Daily Meditations on the Bible / We stand with Israel
[…the sound doctrine] that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God…
Summary: Paul’s definition of sound doctrine depends on an understanding of the Gospel.
Paul began this passage talking about using the law “properly” (1 Timothy 1:8). This inspired a frenzy of meditations dealing with judging, law, covenants, and Paul’s examples of what the law is used for.
Continue reading “1 Timothy 1:11a – Good News!”
Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence…
Summary: Paul’s commendation of the Philippians’ obedience points us to a vital truth: that true obedience is only possible when we rely on God to guide us.
Paul’s words about obedience in this passage are like a key that opens many doors. One door leads to doing God’s will. The others, however many there are, lead into darkness.
Discerning the right door without God’s help is beyond human understanding.
Continue reading “Philippians 2:12a – Trust and Obey”
… he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—
Summary: Examining Christ’s humility and obedience opens a fascinating line of inquiry into our Lord’s personality and the world we live in.
Arrogance is the opposite of humility.
Another way of putting it is that arrogance is “self-centered,” while humility is not.
Continue reading “Philippians 2:8b – Our Selfless God”
And being found in appearance as a man…
Summary: Paul is walking us through what it means to think like Jesus. His understanding of the Lord is reflected in the clarity of his description of what sets Jesus apart.
Paul is in the middle of describing the mindset of Jesus Christ.
Whatever you might think of Jesus, it seems obvious he was in a pickle. Here he was, the one through whom all things were made (John 1:3), reduced to being a social outcast in his own creation. (His disciple, Nathanael, when he found out Jesus was from Nazareth, said: “Can anything good come from there?” — John 1:46).
Continue reading “Philippians 2:8a – Two Things”
… and he began to teach them.
Summary: Jesus’ role as a “son” defines him in an entirely different way from who he is as a God, Creator, and King.
God, Creator, and King are three radically different roles for one person to occupy. Even with just these three aspects to consider, the implications are staggering. Yet we have only begun to explore the various roles that Jesus fills. Of those that are left to discuss, his role as “Son” is perhaps the most important.
Continue reading “Matthew 5:2 — Who is Jesus? Part IV — Son”
… filled with the fruit of righteousness…
Summary: In this passage, Paul answers the question, “Are we righteous because of what we do or because of who we know?”
As we near the end of Paul’s prayer, it is good to step back and look at the whole thought before diving into our passage for this meditation. Paul writes:
Continue reading “Philippians 1:11a – Herding Cats”
Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything …
Summary: Understanding Paul’s words often depends on understanding the Greek word he uses. In this case, the word “slave” can be misleading if we don’t look deeper.
The use of the word “slaves” in this passage is disturbing to a lot of people. It should be. Forcing people to serve us under threat of torture or death is horrible. It is basically stealing people’s lives from them.
If this passage were all about slaves, we could skip it and move on.
Continue reading “Colossians 3:22a – Doing Our Job Well”Not even those who are circumcised keep the law …
Summary: Keeping the law is simple, but that doesn’t mean it is easy.
Continue reading “Galatians 6:13a – Keeping the Law”Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.
Summary: What does it mean to live in faith? How do we act when we are no longer under a guardian? These questions haunt everyone who strives to live a life of faith in Jesus.
Continue reading “Galatians 3:25 – Into the Light”Be very careful, then, how you live —
Summary: Once again, we are confronted by the question of “works.” Paul tells us to be careful how we live, yet we know that we are justified by faith and forgiven by the blood of Jesus (Ephesians 1:7-8). So what’s the big deal?
Continue reading “Ephesians 5:15a – So What?”