The Gospel of John

The picture here is The Rylands Papyrus and it one of the earliest New Testament fragments; dated from its handwriting to about 125AD. This particular fragment is special to me because (1) I've seen it firsthand and (2) It is affirmation that we have a piece of John's Gospel that nearly goes back to the time he wrote it (he died around 100AD). Thus, we can affirm with the ancient church that the Bible is not something constructed later in history, but rather the true God-breathed testimony of the apostles.

The Gospel according to John is an account of the public ministry of Jesus. It begins with the witness and affirmation by John the Baptist and concludes the death, burial, Resurrection, and post-Resurrection appearances of Jesus. This account is fourth of the canonical gospels, after the synoptics Matthew, Mark and Luke.

Of course don't confuse John the Baptist (Jesus' older cousin) with John the Disciple (likely a teenager when he followed Jesus with his brother James). He is known as one of the brothers of Zebedee, and "the disciple Jesus loved". John presents a higher Christology than the synoptics, describing Jesus as the incarnation of the divine Logos (Word) through whom all things were made, as the object of veneration, and more explicitly as God incarnate.

Only in John does Jesus talk at length about himself and his divine role, often shared with the disciples only. Against the synoptics, John focuses largely on different miracles (including resurrecting Lazarus), given as signs meant to engender faith. Synoptic elements such as parables and exorcisms are not found in John. It presents a realized eschatology in which salvation is already present for the believer.

I consider John to be the first book I would give to someone wanting to explore the Christian faith. Since this is the Christmas season, let us all read this Gospel and the beautiful story it tells - our God so loved the world, that he sent his one and only son, that whoever believes in him would not perish, but would inherit eternal life (John 3:16). Forgiveness, repentance, grace, love, joy, resurrection - it's all here and we need to hear it.

Merry Christmas to all!
Pastor Jim Mueller

Revelation

Luther's opinion regarding the canonicity and value of the "disputed books" (a category including Revelation) in the biblical canon is well known. But his personal opinion on the canonicity of these books has no bearing on his conviction that the canonical Scriptures are to be accepted as God's Word and are normative for all that is to be taught and practiced in the church. Luther expressed various opinions regarding the canonicity of certain books of the New Testament, including Revelation, and this is of historical interest.

But his commitment to the infallibility of the divine revelation given in the Scriptures remained unwavering. Luther himself was well aware of the history of the development of the biblical canon, including the historic distinction between what were called the "antilegomena" (books "spoken against") and the "homologoumena" (books unanimously attested as apostolic) Significantly, Luther's opinions regarding James and Revelation, for example, did not prevent him from revering these books and teaching from them as God's Word; in fact the Scripture lesson read in Lutheran churches in Luther's time on the Feast of the Reformation was from Revelation.

I know lots of Lutherans are curious about Revelation, but I can't possibly explain the whole book in this blog. I can say that if you want serious exegesis you need to turn to Dr. Louis Brighton's CPH Commentary on Revelation (it is the best work ever done on the subject). Following is an excerpt that gets to the main point of the book - eternal life (note: eternal life is the key to the book - not crazy interpretations that lead to poor understanding .... ie. dispensationalism).

Eternal Life in the New Heaven and Earth

While faith defines the first mode of eternal life and while heaven points to the second mode of the same eternal life, the third is illustrated by the description of the new heaven and earth. This third mode or stage of eternal life begins with the resurrection of our bodies at the End, and it will last forever in the new heaven and earth. While the term heaven sometimes is used in a general way in reference to this third mode (e.g., Matt. 5:12; 6:20; Luke 10:20; Eph. 2:4-10; 1 Pet. 1:3-5), it does so by conjoining our souls before God in heaven, the second mode, and of our bodies and souls after the resurrection, the third mode. Nevertheless, there is an important distinction between the second and third modes. For the ultimate goal and consummation of Christ's redemptive activity is not the second mode, but the third. Our souls before God in heaven while our bodies sleep in their graves is but a transient and temporary experience of God's gift of eternal life in Christ. The lasting, and forever, experience of eternal life is to live in our souls and resurrected bodies with God in the new heaven and earth. What do the holy Scriptures have to say about this mode of eternal life?

