We’ve inherited a strange way of reading the Bible. When someone reads Scripture, he often thinks each passage is a direct line, straight from God, telling him what to do. Such a notion, however, isn’t true. Read the Bible and you will find out otherwise. Here’s an example. Paul writes, “Wives, submit to your husbands […]
2 Corinthians, Lesson 13: The Delegation Coming to Corinth
November 21, 2015 by
Unlike some of our translations, what Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 8:1-9 (last week’s lesson) began and ended with God’s grace. Paul finished vs. 9 opened ended, moving from Jesus’ self-giving love to how the Corinthians will channel the grace overflowing to them in Christ Jesus to others. Now, Paul goes back to the topic […]
1 Timothy, Lesson 1 (and Introduction to the Pastoral Epistles)
May 7, 2015 by
Before we delve into 1 Timothy, a general survey of what we call “the Pastoral Epistles” would be helpful. Introduction to the Pastoral Epistles What are the Pastoral Epistles? They are the New-Testament books of 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus. It is good to study them together because they are the last three […]
Acts, Lesson 1: Introduction and Acts 1:1-8
May 22, 2014 by
Overview Author: St. Luke. Within the book of Acts, the author does not state who he is. Church tradition, reaching back to the 2nd century, identifies the author as Luke, the Gentile medical doctor and traveling associate of the Apostle Paul (2 Timothy 4:11; Philemon 24). Explicit testimony for the Lukan authorship of Acts comes […]
Didache, Lesson 15: Apostles and Prophets, Pt. 2
April 21, 2012 by
Prophets In the last lesson, we saw the Didache link the Apostles to Jesus (11:4.) But today, we will see the Didache link prophets to the Holy Spirit. Although, at first, this seems a hair-splitting distinction, it simply shows the worldview of those who put together the Didache. It shows that the Apostles were directly […]
The Didache, Lesson 14, The Apostles and Prophets, Part 1
March 31, 2012 by
Lesson 14: (Chapter 11:1-6) After going over the epicenter of the New Covenant, the Lord’s Supper, the Didache, tackles a most-practical issue in its day. It deals with those who would visit, claiming to be an apostle, prophet, or pastor (remember this was still early enough when the Apostles were still alive). Knowing the Truth […]
The Didache, Lesson 8: Tradition and Confession
February 18, 2012 by
Following Tradition 4:12 Hate hypocrisy and everything that is not pleasing to the Lord. The Didache’s warning, in its context, is that we should guard against every sin and not be inconsistent (hypocritical). Specifically, this ties in with protecting and not losing what our Lord has commanded, which the next verse states explicitly. Deuteronomy 4:2: […]
