One of my favorite parts of 2 Cor. is where Paul defends his ministry by explaining that he is waging a spiritual, and not worldly, warfare. He needed no earthly weapons or methods, as his weapon was simply the power of the gospel, which is powerful enough to overtake anything raised up against it.
In v. 5 he says, We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ . . . . I like how the Holy Spirit uses that phrase to describe the power of the gospel to captivate people's minds.
As we will be called to account for all of our words and actions, the best way to change those things is to start with our thoughts. We should try to make sure every thought is captive to the obedience of Christ. We ought to filter every thought and make sure it is a slave to Christ and is in accordance with God's word. This will lead to words and actions that are also slaves to Christ.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
"Our Proud Confidence"
In defending his character and behavior, Paul says in v. 12, For our proud confidence is this: the testimony of our conscience, that in holiness and godly sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you.
Though I have failed and will fail at it, I hope one day I can look back and say that my only reason to be proud is that I know I acted (or tried to act) properly toward everyone. I hope that, like Paul, I can look back and say I tried my best to act in holiness and godly sincerity toward those in the world and especially to my brethren. Paul made sure his character and behavior were such that he would lead no one into worldly ways, but would only advance the cause of the Gospel.
It's hard to do, but I hope we can all follow his example.
Though I have failed and will fail at it, I hope one day I can look back and say that my only reason to be proud is that I know I acted (or tried to act) properly toward everyone. I hope that, like Paul, I can look back and say I tried my best to act in holiness and godly sincerity toward those in the world and especially to my brethren. Paul made sure his character and behavior were such that he would lead no one into worldly ways, but would only advance the cause of the Gospel.
It's hard to do, but I hope we can all follow his example.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Love
Today a lot of people are celebrating love and it got me thinking about love in the Bible and how we as Christians need to show love today.
Last week we read about what love looks like in 1 Corinthians 13. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things - and it never ends. (v7-8)
1 John 4 tells us why this matters. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. (v8) He showed His love for us by sending Jesus to take on our sins and bring salvation, while we as humans had done nothing to deserve it. In turn, we need to show love to one another.
This love is serious business. It's all over the New Testament and in reading 1 Cor. 13, you see that it's not easy - there is a lot involved. We (or at least I) need to work on showing love to fellow Christians and also those in the world, so they might see Christ's love in us.
Last week we read about what love looks like in 1 Corinthians 13. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things - and it never ends. (v7-8)
1 John 4 tells us why this matters. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. (v8) He showed His love for us by sending Jesus to take on our sins and bring salvation, while we as humans had done nothing to deserve it. In turn, we need to show love to one another.
This love is serious business. It's all over the New Testament and in reading 1 Cor. 13, you see that it's not easy - there is a lot involved. We (or at least I) need to work on showing love to fellow Christians and also those in the world, so they might see Christ's love in us.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Mature Infants
1 Cor. 14:20 says "Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature."
I realize he is talking specifically about spiritual gifts in this context, but I think the verse has a broader application as well. It shows how drastically different we are to be regarding evil compared to how we are to be in our knowledge or thinking. Like infants, we ought to be innocent and naive when it comes to the ways of the world. But at the same time we are to be wise and mature in spiritual things. I know there have been times when I have had it backwards, being all too familiar with worldly things and ignorant of spiritual wisdom.
Hopefully meditating on the daily Bible reading will help me resist worldly things and at the same time increase in knowledge, so I will in evil be an infant but in my thinking mature.
I realize he is talking specifically about spiritual gifts in this context, but I think the verse has a broader application as well. It shows how drastically different we are to be regarding evil compared to how we are to be in our knowledge or thinking. Like infants, we ought to be innocent and naive when it comes to the ways of the world. But at the same time we are to be wise and mature in spiritual things. I know there have been times when I have had it backwards, being all too familiar with worldly things and ignorant of spiritual wisdom.
