Galatians 2:17-3:5 Galatians 2:17 But if while seeking to be justified in Christ we ourselves have also been found to be sinners, is Christ then one who encourages sin? Absolutely not! NET Paul is anticipating an objection to be raised by the false teachers stating that our behavior no longer matters now that we are under grace. In some respects, this is understandable . Prior to meeting the group, our favorite rabbi thought that Christians Read more…
Galatians 2:14-17 Galatians 2:14 When I saw that they were not walking in line with the truth of the Gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, “If you, who are a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews? 15 We who are Jews by birth and not Gentile ‘sinners’ BSB Peter eats with the Gentiles and lives like a Read more…
Galatians 2:6-13 Galatians 2:5 But we did not surrender to them even for a moment, in order that the truth of the gospel would remain with you. 6 But from those who were influential (whatever they were makes no difference to me; God shows no favoritism between people) – those influential leaders added nothing to my message. 7 On the contrary, when they saw that I was entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised just Read more…
Matthew 22:1 Once again, Jesus spoke to them in parables: 2“The kingdom of Heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3 He sent his servants to call those he had invited to the banquet, but they refused to come. 4 Again, he sent other servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner. My oxen and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is Read more…
Acts 15:1 Now some men came down from Judea and began to teach the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” NET The word “circumcision” is shorthand for following the law. There are people saying that Paul is wrong and that grace alone is not enough to save you. Note that when we speak of grace, we are talking about something that God has done for us Read more…
Galatians 1:11 But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. 12 For I neither received it from man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. Webster’s Bible Translation So what is the Gospel that Paul is preaching? Acts 13:16-41 gives us an example of apostolic preaching as this is where we see the history of the first missionary journey of Read more…
Galatians 2:1 Then after a period of fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus also with me. NHEB Most people think that Paul converted within a year or two of the resurrection. It isn’t quite clear here as to whether he is talking about fourteen years after conversion or fourteen years after the three year visit. Either way, Galatians was written before Acts. Joseph of Cyprus, called Barnabas (meaning “son Read more…
Ephesians 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints being in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus: BLB Ephesians is one of the four letters Paul wrote during his first imprisonment in Rome (the other three are Philippians, Colossians and Philemon). The letter is a little different from some of his other letters which leads some to doubt whether or not Paul actually wrote the epistle. Paul is Read more…
Interestingly enough, not one of the Gospels tell us who wrote it. Luke and John come close but Mark and Matthew do not specifically say. The authorship comes from tradition and while that can make us a little uncomfortable, there aren’t many scholars disputing that Mark is the author of this account. In addition, there are several early Christian sources related to the origins and authorship of the Gospels. The early Christians wanted to know Read more…
When reading Mark, there are three perspectives to keep in mind. The first is that this is about the things Jesus said and did. Second, Mark isn’t writing to disciples, he is writing to Romans so he has to write in a way that the people of Rome would understand. Finally, we have to ask how does this text speak to us. NET Mark 1:1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son Read more…