… so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
Summary: How we look at faith may determine how God looks at us.
Continue reading “Galatians 3:14b – The Wind Blows”Galatians 2:21 – The Knife’s Edge
I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!
Summary: Paul has led us up the mountainous trail of his logical reasoning for many verses. We are finally at the top of the mountain, where Paul presents us with a choice. We can jump off on one side or the other, but not both.
Continue reading “Galatians 2:21 – The Knife’s Edge”Galatians 2:20c – Christ in Me (Part 2)
… but Christ lives in me.
Summary: Understanding that we have an invisible spiritual self is one thing. Understanding that Jesus wants to be with us is another.
Continue reading “Galatians 2:20c – Christ in Me (Part 2)”Galatians 2:20c – Christ in Me (Part 1)
… but Christ lives in me.
Summary: As we look at this passage, the first question that confronts us is existential. Are we purely physical beings, or is there something more, some invisible part of us that only God can see?
Continue reading “Galatians 2:20c – Christ in Me (Part 1)”Galatians 2:20a – Crucified with Christ
I have been crucified with Christ …
Summary: When Paul says he has been “crucified with Christ,” he is speaking metaphorically.
Continue reading “Galatians 2:20a – Crucified with Christ”Galatians 2:19a – Walking Away
“For through the law I died to the law …”
Summary: The complexities of Paul’s logic can be difficult to follow. Here, we explore the meanings of life and death and how they relate to the laws of the old covenant.
Continue reading “Galatians 2:19a – Walking Away”Galatians 2:17 – Crime and Punishment
But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the sinners, doesn’t that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not!
Summary: Paul tackles a legalistic conundrum as only Paul can. He lassos it, hogties it, and then throws it in our faces demanding that we confront his argument head-on.
Continue reading “Galatians 2:17 – Crime and Punishment”Galatians 2:15 – The Godly Goal
“We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles …”
Summary: Paul is striving to explain to the Galatians why it is dangerous to pretend that we can win God’s favor by something as simple as circumcision.
Continue reading “Galatians 2:15 – The Godly Goal”Ephesians 6:24 – Undying Love
Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.
Summary: God wants more than recognition and obedience. He wants our love, too. In this closing passage from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, we find ourselves looking into the heart of our Lord Jesus.
Continue reading “Ephesians 6:24 – Undying Love”Ephesians 5:23 – The Bride-Price
For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.
Summary: At first glance this passage seems to imbue husbands with authority, but on closer examination we see that the point of Paul’s words is very different. You might say they are humbling.
Continue reading “Ephesians 5:23 – The Bride-Price”