Through the experience of my son’s cancer, I came to grips with the inadequacy of the Bible alone to handle life’s crises. I needed a existential experience with God. I got in touch with my early years as a charismatic and began reflecting on how the Holy Spirit works today. I saw scripture in a new light and began wrestling with the question, If the Holy Spirit did not die in the first century, what in the world is he doing today? This essay offers eleven theses that begin to explore answers to that question.

This message was originally delivered as the presidential address of the Evangelical Theological Society’s Southwest Regional meeting in the spring of 1994, held at John Brown University in Arkansas. It was modified further for publication in Christianity Today, appearing in the September 12, 1994 issue. It has now been thirteen years since my son’s cancer, the event that was the catalyst for this original essay. He is doing fine—so fine in fact that he wrestled on varsity in high school for four years and was co-captain his last two. He is now finishing up his bachelor’s degree at the University of Texas in Austin.

Introduction

I am a cessationist. That is to say, I believe that certain gifts of the Holy Spirit were employed in the earliest stage of Christianity to authenticate that God was doing something new. These “sign gifts”—such as the gifts of healing, tongues, miracles—ceased with the death of the last apostle. This is what I mean by “cessationism.” Some cessationists might style themselves as “soft” cessationists whereby they mean that some of the sign gifts continue, or that the sign gifts may crop up in locations where the gospel is introduced afresh,¹ or that they are presently agnostic about these gifts, but are not a practicing charismatic. For purposes of argument, I will take a hard line. In this way, anything I affirm about the Holy Spirit’s ministry today should not be perceived as being generated from a closet charismatic. I wish to address some concerns that I, as a cessationist, have concerning the role of the Holy Spirit today among cessationists.

While I still consider myself a cessationist, the last few years have shown me that my spiritual life had gotten off track—that somehow I, along with many others in my theological tradition, have learned to do without the third person of the Trinity.

But this did not hinder my academic work. Mine had become a cognitive faith—a Christianity from the neck up. As long as I could control the text, I was happy. I lived in the half-reality that theological articulation is valid only if it is based on sound exegesis and nothing else. Like the proverbial frog in the slowly simmering pot of water, I did not sense that I was on the way to self-destruction.

Thirteen years ago, the Almighty suddenly and graciously turned up the heat. He provided me with a wake-up call to get me out of the pot. I am sharing my testimony in hopes that many others who are in cauldrons of their own making might realize the danger—and get out.

This article has two parts. First, a personal testimony. I wish to relate to you, at some length, who I am and how God is working in my life. Second, I have eleven theses to put on the table—theses that have to do with our deficiencies in how we relate to the Holy Spirit. Many of these, as well as several others, have been fleshed out by the authors for this book. It is our prayer that this volume will be a stimulus to move other cessationists to take more seriously the ministry of the Holy Spirit today. In short, we are asking a fundamental question that all cessationists must ask themselves: If the Holy Spirit did not die in the first century, what in the world is he doing today?

My Spiritual Journey

I grew up in a conservative Baptist church in southern California. I was converted at age four when I attended Vacation Bible School in the summer of 1956. My brother, at the ripe old age of five and a half, led me to Christ. Ironically, he was not a believer at the time. A dozen years later I was instrumental in bringing him to the Savior.

I grew up in the church. My youth was characterized by timidity: I was a Clark Kent with no alter ego. I was afraid of life, afraid to explore, afraid to question out loud. In spite of this—or, perhaps because of this, I was a leader in the youth group. But I had questions that would not go away—questions about whether I had had an authentic Christian experience. At age sixteen I was in the midst of a life-threatening crisis: should I or should I not ask Terri C. out for a date? Because of the turmoil in my soul, I quickly agreed when a friend invited me to a charismatic revival at Melodyland in Anaheim, California. The house was packed; several thousand were in attendance. The speaker said some things that disturbed me intellectually. When he gave an altar call, I was ready to go forward and give him a piece of my mind. As I got up out of my seat, the Holy Spirit grabbed my heart and said, “No, this is not the reason you’re going forward. You need to get right with God.” Now, he did not speak audibly to me. These words are not to be put in red letters. But as I rose, before I took one step, I was overwhelmingly convicted of my own sin. The Spirit of God was definitely in that place.

As I came forward, four or five hundred other people streamed forth to the center stage. With hundreds of people there, I was quite amazed when the speaker, microphone in hand, selected me. “Why have you come forward, young man?” he queried. “I came to rededicate my life to Christ,” I answered. It was a good thing that the Holy Spirit changed my heart before my lips got in gear!

That night, January 6, 1969, was the major turning point in my life. I still celebrate it as my spiritual birthday (since the exact date of my conversion at age four was and still is a bit fuzzy).

Before I left Melodyland that night, a man invited me to visit his fellowship in Huntington Beach. I joined the group and became a charismatic. The group was vibrant in worship, courageous in evangelism. My faith was alive. My prayer life was thriving. And, for the first time in my life, I gained courage.

I would pray for hours daily, asking God to grant me the gift of tongues. After a weeknight meeting, when one of the “apostles” (apostle Bob, I believe²) discovered that I had not spoken in tongues, he asked if I had been baptized in the Spirit. When I answered in the negative, he laid his hands on me and did the job right there on the sidewalk. Observing that nothing had changed, he doubted my salvation.

So I quietly left the group. In the coming months, I fellowshipped at Calvary Chapel, where the neo-charismatic movement finds its origins. Finally, and quite naturally, I left the charismatic movement altogether. I had seen the abuses, and noticed that many things did not measure up to scripture. But my zeal for God was not quenched. I was a part of the Jesus movement as a non-charismatic. I continued to pray, evangelize, and read my Bible. In fact, there was a long stretch of time in which I read my New Testament, cover to cover, every week. I saw God’s hand in everything. And the Lord granted me a measure of courage that was not and is not naturally mine.³ Although I had left the charismatic movement, it took me a long time before I replaced my passion for Jesus Christ with a passion for the Bible.

Because of my interest in spiritual things, I decided to attend a Christian liberal arts college. I attended Biola University, married a beautiful Irish lass⁴ right out of college, and came to Dallas for more theological training.

Through the years, after going to a Christian college and a cessationist seminary, I began to slip away from my early, vibrant contact with God. My understanding of scripture was heightened, but my walk with God slowed down to a crawl. I took a defensive and apologetic posture in my studies of scripture. In the last several years, I began questioning the adequacy of such a stance—recognizing, subconsciously at least, that it did not satisfy my deepest longings.

Joe Aldrich, the president of Multnomah Bible College, once told me, “It takes the average seminary graduate five years to thaw out from the experience.” For most seminary graduates, I suspect, that thawing out may come through the natural course of events. But it took several crises before the Lord started warming me up again. The one that really put on the afterburners was what happened to my son, Andy, thirteen years ago—when he was eight years old.

In December 1991, Andy was kicked in the stomach by a school bully. He developed stomach pains that persisted for quite some time. His personality changed. He was no longer the happy little comic; he was somber, scared, and tired. Two months later, through a providentially-guided indiscretion, Andy left the bathroom door open when my wife walked by. She saw something that horrified her: his urine was brown. That same day, she took him to our family physician. This began a series of doctors and specialists. None of them had a clue as to what was wrong. Finally, he was admitted to Children’s Hospital on April 20, 1992, scheduled for a kidney biopsy.

Before the biopsy was to be performed, a sonogram was conducted. We had anticipated a blood clot on the kidney, but the sonogram revealed that something more was present. Perhaps it was a tumor. One physician suggested exploratory surgery instead of a biopsy. This sounded crazy to me! Cut my “Beaker”⁵ open! We agreed, grudgingly, to this procedure.

The surgery took place on Wednesday, April 22. That’s when the nightmare began. One of the physicians prepped us ahead of time:

Mr. and Mrs. Wallace, I wouldn’t be overly worried about this operation. What the sonogram revealed may still be just a blood clot. And if it’s not a blood clot, then, most likely, it’s a benign tumor. And if it’s not benign, then it is probably a Wilm’s tumor. This is a congenital kidney cancer found in children. It’s treatable and curable. However, if it’s not a Wilm’s tumor, there is the very slight possibility that what your son has is renal cell carcinoma. But that is such a rare cancer in children that the likelihood is quite remote.

As the hours during and after the surgery wore on, we found ourselves getting hit with wave after wave of dreaded news. Andy, indeed, had renal cell carcinoma (RCC). And it was not just the normal type—which was lethal enough. Andy had the more potent strain of RCC. By 1992, less than ten children ever diagnosed worldwide had lived beyond two years with this strain of RCC. Apart from radical surgery, it’s virtually untreatable and incurable, as far as medical science knows.

There was good news through all this, news of a providential character, news which gave us hope that our son would live. First, the bully who kicked Andy in the stomach probably saved his life. Only in one third of the cases of RCC is there bloody urine. The other symptoms are usually a mild stomachache and an occasional low-grade fever.⁶ That kick to the stomach probably triggered the bloody urine. Second, the one physician who insisted on exploratory surgery instead of a biopsy also saved his life. RCC is so potent a cancer that every case on record in which a biopsy was performed resulted in the death of the patient. In the midst of wondering, of confusion, of crying out to God, I could still see his hand in all this.

Andy’s kidney was removed in the surgery and he went through various grueling tests in which his body was probed for any remnants of cancer. The bone marrow test was the most traumatic. My brave wife held Andy in her arms for 20 minutes as this little boy clutched her, screaming in her ear, “Make them stop, Mommy! Make them stop!” Six days of testing produced no trace of cancer.

RCC in children is so rare that Andy’s case was the first one reported in the United States since 1984. Globally, he was the 161st child ever diagnosed with it. There are no support groups. Before Andy left the hospital, a team of ten physicians could not decide whether to administer chemotherapy. It would strictly be a preventive measure, but with RCC, prevention is everything. If the cancer metastasizes again, he will die (as far as statistics reveal). No child has yet survived a return of RCC. The choice was ours whether or not to go with chemotherapy.

We decided to go with chemotherapy, because the risk of not doing it, wondering whether that might kill him, was too great to bear. I cannot adequately describe what the next six months were like—for Andy, for me and his mother, for his three brothers. But I can tell you that I was in an emotional wasteland. I was angry with God and I found him to be quite distant. Here was this precious little boy who was losing his hair, and losing weight. At one point he weighed only forty-five pounds. His twin brother at that time weighed eighty-five pounds. Andy was so weak that we had to carry him everywhere, even to the bathroom.

Through this experience I found that the Bible was not adequate. I needed God in a personal way—not as an object of my study, but as friend, guide, comforter. I needed an existential experience of the Holy One. Quite frankly, I found that the Bible was not the answer. I found the scriptures to be helpful—even authoritatively helpful—as a guide. But without feeling God, the Bible gave me little solace. In the midst of this “summer from hell,” I began to examine what had become of my faith. I found a longing to get closer to God, but found myself unable to do so through my normal means: exegesis, scripture reading, more exegesis. I believe that I had depersonalized God so much that when I really needed him I didn’t know how to relate. I longed for him, but found many community-wide restrictions in my cessationist environment. I looked for God, but all I found was a suffocation of the Spirit in my evangelical tradition as well as in my own heart.

Eleven Theses

It was this experience of my son’s cancer that brought me back to my senses, that brought me back to my roots. And out of this experience I have been wrestling with practical issues of pneumatology.

I want to offer eleven suggestions, eleven challenges—eleven theses if you will—that deal with areas in my own life that God is addressing. I don’t yet have 95 of them—and this isn’t the Schlosskirche of Wittenberg. But I hope and pray that this essay will help other cessationists avoid the traps I fell into.

(1) Although the sign gifts died in the first century, the Holy Spirit did not. Cessationists can affirm that theologically, but pragmatically we act as though the Holy Spirit died with the last apostle. This is my fundamental thesis, and it’s well worth exploring. What can we, as cessationists, affirm that the Holy Spirit is doing today? What did Jesus mean when he said, “My sheep listen to my voice” (John 10:27)? What did Paul mean when he declared, “all who are led by the Spirit are the sons of God” (Rom 8:14)? What did John mean when he wrote, “You have an anointing from the Holy One” (1 John 2:20)? I am increasingly convinced that although God does not communicate in a way that opposes the scriptures, he often communicates in a non-verbal manner to his children, giving them assurance, bringing them comfort, guiding them through life’s rough waters. To deny that God speaks verbally to us today apart from the scriptures is not to deny that he communicates to us apart from the scriptures.

(2) Although charismatics have sometimes given a higher priority to experience than to relationship, rationalistic evangelicals have just as frequently given a higher priority to knowledge than to relationship. Both of these miss the mark. And Paul, in 1 Corinthians, condemns both. Knowledge puffs up; and spiritual experience without love is worthless.

(3) This emphasis on knowledge over relationship can produce in us a bibliolatry. For me, as a New Testament professor, the text is my task—but I made it my God. The text became my idol. Let me state this bluntly: The Bible is not a member of the Trinity. One lady in my church facetiously told me, “I believe in the Trinity: the Father, Son, and Holy Bible.” Sadly, too many cessationists operate as though that were so.

