The research paper is to be nine to 11 pages, following the BCMT Style Guide for Papers and Theses. Students may choose a passage from the Pauline literature, or they may choose a theme found within the Pauline literature. Students should consult the rubric for the assignment in order to determine the requirements for the paper. Students should pay careful attention to incorporate the feedback they received from the paper proposal assignment.
My proposal to the teacher
Thesis
Paul lays out practical steps to how every Christian can extinguish the enemy in their life. These steps are meant to be practiced on a daily basis and encourage every believer that they have victory over the enemy when they put on the full armor of God.
Passage
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Basic Content
This passage in scripture lays out a sequence of steps told for the Christian believer to practice metaphorically; Paul provides these steps to show how believers can hold a victory over the enemy. This armor is a comparison to the armor of the Roman soldiers in the time of Paul, the reason he uses a set of armor as a comparison to how we can battel the enemy is because if his time the nations that Paul was ministering to would have been very familiar with the reference to the Roman soldier and his armor.
Without this principle preparing yourself for an attack from the enemy is setting yourself up for failure. God tells us that we are going to be attacked and we will face trials from the enemy. Why would anyone want to set themselves up for failure? The Armor of God provides more than just protection from the enemy, it provides confidence, strength, and a deeper love for God through the Holy Spirit.
Proposed Annotated Bibliography
BAUMERT, LISA. 2017. “Biblical Interpretation and the Epistle to the Ephesians.” Priscilla Papers 31 (4): 28–32. https://search-ebscohost- com.seu.idm.oclc.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=126124238&site=eh ost-live&scope=site.
This article provides insights into the Historical and Social constructs of the book of Ephesians. The basic interpretation of the Epistle to the Church of Ephesus is explained with a proper perspective of God and the Church. While there is no direct wiring about chapter 6, sections of the writing on chapter 5 bring great context to the conversation of the paper. One of the most important notes from Baumert is about when she talked about the mission of the Gospel in accordance with our relationship with God.
Cohick, Lynn H. Ephesians: A New Covenant Commentary. New Covenant Commentary Series. Lutterworth Press, 2013. Accessed September 24, 2019.
Part of Lynn Cohick’s wiring that interested me the post to use has to do with Paul’s use of the armor and how each of the segments have meaning to their use. She also compares Paul commands for wives to obey their husbands and how it is important to have the cultural context to fully understand the life’s of the people in that time, for chapter 6 it is important to understand the illustration of the armor of God and how it was significant in that time. This commentary provides a summary breakdown of the chapter and how Paul’s writing functions as a practical tool for the people he is speaking to.
Foulkes, Francis. Ephesians. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries. Downers Grove, Ill: IVP Academic, 2009. https://search-ebscohost- com.seu.idm.oclc.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=1094099&site=eho st-live&scope=site.
This commentary provides verse by verse and word by word breakdown of the book. Francis Foulkes breaks down the chapter and tries to other books in the Bible give context to the language Paul is using. One detail Foulkes pulls from the Greek texts is the use of putting on a girdle before the armor is put on, he shares how this metaphor is used to describe preparation for a person to run the race with God. Ultimately this preparation is tied back to the integrity and the truth of our faith. There are also broken-down descriptions and origins of each of the parts of the armor.
Holy Bible New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2017.
Owens, M. D. (2016). Spiritual warfare and the church’s mission according to Ephesians 6:10-17. Tyndale Bulletin, 67(1), 87–103. Retrieved from https://search-ebscohost- com.seu.idm.oclc.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lsdar&AN=ATLAn3933035&s ite=ehost-live&scope=site
This article shows a strong background the Isaiah, while I don’t know how much of that information I will use, it is a great context to know for studying chapter 6. This article points out the sword of the Spirit to be the most important piece of armor, I see it as if that was the only thing God gave us we would still be able to have victory. Even though that is possible the other parts of the armor are there for significant reasons. It is important to understand why the sword stands out so much, and why there would be no point in the armor without it.
Kolb, R. (2017). “The Armor of God and the Might of His Strength”: Luther’s Sermon on Ephesians 6 (1531/1533). Concordia Journal, 43(1–2), 59–73. Retrieved from https://search-ebscohost-com.seu.idm.oclc.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lsdar&AN=ATLAiGFE170331001366&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Köstenberger, A., Merkle, B., & Yarbrough, R. (Eds.). (2016). Ephesians (Exegetical guide to the greek new testament). Nashville, TN: B & H Publishing Group. (2016). Retrieved August 24, 2019, from ProQuest.
This commentary to the book of Ephesians is an examination of the original text and translation to English, along with the meaning of these translations and why they were chosen. One of the main points I pulled from this text is the use of comparison of the armor to a set of Roman armor that a foot soldier would wear. This Connection for people today and the understanding of how this would have been familiar for the people Paul was ministering to allows for it to be more understood to why armor is u
Michael Gorman, Apostle of the Crucified Lord: A Theological Introduction to Paul and his Letters (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2017)
Teacher Feedback from proposal
Overall, good work. The bibliography needs some attention regarding format. See this cite for formatting https://library.seu.edu/c.php?g=158038&p=7751814.
I would like for you to consider that the armor of God is not a concept for a lone soldier but rather a group (perhaps a phalanx). The idea is that we are together not standing alone.
