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Bible Study 1 Peter

1 Peter | Chapter 3

“Likewise…” If you’ve been playing along on the home game, alarms and whistles should be going off here. When sentences start with therefore, so, likewise, your immediate reaction should be to start looking for context. In this case, likewise tells us that what he is about to say about wives is similar to something he’s already talked about. On the more difficult side, the thing that is similar is his recent discussion on servants and their masters. (And…cue open season on reading this text lazily.)

Keep the whole sentence in context. Peter says wives should obey their husbands even if they don’t obey God’s word so that the respectful and pure conduct may be enough to win the husband to Jesus. See the connection now? Peter was advocating for the same thing for servants, that they persist in doing good even in the face of someone who is not treating them in the way they deserve. It’s a continuing theme as this was the same point Peter was making about abstaining from passions of flesh to remain a good example to those who don’t know Jesus.

The point is continued in the talk of not focusing on external adorning. The point is not that ladies can’t wear gold jewelry or nice clothing, it’s that true beauty that never dies and is precious in the sight of God are the things of the heart and the spirit. It is these same things that are intended to influence the husband who doesn’t know Jesus. It is a virtue to show honor to your husband (that’s what the Sarah submitting to Abraham story is for, “lord” is a reference of respect and honor).

Husbands, similarly, are called to show honor to their wives, living with them in a knowledgeable and understanding way. (This means you don’t get to be some kind of ape, you have to “know” your wife, do your best to understand her, care about what’s going on, etc.) Peter says she’s the weaker vessel, which seems to be a point of contention for some. However, ask any 8 year old and they will be able to tell you that, generally speaking, fellas are stronger than ladies. (Weaker “vessel”, think “container”. It’s a physical description, don’t over-invest beyond that.)

If ladies don’t follow Peter’s instruction, they may draw the wrong kind of attention and not make any progress with their non-believing husbands. If fellas don’t follow and care for their wives who share the grace of life with them, God may stop listening to their prayers. With the honor comes the responsibility, boys. And this doesn’t change the general description of Jesus for you to be a servant of all, that includes your wife. Jesus has high expectations for you as an example, fight for it.

This idea of sacrificing, perseverance and persistence in faith continues holistically. Peter encourages the church to stick together, love one another, care for and be kind, and don’t think higher of yourself than you should. You see evil or people hating, you don’t respond in kind. In fact, you bless them and in return you will be blessed. (I mean dang, evil comes your way and you are supposed to bless in return. Only in the Kingdom of Jesus can that be right. In any other circumstances it’s just foolish. Jesus makes all the difference, though.)

The quote is from Psalm 34. Read the whole Psalm, it certainly reinforces the point Peter is making here and is a cool reminder of how God is with us in our suffering. (I mean it, go read it. The point of studying Scripture isn’t speed or a false sense of human accomplishment, soak it in.) v.13 and forward continue on the same trajectory as the quoted Psalm.

Peter tells us we need to be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. Now, although we often use this verse as a foundation for having a good apologetics framework (the study of the defense of Scripture and the truth it contains), I think in context the real thrust is hope in the context of suffering. When folks see us persisting in good even in the midst of evil, in trust of God even when by the world’s standards things are not going well, can we provide an answer? Psalm 34 is exactly the type of answer we could provide, even further fulfilled in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. So yes, it’s great to know and study answers to people’s big questions about God, faith, science, creation, etc., just remember that Peter’s more relevant point is faith in the goodness of God, the hope in his sovereignty, even in the face of danger, mistreatment, and evil.

And how do we give that defense? With gentleness and respect, with a clear conscience. Why? Because when people attempt to slander you because of what you believe and the things you are saying, your conduct will testify on your behalf. You may still suffer for it, yes, but Peter says it is better to suffer for doing good than to suffer anyway and do the wrong thing. We do it because Jesus did it first and we follow Jesus.

