Category: Religious studies

Read through Handouts #8 & #9 and Romans chapter 6 in order to respond to and answer questions in this week’s lesson. Look close at the topic of sin, grace, and our involvement with this newfound ‘freedom’ Jesus Christ grants us.
We are still looking closely at Romans 6, specifically verses 1-14. Here we look closer at what it means to be under grace in Handout #8. We have looked at the implications of sin and what it means to be under the law, and why we need to come out from under the law. The key word looked at in this handout is the Greek word, charis or as we understand in English – grace. A familiar word – but a word that is key to understanding what it means to “reign” in grace through God’s righteousness (Rom. 5:20-21). We look at definitions for the word, ‘grace’ and what the meaning of the word is in the context of select passages of Scripture. Then, we will seek to establish our own working definition for our class.
In Handout #9 we look at how freedom becomes actualized in our daily lives. We connect how Paul insists that justification had inescapable moral implications in the life of a believer. This involves what those obligations in seeking righteous living entails (involving the ‘sanctification’ process). We follow this to look closer at ‘positional change’ or realm transfer – from death into life – separated from the ruling power of sin into the new life in Christ. We can resist sin because of Romans 6:14, “For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace” (NIV).
Handout #9 reveals three instinctive approaches to dealing with sin, which we will see are wrong ways of dealing with sin’s mastery. We try to reform ourselves, or we fight our sin, or end up coping with sin. These are rather common approaches, and understandably so, most of us will identify with these. This understanding reminds us that sin is not just a few moral mistakes or actions, rather “it is a powerful force (the ethical flesh/sarx), a self-centeredness that manifests itself in seeing no need for God and in someway using people, at any cost.” (Handout #9, pp. 49-50). Tragedies emerge from these approaches. We can become prideful and subtly arrogant in what we “control” and how we present ourselves to those around us. We can also end up frustrated or even despair, wearing “masks” and slowly drift out of fellowship or even leave the church completely. Needless to say, this is a topic that is worthy of our attention.
The final portion of our lesson describes the ways in which we can appropriate what Jesus Christ has purchased for us in terms of our no longer being under the ‘reign of sin and death’ but now under the ‘reign of grace.’ How to we grasp and lay hold of this new life in Christ? What responsibility to we have in this new life? Paul gives us a series of responsibilities in light of a believer’s new position in Christ. Romans 6:3-14 tells us four-fold responsibility to not permit sin to be our master. To ‘know’ of the truth, baptized into new life by His righteousness and now dead to sin. We don’t allow sin to reign in our mortal bodies (“For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin” 6:6). And we must offer ourselves then, to God (6:13).
Questions on Chapter 6 Part 3:
Q 1. What is it about “unmerited favor” that makes it an inadequate definition for grace?
Q 2. According to Handout #8 “unmerited favor” does define the word charis to a certain degree but is somewhat impersonal as a definition. John links grace to a person (1:16). This leads to our class definition of grace. Fill-in-the-blank:
“Grace is the ___________ of the ______ ________ ________ inexhaustibly meeting us at our point of need.”_
Questions on Chapter 6 Part 4:
Q 3. What does Romans 6:2 mean? What does Paul means when he says, “we are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?”
Q 4.What are three instinctive ways we tend to deal with sin?
Q 5. Looking at the bottom of page 50 fundamentally sin is not what? What is it fundamentally instead? Our real problem deals with what?
Q 6. What did you think of the dirt floor analogy? Was this helpful and how did this strike you at a personal level?
Q 7. Look at footnote #10 at the bottom of page 51. What does this say about the differences between Biblical discipline and fighting sin?
RESPONSE TO HANDOUTS 8 & 9:
Read the Summation section on what it means to be “under grace” in Handout #8, then respond to its claims. Do you agree that the Biblical data and theological evidence in these past four weeks of class leads us to these conclusions? If “Jesus Christ inexhaustibly meeting us at our point of need is our only hope of experiencing freedom from sin’s dominion (Romans 6:14) and the newness of life God promises” (Romans 6:4), that this is what it means to be under grace, then how should this impact the way you think about yourself? How would this impact how you set about your day? How would this understanding of being under grace impact setting goals?
It may be helpful to bear in mind what we read in Handout #9 about the positional change – a realm transfer.
11 “In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.” (NIV).
When we read this section of Scripture, we must read the indicative as establishing the imperative (here is some insight into these fancy theological and Biblical terms: an indicative is a statement of fact, “Sin shall no longer be your master, [why?] because you are not under law, but under grace.” Verse 14 is the statement of fact about us in the grace of Jesus Christ. An imperative is a statement of a command, “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.” Verse 12 is a command springing from the established fact mentioned in verse 14).
Write your initial response along with your answers to the questions on the handouts by Wednesday evening.
After your initial post, look to response to 2 or more of your fellow classmates’ responses by Saturday evening.
Be sure to look for similarities and points of agreement, as well as different perspectives and insights. I look forward to seeing your discussion! What a joy it is to read and study the Word of God together! I am praying over all our interactions with each other this week. God’s grace be with you in your time meditating on His word and studying our lesson.
Answer these questions in a post of 350 or more words by Wednesday, then respond to two or more of your fellow student’s posts with a minimum of 250 words by Sunday. In your replies to other students, please be kind and respectful showing the heart of Christ to our brothers and sisters, practicing a healthy online etiquette.

