生命之道

Category: 保罗书信

  • 1 Timothy 4

    1 Timothy 4

    v4: Everything God created is good.

    However in today’s world, we human have created many food and polluted our food chain so drastically that a lot of what we called food are no longer the food originally created by God. I am referring to highly processed food, genetics modified organic, hormone given our animals and extensive pesticides. May the Lord gives us wisdom in choosing the food created by Him and partake the food with thanks giving heart.

    v7: train yourself to be godly

    For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things. Many people spend hours in physical training, but completed ignore spiritual training. Just like our body needs training to be strong and healthy, our spirit needs training to be strong and healthy.

    v16: Watch your life and doctrine closely

    Two most important things when we want to be teaching others about spiritual things. First is our life, second is our doctrine, or our knowledge of God’s truth.

    Our life needs to reflect the likeness of Christ. We need to know the word of God by studying and meditating of His words on daily basis.

  • 1 Timothy 2

    1 Timothy 2

    Jesus gave Himself as a ransom for all men (v6)

    Ransom means redemption price. It is a price paid to release a slave from his master.This verse does not mean all men and women are saved, because the rest of the bible clearly teaches that only those who believes (John 3:16; Rom 10:9) are saved.

    What this verse means is Jesus’s death is sufficient as ransom for all mankind. God loves all men and thus sent Jesus to die for all men, however only those who believes that will be saved. In another word, Christ’s death is unlimited in its sufficiency, but limited in its application. Christ’s death is sufficient to cover the sins of all men in all human’s history and future, however only those who responded will receive the redemption.

    I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayers, without anger or disputing (v8)

    Few principles we can learned from this verse.

    First, men (aner G435) is a specific word referring to men. Everywhere means all meeting places. Paul is teaching that man, instead of woman should be the spiritual leaders in public worship.

    We work with our hands. Holy hands mean our works should be separated from the world. In another word, our live should be holy and separated from the world for God. Paul is calling men to live godly life, so they can lead God’s people to come before God, which is what prayers are. The condition of our heart is the key, not the outward form of raising our hands in prayers. Although we can surely lift our hands while praying, but make sure are heart are holy for God before we lift our hands.

    Without anger or disputing are towards other people. If we are in anger or in dispute with others, it does not matter how high we lift our hands in prayers. Jesus said: “leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brothers; then come and offer your gift.” (Matt 5:24).

    I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent (v12)

    Men should be the spiritual leaders at home and at church. This is that arrangement of God. Men symbolize Christ and women symbolize His church. Christ should be the head, not His church. “…the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.” (11 Corinthians 11:3)

    Paul taught the same principle earlier in his life when he wrote to the Corinthians church (1 Cor 14:34).

    However it does not mean women cannot exercise their spiritual gifts at home or in church. Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head – it is just as though her head were shaved.” Women can pray or teach, but they ought to do that with their head covered. Not physically, but spiritually. In their spirit must acknowledge and submit to God’s principle in His church, which is glorify Christ.

    The most appropriate environments are sisters to exercise their spiritual gift in teaching is at home with her children, at church with the children, and in sisters’ meetings.

    Women will be saved through childbearing if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety (v15)

    This is a very difficult verse to interprete. Here is my understanding. If a woman has no faith, has no love, and does not live a holy life, even if she give birth to many children, she would not be saved.

  • 2 Thessalonians 3

    2 Thessalonians 3

    Request for Prayer

    v1: [… pray for us..]. Some Christians think only the more spiritual Christians should pray for the less spiritual Christians. No so with Paul. Paul, as apostle, an elderly brother, a teacher, a missionary, asked the young Church at Thessalonica to pray for him. Christians workers many prayers to uphold his works for the Lord.

    v1: […the message of the Lord may spread..]. Paul prayer request was not for him own personal needs, it was for the spreading of the gospel of the Lord Jesus.

    v2: […be delivered from wicked and evil men..]. The Lord Jesus taught us to pray to deliver from temptation. (Matt 6:13)

    Warning Against The Idleness

    God created men and gave work to man, before man fall (Gen 2:15). Men and women should work and be productive. For women who stay at home as full time mom is work. The writers were mainly concerned about Christians who do not work, but expect others to support them. Not only they do not work and stay idle, they were busybodies (v11).

