Reflections

Reflections on Philemon

2012-01-31T08:12:00.000-06:00

Philemon 01

(Contemporary English Version)

From Paul, who is in jail for serving Christ Jesus, and from Timothy, who is like a brother because of our faith. Philemon, you work with us and are very dear to us. This letter is to you

and to the church that meets in your home. It is also to our dear friend Apphia and to Archippus, who serves the Lord as we do.

I pray that God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you and will bless you with peace!

Philemon, each time I mention you in my prayers, I thank God.

I hear about your faith in our Lord Jesus and about your love for all of God's people.

As you share your faith with others, I pray that they may come to know all the blessings Christ has given us.

My friend, your love has made me happy and has greatly encouraged me. It has also cheered the hearts of God's people.

Christ gives me the courage to tell you what to do.

But I would rather ask you to do it simply because of love. Yes, as someone in jail for Christ,

I beg you to help Onesimus! He is like a son to me because I led him to Christ here in jail.

Before this, he was useless to you, but now he is useful both to you and to me.

Sending Onesimus back to you makes me very sad.

I would like to keep him here with me, where he could take your place in helping me while I am here in prison for preaching the good news.

But I won't do anything unless you agree to it first. I want your act of kindness to come from your heart, and not be something you feel forced to do.

Perhaps Onesimus was taken from you for a little while so that you could have him back for good,

but not as a slave. Onesimus is much more than a slave. To me he is a dear friend, but to you he is even more, both as a person and as a follower of the Lord.

If you consider me a friend because of Christ, then welcome Onesimus as you would welcome me.

If he has cheated you or owes you anything, charge it to my account.

With my own hand I write: I, PAUL, WILL PAY YOU BACK. But don't forget that you owe me your life.

My dear friend and follower of Christ our Lord, please cheer me up by doing this for me.

I am sure you will do all I have asked, and even more.

Please get a room ready for me. I hope your prayers will be answered, and I can visit you.

Epaphras is also here in jail for being a follower of Christ Jesus. He sends his greetings,

and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, who work together with me.

I pray that the Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you.

This short letter, which consists of only one chapter in our Bible, has as its primary purpose the restoration of a runaway slave to his master. Onesimus, a slave of Philemon to whom this letter is addressed, had runaway to Rome where he somehow came in contact with Paul. Paul led him to salvation in Christ and nurtured him spiritually until he was ready to put right what he had made wrong. Paul addressed slaves and slave masters in several of his letters, never attacking the practice, but to appeal to a proper relationship between them as brothers in Christ.

In Rome, Onesimus would have no doubt had little difficulty remaining undetected as a runaway slave and could have remained free. But as a brother in Christ to his former master, Philemon, he had a debt to repay and a relationship to restore. Though we cannot know what debt he owed Philemon, Paul refers to it in this letter, telling Philemon to consider it his debt instead of Onesimus'. This is a secondary request, though. The primary request, as mentioned above, was for Philemon to restore his slave Onesimus, receiving him not only as a slave, but as a brother in Christ. Accept him, Paul said, "as you would me." (1:17) Using Onesimus' name, which means "useful," Paul makes a play on words saying, "Once he was useless to you, but now he is useful to both you and me." (1:11) Paul then expresses a thought similar to his words in Romans 8:28 where he says, "We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose." His words to Philemon, though, were: "perhaps this is why he was separated from you for a brief time, so that you might get him back permanently." (1:15) In other words, what seemed a bad situation in the loss of a valuable slave, God had turned into a good situation with the salvation of that slave who would now prove to be of greater value, not only as a slave, but as a brother in Christ.

Reflections on Titus 3

2012-01-30T06:54:00.001-06:00

Titus 03

(Contemporary English Version)

Remind your people to obey the rulers and authorities and not to be rebellious. They must always be ready to do something helpful

and not say cruel things or argue. They should be gentle and kind to everyone.

We used to be stupid, disobedient, and foolish, as well as slaves of all sorts of desires and pleasures. We were evil and jealous. Everyone hated us, and we hated everyone.

God our Savior showed us how good and kind he is.

He saved us because of his mercy, and not because of any good things that we have done. God washed us by the power of the Holy Spirit. He gave us new birth and a fresh beginning.

God sent Jesus Christ our Savior to give us his Spirit.

Jesus treated us much better than we deserve. He made us acceptable to God and gave us the hope of eternal life.

This message is certainly true. These teachings are useful and helpful for everyone. I want you to insist that the people follow them, so that all who have faith in God will be sure to do good deeds.

But don't have anything to do with stupid arguments about ancestors. And stay away from disagreements and quarrels about the Law of Moses. Such arguments are useless and senseless.

Warn troublemakers once or twice. Then don't have anything else to do with them.

You know that their minds are twisted, and their own sins show how guilty they are.

I plan to send Artemas or Tychicus to you. After he arrives, please try your best to meet me at Nicopolis. I have decided to spend the winter there.

When Zenas the lawyer and Apollos get ready to leave, help them as much as you can, so they won't have need of anything.

Our people should learn to spend their time doing something useful and worthwhile.

Greetings to you from everyone here. Greet all of our friends who share in our faith. I pray that the Lord will be kind to all of you.

Paul was concerned that the Cretian Christians have sound teaching, particularly to offset the exposure they had to the false teachers in their midst. But he was as concerned that sound teaching result in sound living. Teaching that does not result in sound living is useless whether the teaching is sound or not. Thus, in both of the last two chapters of his letter to Titus, Paul instructs Titus to remind the Cretians of living that is consistent with sound teaching. This would not only distinguish them from their countrymen and make the gospel more appealing, but would distinguish them from the false teachers who spoke of lofty spiritual things but did not live lives of good works. Their motives were for personal gain.

So chapter three continues what was begun in chapter two. Titus is to remind the Cretian Christians to "be submissive to rulers and authorities," and "to be ready for every good work." (3:1) Furthermore, they were "to slander no one, to avoid fighting, and to be kind, always showing gentleness to all people." (3:2) These practices are distinctly different than the practices of their former lifestyles. Such a change in lifestyle does not come about through their own efforts but "through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit." (3:5) This is a result of God's "goodness and love" towards us, not of their own "works of righteousness." (3:4, 5) Not only were they made new people through this regeneration and renewal, but they had become "heirs with the hope of eternal life." (3:7)

This instruction, Paul says, is trustworthy and so Titus should insist on these things so the Cretian Christians will "devote themselves to good works" which are "profitable for everyone." (3:8) In the former lifestyles of the Cretian Christians they had been "foolish, disobedient, deceived, captives of various passions and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, detesting one another." (3:3) Many who live such lifestyles will argue the validity of such a life by saying, "but I'm not hurting anyone." Besides the fact that this statement is usually untrue, does simply not hurting others validate a particular lifestyle? Is it not better for all if one "devotes themselves to good works" which are "profitable for everyone?"

Besides instructing Titus to insist that the Cretians "devote themselves to good works," he wants Titus to also instruct them to "avoid foolish debates, genealogies, quarrels, and disputes about the law." Such activities, he says, "are unprofitable and worthless." (3:9) Getting one's doctrine correct is of little good is that doctrine does not result in a devotion to good works and an avoidance of foolish debates and quarrels which are unprofitable and divisive.

Reflections on Titus 2

2012-01-27T06:42:00.001-06:00

Titus 02

(Contemporary English Version)

Titus, you must teach only what is correct.

Tell the older men to have self-control and to be serious and sensible. Their faith, love, and patience must never fail.

Tell the older women to behave as those who love the Lord should. They must not gossip about others or be slaves of wine. They must teach what is proper,

so the younger women will be loving wives and mothers.

Each of the younger women must be sensible and kind, as well as a good homemaker, who puts her own husband first. Then no one can say insulting things about God's message.

Tell the young men to have self-control in everything.

Always set a good example for others. Be sincere and serious when you teach.

Use clean language that no one can criticize. Do this, and your enemies will be too ashamed to say anything against you.

Tell slaves always to please their owners by obeying them in everything. Slaves must not talk back to their owners

or steal from them. They must be completely honest and trustworthy. Then everyone will show great respect for what is taught about God our Savior.

God has shown us how kind he is by coming to save all people.

He taught us to give up our wicked ways and our worldly desires and to live decent and honest lives in this world.

We are filled with hope, as we wait for the glorious return of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

He gave himself to rescue us from everything that is evil and to make our hearts pure. He wanted us to be his own people and to be eager to do right.

Teach these things, as you use your full authority to encourage and correct people. Make sure you earn everyone's respect.

Paul's concern in this section is behavior that is consistent with sound teaching and the gospel of God's grace. God's grace, which is made available through Jesus Christ, gives us not only hope in "the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ," (2:13) but has "redeem(ed) us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for Himself a special people, eager to do good works." (2:14) Paul felt strongly enough about this concern that he instructed Titus to "encourage and rebuke with all authority," regarding these things, and to "Let no one disregard you." (2:15) This is sound teaching about which Titus should not be timid.

The teaching Paul instructed Titus to give the Christians in Crete was targeted to five groups: older men, older women, younger women, younger men, and slaves. This grouping does not suggest that different teaching applies to different Christians, but that different parts of the body of teaching need to be emphasized to these various groups due to the specific issues they face. So, older men are to "be self-controlled, worthy of respect, sensible, and sound in faith, love, and endurance." (2:2) Older women are to "be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not addicted to much wine." They are also to teach the young women "to love their husbands and children, to be sensible, pure, good homemakers, and submissive to their husbands." (2:3-5) Young men are simply to "be sensible about everything." (2:7) Slaves "are to be submissive to their masters in everything, and to be well-pleasing, not talking back or stealing, but demonstrating utter faithfulness." (2:9-10) Besides behavior that is in the Christian's best interest, this is behavior that will not slander God's message but will instead "adorn" it.

Paul also had specific instructions for Titus concerning his conduct: "Set an example of good works yourself, with integrity and dignity in your teaching. Your message is to be sound beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be ashamed, having nothing bad to say about us." (2:7-8) All is aimed toward a lifestyle that enriches the life of the Christian while avoiding any hindrance to other's acceptance of the gospel.

Reflections on Titus 1

2012-01-26T08:15:00.001-06:00

Titus 01

(Contemporary English Version)

From Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. I encourage God's own people to have more faith and to understand the truth about religion.

Then they will have the hope of eternal life that God promised long ago. And God never tells a lie!

So, at the proper time, God our Savior gave this message and told me to announce what he had said.

Titus, because of our faith, you are like a son to me. I pray that God our Father and Christ Jesus our Savior will be kind to you and will bless you with peace!

I left you in Crete to do what had been left undone and to appoint leaders for the churches in each town. As I told you,

they must have a good reputation and be faithful in marriage. Their children must be followers of the Lord and not have a reputation for being wild and disobedient.

Church officials are in charge of God's work, and so they must also have a good reputation. They must not be bossy, quick-tempered, heavy drinkers, bullies, or dishonest in business.

Instead, they must be friendly to strangers and enjoy doing good things. They must also be sensible, fair, pure, and self-controlled.

They must stick to the true message they were taught, so that their good teaching can help others and correct everyone who opposes it.

There are many who don't respect authority, and they fool others by talking nonsense. This is especially true of some Jewish followers.

But you must make them be quiet. They are after money, and they upset whole families by teaching what they should not.

It is like one of their own prophets once said, "The people of Crete always tell lies. They are greedy and lazy like wild animals."

That surely is a true saying. And you should be hard on such people, so you can help them grow stronger in their faith.

Don't pay any attention to any of those senseless Jewish stories and human commands. These are made up by people who won't obey the truth.

Everything is pure for someone whose heart is pure. But nothing is pure for an unbeliever with a dirty mind. That person's mind and conscience are destroyed.

Such people claim to know God, but their actions prove that they really don't. They are disgusting. They won't obey God, and they are too worthless to do anything good.

Paul's letter to Titus has a number of similarities to those he wrote to Timothy. First, Paul had left Titus with the churches in Crete to "set right what was left undone" (1:5) while he went on to other areas of ministry much as he had done with Timothy in Ephesus. His relationship with Titus was also similar to that he had with Timothy: a "true child in our common faith." (1:4)

Another similarity with Timothy was the instruction to appoint elders in the churches. If they were to gain stability they needed leaders who lived among them and gave constant leadership. The qualifications Paul gave Titus to apply to the selection of elders were essentially the same as what he gave Timothy. The need to have leaders of this caliber is obvious. Besides the need to give sound leadership and provide a model for Christian living, the conduct of an elder, who served as "God's manager," was a reflection on God. Damage to the reputation of an elder was/is damage to God’s reputation. There are plenty of current examples of this truth.

A further similarity between the situation with Timothy in Ephesus and Titus in Crete was the presence, maybe even abundance, of false teachers with an agenda. Though the background of the false teachers in Ephesus is not clear, those in Crete were primarily of a Jewish background. Regardless of the background they had in common a rebellious spirit, idle talk, and deception. As for the false teachers in Crete, Paul said they were true to the Cretan reputation for being liars. The saying that had become popular, and is still used, originated with Epimenides, a Cretan poet and philosopher from the sixth century. However the saying was stated originally, it equated Cretans with lying. So by Paul's day, and even today, the term "cretan" refers to lying. Paul said the false teachers lived up to this reputation. They defiled everything with which they came in contact because they themselves were defiled - both in mind and in conscience. "They profess to know God, but they denied Him by their works." (1:16) This is a truth that is wise to keep in mind. The giving of our trust and acceptance to a spiritual leader should follow our observation of them to see if their works follow their teaching. Paul's qualifications for elders in the church required that their reputation agree with their profession. They should have already demonstrated such behavior and have earned the qualifying reputation.

Elders who qualify are to be capable handlers of the truth. Both in teaching church members and in refuting false teachers. The body of truth is entrusted to them. For the elders in the churches of Crete, this meant handling the truth they received both from Paul's teaching and from scripture.

Reflections on 2 Timothy 4

2012-01-25T06:44:00.001-06:00

2 Timothy 04

(Contemporary English Version)

When Christ Jesus comes as king, he will be the judge of everyone, whether they are living or dead. So with God and Christ as witnesses, I command you

to preach God's message. Do it willingly, even if it isn't the popular thing to do. You must correct people and point out their sins. But also cheer them up, and when you instruct them, always be patient.

The time is coming when people won't listen to good teaching. Instead, they will look for teachers who will please them by telling them only what they are itching to hear.

They will turn from the truth and eagerly listen to senseless stories.

But you must stay calm and be willing to suffer. You must work hard to tell the good news and to do your job well.

Now the time has come for me to die. My life is like a drink offering being poured out on the altar.

I have fought well. I have finished the race, and I have been faithful.

So a crown will be given to me for pleasing the Lord. He judges fairly, and on the day of judgment he will give a crown to me and to everyone else who wants him to appear with power.

Come to see me as soon as you can.

Demas loves the things of this world so much that he left me and went to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus has gone to Dalmatia.

Only Luke has stayed with me. Mark can be very helpful to me, so please find him and bring him with you.

I sent Tychicus to Ephesus.

When you come, bring the coat I left at Troas with Carpus. Don't forget to bring the scrolls, especially the ones made of leather.

Alexander, the metalworker, has hurt me in many ways. But the Lord will pay him back for what he has done.

Alexander opposes what we preach. You had better watch out for him.

When I was first put on trial, no one helped me. In fact, everyone deserted me. I hope it won't be held against them.

But the Lord stood beside me. He gave me the strength to tell his full message, so that all Gentiles would hear it. And I was kept safe from hungry lions.

The Lord will always keep me from being harmed by evil, and he will bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. Praise him forever and ever! Amen.

Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila and to the family of Onesiphorus.

Erastus stayed at Corinth. Trophimus was sick when I left him at Miletus.

Do your best to come before winter. Eubulus, Pudens, Linus, and Claudia send you their greetings, and so do the rest of the Lord's followers.

I pray that the Lord will bless your life and will be kind to you.

Paul's final charge to Timothy in this letter is given with urgency. To this point in the letter Paul urged Timothy to be faithful in the face of false teachers and the increasing moral decline of society. Here, though, the urgency is connected to Paul's conviction that his death was approaching and he apparently saw Timothy as his successor. Thus, in verse 1 he says, "I solemnly charge you." His charge to Timothy was to "Proclaim the message; persist in it whether convenient or not; rebuke, correct, and encourage with great patience and teaching." (4:2) Timothy's focus was not to be his own convenience but primarily the proclamation of the gospel. He was to be, as Paul frequently referred to himself, a slave of Jesus Christ.

Another reason for Paul's urgency with Timothy is seen in verses 3 and 4: "For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine . . . They will turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to myths." What motivates this turning away? Though some may claim it to be a search for truth, Paul says the real reason is because "they have an itch to hear something new." (4:3) In the face of this apostacy, Timothy was to "keep a clear head about everything, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry." (4:5)

Verses 6 and following turn attention from Timothy to Paul. Paul states that the time for his "departure" (death) is close, but he knows he has "fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." (4:7) Therefore, he also knows that "there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me, but to all those who have loved His appearing." (4:8)

Through the remainder of the chapter and letter Paul appeals to Timothy to "Make every effort to come to me soon" (4:9) along with an account of those who have either abandoned him or gone on to ministry elsewhere. At the time of his legal defense he stood alone: "At my first defense, no one came to my assistance, but everyone deserted me." (4:16) Paul, no doubt, was lonely and longed to see his son in the ministry, but above all, he wanted a last chance to see Timothy before his "departure."

Reflections on 2 Timothy 3

2012-01-24T06:53:00.001-06:00

2 Timothy 03

(Contemporary English Version)

You can be certain that in the last days there will be some very hard times.

People will love only themselves and money. They will be proud, stuck-up, rude, and disobedient to their parents. They will also be ungrateful, godless,

heartless, and hateful. Their words will be cruel, and they will have no self-control or pity. These people will hate everything that is good.

They will be sneaky, reckless, and puffed up with pride. Instead of loving God, they will love pleasure.

Even though they will make a show of being religious, their religion won't be real. Don't have anything to do with such people.

Some men fool whole families, just to get power over those women who are slaves of sin and are controlled by all sorts of desires.

These women always want to learn something new, but they never can discover the truth.

Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, these people are enemies of the truth. Their minds are sick, and their faith isn't real.

But they won't get very far with their foolishness. Soon everyone will know the truth about them, just as Jannes and Jambres were found out.

Timothy, you know what I teach and how I live. You know what I want to do and what I believe. You have seen how patient and loving I am, and how in the past I put up with

trouble and suffering in the cities of Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. Yet the Lord rescued me from all those terrible troubles.

Anyone who belongs to Christ Jesus and wants to live right will have trouble from others.

But evil people who pretend to be what they are not will become worse than ever, as they fool others and are fooled themselves.

Keep on being faithful to what you were taught and to what you believed. After all, you know who taught you these things.

Since childhood, you have known the Holy Scriptures that are able to make you wise enough to have faith in Christ Jesus and be saved.

Everything in the Scriptures is God's Word. All of it is useful for teaching and helping people and for correcting them and showing them how to live.

The Scriptures train God's servants to do all kinds of good deeds.

In the previous chapter Paul encouraged Timothy to be willing to "Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus." (2:3) In other words, don't turn away from Christ when following Christ becomes difficult. Later in the chapter, he tells Timothy how he will be able to do this. It is by fleeing "youthful passions," and pursuing "righteousness, faith, love, and peace." (2:22) Paul continued this instruction to Timothy in chapter 3.

The theme throughout this instruction was to remain faithful to the cause of Christ in the face of difficulty. The difficulty in mind in chapter 2 was combating false teachers. Paul adds to that in chapter 3 the increasing moral decay of society. "In the last days." Paul says, "people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, without love for what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to the form of religion but denying its power." (3:1-5) Paul considered the time in which he lived to already be in the last days and the moral decline to already be happening. It was not going to become easier, but more difficult for Timothy.

The false teachers Timothy combated were a product of this moral decline. Paul pointed out that it was from among this crowd caught up in the moral decline that the false teachers came. "For among them are those who worm their way into households and capture idle women burdened down with sins, led along by a variety of passions, always learning and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth." (3:6-7) These are not well-intentioned but misguided people. Misguided, yes, but well-intentioned, no. Rather than being motivated by good intentions, they are instead "blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, without love for what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God." Yes, they hold to "the form of religion" but they are not "lovers of God." Nor are they attempting to lead others to God through their false teaching. They are to be avoided, Paul says. It is at the hands of such people that "all those who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." (3:12)

Paul then turned to instruction that would enable Timothy to remain faithful to Christ and the gospel. It was through continuance in what he had learned from Paul and from the instruction of "the sacred Scriptures." For, he said, "All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." (3:16-17)

Reflections on 2 Timothy 2

2012-01-23T07:02:00.001-06:00

2 Timothy 02

(Contemporary English Version)

Timothy, my child, Christ Jesus is kind, and you must let him make you strong.

You have often heard me teach. Now I want you to tell these same things to followers who can be trusted to tell others.

As a good soldier of Christ Jesus you must endure your share of suffering.

Soldiers on duty don't work at outside jobs. They try only to please their commanding officer.

No one wins an athletic contest without obeying the rules.

And farmers who work hard are the first to eat what grows in their field.

If you keep in mind what I have told you, the Lord will help you understand completely.

Keep your mind on Jesus Christ! He was from the family of David and was raised from death, just as my good news says.

And because of this message, I am locked up in jail and treated like a criminal. But God's good news isn't locked in jail,

and so I am willing to put up with anything. Then God's special people will be saved. They will be given eternal glory because they belong to Christ Jesus.

Here is a true message: "If we died with Christ, we will live with him.

If we don't give up, we will rule with him. If we deny that we know him, he will deny that he knows us.

If we are not faithful, he will still be faithful. Christ cannot deny who he is."

Don't let anyone forget these things. And with God as your witness, you must warn them not to argue about words. These arguments don't help anyone. In fact, they ruin everyone who listens to them.

Do your best to win God's approval as a worker who doesn't need to be ashamed and who teaches only the true message.

Keep away from worthless and useless talk. It only leads people farther away from God.

That sort of talk is like a sore that won't heal. And Hymenaeus and Philetus have been talking this way

by teaching that the dead have already been raised to life. This is far from the truth, and it is destroying the faith of some people.

But the foundation that God has laid is solid. On it is written, "The Lord knows who his people are. So everyone who worships the Lord must turn away from evil."

In a large house some dishes are made of gold or silver, while others are made of wood or clay. Some of these are special, and others are not.

That's also how it is with people. The ones who stop doing evil and make themselves pure will become special. Their lives will be holy and pleasing to their Master, and they will be able to do all kinds of good deeds.

Run from temptations that capture young people. Always do the right thing. Be faithful, loving, and easy to get along with. Worship with people whose hearts are pure.

Stay away from stupid and senseless arguments. These only lead to trouble,

and God's servants must not be troublemakers. They must be kind to everyone, and they must be good teachers and very patient.

Be humble when you correct people who oppose you. Maybe God will lead them to turn to him and learn the truth.

They have been trapped by the devil, and he makes them obey him, but God may help them escape.

Paul addresses Timothy directly, encouraging him to always remain faithful to Christ and to the gospel. And, not only was Timothy to do these things, but he was to "commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also." (2:2) First, as faithful followers of Christ they were to be willing to "Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus." (2:3) In so doing, they will be as soldiers who please their recruiter, or as athletes who compete, winning the crown without being disqualified, or as hardworking farmers who receive the first share of the crops. Along with this faithfulness to the Lord will "give you understanding in everything." (2:7)

In a nutshell, the gospel for which Paul encouraged Timothy and those he taught to be willing to suffer is "Jesus Christ, risen form the dead, descended from David." (2:8) If Timothy and those he taught were faithful to this gospel and willing to suffer for it, they would find the following sayings to be trustworthy: "For if we have died with Him, we will also live with Him; if we endure, we will also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He will also deny us; if we are faithless, He remains faithful." (2:11-13) To attain this end, they would need to "present yourself approved to God, a worker who doesn't need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth." (2:15) There were those who had "deviated from the truth," such as Hymenaeus and Philetus, who were "overturning the faith of some." (2:17, 18) God's faithful workmen were not to get caught up in such "irreverent, and empty speech," as did these men. Nor were they to "fight about words" with such as these, for this "is in no way profitable and leads to the ruin of the hearers." (2:14)

To this point Paul told Timothy what he and those he taught were to do. He turned, then, to how they were conduct themselves in order to accomplish these outcomes. They would not prove to be faithful soldiers, winning athletes, or hardworking farmers by pursuing "youthful passions." Nor would such pursuit lead to becoming diligent workmen who could present themselves approved to God without shame. These outcomes were only possible by pursuing "righteousness, faith, love, and peace." (2:22) Nor would they find it profitable to engage in "foolish and ignorant disputes" in an attempt to correct those who deviated from the truth. Rather, "the Lord's slave must not quarrel, but must be gentle to everyone, able to teach, and patient, instructing his opponents with gentleness." (2:24-25)

Reflections on 2 Timothy 1

2012-01-19T06:23:00.001-06:00

2 Timothy 01

(Contemporary English Version)

From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus. God himself chose me to be an apostle, and he gave me the promised life that Jesus Christ makes possible.

Timothy, you are like a dear child to me. I pray that God our Father and our Lord Christ Jesus will be kind and merciful to you and will bless you with peace!

Night and day I mention you in my prayers. I am always grateful for you, as I pray to the God my ancestors and I have served with a clear conscience.

I remember how you cried, and I want to see you, because that will make me truly happy.

I also remember the genuine faith of your mother Eunice. Your grandmother Lois had the same sort of faith, and I am sure that you have it as well.

So I ask you to make full use of the gift that God gave you when I placed my hands on you. Use it well.

God's Spirit doesn't make cowards out of us. The Spirit gives us power, love, and self-control.

Don't be ashamed to speak for our Lord. And don't be ashamed of me, just because I am in jail for serving him. Use the power that comes from God and join with me in suffering for telling the good news.

God saved us and chose us to be his holy people. We did nothing to deserve this, but God planned it because he is so kind. Even before time began God planned for Christ Jesus to show kindness to us.

Now Christ Jesus has come to show us the kindness of God. Christ our Savior defeated death and brought us the good news. It shines like a light and offers life that never ends.

My work is to be a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher.

That's why I am suffering now. But I am not ashamed! I know the one I have faith in, and I am sure that he can guard until the last day what he has trusted me with.

Now follow the example of the correct teaching I gave you, and let the faith and love of Christ Jesus be your model.

You have been trusted with a wonderful treasure. Guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit, who lives within you.

You know that everyone in Asia has turned against me, especially Phygelus and Hermogenes.

I pray that the Lord will be kind to the family of Onesiphorus. He often cheered me up and wasn't ashamed of me when I was put in jail.

Then after he arrived in Rome, he searched everywhere until he found me.

I pray that the Lord Jesus will ask God to show mercy to Onesiphorus on the day of judgment. You know how much he helped me in Ephesus.

Paul writes this second letter to Timothy from a Roman prison. He had left Timothy in Ephesus prior to writing his first letter to him while he went on to minister in Macedonia. Sometime between the two writings Paul was arrested and sent to prison in Rome. While the intent of the first letter was to instruct Timothy in leading the church in Ephesus in Paul's absence, this second one seems primarily aimed at apprizing Timothy of his imprisonment and requesting him to come to Rome. However, since Paul cannot be assured he will see Timothy, he does not miss this opportunity to advise him further.

Paul reminded Timothy in the first letter of the gift of God that was in him, and again in this letter. It is through this gift that he will minister effectively in Ephesus and elsewhere. In reminding him of this gift, he tells him it does not include a "spirit of fearfulness," but "of power, love, and sound judgment." (1:7) Does Paul mention the spirit of fearfulness because of his imprisonment on behalf of the gospel and Timothy's risk of the same if he continues to preach the gospel? That may indeed be his point since he goes on to tell Timothy not to be ashamed either of "the testimony about our Lord," or of Paul "His prisoner." Rather than shame for either of these, Timothy should be willing to "share in suffering for the gospel." This may well be Paul's reference in his mention of the spirit of fearfulness. Their calling, and our calling, is not according to "our works," or purposes, but "according to His own purpose and grace." (1:9)

Paul bolsters Timothy with his own testimony of being unashamed that he was "appointed a herald, apostle, and teacher of the gospel." He is not ashamed because he knows whom he has "believed and am persuaded that He is able to guard what has been entrusted to me until that day." (1:12) Therefore, Timothy should also guard "through the Holy Spirit who lives in us, that good thing entrusted to you." (1:14) Rather than shirking the calling he had to proclaim the gospel, Timothy should continue to "Hold on to the pattern of sound teaching that you have heard from me," trusting that the Holy Spirit will guard what was entrusted to him. (1:13)

Reflections on 1 Timothy 6

2012-01-18T15:50:00.001-06:00

1 Timothy 06

(Contemporary English Version)

If you are a slave, you should respect and honor your owner. This will keep people from saying bad things about God and about our teaching.

If any of you slaves have owners who are followers, you should show them respect. After all, they are also followers of Christ, and he loves them. So you should serve and help them the best you can. These are the things you must teach and tell the people to do.

Anyone who teaches something different disagrees with the correct and godly teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Those people who disagree are proud of themselves, but they don't really know a thing. Their minds are sick, and they like to argue over words. They cause jealousy, disagreements, unkind words, evil suspicions,

and nasty quarrels. They have wicked minds and have missed out on the truth. These people think religion is supposed to make you rich.

And religion does make your life rich, by making you content with what you have.

We didn't bring anything into this world, and we won't take anything with us when we leave.

So we should be satisfied just to have food and clothes.

People who want to be rich fall into all sorts of temptations and traps. They are caught by foolish and harmful desires that drag them down and destroy them.

The love of money causes all kinds of trouble. Some people want money so much that they have given up their faith and caused themselves a lot of pain.

Timothy, you belong to God, so keep away from all these evil things. Try your best to please God and to be like him. Be faithful, loving, dependable, and gentle.

Fight a good fight for the faith and claim eternal life. God offered it to you when you clearly told about your faith, while so many people listened.

Now I ask you to make a promise. Make it in the presence of God, who gives life to all, and in the presence of Jesus Christ, who openly told Pontius Pilate about his faith.

Promise to obey completely and fully all that you have been told until our Lord Jesus Christ returns.

The glorious God is the only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords. At the time that God has already decided, he will send Jesus Christ back again.

Only God lives forever! And he lives in light that no one can come near. No human has ever seen God or ever can see him. God will be honored, and his power will last forever. Amen.

Warn the rich people of this world not to be proud or to trust in wealth that is easily lost. Tell them to have faith in God, who is rich and blesses us with everything we need to enjoy life.

Instruct them to do as many good deeds as they can and to help everyone. Remind the rich to be generous and share what they have.

This will lay a solid foundation for the future, so that they will know what true life is like.

Timothy, guard what God has placed in your care! Don't pay any attention to that godless and stupid talk that sounds smart but really isn't.

Some people have even lost their faith by believing this talk. I pray that the Lord will be kind to all of you!

In this final chapter of Paul's letter to Timothy he addresses the attitude of Christian slaves toward their masters, the pursuit of the rich for godliness over wealth, and then he concludes with direct instructions to Timothy.

This is not the only time that Paul addressed the topic of slaves and masters in his letters. But usually he addresses both parties. For some reason, however, he addresses only the slaves on this occasion. Slavery was a common practice in the culture of Paul's day, but not an issue that he attempted to correct. He was more concerned with Christian conduct within this practice that Christ's name would not be blasphemed. Christianity introduced a new order which placed slaves and masters in the church as equals which had the potential of causing the slave to view his master with less than respect in the work environment. It is this issue that Paul addresses when he says that slaves who have, "believing masters should not be disrespectful to them because they are brothers." (6:2) Paul realizes that this teaching will likely sound very strange to a non-believing world and so he emphasizes that this is a part of a body of doctrine that is "sound teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ," and any who do not agree with it are "conceited, understanding nothing." (6:3, 4) Paul has more to say about those who disagree with this teaching for slaves and other teaching which is a part of the "sound teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ." He says such men have minds that "are depraved and deprived of the truth," and they "imagine that godliness is a way to material gain." (6:5)

From this last statement concerning those who teach unsound doctrine for material gain, Paul segues into teaching concerning those who are rich or want to be rich. The desire to be rich, he says, opens the door to temptation. It is a trap with "many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge people into ruin and destruction." (6:9) Furthermore, he says the love of money "is a root of all kinds of evil." (6:10) Though this statement from Paul is much quoted, it is often misquoted to say that money is the root of evil. It is not money, but the love of it that is the root of all kinds of evil. Therefore, Paul says the gain to strive for is "godliness with contentment." (6:6)

Paul tells Timothy to "run from these things." Instead of material gain, he should pursue "righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness." (6:11) Besides avoiding the pursuit of riches himself, Timothy should teach those who are rich not to "set their hope on the uncertainty of wealth, but on God, who richly provides us with all things to enjoy." He should also teach them to be generous with their wealth and willing to share. This will store up for them "a good foundation for the age to come."

