Scholars debate whether or not Ephesians was written by Paul for different reasons. One reason is that “approximately 90 words in the letter do no appear elsewhere in Paul’s undisputed letters” (Thurston 2089). Early Church tradition claims that Paul wrote Ephesians from prison in 60 AD (Tafoya). However, scholars who do not thing that Paul wrote this letter feel that it was probably written closer to 85-90 AD (Thurston 2089). Taking the traditional view, Paul was probably aware of his “imminent persecution and the need for the church to be a good witness in society….He is also aware of the church’s struggle with its own background in the occult practices of Asia Minor—magic…astrology and attempts to escape the astrological power or Fate” (Keener 539-540). The letter was written either to Ephesus or generally to Christians at that time. Some of the letters do not contain the word “Ephesus” in 1:1. Ephesians is an epistle that may be a sermon of Paul’s (Tafoya). The reason for this letter may have been to prepare Christians for baptism. Scholars consider this letter to be really addressed to new Christians trying to understand and obey the Way (Tafoya).
Christianity is amazing because it is an equal-opportunity following. Nobody is more or less likely to be saved. You do not have to be born rich or poor in order to be let in. God does not care how much or little pigmentation that your skin has. You could be any shape or size. You do not have to have all of your limbs and organs in perfectly working condition. It is great like that! Unfortunately, sometimes people get I the way of God’s thinking. Suddenly one person is “better than” another person simply because one had more to give or was born in a higher rank. Maybe the person is just more eager to serve others. Whatever the case is, Paul in Ephesians 2 is very clear that those distinctions are not valid. In 2:8-9 Paul says “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—not the result of works so that no one may boast.” God does not call us “Jew” or “Gentile” as an act of discriminating. Neither one is better than the other. After all, Jew and Gentile both sin. Jesus never sinned. That puts him at the highest point. Nobody can be as high as Christ. Yes, Christianity is beautiful like that!
WORKES CITED
Books:
Keener, Craig S. “Ephesians,” Pages 538-555 in The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1993.
Thurston, Bonnie. “The Letter of Paul to the Ephesians.” Pages 2089-2090 in The New Interpreter’s Study Bible with the Apocrypha. Edited by Walter J. Harrelson et al. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2003.
Lecture:
Tafoya, Stace. "Ephesians," lectured on BIB114. Colorado Christian University. 12 November, 2008.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Galatians Blog 2
I think that one of the hardest things that churches struggle with is the balance between keeping order in churches and allowing the Spirit to change plans. This happens both on a corporate level and on an individual level. Churches have become more about the self instead of the Lord. This does not apply to every church out there in the world. However, I feel that many churches in prosperous countries rely too much on their agenda. On an individual level success and deadlines get in the way of what God could be doing. Would I rather sleep now or pray? Would I rather get this exegesis paper done or spend some quiet time listening to the Lord?
How is the relating to Galatians? Well, at CCU there are expectations on every student. Get all of your reading done. Study hard for exams. Make sure you meet the expectations of your instructors when doing papers. You must expect hours of homework to follow a single class. Take five classes, then you have hours of homework to do times five. Do not forget to do ministry hours. Attend chapel at least twenty-five times during the semester. You signed a lifestyle covenant and you are expected to follow it to the letter. Try to get some sleep because 24 hours of no sleep to your brain is like being drunk. Make sure you keep eating. Oh yeah, don’t forget about the Lord….
Follow all of those laws and expectations with the Lord as an afterthought and you are not going to survive your experience at CCU in one piece.
A friend of mine has spent an amazingly large amount of time with the Lord this past week and she said that she was surprised that she was still able to meet the expectations of school. She still got a paper done and did well on exams and quizzes. She says that she has been lead by the Sprit and I think that she is right on. With the Spirit first, she has grown immeasurably in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control. She is not perfect by any means, but she has more toleration for everything that she is dealing with.
That along with the reading of Galatians and challenged me to try to follow in the same footsteps. CCU is a great place and I have learned a lot here. However, I learn more when God is guiding me through each day. I learned this the hard way first. One day I was working on homework for a class that was to start about 40 minutes later. About ten minutes in I felt like I should set the homework aside and spend time with God. Looking back, I wish I had. Instead, though, I continued to read. The words blurred together and suddenly I was incapable of doing anything. I failed a quiz. If I had spent time with the Lord, I probably still would have failed that quiz, but at least I would have had more peace.
So my first challenge failed. At the second one, I saw an improvement. I was doing my exegesis on Galatians 3:5-10 and my thoughts were jumbled. In response to my inability to write the paper, I moved away from the computer and prayed. Once I was able to say “If I get an A on this paper and have learned nothing from the Holy Spirit then the A is worth nothing.” The paper was still very challenging but no matter what happens, that does not change the fact that I learned from the Spirit.
The thing that I am not saying is that school should be blown off. CCU costs too much money to view its education in that way. Should we now go “sin boldly” now that we have been saved? NO WAY!
