyBibleQuestions

Can I Be Saved Without Being Baptized

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This is a question that is asked often by nonbelievers and newly converted Christians. Salvation is not something we deserve but, rather given to us by the grace of God.

We can find the answer in the scripture, in the Gospel of Luke. There are two stories in this book of the New Testament that we will read and find out if Baptism is necessary for Salvation. Can I be saved without being baptized?

 

The Rich Man And Lazarus

The first story can be found in the Gospel of (Luke 16:19-31). We read the story of a rich man and a beggar the that both die but, end up in different places. The Bible states that the poor man dies and that angel’s carry him to Abraham’s side. The rich man dies also and is buried but, ends up at the Hades.

 

The Hebrew word “Sheol” always spoke of the state, condition, or the place of the dead in The Old Testament. The Greek word “Hades” also speaks of the same in The New Testament. There are different meanings for Hades in The New Testament.

 

  1. The Grave
  2. The Place Of Punishment
  3. A General Term For The Unseen Realm of The Dead

 

Lazarus being taken by angel’s to Abraham’s side without any mention of Baptism is a good indication that Baptism is not necessary for Salvation. This story was told by Jesus himself before his death and resurrection meaning that John The Baptist was already Baptizing at that time.

 

The Baptism of John The Baptist was more for repentance than salvation but, it was ment for the Jews (Matthew 3:7-9). The rich man could have been saved himself but there was no repentance on his part.

 

 

The Crucifixion with The Criminal

The next story may be the best out the two to close the argument about needing Baptism for Salvation.

 

We find the story also in the Gospel of (Luke 23:32-33,39-43). Jesus is crucified along with two criminals and one of them railed at him saying “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us! The other criminal rebuked him by saying “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?

 

He acknowledged that they were paying the price for their bad deeds but, that Jesus was innocent. He then turned to Jesus and begged him to remember him when he came into His Kingdom. And Jesus turned to him and told him those beautiful words “Truly, I Say To Yo, Today You Will Be With Me In Paradise”.

 

Paradise must be nice for a person that had never received the word or been Baptized.

 

Here was a criminal that was a sinner like all of us but, had the opportunity to repent and be saved. If only we all had that opportunity but, we don’t know when or how we will die. We might not get that chance to repent, that’s why we have to be ready for the second coming of our Lord and Savoir Jesus Christ.

 

We have to walk the narrow path that leads to our Father in Heaven and not the wide path that leads to destruction.

Conclusion

The answer we come to is that we don’t need to be Baptized to be Saved but, we do have to believe in our Lord Jesus Christ (John 7:38).

 

These two stories show that Baptism is not necessary for salvation but, we need it as a public acknowledgement that we are born again and that are past is our past and it stays in the water (John 3:1-8).

 

We are made new again through Baptism but, like we have read in the Bible, it is possible to get to Heaven without it.

 

We just can’t take a chance and hope we have time to repent. We must seek and walk with God while we still have life on this earth so, that we can have eternal life with Him in Heaven.

 

God Bless,

 

MyBibleQuestions

 

 

 

 

 

Is God and Jesus the same or are they differente?

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Is God And Jesus The Same

 

To answer this questions we have to first understand that we are limited by our human minds. God is the highest subject any human can ever attempt to comprehend.

 

God defines Himself as everlasting being with infinite power, presence and knowledge. We simply can’t comprehend, but will give it a shot.

 

Trinity is a word that is not in scripture but, we do have an indication of three distinct persons can be found in (1 John 5:7). Jesus was quoted as attesting to being one but, not equal with the Father (John 10:30).

 

Subsequently, in the understanding of Trinitarian Christian Theology, Scripture “bears witness to” the activity of a God who can only be understood in Trinitarian terms. In Greek the translation is “set of three or the number three”.

 

The Trinity can be resembled to water (that’s as close as we can get to understand it) in it’s three forms. Water, Ice and Steam. It’s the same water only in three different forms.

 

The three persons of the Godhead (Father,Son, and Spirit) make up the one God. Each is God (Ephesians 4:6; Titus 2:13, Acts 5:3,4) yet they are one. For there are three that bear my record in heaven, The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit: and these three are one.

 

The Godhead is composed of three separate beings who are perfectly united in their goal of saving and sustaining their creatures.

 

God Bless,

 

MyBibleQuestions

Have Questions About The Bible

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MyBibleQuestions.com is the right place to find all your answers about our God. God left us his Word to show us his infinte love and redemption for man. The Bible was written by men inspired by God to write His Sacred Truth. The human authors wrote exactly what God wanted them to write and the result was the perfect and Holy Word of God (Psalm 12:6; 2 Peter 1:21)

 

 

All of our questions that we have about our lives can be answered by the Bible. God speaks to us through his Word. All we have to do is listen. Before reading the Bible we need to pray to God to help us discern his Word. God’s Word is our daily bread and we need it nourish our bodies as well as our spirit (1 Peter 2:2; 1 Timothy 4:6).

 

 

The amazing truth about the Bible is that the Lord offers forgiveness for our sins. The whole Bible is telling us about his plan for salvation. Salvation and Love is the central theme of the Bible. His plan of salvation includes sacrificing his  only Son for love the man. (John 3:16) The Bible is God’s road map to Heaven and the only road to Heaven is  our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (John 14:6). The Bible is all about Jesus from beginning to end. If we believe in Jesus and follow his Word, we will get to our Father in Heaven.

 

 

Whether you have a question about life, finances or about anything, the answer can be found in the Bible. Please feel free to browse through our questions and answers, or ask your own question and we will have a Biblical answer for you. Thank You again for trusting MyBibleQuestions for all your Bible questions.

 

 

God Bless,

MyBibleQuestions