The Importance of the Book of Romans
The Epistle of Romans and all it fulfills has one motivation; to glorify God. It is the very reason for which humanity was created. The author, Apostle Paul, strongly asserts that he is not embarrassed by the Gospel since it is God’s power to save everyone who trusts in Him. Bart indicates that Paul’s letter to the Romans had a central theme; Good News. It presents God’s grace fulfilled through His only Son; Jesus Christ. Undoubtedly, it is a Gospel. Romans purposed at laying the foundation for the faithful in the truth presented by the Gospel with the motive to glorify God. The course or motive of the author is to make someone get stronger in his or her faith (Bart 89).
The Epistle to the Romans is a guide for the Kingdom of Heaven’s citizenship. It explains the way to attain heaven’s citizenship that is justified by faith in Christ. The Book of Romans outlines the blessings bequeathed to an individual on becoming a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven, being born again, or saved. Furthermore, the book teaches the citizens of heaven in the expected manner of life. It also presents citizens of heaven as sojourners here on earth. An emphasis is laid on the repentance of sinners (Bart 100).
The Epistle to the Romans provides a complete primary theological framework to the rest of Paul’s works. It lays down the basics of the Gospels and God’s plan, both of which are fundamentally essential to the new era; Church Age. Romans has indeed played a central role in the life and history of the church over the years.
Women in Paul’s Churches
The relationship between Apostle Paul and women forms an important aspect in the theological discussion about the place of women in Christianity. Paul wrote the first directives on women’s role in the church. At the time Paul started his missionary work, women were vital agents in different cities. Paul’s letters and casual greetings to female acquaintances provide concrete information on women’s prominence in his ministry.
Various women carried out missionary work in the churches founded by Paul and in his movement at large. Paul’s salutations to some of his followers show that people preached in pairs, either with their brothers or husbands. Priscilla was Aquila’s wife, and she decided to work with Paul, which made her a missionary as well. Also, they worked together in tent making. Some women were also church-planters and evangelists. Paul praised Junia for being a prominent apostle (Bart 124). Women such as Phoebe acted as deacons in the early church. Paul describes Phoebe as a supportive woman or benefactor. Paul’s works had solid information on the role of women in the church as apostles, missionaries, deacons, informants, and partners in evangelism.
The issue of the status of women, as exemplified in Paul’s works and advice to the various churches he established arouses heated debates. Paul presents women as subordinates to their husbands but also advances egalitarian views. In particular, Ephesians 5: 22-24 has been at the center of the debate on women’s subordinate position (Bart 98). Both traditionalists and Christian egalitarians agree that Paul’s assertion was divinely inspired.
Nevertheless, the traditionalists emphasize male leadership in the church and marriage. Christian egalitarians point out that both men and women are equals in all spheres of life. Paul’s traditional approach to some issues is a precursor to the Jewish cultural influence in his works. Nevertheless, Paul also presents a robust unrestricted position in Galatians 3: 28, where he asserts that all people are united in Christ irrespective of their background.
The Apocalyptic World View of the Book of Revelation
The book of Revelation was authored by Apostle John. It is one of the difficult books regarding understanding Christian literary works. The work, also known as the Apocalypse of John, arouses a pool of questions and competing interpretations. The work falls under the category of apocalyptic writings; it employs images, symbols, and numbers to transmit its message. The work is characteristic of the persecution era, where it equates the emperor of Rome with Satan as well as showing the ancient Roman administration as the final evil (Bart 105).
Often, a majority of the people never understand Revelation. Therefore, there is a need to understand the basic foundation under which the book was written. This includes the features of the writings, the history possessed by the early Christians, persecutions, and their way of life, which makes it easier to comprehend the book of revelation. In the work, several symbols and images were connected to events, people, and places that were familiar to Asia Minor Christians during the 1st century (Bart 53).
A wide range of interpretations has been fronted to explain the imagery and symbolism used in Revelation. The content of the book presents an apocalypse of the present and future world views. The cataclysmic images used in Revelation relate to global occurrences and predict how or when the end times will ultimately come. The book of Revelation, like most of the other apocalyptic writings in the Bible, presents a world view characterized by a sharp contrast between the good and evil powers. The two fronts are presented to be rallying themselves against each other in an ultimate global conflict that is succeeded by the overthrow or supremacy by God (George 81).
Works Cited
Bart D. Ehrman. A Brief Introduction to the New Testament. Oxford University Press, 2010. Print.
Bart D. Ehrman, Peter Paul and Mary Magdalene. The Followers Of Jesus In History And Legend. Oxford University Press, 2008. Print.
Bart D. Ehrman. Lost Christianities, The Battle for Scripture and the Faiths We Never Knew. Oxford University Press, 2005. Print.
George T. Montague. The Apocalypse: Understanding the Book of Revelation and the End of the World. Harper & Row Publisher, 1991. Print.
