December 20/21, 2014
Jude
Who was Jude? Jude is short for Judas. There was a disciple named Judas, other than the one who betrayed Jesus (Luke 6:16; Acts 1:13). And Jesus had a half-brother named Judas (See Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3). Most identify this letter with Jude, the brother of Jesus. At the beginning, he identifies himself as “a brother of James,” Jesus most famous brother, who was the leader of the Jerusalem church.
Jude wants to write about salvation (v. 3), but instead finds it necessary to write about a false teaching, probably the same false teaching John described in his letters. This brand of Gnosticism “exchanges the grace of God for a license for immorality and the denial of Christ as sovereign Lord” (v. 4). Jude has nothing nice to say about these heretics, but encourages his readers to persevere, to build themselves up in the most holy faith, and to pray in the Holy Spirit (v. 20).
The final two verses of this short letter form one of the most beautiful doxologies and benedictions in the Bible!
On Monday we begin the “home stretch,” the final book of the Bible: the Revelation of Jesus Christ to the Apostle John!
Your fellow traveler through the New Testament,
Pastor Gary
Saturday, December 20, 2014
Friday, December 19, 2014
December 19 3 John
December 19, 2014
3 John
3 John, once again, was written about the same time as 1 and 2 John. This time, rather than warning a “chosen lady” not to welcome false teachers, John writes to commend a friend named Gaius, for “walking in the truth” (v. 3) and for offering hospitality to true teachers, namely John’s emissaries.
Not every church leader in Asia Minor has welcomed those John sent. He mentions Diotrephes, a particularly dictatorial church leader, who not only refused John’s people, but excommunicated anyone who did welcome them. Ouch!
Today, I will end with John’s opening wish for his reader: “Dear friend, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.”
Your fellow traveler through the New Testament,
Pastor Gary
3 John
3 John, once again, was written about the same time as 1 and 2 John. This time, rather than warning a “chosen lady” not to welcome false teachers, John writes to commend a friend named Gaius, for “walking in the truth” (v. 3) and for offering hospitality to true teachers, namely John’s emissaries.
Not every church leader in Asia Minor has welcomed those John sent. He mentions Diotrephes, a particularly dictatorial church leader, who not only refused John’s people, but excommunicated anyone who did welcome them. Ouch!
Today, I will end with John’s opening wish for his reader: “Dear friend, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.”
Your fellow traveler through the New Testament,
Pastor Gary
Thursday, December 18, 2014
December 18 2 John
December 18, 2014
2 John
Though 2 John is much shorter than 1 John, it was written with many of the same concerns. Read it carefully and make your best guess: what this letter written to an actual specific Christian woman, or is the “Chosen Lady” a figurative designation for the church? Both are possible.
I lean toward the former, because John’s main concern (vv. 7-11) is about offering traditional hospitality to the false teachers, whose heresy is described in 1 John. He seems to be warning this chosen lady not to “welcome” these false teachers, that to do so is to share in their “wicked work” (v. 11).
Your fellow traveler through the New Testament,
Pastor Gary
2 John
Though 2 John is much shorter than 1 John, it was written with many of the same concerns. Read it carefully and make your best guess: what this letter written to an actual specific Christian woman, or is the “Chosen Lady” a figurative designation for the church? Both are possible.
I lean toward the former, because John’s main concern (vv. 7-11) is about offering traditional hospitality to the false teachers, whose heresy is described in 1 John. He seems to be warning this chosen lady not to “welcome” these false teachers, that to do so is to share in their “wicked work” (v. 11).
Your fellow traveler through the New Testament,
Pastor Gary
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
December 17 1 John
December 17, 2014
1 John
The author of 4 of the last 5 books of the Bible is John, the disciple of Jesus, and the son of Zebedee. John probably wrote his letters later life (he did live longer than the other disciples) and his concerns reflect a certain twisted teaching that had begun to creep into the church. It’s called “Gnosticism,” after the Greek word for “knowledge,” and was marked by these beliefs: Spirit is good, but the body is evil. Salvation is escape from the body, achieved not by faith in Christ, but by special “knowledge.” This special knowledge denied the humanity of Jesus. God would be evil, they said, if he had become a human being.
There were two strange brands of this false teaching: one taught that since the body is evil, it should be treated harshly and denied everything good, the other taught the opposite. If the body is evil, it doesn’t matter what you do with it; sin away!
If you understand this much about Gnosticism, it will help you navigate through John’s first letter. From the beginning, you can literally feel the weight of John’s arguments. Jesus, God’s Son, was a real, touchable, visible, audible human being (1:1-4)! We are neither to claim sinlessness nor grow satisfied in our sin (1:8f; 2:15-17). We are to believe that Jesus is both the Messiah of God (2:22-23; 4:15) and fully human (4:2-3). We are to live out the love that we have received (4:19-21).
Over all of this, I like to feel the weight of John’s repeated words. In defiance of “Gnostic knowledge,” John says “by this we know,” or “we know,” at least 13 times! John summarizes his reasons for writing in 1 John 5:13, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.”
Your fellow traveler through the New Testament,
Pastor Gary
1 John
The author of 4 of the last 5 books of the Bible is John, the disciple of Jesus, and the son of Zebedee. John probably wrote his letters later life (he did live longer than the other disciples) and his concerns reflect a certain twisted teaching that had begun to creep into the church. It’s called “Gnosticism,” after the Greek word for “knowledge,” and was marked by these beliefs: Spirit is good, but the body is evil. Salvation is escape from the body, achieved not by faith in Christ, but by special “knowledge.” This special knowledge denied the humanity of Jesus. God would be evil, they said, if he had become a human being.