One of the great legacies Karl Barth left behind was his strong Christocentric focus. It is a shame that too many of us have reacted so strongly to Barth, for in our zeal to show his deficiencies in his doctrine of the Bible we have become bibliolaters in the process. Barth and Calvin share a warmth, a piety, a devotion, an awe in the presence of God that is lacking in too many theological tomes generated from our circles.

(4) The net effect of such bibliolatry is a depersonalization of God. Eventually, we no longer relate to him. God becomes the object of our investigation rather than the Lord to whom we are subject. The vitality of our religion gets sucked out. As God gets dissected and trisected (in the case of you trichotomists), our stance changes from “I trust in” to “I believe that.”

(5) Part of the motivation for depersonalizing God is an increasing craving for control. What I despised most about charismatics was their loss of control, their emotionalism. We fear that. We take comfort in the fact that part of the fruit of the Spirit is “self-control.” But by this we mean “do all things in moderation”—including worshiping God. But should we not have a reckless abandon in our devotion to him? Should we not throw ourselves on him, knowing that apart from him we can do nothing?

Instead, as typical cessationists, we want to be in control at all times. Even when it means that we shut God out. It is this issue of control that kept a good friend of mine a cessationist so long. Now, as a member of the Vineyard movement, he is quite happy: he acknowledges that he never was in control in the first place. In the midst of what I consider to be a heterodox shift on his part, there is nevertheless this honest breakthrough with God.

(6) God is still a God of healing and miracles. As a cessationist, I can affirm the fact of present-day miracles without affirming the miracle-worker. God is still a God of healing even though I think his normal modus operandi is not through a faith-healer. The problem with some charismatics is that they believe that God not only can heal, but that he must heal. That is one reason why, up until fairly recently, charismata has been a movement among Arminians. A few years back, I contracted a bizarre form of viral encephalitis. I went to hospital after hospital, finally ending up at the Mayo Clinic. At one hospital, a Christian friend came to visit me. She prayed for me in a long, drawn-out ritual, commanding God to heal me! For her, God was simply a tool, an instrument wielded by the almighty Christian. If her faith (or my faith) was strong enough, God had to heal me. That’s the way the genie works.

At the same time, the problem with many non-charismatics is that although they claim that God can heal, they act as if he won’t. We often don’t believe in God’s ability—we don’t really believe that God can heal. This can take various forms. I might not pray for someone because of my understanding of God’s sovereignty: “Whatever’s going to happen is going to happen, and there’s nothing I can do to change God’s mind.” Hence, we can excuse our lack of prayer on a belief in God’s sovereignty. Or we might take the opposite view: “God really is not powerful enough to do this sort of thing. Sure, he can perform miracles but they’re few and far between. He’s probably already hit his quota for the year, so why bother with prayer?”

Thus, the problem with some charismatics is a denial of God’s sovereignty; the problem with some non-charismatics is a denial of God’s ability or goodness or both. And neither group is being completely honest with God. Neither is submissively trusting him.

(7) Evangelical rationalism can lead to spiritual defection. I am referring to the suffocation of the Spirit in post-graduate theological training, as well as the seduction of academia. Most seminary professors can think of examples of gifted young students we have mentored who seemed to have lost all of their Christian conviction in an academic setting. For many of us, this recollection is terribly painful. How many times have we sent Daniels into the lions’ den, only to tell them by our actions that prayer won’t do any good?

One particular instance is very difficult for me to think about. One of my brightest master’s students two decades ago went on for doctoral work at Oxford. His seminary training prepared him well in exegesis. But it did not prepare him well in prayer. Some years ago I caught up with him and discovered that he was not only confused about his evangelical heritage, he was even questioning the uniqueness of Jesus. This student had suppressed part of the arsenal at his disposal: the witness of the Spirit, something non-believers can’t touch. To this day I wonder how much I contributed to this man’s confusion and suppression of the Spirit’s witness.

It is not the historical evidences alone that can lead one to embrace the resurrection as true. The Spirit must work on our hearts, overcoming our natural reticence. When our graduates go on for doctoral work, and forget that the Spirit brought them to Christ in the first place, and suppress his witness in their hearts, they are ripe for spiritual defection. We need to be reminded—especially those of us who live in an academic setting—that exegesis and apologetics are not the sum of the Christian life.

I speak not only from the experience of my students. In my own doctoral program, while seriously grappling with the evidence for the resurrection, I suddenly found myself in an existential crisis. I was reading in biblical theology at the time, wrestling with those two great minds, Rudolf Bultmann and Karl Barth. I was impressed with the fact that as strong as the historical evidence is for the resurrection, there is and always will be a measure of doubt. Evidence alone cannot bridge the gap between us and God. As much as I wanted the evidence to go all the way, I couldn’t make it do so. At one point there was real despair in my heart. I had gotten so sucked in to the cult of objectivism that I forgot who it was who brought me to faith in the first place. Only when I grudgingly accepted the fact that some faith had to be involved—and that through the Spirit’s agency—could I get past my despair. The non-verifiable elements of the faith had become an embarrassment to me, rather than an anchor.

(8) Many of the power brokers of evangelicalism, since the turn of the century, have been white, obsessive-compulsive males. Ever since the days of the Princetonians (Hodge, Warfield, Machen, et al.), American non-charismatic evangelicalism has been dominated by Scottish Common Sense, post-Enlightenment, left-brain, obsessive-compulsive, white males. This situation reveals that we are suppressing a part of the image of God, suppressing a part of the witness of the Spirit, and that we are not in line with historic Christianity.⁷ The implications of such demographics are manifold. Three of them are as follows.

• The white evangelical community needs to listen to and learn from the black evangelical community. I find it fascinating that the experience of God in the black non-charismatic community is quite different from that in the white non-charismatic community. In many ways, it resembles the white charismatic experience more than the white cessationist experience of God. A full-orbed experience of God must take place in the context of community. And that community must be heterogeneous. If, as has been often stated, 11 o’clock Sunday morning is the most segregated time in America, then something is desperately wrong with the Church.
• The Holy Spirit does not work just on the left brain. He also works on the right brain: he sparks our imagination, causes us to rejoice, laugh, sing, and create. Few Christians are engaged and fully committed to the arts today. Where are the hymn writers? Where are the novelists? Painters? Playwrights? A very high-powered editor of a Christian magazine told me a few years back that he knew of only one exceptional Christian fiction writer. What are our seminaries doing to encourage these right brainers? What is the Church doing to encourage them?⁸
• We men have failed to listen to the women in our midst—and this failure is related to our not hearing the voice of the Spirit. If the Imago Dei is both male and female, by squelching the valuable contribution of women, we distort that very image before a watching world.

(9) The Holy Spirit’s guidance is still needed in discerning the will of God. The rationalism in our circles makes decision-making a purely cognitive exercise. There is no place for prayer. There is no room for the Spirit. I believe there is a middle ground between expecting daily revelations, on the one hand, and basing decisions solely on logic and common sense on the other. I may not receive revelations, but I do believe that the Spirit often guides me with inarticulate impulses.

(10) In the midst of seeking out the power of the Spirit, we must not avoid the sufferings of Christ. This is the message of the Gospel according to Mark: the disciples could not have Christ in his glory without Christ in his suffering. Too often when we decide that it’s a good thing to get to know God again, we go about it on our own terms. Again, I speak from personal experience.

Some time back, one of my students died of cancer. Another was about to die. I began urging students at the seminary to pray for God’s intervention. The Lord did not answer our prayer in the way we had hoped. Brendan also died. My own pain was increased when I saw his three small children paraded in front of the mourners at his memorial service.

Through the deaths, tragedies, and suffering that seem to be “par for the course” of being a Christian, and seem to abound for the seminary family, I have learned about suffering and honesty with God. I questioned God—and still do. Out of my pain—pain for these students and their families, pain for my son, pain for myself—has come honesty and growth. I have moments when I doubt God’s goodness. Yet I do not doubt that he has suffered for me far more than I will ever suffer for him. And that is the only reason I let him hold my hand through this dark valley. In seeking God’s power, I discovered his person. He is not just omnipotent; he is also the God of all comfort. And taking us through suffering, not out of it, is one of the primary means that the Spirit uses today in bringing us to God.

(11) Finally, a question: To what does the Spirit bear witness? Certainly the resurrection of Christ. How about the scriptures? A particular interpretation perhaps? Eschatological issues? Exegetical issues? Don’t be too quick to answer. Some of this needs rethinking… In fact, my challenge to each of us is this: reexamine the New Testament teaching about the Holy Spirit. Don’t gloss over the passages, but wrestle with what they mean. If the Spirit did not die in the first century, then what in the world is he doing today?

In conclusion, to my charismatic friends, I say: We must not avoid suffering as though it were necessarily evil, for we cannot embrace Christ in his resurrection apart from embracing him in his death. To my cessationist friends: We must not anesthetize our pain by burying our heads in the text, as if a semi-gnostic experience of the Bible will somehow solve the riddle of our misery. And to my son I say: I love you, Andy. And I am grateful for all that you, in your childlike faith, taught me about life and about God.

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1 . This is what I would call concentric cessationism, as opposed to linear cessationism. That is, rather than taking a chronologically linear approach, this kind of cessationism affirms that as the gospel moves, like the rippling effect of a stone dropping into a pond, in a space-time expanding circle away from first century Jerusalem, the sign gifts will still exist on the cutting edge of that circle. Thus, for example, in third world countries at the time when the gospel is first proclaimed, the sign gifts would be present. This view, then, would allow for these gifts to exist on the frontiers of Christianity, but would be more skeptical of them in the ‘worked over’ areas.

2 . There were twelve apostles at the Light House. We knew each one only by their first name because, as apostle Bob said, “the original apostles only had one name.”

3 . So much so that as a high school student, during late 60’s, I visited the University of California at Irvine to evangelize in a public forum. The occasion was the capturing of UCI and “sit-in” by the SDS (a young socialist group). The school shut down while it was under siege. I sneaked in, hoping to address a group of hundreds of university students about a greater revolution than socialism.

4 . I must admit, she has that proverbial Irish temperament, too. After over thirty years of living with her, I wouldn’t want it any other way.

5 . Andy’s nick name. Since he was about four years old, he imitated the sounds of the beaker on the PBS program, Sesame Street.

6 . The first case reported in America (1934) was so mild, in fact, that the child died before the parents suspected anything worthy of a doctor’s attention.

7 . Along these lines, see Vern Poythress, “Modern Spiritual Gifts As Analogous To Apostolic Gifts: Affirming Extraordinary Works Of The Spirit Within Cessationist Theology,” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 39 (1996) 72-102, in which he affirmed the miraculous among cessationists. Part of his argument was to note that cessationists in the 19th century sensed God’s presence and saw his works in ways that are not nearly as frequent among cessationists today.

8 . I am happy to report that Dr. Reg Grant is one of those few Christian artists who teaches at a seminary. He offers two courses on creative writing, and is in charge of a new media arts program at Dallas Seminary. See his stimulating article on the Holy Spirit and the arts in this volume.

A Daily Bible Study in 7-Day Sections with a Summary-Commentary, Discussion Questions, and Daily Application

Sunday (Philippians 1:1-19)

Salutation

1:1 From Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the overseers and deacons.

1:2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

Prayer for the Church

1:3 I thank my God every time I remember you.

1:4 I always pray with joy in my every prayer for all of you

1:5 because of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now.

1:6 For I am sure of this very thing, that the one who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

1:7 For it is right for me to think this about all of you, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel all of you became partners in God’s grace together with me.

1:8 For God is my witness that I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

1:9 And I pray this, that your love may abound even more and more in knowledge and every kind of insight

1:10 so that you can decide what is best, and thus be sincere and blameless for the day of Christ,

1:11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.

Ministry as a Prisoner

1:12 I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that my situation has actually turned out to advance the gospel:

1:13 The whole imperial guard and everyone else knows that I am in prison for the sake of Christ,

1:14 and most of the brothers and sisters, having confidence in the Lord because of my imprisonment, now more than ever dare to speak the word fearlessly.

1:15 Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from goodwill.

1:16 The latter do so from love because they know that I am placed here for the defense of the gospel.

1:17 The former proclaim Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, because they think they can cause trouble for me in my imprisonment.

1:18 What is the result? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is being proclaimed, and in this I rejoice.

Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, 1:19 for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

Prayer

Lord, You began a good work in me at salvation, and You continue to perfect Your work in me day by day. May I be devoted to You with a teachable spirit; a faithful disciple.

Summary & Commentary

Paul began with a greeting that included role-descriptions of “overseers” and “deacons”.

[Note: The NET translator’s looked at similar usages of “overseers” (church leaders) in Titus 1:6-7 and Acts 20:17, 28, and “the parallels between Titus 1:6-7 and 1 Tim. 3:1-7 and concluded that the term is equivalent to an “elder”.]

[Note: It is unclear why Paul used a different word. One may speculate that he may have been using a local word more familiar or concise than “elder”, among the ancient Philippians, or perhaps the word for “elder” had a secondary meaning to the Philippians which Paul desired to avoid.]