Instructions:
Why is the existence of evil and suffering such a problem for the Christian worldview?
Does any other worldview beside Christian theism have an answer to pain and suffering? Discuss.
Summarize possible theistic responses to the problem of evil, including natural catastrophes.
Read and reflect on the assigned material carefully. In some cases there are no right or wrong answers to the questions; what I am looking for is thoughtful engagement with each question. Be sure to answer all parts of each question.
Make use of Gilson and Weitnauer, eds., True Reason, chap. 15

“The clerics who are struggling to make sense of the tsunami must not have noticed that this is hardly the first display of God’s penchant for wanton, homicidal mischief. Leaving out man-made genocide, war, and even those “natural” disasters, like drought, and famine, to which “man” invariably contributes through his inept social arrangements, God has a lot to account for in the way of earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, and plagues.” Barbara Ehrenreich in the Progressive magazine, March, 2005. How would you respond to a statement like this? Give the most thoughtful and compassionate reply you can.

Unit Discussion 5
The Historical Books of the OT include “the Former Prophets”: Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings; and sections of the “the Writings”: Ruth, Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther.
Modern scholarship has adopted the theory of Martin Noth, who proposed that Deuteronomy–2 Kings is a unified work written during the exilic period. This group of writings is referred to as the Deuteronomistic History. Variations in theories of composition center on the questions of date and the number of editions. The so-called Deuteronomistic History, like Deuteronomy, views Israelite history in light of the covenant. The kings of Israel and Judah are evaluated by their disposition toward the covenant and their attempt (or lack of attempt) to bring about reform. The books also answer the exiles’ question, “Where did things go wrong?” Though Noth argued this meant a late date for the composition of Deuteronomy, a legitimate relationship between it and certain historical books does not necessitate such a conclusion.
In order to understand the Bible’s historical literature properly, we must frame it as a key part of God’s self-revelation. The primary function of the historical literature is not to record history, but rather to convey instruction about and knowledge of God.
Joshua’s purpose is to reveal the role of God in keeping his covenant promises to Abraham by giving the land to Israel. The book describes the Israelites’ entrance into the land, the commissioning of Joshua, and the conquest narratives, then details the territorial boundaries of the tribes and narrates the renewal of the covenant.
Major theological themes of Joshua include covenant and land, the ban, the divine warrior, sovereign involvement, and corporate solidarity. The land demonstrates the veracity of the covenant and is evidence of God’s special favor upon Israel. The ban refers to God’s command to completely annihilate the inhabitants of Canaan. Yahweh is frequently pictured as a divine warrior in Joshua who leads his people in battle. This is closely related to God’s sovereign involvement in history. This concept cannot be removed from the book without serious damage being done to its theological purpose. Finally, Joshua 7—the narrative of Achan’s sin—highlights the importance of corporate solidarity in Joshua.
The purpose of Judges is to explain the theological significance of the events between Joshua and David. The recurring disobedience and apostasy of the Israelites under the tribal leadership brings them under God’s punishment (in enslavement) and subsequent mercy (in deliverance). The book demonstrates that the people need a king, not merely to lead them in battle, but to lead them in covenant faithfulness. Judges records Israel’s repetitive cycle of sin, punishment, cry for deliverance, the Lord’s deliverance.
The judges were raised up by God to deliver the Israelites, but the book specifies very little of their role apart from military leadership. The Spirit of the Lord plays a prominent role in the book, at times granting authority to the judges and empowering them for their tasks.
To understand the apostasy of Israel evident throughout this book, we must consider the contrast between the monotheism taught in the covenant and the polytheism which pervaded Canaanite culture. The failure of the initial generations to perpetuate the covenant teaching ensured that the Israelites simply adopted the prevailing worldview of their neighbors.
Key Terms
Deuteronomistic History: Martin Noth proposed that Deuteronomy–2 Kings is a unified work written primarily during the exilic period. This term describes Deuteronomy–2 Kings in Noth’s theory, which remains a dominant theory today
historiography: The writing of history or the product of historical writing; a collection of historical literature
theocracy: a state or nation ruled directly by God
Canaan: area of land in Palestine conquered by the Israelites
judge: charismatic leader appointed by God to lead Israel for a specific time and purpose
Sea Peoples: group of people from the Mediterranean who migrated to the ancient Near East at the end of the thirteenth century
Key Ideas
The faithfulness of God in fulfilling the covenant promises.
The conquest and apportionment of the land.
The importance of obedience.
The Old Testament recorded history for primarily theological purposes.
God’s justice and grace.
God’s sovereign provision of deliverers.
Covenant failure by the people, the priests, and the tribal leadership.
The role of the Spirit of the Lord.
Discussion Forum Question: READ Joshua 24:29-31; Judges 3:7-10; 4:4-9; 8:22-28; 14:8-10
Having read the listed Scripture passages, please respond to the following questions in 150 – 250 words:
How would you compare and contrast the obedience of the people of Israel and that of her leaders in the books of Joshua and Judges? Which leaders seem to represent righteous leadership of Israel and which are very much cut from the same cloth as the people? What term is applied to Joshua that is not applied to the other leaders in the reading? What difference does this make?
We are used to using positive examples from Scripture to teach us about our relationship with God, how might we use the negative examples to help us understand both God and ourselves before him?
How does this relate to you?