    Missionary, teaching and pastoral and other Christian workers have the rights to be supported financially by other Christians (Gal 6:6, 1 Cor 9:3-14, 1 Tim 5:17-18).

    However Paul and his coworkers did not use this right (1 Cor 9:12, 2 Thes 3:9). They worked night and day, laboring and toiling (v8) to support themselves. This was a repeat of 1 Thes 1:9. These are the reasons why Paul and his coworkers worked to support themselves:

    1. But in order to be example of the rest of the brothers and sisters, [..how you ought to follow our example] (v7), [..to make ourselves a model for you to follow] (v9)
    2.  they do want to be a burden to the people they served (v9)
    3. do not want to hinder the gospel, for someone might misunderstood their motive. (1 Cor 9:12)

    Paul did not reject all financial supports from everyone. The Philippi church supported Paul financial, when Paul was in Thessalonica (Phil 4:16).

  • 2 Thessalonians 2

    2 Thessalonians 2

    The Man of Lawlessness (v1-12)

    I like the quote from Warren Wiersbe: “The purpose of Bible prophecy is not for us to make a calendar, but ot build character.”

    v1: [the coming of our Lord..]. referring to the Lord Jesus’s second coming.

    v1: [..our being gathers to Him]. Referring to the rapture of Christians

    v2: False teachers and self proclaimed prophets were teaching the Lord of the Lord was already here. Some even wrote forged letter pretending to be written by Paul.

    v3: [the day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed..]. Rebellion is greek is apostasia (G646), where the english word apostasy derived from. Before The Day of The Lord, there will be great apostasy, where many will not believe in the truth of God, and false teachings will be dominant in the church. The man of lawlessness is referring to antichrist. The name antichrist is only used by John in his 1st and 2nd letter. He is referred by Daniel as the “abomination that cause desolation” (Den 9:27). The Lord Jesus referred to the “abomination that causes desolation” as well (Matt 24:15).

    v4: [… sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.]. Many believer Paul was referring to physical temple in Jerusalem will be rebuilt, with the help of antichrist, and he will set himself up in the temple to be God. This phase could potentially be interpreted as the spirit temple of God, the Church of Christ. If we take the later position, antichrist could be someone who is extremely powerful in the church.

    v5: […I used to tell you these things]. In the short three weeks stay in Thessalonica (Acts 17), Paul taught them the Day of the Lord.

    v6-7: […what is holding him back….the one who now holds it back..]. Paul was referring to the Holy Spirit, who works in the church of Christ in spiritual warfare with Satan.

    v7: […till He is taken out of the way.] When the church rapture, the Holy Spirit not hold back the antichrist anymore.

    v7: [..the secret power of lawlessness is already at work]. The power of antichrist is already at work even in Paul’s time. It is a secret, until in the Day of The Lord, the antichrist will show his true identity, he will be revealed (v8).

    v8: [..Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of His mouth]. The antichrist and satan is very powerful, but in comparison to our risen Lord Jesus, their power is nothing. Lord Jesus will take them out with His breath.

    v9: […all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders]. The Lord Jesus Himself said: “For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect” (Matth 24:24). So dear brothers and sisters, do not use signs, wonders and miracles by itself to judge a person is from God. We may look at the person characters, and the words the he preached. Miracles itself is not a prove of someone is anointed by God, he could be false prophet used by Satan.

    Stand Firm (v13-17)

    v14: We are called to shared the glory of Jesus Christ! How glory is our calling, we ought to live a life worthy of this calling.

    v15: […stand firm…hold to the teachings..]. Many Christians heard about the truth of God, but how many are standing firm and holding on to the teachings?

    v16-17: […eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.] Such comforting encouragement to know that our Lord loved us, and by His grace gave us all these blessings, so that we can stand firm.

