Tag Archives: 10/10/19 Bible Study

Daily Bible Study

December 10, 2019 Bible Study — A New Life In Christ Rather Than a List of “Do nots”

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

Depending on how we read Paul’s letter to the Colossians it can either be very confusing, or it can clarify his teachings regarding rules and freedom in Christ.  First, Paul tells them, and us, not to get caught up in certain rules about what to eat and what to do on certain days, nor to feel that we need to perform particular ceremonies.  He sums up the rules he tells us not to get caught up with as ones which tell us, “Don’t handle! Don’t taste! Don’t touch!”  He tells us that we should not allow ourselves to be bound by restrictive rules.  There is no set of rules that you can follow which will make you right with God.

Then Paul writes that we should set our sights on heavenly things and put to death the sinful, earthly desires which we have.  He just told us that we are free in Christ.  Yet now he writes that we should avoid sexual immorality and evil desires.  I think we get an insight into Paul’s thinking by what he says about greed.  Greed is idolatry, the worship of material possessions and thus contrary to the Spirit of God.  So, if greed is worshiping material possessions, then the other sins Paul tells us to stay away from amount to worshiping ourselves.  Sexual immorality and other evil desires result from treating others as things to please ourselves.  There is a reason we refer to those we lust after as the “object of our desire”.   

Daily Bible Study

October 10, 2019 Bible Study — What Authority Will We Accept?

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

Today, I am reading and commenting on Matthew 21-22

Jesus tells several parables in today’s passage which all have similar themes.  In a way, that theme begins with Jesus’ driving the money changers and other merchants out of the Temple.  Then when the religious leaders asked Him what authority He had for doing so, He asked them to say whether or not John the Baptist had authority from heaven.  When they said that they did not know, Jesus declined to answer their question.  They were unwilling to say that John had authority from heaven because they were unwilling to put his teachings into practice.  On the other hand, they were unwilling to say that he only had human authority because they were afraid of the crowds who believed in John.  However, that was not why Jesus asked them this question.   Jesus asked because if they accepted that John had authority from heaven, He could show how John had testified to His own calling by God.  On the other hand, if they said that John had only human authority it would reveal to the people that they did not have the righteousness they claimed. I have worded that poorly, but I think as I discuss the parables it will give a clearer understanding of what I was trying to say.

From there Jesus starts telling some parables.  The first parable shows us that saying we want to do God’s will is less important than actually doing it.  In fact, there are those who verbally reject God who do His will.  From there Jesus goes on to tell parables about people who present themselves as righteous, but actually attempt to usurp God’s place.  God will replace those people with those who know they are not in God’s presence because of their own merit, but solely because of God’s grace.  However, the ending of the wedding banquet parable shows us that we have to allow God to change us.