If we are being watered by the Spirit then the fruits of the Spirit will prosper in us. If the fruits of the Spirit are growing within us then we are probably less stressed out, and an assignment that would have taken us three hours to complete will take less time simply because we are not so concerned about it that our stress causes us to take longer to complete the task.
This goes with churches too in a way. We have seen those checklists.
Ask Jesus into heart
Confess sin
Try not to sin
Pray to God a lot
Pray some more
Read the Bible
Fast if needed
Stay away from bad things
Get baptized
Stop swearing at “bad” drivers
Be perfect and holy
Go to church ever Sunday
Tithe
Take communion
Forgive all offenses
Memorize verses of the Bible
Give extra around the holidays
Pray for people who need prayer
Pray for leaders
Pray for the unsaved
The list goes on and on and on and…ON! While these are all good points, there is a very important thing missing that is too easy to forget: Have relationship with God. Park Church has attempted to show its members that following this list just to please God is stupid. Nobody can do anything to earn God’s happiness or God’s approval.
After we recognize the relationship as the most important part the rest should fall into place. We confess our sin to God because we know that He can and will forgive us. We read our Bible because that is the Word of our precious Yahweh. We realize more often that when others make us angry that they are still loved by God and we try not to swear at them when they make a move on the road that may not have been the right move. Suddenly the checklist dissolves because we act the way God wants us to. Yeah, we still make mistakes, but there is grace deeper than our deepest mistake that we could ever make as we live for God.
Galatians Blog 1
The book of Galatians was written by Paul and nearly all scholars are in agreement on its authorship. Paul wrote Galatians around 57 AD, the NISB says that it was written closer to 55 AD (Matera 2079), to the region of Galatia from Ephesus or Macedonia. Galatians is an epistle that has some elements of apologetics, but Paul is more focused on “‘deliberative rhetoric,’ the kind of argumentation ancient speakers wand writers used to persuade people to change their behavior” (Keener 517).
The reason that Paul was prompted to write this letter was because Judaizers had come to the churches of Galatia and told them that all of the males needed to be circumcised and follow the Mosaic Law, along with belief in Jesus, in order to be saved. Craig S. Keener says this about the Judaizers, “Some Judean Christians were now arguing tha tone must become culturally Jewish to become a full Christian, fully righteous; after all, the Bible itself made this requirement for one who wished to belong to God’s people (Gen 17: 10-14)” (518). Paul is stating that if following the law was enough, then Jesus died for nothing (Gal 2:21). In chapter three, Paul states that to live by the letter of the law makes a person cursed by that law (Gal 3:10).
Paul says in Galatians that faith is the requirement. He asks in chapter three “The only thing I want to learn from you is this: Did you receive the Spirit by dong the works of the law or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? Having started with the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh? Did you experience so much for nothing?—if it really was for nothing. Well then, does God supply you with the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?” (3:2-5). The next few verses talks about how Abraham was justified by faith in what God said and not through the works of the law. Genesis 15:6 says “And [Abraham] believed the LORD; and the LORD reckoned it to him as rightousness.”
I have spent hours on this book this semester because the church that I am attending has gone through this book this semester. Also, I am taking the class, Interpreting the Bible and my New Testament exegesis paper was on Galatians 3:5-10. For the past two weeks I have spent hours researching and writing the paper that was turned in on November 20th, 2008. My “aha” moment(s) have come in the past three weeks.
One night I sat at Park Church listening to Pastor Brian speak on Galatians 5:1-12. As I sat in the pew, I realized things that have little to do with the purpose of this blog. One thing that does is the inclusion of the Gentiles into God’s plan. I thought that it was interesting that God was speaking along with the pastor, yet what God was saying to me was relatively different than what the pastor was saying. Both were relevant to hear that week. It was a strong message! Pastor Brian talked about how when a person begins working to keep the law s/he has alienated his/herself from the grace of God. At the same time God was saying that while I am not Jewish, He does not make that distinction as something discriminating. Rather, God makes that distinction in me only to more fully embrace who I am.
The following day my New Testament class talked about Galatians. The information presented was mostly facts about the letter. To read those, just reread the first part of this blog. However what was going on in my head was completely different. This is not to say that I was not paying attention in class. No, on the contrary, I think I was probably pondering too deeply everything that was happening around me. What does that have to do with Galatians? It has everything to do with how I had read Galatians the previous Saturday night. Chapter three had been my favorite and I could not stop thinking about verses 1-14. The Spirit was given to the region of Galatia by belief in the Gospel message. Not only was the Spirit present, but it was moving and the miraculous was being seen. What is CCU missing? Oh wait, that looks like a question for blog number two.
For the next two weeks I researched for my exegesis paper and spent hours organizing my thoughts. Combine that with my favorite documentary, Finger of God Film and suddenly there is a whole new passion for God churning inside of me!
WORKS CITED
Keener, Craig S. “Galatians,” Pages 517-537 in The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1993.
