Monday: Read Colossians 3:1-4 Colossians 3:1-4:6 gets to the heart of Paul’s lived theology. His exhortation is clear: you died to your old way of life, so live in accord with the kingdom of God. In particular, Paul draws out the implications of the fact that we have risen with Christ. Paul affirms that “if […]
In July-December of 2021, I made a series of 19 posts on the issue of race and injustice. Much of the research for those posts had extended over the previous several years. NB: I have included a number of links in this post to previous posts of mine addressing various issues. I would strongly encourage […]
Monday: Read Colossians 1:1-14 Colossians is deemed a “twin” epistle along with Ephesians. As you read, you will notice that the language of Colossians is very similar to Ephesians. The key distinction between the two letters is that Ephesians focuses on the Church as the body of Christ, whereas Colossians focuses on Christ as the […]
Monday: Read Philippians 2:19-30 Today’s reading contains Paul’s ministry report to the Philippians. It may be that there was some misunderstanding that Paul was trying to clear up. The church in Philippi had sent Epaphroditus, one of their members, to assist Paul’s work in Rome. (This is one of the few times in which Paul […]
This is the 7th post in a series on the Beast and the book of Revelation (see part 1; part 2; part 3; part 4; part 5; part 6). In case you didn’t know, and if you didn’t then you are among a small minority on the entire planet who didn’t know, the World Cup […]
Monday: Read Philippians 1:1-11 The book of Philippians is widely acknowledged to be one of Paul’s 4 Prison Epistles (Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon) which was written in Rome. Philippians opens with a salutation (“Paul and Timothy”: 1-2). This is followed by Paul’s customary thanksgiving (3-8). This opening section closes with Paul’s prayer (9-11). In […]
This is the 6th post in a series on the Beast and the book of Revelation (see part 1; part 2; part 3; part 4; part 5). “Welcome sports fans.” For years, this is how I used to welcome students into my classroom. And if they voiced disapproval and disavowed sports, I simply explained that […]
Monday: Read Ephesians 4:1-16 In 4:1-6:20, Paul turns his attention to the ethical life of the people of God and what it looks like to be a new community. Paul begins in 4:1-16 by exhorting the community to maintain their unity in Christ. He opens with a strong exhortation, “Therefore, I implore/urge,beg you” (4:1). This […]
I noted in my post on Oct 18 “Before I proceed, I suppose that it might be of help if I make my landing spot clear. When it comes to political systems and the nations of the world . . . it is my conviction, which I believe derives from a careful study of the […]
Monday: Read Eph 1:1-23 Lest you think Romans stands alone as the pinnacle of Paul’s writings, we now turn to Ephesians. One of my favorite NT scholars of the last century, F. F. Bruce, said that Ephesians is, “the quintessence of Paulinism” because it “in large measure sums up the leading themes of the Pauline […]
