Well, the Pastor is a little behind...however, I can always turn to Martin Luther for help. Since it is Luther's commentary work on Romans which forced him to open his eyes to the Gospel (grace is a free gift through the work of Jesus Christ), I thought who better to give testimony to Romans than Luther himself! These excerpts come from Luther's introduction to his Romans commentary (my English translation is over 500 pages) and will cover our readings for the next 2 weeks as we read all 16 chapters. Enjoy!!! - Pastor Jim Mueller
Excerts from Romans Commentary by Dr. Martin Luther.
This letter is truly the most important piece in the New Testament. It is purest Gospel. It is well worth a Christian's while not only to memorize it word for word but also to occupy himself with it daily, as though it were the daily bread of the soul. It is impossible to read or to meditate on this letter too much or too well. The more one deals with it, the more precious it becomes and the better it tastes. Therefore I want to carry out my service and, with this preface, provide an introduction to the letter, insofar as God gives me the ability, so that every one can gain the fullest possible understanding of it. Up to now it has been darkened by glosses [explanatory notes and comments which accompany a text] and by many a useless comment, but it is in itself a bright light, almost bright enough to illumine the entire Scripture.
To begin with, we have to become familiar with the vocabulary of the letter and know what St. Paul means by the words law, sin, grace, faith, justice, flesh, spirit, etc. Otherwise there is no use in reading it.
To fulfill the law means to do its work eagerly, lovingly and freely, without the constraint of the law; it means to live well and in a manner pleasing to God, as though there were no law or punishment. It is the Holy Spirit, however, who puts such eagerness of unconstained love into the heart, as Paul says in chapter 5. But the Spirit is given only in, with, and through faith in Jesus Christ, as Paul says in his introduction. So, too, faith comes only through the word of God, the Gospel, that preaches Christ: how he is both Son of God and man, how he died and rose for our sake. Paul says all this in chapters 3, 4 and 10.
That is why faith alone makes someone just and fulfills the law; faith it is that brings the Holy Spirit through the merits of Christ. The Spirit, in turn, renders the heart glad and free, as the law demands. Then good works proceed from faith itself. That is what Paul means in chapter 3 when, after he has thrown out the works of the law, he sounds as though the wants to abolish the law by faith. No, he says, we uphold the law through faith, i.e. we fulfill it through faith.
Faith is a living, unshakeable confidence in God's grace; it is so certain, that someone would die a thousand times for it. This kind of trust in and knowledge of God's grace makes a person joyful, confident, and happy with regard to God and all creatures. This is what the Holy Spirit does by faith.
We find in this letter, then, the richest possible teaching about what a Christian should know: the meaning of law, Gospel, sin, punishment, grace, faith, justice, Christ, God, good works, love, hope and the cross. We learn how we are to act toward everyone, toward the virtuous and sinful, toward the strong and the weak, friend and foe, and toward ourselves.
Paul bases everything firmly on Scripture and proves his points with examples from his own experience and from the Prophets, so that nothing more could be desired. Therefore it seems that St. Paul, in writing this letter, wanted to compose a summary of the whole of Christian and evangelical teaching which would also be an introduction to the whole Old Testament. Without doubt, whoever takes this letter to heart possesses the light and power of the Old Testament. Therefore each and every Christian should make this letter the habitual and constant object of his study. God grant us his grace to do so. Amen.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
1 Peter, 2 Peter
About the Author
Most conservative scholarship has attributed the Petrine epistles to the apostle Peter's authorship (although perhaps with the assistance of a scribe like Mark - the same assumption is made by many of the Gospel of Mark). Peter was originally called Simon (which means "hearing"), a very common Jewish name in the New Testament, and he was the son of Jona (Matt. 16:17). His younger brother Andrew first brought him to Jesus (John 1:40-42). His native town was Bethsaida, on the western coast of the Sea of Galilee, to which also Philip belonged. Here he was brought up by the shores of the Sea of Galilee, and was trained to the occupation of a fisher. His father had probably died while he was still young, and it appears that he and his brother may have been brought up under the care of Zebedee and his wife Salome (Matt. 27:56; Mark 15:40; 16:1). Imagine the possibility that 4 of the 12 disciples, Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John, were all brought up together at some point in their lives. Since this is a blog, I will simply only bring up this possibility as curious conjecture.
