Daily Meditations on the Bible / We stand with Israel
Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law.
Summary: Paul continues his debate with himself by asking another question and answering it.
Continue reading “Galatians 3:21 – Promises, Promises”Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come.
Summary: Paul talks about the Law as if it were a thing of the past, and for the believer it is. Yet, for everyone who does not yet believe, the Law still exists and is still in force.
Continue reading “Galatians 3:19a – Waiting for Jesus, Part II”The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ.
Summary: Understanding God’s ways is the key to understanding Scripture. Both depend on our study of God’s Word. In today’s passage, Paul explains the meaning of the missing “s.”
Continue reading “Galatians 3:16 – The Missing “S””For he chose us in him before the creation of the world …
Summary: Paul’s insights can be logically challenging. The Word of God can seem non-sensical from a worldly point of view. Viewed correctly, everything makes sense.
Continue reading “Ephesians 1:4a – The Meaning of “Chose””The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed…
Summary: How big is God’s kingdom? Does it appear full-sized, or does it start small and grow on us?
Continue reading “Matthew 13:31-32 – The Smallest Seed”
Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.
Why do we come here? Why bother with this blog? I think the answer might be in today’s verse.
This passage, in the context of John’s gospel, is about Jesus. Like a seed, Jesus has to die before he can bear fruit for heaven. Without redemption for sins, His creation stands condemned. Both He and the Father are righteous and just. They would have to be honest with themselves and find that the whole thing has to be chucked into the garbage bin.
By dying on the cross in the manner He does, Jesus makes it possible to redeem His creation. He now has the power to say to each of us, “Your sins are paid for. You are mine.” In this way, he redeems His creation so it can be salvaged from the trash.
During his ministry, Jesus used seeds as an illustration to explain several heavenly concepts. One of those concepts was the work he was doing on earth (1). He also uses the metaphor for seeds to explain the Kingdom of Heaven (2) and the concept of Faith itself (3). In Mark 4: 28 – 29 Jesus uses the seed illustration to explain that it is not the gardener who makes things grow, but God. Finally, we get to today’s verse where Jesus uses the seed allegory to explain his reason for dying on the cross. He also alludes to our own need to die to this world.
So why bother with this blog?
Continue reading “Seeds – John 12: 24”