Matera, Frank J. “The Letter of Paul to the Galatians” Pages 2079-2080 in The New Interpreter’s Study Bible with the Apocrypha. Edited by Walter J. Harrelson et al. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2003.
The reason that Paul was prompted to write this letter was because Judaizers had come to the churches of Galatia and told them that all of the males needed to be circumcised and follow the Mosaic Law, along with belief in Jesus, in order to be saved. Craig S. Keener says this about the Judaizers, “Some Judean Christians were now arguing tha tone must become culturally Jewish to become a full Christian, fully righteous; after all, the Bible itself made this requirement for one who wished to belong to God’s people (Gen 17: 10-14)” (518). Paul is stating that if following the law was enough, then Jesus died for nothing (Gal 2:21). In chapter three, Paul states that to live by the letter of the law makes a person cursed by that law (Gal 3:10).
Paul says in Galatians that faith is the requirement. He asks in chapter three “The only thing I want to learn from you is this: Did you receive the Spirit by dong the works of the law or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? Having started with the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh? Did you experience so much for nothing?—if it really was for nothing. Well then, does God supply you with the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?” (3:2-5). The next few verses talks about how Abraham was justified by faith in what God said and not through the works of the law. Genesis 15:6 says “And [Abraham] believed the LORD; and the LORD reckoned it to him as rightousness.”
I have spent hours on this book this semester because the church that I am attending has gone through this book this semester. Also, I am taking the class, Interpreting the Bible and my New Testament exegesis paper was on Galatians 3:5-10. For the past two weeks I have spent hours researching and writing the paper that was turned in on November 20th, 2008. My “aha” moment(s) have come in the past three weeks.
One night I sat at Park Church listening to Pastor Brian speak on Galatians 5:1-12. As I sat in the pew, I realized things that have little to do with the purpose of this blog. One thing that does is the inclusion of the Gentiles into God’s plan. I thought that it was interesting that God was speaking along with the pastor, yet what God was saying to me was relatively different than what the pastor was saying. Both were relevant to hear that week. It was a strong message! Pastor Brian talked about how when a person begins working to keep the law s/he has alienated his/herself from the grace of God. At the same time God was saying that while I am not Jewish, He does not make that distinction as something discriminating. Rather, God makes that distinction in me only to more fully embrace who I am.
The following day my New Testament class talked about Galatians. The information presented was mostly facts about the letter. To read those, just reread the first part of this blog. However what was going on in my head was completely different. This is not to say that I was not paying attention in class. No, on the contrary, I think I was probably pondering too deeply everything that was happening around me. What does that have to do with Galatians? It has everything to do with how I had read Galatians the previous Saturday night. Chapter three had been my favorite and I could not stop thinking about verses 1-14. The Spirit was given to the region of Galatia by belief in the Gospel message. Not only was the Spirit present, but it was moving and the miraculous was being seen. What is CCU missing? Oh wait, that looks like a question for blog number two.
For the next two weeks I researched for my exegesis paper and spent hours organizing my thoughts. Combine that with my favorite documentary, Finger of God Film and suddenly there is a whole new passion for God churning inside of me!
WORKS CITED
Keener, Craig S. “Galatians,” Pages 517-537 in The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1993.
Matera, Frank J. “The Letter of Paul to the Galatians” Pages 2079-2080 in The New Interpreter’s Study Bible with the Apocrypha. Edited by Walter J. Harrelson et al. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2003.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
2 Corinthians Blog 2
I think that my favorite chapter in 2 Corinthians is chapter 3. My favorite verse is verse 17 which says, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” That whole section is amazing though! Verses 12-16 say “Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness, not like Moses, who put a veil over his face to keep the people of Israel from gazing at the end of the glory that was being set aside. But their minds were hardened. Indeed, to this very day, when they hear the reading of the old covenant, that same veil is still there, since only in Christ is it set aside. Indeed, to this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds; but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.” I think Christians tend to forget that. I know I have forgotten how much freedom there is in Christ. Not simply freedom within ourselves, but freedom to share the Gospel with others; especially people in the parts of the church that are not being persecuted. What reason do we have not to preach the Gospel? Are we afraid that somebody is going to judge us? Why? Would we rather be judged by God?
Something that I would like to work on is remembering that the only opinion that I should be thinking about is God’s. However, it does not take long to realize that this is easier said than done. Opinions seem to matter. When applying to a school, the applicant gives reasons why they should be chosen. The people who accept or decline students form an opinion of them based on what they learn. The same thing goes with jobs.
This weekend I was working on an exegesis paper on Galatians and was stuck. I was having trouble putting my thoughts in order and writing the paper became impossible. Fortunately, I stepped back from the paper and did not return to it until I remembered that the paper would be worth nothing. I don’t care about what the teacher thinks of the paper. That is not my primary concern. Instead, I care about what God can teach me while I write the paper. I worked really hard on that paper after realizing that the teacher’s opinion should not carry weight. This time, I tried to stay conscious of the fact that I was reading Scripture.
