New Testament Essay Example for Free

New Testament Essay For all readers of the New Testament, the theme of the redemption of man through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is fascinating reading; in the case of the believer in the word of God, it is something else entirely. Believers and scholars alike agree that Paul’s letters to the Romans embody the theme of justification, or God’s gift of grace by which the truly repentant are forgiven of sins and accepted by God because of the price that Christ paid by dying on the cross. Implicit in the concept of justification is the identification of Jesus Christ as the Son of God (Cullmann). In this essay, the concept of justification will be more closely examined; within two specific chapters of Romans, 4 and 5, justification will be discussed and examined in order to better understand the concept as well as these pivotal chapters of the New Testament itself. In order to better understand the significance of Romans, one must first consider the historical context in which its ideas were shared by the faithful. Most people governed their actions, and defined their worth, through the laws of the day, which ruled all aspects of life. Within Romans, however, the concept of justification by faith alone, not the law (Perrin Duling) set the conventional order askew. This concept alone undoubtedly opened the eyes of many people to the refreshing possibility of redemption through the one true God. Those who read these words were introduced to the writings of the apostle Paul, who presented himself in the New Testament as â€Å"a slave of the Messiah, Jesus Christ† (Bryan), the word slave being used not Order#311114061 Justification Pg. 2 in the conventional sense of bondage and harsh servitude, but rather in a way that allowed those who sought God to come to Him without fear of punishment. The concept of coming to God for justification is personified in Romans through 2 specific verses, as follows: Now to the one who works, his wage is not reckoned as a favor, but as what is due. ROMANS 4-4 But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness ROMANS 4-5 What these verses tell the reader is that their submission to God, while it will benefit them, is not something that He considers to be optional; moreover, belief in God will lead to redemption because of justification. Beyond the explicit text of justification within Romans, there are also some key themes of justification within it that reinforce the overall concept. Specifically, when Romans calls the people to â€Å"lift up their hearts†, this is an outright plea for people to embrace justification (Knox). The bottom line in justification is peace with God and salvation through the Holy Spirit, and by the lifting up of the heart, one can attain inner peace and security in the warmth of God’s love. This peace and security is described as being â€Å"clothed in the righteousness of Christ† (Harink), and is further clarified by this passage: â€Å"therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God† ROMANS 5-1. While this brief essay can hardly scratch the surface of the promise of the New Testament and the gift of justification from God to the Pg. 3 human race because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, one thing is for certain. For the faithful, the redemption from sin by God is a priceless gift, and the New Testament is a rock upon which the hopes of Christians can be bolstered today, tomorrow, and forever. As long as humans walk the face of the earth and beyond, God will be there for them and His words are eternal. Works Cited Bryan, C. (2000). A Preface to Romans: Notes on the Epistle in Its Literary and Cultural Setting. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Retrieved June 22, 2006, from Questia database: http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=96373444 Cullmann, O. (1963). The Christology of the New Testament (Guthrie, S. C. Hall, C. A. , Trans. ) (Revised ed. ). Philadelphia: Westminster Press. Retrieved June 22, 2006, from Questia database: http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=95085143 Harink, D. (2005, June 14). Setting It Right: Doing Justice to Justification. The Christian Century, 122, 20+. Retrieved June 22, 2006, from Questia database: http://www.questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=5009653212 Knox, J. (1961). Life in Christ Jesus: Reflections on Romans, 5-8. Greenwich, CT: Seabury Press. Retrieved June 22, 2006, from Questia database: http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=13880819 Perrin, N. , Duling, D. C. (1982). The New Testament, an Introduction: Proclamation and Parenesis, Myth and History (2nd ed. ). San Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. Retrieved June 22, 2006, from Questia database: http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=59589847

