Don't Know Much About the Bible - Kenneth C. Davis [178]
Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want. (Gal. 5:16-17)
• Ephesians
Traditionally attributed to Paul, the letter to the church at Ephesus, where Paul had once gotten into hot water with the Artemisworshipers who rioted when he preached against idols (see Acts), is now a toss-up of sorts. While Paul might simply have been citing himself, Ephesians paraphrases the earlier—but shorter—letter to the Colossians and is more of a summary of Paul’s thoughts than a presentation of new material. There are also questions of style, including an uncharacteristic opening hymn, that seem unlike Paul’s more direct voice. Whether it was Paul or not, the author of Ephesians says that believers are neither Jews nor Gentiles: all are Christians and part of God’s household. The author calls for mutual respect between owners and slaves, employers and laborers.
So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another. Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger. (Eph. 4:25-26)
• Philippians
The letter is among the so-called “prison letters,” thought to have been written when Paul was imprisoned in Rome from about 60 CE to the time of his death. Addressed to Christians in the ancient Macedonian city of Philippi, it is personal and affectionate in tone. He writes that the Philippians have “a place in my heart, since you have all shared together in the grace that has been mine.”
Praising the Philippians for their work in spreading the gospel, Paul prays that their love for one another continues to increase. But the question of circumcision is still splitting the ranks, and Paul also warns them against “evil workers” who insist that it is necessary.
Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation in fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Phil. 2:12-13)
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:7)
• Colossians
This letter was addressed to the Christians of the ancient city of Colossae, another of the churches in Asia Minor (modern Turkey), near Ephesus. Scholars have also raised doubts about Paul’s authorship of this letter. If it is by Paul, it was probably written while he was in prison, perhaps in Rome. Paul calls upon the members of the Colossian church to abandon the desires and temptations of the flesh. Paul’s fundamental concern was to alert the Christians there against an erroneous religious teaching that stressed knowledge (philosophy), rather than faith, advocated a reliance on the worship of angels as the principal means of attaining salvation, and viewed the world as basically evil. He urged instead belief in the crucified and risen Christ.
The letter anticipated the second-century conflict that the church would have with Gnostics, the early Christian sect that departed from accepted Christian teaching. The ideas, or errors, Paul described in this letter were all typical of ideas later embraced by the Gnostics.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through