Unit 4: New Testament Notes

Ephesians KEYWORD- BODYBUILDING ● How do you build up this body to function together, rather in different directions Introduction to Ephesians ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Paul doesn’t represent people by name Originally Ephesians was a circular letter to several churches (LBC, 522). See NIV text note on 1:1 See 6:21-23 and note the lack of personal references, which makes the circular letter idea more probable. Hints of the same in 1:15 (“ever since I heard about your faith”), 3:1-2, and 4:20-21 Some similarities between Ephesians and Colossians Written ca. 60-62 from Rome The City of Ephesus ● ● The work at Ephesus is known as the greatest urban archaeological site in the world One of the top five cities of the Roman world, along with Alexandria, Antioch, Corinth, and Rome Roman Amphitheater ● ● Could hold 10,000 people Where silversmiths gathered and shouted because they were upset that Paul was becoming successful in converting people to Christianity Temple of Artemis ● One of the seven wonders of the ancient world Outline ● ● Two Parts Doctrine, chapters 1-3 (the body) ● Practice, chapters 4-6 (unity) ● ● Theme: the nature and life of the church (i.e. how God works in and through the church) So, it is more of a theological treatise than a personal letter, which makes sense if it’s a circular letter written to several churches. Part 1 ● ● God’s Mystery Revealed: Christ is the Head of a new brotherhood that includes Jew and Gentile, Chapters 1-3 Greeting, 1:1-2 ● Doxology, 1:3-14 ● ● ● 1:3-6, the work of the Father 1:7-12, the work of Christ (the Son) 1:13-14, the work of the Holy Spirit One is used 7 times and expresses unity of the church. Part 1 continued ● ● ● ● ● ● Thanksgiving, 1:15-23 Participation of Gentiles in Church, 2:1-22 Salvation by _grace___ (2:1). Through _faith___ (2:8). For _good___ __work__ (2:10). The Gentiles are definitely a part of God’s plan (part of the body), 3:1-21 Part 2 ● God has called the church to do His good works, 4:1-6:18 ● ● ● ● The Unity of the Church, 4:1-16 (especially vv. 1 and 4-6) God calls us to break with our sinful past, 4:17-24 Imitate God in relationships, 4:25-6:9 Battle gear for spiritual warfare, 6:10-18 ● Conclusion 6:21-24 Put on a full armor of God. Put on the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit. A word on Eph. 5:33/Love and Respect ● ● ● Husbands must love their wives Wives must respect their husbands Men want respect more than love, while women cherish love more 1, 2, 3 John KEYWORD: FELLOWSHIP BAROMETER, BOLT THE DOOR , AND OPEN THE DOOR A Tradition from Ephesus ● There is a church tradition, which says that when John was evidently an old man in Ephesus, he had to be carried to the church in the arms of his disciples. At these meetings, he was accustomed to say no more than, “Little children, love one another!” After a time, the disciples wearied at always hearing the same words, asked, “Master, why do you always say this?” ● “It is the Lord’s command,” was his reply. “And if this alone be done, it is enough!” Gnosticism: Part 1 ● Gnosticism (from Ancient Greek: γνωστικός, Romanized: gnōstikόs, Koine Greek [gnos.ti’kos], “having knowledge”) is a collection of religious ideas and systems which originated in the first century AD among early Christian and Jewish sects. These various groups emphasized personal spiritual knowledge (gnosis) over the orthodox teachings, traditions, and authority of the church. Part 2 ● Viewing material existence as flawed or evil, Gnostic cosmogony generally presents a distinction between a supreme, hidden God and a malevolent lesser divinity (sometimes associated with the Yahweh of the Old Testament), who is responsible for creating the material universe. Gnostics considered the principal element of salvation to be direct knowledge of the supreme divinity in the form of mystical or esoteric insight. Many Gnostic texts deal not in concepts of sin and repentance, but with illusion and enlightenment. Gnosticism Main Overview ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● All matter is evil, only the spirit is good. Matter and spirit are eternal. Because the world is matter, it has been evil from the beginning. God, who is good, could not have created matter, which is evil. He, therefore, created a series of aeons or emanations, the most distant of which created the world. Because God would not deal with matter, the Incarnation did not take place. 1 John 4:2-3 Because matter is evil, it makes no difference what one does with his body. 1 John 3:1-10 For the Gnostics salvation came by illumination. Man’s soul is a spark of spirit from the true God. It has become imprisoned in an evil body. To make its way back to God requires right knowledge and the proper passwords. Only the truly intellectual could possess the necessary knowledge. Cerinthus ● ● ● ● ● ● ● An early Gnostic teacher from Ephesus He may have taught his doctrine when John lived in Ephesus. He taught that Jesus was only a superior man. The heavenly Christ descended on Jesus at his baptism and left him before the passion. 