A central theme in Ephesians is the work of the Holy Spirit. If this is a letter about God’s purpose for his church, about how to be united in love as his alternative society and about standing firm in spiritual warfare, then the Holy Spirit is crucial to all of that. But before Ephesians is… Continue reading The Spirit in Ephesians
Tag: Paul
The Gospel does not depend on our ropey apologetics
I was reading this article the other day which touches on how Paul appears to use a creedal form in 1 Corinthians 15:3-7 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance[a]: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and… Continue reading The Gospel does not depend on our ropey apologetics
What is Ephesians all about?
Yesterday, I gave an overview of Ephesians based on five key phrases from the book. We can however get a little bit tighter as we seek to sum up what the main message of the book is. Whenever I prepare a sermon, I try to sum up the core message in one or two sentences. … Continue reading What is Ephesians all about?
Ephesians in 5 short statements
Whenever I’m involved in a teaching series, I find it helpful to get a sense of the whole shape of the book so I can be clear about its purpose, message to the church and where the bits I will preach fit in. Our church are just starting a preaching series on Ephesians. So, I… Continue reading Ephesians in 5 short statements
Paul and the supposed lost message of love
I promised that I’d pick up on the substance of a couple of recent social media debates. Here’s the secind one. Readers will recognise immediately that this is a pretty old misconception. It’s been doing the rounds as long as I can remember. Some of my readers are significantly older than I am and I… Continue reading Paul and the supposed lost message of love
Faith and works, hearers and doers
Central to James’ argument is that living faith results in transformed lives, particularly in the crucible of persecution and suffering. This transformation affects character (1:19-21) and attitudes (2:1-7) because it is about our lives being shaped by love for God and for neighbour (2:8-13). This means that there should also be a change in behaviour… Continue reading Faith and works, hearers and doers
James and Paul: Law, grace and faith
Does James contradict Paul? This is one of the big questions that has been asked of his letter and it is the primary reason why some people have been suspicious of the letter. Paul has been keen in his letters to argue that we are saved by grace alone and justified by faith. In Ephesians… Continue reading James and Paul: Law, grace and faith
An excellent church (1 Corinthians 13)
At the end of 1 Corinthians 12, having talked about many of the problems and troubles in Corinth and having given some time to talking about things like gifts and unity, Paul says: “And yet I will show you the most excellent way.” Excellence is something we all crave. Schools covert the “outstanding” status whilst… Continue reading An excellent church (1 Corinthians 13)
What kind of Church? A worshipping Church (1 Corinthians 11:1-16)
Why do we come together for worship? What is a church gathering all about? The key things can be summed up as: To give praise and glory to God To hear God speak to us together To encourage and build one another up This will help us make sense of the next section of 1… Continue reading What kind of Church? A worshipping Church (1 Corinthians 11:1-16)
A learning church (1 Corinthians 10: 1-18)
You’ve probably heard the story about the boss who wants a new chauffer. He gets two drivers to do a test run along one of the most challenging passes up around the mountains. One driver puts his foot down. He wants to show off his skills, he takes the car right to the edge of… Continue reading A learning church (1 Corinthians 10: 1-18)