Reflections on 1 Timothy 5

2012-01-17T06:55:00.001-06:00

1 Timothy 05

(Contemporary English Version)

Don't correct an older man. Encourage him, as you would your own father. Treat younger men as you would your own brother,

and treat older women as you would your own mother. Show the same respect to younger women that you would to your sister.

Take care of any widow who is really in need.

But if a widow has children or grandchildren, they should learn to serve God by taking care of her, as she once took care of them. This is what God wants them to do.

A widow who is really in need is one who doesn't have any relatives. She has faith in God, and she keeps praying to him night and day, asking for his help.

A widow who thinks only about having a good time is already dead, even though she is still alive.

Tell all of this to everyone, so they will do the right thing.

People who don't take care of their relatives, and especially their own families, have given up their faith. They are worse than someone who doesn't have faith in the Lord.

For a widow to be put on the list of widows, she must be at least sixty years old, and she must have been faithful in marriage.

She must also be well-known for doing all sorts of good things, such as raising children, giving food to strangers, welcoming God's people into her home, helping people in need, and always making herself useful.

Don't put young widows on the list. They may later have a strong desire to get married. Then they will turn away from Christ

and become guilty of breaking their promise to him.

Besides, they will become lazy and get into the habit of going from house to house. Next, they will start gossiping and become busybodies, talking about things that are none of their business.

I would prefer that young widows get married, have children, and look after their families. Then the enemy won't have any reason to say insulting things about us.

Look what's already happened to some of the young widows! They have turned away to follow Satan.

If a woman who is a follower has any widows in her family, she should help them. This will keep the church from having that burden, and then the church can help widows who are really in need.

Church leaders who do their job well deserve to be paid twice as much, especially if they work hard at preaching and teaching.

It is just as the Scriptures say, "Don't muzzle an ox when you are using it to grind grain." You also know the saying, "Workers are worth their pay."

Don't listen to any charge against a church leader, unless at least two or three people bring the same charges.

But if any of the leaders should keep on sinning, they must be corrected in front of the whole group, as a warning to everyone else.

In the presence of God and Christ Jesus and their chosen angels, I order you to follow my instructions! Be fair with everyone, and don't have any favorites.

Don't be too quick to accept people into the service of the Lord by placing your hands on them. Don't sin because others do, but stay close to God.

Stop drinking only water. Take a little wine to help your stomach trouble and the other illnesses you always have.

Some people get caught in their sins right away, even before the time of judgment. But other people's sins don't show up until later.

It is the same with good deeds. Some are easily seen, but none of them can be hidden.

Chapter 5 is devoted to practical advise from Paul to Timothy about guiding the Ephesian church. In it Paul offers guidelines for relating to various members of the congregation, how to select widows who are to be under the care of the church, and the support, disciplining and choosing of church elders.

Paul told Timothy to relate to members of the congregation as he would members of his family. Thus, approach older men as a father, younger men as brothers, older women as a mother, and younger women as sisters. Next he addressed the support of widows. Widows and orphans were considered special objects of God's mercy, and thus a responsibility of the church. But Paul recognized that guidelines were needed to avoid both an overload on the church and to avoid encouraging unwise practices. To begin with, the first responsibility for care of widows is the family and not the church. It is not wise for the church to take over that responsibility if a widow has family members able to help. Thus widows who have children or grandchildren should look to them for support. Also, any woman who has the means should care for widows in her family. This could conceivably include widows who have the means helping other widows in the family.

Paul included further exceptions to those who should be added to the widow's list. These are best understood if one realizes that in being accepted on the widow's list a widow pledged herself to God, through the church, for her support as she would a husband, in a sense making God her husband. Paul alludes to this in 5:5: "The real widow, left all alone, has put her hope in God." It was in this context that Paul instructed Timothy not "to enroll younger widows" on the widows list because they may desire to remarry, thus renouncing "their original pledge" to God. Paul also had other reasons for not including younger widows on the list. Placing them on the list removed their need to work, thus exposing them to idleness and the temptation to go "from house to house; they are not only idle, but are also gossips and busybodies, saying things they shouldn't say." (5:13) The church has to be wise in offering help so that it truly helps rather than hurting.

The final portion of the chapter provides guidelines for dealing with elders of the church. There are three parts to this section. The first has to do with support for elders. Those who labor on behalf of the church, especially those who "work hard at preaching and teaching," are worthy of "an ample honorarium." (5:17) Paul refers back to Old Testament teaching on this instruction. Next, the church should not be quick to make accusation against an elder. No accusation should be accepted unless it is supported by two or three witnesses. However, if an elder if found to be guilty, he should be publicly rebuked, thus discouraging others from sinning. As a safeguard against having to discipline elders, it is best to exercise caution up front in the selection of elders. Thus Paul tells Timothy not to "be too quick to lay hands on anyone." (5:22) Instead, individuals should be observed over time before offering to lay hands on them in ordination. Through observation over time, one's sins or good works will become obvious. Even those that are initially hidden.

Reflections on 1 Timothy 4

2012-01-16T06:46:00.000-06:00

1 Timothy 04

(Contemporary English Version)

God's Spirit clearly says that in the last days many people will turn from their faith. They will be fooled by evil spirits and by teachings that come from demons.

They will also be fooled by the false claims of liars whose consciences have lost all feeling. These liars

will forbid people to marry or to eat certain foods. But God created these foods to be eaten with thankful hearts by his followers who know the truth.

Everything God created is good. And if you give thanks, you may eat anything.

What God has said and your prayer will make it fit to eat.

If you teach these things to other followers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus. You will show that you have grown up on the teachings about our faith and on the good instructions you have obeyed.

Don't have anything to do with worthless, senseless stories. Work hard to be truly religious.

As the saying goes, "Exercise is good for your body, but religion helps you in every way. It promises life now and forever." These words are worthwhile and should not be forgotten.

(SEE 4:8)

We have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of everyone, but especially of those who have faith. That's why we work and struggle so hard.

Teach these things and tell everyone to do what you say.

Don't let anyone make fun of you, just because you are young. Set an example for other followers by what you say and do, as well as by your love, faith, and purity.

Until I arrive, be sure to keep on reading the Scriptures in worship, and don't stop preaching and teaching.

Use the gift you were given when the prophets spoke and the group of church leaders blessed you by placing their hands on you.

Remember these things and think about them, so everyone can see how well you are doing.

Be careful about the way you live and about what you teach. Keep on doing this, and you will save not only yourself, but the people who hear you.

This chapter has a backward progression to it. Paul begins with the topic of a falling away from the faith that will occur in the latter times. Then he exhorts Timothy to "point these things out to the brothers." Finally, he tells Timothy to "Be conscientious about yourself and your teaching." (4:16) Paul started with the problem and worked backward to the remedy. The remedy to the problem of being drawn into the "hypocrisy of liars" and departing from the faith is to give attention to our own training "in godliness, (4:7)

Paul, and possibly others, had received a word through the Holy Spirit that in the latter times, as Christ's return approaches, there will be an increase in those who fall away from the truth as they are caught up in "deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons, through the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared." (4:1-2) Such teaching will forbid things that God has created. Things that are good and intended to "be received with gratitude by those who believe and know the truth." (4:3) Those who teach such things will claim a special knowledge, but in truth their teachings are the teachings of demons.

Not wanting the church at Ephesus to get caught up in such teaching, Paul instructed Timothy to "point these things out to the brothers." (4:6) But if Timothy was to properly lead the church he would have to give attention to his own spiritual nurture. Paul didn't tell him to study these silly myths to better understand what they were up against, but told Timothy to "have nothing to do" with them. Instead, he was to "train yourself in godliness." Truth dispels error as light overcomes darkness. Darkness cannot overcome light as error cannot overcome truth. It stands on its own and shows the folly of error. So focus on truth.

In leading the Ephesian church Timothy was to give attention to "public reading, exhortation, and teaching." (4:13) Timothy was able to carry out this assignment through the "gift" that was in him, of which Paul told him not to neglect. It was not in his own natural abilities that he would accomplish this task, but in the ability given him through a spiritual gift.

Reflections on 1 Timothy 3

2012-01-13T19:12:00.000-06:00

1 Timothy 03

(Contemporary English Version)

It is true that anyone who desires to be a church official wants to be something worthwhile.

That's why officials must have a good reputation and be faithful in marriage. They must be self-controlled, sensible, well-behaved, friendly to strangers, and able to teach.

They must not be heavy drinkers or troublemakers. Instead, they must be kind and gentle and not love money.

Church officials must be in control of their own families, and they must see that their children are obedient and always respectful.

If they don't know how to control their own families, how can they look after God's people?

They must not be new followers of the Lord. If they are, they might become proud and be doomed along with the devil.

Finally, they must be well-respected by people who are not followers. Then they won't be trapped and disgraced by the devil.

Church officers should be serious. They must not be liars, heavy drinkers, or greedy for money.

And they must have a clear conscience and hold firmly to what God has shown us about our faith.

They must first prove themselves. Then if no one has anything against them, they can serve as officers.

Women must also be serious. They must not gossip or be heavy drinkers, and they must be faithful in everything they do.

Church officers must be faithful in marriage. They must be in full control of their children and everyone else in their home.

Those who serve well as officers will earn a good reputation and will be highly respected for their faith in Christ Jesus.

I hope to visit you soon. But I am writing these instructions,

so that if I am delayed, you will know how everyone who belongs to God's family ought to behave. After all, the church of the living God is the strong foundation of truth.

Here is the great mystery of our religion: Christ came as a human. The Spirit proved that he pleased God, and he was seen by angels. Christ was preached to the nations. People in this world put their faith in him, and he was taken up to glory.

Paul had gone on to Macedonia leaving Timothy at Ephesus to give leadership in the church and deal with false teachers. Thus this letter provides instructions to Timothy about his task at Ephesus besides lending him Paul's authority for his leadership. The Ephesian church would no doubt read the letter and know from where Timothy's instructions to them were coming. So with the intent of teaching both Timothy and the Ephesian church, Paul now gives instructions concerning church leaders. In particular, qualifications for pastors and deacons. These qualifications are of particular importance in light of the false teachers stirring up the Ephesian church.

Paul lists 15 qualifications for pastors that cover his character (above reproach, self-controlled, sensible, respectable, good reputation), his moral conduct (husband of one wife, not addicted to wine), his grasp of scripture (able teacher), his relationship with others (not a bully, not quarrelsome), his motives (not greedy), his home life (competent manager of household), and his maturity (not new convert). He begins by saying it is a good thing for one to aspire to be a pastor for it is a "noble work." But aspiration does not, in itself, qualify one to be a pastor. For starters, his character must be above reproach being self-controlled and sensible and respectiable. Actually, his being above reproach could be applied to all the other requirement: above reproach in his marital status, in his self-controll, etc. If the order in the list is based on importance, the pastor's marital status is second in importance to being "above reproach." Being a one-woman man is significant if he is to be above reproach or be respected, or have a good reputation. Furthermore, it has carryover into paganism and moral issues. Only the man who has come out of these practices need be pastor. There a number of interpretations regarding this requirement for being "the husband of one wife." It no doubt prohibits polygamy and promiscuity, but does it also prohibit a remarried divorcee? If so, does it also prohibit a remarried widower? Is it referring to being married to only one woman simultaneously or throughout his life? It is amazing how dogmatic some become and to what lengths they will go regarding beliefs based on ambiguous statements in scripture while compromising on teaching about which scripture is clear.

Next Paul addresses qualifications for the role of deacon. Though this list is shorter than that for pastor, it is similar. They, too, should be worthy of respect, not drunkards, not greedy for money, one-woman men, and competent managers of their households. They should not be hypocritical, in other words, they should be what they profess to be. There is a statement in the middle of these qualifications regarding wives that is not found in the qualifications for pastors. Historically this has been translated and understood to refer to the wives of deacons. However, the Greek word is literally "women" and is thus translated in the ASV, CEV, MSG and others. This should not be assumed, out of hand, to refer to the wives of deacons. It could refer to women deacons. However, the interpretation by some of the role of women in the chuch will not allow them this possibility. While dogmatism may come from good intentions, it ultimately leads to error when applied in areas in which scripture is not clear or is misapplied.

When applying these qualification in choosing church leaders, we prefer to make as objective a process as possible, freeing us of error in judgment. But there is considerable subjectiveness to these lists which we cannot avoid. They are wise guidelines, however, that we should attempt to apply as closely as possible.

Reflections on 1 Timothy 2

2012-01-12T07:00:00.000-06:00

1 Timothy 02

(Contemporary English Version)

First of all, I ask you to pray for everyone. Ask God to help and bless them all, and tell God how thankful you are for each of them.

Pray for kings and others in power, so that we may live quiet and peaceful lives as we worship and honor God.

This kind of prayer is good, and it pleases God our Savior.

God wants everyone to be saved and to know the whole truth, which is,

There is only one God, and Christ Jesus is the only one who can bring us to God. Jesus was truly human, and he gave himself to rescue all of us.

God showed us this at the right time.

This is why God chose me to be a preacher and an apostle of the good news. I am telling the truth. I am not lying. God sent me to teach the Gentiles about faith and truth.

I want everyone everywhere to lift innocent hands toward heaven and pray, without being angry or arguing with each other.

I would like for women to wear modest and sensible clothes. They should not have fancy hairdos, or wear expensive clothes, or put on jewelry made of gold or pearls.

Women who claim to love God should do helpful things for others,

and they should learn by being quiet and paying attention.

They should be silent and not be allowed to teach or to tell men what to do.

After all, Adam was created before Eve,

and the man Adam wasn't the one who was fooled. It was the woman Eve who was completely fooled and sinned.

But women will be saved by having children, if they stay faithful, loving, holy, and modest.

Paul first addressed his concern regarding the false teachers in the previous chapter. Now he turns attention to the positive conduct of the church. His first concern was prayer. In particular, prayer for the salvation of all people, and more specifically, prayer for the salvation of those in governmental authority. At first glance it may seem that the prayers are possibly intended for the general welfare of those for whom they prayed, but verses 3 and 4 come to the point. Concerning this prayer for everyone, Paul says, "This is good, and it pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." (2:3-4) The primary intent for the prayer was the salvation of all people.

Beyond the fulfillment of God's will in these prayers for the salvation of all people and particularly those in authority, an additional benefit is a life of tranquility and quietness in "all godliness and dignity." Persecution of Christians was on the increase at the time of Paul's writing, especially influenced by Nero's growing resentment toward them. Praying for his salvation and that of others in authority would have great effect toward "a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity." What those in authority needed was not religion. Many of them may have already been heavily involved with the pagan religions of the day. What they needed was a right relationship with God, and that is only possible through Christ Jesus who is the only "mediator between God and man." (2:5)

Urging Timothy and other readers of this letter to pray for all people and particularly those in authority, Paul then gave instructions concerning their approach to prayer. To the men he said to "Pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or argument." Paul was not teaching here the lifting of hands in prayer. That was a practice already common in that day. His emphases was that the hands they lifted should be holy, signifying the condition of the heart. Plus, their relationships should not be characterized by anger or disputing. Thus the praying had two benefits: first it sought to benefit those for whom they prayed, and then it benefitted those who prayed by focusing them on God and godliness.

Paul also had a word for the women. As the men should come to prayer with holy hearts and proper relationships with others, the women were to come to these gatherings more concerned about their inner beauty than their outward beauty. Furthermore, they should not be clamoring for authority but rather accepting the authority of the men in quietness. It was not "silence" Paul sought of the women, but "Quietness." Meaning, "settled down, undisturbed, not unruly." As in other places, Paul appeals to this conduct by women based on God's design in creation. What did Paul mean in 2:15, "But she will be saved through childbearing, if she continues in faith, love, and holiness, with good sense." It is unclear, but perhaps he was encouraging the women to find their primary significance through their role in the family.

Reflections on 1 Timothy 1

2012-01-11T06:33:00.001-06:00

1 Timothy 01

(Contemporary English Version)

From Paul. God our Savior and Christ Jesus commanded me to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, who gives us hope.

Timothy, because of our faith, you are like a son to me. I pray that God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ will be kind and merciful to you. May they bless you with peace!

When I was leaving for Macedonia, I asked you to stay on in Ephesus and warn certain people there to stop spreading their false teachings.

You needed to warn them to stop wasting their time on senseless stories and endless lists of ancestors. Such things only cause arguments. They don't help anyone to do God's work that can only be done by faith.

You must teach people to have genuine love, as well as a good conscience and true faith.

There are some who have given up these for nothing but empty talk.

They want to be teachers of the Law of Moses. But they don't know what they are talking about, even though they think they do.

We know that the Law is good, if it is used in the right way.

We also understand that it wasn't given to control people who please God, but to control lawbreakers, criminals, godless people, and sinners. It is for wicked and evil people, and for murderers, who would even kill their own parents.

The Law was written for people who are sexual perverts or who live as homosexuals or are kidnappers or liars or won't tell the truth in court. It is for anything else that opposes the correct teaching

of the good news that the glorious and wonderful God has given me.

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord. He has given me the strength for my work because he knew that he could trust me.

I used to say terrible and insulting things about him, and I was cruel. But he had mercy on me because I didn't know what I was doing, and I had not yet put my faith in him.

Christ Jesus our Lord was very kind to me. He has greatly blessed my life with faith and love just like his own.

"Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." This saying is true, and it can be trusted. I was the worst sinner of all!

But since I was worse than anyone else, God had mercy on me and let me be an example of the endless patience of Christ Jesus. He did this so that others would put their faith in Christ and have eternal life.

I pray that honor and glory will always be given to the only God, who lives forever and is the invisible and eternal King! Amen.

Timothy, my son, the instructions I am giving you are based on what some prophets once said about you. If you follow these instructions, you will fight like a good soldier.

You will be faithful and have a clear conscience. Some people have made a mess of their faith because they didn't listen to their consciences.

Two of them are Hymenaeus and Alexander. I have given these men over to the power of Satan, so they will learn not to oppose God.

Paul, in this first letter to his spiritual son, Timothy, gives a charge to the young man. He is to remain in Ephesus, while Paul moves on to Macedonia, and deal with false teachers in the Ephesian church. To strengthen him for this battle, Paul reminds him of "the prophecies previously made about you" (1:18) which were in keeping with Paul's instructions. Though it is not known when or by whom these prophecies were made, they convinced Paul of Timothy's fitness for this battle with the false teachers, and he also wanted them to convince Timothy. Having this assurance of his calling, Timothy was to enter the battle "having faith and a good conscience." (1:19) Without this combination of faith and good conscience Timothy would go the way of others who rejected them and "suffered the shipwreck of their faith."

These false teachers with whom Timothy was to do battle were giving attention to "attention to myths and endless genealogies" and wanted "to be teachers of the law, although they don't understand what they are saying or what they are insisting on." (1:7) In part, what these "wannabe" teachers didn't understand is that the law cannot make one righteous nor is it for the righteous person. The law was intended to be a teacher that points out sin. Therefore, it was meant for "the lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinful, for the unholy and irreverent, for those who kill their fathers and mothers, for murderers, for the sexually immoral and homosexuals, for kidnappers, liars, perjurers, and for whatever else is contrary to the sound teaching based on the glorious gospel of the blessed God." (1:9-11) So by insisting that people turn to the law, these false teachers were turning them away from their only hope of salvation and righteousness - Jesus Christ.

The teaching that is "trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance" is this: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" (1:15)

Reflections on 2 Thessalonians 3

2012-01-10T06:38:00.000-06:00

2 Thessalonians 03

(Contemporary English Version)

Finally, our friends, please pray for us. This will help the message about the Lord to spread quickly, and others will respect it, just as you do.

Pray that we may be kept safe from worthless and evil people. After all, not everyone has faith.

But the Lord can be trusted to make you strong and protect you from harm.

He has made us sure that you are obeying what we taught you and that you will keep on obeying.

I pray that the Lord will guide you to be as loving as God and as patient as Christ.

My dear friends, in the name of the Lord Jesus, I beg you not to have anything to do with any of your people who loaf around and refuse to obey the instructions we gave you.

You surely know that you should follow our example. We didn't waste our time loafing,

and we didn't accept food from anyone without paying for it. We didn't want to be a burden to any of you, so night and day we worked as hard as we could.

We had the right not to work, but we wanted to set an example for you.

We also gave you the rule that if you don't work, you don't eat.

Now we learn that some of you just loaf around and won't do any work, except the work of a busybody.

So, for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ, we ask and beg these people to settle down and start working for a living.

Dear friends, you must never become tired of doing right.

Be on your guard against any followers who refuse to obey what we have written in this letter. Put them to shame by not having anything to do with them.

Don't consider them your enemies, but speak kindly to them as you would to any other follower.

I pray that the Lord, who gives peace, will always bless you with peace. May the Lord be with all of you.

I always sign my letters as I am now doing: PAUL.

I pray that our Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to all of you.

Following Paul's instructions to the Thessalonians in chapter two about last things and, in particular, the Day of the Lord, he now expresses confidence that the Lord will "strengthen and guard you from the evil one." and that they "are doing and will do what we command." (3:3, 4) Paul's confidence that they would continue to be obedient to instruction was not based on their ability but on the Lord's.

Having expressed confidence that "in the Lord" they would continue to "do what we command," Paul proceeded to give a command. This is his strongest word of instruction to them, giving some indication of how serious he considered the situation. And what situation was that? It was the idleness or laziness of certain members of the church. They were not working and thus were freeloading off of other members and "interfering with the work of others." (3:11) He called it irresponsible behavior. Paul touched on this issue in his first letter to the Thessalonians but the offending members had evidently not corrected their behavior. Now stronger action was required. Paul commanded them to "keep away from every brother who walks irresponsibly." (3:6) He had already commanded them earlier, when he was with them, that "If anyone isn't willing to work, he should not eat." Since the offenders had not changed they were now to keep away from them.

To the offenders Paul also has a command: "Now we command and exhort such people, by the Lord Jesus Christ, that quietly working, they may eat their own bread." (3:12) The members were to take note of those who did not obey this command and not associate with them. The intent was to shame the offender so he would become obedient. They were not, however, to treat the offender "as an enemy, but warn him as a brother." The tone of this instruction seems directed to the members individually rather than action that should be taken as a church body.

Reflections on 2 Thessalonians 2

2012-01-09T07:35:00.000-06:00

2 Thessalonians 02

(Contemporary English Version)

When our Lord Jesus returns, we will be gathered up to meet him. So I ask you, my friends,

not to be easily upset or disturbed by people who claim that the Lord has already come. They may say that they heard this directly from the Holy Spirit, or from someone else, or even that they read it in one of our letters.

But don't be fooled! People will rebel against God. Then before the Lord returns, the wicked one who is doomed to be destroyed will appear.

He will brag and oppose everything that is holy or sacred. He will even sit in God's temple and claim to be God.

Don't you remember that I told you this while I was still with you?

You already know what is holding this wicked one back until it is time for him to come.

His mysterious power is already at work, but someone is holding him back. And the wicked one won't appear until that someone is out of the way.

Then he will appear, but the Lord Jesus will kill him simply by breathing on him. He will be completely destroyed by the Lord's glorious return.

When the wicked one appears, Satan will pretend to work all kinds of miracles, wonders, and signs.

Lost people will be fooled by his evil deeds. They could be saved, but they will refuse to love the truth and accept it.

So God will make sure that they are fooled into believing a lie.

All of them will be punished, because they would rather do evil than believe the truth.

My friends, the Lord loves you, and it is only natural for us to thank God for you. God chose you to be the first ones to be saved. His Spirit made you holy, and you put your faith in the truth.

God used our preaching as his way of inviting you to share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

My friends, that's why you must remain faithful and follow closely what we taught you in person and by our letters.

God our Father loves us. He is kind and has given us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope. We pray that our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father

will encourage you and help you always to do and say the right thing.

Throughout his first letter to the Thessalonian Christians and also in this second letter, Paul has had only good to say about them. His main concern was that they continue to mature spiritually and that their teaching might be completed in what they were lacking. He was especially complementary of their faithfulness in light of persecution they were experiencing. It is this issue with which Paul is concerned in this present chapter.

The Thessalonians had evidently received messages, some purporting to be from Paul, claiming that the "Day of the Lord" had come evidenced by their present persecution. The "Day of the Lord" referring to God's judgment. If there was truth to these claims, it would mean that their persecution came, not from those who rejected the gospel and were influenced by Satan, but from God Himself who was judging them. Paul had already told them in his first letter, though, that those who believed in Jesus' death and resurrection for their salvation would be caught up with Him into heaven at Christ's second coming, (1 Thess. 4:14-17) and only after this event would the Day of the Lord arrive. (1 Thess. 5:1-5) Therefore, the fact that they who were believers in Christ's death and resurrection for their salvation were still present in the world was indication that the Day of the Lord had not yet come. Thus, their persecution was not God's judgment as some would have them believe.

Paul had taught the Thessalonians these things when he was with them earlier, but due to the conflicting messages it was necessary for him to remind them of his earlier teaching. In this passage Paul gives some teaching about the Day of the Lord that is not found elsewhere in scripture. He points out that the Day of the Lord will not come until after "the apostasy comes . . . and the man of lawlessness is revealed." (2:3) But the man of lawlessness is presently being restrained so that he will not be revealed before his time. (2:6) Paul says "the one now restraining will do so until he is out of the way." (2:7) Paul is not explicit about the one who restrains the man of lawlessness, but many believe it is the Holy Spirit who is present in believers. Then when believers are caught up with Jesus at His return, the Holy Spirit is removed from the world and restraint is removed and the man of lawlessness is revealed.

According to Paul's teaching in these two letters to the Thessalonians, those remaining in the world at the time the man of lawlessness is revealed are unbelievers. And it is due to their unbelief that they are, at that time, deceived by the man of lawlessness. For due to their unbelief, "God sends them a strong delusion so that they will believe what is false." (2:11) It appears that this strong delusion comes through the ability of the man of lawlessness to perform "all kinds of false miracles, signs, and wonders." (2:9) And this ability comes, not from God, but from Satan. They are counterfeit acts of God. The unbelievers made a choice by which they are then condemned to unbelief and destruction.

Reflections on 2 Thessalonians 1

2012-01-07T10:03:00.002-06:00

2 Thessalonians 01

(Contemporary English Version)

From Paul, Silas, and Timothy. To the church in Thessalonica, the people of God our Father and of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I pray that God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you and will bless you with peace!

My dear friends, we always have good reason to thank God for you, because your faith in God and your love for each other keep growing all the time.

That's why we brag about you to all of God's churches. We tell them how patient you are and how you keep on having faith, even though you are going through a lot of trouble and suffering.

All of this shows that God judges fairly and that he is making you fit to share in his kingdom for which you are suffering.

It is only right for God to punish everyone who is causing you trouble,

but he will give you relief from your troubles. He will do the same for us, when the Lord Jesus comes from heaven with his powerful angels

and with a flaming fire. Our Lord Jesus will punish anyone who doesn't know God and won't obey his message.

Their punishment will be eternal destruction, and they will be kept far from the presence of our Lord and his glorious strength.

This will happen on that day when the Lord returns to be praised and honored by all who have faith in him and belong to him. This includes you, because you believed what we said.

God chose you, and we keep praying that God will make you worthy of being his people. We pray for God's power to help you do all the good things that you hope to do and that your faith makes you want to do.

Then, because God and our Lord Jesus Christ are so kind, you will bring honor to the name of our Lord Jesus, and he will bring honor to you.

Paul's first letter to the Thessalonian church spoke highly of this group of Christians referring to them as his "crown of boasting in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming." (1 Thessalonians 2:19) The primary concern he expressed for them was that what was lacking in their faith might be made complete. Though they were relatively new Christians and their faith still not mature, they had remained faithful under persecution and demonstrated Christian love to Christians throughout Macedonia. Paul held them up as a model to other churches.

The first chapter of this second letter to the Thessalonians reveals that they had continued to mature since the first letter. In verse three Paul expresses thanks to God that "your faith is flourishing, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing." Again he speaks of boasting of them "among God's churches--about your endurance and faith in all the persecutions and afflictions you endure." (1:4)

Then Paul encouraged them in light of their persecution. First he pointed out that because they have endured pesecution they will be "counted worthy of God's kingdom." (1:5) Note, he doesn't say "worthy of salvation." That was already secure due to their faith in Christ. Then he spoke of the punishment that will come to those who are persecuting them. God is a just God and the evil that appears to have a free hand is only temporary. Those who have placed their faith in Christ must have patience and faith in God that He is just and will mete out justice. When Christ returns, God will take vengeance with "flaming fire" on those who don't know Him, and have not obeyed "the gospel of our Lord Jesus." (1:8) The primary penalty they will pay for their unbelief, however, will be forever being "away from the Lord's presence and from His glorious strength." (1:9)

Paul told the Thessalonians in the last chapter of his first letter to them that retaliation is not an option for Christians. A Christian must always be motivated by service to God, not by the actions of others. Remaining faithful to God in all things and at all times demonstrates our trust in Him to bless us and to deal justly with those who afflict us. By trusting this to God we also understand that it will all happen in His timing and not ours.

Reflections on 1 Thessalonians 5

2012-01-05T07:39:00.000-06:00

1 Thessalonians 05

(Contemporary English Version)

I don't need to write you about the time or date when all this will happen.

You surely know that the Lord's return will be as a thief coming at night.

People will think they are safe and secure. But destruction will suddenly strike them like the pains of a woman about to give birth. And they won't escape.

My dear friends, you don't live in darkness, and so that day won't surprise you like a thief.

You belong to the light and live in the day. We don't live in the night or belong to the dark.

Others may sleep, but we should stay awake and be alert.

People sleep during the night, and some even get drunk.

But we belong to the day. So we must stay sober and let our faith and love be like a suit of armor. Our firm hope that we will be saved is our helmet.

God doesn't intend to punish us, but wants us to be saved by our Lord Jesus Christ.

Christ died for us, so that we could live with him, whether we are alive or dead when he comes.

That's why you must encourage and help each other, just as you are already doing.

My friends, we ask you to be thoughtful of your leaders who work hard and tell you how to live for the Lord.

Show them great respect and love because of their work. Try to get along with each other.

My friends, we beg you to warn anyone who isn't living right. Encourage anyone who feels left out, help all who are weak, and be patient with everyone.

Don't be hateful to people, just because they are hateful to you. Rather, be good to each other and to everyone else.

Always be joyful

and never stop praying.

Whatever happens, keep thanking God because of Jesus Christ. This is what God wants you to do.

Don't turn away God's Spirit

or ignore prophecies.

Put everything to the test. Accept what is good

and don't have anything to do with evil.

I pray that God, who gives peace, will make you completely holy. And may your spirit, soul, and body be kept healthy and faultless until our Lord Jesus Christ returns.

The one who chose you can be trusted, and he will do this.

Friends, please pray for us.

Give the Lord's followers a warm greeting.

In the name of the Lord I beg you to read this letter to all his followers.

I pray that our Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you!

In the first section of chapter 5 Paul continues a topic he began in the latter part of the previous chapter. There he spoke of those who were asleep in death, encouraging the Thessalians not to grieve for them in the same manner as those who have no hope. Those who are dead in Christ will eventually be raised with Christ along with those who are still alive who will be caught up with Christ. Together, both groups will forever be with the Lord.

Now Paul speaks of the coming "Day of the Lord" which will follow those events when those who are in Christ will be taken up to be with Him. The Day of the Lord will bring sudden destruction on those who are not in Christ, catching them by surprise as one is surprised by a "thief in the night." Escape from this destruction will not be possible. Those not in Christ who will be caught by this destruction are of the night, living in darkness. They are spiritually asleep. By contrast, those in Christ are "sons of light" and "sons of the day" are not of night or darkness. They are not appointed "to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ." (5:9)

Paul then leaves this topic to give some further practical teaching. First, they are to give recognition and high regard to those in the church who are their leaders. Such an attitude will nurture peace among them. Next Paul tells them to minister to one another in four ways: "warn those who are lazy, comfort the discouraged, help the weak, be patient with everyone." Then follow seven exhortations:

Don't repay evil for evil. Retaliation is not an option for the Christian.
Rejoice always. Rejoice despite the circumstances because God works all things for good for those who love God.
Pray constantly. At every opportunity be in fellowship with God.
Give thanks in everything. This is God's will.
Don't stifle the Spirit.
Don't despise prophecy.
Stay away from every form of evil.

Reflections on 1 Thessalonians 4

2012-01-04T21:07:00.000-06:00

1 Thessalonians 04

(Contemporary English Version)

Finally, my dear friends, since you belong to the Lord Jesus, we beg and urge you to live as we taught you. Then you will please God. You are already living that way, but try even harder.

Remember the instructions we gave you as followers of the Lord Jesus.

God wants you to be holy, so don't be immoral in matters of sex.

Respect and honor your wife.

Don't be a slave of your desires or live like people who don't know God.

You must not cheat any of the Lord's followers in matters of sex. Remember, we warned you that he punishes everyone who does such things.

God didn't choose you to be filthy, but to be pure.

So if you don't obey these rules, you are not really disobeying us. You are disobeying God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.

We don't have to write you about the need to love each other. God has taught you to do this,

and you already have shown your love for all of his people in Macedonia. But, my dear friends, we ask you to do even more.

