Simpler Bible

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! Here’s an excerpt from the blog post. From the start of our journey together, we have been working for and looking forward to this point. One day, Jesus, our Savior, will return for us. One day, all things will be made new again in him. One day, there will be a new heaven and earth. One day, the sun, moon, and stars will be done away with and exchanged for the glory of Christ. One day, death will be overthrown. One day, every tear will be wiped away. One day, there will be no more sin. One day, there will never be hunger or thirst again. One day, the overcomers will stand in the presence of th living God. One day, we will behold our precious Jesus. One day. The End. For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! Here’s an excerpt from the blog post. Many, even my friends, will disagree with me on my position concerning Jesus's 1,000-year reign. There are two main camps: Either the 1,000-year reign is a literal time period, or it is figurative. That seems pretty straightforward. I absolutely land in the "literal" camp. For me, the description of the temple in Ezekiel is one of the sticking points for me. The things described in Ezekiel have yet to happen, and I just don't see them as figurative. I also find it difficult to believe that, from the figurative perspective, Satan is currently bound and NOT deceiving the nations. I have another dozen or so thoughts on the matter, but I have no interest in muddying the water and speaking about things that are too lofty for my tiny brain. For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! Here’s an excerpt from the blog post. Babylon is both a physical and spiritual enemy of the people of God throughout the Bible. In today's chapters, we see Babylon finally brought to nothing, but this is not the end of the story, for the one we call the Antichrist arises to power from this defeat of the queen of Babylon. Again, I have a lot of pieces in my head and no deep understanding of them. Even as I write these words, I recognize that people have been excitedly waiting for me to teach on Revelation, and yet I have to disappoint in that my insight into this final book of the Bible is shallow at best. My friend told me when I was just 25 years old, "Don't go swimming in knee-deep water. Don't teach out of your depth." I have tried my best to keep those words in mind over these last nearly 25 years. I do want to draw your attention again to the imagery of Babylon being cast down like a heavy stone into the sea. It is the same imagery that Jeremiah used in his writing. I hope that as we draw this year to a close you can see just how interconnected the Scriptures truly are. For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! Here’s an excerpt from the blog post. I have, for many years, been intrigued by the two witnesses. When I was about 18 years old, I read a Christian fiction book about the final days. I recognized then that the book was a work of imagination but also that it was inspired by Revelation. It was in that book, thirty years ago, that I first learned about the two witnesses. I've been curious about them ever since. I am comfortable saying that these two witnesses are symbolically revealed back in the book of Judges, and without a doubt, I see them in the book of Zechariah. Honestly, I want to understand Revelation much better than I do, and I'm confident that understanding Zechariah will be instrumental in that endeavor. I don't have much to say about these chapters. My head swirls with thoughts. I find it interesting that there are so many people who seem so sure of how Revelation plays out and what all the symbols mean. I must confess, that I am not smart enought for that at this point in my life, so I will hold my tongue for now. For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! Here’s an excerpt from the blog post. I am not smart enough to give you any real insight into Revelation. I hope to know and understand it better in another decade, but today, I have told you all I have to tell you about it. I wish I could offer you some great epiphany or some earth-shaking truth, but I'm just not there. I have friends who believe the seven seals, trumpets, and bowls are just three accounts of the same events. I still can't quite agree; they seem too different to me. But I'm certain they represent God's judgment on a rebellious world. Of this, I am also certain that God is fair and just and will not treat the righteous and the wicked the same. In that, I find great comfort. For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! Here’s an excerpt from the blog post. In chapter four, we have the worship of God as he sits on his throne. In Chapter Five, we see the worship of the Son of God. It would be good for us to practice the worship of the Father and the Son now. It would behoove us to think highly of the Father and the Son and to think lowly enough of ourselves that we could find no better use of our tongue or time than that we worship God who provided salvation for us and that we worship Jesus through whom salvation was provided. For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! Here’s an excerpt from the blog post. I will say again that we often read Revelation as if it were a different type of writing than those prophetic books of the Old Testament. I have come to the place where I am wholly convinced that Revelation reads similarly to Isaiah, with both an immediate fulfillment and a future fulfillment. I tend to land in the place where these letters to the churches are more in the immediate days of John the Revelator and less about the future days of the church. I have quit trying to figure out whether or not the believers who gather with us on