Culturally, Peter certainly reflected his background - we like to say in Kerrville that "he was a country boy". When Peter appeared before the Sanhedrin, he looked like an "unlearned man" (Acts 4:13). Simon was a Galilean, and he was that out and out......The Galileans had a marked character of their own. They had a reputation for an independence and energy which often ran out into turbulence. They were at the same time of a franker and more transparent disposition than their brethren in the south. In all these respects, in bluntness, impetuosity, headiness, and simplicity, Simon was a genuine Galilean.
They spoke a peculiar dialect. They had a difficulty with the guttural sounds and some others, and their pronunciation was reckoned harsh in Judea. The Galilean accent stuck to Simon all through his career. It betrayed him as a follower of Christ when he stood within the judgment-hall (Mark 14:70). It betrayed his own nationality and that of those conjoined with him on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:7)." It would seem that Simon was married before he became an apostle. His wife's mother is referred to (Matt. 8:14; Mark 1:30; Luke 4:38). He was in all probability accompanied by his wife on his missionary journeys (1 Cor. 9:5; comp. 1 Pet. 5:13).
The name Jesus gave to Simon ("Cephas" in Aramaic, "Petros" in Greek) means "rock". Although the Gospels each tell of Peter as a bumbling fisherman with his foot in his mouth, after the ascension of Jesus, in the book of Acts, Peter finally begins to resemble the name Jesus gave him and takes on a serious role as a leader in the church. His two epistles include:
1 Peter
This epistle is addressed to "the strangers scattered abroad", i.e., to the Jews of the Dispersion (the Diaspora). Its object is to confirm its readers in the doctrines they had been already taught. Peter has been called "the apostle of hope," because this epistle abounds with words of comfort and encouragement fitted to sustain a "lively hope."
It contains about 35references to the Old Testament. It was written from Babylon, on the Euphrates, which was at this time one of the chief seats of Jewish learning, and a fitting center for labor among the Jews. It has been noticed that in the beginning of his epistle Peter names the provinces of Asia Minor in the order in which they would naturally occur to one writing from Babylon. He counsels:
(1) to steadfastness and perseverance under persecution (1-2: 10)
(2) to the practical duties of a holy life (2:11-3:13)
(3) he adduces the example of Christ and other motives to patience and holiness (3:14-4:19)
(4) concludes with counsels to pastors and people (ch. 5).
2 Peter
The question of the authenticity of this epistle has been much discussed, but the weight of evidence confirms Peter's authorship. It appears to have been written shortly before the apostle's death (1:14). This epistle contains 11 references to the Old Testament. It also contains (3:15-16) a remarkable reference to Paul's epistles. Some think this reference is to 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-5:11.
Peter in apocryphal writings
On a side note, in archaeology a parchment fragment, called the "Gospel of Peter," was discovered in a Christian tomb at Akhmim in Upper Egypt. Origen (died A.D. 254), Eusebius (died 340), and Jerome (died 420) refer to such a work, and hence it has been concluded that it was probably written about the middle of the second century. It professes to give a history of our Lord's resurrection and ascension. While differing in not a few particulars from the canonical Gospels, the writer shows plainly that he was acquinted both with the synoptics and with the Gospel of John. Though apocryphal, it is of considerable value as showing that the main facts of the history of our Lord were then widely known.
Most conservative scholarship has attributed the Petrine epistles to the apostle Peter's authorship (although perhaps with the assistance of a scribe like Mark - the same assumption is made by many of the Gospel of Mark). Peter was originally called Simon (which means "hearing"), a very common Jewish name in the New Testament, and he was the son of Jona (Matt. 16:17). His younger brother Andrew first brought him to Jesus (John 1:40-42). His native town was Bethsaida, on the western coast of the Sea of Galilee, to which also Philip belonged. Here he was brought up by the shores of the Sea of Galilee, and was trained to the occupation of a fisher. His father had probably died while he was still young, and it appears that he and his brother may have been brought up under the care of Zebedee and his wife Salome (Matt. 27:56; Mark 15:40; 16:1). Imagine the possibility that 4 of the 12 disciples, Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John, were all brought up together at some point in their lives. Since this is a blog, I will simply only bring up this possibility as curious conjecture.
Culturally, Peter certainly reflected his background - we like to say in Kerrville that "he was a country boy". When Peter appeared before the Sanhedrin, he looked like an "unlearned man" (Acts 4:13). Simon was a Galilean, and he was that out and out......The Galileans had a marked character of their own. They had a reputation for an independence and energy which often ran out into turbulence. They were at the same time of a franker and more transparent disposition than their brethren in the south. In all these respects, in bluntness, impetuosity, headiness, and simplicity, Simon was a genuine Galilean.
