The Father sealed us in the Son with the Holy Spirit. The indwelling Spirit is a pledge of greater things to come. This is Ephesians 1:13–14 in a nutshell. But what exactly is this sealing, and how is the Spirit a pledge? Sealed with the Spirit Sealing something in the Old or New Testament has… Read More »
The riches that we have in Christ are too many to count, but God is pleased to list out a few of them for us in Ephesians 1. Paul calls them “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Eph 1:3). One such blessing that Paul emphasizes five times is that God wants us as Christians for… Read More »
A number of New Testament words share the concept of “inheritance.” What follows is a simple summary of the use of those words as they relate to believers. Who are the heirs who inherit an inheritance? Jesus is the heir of all things (Heb 1:2; cf. Matt 21:38; Mark 12:7; Luke 20:14). He inherited a… Read More »
Ephesians 1:3–14 is an incredibly rich passage of Scripture. What follows is a preliminary study of this passage from my own studies in preaching through this passage. The Overall Structure and Themes of Ephesians 1:3–14 In Paul’s longest sentence (202 total words in Greek), Paul blesses God for His blessings in Christ to us (Eph… Read More »
Husbands and wives find much in Scripture for how to love and respect one another (e.g., Eph 5:22–33; 1 Pet 3:1–7). This post focuses on one short passage, Colossians 3:18–19. “Wives” are commanded briefly, “be subject to your husbands” (Col 3:18a). The command to “be subject” is to submit oneself, and, as a wife to… Read More »
Christ will build His church, and as the gospel spreads, so will the membership of His church. And yet, the idea of church membership has fallen on hard times, even among Christians. This is not surprising. Human nature prizes personal autonomy and sneers at submitting to a higher authority. In our highly-customized, hyper-personalized, self-satisfied way… Read More »
Jesus called twelve men to follow Him as His disciples and to send them out as His apostles. Their number is a staple in their name. Sometimes called the twelve disciples (Matt 10:1; 11:1; 26:20) or twelve apostles (Matt 10:2), these men were often simply called the twelve (Matt 10:1, 2, 5; 20:17; 26:14; Mark… Read More »
“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” “Tell me who your friends are, and I’ll tell you who you are.” “Monkey see, monkey do.” We all recognize that people imitate people, whatever the reason for imitation may be. It’s easy to see and do what others do. It’s also a biblical command for one person… Read More »
Think and live like Jesus. Simple enough, this theme is yet rich and one of many in the book of Philippians. And not just clearly stated, but also artfully so. Paul gives this theme as a clear command and describes the life of Jesus in Philippians 2:5–11. Then, he gives linguistic echoes of this passage… Read More »
One of the great paradoxes of the Christian life involves humility, pride, and their results. The more one humbles himself, the more honor he receives, something he does not seek. Likewise, the more one values himself over others, the less honor he receives, the very honor he craves so much. The book of Proverbs paints… Read More »