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Galatians 2:1-14
To be differentiated as an individual is to be defined and connected at the same time. The principle of self-differentiation comes to us from the family systems theory. Aside from Christ, no human being is completely differentiated. We all, the apostle Paul included, could be plotted somewhere on the scale of differentiation of self. Sometimes…
1 Peter 3:1-12
When we pick up the text at 1 Peter 3:1, it’s pretty clear that Peter is right in the middle of saying something quite long and profound. He is calling the believers in Asia Minor – many of whom were new converts – to good lives – to lives that are so good that they…
Revelation 19:1-10
There are a couple of big questions that haunt my reading of Revelation 19:1-10 (especially when I read it against the backdrop of Revelation 18). What/Where/Who is Babylon? And how do I react to the fall of Babylon? When I first read Rev. 19:1-10 in preparation for writing this sermon commentary, I knew I was…
John 3:22-36
After the midnight conversation with Nicodemus in which Jesus proclaims who he is and what he is about on earth, the gospel writer solidifies and catapults the message by bringing Jesus and the John the Baptist’s storylines back together in verse 22. Back in chapter 1, John the Baptist is introduced as the man sent…
John 8:48-59
There’s a very well-known story about a man trapped in the water (variations include him on a roof during a flood, lost on a large lake without his oars, or lost at sea). The man, being a good Christian, prays and believes that God will rescue him. A boat happens upon him and offers to…
Romans 3
No one will ever be able to accuse Paul of lacking passion. It oozes out of each of his letters in the New Testament. Sometimes though, when you’re passionate, your arguments don’t always make logical sense or flow smoothly from point to point. The opening of Romans is a good example of this. In Romans…
Galatians 3:1-14
In the letter to the Galatian church, Paul pleads for the believers there to cling to the faith that unites them and reject what others have argued as being the most important component to knowing who one is: keeping the law, especially the parts of the law that easily identified the community of God (i.e….
Titus 1
Paul tells Titus that his job is to continue the work they began while Paul was with him in Crete: organizing the believers with elders/overseers to guide their growth and protect their development. Reading through the qualifications, one thing becomes abundantly clear: living the faith with integrity is vital for everyone’s well-being. But why do…
2 Peter 2
Comments and Observations: There seems to be to basic questions underlying 2 Peter 2: (1) Will there be judgment? and (2) Who are you following? Building upon where true prophecy comes from in chapter 1, Peter wants to make sure that everyone listening recognizes that not all who claim to teach are from God. Just…
1 John 2
I find the letter/sermon in 1 John to be exceptionally pastoral and truthful. Scholars have helped us piece together the conflict that prompted all three letters with John in the name: it’s clear that the community of believers were being bombarded with challenges to core beliefs about Jesus and the nature of things by people…
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