     

  • 2 Thessalonians 1

    2 Thessalonians 1

    Worthy of God’s calling in our life (v1-12)

    v1: Paul as the main writer, together with his coworkers Silas and Timothy wrote this epistle from Corinth (Acts 18:5), soon after they wrote the first letter to the Thessalonians Church.

    v2: The Lord Jesus Christ and God are frequently mentioned together in NT, implying the equality of God the Father and God the son (Phil 2:6).

    v3: [..faith..love]. Faith and love go together. Our faith is towards God, and our faith is reflected by our love for each other. When faith increases, love increases.

    v4-5: [..counted worth of the kingdom of God]. We are saved by grace not by works (Eph 2:8). When we were saved, we became the citizen of kingdom of God. We are unworthy for such blessing. Paul said the reason why the Thessalonians were experiencing persecution and trials was because of the judgement of God. God’s judgement is like the fire in a refiner, purifying metal. After believers persevere through trials, they impurity will be less and they will be more like Christ. They are still unworthy of being citizen of the kingdom, but because of the works of Christ for them and in them, they will be reckoned, or counted as worthy.

    v7-8: [God is just..punish..do not obey the gospel]. God will punish the ones who choose not to put their faith in His Son, and reward those who put their faith on His Son. It may not be apparent in this age, but God will surely fulfilled His promises when His Son return to this earth.

    v9: [..everlasting destruction…]. God’s punishment is eternal. Suffering in hell will go on forever. Hells mean without the present of God. Hells will not experience the power of the Lord’s majesty.

    v11: […may count you worthy of His calling]. We are called live a life worthy of His calling. The means:

    1. The Lord a good purpose for our life, for His glory. We need to constantly pray that His purpose for our life will be done by His power.
    2. Our faith will grow and will result in acts that glorify His name
    3. We ought to live a life the glorify our Lord
    4. Wo ought to live a life so that the Lord is gloried in us
  • 1 Thessalonians 5

    1 Thessalonians 5

    The Day of The Lord (v1-11)

    Chapter 4 talks about the rapture (caught up, 4:17). Chapter 5 talks about the Day of The Lord. After the rapture is the Day of The Lord (v1). The Day of The Lord is also known as “the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jer 30:7). OT scriptures that mentioned the Day of the Lord are Amos 5:18, Joel 2:1, Zephaniah 1:14-18, Isaiah 2:12-21. It potentially refers to the seven years of tribulation at end times. Many believes that Revelation chapter 6 to 19 describe this period. In the Day of The Lord, the wrath of God will be upon mankind. God will judge the world and punish the nations.

    The Day of the Lord will start after the rapture of Christians (1 Thes chapter 4), and will end right before the beginning of the Millenium.

    v2: [..will come like a thief in the night]. The Day of The Lord will come in the most unexpected time, without warning.

    v3: [..peace and safety]. The world will be ignorant of the coming of the Day of the Lord. They are living in peace and safety right when the Day of The Lord strikes.

    v3: […labor pain of a woman..]. Labor pain is unavoidable, however after the pain and joy of holding the child. The Day of The Lord will be painful for the world. However it will follow with a glorious Millenium Kingdom, with Christ is the King of Kings.

    v4: [..sons of the light and sons of the day]. Christians are sons of the day, we should not fall as sleep. Instead we need to stay awake to wake for the return of the Lord.

    v8; [..putting on faith and love as breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet]. Similar to Ephesians 6, Paul pictures Christians as spiritual soldiers. Roman soldiers wear breastplate from neck to waist to protect their vital organs. Helmet protects Christians from attacks to our mind.

    v9: [.. God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation]. Christians will be raptured and will not go through the tribulation.