Of course I would be crazy if I did not take into consideration the fact that the teacher has expectations. I still have to follow what the teacher wants in the paper. Yet even so, God still should be the primary reason that I do anything.
Something that I would like to work on is remembering that the only opinion that I should be thinking about is God’s. However, it does not take long to realize that this is easier said than done. Opinions seem to matter. When applying to a school, the applicant gives reasons why they should be chosen. The people who accept or decline students form an opinion of them based on what they learn. The same thing goes with jobs.
This weekend I was working on an exegesis paper on Galatians and was stuck. I was having trouble putting my thoughts in order and writing the paper became impossible. Fortunately, I stepped back from the paper and did not return to it until I remembered that the paper would be worth nothing. I don’t care about what the teacher thinks of the paper. That is not my primary concern. Instead, I care about what God can teach me while I write the paper. I worked really hard on that paper after realizing that the teacher’s opinion should not carry weight. This time, I tried to stay conscious of the fact that I was reading Scripture.
Of course I would be crazy if I did not take into consideration the fact that the teacher has expectations. I still have to follow what the teacher wants in the paper. Yet even so, God still should be the primary reason that I do anything.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
2 Corinthians Blog 1
Just about every scholar believes that 2 Corinthians was written by Paul. The only part that gets attention with authorship discussion is 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1. Also, 2 Corinthians 7:2 picks up where 6:13 leaves off. Discussions circulate on how many letters of Paul are contained in 2 Corinthians because some scholars believe that it is a single letter while others believe that it is several letters put together. There is also a lot of discussion about the unity of Paul’s 2 Corinthians which adds to the argument that it may be more than one letter. “One supposition is that some of part of 2 Corinthians is really that first letter” (Osiek 2061). According to Craig S. Keener, is an obvious break between chapters in 2 Corinthians between chapter eight and chapter nine (492). 2 Corinthians is thought to have been written around 57 AD.
Paul had gone to Corinth and had probably been publically humiliated (Osiek, 2061). The purpose of 2 Corinthians is Paul’s defense on being an apostle and to regain the reader’s trust and friendship with him (Keener 492). The message of 2 Corinthians seems mostly to be unity among the believers. “The small cracks in the unity of the Corinthian community there were apparent in 1 Corinthians have here widened into large fissures, and the people’s animosity seems aimed no at one another but at Paul” (Osiek, 2061). 2 Corinthians talks about “consolation, reconciliation, [and] theology of weakness” (Osiek, 2061).
There were three groups of verses that stuck out at me during this reading of 2 Corinthians and they are; 2 Corinthians 4:16-18; 5:14-15; and 5:17-21.
The first verses say “So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but what cannot be seen; for what can be seen in temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal” (NRSV). The only thing worth living for is God and He has not been seen by me and I am assuming that He has not been seen by you either. The most important thing in any Christian’s life is Christ and we live by faith in Him. Believing in Him has a cost and that is setting everything else in live aside. This semester I have learned a lot about what is worth setting aside and what I am struggling with setting aside. For example, I work hard for my grades. I have never received a C or lower on a report card or as a final grade. I have failed quizzes in the past, but not as much as I have this semester. At one point I was seriously failing two classes. At that point in time I felt that I was only going to get a good grade in one class and I held onto that with everything until I could not even focus in that one class! It was not worth it. Once I finally set my grade aside and said, “I don’t care if I get a stupid C or even a D.” I still don’t want to fail, because this school costs a lot compared to the school I transferred from. I have also been dealing with a lot of spiritual issues that have ranged from easy to hard to insanely difficult. In the past I have been quick to blame God and turn away from Him. However, that really isn’t the healthiest way to deal with problems and this semester I have been focused on not turning. Do you know what happened when I did not turn? The problems became harder to deal with. However, these verses were so refreshing because I know that in the long run, turning will end up being the worst decision of my life. I feel like God is so much a part of me that I would die if I left Him. I pray that I continue to feel that way.
The second verse segment says “For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them.” Some pretty amazing things happened this week including people simply reminding me of His love for me at the most critical moments. I had my mp3 player on ‘random’ and the right song came on followed by another right song and believe it or not another one! You may not think that this is God, but I would disagree. My mp3 player has over 18 GB of music/sermons/children’s radio programs on it that it had to be God selecting the songs for that time. At the same time that I am going through my journey of life God is also reminding me of others. I love to encourage others and I love that God has given me the desire to speak encouragement to others. The moment you remember that the person sleeping or ‘Facebooking’ during a class lecture is loved by God just as much as you are; it is a little easier to focus on the teacher again.
Lastly, the final segment says “so if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” This kind of goes back to the last part of the previous paragraph. Remembering that everyone around you is also loved by God is key. Sometimes people have problems forgiving others who have turned to Christ. While it is understandable to question whether or not they really are saved, it is not right to do so. All have been given the opportunity to be forgiven. This reminds me of a Casting Crowns song called “If we are the Body” which asks the question ‘why aren’t Christians doing what Jesus did?’ The verses of the song talk about somebody who is judged by a body of believers or receives the cold shoulder instead of a greeting upon entering a Church Building. The best part of this part of 2 Corinthians is that when people become Christians they get a ‘clean slate.’ They are not condemned for what they have done in the past.
