We tend to idealize the great apostle Paul: he saved many souls, wrote a big chunk of our New Testament, did great things for the kingdom of God. But we also need to understand that things were often terrible for Paul. Of the many things that he suffered, Paul was beaten by the Jews five times…
A couple weeks ago I wrote an article, Our Father and Our Lord, discussing the distinction between Jesus and God the Father. This dimension of our Christology is so important, and I really feel like it is underemphasized by a lot of Oneness believers. By focusing on Jesus' true humanity we gain so much. We find…
As I was reading my Greek New Testament the other day I made an interesting discovery. I was reading the passage where it talks about the qualifications of deacons and deacons' wives Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre; Holding the mystery of the…
Jesus and the Father are both God; but there is only one God; but Jesus and the Father are distinct from one another---how can we reconcile these distinctions? How can we explain these truths without explaining them away? Paul's letters to Timothy and Titus give us some powerful verses to help us understand these powerful…
As I've been studying the pastoral epistles, I keep being impressed with just how often Paul stresses the importance of doctrine to the two young men that he is mentoring. In an age where so many preachers want to give inspirational sermons, I feel like the emphasis on doctrine in these books is extremely relevant…
When I think about Timothy and Titus as men, I can't help but think about their personal relationship with the apostle Paul. These men knew and were mentored by the great Paul, who penned some of the most powerful verses in our New Testament! I am a tad envious of the lives that these men…
I always knew that grace was God's undeserved favor. Even when I did not deserve it, Jesus died for my sins so I wouldn't have to go to hell. But to my shame, that is pretty much where my thoughts on grace stopped. I didn't meditate on the implications of grace: what his grace meant…
For the last couple days I have been reading the pastoral epistles---Paul's two letters to Timothy and his letter to Titus. Paul wrote these three letters to young men who had just been put in leadership positions in the church to give them advice on how to be good pastors; as a young minister myself,…
Lectionary 