There were two strange brands of this false teaching: one taught that since the body is evil, it should be treated harshly and denied everything good, the other taught the opposite. If the body is evil, it doesn’t matter what you do with it; sin away!
If you understand this much about Gnosticism, it will help you navigate through John’s first letter. From the beginning, you can literally feel the weight of John’s arguments. Jesus, God’s Son, was a real, touchable, visible, audible human being (1:1-4)! We are neither to claim sinlessness nor grow satisfied in our sin (1:8f; 2:15-17). We are to believe that Jesus is both the Messiah of God (2:22-23; 4:15) and fully human (4:2-3). We are to live out the love that we have received (4:19-21).
Over all of this, I like to feel the weight of John’s repeated words. In defiance of “Gnostic knowledge,” John says “by this we know,” or “we know,” at least 13 times! John summarizes his reasons for writing in 1 John 5:13, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.”
Your fellow traveler through the New Testament,
Pastor Gary
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
December 16 2 Peter
December 16, 2014
2 Peter “book-ends” well with 1 Peter.
If we imagine that in Peter’s two letters, he is attempting to fulfill the Lord’s re-commissioning in John 21:17 to “Feed Christ’s sheep,” then we can see how well he did. In his first letter he sought to help Christians deal with persecution from outside the church. In his second letter, he teaches them how to deal with false teachers and evildoers that have crept into the church.
If one were to outline this letter, it would follow the chapter divisions: In chapter one, Peter seeks to encourage Christian growth. I love the emphasis Peter places on the scriptures (1:19-20) and his (Peter’s) place as an eyewitness of Jesus Christ, the Son of God (1:16-18). In chapter two, he deals with false teachers and their destructive heresies directly. This particular heresy, once again, seems to be some brand of licentiousness, that Christian are free to sin. In chapter three, Peter encourages us to be watchful for the coming of the Lord. He deals deftly with those who castigated Christians even then about the “delay” in Christ’s coming. His answer is summed up in v. 8: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” Our job is to remain watchful!
Your fellow traveler through the New Testament,
Pastor Gary
2 Peter “book-ends” well with 1 Peter.
If we imagine that in Peter’s two letters, he is attempting to fulfill the Lord’s re-commissioning in John 21:17 to “Feed Christ’s sheep,” then we can see how well he did. In his first letter he sought to help Christians deal with persecution from outside the church. In his second letter, he teaches them how to deal with false teachers and evildoers that have crept into the church.
If one were to outline this letter, it would follow the chapter divisions: In chapter one, Peter seeks to encourage Christian growth. I love the emphasis Peter places on the scriptures (1:19-20) and his (Peter’s) place as an eyewitness of Jesus Christ, the Son of God (1:16-18). In chapter two, he deals with false teachers and their destructive heresies directly. This particular heresy, once again, seems to be some brand of licentiousness, that Christian are free to sin. In chapter three, Peter encourages us to be watchful for the coming of the Lord. He deals deftly with those who castigated Christians even then about the “delay” in Christ’s coming. His answer is summed up in v. 8: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” Our job is to remain watchful!
Your fellow traveler through the New Testament,
Pastor Gary
Monday, December 15, 2014
December 15 1 Peter
December 15, 2014
1 Peter is a letter of God’s grace in the midst of suffering.
As you read it, try to see the how Peter differentiates between suffering for good and suffering for ill. Sometimes our sinful behavior sets us up for suffering; at other times, we suffer for “righteousness sake,” as Jesus mentioned in Matthew 5:10-12. When Peter encourages slaves to “bear up” under unjust suffering, he reminds us of Jesus’ suffering, and how we should walk “in His steps” (1 Peter 2:21). Later, he says that if we should suffer for doing what is right, we “are blessed” (1 Peter 3:14). And finally, Peter teaches not to “be surprised” at the painful trials we suffer, as though something strange were happening to us. Rather, we should rejoice at the privilege of sharing the sufferings of Christ (1 Peter 4:12-13). At the beginning, Peter tells us why these trials come! It is so that our faith may be “proved genuine” (1 Peter 1:7)!
But, to say that Peter’s letter is only about suffering would be wrong. In this letter, you can read about grace, the new birth, the call to holiness, and the place of the church. We learn about submission to authorities and the marriage relationship, the second coming and the gifts of the Spirit. Peter’s letter is glorious in power and encouragement!
Your fellow traveler through the New Testament,
Pastor Gary
1 Peter is a letter of God’s grace in the midst of suffering.
As you read it, try to see the how Peter differentiates between suffering for good and suffering for ill. Sometimes our sinful behavior sets us up for suffering; at other times, we suffer for “righteousness sake,” as Jesus mentioned in Matthew 5:10-12. When Peter encourages slaves to “bear up” under unjust suffering, he reminds us of Jesus’ suffering, and how we should walk “in His steps” (1 Peter 2:21). Later, he says that if we should suffer for doing what is right, we “are blessed” (1 Peter 3:14). And finally, Peter teaches not to “be surprised” at the painful trials we suffer, as though something strange were happening to us. Rather, we should rejoice at the privilege of sharing the sufferings of Christ (1 Peter 4:12-13). At the beginning, Peter tells us why these trials come! It is so that our faith may be “proved genuine” (1 Peter 1:7)!
But, to say that Peter’s letter is only about suffering would be wrong. In this letter, you can read about grace, the new birth, the call to holiness, and the place of the church. We learn about submission to authorities and the marriage relationship, the second coming and the gifts of the Spirit. Peter’s letter is glorious in power and encouragement!
Your fellow traveler through the New Testament,
Pastor Gary
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