Monthly Archives: December 2018

Daily Bible Study

December 12, 2018 Bible Study — Those Unwilling to work will not eat

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 2 Thessalonians 1-3.

At the beginning and again near the end of this letter Paul speaks of prayer. He writes as part of his opening beginning that he will continue to pray for those to whom he is writing. Then, as he begins to conclude his letter he asks them to pray for him. This gives us an idea of Paul’s thoughts on the importance of prayer. I know that I do not pray as much, or as deeply, as I should.

Paul writes that the day of Jesus’ return will not come until after the “man of lawlessness” has been revealed. It is not clear to me if Paul is referring to a singular individual, or to a social phenomena. I am not eve< convinced that Paul was clear in his own mind on that. Paul transitions from discussing the “man of lawlessness” and Christ’s return to warning us that not only should we not be idle, but we should stay away from believers who live that way. I think that Paul was referring to two groups of people when he referred to those who lived idle lives; those who stopped working and sold all of their possessions because they were convinced that Jesus would return before all of their money was spent, and those who took advantage of the charity of others to avoid working themselves. Paul’s instruction to us is clear, and consistent with the teachings of the rest of the Bible, we should work hard in order to both care for ourselves and have enough left over to care for those who cannot care for themselves./p>

Daily Bible Study

December 11, 2018 Bible Study — Loving Our fellow believers while facing persecution

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 1 Thessalonians 1-5.

Paul commends the believers in Thessalonica for continuing in their faith in the face of persecution. He commends them for showing their love and concern for their fellow believers living elsewhere and for following the teachings of the Gospel. He reminds them that he had warned them about the coming persecution when he first preached the Gospel to them. In a way, this letter is passing the same warning on to us. If we are faithful to the Gospel, those who do not believe will seek to persecute us.

Paul instructs the believers of Thessalonica to live in a way which pleases God by staying away from sexual sins. Immediately after telling them to stay away from sexual sins he writes, “But we don’t need to write to you about the importance of loving each other,…” Which clearly shows that if we truly love those around us, we will not commit sexual sins. Sexual sins bring harm both to ourselves and to those around us.

Daily Bible Study

December 10, 2018 Bible Study — No rules, just be kind, compassionate, humble patient, and above all loving

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Colossians 1-4.

The Gospel message changes lives.  It does not result in us following a set of rules to which we can find loopholes.   We see the way rules fail to save, or change, people in our society today.  Our society rejected Paul’s teaching on sexual morality, but discovered that without it they needed rules to protect the vulnerable.  Now society is discovering that it needs to ever extend those rules because sinful people find loopholes through which they can exploit the vulnerable.  

  Paul writes that we should forgive those who offend us and live our lives with compassion, kindness, gentleness, humility and patience.   Letting all of these express the love which Christ will cause to live in us.  No rule set can ever cover all of the things which flow out of such characteristics.  No matter how you write the rule set, those who do not possess those characteristics will find ways to abuse others.  On the other hand, those who possess all of those characteristics will never abuse others, even if there are no rules at all.   The point which Paul makes again and again is that sexual immorality, evil desires, and greed are all contrary to the above characteristics.

Paul tells us to bear with the faults of others, although elsewhere he also tells us to confront sinners about their sin.  However, this does not present the conundrum that many people think it does.  Paul tells us not to confront sinners to show them how much better than twe are.  Nor are we to confront sinners as a way to pay them back for what harm they have done to us or others.  No, we should confront sinners because we love them and want them to stop harming themselves with their sins. 

Daily Bible Study

December 9, 2018 Bible Study — those who do the right thing for the wrong reason are still doing the right thing

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Philippians 1-4.

