Paul then concludes this opening exhortation in 1 Tim. 2:9-10 with what women should focus on. The NIV is helpful here—10 but with good deeds, [which is] appropriate for women who profess to worship God [or make a claim to godliness.] As we would expect from Paul or...
In Eph. 5:25-26, the Apostle Paul puts forth that the intention of Christ’s love for his bride, the church, was her sanctification. Now a husband cannot sanctify his wife, for he lacks the power in himself, but there are a couple main ways that husbands can...
Self-protection is a more subtle obstacle than self-infatuation, even though it is a form of it. Because of the definition of manhood, namely taking responsibility and leading out in front in some way, it is risky to step into something like that: “What if I serve or...
The Apostle Paul proclaims the ramifications of believing in the gospel in 1 Cor. 15:1 Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word...
Here are 8 glorious accomplishments of the cross that were solidified when Jesus said, “It is finished!” 1. Prophecies Were Fulfilled 2. Promises Were Secured 3. Righteousness Was Achieved 4. Wrath Was Satisfied 5. Love Was Defined 6. Sinners...
If we do not have a Savior who completed his work, then we do not have any hope for a complete salvation, for in that scenario, at least part of the finishing work would originate in us. But if we do not trust exclusively in the finished work of Christ, then we...
The unjust treatment of Christ in his trial should lead us to think through some things for our own lives, namely that proving our innocence cannot be our greatest quest—even in times of relational conflict. We certainly may need to clear up the truth, but our...
There is some difficulty in harmonizing this statement with the timing of events in the other gospels. For instance, Mark and Luke record that Jesus and his disciples already ate the Passover meal the night before, so why did these members of the Sanhedrin not partake...
This was a necessary lesson to be learned by Peter. Left completely to ourselves, this is the inevitable outcome and Christ was completely clear in his teaching in Matt. 10:33 But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven....
Notice what Paul does NOT write in 2 Tim. 4:2-Preach about the word; Preach with the word; Preach from the word. No! He writes, preach the word.  Therefore, the first question to ask when assessing preaching is not whether you liked the sermon, but rather: Did the...
It’s clear that biblical hospitality requires sacrifice, but what exactly needs to be sacrificed?-The comfort of being able to relax at dinner without worrying about serving anyone else. You have to sacrifice viewing your home exclusively as the place where you...
We know from Scripture that God is the source of truth, God is the revealer of truth and God is the enabler of people knowing the truth. Even the most common teachings of Scripture presuppose these understandings of truth. For instance, listen to how essential knowing...
What exactly was in this cup from the Father to the Son? Clearly, it’s the identical cup that is mentioned in the Synoptic gospels, as Jesus prays in this same garden immediately prior to these events taking place—Mark 14:36 Abba! Father! All things are possible for...
In John 17:26, Christ supplies an intended result of making the Father’s name known—indwelling love. To know more of God’s name is to possess more of God’s love. However, this is not a verse that merely teaches that believers are the objects of God’s love, as...
The unity Christ prays for in John 17 has its focus on the glory of God and is produced by the love of God. So if this unity is truly focused on God’s glory, then all self-focus is banished. It’s true that along with abandoning Christ’s teaching, the other major...
In Ephesians 6:16, the Apostle Paul supplies the 4th way to stand firm by putting on the armor of God and that is to take up the shield of faith. At the outset, we must discuss the significance of the prepositional phrase at the beginning of v.16—in addition to all...
According to the Apostle Paul in Eph. 6:11, putting on the whole armor of God allows one to resist or stand firm against the craftiness or schemes of the devil. In other words, if one does not put on the complete armor of God, then Satan will take that person out by...
In an effort to distinguish godly sorrow from worldly sorrow, Thomas Watson puts forth several qualifications for godly sorrow in his book, The Doctrine of Repentance: i. Godly sorrow is inward—It is an inward, heart sorrow that manifests itself externally; godly...
This means that we are going to have to dive into arguably the greatest biblical tension in the NT. This tension I am referring to is captured in this statement: We are informed that our old self is dead because it died with Christ, but on the other hand we’re...
The fear of the Lord is a reverential awe of his holiness, majesty, love, omnipotence and omniscience, which produces a dread of hindering our relationship with him by dishonoring or disobeying him. Based on that definition, here are a couple of questions to help us...
If the Spirit is present in someone, then the fruit of Gal. 5:22-23 will be evident instead of the deeds of the flesh in Gal. 5:19-21. This means that sanctification is not measured primarily by major decisions and turning points in our lives, but rather by the day in...
It’s impossible to be sanctified without pursuing both the negative and positive avenues of sanctification with faith-filled effort. With regards to the negative, listen to Rom. 8:12 So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according...
A.W. Pink rightly remarked about the truth of a Christian as stated by Jesus in v.14: The truth of this verse applies in a sevenfold way: First, Christians have a different standing from those who belong to the world: their standing is in Adam, ours in Christ; they...
In John 17:11, there is the 1st of 3 requests in the remainder of John 17 that demonstrates Jesus’ desire for the unity of his followers. In addition to that repetition, it’s also instructive that the first time Jesus asks the Father to keep his people, it’s for the...
John 17:4 contains a clear connection between the Son glorifying the Father and something specific—here, it’s the accomplishment or fulfillment of the Father’s work given to Jesus to do. What is remarkable about verse 4 is that, like the final verse in ch.16, the...
Once Jesus rises from the dead and ascends back to the Father, the disciples are given the simple instruction, at the end of John 16:24 to ask and they will receive with the result that their joy would be made full. In ch.15, this full joy was promised to the...
The Spirit’s work described in John 16:8-11 should infuse our ministry to sinners with tremendous hope. People we are ministering to can distance themselves and try to escape the conviction of the truth; they can attempt to tune out the guilty charges brought about by...
• Do you find yourself arguing with God, or questioning what Scripture clearly teaches?• Do you find yourself more compelled by philosophical, scientific, or rational arguments than biblical arguments?• Do you lean on your own understanding when evaluating if...
Because the Spirit is sent by Jesus and sent from the Father, the disciples needed to take Jesus’ words by faith that the coming of the Spirit would provide everything they need. On the other hand, it’s a denial that the Spirit brings divine power into our lives that...
Because the conditional statements from Jesus in John 15:20 portray a truthful reality, they could be translated with the word since—since they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. Since the world persecuted Jesus because of his message from God and his life...