Tag Archives: Bible

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Memorize Scripture: Philippians 1:3-4

There is so much packed into the first few verses of Paul’s letter to the Philippians, that it would be easier to split his first couple of sentences into two separate parts, even though that means dividing it up mid-sentence.

Take a look at the first part in Philippians 1:3-4:

Philippians 1:3-4

In order to examine this initial part of Paul’s letter, we will break it into four phrases. But before digging into those, it is helpful to understand that Paul follows a very common procedure in his letter writing during the first century, especially in this letter.

Letters in Paul’s day very commonly included an opening section that was filled with statements of thankfulness, or prayer, or even best wishes to the reader. In Paul’s case here, he fills this with thanksgiving for the church at Philippi. But before he is finished, we will see that he is thankful for several reasons. He is thankful for them overall. He is thankful because they remembered and supported him. He was thankful for their partnership in his ministry. He was thankful because God was working in their lives.

All of this comes out in the next few verses. We will look at a portion of this now, and examine the rest next week.

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Memorize Scripture: Philippians 1:1-2

Paul begins perhaps one of the most encouraging letters in the New Testament in a most encouraging way. Using his standard greeting, with a few twists, he manages to convey a strong sense of encouragement to the people at Philippi.

Read it for yourself in Philippians 1:1-2:

Philippians 1:1-2

As mentioned, there are a few twists to Paul’s greeting in this letter. First of all, he does not introduce himself as an apostle. He doesn’t need to. His apostleship is not in question in Philippi; they know well who Paul is.

Paul also includes Timothy in his greeting. Timothy may have been a big part of planting the church at Philippi, and he certainly was known to them. The implication here is that Timothy was with Paul as this letter was being written. Timothy is also included in the greetings of several other Pauline letters.

Finally, Paul identifies Timothy and himself as servants, or slaves. Paul is offering himself as a servant, and expecting the Philippians to follow his example.

Paul now turns to the recipients of his letter. He addresses “all the saints.” The word used here conveys the sense of being “set apart,” in much the same way as the words “sanctification” and “holiness” do. Paul frequently addresses his letters with the idea of “being in Christ.” In fact, this theme is central throughout all of Paul’s writings, and shows just how deep this understanding was in his own life.

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Memorize Scripture: Introduction To Philippians

Perhaps one of the most encouraging letters in the entire New Testament is the letter to the Philippians. As short as it is, it ranges from practical advice to intense worship, all in four chapters. Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi is one of my favorites, and is full of incredible stuff.

You can read Paul’s letter to the Philippians here.

Ruins at Philippi

Several years ago, I decided to make a stronger effort in my life to memorize Scripture. I began with the Sermon on the Mount, moved to a series of several key and favorite passages, and over the past three years, have worked on memorizing the letters of 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy and Titus.

Sometimes this is easy, sometimes it becomes a bit more challenging. Some passages are easier to grasp than others it seems. But the effort has been well worth it, because I have a much more solid grasp on these portions of the Bible than I ever have before.

My next challenge to myself is to memorize Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi. This letter is probably one of my most favorite portions of the New Testament, simply because it is so encouraging and full of incredible insights. It’s difficult to imagine how so much can be packed into such a short amount of Scripture.

I plan to begin memorizing chapter one next week. This week, I want to give a brief overview of the letter and an introduction to Philippians.

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Memorize Scripture: Titus 3:14-15

Paul wraps up his letter to Titus with a final encouragement and an exchange of greetings. His final statement is his common expression of grace.

See this passage at Titus 3:14-15:

Titus 3:15-16

Paul gives Titus one last instruction in the first verse of this passage. He states that “Our people too must learn to devote themselves…”

This untranslated “too” ties this statement directly to the one before it where Paul tells Titus to help meet the needs of Zenas and Apollos. The believers on Crete, as well as you and I, must learn to meet the needs of others and do good works. This is not simply limited to the two men who brought Paul’s letter to Crete, but should be a way of life for all believers, meeting the needs of those around them.