Then Peter talks about Jesus proclaiming to spirits in prison. How to understand this one will get you in a shank fight at a theologian’s Bible and brew event somewhere on the West coast. Some tie it to the connected Noah story and say that Jesus was proclaiming to those just prior to the flood “through” Noah and other prophets. I mean, ok, but that really seems to jump context since this “proclaiming” seems to follow Jesus’ death in Peter’s description. Other options include Jesus going to hell and giving people or angels second chances, which you’d kind of have to bend other Scripture around to make that seem reasonable. I probably lean on “they” being a broad group of people (those who rejected God’s promise to be rescued through water) who are now listening based upon the life and example of Jesus (and they are now rescued through baptism, identifying with this community of believers that follow Jesus.) This explanation makes a whole lot of sense relative to what Peter has been talking about the last two chapters (saying the example of persistence and suffering helps change folks.)

On baptism, certainly Jesus work on the cross saves you (Peter says that it is through the resurrection of Jesus you have the ability to appeal for a good conscience), but he is pretty clear on getting baptized. More Bible and brew debates aside, Jesus says to do it and we obey Jesus so just get it done. Think of it as the public celebration of you entering the Kingdom. If you haven’t done it as an adult, let’s figure it out directly, always a good reason to have a celebration!

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Bible Study 1 Peter

1 Peter | Chapter 4

Peter’s still building on what has come before it. We ended the last chapter with a reminder of what Jesus has done and what He is now doing (ruling over stuff), and are now presented with Him as an example of suffering. Of course, this order brings the servanthood and suffering of Jesus into stark relief given his true position in the grand scheme of things (compared to us who have no throne to descend from and who ultimately cause most of our own suffering.) In either case, we’re to follow Jesus (as always, that’s more literal than we tend to take. Do the things he did for the people he did in the way he did it.) In this case, we’re potentially suffering at the hands of people who don’t like to hear true things or who don’t like to stop doing things that they enjoy, even though they’re bad for them.

So, we follow Jesus, even in suffering. Doing so is pretty good evidence that you’ve taken up your cross and generally pretty alright on not following human passions (most people don’t consider suffering a passion except…well, nevermind.) I don’t think this sentence is intended to imply folks have stopped sinning completely just because they suffer, I think the gist is that when you’re being selfless and sacrificing for Jesus sin doesn’t present the same level of temptation. Kind of an idle hands kind of thing, just up a couple of notches.
So, we don’t end up living how those who aren’t part of the Kingdom live, no orgies or drinking parties or lawless idolatry. (Note that I gave three things from the list, one of which you know for sure is problematic, one you may not completely understand, and one you may consider a gray area up for debate. Peter doesn’t make those additional qualifications, just for the record.) Not being part of this kind of thing is surprising to those who are doing it but note that ol’ Pete says you still say out of it and that there’s ultimately a right and wrong side of things that that powerful judge of a character from the end of the last chapter will hold them to account.

Theology and Brews debate #3 comes from the gospel being preached to the dead. Although there are other viable options, I most lean on this being a sinner=dead, Kingdom person=living/spirit kind of action. The gospel goes to those who are dead (us, sinful humanity) that they might live (…in the spirit the way God does, ultimately us redeemed in Christ). Other options include Jesus preaching in hell or other types of oddness. Either way, I’m not too concerned that we’re missing the heart of Jesus by not having a firm grasp on what Peter is getting at here.

And in case the preaching to the dead thing doesn’t grab your attention, Peter brings to reminder that the end of all things is at hand. This ties a little into how you may believe Jesus second coming is to occur but I generally read this to be an acknowledgment that all the things that needed to be completed prior to Christ’s return are done. He could show up at any time and close down the whole show. I don’t believe it requires us to think that Peter believed Jesus would return imminently in that time.

Notice, though, that he introduces the fact that the end of all things is at hand just so he can use a “therefore” to tell you how we should live in light of that. The Lord could return at any time so keep it under control, play it cool for the sake of your prayers (so if you can’t keep it cool and don’t know how to treat your wife, Peter basically implies you’re talking to yourself when you’re praying.) Above all of that, love each other, forgive each other, show hospitality to one another without complaining.

The gift thing is kind of interesting, the implication is that your gifts are intended to serve others and it is through those that, at least in part, God’s grace is distributed to the world. When you don’t use your gifts in that way, you’re a poor steward of what the Lord has given you. Dang, fellas. Focus on that over the next few days/weeks. Petition God, see if you can discover anywhere where you are denying grace to the world and being a poor steward of your gifts. They aren’t there to glorify you, that’s for sure. Put them to proper use.

