I love you this much — Ephesians 1-3

Posted on January 26, 2012 by parklinscomb

Today and tomorrow we’ll be reading from Paul’s letter to the

The Ephesian library was second in size only to the library in Alexandria Egypt

Ephesians. By way of introduction to the book you should know that Ephesus was a major seaport in the ancient world, the end of many trade routes from the east to the Mediterranean Sea. It sat on the Meander River, which was very slow, twisty, and meandering river — from which we get the word “meander”. The city was the site of the world famous Temple of Diana, one of the “Seven Wonders of the Ancient World”. Moreover, it was the place of one of the largest libraries in the world, pictured here.

And it was one of Paul’s more successful mission efforts. His preaching of the Gospel prompted the burning of magic books and the famous riot in Ephesus’ theater.

The Ephesian theater that was the site of the 2 hour riot

There even seems to have been a successful expansion and evolution of Paul’s missionary activity, some of the churches of Asia seem to have been established by emissaries from Paul from Ephesus. With as much time as Paul had spent in Ephesus, he had a very clear view of things that they needed to hear: encouragement to unity and specific teaching on how to live the Christian life. With this in the background, let’s dive in…

In Christ — Eph. 1:3ff

Throughout the whole book of Ephesians you’ll notice a recurring phrase: “in Christ”, “in Him”, “in the Beloved” etc. And it all starts with chapter 1:3 in which we discover that every spiritual blessing is “in Christ”; which conversely tells us that no spiritual blessings are found outside of Christ. Paul’s list in chapter 1 is lengthy and sometimes takes a bit of thought to penetrate; but it is well worthy the effort, because this is a really important Christian understanding to have. And it begs the question, “How do ‘get in’?” To cut to the chase on this question, let me point to Galatians 3:27, “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”

The new Temple of God — Eph. 2:21

Speaking from the view point of Gentile, chapter 2 is a wonderful, panoramic explanation of where we’ve been, what the Lord has done for us, where we stand now as part of the covenant, and even thrills us with the fact that we are part of God’s new Temple — the house and household of God! Paul uses this imagery earlier in 1 Corinthians 3 when he rebukes the church there about their division and the seriousness of destroying the Temple of God! It needs to inspire us, even today, to put aside our opinions, our personal tastes, our pride, our selfishness, our competition, and our ambitions that can and often do divide the church.

Imagine the size of the love of Christ — Eph. 3:17-19

Remember the game children play with their parents: “I love you this much,” with arms open wide to try to imagine the size of our love. Here Paul challenges our imagination with the dimensions of Christ’s love for us.

How broad — Christ’s love is wide enough to include the black and white, the smart and the not smart, the city-dweller and the country boy, the lame and the whole, the slow and the fast, the tall and the short, the educated and the uneducated, the rich and the poor, the Jew and the Gentile, men and women, old and young, the good and the sinner, and everyone else. “For God so love the world…”

How long — Christ’s love reaches beyond the beginning of the world, being the Lamb that was slain before the foundations of the world. His love continued through history, which is really the outcome of God’s larger aim to redeem the world. His love continued through His Incarnation, His Ministry, His Passion, His Crucifixion, and His Resurrection. It continues as He rules His Kingdom, the church. And His love will continue through the end of time and beyond into eternity the only one of the three great Christian pillar: faith, hope, and love, that will last beyond this world. Christ’s love is long!

How deep — Christ’s love is so great that there is nothing too humble, too lowly for Him to do. While the apostles were jockeying to avoid the humiliating task of washing everyone else’s feet, Jesus took off His cloak, tied a towel around His waist, filled the basin, and began to wash His own disciples feet — including Judas’ feet. But that was just a token of His great humility — Philippians 2:5-8 “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

How high — His was the highest love imaginable, a love that chose to do good for enemies, a love that would redeem and woo back a wayward wife (see the parable/story of Hosea and Gomer), a love that would reclaim a persecutor like Paul, a love that would ask, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” Christ’s sort of love is not motivated by passions that fade away, or familial ties, or sexual love, or friendship.

May our love for one another be such a love as Christ’s (John 13:34,35).

See you tomorrow, Lord willing.

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A new mark of the covenant— Galatians 4-6

Posted on January 24, 2012 by parklinscomb

Today, in our reading in Galatians, Paul will continue with his point that the Law of Moses, with its circumcision, Sabbaths, and dietary rules, was no longer binding on God’s people. He exposes the Judaizing teachers’ real motives (to avoid persecution); he assures the Galatians that the Gospel and the truth have not changed; and that returning to the Law of Moses not only was a return to slavery, but was a fall from grace. He then follows up with some practical teachings for them to follow in view of the doctrinal truths he was given them. In the midst of all these things, Paul also says some things that are worthy of special attention…

The difference between knowing and being known — Gal. 4:9

James Taylor (“That’s Why I’m Here) wrote, “Fortune and fame’s such a curious game; perfect strangers call you by name. Pay good money to hear “Fire and Rain”, again and again and again.” The very definition of being famous is that lots of people know who you are. I know who James Taylor, Brad Pitt, and Paul McCartney are, and I could even claim that I know them; but of course, the truth is they wouldn’t know me.

So also with Jesus; there are many who know about Jesus, and there are many who claim they know Him; but the real question is “Does Jesus know them?” It will certainly not be enough to merely know about Jesus (James 2:19 “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.”). And it will not be enough to say that we know Him (Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’”). Jesus must know us, and this appears to come from our willingness to obey Him — Matthew 7:21-23 and Matthew 10:32. This second verse speaks of confession (v. denial) in a context that implies that obedience is a major form of confession (see also Titus 1:16).

So, does Jesus know you?