They spoke a peculiar dialect. They had a difficulty with the guttural sounds and some others, and their pronunciation was reckoned harsh in Judea. The Galilean accent stuck to Simon all through his career. It betrayed him as a follower of Christ when he stood within the judgment-hall (Mark 14:70). It betrayed his own nationality and that of those conjoined with him on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:7)." It would seem that Simon was married before he became an apostle. His wife's mother is referred to (Matt. 8:14; Mark 1:30; Luke 4:38). He was in all probability accompanied by his wife on his missionary journeys (1 Cor. 9:5; comp. 1 Pet. 5:13).
The name Jesus gave to Simon ("Cephas" in Aramaic, "Petros" in Greek) means "rock". Although the Gospels each tell of Peter as a bumbling fisherman with his foot in his mouth, after the ascension of Jesus, in the book of Acts, Peter finally begins to resemble the name Jesus gave him and takes on a serious role as a leader in the church. His two epistles include:
1 Peter
This epistle is addressed to "the strangers scattered abroad", i.e., to the Jews of the Dispersion (the Diaspora). Its object is to confirm its readers in the doctrines they had been already taught. Peter has been called "the apostle of hope," because this epistle abounds with words of comfort and encouragement fitted to sustain a "lively hope."
It contains about 35references to the Old Testament. It was written from Babylon, on the Euphrates, which was at this time one of the chief seats of Jewish learning, and a fitting center for labor among the Jews. It has been noticed that in the beginning of his epistle Peter names the provinces of Asia Minor in the order in which they would naturally occur to one writing from Babylon. He counsels:
(1) to steadfastness and perseverance under persecution (1-2: 10)
(2) to the practical duties of a holy life (2:11-3:13)
(3) he adduces the example of Christ and other motives to patience and holiness (3:14-4:19)
(4) concludes with counsels to pastors and people (ch. 5).
2 Peter
The question of the authenticity of this epistle has been much discussed, but the weight of evidence confirms Peter's authorship. It appears to have been written shortly before the apostle's death (1:14). This epistle contains 11 references to the Old Testament. It also contains (3:15-16) a remarkable reference to Paul's epistles. Some think this reference is to 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-5:11.
Peter in apocryphal writings
On a side note, in archaeology a parchment fragment, called the "Gospel of Peter," was discovered in a Christian tomb at Akhmim in Upper Egypt. Origen (died A.D. 254), Eusebius (died 340), and Jerome (died 420) refer to such a work, and hence it has been concluded that it was probably written about the middle of the second century. It professes to give a history of our Lord's resurrection and ascension. While differing in not a few particulars from the canonical Gospels, the writer shows plainly that he was acquinted both with the synoptics and with the Gospel of John. Though apocryphal, it is of considerable value as showing that the main facts of the history of our Lord were then widely known.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
1 John, 2 John, 3 John
All three of these books were written about A.D. 85, or late 80’s and early 90’s. These letters were probably written after the Gospel of John and before the persecution under Domitian in A.D. 95. John probably wrote from Ephesus because there is a strong tradition that John spent his old age in Ephesus. He had been exiled not far away on the island of Patmos (Rev. 1:9).
The first epistle opens by summarizing the Fourth Gospel (I John 1:1; cf. John 21:31). The stated purpose of the First Epistle is found in 5:13, and carries the reader one step beyond the Gospel. "The Gospel was written to arouse faith; the First Epistle was written to establish certainty," observes Merrill Tenney.
1 John
The lack of personal references in this letter indicates that it was written in sermonic style to Christians all over Asia Minor. It was probably a circular letter, much like Ephesians. The purpose of this letter was to tell believers how they might know they have eternal life. This epistle deals with the same heresy that Paul confronted in his Epistle to the Colossians: Gnosticism. The readers were preoccupied with a secret "knowledge" which is evident by how many times John uses the word "know" in this letter. He writes to strengthen their faith and fellowship and warn them about the false teachers with their "secret" knowledge.
KEY WORDS: know, believe, life, light, love, and fellowship. Study the opposites in this letter (cf. "light" and "darkness," "life" and "death," "truth" and "lying," etc.). These same themes are developed in the Gospel of John.
