WCF Blog
Rules Can’t Make Us Self-Controlled
It’s not easy dealing with the problem of sin in our lives. Paul puts it well in Romans 7 where he describes the human experience – “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing” (v19). We can all relate to that and all of us want to find the solution to the problem; how can I overcome sin?
Daily bread
I’m sure the title made you immediately think of the Lord’s prayer. In fact, that phrase only occurs twice in scripture – in the two versions of the Lord’s prayer. “Give us this day our daily bread.” (Matthew 6:11) “Give us each day our daily bread.” (Luke 11:13)
Credit
Who gets the credit? Solomon makes this point in multiple places:
Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. (Psalm 127:1)
The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD. (Proverbs 21:31; 19:21 is similar)
The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps. (Proverbs 16:9)
Need
We’re all familiar with the story: Martha is feeling overwhelmed and is fretting over getting a meal ready for Jesus and his disciples. Her sister Mary is sitting listening to the Teacher, not helping out. Martha vents her frustration, but Jesus gently rebukes her for being so anxious about many things. Then he says, “Only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42)
Exalted
How long has it been since you stopped to marvel at this? But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:4-6)
Sound Bites
We live in an era of very short attention spans. At least that’s true in North America where I live. In-depth explanation of anything is unlikely to be read or listened to. If the message can’t be reduced to a sound bite, little attention will be paid to it by many.
Knowledge isn’t Meant to be Academic
Why does Peter’s list begin with faith, move to virtue, and only then come to knowledge? Surely knowledge should come first – we need to know what we believe in rather than having a blind faith.
I love you
The “three little words” that mean so much: “I love you”. Interestingly, they don’t occur all that often in the Bible—even though it plainly states that “God is love,” and the two great commandments to us are to love. (1 John 4:8, 16; Matthew 22:36-39)
Faith – The Root Principle
Why is faith the first attribute in Peter’s list in 2 Pet. 1:5-7? We know that faith is what God looks for in his children as he demonstrated in the life of Abraham. Faith is why God justifies us.
Would you? Would I?
A study group I’m part of recently looked at Acts chapter 12. The incident that opens the chapter is the murder of the apostle James by Herod. This was part of a broad wave of persecution: “About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. He killed James the brother of John with the sword.” (Acts 12:1-2)
Virtue – The Call to Excellence
In 1 Pet. 2:5 Peter exhorts “supplement your faith with virtue.” Why is virtue the second attribute in Peter’s list? The English word virtue can mean a variety of things like moral excellence, good behavior, and chastity. However, the Greek word Peter uses is, arete, had a more specific meaning in the culture of his day.
Living word
Most Bible students will be quite familiar with this verse from the letter to the Hebrews: For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)
Maturing Faith
It’s easy to quickly read a passage like the one above which contains a list of nine attributes, and not think much about it. Yes, we need faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. But is this just Paul rattling off attributes at random?
Spiritual Olympics Qualification
With the Olympic Games currently taking place in Paris, I was thinking about all the athletics analogies Paul uses in his epistles. The first Olympic Games were held in Olympia, Greece, in 776 B.C.E. and Paul is well acquainted with athletic events. For instance, he describes our lives in Christ like running a race (e.g., Heb. 12:1).
Cleaning day
There are folks who delight in cleaning – their home, their car, their workspace, themselves. The shine, the tidiness, the renewal are their own reward. I get it, I do enjoy the result, but I’m not really one of those folks. For me cleaning is a chore.
Being God’s Clients
In New Testament times if you wanted to start a business you wouldn’t go to a bank, like people do today, and obtain a business loan. Instead, society was structured in those days in such a way that, without your own capital, you would need to establish a relationship with someone else who had the means to help you. That person, who might provide you with things like money, office space, business connections, and other resources, was known as your patron and you would become their client. This arrangement was known as the patron client relationship.
