“In the beginning, God” (Genesis 1:1). “The Lord God formed the man from the soil of the ground.” The Lord God “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.” “The Lord God planted a garden in Eden.” There, the Lord God “put the man he had formed.” “The Lord God caused to grow out of […]
1 Corinthians, Lesson 26: The Resurrection of the Body, Part 1
July 18, 2015 by
Paul has delivered what it means that God the Father has raised Jesus from the dead by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 15:20, Romans 8:11). Because Christ was raised alive, those who are in Christ will also be made alive (1 Corinthians 15:22). But this will happen at His “coming,” when He returns on the […]
1 Timothy, Lesson 9: An Overseer’s Relationship with the Congregation
July 15, 2015 by
Paul, having finished with a string of imperative verbs (that is, commands) that Timothy must do, Paul now switches between imperative verbs and other verb forms to help highlight between what is beneficial (or what may have to be done because of circumstances) and what must be done. Older Widows in the Church Note: […]
Exodus 20:1-11, 1 Corinthians 10:1-4: Jesus is Our Sabbath Rest
July 12, 2015 by
Over the centuries, people have numbered God’s Ten Commandments several different ways. Why the difference? First, God does say that He gave “ten,” not nine or 11 (Deuteronomy 10:4). And when you look at the Ten Commandments, you find that they contain more than ten subject areas. But today, we’re going back to beginning, to […]
1 Timothy, Lesson 8: Instructions for Overseers/Elders
July 9, 2015 by
Earlier, Paul had told Timothy that the Church is a pillar and bulwark of the truth (1 Timothy 3:15). Paul then delved into what the Christian religion is that the Church catholic believed and confessed (as opposed to the dysfunction in Ephesus, where Paul had placed Timothy as pastor to “clean up the mess”). Now […]
1 Kings 19:11-21: God humbles Himself, bringing life, not death
July 7, 2015 by
Who here has never been burnt out? Who has never felt emptied of strength, energy, and motivation? It could be overwork and “underplay.” It could be one stress after another, draining your reserves past empty, leaving you gasping on fumes. That was Elijah in our Old Testament reading. He had just faced down the prophets […]
“It’s a Relationship, not a Religion”
July 2, 2015 by
We’ve all heard others say, “Christianity is a relationship, not a religion.” At best, that statement is incomplete; at worst, it’s deceptive. But why isn’t Christianity defined as someone’s relationship with Christ? First, we have a clear passage in Scripture that tells us that Christianity is a religion! James 1:26-27: “If anyone thinks he is […]
1 Timothy, Lesson 7: The Christian Religion
July 2, 2015 by
Last week, Paul finished telling Timothy that the Church is a pillar and bulwark of the truth. Thus, the Church has a role in safeguarding and conveying the truth that Jesus originally gave to His Apostles. However, truth being truth, the Church does not have the authority to alter, delete, or add to this truth. […]
1 Corinthians, Lesson 25: The Gospel, the Church, the Scriptures, and the Body’s Resurrection
June 28, 2015 by
Paul had shut down speaking in tongues, at least as the Corinthians had practiced it, when they spoke unintelligible sounds from their mouths. Paul viewed real speaking in tongues as something good, which was speaking in a way that increased understanding, not decreased it (think of Acts chapter 2). After all, Paul said this about […]
Luke 6:36-42: What goes around comes around?
June 28, 2015 by
“Stop judging, and you’ll not be judged.” But, of course, you and I have judged. We’ve judged the motives of those who have offended us. We’ve have acted rashly and assumed the worst of others. We’ve spoken harsh words of judgment about them to others within earshot. “Stop condemning, and you’ll not be condemned.” But, […]
