Category Archives: Opening the Bible

Letters and Life

Moses comes to the forefront of Paul’s thoughts in chapter 3. He was indirectly introduced in 2:14-17 through the triumphal procession and then alluded to in the aroma of life and death (Numbers 16). But in chapter 3 he rises above the waterline and is not only named by Paul but incorporated into important comparisons/contrastsContinue reading “Letters and Life”

The Triumph of the Broken and Burdened

This piece is longer than usual but it deals with a pivotal text and topic in Paul’s ministry and in our lives. Paul hadn’t made the trip to Corinth he had written (and apparently talked) about (1 Corinthians 16:5-9; 2:1:15-17). Instead, he ended up making a quick, “painful visit” to them that didn’t go wellContinue reading “The Triumph of the Broken and Burdened”

Death Row Discipleship

In 2 Corinthians 1:8-11, Paul speaks to the Corinthians about an extreme crisis he and his companions were delivered from while in the province of Asia. He cites it as an example of his experience living under “the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort” (v. 3). While we might be tempted toContinue reading “Death Row Discipleship”

Something about 2 Corinthians

Any way you care to look at it, Corinth was Paul’s most challenging church. We have more writing from him to this congregation than any other (by quite a bit)—and we know of at least two more letters he wrote that haven’t been preserved for us (1 Cor. 5:9; 2:2:1-4). 1 Corinthians deals primarily withContinue reading “Something about 2 Corinthians”

This Is Our Savior!

Prior to the beginning of His ministry, Matthew shares with us two things that happened to Jesus—His baptism and His temptation in the wilderness. These are to be taken together as inaugural and initiatory to His mission. Jesus’ baptism was (among other things), His public manifestation to Israel. John develops this aspect as he tellsContinue reading “This Is Our Savior!”

The Man Of Mercy

Jesus, as Matthew presents Him to us, was a man of mercy.  He taught mercy. Matthew arranged his gospel into five teaching blocks (chapters 5-7,10,13,18,23-25). Each of these ends with a statement to the effect of when Jesus had finished saying/teaching (all) these things (7:28,11:1,13:53, 19:1,26:1). In the first part of the first teaching section,Continue reading “The Man Of Mercy”

Limping Into The Sunrise (1)

Whatever conclusions you draw about Jacob’s character (or the lack of it), you have to grant that he had some help getting there. His grandfather and father struggled with telling the truth at times (Genesis 12:11ff, 20:1ff, 26:7ff), while his mother, Rebekah, instigated and served as his accomplice in the deception of his father, Isaac (27:5ff).Continue reading “Limping Into The Sunrise (1)”

Godliness And Baseball Gloves

The words godliness and godly are found 25 times in the New Testament with 11 of those occurrences being in Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus. That’s a high concentration and out of proportion with the words’ infrequent usage in the rest of the NT. In fact, when the words are used, they tend toContinue reading “Godliness And Baseball Gloves”

Learning To Listen To God (1)

We’ve all had the experience of thinking we heard someone say something only to find out what they actually said was quite different from what we understood. For those of us with hearing impairment this is a regular occurrence. Even with our hearing aids in, we can struggle at times to clearly understand people withContinue reading “Learning To Listen To God (1)”