Hopefully meditating on the daily Bible reading will help me resist worldly things and at the same time increase in knowledge, so I will in evil be an infant but in my thinking mature.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
True Rest and Happiness
Psalm 4 really brings home how true rest and happiness are found only in the ways of God, and not in the ways of the world.
I think it's interesting how David starts off addressing God by saying, "O God of my righteousness!" David recognized that not only was God righteous, but He was the source and sustainer of David's righteousness. We cannot be righteous on our own merit, but only because of what God has done. We cannot even truly do good things outside of a relationship with Him. This made me think about John 15:4-5, where Jesus is talking about abiding in Him and bearing fruit. I think it's interesting that the command is not to bear fruit; the command is to abide in Him, and then we will be able to bear fruit. "For apart from Me you can do nothing." (v.5)
Also, it seems that people of the world in David's time were much the same as people of the world today. He asks, "How long will my honor become a reproach? How long will you love what is worthless and aim at deception?" Today, many people of the world love engaging in what is wrong, and they make fun of those who do what's right. They call evil good and good evil, and they love to engage in deception and dishonesty.
But, as David says, the good news is that God has set His people apart to protect us and give us happiness despite all of this. If we will have the right attitude ("tremble"), examine ourselves constantly ("meditate in your heart upon your bed and be still"), do what is right ("offer the sacrifices of righteousness") and put our trust in Him, we will have rest and peace that the world cannot offer.
As in David's time, people today look for happiness and fulfillment in the wealth and pleasures of this world. They go around asking where they will find good (v. 6). But God offers happiness that surpasses the joy those people receive from things of the world. I don't mean to suggest we ought to derive no joy or pleasure from earthly things. I think God put many things here for us to enjoy and we ought to find happiness in our daily work and in producing and enjoying wealth. But these things will be gone one day and won't bring ultimate fulfillment.
I sometimes wonder what it's like to live life for those people who think this earthly existence is all there is. Thankfully, it doesn't have to be that way.
I think it's interesting how David starts off addressing God by saying, "O God of my righteousness!" David recognized that not only was God righteous, but He was the source and sustainer of David's righteousness. We cannot be righteous on our own merit, but only because of what God has done. We cannot even truly do good things outside of a relationship with Him. This made me think about John 15:4-5, where Jesus is talking about abiding in Him and bearing fruit. I think it's interesting that the command is not to bear fruit; the command is to abide in Him, and then we will be able to bear fruit. "For apart from Me you can do nothing." (v.5)
Also, it seems that people of the world in David's time were much the same as people of the world today. He asks, "How long will my honor become a reproach? How long will you love what is worthless and aim at deception?" Today, many people of the world love engaging in what is wrong, and they make fun of those who do what's right. They call evil good and good evil, and they love to engage in deception and dishonesty.
But, as David says, the good news is that God has set His people apart to protect us and give us happiness despite all of this. If we will have the right attitude ("tremble"), examine ourselves constantly ("meditate in your heart upon your bed and be still"), do what is right ("offer the sacrifices of righteousness") and put our trust in Him, we will have rest and peace that the world cannot offer.
As in David's time, people today look for happiness and fulfillment in the wealth and pleasures of this world. They go around asking where they will find good (v. 6). But God offers happiness that surpasses the joy those people receive from things of the world. I don't mean to suggest we ought to derive no joy or pleasure from earthly things. I think God put many things here for us to enjoy and we ought to find happiness in our daily work and in producing and enjoying wealth. But these things will be gone one day and won't bring ultimate fulfillment.
I sometimes wonder what it's like to live life for those people who think this earthly existence is all there is. Thankfully, it doesn't have to be that way.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Can anyone explain the 1st 16 verses of 1 Cor 11?
I get confused every time I read these verses. I am not sure about why he gives these instructions about the covering and why they do or don't apply today. Also, he goes right in to conduct at the Lord's Supper which does indeed apply today. Perhaps he was talking about how a woman should behave when exercising spiritual gifts? I really don't know.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Shield About Me
Reading Psalm 3, I started singing Shield About Me which is inspired by v3. Have a listen, it will be in the new supplement.