Making enemies by telling the truth? — Gal. 4:16

It is possible, of course, to tell the truth in a hurtful and vicious way, but this is certainly not what Paul is doing. Nevertheless, telling the truth was raising up enemies. Paul knew a little bit about that; he was part of the crowd that covered their ears and rushed upon Stephen with a loud voice in Acts 7:57 to drag him out to stone him to death. Nobody likes being wrong; it hurts our pride. And the truth spoken to sometimes interferes with our enjoyment of the sins we prefer. But when the truth from God’s word is being spoken in kindness and love, and yet we feel animosity and anger arising toward the person telling us the truth, this should tell us something really important. Are we saying that we prefer the lie? And where have lies ever gotten us? Do they change reality?

Fallen from grace — Gal. 5:4

Is it possible for a Christian to fall from grace? Although there are a lot people and a whole theological school of thought that would deny it, the truth of Scripture strongly disagrees. From the early Christian teachings from Jesus in the parable of the sower (Matt. 13:1ff) to the multiple passages in the book of Hebrews to the warning to Christians in the churches of Asia, the warnings are clear, Christians can fall from grace and lose their salvation.

This is not to say, now, that Christians need to live constantly fearful of the loss of their salvation. The Bible is also full of assurances and promises like Romans 8:31ff. We must simply be appropriately aware that our deliberate and persistent turning away from God will result in terrible spiritual loss.

In this case, it was on the basis of hold to a wrong teaching, a corruption of a fundamental principle of faith in Christ for salvation. In other places in Scripture (e.g., 1 Cor. 5), the danger was on the basis of immoral behavior. It does matter what we believe and what we do.

Called to freedom — Gal. 5:13

In almost all of Paul’s letters there is a practical section that urges and commands Christian behavior, founded on the doctrines taught in first part of the letter to daily life — and Galatians is no exception. Paul starts his practical section by addressing the obvious danger of freedom from the Law — living sinfully. Paul’s answer boiled down to what he also says in the early verses of Romans 8: you must live now by the Spirit rather than the Law of Moses! Gone, now, are the ceremonial rules, the laws about the clean and unclean things, the dietary laws, the Sabbath keeping, circumcision, animal sacrifices, etc. (see the NT book of Hebrews), but Jesus’ law of love and the fruit of the Spirit abide.

Reaping what we sow — Gal. 6:6-10

Among other practical teachings we find in Galatians is one you’ve probably heard a number of times in your life (especially from a parent), “You reap what you sow.” And it is a powerful principle to hold in mind throughout life — though most of us would prefer to sow the wild oats and simply pray for a crop failure. Sowing a thought reaps a deed and sowing a deed reaps a consequence. In so many, many ways there is a very definite cause and effect thread that runs through all of life. Do we mean that if we do good things that only good things will come our way. No, not always; Satan will see to that; remember Job’s story? Will sin-sowing people always reap bad consequences? No, not always; Satan will see to that, too; sometimes the worst people are the wealthiest. It is to say, however, that every seed will definitely see its proper fruit in the spiritual realm, where (Romans 2:6 ) “[God] WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS:”

A new creation — Gal 6:15

Among his closing remarks, Paul reminds them again (in context with the practical application section of the letter) that it is not circumcision that really mattered (reference to the Law of Moses again), but a new creation — a different kind of life, newness of life, life guided by the Spirit. Stop looking for the physical marks on your or someone else’s body, he seems to be saying, and start looking for the fruit of the Spirit as the new mark of the covenant!

See you tomorrow, Lord willing.

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Crucified with Christ — Galatians 1-3

Posted on January 23, 2012 by parklinscomb

Today we begin reading Paul’s letter to the Galatian churches. Galatia is a region is what we call Turkey or Asia Minor. If you take a look at a typical Bible map of the area it will show Galatia to be sort of north central Turkey, which would have reached as far south as Derbe, Lystra, and Iconium — towns in which Paul had planted churches during his first missionary journey.

The letter deals doctrinally with the very controversial question of whether or not Gentiles should be commanded to obey the Law of Moses (beginning with circumcision) — a controversy which raged in the early church from the time of Paul’s and Barnabas’ return from their first missionary journey through Paul’s last letters to Timothy. Since Paul’s ministry was specifically to the Gentiles, and since it had been Paul who had first vigorously argued the truth about inclusion of the Gentiles without submission to the Law, it became a constant theme in most of his letters.

The Galatian letter, however, is different from other of Paul’s letters on this subject. It is very emotional in some parts and very thorough in other parts. He attacks the question of the place of the Law of Moses in Christianity from several angles, insuring that no Judaizing argument would be left unanswered. Paul was clearly very concerned about the churches in Derbe, Lystra, and Iconium; and he also appears to be aware how important it was for this truth to be established in the Lord’s church. With these introductory remarks out of the way, let’s take a look at a few of the many important passages in our reading today.

The great responsibility of teaching the truth — Gal. 1:8,9

My observation over many years in ministry is that not many of those who get into ministry (preaching, teaching, shepherding, or even deacons) understand how important their teaching is the Kingdom, nor how angry God is at those who teach falsely. James 3:1 tell us, “Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.” And Paul really, really underscores this with a rather emotional, yet truthful, exclamation, (Galatians 1:8, 9) “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!” This isn’t just an angry outburst from Paul against his enemies; this is an inspired judgment of damnation (the Greek word anathema was the analog of being put under the ban, devoted to destruction). These are solemn warnings for those who seek to tickle the ears of an audience, those who have a personal agenda to preach or teach, or those who fear men more than God. It seems clear that those in ministry need to be good students of the word and be careful in what they say — for the sake of the truth and the sake of the the Lord’s church.

Rebuking Peter — Gal 2:11ff

I can’t imagine rebuking Peter; I mean, think about who he was! He walked with the Lord Himself. He heard the parables first hand, saw the miracles with his own eyes, actually walked on water, saw the empty tomb, and preached the first Gospel sermon. But Peter could be wrong, and he was in respect to his practices, when in the presence of Judaizing teachers. Here we must again respect the courage of Paul in calling Peter out, exposing his hypocrisy regarding the truth. While it is true that we must respect leaders and therefore must be careful that we are correct in such matters, we must also respect God more.

