A verse that has been used more than once by those trying to convince me that the church replaces Israel in God’s eternal plan is Romans 9:6: For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. What I am supposed to understand is that it is not physical Israel that receives God’s blessing but… Read More »
1 Thessalonians This is one of the earliest letters that Paul wrote. He didn’t have much time to spend with these new believers before he was run out of town by persecutors (Acts 17). So he writes this letter to answer some questions that have come up. One of the main concerns is about whether… Read More »
Philippians You ‘ll probably find this book easier to understand than some of the others. Paul is real down to earth with a congregation that has been some of his best friends throughout much of his ministry. Even though Paul writes this from prison (as he did Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon), he is particularly joyful… Read More »
This book is mostly about how God is working through the church. Jesus is the head of the church, and the unique thing about the church is that it is not only a group of Jews, but it is Jews and Gentiles together (not Gentiles who became Jews by converting). In the first three chapters,… Read More »
Here is a cool verse: Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry (2 Timothy 4:11). I can’t seem to find one that also mentions Jonathan. Perhaps it’s worth noting that these are probably the very last words that Paul wrote. Interesting… Read More »
This book isn’t that long, but it is potentially difficult to understand unless you go slow because there is so much packed in here. The reason why Paul writes is that some outsiders have come to the churches in Galatia and told them that in order to be good Christians they have to also be… Read More »
1 Corinthians Paul started churches in many of the cities that he visited. But many of these churches had problems when he left. The church in Corinth was one of the worst. They were bitterly divided and they boasted in their sin. They took the Lord’s supper in a dishonorable way and they didn’t use… Read More »
This book, probably better than any other, gives the essence of the gospel. Man is sinful, but God saves on the basis of grace. Man can never do enough, but God has provided all that is needed for the one who believes. Some might think that because the Jews aren’t believing that they have been… Read More »
One of our boys asked me today what my favorite verse is. For Awana, he has to ask 10 Christians this question and then write down his own. This is a tough question for me, especially now. But I gave him one of my favorites. I ‘ll quote the preceding verse for context. (And God… Read More »
With the close of the semester and a quick flight to Florida and back, I picked up a book I expected to keep my attention. Fresh off a semester in which I studied Roman history a tad, I was interested to see how Paul L. Maier’s The Flames of Rome would tie in with what… Read More »