Paul writes how some people are preaching the Gospel because they are jealous of the honor Paul is receiving and wish to gain the same for themselves, or to gain wealth for themselves.  Paul’s response is that he does not care why people preach the Gospel, as long as the Gospel is being preached.   I remember years ago my denomination had an auto insurance program whereby those who were part of the Church could get a steep discount on auto insurance, but you had to attend Church regularly.  Someone I know made the comment that it was worth going to Church every Sunday for that discount.  Their mother-in-law told them that was the wrong reason to go to Church.  That is absolutely true, but someone else expressed what I believe Paul is saying here.  “I don’t care why he goes to Church.  I have faith that the Word of God can transform him.  Hearing the Word of God regularly will change his life.”  The man never did start going to Church and his life was not transformed, but I do not think his mother-in-law’s comments had anything to do with that.  I will echo what my friend said:

I do not care about the motives that lead someone to preach the Gospel and I do not care what motives lead someone to listen, I just want everyone to hear the message because I believe it has the power to transform, even those who do not wish to be transformed.

Paul goes on to express his attitude towards death, an attitude which we will share if we fully share his faith.  Paul writes that he is torn because it would be better for him if he died and went on to experience his resurrected body, but then he would no longer be able to serve Christ by serving others.  He was not just not afraid of dying but was looking forward to it.  However, he was unwilling to hasten its arrival because serving the Lord gave him joy.  As long as we live we should seek how we can serve and glorify God, but we should eagerly anticipate when he brings us home to be with Him.

Paul goes on to write that he seeks to know and emulate Christ. to become perfected as Christ was perfect.  However, he also makes it clear that he is not yet perfect and does not expect to be perfect until God rewards him with the heavenly prize.   It is easy to miss Paul’s point here.  Which is that, while embracing sinful behavior is evidence that someone is not saved,  striving   to do what is right does not make us better than those people.  All of this brings me to something I have come to realize about the heart of Paul’s message: when we sin we harm ourselves as much, or more, than we harm others.  If we love someone, we will point out when they are doing things which will harm them.

Daily Bible Study

December 8, 2018 Bible Study — Honesty and Love Preclude immorality and Sin

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Ephesians 4-6.

Paul tells us to stop living as sinners, who are hopelessly confused, or as the NIV translates it, stuck in futile thoughts.   They have hardened their hearts and closed their minds because they are unwilling to give up lustful pleasures and impure activities. I love the way Paul explains how we should live our lives in chapter 4 verses 31 and 32.

Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

Earlier in the chapter, Paul instructs us to stop telling lies and tell our neighbors the truth. I find it very telling that Paul links sexual immorality with being dishonest. Paul focuses on three categories of sin, sexual immorality, impurity, and greed. Paul warns us against those who try to excuse sins: no matter what excuse you come up with, sin will still damage your relationship with God. There is a reason so many sins are done in secret, because no matter how far they push the boundaries of what is socially acceptable, they still want to go beyond that.

Paul tells us to carefully determine what pleases God and take every opportunity to do those things. Not only should we avoid worthless, sinful deeds, but we should expose them for what they are. Here Paul is referencing back to when he told us to tell our neighbors the truth, that involves telling them that certain activities are sinful and therefore worthless. The best part about this is that we will rarely have to verbally express this if we live as God desires. If we live a life of love, following Christ’s example, God’s light will shine out from us, exposing the darkness and sin around us. Let us wisely live according to God’s desires for us. We can find a joy superior to that which others find in inebriation by being filled with the Holy Spirit and praising God.

 

 

Daily Bible Study

December 7, 2018 Bible Study — God’s Power Can, and Will, Do More Than We Can Ask Or Imagine

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Ephesians 1-3.

    There are several themes which Paul weaves in and out through this passage. I think Paul’s tendency to do this may be part of what sometimes makes him hard to understand. On the other hand, it also helps to make his points better understood once we take the effort to do so. Because Paul does not stick to one theme until he has fully explained it, we often lose the thread of what he is saying. However, these various themes are interrelated and to understand one you need to understand that it relates to others. Additionally, our finite minds cannot fully comprehend God’s truth. If Paul systematically explained his understanding of the various doctrines we might more fully understand what he was saying, but that would give us a false confidence in our comprehension of God’s truth. While I do believe that the Holy Spirit will empower us to understand God’s truth, that understanding must be tempered with a humility which comes from being confused by the seeming paradoxes involved.

