Paul now transitions to his conclusion, by saying “now concerning.” This was Paul’s way of responding to questions that he had received from the Corinthian congregation, as he did earlier in 1 Corinthians 7:1, 25; 8:1; and 12:1. But, more than that, he also expresses how the Corinthians could be “abounding in the work of […]
1 Timothy, Lesson 11: Slavery, False Teaching, and the Dangers that Can Come with Wealth
August 2, 2015 by
Paul, having finished dealing with overseers/elders, he now deals with slaves and their masters. Slaves and Masters Read 1 Timothy 6:1 How does Paul want slaves to treat their masters? Why? Discuss: “the name of God” and “the Teaching” [note the definite article, “the”]. Read 1 Timothy 6:2a For believing slaves and […]
1 Corinthians, Lesson 27: The Resurrection of the Body, Part 2
July 27, 2015 by
Some in the Corinthian congregation had denied, or downplayed, the resurrection of the body. To counter this error, and to show just how important that doctrine was, Paul contrasted the “natural” body with the “spiritual” body. The natural body is the “ensouled” body, the physical body that encases the soul. The spiritual body is the […]
1 Timothy, Lesson 10: Elders and Overseers Continued
July 23, 2015 by
Last week, Paul spoke of “honoring” elders/overseers: They were to receive a wage for their work. Moving from there, Paul then told Timothy how he was to handle accusations against an elder/overseer. Unless there were “two or three witnesses” for those accusations, Timothy wasn’t to consider them. This was to help prevent frivolous complaints or […]
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: […]
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 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 […]
1 Timothy, Lesson 6: Deacons, Deaconesses, and the Role of the Church
June 25, 2015 by
We finished with Paul speaking about the requirements for a man to serve as a deacon. What seemed unusual was that Paul had theological requirements for a man to be a deacon, but not to be an overseer! Deacons were to hold to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience, which is knowing […]
