Introduction to Colossians
If Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians highlights the glory of the Church, the body of Christ, his Epistle to the Colossians underscores the supremacy of Christ, the head of the Church. These two epistles accentuate many of the same themes, both theological and practical, so that they complement one another and help us interpret each other in certain places.
In our day, a time when the magnitude of Christ is lost on many, even in our churches, the overarching message about His deity and supremacy in all things is something of a lost chord that needs to be rediscovered ...
Introduction to 1 John
1 John was written to 1st century believers in Asia Minor to guard themselves against a pernicious heresy that today we know as incipient or pre-gnosticism, a cluster of teachings that took sin lightly, believed in salvation by 'enlightenment' via secret rites, and was socially elitist, etc. To expose them and to give believers some benchmarks by which to test themselves John provides some tests of authenticity.
Gnosticism may have come and gone but certain features of it continue to manifest themselves to this day and must be taken as serious threats to the integrity of the faith. The epistle ...
Introduction to Philippians
A lot of Christian sentiments don't carry the same force when they are written from 'Happy Valley' as when they are penned from harsh conditions. This very personal letter, full of tender feeling for a church close to the heart of the Apostle Paul, was written from the bowels of a dungeon in Rome. Paul's faithful, enduring example and his hopeful spirit, his remarkable perspectives, his practical counsel and his firm principles are challenging benchmarks for us all in our walk with Christ. No believer can read this epistle, understand it and follow its teachings and fail to ...
Introduction to Isaiah
The New Testament is replete with quotes from the prophet Isaiah. The book thunders with warnings to the godless and resounds with chords of hope for the faithful. If the preacher's job is to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable, then Isaiah is the perfect model. Its contents are also a great example of prophecy as forth-telling the Word of God for the present as well as foretelling what God is going to do in the future. So stirring and engaging is Isaiah's vision of God as the Holy One of Israel, the sovereign Lord of ...
Introduction to 1 Corinthians
A fallacy of modern days is the perception that the New Testament church, the church in its infancy, was a model of Christian purity and power and largely unaffected by some of the toxic influences and divisiveness that bedevils modern church life. This perception is greatly exaggerated and no New Testament epistle illustrates the same old 'modern' issues like the ancient church at Corinth. It is helpful to see the chinks in their armor, too, and to realize how God can still work with (and correct) serious imperfections in the body life of local congregations. Especially enlightening is to see ...
Introduction to Esther
As an illustration of the marvelous, secret hand of God working through circumstances, events, and human beings to orchestrate His desire and design, the book of Esther is an absolute classic example of God's wonderful providence at work. Some have been troubled that God is never mentioned in this book, strange for a sacred book. But that omission is by design, for the emphasis in Esther is on the work of the hidden hand of God in human affairs, not the miracle-working God of Exodus, say. The fact is, God's regular way of working out His plan is ...
Introduction to "Breaking the Ties that Bind"
Believers are people in process. Though regenerated with renewed minds and hearts for God, the undertow of the flesh is still with us in the mortal body. Some old habits or reflexes give way to grace immediately, but others stubbornly cling to us like mud splatter. These dishonor God, grieve the Spirit, wound our conscience, and can sideline us as effective servants of Christ. I call these "habits from Hell." This brief series addresses some of the more common ties that need to be broken, offering perspectives and practices that by grace will bring about victory.
Introduction to Habakkuk
Habakkuk is like Job in the sense of a perplexity. How could a holy God allow injustice and lawlessness to run rampant without doing anything---a question we all have from time to time. When the Lord revealed to him that judgment was en route through the Chaldeans (Babylonians), the prophet's reaction shifts to another ground: This was a case, it seems, of the worse punishing the bad. The cure is worse than the disease, because the Chaldeans were more wicked than Judah.
The Lord then reveals to Habakkuk his puzzle is beside the point. Really there are only two ...
Introduction to Haggai
The core message of the prophet Haggai is that God is a holy God who expects His people to treat Him as such. That starts with putting first things first in the Lord's scale of priorities. God will honor those who honor Him and will treat as unholy those who don't. The historical situation of the returned exiles exemplifies the message.
Introduction to Hebrews Series
This epistle was written by an unidentified author in the early church to Hebrew believers whose faith in Christ was a bit frayed. He writes to shore up their faith by instruction in matters relevant to their particular issues and also to warn them of the dire consequences of apostasy. This book is profound theologically and so relevant practically, though it is challenging to teach because today so many are ignorant of the Old Testament upon which it constantly draws and some of its logic is foreign to our ways of thinking. But like the Epistle to the Romans, the ...
Recent Posts
- Introduction to Colossians
- Introduction to 1 John
- Introduction to Philippians
- Introduction to Isaiah
- Introduction to 1 Corinthians
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