Daily Meditations on the Bible / We stand with Israel
… and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.”
Summary: Paul presents us with a curious definition for the word “Gospel.” Understanding what he means requires us to unpack the concept of the Gospel and look at what it means.
Continue reading “Galatians 3:8b – Trail of Blood”If I rebuild what I destroyed, then I really would be a lawbreaker.
Summary: Keep up with Paul can be a challenge. In this passage he reflects on his personal journey with God’s law. The old covenant law is obsolete, and the “new law” is to trust in Jesus. If we try to mix the old with the new, we end up breaking the new law.
Continue reading “Galatians 2:19 – Old Laws and New”… in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us.
Summary: Paul has a detailed way of conveying his thoughts. Sometimes his meanings can be lost in the words. It is worth stopping to ponder what Paul is saying and think about the story behind the words.
Continue reading “Ephesians 1:7c – The Pardon”… through his blood, the forgiveness of sins …
Summary: Blood holds a unique place in Scripture and life. We cannot live without it. In the salvation narrative, blood is both the price of salvation and the symbol of salvation.
Continue reading “Ephesians 1:7b – The Big Death”In this way the priest will make atonement for them before the Lord, and they will be forgiven for any of the things they did that made them guilty.
Summary: Looking back over the Old Testament, we see the foundation for the New.
Continue reading “Leviticus 6:7 – At One”Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.
Summary: Our “daily bread” is something we need both physically and spiritually. Jesus provides us with both.
Continue reading “John 6:27 – Spiritual Food”
… and sprinkled with his blood…
Let’s continue with our deep dive into Peter’s opening words. We’ve talked about who and what Peter is and then moved into his description of the people he is writing to. Looking at the key concepts he has included it reads almost like a creed. We who believe are chosen by God, exiled from the world, known intimately by our Father, sanctified and continuing in sanctification to be obedient to Jesus Christ. And then we come to being sprinkled with his blood.
The thought of writing about this is daunting for me. I don’t even like the sight of blood. Yet being “sprinkled in blood” is an important part of Jewish history. It is one of the key prophetic pointers in the Old Testament that foretell the work of the Messiah.
Continue reading “1 Peter 1:2 (d) — Sprinkled”