Daily Meditations on the Bible / We stand with Israel
A woman should learn in quietness and full submission.
Summary: In this passage, Paul challenges us to examine the authorities in our lives.
I have not been looking forward to this at all.
Over the course of my lifetime, over seventy years now, I have lived in a world that has sought to erase the differences between men and women. This passage is the opposite of what society says, and not just by a little.
Continue reading “1 Timothy 2:11 – Did Paul Really Say That?”
… and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine…
Summary: Paul and Timothy both know what “sound doctrine” is. You can see it in the letter that Paul writes to Timothy.
Since this is part of one of Paul’s famous “paragraph long” sentences, let’s look back and see how we got here. He begins with an introduction: “We know that the law is good if one uses it properly.” Then he starts his sentence with, “We also know that the law is made… for lawbreakers and rebels…” Eventually, he gets around to “…and for whatever else is contrary to … sound doctrine…”
Continue reading “1 Timothy 1:10b – Sound Doctrine”
[The law is made for]… lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers …
Summary: Paul’s list of examples of false teachers who violate the law closely parallels God’s Ten Commandments.
If you squint when you look at this passage, it is possible to “see” the law Paul is talking about.
Continue reading “1 Timothy 1:9b-10a – Squinting”
We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for …
Summary: As Paul leads us into his list of people the law was made for, it is good to pause and consider our personal role in the Body of Christ.
Paul’s sentences can be difficult to follow. He says: ”We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for …”
Continue reading “1 Timothy 1:9a – Challenge Enough”
They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.
Summary: When we talk about being a teacher of the law, it is important to consider the source of the laws we are teaching. They are not all the same.
Before we move on, we need to spend a few minutes talking about the difference between God’s laws and man’s laws.
Continue reading “1 Timothy 1:7 – Part IV: Whose Law?”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”… to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Summary: Loving God is a big deal, especially for God. Learning to love God is a life-long endeavor.
Continue reading “Galatians 1:5 – Loving God”But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality,
Summary: People argue about all sorts of things, including morality and what it means to be “moral.” Paul tells us to avoid “even a hint” of immorality. Unpacking that concept in Christian terms opens the door to important insights about God.
Continue reading “Ephesians 5:3a – What God Thinks”Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands that they may have something to share with those in need.
Summary: Paul’s instruction in this verse is unusually blunt. If you are stealing, stop it! Do something useful! Share what you’ve earned with those in need.
Continue reading “Ephesians 4:28a – Something Useful”… through faith …
Summary: The idea of being saved “though faith” is a challenge for people who like to measure things.
Continue reading “Ephesians 2:8b – The Way Home”