That the bodies of Christians in their graves will be raised is a factual truth of the Holy Scriptures. They will be raised for eternal life. Already in the Old Testament the resurrection of bodies from the grave is attested. For example, in Daniel 12:2 it is said that those who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to everlasting life and others to everlasting shame. And in Ezekiel 37 in the vision of the valley of dry bones we have a graphic illustration of such a bodily resurrection. While this vision points first to the restoration of Israel after the Babylonian exile, it also serves as an extended metaphor of an actual resurrection of bodies (see vv. 11-14). In Isaiah 26:19 the prophet declares that the dead will live again and their bodies will rise from the dust (cf. Ps. 104:29-30). But it is especially in the New Testament that the resurrection is fully declared and defined. The Lord Christ in John 5:28-29 tells how He will call all bodies from their graves. His authority and power to do so were demonstrated in the raising of Lazarus and others, which authority and power He had earned by His own death and resurrection (cf. Matt. 27:52-53). In 1 Corinthians 15:35-58 Paul carefully defines and describes the resurrection of our bodies, bodies that had been mortal and dead but now immortal and living forever.20 And in Revelation 20:13 we are pointedly told how in the resurrection the sea will give up its dead, and death and grave will give up their dead.

What will it be like to live forever in our resurrected bodies, and where will we live? The Scriptures witness to the fact that we will live on a new earth and heaven. Already Isaiah the prophet speaks of this, for God Himself said to the prophet that He will create a new heaven and a new earth, and because of this new creation the former things will never again be remembered (65: 17).21 And in Isaiah 66:22 it is said that this new heaven and earth which God will make will last forever.22 Peter in his second epistle echoes this truth when he says that at the coming () of the Lord the present heavens will be destroyed, and there will be a new heaven and earth (3:10-13). And in Revelation 21:1 John says that he saw a new heaven and earth, for the first heaven and earth had passed away.

Do the Holy Scriptures tell us what the new heaven and earth will be like and what kind of life God's people will have and experience in the new heaven and earth? The apostle John in Revelation 21 gives no physical description of the new heaven and earth. He does, however, give a beautiful picture of life with God in holiness and righteousness, which life and relationship will be lived and experienced eternally on the new earth. In so doing John describes the bride of Christ, God's people in Christ, as the holy city Jerusalem coming down from heaven to the new earth (21:2, 9-10). The city is a perfect cube, patterned after the holy of holies of Solomon's temple (21:15-16; cf. 1 Kings 6:20). This suggests that the people of God will be the holy of holies of the new earth among whom God will dwell as He did with Adam and Eve before their fall into sin.23 God in His holy presence will dwell in the midst of His people on the new earth. And because of His presence there never again will be any pain or tears or suffering or death (21:3-4).

While John in Revelation does not write about the new heaven and earth in geophysical terms, he does indirectly suggest in Revelation 22:1-5, with reference to the tree of life, that it will be like the original earth in its pristine form, that is, like the Garden of Eden. It will be Eden restored.24 Hints of such a renewal of the earth so as to be again like Eden are given in Isaiah, though Eden by name is not mentioned. Because of the righteous action of the Branch of Jesse natural life of the earth will be again like that of Eden (11:1-9), and when speaking of the new heaven and earth, the prophet again speaks of natural and animal life being like that which was true of Eden (65:17-25).

But in particular it is Paul who addresses what the new heaven and earth may be like in natural, physical terms. In Romans 8 he describes how all creation () apart from the human race is eagerly awaiting the revelation of God's people at the End (v. 19).25 Because of man's sin, all creation was put under the judgment of God (cf. Gen. 3:17-18) and has ever since been subject to decay, atrophy, destruction, and death. But God subjected His creation to such frustration, futility (), because of man's sin, on the basis of hope (v. 20). For creation itself will be set free from this slavery of decay and ruin into the freedom of the glory of the children of God (v. 21). Meanwhile, all creation groans and suffers as it awaits its final liberation at the End when God's saints receive the redemption of their bodies, that is, the resurrection (vv. 21-22). In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul, by way of analogy, makes a comparison between the Christians' resurrected bodies and "the subhuman bodies of earthly animate life and the heavenly inanimate bodies" (vv. 39-41).26 "With poetic boldness and with a penetrating prophetic insight Paul sees the whole splendid theatre of the universe together with all subhuman life within it as eagerly awaiting the time when the sons of God will be made manifest in their true glory.27 As God's saints in Christ, at and through the resurrection, will be restored to their original created perfection, so also will the entirety of God's created cosmos be restored from its ashes to its pristine created condition. For this reason Peter declares how we Christians look forward to when God will destroy the present heaven and earth and then according to His promise bring about a new heaven and earth (2 Pet. 3:11-13; cf. Is. 65:17; 66:22).28

