The overall culture in the church at Rome is one of division between the Jewish and Gentile Christians. The Jews want the Gentiles to follow the Old-Covenant rituals, as they do. The Gentiles saw this as no longer needed, being fulfilled by Christ. A resultant casualty of this rejection was also a rejection of the […]
Galatians 1:1-10: Don’t turn what God does for you into what you do for Him
May 29, 2016 by
Paul begins Galatians by burning down the barn. “What in the world is wrong with you? You’re deserting God, who called you to be His people! You turned away from the Gospel, allowing others to confuse you and lead you away from the truth!” Words of fire explode off the page. A righteous anger burns […]
Matthew 2:13-18: Holy Innocents
December 28, 2014 by
See how bitterly and shamelessly Satan hates the newborn Son of God. He incites King Herod to massacre the infant boys of Bethlehem, in his bloody rage to cut down Jesus. But see even more the lengths to which God the Father will go to protect His Son. He tells Joseph to take Mary and […]
Acts, Lesson 16: The Church’s First Council
September 24, 2014 by
Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch (in Syria, not Pisidia) and remained there “no little time with the disciples.” Judaizers in the Church Read Acts 15:1 What were some in the Church insisting concerning Gentile believers? Read Genesis 17:9-14 Leviticus 12:3: [The Lord told Moses,] “On the eighth day, the flesh of the baby’s […]
Luke 2:21: The Circumcision and Name of Jesus
January 1, 2014 by
Associated Scriptural Words on Circumcision God said to Abraham, “As for you, you are to keep My covenant, you and your offspring after you for the generations to come. This is My covenant, which you are to keep, between Me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you must be circumcised. You […]
From Adam to Jesus: Circumcision
November 26, 2012 by
Almost out of the blue, the Bible introduces us to Abram. From the faithful line of Noah’s descendants, from Noah’s son, Shem, comes the first of the great patriarchs: “Abraham the Hebrew” (Genesis 14:13). Abram lived in Ur (today in Iraq), a city known for its prosperity. Abram was wealthy. So, when God told Abram […]
The Didache, Lesson 11: Being Brought into the New Covenant of Christ
March 12, 2012 by
The Didache now moves into what brings one into the community (communion) of Christ: Baptism. To understand this New-Covenant act, we need to look at its Old-Covenant predecessor, which baptism superseded and replaced. As God used an act of His choosing to bring someone into His Old Covenant, it’s easy to see how He would […]
Circumcision and Naming of Jesus
January 1, 2012 by
Genesis 17:9-14 Then God said to Abraham, “Now as for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants throughout their generations. Here is my covenant that you are to observe, between me and you and your descendants: Every male among you is to be circumcised. Circumcise the flesh of your foreskin. That will […]
Eve of the Circumcision and Name of Jesus
December 31, 2010 by
Intro Circumcision is not a pleasant experience. It is cutting off a piece of flesh from a male’s penis. That doesn’t sound like something smart to do. It sounds painful. It sounds foolish. But then, God says much that may sound foolish to our ears. God told Abraham to leave his country and go […]