Then back to suffering. Peter expects suffering so much that he posits some kind of Christian doofus who would act surprised that a trial has come upon him (a fiery one at that.) Not only should we expect it, we should rejoice in it! When we share in the same suffering that Jesus did, Peter says the glory of God is revealed. (This is interesting, certainly, in light of Peter’s own death on a cross where he asked to be crucified upside down, not feeling worthy to die in the exact same way as Jesus did.)

Where people insult you, you are blessed. It’s the whole deal, the world is turned upside down. This is no half-in Kingdom, we’re rejecting the way the world thinks and trading it for what Jesus thinks. They insult you, Jesus says it’s a blessing. They call it suffering, you call it glory. I didn’t fully feel the weight of these dichotomies until I began thinking of what I was teaching my children, what I was asking them to do and how to live. I’m teaching them to accept insults from the world, to suffer as need be. It puts the demands of the Kingdom and the fealty to Jesus in the right relief to place those same things onto the heads of your children. It kind of hit me hard at the time in the sense that it became more real to me personally as well.

The Old Testament rounds out the chapter with references from Ezekiel and Malachi, as well as Proverbs. Broad point is that there is a purification within God’s people, a refining. Suffering seems to serve this purpose, in addition to being a good witness to those around us. And they need it, because if the righteous are scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?

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Bible Study 1 Peter

1 Peter | Chapter 5

The normalization and expectation of suffering (even as a potential purifier of the church) leads to a call for those who lead and influence God’s people to stay on their game. Peter’s in this business, has been for a long time, so he knows the right ways to get things done. Basic instructions are to 1.) exercise oversight, basically, do the work, take the responsibility, 2.) do it willingly, 3.) lead humbly for the benefit of those you serve, just like family headship, elder-action is a call to service and sacrifice, 4.) be a an example (we saw this over and over again in Paul’s letters as well. Follow me as I follow Christ, that’s the deal.)

If you’re younger, let faithful folks who the Lord has called lead you. And for both leaders and otherwise, wear humility like a cloak, let it surround you and be with you always. God opposes the proud (it’s really the root of all sin), but God will react with grace when you act in humility. Not to let this slip by too quickly, every thing you’ve ever hidden from someone has pride at its root. Unconfessed sin, fear of sharing good news, lacking of service to others; pride undergirds all of these. Be careful on this. You’re likely not falling for abrasive, obvious pride issues but you are likely susceptible to much more insidious versions of pride (illusions of your own importance, protecting your image in lieu of repentance, half-truths about how things currently are. All risky.)

Humility, Peter tells us, leads to exaltation (by the mighty hand of God, who offers much better exaltation than whoever you’ve been trying to impress up to this point.) And to be clear, humility isn’t asking you to think less of yourself, it’s to act lower than what you are owed in the service of others because that’s how the Kingdom measures greatness. We’re a kingdom of priests, after all, we are certainly lifted up by the good graces of the King. But in response, we follow the example of the King and live in service to Him and the world He is calling to repentance and redemption. He knows what he’s calling you to, and cares for you greatly, so go to Him with your anxieties.
All the same, keep your eyes open and know that there is an enemy who is after you. Although some think there is true application to this broadly, the context here most likely points to buckling under the weight of suffering and anxiety, especially in attempts to retain humility (pride is a very strong temptation, as the Tempter himself could attest.) But be watchful, know that you are surrounded by a community who suffers along with you and a God who will bear you up. (Notice that many of the persecution and martyrdom accounts both inside and outside of Scripture have moments of calm and joy in the midst of them.)

In the end, you’re in God’s hands. You have been called to eternal glory and will be restored, confirmed, strengthened and established by Almighty God. It comes down to faith, trust. If God is who He says He is and keeps his promises, earthly suffering and anxiousness and whatever else are a small price to pay (and price that comes with the honor of serving He who loves better than anyone ever.) If not, well, the suffering is foolish and wasted.