Try your best to live quietly, to mind your own business, and to work hard, just as we taught you to do.

Then you will be respected by people who are not followers of the Lord, and you won't have to depend on anyone.

My friends, we want you to understand how it will be for those followers who have already died. Then you won't grieve over them and be like people who don't have any hope.

We believe that Jesus died and was raised to life. We also believe that when God brings Jesus back again, he will bring with him all who had faith in Jesus before they died.

Our Lord Jesus told us that when he comes, we won't go up to meet him ahead of his followers who have already died.

With a loud command and with the shout of the chief angel and a blast of God's trumpet, the Lord will return from heaven. Then those who had faith in Christ before they died will be raised to life.

Next, all of us who are still alive will be taken up into the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the sky. From that time on we will all be with the Lord forever.

Encourage each other with these words.

Paul voiced a prayer in the previous chapter that he might "see you face to face and to complete what is lacking in your faith." (3:10) In the verses of chapter 4 he seeks to accomplish that task of completing what was lacking in their faith. It was not that they were being unfaithful or had in any way turned away from the faith, but he encouraged them to do more of what they were already doing which was to "walk and please God." (4:1) To this end, Paul gave two practical instructions and one teaching of encouragement.

The first practical instruction was to "abstain from sexual immorality." (4:3) This included every form of sexual practice outside God's will: adultery, premarital and extramarital intercourse, homosexuality, and other perversions. Abstaining from any such practice, Paul said, is "God's will," (4:3) and is a part of the Christian's sanctification, that is, their progressively being conformed to the image of Christ. The Christian is to be different from the unbeliever in this regard. Knowing God gives him a different perspective. Besides going against God's will, sexual immorality transgresses agaisnt and defrauds "his brother in this matter." (4:6) Paul told the Thessalonians that "the person who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who also gives you His Holy Spirit." (4:8) Should they reject Paul's teaching on this matter, it was not Paul they would be rejecting, but God who gave the teaching. Furthermore, they would be rejecting God's Holy Spirit who would enable them to abstain from sexual immorality.

The second practical instruction Paul gave was concerning brotherly love. About this, he said, they didn't need his instruction, "because you yourselves are taught by God to love one another." (4:9) It is an intuitive part of knowing God. The Thessalonian Christians were, in fact, already demonstrating brotherly love to other Christians throughout the region of Macedonia. So Paul's instruction to them was simply to "do so even more." (4:10) In addition to brotherly love, he told them to also "lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands." (4:11) All three of these instructions were in regard to demonstrating brotherly love. The quiet life is in contrast to a noisy and distruptive life which would be an annoyance to others. Minding one's own business is an obvious demonstration of brotherly love, while working with one's own hands is aimed at not being a financial burden on anyone else.

As for the teaching of encouragement, Paul wanted them to understand about the death of a Christian of whom Paul refers as "those who are asleep." (4:13) He didn't want them to grieve over loved ones who had died in the same manner as those "who have no hope." (4:13) In the power of Christ's resurrection God will "bring with Him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus." (4:14) It is not of any greater advantage to remain alive than to "fall asleep," or die. For when Christ comes again, those who are already "dead in Christ will rise first." Then those who still live "will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air." Then, both those raised from the dead and those caught up alive "will always be with the Lord." (4:17)

Reflections on 1 Thessalonians 3

2012-01-03T07:08:00.000-06:00

1 Thessalonians 03

(Contemporary English Version)

Finally, we couldn't stand it any longer. We decided to stay in Athens by ourselves

and send our friend Timothy to you. He works with us as God's servant and preaches the good news about Christ. We wanted him to make you strong in your faith and to encourage you.

We didn't want any of you to be discouraged by all these troubles. You knew we would have to suffer,

because when we were with you, we told you this would happen. And we did suffer, as you well know.

At last, when I could not wait any longer, I sent Timothy to find out about your faith. I hoped that Satan had not tempted you and made all our work useless.

Timothy has come back from his visit with you and has told us about your faith and love. He also said that you always have happy memories of us and that you want to see us as much as we want to see you.

My friends, even though we have a lot of trouble and suffering, your faith makes us feel better about you.

Your strong faith in the Lord is like a breath of new life.

How can we possibly thank God enough for all the happiness you have brought us?

Day and night we sincerely pray that we will see you again and help you to have an even stronger faith.

We pray that God our Father and our Lord Jesus will let us visit you.

May the Lord make your love for each other and for everyone else grow by leaps and bounds. That's how our love for you has grown.

And when our Lord comes with all of his people, I pray that he will make your hearts pure and innocent in the sight of God the Father.

In chapter two Paul told the Thessalonian Christians that they were his "crown of boasting in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming." (2:19) In this chapter he tells them "How can we thank God for you in return for all the joy we experience because of you?" (3:9) He has only good to say about them. His primary concern for them is their immaturity in the face of persecution. They had not strayed from the faith, but he was concerned that they could due to the persecution.

In light of Paul's concern, he reminded them that as Christians they "are appointed to this," that is, to persecution. (3:3) In fact, when Paul was with them previously he told them persecution would come, and it did. Too frequently the perception is that our faith in Christ should deliver us from trouble. So, when trouble comes some are shaken in their faith wondering if they are doing something wrong or if their faith is well-founded.

Another step Paul took in light of his concern for the Thessalonians was to send Timothy to them "to strengthen and encourage (them) concerning (their) faith." Paul was elated when Timothy returned from his visit with the Thessalonians bringing "good news about (their) faith and love." (3:6) He was also pleased that they had good memories of him and wanted to see him.

A third step Paul took due to his concern for the Thessalonians was to pray for them. He prayed "earnestly night and day" for them that "what is lacking in (their) faith" might be made complete. (4:10) The chapter closes with a prayer that Paul's way might be directed to them, that the Lord might cause them to "increase and overflow with love for one another," and that the Lord might "make your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints." (3:11, 12, 13)

Reflections on 1 Thessalonians 2

2012-01-02T07:45:00.000-06:00

1 Thessalonians 02

(Contemporary English Version)

My friends, you know that our time with you wasn't wasted.

As you remember, we had been mistreated and insulted at Philippi. But God gave us the courage to tell you the good news about him, even though many people caused us trouble.

We didn't have any hidden motives when we won you over, and we didn't try to fool or trick anyone.

God was pleased to trust us with his message. We didn't speak to please people, but to please God who knows our motives.

You also know that we didn't try to flatter anyone. God himself knows that what we did wasn't a cover-up for greed.

We were not trying to get you or anyone else to praise us.

But as apostles, we could have demanded help from you. After all, Christ is the one who sent us. We chose to be like children or like a mother nursing her baby.

We cared so much for you, and you became so dear to us, that we were willing to give our lives for you when we gave you God's message.

My dear friends, you surely haven't forgotten our hard work and hardships. You remember how night and day we struggled to make a living, so that we could tell you God's message without being a burden to anyone.

Both you and God are witnesses that we were pure and honest and innocent in our dealings with you followers of the Lord.

You also know we did everything for you that parents would do for their own children.

We begged, encouraged, and urged each of you to live in a way that would honor God. He is the one who chose you to share in his own kingdom and glory.

We always thank God that you believed the message we preached. It came from him, and it isn't something made up by humans. You accepted it as God's message, and now he is working in you.

My friends, you did just like God's churches in Judea and like the other followers of Christ Jesus there. And so, you were mistreated by your own people, in the same way they were mistreated by their people.

Those Jews killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and they even chased us away. God doesn't like what they do and neither does anyone else.

They keep us from speaking his message to the Gentiles and from leading them to be saved. The Jews have always gone too far with their sins. Now God has finally become angry and will punish them.

My friends, we were kept from coming to you for a while, but we never stopped thinking about you. We were eager to see you and tried our best to visit you in person.

We really wanted to come. I myself tried several times, but Satan always stopped us.

After all, when the Lord Jesus appears, who else but you will give us hope and joy and be like a glorious crown for us?

You alone are our glory and joy!

Paul spoke of the Thessalonians, in this chapter, as if they were his pride and joy among the churches he had started. They, Paul said, would be his "crown of boasting in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming." (2:19) He made no such statement in letters to any other church. But they had readily received the gospel that Paul preached to them, welcoming it "not as a human message, but as it truly is, the message of God." (2:13) Having received the gospel, they "became imitators of God's churches in Christ Jesus that are in Judea." (2:14) That is, they endured persecution from their own countrymen as the churches in Judea had experienced with their own countrymen, the Jews. They did not reject the gospel because of this persecution.

The response of the Thessalonians to the gospel was a worthy response to the price paid by Christ to make it possible and by Paul to deliver it to them. Paul came to them out of pure motives seeking no glory for himself. He was gentle with them as a "mother nurtures her own children," and "encouraged, comforted, and implored each one of you to walk worthy of God," like "a father with his own children." (2:7, 11, 12) In turn, they openly received both Paul and his message. Thus they had a special place in his heart. Persecution in Thessalonica, however, forced Paul to leave the newly converted Thessalonia Christians. Since then, Paul had made "every effort to return and see you face to face" but had been hindered by Satan.

Reflections on 1 Thessalonians 1

2011-12-29T07:23:00.000-06:00

1 Thessalonians 01

(Contemporary English Version)

From Paul, Silas, and Timothy. To the church in Thessalonica, the people of God the Father and of the Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that God will be kind to you and will bless you with peace!

We thank God for you and always mention you in our prayers. Each time we pray,

we tell God our Father about your faith and loving work and about your firm hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

My dear friends, God loves you, and we know he has chosen you to be his people.

When we told you the good news, it was with the power and assurance that come from the Holy Spirit, and not simply with words. You knew what kind of people we were and how we helped you.

So, when you accepted the message, you followed our example and the example of the Lord. You suffered, but the Holy Spirit made you glad.

You became an example for all the Lord's followers in Macedonia and Achaia.

And because of you, the Lord's message has spread everywhere in those regions. Now the news of your faith in God is known all over the world, and we don't have to say a thing about it.

Everyone is talking about how you welcomed us and how you turned away from idols to serve the true and living God.

They also tell how you are waiting for his Son Jesus to come from heaven. God raised him from death, and on the day of judgment Jesus will save us from God's anger.

The Christians in Thessalonica to whom this letter was addressed and sent had become "an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia." (1:7) But the testimony of their faith was not limited to the region of Macedonia and Achaia, but was known "in every place that your faith in God has gone out." (1:8) It might be assumed that the Thessalonian's great faith and testimony was largely due to a receptive environment to the gospel in which they lived and thus a freedom in which they could exercise their faith. But the opposite was true in their case and is most often the case.

The Thessalonia Christians had not only received Christ but became imitators of Christ "in spite of severe persecution." (1:6) Those in the Thessalonica church who were Jews would have experienced the hatred of their unbelieving Jewish brothers, and those who were Gentiles would have had to go against the strong current of paganism in which they had grown up. But in spite of these obstacles it was with joy that they "welcomed the message." (1:6)

Reflections on Colossians 4

2011-12-28T07:28:00.000-06:00

Colossians 04

(Contemporary English Version)

Slave owners, be fair and honest with your slaves. Don't forget that you have a Master in heaven.

Never give up praying. And when you pray, keep alert and be thankful.

Be sure to pray that God will make a way for us to spread his message and explain the mystery about Christ, even though I am in jail for doing this.

Please pray that I will make the message as clear as possible.

When you are with unbelievers, always make good use of the time.

Be pleasant and hold their interest when you speak the message. Choose your words carefully and be ready to give answers to anyone who asks questions.

Tychicus is the dear friend, who faithfully works and serves the Lord with us, and he will give you the news about me.

I am sending him to cheer you up by telling you how we are getting along.

Onesimus, that dear and faithful follower from your own group, is coming with him. The two of them will tell you everything that has happened here.

Aristarchus is in jail with me. He sends greetings to you, and so does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. You have already been told to welcome Mark, if he visits you.

Jesus, who is known as Justus, sends his greetings. These three men are the only Jewish followers who have worked with me for the kingdom of God. They have given me much comfort.

Your own Epaphras, who serves Christ Jesus, sends his greetings. He always prays hard that you may fully know what the Lord wants you to do and that you may do it completely.

I have seen how much trouble he has gone through for you and for the followers in Laodicea and Hierapolis.

Our dear doctor Luke sends you his greetings, and so does Demas.

Give my greetings to the followers at Laodicea, especially to Nympha and the church that meets in her home.

After this letter has been read to your people, be sure to have it read in the church at Laodicea. And you should read the letter that I have sent to them.

Remind Archippus to do the work that the Lord has given him to do.

I am signing this letter myself: PAUL. Don't forget that I am in jail. I pray that God will be kind to you.

Paul completes his statements to Slaves and masters from chapter three in the first verse of this chapter by telling masters (or employers) to be fair with their slaves, providing them what is right. Whether or not the master is motivated to fairness out of concern for the slave, he should be motivated because he too has a "Master in heaven" who he wants to be fair with him. A further thought that Paul doesn't mention in this letter but does in others is that the Christian slave and Christian master both serve the same heavenly Master making them brothers in Christ. This should be a further motivation to fairness.

Paul then turned to the subject of prayer, instructing the Colossians to "Devote yourselves to prayer." (4:2) Not only should they devote themselves to prayer but they should be vigilant in it, or as Paul says, "stay alert in it." Prayer is the means by which the Christian remains attached to his source of strength. Jesus used the illustration of branches attached to a vine. As long as they remained attached they were healthy and produced fruit, but cut off from the vine they died. Then He said, "I am the vine; you are the branches." (John 15:5) Jesus is the Christian's vine to which he must remain attached through prayer. Paul encouraged the Colossians to devote themselves to prayer not only for their own benefit, but also that "God may open a door to us for the message, to speak the mystery of the Messiah." (4:3) So prayer works beyond oneself to influence the world around him.

As was his practice, Paul concluded the letter with greetings and a blessing.

Reflections on Colossians 3

2011-12-27T08:04:00.000-06:00

Colossians 03

(Contemporary English Version)

You have been raised to life with Christ. Now set your heart on what is in heaven, where Christ rules at God's right side.

Think about what is up there, not about what is here on earth.

You died, which means that your life is hidden with Christ, who sits beside God.

Christ gives meaning to your life, and when he appears, you will also appear with him in glory.

Don't be controlled by your body. Kill every desire for the wrong kind of sex. Don't be immoral or indecent or have evil thoughts. Don't be greedy, which is the same as worshiping idols.

God is angry with people who disobey him by doing these things.

And that is exactly what you did, when you lived among people who behaved in this way.

But now you must stop doing such things. You must quit being angry, hateful, and evil. You must no longer say insulting or cruel things about others.

And stop lying to each other. You have given up your old way of life with its habits.

Each of you is now a new person. You are becoming more and more like your Creator, and you will understand him better.

It doesn't matter if you are a Greek or a Jew, or if you are circumcised or not. You may even be a barbarian or a Scythian, and you may be a slave or a free person. Yet Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.

God loves you and has chosen you as his own special people. So be gentle, kind, humble, meek, and patient.

Put up with each other, and forgive anyone who does you wrong, just as Christ has forgiven you.

Love is more important than anything else. It is what ties everything completely together.

Each one of you is part of the body of Christ, and you were chosen to live together in peace. So let the peace that comes from Christ control your thoughts. And be grateful.

Let the message about Christ completely fill your lives, while you use all your wisdom to teach and instruct each other. With thankful hearts, sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.

Whatever you say or do should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, as you give thanks to God the Father because of him.

A wife must put her husband first. This is her duty as a follower of the Lord.

A husband must love his wife and not abuse her.

Children must always obey their parents. This pleases the Lord.

Parents, don't be hard on your children. If you are, they might give up.

Slaves, you must always obey your earthly masters. Try to please them at all times, and not just when you think they are watching. Honor the Lord and serve your masters with your whole heart.

Do your work willingly, as though you were serving the Lord himself, and not just your earthly master.

In fact, the Lord Christ is the one you are really serving, and you know that he will reward you.

But Christ has no favorites! He will punish evil people, just as they deserve.

Paul gave practical instructions for how a Christian should conduct himself at home and at work. However, it first needed to be set in the context of a Christian's new nature in Christ. A Christian is not one who has taken vows of membership in an exclusive club with certain privileges while his life otherwise remains the same. The one who has received Christ by faith is a new creation. The old person and its nature have died and the nature of Christ becomes the new nature of the believer. Therefore, Paul tells the Colossian Christians to "Set your minds on what is above, not on what is on the earth." (3:2) This is because they "have died, and your life is hidden with the Messiah in God." (3:3) It is not that they were to live as if they don't belong in this world but to live according to their new nature which is in Christ and has its basis in heaven.

This being the case, they were to wrap their minds around this new reality in which the old nature had been put to death along with Christ's death on the cross by mentally putting it to death. This meant also putting to death the behaviors of that old nature which includes "sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry." (3:5) The Colossians may have naturally understood that these behaviors should not belong to their new lifestyle, but to these Paul added other behaviors that are a part of the old nature but not of the new nature, and those are "anger, wrath, malice, slander, and filthy language." (3:8) These may not have been as obvious in the minds of the Colossians. The new man with his new nature is continually being "renewed in knowledge according to the image of his Creator." Therefore, the new nature or image of the Christian should be that of our Creator. In other words, the goal that Christ has made possible for us is to be what God created us to be when He made us in His image. This includes becoming, as was His intent, one creation undivided by national, religious, cultural, or social distinctions. Christ should become "all and in all." (3:11)

As a new creation made in God's image, the believer in Christ exhibits new qualities in place of the old. Therefore, anger, wrath, malice, slander, and filthy language are replaced by "heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience." (3:12) Furthermore, we are to be "accepting (of) one another and forgiving one another." (3:13) And all of this is to be cloaked in love which is "the perfect bond of unity." (2:14) In short, we are to "do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." (3:17)

When we are exhibiting this new nature with these new qualities, what will it look like in real life? Paul gives an example of it at work in the home and in the work place. This is a good place to start since these are where much of our lives are lived and since this new nature will not likely be exhibited at all if not at home or at work. In the home, the wife will cooperate with the order of creation in which the woman was made for man with him as her head by being submissive to her husband. However, Paul placed the limit on this submissiveness to be that which "is fitting in the Lord." The basis of the wife's submission to her husband is her submission to the Lord. So she is first in submission to the Lord. Therefore, her submission to her husband should not conflict with her submission to the Lord. Next, the husband is to love his wife and not treat her in a way that will embitter her. Then the children are to obey their parents in everything which is pleasing to the Lord. Conversely, disobedience to parents is said in the Old Testament to be rebellion against God. Finally, slaves are to obey their human masters in everything and work wholeheartedly out of respect or fear of the Lord whether or not it comes from respect for the master or boss. Respecting the master is not the condition for obedience or wholehearted work, but rather respect for the Lord. All of this should be read by the present-day Christian as applying to their place of work.

Though the home and work are used as examples by Paul, he goes on to say that "whatever" we do should be done "enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men." (3:23)

Reflections on Colossians 2

2011-12-26T07:30:00.000-06:00

Colossians 02

(Contemporary English Version)

I want you to know what a struggle I am going through for you, for God's people at Laodicea, and for all of those followers who have never met me.

I do it to encourage them. Then as their hearts are joined together in love, they will be wonderfully blessed with complete understanding. And they will truly know Christ. Not only is he the key to God's mystery,

but all wisdom and knowledge are hidden away in him.

I tell you these things to keep you from being fooled by fancy talk.

Even though I am not with you, I keep thinking about you. I am glad to know that you are living as you should and that your faith in Christ is strong.

You have accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord. Now keep on following him.

Plant your roots in Christ and let him be the foundation for your life. Be strong in your faith, just as you were taught. And be grateful.

Don't let anyone fool you by using senseless arguments. These arguments may sound wise, but they are only human teachings. They come from the powers of this world and not from Christ.

God lives fully in Christ.

And you are fully grown because you belong to Christ, who is over every power and authority.

Christ has also taken away your selfish desires, just as circumcision removes flesh from the body.

And when you were baptized, it was the same as being buried with Christ. Then you were raised to life because you had faith in the power of God, who raised Christ from death.

You were dead, because you were sinful and were not God's people. But God let Christ make you alive, when he forgave all our sins.

God wiped out the charges that were against us for disobeying the Law of Moses. He took them away and nailed them to the cross.

There Christ defeated all powers and forces. He let the whole world see them being led away as prisoners when he celebrated his victory.

Don't let anyone tell you what you must eat or drink. Don't let them say that you must celebrate the New Moon festival, the Sabbath, or any other festival.

These things are only a shadow of what was to come. But Christ is real!

Don't be cheated by people who make a show of acting humble and who worship angels. They brag about seeing visions. But it is all nonsense, because their minds are filled with selfish desires.

They are no longer part of Christ, who is the head of the whole body. Christ gives the body its strength, and he uses its joints and muscles to hold it together, as it grows by the power of God.

You died with Christ. Now the forces of the universe don't have any power over you. Why do you live as if you had to obey such rules as,

"Don't handle this. Don't taste that. Don't touch this."?

After these things are used, they are no longer good for anything. So why be bothered with the rules that humans have made up?

Obeying these rules may seem to be the smart thing to do. They appear to make you love God more and to be very humble and to have control over your body. But they don't really have any power over our desires.

Paul comes directly to the issue at hand: the presence of false teaching among, but not from, the Colossian Christians. It was a teaching that developed out of Judaism becoming what eventually is known as Gnosticism. It stressed observance of Old Testament laws and ceremonies, emphasized a special knowledge, involved worship of angels, stressed a special privilege for those who belonged to this philosophical elite, but included a teaching of Christ. However, it denied Christ's deity.

It does not appear that the Colossians had yet embraced this false teaching and this letter from Paul was aimed at exposing the folly of the teaching and at furthering their understanding of true Christianity. Paul, in fact, spoke of his "rejoicing to see your good order and the strength of your faith in Christ." (2:5) And so he encouraged them to continue walking in Christ in the same manner in which they received Him and not be taken captive "through philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition, based on the elemental forces of the world, and not based on Christ." (2:8) This is a good test of true Christian teaching. Any teaching not based on Christ is false even if it includes Christ. It is based on Christ if He is seen as the embodiment of "the entire fullness of God's nature." Nothing less will do. Nor will anything in addition to Christ be acceptable. It is not Christ plus circumcision or Christ plus special observances either of food and drink or of festivals or a sabbath day. It is Christ alone. Everything else that comes from Old Testament practice is only "a shadow of what was to come." The substance of what they alluded to is the Messiah." (2:17) Since we now have the Messiah we don't need these other things. He alone is sufficient.

Therefore, the Colossians should "let no one disqualify" them as true Christians or from being truly spiritual by "insisting on ascetic practices and the worship of angels, claiming access to a visionary realm and inflated without cause by his fleshly mind." (2:18) "All these regulations" are "human commands and doctrines." Though they "have a reputation of wisdom . . . they are not of any value against fleshly indulgence." (2:22, 23) Only Christ can free us from the enslavement of sin.

Reflections on Colossians 1

2011-12-23T07:30:00.000-06:00

Colossians 01

(Contemporary English Version)

From Paul, chosen by God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from Timothy, who is also a follower.

To God's people who live in Colossae and are faithful followers of Christ. I pray that God our Father will be kind to you and will bless you with peace!

Each time we pray for you, we thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We have heard of your faith in Christ and of your love for all of God's people,

because what you hope for is kept safe for you in heaven. You first heard about this hope when you believed the true message, which is the good news.

The good news is spreading all over the world with great success. It has spread in that same way among you, ever since the first day you learned the truth about God's wonderful kindness

from our good friend Epaphras. He works together with us for Christ and is a faithful worker for you.

He is also the one who told us about the love that God's Spirit has given you.

We have not stopped praying for you since the first day we heard about you. In fact, we always pray that God will show you everything he wants you to do and that you may have all the wisdom and understanding that his Spirit gives.

Then you will live a life that honors the Lord, and you will always please him by doing good deeds. You will come to know God even better.

His glorious power will make you patient and strong enough to endure anything, and you will be truly happy.

I pray that you will be grateful to God for letting you have part in what he has promised his people in the kingdom of light.

God rescued us from the dark power of Satan and brought us into the kingdom of his dear Son,

who forgives our sins and sets us free.

Christ is exactly like God, who cannot be seen. He is the first-born Son, superior to all creation.

Everything was created by him, everything in heaven and on earth, everything seen and unseen, including all forces and powers, and all rulers and authorities. All things were created by God's Son, and everything was made for him.

God's Son was before all else, and by him everything is held together.

He is the head of his body, which is the church. He is the very beginning, the first to be raised from death, so that he would be above all others.

God himself was pleased to live fully in his Son.

And God was pleased for him to make peace by sacrificing his blood on the cross, so that all beings in heaven and on earth would be brought back to God.

You used to be far from God. Your thoughts made you his enemies, and you did evil things.

But his Son became a human and died. So God made peace with you, and now he lets you stand in his presence as people who are holy and faultless and innocent.

But you must stay deeply rooted and firm in your faith. You must not give up the hope you received when you heard the good news. It was preached to everyone on earth, and I myself have become a servant of this message.

I am glad that I can suffer for you. I am pleased also that in my own body I can continue the suffering of Christ for his body, the church.

God's plan was to make me a servant of his church and to send me to preach his complete message to you.

For ages and ages this message was kept secret from everyone, but now it has been explained to God's people.

God did this because he wanted you Gentiles to understand his wonderful and glorious mystery. And the mystery is that Christ lives in you, and he is your hope of sharing in God's glory.

We announce the message about Christ, and we use all our wisdom to warn and teach everyone, so that all of Christ's followers will grow and become mature.

That's why I work so hard and use the mighty power he gives me.

The Colossian church was evidently not one of the churches started by Paul but was instead started by Epaphras who served with Paul. In this first chapter of his letter to the Colossian church, Paul gives instruction regarding characteristics of a life pleasing to God along with an unprecedented listing of the characteristics of Christ.

Paul prayed for the Colossians that they might "walk worthy of the Lord" and be "fully pleasing to Him." (1:10) A life fully pleasing to God will have these characteristics: bear fruit in every good work, grow in the knowledge of God, be strengthened with all power, and with joy give thanks to God. (1:10-12) God has rescued us from "the domain of darkness" that we might live this life which is "in the light." In rescuing us from the domain of darkness, He "transferred us into the kingdom of the Son He loves." In Him we have "redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Too many have accepted this redemption and forgiveness of sins without thought concerning the life we are meant to live as a result of our redemption. We are rescued from darkness that we might live in light.

Concerning God's Son, Christ Jesus, who has made possible our redemption, He is: (1) the image of God, (2) the Firstborn over Creation, (3) Creator of the universe, (4) Head of the church, (5) Firstborn from the dead, (6) the fullness of God, and (7) the Reconciler of all things. This is the most complete listing of Christ's characteristics found in scripture. This is who Christ is apart from His incarnation when He became the man, Jesus, who walked the earth. It gives us a perspective of His humility in "assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men." (Philippians 2:7) Having come as a man, He became "obedient to the point of death - even to death on a cross." (Philippians 2:8)

Despite Christ's standing in all of these characteristics, the Colossians "were once alienated and hostile in mind" to Christ because of their evil actions. (1:21) This is true not only of the Colossians, but of all people until they come to faith in Christ. But through His death, and our faith in Him, He has "reconciled you" to God. It worthy of note that we are reconciled to God and not God to us. It is our sin that separate us from God, not God, who through any action has separated Himself from us. His desire and purpose in creating man was and is to have fellowship with all people. It was His provision, through Christ, that has made possible this fellowship which is otherwise broken due to our sin.

Reflections on Philippians 4

2011-12-22T07:00:00.000-06:00

Philippians 04

(Contemporary English Version)

Dear friends, I love you and long to see you. Please keep on being faithful to the Lord. You are my pride and joy.

Euodia and Syntyche, you belong to the Lord, so I beg you to stop arguing with each other.

And, my true partner, I ask you to help them. These women have worked together with me and with Clement and with the others in spreading the good news. Their names are now written in the book of life.

Always be glad because of the Lord! I will say it again: Be glad.

Always be gentle with others. The Lord will soon be here.

Don't worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God.

Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel.

Finally, my friends, keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper. Don't ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise.

You know the teachings I gave you, and you know what you heard me say and saw me do. So follow my example. And God, who gives peace, will be with you.

The Lord has made me very grateful that at last you have thought about me once again. Actually, you were thinking about me all along, but you didn't have any chance to show it.

I am not complaining about having too little. I have learned to be satisfied with whatever I have.

I know what it is to be poor or to have plenty, and I have lived under all kinds of conditions. I know what it means to be full or to be hungry, to have too much or too little.

Christ gives me the strength to face anything.

It was good of you to help me when I was having such a hard time.

My friends at Philippi, you remember what it was like when I started preaching the good news in Macedonia. After I left there, you were the only church that became my partner by giving blessings and by receiving them in return.

Even when I was in Thessalonica, you helped me more than once.

I am not trying to get something from you, but I want you to receive the blessings that come from giving.

I have been paid back everything, and with interest. I am completely satisfied with the gifts that you had Epaphroditus bring me. They are like a sweet-smelling offering or like the right kind of sacrifice that pleases God.

I pray that God will take care of all your needs with the wonderful blessings that come from Christ Jesus!

May God our Father be praised forever and ever. Amen.

Give my greetings to all who are God's people because of Christ Jesus. The Lord's followers here with me send you their greetings.

All of God's people send their greetings, especially those in the service of the Emperor.

I pray that our Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you and will bless your life!

Paul's tone throughout this letter shows a special affection for the Philippian Christians and we get a hint in this last chapter of a significant reason. Throughout Paul's hardships in the "early days of the gospel . . . no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving except you alone." (4:15) They were also one of the more spiritually mature churches among those resulting from Paul's ministry. But they were not perfect. Chapter two points to some selfishness among the members, and now in chapter four Paul addresses a contention between two women in the church. These women, Euodia and Syntyche, had "contended for the gospel" at Paul's side, but now they were contending with each other. In Paul's concern for them he asked an unidentified person whom he addressed as "true partner" or "loyal yokefellow" to help these women.

Beyond his concern for the contending women in the church, Paul gave words of encouragement. First he says, "stand firm in the Lord" and then "rejoice in the Lord always." (4:1, 4) Keeping centered on the Lord helps to put everything else in its proper perspective. Whether it be interpersonal relationships or threats to the gospel, keeping focused on Christ is the best solution. We see this in his next word of encouragement, "Let your graciousness be known toeveryone." Why? "The Lord is near." (4:5) If the fruit of Christ's Spirit is produced in us, we will display graciousness rather than contentiousness.

Paul's next words of encouragement aim to keep them from worry. "Don't worry about anything," he tells them. The solution is prayer through which they should make their petitions and requests "made known to God." (4:6) Excessive worry is not fitting for a Christian. It shows a lack of faith or trust or at least a failure to grasp the extent of God's love. Our worry displays our fear that whatever problem or threat we face will not be taken care of by God. This is either because we don't trust that He can handle it or we doubt He cares enough to do so. But Paul is saying that when we take our petitions and requests to God in prayer we don't have a reason to worry. Thus we can trust both that He is able and that He wants to address our concerns.

Paul's final word of encouragement is to let their thoughts dwell only on those things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and commendable. Only these thoughts will lead to peace. It is this type of mindset they have "learned and received and heard and seen" in Paul. If they will "dwell on these things," the "God of peace will be with you." (4:9)

Reflections on Philippians 3

2011-12-21T06:28:00.000-06:00

Philippians 03

(Contemporary English Version)

Finally, my dear friends, be glad that you belong to the Lord. It doesn't bother me to write the same things to you that I have written before. In fact, it is for your own good.

Watch out for those people who behave like dogs! They are evil and want to do more than just circumcise you.

But we are the ones who are truly circumcised, because we worship by the power of God's Spirit and take pride in Christ Jesus. We don't brag about what we have done,

although I could. Others may brag about themselves, but I have more reason to brag than anyone else.

I was circumcised when I was eight days old, and I am from the nation of Israel and the tribe of Benjamin. I am a true Hebrew. As a Pharisee, I strictly obeyed the Law of Moses.

And I was so eager that I even made trouble for the church. I did everything the Law demands in order to please God.

But Christ has shown me that what I once thought was valuable is worthless.

Nothing is as wonderful as knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have given up everything else and count it all as garbage. All I want is Christ

and to know that I belong to him. I could not make myself acceptable to God by obeying the Law of Moses. God accepted me simply because of my faith in Christ.

All I want is to know Christ and the power that raised him to life. I want to suffer and die as he did,

so that somehow I also may be raised to life.

I have not yet reached my goal, and I am not perfect. But Christ has taken hold of me. So I keep on running and struggling to take hold of the prize.

My friends, I don't feel that I have already arrived. But I forget what is behind, and I struggle for what is ahead.

I run toward the goal, so that I can win the prize of being called to heaven. This is the prize that God offers because of what Christ Jesus has done.

All of us who are mature should think in this same way. And if any of you think differently, God will make it clear to you.

But we must keep going in the direction that we are now headed.

My friends, I want you to follow my example and learn from others who closely follow the example we set for you.