Paul expands this though by giving two purposes for these good works.

They help provide for daily necessities

These are the things that we need each day to function. The idea behind this phrase means pressing needs or urgent necessities. In classical Greek, the idea is that of the necessary things of life. This would include things like food, clothing and shelter, but wouldn’t necessarily be limited to that. Indispensable wants would also be included in this idea as well.

They help us to not live unproductive lives

When we see and grasp each opportunity to do good works, we become fruitful. Paul encourages Titus to teach the believers on Crete to learn to seize these opportunities as they occur. Producing fruit is an indicator of our faith. If we do not display fruit, we show that we are not growing, and in John 15, Jesus warns that the unproductive branches will be pruned.

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Book Review – Romans 8-16 For You by Timothy Keller

Romans 8-16 For YouOne of my favorite authors is Timothy Keller. And one of my favorite Bible Study series is the For You series from The Good Book Company.

So when I found that a new installment in this series was being released, I grabbed a copy as quickly as I could. This particular volume is the second half of the book of Romans, finishing what Romans 1-7 For You began.

As usual, Keller takes Scripture and brings it to a very understandable level. It doesn’t matter how familiar you may or may not be with Paul’s letter to the Romans, Timothy Keller can help you glean several gold nuggets of knowledge from each chapter that will deepen your walk with Christ.

Romans is one of Paul’s longer and deeper letters. It’s one of those books in the Bible that you have to read very carefully, or else you’ll miss something. And the chances are good that you’ll miss something anyway. Having a resource nearby, such as a commentary or a Bible study like this one, is incredible beneficial.

I have several commentaries on my shelf on the book of Romans for this very reason. Two of my favorites are the College Press commentary on Romans, by Jack Cottrell, and the IVP commentary by Leon Morris. Both of these have helped me immensely as I strive to understand Romans. But this second volume by Timothy Keller, paired with the first half, may just be my favorite go-to resource for Romans.

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Memorize Scripture: Titus 3:12-13

Paul’s letter to Titus is almost complete. All that is left are a few personal greetings and instructions. And though these seem inconsequential, they actually provide some significant insight into Paul’s life and companions.

You can the first part of these personal greetings at Titus 3:12-13:

Titus 3:12-13

Throughout the letter, Paul has given some strong, long-term instructions to Titus, indicating that he was to stay in Crete. However, in his final remarks, he lets Titus know that he is considering a replacement for Titus, at least for a while, so that Titus can join him for the winter.

What this was for, we do not know. Perhaps Paul wanted to give some additional, more in-depth instruction to Titus about ministry. Perhaps he had a different task for Titus in mind.

Either way, he is considering two men as potential replacements for Titus: Artemus or Tychicus. One of these men will arrive soon after Titus receives this letter, quite possible carried by Zenas and Apollos, as indicated in verse 13.

Of the two possible replacements, we know nothing of Artemas. This is the only mention of him in the New Testament. The most logical assumption is that he is another of Paul’s pupils, and has been instructed on how to spread the message of the Gospel of Christ.

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Memorize Scripture: Titus 3:9-11

After instructing Titus on what he should be focusing on, the message of the gospel, Paul reverts back for a final description of the false teachers on Crete. This description shows Titus just what he is to avoid.

You can see it for yourself in Titus 3:9-11:

Titus 3:9-11

Paul’s final description of the false teachers on Crete shows the corrupting influence that they had, and Paul tells Titus to avoid it at all costs. He lists several different items that Titus should steer clear of.

Foolish Controversies

This, paired with the next item in the list, were listed in 1 Timothy 1:4, indicating that Titus was experiencing the same sorts of thing on Crete as Timothy in Ephesus. Some of the false teachings permeating the church were widespread indeed. These were arguments concerning specific, obscure points of Judaism, and were not worth Titus’ time.

Genealogies

Again, this was probably based upon some of the Jewish beliefs about their history, and quite probably were in conflict with the scriptural account of history. Some of these genealogies were expanded and fanciful, and many attempted to teach that there were hidden truths in these lists.