2 John
The second epistle is a personal letter from the Apostle to the "elect lady." Much discussion has been around who this "lady" is. John sends this postcard to the "elect lady" to correct a situation that had developed from the normal practice of showing hospitality to itinerant teachers and preachers. It was common practice for people to open their homes to those in the ministry. Jesus was a frequent guest in the home of Mary and Martha in Bethany. Some Christians were inadvertently providing this type of support to the false teachers. Loving believers (II Jn. 5-6) must not be construed as the encouragement of false doctrine. The key theme that John is devloping is Practice the truth and have nothing to do with false teachers.
3 John
The letter is addressed to Gaius which is a very common Greek name. He is described as a "dear friend" who was loved by the aged apostle (vv. 1, 2, 5, 11). Perhaps Gaius had been a dear loyal friend of John’s for a long time. This Christian friend had contributed to the missionaries who had desired to visit his church. One Diotrephes, the self-assertive church boss had an anti-missionary spirit, and influenced the church not to receive missionaries. Diotrephes had succeeded in having Gaius excommunicated from the membership. John condemns Diotrephes and commends Gaius for his faithfulness. Demetrius may have been a traveling teacher and probably delivered the letter to Gaius. There are words of praise to Gaius for his hospitality for missionaries, and condemnation for Diotrephes. The key theme of the book is a healthy believer will follow the truth, help others, and do good.
My personal Biblical mission statement comes from 1 John 3:18 - What would happen if we stopped talking the talk, and starting walking the walk? - Pastor Jim Mueller
The first epistle opens by summarizing the Fourth Gospel (I John 1:1; cf. John 21:31). The stated purpose of the First Epistle is found in 5:13, and carries the reader one step beyond the Gospel. "The Gospel was written to arouse faith; the First Epistle was written to establish certainty," observes Merrill Tenney.
1 John
The lack of personal references in this letter indicates that it was written in sermonic style to Christians all over Asia Minor. It was probably a circular letter, much like Ephesians. The purpose of this letter was to tell believers how they might know they have eternal life. This epistle deals with the same heresy that Paul confronted in his Epistle to the Colossians: Gnosticism. The readers were preoccupied with a secret "knowledge" which is evident by how many times John uses the word "know" in this letter. He writes to strengthen their faith and fellowship and warn them about the false teachers with their "secret" knowledge.
KEY WORDS: know, believe, life, light, love, and fellowship. Study the opposites in this letter (cf. "light" and "darkness," "life" and "death," "truth" and "lying," etc.). These same themes are developed in the Gospel of John.
2 John
The second epistle is a personal letter from the Apostle to the "elect lady." Much discussion has been around who this "lady" is. John sends this postcard to the "elect lady" to correct a situation that had developed from the normal practice of showing hospitality to itinerant teachers and preachers. It was common practice for people to open their homes to those in the ministry. Jesus was a frequent guest in the home of Mary and Martha in Bethany. Some Christians were inadvertently providing this type of support to the false teachers. Loving believers (II Jn. 5-6) must not be construed as the encouragement of false doctrine. The key theme that John is devloping is Practice the truth and have nothing to do with false teachers.
3 John
The letter is addressed to Gaius which is a very common Greek name. He is described as a "dear friend" who was loved by the aged apostle (vv. 1, 2, 5, 11). Perhaps Gaius had been a dear loyal friend of John’s for a long time. This Christian friend had contributed to the missionaries who had desired to visit his church. One Diotrephes, the self-assertive church boss had an anti-missionary spirit, and influenced the church not to receive missionaries. Diotrephes had succeeded in having Gaius excommunicated from the membership. John condemns Diotrephes and commends Gaius for his faithfulness. Demetrius may have been a traveling teacher and probably delivered the letter to Gaius. There are words of praise to Gaius for his hospitality for missionaries, and condemnation for Diotrephes. The key theme of the book is a healthy believer will follow the truth, help others, and do good.
My personal Biblical mission statement comes from 1 John 3:18 - What would happen if we stopped talking the talk, and starting walking the walk? - Pastor Jim Mueller
James, Jude
James
This particular section of commentary is easy to write - our mission group studied James and 1 John chapter by chapter. Of course it also means that as I write I have visions of Mt. McKinley dancing in my head.