The letter ends with references to a few known characters. Silvanus (or Silas) seems to be the man who delivered the letter for Peter, who thinks highly of him. As with any writer, Peter hopes they read it and, you know, pay attention to what’s in there. Also, he passes on greetings from “she who is at Babylon”. THIS COULD BE SOMEONE SUPER MYSTERIOUS!!! Or, as NT authors tend to do, they refer to Rome as Babylon, a stock OT character for a government or system who opposes God or His authority. The church in Rome says “Hi”. That makes more sense than some conspiratorial anger.

Finally, he mentions Mark, the John Mark who’s Mom likely owned the house the Upper Room from Acts was in and the same Mark who is believed to have written his gospel based upon the sermons/teachings of Peter himself. Peter’s obvious fondness for him (calling him “son”, much like how Paul refers to Timothy) affirms the likelihood the story of his authorship of the gospel as true.

Peter says peace to all those in Jesus, he out.

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Bible Study Jonah

Jonah | Chapter 4

“But it displeased Jonah exceedingly and he was angry.” What’s that you say? The “it”, the repentance of Nineveh and the relentance (not a real word) of God. The thing that generally makes us rejoice (and that we find ourselves part of not all that often) has pissed Jonah off. It all comes together here. Up to this point, we haven’t been told why Jonah fled from God’s command. He doesn’t mention it on the boat, he doesn’t mention it in his prayer and it doesn’t come up as part of his explanation of what happened in the city. Up to now, we just have a dude who heard God and thought he’d do the other thing. Now he speaks.

“That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.” Ah, this seems outlandish, but as with the rest of the story, I think there is more here for us than perhaps we first note. You see, at its core this is a gap between our sense of justice and God’s. It’s a gap between what we think people deserve and what God does. You might not be currently plotting to flee Christ to deny a major city God-offered salvation, but it’s possible that there are certain people who you think deserve the full force of whatever justice God has coming because of how they’ve treated you. It’s possible that you are surrounded by one or more people who are inept, selfish, lazy, stupid, evil, deceitful, rude, hurtful, prideful baboons (or any combination therein) and you can think of nothing better than they receive their comeuppance.

I’m not saying that any of those adjectives don’t accurately and adequately describe these people that are around you. However, picture that person or persons in your mind. And now imagine what it would be like for you to approach them straight on with an offer from God for all of their ineptness, selfishness, laziness, evilness, pride, deceit, etc. to be forgiven. And as part of that, realize that they won’t get the comeuppance they truly deserve. They will not feel the weight of the hurt they have caused others, they will not suffer for their foolishness, they will not “learn their lesson”. In short, in your eyes, justice will not be done.

Will you make the offer? Will you take the good news to this baboon who doesn’t deserve it? Who, if all was right in the world, would face the consequences they have earned? And before you answer, consider whether that is true of your life. You have sinned against man and God. Every deceit, every harsh word, every dirty thought, all of it. The cost of this is death (I know, you think it’s harsh, but all of these degrade a perfect creation, one God has intended to live forever. This sin has tainted it, separating you from a perfect Creator and trashing the perfect Creation around you with selfish things that are intended to either serve or protect you and you alone at the expense of those around you.) So you deserve death. That’s just. It’s right. It’s the truth.

But you, follower of Jesus, will not die. Because you did something to redeem yourself? No, we both know you haven’t done anything that could put all that you’ve done wrong back to right. You couldn’t do it even if you wanted to, and if we’re honest, you don’t spend all that much time wanting to and even less time actually trying. No, you will live forever because at some point, through someone or some circumstance, you came to hear of the good news; the news that Jesus came to pay the penalty for all that you have done. That Jesus came to deny you your comeuppance, to refuse your enemies the satisfaction of everything you’ve done wrong piling upon your head and squashing you unto death. That, if you would trust him and pledge fealty to the Him as your King, he would declare you “not guilty” and insist that everyone in His Kingdom treat you as such.

Did you deserve that? Of course not, you deserved to be buried under the weight of all you’ve done to jack up a perfect world. But God disagrees. He says justice is the offering of forgiveness. He says justice is the chance to repent and be redeemed and to have your offenses forgiven forever. That’s what God says is just. Do you agree with that for you? Do you agree with God’s justice when it comes to those inept baboons? And do you agree with God’s call that it is likely you personally who is to take the good news of God’s justice to those very baboons? Now you understand Jonah’s position better. It’s still ridiculous, but perhaps how you view those around you shares a bit of that as well.

