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Showing 4076 to 4100 of 4681 results

4076. The Parable of the Ten Minas

Luke 19:11-27

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... (19:1–10), in which the proper use of wealth was thematic, to the Triumphal Entry (19:28–48), in which Jesus enters Jerusalem as its king. Both aspects of stewardship and kingship are seen in the Parable of the Ten Minas. The Parable of the Ten Minas bears an uncertain relationship to the similar parable found in Matt. 25:14–30 (cf. also Matt. 25:14 and Mark 13:34 with Luke 19:12–13). In the Matthean version a man gives his slaves (25:14) five, two, and one “talents” (of either silver or gold ...

4077. Jesus Appears to the Disciples

Luke 24:36-49

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... the fish; he ate it right before their very eyes. Farewell and Ascension This final section consists of two parts: (1) Jesus’ commission to his disciples (vv. 44–49) and (2) Jesus’ ascension (vv. 50–53). Although giving no evidence of any literary relationship, this section does bear some resemblance to Matt. 28:16–20 and John 20:19–23. It will later be recapitulated in Acts 1:6–11. (Cf. also Mark 16:9–20.) 24:44–49 The main point that Jesus makes in v. 44 is that there really is nothing ...

4078. God's Righteous Judgment

Romans 2:1-16

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... are Jews to the Torah. In so arguing he is in good company, not only with the Jewish tradition, but also with the pagan. There is within humanity a rudimentary but undeniable moral sense, an “oughtness,” which the Hebrew tradition regarded as the “heart.” Paul bears witness that it is written on their hearts. To the requirements of the law the Gentiles are responsible, and by it they are condemned. On the Last Day God will reveal the hidden recesses of human hearts and judge them accordingly (v. 16 ...

4079. God's Wrath Against Mankind

Romans 1:18-32

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... NT, gnōston normally means “known” as opposed to “knowable”; its root, in fact, means not knowledge about something, but knowledge of it by experience. Paul is therefore saying that all persons have experienced God … and could have experienced more. Creation bears God’s fingerprints, and through it humanity has experienced something of God’s wisdom, power, and generosity. The idea here echoes Paul’s Areopagus speech (Acts 17:27–28) that God is not far from his creatures. A word may be in ...

4080. No One Is Righteous

Romans 3:9-20

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... , is free. 3:10–18 The assertion that all people (Jews included) are “under sin” is substantiated by “the very words of God” (3:2). It was a common rabbinic practice, also in evidence in the Dead Sea Scrolls, to assemble Scripture passages bearing on a common subject for catechetical purposes or as proof texts for argumentation. Paul may be utilizing a pre-formed list here, but, given the unusually appropriate fit of the list to Paul’s purpose, it is not unlikely that he assembled it himself ...

4081. Righteousness Through Faith

Romans 3:21-31

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... and law as he does, for example, between spirit and flesh. There is rather a corollary between law and righteousness. First, the law reveals sin (3:20) in that it demonstrates the need for a salvation apart from law. Moreover, the law testifies to righteousness. It bears witness to Jesus Christ and finds its proper culmination in him, as we shall argue at 10:4, “Christ is the end of the law.” This does not mean that Christ is the negation of law, but he is its goal and fulfillment. This agrees with ...

4082. Peace and Joy

Romans 5:1-11

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... prosagōgē, carries the solemn sense of being granted an audience with a monarch or afforded unhindered access into God’s presence (cf. Eph. 2:18; 3:12). The verbal form of the word prosagō, for example, occurs numerous times in the LXX with reference to bearing sacrifices to the altar or entering the Holy of Holies. The verbs gained and stand are also instructive. Both are in the perfect tense in the Greek, meaning that their effect began in the past at the point of faith and continues into the present ...

4083. Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ

Romans 6:1-14

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... ’s resurrection is thus presented not to indulge the readers in dreams of future glory, but to exhort them to moral resolution here and now. To be sure, Christ’s resurrection is a prelude to believers’ resurrection at the endtime, but it bears fruit today by calling believers to moral regeneration and responsibility. The Christian life is not a new attitude or better philosophy, but the release of righteousness into everyday life in an inexorable movement, step-by-step, toward Christ-likeness. 6:5–7 ...