Whatever physical form the new heaven and earth will have, whether exactly like the original creation as related in Genesis, or one that will be similar, it will be a real earthly home for God's people to live in forever with Him in righteousness and perfection.29 It will be the Garden of Eden all over again in which God's saints in Christ will live forever in the third mode of eternal life. The same eternal life that Adam and Eve would have lived if they had not sinned and lost that gift of life with God. This eternal life with God has now been restored in Christ, by faith now, in heaven before God's heavenly throne at death, and at the resurrection and forever in the new heaven and earth.

Conclusion

The end result of the incarnation "suggests that, as a result of Christ's redemptive activity and his own bodily resurrection, those in Christ in the resurrection will be restored to God's original design for humanity's bodily state, and so also will the present earth be restored to its original, divinely intended state as a home for God's resurrected people.30 If the Biblical doctrine of the incarnation is taken seriously, that is, that God's eternal Son became a real human being so as to restore human earthly life to its original human bodily estate, then we must also believe that the earthly home of real bodily human beings will be restored to its original pristine condition. For God's saints in the third mode of eternal life will live forever in that perfect state that Adam and Eve would have lived if they had not fallen into sin. And thus will be completed what God set out to do through and because of the incarnation of His Son.

Philippians

Philippi is 10 miles inland from the harbor city of Neapolis. You can see from the map above the region where Paul was planting churches. It was one of the principle cities of Macedonia and was historically famous in the annals of both Greece and Rome. It was founded by and named after Philip of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great. In Roman history, Philippi was best known for the battle that took place there in 42 B.C. between the Second Triumvirate (Octavius, Antonius, and Lepidus) and the republicans of Rome under Brutus and Cassius, which resulted in the defeat and death of the latter. After the victory, Octavius made Philippi a colony (cf. Acts 16:12). After the battle of Actium in 31 B.C., Augustus transported a large number of Roman veterans to the colony and granted it the status of jus Italicum, which placed it on a par with the Roman colonies of Italy. Consequently, Philippi considered itself as being an entirely Roman city. Its citizens were Roman citizens who enjoyed all the rights and privileges of such: exemption from scourging, from arrest except in extreme cases, and the right to appeal to the emperor. That was the situation Paul had to address as he brought the Gospel as a missionary.

From our point of interest, Philippi is the first place in Europe where the gospel was preached. The story of the founding of the church at Philippi is told by Luke in Acts 16:11-40. Apparently, the Jewish population of Philippi was so small that they did not even have a synagogue in which to worship, only a “place where prayer was customarily made” by the riverside. The first convert, Lydia, as exhibited by her conduct in offering her house and hospitality to Paul and his entourage, was a generous and kind woman, and her actions set the tone of generosity for this church.

In Philippians 4:15,16, this church sent gifts to Paul who was then in Thessalonica. And, of course, this present epistle returns thanks for a gift sent by the hand of Epaphroditus while Paul was in Rome during his first imprisonment. This church, along with the other churches of Macedonia, had made a name for themselves when it came to liberality (II Corinthians 8:1-5). What a joyful occasion their concern for Paul must have been to him. Consequently, it should not surprise us to hear him refer to them as “my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown” (Philippians 4:1).

Even though things began and continued well at Philippi, soon after the conversion of Lydia and her household, persecution lifted up its ugly head. Perhaps to demonstrate that the Lord's work is advanced by difficulties and discouragements, rather than by ease and prosperity, Paul and Silas are brought into conflict with heathen superstition in one of its worst forms, and with the rough violence of colonial authorities. In expelling a demon from a slave girl, who had been a source of much gain for her masters, Paul incurs the wrath of these men, who then falsely accuse Paul and Silas of teaching “customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe” (Acts 16:21). This appeal to political prejudice resulted in the imprisonment and beating of Paul and Silas, who were subsequently released from prison by an earthquake. As a result of all this, more people are converted to Christ, including the Philippian jailor.

