Did you know that the Bible tells us that there are certain things we shouldn’t even talk about? The apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 5: “But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints” (5:3). Nine verses later, Paul adds: “For it is shameful … Continue reading Some Things Shouldn’t Even Be Talked About (Ephesians 5:3,12)
Tag: Apostle Paul
Whether-by-Life-or-Death Prayers
In Philippians 1:19, Paul writes, “for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance.” New Testament scholars disagree about what Paul is affirming. A proper understanding of this verse can help us increase our confidence in prayer. Option 1: Physical Deliverance. … Continue reading Whether-by-Life-or-Death Prayers
How Wrestling with Hard Bible Passages Expands our View of God
My thoughts wandered this morning on my prayer walk.[1] I kept bringing my mind back to prayer, but my mind was wandering from my very first steps. I decided to use the Lord’s Prayer to guide me—I sometimes do this when I’m struggling with mind-wandering—but I still had trouble concentrating on prayer. (By the way, … Continue reading How Wrestling with Hard Bible Passages Expands our View of God
God-pleasers not People-Pleasers: How Important is it for Students to Like their Teachers?
Not long ago, I shared a devotional with the Talbot School of Theology faculty. Here’s a summary of that devotional.[1] I have recently been thinking about Galatians 1:10: “For am I now trying to win the approval of people, or God? Or am I striving to please people? If I were still trying to please … Continue reading God-pleasers not People-Pleasers: How Important is it for Students to Like their Teachers?
Intense Verbs for People Doing Ministry: 1 Timothy 4:11-16
This morning while reading in 1 Timothy 4:11-16 (in Greek), I was drawn to a surprising cluster of intense verbs that the apostle Paul uses to describe how attentive we should be to the way we live our lives and carry on our ministries. Notice as I walk you through these powerful verbs just how … Continue reading Intense Verbs for People Doing Ministry: 1 Timothy 4:11-16
The Peace of Christ
“How are you today?” Like many of you, I hear this question many times a day. The expected response to this question when I was growing up was, “I’m fine, thank you.” Now, most of my students in California simply say, “I’m good.” (Let the record show that I have never really appreciated this bit … Continue reading The Peace of Christ
Biblical Necessities? or Theological Explanations?
In recent years, I have been helped in my study of the Bible by employing an informal distinction between “biblical necessities” and “theological explanations.”[1] Of all the classes I teach at Talbot/Biola, this distinction has been most helpful to students taking a class I teach on the book of Romans. Since some of my students … Continue reading Biblical Necessities? or Theological Explanations?
Luke was a Doctor, Barnabas had a Cousin: Nine Things We Wouldn’t Know without Colossians 4
Here are nine things we wouldn’t know about Paul and his missionary team if Colossians 4 wasn’t in our Bibles. I’ll list them in the order they appear in Colossians 4. Colossians and Philemon were sent by Paul at the same time (4:9) The key link between the two is Onesimus, a runaway slave who … Continue reading Luke was a Doctor, Barnabas had a Cousin: Nine Things We Wouldn’t Know without Colossians 4
Sharing Christ’s Sufferings
There is a line in a well-known story of Jesus (Matt 20:20-28) that often gets overlooked. James and John have just allowed their mommy to ask Jesus for permission for them to sit at his right and left hand in his coming kingdom. Jesus ignores the mother and speaks to the two men: “You do … Continue reading Sharing Christ’s Sufferings
Understanding Paul’s Veil Imagery in 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:3
What does the apostle Paul mean when he uses the word “veil” in 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:3? For years I didn’t really understand 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:3 because I was looking for a single referent for the veil imagery in the passage. Some time ago, though, I realized that a key to understanding the passage is to … Continue reading Understanding Paul’s Veil Imagery in 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:3
Kindle Afresh 