Back to Jonah. He proposes that because God has shown mercy to the Ninevites, it is better that he die. And the Lord casually asks whether his anger is really appropriate. No answer from Jonah, who heads outside of the city, prepares a tent for himself (that’s the booth), and hangs out to see what would happen to the city. He seems to still be hopeful that God will destroy it, otherwise why wait and watch? Perhaps he thinks God’s question about anger to him is rhetorical, like, “don’t overreact Jonah, you know I’m going to lay waste to these posers anyhow. West Coast!” (I hope we would all agree the Lord would not react like a Cali gangster.)

In response to this, God calls nature into action. He “appoints” this plant just like he “appoints” the fish to get Jonah from the sea. The Lord has this thing under control. Anyway, he creates a giant plant to give Jonah shade while he waits. Jonah is “exceedingly glad” for this personal comfort (mirroring his “exceedingly angry” reaction to Ninevah’s repentance.) Then, God puts the plant under siege by a worm, exposing Jonah to a harsh east wind and sun. Jonah then returns to the thought that death might be the right answer given how uncomfortable all of this is for him.

God asks him the same question as before, except for this time it’s directed at whether it seems ok for Jonah to be angry that the plant has been destroyed. Giving up all pretense, Jonah affirms that he indeed is right to be angry, even unto death!” This is what you look like when arguing with God about justice as well.

God makes a pretty reasonable argument in response. Basically, you pity the plant that you had no part of creating or sustaining and that was only around for day. It’s perishing is enough to anger you so that you think dying is the right reaction. Yet, God shows pity on over 100,000 folks who were blind to knowing the true God and you’re upset at that? Perhaps the presence of a bunch of cattle could at least rile up from sympathy from you?

And the book ends with no answer from Jonah to God’s question.

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Bible Study Jonah

Jonah | Chapter 2

Notice that even the fish is obedient to God, along with the pagans and the sea; basically everyone obeys God in this book except His prophet. 

In chapter 2, Jonah prays. I think we should read this with a bit of skepticism, especially in light of his actions later on. That said, his full commitment and right submission to God in one breath and a total flip-flop with his actions in the next is something we’ve already seen in chapter 1 and is kind of the M.O. of most Christians so perhaps it’s not that far fetched.  

Jonah prays from the belly of a giant fish. His situation is a desperate one as he starts to feel the weight of being chased down by God Himself. Although the “…belly of Sheol” is obviously figurative (since he wasn’t literally in the place of the dead), any situation without God sending a giant fish to give him refuge would have ended up there so it’s certainly a relevant perspective.  

I do wonder if we’re supposed to get an image of those who were not Noah and his family from the “…and the flood surrounded me, all your waves and your billows passed over me” stuff. Jonah was thrown into an existing body of water, not a flash flood or something. He could be using the language to reflect the positioning of him not repenting and basically facing God’s consequences (although God’s patience and persistence are the prime aspects of this whole book.)  

In fact, the back half of the prayer trades between a reminder of the circumstances Jonah has brought upon himself through rebellion and God’s patience within it. Jonah has hope that he will pray again, on dry land, towards the Temple (like a good Jewish boy.) Then  back to the situation, which pictures nature surrounding him, almost attacking him, and being near death (that’s the “…land whose bars closed upon me forever”, which is again Sheol action.) Then the  reminder that God brought him up from the pit (not literally, he was rescued from death by the fish/whale/creature.)  

The temple image shows back up again, with God hearing the prayers of the man who was perishing in his own rebellion. (Ah hem, like the mariners. And the Ninevites. Will this lesson be lost on him? Yes, yes it will.) He brings in a reference to those who follow false idols as bad and his thanksgiving voice and sacrifice as good. This is ironic, of course, because the only folks who have sacrificed so far to God in the story are those who were likely vain idol-followers prior to this Jonah incident on their boat. 