[The term that Paul used for “deacon” is unchanged from the usage elsewhere.]

Paul celebrated of the faithfulness of the Philippians, since early in his ministry for Christ, and for their support of him in prayer and giving.

Paul’s phrase “... the One Who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” must have brought a powerful message of encouragement, perspective, and promise to the Philippian believers. It is the Lord God through the Holy Spirit, in partnership with the believer and with other believers whom He brings alongside, who are doing “the good work” of discipleship of the believer.

The “perfecting” of the believer is a process and not an event—it continues throughout the lifetime of every believer, more or less successfully due to the cooperation or resistance of the individual, and will only be fully-realized at the entrance to Heaven. The “... day of Christ Jesus is His return to take His Home to Heaven—thus we are reminded of that promise—and that it is a guarantee and not a moving target about which we must worry every day.

Paul used an interesting phrase “... that your love may abound even more and more in knowledge and every kind of insight ...”—indicating a strong linkage between the quality of our knowledge of God and our capacity to love and to have insight. He continued “... so that you can decide what is best, and thus be sincere and blameless for the day of Christ.”—again reinforcing the freedom of the believer, together with access to the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, to discern and choose according to the Lord God’s moral-will rather than the rebellious predisposition of the world.

Paul linked the quality of the God-infused insight of the Philip to their capacity to make well-informed choices, and he linked their practical-life choices to their moral standing “sincere and blameless” before Jesus when He eventually returned.

[Note: Paul was not teaching works-righteousness. He had previously written against legalism, and the limited capacity of a believer trapped in “this body of death”, he was, rather, teaching responsibility. Who wants to look into the eyes of a perfectly loving God and not hear the words “Well done, good and faithful servant”?

In verse 1:11 Paul reminded the Philippians, and us, that righteousness comes from Jesus Christ—again affirming that our salvation is not at-risk as He is the guarantor thereof.

Paul explained that the Lord God used his imprisonment to witness to the “imperial guard”, and others, for Christ and that the local believers were emboldened by his success in sharing Christ.

Paul remarked that some were actually “... preaching Christ” in order to irritate Paul’s accusers and captors in order to cause him trouble, while others were doing so from righteous motive, but that in either case God was sovereign and the cause of Christ was being advanced.

[Note: It is interesting to reflect upon which religious traditions and personalities—over history—may, despite distortions and wrong-hearts, still have been used by God to promote Christ.]

Paul concluded this section, in verse 1:19, by observing that his “deliverance” would come from their prayers and “... the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ”. One may reasonably speculate that he referred to freedom from momentary-imprisonment, or that he referred to freedom due to their prayers, and to his salvation through “... the Spirit of Jesus Christ”.

[Note: It is uncertain if by “Spirit of Jesus Christ” Paul intended to refer to the love and teaching of Jesus or if that phrase is a synonym for the Holy Spirit.]

Interaction

Consider

The Lord God perfects us a little at a time, we are asked to partner with Him, not to go it alone.

Discuss

How might you explain to a new or confused believer the linkage between the quality of our knowledge of the Lord God and our capacity to love and to have insight?

Reflect

The purpose of the Lord God’s provision for us to have insight is to enhance our capacity to make informed choices. Our responsibility to make choices that impact our moral standing as “sincere and blameless” before Christ when He returns.

Share

When have you observed that your increased-knowledge of the Word of God impacted your capacity to discern and to choose more righteously where you previously did not comprehend what was His moral will?

Faith in Action

Prayer:

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a specific area of your life where you lack clarity as to God’s moral will for you.

Action:

Today I will intentionally seek-out the Biblical texts, and as necessary commentaries and the counsel of “elders” (whom I have reason to trust), and to fill that gap in my knowledge-discernment foundation so as to be equipped to choose more wisely.

Be Specific ______________________________________________________

Monday (Philippians 1:20-30)

1:20 My confident hope is that I will in no way be ashamed but that with complete boldness, even now as always, Christ will be exalted in my body, whether I live or die.

1:21 For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain.

1:22 Now if I am to go on living in the body, this will mean productive work for me, yet I don’t know which I prefer:

1:23 I feel torn between the two, because I have a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far,

1:24 but it is more vital for your sake that I remain in the body.

1:25 And since I am sure of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for the sake of your progress and joy in the faith,

1:26 so that what you can be proud of may increase because of me in Christ Jesus, when I come back to you.

1:27 Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ so that—whether I come and see you or whether I remain absent—I should hear that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind, by contending side by side for the faith of the gospel,

1:28 and by not being intimidated in any way by your opponents. This is a sign of their destruction, but of your salvation—a sign which is from God.

1:29 For it has been granted to you not only to believe in Christ but also to suffer for him,

1:30 since you are encountering the same conflict that you saw me face and now hear that I am facing.

Prayer

Lord, You give to Your children a longing for their true home with You in heaven, yet you ask us to remain here for a time in Your faithful service. May I never lose sight of Whose I am and for what place I am being “perfected” so that I may better resist selling-out to this temporary world.

Summary & Commentary

Paul addressed the nature of his imprisonment, both from the perspective that he will not be coerced into “being ashamed” (renouncing his faith), or become embarrassed because he is in jail. He even declares that his life is willingly on the line.

Paul engaged in a rhetorical debate with himself as to his preferred state, dead in the body and present with Christ, or postponing his death so that Christ may continue to use him on earth. He concluded that although present with Christ is to be preferred—the obvious value to the Philippians from his remaining, as a servant of Christ to them, caused him to desire to stay.

Paul then challenged the Philippians to be likewise sacrificial in their submission to Christ, to be “... standing firm in one spirit, with one mind, by contending side by side for the faith of the gospel.”

[Note: The one spirit may be viewed as a common attitude, inclined toward God, and as a reminder that they all share the same indwelling Holy Spirit. His phrase “... with one mind” suggests a common attitude and a common volitional and intentional desire to “contend ... for the faith of the gospel”. Also, “... contending side by side for the faith of the gospel.” is clearly an action-statement where they would “contend” with those who would preach “another gospel”, they would do so as a unified force for truth, and they would promote the saving and discipleship “faith” that is taught in the Gospels.

Paul noted that the perseverance of the believers in Philippi was testimony to the eternal destruction of the unbelievers who opposed them and to the certainty of the salvation of the believers.

He told them that they would be allowed to share a similar suffering for Christ as Paul, a privilege that was important in establishing the foundations of the Christian faith and the visible ‘church’ (fellowships of believers). Their privilege was that the Lord God would trust to them to remain faithful through the suffering and to thereby be living-testimonies to His power and truth.

Interaction

Consider

The struggle that was Paul’s is ours as well. Once we are saved it is painfully obvious that we were not made for this fallen world and that we are strangers and temporary travelers here, on our way “home” to be with our Lord and with our eternal brothers and sisters in Christ.

Discuss

How might you respond to the three-part challenge Paul placed before the Philippians; to challenge those who would alter the Gospel of Christ, to stand together through the struggle, and to teach both the salvation and discipleship message of the Gospel?

Reflect

The Lord God uses the steadfastness of believers to draw a clear line between the saved and unsaved, convicting some of their need for Christ, further hardening those whose hearts are hardened against Him.

Share

When have you observed a body of believers resisting false teaching, doing so in unity, and sharing the truth of Christ?

Faith in Action

Prayer:

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a circumstance where He wants you to respectfully “contend”, to seek-out others with whom you may stand in unity, and with whom you will share the genuine truth of “the faith of the gospels”.

Action:

Today I am choosing to stand with fellow believers where it is difficult to do so, be it a case of improper discrimination against a Bible-believing person, a wrong policy which promotes something that the Lord God clearly opposes (e.g. abortion, promiscuity, special rights for homosexuals, sin-promoting government-mandates), the invasion of the neighborhood by a quasi-Christian or non-Christian cult or other religion, and/or a practice or tradition within my fellowship which the Lord has shown me is non-Biblical and is harmful to “the faith of the gospels.

Be Specific ______________________________________________________

Tuesday (Philippians 2:1-18)

Christian Unity and Christ’s Humility

2:1 Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort provided by love, any fellowship in the Spirit, any affection or mercy,

2:2 complete my joy and be of the same mind, by having the same love, being united in spirit, and having one purpose.

2:3 Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself.

2:4 Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests, but about the interests of others as well.

2:5 You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had,

2:6 who though he existed in the form of God

did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped,

2:7 but emptied himself

by taking on the form of a slave,

by looking like other men,

and by sharing in human nature.

2:8 He humbled himself,

by becoming obedient to the point of death

– even death on a cross!

2:9 As a result God exalted him

and gave him the name

that is above every name,

2:10 so that at the name of Jesus

every knee will bow

– in heaven and on earth and under the earth –

2:11 and every tongue confess

that Jesus Christ is Lord

to the glory of God the Father.

Lights in the World

2:12 So then, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence but even more in my absence, continue working out your salvation with awe and reverence,

2:13 for the one bringing forth in you both the desire and the effort—for the sake of his good pleasure—is God.

2:14 Do everything without grumbling or arguing,

2:15 so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without blemish though you live in a crooked and perverse society, in which you shine as lights in the world

2:16 by holding on to the word of life so that on the day of Christ I will have a reason to boast that I did not run in vain nor labor in vain.

2:17 But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice together with all of you.

2:18 And in the same way you also should be glad and rejoice together with me.

Prayer

Lord, You are the Lord God Who left Your glory and throne behind and came to provide a way home for us and to teach us how to live in unity and humility, making us a positive witness for You. May I be humbled by Your loving-sacrifice and guided in all things by Your perfect wisdom.

Summary & Commentary

Paul began Chapter 2 with a rhetorical question, teasing the Philippians about encouragement in Christ, comfort from love, fellowship in the Spirit, and affection in mercy.

He then challenged them to live united in Christ, acting from love, emphasizing commonality of the Holy Spirit and of a Godly attitude, and to be of common purpose as Jesus instructed in His “great commandment and great commission”.

Paul illustrated his point using the “attitude” of Christ Jesus, described in vss. 2.6-10, including a reference to the deity of Christ “... though he existed in the form of God”

He then reviewed the context of their right-living and the value of so-doing to a watching world.

Paul recognized the faithfulness of the Philippians, while he was with them, and even more-so when he was away.

He used the expression “... continue working out your salvation with awe and reverence” then qualified it with “for the one bringing forth in you both the desire and the effort—for the sake of His good pleasure—is God.” His goal was to remind them that the value of their salvation had already begun and that it looked like something very powerful and practical. [Note: There is nothing in the text which justifies any claim to works-righteousness nor of anything other than a secure salvation.]

He continued in order to further guide them “Do everything without grumbling or arguing”, then the righteousness-emphasis “so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God, without blemish though you live in a crooked and perverse society”, and finally the outreach value “in which you shine as lights in the world.”

Interaction

Consider

Paul again called us “children of God”, affirming the security of our salvation, and confirming the Holy Spirit as a critical unifying factor among all believers.

Discuss

What are some practical ways to “continue working out your salvation with awe and reverence”, “... without grumbling or arguing”? How can that make of us witnesses of God’s love in us (and in our fellowships) to a watching world? Does it help to be reminded that some people observing us may also be deciding to choose Christ, or not?

Reflect

“... the One bringing forth in you both the desire and the effort—for the sake of His good pleasure—is God”; therefore, it is neither us who initiate the positive movement toward righteous living nor is it of our own strength that we succeed. We agree to partner with the Lord God, not as disengaged tools but as active and energetic and willing co-laborers with Christ, through the Holy Spirit.

Share

When have you observed an individual or a Christian fellowship—living intentionally (albeit imperfectly) united in Christ, acting from love, emphasizing commonality of the Holy Spirit and of a Godly attitude, and of a common purpose—as Jesus instructed in His “great commandment and great commission”. What were the fruits of that?

Faith in Action

Prayer:

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you an area of your life where you are either not being intentional about moving toward righteous living (to pleasing the Lord God), or you have been trying to do so of your own strength.

Action:

Today I will ask a fellow believer to join me with prayers in agreement to address this area of need in my life, partnering with the Lord God, and allowing others in the fellowship to assist me.

Be Specific ______________________________________________________

Wednesday (Philippians 2:19-30)

Models for Ministry

2:19 Now I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be encouraged by hearing news about you.

2:20 For there is no one here like him who will readily demonstrate his deep concern for you.

2:21 Others are busy with their own concerns, not those of Jesus Christ.

2:22 But you know his qualifications, that like a son working with his father, he served with me in advancing the gospel.

2:23 So I hope to send him as soon as I know more about my situation,

2:24 though I am confident in the Lord that I too will be coming to see you soon.

2:25 But for now I have considered it necessary to send Epaphroditus to you. For he is my brother, coworker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to me in my need.

2:26 Indeed, he greatly missed all of you and was distressed because you heard that he had been ill.

2:27 In fact he became so ill that he nearly died. But God showed mercy to him—and not to him only, but also to me—so that I would not have grief on top of grief.

2:28 Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you can rejoice and I can be free from anxiety.

2:29 So welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor people like him,

2:30 since it was because of the work of Christ that he almost died. He risked his life so that he could make up for your inability to serve me.

