July - Reading 3

Good afternoon -

Our Scriptural readings in our schedule today are:

Luke 7:36-50

Colossians 2:1-7

Psalm 126

1 Chronicles 5-6

May God bless you as you read from His Word.

 

Good evening –

As we continue reading through the first part of the Chronicles, I will try to continue pointing to little incongruencies and details of style that the scholars have picked up over the years. This is a hard section to get through but as I said before, we break out of it when we get to chapter 10, so chin up gang!
The Chronicler has now gone back to the children of Israel or Jacob. He interrupts his narrative to explain the loss of the birthright by Reuben in the beginning of chapter 5. Verse 2 shows the preference he had for Judah even though it is Joseph who received the double portion. Verses 5:11-22 are unique in the Scriptures and the only source we have for this genealogy. The other information we have about Gad is from Genesis 46:16 and Numbers 26:15-18. The fact that Chronicler attributes this information to the period of Jotham of Judah and Jeroboam of Israel show that this list may have been taken from a military census. 5:18-22 give us our first look at the Chronicler’s theme: immediate retribution. If the people cry out to the Lord they are saved, if they turn away from the Lord, they are conquered.
Chapter 6 is set aside for the Levites. Since the creation of this sect in Exodus, their numbers are always listed apart from all the other tribes, leaving them consecrated even in the Scriptures.

I really like the human element in Luke today. Th emotion of the woman and her humility show through Luke’s writing. This passage is also another good argument for the belief of salvation being attained by Grace through faith. The last verse says it all, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

Chapter 2 of Colossians is going to be the heart of the purpose of this Epistle. Paul will emphasize the knowledge we obtain through Christ because the heresies that he is debating have to do with salvation attained through knowledge. Paul’s point in the beginning of this chapter is that it is the Christian who contains the knowledge that will save, not the Gnostic. We also see that this Letter is to be read to another church in Laodicea. This was a city 11 miles away from Colosse near the modern city of Denizli.

May God bless you

- Clint

 

Sunday School lecture 11/9/03 continued

Colossians 2:1-7

2:1-5 Paul’s Concern for the Colossian Believers

Paul moves closer to his appeal by now shifting focus from his overall ministry to the Gentiles to specifically his concern for the church at Colossae and Laodecia. (In verse 4:16, we see that there was a Letter exchange occurring between these two churches.) His first priority is that their hearts be encouraged (KJV-comforted). One way of achieving this goal is that their hearts be knit together in love. This love existed in them in the indwelling presence of Christ. It did not have to be taught to them. This would result in the second means to encouragement: a filling and enrichment of the mind. This stems from the close-knittedness of the saints.

Their hearts being knit together would also reaffirm their knowledge of God’s mystery, Jesus Christ. Again, this was something that already possessed as confessing believers. There was no need for any further revelation or outside instruction, merely an examination of the resources within their disposal. It should be noted that this particular phrase varies a great deal in the early manuscripts. Copyists had evidently attempted to smooth out an obscure phrase but a preponderance of scholars has interpreted this Passage as I have presented it: that the mystery is Christ based on verse 1:27.

The errorists in Colossae had regarded Apostolic teaching as far too elementary. For a concept as high as the wisdom and understanding of God, one must look to far more profound insight to reach maturation. Verse 1:27 tells us that Christ is within us. Verse 2:3 tells us that all knowledge and wisdom are within Christ. The close proximity of the verses leaves little doubt that Paul is indicating that we have the source of all knowledge and wisdom within us. This was far from a new concept for the Jewish or Christian thinkers. We find the same idea in Proverbs 2:1-5.

The errorists were likely practiced in philosophical debate but Paul once again encourages his audience that this speech was merely enticing. It would beguile the listener, which is to say, lead them away from the truth. Paul is now coming very close to his main point. This was the danger of the Colossian heresy: it sounded logical from a theological standpoint, it sounded good, but for all that, it was a man-made concept, not rooted in the wisdom and understanding found in Christ.