    Paul writes that he prays that we will understand the greatness of God’s power in us. A power that is so great that it can do more than we can ask, or even imagine, and not just more, but infinitely more. From time to time a marketing campaign will come out where they claim that their product is better than we can imagine. To which many people reply, “I don’t know about that. I can imagine a lot.” Well, in this case it is true: God’s power can do more than we can imagine by a scale that beggars how much our imagination exceeds the capacity of the marketed item. Often times when we ask God for things we not only fail by limiting what we ask for to what is “realistic”, but by asking for the wrong category of solution. Of course, we should not blame ourselves for our failure to ask or imagine what God’s power can do because it is not possible for us ask for anything that approaches the limits to God’s power. There are no such limits.

    Paul explains that the power of God which works for us and through us is the same power which raised Christ from the dead. God gave that power to Christ when He put all things under Christ’s authority. That authority flows through the Church, which is Christ’s body. As Paul explains elsewhere, each and every believer is a part of Christ’s body and as such God’s power flows to us and through us. Further, as members of Christ’s body we have been united with other believers with whom the world would tell us we should be in conflict. That unity results from us being in Christ and no longer living in sin. Paul points out that being in Christ is incompatible with following the desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. Let us call on the Holy Spirit to keep us from doing so, always praying with the Father from Matthew, “I believe, help my unbelief.” In this case calling on the Holy Spirit to remove those sinful desires from us.

Daily Bible Study

December 6, 2018 Bible Study — Our Good Works Will Not Save Us, But Our Salvation Will Lead Us To Do Good Works

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Galatians 1-6.

    It would be easy to get confused by what Paul writes in his letter to the Galatians. Many people also misinterpret what he writes here. Paul first tells us that we cannot be saved by our actions, we cannot be good enough to get into heaven. Any failure to keep even the least of God’s laws will disqualify us if we are trying to get in by our good works. The particular issue which Paul was addressing was circumcision. Someone had started teaching the Galatians that they needed to be circumcised and keep Jewish Law in order to be saved. However, what Paul writes here applies to any attempt we might make to obtain salvation by being “good enough”. We are not able to be good enough to be made right with God. We can only be made right with God by putting our faith in Jesus. If we stop here, as many people do, one could conclude that our actions do not matter. Once we are saved by our faith in Jesus, we can do whatever we please.

    This is where we can easily become confused. Paul makes it clear that our faith should change how we live. Our faith in Christ makes us free, but we should not use that freedom to indulge our sinful nature. Instead we should use that freedom to do as the Holy Spirit directs us. If we use our new freedom to indulge our sinful nature we will not inherit the kingdom of God. Our sinful nature gives us base desires, the Holy Spirit will give us holy desires. If we allow ourselves to indulge the sinful nature we will be unable to fulfill our holy desires. Again, it is easy to get confused about the holy desires which the Holy Spirit gives us. Everyone has these holy desires to some degree because we are, after all, all made in the image of God. However, the Holy Spirit will strengthen those holy desires and will show us how they conflict with our sinful desires.
    So, to recap: we cannot be good enough to earn admittance to heaven, but once we have accepted God’s salvation through faith in Christ we will do the righteous things which the Holy Spirit directs us to do. The more we do what is good and right, the less time and resources we will have to spend doing what is depraved and wrong.

Daily Bible Study

December 5, 2018 Bible Study — God Blesses the Generous Giver

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

9Today, I am reading and commenting on 2 Corinthians 9-13.

