Life and Faith 4.2
lanny.wilson
4.2PaulsLetters.docxGetting Started
You are probably getting familiar with this discussion and perhaps developing more of an eye for picking out passages that are relevant to our dual themes of “Life and Faith.” Paul gives you a lot to go on. Remember that Paul’s letters have a complex interplay of theology and ethics. You may find more material for the “Life” component in the theology portion of Paul’s letters (what God does for us) and more material for the “Faith” component in the ethics section (our response to God). Keep this in mind as you are selecting and commenting on your passages.
Upon successful completion of the course material, you will be able to:
· Explain aspects of God’s gifts and our response in Paul’s letters.
Resources
· Bible
Background Information
Paul has a lot to say about faith. He talks about it frequently. In fact, it is Paul’s emphasis on faith that leads to it being included in the title to this course. Paul can talk about “life,” but he also has a lot of other words around this side of things. In particular, Paul features the word grace:
· “How much more surely have the grace of God and the grace of the one man Jesus Christ abounded for the many” (Rom 5:15)
· “It is by grace that you are saved through faith” (Eph 2:8)
· “We urge you not to accept the grace of God in vain” (2 Cor 6:1)
· “I have become a servant of the gospel according to the gift of God’s grace that was given to me by the working of his power” (Eph 3:7)
· “This grace was given to us in Christ before the world began” (2 Tim 1:9)
Grace is sometimes quickly defined as “undeserved favor.” There is truth to that definition, but it doesn’t capture all that the Bible says about grace. Grace is a free gift of undeserved mercy and kindness from God. That grace comes to realization in and through Jesus Christ. Yet, grace is not just God’s attitude toward us, but also God’s power at work in us (Eph 3:7) to make us into new people and move us into our calling from God. Paul’s language of grace (and mercy and hope) is a good place to look for the theme of “Life” in Paul’s letters.
Instructions
1. Review the assessment criteria in the rubric for this assignment.
2. Read the book of Romans and the book of Ephesians.
3. Identify one passage from Romans and one passage from Ephesians that deal with the topics of Life and Faith.
4. Compose an initial post of 200-250 words that identifies your passages and explains where and how you see the themes of Life and Faith at work in each of them. You do not need to quote the entire passage, but you should use specific pieces of each passage in your explanation. Post this by day four of the workshop.
5. Post at least three responses by the end of the workshop, following these guidelines:
a. Respond to at least two of your classmates.
b. Respond at least once to the instructor. (Remember that you can respond to the instructor’s comments on other student’s posts, not just your own.)
c. Attend to the details and main points of the initial post or continue the discussion in the same vein.
