This whole section is a long contrast and comparison between two ministries, two covenants, and two persons. On the one hand, we have the OC given by God to Moses. That covenant had glory and it was appropriate for a certain place and time. But Jesus initiated the NC with his death and resurrection. The glory of the NC far exceeds the glory of the OC. That’s Paul’s main point in this passage. Read More ...
Just as God commands all men everywhere to repent and believe in Jesus, so all believers are obligated to confess Christ publicly through baptism. To fail to confess your faith through baptism is to disregard Christ’s command that believers must be baptized. Read More ...
The only way that we can truly celebrate motherhood is if we have a robust biblical definition of womanhood. The Bible gives us that definition. Common sense confirms that definition, and we must not relinquish that definition to the unstable, corrupt, and evil people in our society. Read More ...
We should have a deep appreciation for the fact that we approach God under the NC, not under the old. Jesus is “the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” His final sacrifice and his resurrection fulfilled and concluded the operation of the OC. We should understand that, and we should be glad that we function under NC, the ministry of the Spirit, the ministry of righteousness, that does not fade away. Read More ...
This passage shows us that competency or sufficiency in Christian ministry does not come from ourselves. It’s best to think of ourselves as insufficient and unable. Our sufficiency comes from God. When we are humble and rely on God, then we can accomplish great things in the Lord’s work. Read More ...
If you and I are like living letters, what are people reading? What is the message coming out of our lives? I trust that the letter give proof that the Spirit of God has written the Word of God on our hearts. Read More ...
All Christians have these privileges and obligations. Some Christians take up the task of Christian ministry as a vocation. I hope that some in this room will do that. But whether you are doing it as a vocation or as a volunteer, I trust that all of us will make use of the privileges of Christian ministry. Read More ...
It’s because of Christ’s presence in the church that church discipline is necessary. We must maintain the moral and doctrinal purity of the church. We must not tolerate in the church anything or anybody that would corrupt Christ’s church. The church operates in the presence/before the face of Christ, so we have to do things his way. Read More ...
If we want to avoid the sorrow and the grief that’s so common in so many churches, we’ll focus on God’s faithfulness, salvation through Christ, and the reliability of the Word of God, not on our disappointment with other people. Read More ...
When trivial issues become big issues, it’s usually because of a series of misunderstandings, and it usually begins with assumptions about someone’s motivations. We should assume the best about people and not blow things all out of proportion. Let trivial issues remain trivial. If we retain a critical, fault-finding attitude, it will damage our relationships and weaken the church. Read More ...