The great switch — Gal. 2:20

This is one of the great passages of the New Testament, one which if we could only really put into action, would be truly transformative in our lives — to die to self and let Jesus live in us! It is the essence of Christianity.

Clothed with Christ — Gal. 3:27

That death to self and resurrection to Christ happens in baptism (John 5:24 and Romans 6:5,6). Paul uses this teaching here to remind us that in Christ there is no more Jew or Gentile problem — we all are heirs of God!

See you tomorrow, Lord willing.

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Don’t judge a book by the cover — 2 Corinthians 10-13

Posted on January 22, 2012 by parklinscomb

Paul continues to work at reconciliation with this beloved but wayward Corinthian congregation. Despite the fact that he had been the one to bring the precious Gospel to them, he had lost stature and influence among them as they compared him to smoother talkers (being Greeks, they really loved rhetorical skill), men who claimed to have a more direct connection to Jesus (some folks who had arrived in Corinth claimed to have physically followed Jesus), and even those who expected to be financially supported (people tend to believe that what you pay for is more valuable). By such outward standards, Paul didn’t compare well; but Paul, loving this congregation and being unwilling to let others with lesser concern for the real spiritual welfare of “his children” usurp his fatherly place among them, found it necessary to point out the reasons they should esteem him over the others.

Speech weak but debate strong — 2 Cor. 10:1-11

Although Paul would never be an Apollos in rhetorical delivery, the incisive logic and power in this letters and his aptitude in personal teaching were well known among the Corinthian brethren: 2 Corinthians 10:4, 5 “for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 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.” And, 2 Corinthians 10:11 “Let such a person consider this, that what we are in word by letters when absent, such persons we are also in deed when present.” Sometimes a reasonable, calm demeanor is mistaken for weakness, but God (in Jesus and in Paul) approves of boldness, when it is called for. Do they want powerful speeches? Paul could give them more than they had bargained for.

First to come to Corinth vs. Johnny-come-lately — 2 Cor. 10:12-18

Paul had been the first to come to Corinth, do the hard work of starting from scratch. And now the smooth-talkers, name-droppers, and those expecting to be supported had come flooding in to take mess up his hard work and estrange him from the Corinthian church. Go start your own church and foul it up, Paul seems to be saying. There’s a lesson here, too, I think, for liberal theologians who come to work at a long-established church with sound doctrine and united fellowship and take the congregation off in an unsound and divided path. Leave sound churches alone, plant your own churches, don’t destroy someone else’s hard work.

Getting paid doesn’t make you right — 2 Cor. 11:1-11

The principle is called “perceived value”. The widely accepted wisdom is that “you get what you pay for”, and if you paid nothing for it, it’s worth about that much. When I counsel in my ministry, I usually don’t charge. But sometimes, if I think it will make people take my advice, I will charge. Paul didn’t want to charge for tell ing the Gospel, and he sarcastically apologizes for this offense to the Corinthian church. But getting paid doesn’t make you automatically right; in fact, it has been known to tempt the preacher to say what the paying audience wanted to hear.

An apostolic resume that would be hard to match — 2 Cor. 11:21ff

Paul wasn’t “slick” but he had held a doctoral degree in the school of hard knocks. Following Christ had brought him a list of trouble far longer than any of his competitors that he had courageously endured. Again I think there are important things to be learned here — that hard won experience is at least as valuable, if not more so, than fancy credentials. Who do you think would be more qualified to help you through a trial: someone who had gone through such things, or someone who’d only read a lot about it?

Power perfected in weakness — 2 Cor. 12:1-10

If you’ve ever wondered why you weren’t the most beautiful or the smartest, or the richest, or most athletic, or the most skilled in life, Paul has something that he’d like you to consider here. Power is perfected in weakness. As I’ve mentioned in other posts before, your weakness might just be the very things God has been looking for to do something great. From Abraham to David to Mary to Jesus to Paul, God often chooses the weak and unlikely to do great things, so that His power and ability shine through, not our own.

Test yourself — 2 Cor. 13

Paul’s return was going to be be painful for those who were unwilling to change, and before he came to them, he wanted challenge them to test themselves, to see if they were in the faith. It’s not a bad idea for us, too. Because for us, it won’t be Paul’s return we’ll need to beware of; it will be Jesus’

See you tomorrow, Lord willing.

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Joyful giving — 2 Corinthians 7-9

Posted on January 21, 2012 by parklinscomb

Today’s reading takes us into the dangerous territory of giving. Are you brave enough? 🙂 Let’s dive right in.

Repentance without regret — 2 Cor. 7:8-13

It is never easy to confront, correct, or discipline. There are fears that the one who needs correction will be pushed away, perhaps offended, perhaps embarrassed — all of which may serve as a stumbling block in the road to a return. So, leaders often hesitate to correct only to see the one who needs correct drift farther and farther away from the Lord and His church. Paul understood the pain and says so in this passage; he didn’t want to cause sorrow. But he also notes for us that the only hope is in the sorrow, in hopes that it would ultimate lead to repentance and save the person from the huge spiritual loss of salvation and Heaven.

Leaders (and I speak to myself as well), we must correct the erring; it is their only hope. We must risk their offense — which won’t be so great if we’ll make sure that we express our love for them and the reason we are correcting. These are brothers or sisters, after all; we can’t just let them drift away without saying anything! And if they return, which is the purpose of correction, the sorrow will turn to joy — a repentance without regret.

They first gave themselves — 2 Cor. 8:1-5

Paul now turns to his major project of the moment, the collection for the saints in Judea. Before Paul’s corrective letters, the prospects of Corinthian generosity were quite good, but there are obviously difficulties involved in asking for generosity while at the same time you’re correcting them. To complicate things even more, Paul was going to be bringing brethren from Macedonia with him to pick up the Corinthian gift — brethren to whom Paul had bragged about the promise of a generous gift from Corinth, These Macedonian brethren would now see whether Corinth’s gift was “brag” or “fact”.

