Hermeneutics: Epistles Flashcards
What is the new testament about?
GRACE
Gospels: Historical Account of the life and death of Jesus
Resurrection: The Gospels all culminate in the Resurrection of Christ
Activities: (Acts) The activities and growth of the early church
Coaching: (Epistles) Explains the practical application of Christ’s words
Eternity: Our destination
Paul’s Benedictions
Paul ended each letter with a benediction
Rom “The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you”
1 Cor “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.”
- Cor “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”
Gal. “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.”
Eph. “grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.”
Phil. “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.”
Col. “grace be with you.”
1 Thes. “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.”
2 Thes. “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.”
1 Tim. “Grace be with you.”
2 Tim “Grace be with you.”
Titus “Grace be with you all.”
Phm. “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.”
Difference between Justice, Mercy, and Grace
Justice is getting what you deserve
Mercy is not getting what you deserve
Grace is getting what you don’t deserve
What is the purpose of the epistles?
Coaches us to live the christian life
If becoming a Christian was just about having your sins forgiven, the we would have dropped dead the moment we became a christian, instead, God wants us to live it out in the world and become more like him and bring others along with us.
Meaning of Rom 12: 1-2
12 I appeal to you therefore, brothers,[a] by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.[b] 2 Do not be conformed to this world,[c] but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.[d]
Situation:
It is mid 50 AD. Paul is writing to rome. He hasn’t been there. It is the biggest city in the world. Paul knows that it is a very important Church, being the biggest city in the world and the center of the Roman empire. And Paul wants everyone in Rome to know what Christianity is all about.
Paul wants to go to rome at some point, and he does but it is to be executed by Nero
Paul is probably writing from Corinth
Type:
Epistle - however romans was not written to specifically deal with problems in the church, but to lay out the theology of Christianity in logical order.
Object: Church (And us, because we are a church too)
Prescription: Some of it is Prescription
- Our number one privilege and obligation is to worship God
- By renewing our minds, we will discover our gifts that God has given us to serve His Kingdom
- The will of God for our lives here is not Who we should marry, or what career we should get into, but, HOW we will serve his kingdom as an act of worship
- This relates to the traditional vs wisdom view of how we discern God’s will for our lives. The traditional view holds that God will reveal it to us in a dream or through telling us. The wisdom view says, that that is more of an exception than the rule. God gives us free will, and instead of determining our lives for us, He provides us with a framework for decision making. God doesn’t tell us who to marry, but rather tells us to “Marry someone in the Lord”, who we want to marry is up to us, as long as they are “in the Lord”.
- This also has implications for people who want to serve God but are “waiting on the call”. God has already called every believer and gives us the command in scripture, for us to serve in accordance with our talents, we don’t need to be “called”, we are commanded to do so.
- The will of God is never contrary to the word of God.
There are only two religions
You are either going to worship the creator, or you are going to worship some aspect of creation
How is wisdom different from special revelation?
One way God works is to give wisdom, which He promises to those who ask, especially in the midst of trying situations (James 1:5). Some think, however, this means God simply tells them what to do. God speaks; they listen. This is not wisdom, though, because even a fool can follow directions.
Wisdom is skill at living. It’s insight into the way the world works. Merely following orders requires no discernment, no deliberation, no knowledge, no reflection, no understanding—in short, no wisdom.
There’s a difference between receiving revelation of some sort (“God told me…”) and growing in wisdom, or gaining insight to unravel a problem, or getting creative “inspiration,” or experiencing the outworking of a spiritual gift. Special revelation is extremely rare and carries with it a unique authority. By contrast, creative inspiration or insight is common, especially for the Christian actively depending on God and leaning on Him for help (Prov. 3:5–6).