When Paul left Philippi in the year 52, Timothy and Luke remained behind to build up the new church. Timothy soon followed Paul, and when he was sent back to Macedonia from Athens, he probably again visited Philippi. Luke, it would seem, continued to work in Philippi. His first “we” section (Acts 16:11-40) ends with Paul's departure from Philippi and the second does not begin until Paul again returns to the city (Acts 20:5,6). This occurred in 58, when Paul and the servants of the churches took the great collection to Jerusalem (Acts 20:4). Paul had actually been in Philippi the previous summer when on his way from Ephesus to Corinth he spent some time in Macedonia (II Corinthians 2:13). Therefore, Paul was in Philippi on three different occasions. His second visit was probably his longest. It seems very likely that his second letter to the Corinthians, which was written while he was in Macedonia, was written in Philippi.

The letter was clearly written from Rome by Paul while he was in “chains” in the Praetorium. He sends greetings from “Caesar's household” (4:22), indicates that he expects something to happen very soon concerning his appeal (1:20-26), and expresses confident hope that he will visit the Philippians again (1:26; 2:24). This all points to Paul's first imprisonment in Rome, which we know lasted for “two whole years” (Acts 28:30). In must have been written during the end of these two years, which would make the date somewhere around A.D. 63. Considerable preaching had already been done in Rome since Paul's arrival (1:12-18). Furthermore, his case is on verge of a final decision (1:12,13,23-26). This could not have been the case during his early months in the city.

In addition, considerable time was needed for the events to transpire that lie between Paul's arrival at Rome and the writing of this letter. (1) News of Paul's arrival had to travel to Philippi; (2) Epaphroditus had to come from Philippi; (3) the news of his illness while at Rome had to get back to Philippi; and (4) the news of the Philippians' concern for Epaphroditus had to get back to Rome. Many scholars believe that Philippians is the last of the so-called four “Prison Epistles.”

2 Corinthians

Paul's second letter to the Church at Corinth is much like the first - he wants to church to act like Christians....don't take advantage of the grace of God....forgiveness is not a license to sin. Check out these key verses as you read.

•Verses 2:14-6:13 and 7:2-4 are "part of a letter that Paul wrote to defend himself and his authority against opponents who came to Corinth bearing letters of recommendation from Christian communities in which they had previously worked and who rapidly assumed positions of authority in the Corinthian community."

•Verses 10:1-13:14 contain the sorrowful letter. After his first unsuccessful attempt to assert his authority with the Corinthian community failed, Paul visited the church and was humiliated in public (2:5, 7:12). After this incident, from Ephesus Paul wrote against the "superlative apostles" who appealed to visions and miracle-working as proof of their authority. Paul himself "appeals to the original effectiveness of the gospel he preached in Corinth so as not to be a burden on his converts, and to his own Jewish heritage and his sufferings as a servant of Christ" in order to win back authority in Corinth.

•Verses 1:1-2:13 and 7:5-16 are a "letter of reconciliation." After the success achieved through his painful letter, Paul "wrote a letter rejoicing in the resumption of good relations between him and the Corinthian Christian community."

•Verse 8:1-24 are "part of a letter of recommendation for Titus as organizer of the collection of saints in Jerusalem." Paul always tries to identify new church leaders - we would do well to recruit future pastors, teachers, etc. as well.

•Verses 9:1-15 are "part of a letter concerning the collection for the saints."

1 Corinthians

The First Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians is the seventh book of the New Testament. The book, originally written in Greek, was a letter from Paul of Tarsus and Sosthenes to the Christians of Corinth, Greece.

This epistle contains some of the best-known phrases in the New Testament:

- "all things to all men" (9:22)
- "without love, I am nothing" (13:2)
- "through a glass, darkly" (13:12)
- "when I was a child, I spoke as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child" (13:11).

There is scholarly consensus that Paul is the actual author. The letter is quoted or mentioned by the earliest of sources, and is included in every ancient canon, including that of Marcion. The epistle was written from Ephesus (16:8), a city on the west coast of today's Turkey, about 180 miles by sea from Corinth. According to Acts of the Apostles, Paul founded the church in Corinth (Acts 18:1-17), then spent approximately three years in Ephesus (Acts 19:8, 19:10, 20:31). The letter was written during this time in Ephesus, which is usually dated as being in the range of 53 to 57 AD.

