Paul and Timothy just appealed to the Corinthian congregation, quoting Isaiah 49:8. They then say, “Now is a [not “the”] favorable time, now is a [not “the”] day of salvation.” Every time God’s grace comes to someone, that day, that time, is one of salvation. This shows the continuing nature of God coming to us […]
Titus, Lesson 2: Whom Titus is to Appoint
October 25, 2015 by
Paul told Titus “to… appoint elders in every town [in Crete] as I directed you” (Titus 1:6). But this appointing of elders wasn’t based on whom Titus happened to like or want, nor even that of the congregations where those elders would serve. Instead, Paul will specify who may or may not be an “elder” […]
2 Corinthians, Lesson 8: Being Reconciled with God
October 19, 2015 by
Having just said that “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ,” Paul and Timothy now point to God’s solution for that coming Day: “Being reconciled with God” on “a day of salvation.” The Law: Fearing the Lord Read 2 Corinthians 5:11 Excursus: Fear of the Lord: The Old-Testament Background God’s […]
Titus, Lesson 1: Introduction
October 19, 2015 by
Titus is one of, what we call, the “pastoral epistles.” They were letters from the Apostle Paul to pastors Timothy and Titus, who were under his charge. Authorship In the early 1800s, some began to challenge Paul’s authorship of the Pastoral Epistles. Why? First, the rest of the New Testament does not confirm Paul’s […]
2 Corinthians, Lesson 7: The Resurrection Encourages Us, even in Our Suffering
October 19, 2015 by
Paul and Timothy said that what was happening to them, their suffering and being brought closer to death, made them outwardly seem fragile, like jars of clay. People considered such earthen containers of little value because they held garbage or excrement. Although Paul and Timothy looked like they were of little value, what they brought […]
2 Timothy, Lesson 7: Conclusion of 2 Timothy
October 8, 2015 by
Throughout 2 Timothy, Paul has been urging Timothy to remain faithful as a pastor. Now Paul bring all of what he has previously written to a climax, all introduced by an oath. This is serious, eternal-life-and-eternal-death serious. Timothy, Do What You Were Ordained to Do! Read 2 Timothy 4:1-2 In these verses, we’ll first […]
2 Corinthians, Lesson 6: Life Coming in the Throes of Death
October 5, 2015 by
Last week, we finished with Paul and Timothy saying how all Christians (“we all”) experience God’s glory. Right now, that glory comes to us like an image that we see reflected in a mirror (2 Corinthians 3:18). This is God’s glory coming to us in an indirect way, hidden, so we do not die from […]
2 Timothy, Lesson 6: Follow and Deliver the Apostles’ Teaching from the Scriptures
October 5, 2015 by
Paul just finishing describing false teachers in Ephesus, comparing them to Jannes and Jambres, Pharaoh’s magicians who opposed Moses. In contrast to those false teachers, Paul now commends Pastor Timothy. Continue in the Apostles’ Teaching Read 2 Timothy 3:10-12 “followed”: Greek, parakoloutheo. This means more than “follow”; it has the idea of “accompanying” or […]
2 Corinthians, Lesson 5: The Ministry of Death versus the Ministry of Life
September 27, 2015 by
Paul and Timothy (“we”) just finished saying that what they were doing was from God. They wanted to contrast themselves against false teachers, who were “peddlers of God’s Word” (2 Corinthians 2:17-18). Even more, these “peddlers” were of Jewish origin (2 Corinthians 11:22) who had come into the congregation at Corinth with letters of recommendation. […]
2 Timothy, Lesson 5: Dealing with Human “Devils” in the Church
September 27, 2015 by
Describing the Church, which Paul called a “foundation,” he now moves on to what is built on the foundation, the “house.” Pastor Timothy, Avoid Needless Quarrels Read 2 Timothy 2:20 Read 2 Timothy 2:21 Paul now moves from the greater to the lesser. Like the Church is to be free from […]