Prayer

Lord, You have done so much for us and ask that we be attentive to that which You have assigned to us to accomplish; lives that show evidence of The Greatest Commandment—love, and outreach that implements The Great Commission. May I so construct my life that both of Your priorities are realized in my life.

Summary & Commentary

Paul addressed the need for, and value of, Biblically-faithful models for ministry.

He reminded the Philippians that they had cause for confidence and trust in Timothy based on his history of faithfulness to the cause of Christ above self-promotion, and because they knew him to be as Paul, very concerned with their spiritual well-being.

Paul sent Epaphroditus to them, to bring the Letter, and to encourage them, noting that he had been very ill—to the point of near death—and that he was troubled that knowledge of that had saddened the Philippian believers. His visit was to be an opportunity for shared rejoicing for “... God showed mercy to him”.

Epaphroditus fell ill serving the cause of Christ by assisting Paul, covering for the Philippians who were distant, so Paul encouraged them to “... welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor people like him ...”

Interaction

Consider

The Lord God provides a role model for trusted leaders. His role models are men who demonstrate evidence of righteousness and sacrifice rather than mere worldly wealth and influence.

Discuss

What are some ways that Biblically-faithful fellowships may “... honor people like him ...” (e.g. Epaphroditus) without making of them celebrities or idols?

Reflect

The Lord God showed mercy on Epaphroditus, for his sake—that he might be blessed in service to Christ, and so that Paul would not be burdened with his death—especially as it would have been largely due to his service to Paul.

Share

What is a practical example of a Christian leader with a history of faithfulness to the cause of Christ above self-promotion. How were others blessed as God poured-out His blessings through that leader?

Faith in Action

Prayer:

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a leader who meets the standard of Timothy or Epaphroditus.

Action:

Today I will honor the leader whom the Holy Spirit has identified through encouragement, prayer, and a practical act which supports their ministry.

Be Specific ______________________________________________________

Thursday (Philippians 3:1-11)

True and False Righteousness

3:1 Finally, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! To write this again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you.

3:2 Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of those who mutilate the flesh!

3:3 For we are the circumcision, the ones who worship by the Spirit of God, exult in Christ Jesus, and do not rely on human credentials

3:4 —though mine too are significant. If someone thinks he has good reasons to put confidence in human credentials, I have more:

3:5 I was circumcised on the eighth day, from the people of Israel and the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews. I lived according to the law as a Pharisee.

3:6 In my zeal for God I persecuted the church. According to the righteousness stipulated in the law I was blameless.

3:7 But these assets I have come to regard as liabilities because of Christ.

3:8 More than that, I now regard all things as liabilities compared to the far greater value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things—indeed, I regard them as dung!—that I may gain Christ,

3:9 and be found in him, not because I have my own righteousness derived from the law, but because I have the righteousness that comes by way of Christ’s faithfulness—a righteousness from God that is in fact based on Christ’s faithfulness.

3:10 My aim is to know him, to experience the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings, and to be like him in his death,

3:11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Prayer

Lord, You have given to us Your righteousness because nothing we might try to earn through law-keeping would be adequate to save us. May I rejoice in the Lord again and again.

Summary & Commentary

Paul warned the Philippians again of the false teachers, whom he labeled as filthy dogs and evil workers, because there was nothing so bad as to lead people astray from Christ.

He noted that one of the key problems was the Judaisers, though he did not name them as such, but instead referred to the chronic bad doctrine of some who insisted upon the legalistic Old Testament requirement for circumcision as a condition of salvation when the “circumcision” God desired was a spiritual one—separating believers from the world.

Paul declared that those who asserted legitimacy for their false teaching through their worldly credentials fell well-short of his credentials—so even by that standard his teaching should be respected. He further declared that all of his credentials should mean nothing to believers because, in comparison to “knowing Christ Jesus my Lord”, he considered the rest as “dung”.

Paul concluded that his “aim” was to know Christ, to be empowered for eternity by His resurrection, to join His ministry by suffering to serve His cause, to die with certainty of purpose and promise then to be raised from the dead for eternity.

[Note: Paul used the phrase “... somehow to attain to the resurrection from the dead.”, not intending to suggest that he did not know how or why he would be resurrected but to observe that there was a certain God-only-comprehends-perfectly “mystery” at the heart of resurrection.]

Interaction

Consider

The problem of false teachers is and was not new, it began in the Garden, persisted throughout the OT, and continued into the New Testament. The Bible teaches that the enemy will come disguised as an “angel of light”—Paul warns us that some of those “angels” will falsely claim to be ministers of the Word.

Discuss

How might you explain Paul definition of all things that interfere with knowledge of Christ, or which compete with our relationship with Him in any way, are “dung”?

Reflect

Paul’s stated life-goal was to know Christ, to be empowered for eternity by His resurrection, to join His ministry by suffering to serve His cause, to die with certainty of purpose and promise, and then to be raised from the dead for eternity.

Share

When in your life have you “died” to the world in order to acquire a closer walk with Christ Jesus?

Faith in Action

Prayer:

Ask the Holy Spirit to identify a place in your life where an attitude, belief, habit, or tradition interferes with your knowledge of Christ, or competes with you relationship with Him in some way.

Action:

Today I will Today I am choosing to assign comparative value of “dung” to anything that distracts me from the Lord God. I will ask a fellow believer to pray in agreement with me to alter my priorities to make Christ Jesus first in all things and all ways.

Be Specific ______________________________________________________

Friday (Philippians 3:12-21)

Keep Going Forward

3:12 Not that I have already attained this—that is, I have not already been perfected—but I strive to lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus also laid hold of me.

3:13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have attained this. Instead I am single-minded: Forgetting the things that are behind and reaching out for the things that are ahead,

3:14 with this goal in mind, I strive toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

3:15 Therefore let those of us who are “perfect” embrace this point of view. If you think otherwise, God will reveal to you the error of your ways.

3:16 Nevertheless, let us live up to the standard that we have already attained.

3:17 Be imitators of me, brothers and sisters, and watch carefully those who are living this way, just as you have us as an example.

3:18 For many live, about whom I have often told you, and now, with tears, I tell you that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ.

3:19 Their end is destruction, their god is the belly, they exult in their shame, and they think about earthly things.

3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven—and we also await a savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,

3:21 who will transform these humble bodies of ours into the likeness of his glorious body by means of that power by which he is able to subject all things to himself.

Prayer

Lord, You already see us made-perfect by Your grace and power, so You call upon us to strive toward that goal rather than be diminished by the things of this imperfect world. May I keep my eyes on You!

Summary & Commentary

Paul continued his description of Biblical priorities “... I am single-minded. Forgetting the things that are behind and reaching out for the things that are ahead ... strive toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

[Note: This is not about works-righteousness but growth in spiritual maturity.]

Paul used the term “perfect” to describe those who are more mature and who continue to intentionally pursue greater spiritual maturity—as such is the “perfect” will of God for the lives of His children, not an expectation of completed perfection but adherence to God’s priority to grow and to go.

Paul implored the Philippians to “be imitators” of those who live “perfectly” before Christ Jesus, then warns again of the deceivers whose “... end is destruction”.

In contrast to the mature believer the false leader had their “belly” as a god, “exult in their shame”, and “think about earthly things”.

Paul concluded with the reminder that “... our citizenship is in heaven—and we await a savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform these humble bodies of ours into the likeness of His glorious body by means of that power by which He is able to subject all things to Himself.”

Interaction

Consider

The first step in the pursuit of spiritual maturity is “Forgetting the things that are behind ...” and then “... reaching out for the things that are ahead”.

Discuss

What are some practical disciplines which can help one to more effectively pursue spiritual maturity, e.g. the identification of “elders” who may serve as worthy role models?

Reflect

How does the meaning of the phrase “... our citizenship is in heaven” impact you?

Share

When have you observed specific examples of leaders to be avoided, and leaders to be emulated, and what was it that caused each to be assigned to one category or the other?

Faith in Action

Prayer:

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a mentor, someone whose walk shows solid evidence of spiritual maturity more advanced than your own.

Action:

Today I am choosing to pray for the mentor the Lord God has revealed to me and I will find opportunities to serve alongside that mentor, as the Lord provides, in order that the Holy Spirit may teach me the same disciplines He has taught them.

Be Specific ______________________________________________________

Saturday (Philippians 4:1-23)

Christian Practices

4:1 So then, my brothers and sisters, dear friends whom I long to see, my joy and crown, stand in the Lord in this way, my dear friends!

4:2 I appeal to Euodia and to Syntyche to agree in the Lord. 4:3 Yes, I say also to you, true companion, help them. They have struggled together in the gospel ministry along with me and Clement and my other coworkers, whose names are in the book of life.

4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice!

4:5 Let everyone see your gentleness. The Lord is near!

4:6 Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God.

4:7 And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

4:8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things.

4:9 And what you learned and received and heard and saw in me, do these things. And the God of peace will be with you.

Appreciation for Support

4:10 I have great joy in the Lord because now at last you have again expressed your concern for me. (Now I know you were concerned before but had no opportunity to do anything.)

4:11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content in any circumstance.

4:12 I have experienced times of need and times of abundance. In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of contentment, whether I go satisfied or hungry, have plenty or nothing.

4:13 I am able to do all things through the one who strengthens me.

4:14 Nevertheless, you did well to share with me in my trouble.

4:15 And as you Philippians know, at the beginning of my gospel ministry, when I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in this matter of giving and receiving except you alone. 4:16 For even in Thessalonica on more than one occasion you sent something for my need. 4:17 I do not say this because I am seeking a gift. Rather, I seek the credit that abounds to your account. 4:18 For I have received everything, and I have plenty. I have all I need because I received from Epaphroditus what you sent—a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, very pleasing to God.

4:19 And my God will supply your every need according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

4:20 May glory be given to God our Father forever and ever. Amen.

Final Greetings

4:21 Give greetings to all the saints in Christ Jesus. The brothers with me here send greetings. 4:22 All the saints greet you, especially those who belong to Caesar’s household.

4:23 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

Prayer

Lord, You meet our needs both physical and spiritual and, You strengthen us. May I give thanks, be bold, and be content.

Summary & Commentary

Paul concluded his letter to the Philippians with additional specific guidance, which we may extrapolate to our fellowships, in order to enhance the quality of our practices.

He asked that the pursuit of righteousness continue, that the brothers and sisters help those who are struggling, and that they be aware that believers have their names “... in the Book of Life.”

[Note: Once ones name has been recorded in the Book of Life ones salvation is guaranteed.]

Paul recommended a Biblical attitude toward life “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say rejoice! Let everyone see your gentleness. The Lord is near!

Paul recommended this Biblical methodology for managing stress “Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God.” He then explained the result “And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

Paul recommended this Biblical methodology to remain pure in what he previously described as “... a crooked and perverse society”—”... whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things.”

Paul recommended again that they emulate the more mature, including his example “I have learned to be content in any circumstance ... I have learned the secret of contentment, whether I go satisfied or hungry, have plenty or nothing. I am able to do all things through the One who strengthens me.”

Paul did pause to remind them that obedience to God in offering, and providing, assistance to brothers and sisters in Christ who are in need was (and is) an admirable action.

Paul concluded with a prayer “And my God will supply your every need according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus ... The Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.”

Explanation of the different Biblical meanings when the term “spirit” is used, from the NET Greek/Hebrew Translator’s Notes: “1) the third person of the triune God, the Holy Spirit, coequal, coeternal with the Father and the Son 1a) sometimes referred to in a way which emphasises his personality and character (the \\Holy\\ Spirit) 1b) sometimes referred to in a way which emphasises his work and power (the Spirit of \\Truth\\) 1c) never referred to as a depersonalised force 2) the spirit, i.e. the vital principal by which the body is animated 2a) the rational spirit, the power by which the human being feels, thinks, decides 2b) the soul 3) a spirit, i.e. a simple essence, devoid of all or at least all grosser matter, and possessed of the power of knowing, desiring, deciding, and acting 3a) a life giving spirit 3b) a spirit, i.e. a simple essence, devoid of all or at least all grosser matter, and possessed of the power of knowing, desiring, deciding, and acting.”

Interaction

Consider

Paul’s counsel to not be anxious, to remain pure, to emulate the more mature in trust in God’s loving provision, and as a result to be “... content in any circumstance” is the key to growing in maturity.

Discuss

What are some practical ways to implement Paul’s methodologies in your life and within your fellowship?

Reflect

“I am able to do all things through the One who strengthens me.”

Share

When have you experienced the blessing of increased-maturity, and therefore an exceptional (ultrafidian) trust in the Lord God, equipped you to handle a difficult circumstance with a greater sense of contentment and confidence?

Faith in Action

Prayer:

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a place in your live where you are anxious, struggle with purity, sometimes emulate the less-mature than the more-mature, and as a result you are often discontent.

Action:

Today I will ask a fellow believer to pray in agreement with me as I partner with the Holy Spirit to apply Paul’s counsel and move toward a greater degree of contentment—trusting in the Lord God’s loving provision.

