In recent years scholars have taken more seriously the influence of Jesus of Nazareth on the apostle Paul’s thinking. You might think this connection was obvious, but in the world of “biblical” scholarship nothing is obvious. Evangelical scholars contend that the greatest change in Paul’s thinking was brought about as a consequence of Paul’s vision… Continue reading Jesus, Satan, and the Apostle Paul (Jesus and the victory of God in Paul’s thought)
Should Christians ask God for forgiveness?
Let me complete the question, “Should Christians ask God for forgiveness knowing that all their sins, past, present and future, have already been forgiven by God when they were justified by their faith in Christ?” Justification by Faith The Bible teaches that when we put our faith in Christ God justifies us and we are… Continue reading Should Christians ask God for forgiveness?
In search of an author
The authorship of Ephesians has been much disputed in recent years. New Testament scholarship, however, is not unanimous. In the years 1991 – 2001 fifty percent of published scholars argued for Pauline authorship and fifty percent against Pauline authorship.
In search of a destination
Three of the earliest original manuscripts of the letter to the Ephesians do not contain the words “in Ephesus” in 1:1. This omission has led certain scholars to doubt that the letter was indeed intended for the believers in Ephesus although all the Ephesians manuscripts, including the three mentioned, have the superscription or heading: ΠΡΟΣ ΕΦΕΣΟΥΣ (“To… Continue reading In search of a destination
In search of a context
For many years the letter to the Ephesians has been regarded as a general epistle or letter, addressed to wide variety of churches and therefore containing very general instruction with no specific historical context or church issue in mind. This general nature was believed to have set Ephesians apart from the other New Testament letters… Continue reading In search of a context