Regardless of whether Jonah lacks integrity here, his words about God are still true. Salvation does indeed belong to the Lord. And, as we will see again in a story of Jesus asking for a fish to spit something out, God talks to the fish and Jonah gets expelled onto dry land, hopefully to fulfill what God told him to do in the first place. Notice that even the fish is obedient to God, along with the pagans and the sea; basically everyone obeys God in this book except His prophet. 

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Bible Study Jonah

Jonah | Chapter 1

The opening cuts to the quick. The word of the Lord comes to Jonah (in some way or another) instructing him to head to Nineveh and call out their evil because God has caught wind of it (as He tends to do). Nineveh is in the heart of Assyria, and although they are weakened at the moment, it’s not an intriguing proposition to be sent to in effect “serve” the city by warning them on God’s behalf. So, Jonah decides to haul tail the other way.

God tells him to “arise” and do what he’s told to do (kind of the prophet’s job) and Jonah instead decides to rise and go to the port city of Joppa so he can catch a skiff heading due west, the opposite direction of Nineveh which lies to the north and east. This man, who supernaturally received the word of the Lord appears foolish enough to think he will physically flee from the “presence of the Lord”. Silly prophet.

Now, we laugh at Jonah for being ridiculous, but given the calls to serve others and make disciples that are clear words from the Lord to us, I’m confident you’ve hitched a boat to Tarshish many a time instead of doing the thing that God called you to do. That’s not a clever anecdote, boys, put the think on it.

God, of course, wants this thing accomplished and he appears to want Jonah to do it. So, he sends a storm to bring attention to that matter. The other sea-faring folk, a superstitious group as sailors tend to be, start chucking stuff off to reduce weight and crying out to their respective “gods”. Jonah, on the other hand, is taking a snoozer in the inner part of the boat. (This story should sound familiar, Jesus kind of does the same thing. Although, he was being obedient and Jonah was being a doofus, so, there’s that.)

Again, someone has to come to Jonah and say, “Arise…”, a call to a legit prophet who actually does work for the legit Lord God to wake up and pray so that people could be saved. He’s already bailed on this responsibility once to work with God and save the Ninevites, he’s now given chance number 2. Note, here, that the pagan sailors have a better concept of the power and sovereignty of “god” (in principle), even if this concept may not have them thinking in the beginning of the true God. Of course, the one guy on the boat who could speak to that is sleeping. (Ah hem, application, ah hem, for you…yes you.)

Then they cast lots, kind of like picking marbles out of bag and the dude who gets the black marble is the trouble maker. This isn’t just for pagan action, God’s people did this as well and just trusted God would handle the outcome. Scripture seems to at least passively affirm this practice, although I’m not sure if that has implications for whether we are to carry around a bag of marbles for similar occasions or not. Either way, Jonah gets pegged, sailors interrogate him and find out that he is Hebrew who “fears” the Lord God of heaven “…who made sea and the dry land.” Jonah is a real piece of work. His actions don’t obviously match his supposed “fear” of God and his belief that He controls the land and sea (which ironically is after him at the moment).

And the reaction of the mariners seems fitting. “What is this that you have done?” I get that we’re surrounded by a bunch of people who currently don’t know God, but once they start to open their eyes to it they’ll look at the Christians around them who haven’t said anything to them and who largely bailed on what God had them up to and say, “What is this that you have done?”

Either way, the problem is solved by them chucking Jonah out of the boat, a suggestion made by Jonah himself. Although he didn’t just jump in, I do wonder if that was an option. Was it important that he be thrown in by the boat bros? It’s unclear. They first tried to solve problems the man way, rowing harder, trying to get away from the problem. That fails. Then they, the pagan sailors, cry out to the Lord, ask for forgiveness for the throwing of a man overboard that is about to commence, and hope that it pleases Him. Then they chuck Jonah, offer a sacrifice and make vows (kind of a thing that happens when people rightly fear God.)

Then Jonah gets swallowed by a giant fish and is trapped in there for the 3 days. You know, like can happen.