I often warned you that many people are living as enemies of the cross of Christ. And now with tears in my eyes, I warn you again

that they are headed for hell! They worship their stomachs and brag about the disgusting things they do. All they can think about are the things of this world.

But we are citizens of heaven and are eagerly waiting for our Savior to come from there. Our Lord Jesus Christ

has power over everything, and he will make these poor bodies of ours like his own glorious body.

Paul, in chapter three, holds before the Philippian Christians the proper target at which they should aim. First, however, he tells them at which target not to aim. This target is fleshly attainment. It was the target of which the judaizers were boasting. With strong words, Paul denounced them as "dogs," evil workers, and those "who mutilate the flesh." Though they boasted of being the "circumcision," Paul told his readers that they are the true "circumcision" who "serve by the Spirit of God." Therefore, he said, "boast in Christ Jesus, and do not put confidence in the flesh." (3:3)

If fleshly attainment were the proper target, Paul had the judaizers outstripped: "circumcised the eighth day; of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, persecuting the church; as to the righteousness that is in the law, blameless." (3:5-6) Few of the judaizers could boast of anything near Paul's attainment. But Paul told the Philippians that this is not the proper target. He considered all of this "a loss because of Christ." (3:7)

What, then, is the proper target at which to aim? It is "God's heavenly call in Christ Jesus." (3:14) This is the prize Paul had set as his goal - to be like Christ. This is the mark of spiritual maturity, and "all who are mature should think this way." (3:15) Paul could legitimately encourage the Philippians to "join in imitating me," for what they would be imitating was he goal of becoming like Christ. To put it in perspective, he pointed out that their citizenship was now in heaven. As such, things of the flesh do not have the significance as "God's heavenly call in Christ Jesus." Thus, this should be their target rather than aiming for fleshly accomplishments. One day our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, will come and "will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of His glorious body, by the power that enables Him to subject everything to Himself." (3:21)

Reflections on Philippians 2

2011-12-20T06:59:00.000-06:00

Philippians 02

(Contemporary English Version)

Christ encourages you, and his love comforts you. God's Spirit unites you, and you are concerned for others.

Now make me completely happy! Live in harmony by showing love for each other. Be united in what you think, as if you were only one person.

Don't be jealous or proud, but be humble and consider others more important than yourselves.

Care about them as much as you care about yourselves

and think the same way that Christ Jesus thought:

Christ was truly God. But he did not try to remain equal with God.

Instead he gave up everything and became a slave, when he became like one of us.

Christ was humble. He obeyed God and even died on a cross.

Then God gave Christ the highest place and honored his name above all others.

So at the name of Jesus everyone will bow down, those in heaven, on earth, and under the earth.

And to the glory of God the Father everyone will openly agree, "Jesus Christ is Lord!"

My dear friends, you always obeyed when I was with you. Now that I am away, you should obey even more. So work with fear and trembling to discover what it really means to be saved.

God is working in you to make you willing and able to obey him.

Do everything without grumbling or arguing.

Then you will be the pure and innocent children of God. You live among people who are crooked and evil, but you must not do anything that they can say is wrong. Try to shine as lights among the people of this world,

as you hold firmly to the message that gives life. Then on the day when Christ returns, I can take pride in you. I can also know that my work and efforts were not useless.

Your faith in the Lord and your service are like a sacrifice offered to him. And my own blood may have to be poured out with the sacrifice. If this happens, I will be glad and rejoice with you.

In the same way, you should be glad and rejoice with me.

I want to be encouraged by news about you. So I hope the Lord Jesus will soon let me send Timothy to you.

I don't have anyone else who cares about you as much as he does.

The others think only about what interests them and not about what concerns Christ Jesus.

But you know what kind of person Timothy is. He has worked with me like a son in spreading the good news.

I hope to send him to you, as soon as I find out what is going to happen to me.

And I feel sure that the Lord will also let me come soon.

I think I ought to send my dear friend Epaphroditus back to you. He is a follower and a worker and a soldier of the Lord, just as I am. You sent him to look after me,

but now he is eager to see you. He is worried, because you heard he was sick.

In fact, he was very sick and almost died. But God was kind to him, and also to me, and he kept me from being burdened down with sorrow.

Now I am more eager than ever to send Epaphroditus back again. You will be glad to see him, and I won't have to worry any longer.

Be sure to give him a cheerful welcome, just as people who serve the Lord deserve.

He almost died working for Christ, and he risked his own life to do for me what you could not.

In the reflections for chapter one I stated that the Philippians were a more spiritually mature group than some of the other churches to whom Paul wrote. Even so, they were not without their faults, nor are any of us. A fault Paul addressed in chapter two was that of selfishness. In particular, those guilty of this fault focused more on themselves than on others. If individuals are focused more on themselves than on others they will not have a love for the same things, their thinking will be divided, and they will not have a common purpose. None of these are possible because their love and thoughts and purpose is more on themselves. There can be no commonality in this. Thus, Paul encouraged them to bring him joy by "thinking the same way, having the same love, sharing the same feelings, focusing on one goal." (2:2) Their self-centeredness was leading instead to rivalry.

Rather than conceit Paul admonished them to have humility. Actions motivated from conceit lead to rivalry. Those from humility lead to considering "others as more important than yourselves." (2:3) A common idea of humility is to refrain from speaking too highly or too much of oneself. This tends to be a false humility, though. Paul defined humility as considering "others as more important than yourselves." This is very different than refraining from boasting. It changes not only our selfish actions but also our selfish attitude.

The truest example of humility is Christ. If anyone ever had a reason to think more highly of themselves than of others, it was the One who was and is equal with God. But rather than using this to His own advantage, Christ "emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men." (2:7) And it goes further. His humility extended to the "point of death - even death on a cross," considering the needs of others more important than His own life. If one wishes to be exalted, let it come from God who will exalt them for their humility toward others rather than from self exaltation. But Christ, who is the supreme example of humility, will also be supremely exalted to the point that one day, "every knee should bow--of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth--and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (2:10-11)

In addition to his admonishment toward humility, Paul further admonished them to "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." Notice he did not say "work FOR your salvation," but "work OUT your salvation." This is another way of telling them to put their salvation into action. Through God's enabling, they will both "will" and "act" for "His good purpose."

Reflections on Philippians 1

2011-12-19T07:02:00.000-06:00

Philippians 01

(Contemporary English Version)

From Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus. To all of God's people who belong to Christ Jesus at Philippi and to all of your church officials and officers.

I pray that God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you and will bless you with peace!

Every time I think of you, I thank my God.

And whenever I mention you in my prayers, it makes me happy.

This is because you have taken part with me in spreading the good news from the first day you heard about it.

God is the one who began this good work in you, and I am certain that he won't stop before it is complete on the day that Christ Jesus returns.

You have a special place in my heart. So it is only natural for me to feel the way I do. All of you have helped in the work that God has given me, as I defend the good news and tell about it here in jail.

God himself knows how much I want to see you. He knows that I care for you in the same way that Christ Jesus does.

I pray that your love will keep on growing and that you will fully know and understand

how to make the right choices. Then you will still be pure and innocent when Christ returns. And until that day,

Jesus Christ will keep you busy doing good deeds that bring glory and praise to God.

My dear friends, I want you to know that what has happened to me has helped to spread the good news.

The Roman guards and all the others know that I am here in jail because I serve Christ.

Now most of the Lord's followers have become brave and are fearlessly telling the message.

Some are preaching about Christ because they are jealous and envious of us. Others are preaching because they want to help.

They love Christ and know that I am here to defend the good news about him.

But the ones who are jealous of us are not sincere. They just want to cause trouble for me while I am in jail.

But that doesn't matter. All that matters is that people are telling about Christ, whether they are sincere or not. That is what makes me glad. I will keep on being glad,

because I know that your prayers and the help that comes from the Spirit of Christ Jesus will keep me safe.

I honestly expect and hope that I will never do anything to be ashamed of. Whether I live or die, I always want to be as brave as I am now and bring honor to Christ.

If I live, it will be for Christ, and if I die, I will gain even more.

I don't know what to choose. I could keep on living and doing something useful.

It is a hard choice to make. I want to die and be with Christ, because that would be much better.

But I know that all of you still need me. That's why I am sure I will stay on to help you grow and be happy in your faith.

(SEE 1:24)

Then, when I visit you again, you will have good reason to take great pride in Christ Jesus because of me.

Above all else, you must live in a way that brings honor to the good news about Christ. Then, whether I visit you or not, I will hear that all of you think alike. I will know that you are working together and that you are struggling side by side to get others to believe the good news.

Be brave when you face your enemies. Your courage will show them that they are going to be destroyed, and it will show you that you will be saved. God will make all of this happen,

and he has blessed you. Not only do you have faith in Christ, but you suffer for him.

You saw me suffer, and you still hear about my troubles. Now you must suffer in the same way.

The opening of Paul's letter to the Christians in Philippi reveals a more spiritually mature group than his letters to the Galatians or Corinthians, or even the Ephesians. While these other groups were in a struggle for their faith, being pulled away from it by Judaistic infiltrators who wanted to impose upon them legalistic practice of the law in addition to their faith in Christ, the Phillipians were evidently solid enough in their faith that Paul felt it had been given to them to suffer for Christ. (1:29) He spoke of this as a sign of God's favor rather than of His disfavor. In addition, Paul expressed confidence that the work God had begun in them would be brought to completion.

Paul was in prison, likely in Rome, at the writing of this letter and wanted to assure the Philippians that his imprisonment served a good purpose and not his detriment. Though he had been imprisoned to stop his preaching it had the opposite affect. He continued to preach, or bear witness to Christ, in prison and its impact was further reaching than before. It allowed him to share Christ with the imperial guard assigned to him plus it gave confidence to other Christian brothers in the area to "speak the message fearlessly." (1:14) True, not all who were emboldened to speak the message did so out of pure motives, but "whether out of false motives or true, Christ is proclaimed." (1:18)

It was possible that Paul's imprisonment could lead to his death. But again, he did not want the Philippians to be concerned. His concern was not that he might die but that in his death he not "be ashamed about anything." Rather, his hope was that "Christ will be highly honored in my body, whether by life or by death." (1:20) It was not dying that concerned him, for to him, "dying is gain." His concern was that in the process of dying he might not endure it in a way that brought glory to Christ. In truth, he was torn. In death he would be with Christ, but in living he could better serve the Philippians. In the midst of expressing his thoughts of being torn he seemed to receive confidence that this imprisonment would not lead to his death, "Since I am persuaded of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your advancement and joy in the faith." (1:25)

Reflections on Ephesians 6

2011-12-15T08:27:00.000-06:00

Ephesians 06

(Contemporary English Version)

Children, you belong to the Lord, and you do the right thing when you obey your parents. The first commandment with a promise says,

"Obey your father and your mother,

and you will have a long and happy life."

Parents, don't be hard on your children. Raise them properly. Teach them and instruct them about the Lord.

Slaves, you must obey your earthly masters. Show them great respect and be as loyal to them as you are to Christ.

Try to please them at all times, and not just when you think they are watching. You are slaves of Christ, so with your whole heart you must do what God wants you to do.

Gladly serve your masters, as though they were the Lord himself, and not simply people.

You know that you will be rewarded for any good things you do, whether you are slaves or free.

Slave owners, you must treat your slaves with this same respect. Don't threaten them. They have the same Master in heaven that you do, and he doesn't have any favorites.

Finally, let the mighty strength of the Lord make you strong.

Put on all the armor that God gives, so you can defend yourself against the devil's tricks.

We are not fighting against humans. We are fighting against forces and authorities and against rulers of darkness and powers in the spiritual world.

So put on all the armor that God gives. Then when that evil day comes, you will be able to defend yourself. And when the battle is over, you will still be standing firm.

Be ready! Let the truth be like a belt around your waist, and let God's justice protect you like armor.

Your desire to tell the good news about peace should be like shoes on your feet.

Let your faith be like a shield, and you will be able to stop all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

Let God's saving power be like a helmet, and for a sword use God's message that comes from the Spirit.

Never stop praying, especially for others. Always pray by the power of the Spirit. Stay alert and keep praying for God's people.

Pray that I will be given the message to speak and that I may fearlessly explain the mystery about the good news.

I was sent to do this work, and that's the reason I am in jail. So pray that I will be brave and will speak as I should.

I want you to know how I am getting along and what I am doing. That's why I am sending Tychicus to you. He is a dear friend, as well as a faithful servant of the Lord. He will tell you how I am doing, and he will cheer you up.

(SEE 6:21)

I pray that God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ will give peace, love, and faith to every follower!

May God be kind to everyone who keeps on loving our Lord Jesus Christ.

In the previous chapter Paul began an example of Christians walking in love through mutual submission in their relationships. The first relationship he discussed in that chapter was that of husband and wife. This chapter discusses two other relationships: parent and child and master and slave.

Mutual submission in these relationships is based, first of all, on one's service to the Lord. Therefore, children are to obey their parents "in the Lord." Furthermore, it is right for them to do so and it is a commandment with promise. The promise is "that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life in the land." (6:3) Paul's word to parents is directed specifically to fathers who had the legal responsibility in his day with the training of the children. Fathers were not to provoke their children to anger and to "bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord." (6:4) Paul is addressing Christians with instructions that could only apply to Christians. Those who are not already in service to the Lord, and thus believers, would not be motivated by mutual submission to another as service to the Lord.

As for the third relationship, that of master and slave, Paul's instruction was again for mutual submission. Slaves were to obey their masters and masters were to "treat them in the same way," that is with respect, recognizing that they both had the same Master who is in heaven. Master in heaven will act justly with both slave and master, rewarding where reward is due. Both slave and master were to treat the other with respect out of service to Christ. Though many are critical of Paul for not denouncing slavery, he served slaves better by giving instructions that would improve their lot, both in the present and the future. In the present their lives would be peaceful and they would be treated well, and in the future they would have the Lord's reward. Denouncing slavery would only incite them to rebellion against a system that would not be changed in their lifetime. Paul's mission was primarily to change hearts through the gospel which would eventually have its impact on culture.

Paul then gave instructions for Christian perseverance. To persevere, the Christian needs "the full armor of God" which will enable him to "stand against the tactics of the Devil." (6:11) At issue is more than good intentions or self-discipline or personal effort because the "battle is not against flesh and blood." (6:12) The Christian is up against "the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens" (6:12) which takes the matter of perseverence beyond the abilities of the individual in his own effort. The armor of God includes __ pieces of defensive gear and one offensive piece. For defensive purposes, the Christian needs the belt of truth, the armor of righteousness, the sandals of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, and the helmet of salvation. For offensive purposes he needs the "sword of the Spirit, which is God's word." (6:17) All of this should be enfolded in "pray at all times in the Spirit." (6:18)

Reflections on Ephesians 5

2011-12-14T07:05:00.000-06:00

Ephesians 05

(Contemporary English Version)

Do as God does. After all, you are his dear children.

Let love be your guide. Christ loved us and offered his life for us as a sacrifice that pleases God.

You are God's people, so don't let it be said that any of you are immoral or indecent or greedy.

Don't use dirty or foolish or filthy words. Instead, say how thankful you are.

Being greedy, indecent, or immoral is just another way of worshiping idols. You can be sure that people who behave in this way will never be part of the kingdom that belongs to Christ and to God.

Don't let anyone trick you with foolish talk. God punishes everyone who disobeys him and says foolish things.

So don't have anything to do with anyone like that.

You used to be like people living in the dark, but now you are people of the light because you belong to the Lord. So act like people of the light

and make your light shine. Be good and honest and truthful,

as you try to please the Lord.

Don't take part in doing those worthless things that are done in the dark. Instead, show how wrong they are.

It is disgusting even to talk about what is done in the dark.

But the light will show what these things are really like.

Light shows up everything, just as the Scriptures say, "Wake up from your sleep and rise from death. Then Christ will shine on you."

Act like people with good sense and not like fools.

These are evil times, so make every minute count.

Don't be stupid. Instead, find out what the Lord wants you to do.

Don't destroy yourself by getting drunk, but let the Spirit fill your life.

When you meet together, sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, as you praise the Lord with all your heart.

Always use the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to thank God the Father for everything.

Honor Christ and put others first.

A wife should put her husband first, as she does the Lord.

A husband is the head of his wife, as Christ is the head and the Savior of the church, which is his own body.

Wives should always put their husbands first, as the church puts Christ first.

A husband should love his wife as much as Christ loved the church and gave his life for it.

He made the church holy by the power of his word, and he made it pure by washing it with water.

Christ did this, so that he would have a glorious and holy church, without faults or spots or wrinkles or any other flaws.

In the same way, a husband should love his wife as much as he loves himself. A husband who loves his wife shows that he loves himself.

None of us hate our own bodies. We provide for them and take good care of them, just as Christ does for the church,

because we are each part of his body.

As the Scriptures say, "A man leaves his father and mother to get married, and he becomes like one person with his wife."

This is a great mystery, but I understand it to mean Christ and his church.

So each husband should love his wife as much as he loves himself, and each wife should respect her husband.

Paul continues in chapter five with his practical application of the gospel which he began in chapter four. He begins this section with an exhortation to "be imitators of God." (5:1) How is it possible to imitate God? By walking in love. Though verse two seems to begin another thought, the "and" should be understand as "that is." So we could read it as "be imitators of God . . . that is, walk in love." As God's "dearly loved children," we should naturally imitate His love for us. Our example of God's love toward us is the Messiah who loved us supremely by giving Himself for us.

What follows in chapter 5 are not additional thoughts but a continuation of this thought to be imitators of God's love. Therefore, Paul's caution against impure living contrasts his exhortation to walk in love. The two lifestyles are incompatible. The impure lifestyle that includes sexual immorality, greed, etc., is a lifestyle of self-gratification rather than of love. Self-gratification is not even love toward oneself. It is a lifestyle harmful to oneself and others and disqualifies one from "an inheritance in the kingdom of the Messiah and of God." (5:5) Not only should those in Christ walk in love, but they should be who they are, which is children of light. Rather than living a lifestyle of impurity, which is a lifestyle of darkness, those in Christ should "walk as children of light" (5:8) resulting "in all goodness, righteousness, and truth-- discerning what is pleasing to the Lord." (5:9-10) Walking in the light will make everything clear.

Following Paul's discussion of a lifestyle that is contrary to imitating God's love, he gives an example of walking in love. How does one walk in love? By living in mutual submission to others. We best understand this by considering the greatest act of love, which is to give one's life for another. This is what Christ did for us. The next greatest act of love is to give up one's will on behalf of another. This is what is involved in mutual submission. Thus, Paul applies our walking in love to a lifestyle of mutual submission, making the application in three different relationships. The first of these is that of husband and wife. The other two relationships follow in chapter six. First, he tells wives to submit to their husbands. Their primary motivation in doing so is as a submission to the Lord. This teaching of wives submitting to their husbands has been so misapplied that many avoid this and similar passages or consider the teaching irrelevant or even erroneous. But the concept of wives submitting to their husbands cannot be taught apart from the concept of husbands loving their wives as "Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her." (5:25) Together it is a beautiful expression of God's love. But the submission without the love often becomes abusive.

Paul's comments to the husband are actually more extreme than those to the wife, though this is not always considered. The wife is to submit to her husband and respect him. Looking to him as her head as Christ is head of the church. The husband, on the other hand, is to love the wife enough to give his own life for her and enough to put his relationship with her before his relationship with his own parents. Historically, this teaching has been greatly ignored by many if not most cultures.

Reflections on Ephesians 4

2011-12-13T08:30:00.000-06:00

Ephesians 04

(Contemporary English Version)

As a prisoner of the Lord, I beg you to live in a way that is worthy of the people God has chosen to be his own.

Always be humble and gentle. Patiently put up with each other and love each other.

Try your best to let God's Spirit keep your hearts united. Do this by living at peace.

All of you are part of the same body. There is only one Spirit of God, just as you were given one hope when you were chosen to be God's people.

We have only one Lord, one faith, and one baptism.

There is one God who is the Father of all people. Not only is God above all others, but he works by using all of us, and he lives in all of us.

Christ has generously divided out his gifts to us.

As the Scriptures say, "When he went up to the highest place, he led away many prisoners and gave gifts to people."

When it says, "he went up," it means that Christ had been deep in the earth.

This also means that the one who went deep into the earth is the same one who went into the highest heaven, so that he would fill the whole universe.

Christ chose some of us to be apostles, prophets, missionaries, pastors, and teachers,

so that his people would learn to serve and his body would grow strong.

This will continue until we are united by our faith and by our understanding of the Son of God. Then we will be mature, just as Christ is, and we will be completely like him.

We must stop acting like children. We must not let deceitful people trick us by their false teachings, which are like winds that toss us around from place to place.

Love should always make us tell the truth. Then we will grow in every way and be more like Christ, the head

of the body. Christ holds it together and makes all of its parts work perfectly, as it grows and becomes strong because of love.

As a follower of the Lord, I order you to stop living like stupid, godless people.

Their minds are in the dark, and they are stubborn and ignorant and have missed out on the life that comes from God. They no longer have any feelings about what is right,

and they are so greedy that they do all kinds of indecent things.

But that isn't what you were taught about Jesus Christ. He is the truth, and you heard about him and learned about him.

(SEE 4:20)

You were told that your foolish desires will destroy you and that you must give up your old way of life with all its bad habits.

Let the Spirit change your way of thinking

and make you into a new person. You were created to be like God, and so you must please him and be truly holy.

We are part of the same body. Stop lying and start telling each other the truth.

Don't get so angry that you sin. Don't go to bed angry

and don't give the devil a chance.

If you are a thief, quit stealing. Be honest and work hard, so you will have something to give to people in need.

Stop all your dirty talk. Say the right thing at the right time and help others by what you say.

Don't make God's Spirit sad. The Spirit makes you sure that someday you will be free from your sins.

Stop being bitter and angry and mad at others. Don't yell at one another or curse each other or ever be rude.

Instead, be kind and merciful, and forgive others, just as God forgave you because of Christ.

Paul explained in chapter three the unity of Jewish and Gentile believers. This was a mystery that had not been previously revealed. In chapter four and following Paul addresses practical applications of the doctrines he mentioned in the first three chapters. The first of these is how to maintain the unity between Jewish and Gentile believers. This unity involves changes in attitude that reflect the fruit of the Spirit. They are to demonstrate "humility and gentleness, with patience, accepting one another in love." (4:2) They were to take on these attitudes recognizing that they are united as believers in one and the same body, and in one Spirit, "one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all." (4:5-6)

Another contribution to the unity are the gifts given to the church. Christ gave to the church gifts such as apostles, prophets, evenagelists, pastors, and teachers "For the training of the saints in the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith." (4:12-13) This unity is attained or maintained as they come to unity of understanding in the faith. Thus they will no longer "be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit." (4:14) Such volatility in their faith will not attain or maintain unity. While this unity is built on a mature understanding in the faith it is founded on "speaking the truth in love." (4:15)

This is the positive side of Paul's exhortation to unity. On the negative side, their unity will be destroyed if they should revert to walking "as the Gentiles walk, in the fultility of their thoughts." Those who walk in this lifestyle "are darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them and because of the hardness of their hearts." (4:18) Paul reminds them that they have been "renewed in the spirit of your minds" and they should no longer walk in this lifestyle. They have now put on the new man that is created in God's likeness. It is important to note that while man is created in the likeness of God, this likeness is not fully realized until an individual puts on "the new man" with the regeneration that takes place through faith in Christ Jesus.

The chapter concludes with a list of negative behaviors to avoid. No stealing, no rotten talk, and don't grieve God's Holy Spirit. Do away with bitterness, anger, wrath, insult, and slander. Paul does concede that anger has its place, but it should not be allowed to lead one into sin. A good rule is to not "let the sun go down on your anger." (4:26) Finally, the Ephesians will not go wrong if they are "kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ."

Reflections on Ephesians 3

2011-12-12T06:49:00.000-06:00

Ephesians 03

(Contemporary English Version)

Christ Jesus made me his prisoner, so that I could help you Gentiles.

You have surely heard about God's kindness in choosing me to help you.

In fact, this letter tells you a little about how God has shown me his mysterious ways.

As you read the letter, you will also find out how well I really do understand the mystery about Christ.

No one knew about this mystery until God's Spirit told it to his holy apostles and prophets.

And the mystery is this: Because of Christ Jesus, the good news has given the Gentiles a share in the promises that God gave to the Jews. God has also let the Gentiles be part of the same body.

God treated me with kindness. His power worked in me, and it became my job to spread the good news.

I am the least important of all God's people. But God was kind and chose me to tell the Gentiles that because of Christ there are blessings that cannot be measured.

God, who created everything, wanted me to help everyone understand the mysterious plan that had always been hidden in his mind.

Then God would use the church to show the powers and authorities in the spiritual world that he has many different kinds of wisdom.

God did this according to his eternal plan. And he was able to do what he had planned because of all that Christ Jesus our Lord had done.

Christ now gives us courage and confidence, so that we can come to God by faith.

That's why you should not be discouraged when I suffer for you. After all, it will bring honor to you.

I kneel in prayer to the Father.

All beings in heaven and on earth receive their life from him.

God is wonderful and glorious. I pray that his Spirit will make you become strong followers

and that Christ will live in your hearts because of your faith. Stand firm and be deeply rooted in his love.

I pray that you and all of God's people will understand what is called wide or long or high or deep.

I want you to know all about Christ's love, although it is too wonderful to be measured. Then your lives will be filled with all that God is.

I pray that Christ Jesus and the church will forever bring praise to God. His power at work in us can do far more than we dare ask or imagine. Amen.

(SEE 3:20)

In the opening verse of this chapter Paul started to voice a prayer on behalf of the Ephesian Christians, but interrupted it to explain why he was a "prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles." Why was he a prisoner? Because of his faithful stewardship of the "administration of God's grace that He gave" to Paul for the Gentiles. God revealed to Paul a mystery that had not previously been revealed which he was to make known to the Gentiles. The mystery was this: "the Gentiles are co-heirs, members of the same body, and partners of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel." (3:6) The mystery in this revelation that had not previously been made known was not that Gentiles would be saved, but that believing Jews and Gentiles would be joined together. Paul's faithfulness to deliver this message had stirred up the Jews to the point that Paul had been arrested and was a prisoner at the time he wrote this letter to the Ephesians.

Paul's calling was actually two-fold: First, to "proclaim to the Gentiles the incalculaable riches of the Messiah," (3:8) and to "shed light for all about the administration of the mystery hidden for ages in God." (3:9) This uniting of Jew and Gentile in the church was to make known through the church, "God's multi-faceted wisdom . . . to the rulers and authorities in the heavens." (3:10) With this understanding of Paul's mission and reason for imprisonment, Paul asked that the Ephesians not be "discouraged over my afflictions on your behalf." They were not to be discouraged over it primarily because these afflictions were for his glory and not his detriment. (3:13)

Finally, Paul moved on to his prayer on behalf of the Ephesians. He prayed that God might "grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, and that the Messiah may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God's love, and to know the Messiah's love that surpasses knowledge, so you may be filled with all the fullness of God." (3:16-19)

Reflections on Ephesians 2

2011-12-09T06:55:00.000-06:00

Ephesians 02

(Contemporary English Version)

In the past you were dead because you sinned and fought against God.

You followed the ways of this world and obeyed the devil. He rules the world, and his spirit has power over everyone who doesn't obey God.

Once we were also ruled by the selfish desires of our bodies and minds. We had made God angry, and we were going to be punished like everyone else.

But God was merciful! We were dead because of our sins, but God loved us so much that he made us alive with Christ, and God's wonderful kindness is what saves you.

(SEE 2:4)

God raised us from death to life with Christ Jesus, and he has given us a place beside Christ in heaven.

God did this so that in the future world he could show how truly good and kind he is to us because of what Christ Jesus has done.

You were saved by faith in God, who treats us much better than we deserve. This is God's gift to you, and not anything you have done on your own.

It isn't something you have earned, so there is nothing you can brag about.

God planned for us to do good things and to live as he has always wanted us to live. That's why he sent Christ to make us what we are.

Don't forget that you are Gentiles. In fact, you used to be called "uncircumcised" by those who take pride in being circumcised.

At that time you did not know about Christ. You were foreigners to the people of Israel, and you had no part in the promises that God had made to them. You were living in this world without hope and without God,

and you were far from God. But Christ offered his life's blood as a sacrifice and brought you near God.

Christ has made peace between Jews and Gentiles, and he has united us by breaking down the wall of hatred that separated us. Christ gave his own body

to destroy the Law of Moses with all its rules and commands. He even brought Jews and Gentiles together as though we were only one person, when he united us in peace.

On the cross Christ did away with our hatred for each other. He also made peace between us and God by uniting Jews and Gentiles in one body.

Christ came and preached peace to you Gentiles, who were far from God, and peace to us Jews, who were near God.

And because of Christ, all of us can come to the Father by the same Spirit.

You Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens with everyone else who belongs to the family of God.

You are like a building with the apostles and prophets as the foundation and with Christ as the most important stone.

Christ is the one who holds the building together and makes it grow into a holy temple for the Lord.

And you are part of that building Christ has built as a place for God's own Spirit to live.

The theme of chapter 2 is the reconciliation of mankind to God and Gentile to Jew through Christ Jesus. Paul is addressing Gentile believers who are called "the uncircumcised" by the Jews. Though there was a great separation between Jews and Gentiles, which Paul refers to as a "dividing wall of hostility," (2:14) both Jew and Gentile had one thing in common: they were "dead in your trespasses and sins." (2:1) In this state they "walked according to this worldly age, according to the ruler of the atmospheric domain, the spirit now working in the disobedient." (2:2) But in Christ Jesus, both peoples - Jew and Gentile - were freed from this lifestyle in which they were contolled by "the ruler of the atmospheric domain," or Satan, and made one people - God's people. So, while they were once dead in trespasses and sins, they had been "made ... alive with the Messiah." (2:5)

This salvation from being dead in sin to being alive with the Messiah is possible by God's grace: "For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God's gift-- not from works, so that no one can boast." (2:8-9) In this new state of being alive with the Messiah we are a new creation - God's creation - "created in Christ Jesus." Furthermore, the purpose of being created in Christ is "for good works." (2:10) Thus, we are not saved through our own good works, but our salvation, which is made possible through Christ's work on the cross, produces good works. And these good works were prepared by God "ahead of time so that we should walk in them." It should be noted that God has prepared these good works for us to walk in, not work in. He does the work. It is not that we do work for God but that He performs His work in and through us.

So, in Christ Jesus, both Jew and Gentile are made "one new man from the two." (2:15) The result is peace between the two, reconciliation with God, and the two are made into one body, the church. This body, the church, is "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone." So now, the two people belong to the same body, and both have a common heritage.

Reflections on Ephesians 1

2011-12-08T06:37:00.000-06:00

Ephesians 01

(Contemporary English Version)

From Paul, chosen by God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. To God's people who live in Ephesus and are faithful followers of Christ Jesus.

I pray that God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you and will bless you with peace!

Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for the spiritual blessings that Christ has brought us from heaven!

Before the world was created, God had Christ choose us to live with him and to be his holy and innocent and loving people.

God was kind and decided that Christ would choose us to be God's own adopted children.

God was very kind to us because of the Son he dearly loves, and so we should praise God.

Christ sacrificed his life's blood to set us free, which means that our sins are now forgiven. Christ did this because God was so kind to us. God has great wisdom and understanding,

(SEE 1:7)

and by what Christ has done, God has shown us his own mysterious ways.

Then when the time is right, God will do all that he has planned, and Christ will bring together everything in heaven and on earth.

God always does what he plans, and that's why he appointed Christ to choose us.

He did this so that we Jews would bring honor to him and be the first ones to have hope because of him.

Christ also brought you the truth, which is the good news about how you can be saved. You put your faith in Christ and were given the promised Holy Spirit to show that you belong to God.

The Spirit also makes us sure that we will be given what God has stored up for his people. Then we will be set free, and God will be honored and praised.

I have heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all of God's people.

So I never stop being grateful for you, as I mention you in my prayers.

I ask the glorious Father and God of our Lord Jesus Christ to give you his Spirit. The Spirit will make you wise and let you understand what it means to know God.

My prayer is that light will flood your hearts and that you will understand the hope that was given to you when God chose you. Then you will discover the glorious blessings that will be yours together with all of God's people.

I want you to know about the great and mighty power that God has for us followers. It is the same wonderful power he used

when he raised Christ from death and let him sit at his right side in heaven.

There Christ rules over all forces, authorities, powers, and rulers. He rules over all beings in this world and will rule in the future world as well.

God has put all things under the power of Christ, and for the good of the church he has made him the head of everything.

The church is Christ's body and is filled with Christ who completely fills everything.

Paul's letter to the Ephesians opens with a rather complex description of the salvation they possessed as a result of their faith in Christ Jesus. Because of their faith, they were among God's elect whom He chose "in Him (Christ), before the foundation of the world." (1:4) God's choosing of His elect is based, not on a capricious choice of some over others, but on the elect's choice of Christ Jesus. God chose the elect "in Him," that is, in Christ Jesus. If we choose Christ, He chooses us. It is an arrangement God established before "the foundation of the world." Therefore it was predetermed, or predestined, before creation and the existence of man. This predetermined plan not only made Christ the source of man's salvation but brought "everything together in the Messiah, both things in heaven and things on earth in Him." (1:10) Man does not share in the things of God apart from Christ.