WORKS CITED
Keener, Craig S. “2 Corinthians,” Pages 491-516 in The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1993.
Osiek, Carolyn. “The Second Letter of Paul to the Corinthians.” Pages 2061-2062 in The New Interpreter’s Study Bible with the Apocrypha. Edited by Walter J. Harrelson et al. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2003.
Paul had gone to Corinth and had probably been publically humiliated (Osiek, 2061). The purpose of 2 Corinthians is Paul’s defense on being an apostle and to regain the reader’s trust and friendship with him (Keener 492). The message of 2 Corinthians seems mostly to be unity among the believers. “The small cracks in the unity of the Corinthian community there were apparent in 1 Corinthians have here widened into large fissures, and the people’s animosity seems aimed no at one another but at Paul” (Osiek, 2061). 2 Corinthians talks about “consolation, reconciliation, [and] theology of weakness” (Osiek, 2061).
There were three groups of verses that stuck out at me during this reading of 2 Corinthians and they are; 2 Corinthians 4:16-18; 5:14-15; and 5:17-21.
The first verses say “So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but what cannot be seen; for what can be seen in temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal” (NRSV). The only thing worth living for is God and He has not been seen by me and I am assuming that He has not been seen by you either. The most important thing in any Christian’s life is Christ and we live by faith in Him. Believing in Him has a cost and that is setting everything else in live aside. This semester I have learned a lot about what is worth setting aside and what I am struggling with setting aside. For example, I work hard for my grades. I have never received a C or lower on a report card or as a final grade. I have failed quizzes in the past, but not as much as I have this semester. At one point I was seriously failing two classes. At that point in time I felt that I was only going to get a good grade in one class and I held onto that with everything until I could not even focus in that one class! It was not worth it. Once I finally set my grade aside and said, “I don’t care if I get a stupid C or even a D.” I still don’t want to fail, because this school costs a lot compared to the school I transferred from. I have also been dealing with a lot of spiritual issues that have ranged from easy to hard to insanely difficult. In the past I have been quick to blame God and turn away from Him. However, that really isn’t the healthiest way to deal with problems and this semester I have been focused on not turning. Do you know what happened when I did not turn? The problems became harder to deal with. However, these verses were so refreshing because I know that in the long run, turning will end up being the worst decision of my life. I feel like God is so much a part of me that I would die if I left Him. I pray that I continue to feel that way.
The second verse segment says “For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them.” Some pretty amazing things happened this week including people simply reminding me of His love for me at the most critical moments. I had my mp3 player on ‘random’ and the right song came on followed by another right song and believe it or not another one! You may not think that this is God, but I would disagree. My mp3 player has over 18 GB of music/sermons/children’s radio programs on it that it had to be God selecting the songs for that time. At the same time that I am going through my journey of life God is also reminding me of others. I love to encourage others and I love that God has given me the desire to speak encouragement to others. The moment you remember that the person sleeping or ‘Facebooking’ during a class lecture is loved by God just as much as you are; it is a little easier to focus on the teacher again.
Lastly, the final segment says “so if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” This kind of goes back to the last part of the previous paragraph. Remembering that everyone around you is also loved by God is key. Sometimes people have problems forgiving others who have turned to Christ. While it is understandable to question whether or not they really are saved, it is not right to do so. All have been given the opportunity to be forgiven. This reminds me of a Casting Crowns song called “If we are the Body” which asks the question ‘why aren’t Christians doing what Jesus did?’ The verses of the song talk about somebody who is judged by a body of believers or receives the cold shoulder instead of a greeting upon entering a Church Building. The best part of this part of 2 Corinthians is that when people become Christians they get a ‘clean slate.’ They are not condemned for what they have done in the past.
WORKS CITED
Keener, Craig S. “2 Corinthians,” Pages 491-516 in The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1993.
Osiek, Carolyn. “The Second Letter of Paul to the Corinthians.” Pages 2061-2062 in The New Interpreter’s Study Bible with the Apocrypha. Edited by Walter J. Harrelson et al. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2003.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
1 Corinthians Blog 2
My favorite chapters in 1 Corinthians are chapters 12-14 and they have been my favorite for just over a year. Every time I read through 1 Corinthians I ponder these chapters in great depth to try to squeeze more out of them. Every time I read them I am able to squeeze more out of them!
Chapter 12 talks about the gifts of the spirit and the Body and how, when working unified, are wonderful things. The gifts of the Spirit listed here are like different parts of the body. A church (defined as a group of believers that meet together on a regular basis) that has all of these gifts within the members is a beautiful thing. The members who have gifts (I strongly believe that all members have a gift) and use them within the church contribute greatly to the Body as a whole. This makes the body complete. Each member, therefore, has something to contribute to the Body.
