Both 1 and 2 Thessalonians contain the Apostle Paul’s practical teaching on the second coming. While reading 1 and 2 Thessalonians, remember one fact. . . Paul knew Jesus’ teaching on the second coming. He understood all the prophecies about Jesus’s second coming in the Old Testament, and in these two epistles, he interprets all […]
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Three interesting facts about 1 Thessalonians: First, this book was perhaps the earliest book written by Paul; second, it was written to new believers; and third, the book gives more practical insight about the “coming of the Lord” than any other book of the Bible. Paul writes to these new believers. . . For what
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Second Timothy 3:16 is the most famous verse in Scripture on Scripture: All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (NIV). With the Bible breathed out from the God of the universe, the inspirational works of Shakespeare, Tolstoy, Mark Twain, and David Baldacci pale in comparison. Mere human thoughts attempt
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We overlook 2 Peter because it has a “2” instead of a “1” as in 1 Peter. We find the same problem with a “2” and even a “3” as in 2 John and 3 John. So, we might demean these epistles in favor of books with a “1.” Well, at least I memorized 1
The last verse of Psalms expresses the purpose of all 150 Psalms . . . Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! (Psalm 150:6, ESV) The Psalms are meant to be sung, not read, as there is something about singing the Psalms that elevates the words from the page into salve for our souls.
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Martin Luther had settled into a life as a theologian, monk, and priest when one day he read Ephesians 2:8-9: For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast (ESV). At that time, he was a
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I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God (Galatians 1:6, NLT). The Apostle Paul says to the Philippians, “Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God.” With the Corinthians (though the church in Corinth had all sorts of problems), Paul writes, “May God our Father and the
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And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split (Matthew 27:50-51, ESV). What’s amazing about the Bible is that it gets the details right. Considering that the Bible is 66
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The Church in Colossae was started by Epaphras, one of Paul’s disciples. Paul opens the Book of Colossians with this greeting: We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus (Colossians 1:3-4a, ESV). Paul is writing to the Colossians because of
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Bad things happen when we question God’s love in our lives. The Book of Malachi begins with God’s people questioning God’s goodness. . . “I have always loved you,” says the Lord. But you retort, “Really? How have you loved us?” (1:2-3, NLT) We build expectations of what God should be doing in our lives and