Tag: Paul

What Kind of Church? – A humble Church (1 Corinthians 1:18-31)

Remember when those rich and powerful Premier League football teams were outmanoeuvred and outplayed. Who’d have thought that a team costing just £50 million – the sort of money the big boys pay for one player these days could win the title.  That’s what Leicester City achieved only a few years ago. It’s almost as… Continue reading What Kind of Church? – A humble Church (1 Corinthians 1:18-31)

What kind of Church? A gifted Church (1 Corinthians 1:1-9)

Introduction Packing for a journey – Who packs early? Who throws everything in the car at the last minute? Who just sets off thinking “it’ll all work out somehow?” Who is planning and checking to the last minute -double check the suitcase, making sure doors and windows are locked? Who is asking. “Will I have… Continue reading What kind of Church? A gifted Church (1 Corinthians 1:1-9)

This is Paul signing off

We are coming to the end of Paul’s letter. If he had leapt quite abruptly into the challenging stuff at the beginning without the extended prayers, thanksgiving and commendations we get used to with his other letters, it also finishes fairly abruptly without the personal greetings we find in other letters such as in Romans… Continue reading This is Paul signing off

Reaping what you sow

This next section reinforces the point that we’ve seen developed through chapter 5-6, we cannot fix our lives and our relationship to God by making external adjustments to our behaviour through rule keeping and rituals.  Instead, our lives will bear fruit in accordance with the roots. A look at the text (Read Galatians 6:7-10) An… Continue reading Reaping what you sow

Filled with the Spirit

Paul’s solution to the question of Christian obedience and holiness is not to impose laws and rituals (legalism), nor to say that grace means we can do what we please. Instead, he sees our true hope being the Holy Spirit. In Galatians 5:2-23, he says that the result or fruit of receiving the Holy Spirit… Continue reading Filled with the Spirit

Misrepresentation

In Galatians 2, Paul talks about the circumcision party who had previously caused trouble in Antioch as those who “came from James.” The implication there may have been that James himself was endorsing their position.  However, that isn’t necessarily the case.  In 5:11, Paul is himself  compelled, to deny and refute that he was a… Continue reading Misrepresentation

The allegory of Sarah and Hagar

Remember that the argument being made by the agitators in Galatia was in effect that history and God’s Word was on their side. God’s covenant was with the Jewish people and it centred on two things, ancestry through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and Torah keeping.  Paul has been systematically pulling apart this claim. A look… Continue reading The allegory of Sarah and Hagar

When the way forward is the way back

We got off the aeroplane at Beijing airport and jumped into a taxi, giving the driver the details of our hotel in the centre of the city.  After over half hour of driving, we assumed that we must be getting close to our destination. Except my mum looked out of the window and said “We’ve… Continue reading When the way forward is the way back

Redemption

One of the great events of the Old Testament, in fact perhaps the greatest event in the history of God’s people was their deliverance from slavery in Egypt.  About 400 years earlier, a man called Joseph had been sold by his brothers as a slave to passing traders. They in turn sold him on to… Continue reading Redemption