Compose an academic essay or article (within the range of 500 to 1,000 words)that explores the diverse meanings and manifestations of Allah’s names. Select either a singular name or a series of paired names for detailed elaboration. Please mention that the paired names are found in Surah Yousef. The essay should consist of 600-1000 words
Comments from Customer
Please make it in simple english
a little bit advanced words only

This is a Argumentative Essay Outline only!
Please reference pdf document for AE Outline Instructions and grading criteria. Please read the whole document fully and thoroughly for instructions!
Reference Week 2 Annotated Bibliography with
Reference Week 3 Annotated Bibliography with opposing source document
Reference Week 4 AE Thesis Statement and Introduction document
Please reference to the Argumentative Essay Checklist and check off what is necessary for this assignment.
MLA FORMAT

please used attached instructions
While instructions state 1100-2100 words – I have started a DRAFT included below as well.
Please use my draft combined with the ask of the order to create a substantial paper.
I have also included various references from the course that may be used for refecne souces.

Unit Discussion 4

Exodus continues the narrative of Israel’s early history in Egypt and follows the story of the Israelites up to their formation into a nation at Sinai. The real hero of the story is not Moses, but Yahweh, who keeps his promises to Abraham. The exodus from Egypt is the primary redemptive event of the OT.

Exodus explains how the Israelites came to be enslaved in Egypt and were later delivered; reveals the character of God, who keeps his promises to the patriarchs and adopts Israel as his covenant people; and instructs the Israelites in how to maintain their covenant relationship with Yahweh. The book of Exodus divides into the narratives of Israel in Egypt, their journey through the wilderness, and their sojourn at Sinai. Throughout Exodus, God progressively reveals more of his person and character to Abraham’s offspring and establishes his presence in their midst.

Leviticus provides instructions for priestly activity and outlines the standards of holy living for the community. Though the book does not specify its author, the traditional view ascribes the work to Moses, based on the book’s own claim. Scholars date the book according to their dating of the exodus. An early exodus places the book in the early stages of the Late Bronze Age, while a late date places the book between the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age. Those who adhere to the Documentary Hypothesis ascribe the entirety of Leviticus to the priestly source. The authors of this text argue for Moses as the author, writing during the Sinai sojourn.

The purpose of the sacrificial system was to allow the people to worship God and to maintain his presence in their midst. There were five types of sacrifice in Israel’s sacrificial system: (1) cereal or grain offering, (2) fellowship or peace offering, (3) whole burnt offering, (4) sin offering, and (5) guilt or trespass offering. Each had a particular role in the system, thought it must be noted that the OT never teaches that sacrifice was intended to save people from sin or gain them entry into heaven. Righteousness came only by faith, even in the OT.

The book of Numbers continues the narration of Israel’s journey from Egypt to Canaan, focusing on Israel’s rebellion and testing in the wilderness. The book is traditionally credited to Moses, though Moses is only once mentioned as the author. The text implies that priests were also instrumental in writing down God’s instructions regarding priestly duties. Though some view the book as a compilation of at least four literary sources, others argue for the antiquity and unity of the work. The authors of this text assume that most of the literary material originated with Moses, though the book did not reach its final form till sometime after Moses’ death.