Outline

1.Salutation (1:1-3)
- Paul addresses the issue regarding challenges to his apostleship and defends the issue by claiming that it was given to him through a revelation from Christ. The salutation (the first section of the letter) reinforces the legitimacy of Paul's apostolic claim.

2.Thanksgiving (1:4-9)
- The thanksgiving part of the letter is typical of Hellenistic letter writing. In a thanksgiving recitation the writer thanks God for health, a safe journey, deliverance from danger, or good fortune.
- In this letter, the thanksgiving introduces charismata and gnosis, topics to which Paul will return and that he will discuss at greater length later in the letter.

3.Division in Corinth (1:10–4:21)
- Facts of division
- Causes of division
- Cure for division

4.Immorality in Corinth (5:1–6:20)
- Discipline an Immoral Brother
- Resolving personal disputes
- Sexual purity

5.Difficulties in Corinth (7:1–14:40)
- Marriage
- Christian liberty
- Worship

6.Doctrine of Resurrection (15:1-58)

7.Closing (16:1-24)
- Paul’s closing remarks in his letters usually contain his intentions and efforts to improve the community. He would first conclude with his paraenesis and wish them peace by including a prayer request, greet them with his name and his friends with a holy kiss, and offer final grace and benediction:

“ Now concerning the contribution for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia… Let all your things be done with charity. Greet one another with a holy kiss… I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen." (1 Cor. 16:1-24).

Hebrews

Although Hebrews is included in the Pauline corpus and was part of that corpus in its earliest attested form, its authorship is perhaps the most debated since the book is anonymous and because of stylistic differences with Paul's writings. Some patristic authors defended the traditional Pauline attribution with theories of scribal assistants such as Clement of Rome or Luke. Numerous alternative candidates for authorship have been proposed. The most prominent have been Barnabas, to whom Tertullian assigned the work; Apollos, defended by Luther and many moderns; Priscilla, suggested by von Harnack; Epaphras; and Silas. Arguments for none are decisive, and Origen's judgment that "God only knows" who composed the work is sound.

This is what we do know. The writer is a Hellenistic Jewish Christian, and his arguments presuppose that he is writing to others who think as he does, i.e., to a Hellenistic Jewish Christian community. Since Clement of Rome knows and quotes the text within what could only have been a few years of its writing, that community may well have been in Rome. This view is supported by the greetings from 'those who have come from Italy' in Heb 13:24.

The primary purpose of the Letter to the Hebrews is to exhort Christians to persevere in the face of persecution. The central thought of the entire Epistle is the doctrine of the Person of Christ and his role as mediator between God and humanity.

The epistle opens with an exaltation of Jesus as "the radiance of God's glory, the express image of his being, and upholding all things by his powerful word."[1:3] The epistle presents Jesus with the titles "pioneer" or "forerunner," "Son" and "Son of God," "priest" and "high priest." It has been described as an "intricate" New Testament book. The epistle casts Jesus as both exalted Son and high priest, a unique dual Christology.

One of the favorite sections of Hebrews is chapter 11. This chapter in a way sums up the theme of the book. The Hebrew people of the Old Testament had faith that something better was coming, and now that faith has been fulfilled in the Messiah Jesus. Jesus is the answer that all Hebrews have hoped for in their lives of faith.

Titus

Titus is one of the three epistles known collectively as the pastoral letters (1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus) - which is to say they are Paul's letters to church leaders. The Apostle Titus was born into idolatry on Crete, though he was of Greek origin. Having believed in Christ through the Apostle Paul, he became Paul's disciple and follower and labored with him greatly in the preaching of the Gospel. He was one of the Seventy Apostles (read in Acts if curious).

The importance of the role and qualifications of leaders (pastors, bishops, elders) should not be understated. Paul realized that if Satan were to defame a leader, he could destroy the whole church.

One of the secular peculiarities of the Epistle to Titus is the inclusion of text which has become known as the Epimenides paradox. According to the World English Bible translation, Titus 1:12-13 reads (in part) "One of them, a prophet of their own, said, 'Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, and idle gluttons.' This testimony is true." The statement by a member of a group that all members are liars is now a famous logic problem. He leaves the character judgment of the people on Crete up to their own prophet.