Early Christian Practical Issues

I believe this is one of the reasons Christianity thrived because people needed some shrivel of hope.

The Corinthians had a way of self-praise and boasting over their superior actions. They would speak in tongues and prophecy in public “not to benefit others who are in attendance but, in Paul’s view, simply to elevate themselves in the eyes of others” (Bart Ehrman, A Brief Introduction to the New Testament, p. 228). In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul lists the variety of gifts that various members of the church possess, saying that the Spirit has assigned each gift to each individual. Paul wants the Corinthians to understand that God has given the individuals in the community distinctive roles and gifts that, when used appropriately, better the church as a whole. To emphasize the importance of unity in the church, Paul writes, “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ” (1 Cor 12:12). Paul shows how each member of the church has imperative value, just as each part of the body is essential for it to work properly. The Corinthians’ problem of boasting would fade away as soon as they acknowledge that there is value in the diversity of the members of the church. God placed each person in the role that He intends for them to fill and everyone must recognize His placement. Greater than all other gifts is the gift of love. Love is crucial because it builds up the community and strengthens every believer, regardless of their differences. Paul stresses that the most excellent gift is love, writing “If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing” (1 Cor

Paul, also in romans 12 sets before the church not only their relation to Christ who is Head but also the relations between brothers and sisters in Christ. It was vital for Paul to begin by entreating them to present their bodies a living

The issue of Jewish Christians eating meat has been something that has been going on for many years and is something that some people who are not Jewish struggle with because it is different and to them is considered un-normal. However im sure they feel that it is un-normal for those who are not Jewish Christians to eat meat and not feel wrong or guilty about it. After reading Galations 2: 1-18, and Acts

The apostle had evidently issued a warning to the Corinthians to maintain a clear separation from those persons who continued to exhibit the pagan lifestyle that was characteristic of Corinth. (As we have seen, the city was renowned for its

The earliest recorded text teaching Christianity has its roots buried deep within Judaism. The birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, as the Messiah, created a new ideology of worship. The Messiah is the savior for all people and of all sins. Paul carried the message of the Messiah to the Gentiles. His missionary journeys and establishment of churches enabled the spreading of the message throughout the Roman Empire. Christianity grew in acceptance; those that believed in the Messiah separated and began to worship on their own. This marked the beginning of the split of Judaism and Christianity.

In the Book of Romans Paul wrote many letters answering questions about the human world, mankind’s relations with God, the natural world and most importantly the plan of salvation. Paul wrote these letters to tell the truth, to tell that no matter what race or religion, we are all sinner and the only way to truly become righteous is though faith in Jesus Christ. In Rome at that time you had two extremes of people, the heathens, and those who thought they were holier than thou (Jews). In todays society we still have those two extremes but we also have a middle ground, those who are straddling the fence. Paul just wanted the entire human race to know that we are guilty before God for both past and

Paul was also concerned how this sin had affected the Corinthian Church. The consequences of our

“The nub of the difficulty is that in 1 Corinthians 11:2-16, Paul is quite prepared for women to pray and prophesy, albeit with certain restrictions”. I was astonished with Charles’ saying; “Paul had no problem with women praying and prophesying in church; his difficulty is that they are doing these things in a way that denies their created sexuality. In Paul’s world, certain things were social symbols of femaleness and maleness. They distinguished the sexes. Amon the signs of femaleness was long hair. (On the eve of her marriage in the Acts of Paul, Techla is converted to celibate Christianity. After baptism, she cut her hair short and dresses like a man. This act said she had transcended her sexuality)”.

God has a meaning for everything, so there is obviously a explanation for why God commands that a woman cannot speak in church nor have authority over men. What exactly is God’s purpose when he says that a woman cannot do these things? There are many different views as to what these passages in the Bible mean. I would like to address each of these concerns and explore the different points of view about each of these verses.

Women reflect the glory of man and must cover their heads during public worship according to St. Paul.

Christianity over the course of history has a vast influence on individuals, society and the way believers conduct themselves. It provides morals, practices and ethics that every Christian attempts to live by. Throughout the many denominations in the Christian church, Paul of Tarsus had a significant influence on the faith. His contribution to the development and expression of Christianity is immense and can be seen to stem from his writing and missionary journeys which have implemented his ideas and interpretations onto the development of Christianity. After Jesus, Paul was arguably the most significant figure in Christianity as his teachings form a significant part of the New Testament. Like may other Pharisees of that time in history, Paul sought to suppress the early Christian movement. He accused early Christians of blaspheming against God and breaking Mosaic Law. However, Paul had a life-changing experience when he had a vision of Jesus, and he spent the remainder of his life as a missionary for the early church. Centuries after his ministry, his teachings still influence Christian theology.

As Paul arrived in Athens he experienced deep distressed when he saw that idols dominated the city. Because Paul had a Christian worldview, the presence of so many idols immediately disturbed him. Let’s back up.

Paul rebukes the Corinthians based on rumors that they have interpreted his message as all actions are permitted. Paul quotes the Corinthians saying, “ “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be enslaved by anything. “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for immorality” (1 Corinthians 6:12-13). The conclusion to draw from Paul’s rebuttal is that the default actions that the Corinthians took after Paul left were those that were to satisfy their physical needs. Paul mentions that gluttony has struck the Corinthians and that gluttony in its very nature results in a physical satisfaction of being full. Although, not only were the Corinthians satiating themselves,

Women must be modest and only hold domestic roles within society because they cannot have authority over any man, which means they cannot hold teaching roles or even speak in church. The women must “learn in silence with full submission [and] no woman [is] to teach or to have authority over a man; she is to keep silent” (1 Timothy 2:11-12). 1 Timothy is very clear about women’s roles in society: they must be modest, married, and have children. The widows must be honest and real widows over the age of 60. The only rules for men in this book are rules for leading the church. Women are seen as the temptresses and the creators of sin because “Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor” (1 Timothy 2:14). This is one view of the biblical woman where the most important thing about her is her body and how she uses it.