According to God's plan, when an individual believes in Christ as their source of salvation, they are "sealed with the promised Holy Spirit." (1:13) This seal of the Holy Spirit serves as a down payment or deposit of the believer's inheritance, guaranteeing the believer's inheritance of salvation and heaven. The chapter concludes with Paul's prayer for the Ephesians that they may fully realize what they have in Christ Jesus. Specifically, his prayer is that "the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the glorious riches of His inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power to us who believe, according to the working of His vast strength." (1:18-19)

Reflections on Galatians 6

2011-12-06T06:50:00.000-06:00

Galatians 06

(Contemporary English Version)

My friends, you are spiritual. So if someone is trapped in sin, you should gently lead that person back to the right path. But watch out, and don't be tempted yourself.

You obey the law of Christ when you offer each other a helping hand.

If you think you are better than others, when you really aren't, you are wrong.

Do your own work well, and then you will have something to be proud of. But don't compare yourself with others.

We each must carry our own load.

Share every good thing you have with anyone who teaches you what God has said.

You cannot fool God, so don't make a fool of yourself! You will harvest what you plant.

If you follow your selfish desires, you will harvest destruction, but if you follow the Spirit, you will harvest eternal life.

Don't get tired of helping others. You will be rewarded when the time is right, if you don't give up.

We should help people whenever we can, especially if they are followers of the Lord.

You can see what big letters I make when I write with my own hand.

Those people who are telling you to get circumcised are only trying to show how important they are. And they don't want to get into trouble for preaching about the cross of Christ.

They are circumcised, but they don't obey the Law of Moses. All they want is to brag about having you circumcised.

But I will never brag about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his cross, the world is dead as far as I am concerned, and I am dead as far as the world is concerned.

It doesn't matter if you are circumcised or not. All that matters is that you are a new person.

If you follow this rule, you will belong to God's true people. God will treat you with undeserved kindness and will bless you with peace.

On my own body are scars that prove I belong to Christ Jesus. So I don't want anyone to bother me anymore.

My friends, I pray that the Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you! Amen.

In the previous chapter Paul contrasted living by the law, which is enslaving, with living in the Spirit, which gives freedom. He pointed out that the whole of the law is to "love your neighbor as yourself." (5:14) By doing this one fulfills the "entire law." However, loving our neighbor is not accomplished in the flesh. That is, by our own efforts. It is only possible if we live in the Spirit. This is revolutionary. Living by the law not only enslaves us in that we are unable to fulfill the law on our own, but our primary point of failure is in failing to love our neighbor which is also the primary point in fulfilling the law. Rather than loving our neighbor, living by the law pits us against our neighbor.

Paul further points out this contrast between living by the law and living in the Spirit in the first verse of chapter 6 concerning someone who is "caught in any wrongdoing." Those who live by the law would be prone to mete out some type of punishment. If the wrongdoing were serious enough, they would stone them to death. But in contrast, those who live in the Spirit are to "restore such a person with a gentle spirit." (6:1) He adds that those who are spiritual who are to restore the wrongdoer should also watch "out for yourselves so you won't be tempted also." As the spiritual person gently restores the wrongdoer he is reminded of his own vulnerability to being drawn into wrongdoing which both motivates his gentleness toward the wrongdoer and encourages his vigilance in avoiding the wrongdoing himself.

Paul carries this theme further. Those who are spiritual should not only gently restore those caught in wrongdoing but should also help them carry their heavy burden. This is in contrast to being critical of them. Those who live by the law are prone to criticism of those caught in wrongdoing because they perceive they are made to look better. The primary difference, however, is that the infractions of the one caught in wrongdoing are outward and visible and those of the one pointing the finger at the person who is caught are inward and not visible, but very present none the less. Paul tells the Galatians that those who are spiritual should "examine his own work." If anyone has reason to boast, it should be in "himself alone and not in respect to someone else." In other words, don't build yourself up by pointing at the wrongs of others. Do so by your own merits rather than another's demerits.

Concerning this point, Paul says, "Don't be deceived: God is not mocked." We may fool ourselves into believing we are better than we are by pointing at the wrong of another, but God is not fooled by this. We will not mock Him in this way. Instead, we will all reap what we ourselves have sown. If we sow to the flesh we will "reap corruption from the flesh," and if we sow to the Spirit we will "reap eternal life from the Spirit." (6:8)

Reflections on Galatians 5

2011-12-05T07:33:00.000-06:00

Galatians 05

(Contemporary English Version)

Christ has set us free! This means we are really free. Now hold on to your freedom and don't ever become slaves of the Law again.

I, Paul, promise you that Christ won't do you any good if you get circumcised.

If you do, you must obey the whole Law.

And if you try to please God by obeying the Law, you have cut yourself off from Christ and his wonderful kindness.

But the Spirit makes us sure that God will accept us because of our faith in Christ.

If you are a follower of Christ Jesus, it makes no difference whether you are circumcised or not. All that matters is your faith that makes you love others.

You were doing so well until someone made you turn from the truth.

And that person was certainly not sent by the one who chose you.

A little yeast can change a whole batch of dough,

but you belong to the Lord. That makes me certain that you will do what I say, instead of what someone else tells you to do. Whoever is causing trouble for you will be punished.

My friends, if I still preach that people need to be circumcised, why am I in so much trouble? The message about the cross would no longer be a problem, if I told people to be circumcised.

I wish that everyone who is upsetting you would not only get circumcised, but would cut off much more!

My friends, you were chosen to be free. So don't use your freedom as an excuse to do anything you want. Use it as an opportunity to serve each other with love.

All that the Law says can be summed up in the command to love others as much as you love yourself.

But if you keep attacking each other like wild animals, you had better watch out or you will destroy yourselves.

If you are guided by the Spirit, you won't obey your selfish desires.

The Spirit and your desires are enemies of each other. They are always fighting each other and keeping you from doing what you feel you should.

But if you obey the Spirit, the Law of Moses has no control over you.

People's desires make them give in to immoral ways, filthy thoughts, and shameful deeds.

They worship idols, practice witchcraft, hate others, and are hard to get along with. People become jealous, angry, and selfish. They not only argue and cause trouble, but they are

envious. They get drunk, carry on at wild parties, and do other evil things as well. I told you before, and I am telling you again: No one who does these things will share in the blessings of God's kingdom.

God's Spirit makes us loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful,

gentle, and self-controlled. There is no law against behaving in any of these ways.

And because we belong to Christ Jesus, we have killed our selfish feelings and desires.

God's Spirit has given us life, and so we should follow the Spirit.

But don't be conceited or make others jealous by claiming to be better than they are.

Man perpetually struggles with the idea of salvation by faith alone. Our minds automatically tell us that sin is wrong and that it separates us from God. It also tells us that something is necessary to atone for the sin to renew our relationship with God. But it doesn't make sense to us that the only thing we can do to atone for our sin is to have faith in Christ's sacrifice of Himself as an atonement for our sins. Therefore, people are continually stumbling over the issue of legalism - the fulfillment of certain outward rituals and actions to atone for our sin and to please God.

This was the struggle the Galatians were having. And they were stuck where many Christians become stuck. Having gotten beyond the first obstacle, that salvation is by faith in Christ, they were stuck on the issue of maintaining that salvation through their own efforts. That is, through legalism. So, through the influence of Judaizers they were on the verge of resorting to the Mosaic law and the ritual of circumcision as a means of maintaining their salvation. This fit well with their pagan background with its ritual practices of cutting and marking.

Paul warned them here that to fall in with the Judaizers and resort to the law and circumcision would be to again submit to a "yoke of slavery." (5:1) Anyone who depended on the law was obligated to keep the entire law, which is impossible. Thus they become enslaved to a system from which they can never be free. Furthermore, in doing this, "Christ will not benefit you at all." (5:2) Turning to the law will count Christ's sacrifice as useless and of no benefit to them. The two are not compatible.

Instead of turning to the slavery of the law, Paul told them they are called to the freedom of faith in Christ. This freedom in Christ, however, is not, as some fear, a freedom to opportunities of the flesh. Instead, it is a freedom to "serve one another through love." In so doing, they will satisfy the entire law which is "fulfilled in one statement: You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (5:14) On the other hand, an obsession with fulfilling the law leads not to loving the neighbor but to conflict of which he cautioned them in verse 15: "But if you bite and devour one another, watch out, or you will be consumed by one another." The heart of the law is love for God and for our neighbor, but we don't arrive at that outcome through an attempt to keep the law. Instead, we satisfy the law by attempting to love our neighbor. But this is only possible if we "walk by the Spirit." (5:16) Again, we are back to faith in Christ whose Spirit will lead us to love our neighbor if we walk in the Spirit.

If we will walk in the Spirit, Paul says, the fruit that is produced in us will be "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control." (5:22-23) The presence of this fruit in our lives will break no law. But it is not attainable in the flesh.

Reflections on Galatians 4

2011-12-01T08:29:00.000-06:00

Galatians 04

(Contemporary English Version)

Children who are under age are no better off than slaves, even though everything their parents own will someday be theirs.

This is because children are placed in the care of guardians and teachers until the time their parents have set.

That is how it was with us. We were like children ruled by the powers of this world.

But when the time was right, God sent his Son, and a woman gave birth to him. His Son obeyed the Law,

so he could set us free from the Law, and we could become God's children.

Now that we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts. And his Spirit tells us that God is our Father.

You are no longer slaves. You are God's children, and you will be given what he has promised.

Before you knew God, you were slaves of gods that are not real.

But now you know God, or better still, God knows you. How can you turn back and become the slaves of those weak and pitiful powers?

You even celebrate certain days, months, seasons, and years.

I am afraid I have wasted my time working with you.

My friends, I beg you to be like me, just as I once tried to be like you. Did you mistreat me

when I first preached to you? No you didn't, even though you knew I had come there because I was sick.

My illness must have caused you some trouble, but you didn't hate me or turn me away because of it. You welcomed me as though I were one of God's angels or even Christ Jesus himself.

Where is that good feeling now? I am sure that if it had been possible, you would have taken out your own eyes and given them to me.

Am I now your enemy, just because I told you the truth?

Those people may be paying you a lot of attention, but it isn't for your good. They only want to keep you away from me, so you will pay them a lot of attention.

It is always good to give your attention to something worthwhile, even when I am not with you.

My children, I am in terrible pain until Christ may be seen living in you.

I wish I were with you now. Then I would not have to talk this way. You really have me puzzled.

Some of you would like to be under the rule of the Law of Moses. But do you know what the Law says?

In the Scriptures we learn that Abraham had two sons. The mother of one of them was a slave, while the mother of the other one had always been free.

The son of the slave woman was born in the usual way. But the son of the free woman was born because of God's promise.

All of this has another meaning as well. Each of the two women stands for one of the agreements God made with his people. Hagar, the slave woman, stands for the agreement that was made at Mount Sinai. Everyone born into her family is a slave.

Hagar also stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and for the present city of Jerusalem. She and her children are slaves.

But our mother is the city of Jerusalem in heaven above, and she isn't a slave.

The Scriptures say about her, "You have never had children, but now you can be glad. You have never given birth, but now you can shout. Once you had no children, but now you will have more children than a woman who has been married for a long time."

My friends, you were born because of this promise, just as Isaac was.

But the child who was born in the natural way made trouble for the child who was born because of the Spirit. The same thing is happening today.

The Scriptures say, "Get rid of the slave woman and her son! He won't be given anything. The son of the free woman will receive everything."

My friends, we are children of the free woman and not of the slave.

Any religious system apart from faith in Christ Jesus is enslaving. One is a slave to it in their effort to gain a salvation that it can never attain. Paul is saying here that this is the case with the law of Moses, in fact the whole Mosaic system. It was enslaving. He compared it to the son of a land owner. While he is a minor child he is no different than his father's slaves. He has no access to his inheritance and is under guardians and stewards. This is the case for those under the law. They have no access to what God wants to give them. But through Christ, God's son, we receive adoption as sons along with Christ, and receive "the Spirit of His Son into our hearts" who gives evidence to us that we are sons of God. Through Christ "you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God." (4:4)

Having come to faith in Christ, the Galatians were now contemplating going under the law. Paul wanted them to understand that this was a return to slavery after they had just come out of slavery to idolatry. It was exchanging one slavery for another. Paul begged them to be like he was. He had become like them who as Gentiles were not under the law. But now they wanted to be under the law and he wanted them to do as he had done and exchange the law for the promise and again be free.

Paul illustrated the difference between being under the law and being under the promise by comparing it to the difference between Ishmael, Abraham's son by the slave Hagar, and Isaac, Abraham's son by Sarah and through the promise. Though Ishmael was Abraham's son he was still a slave and would never be Abraham's heir. In fact, Abraham had to cast Ishamael away because the two sons, the one of slavery and the one of the promise, could not coexist. This is all true of those under the law and those under the promise through faith in Christ. Those under the law were slaves to the law and would never be God's heirs. In fact, there could be no coexistence between the law and the promise. They are mutually exclusive.

The Galatians may have been among the first, but have certainly not been the last to gain salvation through the promise, that is, through faith in Christ, and then attempted to attain spiritual maturity through the law. Whether it is the law of Moses or some other legalistic system, it is the same. The two cannot coexist. Adding law to the promise is to go into slavery, losing the freedom from the law that Christ gives.

Reflections on Galatians 3

2011-11-30T07:11:00.000-06:00

Galatians 03

(Contemporary English Version)

You stupid Galatians! I told you exactly how Jesus Christ was nailed to a cross. Has someone now put an evil spell on you?

I want to know only one thing. How were you given God's Spirit? Was it by obeying the Law of Moses or by hearing about Christ and having faith in him?

How can you be so stupid? Do you think that by yourself you can complete what God's Spirit started in you?

Have you gone through all of this for nothing? Is it all really for nothing?

God gives you his Spirit and works miracles in you. But does he do this because you obey the Law of Moses or because you have heard about Christ and have faith in him?

The Scriptures say that God accepted Abraham because Abraham had faith.

And so, you should understand that everyone who has faith is a child of Abraham.

Long ago the Scriptures said that God would accept the Gentiles because of their faith. That's why God told Abraham the good news that all nations would be blessed because of him.

This means that everyone who has faith will share in the blessings that were given to Abraham because of his faith.

Anyone who tries to please God by obeying the Law is under a curse. The Scriptures say, "Everyone who doesn't obey everything in the Law is under a curse."

No one can please God by obeying the Law. The Scriptures also say, "The people God accepts because of their faith will live."

The Law isn't based on faith. It promises life only to people who obey its commands.

But Christ rescued us from the Law's curse, when he became a curse in our place. This is because the Scriptures say that anyone who is nailed to a tree is under a curse.

And because of what Jesus Christ has done, the blessing that was promised to Abraham was taken to the Gentiles. This happened so that by faith we would be given the promised Holy Spirit.

My friends, I will use an everyday example to explain what I mean. Once someone agrees to something, no one else can change or cancel the agreement.

That is how it is with the promises God made to Abraham and his descendant. The promises were not made to many descendants, but only to one, and that one is Christ.

What I am saying is that the Law cannot change or cancel God's promise that was made 430 years before the Law was given.

If we have to obey the Law in order to receive God's blessings, those blessings don't really come to us because of God's promise. But God was kind to Abraham and made him a promise.

What is the use of the Law? It was given later to show that we sin. But it was only supposed to last until the coming of that descendant who was given the promise. In fact, angels gave the Law to Moses, and he gave it to the people.

There is only one God, and the Law did not come directly from him.

Does the Law disagree with God's promises? No, it doesn't! If any law could give life to us, we could become acceptable to God by obeying that law.

But the Scriptures say that sin controls everyone, so that God's promises will be for anyone who has faith in Jesus Christ.

The Law controlled us and kept us under its power until the time came when we would have faith.

In fact, the Law was our teacher. It was supposed to teach us until we had faith and were acceptable to God.

But once a person has learned to have faith, there is no more need to have the Law as a teacher.

All of you are God's children because of your faith in Christ Jesus.

And when you were baptized, it was as though you had put on Christ in the same way you put on new clothes.

Faith in Christ Jesus is what makes each of you equal with each other, whether you are a Jew or a Greek, a slave or a free person, a man or a woman.

So if you belong to Christ, you are now part of Abraham's family, and you will be given what God has promised.

When Paul first preached to the Galatians, bringing them to faith in Christ, he "vividly portrayed" Christ as crucified. They had a clear understanding of salvation through faith in Christ's death. For them to now be turning away from this understanding they must have been hypnotized. Otherwise it makes no sense. Surely they were not foolish enough to think that having begun with the Spirit they will now be "made complete by the flesh." (3:3) The defining question that Paul asked them was: "does God supply you with the Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law or by hearing with faith?" (3:5) The presence of God's Holy Spirit in us is evidence of our salvation. So the question Paul asks of the Galatians is whether they received the Holy Spirit by the works of the law. There was no doubt concerning the answer to this question. They had not received the Spirit until they had by faith received Christ. So why would they even consider returning to the law to benefit them in any way?

Again, this was the defining question, but Paul anticipated further arguments the Judaizers would pose to refute this point. For instance, they might argue from the basis of heritage regarding their forefathers and the law, but Paul pointed out that even Abraham was credited righteousness on the basis of his faith. Furthermore, salvation through faith in Christ was not only for the Jews but included the Gentiles. Abraham understood this from God's promise that "All the nations will be blessed in you." Therefore, everyone who has faith is blessed with Abraham who also had faith.

Another argument Paul anticipated from the Judaizers was that God's covenant with Abraham, which was based on faith, was set aside by the law which came 430 years later. But Paul pointed out that not even human covenants are set aside or changed. If this is true with human covenants it is more so with God's covenants. So why was the law given, he asks? Again, he anticipates arguments from the Judaizers. It was not to replace the promise of faith but was given "because of transgressions." Furthermore, it was temporary, given only until "the Seed to whom the promise was made would come." The Seed being Christ. The law was to serve as a tutor or guardian to make man aware of sin and his inability to break the power of sin by his own efforts. But now that Christ has come and has suffered the penalty for our sins, "we are no longer under a guardian" - the law no longer serves a purpose.

Reflections on Galatians 2

2011-11-29T08:26:00.000-06:00

Galatians 02

(Contemporary English Version)

Fourteen years later I went to Jerusalem with Barnabas. I also took along Titus.

But I went there because God had told me to go, and I explained the good news that I had been preaching to the Gentiles. Then I met privately with the ones who seemed to be the most important leaders. I wanted to make sure that my work in the past and my future work would not be for nothing.

Titus went to Jerusalem with me. He was a Greek, but still he wasn't forced to be circumcised.

We went there because of those who pretended to be followers and had sneaked in among us as spies. They had come to take away the freedom that Christ Jesus had given us, and they were trying to make us their slaves.

But we wanted you to have the true message. That's why we didn't give in to them, not even for a second.

Some of them were supposed to be important leaders, but I didn't care who they were. God doesn't have any favorites! None of these so-called special leaders added anything to my message.

They realized that God had sent me with the good news for Gentiles, and that he had sent Peter with the same message for Jews.

God, who had sent Peter on a mission to the Jews, was now using me to preach to the Gentiles.

James, Peter, and John realized that God had given me the message about his undeserved kindness. And these men are supposed to be the backbone of the church. They even gave Barnabas and me a friendly handshake. This was to show that we would work with Gentiles and that they would work with Jews.

They only asked us to remember the poor, and that was something I had always been eager to do.

When Peter came to Antioch, I told him face to face that he was wrong.

He used to eat with Gentile followers of the Lord, until James sent some Jewish followers. Peter was afraid of the Jews and soon stopped eating with Gentiles.

He and the other Jews hid their true feelings so well that even Barnabas was fooled.

But when I saw that they were not really obeying the truth that is in the good news, I corrected Peter in front of everyone and said: Peter, you are a Jew, but you live like a Gentile. So how can you force Gentiles to live like Jews?

We are Jews by birth and are not sinners like Gentiles.

But we know that God accepts only those who have faith in Jesus Christ. No one can please God by simply obeying the Law. So we put our faith in Christ Jesus, and God accepted us because of our faith.

When we Jews started looking for a way to please God, we discovered that we are sinners too. Does this mean that Christ is the one who makes us sinners? No, it doesn't!

But if I tear down something and then build it again, I prove that I was wrong at first.

It was the Law itself that killed me and freed me from its power, so that I could live for God. I have been nailed to the cross with Christ.

I have died, but Christ lives in me. And I now live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave his life for me.

I don't turn my back on God's undeserved kindness. If we can be acceptable to God by obeying the Law, it was useless for Christ to die.

In this chapter Paul knocked the underpinnings out from under the false teachers (Judaizers) among the Galatian churches. First, he established that the apostalic leaders in Jerusalem accepted and affirmed him, his ministry, and his gospel message that salvation is by faith in Christ Jesus apart from the law. Second, he showed the fallacy of the Judaizer's teaching that circumcision and the law must be added to faith in Christ Jesus for salvation.

Concerning the first point, Paul told of a trip he made to Jerusalem to see "those recognized as important." (2:6) This would be the apostolic leaders of the Jerusalem church to whom the Judaizers pointed for validation of their own teaching. Paul took with him on this visit both Barnabas and Titus. Titus was the person of interest on this visit for he was an uncircumcised Gentile believer who was being compelled by "false brothers" to be circumcised. Paul took him before "those recognized as important," to see what they would do about him, but they did not compel him to be circumcised, taking away any authority upon which the Judaizers in Galatia might try to base their teaching. Having eroded the authority on which the Judaizers based their teaching, Paul turned to the error behind the teaching.

This issue was more than just a matter of interpretation or of preference. This being the case, Paul had challenged Peter when he attempted to appease Jewish Christians from Jerusalem by discontinuing fellowship with Gentile believers. What Paul challenged, and Peter did not consider, was that to allow any thinking that circumcision should be added to faith in Christ for salvation "then Christ died for nothing." Salvation is by Christ alone, not Christ plus something else. This is foundational to the gospel and to allow the teaching of the Judaizers to stand out of a desire not to offend would be to allow the gospel to be eroded and to become ineffective. And of greatest consequence, it would leave all those in their sins who trusted in the law rather than Christ alone for their salvation. There could be no compromise on this point. For Paul, the validity of his ministry was also at stake over this issue. If the teaching of the Judaizers was to take over in the Galatian churches, thus making the gospel ineffective, Paul's ministry among them would have been in vain. (2:2)

Reflections on Galatians 1

2011-11-28T06:40:00.000-06:00

Galatians 01

(Contemporary English Version)

From the apostle Paul and from all the Lord's followers with me. I was chosen to be an apostle by Jesus Christ and by God the Father, who raised him from death. No mere human chose or appointed me to this work. To the churches in Galatia.

(SEE 1:1)

I pray that God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you and will bless you with peace!

Christ obeyed God our Father and gave himself as a sacrifice for our sins to rescue us from this evil world.

God will be given glory forever and ever. Amen.

I am shocked that you have so quickly turned from God, who chose you because of his wonderful kindness. You have believed another message,

when there is really only one true message. But some people are causing you trouble and want to make you turn away from the good news about Christ.

I pray that God will punish anyone who preaches anything different from our message to you! It doesn't matter if that person is one of us or an angel from heaven.

I have said it before, and I will say it again. I hope God will punish anyone who preaches anything different from what you have already believed.

I am not trying to please people. I want to please God. Do you think I am trying to please people? If I were doing that, I would not be a servant of Christ.

My friends, I want you to know that no one made up the message I preach.

It wasn't given or taught to me by some mere human. My message came directly from Jesus Christ when he appeared to me.

You know how I used to live as a Jew. I was cruel to God's church and even tried to destroy it.

I was a much better Jew than anyone else my own age, and I obeyed every law that our ancestors had given us.

But even before I was born, God had chosen me. He was kind and had decided

to show me his Son, so that I would announce his message to the Gentiles. I didn't talk this over with anyone.

I didn't say a word, not even to the men in Jerusalem who were apostles before I was. Instead, I went at once to Arabia, and afterwards I returned to Damascus.

Three years later I went to visit Peter in Jerusalem and stayed with him for fifteen days.

The only other apostle I saw was James, the Lord's brother.

And in the presence of God I swear I am telling the truth.

Later, I went to the regions of Syria and Cilicia.

But no one who belonged to Christ's churches in Judea had ever seen me in person.

They had only heard that the one who had been cruel to them was now preaching the message that he had once tried to destroy.

And because of me, they praised God.

This letter from the apostle Paul is addressed to the churches of Galatia. Thus, it is a circular letter that was to be passed from church to church among the churches located in the region of Galatia. As with the church in Corinth, the churches of Galatia were infected with false teachers. While those among the church at Corinth took aim at Paul personally, questioning his authority as an apostle, the attacks of those in Galatia were aimed primarily at the gospel he preached. Though this, too, eroded Paul's authority, it is more indirect.

Paul immediately addressed the issues among the Galatian churches starting with his status as an apostle whose claim as such came not from men, but from Jesus Christ Himself. Therefore, the message he preached came not from men but from Jesus Christ. And the core of that message he stated in verse 4 concerning Jesus, "who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father." Paul did not arrive at this gospel message through any human source, and certainly not through his own reasoning or study. For his own study and practice was in Judaism which was the very teaching influencing the false teachers and pulling the Galatian believers away from the gospel of Christ.

The gospel Paul preached could not be attributed to any human point of view. All human-based religious perspectives attribute salvation to man's own efforts, but the gospel of Christ teaches only one way of salvation, and that is through faith in Christ "who gave Himself for our sins." (1:4) This is point one. The gospel Paul preached didn't come from any human source because it follows no human reasoning. Point two is that it follows no human reasoning, Paul's in particular, because it does not resemble any influence upon Paul's life either prior to or immediately following his conversion experience. Prior to this experience he persecuted those who taught and believed this gospel. Following his conversion he went into isolation in Arabia for three years. When he returned from Arabia, by way of Damascus, he became known for preaching the gospel that was being challenged by the false teachers among the churches of Galatia. No, there is only one source for the gospel Paul preached, and that is God Himself.

Reflections on 2 Corinthians 13

2011-11-23T06:05:00.000-06:00

2 Corinthians 13

(Contemporary English Version)

I am on my way to visit you for the third time. And as the Scriptures say, "Any charges must be proved true by at least two or three witnesses."

During my second visit I warned you that I would punish you and anyone else who doesn't stop sinning. I am far away from you now, but I give you the same warning.

This should prove to you that I am speaking for Christ. When he corrects you, he won't be weak. He will be powerful!

Although he was weak when he was nailed to the cross, he now lives by the power of God. We are weak, just as Christ was. But you will see that we will live by the power of God, just as Christ does.

Test yourselves and find out if you really are true to your faith. If you pass the test, you will discover that Christ is living in you. But if Christ isn't living in you, you have failed.

I hope you will discover that we have not failed.

We pray that you will stop doing evil things. We don't pray like this to make ourselves look good, but to get you to do right, even if we are failures.

All we can do is to follow the truth and not fight against it.

Even though we are weak, we are glad that you are strong, and we pray that you will do even better.

I am writing these things to you before I arrive. This way I won't have to be hard on you when I use the authority that the Lord has given me. I was given this authority, so that I could help you and not destroy you.

Good-by, my friends. Do better and pay attention to what I have said. Try to get along and live peacefully with each other. Now I pray that God, who gives love and peace, will be with you.

Give each other a warm greeting. All of God's people send their greetings.

I pray that the Lord Jesus Christ will bless you and be kind to you! May God bless you with his love, and may the Holy Spirit join all your hearts together.

(SEE 13:13)

Enough of Paul's defense of his integrity and apostalic legitimacy. He planned to make another trip to Corinth and in that visit he would handle these issues directly. And in so doing, "On the testimony of two or three witnesses every word will be confirmed." (13:1) He now gives warning that when he comes he will not be lenient with those he finds who are still seeking "proof of Christ speaking in me." (13:2) In anticipation of his visit to them, he suggests they "Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith." (13:5) In this manner they will also know if Paul passes the test.

Herein lies the purpose of Paul's letter to them. He wants them to be prepared for his coming by clearing up these issues ahead of time. Then "when I am there I will not use severity, in keeping with the authority the Lord gave me for building up and not for tearing down." (13:10) With this, he closes out the letter with blessings and salutations: "Be restored, be encouraged, be of the same mind, be at peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you." (13:14)

Reflections on 2 Corinthians 12

2011-11-22T06:59:00.000-06:00

2 Corinthians 12

(Contemporary English Version)

I have to brag. There is nothing to be gained by it, but I must brag about the visions and other things that the Lord has shown me.

I know about one of Christ's followers who was taken up into the third heaven fourteen years ago. I don't know if the man was still in his body when it happened, but God certainly knows.

As I said, only God really knows if this man was in his body at the time.

But he was taken up into paradise, where he heard things that are too wonderful to tell.

I will brag about that man, but not about myself, except to say how weak I am.

Yet even if I did brag, I would not be foolish. I would simply be speaking the truth. But I will try not to say too much. That way, none of you will think more highly of me than you should because of what you have seen me do and say.

Of course, I am now referring to the wonderful things I saw. One of Satan's angels was sent to make me suffer terribly, so that I would not feel too proud.

Three times I begged the Lord to make this suffering go away.

But he replied, "My kindness is all you need. My power is strongest when you are weak." So if Christ keeps giving me his power, I will gladly brag about how weak I am.

Yes, I am glad to be weak or insulted or mistreated or to have troubles and sufferings, if it is for Christ. Because when I am weak, I am strong.

I have been making a fool of myself. But you forced me to do it, when you should have been speaking up for me. I may be nothing at all, but I am as good as those super apostles.

When I was with you, I was patient and worked all the powerful miracles and signs and wonders of a true apostle.

You missed out on only one blessing that the other churches received. That is, you didn't have to support me. Forgive me for doing you wrong.

I am planning to visit you for the third time. But I still won't make a burden of myself. What I really want is you, and not what you have. Children are not supposed to save up for their parents, but parents are supposed to take care of their children.

So I will gladly give all that I have and all that I am. Will you love me less for loving you too much?

You agree that I wasn't a burden to you. Maybe that's because I was trying to catch you off guard and trick you.

Were you cheated by any of those I sent to you?

I urged Titus to visit you, and I sent another follower with him. But Titus didn't cheat you, and we felt and behaved the same way he did.

Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves to you? Actually, we have been speaking to God as followers of Christ. But, my friends, we did it all for your good.

I am afraid that when I come, we won't be pleased with each other. I fear that some of you may be arguing or jealous or angry or selfish or gossiping or insulting each other. I even fear that you may be proud and acting like a mob.

I am afraid God will make me ashamed when I visit you again. I will feel like crying because many of you have never given up your old sins. You are still doing things that are immoral, indecent, and shameful.

Paul's defense of himself in chapter 12 brings to light further charges that had been leveled against him: a lack of visions and revelations and of signs, wonders, and miracles. If he were a true apostle, his accusers evidently charged, when did his relate visions and revelations, or where were his signs, wonders, or miracles? And so, as foolish as Paul thought this whole thing to be, he addressed these charges in chapter 12.

Some 14 years earlier, Paul had been "caught up into the third heaven," though he didn't know whether he was caught up in the body or out of the body. (12:2) In this experience he heard inexpressible words which men are not allowed to speak. Since his revelation was inexpressible, he would not have spoken of it to them before. Besides, he thought it more beneficial to boast, not of this experience, but of his weaknesses through which Christ is glorified rather than himself. Therefore, he tells of the "thorn in the flesh" he was given following his vision to keep him from exalting himself. Pain and suffering help us keep perspective. If, through a "mountain-top" experience such as his vision we are tempted to think we are more special to God than other people, a little pain or suffering can help put ourselves in perspective. Just as blessings tempt us to think too highly of ourselves, pain tempts us to think lowly of ourselves. Few, if any, of us are capable of appropriately handling only the blessings without the need to balance our perspective through pain or suffering. It doesn't have to be physical pain. The pain of rejection by others or anything else that causes pain will suffice.

As for the signs, wonders, and miracles, these "signs of an apostle were performed among you in all endurance" when Paul was with them. (12:12) How could the Corinthians have forgotten? It is one of the dangers, though, when we allow ourselves to be caught up in criticism against another. We get tunnel vision and can only see the failures. Once the Corinthians opened their minds to the charges against Paul made by the false apostles, they very likely began to question everything he did, failing to see the good for what it was. As a result, the charges had become petty to the point of questioning Paul's motives for not taking monetary support from them. The main reason he didn't accept support from them was so no one would question his motives in receiving their money. But he couldn't win. They were, instead, questioning his motives for not receiving their money. So now he asks for evidence of how he took advantage of them? And how was it he treated them worse than the other churches?

