It’s damned if you and damned if you don’t. That’s our Lord’s lament for today. God had sent John the Baptizer to prepare the way for Jesus. He preached a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. John came, singing a funeral dirge: “Die to yourself. It’s in the water where you find life […]
2 Corinthians, Lesson 9: God Opens the Heart
October 25, 2015 by
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” […]
St. Luke, Evangelist: Luke 10:1-9
October 19, 2015 by
The Apostle Paul called Luke a “dear friend, the doctor” (Colossians 4:14). He was one of the four Gospel writers, whom we remember today. But who was he? He was a Gentile, well-schooled, having the training and skill to be a medical doctor in his day. But, most of all, we remember Luke because he […]
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 […]
Genesis 28:10-17: Jesus is the Staircase between Heaven and Earth
October 11, 2015 by
Jacob escapes and flees to what looks like an ordinary place, on a night like any other. But on this night, he’s running away from his brother, Esau, who has threatened to kill him. For Jacob had just swindled him for a second time. Esau had had enough! But let’s go back to the first […]
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 […]
Matthew 22:34-40: All the Law and the Prophets Hang on Jesus
October 5, 2015 by
A generation or two before Jesus was born, two schools of thought had developed within the Pharisees: the School of Hillel and the School of Shammai. Rabbi Hillel grappled to get to the spirit of the Law. Rabbi Shammai was a grouch and just wanted to get the crux of something and told it like […]
