Very often we speak of us having been made in the image of God, and this is a true statement according to the recounting of the story of creation in Genesis 1. However, in the book of Colossians, Paul is going into some significant discussion of who Jesus is, and that is God himself in […]
Recently as I’ve talked with friends here in Catania and we have shared with one another the areas in our lives that we have had difficulty, both I and the others have talked about something that we have held in common. I wish I could say that it has been a good thing that we […]
Paul was a man that had a lot of reason to be able to boast and brag about his background. He was a zealous Pharisee with all of the right pedigrees, background, and upbringing. From a human perspective, he would have had a strong case to tell people why they should follow him. He had […]
There are several statements in the Bible, I find, that people will often say, “Yes, of course” when they read it. On first glance, they see it and, when read theoretically, it is something that we can agree to, primarily because we realize that we should agree to it. Let me give you an example. […]
I remember a few years ago, there was a West African man who wanted to meet with me and had expressed a concern to me that the Bible taught that slavery was a fine and accepted practice. He had read some scriptures, some similar scriptures to what I read today, and thought that they meant […]
When we consider where we have come from, and how the relationship started, you can begin to get an understanding of how astonishing it is that Paul tells husbands that they should love their wives just as they love their own bodies, even going to the extent to give themselves up for them. Here is […]
As believers in Christ, we are made to be one body, made up of different parts and functions, all under Jesus Christ as the head. Within the body, Jesus has given different types of spiritual gifts and in this chapter, Ephesians 4, Paul lists some of those gifts. Here is what he says: So Christ […]
Now with more than 2000 years of church history behind us, it doesn’t to us seem like much of a mystery. But if you look backward in history and time, you can begin to see what Paul is talking about. What is more, you can also begin to understand God’s global plan in a much […]
There is something within us as human beings that says, “I can do it.” There is something in us to drives us to take agency, to want to take control. “Mine!” is heard throughout the house if you have ever had a couple of toddlers playing in the same place together. So often, we are […]
It is clear that Paul’s work was not just Paul’s work. He saw his work as a catalyst for a much greater final work that would involve people from all over to be involved and be part of what he was doing. In Romans 16, by my count, Paul tells the church in Rome to […]