Paul writes that God will reward us if we give generously to those in need. This is not a form of prosperity gospel. Rather what Paul is writing here is more in line with what Jesus said about the widow who gave her last two coins. There are two aspects to the way God blesses us when we give generously. Giving to help those in need teaches us financial discipline, which results in us wasting less of our money. However, there is more to God’s blessings than that. When we give generously, God blesses us in more ways than we can possibly imagine. We recognize that we do not need many of the things we spend our money on and learn to be happy with fewer material goods. Actually, that is not quite correct. As we stop trying to attain happiness through material goods, we gain more happiness. Further, we discover the happiness of making other’s lives better. There is also a material aspect to what God will do for us. God will always provide for our material needs. As we give from the excess He has given us to help those who have less, as we become the conduits by which He provides for the material needs of others, God gives us more to give. If you give $10 for those in need, next week you will likely discover that you have $20 to give (often because you discover another $10 worth of things that you can live without).

Daily Bible Study

December 4, 2018 Bible Study — Ambassadors For Christ

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

9Today, I am reading and commenting on 2 Corinthians 5-8.

    Ordinarily I do not speculate much on what we will experience after death, but what Paul writes here is important. Especially considering how it follows on his earlier writing about the place o the resurrection of the dead in our faith. Here Paul tells us that we will experience a true resurrection, but not of bodies subject to aging and decay like the ones we live in today. Instead, we will be resurrected into new, perfect bodies. We will spend eternity in a physical world, a world which is not subject to decay and destruction like the world we currently live in.

    One of the things which Paul talks about again and again in his letters is the transformation which we go through when we become believers. The Holy Spirit transforms us into new creatures when we accept God’s gift of salvation. One of the ways in which Paul describes this transformation is by describing us as God’s ambassadors. It is important to understand how an ambassador was viewed when the government was a monarch. The ambassador was the person of the king. Anything said or done to the ambassador was viewed as if it was said or done to the king he represented. If you honored the ambassador, you were honoring the king who had sent him. If you dishonored the ambassador, you dishonored the king who had sent him. As a result, the ambassador was expected to only say and do things which he knew had the approval of the king he represented. Further, an ambassador was expected to act in a way which brought honor, and not dishonor, to the king he represented. We should live, speak, and act so as to bring honor to God and to avoid bringing dishonor to Him.

Daily Bible Study

December 3, 2018 Bible Study — Entering Into The Presence of God

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

9Today, I am reading and commenting on 2 Corinthians 1-4.

    The first thing that struck me today was the reason Paul changed his mind about visiting Corinth on his way to Macedonia. He changed his mind about visiting them because he was so angry over the news he had received. He was afraid that if he went to Corinth before the believers there had time to act on his letter that he would say hurtful things to the believers there that they would have trouble recovering from. Paul well understood human nature. When someone tells us that we have done wrong, our first reaction is to defend our actions, which can lead the other to more strongly state their accusation, causing things to escalate. On the other hand, the process of reading a letter and composing a reply gives us time to acknowledge the truth of the accusation of wrong-doing and temper our response. So, by writing a letter about the problems in the Church in Corinth, Paul was able to more calmly state what they had done wrong and suggest the remedy. Then by putting off his visit, he gave the believers in Corinth time to cool down after receiving his letter and put his recommendations into action once tempers had cooled.

    Paul talks about how Moses put a veil over his face to shield the people from the glory of God. He went on to point out how in Judaism there was still a veil between the people and the glory of God. He then goes on to make the point that the purpose of Jesus’ death and resurrection was to allow us to come into God’s presence without a veil between us and Him. The human tendency is to put some type of barrier between ourselves and God. God, however, wants us to be directly in His presence and has worked throughout history since Adam ate the forbidden fruit to bring us back into His presence, into fellowship with Him. Even today we continue to attempt to put something or someone between ourselves and God. Many in the Christian Church elevate the clergy to be intermediaries between themselves and God. It is not God’s desire for us to do that. The only intermediary needed between ourselves and God is Jesus Christ. When we elevate the clergy to the position of intermediary we distance ourselves from God and make it harder to receive direction and guidance from the Holy Spirit.