Though the Corinthians had earlier repented of previous sins, Paul was now concerned that should he return to Corinth he will find them yet again in need of repentance. He was concerned he might find: "quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorder." Or, that "many who sinned before and have not repented of the uncleanness, sexual immorality, and promiscuity they practiced." (12:20, 21)

Reflections on 2 Corinthians 11

2011-11-21T06:56:00.000-06:00

2 Corinthians 11

(Contemporary English Version)

Please put up with a little of my foolishness.

I am as concerned about you as God is. You were like a virgin bride I had chosen only for Christ.

But now I fear that you will be tricked, just as Eve was tricked by that lying snake. I am afraid that you might stop thinking about Christ in an honest and sincere way.

We told you about Jesus, and you received the Holy Spirit and accepted our message. But you let some people tell you about another Jesus. Now you are ready to receive another spirit and accept a different message.

I think I am as good as any of those super apostles.

I may not speak as well as they do, but I know as much. And this has already been made perfectly clear to you.

Was it wrong for me to lower myself and honor you by preaching God's message free of charge?

I robbed other churches by taking money from them to serve you.

Even when I was in need, I still didn't bother you. In fact, some of the Lord's followers from Macedonia brought me what I needed. I have not been a burden to you in the past, and I will never be a burden.

As surely as I speak the truth about Christ, no one in Achaia can stop me from bragging about this.

And it isn't because I don't love you. God himself knows how much I do love you.

I plan to go on doing just what I have always done. Then those people won't be able to brag about doing the same things we are doing.

Anyway, they are no more than false apostles and dishonest workers. They only pretend to be apostles of Christ.

And it is no wonder. Even Satan tries to make himself look like an angel of light.

So why does it seem strange for Satan's servants to pretend to do what is right? Someday they will get exactly what they deserve.

I don't want any of you to think that I am a fool. But if you do, then let me be a fool and brag a little.

When I do all this bragging, I do it as a fool and not for the Lord.

Yet if others want to brag about what they have done, so will I.

And since you are so smart, you will gladly put up with a fool.

In fact, you let people make slaves of you and cheat you and steal from you. Why, you even let them strut around and slap you in the face.

I am ashamed to say that we are too weak to behave in such a way. If they can brag, so can I, but it is a foolish thing to do.

Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Jews? So am I. Are they from the family of Abraham? Well, so am I.

Are they servants of Christ? I am a fool to talk this way, but I serve him better than they do. I have worked harder and have been put in jail more times. I have been beaten with whips more and have been in danger of death more often.

Five times the Jews gave me thirty-nine lashes with a whip.

Three times the Romans beat me with a big stick, and once my enemies stoned me. I have been shipwrecked three times, and I even had to spend a night and a day in the sea.

During my many travels, I have been in danger from rivers, robbers, my own people, and foreigners. My life has been in danger in cities, in deserts, at sea, and with people who only pretended to be the Lord's followers.

I have worked and struggled and spent many sleepless nights. I have gone hungry and thirsty and often had nothing to eat. I have been cold from not having enough clothes to keep me warm.

Besides everything else, each day I am burdened down, worrying about all the churches.

When others are weak, I am weak too. When others are tricked into sin, I get angry.

If I have to brag, I will brag about how weak I am.

God, the Father of our Lord Jesus, knows I am not lying. And God is to be praised forever!

The governor of Damascus at the time of King Aretas had the city gates guarded, so that he could capture me.

But I escaped by being let down in a basket through a window in the city wall.

Paul continues with his concerns over the Corinthian's openness to the false apostles. The false apostles had come to them and preached another Jesus and another gospel and the Corinthians "put up with it splendidly!" (11:4) They had opened themselves to having their minds corrupted. This is the danger of tolerance. Paul was not an enemy of tolerance when it came to relating to unbelievers. As he stated in his first letter to them, "I have become all things to all people, so that I may by all means save some." (1 Cor 9:22) But tolerance to false teaching in the church is another matter, and he warned the Corinthians they were in danger of being deceived as Eve had been deceived.

Paul went on to uphold himself in comparison to the false apostles. It is unclear if the designation "super-apostles" was the false apostles self-designation or their designation of the twelve. Given the context of this passage I lean toward it as the false apostle's self-designation. If this were the case, Paul was comparing himself to the false prophets and not the twelve in saying he was "in no way inferior" to them. (11:5) Though he was not an eloquent speaker he was not untrained in knowledge nor did he accept financial support from them for his ministry as did the false apostles. Was it a sin for him not to charge them for preaching the gospel to them, he asks? If so, his failure to do so was not because he didn't love them, but it was to "cut off the opportunity of those who want an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in what they are boasting about." (11:12)

Neither was Paul inferior to these false apostles in terms of his heritage: "Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I." (11:22) Possibly Paul's most compelling argument, though, was his service for Christ. In verses 23 and following he launched into a listing of his suffering for Christ. The false apostles stood on their letters of recommendation, but Paul stood on his suffering for Christ. It was a no-brainer. No one who was faking it would endure such suffering.

Reflections on 2 Corinthians 10

2011-11-18T06:57:00.000-06:00

2 Corinthians 10

(Contemporary English Version)

Do you think I am a coward when I am with you and brave when I am far away? Well, I ask you to listen, because Christ himself was humble and gentle.

Some people have said that we act like the people of this world. So when I arrive, I expect I will have to be firm and forceful in what I say to them. Please don't make me treat you that way.

We live in this world, but we don't act like its people

or fight our battles with the weapons of this world. Instead, we use God's power that can destroy fortresses. We destroy arguments

and every bit of pride that keeps anyone from knowing God. We capture people's thoughts and make them obey Christ.

And when you completely obey him, we will punish anyone who refuses to obey.

You judge by appearances. If any of you think you are the only ones who belong to Christ, then think again. We belong to Christ as much as you do.

Maybe I brag a little too much about the authority that the Lord gave me to help you and not to hurt you. Yet I am not embarrassed to brag.

And I am not trying to scare you with my letters.

Some of you are saying, "Paul's letters are harsh and powerful. But in person, he is a weakling and has nothing worth saying."

Those people had better understand that when I am with you, I will do exactly what I say in my letters.

We won't dare compare ourselves with those who think so much of themselves. But they are foolish to compare themselves with themselves.

We won't brag about something we don't have a right to brag about. We will only brag about the work that God has sent us to do, and you are part of that work.

We are not bragging more than we should. After all, we did bring the message about Christ to you.

We don't brag about what others have done, as if we had done those things ourselves. But I hope that as you become stronger in your faith, we will be able to reach many more of the people around you. That has always been our goal.

Then we will be able to preach the good news in other lands where we cannot take credit for work someone else has already done.

The Scriptures say, "If you want to brag, then brag about the Lord."

You may brag about yourself, but the only approval that counts is the Lord's approval.

Paul turns attention now to the offending individuals, the false apostles, in the Corinthian church, placing them on notice that he was prepared to do battle with them. He hoped this would not be necessary for it was not something he wanted to do. As he told them, "I beg you that when I am present I will not need to be bold with the confidence by which I plan to challenge certain people who think we are walking in a fleshly way." (10:2) But he warned them that if it were necessary for him to do battle with them, it would not be waged in a fleshly way "since the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds." (10:4)

The Corinthians, as of yet, were superficial and shallow spiritually, judging primarily by outward appearances. This made them fair game for the opportunistic false apostles. Thus, Paul used this letter to bring certain thoughts to mind for them. They should consider, for instance, the basis of commendation by which these false prophets commended themselves. These individuals commended themselves by "measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves to themselves." (10:12) In so doing, "they lack understanding," Paul said. He was not going to attempt to classify or compare himself to them. They were not the standard by which one should be measured. Paul's standard was Christ who had given him his ministry, but Paul would not boast "beyond measure, but according to the measure of the area of ministry that God has assigned to us." (10:14) And that area reached even to the Corinthians. Therefore, his bragging rights included his ministry with the Corinthians and it was given to him by the Lord. Therefore, "the one who boasts must boast in the Lord. For it is not the one commending himself who is approved, but the one the Lord commends." (10:17-18)

Reflections on 2 Corinthians 9

2011-11-17T06:36:00.000-06:00

2 Corinthians 09

(Contemporary English Version)

I don't need to write you about the money you plan to give for God's people.

I know how eager you are to give. And I have proudly told the Lord's followers in Macedonia that you people in Achaia have been ready for a whole year. Now your desire to give has made them want to give.

That's why I am sending Titus and the two others to you. I want you to be ready, just as I promised. This will prove that we were not wrong to brag about you.

Some followers from Macedonia may come with me, and I want them to find that you have the money ready. If you don't, I would be embarrassed for trusting you to do this. But you would be embarrassed even more.

So I have decided to ask Titus and the others to spend some time with you before I arrive. This way they can arrange to collect the money you have promised. Then you will have the chance to give because you want to, and not because you feel forced to.

Remember this saying, "A few seeds make a small harvest, but a lot of seeds make a big harvest."

Each of you must make up your own mind about how much to give. But don't feel sorry that you must give and don't feel that you are forced to give. God loves people who love to give.

God can bless you with everything you need, and you will always have more than enough to do all kinds of good things for others.

The Scriptures say, "God freely gives his gifts to the poor, and always does right."

God gives seed to farmers and provides everyone with food. He will increase what you have, so that you can give even more to those in need.

You will be blessed in every way, and you will be able to keep on being generous. Then many people will thank God when we deliver your gift.

What you are doing is much more than a service that supplies God's people with what they need. It is something that will make many others thank God.

The way in which you have proved yourselves by this service will bring honor and praise to God. You believed the message about Christ, and you obeyed it by sharing generously with God's people and with everyone else.

Now they are praying for you and want to see you, because God used you to bless them so very much.

Thank God for his gift that is too wonderful for words!

Paul continues the topic of contributing to an offering to aid the Christians in Jerusalem. Although the Jerusalem Christians are in need and a collection from the church in Corinth will help ease their need, Paul's concern in this letter is more for the Corinthians. It was the Corinthians who had initiated the idea of a collection for the Jerusalem church a year earlier, and was enthusiastic about the idea. Their enthusiasm had sparked an interest among the churches in Macedonia and they, too, wanted to participate in the collection. But now, a year later, the Macedonian churches had acted on the idea and their collections were ready to be taken to Jerusalem while the Corinthian church had stalled in gathering its collection. This, undoubtedly, was due to the Corinthian church being sidetracked by the false teachers in their midst. These teachers had raised questions concerning the authenticity of both Paul's ministry and his gospel message. Though the Corinthian church had not yet abdicated, it was uncertain about which direction to go and was in turmoil.

As mentioned in the reflections of chapter 8, this collection for the Jerusalem church served as a practical means of pulling the Corinthians back to their Christian roots. By contributing to this collection they would demonstrate their love for Christ and would strengthen their bond and identity with other Christians plus serving as a positive response to Paul's ministry among them. Contributing to this offering would be a practical step that would pull them off the fence they were riding. But Paul pointed also to other benefits for them. Whatever spiritual benefit they reaped would be in direct proportion to the generosity with which they sowed. Sow sparingly and they will reap sparingly. Sow generously and they will also reap generously. It was a not only a principle of nature but also a spiritual principle.

Therefore, through generous giving they will find that "the One who provides seed for the sower and bread for food will provide and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness." (9:10) But it doesn't end there. As they were enriched in every way because of their generosity, it would produce in them thanksgiving to God. It goes full circle. But the cycle is not complete even with the Corinthians giving thanks to God because they were enriched due to their generosity. The saints in Jerusalem will see their "obedience to the confession of the gospel of Christ" and their generosity in sharing with them, and they, too, will glorify God and will pray on behalf of the Corinthians out of "deep affection" for them. (9:13, 14) What a cycle of blessing is begun by a seemingly insignificant offering! If we recognize that all we have comes from God and out of a thankful heart give from the surplus God has given us to help others, we cannot fathom the outcome it will engender.

Reflections on 2 Corinthians 8

2011-11-16T07:01:00.000-06:00

2 Corinthians 08

(Contemporary English Version)

My friends, we want you to know that the churches in Macedonia have shown others how kind God is.

Although they were going through hard times and were very poor, they were glad to give generously.

They gave as much as they could afford and even more, simply because they wanted to.

They even asked and begged us to let them have the joy of giving their money for God's people.

And they did more than we had hoped. They gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us, just as God wanted them to do.

Titus was the one who got you started doing this good thing, so we begged him to have you finish what you had begun.

You do everything better than anyone else. You have stronger faith. You speak better and know more. You are eager to give, and you love us better. Now you must give more generously than anyone else.

I am not ordering you to do this. I am simply testing how real your love is by comparing it with the concern that others have shown.

You know that our Lord Jesus Christ was kind enough to give up all his riches and become poor, so that you could become rich.

A year ago you were the first ones to give, and you gave because you wanted to. So listen to my advice.

I think you should finish what you started. If you give according to what you have, you will prove that you are as eager to give as you were to think about giving.

It doesn't matter how much you have. What matters is how much you are willing to give from what you have.

I am not trying to make life easier for others by making life harder for you. But it is only fair

for you to share with them when you have so much, and they have so little. Later, when they have more than enough, and you are in need, they can share with you. Then everyone will have a fair share,

just as the Scriptures say, "Those who gathered too much had nothing left. Those who gathered only a little had all they needed."

I am grateful that God made Titus care as much about you as we do.

When we begged Titus to visit you, he said he would. He wanted to because he cared so much for you.

With Titus we are also sending one of the Lord's followers who is well known in every church for spreading the good news.

The churches chose this follower to travel with us while we carry this gift that will bring praise to the Lord and show how much we hope to help.

We don't want anyone to find fault with the way we handle your generous gift.

But we want to do what pleases the Lord and what people think is right.

We are also sending someone else with Titus and the other follower. We approve of this man. In fact, he has already shown us many times that he wants to help. And now he wants to help even more than ever, because he trusts you so much.

Titus is my partner, who works with me to serve you. The other two followers are sent by the churches, and they bring honor to Christ.

Treat them in such a way that the churches will see your love and will know why we bragged about you.

As Paul seeks the spiritual welfare of the Corinthian Christians in areas of faith and knowledge and love, he now includes the grace of giving. It is, as he tells them, a test of their love. Giving financially to help the Christians in Jerusalem was a practical expression of their love, not toward Paul, but toward the Lord who, "although He was rich, for your sake He became poor, so that by His poverty you might become rich." (8:9)

The Corinthians had begun a collection for the Jerusalem Christians a year earlier, but had not carried through to completion with their intent to help those in Jerusalem. Paul considered it profitable for them to finish this task. He was not expecting that they should provide for the need of others while making a hardship for themselves. But rather to give out of their surplus, reminding them that there may be a future time in which circumstances would be reversed and those in Jerusalem might give out of their surplus to help the Corinthians.

Paul encouraged their giving to this cause with an example of the churches in Macedonia. Even though these churches were experiencing severe affliction, they gave generously to this cause. Their giving went beyond their ability, as they begged for the "privilege of sharing in the ministry to the saints." (8:4) It was the enthusiastic giving of the Macedonian churches that spurred Paul to urge Titus to return to Corinth and "complete this grace to you." (8:6) Paul explained in verse 18 and following the procedure for delivering the collection from the various churches to the church in Jerusalem. A team of three men, including Titus, a brother from the Macedonian churches, and another unamed person who was highly respected by all the churches, were to take the offering to Jerusalem. This provision was to avoid any charge of mishandling of the offering.

Collection of money in the church is often criticized by those who say the church is only interested in their money. But Paul's concern here was as much for the benefit of the Corinthian church as for the Jerusalem church. In the midst of being pulled away from their Christian roots by false teachers, this offering provided them a practical means of reconnecting with those Christian roots. First, it was an expression of their love for Christ of whom doubts had been raised by the false teachers. It was also a positive response to Paul and his ministry with them. Plus, it was a material bond between them and other churches that would strengthen their identity with other Christians. Taking steps to contribute to this cause offered them a practical way to get off the fence they were riding between commitment to Christ and commitment to the teachings of the false apostles and teachers.

Reflections on 2 Corinthians 7

2011-11-15T07:04:00.000-06:00

2 Corinthians 07

(Contemporary English Version)

My friends, God has made us these promises. So we should stay away from everything that keeps our bodies and spirits from being clean. We should honor God and try to be completely like him.

Make a place for us in your hearts! We haven't mistreated or hurt anyone. We haven't cheated anyone.

I am not saying this to be hard on you. But, as I have said before, you will always be in our thoughts, whether we live or die.

I trust you completely. I am always proud of you, and I am greatly encouraged. In all my trouble I am still very happy.

After we came to Macedonia, we didn't have any chance to rest. We were faced with all kinds of problems. We were troubled by enemies and troubled by fears.

But God cheers up people in need, and that is what he did when he sent Titus to us.

Of course, we were glad to see Titus, but what really made us glad is the way you cheered him up. He told how sorry you were and how concerned you were about me. And this made me even happier.

I don't feel bad anymore, even though my letter hurt your feelings. I did feel bad at first, but I don't now. I know that the letter hurt you for a while.

Now I am happy, but not because I hurt your feelings. It is because God used your hurt feelings to make you turn back to him, and none of you were harmed by us.

When God makes you feel sorry enough to turn to him and be saved, you don't have anything to feel bad about. But when this world makes you feel sorry, it can cause your death.

Just look what God has done by making you feel sorry! You sincerely want to prove that you are innocent. You are angry. You are shocked. You are eager to see that justice is done. You have proved that you were completely right in this matter.

When I wrote you, it wasn't to accuse the one who was wrong or to take up for the one who was hurt. I wrote, so that God would show you how much you do care for us.

And we were greatly encouraged. Although we were encouraged, we felt even better when we saw how happy Titus was, because you had shown that he had nothing to worry about.

We had told him how much we thought of you, and you did not disappoint us. Just as we have always told you the truth, so everything we told him about you has also proved to be true.

Titus loves all of you very much, especially when he remembers how you obeyed him and how you trembled with fear when you welcomed him.

It makes me really glad to know that I can depend on you.

Paul, in chapter 7, appeals to the Corinthians to "Take us into your hearts." (7:2) Though Paul has to this point defended the gospel he had preached to them and cautioned them, as he did in chapter 6, against being "mismatched with unbelievers" (6:14) or bringing idols into their relationship with Christ, they were not actually doing these things but were being tempted with it by the false teachers in their midst. The real issue was that these false teachers were denouncing Paul and his message as a means of convincing them to accept them and their message. Paul's response to this in chapter 7 is to appeal to their personal affection for him. "Take us into your hearts." he says, "We have wronged no one, corrupted no one, defrauded no one." (7:2) And in turn, he assures them of his affection toward them: "for I have already said that you are in our hearts. . . I have great confidence in you; I have great pride in you." (7:3, 4) If they will keep Paul in their hearts they will also keep his message in their hearts and turn away the false teachers.

We see in verse 5 and following that an earlier letter from Paul to the Corinthians, now lost, strongly addressed their issues of Christian conduct, grieving both the Corinthians and Paul. But now Paul rejoiced because of his report from Titus that this strong letter had brought repentance among the Corinthians. Though Paul had been grieved because of the letter, he did not regret it because of the repentance it had brought. We may conclude, then, that the present letter is not so much about their conduct, concerning which they had already repented, but about the threat that they will be drawn away from the gospel Paul had preached to them. This was a very real threat, for it seems the charges against Paul by the false teachers had planted seeds of doubt in the minds of the Corinthians. "Paul is not really an apostle, now is he?" We can hear them saying. "After all, where are his letters of recommendation?" Without Paul there to defend himself the Corinthians didn't know what to think. And no doubt these false teachers had with them their own letters giving some sort of recommendation. Should the Corinthians reject Paul's authenticity as an apostle, the new covenant he preached would be rejected along with him.

But Paul expresses his confidence, later in the chapter, that this will not happen: "I rejoice that I have complete confidence in you." (7:16) He has turned from a logical appeal to a personal appeal which, in the end, will carry more weight than logic.

Reflections on 2 Corinthians 6

2011-11-14T07:05:00.000-06:00

2 Corinthians 06

(Contemporary English Version)

We work together with God, and we beg you to make good use of God's kindness to you.

In the Scriptures God says, "When the time came, I listened to you, and when you needed help, I came to save you." That time has come. This is the day for you to be saved.

We don't want anyone to find fault with our work, and so we try hard not to cause problems.

But in everything and in every way we show that we truly are God's servants. We have always been patient, though we have had a lot of trouble, suffering, and hard times.

We have been beaten, put in jail, and hurt in riots. We have worked hard and have gone without sleep or food.

But we have kept ourselves pure and have been understanding, patient, and kind. The Holy Spirit has been with us, and our love has been real.

We have spoken the truth, and God's power has worked in us. In all our struggles we have said and done only what is right.

Whether we were honored or dishonored or praised or cursed, we always told the truth about ourselves. But some people said we did not.

We are unknown to others, but well known to you. We seem to be dying, and yet we are still alive. We have been punished, but never killed,

and we are always happy, even in times of suffering. Although we are poor, we have made many people rich. And though we own nothing, everything is ours.

Friends in Corinth, we are telling the truth when we say that there is room in our hearts for you.

We are not holding back on our love for you, but you are holding back on your love for us.

I speak to you as I would speak to my own children. Please make room in your hearts for us.

Stay away from people who are not followers of the Lord! Can someone who is good get along with someone who is evil? Are light and darkness the same?

Is Christ a friend of Satan? Can people who follow the Lord have anything in common with those who don't?

Do idols belong in the temple of God? We are the temple of the living God, as God himself says, "I will live with these people and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people."

The Lord also says, "Leave them and stay away! Don't touch anything that isn't clean. Then I will welcome you

and be your Father. You will be my sons and my daughters, as surely as I am God, the All-Powerful."

In the last verse of chapter 5 Paul told the Corinthians that Christ, the One who did not know sin, was made sin for us that we might "become the righteousness of God in Him." (5:21) Now in 6:1 he tells them not to "receive God's grace in vain." In other words, don't make His grace empty by diluting it with other ideas and practices. This they were doing, or at least on the verge of doing, by embracing false teachers and continuing to dabble with the pagans practices out of which some had come.

Through their association with these false teachers they were also being influenced to reject Paul's apostalic ministry among them. If they reject him they will also reject his message concerning the new covenant. This, more than personal rejection, was Paul's concern and so he returns to a defense of his ministry and the topic of letters of recommendation. The false teachers were charging that Paul had no letters from anyone of authority to validate his ministry. Earlier Paul pointed out that such letters could easily be faked. What could not be faked was a ministry of suffering for Christ on their behalf. It is this subject to which Paul returns saying, "But in everything, as God's ministers, we commend ourselves." (6:4) Then he lists some of his hardships: "by great endurance, by afflictions, by hardship, by pressures, by beatings, by imprisonments, by riots, by labors, by sleepless nights, by times of hunger." (6:4-5) Next he lists some of his internal qualities: "by purity, by knowledge, by patience, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love." (6:6-7) Then he lists responses he has encountered to his ministry: "through glory and dishonor, through slander and good report; as deceivers yet true." (6:8) Finally, he mentions his personal state on behalf of the gospel: "as unknown yet recognized; as dying and look--we live; as being chastened yet not killed; as grieving yet always rejoicing; as poor yet enriching many; as having nothing yet possessing everything." (6:9-10) All of this is more valid commendation of his ministry than any letter. Nor could any of this be commended in those false teachers who came with their letters of recommendation.

The Paul turns to the real issue: "You are not limited by us, but you are limited by your own affections." (6:12) It is neither Paul nor his ministry but their own affections that limit them. They continued to have affections for pagan teachings and practices, and Paul told them that as believers they could not be matched or yoked with unbelievers. "What fellowship does light have with darkness? What agreement does Christ have with Belial?" he asks. (6:14, 15) And then quotes portions of portion of Isaiah 52:11 and Ezekiel 20:41 saying, "Therefore, come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord." (6:17) If they were to avoid receiving God's grace in vain, they could no longer unite themselves with these practices.

Reflections on 2 Corinthians 5

2011-11-11T07:23:00.000-06:00

2 Corinthians 05

(Contemporary English Version)

Our bodies are like tents that we live in here on earth. But when these tents are destroyed, we know that God will give each of us a place to live. These homes will not be buildings that someone has made, but they are in heaven and will last forever.

While we are here on earth, we sigh because we want to live in that heavenly home.

We want to put it on like clothes and not be naked.

These tents we now live in are like a heavy burden, and we groan. But we don't do this just because we want to leave these bodies that will die. It is because we want to change them for bodies that will never die.

God is the one who makes all of this possible. He has given us his Spirit to make us certain that he will do it.

So always be cheerful! As long as we are in these bodies, we are away from the Lord.

But we live by faith, not by what we see.

We should be cheerful, because we would rather leave these bodies and be at home with the Lord.

But whether we are at home with the Lord or away from him, we still try our best to please him.

After all, Christ will judge each of us for the good or the bad that we do while living in these bodies.

We know what it means to respect the Lord, and we encourage everyone to turn to him. God himself knows what we are like, and I hope you also know what kind of people we are.

We are not trying once more to brag about ourselves. But we want you to be proud of us, when you are with those who are not sincere and brag about what others think of them.

If we seem out of our minds, it is between God and us. But if we are in our right minds, it is for your good.

We are ruled by Christ's love for us. We are certain that if one person died for everyone else, then all of us have died.

And Christ did die for all of us. He died so we would no longer live for ourselves, but for the one who died and was raised to life for us.

We are careful not to judge people by what they seem to be, though we once judged Christ in that way.

Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new.

God has done it all! He sent Christ to make peace between himself and us, and he has given us the work of making peace between himself and others.

What we mean is that God was in Christ, offering peace and forgiveness to the people of this world. And he has given us the work of sharing his message about peace.

We were sent to speak for Christ, and God is begging you to listen to our message. We speak for Christ and sincerely ask you to make peace with God.

Christ never sinned! But God treated him as a sinner, so that Christ could make us acceptable to God.

In verses 1-10 of chapter 5 Paul continued a topic he began in 4:16, focusing on the eternal rather than the temporary. The outer person, the body, is temporary. If we live for pleasing only the outer person we live only for things that are temporary and all of it will perish with the body. But the inner person is eternal. If we place our focus on the inner person we will find that we are "renewed day by day." (4:16) This earthly body is our present dwelling place and is like a tent compared to our heavenly dwelling place which is a building or a house. Paul's perspective, which he wished for the Corinthians, was of groaning or desiring to shed the mortality of this body so "mortality may be swallowed up by life." (5:4) This life is not the real thing. Meanwhile, as long as he was in this mortal body, Paul wanted to be pleasing to the Lord, just as he would want to be if he were out of this body and present with the Lord. For it is the Lord who prepared us for the real life that is eternal. As long as we are in this body, though, there is present with us God's Spirit, the Holy Spirit, who serves as "a down payment" of that life in heaven. (5:5) There we will be fully present with Him, but now we have His Spirit with us.

All of this is more than a mental shift, attempting to think differently. For the believer in Christ it is a grasping of his new reality. Not only do we have a mental shift, a new knowledge of God, but we are new creations. Our old life has passed away - it has died with Christ. We are now raised to a new life with Him. Those who have this new life with Christ "should no longer live for themselves, but for the One who died for them and was raised." (5:15) The One who "reconciled us to Himself through Christ" has now given us "the ministry of reconciliation." (5:18) We are now to be "ambassadors for Christ" and therefore "we plead with others on Christ's behalf, 'Be reconciled to God.'" (5:20)

Reflections on 2 Corinthians 4

2011-11-10T06:28:00.001-06:00

2 Corinthians 04

(Contemporary English Version)

God has been kind enough to trust us with this work. That's why we never give up.

We don't do shameful things that must be kept secret. And we don't try to fool anyone or twist God's message around. God is our witness that we speak only the truth, so others will be sure that we can be trusted.

If there is anything hidden about our message, it is hidden only to someone who is lost.

The god who rules this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers. They cannot see the light, which is the good news about our glorious Christ, who shows what God is like.

We are not preaching about ourselves. Our message is that Jesus Christ is Lord. He also sent us to be your servants.

The Scriptures say, "God commanded light to shine in the dark." Now God is shining in our hearts to let you know that his glory is seen in Jesus Christ.

We are like clay jars in which this treasure is stored. The real power comes from God and not from us.

We often suffer, but we are never crushed. Even when we don't know what to do, we never give up.

In times of trouble, God is with us, and when we are knocked down, we get up again.

We face death every day because of Jesus. Our bodies show what his death was like, so that his life can also be seen in us.

(SEE 4:10)

This means that death is working in us, but life is working in you.

In the Scriptures it says, "I spoke because I had faith." We have that same kind of faith. So we speak

because we know that God raised the Lord Jesus to life. And just as God raised Jesus, he will also raise us to life. Then he will bring us into his presence together with you.

All of this has been done for you, so that more and more people will know how kind God is and will praise and honor him.

We never give up. Our bodies are gradually dying, but we ourselves are being made stronger each day.

These little troubles are getting us ready for an eternal glory that will make all our troubles seem like nothing.

Things that are seen don't last forever, but things that are not seen are eternal. That's why we keep our minds on the things that cannot be seen.

Following a brief defense in chapter 3 of the new covenant that he preached, Paul turned back to defending himself against accusations made by false apostles in the church at Corinth. Another accusation was that the gospel Paul preached was "veiled." A claim that Paul was dealing in "secret things" as if he had a special knowledge no one else had. (4:2, 3) But Paul turned the accusation back on the accusers. It was not his gospel that was veiled, but their minds that were blinded. Satan, "the god of this age," had a hold on them and had "blinded the minds of the unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." (4:4)

Paul was not trying to commend himself through a message of secrets as if he had a special message from God. No, it was not himself he was proclaiming "but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves because of Jesus." (4:5) Since it was Christ as Lord he was proclaiming he didn't want it hidden in some veiled message but understood clearly. Neither was he trying to commend himself to the Corinthians but trying to be "your slaves because of Jesus." (4:5) False apostles sought to elevate themselves, which they did in part by attempting to dishonor Paul who was a true apostle. Paul, on the other hand, did not try to elevate himself but determined to be a slave of the Corinthian Christians. If the Corinthians were truly enlightened, this was a ploy they should be able to see through.

No, the false apostles were not into serving, but into lording themselves over the congregation. Nor were they willing to suffer on their behalf. But suffering on behalf of the gospel, and those to whom he took it, was a plight that Paul had chosen. He was pressured in every way, persecuted, and carried the death of Jesus in his body. He had, in fact, given himself over to death because of Jesus. But he did it so the Corinthians, and others, might have life. The outcome was that "death works in us, but life in you." (4:12) Is this something he would do if he were a false apostle?

One day God will raise all believers with Jesus. Not only will Paul be raised at that time but also the Corinthian Christians. This was the goal he sought for them. It was also why he was willing to endure suffering: "For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory. So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen; for what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (4:17-18)

Reflections on 2 Corinthians 3

2011-11-09T06:28:00.001-06:00

2 Corinthians 03

(Contemporary English Version)

Are we once again bragging about ourselves? Do we need letters to you or from you to tell others about us? Some people do need letters that tell about them.

But you are our letter, and you are in our hearts for everyone to read and understand.

You are like a letter written by Christ and delivered by us. But you are not written with pen and ink or on tablets made of stone. You are written in our hearts by the Spirit of the living God.

We are sure about all this. Christ makes us sure in the very presence of God.

We don't have the right to claim that we have done anything on our own. God gives us what it takes to do all that we do.

He makes us worthy to be the servants of his new agreement that comes from the Holy Spirit and not from a written Law. After all, the Law brings death, but the Spirit brings life.

The Law of Moses brought only the promise of death, even though it was carved on stones and given in a wonderful way. Still the Law made Moses' face shine so brightly that the people of Israel could not look at it, even though it was a fading glory.

So won't the agreement that the Spirit brings to us be even more wonderful?

If something that brings the death sentence is glorious, won't something that makes us acceptable to God be even more glorious?

In fact, the new agreement is so wonderful that the Law is no longer glorious at all.

The Law was given with a glory that faded away. But the glory of the new agreement is much greater, because it will never fade away.

This wonderful hope makes us feel like speaking freely.

We are not like Moses. His face was shining, but he covered it to keep the people of Israel from seeing the brightness fade away.

The people were stubborn, and something still keeps them from seeing the truth when the Law is read. Only Christ can take away the covering that keeps them from seeing.

When the Law of Moses is read, they have their minds covered over

with a covering that is removed only for those who turn to the Lord.

The Lord and the Spirit are one and the same, and the Lord's Spirit sets us free.

So our faces are not covered. They show the bright glory of the Lord, as the Lord's Spirit makes us more and more like our glorious Lord.

Paul, in this chapter, moves from defending himself to a defense of the gospel. We assume the charges against Paul by the defense he gives of himself, and from 3:1 we gather that he was accused of commending himself rather than being commended by letters of recommendation. It was common practice to carry letters of recommendation that would commend a person to a group of people, thus affirming their character, etc. But letters could be false as were the teachers who were accusing Paul. However, Paul's letter of recommendation was the Corinthians themselves. That the Corinthians were Christians was apparent, and since it was Paul's preaching that led them to Christ, they were the evidence of his ministry. As Paul stated it, "you are Christ's letter, produced by us, not written with ink but with the Spirit of the living God." (3:3)

The remainder of the chapter is directed toward the gospel that Paul preached. Again, drawing from Paul's defense, we assume what he was countering. Paul was defending the new covenant he preached which suggests that his accusers were teaching the old covenant, which also suggests they were likely Judaisers. The new covenant, he says, is of the Spirit while the old covenant if of the letter. Furthermore, he says the letter kills while the Spirit produces life. If the Corinthians thought the differences between the old and new covenants were only in nuance, that is, in subtle distinctions, Paul made it plain that the differences were huge, as huge as life and death.

