Tag: Nicodemus

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2 Timothy 1:2c – One God

A young man is looking up from his Bible with a puzzled look on his face. (Grok)

…from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Summary: Paul’s use of both the Father and the Son point us to an enduring truth. 

When Paul gifts Timothy with “grace, mercy, and peace,” he doesn’t just say “from God.” Instead, he points us to two different beings: God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 

What do you think of when you read that? Does it make you wonder if you should pray to both of them when you pray? Jesus famously said, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). Doesn’t that mean that praying to one is the same as praying to the other? 

The answer to these questions has to do with the difficulty we humans have in understanding the amazing dynamics of the spiritual realm. 

When Jesus was talking with Nicodemus, he explained that for people to see the kingdom of God, they have to be “born again” (John 3:3). Nicodemus is puzzled. He doesn’t understand at all. Jesus, in turn, expresses amazement at Nicodemus’s puzzlement:

“I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?” (John 3:12)

How indeed!

Look at how the Bible portrays Jesus in the Book of Revelation: 

“…among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. 15 His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.” (Revelation 1:13-16)

Among the descriptors is a sword coming out of his mouth? Why? 

Later, John writes: 

“Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.” (Revelation 5:6)

Here we see Jesus as a lamb, looking dead, with seven eyes.

What is going on here? 

The Bible uses images to reveal God’s nature to us. If Paul uses both names, that doesn’t change the fact that Jesus and the Father are one. 

Application: “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” — Jesus, John 14:9 

Food for Thought: What is the best way for us to approach these kinds of statements about God? 

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2 Timothy 1:1b – Been There Done That

Jesus and Nicodemus converse at night (Grok)

… according to the promise of the life which is in Christ Jesus…

Summary: Paul’s wording in this passage gives us a reason to pause and ponder.   

Paul doesn’t waste any time in this letter. Already, before the ink is dry on his first sentence, I have questions about what he is saying. At least this time I am not alone! 

Translators have issues with this sentence, too. The translation used for the passage above is the World English Bible (WEB). The NIV says it almost the same way: 

“…in keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus…”

The Darby Translation says it a bit differently and may capture the intent of the Greek better than most: 

“Paul, apostle of Jesus Christ by God’s will, according to promise of life, the [life] which [is] in Christ Jesus…”

Let’s go with this translation for now. What is the life which is in Christ Jesus? Jesus says: 

“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will still live, even if he dies.” (John 11:25, WEB)

There is a technical phrase for what this sentence does to the human brain. It is “cognitive dissonance.” A more colloquial way to put it would be, “Jesus, you grind my gears!” 

How can I still live, even if I die?

It turns out that there are two kinds of life and death. The one we all know about is the kind of life we have when our body is working well, and the death we experience when the body stops working. But what about our inner self? What about the invisible, spiritual, personal “ME” that is inside of me and is where my thinking and feelings occur? 

The invisible part of us doesn’t just go out when we die, like blowing out a candle. Instead, it continues to exist only without the complications of a physical body. How do I know this? 

The best evidence is Jesus Christ himself. That he lived two thousand years ago is not contested. Some people claim that he didn’t really die on the cross, but the evidence that he did is overwhelming. Nobody survives being whipped to near death, crucified, and then run through to the heart with a lance. 

It is Jesus himself who provides evidence of life after death, and it is his conversation with Nicodemus that explains why he knows: 

“ I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.” (John 3:12-13)

He has “been there, done that,” as they say. 

Application: Trust Jesus—he knows! 

Food for Thought: What does the word “life” mean the way Paul is using it in his sentence? 

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Philippians 1:21 – The Fish and the Camel

a picture of a goldfish in a fishbowl and a camel in profile staring at each other from opposite sides of the glass. (Grok)

 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Summary: Death and dying are subjects most people don’t like to talk about, yet each of us will have to confront death at some point. In this passage, Paul’s words give us a clue as to what is waiting for us on the other side of the doorway called death. 

When is dying a “good” thing? 

Paul seems to be wrestling with this question as he considers the pros and cons of life in the flesh compared to life in the spirit. 

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Colossians 3:10b – Strange Words

A picture of the words "renewed, knowledge, image, and Creator" floating against a background of space.

… which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 

Summary: Paul’s words in this passage offer a tantalizing glimpse into the revelation he received about Jesus Christ and his Gospel. 

This passage is one of the “Top Ten” most interesting passages in Colossians. The phrase “renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator” suggests various meanings that stir the imagination. 

What does Paul mean? 

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