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Bible Study 1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians – Chapter 1

Paul opens this letter to the Corinthians in standard fashion, introducing himself and giving his bona fides (he does what he does because God desired it so and was sent out (apostle=”sent one”) on the Lord’s behalf. Sosthenes is added here as part of the authorship of the letter. I suspect he was the guy who delivered the letter and just tacked his name on it for good measure, but that has no grounding in Biblical or historical fact. 
 
As Paul often does, he gives away some of what the letter is going to be about in his description of the folks he is writing to. Here, the people in Corinth are described as those, “…sanctified in Christ Jesus” and “…called to be saints together…” We shouldn’t be surprised, then, to see the notion of sanctification (making holy, righteousness, etc.) and unity show up as things he wants to focus on. 
 
Paul gives thanks for the Corinthian church in a way that mirrors his other letters and is almost always actually a thanks to God for what He has done in the community of believers that are in focus. In Corinth, Paul is grateful that they have heard the good news and received the “knowledge” (mind that, it’ll be important in a minute) which is sufficient to provide all the necessary gifts that come from the Spirit. Similarly, it is sufficient to sustain them until Jesus returns, guiltless in the site of God who orchestrated this whole thing and allowed them to be saved through Jesus. 
 
Then Paul hits his first appeal – unity. He wants, “…all of you [to] agree, and that there be no divisions among you.” There, the hint we got in 1:2 pays off just 8 verses later. It seems as though people are segmenting themselves by which great steward brought them to the faith (likely in a vain attempt to make themselves look good. It’s a story to tell people you met Jesus through Billy Graham. If you tell them you met Jesus through Ben Fust no one cares. There’s some pride and a wrong measure of greatness in here that is deeper than just an argument as to whether you follow Paul or Apollos, who was reported to be a big deal in the New Testament even though he really wasn’t.) 
 
In general, the church at Corinth is starting to allow some of the value systems outside of the Kingdom to influence measures of value, status and worth within the Kingdom. Obviously, this can’t stand and Paul reminds them that there is indeed only one Jesus. He is who we follow, it was he who was crucified, it is he who we are baptized into, he who provides the example of righteousness. Paul even seems to be happy that he didn’t baptize most of these folks so that he can’t be pegged for being part of this weird mess. 
 
His reaction does raise some questions (“For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel…”) I’d say that it’s a stretch to try and use this verse as an attempt to somehow diminish the importance of baptism, that’s not the point. I think it’s more of Paul saying that others do the baptizing, his job was delivery of good news in this situation. Note that he assumes all of them are baptized when he asks if they were baptized in the name of Paul. It wasn’t a question of if they were baptized, it was a reminder of by whom and for whom. 
 
Before we get too far from it, don’t miss our gal Chloe. First of all, it’s a lady who we get by name who not only is familiar and interacting with Paul about the Corinthian church but she also has “people”. It infers too much to assign her some sort of wealth or social status for having people, they could be friends, family, or folks from her household. They could also be disciples of hers (although her followers would seem to not have the same issues as the other groups because they are informing Paul of the wrong focus and behavior.) 
 
Now, to the meat of the rest of this chapter. When Paul talks about preaching the gospel, he continues the reorientation of what the world values vs. what the Kingdom values. The Good News Paul brings wasn’t what the world would consider elegant wisdom; the power of the message is its truth, simplicity and outlandishness. He spends the next few verses re-emphasizing that fact. Basically, line up those who supposedly have knowledge (the wise, the scribe, the debater) and see how the Good News makes fools of them. And it is through what they believe is foolish that people are being saved, both the Jews and the Gentiles. What’s the message? Christ crucified. For all the blowharding, arguing, temple sex, imperial worship, philosophy and whatever else goes on around them, the message of Christ crucified is what saves. 
 
To continue the point, Paul calls attention to the specific circumstances of the folks in Corinth. He says, “Look at you fellas, you all weren’t wise or powerful or noble when you got into the Kingdom. And yet here you are.” God chose what is foolish (ahem, these folks; plus, you know, kings dying on crosses to save everyone, being great by being a servant, not storing up money,) all kinds of things the world would consider foolish. 
 