Another distinction Paul made between the old and new covenants was that the old was a ministry of condemnation while the new was a ministry of righteousness. Paul used the glory of Moses' face as an illustration of the distinctions between the two covenants. When Moses delivered the law, his face shown with the glory of God from being in His presence. As the glory of Moses' face faded, so did the glory of the old covenant. It was never intended to be permanent. The Judaisers were trying to hold onto something that was temporary while the gospel of Jesus Christ offered something that was permanent, the glory of which far surpasses that of the temporary old covenant.

Paul took this illustration a step further. Whereas Moses "put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel could not look at the end of what was fading away," even to Paul's day (and today) "at the reading of the old covenant, the same veil remains; it is not lifted, because it is set aside only in Christ." (3:13-14) Those who hold to the old covenant have a veil over their eyes that hides their view of the glory of God as seen through Christ Jesus, who is the only way.

Reflections on 2 Corinthians 2

2011-11-08T08:27:00.001-06:00

2 Corinthians 02

(Contemporary English Version)

I have decided not to make my next visit with you so painful.

If I make you feel bad, who would be left to cheer me up, except the people I had made to feel bad?

The reason I want to be happy is to make you happy. I wrote as I did because I didn't want to visit you and be made to feel bad, when you should make me feel happy.

At the time I wrote, I was suffering terribly. My eyes were full of tears, and my heart was broken. But I didn't want to make you feel bad. I only wanted to let you know how much I cared for you.

I don't want to be hard on you. But if one of you has made someone feel bad, I am not really the one who has been made to feel bad. Some of you are the ones.

Most of you have already pointed out the wrong that person did, and that is punishment enough for what was done.

When people sin, you should forgive and comfort them, so they won't give up in despair.

You should make them sure of your love for them.

I also wrote because I wanted to test you and find out if you would follow my instructions.

I will forgive anyone you forgive. Yes, for your sake and with Christ as my witness, I have forgiven whatever needed to be forgiven.

I have done this to keep Satan from getting the better of us. We all know what goes on in his mind.

When I went to Troas to preach the good news about Christ, I found that the Lord had already prepared the way.

But I was worried when I didn't find my friend Titus there. So I left the other followers and went on to Macedonia.

I am grateful that God always makes it possible for Christ to lead us to victory. God also helps us spread the knowledge about Christ everywhere, and this knowledge is like the smell of perfume.

In fact, God thinks of us as a perfume that brings Christ to everyone. For people who are being saved, this perfume has a sweet smell and leads them to a better life. But for people who are lost, it has a bad smell and leads them to a horrible death. No one really has what it takes to do this work.

(SEE 2:15)

A lot of people try to get rich from preaching God's message. But we are God's sincere messengers, and by the power of Christ we speak our message with God as our witness.

Paul continued to explain why his plans to visit the Corinthians changed from what he originally told them. As he stated in chapter 1, it was not because he was unreliable or could not be believed in what he said. It was because the issues he would have to address in a visit would cause pain for both the Corinthians and for Paul. To avoid this painful experience he decided to write them instead. Then when he did visit them he "wouldn't have pain from those who ought to give me joy." (2:3)

From that explanation he turned to what was evidently the issue in question: an offending brother. We do not know what his offense was, but it was serious enough to have brought pain to the Corinthian congregation. As a result, the church had handed down some type of punishment. It would appear that the offending brother had also been repentent for Paul was now counseling them to "forgive and comfort him," so that he would not "be overwhelmed by excessive grief." (2:7)

There is also another reason Paul counseled them to forgive the offending brother: "so that we may not be taken advantage of by Satan." (2:11) Satan will gleefully take advantage of an environment of unforgiveness among Christians. As with any sin, the sin of unforgiveness is enslaving. Anything else that might enslave us tears us away from being a willing "slave of Christ Jesus." It is not a question of enslavement or non-enslavement, but a question of to whom or what we will be enslaved. As Jesus said, "No one can be a slave of two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot be slaves of God and of money." (Matthew 6:24) Money, in this statement can be replaced with anything that attempts to enslave us.

Reflections on 2 Corinthians 1

2011-11-07T07:04:00.000-06:00

2 Corinthians 01

(Contemporary English Version)

From Paul, chosen by God to be an apostle of Jesus Christ, and from Timothy, who is also a follower. To God's church in Corinth and to all of God's people in Achaia.

I pray that God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you and will bless you with peace!

Praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! The Father is a merciful God, who always gives us comfort.

He comforts us when we are in trouble, so that we can share that same comfort with others in trouble.

We share in the terrible sufferings of Christ, but also in the wonderful comfort he gives.

We suffer in the hope that you will be comforted and saved. And because we are comforted, you will also be comforted, as you patiently endure suffering like ours.

You never disappoint us. You suffered as much as we did, and we know that you will be comforted as we were.

My friends, I want you to know what a hard time we had in Asia. Our sufferings were so horrible and so unbearable that death seemed certain.

In fact, we felt sure that we were going to die. But this made us stop trusting in ourselves and start trusting God, who raises the dead to life.

God saved us from the threat of death, and we are sure that he will do it again and again.

Please help us by praying for us. Then many people will give thanks for the blessings we receive in answer to all these prayers.

We can be proud of our clear conscience. We have always lived honestly and sincerely, especially when we were with you. And we were guided by God's wonderful kindness instead of by the wisdom of this world.

I am not writing anything you cannot read and understand. I hope you will understand it completely,

just as you already partly understand us. Then when our Lord Jesus returns, you can be as proud of us as we are of you.

I was so sure of your pride in us that I had planned to visit you first of all. In this way you would have the blessing of two visits from me.

Once on my way to Macedonia and again on my return from there. Then you could send me on to Judea.

Do you think I couldn't make up my mind about what to do? Or do I seem like someone who says "Yes" or "No" simply to please others?

God can be trusted, and so can I, when I say that our answer to you has always been "Yes" and never "No."

This is because Jesus Christ the Son of God is always "Yes" and never "No." And he is the one that Silas, Timothy, and I told you about.

Christ says "Yes" to all of God's promises. That's why we have Christ to say "Amen" for us to the glory of God.

And so God makes it possible for you and us to stand firmly together with Christ. God is also the one who chose us

and put his Spirit in our hearts to show that we belong only to him.

God is my witness that I stayed away from Corinth, just to keep from being hard on you.

We are not bosses who tell you what to believe. We are working with you to make you glad, because your faith is strong.

In Paul's second letter to the Corinthians he is especially concerned with defending his apostleship against challenges by persons in the church at Corinth. This defense becomes apparent in the latter verses of chapter 1 (15-24). With awareness of Paul's defense of himself, one can also recognize it behind his greetings in the first part of the chapter. In these verses Paul speaks of his affliction for the cause of Christ and of the resulting comfort he received from Christ, both experiences which were "for your comfort and salvation." (1:6) He might also have asked if those accusing him had suffered for the cause of Christ and on their behalf, but he instead allowed that question to come to them naturally.

Paul addresses the issue more directly in verse 15 and following. In his first letter to the Corinthians he told of his plans to come to them on his way to Macedonia and spend the winter with them. But those plans had changed and now his accusers charged him with being unreliable. So Paul asks, "when I planned this, was I irresponsible?" (1:17) Furthermore, he asked, "do I plan in a purely human way so that I say 'Yes, yes' and 'No, no' simultaneously? " (1:17) In other words, did he speak out of both sides of his mouth saying one thing at one minute and another the next, contradicting himself? The inferred answer was 'no.' Then he gives the reason for his change of plans: "it was to spare you that I did not come to Corinth." (1:23) If he had gone to Corinth as planned, it would have been to exercise discipline, thus he spared them by delaying his plans. This truth he stated emphatically, invoking God as his witness. But even if he were to discipline them, he had no control of their faith. His relationship with them was not that of an overlord who exercised control over them, but instead that of a coworker who sought their joy.

Reflections on 1 Corinthians 16

2011-11-04T05:46:00.001-05:00

1 Corinthians 16

(Contemporary English Version)

When you collect money for God's people, I want you to do exactly what I told the churches in Galatia to do.

That is, each Sunday each of you must put aside part of what you have earned. If you do this, you won't have to take up a collection when I come.

Choose some followers to take the money to Jerusalem. I will send them on with the money and with letters which show that you approve of them.

If you think I should go along, they can go with me.

After I have gone through Macedonia, I hope to see you

and visit with you for a while. I may even stay all winter, so that you can help me on my way to wherever I will be going next.

If the Lord lets me, I would rather come later for a longer visit than to stop off now for only a short visit.

I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost,

because there is a wonderful opportunity for me to do some work here. But there are also many people who are against me.

When Timothy arrives, give him a friendly welcome. He is doing the Lord's work, just as I am.

Don't let anyone mistreat him. I am looking for him to return to me together with the other followers. So when he leaves, send him off with your blessings.

I have tried hard to get our friend Apollos to visit you with the other followers. He doesn't want to come just now, but he will come when he can.

Keep alert. Be firm in your faith. Stay brave and strong.

Show love in everything you do.

You know that Stephanas and his family were the first in Achaia to have faith in the Lord. They have done all they can for God's people. My friends, I ask you

to obey leaders like them and to do the same for all others who work hard with you.

I was glad to see Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus. Having them here was like having you.

They made me feel much better, just as they made you feel better. You should appreciate people like them.

Greetings from the churches in Asia. Aquila and Priscilla, together with the church that meets in their house, send greetings in the name of the Lord.

All of the Lord's followers send their greetings. Give each other a warm greeting.

I am signing this letter myself: PAUL.

I pray that God will put a curse on everyone who doesn't love the Lord. And may the Lord come soon.

I pray that the Lord Jesus will be kind to you.

I love everyone who belongs to Christ Jesus.

In this closing portion of Paul's letter, he leaves matters of doctrine to take care of an item of business, encourage the Corinthians to submit to their leaders, exhort them to do all things out of a motivation of love, and to charge them to be on guard against false teaching, standing firm in the faith.

Paul's comments to the Corinthians about their collection for the saints in Jerusalem in this passage along with similar passages to other churches, portray Paul's concept of Christian giving. First, it was proportionate, giving "to the extent that he prospers." (16:2) And second, it was regular, "On the first day of the week." (16:2) The first day of the week was when the church gathered to worship. Paul's recommendation to give on the first day of the week suggests that the contribution of offerings was considered a part of the worship practice.

Though Paul's exhortation to always act with love (16:14) is brief and appears to be only a passing comment, it should be considered a very central recap of this letter to the Corinthians. Actions motived with love would effectively address the issues Paul found necessary to address with them. Namely, self-indulgence leading to immoral activity and conflict among themselves.

Reflections on 1 Corinthians 15

2011-11-03T08:27:00.000-05:00

1 Corinthians 15

(Contemporary English Version)

My friends, I want you to remember the message that I preached and that you believed and trusted.

You will be saved by this message, if you hold firmly to it. But if you don't, your faith was all for nothing.

I told you the most important part of the message exactly as it was told to me. That part is: Christ died for our sins, as the Scriptures say.

He was buried, and three days later he was raised to life, as the Scriptures say.

Christ appeared to Peter, then to the twelve.

After this, he appeared to more than five hundred other followers. Most of them are still alive, but some have died.

He also appeared to James, and then to all of the apostles.

Finally, he appeared to me, even though I am like someone who was born at the wrong time.

I am the least important of all the apostles. In fact, I caused so much trouble for God's church that I don't even deserve to be called an apostle.

But God was kind! He made me what I am, and his wonderful kindness wasn't wasted. I worked much harder than any of the other apostles, although it was really God's kindness at work and not me.

But it doesn't matter if I preached or if they preached. All of you believed the message just the same.

If we preach that Christ was raised from death, how can some of you say that the dead will not be raised to life?

If they won't be raised to life, Christ himself wasn't raised to life.

And if Christ wasn't raised to life, our message is worthless, and so is your faith.

If the dead won't be raised to life, we have told lies about God by saying that he raised Christ to life, when he really did not.

So if the dead won't be raised to life, Christ wasn't raised to life.

Unless Christ was raised to life, your faith is useless, and you are still living in your sins.

And those people who died after putting their faith in him are completely lost.

If our hope in Christ is good only for this life, we are worse off than anyone else.

But Christ has been raised to life! And he makes us certain that others will also be raised to life.

Just as we will die because of Adam, we will be raised to life because of Christ.

Adam brought death to all of us, and Christ will bring life to all of us.

But we must each wait our turn. Christ was the first to be raised to life, and his people will be raised to life when he returns.

Then after Christ has destroyed all powers and forces, the end will come, and he will give the kingdom to God the Father.

Christ will rule until he puts all his enemies under his power,

and the last enemy he destroys will be death.

When the Scriptures say that he will put everything under his power, they don't include God. It was God who put everything under the power of Christ.

After everything is under the power of God's Son, he will put himself under the power of God, who put everything under his Son's power. Then God will mean everything to everyone.

If the dead are not going to be raised to life, what will people do who are being baptized for them? Why are they being baptized for those dead people?

And why do we always risk our lives

and face death every day? The pride that I have in you because of Christ Jesus our Lord is what makes me say this.

What do you think I gained by fighting wild animals in Ephesus? If the dead are not raised to life, "Let's eat and drink. Tomorrow we die."

Don't fool yourselves. Bad friends will destroy you.

Be sensible and stop sinning. You should be embarrassed that some people still don't know about God.

Some of you have asked, "How will the dead be raised to life? What kind of bodies will they have?"

Don't be foolish. A seed must die before it can sprout from the ground.

Wheat seeds and all other seeds look different from the sprouts that come up.

This is because God gives everything the kind of body he wants it to have.

People, animals, birds, and fish are each made of flesh, but none of them are alike.

Everything in the heavens has a body, and so does everything on earth. But each one is very different from all the others.

The sun isn't like the moon, the moon isn't like the stars, and each star is different.

That's how it will be when our bodies are raised to life. These bodies will die, but the bodies that are raised will live forever.

These ugly and weak bodies will become beautiful and strong.

As surely as there are physical bodies, there are spiritual bodies. And our physical bodies will be changed into spiritual bodies.

The first man was named Adam, and the Scriptures tell us that he was a living person. But Jesus, who may be called the last Adam, is a life-giving spirit.

We see that the one with a spiritual body did not come first. He came after the one who had a physical body.

The first man was made from the dust of the earth, but the second man came from heaven.

Everyone on earth has a body like the body of the one who was made from the dust of the earth. And everyone in heaven has a body like the body of the one who came from heaven.

Just as we are like the one who was made out of earth, we will be like the one who came from heaven.

My friends, I want you to know that our bodies of flesh and blood will decay. This means that they cannot share in God's kingdom, which lasts forever.

I will explain a mystery to you. Not every one of us will die, but we will all be changed.

It will happen suddenly, quicker than the blink of an eye. At the sound of the last trumpet the dead will be raised. We will all be changed, so that we will never die again.

Our dead and decaying bodies will be changed into bodies that won't die or decay.

The bodies we now have are weak and can die. But they will be changed into bodies that are eternal. Then the Scriptures will come true, "Death has lost the battle!

Where is its victory? Where is its sting?"

Sin is what gives death its sting, and the Law is the power behind sin.

But thank God for letting our Lord Jesus Christ give us the victory!

My dear friends, stand firm and don't be shaken. Always keep busy working for the Lord. You know that everything you do for him is worthwhile.

Paul comes to the central message of the gospel - Christ's death and resurrection. Unless one stands firmly on both doctrines, the preaching of the gospel is "without foundation, and so is your faith." (15:14) The Corinthian Christians still held to some of their pagan teachings, and one of these was the denial of a bodily resurrection. In their ignorance, their continued acceptance of this teaching destroyed the foundation of their new-found faith. If Christ could not and was not raised bodily from the dead, there was no victory over death and no power to save.

Paul verified Christ's death and resurrection by simply stating that He was buried and then appeared to over 500 believers. He would not have been buried had He not died, and would not have appeared to all those believers had He not been bodily resurrected. Many of those to whom He had appeared following His resurrection were still alive at Paul's writing and could confirm the resurrection.

Therefore, bodily resurrection of the dead was a reality despite the beliefs of some. Furthermore, the Corinthians (and everyone) need to realize that if Christ "perished," and "If we have placed our hope in Christ," then our hope is "for this life only," and "we should be pitied more than anyone." (15:18-19) One cannot accept this core Christian doctrine in parts without destroying the foundation of the Christian faith. It was not a system of concepts designed by man and therefore could be accepted in pieces as one may wish. It was designed by God with each part dependent on the other as they combat and destroy death itself. In so doing, "He has put everything under His feet." (15:27) But only if Christ was bodily raised from the dead and not still in the grave.

Reflections on 1 Corinthians 14

2011-11-02T09:08:00.002-05:00

1 Corinthians 14

(Contemporary English Version)

Love should be your guide. Be eager to have the gifts that come from the Holy Spirit, especially the gift of prophecy.

If you speak languages that others don't know, God will understand what you are saying, though no one else will know what you mean. You will be talking about mysteries that only the Spirit understands.

But when you prophesy, you will be understood, and others will be helped. They will be encouraged and made to feel better.

By speaking languages that others don't know, you help only yourself. But by prophesying you help everyone in the church.

I am glad for you to speak unknown languages, although I had rather for you to prophesy. In fact, prophesying does much more good than speaking unknown languages, unless someone can help the church by explaining what you mean.

My friends, what good would it do, if I came and spoke unknown languages to you and didn't explain what I meant? How would I help you, unless I told you what God had shown me or gave you some knowledge or prophecy or teaching?

If all musical instruments sounded alike, how would you know the difference between a flute and a harp?

If a bugle call isn't clear, how would you know to get ready for battle?

That's how it is when you speak unknown languages. If no one can understand what you are talking about, you will only be talking to the wind.

There are many different languages in this world, and all of them make sense.

But if I don't understand the language that someone is using, we will be like foreigners to each other.

If you really want spiritual gifts, choose the ones that will be most helpful to the church.

When we speak languages that others don't know, we should pray for the power to explain what we mean.

For example, if I use an unknown language in my prayers, my spirit prays but my mind is useless.

Then what should I do? There are times when I should pray with my spirit, and times when I should pray with my mind. Sometimes I should sing with my spirit, and at other times I should sing with my mind.

Suppose some strangers are in your worship service, when you are praising God with your spirit. If they don't understand you, how will they know to say, "Amen"?

You may be worshiping God in a wonderful way, but no one else will be helped.

I thank God that I speak unknown languages more than any of you.

But words that make sense can help the church. That's why in church I had rather speak five words that make sense than to speak ten thousand words in a language that others don't know.

My friends, stop thinking like children. Think like mature people and be as innocent as tiny babies.

In the Scriptures the Lord says, "I will use strangers who speak unknown languages to talk to my people. They will speak to them in foreign languages, but still my people won't listen to me."

Languages that others don't know may mean something to unbelievers, but not to the Lord's followers. Prophecy, on the other hand, is for followers, not for unbelievers.

Suppose everyone in your worship service started speaking unknown languages, and some outsiders or some unbelievers come in. Won't they think you are crazy?

But suppose all of you are prophesying when those unbelievers and outsiders come in. They will realize that they are sinners, and they will want to change their ways because of what you are saying.

They will tell what is hidden in their hearts. Then they will kneel down and say to God, "We are certain that you are with these people."

My friends, when you meet to worship, you must do everything for the good of everyone there. That's how it should be when someone sings or teaches or tells what God has said or speaks an unknown language or explains what the language means.

No more than two or three of you should speak unknown languages during the meeting. You must take turns, and someone should always be there to explain what you mean.

If no one can explain, you must keep silent in church and speak only to yourself and to God.

Two or three persons may prophesy, and everyone else must listen carefully.

If someone sitting there receives a message from God, the speaker must stop and let the other person speak.

Let only one person speak at a time, then all of you will learn something and be encouraged.

A prophet should be willing to stop and let someone else speak.

God wants everything to be done peacefully and in order. When God's people meet in church,

the women must not be allowed to speak. They must keep quiet and listen, as the Law of Moses teaches.

If there is something they want to know, they can ask their husbands when they get home. It is disgraceful for women to speak in church.

God's message did not start with you people, and you are not the only ones it has reached.

If you think of yourself as a prophet or a spiritual person, you will know that I am writing only what the Lord has commanded.

So don't pay attention to anyone who ignores what I am writing.

My friends, be eager to prophesy and don't stop anyone from speaking languages that others don't know.

But do everything properly and in order.

Paul's discussion of spiritual gifts continues in chapter 14. Apparently the self-indulgent attitudes of the Corinthian Christians led to rather chaotic worship services. It seems they were more concerned about flaunting their verbal gifts for personal attention than of building up each other. Meanwhile, unbelievers who came to those services were turned off and turned away by the chaos and lack of understanding.

To bring order out of the chaos, Paul addressed three issues. He gave instructions regarding the first two issues for orderly conduct but no prohibition. Concerning the third issues, however, he gave a prohibition. The first issue was the exercise of the spiritual gift of other languages in worship. This gift was intended "as a sign, not to believers but to unbelievers." (14:22) Therefore, its primary purpose is not for use in the worship service. Paul allowed, even encouraged, its use in worship, but only if used in moderation - only 2 or 3 speakers - and only if there is someone present who has the gift of interpretation. If there is no interpreter, "that person should keep silent in the church and speak to himself and to God." (14:28)

The second issue Paul addressed was the exercise of the spiritual gift of prophecy in worship. He upheld prophecy as a gift to be desired. It is a gift that "speaks to people for edification, encouragement, and consolation." (14:3) Whereas the person who has the gift of other languages "builds himself up," the one who prophesies "builds up the church." (14:4) Although prophesy is preferred in worship to other languages, it also should be used in an orderly fashion. Again, there should be only 2 or 3 speakers and then it should be evaluated by the congregation. If one is prophesying and another receives a prophesy while he is speaking, the first speaker should yield to the second. Though orderliness is a goal, love is a motivating factor.

A third issue Paul spoke to was women speaking publicly in the church. To this issue Paul gave a prohibition - don't speak. Remain silent. Paul's full meaning is controversial. Interpretations of his meaning are often approached with an agenda which is not the best approach for gaining understanding. Paul relates his statement on silence for women to submission and the law, though it is uncertain to which law he refers. Of primary concern in the context, however, is self-control aimed at orderliness in worship. This was the overarching concern Paul was addressing, and the women were evidently contributing to the problem. It is possible they were the primary ones misusing the gifts of other languages and prophesy in worship. Or were they raising questions to the point of disrupting the speakers? We can't know the problem exactly, but Paul told the women to take their questions to their husbands at home. Thus he was evidently primarily addressing married women. Does this infer that the men knew more about spiritual matters than their wives? I wouldn't jump to that conclusion, but I would say that it places a responsibility on a conscientious husband to seek proper answers with and for their wives, thus pushing him to grow.

In conclusion to this matter, Paul asks, "Did the word of God originate from you, or did it come to you only?" (14:36) This is an attitude that can be seen with many Christians in their approach to spiritual matters, somewhat implying they have the inside track with God. To such an attitude Paul speaks strongly, "recognize that what I write to you is the Lord's command. But if anyone ignores this, he will be ignored." (14:37-38)

Reflections on 1 Corinthians 13

2011-11-01T07:05:00.002-05:00

1 Corinthians 13

(Contemporary English Version)

What if I could speak all languages of humans and of angels? If I did not love others, I would be nothing more than a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

What if I could prophesy and understand all secrets and all knowledge? And what if I had faith that moved mountains? I would be nothing, unless I loved others.

What if I gave away all that I owned and let myself be burned alive? I would gain nothing, unless I loved others.

Love is kind and patient, never jealous, boastful, proud, or

rude. Love isn't selfish or quick tempered. It doesn't keep a record of wrongs that others do.

Love rejoices in the truth, but not in evil.

Love is always supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting.

Love never fails! Everyone who prophesies will stop, and unknown languages will no longer be spoken. All that we know will be forgotten.

We don't know everything, and our prophecies are not complete.

But what is perfect will someday appear, and what isn't perfect will then disappear.

When we were children, we thought and reasoned as children do. But when we grew up, we quit our childish ways.

Now all we can see of God is like a cloudy picture in a mirror. Later we will see him face to face. We don't know everything, but then we will, just as God completely understands us.

For now there are faith, hope, and love. But of these three, the greatest is love.

Paul concluded his discussion of spiritual gifts in chapter 12 with the statement: "I will show you an even better way." (12:31) Love is that better way. If the conflict in the Corinthian church and the member's self-indulgence were any indication, they were giving love a rather low priority. Through the eloquence of chapter 13, often referred to as the "love" chapter, Paul tells the Corinthians that love should be of greatest priority. When all has been said and all has been done and Christ returns, only love will remain. Love is eternal while everything else, including all of the great spiritual gifts, is temporary. Temporary, at least, in an eternal perspective.

Paul begins the chapter by relating love to the spiritual gifts which were his focus in chapter 12. These gifts are of considerable value and are Christ's tools to the church to carry on the mission He gave it, but they are of little value unless they are administered in love. Love gives them value. Jesus told His disciples that love would always be the identifying mark of His disciples: "By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:35) He didn't mention spiritual gifts or any other actions, only love.

From spiritual gifts Paul went to behaviors and attitudes that are elicited by love. The list makes one mindful of the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control. (Galatians 5:22) Love is placed first in this list. Whether or not that was intended to give it greatest importance, this 13th chapter in 1 Corinthians gives it that position. One can claim love toward others and toward God, but if these characteristics are not present in those relationships, neither is love.

Finally, Paul brings the chapter to a close with mention of the eternal nature of love. "Love never ends," he says. The only things that will remain after all else is gone, is "faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love." (13:13) Love is the factor that makes everything else work.

Reflections on 1 Corinthians 12

2011-10-31T06:56:00.000-05:00

1 Corinthians 12

(Contemporary English Version)

My friends, you asked me about spiritual gifts.

I want you to remember that before you became followers of the Lord, you were led in all the wrong ways by idols that cannot even talk.

Now I want you to know that if you are led by God's Spirit, you will say that Jesus is Lord, and you will never curse Jesus.

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but they all come from the same Spirit.

There are different ways to serve the same Lord,

and we can each do different things. Yet the same God works in all of us and helps us in everything we do.

The Spirit has given each of us a special way of serving others.

Some of us can speak with wisdom, while others can speak with knowledge, but these gifts come from the same Spirit.

To others the Spirit has given great faith or the power to heal the sick

or the power to work mighty miracles. Some of us are prophets, and some of us recognize when God's Spirit is present. Others can speak different kinds of languages, and still others can tell what these languages mean.

But it is the Spirit who does all this and decides which gifts to give to each of us.

The body of Christ has many different parts, just as any other body does.

Some of us are Jews, and others are Gentiles. Some of us are slaves, and others are free. But God's Spirit baptized each of us and made us part of the body of Christ. Now we each drink from that same Spirit.

Our bodies don't have just one part. They have many parts.

Suppose a foot says, "I'm not a hand, and so I'm not part of the body." Wouldn't the foot still belong to the body?

Or suppose an ear says, "I'm not an eye, and so I'm not part of the body." Wouldn't the ear still belong to the body?

If our bodies were only an eye, we couldn't hear a thing. And if they were only an ear, we couldn't smell a thing.

But God has put all parts of our body together in the way that he decided is best.

A body isn't really a body, unless there is more than one part.

It takes many parts to make a single body.

That's why the eyes cannot say they don't need the hands. That's also why the head cannot say it doesn't need the feet.

In fact, we cannot get along without the parts of the body that seem to be the weakest.

We take special care to dress up some parts of our bodies. We are modest about our personal parts,

but we don't have to be modest about other parts. God put our bodies together in such a way that even the parts that seem the least important are valuable.

He did this to make all parts of the body work together smoothly, with each part caring about the others.

If one part of our body hurts, we hurt all over. If one part of our body is honored, the whole body will be happy.

Together you are the body of Christ. Each one of you is part of his body.

First, God chose some people to be apostles and prophets and teachers for the church. But he also chose some to work miracles or heal the sick or help others or be leaders or speak different kinds of languages.

Not everyone is an apostle. Not everyone is a prophet. Not everyone is a teacher. Not everyone can work miracles.

Not everyone can heal the sick. Not everyone can speak different kinds of languages. Not everyone can tell what these languages mean.

I want you to desire the best gifts. So I will show you a much better way.

Paul, in chapter 12, addresses yet another abuse of the Corinthian Christians related to their self-indulgence. The exercise of spiritual gifts. He prefaces the subject by prividing a test by which they can discern genuine teachers. Many of them had been led astray in paganism, and having come out of that they were not equipped to discern false teachers. Besides their own self-indulgence, they were likely being fed wrong teaching by false teachers. The test of true Christian teachers and teaching is Jesus. What do they do with Jesus? Many talk about God but may not be referring to the one true God. The true God gave His Son, Jesus, as the way of salvation. Talk of God does not point to the true God unless it includes Jesus, crucified and resurrected on our behalf. Any teacher who cannot testify that "Jesus is Lord," is a false teacher.

Now, concerning spiritual gifts. Paul wanted the Corinthians to know that all spiritual gifts have the same source and purpose. That source is the Holy Spirit, and the purpose is "to produce what is beneficial" for the body, the church. Furthermore, the gifts are not given to individuals for their personal use, but for the benefit of the body. They have been "placed . . . in the church" by God. (12:28) In other words, they are the means by which God empowers the church to fulfill the disciple-making mission He has given it. At the time one receives Christ, they are "baptized by one Spirit into one body." It matters not a person's ethnicity or status in life, all are "made to drink of one Spirit." And in this baptism each receives a gift from the spirit enabling them to fulfill a function in the body of Christ - the church - thus enabling the church to fulfill its mission.

There were those in the Corinthian church who were evidently wanting to "hijack" their spiritual gifts for their own personal benefit rather than that of the church. In so doing, they were denying that their gifts belonged to the church. Thus Paul's comment, "If the foot should say, 'Because I'm not a hand, I don't belong to the body,' in spite of this it still belongs to the body." (12:15) There were also those who discredited the gifts of others, to whom Paul said, "So the eye cannot say to the hand, 'I don't need you!' nor again the head to the feet, 'I don't need you!'" (12:21) Still others, wanting more recognition, were pretending to have gifts they didn't have. To these Paul said, "If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were an ear, where would be the sense of smell?" (12:17)

It is puzzling why the church so often gives so little attention to these gifts of the spirit when it is God's gift to the church to be what He intends for it to be. The lack of attention or misuse of these gifts of the Spirit is a key reason for ineffectiveness of the church.

Reflections on 1 Corinthians 11

2011-10-28T07:44:00.000-05:00

1 Corinthians 11

(Contemporary English Version)

You must follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

I am proud of you, because you always remember me and obey the teachings I gave you.

Now I want you to know that Christ is the head over all men, and a man is the head over a woman. But God is the head over Christ.

This means that any man who prays or prophesies with something on his head brings shame to his head.

But any woman who prays or prophesies without something on her head brings shame to her head. In fact, she may as well shave her head.

A woman should wear something on her head. It is a disgrace for a woman to shave her head or cut her hair. But if she refuses to wear something on her head, let her cut off her hair.

Men were created to be like God and to bring honor to God. This means that a man should not wear anything on his head. Women were created to bring honor to men.

It was the woman who was made from a man, and not the man who was made from a woman.

He wasn't created for her. She was created for him.

And so, because of this, and also because of the angels, a woman ought to wear something on her head, as a sign of her authority.

As far as the Lord is concerned, men and women need each other.

It is true that the first woman came from a man, but all other men have been given birth by women. Yet God is the one who created everything.

Ask yourselves if it is proper for a woman to pray without something on her head.

Isn't it unnatural and disgraceful for men to have long hair?

But long hair is a beautiful way for a woman to cover her head.

This is how things are done in all of God's churches, and that's why none of you should argue about what I have said.

Your worship services do you more harm than good. I am certainly not going to praise you for this.

I am told that you can't get along with each other when you worship, and I am sure that some of what I have heard is true.

You are bound to argue with each other, but it is easy to see which of you have God's approval.

When you meet together, you don't really celebrate the Lord's Supper.

You even start eating before everyone gets to the meeting, and some of you go hungry, while others get drunk.

Don't you have homes where you can eat and drink? Do you hate God's church? Do you want to embarrass people who don't have anything? What can I say to you? I certainly cannot praise you.

I have already told you what the Lord Jesus did on the night he was betrayed. And it came from the Lord himself. He took some bread in his hands.

Then after he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is given for you. Eat this and remember me."

After the meal, Jesus took a cup of wine in his hands and said, "This is my blood, and with it God makes his new agreement with you. Drink this and remember me."