Edifying One Another
One theme I have noticed in the readings lately is the importance of building each other up.
Going back to Romans, Paul discusses this towards the end of the book. In Rom. 14, when talking about eating meat and observing days, he says "therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this -- not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother's way" (14:13). He goes on to say "For if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died." (14:15) Finally, he says in 14:19, "So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another."
In Rom. 15, he continues this idea, saying we should focus less on pleasing ourselves and instead follow Christ's example: "Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification." (15:2). In Rom. 16, Paul lists several people who have helped him, helped other Christians, and helped the church in general.
He comes back to this in 1 Cor. 8, where he again stresses that we should not do anything that would make someone else stumble, but instead ought to live in way that edifies others. Today we don't have the problem of eating meat sacrificed to idols, but the same issue arises in other ways. I know there have been times where I was convinced it was okay to do something and could not understand why others did not agree. That is the wrong attitude to have. It would be better to do whatever is necessary to help the other person. As Paul explains, it is more important to have love than to know what's right in every argument. (1 Cor. 8:1-2).
Going back to Romans, Paul discusses this towards the end of the book. In Rom. 14, when talking about eating meat and observing days, he says "therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this -- not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother's way" (14:13). He goes on to say "For if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died." (14:15) Finally, he says in 14:19, "So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another."
In Rom. 15, he continues this idea, saying we should focus less on pleasing ourselves and instead follow Christ's example: "Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification." (15:2). In Rom. 16, Paul lists several people who have helped him, helped other Christians, and helped the church in general.
He comes back to this in 1 Cor. 8, where he again stresses that we should not do anything that would make someone else stumble, but instead ought to live in way that edifies others. Today we don't have the problem of eating meat sacrificed to idols, but the same issue arises in other ways. I know there have been times where I was convinced it was okay to do something and could not understand why others did not agree. That is the wrong attitude to have. It would be better to do whatever is necessary to help the other person. As Paul explains, it is more important to have love than to know what's right in every argument. (1 Cor. 8:1-2).
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
What I don't get...
There are a couple of things I don't understand in 1 Corinthians 7. Hopefully someone can help me out.
1. In v10 Paul prefaces his instructions to the married with "not I, but the Lord." Then in v11 he says "I, not the Lord" when talking to everyone else. Any idea why? I mean, it's in the Bible, so I think we need to follow it, but it's interesting that he inserts those phrases.
2. Verse 14 reads: For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. I can see in v16 that he isn't saying the unbelieving spouse is saved, so I don't understand what he's saying.
Thoughts?
1. In v10 Paul prefaces his instructions to the married with "not I, but the Lord." Then in v11 he says "I, not the Lord" when talking to everyone else. Any idea why? I mean, it's in the Bible, so I think we need to follow it, but it's interesting that he inserts those phrases.
2. Verse 14 reads: For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. I can see in v16 that he isn't saying the unbelieving spouse is saved, so I don't understand what he's saying.
Thoughts?
Present Distress
Context is key again when reading 1 Corinthians 7. I think the key to this passage is verse 26. The present distress probably refers to the persecution going on at the time. Paul is probably saying that is best not to be married if you are currently single because of the persecution which was currently being waged on the early church in that city.
Today in our county we are fortunate enough not to be dealing with such persecution. I don't think Paul is giving a rule for all time that it is better to remain single than to be married. I don't think he is telling us that the only reason to be married is to stay away from sexual immorality.
The bible speaks very highly of the marraige relationship and we know that he who finds a wife finds a good thing (Prov 18:22). So, when studying this chapter, don't forget the context.
Today in our county we are fortunate enough not to be dealing with such persecution. I don't think Paul is giving a rule for all time that it is better to remain single than to be married. I don't think he is telling us that the only reason to be married is to stay away from sexual immorality.
The bible speaks very highly of the marraige relationship and we know that he who finds a wife finds a good thing (Prov 18:22). So, when studying this chapter, don't forget the context.
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