The Resurrection Of Jesus Christ Essay -- essays research papers

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ No other event in history has been the object of as much scrutiny and criticism as the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The resurrection of Christ is the basis upon which all Christianity stands. If the resurrection never happened, then there would be no Christianity, as the Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:14, "And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith." This is why opponents of the Christian faith have tried to attempt to discredit the Biblical account of the resurrection. Of the many theories of the resurrection, the Biblical account is the only historically reliable and possible explanation of the resurrection. The historical reliability of the Bible is the first matter that needs to be discussed. There are three criteria that the military historian C. Sanders lists as principles for documentary historical proof: the bibliographical test, internal evidence test, and the external evidence test (McDowell 43). The bibliographical test is the examination of text by the documents that have reached us. The reliability of the copies of the New Testament is tested by the number of manuscripts (MSS) and the time intervals between the time in which the piece of literature was written and our earliest copy. There are more than 5,300 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament and 10,000 Latin vulgate manuscripts, not to mention the other various translations. Totally there are around 24,000 total MSS for the New Testament. The next closest document in respect to MSS is the "Illiad" by Homer, with 643 manuscripts(McDowell 43). The textual reliability then continues with respect to the time interval between the original and the first known manuscript. The shorter the interval, the more reliable the text is. Homer's "Illiad" was written in 900 BC and the earliest copy was found in 400 BC. This is compared to the New Testament that was written from 40-100 AD. The first known manuscript of the New Testament was found in 125 AD. This twenty-five year gap is very impressive as compared to the Illiad's five hundred year span (McDowell 45). This first test has basically shown that the text which people have in their possession is essentially the original text. &... ...Roman governor (McDowell 230). The seal was used to show authenticity, to prove that Jesus was inside the tomb (McDowell 230). If the women had gone to the wrong tomb there would have been no broken seal, because it was not common for dead bodies to be protected by the Roman government. The Biblical account of Christ's resurrection is the only historically possible version of the resurrection. The other theories that have been introduced all have large holes in them. Many do not take into account all of the facts of the resurrection, because they do not view the Bible as the historically reliable piece of literature that it is. When one takes into account the reliability of the Bible, and the many facts of the resurrection it is impossible to conclude any other theory than that of the Bible. Christ died on the cross for man's sins. On the third day He rose from the grave, proving all He had preached and taught. The fact of the matter is this: all the opponents of Christians at the time of Christ's resurrection had to do was find the body and march through the city square. They weren't able to, because it wasn't there, He has arisen, and that's a fact!

Explain the importance of Curley’s Wife in the novel Essay

Plan: * Symbols – red lipstick * Not given a name Curley’s wife may seem an insignificant character because she has not even been given a name by Steinbeck. Her name suggests that she is nothing more than one of Curley’s possessions. When she first appears in the novel, she is dressed up as if she is planning on going out into town, rather than just spending her day wandering around the ranch. The image of her being a sex object is emphasised by the fact that Curley keeps a ‘glove fulla Vaseline’, for her benefit. However, Curley’s wife is influential to the book as she characterises loneliness, the longing for the American dream, danger and sexism. Her appearances in the novel are extremely important at they change the entire mood of the scene in which she appears in. We see that the first time we are introduced to Curley’s wife, she is heavily made up; â€Å"full, rouged lips†, â€Å"red fingernails† and â€Å"red mules†. The colour red symbolises danger and sexiness, and the fact that she is wearing these items creates a sense of foreboding that she will be the cause of George and Lennie’s failure to achieve their dream of having their own plot of land. Another symbol is shown by â€Å"the rectangle of sunshine in the doorway was cut off†. This immediately creates a sense of danger and doom in the reader’s mind due to the absence of light. However, we can see that the reason for Curley’s wife being flirtatious is because she wants to get away from the loneliness that surrounds her. By flirting, it means she can communicate with other men who otherwise would not talk to her because they do not want any trouble with Curley. However, by being flirtatious, she actually increases the hostility of the other men on the ranch as they become suspicious. We can see that she tells Lennie; â€Å"I get lonely†¦Ain’t I got the right to talk to nobody?† However, she then explains the reason behind her flirtatious nature; â€Å"I can’t talk to nobody but Curley. Else he gets mad.† However, we actually see that the marriage between them is already starting to break down because Curley thinks that his wife is â€Å"givin Slim the eye†. Curley’s wife is also important as she conveys the theme of sexism. We see that Curley, who keeps his hand soft for her, regards her as a sexual object. Instead of showing any consideration towards his wife, Curley only wants to increase his sexual prowess. The only way in which Curley’s wife can talk to other men is by; â€Å"dolling up†. However, when she does this, they talk even less to her, driving her behaviour further. Therefore, she remains excluded from everyone. We even see that Whit regards Susy higher than Curley’s wife; â€Å"a laugh† and â€Å"hell of a nice place†. This is a rare time when any woman in the novel is actually shown any kindness, and a complement. Curely’s wife, as with many of the other characters, wants to live out the American dream; â€Å"Coulda been in the movies†. It is this dream that drives and compels her to carry on with her otherwise miserable life on the ranch. However, her sudden death shatters her only hope of being able to get away from ranch life, where she is clearly not happy. We can see that the shattering of her dream is mirrored exactly by the death of Lennie, ending the dream for George and Candy. This shows that because she failed living the American dream, it is an ominous foreboding of the fate for George and Lennie. Curley’s wife also plays an essential part in the novel, as she plays crucial parts in changing the mood of the scene. When she is first introduced, hope created by the arrival of Candy is wiped out and the reader gets an ominous warning, which is emphasised by George’s caution to Lennie; â€Å"you keep away from her†¦jail bait†. Furthermore, when Curley’s wife arrives in chapter four, the excited mood created by wanting to achieve the American dream, changes to a more melancholy mood. We can see that because Curley’s wife is lonely all the time, she has turned into a spiteful and vicious person; â€Å"a nigger and a dum dum an’ a lousy ol’ sheep†.