Paul once again confirms that though he is not with them physically, he is a part of the same corporate Christ as they. He is with them in spirit, a part of their assembly. This is the nature of Paul’s pastorate from prison. He knows that they are an orderly church, that they have not fallen from the firmness of their faith in Christ, but the very real and present danger of such lurked among them. To counter this danger, Paul, too, was among them and now moves to his charge to them.

2:6-7 Appeal Forthrightly Stated

Though this was a specific type of legalism, intellectual rather than ethnic or ritualistic, it was a legalism none the less and Paul’s solution is the same as it was for the Galatians: as you received, so live. Paul who had been sanctioned by Christ had sanctioned Epaphras who had taught the Colossians what they needed to know. Christ Jesus is Lord. This is the essential component for salvation and all other doctrine, beliefs, rituals, practices, and philosophies MUST be built upon this premise to have truth. Any deviation from this concept results in error.

The Truth revealed in chapter one that Christ is the source, hope, harmony, and reconciling agent of all the universe is essential to understanding that He is Lord. The Colossian heresy subverted this idea by subverting Christ’s work on the cross and indwelling presence to a lesser, insufficient role.

The Colossians were rooted correctly in Christ. If they maintained that rooting, they would build up and remain established in Him. This is a progressive stability necessary within the church. It is through this stability rooted and established in the faith that Christ is Lord that they would, and we do, live (KJV - walk) in Him.

 

Thanks, Gwyneth. Very good to see you hanging in there.

 

Hi AFG! I had wondered what became of you.

I have no real "advice" on catching up except to say that the readings from the Gospels, Epistles, and Poetry are fairly easy to catch up on as they are so short. Once you get on schedule there, you may even read ahead some to give yourself a buffer. Maybe read the entire chapter of an Epistle instead of a single Passage or read two Psalms in an evening instead of one.

Perhaps if you read 4 chapters of the History Books each night, you'll start gaining again. There is so much material covered in those readings, for me, that if I bite off too much I begin to lose concentration.

Hang in there, though. We are only in July and there are about 164 days or so left in the year. Glad to see you posting again.

 

Sunday School lesson 10/17/04 (conclusion)

Luke 7:36-50 The Penitent Woman

This Passage is regarded by many as one of the most beautiful in the New Testament. Luke moves directly from the last Passage concerning the accusations of Jesus as a drunkard and a glutton to this one demonstrating one of the possible circumstances surrounding these rumors.

Though we normally identify Christ associating with the less fortunate in society, we see Him here accepting an invitation to the home of a Pharisee named Simon. Scholars tell us that during these days it was customary to invite a rabbi to one's home on the Sabbath to eat. We do not know what motivation Simon may have had in doing so but in any case Jesus accepted.

It was also customary in that time for the home to be opened to the public at large in order that the people could receive the benefit of the rabbi's teaching. The unnamed woman who comes this day is labeled a "sinner," signifying that she was not religiously pure. However, verse 47 clues us that she had "many sins" indicating to many interpreters that she may have been a prostitute. Some have speculated that this woman was Mary Magdalene but the text does not reach that conclusion. Others feel that this is the same story as Mary of Bethany in John 12:3 but this, too, does not coincide well with the story.

As Jesus reclined at the table ("sat" is not an accurate rendering), the woman came up behind Him with a vial of perfumed ointment. Though not stated, it is probable that the woman had had a previous encounter with Jesus that had touched her. Entering the home with the ointment shows that she had planned to anoint His feet but as she approached Him she was overcome with emotion and began to weep.

Her tears fell on His feet and having no towel to dry them, she undid her hair and used it to sop up her tears. This act alone would have been perceived as a public disgrace as women never let down there hair in the society, but with complete abandon due to her emotional state and in the attitude of a servant, this woman forgot or disregarded the social norm in order to complete her task. Having dried His feet, she kissed them and anointed them with the perfume. The ointment was likely intended for His head, but once again we see that the complete overwhelming emotion of the woman left her somewhat incapacitated.