1 John 5:6, 1 John 2:22 The cross was unimportant. 1 John 1:7 He also did not take sin seriously. 1 John 2:2 Because of the emphasis of the Greeks on knowledge, Gnosticism was appealing to the world. 1 John 2:15-17, 1 John 4:5-6 First John ● ● ● ● ● ● Date: ca. 85-95 A.D. (LBC, 738) Purpose: see 1:3-4, 5:13 Summary of Gnosticism (see CSSB, p. 1925) Key: Jesus only seemed to be human Second Key: Matter is evil Salvation by illumination, soul imprisoned in an evil body, right knowledge and proper passwords Lets read.. ● ● ● Test 1 (Incarnational Christology): 1 John 4:1 Test 2 (Righteous Conduct): 1 John 1:7-9 Test 3 (Mutual Love): 1 John 4:7-8 An Outline of First John ● ● ● ● ● ● No real introduction, no author’s greeting, no thanksgiving, no concluding salutations, no mention of names, so what? So . . . a general epistle Outline Test 1: Incarnational Christology; (“test the spirits,” 4:1) Test 2: Righteous Conduct, 1:9, 2:6, 3:8 Test 3: Mutual Love, 3:16-18, 4:7; (Is God’s love at work in you? 4:7-5:12) Authorship ● ● John’s name nowhere appears in the books. 2 and 3 John mention “the elder” ● ● ● ● ● ● Eusebius suggested a “John the elder,” or “John the presbyter” from a quotation by Papias. This suggested to him, as did a contemporary story, that “two men in Asia had the same name and that there are two tombs at Ephesus, each called John’s to this day” (Ecclesiastical History 3:39). An enemy different from that in John’s Gospel. Authorship not certain, but 1 John is undoubtedly by John. All three letters reflect a common author [“abide,” “life”]). Therefore … Audience ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 1 John: “little children” Tradition: the Roman province of Asia 2 John: “the elect lady and her children” (a woman or a metaphor for the church; the latter is more likely) 3 John: Gaius Luke Timothy Johnson: the three letters were written and sent at the same time by way of Demetrius Mark Schuler: “[The recipients] remain the fascinating focus of speculation, but fade before the greater significance of the writings themselves.” Second John ● ● ● Read verse 6 Read verse 7 Read verses 9-11 Second John (13 verses) ● ● ● ● ● Both this letter and Third John have long been viewed as appendages to First John. Hence their inclusion in the General Epistles and Johnson’s theory that all three were written and sent at the same time. V. 1, written to a church V. 5, note the emphasis on love V. 7, probably a reference to Gnosticism Vv. 9-11, a warning against helping those who bring false doctrine Third John ● ● Read verses 5-8 Read verses 9-10 Third John (14 verses) ● ● ● V. 1, written to Gaius Vv. 5-8, Gaius had apparently helped traveling missionaries. Vv. 9-10, Diotrephes was refusing to welcome these missionaries and was threatening with excommunication those who did. Meanings of the Word Love ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● C. S. Lewis: The Four Loves Storge – affection Philia (Jesus to Peter in John 21:15-17) – friendship Philosophy Philadelphia Philanthropia Eros – romantic love Agape, e.g. 3 John 2 and 5 – unconditional love Principles of Biblical Interpretation: How do I Read the Bible? The Problem of Interpretation ● ● ● ● ● ● Human beings interpret the Bible differently. If this were not the case, we wouldn’t have different denominations. So how do we solve this problem? Whom do we believe? Are there any principles we can follow to understand the biblical message and have confidence that we have understood it correctly? The answer is yes. The Problem Illustrated ● A friend says, “In general, it is hopeless …” ● ● Suppose the letter reads, “Salaam alayka.” Perhaps your friend has written, “In the black, black is a small upper will one, two, three and bazaar out.” Each of these three sentences is intended to communicate, yet they have no value for you because you cannot discern any meaning. ● The Necessary Attitude ● 1 Samuel 3:10, “Speak, Lord, your servant hears.” III. Let Scripture Interpret Scripture ● For example, synonymous parallelism in poetry. “Rejoice and be glad, O Daughter of Edom, “you who live in the land of Uz.” (Lam. 4:21) So, where is Uz? ● ● Clearer passages should interpret the more difficult ones. Some Cautions: Be certain that the parallel is a true one. Note carefully both differences and similarities. Read the Bible extensively.Study the Bible regularly. ● Study the Bible regularly Examples: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Matt. 10:34, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” Jesus came to bring a sword? Fighting? Violence? But, see Luke 12:51. What does it suggest? “Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.” So, “sword” means “division,” especially when some believe Him and others don’t. Luke 14:26, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple.” Hate? Really? But, see Matt. 10:37. What does it suggest? “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” So “hate” means that our love for family, or our own life, should be so much