So, to motivate the Corinthian church he tells them about the generosity of the Macedonian church, not as prosperous a region as the rich port city of Corinth could be expected to be. The Macedonians had given much, much more than Paul had expected, and Paul give us (and the Corinthians) the secret of real generosity: they first gave themselves. When we truly love — give ourselves — no gift is too “over the top”, no sacrifice is too dear, no possession is really mine, no amount is too much. And it applies to much more than mere money — it includes time, talents, efforts, and “blood, sweat, and tears”. Have you given yourself?

According to what a person has — 2 Cor. 8:12

God isn’t concerned about the actual dollar amount of our giving. Like the widow who gave two copper coins, about who Jesus said that she had given more than anyone else had given that day, its really much more about what you’re doing with what you have. I may not be quoting this poem perfectly, but there is one that goes along this line…

It’s not what you’d do
With a million dollars,
If riches should be your lot;
It’s more what you do,
Right here and right now,
With the dollar and quarter you’ve got.

Principle of the open conduit — 2 Cor. 9:8-15

It’s an interesting principle that Paul talks about here. In essence he is telling us that God prefers using wide-open conduits for spreading His blessings around. It makes sense: if I want to water my lawn I’m going to find and use the hose without the leaks, breaks, or blockages. That’s the one that I’ll hook up to my spigot. If God wants to bless people, He’ll look for people without “leaks” or “blockages” (i.e., irresponsible stewardship, greed, or self-interest). It is those people that He’ll bless, because He knows that those blessings will be passed along. This is not to promote any form of the “health and wealth gospel”. That’s not the way it works — it is just to say that God does take care of those who are appropriately generous with the His blessings. Generosity is all about faith — if I give this, will I have enough for myself? From Genesis through Revelation God encourages generosity and the faith in Him that it demonstrates. Christianity is about being open-handed rather than tight-fisted — just like the God we serve.

See you tomorrow, Lord willing.

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Paul, a driven man — 2 Corinthians 4-6

Posted on January 20, 2012 by parklinscomb

Paul continues to appeal to his difficult brethren in Corinth to be reconciled with him again — and conform (transformed) to the Lord’s commands. And do so, he needs convince them (as oddly as it may seem) of his superior credentials to the more polished teachers that have divided the church and taught false things. So he begins by speaking of his ministry to the Gentiles through difficulty that most of us would never want to experience…

I believed therefore I spoke — 2 Cor. 4:13

Why did Paul endure such hardship to preach the Gospel? Paul boils it down to something incredibly simple: I believed, therefore I spoke. This simple answer dramatically and powerfully underscores the real power of faith — when we really believe! If we ourselves really believed that sin sends us to a terrible place called Hell and that the only way, the only way, we can be saved from this is through faith and obedience to Jesus Christ, what would we do? The fact that we often are shy or a little embarrassed about sharing this critical and wonderful news to other — especially people we say we love — may say something about what we really believe, or don’t believe. Paul certainly believed and look what he did no matter what.

Seeing the unseen — 2 Cor. 4:16,17

“So, Paul, how do you go on?” Well, of course, his faith was a big part, but you know part of his faith was in this unseen stuff that he speaks of here. He saw not men, but souls. He saw the Gospel not as another philosophy or religious strain of doctrine, but the truth that enables men to avoid Hell and attain Heaven. He even saw his body’s aging and physical wear as merely a temporary tent while he was waiting on his permanent home in Heaven. Here’s a secret to so many, many trials and hardships in this life — seeing the unseen. When we’re looking at how things look here on earth, we may begin to despair — life stinks and then you die! But when we’re looking at the unseen, at the things above, our whole paradigm changes! Challenges become adventures, trials become temporary inconveniences, and temptations become opportunities to become victorious in Jesus. What do you see?

Knowing the fear of the Lord — 2 Cor. 5:11

Paul continues with the whys of his ministry and he talks about one of those unseen things that he sees — the fear of the Lord. We don’t like to talk about the fear of the Lord, it’s not popular and it’s out of fashion. But though we’d don’t like to talk that much about Hell, Paul knew about it and was quite certain that he didn’t want anyone going there. “Knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men!” he said. Maybe our lack of evangelistic fervor in connected to our minimal thinking about “the fear of the Lord”?

Made to be sin — 2 Cor. 5:21

I am always humbled to tears when I reach this verse — to think what the Father and the Son were willing to do for me — you and all of us. “God made Him who knew NO SIN, to BE SIN on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” The whole Gospel in a nutshell. And it is this love (v.14) that compels us in obedience to His will.

Resume: suffering, virtue, and paradox — 2 Cor. 6:4-10

Paul didn’t have an Oxford or Harvard degree — or more to the point Athens or Alexandria. But he wasn’t without credentials — just not the kind that people expected. He had suffered, just like Jesus had said; he walked the talk; and by God’s power was overcoming even in weakness. This is the first of three times in this letter that Paul will talk about the things that the Corinthian Christians should be respecting, instead of the worldly polish and connections of his rivals. It’s probably because it really is so easy to be awed by eloquent speakers, good looking people, folks with degrees, and people with charisma and personality — rather than people who’ve successfully lived a hard-working, challenging Christian life. Of the people that you respect in your Christianity, does their “resume” compare at all with Paul’s?

Come out — 2 Cor. 6:14ff

There are some commentators that think that this section may have been the first letter than Paul talks about in 1 Cor. 5, which was accidentally included in here in 2 Corinthians by a copyist’s mistake. But whether it was intended to be here or elsewhere, it is an important principle for Christians to live by; we must be careful of our associations, because they often influence us. This isn’t to say, as Paul talks about in 1 Cor. 5, that we need to completely separate ourselves from the world — but we should be careful about who wields the greater influence in your friendships. We want to influence or persuade men to follow Jesus; we do not want to be persuaded to live a compromised, lukewarm Christian life — lest we be spit out of Jesus’ mouth. Who do you associate with; who’s the more influential in your friendships?

