Comparing The Teachings Of Jesus With Those Of Paul

1. Compare the teachings of Jesus with those of Paul. Why do you think some people consider Paul the second founder (or even the true founder) of Christianity? The gospel describes Jesus as a great teacher who astounded the crowds who gathered to hear him. Though he engaged in debates with Pharisees and Sadducees, he took great interest in ordinary people. He often taught them in parables, stories that used vivid images from everyday life to illustrate spiritual truths (Invitation to World Religions, pg.416). The central theme in Jesus’ teachings was the Kingdom of God. For Jesus, the kingdom of God was not an ordinary kingdom, but that exists when human beings recognize God’s sovereignty over the world and respond in love and in†¦show more content†¦Though Jesus was sinless and undeserving of death, he offered himself as a sacrifice in atonement for all sin (Invitation to World Religions, pg.418). Paul was always emphatic in maintaining that salvation cannot be earned by â€Å"works†, whether humans’ effort to obey the commandments in the Torah or excellent work in general. Instead, he taught that the s alvation made possible by Christ’s sacrifice is a gift, the ultimate expression of God’s love and grace. Salvation is given to those who respond to God’s grace in faith, the conviction that God has acted through Jesus Christ to amend for human sin. Although Paul was very clear in teaching that salvation depends on God’s grace and the individual’s turning to God in faith, he did not dismiss the importance of works (Invitation to World Religions, pg.419). For Paul, faith does more than bringing salvation; it unites the believers with Christ in a â€Å"newness of life†. He believed that the spirit lives in believers and brings them into union with God. As a divine presence within, the spirit encourages the growth of spiritual virtues, the greatest which is love and makes all Christians one in the church often called â€Å"the body of Christ†. Because Paul was the first to describe and teach about the role of Jesus in the salvation of humanity from sin, he’s known to be the second founder of Christianity. It was due in part to his influence thatShow MoreRelatedComparing the Teaching on the Resurrection in I Corinthians and the Thessalonian Letters1499 Words   |  6 PagesComparing the Teaching on the Resurrection in I Corinthians and the Thessalonian Letters The purpose of this paper is to compare the teaching on the resurrection of Jesus Christ as it is noted in Pauls letter to the Corinthians and Thessalonian letters. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the primary doctrines of study in the Bible because it reveals the victory that believers have over death, hell and the grave. However, the belief in a bodily resurrection has been the central focusRead MoreThe Hero and the Saint: Paul and Augustine656 Words   |  3 PagesThe Hero and the Saint: Paul and Augustine The idea of the hero in Greco-Roman culture was integrated into the idea of the saint (in the process of conversion and totalization) by way of Christianitys adoption of and ancestry in the Greco-Roman culture. As Professor Ambrosio indicates, The need and the search for meaning is shared by all human beings (Hero or Saint Saul of Tarsus). Thus, it is no surprise to find that a pagan Greco-Roman title is applicable to a Christian whose virtue is viewedRead MoreCompare And Contrast Christianity And Islam1031 Words   |  5 Pageshighly recognized by governments. Though Christianity is more widely known, they both pose the same challenges to each other. Considering the similarities and differences of Christianity and Islam, it can be said they are both very different. Comparing the two religions, is simpler due to the clear difference between the beliefs of the religions as well as practices in worship. The historic origin of the two religions was much easier especially that of Christianity which begun as a Jewish sectRead MoreSpirit Baptism Is About The Restoration Of God s Covenant Community Essay1121 Words   |  5 Pagesdifferent things. Therefore, it is unwise to seek answers from Luke to something he did not address. To demonstrate this point, Lee brings out examples of spirit baptism in Luke’s writings. Supporting Evidence. He begins by comparing John the Baptist’s baptism in Luke 3:1 -22 to Jesus baptism of the spirit in Acts 2. He proposes that the baptism of John was symbolic while Christ s baptism ushered in a new era that would redeem humanity from their living damnation. In other words, John’s baptism wasRead MoreScriptures On The Same Sex Marriage1639 Words   |  7 Pagesor not it with religion affiliations. But many associate their opinion with the use of Scriptures in the bible. I will be analyzing evidence and reasoning from two different articles arguing against and for same-sex marriage by using Scriptures, Paul, and procreation to back up their claim. In 2004, the state of Vermont began the first steps towards legalizing gay marriage the same year Edith M. Humphrey published an article called â€Å"Recovering Christian Marriage† in a â€Å"ChristianityRead MoreWhy Revival Tarries By Leonard Ravenhill955 Words   |  4 PagesArt Tozer, the owner of two honorary doctoral degrees and an American preacher forwards this book to the nature of Ravenhill being impossible to remain neutral, â€Å"His acquaintances are divided pretty neatly into two classes, those who love and admire him out of proportion and those who hate him with perfect hatred† (13). Leanard Ravenhill was born 1907 in the small town of Leeds, England. In mid-life he traveled aboard to America and fell asleep in 1994. He began publishing his works in 1959 and compiledRead MoreThe Teachings At The Sermon On The Mount1342 Words   |  6 Pageswith suffering. With Christianity, Jesus taught his followers that suffering is eliminated through salv ation, which is by repentance and dependence on God. While with Buddhism, Buddha taught suffering is universal and that the only way to deal with it is by forsaking oneself and following the Middle Path, thus achieving a worked out salvation. Though these teachings do resemble each other in meaning, they differ in their purpose. When looking at Jesus’ teachings at the Sermon on the Mount, he givesRead MoreDevotion Is A Major Theme1608 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"love, loyalty, or enthusiasm for a person, activity or cause.† In all religions, devotion is a very big reoccurring theme. In order for a person to commit himself or herself to a religion, they must devote their mind, body and soul to the true teachings of the religion. Devotion in the religions of Christianity and Buddhism is very important, but what they devote their lives to, and how they devote themselves is what makes the religions different. In the religion Christianity, devotion is a majorRead MoreThe Life And Times Of Jesus Of Nazareth1773 Words   |  8 PagesTwo thousand years ago, the birth of Jesus, arguably the most influential man the world has ever seen, altered history forever. Christians know him as the Messiah, the son of God who came to save all of mankind, and for others, he may just be a great teacher and person of history. It is the latter that Reza Aslan attempts to shed an unbiased light on by comparing the Jesus that modern Christians believe in to the Jesus that Aslan believes would have fit into first-century Palestine: a violet revolutionaryRead MoreThe Theological Theory Of Atonement1634 Words   |  7 PagesThe early church fathers took the story of Jesus and attempted to put it into a living theology that would give the story more meaning for their current day. They used their philosophy, culture, and personal style to form their ideas of what the atonement means. In the second century, Irenae us and Athanasius formed their beliefs into a model of atonement. They are usually regarded as being the first to outline the theory of atonement called the recapitulation theory. Their work set the tone for all