Daily Meditations on the Bible / We stand with Israel
And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a true and faithful teacher of the Gentiles.
Summary: Paul’s claim of being a herald, apostle, and teacher requires that we decide whether or not to believe him.
How do we know what Paul is saying is true? He says he is telling the truth! He even tells us, “I am not lying…” Are you convinced?
Continue reading “1 Timothy 2:7 – Wild Claims”
…by the command of God our Savior …
Summary: Being an apostle is not all it’s cracked up to be. The work is hard, and the pay is lousy — at least from a worldly perspective.
Why would anyone become an apostle of Jesus Christ?
Does being an apostle give you status? Are people impressed by you being an apostle?
Continue reading “1 Timothy 1:1c – God’s Command”
…an apostle of Christ Jesus …
Summary: As we begin our study of Paul’s letter to Timothy, we are immediately confronted by a word that people argue over, even today. Clarifying what we mean by the word we choose helps resolve conflict and restore unity.
It is always helpful, when embarking on a discussion of any serious nature, to define terms.
Continue reading “1 Timothy 1:1b – Apostle”
Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice.
Summary: In this passage, Paul lays down a challenge: What or whom do you see in him?
If you heard an ordinary person say these words, you would have every right to question whether or not they were serious. You might rightly wonder if they were being egotistical. But Paul is no ordinary man.
Continue reading “Philippians 4:9a – No Ordinary Man”
It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.
Summary: This passage leaves us with both questions and answers. If done cautiously, it can be constructive to consider why Paul wrote what he did.
I notice that Paul says he is writing “again.”
Do you ever wonder what happened to Paul’s first letter to the Philippians?* I suppose that it must have been lost or misplaced. Perhaps, at some point, people started realizing that Paul’s letters were valuable.
Continue reading “Philippians 3:1b – Authority and Clarity”
This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God.
Summary: The Bible often mentions signs and wonders meaning miraculous events. The kind of “sign” Paul refers to in this passage is a bit different. Paul considers it a proof of things to come.
Generally speaking, Paul’s words about the Gospel are instructional. Yet, now and then, he makes an undeniably clear statement about good and bad, right and wrong.
In this passage, Paul makes such a statement.
Continue reading “Philippians 1:28b – Things to Come”… an apostle of Christ Jesus …
Summary: Paul begins by telling us who he is and, more importantly, who he represents.
Continue reading “Colossians 1:1b – The Right Path”For God, who was at work in Peter as an apostle to the circumcised, was also at work in me as an apostle to the Gentiles.
Summary: Looking at the history of the world in four parts helps bring into focus the challenges God faced in redeeming his creation.
Continue reading “Galatians 2:8 – World History in Four Parts”So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do …
Summary: Paul’s problem is that people who believe in God act differently than people who don’t. Being the “Apostle to the Gentiles” carried with it the added burden of educating Gentile believers about this difference.
Continue reading “Ephesians 4:17a – A Kind of Test”From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
Summary: Paul continues with his description of the body of Christ, and with it, we continue our exploration of what that means.
Continue reading “Ephesians 4:16 – What if God Sneezed?”