In the story surrounding Paul’s letter to Philemon, there are three central characters: Paul, Philemon, and Onesimus. Since the letter is written to Philemon, let’s talk about him first. Despite having a letter written to him, Philemon is only mentioned by name once in the Bible. It is in the book that bears his name. […]
Do you aspire to be meek? Not likely. Who would? When I think of meek, I think of spineless, compliant, and easily imposed upon. While that is a correct understanding of what it is to be meek, it is also the secondary definition for the word. The first definition for meek is patient, humble, gentle, […]
Most Christians Have a Worldly Perception of Themselves Instead of a Spiritual One We live in a physical world. As such, we are readily aware that we have a body. If we stop to contemplate it, we may admit to the possibility of having a soul, too—whatever that means. But what about a spirit? In […]
In The Error of the Sadducees and Pharisees, it was noted that the Sadducees’s error was taking away from the Bible, dismissing or ignoring certain sections. Paul notes that the Sadducees did not believe in resurrection, angels, and spirits, even though all are addressed in the Old Testament. In order to challenge or trick Jesus, […]
“As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head.” Obadiah Said The short book of Obadiah is a stinging rebuke to the nation of Edom, not for what they overtly did, but for what they did indirectly: for a failure to act, for smug attitudes, and […]
As followers of Jesus, we are encouraged to be generous and giving. Hospitality is part of that. Sometimes when we show kindness to others, we will never know the affect of our actions. As an encouragement in being generous and giving, Paul writes, “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people […]
The phrase “trustworthy sayings” occurs five times in the Bible. It likely refers to phrases that were commonly used and accepted by the early church. Paul’s inclusion of these phrases in his letters affirms them as reliable truth. Here are the five trustworthy sayings that Paul recorded: 1. Christ Jesus came into the world to […]
Training for the Best In Paul’s letter to Timothy, he contrasts physical training (which is good) to spiritual training (which is better). I wonder, how often do we pursue things that are good, while pushing aside God’s things that are better? That’s something to think about next time we’re working out or pursuing some leisure […]
Living in the Prophetic In Paul’s letter to Timothy he talks about a prophecy that he made regarding Timothy. (A prophecy is a God-inspired foretelling of the future.) Often we think of a prophecy as being about some grand, distantly future event—like the end of the world or major catastrophe—but that is not always the […]
Discover Why Paul Says This In his letter to the Philippians, Paul tells readers to follow his example and to the Corinthians he writes, “imitate me” (Philippians 3:17 and 1 Corinthians 4:16). This strikes me as bold and audacious, arrogant and presumptuous. This seemingly brash statement, however, is illuminated when he later instructs readers to […]