See you tomorrow, Lord willing

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The aroma of Christ — 2 Corinthians 1-3

Posted on January 19, 2012 by parklinscomb

Today, we move on to the second letter to the Corinthian church. This letter, by the way, is actually not the second letter Paul ever wrote to Corinth; it is probably the fourth. There appears to have been a letter already written.

  • Letter 1 — 1 Corinthians 5:9 “I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people;”
  • Letter 2 — What we call 1 Corinthians
  • Letter 3 — Possibly another letter of rebuke (2 Corinthians 7:8) “For though I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it–for I see that that letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while–”
  • Letter 4 — What we call 2 Corinthians

Paul writes this letter just prior to coming to them to take the actual contribution for the Christians in Judea. He is nervous about the outcome, since he had bragged to other congregations about what the Corinthians church had promised. However, since Paul had had to severely rebuke the Corinthians church as many as three times now, it was possible that the Corinthian Christians might not be as motivated to make good on their pledge, and Paul would be embarrassed. So, part of his letter is spent in explaining why he had not come to them sooner, part of it defending his apostleship (again), part of it trying to reconcile himself with the church there, and part of it encouraging a generous gift for the Judean brethren. In many ways, this is one of Paul’s more personal and passionate letters; and there’s a lot we can learn, so, let’s dive in…

The God of all comfort — 2 Cor. 1:3ff

The life of any Christian is challenging. For Paul (as we’ll read later in the letter) it could be extremely challenging. And the Corinthian church had experienced a really rough patch with internal divisions, Paul’s rebukes, and the church discipline they had been forced to implement. But in the midst of all these troubles Paul remind them and us that God is the “Father of mercies and God of all comfort.” What was this comfort? It was the knowledge that all things work together for good, that God will not allow us to be tempted more than we can bear, and that we have a hope and a home in Heaven. Paul discusses this again in  2 Corinthians 4:17, 18 — “For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” We would probably do much better in our lives as we go through various trials and temptations to remember that we aren’t alone, that our God offers great comfort — we just need to open our spiritual eyes to see it.

We write what you read and understand — 2 Cor. 1:13

Despite the claims by some theologians, the Bible is quite understandable — Paul says so. Yes, there are sections of it that are more difficult than others (e.g., Revelation), but the crucially important things that relate to salvation, morality, and the church are easily accessible and don’t take an advanced degree in interpretation to “get”. Interestingly enough, the Greek New Testament was written in the koine Greek language — koine meaning “common”. In other words, this was the everyday Greek that was spoken and understood around the Mediterranean world — not the scholar’s Greek, or technical Greek, or the philosophers’ Greek. And if was written in everyman’s Greek, do we really suppose that it would be that difficult to understand?

The God who desires all men to come to a saving knowledge of the Gospel, who made men’s minds and tongues, and who inspired Paul and the other NT writers — don’t you suppose He could find a way to communicate with us clearly? If your local newspaper can write a news story that everyone is town can understand the same, why can’t God? Yes, understanding the original language can add interesting depths to our understanding, knowing the history and the culture of the people to whom he wrote is helpful in clarifying some nuances of meaning; but to say that the Bible is for the ministers, priests, scholars, or elite interpreters is just plain false.

know that I’m preaching to the choir here, we’re reading through the Bible together; but you might find that a number of your friends may have been told that reading the Bible is really not for them, because it’s too hard to understand. Although sometimes the reason that people don’t read the Bible is because they understand it all too well — and don’t want to be bothered with a bad conscience.

Through Him is our Amen — 2 Cor. 1:20

There are lots of promises that have been made in the Scripture. What are your favorites? Some of them pretty improbable, if you’re thinking like a worldly person. But in Jesus they all go from improbable or even impossible to YES! Isn’t that good news?!

The purpose of discipline fulfilled — 2 Cor. 2:8

Church discipline is a very unpopular and unpleasant task, but it must be done from time to time. As we noted in 1 Cor. 5, it’s purpose is two-fold: to protect the church from further corruption and also to bring the sinful brother or sister around spiritually in a last ditch effort to restore them. It is spiritual tough love. Paul had virtually forced the church in Corinth to do it at first, but now it had produced the appropriate result — real repentance. Now that this brother had repented, Paul urgently encourages them to reaffirm their love for him and forgive him. This is the only genuine reason for church discipline. It is not a vendetta, it’s not a personal put-down; it is spiritual wake-up call. Sadly, it is often met with resentment and contempt for the very people who are trying to bring them back to the Lord — often at the price great personal sorrow and heartache. God forbid it should happen to any of my readers, but if it should, please give those who love you enough to discipline you the benefit of the doubt and listen — for your soul’s sake.

The aroma of Christ — 2 Cor. 2:14-17

What a great metaphor Paul uses here about the Christian life — an aroma. For some it is more of a stink, because they love their sin; but for others a sweet smell of life and purpose and hope and promise! But you know, there are all kinds of aromas in the world.

Some are pretty foul. Have you ever been to a paper mill town? Foul. Once my parents visited some friends who lived in a paper mill town. The smell was so strong and so foul that my eyes were watering. I asked the other kid how he could stand it. “What smell?” he said. He clearly had gotten used to a smell I could barely stand. I wonder if skunks can smell themselves? I suspect not. I think that’s probably pretty much lie the smell of the world we live in; it’s foul, but before long we just get used to it. But it’s death.

Some smell good at first, but they start to choke you after a while, because they’re fake. Bathroom spray or even cheap perfume. They’re false religion. They may promise something better, but they aren’t roses.

And then there are the roses — fresh, real, even refreshing. The Christian aroma is life, sincerity, and transformational in its teaching and it’s example. Interestingly enough, the Christian aroma is so different that it can actually smell bad to those who are used to the stench of the world.

What sort of “aroma” follows you around?