Later in Chapter 12, Paul talks about the body which is of God’s design and is beautiful. We have two hands, two feet, ten fingers (I am including the thumbs as fingers…), two legs, two eyes, two ears, one mouth, etc. When your body is working correctly, that is, well, good. When something is going wrong, that is not good. If a body is going wrong we go to the doctor. Sometimes there is an easy thing that needs to be changed, and sometimes it is a harder thing to do in order to cure whatever is wrong. Plus, when something is wrong with your body, sometimes you can feel it.
I think it is interesting how the church is compared to a body, the Body of Christ. Therefore, when something is off balance in the Church, there may be some sort of pain within the members. However, if you have been hurt by a body of believers, remember that when something is wrong with the Body, then Christ feels it, you are not the only one who feels pain from whatever happened. Chris understands.
Chapter 13 is the most important thing, I believe, for a Christian to remember. It is ALL about LOVE! How many people are going to come to Christ out of fear of going to hell? Not many. How many people are going to come to Christ when they are told that they are in sin and are going to hell? Not many. How many people will come to Christ when they see a Christian condemning them? None. How many people will come to Christ when they see a Christian serving them, loving them unconditionally no matter what they have done…not matter what they feel ashamed of? More than the number of people in the previous scenarios. I like chapter 13 because along with its message being love, it has a message of being love without self…selfless love.
Chapter 14:1 “Pursue love and strive for the spiritual gifts and especially that you may prophesy.” I love that verse! Pursue love. Strive to love others. Love God. Secondly, strive for the spiritual gifts. The church can function well if the members are striving and using the spiritual gifts. I have heard a sermon that talked about prophecy and in it, the speaker said that anyone can prophecy but not everyone is a prophet. He defined “prophecy” as giving the words of God to a person/the people that the words are directed at. Therefore, the speaker said that anyone can encourage another believer (or the congregation as a whole). He then broke us up into groups and we prayed over each other. We prayed for a word of knowledge for the person that we were praying over. One at a time we were encouraged by the Lord through each other.
From the time that that speaker talked to us until January (October 2007-January 2008) I pondered that. I believe it is very important to consider what you have heard before accepting it, even if it is a Christian speaking to you. January 2008 came and I embraced what I had heard. However, I did not realize at first what I had done until a few weeks later.
It was a Sunday morning and the congregation was worshiping in song and I was reading the lyrics to the song that I did not know. I was having trouble focusing. Suddenly, I wanted to pray for someone and ask God for a word for them. I determined that encouraging someone would be a good way of worshiping God. A few songs later, the pastor spoke for about 45 minutes. Then he closed the service with the words “We are not going to end in songs like we usually do. Instead, go and encourage somebody.” Talk about amazing!
Chapter 12 talks about the gifts of the spirit and the Body and how, when working unified, are wonderful things. The gifts of the Spirit listed here are like different parts of the body. A church (defined as a group of believers that meet together on a regular basis) that has all of these gifts within the members is a beautiful thing. The members who have gifts (I strongly believe that all members have a gift) and use them within the church contribute greatly to the Body as a whole. This makes the body complete. Each member, therefore, has something to contribute to the Body.
Later in Chapter 12, Paul talks about the body which is of God’s design and is beautiful. We have two hands, two feet, ten fingers (I am including the thumbs as fingers…), two legs, two eyes, two ears, one mouth, etc. When your body is working correctly, that is, well, good. When something is going wrong, that is not good. If a body is going wrong we go to the doctor. Sometimes there is an easy thing that needs to be changed, and sometimes it is a harder thing to do in order to cure whatever is wrong. Plus, when something is wrong with your body, sometimes you can feel it.
I think it is interesting how the church is compared to a body, the Body of Christ. Therefore, when something is off balance in the Church, there may be some sort of pain within the members. However, if you have been hurt by a body of believers, remember that when something is wrong with the Body, then Christ feels it, you are not the only one who feels pain from whatever happened. Chris understands.
Chapter 13 is the most important thing, I believe, for a Christian to remember. It is ALL about LOVE! How many people are going to come to Christ out of fear of going to hell? Not many. How many people are going to come to Christ when they are told that they are in sin and are going to hell? Not many. How many people will come to Christ when they see a Christian condemning them? None. How many people will come to Christ when they see a Christian serving them, loving them unconditionally no matter what they have done…not matter what they feel ashamed of? More than the number of people in the previous scenarios. I like chapter 13 because along with its message being love, it has a message of being love without self…selfless love.
Chapter 14:1 “Pursue love and strive for the spiritual gifts and especially that you may prophesy.” I love that verse! Pursue love. Strive to love others. Love God. Secondly, strive for the spiritual gifts. The church can function well if the members are striving and using the spiritual gifts. I have heard a sermon that talked about prophecy and in it, the speaker said that anyone can prophecy but not everyone is a prophet. He defined “prophecy” as giving the words of God to a person/the people that the words are directed at. Therefore, the speaker said that anyone can encourage another believer (or the congregation as a whole). He then broke us up into groups and we prayed over each other. We prayed for a word of knowledge for the person that we were praying over. One at a time we were encouraged by the Lord through each other.