    Christians Life Waiting for the Lord (v12-28)

    v12: Christians ought to respect the our spiritual leaders, elders, pastors and teachers.

    v13: [hold them]. Plural pronounce is used here. Just as Phil 1:1. A local church should be lead by multiple elders, to keep each other accountable and limit the authority of any single person in a church, so that the Lord Jesus could be the only head of the church.

    v13: […live in peace with each other]. Are you in peace with your coworkers?

    v14: […warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patience with everyone]. Christians need to have our eyes open, and pay attention to the needs of brothers and sisters around us, and expend our hands to help them.

    v16-18: [be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances]. These are the most important characters of Christians life, this is God’s will for us in Christ Jesus.

    v19: [do not put out the Spirit’s fire]. When the Holy Spirit gives us burden to serve, do not ignore His calling.

    v23: [spirit, soul and body]. Human is made of spirit, soul and body. (Heb 4)

  • 1 Thessalonians 4

    1 Thessalonians 4

    Living to Please God

    v2: […authority of Jesus Christ]. Christians teachers ought to teach in the authority of Jesus Christ. That means our teaching should have power, assurance and truth.

    v3: [..It is God’s will that..]. What is God’s will? It is all saints should be sanctified.

    To live a life that is pleasing to God is to live a sanctified life. What does it means to live a sanctified life? Paul said:

    1. avoid sexual immorality (v3)
    2. learn to control our own body in a way that is holy and honorable (v4)
    3. not passionate lust like the heathen (v5)
    4. do not wrong or take advantage of other Christians (v6)
    5. love each other (v9)

    In short Christians ought to strive to live a sinless, holy life (v7). We ought to remove all impurity from our life (v7). We need to learn how to listen and obey to the leading of the Holy Spirit (v8).

    If we live in a sinful, self indulgence life, God will surely punish us (v6).

    The Coming of The Lord (v13-18)

    v13: For Christians, when we die, we falled asleep, because we will be resurrected when the Lord returns.

    v13: For non-believers, all the family members could do were to grieve, because they had no hope. For Christians, we have peace for the Christians who died because we have hope that the saint is now with the Lord (Phil 1:21).

    Angels two the apostles on Christ’s ascension that Christ will return in the same way they had seen Him ascend to heaven. When the Lord returns, the following events will happen:

    1. The Lord will come down from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God (v16)
    2. The dead in Christ will rise first (v16)
    3. The Christians who are still alive will be raptured in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air (v17)
    4. Antichrist will start the seven years of covenant with Israel
    5. Three and a half year in the covenant, antichrist will break the covenant and claim himself as God
  • 1 Thessalonians 3

    1 Thessalonians 3

    Timothy was sent to visit the Thessalonians Church (v1-5)

    The history of Paul’s missionary journey from Philippi to Thessalonica to Bereas to Athens and finally to Corinth was recorded in Acts chapter 17 and 18.

    Paul, together with with Silas and Timothy, were in Berea preaching the gospel, but when the Thessalonica Jews learned about their work there, they came to agitate the crowds to stir up trouble to Paul, Silas and Timothy (Act 17:13). So The Berea brothers immediately sent Paul to Athens, but Silas and Timothy stayed in Berea. Paul left with instruction for Silas and Timothy to join him in Athens as soon as possible (Acts 17:15).

    It is likely that Silas and Timothy joined with Paul in Athens not too long after that. It was at Athen where Paul and Silas were thinking about the Thessalonians Church and sent Timothy to strengthen and encourage them in their faith (1 Thes 3:2). It was possible that Paul later sent Silas to visit the Macedonia church also since Acts 18:5 recorded that Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia to join with Paul.

    Unlike other cities, Paul did not receive persecution in Athens. After he preached the gospel to the Athenians, and many believed in Christ, and then Paul left Athens to Corinth (Acts 18:1).

    After Timothy finished visiting Thessalonica, he and Silas came to join Paul in Corinth (Acts 18:5, 1 Thes 3:6).

    The reason why Paul wanted to sent Timothy to visit the Thessalonica church was because they were under trials (3:3), being tempted by Satan (3:5).

    Paul was worried that this young church could unsettled by these trials (3:3). He knew they needed the encouragement from more mature Christians.