less than our love for God that it almost looks like hate. How do I Read the Bible? ● ● ● ● ● The sub-title of this PowerPoint. Most of the time the Bible does not need to be interpreted. It only needs to be read and accepted. The default is …. The clarity, or perspicacity, of Scripture says that even the untrained person can read and understand. The number of difficult passages is relatively small. Some Easy Examples ● ● ● ● ● Ps. 145:17, “The Lord is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made.” Col. 3:8, “But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.” Rom. 12:20, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him;” Mark 16:6, “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.” Luke 19:28, “After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.” I. The Principle of Context ● ● Immediate context-the surrounding verses Remote context-surrounding chapters, entire book, all of Scripture II. Take the Passage as it Reads ● ● ● ● ● ● Take the passage as it reads, unless there is sufficient reason from the context to do otherwise. Gen. 1:5, “And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.” Such as . . . “Listen to another parable…” (Matt. 21:22) “The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.” (Rev. 1:20) “These things may be taken figuratively…” (Gal. 4:24) “The kingdom of heaven is like … “ (Matt. 13:44) Easy but without a clue in the text ● ● ● ● ● Zechariah 11:2, “Wail, O pine tree, for the cedar has fallen; the stately trees are ruined!” Psalm 98:8, “Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy.” Job 38:12-13, “Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place, that it might take the earth by the edges and shake the wicked out of it?” John 6:35, “I am the bread of life.” Colossians 3:5, “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed.” IV. Keep Christ in the Center ● ● ● John 20:30-31, “Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” Matt. 25:31-46, the Sheep and the Goats John 5:28-29, “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.” V. Best Understood by a Christian ● ● 1 Cor. 2:12-14, “We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” VI. Each Denomination ● ● ● ● Each denomination has made its own settlement on what it will stress in the Bible and how it will interpret certain passages. All accept the basic message of the Trinity, the death and resurrection of Jesus, salvation, a final judgment, etc. All have books on doctrines to explain this and how to interpret certain passages. Lutheran: Law and Gospel, Christ-centered, theology of the cross, justification by grace through faith (material principle), vocation, etc. Questions on LBC, 827-830 ● ● ● ● ● Who invented the moveable type that enabled the printing of the Latin Bible? When? Who published the first Greek New Testament? When did Luther complete the translation of the entire Bible?\ Who completed the first English New Testament? What translation appeared in 1611? How influential was it? John KEYWORDS-SON OF GOD Three or Four echoes of John● ● ● ● ● ● Jesus did not come to condemn Christians should love without an agenda God shows no favoritism How you love others is how you love God\ God loves everyone (rapists, ax murders, etc.) This reflects “God so loved the world…” God came to provide abundant life Summarize the 10 commandments in 4 words- love god, love others When the woman was committing adultery, why was just the woman thrown out to Jesus. Whoever has not sinned may cast the first stone. “Bullhorn” video stereotypes Christians. Author ● ● ● It is indicated that John, “the disciple whom Jesus loved” wrote it Not really stated specifically who the author is People already familiar with Matthew, Mark, and Luke. John is the odd one out. Incarnation- enfleshment; taking on flesh. This is what God did in the person of Jesus. God dwelled among us through Jesus. He “tented” among us. The Purpose of John ● Almost as 3 times as the other gospels is the word believed used. Holy Spirit Characteristics 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Invisible Unpredictable Incomprehensible Omnipresent Nonserimintory Powerful Boundless The Book of Revelation KEYWORDS-CURRENT EVENTS Purpose of the Books: to provide encouragement to the followers of Jesus in the face of persecution, and hope in the final victory of God through the sacrifice of Jesus Author: John the apostle Type of Literature: Apocalyptic (uses symbolism to a great extent to convey its message) ● 7 letters to several courses and 7 visions The Three Sevenfold Visions ● ● ● ● ● Seven Seals Seven Trumpets Seven Censers All end with The End of the World Reflective of sevenfold emphasis; said three times Revelation 2-3 ● ● ● ● ● ● Recipients- Christ is speaking Description of Christ Commendation- work hard and enduring (praising them for it) Condemnation-lukewarm of love for god and one another Call to action- repent unless he will remove lampstand from its place Final Encouragement/Promise- to him who overcomes, you will be given the right to eat from the Tree of Life