Sunday are comparable to the church in Ephesus, the one in Smyrna, or even Laodicea. I tend to read them now as letters written to true and existing churches across Asia rather than spiritual representations of churches. (though i'm not opposed to that possibiblity as well) I love the formulaic language in the seven letters. Here is what I like or dislike, here is who I am, here is what the overcomers will gain. Poetry or prophecy these letters are beautiful. I also like the many references these letters make to previous Biblical texts. Again, we find that a good understanding of Scripture makes these letters come more into focus more clearly than before. For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! Here’s an excerpt from the blog post. False teachers, at least some of them, crept in unnoticed but were "long ago designated for this condemnation." They are ungodly. They pervert the grace of God. They deny the master Jesus. These people reject authority. They rely on their dreams. They blaspheme all they don't know. They are grumblers and malcontents. They follow their own desires and have mouths full of boasting. Be alert and on guard against such people. Resist them, expose them, and, when possible, overthrow them. For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! Here’s an excerpt from the blog post. These two "books" are some of the shortest in the entire Bible. There isn't really anything in 2 John that we haven't already covered in First John. Third John seems to deal with an issue in the church and the wickedness of a certain brother. Both are from John the Apostle to specific members of the body. I read these letters and think perhaps my grandmother was right all along; letter writing is a lost art. Somehow, I don't think a text from John would have landed quite the same. For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! Here’s an excerpt from the blog post. One key sign that someone is a person of faith is their love for the fellow believer. In fact, "We know that we have passed out of death into life because we love the brothers." Jesus says a similar thing in John 13 when he says, "By this, all men will know that you're my disciples, that you love one another." We see then that the way we love one another in the faith is one of the key indicators we are, in fact, people of faith. The other major indicator of faith mentioned here in First John is what the individual says about Jesus. Remember, if you don't acknowledge the Son, you do not know the Father. What people often do is point to 1 John 2:3-4 and say, "By this, we know that we have come to know him, that we keep his commandments." And "Anyone who says 'I know him' but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him." People usually read these verses and interpret them to mean that we should obey the Ten Commandments or the Law of Moses. The problem with that line of thinking is that Paul directly contradicts it in Galatians and Romans. Furthermore, the context of 1 John supplies us with what it means to "obey the commandments." In Chapter Three, we read, "And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him." So we see that the commandments of God are that we believe in Jesus and that we love the brethren. Why we make it more difficult than that, I won't ever understand. For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! Here’s an excerpt from the blog post. I could probably write an entire book on what I think about First John, or even just these first two chapters. (Of course, then I'd be ignoring the context of the rest of the book and thereby contradicting the very counsel I've been giving you for the entire year.) Let me point out just one of the very many things from this section of Scripture that is of the utmost importance. "No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also." this verse is absolutely essential. In our world today, we have people who insist on their belief in God but then will deny their need for Jesus. That simply can't stand. If you deny the Son [Jesus], you then, by extension, deny the Father [God] who sent him. If you don't have the Son, you don't have the Father, nor could you. That means the Jews, as a whole, who denied Jesus and facilitated his murder, at that moment, also fully denied the Father they claimed to know and worship. In John 8, Jesus says that they were all liars who did not know God. If they had known God, then they would have also known and loved Jesus. The fact they denied the King of Glory means they also denied God. I'd be content to say the same thing another fifty times just so that it could not possibly escape our hearts, but let me offer you one more thought. When we are tempted to say of our dear friend or family member, "So and so really does believe in God. He/she really is a great person. They just don't believe in Jesus," let us clap our hand over our mouth. Let us not dare say that they can believe in God and deny the Son he sent. Let us hold such a high view of our Savior that we would say of anyone who denies Jesus, "Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ?" Anyone who denies Jesus is a liar and has the spirit of the antichrist, and there is no other conclusion we could rightly come to. For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! Here’s an excerpt from the blog post. False teachers were a recurring problem in the first-century church. It would seem that there were as many, if not more, false teachers than faithful ones. Growing up in church, as you do in West Texas, I heard about false teachers only on occasion and only in the Bible stories. By college, I would occasionally hear someone throw around the term "false teacher" to describe this radical preacher or that one. But even