Be Specific ______________________________________________________

All Bible text is from the NET unless otherwise indicated—http://bible.org

Note 1: These Studies often rely upon the guidance of the NET Translators from their associated notes. Careful attention has been given to cite that source where it has been quoted directly or closely paraphrased. Feedback is encouraged where credit has not been sufficiently assigned.

Note 2: When NET text is quoted in commentary and discussion all pronouns referring to God are capitalized, though they are lower-case in the original NET text.

Commentary text is from David M. Colburn, D.Min. unless otherwise noted.

Copyright © 2011 by David M. Colburn. This is a BibleSeven Study— “Philippians”—prepared by David M. Colburn and edited for bible.org in October of 2011. This text may be used for non-profit educational purposes only, with credit; all other usage requires prior written consent of the author.

A Daily Bible Study in 7-Day Sections with a Summary-Commentary, Discussion Questions, and Daily Application

Sunday (Colossians 1:1-14)

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 1:2 to the saints, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ, at Colossae. Grace and peace to you from God our Father!

Paul’s Thanksgiving and Prayer for the Church

1:3 We always give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,

1:4 since we heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints.

1:5 Your faith and love have arisen from the hope laid up for you in heaven, which you have heard about in the message of truth, the gospel 1:6 that has come to you. Just as in the entire world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, so it has also been bearing fruit and growing among you from the first day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth.

1:7 You learned the gospel from Epaphras, our dear fellow slave—a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf—1:8 who also told us of your love in the Spirit.

Paul’s Prayer for the Growth of the Church

1:9 For this reason we also, from the day we heard about you, have not ceased praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

1:10 so that you may live worthily of the Lord and please him in all respects—bearing fruit in every good deed, growing in the knowledge of God,

1:11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might for the display of all patience and steadfastness, joyfully

1:12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light.

1:13 He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son he loves,

1:14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Prayer

Lord, You qualified us to share in the great inheritance of heaven, You present us as a testimony to the world, and You give us hope and strength. May I be more-available, more-faithful, and more-persistent in arranging my life to serve You.

Summary & Commentary

Paul reminded the Colossians of their common “heritage” in Christ. He then celebrated their faith and their ‘ultrafidian’ (beyond faith) love “... for all of the saints” (believers).

Paul elaborated on their “faith and love”, noting that they “... have arisen from the hope laid up for you in heaven, which you have heard about in the message of truth, the gospel that has come to you.”

He expanded the view “Just as in the entire world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, so it has also been bearing fruit and growing among you from the first day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth.”

Paul observed that they learned the gospel of from a faithful servant of Christ, Epaphras, someone sent from Paul’s network of disciple-evangelists, whom he notes “also told us of your love in the Spirit.”

[Note: The phrase “in the Spirit” is consistent with Paul’s prior usage, not referring to anything more than the promised work of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer, and in-common among believers.]

Paul reported the prayers of his group “... asking God to fill you [the Colossian believers] with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may live worthily of the Lord and please Him in all respects—bearing fruit in every good deed, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might for the display of all patience and steadfastness, joyfully giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the saints inheritance in the light.”

The Colossians would have been among those who received a copy of what became known as the letter to the Ephesians, so they would be familiar with Paul’s discussion of wisdom and understanding flowing from the Holy Spirit.

Living worthily of the Lord God was a repeated message of Paul, one he repeated here, along with his expectation that they bear fruit as they cared for one another (“every good deed”).

Being strengthened, demonstrating the “Fruits of the Spirit” via patience and steadfastness, and joyfully giving thanks were also echoes of prior exhortations from Paul.

The final phrase of this passage “... qualified you to share in the saints inheritance in the light.” was a reminder that all are not saved, that there is an evaluation of those who are accepted into salvation, and that “the saints” inherit as a common family of peers. “... in the light.” was a valuable word picture of the difference between saved and unsaved as the corollary is, of course, that all others were in the darkness —the absence of God—then and for eternity.

“... the power of darkness” is the intractable impact of sin, since the Fall in the Garden, and exacerbated by our rebellious decisions every day—but we have been “transferred”, which requires us to be removed from the old standing and relocated to the new—we are not the same.

Jesus is the One who made this possible, He is the only One who has the capacity to bring us redemption, and He is the One who provides for freedom from both the eternal consequences and temporal guilt of sin.

Interaction

Consider

How many of your fellow believers show fruits of the “faith and love” Jesus commanded us to live and to share “... have arisen from the hope laid up for you in heaven, which you have heard about in the message of truth, the gospel that has come to you.”?

Discuss

What are some ways that you and members of your fellowship may increase the degree to which you and they are “... living worthily of God”, bearing fruit as you care for one another (“every good deed”)?

Reflect

“He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins ... the power of darkness” is the intractable impact of sin, since the Fall in the Garden, and which has been exacerbated by our rebellious decisions every day—but we have been “transferred”, which requires us to be removed from the old standing and relocated to the new—we are not the same.

Share

When have you, or someone else in your fellowship, experienced “... growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might for the display of all patience and steadfastness, joyfully giving thanks to the Father”—with emphasis on the linkage between “... growing in the knowledge of God” and the rest?

Faith in Action

Prayer:

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you if the following is true or not true in your walk “Just as in the entire world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, so it has also been bearing fruit and growing among you from the first day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth.”

Action:

Today I will celebrate specific examples with a fellow believer if true, and if not true I will ask a fellow believer to pray in agreement with me as I partner with the Holy Spirit to gain additional knowledge of the Lord God and allow Him to transform me from the inside out, and to show me where this is already happening in the lives of others.

Be Specific ______________________________________________________

Monday (Colossians 1:15-29)

1:15 The Supremacy of Christ
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation,

1:16 for all things in heaven and on earth were created by him—all things, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions, whether principalities or powers—all things were created through him and for him.

1:17 He himself is before all things and all things are held together in him.

1:18 He is the head of the body, the church, as well as the beginning, the firstborn from among the dead, so that he himself may become first in all things.

1:19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in the Son

1:20 and through him to reconcile all things to himself by making peace through the blood of his cross—through him, whether things on earth or things in heaven.

Paul’s Goal in Ministry

1:21 And you were at one time strangers and enemies in your minds as expressed through your evil deeds, 1:22 but now he has reconciled you by his physical body through death to present you holy, without blemish, and blameless before him—1:23 if indeed you remain in the faith, established and firm, without shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has also been preached in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become its servant.

1:24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I fill up in my physical body—for the sake of his body, the church—what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ.

1:25 I became a servant of the church according to the stewardship from God—given to me for you—in order to complete the word of God, 1:26 that is, the mystery that has been kept hidden from ages and generations, but has now been revealed to his saints.

1:27 God wanted to make known to them the glorious riches of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

1:28 We proclaim him by instructing and teaching all people with all wisdom so that we may present every person mature in Christ.

1:29 Toward this goal I also labor, struggling according to his power that powerfully works in me.

Prayer

Lord, You are the eternal One, expressed as Father, Spirit, and Son; without beginning or end. May the incredible gift of Your undeserved love motivate me to live more-fully for You.

Summary & Commentary

Paul addressed a right understanding of Christ as a member of the Trinity:

He is the image of the invisible God

He is the firstborn of all Creation

All things in Heaven and on Earth were created by Him

All things, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions, whether principalities or powers—all things were created through Him and for Him

He Himself is before all things

He Himself holds all things together

He is the head of the body

He is the head of the “Church”

He is the beginning

He is the firstborn from among the dead

He is first in all things

God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in the Son (2:9 defines this as “deity”)

God was pleased that through Him (Christ) all things, on earth and in heaven, are reconciled

God was pleased that He (Christ) made peace with the blood of the Cross

Verses 1:21-23 appear to create some conflict with Paul's prior teaching on the assurance (permanence) of salvation, once received.

[Note: The appearance is the result of translation ambiguity as the correctly-translated Word of God is never self-contradictory—any “error” is always on the part of the reader and/or the translator, God never errs. What Paul has said here is that “... by His physical body” (Jesus-the-man) He became the substitutionary sacrifice for man, despite our “evil deeds” which “expressed” our “minds” as “one time strangers and enemies”. This provision creates the potential to “... present you holy, without blemish, and blameless before Him”, which is necessary given that no imperfect being/no being capable of rebellion will ever be permitted in heaven again. In order to properly understand the first half of 1:23 one must understand the context of the second half “... from the hope of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has also been preached in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become its servant.” Paul is speaking of evangelism and not concluded-salvation and/or discipleship of believers. He makes no presumption that everyone in his audience is saved, nor should that presumption ever be made—even in a gathering designed for believers. Only the Lord God knows for sure; therefore, “... if indeed you remain in the faith, established (this term means saved) and firm [doubt precludes salvation], without shifting from the hope of the gospel—it is no longer “hope” once one has been saved, it is a promise.]

Paul then explained that his ministry was to “... complete the Word of God”, which may be taken to refer to his writings and to his effort to evangelize all of the known world—as he had already been “to Judah and Samaria”. His message “... the glorious riches of this mystery (Christ’s salvation of the “saints”) among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

Then Paul explained how this evangelistic mission will be accomplished “We proclaim Him by instructing (evangelizing) and teaching (discipling) all people with all the wisdom so that we may present every person mature in Christ.

He concluded “Toward this goal I also labor, struggling according to his power that powerfully works in me.”

Interaction

Consider

Christ Jesus contains the deity of God, created all things (“And God said ...”), all things are held together by Him, and all things exist for Him—does this not require that He be God?

Discuss

What is, to you, the practical meaning that Christ Jesus is the head of the body and of the “Church”?

Reflect

“... that through Him (Christ) all things, on earth and in heaven, are reconciled”. [Note that this “reconciliation has conditions” and that perhaps the translation should include the parenthetical note that this applies to believers only.]

Share

When have you observed that a right understanding of Christ Jesus, especially His “headship” over the body and the “Church” led to a healthier fellowship, or the alternative result when a wrong understanding led to conflict?

Faith in Action

Prayer:

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you where in your life you have had a wrong understanding of Christ Jesus as the head of you, (you are both a member of the body and of the “Church”) and this has led to rebellion in one form or another.

Action:

Today I agree to partner with the Holy Spirit, and with a fellow believer (as a prayer partner, accountability partner, coach, and as-is-appropriate as a mentor), to bring my heart, mind, and walk in-line with a right Biblical understanding of the authority of Christ in my entire life.

Be Specific ______________________________________________________

Tuesday (Colossians 2:1-5)

2:1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you, and for those in Laodicea, and for those who have not met me face to face.

2:2 My goal is that their hearts, having been knit together in love, may be encouraged, and that they may have all the riches that assurance brings in their understanding of the knowledge of the mystery of God, namely, Christ,

2:3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

2:4 I say this so that no one will deceive you through arguments that sound reasonable.

2:5 For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your morale and the firmness of your faith in Christ.

Prayer

Lord, You connect every Christian through Your indwelling Holy Spirit, and when we live and love in-agreement with Your Word we are safe from deception. May I pray for my fellow believers, and myself, that together we will be faithful to You.

Summary & Commentary

Paul celebrated the way that the Colossians and Laodiceans had been “knit together in love”.

He offered a hope-prayer that they be encouraged and that “... they may have all of the riches that assurance brings in their understanding of the mystery of God, namely, in Christ.”

The “encouragement” of the “assurance” that is the eternal love of the Lord God flows from a right understanding of Christ, the “mystery” that is the willingness of God to come in human flesh and sacrifice Himself in the flesh on a cross as a propitiation (law-satisfying substitution) for fallen man.

A right understanding of Christ brings assurance of salvation, His “riches” bring the “ultrafidian” (beyond faith) power to live in the flesh in this fallen world—through steadily-maturing obedient righteousness, and in boldness—sharing His gospel of salvation “in Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”.

We serve our fellow saints (believers) sacrificially (from love).

Paul warned them against those who “will deceive you through arguments that sound reasonable”.

[Note: The NET translator’s notes suggest “specious arguments” as an acceptable alternative. They also observe that this is not anti-intellectual but intends to warn against arguments that promote the uncritical acceptance of clearly anti-Biblical philosophies. This includes philosophies that presume to establish any parity between Christianity and another faith which claims to speak for God, that asserts that multiple faiths may lead to God’s truth (and salvation), or which subsume Christianity within and authoritatively below their primary faith (e.g. Islam).]

Paul concludes section 2:1-5 with another celebration of their “morale” (steadfastness) and “firmness of faith”.

He emphasized the deity of Christ, saying “... the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge”

Interaction

Consider

How often have you experienced, in a modern fellowship, “... the way that the Colossians and Laodiceans have been “knit together in love”?

Discuss

What are some practical ways to increase the “encouragement” of the “assurance” that is the eternal love of God flows from a right understanding of Christ within your fellowship?

Reflect

The “riches” of a right-understanding of Christ can bring an “ultrafidian” (beyond faith) power to live righteously in the flesh in this fallen world, to speak boldly by sharing His gospel of salvation “in Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”, and serving our fellow saints (believers) sacrificially (from love).

Share

When have you observed a right-understanding in Christ equip a fellowship to resist the persuasive speech of one who attempted to promote an non-Biblical doctrine. What happened?