From the time that that speaker talked to us until January (October 2007-January 2008) I pondered that. I believe it is very important to consider what you have heard before accepting it, even if it is a Christian speaking to you. January 2008 came and I embraced what I had heard. However, I did not realize at first what I had done until a few weeks later.
It was a Sunday morning and the congregation was worshiping in song and I was reading the lyrics to the song that I did not know. I was having trouble focusing. Suddenly, I wanted to pray for someone and ask God for a word for them. I determined that encouraging someone would be a good way of worshiping God. A few songs later, the pastor spoke for about 45 minutes. Then he closed the service with the words “We are not going to end in songs like we usually do. Instead, go and encourage somebody.” Talk about amazing!
1 Corinthians Blog 1
These are basic facts of 1 Corinthians. The apostle Paul wrote 1 Corinthians to the Church in Corinth most likely from Ephesus. First Corinthians was co-authored by Sosthenes who “may well have been the synagogue official mentioned in Acts 18:17” (Sampley, 2035). This book is an epistle that argues what a Christian is supposed to look like (chapters 1-4), what a community is not supposed to be doing sexually (chapters 5-7), what the proper view of meals (chapters 8-11), what the community should be doing in regard to spiritual gifts (chapters 12-14), and what the term “resurrection” means. First Corinthians was written around 53-55 AD (Sampley 2035).
At the time that 1 Corinthians was written and delivered to the church, Corinth “was one of the major urban centers of the ancient Mediterranean and one of the most culturally diverse cities in the empire” (Keener 451). It was also known for its promiscuous activities. The people of the church in Corinth were not getting along with each other. The Church in Corinth was mostly Gentiles who had previously been involved with idol worshiping.
It is thought that 1 Corinthians is actually the second letter that Paul wrote to the Church in Corinth. The topic of the “presumably lost” letter was “how to maintain holiness (5:9-11), and they had written him, asking about several issues” (Sampley 2036). Between the two letters to Corinth and the missing one, we can see how Paul has become the spiritual father to the members of the Corinthian church, even as he “uses sarcasm and irony (cf. 4:8-13) and rebuke (cf. 11:17; 15:34)” (Sampley 2036).
There are several parts in this book (and of course others) that I noticed this amazing contrast between God and humans. I think the reason that this read-through of 1 Corinthians brought this topic out into the open consciousness of my mind was partly because of the Finger of God film where one of the people being interviewed cited 1 Corinthians 1 to back what he was saying about what a human considers foolish which is 1 Corinthians 1:27a). But that whole section is full of God’s wisdom. “For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength” (1 Corinthians 1:25 NRSV) and “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God. He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, in order that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:27-31). So try to wrap your mind around the awesomeness of God. Then check out 1 Corinthians 2:14-15 which says “Those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of God’s spirit, for they are foolishness to them, and they are unable to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. Those who are spiritual discern all things, and they are themselves subject to no one else’s scrutiny.”
Only those who are in God have true wisdom, and not nearly all true wisdom. True wisdom to humans looks foolish because it is so wise that we cannot comprehend it. God’s foolishness is still wiser than our wisdom. Therefore, if we are in God and He is in us, then we get a little wiser. In that small portion of added wisdom we all look foolish to the world. The gospel sounds foolish to those who do not accept it as Truth. A man comes and dies for everyone. He died young. He died as if He were simply a rebel who was simply a crazy radical.
So Halloween is over and Christmas is on everyone’s minds now. Well, sometimes we think of Thanksgiving, but Christmas is still right there. When I read through 1 Corinthians and picked out the previous verses about God’s wisdom, which I treasure, I was listening to music. My mp3 player was on ‘random’ and every once in a while a Christmas song will come on. This time it was “The Rebel Jesus” by Bebo Norman from his album From the Realms of Glory which came out in 2007:
All the streets are filled with laughter and light
And the music of the season
And the merchants’ windows are all bright
With the faces of the children
And the families hurrying to their homes
As the sky darkens and freezes
They'll be gathering around the hearths and tales
Giving thanks for all God's graces
And the birth of the rebel Jesus
Well they call him by the Prince of Peace
And they call him by the Savior
And they pray to him upon the seas
And in every bold endeavor
And they fill his churches with their pride and gold
As their faith in him increases
But they've turned the nature that I worshipped in
“From a temple to a robbers den”
In the words of the rebel Jesus
We guard our world with locks and guns
And we guard our fine possessions
And once a year when Christmas comes
We give to our relations
And perhaps we give a little to the poor
If the generosity should seize us
But if any one of us should interfere
In the business of why they are poor
They get the same as the rebel Jesus
But please forgive me if I seem
To take the tone of judgment
For I've no wish to come between
This day and your enjoyment
In this life of hardship and of earthly toil
There's a need for anything that frees us
So I bid you pleasure
And I bid you cheer
From a heathen and a pagan
On the side of the rebel Jesus.