4084. Future Glory

Romans 8:18-27

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... about us seems to be hopeless and all that happens goes against our prayers and wishes, then those “groanings” commence “that cannot be uttered.” And then “the Spirit helps our infirmities,” for without the help of the Spirit we could not possibly bear up under God when he acts in this way to hear and fulfill our prayers (Lectures on Romans, pp. 240–41). Luther is not accusing God of sadism. Rather, God uses human need to create receptivity, and receptivity is the prerequisite to acknowledging ...

4085. Israel's Unbelief

Romans 9:30--10:21

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... an Esau or Pharaoh for Israel’s benefit now hardened Israel for the benefit of the Gentiles, that was but further evidence of God’s righteous purpose. In 9:30–10:21 Paul considers the case of Israel from the human side. Israel bears responsibility for its rejection because it trusted in righteousness by law instead of righteousness by faith. The Jews “sought to establish their own [righteousness, and] did not submit to God’s righteousness” (10:3). Thus, Israel’s demise is not the result of ...

4086. Living Sacrifices

Romans 12:1-8

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... ills and suffering, with a gospel which is increasingly marginalized, ministries of the diaconate afford the church numerous opportunities to reach “the least of these,” i.e., those who for whatever reason no longer hear the gospel from the church. In so doing the church bears witness to the world that Jesus “did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Additional Notes 12:1–2 Luther saw more clearly than many the occasional ill-fit of being transformed to ...

4087. Love

Romans 12:9-21

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... and Paul reveal the chasm between the ethics of egoism and the “most excellent way” of agapē (1 Cor. 12:31). Christian love is shaped neither by the standards of the world nor by the promptings of self, but by the power of the Holy Spirit bearing witness within believers to the character of God. 12:9 Paul first appeals for sincere or genuine love, since love is the primary fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22). An examination of the Greek text reveals several important features not readily apparent in a ...

4088. Submission to the Authorities

Romans 13:1-7

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... be conscripted as justification for war. But it does seem to denote the right of capital punishment, for a sword (as opposed to a whip, for instance) was an instrument of death. In the present context, however, it is “God’s servant” who bears the sword, and this excludes all arbitrary and indiscriminate uses of power apart from the cause of justice. Additional Notes 13:1–5 The Greek word which Paul uses for governing authorities (exousia) is nowhere used in this manner in extrabiblical Greek. Some ...

4089. Love, for the Day Is Near

Romans 13:8-14

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... , from being accounted right with God to becoming right with ourselves and others. Salvation thus has an already and a not yet aspect. Christians are already justified by faith, but not yet conformed to the image of God’s Son. The present section bears similarities in theme and vocabulary to Ephesians 5:6–20. Paul again (cf. 12:9–15) rises to poetic felicity with his careful balance between day and night, darkness and light, with the three couplets in verse 13, and especially with the imagery ...

4090. Paul the Minister to the Gentiles

Romans 15:14-22

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... Paul’s main argument, they provide vital information about his reasons for writing. Both sections attest to the apostle’s longstanding desire to visit Rome (1:10, 13; 15:22–24, 28, 32) and to bring his readers a spiritual blessing (1:11–13; 15:29). Both bear witness to his commission as apostle to the Gentiles and to his desire to present them obedient in faith to God (1:5, 14; 15:15–17). And in both he presents himself united with and dependent on the prayers of believers in Rome (1:9–10 ...

4091. Thanksgiving

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... The declaration of God’s faithfulness will be repeated at 10:13, where Paul recognizes the reality of the temptation that the Corinthians must face and tells them that God’s own faithfulness assures that they will not be tempted beyond what they can bear—indeed, God’s faithfulness guarantees that “he will provide a way so that [they] can stand up under [temptation].” Already in 1 Thessalonians 5:24 Paul had written of God’s faithfulness, coupling the idea with the memory of God’s calling the ...