The Lord meant that when you eat this bread and drink from this cup, you tell about his death until he comes.

But if you eat the bread and drink the wine in a way that isn't worthy of the Lord, you sin against his body and blood.

That's why you must examine the way you eat and drink.

If you fail to understand that you are the body of the Lord, you will condemn yourselves by the way you eat and drink.

That's why many of you are sick and weak and why a lot of others have died.

If we carefully judge ourselves, we won't be punished.

But when the Lord judges and punishes us, he does it to keep us from being condemned with the rest of the world.

My dear friends, you should wait until everyone gets there before you start eating.

If you really are hungry, you can eat at home. Then you won't condemn yourselves when you meet together. After I arrive, I will instruct you about the other matters.

Paul continues, in chapter 11, to address the self-indulgence of the Corinthian Christians. It is important to keep in mind this context as Paul addresses the issue of women with uncovered heads and indulgences in the observance of the Lord's Supper.

Concerning women, Paul's position is this: "Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of the woman, and God is the head of Christ." (11:3) Therefore, he says, "Every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head." (11:5) The covering of the woman's head represent her subordination to the man and to Christ. This is controversial with many in today's society. But however one wishes to interpret this teaching and its application to the present-day church, the underriding principle remains the same. Paul's teaching that women should have their heads covered and that they should recognize their husbands as their head was the custom of his day, and the Corinthian Christians in their insistence on exercising their liberties had included this liberty. But the exercise of their liberties, this one included, was causing conflict in the church and reflecting shamefully upon the Christian community outside the church.

Expression of personal freedoms is contradictory for a disciple of Christ who taught and practiced submission and self-sacrifice. The exercise of personal freedoms is also contradictory to the exercise of love toward one another. It was this love for one another that Paul lifted up as the guide one's behavior in all matters. One does not well reflect Christ in their actions by insisting on their right to express personal freedom. Nor will one be effective in promoting the gospel by the exercise of their personal freedoms, which will ultimately come into conflict with another's freedoms.

Self-indulgence and the Lord's Supper are especially contradictory. But this contradiction was taking place in the Corinthian church. The wealthy were overeating and drinking to the point of becoming drunk, while the poor within the church were going hungry. How can one commemorate Christ's sacrifice on their behalf while indulging themselves? Love and submission toward others, not indulgence of self and rights, are the rule for the Christian who is a serious disciple of Christ.

Reflections on 1 Corinthians 10

2011-10-27T08:15:00.001-05:00

1 Corinthians 10

(Contemporary English Version)

Friends, I want to remind you that all of our ancestors walked under the cloud and went through the sea.

This was like being baptized and becoming followers of Moses.

All of them also ate the same spiritual food

and drank the same spiritual drink, which flowed from the spiritual rock that followed them. That rock was Christ.

But most of them did not please God. So they died, and their bodies were scattered all over the desert.

What happened to them is a warning to keep us from wanting to do the same evil things.

They worshiped idols, just as the Scriptures say, "The people sat down to eat and drink. Then they got up to dance around." So don't worship idols.

Some of those people did shameful things, and in a single day about twenty-three thousand of them died. Don't do shameful things as they did.

And don't try to test Christ, as some of them did and were later bitten by poisonous snakes.

Don't even grumble, as some of them did and were killed by the destroying angel.

These things happened to them as a warning to us. All this was written in the Scriptures to teach us who live in these last days.

Even if you think you can stand up to temptation, be careful not to fall.

You are tempted in the same way that everyone else is tempted. But God can be trusted not to let you be tempted too much, and he will show you how to escape from your temptations.

My friends, you must keep away from idols.

I am speaking to you as people who have enough sense to know what I am talking about.

When we drink from the cup that we ask God to bless, isn't that sharing in the blood of Christ? When we eat the bread that we break, isn't that sharing in the body of Christ?

By sharing in the same loaf of bread, we become one body, even though there are many of us.

Aren't the people of Israel sharing in the worship when they gather around the altar and eat the sacrifices offered there?

Am I saying that either the idols or the food sacrificed to them is anything at all?

No, I am not! That food is really sacrificed to demons and not to God. I don't want you to have anything to do with demons.

You cannot drink from the cup of demons and still drink from the Lord's cup. You cannot eat at the table of demons and still eat at the Lord's table.

We would make the Lord jealous if we did that. And we are not stronger than the Lord.

Some of you say, "We can do whatever we want to!" But I tell you that not everything may be good or helpful.

We should think about others and not about ourselves.

However, when you buy meat in the market, go ahead and eat it. Keep your conscience clear by not asking where the meat came from.

The Scriptures say, "The earth and everything in it belong to the Lord."

If an unbeliever invites you to dinner, and you want to go, then go. Eat whatever you are served. Don't cause a problem for someone's conscience by asking where the food came from.

But if you are told that it has been sacrificed to idols, don't cause a problem by eating it. I don't mean a problem for yourself, but for the one who told you. Why should my freedom be limited by someone else's conscience?

(SEE 10:28)

If I give thanks for what I eat, why should anyone accuse me of doing wrong?

When you eat or drink or do anything else, always do it to honor God.

Don't cause problems for Jews or Greeks or anyone else who belongs to God's church.

I always try to please others instead of myself, in the hope that many of them will be saved.

After defending his apostleship in chapter 9, Paul returns to the topic of idolatry in particular, and other sinful practices in general. The Corinthian Christians were a proud bunch boasting of their spiritual prowess and competing over who was best in spiritual matters. It was likely for this reason that Paul reminded them of the experiences of the Israelites of old. They were a privileged people in a number of ways. They had divine guidance (under the cloud), had received God's miraculous deliverance from Egypt (passed through the sea), etc., but this didn't stop God from disciplining them severely: "God was not pleased with most of them, for they were struck down in the desert." (10:5)

Paul then told them, "Now these things became examples for us, so that we will not desire evil as they did." (10:6) If this were true of Israel, whose standing with God was unquestionable, it was also true for the Corinthian Christians who were boasting of their spiritual standing yet still delving into idolatry and other sins. Thus Paul warned them against idolatry, sexual immorality, tempting Christ, and complaining. He seemed most concerned, however, about idolatry. Many had come out of idolatry and likely had friends who were still in it, so it was tempting for them to continue to dabble in idolatry thinking there was no harm. But Paul told them that sacrifices to idols were actually sacrifices to demons, and they should not partner themselves with demons. They could not go from participating in the Lord's Supper (the Lord's Table) and the table of demons.

Paul then repeated what he had told them before: "'Everything is permissible,' but not everything is helpful. 'Everything is permissible,' but not everything builds up." (10:23) Though participation is sacrifices to idols was off limits, eating the meat used in these sacrifices that was sold in the market could be done in good conscience. However, when buying their meat they should not raise the question of its origen. Buy the meat, no questions asked. And if invited to the home of an unbeliever they should eat the meat without raising question as to its origen. But if another person points out that the meat was offered to an idol, then they should not eat it. Why? For the benefit of the person who might point it out. It would be due to their own conscience that they should pointed it out, and it would do harm to them to go ahead and eat it. When considering our Christian liberties, I believe Paul would say, "What will it hurt?" is the wrong question when considering an action. The better question would be, "How will it help?"

Reflections on 1 Corinthians 9

2011-10-26T06:45:00.001-05:00

1 Corinthians 09

(Contemporary English Version)

I am free. I am an apostle. I have seen the Lord Jesus and have led you to have faith in him.

Others may think that I am not an apostle, but you are proof that I am an apostle to you.

When people question me, I tell them

that Barnabas and I have the right to our food and drink.

We each have the right to marry one of the Lord's followers and to take her along with us, just as the other apostles and the Lord's brothers and Peter do.

Are we the only ones who have to support ourselves by working at another job?

Do soldiers pay their own salaries? Don't people who raise grapes eat some of what they grow? Don't shepherds get milk from their own goats?

I am not saying this on my own authority. The Law of Moses tells us not to muzzle an ox when it is grinding grain. But was God concerned only about an ox?

(SEE 9:8)

No, he wasn't! He was talking about us. This was written in the Scriptures so that all who plow and all who grind the grain will look forward to sharing in the harvest.

When we told the message to you, it was like planting spiritual seed. So we have the right to accept material things as our harvest from you.

If others have the right to do this, we have an even greater right. But we haven't used this right of ours. We are willing to put up with anything to keep from causing trouble for the message about Christ.

Don't you know that people who work in the temple make their living from what is brought to the temple? Don't you know that a person who serves at the altar is given part of what is offered?

In the same way, the Lord wants everyone who preaches the good news to make a living from preaching this message.

But I have never used these privileges of mine, and I am not writing this because I want to start now. I would rather die than have someone rob me of the right to take pride in this.

I don't have any reason to brag about preaching the good news. Preaching is something God told me to do, and if I don't do it, I am doomed.

If I preach because I want to, I will be paid. But even if I don't want to, it is still something God has sent me to do.

What pay am I given? It is the chance to preach the good news free of charge and not to use the privileges that are mine because I am a preacher.

I am not anyone's slave. But I have become a slave to everyone, so that I can win as many people as possible.

When I am with the Jews, I live like a Jew to win Jews. They are ruled by the Law of Moses, and I am not. But I live by the Law to win them.

And when I am with people who are not ruled by the Law, I forget about the Law to win them. Of course, I never really forget about the law of God. In fact, I am ruled by the law of Christ.

When I am with people whose faith is weak, I live as they do to win them. I do everything I can to win everyone I possibly can.

I do all this for the good news, because I want to share in its blessings.

You know that many runners enter a race, and only one of them wins the prize. So run to win!

Athletes work hard to win a crown that cannot last, but we do it for a crown that will last forever.

I don't run without a goal. And I don't box by beating my fists in the air.

I keep my body under control and make it my slave, so I won't lose out after telling the good news to others.

Paul is defending his apostleship in this chapter. There were some in Corinth who questioned that he was an apostle since he was not one of the twelve and had not seen Jesus. Paul's claim, though not made here, was that he had seen Jesus on the road to Damascus. In this passage, Paul's claim to apostleship was based on two factors: the Corinthians themselves, and his refusal to accept support from his ministry.

The first factor Paul used only with the Corinthians as he pointed out in verse 2: "If I am not an apostle to others, at least I am to you, for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord." He was their spiritual father which he saw as evidence of his appointment by the Lord. But it was the second factor that was his main defense of his apostleship: "My defense to those who examine me is this: Don't we have the right to eat and drink?" (9:3-4) To this question, could be added "at the expense of the church?" This was the first of several questions aimed at his right as a minister of the gospel to receive support from the church for his ministry as did other ministers. However, he refused support from the church choosing to support himself through tentmaking so no one could question his motives. He did not preach the gospel for personal gain.

Though he voluntarily gave himself fully to preaching the gospel without remuneration, it was not something about which he could boast, for he had no choice. "Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!" (9:16) He was compelled by Christ to preach. Furthermore, he said, "Although I am free from all people, I have made myself a slave to all, in order to win more people." (9:19) If he were not an apostle would he have any other motivation to do these things and make these personal sacrifices to preach the gospel? Not likely. His only other motive would be personal gain and he had given up any source of personal gain - both materially and in recognition. Besides material gain recognition and honor would be the other motivation, but he had chosen to be a slave to everyone instead of being served by them.

Reflections on 1 Corinthians 8

2011-10-25T06:32:00.001-05:00

1 Corinthians 08

(Contemporary English Version)

In your letter you asked me about food offered to idols. All of us know something about this subject. But knowledge makes us proud of ourselves, while love makes us helpful to others.

In fact, people who think they know so much don't know anything at all.

But God has no doubts about who loves him.

Even though food is offered to idols, we know that none of the idols in this world are alive. After all, there is only one God.

Many things in heaven and on earth are called gods and lords, but none of them really are gods or lords.

We have only one God, and he is the Father. He created everything, and we live for him. Jesus Christ is our only Lord. Everything was made by him, and by him life was given to us.

Not everyone knows these things. In fact, many people have grown up with the belief that idols have life in them. So when they eat meat offered to idols, they are bothered by a weak conscience.

But food doesn't bring us any closer to God. We are no worse off if we don't eat, and we are no better off if we do.

Don't cause problems for someone with a weak conscience, just because you have the right to eat anything.

You know all this, and so it doesn't bother you to eat in the temple of an idol. But suppose a person with a weak conscience sees you and decides to eat food that has been offered to idols.

Then what you know has destroyed someone Christ died for.

When you sin by hurting a follower with a weak conscience, you sin against Christ.

So if I hurt one of the Lord's followers by what I eat, I will never eat meat as long as I live.

Paul moves from the topic of marriage, in chapter 7, to the topic of helping those who are weaker in their faith, in chapter 8. He sets up his discussion of the topic by addressing one's motivation. Will the one stronger in their faith be motivated in their actions toward the weaker brother by their knowledge or their love? If by knowledge, then they are in danger of becoming inflated with pride and of harming the weaker brother. But if motivated by love they can build up the weaker brother. So between the two options, operating out of knowledge is a selfish and ignorant choice while operating out of love is a selfless and informed choice.

The principle of acting out of love toward a Christian brother rather than out of our knowledge can be applied to many situations, but in this instance, Paul applied it to the situation of eating meat offered to idols. Some, if not many, of the Corinthian Christians had come out of the Roman religions that worshipped idols. Although the knowledgeable Christian knew that idols were nothing and that "Food will not make us acceptable to God. We are not inferior if we don't eat, and we are not better if we do eat," (8:8) the conscience of those who had come out of these pagan religions was still troubled by eating this meat offered in worship to idols. The liberty of the knowledgeable Christians to eat the meat without pricking their conscience could ruin their weaker brothers. Therefore, rather than being critical of them they should exercise love and consideration toward them.

Paul did not issue a command not to eat meat offered to idols. The Corinthians were fully within their rights to eat such meat. He did, however, say they were sinning against Christ to "wound their (the brother's) weak conscience" by eating the meat. (8:12) He also stated his own intent: "if food causes my brother to fall, I will never again eat meat, so that I won't cause my brother to fall." (8:13) It should be pointed out that this giving up of Paul's rights in consideration of another is for the benefit of a weaker brother, not the satisfaction of a religious bigot.

Reflections on 1 Corinthians 7

2011-10-24T06:47:00.001-05:00

1 Corinthians 07

(Contemporary English Version)

Now I will answer the questions that you asked in your letter. You asked, "Is it best for people not to marry?"

Well, having your own husband or wife should keep you from doing something immoral.

Husbands and wives should be fair with each other about having sex.

A wife belongs to her husband instead of to herself, and a husband belongs to his wife instead of to himself.

So don't refuse sex to each other, unless you agree not to have sex for a little while, in order to spend time in prayer. Then Satan won't be able to tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

In my opinion that is what should be done, though I don't know of anything the Lord said about this matter.

I wish that all of you were like me, but God has given different gifts to each of us.

Here is my advice for people who have never been married and for widows. You should stay single, just as I am.

But if you don't have enough self-control, then go ahead and get married. After all, it is better to marry than to burn with desire.

I instruct married couples to stay together, and this is exactly what the Lord himself taught. A wife who leaves her husband

should either stay single or go back to her husband. And a husband should not leave his wife.

I don't know of anything else the Lord said about marriage. All I can do is to give you my own advice. If your wife isn't a follower of the Lord, but is willing to stay with you, don't divorce her.

If your husband isn't a follower, but is willing to stay with you, don't divorce him.

Your husband or wife who isn't a follower is made holy by having you as a mate. This also makes your children holy and keeps them from being unclean in God's sight.

If your husband or wife isn't a follower of the Lord and decides to divorce you, then you should agree to it. You are no longer bound to that person. After all, God chose you and wants you to live at peace.

And besides, how do you know if you will be able to save your husband or wife who isn't a follower?

In every church I tell the people to stay as they were when the Lord Jesus chose them and God called them to be his own. Now I say the same thing to you.

If you are already circumcised, don't try to change it. If you are not circumcised, don't get circumcised.

Being circumcised or uncircumcised isn't really what matters. The important thing is to obey God's commands.

So don't try to change what you were when God chose you.

Are you a slave? Don't let that bother you. But if you can win your freedom, you should.

When the Lord chooses slaves, they become his free people. And when he chooses free people, they become slaves of Christ.

God paid a great price for you. So don't become slaves of anyone else.

Stay what you were when God chose you.

I don't know of anything that the Lord said about people who have never been married. But I will tell you what I think. And you can trust me, because the Lord has treated me with kindness.

We are now going through hard times, and I think it is best for you to stay as you are.

If you are married, stay married. If you are not married, don't try to get married.

It isn't wrong to marry, even if you have never been married before. But those who marry will have a lot of trouble, and I want to protect you from that.

My friends, what I mean is that the Lord will soon come, and it won't matter if you are married or not.

It will be all the same if you are crying or laughing, or if you are buying or are completely broke.

It won't make any difference how much good you are getting from this world or how much you like it. This world as we know it is now passing away.

I want all of you to be free from worry. An unmarried man worries about how to please the Lord.

But a married man has more worries. He must worry about the things of this world, because he wants to please his wife.

So he is pulled in two directions. Unmarried women and women who have never been married worry only about pleasing the Lord, and they keep their bodies and minds pure. But a married woman worries about the things of this world, because she wants to please her husband.

What I am saying is for your own good--it isn't to limit your freedom. I want to help you to live right and to love the Lord above all else.

But suppose you are engaged to someone old enough to be married, and you want her so much that all you can think about is getting married. Then go ahead and marry. There is nothing wrong with that.

But it is better to have self-control and to make up your mind not to marry.

It is perfectly all right to marry, but it is better not to get married at all.

A wife should stay married to her husband until he dies. Then she is free to marry again, but only to a man who is a follower of the Lord.

However, I think I am obeying God's Spirit when I say she would be happier to stay single.

Paul, in this chapter, gives instructions concerning marriage, evidently in response to questions from the Corinthians. His instructions flow from a concern to avoid sexual immorality and a concern to serve the Lord. Out of his concern to serve the Lord, Paul recommends that one remain single if they are already single. Otherwise they have an obligation to meet the needs of their spouse and their attention is divided between their spouse and the Lord. However, not everyone has the self-control to remain single, and in such cases it is better to marry than to be drawn into sexual immorality.

So he will not be misunderstood, Paul gives other details to clarify his instructions. First of all, if one is already married they should remain married. His position is consistent with that of Christ that divorce should be avoided among Christians couples. However, if a Christian is married to a non-Christian and the non-Christian does not want to remain in the marriage, the Christian should let them go. "God has called you to peace," Paul says. (7:15) It is not good to try to hold a marriage together with strife. On the other hand, though, if the non-Christian in such a marriage wants to remain in the marriage, then by all means, the couple should remain together.

Paul further clarifies by saying that if one who is single chooses to marry, "you have not sinned," and if they choose to remain single, they have not sinned. (7:28) His advise to remain single is not a command but simply a recommendation to keep them from having difficulty. For in the circumstances of the time, Christians were experiencing persecution and one's choices must consider their spouse if they were married and not just their service to the Lord. One would be less encumbered if they were single. However, this is only good counsel if one is able to remain single and not "burn with desire." (7:9)

Reflections on 1 Corinthians 6

2011-10-21T04:14:00.001-05:00

1 Corinthians 06

(Contemporary English Version)

When one of you has a complaint against another, do you take your complaint to a court of sinners? Or do you take it to God's people?

Don't you know that God's people will judge the world? And if you are going to judge the world, can't you settle small problems?

Don't you know that we will judge angels? And if that is so, we can surely judge everyday matters.

Why do you take everyday complaints to judges who are not respected by the church?

I say this to your shame. Aren't any of you wise enough to act as a judge between one follower and another?

Why should one of you take another to be tried by unbelievers?

When one of you takes another to court, all of you lose. It would be better to let yourselves be cheated and robbed.

But instead, you cheat and rob other followers.

Don't you know that evil people won't have a share in the blessings of God's kingdom? Don't fool yourselves! No one who is immoral or worships idols or is unfaithful in marriage or is a pervert or behaves like a homosexual

will share in God's kingdom. Neither will any thief or greedy person or drunkard or anyone who curses and cheats others.

Some of you used to be like that. But now the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and the power of God's Spirit have washed you and made you holy and acceptable to God.

Some of you say, "We can do anything we want to." But I tell you that not everything is good for us. So I refuse to let anything have power over me.

You also say, "Food is meant for our bodies, and our bodies are meant for food." But I tell you that God will destroy them both. We are not supposed to do indecent things with our bodies. We are to use them for the Lord who is in charge of our bodies.

God will raise us from death by the same power that he used when he raised our Lord to life.

Don't you know that your bodies are part of the body of Christ? Is it right for me to join part of the body of Christ to a prostitute? No, it isn't!

Don't you know that a man who does that becomes part of her body? The Scriptures say, "The two of them will be like one person."

But anyone who is joined to the Lord is one in spirit with him.

Don't be immoral in matters of sex. That is a sin against your own body in a way that no other sin is.

You surely know that your body is a temple where the Holy Spirit lives. The Spirit is in you and is a gift from God. You are no longer your own.

God paid a great price for you. So use your body to honor God.

Paul addressed multiple issues in this chapter with a flow that tied them all together even though they may appear on the surface to be unrelated issues. Church members taking each other to court seems unrelated to sexual immorality, idolatry, and homosexuality, but Paul ties them together. In what way? As behaviors that are unfit for the kingdom of God. The unjust, which was Paul's charge of those who could not settle their differences outside of court, had no more place in the kingdom of God than the "sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, homosexuals, thieves, greedy people, drunkards, revilers, or swindlers." (6:9) It no more represented the "new command" (2 John 1:5) given Christians to love one another than did the actions of those who were sexually immoral, etc.

Christ modeled a new lifestyle for His followers of mutual submission. But neither mutual submission nor the new command of loving one another were the practice of those Corinthian Christians who were cheating their fellow Christians. But neither were they the practice of those being cheated who took the cheaters to court for settlement. Paul asked them why they would not rather "put up with injustice" than to take their fellow Christians to court. "Why not rather be cheated?" (6:7) There were no winners in this situation. Not those who cheated nor those being cheated who took them to court nor those in the church who simply stood idly by. Paul's question to them all was, "Can it be that there is not one wise person among you who will be able to arbitrate between his brothers?" (6:5) Instead of settling such matters within the church body they selected "those who have no standing in the church to judge." (6:4) Even though "the saints will judge the world," the saints were going to the world to settle their judgments. Paul told them that in this they were already experiencing "total defeat." (6:7)

Paul chided them with the saying, "everything is permissible for me," which was likely a common saying used by the Corinthians who considered themselves free from the law. But he also pointed out that although everything might be permissible not everything was helpful. Neither should they allow themselves to be "under the control of anything" which was happening through their permissiveness. Through their permissiveness they were allowing these behaviors to take precident over their love for one another. And of even greater concern was that they were dragging Christ into these situations with them. "Anyone joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him," Paul says. (6:17) Whether it be sexual immorality or parading injustices in the church before the world, they, as "members of Christ" were taking Him into it with themselves.

Those who are in Christ should never forget that we "are not your own," but have been "bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body." (6:19,20)

Reflections on 1 Corinthians 5

2011-10-20T06:27:00.000-05:00

1 Corinthians 05

(Contemporary English Version)

I have heard terrible things about some of you. In fact, you are behaving worse than the Gentiles. A man is even sleeping with his own stepmother.

You are proud, when you ought to feel bad enough to chase away anyone who acts like that.

I am with you only in my thoughts. But in the name of our Lord Jesus I have already judged this man, as though I were with you in person. So when you meet together and the power of the Lord Jesus is with you, I will be there too.

(SEE 5:3)

You must then hand that man over to Satan. His body will be destroyed, but his spirit will be saved when the Lord Jesus returns.

Stop being proud! Don't you know how a little yeast can spread through the whole batch of dough?

Get rid of the old yeast! Then you will be like fresh bread made without yeast, and that is what you are. Our Passover lamb is Christ, who has already been sacrificed.

So don't celebrate the festival by being evil and sinful, which is like serving bread made with yeast. Be pure and truthful and celebrate by using bread made without yeast.

In my other letter I told you not to have anything to do with immoral people.

But I wasn't talking about the people of this world. You would have to leave this world to get away from everyone who is immoral or greedy or who cheats or worships idols.

I was talking about your own people who are immoral or greedy or worship idols or curse others or get drunk or cheat. Don't even eat with them!

Why should I judge outsiders? Aren't we supposed to judge only church members?

God judges everyone else. The Scriptures say, "Chase away any of your own people who are evil."

Pride was at the root of the issues Paul addressed in the first four chapters, issues of thinking too highly of themselves and their spiritual status. Now pride is also at the root of this next issue Paul is addressing, that of sexual immorality in the church. How is pride related to this issue? Pride focuses one's attention on self giving little thought to others. Thus the Corinthian Christians were either ignoring the immorality in the church due to inattention beyond their own concerns or due to denial of anything that might take away from their perceived spiritual status. On the other hand, perhaps, as one commentator suggests, they were proud of their tolerance toward this offender. Regardless, both the pride and the ignoring of the immorality in their midst points to the accuracy of Paul's charge in chapter 3 that rather than being "spiritual people" they were "babies in Christ." (3:1)

Corinth was a city noted for the immoral and vicious habits of its people. But Paul makes it clear that this is not the target of his concern, saying he was "by no means referring to this world's immoral people . . . otherwise you would have to leave the world." (5:10) His concern was immorality in the church. In particular, a church member who was living, incestously, with his stepmother. This behavior went beyond the conduct of those outside the church. It was an infraction, even, of Roman law.

Paul gave two reasons for why the Corinthian church needed to address this issue: the potential spread of such behavior within the church, and to help the person caught up in this behavior. As for the first reason, Paul likened it to the Jewish practice of removing yeast from their houses during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. It illustrated the removal of sin. As yeast will permeate the whole batch of dough if not removed, so will be the effect of sin in the church. As for the second reason for addressing the issue, the Corinthian's ignoring of the problem was not helping the person caught up in the sin. It could even be perceived as approval of the behavior. Instead, Paul counseled them to disassociate themselves from this individual. In effect, to "turn that one over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the Day of the Lord." (5:5) If this seems unloving, we should remind ourselves that no one benefits by ignoring the situation. If dealt with in this manner, the church will benefit and hopefully the offender will also benefit. But whether he benefits or not, that will be his choice.

Reflections on 1 Corinthians 4

2011-10-19T06:58:00.000-05:00

1 Corinthians 04

(Contemporary English Version)

Think of us as servants of Christ who have been given the work of explaining God's mysterious ways.

And since our first duty is to be faithful to the one we work for,

it doesn't matter to me if I am judged by you or even by a court of law. In fact, I don't judge myself.

I don't know of anything against me, but that doesn't prove that I am right. The Lord is my judge.

So don't judge anyone until the Lord returns. He will show what is hidden in the dark and what is in everyone's heart. Then God will be the one who praises each of us.

Friends, I have used Apollos and myself as examples to teach you the meaning of the saying, "Follow the rules." I want you to stop saying that one of us is better than the other.

What is so special about you? What do you have that you were not given? And if it was given to you, how can you brag?

Are you already satisfied? Are you now rich? Have you become kings while we are still nobodies? I wish you were kings. Then we could have a share in your kingdom.

It seems to me that God has put us apostles in the worst possible place. We are like prisoners on their way to death. Angels and the people of this world just laugh at us.

Because of Christ we are thought of as fools, but Christ has made you wise. We are weak and hated, but you are powerful and respected.

Even today we go hungry and thirsty and don't have anything to wear except rags. We are mistreated and don't have a place to live.

We work hard with our own hands, and when people abuse us, we wish them well. When we suffer, we are patient.

When someone curses us, we answer with kind words. Until now we are thought of as nothing more than the trash and garbage of this world.

I am not writing to embarrass you. I want to help you, just as parents help their own dear children.

Ten thousand people may teach you about Christ, but I am your only father. You became my children when I told you about Christ Jesus,

and I want you to be like me.

That's why I sent Timothy to you. I love him like a son, and he is a faithful servant of the Lord. Timothy will tell you what I do to follow Christ and how it agrees with what I always teach about Christ in every church.

Some of you think I am not coming for a visit, and so you are bragging.

But if the Lord lets me come, I will soon be there. Then I will find out if the ones who are doing all this bragging really have any power.

God's kingdom isn't just a lot of words. It is power.

What do you want me to do when I arrive? Do you want me to be hard on you or to be kind and gentle?

In this chapter Paul brings to a climax the discussion regarding divisions in the church over leaders, thus becoming more direct. Using himself and Apollos as examples, he tells them that leaders are "servants of Christ and managers of God's mysteries." (4:1) As such, the expectation is that they be found faithfully executing their responsibilities as Christ's servants. Beyond that there can be no evaluation of a leader's effectiveness other than the Lord's evaluation. Any such evaluation by the Corinthians or any other Christians is premature, for when Christ returns He will bring to light things we cannot now know, including the intentions of the heart, and will give a true evaluation of one's work. Since church leaders are "managers of God's mysteries," only He knows the true effectiveness of the leaders. It cannot be measured by human standards.

This being the case, what is there to boast about? One person cannot be praised higher than another because the effectiveness of their efforts cannot be truly evaluated. Thus they should all be considered equal. Furthermore, what abilities or spiritual gifts does anyone have that they did not receive from God? And if they are gifts, what is there about which one can boast? Yet that is what they were doing. They were acting as if they had reached the pinnacle of spiritual heights at which Paul sardonically remarks, "Already you are rich! You have begun to reign as kings without us--and I wish you did reign, so that we also could reign with you!" (4:8)

This is not how it is with servants of Christ. Rather than being exalted they are often reviled and persecuted as was Christ. If they truly were spiritual giants, this is more likely their plight than being exalted. It was certainly Paul's plight. And as their spiritual father, he urged them to "be imitators of me." (4:16)

Reflections on 1 Corinthians 3

2011-10-18T06:41:00.003-05:00

1 Corinthians 03

(Contemporary English Version)

My friends, you are acting like the people of this world. That's why I could not speak to you as spiritual people. You are like babies as far as your faith in Christ is concerned.

So I had to treat you like babies and feed you milk. You could not take solid food, and you still cannot,

because you are not yet spiritual. You are jealous and argue with each other. This proves that you are not spiritual and that you are acting like the people of this world.

Some of you say that you follow me, and others claim to follow Apollos. Isn't that how ordinary people behave?

Apollos and I are merely servants who helped you to have faith. It was the Lord who made it all happen.

I planted the seeds, Apollos watered them, but God made them sprout and grow.

What matters isn't those who planted or watered, but God who made the plants grow.

The one who plants is just as important as the one who waters. And each one will be paid for what they do.

Apollos and I work together for God, and you are God's garden and God's building.

God was kind and let me become an expert builder. I laid a foundation on which others have built. But we must each be careful how we build,

because Christ is the only foundation.

Whatever we build on that foundation will be tested by fire on the day of judgment. Then everyone will find out if we have used gold, silver, and precious stones, or wood, hay, and straw.

(SEE 3:12)

We will be rewarded if our building is left standing.

But if it is destroyed by the fire, we will lose everything. Yet we ourselves will be saved, like someone escaping from flames.

All of you surely know that you are God's temple and that his Spirit lives in you.

Together you are God's holy temple, and God will destroy anyone who destroys his temple.

Don't fool yourselves! If any of you think you are wise in the things of this world, you will have to become foolish before you can be truly wise.

This is because God considers the wisdom of this world to be foolish. It is just as the Scriptures say, "God catches the wise when they try to outsmart him."

The Scriptures also say, "The Lord knows that the plans made by wise people are useless."

So stop bragging about what anyone has done. Paul and Apollos and Peter all belong to you. In fact, everything is yours, including the world, life, death, the present, and the future. Everything belongs to you,

(SEE 3:21)

and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.

Paul came back, in chapter 3, to the subject of the Corinthian's contentions over which leader they followed. Although they were boasting about whose disciple they were, Paul pointed out that their boasting was, itself, an indication that they were still "babies in Christ." (3:1) These contentions made them no different than ordinary people - unbelievers.

Beyond the indication of their spiritual immaturity, Paul gives at least three reasons Christians should not boast about which church leader they follow. The first is that all leaders in the church are merely "God's co-workers." Their roles are all of equal value. Though one may plant and another may water, the outcome is from God who gives the growth. Therefore, the members of the church make up the "field" in which the leaders are co-workers with God to bring growth. The field, of which each of them is a part, is God's field. Any boasting should be in Him, not the leaders.

A second reason the members of the church should not boast was aimed at its motivation. The members of the Corinthian church were boasting about which leader they followed because they thought it showed them to be wise in their selection of a leader. But this type of wisdom is foolishness with God. If the Corinthians wanted to be wise, they needed to first become foolish concerning man's wisdom so they may become wise in the things of God.

A third reason not to boast about leaders is that the Corinthian Christians were, above all, followers of Christ, and as such "no one should boast in men, for all things are yours." (3:21) There was no reason to position themselves over one another for they all belonged to Christ and therefore all things were theirs. There was no place for higher or lower or more or less. They were equals in Christ.