(Emphasis added)
Maybe we should listen and follow the example of the rebel Jesus. Yes the world killed Him, but in God’s eyes…think about it. God is the one who can truly determine what is acceptable and what is not because He is the one who determines what is wise and what is foolish. Nothing foolish is worth doing, but you have to make sure that you are following God’s measuring stick of what is foolish and what is not.
WORKES CITED
Keener, Craig S. “1 Corinthians,” Pages 451-490 in The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1993.
Sampley J. Paul. “The First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians.” Pages 2035-2039 in The New Interpreter’s Study Bible with the Apocrypha. Edited by Walter J. Harrelson et al. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2003.
At the time that 1 Corinthians was written and delivered to the church, Corinth “was one of the major urban centers of the ancient Mediterranean and one of the most culturally diverse cities in the empire” (Keener 451). It was also known for its promiscuous activities. The people of the church in Corinth were not getting along with each other. The Church in Corinth was mostly Gentiles who had previously been involved with idol worshiping.
It is thought that 1 Corinthians is actually the second letter that Paul wrote to the Church in Corinth. The topic of the “presumably lost” letter was “how to maintain holiness (5:9-11), and they had written him, asking about several issues” (Sampley 2036). Between the two letters to Corinth and the missing one, we can see how Paul has become the spiritual father to the members of the Corinthian church, even as he “uses sarcasm and irony (cf. 4:8-13) and rebuke (cf. 11:17; 15:34)” (Sampley 2036).
There are several parts in this book (and of course others) that I noticed this amazing contrast between God and humans. I think the reason that this read-through of 1 Corinthians brought this topic out into the open consciousness of my mind was partly because of the Finger of God film where one of the people being interviewed cited 1 Corinthians 1 to back what he was saying about what a human considers foolish which is 1 Corinthians 1:27a). But that whole section is full of God’s wisdom. “For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength” (1 Corinthians 1:25 NRSV) and “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God. He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, in order that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:27-31). So try to wrap your mind around the awesomeness of God. Then check out 1 Corinthians 2:14-15 which says “Those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of God’s spirit, for they are foolishness to them, and they are unable to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. Those who are spiritual discern all things, and they are themselves subject to no one else’s scrutiny.”
Only those who are in God have true wisdom, and not nearly all true wisdom. True wisdom to humans looks foolish because it is so wise that we cannot comprehend it. God’s foolishness is still wiser than our wisdom. Therefore, if we are in God and He is in us, then we get a little wiser. In that small portion of added wisdom we all look foolish to the world. The gospel sounds foolish to those who do not accept it as Truth. A man comes and dies for everyone. He died young. He died as if He were simply a rebel who was simply a crazy radical.
So Halloween is over and Christmas is on everyone’s minds now. Well, sometimes we think of Thanksgiving, but Christmas is still right there. When I read through 1 Corinthians and picked out the previous verses about God’s wisdom, which I treasure, I was listening to music. My mp3 player was on ‘random’ and every once in a while a Christmas song will come on. This time it was “The Rebel Jesus” by Bebo Norman from his album From the Realms of Glory which came out in 2007:
All the streets are filled with laughter and light
And the music of the season
And the merchants’ windows are all bright
With the faces of the children
And the families hurrying to their homes
As the sky darkens and freezes
They'll be gathering around the hearths and tales
Giving thanks for all God's graces
And the birth of the rebel Jesus
Well they call him by the Prince of Peace
And they call him by the Savior
And they pray to him upon the seas
And in every bold endeavor
And they fill his churches with their pride and gold
As their faith in him increases
But they've turned the nature that I worshipped in
“From a temple to a robbers den”
In the words of the rebel Jesus
We guard our world with locks and guns
And we guard our fine possessions
And once a year when Christmas comes
We give to our relations
And perhaps we give a little to the poor
If the generosity should seize us
But if any one of us should interfere
In the business of why they are poor
They get the same as the rebel Jesus
But please forgive me if I seem
To take the tone of judgment
For I've no wish to come between
This day and your enjoyment
In this life of hardship and of earthly toil
There's a need for anything that frees us
So I bid you pleasure
And I bid you cheer
From a heathen and a pagan
On the side of the rebel Jesus.
(Emphasis added)
Maybe we should listen and follow the example of the rebel Jesus. Yes the world killed Him, but in God’s eyes…think about it. God is the one who can truly determine what is acceptable and what is not because He is the one who determines what is wise and what is foolish. Nothing foolish is worth doing, but you have to make sure that you are following God’s measuring stick of what is foolish and what is not.
WORKES CITED
Keener, Craig S. “1 Corinthians,” Pages 451-490 in The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1993.
Sampley J. Paul. “The First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians.” Pages 2035-2039 in The New Interpreter’s Study Bible with the Apocrypha. Edited by Walter J. Harrelson et al. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2003.
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