Daily Meditations on the Bible / We stand with Israel
So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?
Summary: Paul raises an interesting question. Does God work miracles through his law or through his Spirit?
Continue reading “Galatians 3:5 – Personal Miracles”Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?
Summary: Paul is very concerned about what is happening to the churches in Galatia.
Continue reading “Galatians 3:3 – Only Jesus”(Did you receive the Spirit) … by the works of the law …?
Summary: The “works of the law” are intended to show us our need for God, not answer that need.
Continue reading “Galatians 3:2c – The Greatest Command”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”“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”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 The old covenant law is obsolete, and the “new law” is to trust in Jesus.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”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”“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”… with all kinds of prayers and requests.
Summary: All who believe are called to be part of the body of Christ. As Paul reminds us, there are many different parts in the body. All of us need the armor of God, and all of us have questions.
Continue reading “Ephesians 6:18c – Request Granted”Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
Summary: In this passage, Paul makes us put on our thinking caps as we try to figure out what he means.
Continue reading “Ephesians 6:1 – Caveat”