Book Report for 13 Reasons Why Jay Asher Essay - 811 Words

Chulani Sterling English Dr.Genn Book Report Title: Thirteen Reasons Why Author: Jay Asher This novel is about a girl named Hannah Baker who committed suicide amp; before she died she recorded 13 audiotapes filled with reasons why she killed herself and they all had to do with a specific person, and she sent all the 13 tapes to the 13 people so they could listen. Justin was the first person on the tape, the boy she first kissed, he exaggerated what they did when they kissed, making her seem â€Å"easy† to other boys. 2nd Alex, a boy who said she had the hottest behind in the freshman class on his â€Å"hot or not list† making her seem more vulnerable to other boys. 3rd Jessica, one of Hannah’s first†¦show more content†¦This was when she made the tapes and had someone send them to everyone on the list amp; then she committed suicide. One major character is Hannah Baker she was a very smart, nice amp; strong girl, all she wanted was for someone to fight for her amp; want her, because she felt unwanted like she didn’t belong. Those 13 pe ople all contributed to her feelings inside that took over her and made her kill herself. At the beginning she gave people chances to make her feel wanted, to be her friend, she actually opened up to them. For example Justin, Jessica, amp; Courtney but they all let her down in the end. She had one last hope Mr. Porter but he didn’t help her as much as he should have because he didn’t care. Then she finally gave up and killed herself. Another major character is Clay Jensen he listened to all the tapes even after he found out his reason for being on the tapes, he felt bad because he had a crush on her and she liked him too but he let her go because of the rumors that Justin had started around the school. Hannah knew he liked her because they kissed but she got emotional and kicked him out, and he left he didn’t fight for her but she forgave him and he still feels guilty. If Clay didn’t let the rumors stand in his way of getting to know her maybe she wouldn’t have killed herself and felt that she had a reason to live. His whole outlook on life amp; the people around him changed because of Hannah. Clay didn’t expect to hear any of theShow MoreRelatedMedia Analysis in Malaysia (Newspapers)4128 Words   |  17 PagesEither it took the form of news pamphlets or broadsides. It is perpetually high in dramatized content. The most eminent part of these reports is the atrocities against Germans. Two hundred years later, in the year 1600’s â€Å"The Acta Diurna (actions of the day), written on a tablet, was posted on a wall after each meeting of the senate.† This is taken from the book â€Å"Introduction to Mass communication† by Baran, Stanley. That happened during Caesar’s time where Rome had a newspaper in the early 1600Read MoreHow Does Media Affect Children11485 Words   |  46 PagesFamily Viewing A report on parents, children and the media by Lucy McCarraher for the Parenting Education Support Forum in association with the NSPCC, Family Circle magazine and Glasgow Media Group Parenting Education Support Forum The Parenting Education Support Forum brings together those concerned with or working in the field of preparation, education and support for parents. It promotes and maintains a high profile for parenting education and support, where education means learningRead MoreHbr When Your Core Business Is Dying74686 Words   |  299 Pages Sull and Charles Spinosa 90 The Leadership Team: Complementary Strengths or Conï ¬â€šicting Agendas? Stephen A. Miles and Michael D. Watkins 100 Avoiding Integrity Land Mines Ben W. Heineman, Jr. 20 33 FORETHOUGHT HBR CASE STUDY Why Didn t We Know? Ralph Hasson 45 FIRST PERSON Preparing for the Perfect Product Launch THOU SHALT †¦page 58 James P. Hackett 111 TOOL KIT The Process Audit Michael Hammer 124 BEST PRACTICE Human Due Diligence David Harding