Faith in Action

Prayer:

Ask the Holy Spirit to identify for you a way that a right-understanding of Christ may empower you to serve the Lord in a more “ultrafidian” (beyond faith) manner, perhaps in outreach to an un-saved or without-a-fellowship sub-population, perhaps in (or in support of) foreign missions, or reveal to you someone who needs encouragement in this area.

Action:

Today I will identify a mentor who will assist me with discipleship designed to build my knowledge and trust—or I will be that mentor to another.

Be Specific ______________________________________________________

Wednesday (Colossians 2:6-23)

Warnings Against the Adoption of False Philosophies

2:6 Therefore, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him,

2:7 rooted and built up in him and firm in your faith just as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

2:8 Be careful not to allow anyone to captivate you through an empty, deceitful philosophy that is according to human traditions and the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.

2:9 For in him all the fullness of deity lives in bodily form,

2:10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

2:11 In him you also were circumcised—not, however, with a circumcision performed by human hands, but by the removal of the fleshly body, that is, through the circumcision done by Christ.

2:12 Having been buried with him in baptism, you also have been raised with him through your faith in the power of God who raised him from the dead.

2:13 And even though you were dead in your transgressions and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he nevertheless made you alive with him, having forgiven all your transgressions.

2:14 He has destroyed what was against us, a certificate of indebtedness expressed in decrees opposed to us. He has taken it away by nailing it to the cross.

2:15 Disarming the rulers and authorities, he has made a public disgrace of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

2:16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you with respect to food or drink, or in the matter of a feast, new moon, or Sabbath days—2:17 these are only the shadow of the things to come, but the reality is Christ!

2:18 Let no one who delights in humility and the worship of angels pass judgment on you. That person goes on at great lengths about what he has supposedly seen, but he is puffed up with empty notions by his fleshly mind. 2:19 He has not held fast to the head from whom the whole body, supported and knit together through its ligaments and sinews, grows with a growth that is from God.

2:20 If you have died with Christ to the elemental spirits of the world, why do you submit to them as though you lived in the world? 2:21 “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!” 2:22 These are all destined to perish with use, founded as they are on human commands and teachings. 2:23 Even though they have the appearance of wisdom with their self-imposed worship and false humility achieved by an unsparing treatment of the body—a wisdom with no true value—they in reality result in fleshly indulgence.

Prayer

Lord, You have set us free from old legalisms and new ones as well, rather we are to be centered on Jesus. May I avoid the social trap of going-along-to-get-along which is a form of slavery and focus on what You are teaching me and where You are sending me.

Summary & Commentary

Paul encouraged the Colossians to continue in their study of Christ so as to be “… rooted and built up in Him and firm in your faith ... overflowing with thankfulness.”

He twice warned them again against false teachings that promote the “elemental spirits”, things that will be gone after the Final Judgment and are temporary (temporal) in nature, but to instead focus on the things of God which are eternal.

Paul clarified a point of confusion; the “Son”—an eternal member of the Trinity—Christ was and is forever God but the Lord God chose to add an additional physical dimension at the “incarnation” (via the immaculate conception of Jesus in Mary).

He reminded them that Christ is above “every ruler and authority” and that the “circumcision” of the Christian is a separation from slavery to our “fleshy body”, not an artificial “mutilation” of our temporary body as part of a ritual no longer required by God.

Paul reminded them of the intended word-picture that is Biblical baptism, “... buried with Him” then “... raised with Him in faith in the power of God Who raised Him from the dead.”

He reminded them of their need for salvation; “.. even though you were dead in your transgressions ... He nevertheless made you alive with Him, having forgiven all your transgressions.”

Paul reminded them of the absolute freedom they have from their pre-salvation selves: “He has destroyed what was against us ... by nailing it to the Cross.”

He expanded on the freedom of the believer “... do not let anyone judge you with respect to food or drink, or in the matter of a feast, new moon, or Sabbath days—these are only the shadow of things to come, but the reality is in Christ!”

In verses 2:18-20 Paul warned against those who brag about their supposed spiritual experiences and presume to condemn or lecture others—he said they are “puffed up with empty notions by his fleshy mind”.

Interaction

Consider

The amazing choice of the Lord God that Christ, forever God-in-the-Trinity, chose to add an additional physical dimension at the “incarnation” (via the immaculate conception of Jesus in Mary). Remembering from the Gospels that even after His resurrection, and the partial restoration of His heavenly glory (the rest had to wait for His ascension as fallen man cannot survive in the presence of God’s full glory), He retained His scarred physical body.

[Note: There is no record of anyone physically-touching Jesus post-resurrection. Thomas was invited to do so but was not recorded as having actually accepted the challenge. That is discussed in the Gospels study.]

Discuss

How have false teachings that promote the “elemental spirits”, things that will be gone after the Final Judgment and are temporary (temporal) in nature, find their way into your current fellowship (or one from your past or in another fellowship)?

Reflect

The nature of our salvation is a separation from slavery to our “fleshy body”. A Biblical-baptism symbolizes that we are “... buried with Him” then “... raised with Him in faith in the power of God Who raised Him from the dead.”

Share

When have you observed a practical example of a Biblical understanding of baptism through the way that it is presented in your fellowship?

Faith in Action

Prayer:

Ask the Holy Spirit to identify a place where you are not yet living in the absolute freedom you have from your pre-salvation self: “He has destroyed what was against us ... by nailing it to the Cross.”

Action:

Today I agree to partner with the Holy Spirit, supported by prayers in agreement from a fellow believer, as I grow in spiritual maturity and reject any claim the enemy asserts to my past (pre-Christ) over my present (made new in Christ).

Be Specific ______________________________________________________

Thursday (Colossians 3:1-17)

Exhortations to Seek the Things Above

3:1 Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

3:2 Keep thinking about things above, not things on the earth, 3:3 for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

3:4 When Christ (who is your life) appears, then you too will be revealed in glory with him.

3:5 So put to death whatever in your nature belongs to the earth: sexual immorality, impurity, shameful passion, evil desire, and greed which is idolatry.

3:6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience.

3:7 You also lived your lives in this way at one time, when you used to live among them.

3:8 But now, put off all such things as anger, rage, malice, slander, abusive language from your mouth.

3:9 Do not lie to one another since you have put off the old man with its practices

3:10 and have been clothed with the new man that is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of the one who created it.

3:11 Here there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all and in all.

Exhortation to Unity and Love

3:12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with a heart of mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,

3:13 bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if someone happens to have a complaint against anyone else. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also forgive others.

3:14 And to all these virtues add love, which is the perfect bond.

3:15 Let the peace of Christ be in control in your heart (for you were in fact called as one body to this peace), and be thankful.

3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and exhorting one another with all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, all with grace in your hearts to God.

3:17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Prayer

Lord, You have set us free from the slavery to sin, which is the darkness of this world. May I have nothing in my life that I value more than You.

Summary & Commentary

Paul reminded the Colossians to seek heavenly things because they were of-Christ and not of-the-world, “Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ...” because when Christ returns to bring us home the glory is His will be shared with us and we will stand with Him.

Based on our eternally-intimate standing with Christ Paul then concluded that our response must be to “... put to death whatever in your nature belongs to the earth”:

• sexual immorality
• impurity
• shameful passion
• evil desire
• greed (which is idolatry)

Paul warned that those who indulged in those things were among the “sons of disobedience” (unsaved) who would experience the post-tribulation, post-rapture, “wrath of God”.

He instructed them, and us, to put off such things as:

• anger (unrighteous anger)
• rage (mindless anger)
• malice
• slander
• abusive language from our mouths
• lying to one-another

Paul reiterated the abolition of every worldly distinction among men and women, leaving only the eternal distinction between those who were saved and those who were unsaved.

He again used the term “elect” as one label for Christians as “... holy and dearly loved”, to “clothe yourselves with a heart of mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another if someone happens to have a complaint against someone else.”

[Note: As described in a prior Study “elect” does not refer to a fatalistic pagan notion of predestination but is a label for one who meets God’s requirements for salvation and who has his/her name written in the “Lamb’s Book of Life”. Also, the matter of a “complaint against someone else” is addressed only to believers.]

He reminds us to add love to the list of virtues (things we are to avoid and their corollary to be sought) as love is “the perfect bond”—we were called through love into a perfect bond of peace.

He exhorts us to “Let the word of Christ dwell ... richly” [Note: This likely refers to the fruits of the indwelling Holy Spirit as well as a the loving nature of Christ.] “teaching and exhorting one another with all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, all with grace in your hearts to God. And whatever you do in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Interaction

Consider

Our right-response to what Christ has done for us must be to “... put to death whatever in your nature belongs to the earth”.

Discuss

In what ways are members of your fellowship intentionally “teaching and exhorting one another with all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, all with grace in your hearts to God.” without spawning human rituals and traditions which overwhelm the intent of this teaching?

Reflect

Do you find Paul’s two checklists of sin challenging to elements of your walk?

Share

When have you observed a fellowship (the larger local believer-community “Church” or a sub-group) where you experienced “clothe yourselves with a heart of mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another if someone happens to have a complaint against someone else.”?

Faith in Action

Prayer:

Ask the Holy Spirit reveal to you, from Paul’s two checklists, the items where you are still struggling.

Action:

Today I agree to partner with the Holy Spirit, and with the encouragement of someone praying in-agreement, I will intentionally move toward removing the sin from my life.

Be Specific ______________________________________________________

Friday (Colossians 3:18-4:1)

Exhortation to Households

3:18 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

3:19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them.

3:20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing in the Lord.

3:21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, so they will not become disheartened. 3:22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in every respect, not only when they are watching—like those who are strictly people-pleasers—but with a sincere heart, fearing the Lord.

3:23 Whatever you are doing, work at it with enthusiasm, as to the Lord and not for people,

3:24 because you know that you will receive your inheritance from the Lord as the reward. Serve the Lord Christ.

3:25 For the one who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there are no exceptions.

4:1 Masters, treat your slaves with justice and fairness, because you know that you also have a master in heaven.

Prayer

Lord, You have instructed us over and over again to keep our eyes on You, the perfect One so that we might have right perspectives and priorities. May I do so and the result be a life that “... is pleasing to the Lord.”

Summary & Commentary

Paul provided the Colossian believers a summary instruction of matters he had previously addressed via letters shared among the local fellowships. These instructions addressed marriage, children, parenting, slaves, and masters.

He reminded women that “as is fitting in the Lord” they were to submit to their husbands in-the-Lord.

[Note: Paul was addressing believers and never asked wives to submit to sinful dictates.]

He reminded husbands “love your wives and do not be embittered against them”. Husbands were to not turn away from their wives because they were imperfect, growing older, or less-appealing than some other women.

He reminded children that if they were to be pleasing to the Lord they were to obey their parents.

He reminded parents to not “provoke” [set them up to fail] their children [through abuse or neglect].

He reminded slaves to serve ethically “as to the Lord”.

[Note: Nowhere did Paul endorse slavery, but as did the Lord Jesus, he encouraged those who fould themselves as slaves to continue to conduct themselves as they would as free believers. They were to do all things as if they were doing them for the Lord.]

He reminded masters that they were fellow saints with their believing-slaves so to treat them as peers.

He reminded everyone that there were consequences for disobedience to God.

Interaction

Consider

The various “Churches” (local fellowships of believers) in Paul’s time would have a high level of awareness of the content of Paul’s letters (including ones specifically addressed to other fellowships), either like the letter to the Ephesians (which was literally copied to the other groups), or via those that Paul sent out to communicate the Lord God’s teaching to them in their own local context.

Discuss

What are some practical ways to effectively disciple parents, couples, prospective couples, and children in Paul’s teachings?

Reflect

How well, or poorly, have you experienced, expressed, and/or observed Paul’s specific instructions for the expectations for different roles in-practice within your current or past fellowship?

Share

When have you observed examples of employee-boss or student-teacher relationships where Paul’s instructions have been obeyed or disobeyed and the differing consequences?

Faith in Action

Prayer:

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you where Paul’s instructions apply to your specific circumstances and at least one area where you may improve.

Action:

Today I agree to study the Word, perhaps with a peer-disciple or a mentor, in order to better understand Paul’s instructions [see earlier NT Study materials] and to partner with the Holy Spirit to bring my walk in line with His Word.

Be Specific ______________________________________________________

Saturday (Colossians 4:2-18)

Exhortation to Pray for the Success of Paul’s Mission

4:2 Be devoted to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving.

4:3 At the same time pray for us too, that God may open a door for the message so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.

4:4 Pray that I may make it known as I should.

4:5 Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunities.

4:6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer everyone.

Personal Greetings and Instructions

4:7 Tychicus, a dear brother, faithful minister, and fellow slave in the Lord, will tell you all the news about me. 4:8 I sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are doing and that he may encourage your hearts. 4:9 I sent him with Onesimus, the faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. They will tell you about everything here.

4:10 Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends you greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas (about whom you received instructions; if he comes to you, welcome him). 4:11 And Jesus who is called Justus also sends greetings. In terms of Jewish converts, these are the only fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me.