Made adequate — 2 Cor. 3:5,6

Later in 2 Corinthians Paul will talk about his weaknesses. Indeed, Paul seemed to be well aware of his short-comings, but also boasts (rightly) that it has been God who has worked in Him — made him adequate for this mind-blowing task of sharing the Gospel. So, you think that God hasn’t given you much talent; do you use your inexperience or other weaknesses to beg-off doing things at church you are asked to do? God will make you adequate — adequate to share the Gospel, adequate to serve, perhaps adequate to lead in time. Of course you can’t do — on your own! Let go and let God, as the saying goes.

The veil of Moses — 2 Cor. 3:7ff

The stumbling block of the Law kept many Jews from believing in Jesus; they just couldn’t get past circumcision, dietary laws, and Sabbath keeping for all. But in today’s society and world the veil is often very different: fun, recreation, TV, and self. Folks often think that these things are really “living” — until they might possibly turn to Christ and see what real, abundant life is.

See you tomorrow, Lord willing.

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Resurrection and more — 1 Cor. 15,16

Posted on January 18, 2012 by parklinscomb

Today we’ll be reading one of the more fascinating chapters in the New Testament, God’s revelation to us about the resurrection. Here we’ll find out more about the resurrection than any other passage in the Bible. For this reason, let’s dive in…

The problem

The Greek world rejected the idea of the resurrection. They visualized a “Night of the Living Dead” sort of thing. So, although Paul had taught the resurrection to this very Greek church, they still had difficulty with the doctrine and some appear to have been abandoning it. And although we live in what is considered a Christian culture (a claim that begs askance), many in our own culture, sometimes in our own churches, still are relatively ignorant about. This is sad, since one of the three great pillars of Christianity (faith, hope, and love) refers to the resurrection — hope!

The importance of the doctrine of the resurrection — 1 Cor. 15:1-19

Paul starts with how critical the doctrine is to Christianity. It had been among the very first things that Paul and the other apostles always taught non-Christians — an absolutely indispensable part of the Gospel. If the doctrine of resurrection was a myth or fiction, then so is all of Christianity! Why? Because so much of Christianity rests directly upon Christ’s own resurrection. Without Jesus’ resurrection, it becomes clear that He was not the Messiah, not our Savior, and that His death on the cross meant nothing. Paul poignantly puts it this way, (1 Corinthians 15:17-19) “and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.” But if Christ was raised from the dead, we also will be, too! Just not yet, as Paul will talk about next…

The order of the resurrection — 1 Cor. 15:20-28

This may be of interest to those who are interested in the doctrine of premillennialism, there’s an order, a chronology, that Paul talks about here that may throw you a curve ball. According to most premillennial schemes, the Kingdom comes after the resurrection. But see what you think; I’ll put the order in parentheses…

1 Corinthians 15:23-28 — “But each in his own order: (1) Christ the first fruits, after that those who are (3) Christ’s at His coming, (4) then comes the end, (5) when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. (2) For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. (3) The last enemy that will be abolished is death. For HE HAS PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET. But when He says, “All things are put in subjection,” it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him. When all things are subjected to Him, (6) then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.”

What will it be like? — 1 Cor 15:35-49

“OK,” the Corinthian Christians might be expected to say, “so, describe what these resurrection bodies will be like, then.” Here Paul has a little bit of a problem, since the description of spiritual things is usually pretty challenging — we don’t really have words for things spiritual things we never experienced before. So, Paul resorts to parables or metaphors to explain.

  • Like a seed compared to its plant — Seeds are small, shriveled, dead looking, and destined to be buried (like our mortal bodies); but the plant that they ultimately produce is bigger, different in appearance, different in capacity, generally more glorious, and of course alive. So also the moral body and the resurrection body may have some connection, but the resurrection body will be vastly more glorious, stronger, more beautiful, more capable, and of course immortal.
  • Different from the flesh you know — Anyone who has ever seen a butcher meat case knows that it usually contains a variety of meats: beef, pork, chicken, or fish. Each is distinct in its look, each is distinct in flavor, and each is distinct in its texture. So also with the resurrection body — we’re familiar with what our present human flesh is like and what it is capable of, the resurrection body’s “flesh” will be different.
  • Different in glory — There is the beauty and glory of earthly bodies — human, nature, forests, mountains, oceans, and deserts. But there is also an awe inspiring beauty and glory of the sun, moon, and stars — each with their own distinct glory. So also with the differences between the mortal body and the resurrection body. The mortal body may be glorious in some senses (the Greeks were deeply appreciative of the well developed human body — as their statuary reveals); but the resurrection body will be glorious beyond comparison!
  • We now are given “Adam’s flesh”, then we will be given “Jesus’ flesh” — Lastly and probably most revealingly, Paul tells us that as we now bear the image and capabilities of Adam in our present bodies, so also we will bear the image and capabilities of Christ’s resurrection body at our own resurrection. This becomes something that the Bible student can further follow up on — study the Gospel accounts of the resurrection and Jesus’ resurrection appearances. Things that you note in those stories are things that we may logically assume will be possible for us, too: appear and disappear in a locked room, disguised at times and recognizable at other times, able to be touched, able to eat, but also able to ascend into Heaven, and immortal!

The resurrection of the living and the dead — 1 Cor. 15:50-57

This idea of resurrection is not just about the dead, it is about the living too, who will be “changed” to an immortal, resurrection body in the twinkling of an eye, when the Lord comes back. The mortal body will never do to see God or do all the things God appears to have in mind for the faithful.

It’s worth it — 1 Cor. 15:58

Do you ever get tired? The Christian life is certainly challenging, full of trials and temptations — some of them severe. But lest we ever get tired, weary, worn out, or on the verge of giving up here’s some good news to keep us going: 1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”

Giving as prospered — 1 Cor. 16:1,2

Paul was encouraging the church in Corinth to contribute to a special fund to support the church in Judea (experiencing a famine at the time). He would be returning at another time collect their contribution, but in the meantime he suggested a way he hoped to ensure a substantial contribution: let people contribute weekly as they are prospered. Sometimes well-meant pledges fall short, if the giving is delayed — they sometimes get inadvertently spent. This becomes an approved method for the local church to collect funds for its programs, projects, and needs — and even its support of minister or missionaries.