    Report from Thessalonica (v6-13)

    Timothy brought back good report from his visit to Thessalonica (Acts 18:5, 1 Thes 3:6).

    Their faith in Christ has encouraged Paul (v7). Often times, the faith of young believers is great encouragement for Christians workers.

    v8: [..standing firm in the Lord]. After we shared the gospel and people believed. We desire them stand firm in the Lord.

    v10: [Night and day we pray..]. Do we pray for the people we minister do?

    v12: […love increase and overflow..]. The sign of Christians is our love for each other and for the everyone else.

  • 1 Thessalonians 2

    1 Thessalonians 2

    The Reason of Ministry (v1-6)

    Many workers of God seek to please men instead to please God (v4). Ministers seek and long for praises from men, instead of praises from God (v6). We could look good from outside, it is easy to do in today’s world. We could attract many crowd, we could be famous among Christians circles, we could be successful in books sales, we could be busy in speaking at conferences.

    But God tests our hearts (v4). That is what matter the most to our God. If our heart is not right, nothing we accomplish on the outside will please God.

    Do we have greed inside us and need a mask to cover up ourselves? Most of us do, come before the Lord and repent, ask Him to be our witness.

    Ministers’ Love to God’s people (v7-13)

    Paul, Silas and Timothy love the saints in Thessalonica like a mother caring for her little children (v7), and like a father dealt with his own children (v11).

    How do you serve the people that God has entrusted to you? Do you love them like father and mother love their children?

    v8: Paul and companies did not just share the gospel. They are imitators of Christ, they are willing to share their lives with the church, just like Christ die for His church.

    v9: Paul and companies work with their own hands to support their ministry, they did not want to burden anyone else. The only exception is Paul received financial support from Philippi.

    Paul set an example ofCchristians workers today. Not everyone need to quit their job in order to serve the Lord. You can continue to work to support yourself and at the same time, serve the Lord.

    v12: What is the role of a father? To encourage, to comfort, to urge his children to live lives worthy of God.

    Encouragement (v13-16)

    The Thessalonians church was being prosecuted by the Jews, so Paul and companies comfort them by reminding them the Lord Jesus was killed by His own countrymen.

    The Glory and Joy of Paul (v17-20)

    We normally think our glory and joy is our Lord Jesus Christ. We seldom think about our glory and joy is the brothers and sisters we serve. Paul loves the Lord Jesus to a point he has to love His church. When God’s people grow, they became his glory and joy before the Lord Jesus. On Christ Judgement Seat, Paul’s glory and joy will be the saints that he served.

  • 1 Thessalonians 1

    1 Thessalonians 1

    The Testimony of The Church at Thessalonians

    v2: Familiar opening for Paul’s epistle. However Paul did not just write it, he actually love the church and pray for them. How often do you pray for others?

    v2: Paul thank God because the church in Thessalonians has work, labor and endurance (v3).

    v3: Three most importance characters of Christians: faith, love and hope. Their faith produced work, their love produced labor, their hope produced endurance.

    v5: Paul did not only preached the gospel, his life is consistence with his preaching (v5)

    v5: The words of God, together with the Holy Spirit convicted their hearts to believe in the gospel. Lacking the words or the the Holy Spirit mean our preaching will lack of the power of God. We need to study His word diligently, and pray earnestly.

    v7: The Thessalonians imitate Paul who imitate Christ. Their testimony has became well known to all the believers in Macedonian, Achaia and everywhere (v8), They themselves became the model for other Christians. This is the principle of spiritual growth, by living our life that is consistence with our words, and we share the life of Christ to other with our actions and words.

    v8-9: The Thessalonians’ faith in God includes three elements:

    1. Turning away from idols
    2. to serve the living and true God
    3. to wait for the return of Lord Jesus (v9)

    v10: [..who rescues us from the coming wrath..] On the Lord Jesus second return, the wrath of God will be poured out to the nonbelievers. Jesus would rescue all the believers from the wrath. It is also referred in OT as “time of trouble for Jacob” (Jer 30:4-7).