4:12 Epaphras, who is one of you and a slave of Christ, greets you. He is always struggling in prayer on your behalf, so that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. 4:13 For I can testify that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and Hierapolis.

4:14 Our dear friend Luke the physician and Demas greet you.

4:15 Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters who are in Laodicea and to Nympha and the church that meets in her house.

4:16 And after you have read this letter, have it read to the church of Laodicea. In turn, read the letter from Laodicea as well.

4:17 And tell Archippus, “See to it that you complete the ministry you received in the Lord.”

4:18 I, Paul, write this greeting by my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.

Prayer

Lord, You expect us to submit to the discipleship of Your Holy Spirit so that our ‘walk’ matches our ‘talk’ and in that way those to whom You send us to evangelize will trust us. May I partner with the Holy Spirit to drive the careless-worldliness and hypocrisy out of my life.

Summary & Commentary

Paul reminded the Colossians to “Be devoted to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving.”

[Note: Paul had, in other letters to other churches, implored all to “pray without ceasing” because prayer keeps a believer alert to God; and with a mindset of thanksgiving rather than one of demandingness.]

He requested prayer, a model for all who are in leadership, so that “God may open a door for the message so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ ...”—there is no greater purpose.

Paul provided a model for responsible leaders, especially preachers and teachers, asking that they pray specifically “... that I may make it known as I should.”

[Note: He refers to clarity, courage, and faithfulness to God’s message.]

He exhorted them “Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of opportunities. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer everyone.”

[Note: Paul was coaching them (and us) to embed in our conduct and our languages the deeds and words of faith—so that opportunities to “evangelize” flow from our conduct—or at least are not blocked by our conduct—and that when we have an opportunity to share it sounds natural rather than artificial.]

Paul concluded with greetings from those with him and reminded them to share the letter with the Laodiceans and to read the letter he sent to the Laodiceans.

Interaction

Consider

Paul’s admonition “Be devoted to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving.”

Discuss

What are some ways that believers may train themselves to “Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of opportunities. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer everyone.” ?

Reflect

How much conflict and error could be avoided if all leaders were as humble as Paul’s model for responsible leaders, especially preachers and teachers, asking that the local body of believers pray specifically “... that I may make it known as I should.” ?

Share

When have you observed an example of a fellow believer who in intentional in their obedience to the call to “Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of opportunities. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt”?

Faith in Action

Prayer:

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a Christian preacher or teacher for whom He wants you to pray.

Action:

Today am committing to pray that the leader He has chosen will make the message of Christ know as they should, without alteration, distortion, or distraction.

Be Specific ______________________________________________________

All Bible text is from the NET unless otherwise indicated—http://bible.org

Note 1: These Studies often rely upon the guidance of the NET Translators from their associated notes. Careful attention has been given to cite that source where it has been quoted directly or closely paraphrased. Feedback is encouraged where credit has not been sufficiently assigned.

Note 2: When NET text is quoted in commentary and discussion all pronouns referring to God are capitalized, though they are lower-case in the original NET text.

Commentary text is from David M. Colburn, D.Min. unless otherwise noted.

Copyright © 2011 by David M. Colburn. This is a BibleSeven Study—“Colossians”—prepared by David M. Colburn and edited for bible.org in October of 2011. This text may be used for non-profit educational purposes only, with credit; all other usage requires prior written consent of the author.

Sunday (Ephesians 1:1-2)

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints [in Ephesus], the faithful in Christ Jesus. 1:2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

Prayer

Lord, Your Word affirms itself, clarifying important concepts, reminding us of the reality of and reason for Your Gospel. May I never forget that You are the Lord God, that You call me a “saint” because You have redeemed me and will make me holy prior to Heaven, and that I owe it all to You.

Summary & Commentary

In the first chapter of Ephesians, the Apostle Paul reminded the Church of the glory and promises of God and what that means to all Believers

Paul began by identifying himself as an “apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God” then reminded his readers that they also are “saints ... the faithful” through the same blessing of God. [Note: His readers would have known the story of how Paul was converted from a destroyer of Christians to their most zealous advocate (Acts 9:-18), so the model of turning away from one belief system and accepting a new one unconditionally was not entirely new to them.]

Paul communicated a couple of interesting points that are easily overlooked; when he wrote “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

He intentionally wrote “grace” to remind the believers that they were no longer under the law as to eternal judgment and “peace” in order to clarify further that the war between their former rebellious selves and the Holy God is over.

Paul also added “... and the Lord Jesus Christ” in an apparent reminder of our subjection and debt to Jesus to make the “Grace and peace” possible.

Interaction

Consider

The Lord God’s incredible gift—the truth that accepting God’s grace in the places of our lives where we’d be most ashamed to have Jesus in-the-flesh present is a first step to understanding grace—He already knows, and although we must never imagine that He endorses our sin, grace means that He still loves us!

Discuss

How do we meet the challenge of living here in our still-fallen flesh, assured of Heaven with bodies and minds made pure, yet struggling daily to press away the things that would drag us down?

Reflect

The Lord God’s love-name for us is “saints”, because we have chosen to be among the faithful, trusting His truth, and surrendering to His perfectly-loving Lordship.

Share

What is one example of the chasm of the person you were before Christ and the person you are now?

Faith in Action

Prayer:

Ask the Holy Spirit to remind you of one specific example where knowing that His truth empowered you to resist a former pattern of cycling down into depression or escalating up to worse sin—choosing instead confession, repentance (turning away), forgiveness, and restoration—freedom!

Action:

Today I will I will share with a fellow believer the amazing freedom that comes from knowing that despite my imperfections in the flesh I am loved by God and guaranteed freedom from imperfection and sin for eternity with Him in Heaven.

Be Specific ______________________________________________________

Monday (Ephesians 1:3-6)

Spiritual Blessings in Christ

1:3 Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ.

1:4 For he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world that we may be holy and unblemished in his sight in love.

1:5 He did this by predestining us to adoption as his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the pleasure of his will—1:6 to the praise of the glory of his grace that he has freely bestowed on us in his dearly loved Son.

Prayer

Lord, You promised Adam and Eve, and later Abraham, that You would send a redeemer. You said that the Redeemer would make salvation possible for everyone. You taught through the Law that Your standard was a high one—absolute surrender—and Jesus taught that salvation through grace was an offered-gift to those who chose to accept it. May I never imagine that I have earned my salvation, nor that it has been imposed-upon me [there is no Biblical teaching that anyone is “born saved”], but that You reveal Yourself to every member of humankind and each must make an eternal choice.

Summary & Commentary

God blesses us by predestining (creating the conditions for) all who surrender this world and who accept the gift of Heaven through Christ—to an eternity freed from imperfection and restoration to the Edenic condition.

Paul emphasized that our standing before God in an “unblemished” state is a result of His loving provision through Christ whose sacrifice for us removed our imperfections.

He walk his readers through the following steps of understanding (first part):

vs. 1:4 He (the Lord God) chose us based on a pre-established set of conditions, “...in Christ”.

vs. 1:5 He (the Lord God) predestined us to adoption as His (God’s) “sons”—if we meet the conditions referenced in 1:4. [Note: This is more than legal standing as in His (God’s) family but would have been understood to mean for both male and female alike the full rights of a loved child and one who benefits from all of the blessings and rights thereof.]

Notes:

Fellowship between God and man is not described here, nor even in pre-Fall Eden (Gen. 1-3), all that is described is the provision of a redeemer and the boundaries for redemption set by Him.

Even as some New Testament texts address fellowship between God and man (e.g. 1 Cor. 1:9, 1 John 1:3) it is moreso of our fellowship with Christ via His provision of salvation and therefore certainty of joining Him in Heaven.

Even Eph. 1:5 where Paul described our status as “inheritors” he still did not mention affection or casual fellowship between man and God in Heaven.

When we look for a sense of how God loves us, and the intimacy which He seeks, we must look elsewhere—in the Word for “Father” used in the “Abba” (daddy) context rather than here in the ‘God the keeper of order’ context.

We will also want to look at the fellowship between Jesus and God the Father because we inherit that relationship through Jesus as our promised and fulfilled Christ.

The traditional interpretation of Gen. 3:8 is post-sin and pre-curse, but Adam and Eve are already in a state of rebellion and their standing before God has changed. Instead of implying a friendly “walking together in the cool of the day” this verse appears to describe the highly- offended Lord God looking to Adam and Eve like an approaching storm (something new to them but what we recognize in this fallen world) from where they were hiding.

Interaction

Consider

It was God’s pleasure to create a way to overcome “the sin of Adam” through the work of Jesus the Christ. Because the cost of creating “a way home” to Heaven for us was impossible through “works” He paid the price for us and only asks that we reject the things of this world-in- rebellion and surrender eternal allegiance (our free will) to our Lord the Perfect One, Jesus.

Discuss

Why is a clear understanding of the “steps” or “elements” of “predestination” so important?

First, He created the conditions for all who surrender this world and who accept the gift of Heaven through Christ,

Then, Second, He granted us adoption as His (God’s) “sons”, all of the blessings and rights as “family” in Christ.

Reflect

Our standing before God in an “unblemished” state is a result of His loving provision through Jesus the Christ whose sacrifice for us removed our imperfections.

Share

When have you heard “predestination” described? Compare and contrast that with the Word of God.

Faith in Action

Prayer:

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you one unsaved person for whom He would like you to pray.

Action:

Today I will pray for the person He has revealed to me and, if I have to earned the opportunity to do so, I will tell them about the incredible gift of Heaven through Jesus.

Be Specific ______________________________________________________

Tuesday (Ephesians 1:7-11)

1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace

1:8 that he lavished on us in all wisdom and insight.

1:9 He did this when he revealed to us the secret of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ,

1:10 toward the administration of the fullness of the times, to head up all things in Christ—the things in heaven and the things on earth.

1:11 In Christ we too have been claimed as God’s own possession, since we were predestined according to the one purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will

Prayer

Lord, You provided the way of freedom for us in Christ, and You provided us Your Gospel so that we would understand. May I receive Your gift of “all wisdom and insight” with a teachable heart.

Summary & Commentary

We have eternal redemption and daily forgiveness, as promised by God (Gen. 3:15), and because of the propitiation of Christ.

[Note: Propitiation is theologian’s shorthand for the work of Christ on the Cross where He, the only God-man, One without sin, took upon Himself our sin and through His sacrifice of death and His miracle of resurrection destroyed the power of death-for-sin for all who accept His Lordship.]

Paul refers to “the secret” of Christ, His salvation available to all and not only the Jew, and His plan to rescue man through Christ.

[Note: The coming of a Messiah was not a secret, the Messiah is prophesied at the Fall (Gen. 3:15) in the Abrahamic Covenant (Gen 12:1-3), John 3:56 observes that “Abraham rejoiced for the day Messiah would come” the unique individual “one seed” (Gen. 13:15; 22:18, Gal. 3:16), “... until Shiloh comes” (Gen. 49:10-12), the sacrificial system was temporary (Rom. 3:25), the serpent of Numbers 21 is identified in John 3:14; 12:32 as an image of the Messiah, Moses is a type of Messiah (Deut. 18:15), in the Book of Ruth the kinsman redeemer/guardian is a type of Messiah (Ruth 4:14, Psa. 78:35, Deut. 25:5-10), in 1 Sam. 8:4-5 Israel is too obsessed with other nations and mis-applies Messiah as the demand a human king—a failure of understanding that followed them all of the way to time of Jesus, in 2 Sam. 7:11b-16 Messiah is clarified/restated, Messiah is often described generationally and rhetorically as “the son of David (Luke 1:32l 2:4; 18:38), all of the following describe the coming Messiah (Isa. 7:14-16; 9:6-7; 11:1-5; 49:5-7; 52, 53, Dan. 7:13-14, Zech. 3:8; 9:9, Mal. 3:1), “Out of Egypt I called My son,” -- Hos. 11:1 is misunderstood if taken to mean that the Messiah was an Egyptian. “called out” does not necessarily mean that He was an Egyptian but that He was a decendent of those called out of bondage—or that He fled persecution to Egypt (Mary & Joseph took him as a baby) then was “called out” to return home to grow up and do His work—Matthew (2:15) clarifies this, and finally one Bible scholar provided the following Messiah excerpts from Psalms:

Psalm 2 speaks of the Messiah as the One whom God will install as His King over Israel (v. 7). Messiah will be given the nations as His inheritance, and He will rule over those who seek to oppose Him (vss. 1-3, 8-9). The nations are thus urged to worship God now, or face the wrath of His coming King. In contrast, Psalm 22 portrays the suffering of Messiah on the cross of Calvary. It begins with the words which our Lord quoted upon the cross, “My God, my God, why has Thou forsaken me?” thus identifying the Savior with the One whose sufferings are described in this Psalm.

Psalm 45 is written for the celebration of the king’s marriage. It therefore focuses on the splendor and majesty of the coming King (vss. 3-6), and upon the fact that His throne is eternal (v. 6). The bride of the king loves righteousness and hates wickedness (the church?) and has been chosen by Him as His bride. The splendor and beauty of the bride is described as she has been prepared for her presentation to the King.