Deuteronomy is presented as Moses’ final address to the Israelites before his death, reminding them of the experiences of the previous generation and providing them with the opportunity to renew the covenant. Both the Documentary Hypothesis and the Deuteronomistic History hypothesis date Deuteronomy late in the seventh century bc. The authors of this text argue for Mosaic authorship according to claims of the book itself. Scholars have debated whether the work more closely resembles the Neo-Assyrian or Neo-Hittite treaty form; the authors of this text argue that it is closer to the latter.

In context of the ANE, the gods gave their worshipers no guidelines for proper worship; people were left to guess whether they were in proper relationship with the gods, based on their fortunes. The Israelites, however, received clear instructions from God for how he desired to be worshiped and how he expected the people to act in relation to each other. The Israelites thus viewed the law with gratitude and delight.

Key Terms

atonement: to “pay” for sin by means of sacrifice and offering, as a symbol of repentance and confession before God
tent of meeting: tent where Yahweh met with Moses and delivered parts of the book of Leviticus
holiness: a term that conveys the idea of separation from the ordinary for service and/or worship to Yahweh
Sabbath: a day of rest that indicated Israel’s special relationship with God and testified that Israel’s holiness was rooted in Yahweh, not ritual
Decalogue: the Ten Commandments
Documentary Hypothesis: an approach to the authorship of the Pentateuch associated with source criticism that understands the five books as a patchwork composition of four (or more) literary documents
Passover: a feast of unleavened bread that signifies the haste with which Israel left Egypt; the Passover event occurred when Yahweh’s messenger brought death to the firstborn of all those who did not have blood from a sacrificial lamb smeared on their doorposts

Key Ideas

Yahweh is supreme over pagan deities.
The exodus is the central redemptive event for ancient Israel.
The Mosaic Law is a religious and social charter for Israel.
The presence of God is symbolized in the tabernacle.
The holiness of God.
The purity of the covenant community.
The principle of substitution in the sacrificial ritual.
The principle of mediation in the service of the priests.
God’s faithfulness to his covenant promises.
The centrality of loving and obeying the covenant God.

Discussion Forum Question:

Please respond to the following questions in 150 – 250 words:

What is the distinction between law and grace? Give reasons for or against this distinction.
How might a person follow a principle of a law without necessarily following its practice? How does this distinction between principle and practice fit into the discussion of law and grace?
How does this relate to you?

choose one of the topics and write and essay (MLA format). TOPICS 1.What pops into your mind when you see people walking in the streets wearing clothes that reflect their cultural/religious traditions? 2.Evaluate a Hollywood film or a TV show that portrays followers of faith traditions from different cultures. 3.News about religions in the media has been abundant. Read a hard copy or (online) newspaper, magazine, or blog post article that talks about an issue (cultural, religious, political, military, economic) related to a religious tradition. Write your impressions about the piece. 4.What pops into your mind when you see fully covered (veiled) women walking in the street of your (Canadian/North American) town/city on a very hot day when the temperature is 30° Celsius (86 F) or more? 5.News about the tension or conflict between religions and secularism is on the rise in social media platforms, newspapers, journals, and audio-visual media. Choose a story and write your reflections/thoughts about it.

In this assignment, you will create a working “rule of life” around the notion of cruciformity answering the question, “How does one live in light of the cross?” The assignment has three parts: (1) Seeing the spiritual disciplines in terms of cruciformity; (2) creating an annual, quarterly, monthly, weekly, daily plan for living out these disciplines; and (3) integrating these practices into a wholistic spirituality that involves learning, serving, your inner life (especially your relationship with God), and your personal renewal (including relationships). So your work will take the following shape. Using the classic spiritual disciples (silence and solitude, scripture, prayer, fasting, simplicity, living in community, sabbath, explain briefly how each of these are informed and shaped by a cruciform theology. This will serve as a foundation for the next step in the assignment. Create a plan on how you might live out these practices (and others you might want to explore) in a regular, systematic, and rhythmic way that participates with God seeking to make you a more cross-shaped person. What outcomes in your life would these practices have in your learning (mind), serving (strength/body), inner life (soul), and personal renewal (heart). The final product should be no more than a total of five pages. The first two pages (in outline form) should lay the foundation by rooting the traditional spiritual disciplines in the concept of cruciformity. The following page should be the schedule plan and the final page of the assignment will project the outcome you would imagine to happen if you were to undertake such an enterprise as living cruciform for a year.