We know the writer of James to be the half-brother of Jesus (different from James the brother of John - one of the Zebedee boys). James was martyred c. A.D. 62. There are 4 men in the N.T. named James (the editor of this post is named after them) so sometimes they get confused as we study Scriptural history. We do know that James was likely the oldest of Jesus' siblings since he heads the list (Matthew 13:55) and that at first he misunderstood and had doubts about Jesus' ministry (John 7:2-5). Later he became quite prominent in the Church:
1. He saw the resurrected Christ (1 Cor. 15:7)
2. Pillar of Church (Galatians 2:9, Galatians 1:19, Acts 21:18)
3. When Peter was rescued from prison, he wanted James to know (Acts 12:17)
4. He was a leader in council of Jerusalem (Acts 15:13)
5. Jude identified himself as a brother of James (Jude 1:1)
The book is distinctively Jewish in nature and it reflects a simple church order. Here are some thoughts I gathered as I studied this book daily with my mission group.
James 1
v.2-4 - What an interesting perspective on suffering and temptation! Imagine going through something awful, and yet praying "God make good out of this junk, because I know you can and will". I'm not that guy. I'm not that positive. I want to be. Perseverance is a HUGE virtue. People that persevere never give up. As a pastor, dad, husband, and novice runner - this is huge!
v.13 - Just a nice theological reminder. God can do anything, but he is not to be blamed for everything. He created life - we created sin. He created beauty - sin created the ugliness (of all types) that we find in this world. It's easy to point to heaven and blame God for the trials we go through...but good Theology reminds us that God is in fact fighting all the results of sin. He created a world of harmony, love, and peace (trial, temptation, and suffering are needed in such a world), and thus He seeks to restore our world and us to that state (in Christ it has already started happening).
v.27 - What is true religion? What would happen if every church in the world started every worship service with the words of James 1:27?
James 2
v.2-4 - This is hard stuff! But James is right, and sometimes I'm ashamed to say that Jesus would be hard to welcome into our churches (dirty robe, sandals, no deodorant). Based on what I read in Scripture, Jesus is not likely to shower and dress up just to make people happy (Matthew 23:25-26).
v.14-19 - Belief vs. Faith. Demons believe in Jesus, but don't have faith in him. They know he exists, is the son of God, and has power - but they don't care. They still follow the devil as lord. Maybe in our evangelism we should focus a little less on proving Jesus as factual (eg. belief in)
and focus more on why we trust him (eg. faith that follows through the Holy Spirit).
v.26 - It's obvious that deedless faith is dead faith - let's not get overly theological about any of this. James is simply challenging us to live what we believe.
James 3
v.11-12 - It's hard being saint and sinner at the same time. Part of you wants to follow Christ with all your might. Part of you wants to return to lifeless, dark, and selfish living. The new Adam has come, but the old Adam remains until the second coming. It's hard knowing that you are becoming something new, because it's hard to say goodbye to the past you (friends, addictions, bad habits, etc.).
v. 17-18 - I challenged my mission group to pick out the virtue that they are strongest in, and the one that needs polishing. How would you answer?
James 4
v.1 - If only church meetings started with these words. Of course all of us are opinionated, but a church is a family. In a family you don't do what's best for dad or oldest daughter. You do what's best. We need to do the same in our church families. It's hard to pick music, sermon topics, and decor for 200 different people with different needs, backgrounds, and opinions. My hope is to not lead from a place of desire but a place of mission. Perhaps if we start with the mission of Jesus Christ in our minds - God will do the rest!
James 5
v.13-16 - This is the chapter we need to read in church more often. This is why we are church. This is why we need each other. Together we are stronger. Together we will see healing, praise, and strength. When you are alone, faith is hard. When you are together, we are able to help those who are hurting with those who are strong.
v.17-18 - "Elijah was like us" (1 Kings 17 & 18). Just a reminder that even great prophets were at one time just a simple person who said a prayer. Since God listens to our prayers, there is power in prayer. By focusing on Elijah's humanity, James is telling every single one of us that we too can pray for great things!
Jude
Although Jude was eager to write about salvation, he felt that must instead warn his recipients about immoral leaders and false teachers. He is primarily fighting anti-nomianism (the belief that grace makes law unnecessary - therefore do whatever you want). We are saved by grace alone, however that does not make rigtheous living unnecessary - it makes it even more possible and attractive. His doxology in v.24-25 puts everything into perspective - God gets all the glory, and we are to follow Him!
- Pastor Jim Mueller
This particular section of commentary is easy to write - our mission group studied James and 1 John chapter by chapter. Of course it also means that as I write I have visions of Mt. McKinley dancing in my head.