Simon, the Pharisee, thought to himself that surely Jesus could not be a prophet or He would have never let this spectacle performed by a sinner continue. In contradiction to Simon's thoughts, Jesus responds to the man's inner voice. He tells Simon a parable about two men in debt to moneylender: one was fifty denarii, the other five hundred. The moneylender forgave both men their debts. The question posed by Christ is which would love the moneylender more.

The parable has a few subtleties that should not be overlooked. First of all, it is obvious that Jesus is referring to Simon as the one who owed less. A denarii was a silver coin worth about a day's wages. The Pharisees felt that their piety made them "less" in debt that sinners. The irony of the situation is what does it matter how much in debt one is if one can not pay? There is really no difference. We are all hopelessly in debt to God.

Secondly, the moneylender is obviously God, Who through His Grace forgives our sins. Though it is through faith, that is to say, faith is the vehicle through which we receive forgiveness, it is not faith in itself that gains the merit of forgiveness. Forgiveness of our sins is by Grace and Grace alone. We can not earn it.

Simon gives the obvious answer: the man who was forgiven more will love the moneylender more. Every gesture made by this woman in this account shows her humility and unworthiness to be in the presence of One so Good. Simon had merely followed custom by inviting Jesus to his table. He had not washed Jesus' feet, the simplest and most basic form of hospitality in the culture. The woman had washed His feet with her tears and hair. Simon had not kissed Jesus, the normal social greeting of the time. The woman had repeatedly and continuously kissed Jesus' feet. Simon had not anointed Jesus' head as he should have done to the Christ. The woman had done so to His feet as she could not bring herself to even go above them.

Jesus asks Simon in verse 44, "Do you see this woman?" The answer is "No!" Simon had dismissed this woman as too far below his station to notice. He had not seen the good she was doing, the holiness of her actions. Simon had seen her past, her sins, her shortcomings. Jesus the Christ had seen her repentance. Jesus saw this woman's superiority to Simon. Jesus had seen that she loved Him more.

Verse 47 would seem to imply that forgiveness is a response to love. It would seem more natural to translate the verse as the TEV does "The great love that she has shown proves that her many sins have been forgiven." The declaration that her sins are forgiven illicits what may be regarded as a hostile response by the crowd, but there is no tension between Christ and the woman. He tells her that her faith has saved her and blesses her with Messianic peace.

 

Hi Blessed!

It's very nice to you with us.

For me, Bible study is a lifelong experience and in the rand scheme of things we are all toddlers, just at different points on the road. I would like to think that there are some insights that could be gained by participatng here. As you ead along and become more familiar with the terminology and individual authors within the Bible, the overall picture will begin to come together and crystalize. Also, IMO, there is no such thing as a "trivial" question on this subject. My schedule has been very hectic for the past few months but I or the other more quiet flks here will make every effort to answer your questions. I am not familiar with any other discussion formats based upon a Bible reading plan. To my knowledge, this one is unique.

Once again welcome to the Babtist Board Bible reading forum.

Your Servant in Christ,

Clint

 

Our Scriptures for tomorrow, July 4th, are:

Luke 8:1-15

Colossians 2:8-15

Psalm 127
1 Chronicles 7-9

 

Our Scriptures for tomorrow, July 4th, are:

Luke 8:1-15

Colossians 2:8-15

Psalm 127

1 Chronicles 7-9

 

Our Scriptures for tomorrow, July 4th, are:

Luke 8:1-15

Colossians 2:8-15

Psalm 127

1 Chronicles 7-9

 

Our Scriptures for tomorrow, July 4th, are:

Luke 8:1-15

Colossians 2:8-15

Psalm 127

1 Chronicles 7-9

 

Our Scriptures for tomorrow, July 4th, are:

Luke 8:1-15

Colossians 2:8-15

Psalm 127

1 Chronicles 7-9