Basic application for us is the same for them: remember where you belong. You will be different than the rest of the world, it’s kind of the nature of living in a different Kingdom. Also, the values of a fallen earth don’t play here. Jesus measures greatness differently and these notions of status or worth that you are deriving from the wrong sources do nothing but separate you unnecessarily. (I might note that excessive focus or deriving status on your particular church community runs the same risk. If you are deriving more pride around what church you go to than the identity you get from Jesus, that’s a problem.) 
 
So what is wisdom? Jesus. “And because of him, you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption…” Our pride, then, isn’t in who first shared with us the Good News (Cephas, Apollos, whoever). It isn’t in the church we go to or our own knowledge or wisdom or righteousness. Where we boast, we boast in the Lord. 
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Bible Study 1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians – Introduction

This is one of at least 3 letters Paul writes to the church at Corinth (two of which are in the Bible.) It was likely written in the mid-50’s by Paul while he was in Ephesus. He has a pastoral relationship with the Corinthians and he is writing in response to specific things that he has heard about regarding them. Corinth was established at the foot a mountain called Acrocorinth. Being a Roman city with a deep Greek history as well as being exposed to heavy port traffic that brought a variety of people and their religious practices to the area, there was no shortage of gods or people to worship. It was also a wealthy city with a diverse sexual appetite to mirror its population of travelers and deity options. 
 
Remember this context as you read through  both the letters to the Corinthians. Even though Jesus turned the world right-side up with his teachings, those who remain to follow still live in the upside down world He came to save. Themes like how to live as a united group of followers, what it means to serve, to be wise, to be married, to live righteously, to resolve conflict; these are all things that will face those trying to follow Jesus within the fallen world that remains as God’s patience for more to be saved is extended. 
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Bible Study 3 John Study

3 John – Chapter 1 (well, the only chapter)

John describes himself as the “elder” – This makes sense. At this point he’s likely the only apostle still alive. For some reason I have in my head that he is pretty heavy at this point and wears a black cloak but that isn’t supported by any historical record. It’s kind of a cross between the man in the painting who prays with the Bible and the bread and a monk.
 
Gauis is likely a close friend. Sometimes we’re concerned that praying for “shallow” things like good health and soul wellness is bad because we could be praying for ways to die for Jesus or go broke. I’m not against the latter half, but John seems to think it’s not an issue to pray for the former. So, you know, don’t beat yourself up about it, it’s cool to pray for good health. I do like the thought of praying that someone’s soul might be well, we should probably do that more.
 
“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in truth.” I hear that, brother. Gaius seems to be up to good things, training fellas up for the work of the good news, spreading it to the Gentiles. When he says that they accept nothing from the Gentiles, it’s not a bad thing, he’s basically saying that the church is providing for them so they don’t ask for anything from those they are trying to serve. Further, John encourages that Jesus people should support fellow workers that are up to such things.
 
Sounds like Diotrephes is a trouble maker, a selfish dude who does what he wants, talks badly about others, and is an inhospitable jackanapes to travelling Jesus fellas. Worse still, he tries to chuck hospitable folks who want to help the travelling bros out of the church. No wonder John wants to reckon with him. It’s interesting that this guy even retains any authority at all. John has more patience for him at this point than I do.
 
That said, he reminds them to not imitate evil but good and we hear echoes of his first two letters in “Whoever does good is from God…” In light of which, Demetrius seems to be doing a good job and everyone is saying so. (Hey man, are we telling folks they are doing good work? Encouraging them? Let’s do better at that.)
 
Finally, John still wants face to face time, better than a letter. He ends with some simple commands: Have peace, accept the greetings from all your friends, and greet them back, all of them. Seems easy enough.
 
 
 <<< 3 John Intro Jude Intro >>>

 

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Bible Study 3 John Study

3 John – Intro

Written by John the Elder to house church believers, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John echo the gospel of John. They emphasize that God is light and love and every true believer will demonstrate God’s light and love. Each book also addresses deceivers, teachers who no longer acknowledge that Jesus is the Messiah or Son of God but spread fear and division among believers.

All legitimate teachers will share the truth about Jesus and the cross, love others sacrificially and spread love and light rather than fear. He also reminds believers to welcome true missionaries who teach the message of the cross and love others. They should not welcome deceivers or make idols of anything that exalts itself in God’s place.