then, false teachers seemed to be a rare occurrence. Now, with a few decades of ministry behind me and more thoughtful consideration of texts like this one and the one we will see in Jude, I find myself believing that false teachers are a bigger problem than most churches seem to acknowledge. (I often wonder if it is because many of those churches have false teachers at the helm, but we can discuss that another time) In the days of Paul, false teachers often, if not always, fell into the category of people who were teaching the works of the law as necessary for salvation or righteousness. Preaching Christ Jesus PLUS circumcision wasn't just a poor teaching but a damnable one. I wonder if Paul would consider the teaching of today that intermingles the works of law along with faith in the doctrine of false teachers. I don't know how he could arrive at any other conclusion. What if much of what we call "weak" or "powerless" preaching is truly an abomination? Thankfully, I don't have to hand down judgment as to whether a teaching is faithful or unfaithful. For "If God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; he knows how to keep the unrighteousness under punishment until the day of judgment." And that is a terrifying thing. We should be considerably more cautious in who we listen to and who we set before us as shepherds. For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! Here’s an excerpt from the blog post. I will always be amazed by the truth that "His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence." Another translation says, "We have everything we need for life and godliness." How could that strike us as boring, dull, or unimportant? In Christ Jesus, we have EVERYTHING we need for life and godliness. According to his power and promises, by his glory and excellence. Yet people will still say to me, "I get it, but I'm only human after all." They shrug their shoulders and turn their dejected faces to the ground, settling for mediocrity rather than the glory of the fullness of God at work in their hearts. Maybe eventually, this truth will take hold of every Christian heart, and we will start to live according to the power of God at work within us. Until then, I will do my best to remind people who we are in Jesus. For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! Here’s an excerpt from the blog post. Suffering, for the believer of the first century, was a given. Suffering for the believer is still a reality for many of our fellow Christians around the world today. Most of us in the West will never face true suffering for our faith in Jesus. A letter on how to suffer well for Christ doesn't strike as close to our hearts as it would have the saints in the early days of the church or for those faithful followers of Jesus in closed and hostile countries today. "But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them [ your persecutors], nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you." Think about that for a moment. The saints who were being beaten, thrown in prison, and escorted off to death were to suffer well for the sake of Christ so that when those persecutors queried about the undying hope of the persecuted, they would be able to speak about their faith in Jesus. Suffer so well that even the wicked who lead you off to death will want to know how you seem so profoundly hopeful. And to think that we Western Christians get perturbed when the day doesn't quite go our way. If we seem so hopeless to the world when even the smallest things go wrong, how will we ever stand a chance to suffer well when our lives are on the line? And if we seem hopeless in the small things, we can be certain the wicked of the world will never inquire about our hope in the truly dark days because we will have completely abandoned all hope. But those who have RIGHTLY set their minds on Jesus, recognize that "After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you." So then we see that our hope is not in our present circumstances, but our future one. For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! Here’s an excerpt from the blog post. There are several fantastic takeaways from today's reading: First, the prophets of the Old Testament knew they were writing about the person of the Messiah, and they inquired of the Spirit of Christ about the days and times these things would be fulfilled. They also knew it would not take place in their days. These are wonderful truths to consider. We see that God, by his Spirit, had given insight to the prophets and that the prophets did not record the prophecies of Jesus without knowledge that they were doing so. Second, at least a part of being holy as God is holy is that we set all of our hope on the grace that will be brought to us at the revelation of Christ. When we consider that the prophets wrote with eager expectation about the coming of Jesus, we see that it then shaped the way they lived their lives. We, too, setting our minds on the truth of Jesus, will find the fruitfulness of our lives shaped by that. Third, the believers are being built up together as a spiritual house, as a holy priesthood, to present to God spiritual sacrifices. Finally, we see that "by his stripes you have been healed" does not address physical healing but rather spiritual healing from sin. For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! Here’s an excerpt from the blog post. Remember everything I said yesterday, and remember that this is a single letter to a group of dispersed believers. Please read it in that context and frame the applications accordingly. But also, be amazed that "Elijah was a man with a nature like ours." We read these stories in the Bible, and we think how incredible these godly people were. We are impressed by their