Psalm 72 depicts the reign of the Righteous King of Israel, who judges the people with righteousness and justice, and who vindicates the afflicted. He is the One who will answer the cries of the afflicted and will bring them deliverance.

Psalm 110 speaks of the installation of the Messiah at the right hand of God, who will rule over His enemies. Not only is He to rule as king, but He is also an eternal priest after the order of Melchizedek (v. 4). He will come to the earth to destroy His enemies.

“The Nestlé edition of the Greek NT lists “passages in bold which are direct quotations from the Old Testament.”

The list shows the NT as borrowing 224 separate passages from 103 different psalms, and with the same passages appearing in different places this gives a total of 280 psalm quotations in the NT. Approximately 50 of these deal with the sufferings, resurrection, ascension of Christ, and the spreading of the gospel to all nations.

The other quotations are more of a teaching or comforting nature.” Source:

http://www.ristosantala.com/rsla/OT/OT13.html]

Walking through the steps (second part):

1:9-10 He (the Lord God) made known to us His (God’s) will ... which He purposed in Him (God) ... with a view to the summing up of all things in Christ—this is the fulfillment of the promise of God after the Fall in the Garden (Gen. 3:15)

1:11 We are predestined according to His (God’s) purpose—when we meet the qualifications for predestination He (God) has a perfect plan for us (unlike the imperfect ones we invent every day) and upon our ‘qualification’ He initiates that plan.

Interaction

Consider

Dealing with sin in our lives is a challenge, we are much better at cover-ups and denials than we are at confession and repentance and we lie to ourselves even better than we lie to others.

Discuss

How does the clear linkage between the Old Testament Psalms, and the New Testament text that quotes from it, encourage your assurance of the integrity of God’s Word?

Reflect

Thank the Lord God that through Jesus the Christ He took our punishment on the Cross, that He as God-man was resurrected from the formerly inescapable bonds of death, that He walked and taught His-story and His promise, and that He sent His apostles to teach and write it to the new church (believers) that we might have His Word today. Thank Him also for daily forgiveness.

Share

When have you read something in the New Testament and realized that the writer was quoting from the OT?

Faith in Action

Prayer:

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a piece of His plan for your life.

Action:

Today I will praise the Lord God for His perfect plan for my life and I will humbly and trustingly follow where he leads.

Be Specific ______________________________________________________

Wednesday (Ephesians 1:12-14)

1:12 so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, would be to the praise of his glory.

1:13 And when you heard the word of truth (the gospel of your salvation)—when you believed in Christ—you were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit,

1:14 who is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of his glory.

Prayer

Lord, You saved us and although we are already with You in your timeless-reality, we remain here for a while as we endure the time-bound reality of creation. May I keep my eyes always on You so that I never forget that I no longer belong here but rather with You in Heaven.

Summary & Commentary

We first set our hopes upon Christ when we “heard the Word of truth” and “believed in Christ.” Then we were “marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit.”

Walking through the steps (third part):

1:13a We hear the Word of God, HIS-story.

1:13b We choose to believe.

1:13c We are then saved.

1:13d We are given the indwelling Holy Spirit as Jesus promised (John 16)

There is a theological construct called “already, not yet”. This refers to the sovereign and unalterable declarations of God relative to His promises to His children; we are already seen as redeemed from the penalty of sin but we are not yet directly experiencing the fullness of the results of that redemption (Heaven), or as Jesus said to the repentant thief on the Cross “... today you will be with me in paradise”—Jesus was in the grave for three days and after His resurrection walked the earth for another forty, so, clearly he was speaking in the “already, not yet” linear time versus the timelessness of God and Heavenly/spiritual reality (Luke 23:39-43).

Thank God that the resurrected and glorified Jesus, Christ in the flesh, is our perfect hope and, like Him and because of Him, we also have been claimed by God as His! We first set our hopes upon Christ when we “heard the Word of truth” and “believed in Christ.” Then we were “marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit.”

Interaction

Consider

The amazing, incredible, surreal fact is that you have the indwelling Holy Spirit of God! What are you doing as a result of that incomparable gift? Are we, the body of Christ, partnering with Him to heal and mature emotionally, intellectually, physically, and spiritually?

Discuss

How does the concept of “already, not yet,” help you to understand the difference between a human perspective of time-bound events and that of an outside-of-time God?

Reflect

The resurrected and glorified Jesus, Christ in the flesh, is our perfect hope and, like Him and because of Him, we also have been claimed by God as His! We first set our hopes upon Christ when we “heard the Word of truth” and “believed in Christ.” Then we were “marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit.”

Share

Share an example of how the Holy Spirit of God, working from within you, caused you to be used by God in a meaningful and positive way.

Faith in Action

Prayer:

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal how He wants to work in your life to heal and mature you.

Action:

Today I choose to prayerfully partner with Him in His work so that while I am “not yet” in my new perfected body in Heaven I am “already” worshiping Him with my life.

Be Specific ______________________________________________________

Thursday (Ephesians 1:15-16)

Prayer for Wisdom and Revelation

1:15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,

1:16 I do not cease to give thanks for you when I remember you in my prayers.

Prayer

Lord, You have given to us a right-model for obedient Biblical-Christian living. May I remember to reflect often upon this teaching, comparing and contrasting my walk with the guidance found here, and seeking to mature so that I may be-improved by Your Holy Spirit.

Summary & Commentary

Paul stated his motivation for offering up prayers on the Saints behalf: “For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints.” Because they are Believers “in the Lord,” and because the witness of their lives as well as their words told HIStory, Paul celebrated with, “I do not cease to give thanks for you when I remember you in my prayers.”

Following the sequence:

They were believers in the Lord.

They “ultrafidian” went beyond faith and ...

... obediently loved one another.

... obediently shared the Good News (like the Thessalonians 1:7-10)

therefore, Paul remembered them to God in his prayers.

Interaction

Consider

As you contemplate becoming an ultrafidian-Christian; do you find that exciting and scary at the same moment? Loving those sometimes hard-to-love brothers and sisters in Christ, even the one in the mirror right after doing something really dumb, can be an exciting challenge.

Discuss

In what ways can we be ultrafidian-Christians and go beyond faith to obediently love one another and obediently share the Good News because the Holy Spirit of God dwells in every one of us?

Reflect

We may call upon the Lord God Who honors us through the prayers of Apostles then and the intercession of Jesus in Heaven now.

Share

When have you been an ultrafidian-Christian and done something in-faith that you never thought you could do?

Faith in Action

Prayer:

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a brother or sister whom you may encourage and one unsaved person you can tell about the Gospel of Jesus the Christ.

Action:

Today I am choosing to be an ultrafidian-Christian, loving my Christian brothers and sisters and obediently sharing the Good News every chance I get.

Be Specific ______________________________________________________

Friday (Ephesians 1:17-21)

1:17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you spiritual wisdom and revelation in your growing knowledge of him,

1:18—since the eyes of your heart have been enlightened—so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints,

1:19 and what is the incomparable greatness of his power toward us who believe, as displayed in the exercise of his immense strength.

1:20 This power he exercised in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms 1:21 far above every rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

Prayer

Lord, You are sovereign over life and death, even time itself. May I live in a proper awe of You Lord, an awe that produces an increased desire for growing spiritual maturity in my life.

Summary & Commentary

Paul strongly encouraged his readers to seek after knowledge of the Lord God and prayed that He would bless their willingness to learn with “spiritual wisdom and revelation.”

Wisdom was an attribute spoken of frequently in the Old Testament: “With God are wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his” (Job 12:13); “Fearing the Lord is the beginning of moral knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Prov. 1:7); “For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding” (Prov. 2:6); “I will guide you in the way of wisdom and I will lead you in upright paths” (Prov. 4:11); “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom” (Prov. 11:2). Reflecting on these verses, it is clear we should desire wisdom as much as God desires it for us.

“Revelation” may have more than one meaning. In 1 Corinthians 1:7 the context refers to ‘knowledge’: at one level certainty of the revelation of Christ’s return in His full glory (“so that you do not lack any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ”) and, at another level, to insight or the discernment of truth from lies.

Some take Paul’s use of “spiritual” to refer to a Charismatic gift or experiential event but there is nothing in the larger context to support such an interpretation.

In the use of “revelation” an apparent iconicity has been noted between our “being enlightened to know” compared to “the working of His strength and might.”

In Genesis, the gift of “revelation” is promised as “the hope of His calling” cf. “raised Him from the dead” declared as “glory of His inheritance” cf. “seated Him in the Heavenly places” described as “greatness of His power” cf. “far above all rule and authority and power”

Interaction

Consider

It is not necessary for everyone to go to a Bible College or a seminary, some of those who have done so were not ready when they did, and others attended where they were taught bad doctrine; but somewhere—preferably in our fellowships, large or small—we all need to get more clued-in as to spiritual wisdom and revelation.

Discuss

What are some examples of the value of wisdom, acquired through the indwelling Holy Spirit, to equip us to discern and reject the many deceptions that the Enemy brings against us?

Reflect

How have you responded to the Lord God’s strong encouragement of us to seek after knowledge of Him, with the promise that He will bless our willingness to learn; specifically learning about spiritual wisdom and revelation.

Share

When have you experienced or observed an example where knowledge of the Word of God and possession of discernment of the Holy Spirit equipped you to discern and reject a deception, or to assist another believer in so doing?

Faith in Action

Prayer:

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you an area of your knowledge of spiritual wisdom or revelation that wants you to explore.

Action:

Today I will invest more time in my knowledge of spiritual wisdom and revelation.

Be Specific ______________________________________________________

Saturday (Ephesians 1:22-23)

1:22 And God put all things under Christ’s feet, and he gave him to the church as head over all things.

1:23 Now the church is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Prayer

Lord, You have called us together in-You, and You have equipped us through Your Word. May I be faithful in encouraging fellowship that is centered upon You my Lord God.

Summary & Commentary

Paul reminded the church that everything, and every Believer, is “under Christ’s feet” and that “the church is his body”.

With “God put all things under Christ’s feet” Paul penned an interesting parallel to Psalm 8, where David praised the Lord God for giving His Creation to man. Adam and Eve rebelled, everything and everybody created was cursed because of them, and consequently Satan became the ruler or prince of the fallen world (see John 16:11). Yet we read in Daniel 12:1, “Michael the great prince [a type of Jesus the Christ] who protects your people will arise.”

Then Paul wrote, “He gave him to the church as head over all things.” [All Believers must choose to be, as they inherently are already, eternally submitted to Christ, as will also be “the new heaven and new earth” (Rev. 21:1).]

“Now the church is his body” reminds us that Believers, wherever they are, are a spiritual extension, or physical representation, on earth of Christ and that every member is obligated to Him for their salvation and therefore owes Him a love-debt of service.

Paul then declared how great is the reach of the presence of Christ, “the fullness of him who fills all in all.” He reminded his readers again that He is God, that He holds together all of creation (see Col. 1:15), and that He as the Holy Spirit is in every believer.

Interaction

Consider

The Lord God is not pleased with careless Christians who attend a fellowship out of guilt or social obligation or superstition, or for entertainment or business or social networking. Believers must get serious about being teachable, about setting new God-directed priorities, and about making choices that are more intentionally-Biblical.

Discuss

What is an illustration of “submission to Christ” in such a way as to provide a “container” of love and value within which we live, and a sense of protection and purpose, as He is our One true and perfect King.

Reflect

The wonderful truth that Jesus is in charge and not mere humans, that “The Church” (Believers) report to Him and not to mere man, and the true “Church” is His earthly expression through us through the power and wisdom of the Holy Spirit and that every member has the privilege of giving back to Him a love-debt of service.

Share

When have you made a decision about a fellowship, or a level of participation in that fellowship, that was not based on your own discipleship, serving others, or shared worship but was instead due to some lesser flesh-motivated purpose: seeking clients, seeking a mate, seeking access to someone with money or power or prestige, seeking entertainment, seeking recognition, or other purpose. How did God show you your error? Or is He challenging your your heart-motivation right now?

Faith in Action

Prayer:

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you something in your calendar and/or checkbook that He wants you to submit more-intentionally to His priorities.

Action:

Today I will partner with His Holy Spirit in becoming more teachable in heart and in mind and I will be a more intentional member of the community of believers which is His Church.

Be Specific ______________________________________________________

Additional Resources: “Messiah” http://www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=660 {1}

 

All Bible text is from the NET unless otherwise indicated—http://bible.org

Note 1: These Studies often rely upon the guidance of the NET Translators from their associated notes. Careful attention has been given to cite that source where it has been quoted directly or closely paraphrased. Feedback is encouraged where credit has not been sufficiently assigned.

Note 2: When NET text is quoted in commentary and discussion all pronouns referring to God are capitalized, though they are lower-case in the original NET text.

Commentary text is from David M. Colburn, D.Min. unless otherwise noted.

Copyright © 2011 by David M. Colburn. This is a BibleSeven Study— “Ephesians”—prepared by David M. Colburn and edited for bible.org in October of 2011. This text may be used for non-profit educational purposes only, with credit; all other usage requires prior written consent of the author.