We know the writer of James to be the half-brother of Jesus (different from James the brother of John - one of the Zebedee boys). James was martyred c. A.D. 62. There are 4 men in the N.T. named James (the editor of this post is named after them) so sometimes they get confused as we study Scriptural history. We do know that James was likely the oldest of Jesus' siblings since he heads the list (Matthew 13:55) and that at first he misunderstood and had doubts about Jesus' ministry (John 7:2-5). Later he became quite prominent in the Church:
1. He saw the resurrected Christ (1 Cor. 15:7)
2. Pillar of Church (Galatians 2:9, Galatians 1:19, Acts 21:18)
3. When Peter was rescued from prison, he wanted James to know (Acts 12:17)
4. He was a leader in council of Jerusalem (Acts 15:13)
5. Jude identified himself as a brother of James (Jude 1:1)
The book is distinctively Jewish in nature and it reflects a simple church order. Here are some thoughts I gathered as I studied this book daily with my mission group.
James 1
v.2-4 - What an interesting perspective on suffering and temptation! Imagine going through something awful, and yet praying "God make good out of this junk, because I know you can and will". I'm not that guy. I'm not that positive. I want to be. Perseverance is a HUGE virtue. People that persevere never give up. As a pastor, dad, husband, and novice runner - this is huge!
v.13 - Just a nice theological reminder. God can do anything, but he is not to be blamed for everything. He created life - we created sin. He created beauty - sin created the ugliness (of all types) that we find in this world. It's easy to point to heaven and blame God for the trials we go through...but good Theology reminds us that God is in fact fighting all the results of sin. He created a world of harmony, love, and peace (trial, temptation, and suffering are needed in such a world), and thus He seeks to restore our world and us to that state (in Christ it has already started happening).
v.27 - What is true religion? What would happen if every church in the world started every worship service with the words of James 1:27?
James 2
v.2-4 - This is hard stuff! But James is right, and sometimes I'm ashamed to say that Jesus would be hard to welcome into our churches (dirty robe, sandals, no deodorant). Based on what I read in Scripture, Jesus is not likely to shower and dress up just to make people happy (Matthew 23:25-26).
v.14-19 - Belief vs. Faith. Demons believe in Jesus, but don't have faith in him. They know he exists, is the son of God, and has power - but they don't care. They still follow the devil as lord. Maybe in our evangelism we should focus a little less on proving Jesus as factual (eg. belief in)
and focus more on why we trust him (eg. faith that follows through the Holy Spirit).
v.26 - It's obvious that deedless faith is dead faith - let's not get overly theological about any of this. James is simply challenging us to live what we believe.
James 3
v.11-12 - It's hard being saint and sinner at the same time. Part of you wants to follow Christ with all your might. Part of you wants to return to lifeless, dark, and selfish living. The new Adam has come, but the old Adam remains until the second coming. It's hard knowing that you are becoming something new, because it's hard to say goodbye to the past you (friends, addictions, bad habits, etc.).
v. 17-18 - I challenged my mission group to pick out the virtue that they are strongest in, and the one that needs polishing. How would you answer?
James 4
v.1 - If only church meetings started with these words. Of course all of us are opinionated, but a church is a family. In a family you don't do what's best for dad or oldest daughter. You do what's best. We need to do the same in our church families. It's hard to pick music, sermon topics, and decor for 200 different people with different needs, backgrounds, and opinions. My hope is to not lead from a place of desire but a place of mission. Perhaps if we start with the mission of Jesus Christ in our minds - God will do the rest!
James 5
v.13-16 - This is the chapter we need to read in church more often. This is why we are church. This is why we need each other. Together we are stronger. Together we will see healing, praise, and strength. When you are alone, faith is hard. When you are together, we are able to help those who are hurting with those who are strong.
v.17-18 - "Elijah was like us" (1 Kings 17 & 18). Just a reminder that even great prophets were at one time just a simple person who said a prayer. Since God listens to our prayers, there is power in prayer. By focusing on Elijah's humanity, James is telling every single one of us that we too can pray for great things!
Jude
Although Jude was eager to write about salvation, he felt that must instead warn his recipients about immoral leaders and false teachers. He is primarily fighting anti-nomianism (the belief that grace makes law unnecessary - therefore do whatever you want). We are saved by grace alone, however that does not make rigtheous living unnecessary - it makes it even more possible and attractive. His doxology in v.24-25 puts everything into perspective - God gets all the glory, and we are to follow Him!
- Pastor Jim Mueller
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