Do what you need to do — 1 Cor. 16:13,14

Paul had commanded them a number of things that we’re going to be easy:

  • put aside prideful differences and unite
  • withdraw fellowship from what may have been a prominent member because of sin
  • discipline the church to partake of the Lord’s supper properly
  • discipline the women of the church to be subject to male leadership
  • discipline the church to stop the confusing and disorderly worship that had become the norm
  • break down denominational barriers between brethren
  • love one another in a practical way

So, he needed to remind them to: 1 Corinthians 16:13 “Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” Christianity isn’t for sissies; it is for those men and women who have the courage of their convictions!a

See you tomorrow, Lord willing

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God’s more excellent way— 1 Cor. 11-14

Posted on January 17, 2012 by parklinscomb

The Corinthian Christians had bought the world’s wisdom hook, line, and sinker and it was about to destroy the Lord’s church. In today’s reading, Paul continues to guide and direct them toward transformational living.

The divine order — 1 Cor. 11:1-16

Submission is hard, especially in our radically independent culture. We’re born always wanting our own way, and we are socialized to think that no one should tell us what to do. We chafe at and rebel against authority of any sort. Time for some transformational thinking, some wisdom from God (contrasted to the wisdom of the world). Apparently one of the problems of the church in Corinth was that some of the sisters of the congregation were pushing for greater liberty than was appropriate. This is the cause for Paul reminding the church about God’s divine order: 1 Corinthians 11:3 “But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ.” It really must be noted here that this order is not a matter of superiority and inferiority — it is a matter submission. The inspired Scriptures tell us (Philippians 2:5, 6) “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped.” The Father and the Son are equal, but the Son is in submission to the Father; Christ’s obedience is not due to inferiority but voluntary recognition of authority. Now, it is certainly true that man is inferior to Christ, and we should obey due to that; and although women are not inferior to men, they — according to God’s command — should recognize male authority. Whether in marriage, the family, or the church, God has given His authority to men.

And by the way, submission to authority is not just for females. God has given authority to governments, parents, teachers, etc., which we are to obey, unless their direction runs contrary to God’s commands (Romans 13).

The Lord’s Supper —  1 Cor. 11:17-34

The Lord’s Supper is not a snack, not just a part of a larger meal, and certainly not something to be sniffed at. Unfortunately, this was the way that the Table of the Lord was being treated in Corinth. Some were coming to the assembly early (probably the more affluent) and scarfing down the agape dinner (a common fellowship meal) along with the bread and wine that were part of communion. When later brethren came (probably the less affluent, like slaves who have no choice about when they could come) there was nothing left for them — and there was no communion. To the rich, Paul commanded that if they were really that hungry, they should eat before they came to the assembly. They needed to put the community back into communion, because communion isn’t only about the vertical (man to God) angle, it is also about the horizontal (man to man) angle, too.

But as much as communion is about the fellowship of the saints, it is not just another family dinner; it’s about Jesus, about what He did on the cross for us, in remembrance of Him. It is the focus of the assembly, a central event to refocus each Christian’s life each week. Failing to see this meal for what it is — not judging the body rightly — is a serious spiritual error. It is not a time for making shopping lists, it’s not a time to write notes to your pew neighbor. It is a time to make the most of the special vertical and horizontal relationships that Jesus has made possible. Please make the Lord’s Supper the special event it deserves to be, for the Lord, for the church, for yourself.

The interdependency of the body of Christ — 1 Cor. 12

This was a gifted church. Since the miraculous gifts (in Greek “charismata”) were passed on by the hands of the apostles (see Acts 8:1ff), Paul had apparently passed on a number of miraculous gifts for the purpose of edification of the church and evangelism. The problem was that there were some gifts that were considered flashier than others — the ability to “speak in tongues” was one of the more coveted gifts — while others were OK but considered generally to be far more pedestrian and mundane. Those with the gift of tongues were making those who could merely prophesy or heal feel inferior and unimportant; this was part of the division and worldly wisdom that the brethren were still clinging to. So help them transform themselves by the renewing of their minds, he uses the illustration of a body. Every body part (member or organ) is important. Even though some parts are more public and talented, no member’s function can be ignored. To do so either makes the whole body sick or crippled, or can even kill the body. So also with the church — every member is necessary, no member should be held in contempt, no gift should be sniffed at. Every gift, whether charismatic or not, was necessary for the proper functioning of the whole.

This is such an important principle for Christians to grasp. You are needed, not just by the church but by the Lord, who put you in the church Himself, gifted in whatever way you are gifted, for a reason. Live up to your purpose, your crucial purpose! The church is interdependent, just like your body.

The more excellent way — 1 Cor. 13

Envy, jealousy, pride, division — these are the world’s ways. Thinking of the church as a body is a better way. But Paul wanted them to ponder the more excellent way, love. Although this definition from Paul is far from complete and specially fitted to the Corinthian’s need, it does give us a great deal of depth and a great look at how the command needs to be applied to life.

And the reason that love was the more excellent way, Paul tells us, is that these gifts were all destined to fade and go away, while love and fellowship would last. These miraculous gifts were never intended to last forever in the church, anymore than scaffolding is intended to remain around a building after it’s finished. The miracles helped teach the church and spread the church (the purpose of speaking in tongues and some other “authenticating” miracles). But once the church had been “launched” properly, there would be no more purpose for them. Some have argued that “the perfect” mentioned here might be everything from love itself to the second coming of the Lord. There are solid Greek grammar reasons why these are not so. All the proposed antecedents of “the perfect” are the wrong grammatical gender. And the only correct gendered noun in the larger context is the word “charismata”, spiritual gift. In other words, the partial spiritual gifts will fade away when the perfect spiritual gift comes. What is the perfect spiritual gift? I think it’s completed New Testament Scriptures. They do everything that the partial spiritual gifts did (authentication of God’s word and distribution of God’s word) only permanently in book form.