4092. Divisions In the Church

1 Corinthians 1:10-17

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... utters such lovely lines. The good news of God’s saving work in the cross of Christ, however, is not a message that is to be sold through elegant presentation. The cross is not a pretty sight, and sheer manipulative eloquence is not a medium that can bear the weight of the message of Christ’s cross. Above all, the shocking claim that God saves humanity in the cross of Jesus Christ demonstrates that God works in defiance of this world’s norms. Paul’s unstated point here is that the substance of the ...

4093. Lawsuits Among Believers

1 Corinthians 6:1-11

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... they have done, the Corinthians have failed to live up to their God-given responsibilities for maintaining the life of the community; moreover, by parading their problems before non-Christians the Corinthians both have presented a shameful image and have failed to bear the witness to those outside the church that is their privilege and responsibility to communicate. 6:9–10 Once again a rhetorical question opens this new segment of the discussion. The wording is deliberate: Do you not know that the wicked ...

4094. Warnings from Israel's History

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... saving presence of Christ is not to be taken for granted. 10:6 The statements that follow in verses 6–13 work out further application of the midrash by adding and applying other exodus materials to Paul’s basic exhortation. Now the story is brought to bear on the Corinthians in relation to the issues of idolatry and sexual immorality, themes that Paul dealt with explicitly in chapter 8 and in chapters 5–6. Moreover, Paul will return to the matter of idol meat in 10:14–11:1. Here, verse 6 introduces ...

4095. The Lord's Supper

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... brings judgment. One should see that this explanation is descriptive and dramatic, not a declaration. He is not issuing a threat so much as offering a passionate warning. He is not condemning but informing, although he understands that judgment has already come to bear on certain members of the church. 11:31 In turn, verse 31 speaks again of judgment. From the cast of the remark this reference to judgment is not eschatological but, as in verse 30, present judgment in this world. In combination with verse ...

4096. Orderly Worship

1 Corinthians 14:26-40

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... of prophecy; tongue is glōssa, in this context a reference to inspired speech that was directed from the speaker to God but that was unintelligible to other human listeners; interpretation is hermēneia (as in Hermes, the message-bearing god), a gift that complemented tongues by explaining the tongue speaking for the edification of the church. Paul’s encouraging words are not complete without important qualification. In fact, the principle he articulates validates the activities of worship. All ...

4097. The Collection for God's People

1 Corinthians 16:1-4

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... not under pressure. 16:3–4 Paul’s plans for delivering the collection were open to development or, better, to the guidance of the Spirit. One element of the arrangements seems definite: representatives that the Corinthians themselves were to select would bear the gift to Jerusalem. This aspect of the delivery serves a practical purpose. Someone has to transfer the funds from the givers to the recipients, and by asking the Corinthians to choose delegates, Paul ensures their participation and sets himself ...

4098. To the Church in Ephesus

Revelation 2:1-7

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

... Adam and Eve forsook their first love and paid for the consequences of their sin. Not only does the triumph of God’s reign through Jesus Christ anticipate God’s future restoration of creation, Christ’s exaltation bids the present church to bear witness to that future as God’s new creation. Additional Notes 2:2–3 Boring finds behind John’s reference to deeds a corrective to the kind of other-worldly, end-time speculation that dismisses civic or Christian responsibility as unimportant (Revelation ...

4099. The Seventh Trumpet

Revelation 11:15-19

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

... great hailstorm, symbolize God’s reign (cf. 4:5). They remind the readers that the heavenly temple, its ark, its altar (cf. 8:5), its slain Lamb, and all those who are purchased by his blood are ultimately for God (cf. 5:9), and must therefore bear witness to God’s triumph over all who oppose the testimony of Jesus Christ and his people. Significantly, the only other place in Revelation where a “hailstorm” is found is at the onset of the seventh bowl (16:21), which marks the final destruction of the ...

4100. The Lamb and the 144,000

Revelation 14:1-5

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

... beliefs and behaviors that corrupt the community’s devotion to God. Schüssler Fiorenza is right in saying that the expression points to “the cultic purity of the Lamb’s followers” as well as to their holiness (cf. 21:9–11), which bears concrete witness to the character of God’s reign (Revelation, p. 190). The second condition stipulates that they follow (akoloutheō) the Lamb wherever he goes. This is the only appeal to “formal” discipleship terminology found outside of the Gospels and Acts ...

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