All for edification — 1 Cor. 14

So much of what was going on in the assembly in Corinth was “all about me” — “Look at my gift, listen to what I can do; who cares about you?” What Paul wanted them to do was consider each other. All things were to be done for building each other up. Here’s an important principle for us — again. Rather than coming to church focused on self, the Christian needs to be focused on our brothers and sisters. The reason why people sometimes feel like they’ve not gotten anything out of church is that they’ve put nothing into it — they’ve served no one, they’ve edified no one. This is more of this transformational thinking and behavior. The worldly mind comes to church to get, the transformed mind comes to give. The worldly mind leaves empty, the transformed life leaves filled.

See you tomorrow, Lord willing.

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Liberty to Serve — 1 Cor. 7-10

Posted on January 16, 2012 by parklinscomb

As you probably noticed yesterday, the reading wasn’t a second run through 1 Cor. 1-3, but was supposed to be 4-6. Forgot to change that part in my word processor. Nevertheless, hope you found the article helpful.

Today’s posting will deal be longer than usual, four chapters rather than 3, because chapters 8-10 are a cohesive argument on the topic of Christian liberty. But more than dealing with Christian liberty, we’ll also be looking at another question that was huge in the ancient church, marriage or singleness. Obviously, once again, I’ll not be able to be nearly as comprehensive as I’d like; there’s just too much here that could provide fodder for questions and discussion. But as always, if you have a question about some part of this, especially if I didn’t address it, you’re always welcome to write something in the comments. So, let’s dive in.

The obligation of marital sexuality — 1 Cor. 7:2-9

I separate this topic out from the larger context, because as a Christian counselor I find I am running more and more into marriages in which this is a problem. There was a time in less “liberated” eras in which sex in marriage was considered a definite obligation. Today with women working full time jobs, with women’s liberationist proponents trying to frame marriage as a type of slavery, and marital sex as some form of prostitution an increasing number of women have turned away their husbands. I wouldn’t blame the higher divorce rate of modern times completely on this, but I think it has contributed significantly to the problem. Nor would I completely blame the higher incidence in adultery on it, but again, it can be easily understood as a major factor. “Oh, like I could go to Hell, for not having sex with my husband?” If unrepented of, yes. Although it is usually only obliquely referred to in traditional marriage vows, sexual obligation has always been a part of the marriage understanding — for both women and men. Don’t “bait and switch” on your husband or wife after the “I do” has been said. It is dishonest in the extreme and not only is damaging to your marriage but to someone’s heart. It is not sexual slavery, it is not prostitution, it is holy and to be kept inviolate like other parts of the marriage covenant: financial support, for better or worse, emotional support, etc. Stop the excuses, correct your attitude, love your husband or wife, and fulfill the covenant you made before God and your spouse.

What about marriage? — 1 Cor. 7

Should a Christian get married or remain single had become a pressing question in early Christianity. Paul was unmarried and Jesus was unmarried. There will be no marriage in Heaven (Matthew 22:30). Was there something especially holy about this state? Paul’s answer in a nutshell goes this way…

  • Sexuality in marriage is important and even required
  • Singleness is a gift that not everyone has
  • Singleness is preferable given the troubled circumstances of the day (persecution)
  • Despite the fact that religiously mixed marriages are hard, the Christian should not pursue divorce against an unbelieving spouse
  • If the unbelieving spouse initiates divorce, the Christian is not under obligation to stay with them
  • If the believing spouse does pursue a divorce (on other than grounds of adultery), he or she should understand that they must remain unmarried

“There is no God but one.” — 1 Cor. 8:4

Paul starts with the truth that there are no other gods, and that the eating of things sacrificed to the gods has no power or effect (since those “gods” don’t exist). But since not everyone knew this, this knowledge could be a cause of stumbling to others — and it was. The prideful knowledge of some of the rich had given them “enough knowledge to be dangerous.” Their knowledge had liberated rich Christians to eat, but this liberty was causing confusion among the poor and less knowledgeable and drawing them back into pagan rituals and feasts. This is the problem in many a church division — folks who are bent on exercising the liberties that they feel certain (sometimes erroneously) that they have without considering the conscience of others. To such people Paul pleads…

“But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.” — 1 Cor. 8:9

 “… all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some.” — 1 Cor. 9:22

How much is a soul worth? Paul seems to think that it was worth giving up his own way. That it was worth giving up comfort and personal desires. That it was worth giving up meat altogether. That it was worth living like a Gentile, even though he was a Jew. Worth living like someone weak and without knowledge. Worth living like an observant Jew, even though he was no longer bound by such restrictions. Are souls worth that much to you? We could complain that it gives us no freedom, that it’s makes us slaves, etc. Paul was quite certain that his brothers and sisters were worth it — and that the lost were. It’s a different way to think about things. Isn’t that Jesus’ way? It’s transformation! And the practice of it would transform the sharing of the Gospel and the strength of the church.

Warnings about freedom and its dangers from the Old Testament — 1 Cor. 10:1ff

It is said that the most dangerous time of Israel’s Exodus story was when they finally crossed the Red Sea. That’s when they first had freedom. It’s the most dangerous time for teens, when transition to college students or adult living and can make their own decisions. Freedom is what we all like, but its exercise is dangerous indeed. Paul warns the liberty-exercising brethren in Corinth to consider the mistakes of Israel, lest they liberate themselves right into condemnation like so many in Israel did. The moral shouldn’t be lost on us, though often it is. Every generation, it seems, is of the belief that the older generation are a bunch tradition bound, moss-backed, Neanderthals that need a little loosening up. That real happiness or even real religion lies just beyond where the older boundaries are. These principles found in the story of the Exodus and the wilderness wanderings are in the Old Testament for our learning.

See you tomorrow, Lord willing.

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