resolve. We are in awe of their boldness. We are mystified by their faithfulness. Somehow, we forget that they served the same God we serve. We forget that they had the same Holy Spirit working in and through them that we do. Perhaps the reason we lack power in our Christian lives is because we have not come to know well this God we serve. Or, scarier still, we only think we know God but have never actually entered into a relationship with him at all. Before we dismiss that second thought too quickly, I will remind your heart and mine that the Bible is full of people who claimed or believed they walked well with God, but they actually never were people of faith. One thing we can be sure of is that if we lack the power of God in our lives, it isn't because God is weaker. For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! Here’s an excerpt from the blog post. James is one of those books/letters that has so many great quotes, we are often taught tiny pieces of it from very early on. Chapter One alone gives us three or four mainline verses we probably learned in middle school or high school. The problem with learning just a few random verses from the book of James, or really any biblical book for that matter, is that we usually don't comprehend the overall context. So then, when we memorize three different verses from James Chapter One, and we are taught to view those three verses in three separate contexts, we end up not understanding the book as a single unit. Let's look at three quotes from this opening chapter. "Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work, making you mature and complete, lacking nothing." (vs 2-4) "Every Good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights." (vs 17) "Be doers of the word; and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." (vs 22) I had these verses down, if not in high school, by the time I was a freshman in college. They are, after all, very popular verses. If we take each one of these short texts on their own we may end up with three different lessons completely. Consider the first one: this text was taught to me that no matter what trial I went through, God was using it to develop and mature my faith. It is a fair point and could absolutely be applied that way, but I was never taught to consider the immediate context. Consider the second text: I was taught over and over that if I had anything good in my life it came from God. Again, that's a fair point, but I wasn't taught to see how this verse fit in with the point James was making to the dispersed Jewish believers. For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! Here’s an excerpt from the blog post. EPISODE 349 TWO MOUNTAINS: HEBREWS 12-13 I don't know how many times I said this throughout the year, but Hebrews Chapter Twelve is one of my favorite chapters. It starts with these all-important verses instructing the reader to fix their eyes on Jesus, "The founder and perfecter of our faith." Or "The author and finisher of our faith." The reason given for fixing their eyes on Jesus is so that when they considered how Christ was unfairly treated and how he endured hostility against himself from wicked men full of sin, the reader would then be bolstered to continue in their faith without growing "Weary or fainthearted." Jesus resisted sin and submitted himself in obedience to the Father, to the point of death on the cross. Jesus serves then as an example of suffering and obedience. We, too, can fix our eyes on Jesus so that we won't grow weary or fainthearted in our pursuit of the Father. The second reason this chapter thrills me is due to the comparison of the two mountains. This text clearly contrasts the two covenants of law and grace. I think it is eclisped in its clarity only by the one in 2 Corinthians 3. The author of Hebrews has already made it abundantly clear that there is a difference between the covenants of law and grace when he highlights that Jesus is the better high priest, that Jesus is the better sacrifice, that heaven is the better temple, and that the new covenant is enacted on better promises. We have already seen in this letter that the old covenant is weak, powerless, obsolete, and has faded away. The author here paints one final picture for us by comparing Mount Sinai with Mount Zion, similar to the comparison we saw Paul make at the close of Galatians 4. At Mount Sinai and under the covenant of law, death came. At Mount Zion and under the covenant of grace, there was life. You may also remember that when Moses descended from Sinai, and the people were worshipping the golden calf, about 3000 people died that day. But in Acts, on the day of Pentecost, when the Spirit was given, about 3000 people were saved. Throughout the whole Bible, the difference between these two covenants has been made clear to us. Thanks be to God that we are not under law but under grace. For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! Here’s an excerpt from the blog post. If you can remember back to the beginning of the book of Hebrews, and at least as far back as Chapter Four when the reader was asked to believe the gospel, then Chapter Eleven will make a lot more sense. This particular chapter is showing how the foundational people of the Jewish lineage put their faith in God. Look at how Abel put his faith in God, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, the prophets, and the judges. The author of Hebrews is doing his best to show how trustworthy God is so that the reader will be willing to put faith in God for their salvation. "All of these, [the people in the OT] though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect [or complete or whole]." Essentially, the author is giving the reader an abundance of examples of the nature of God and faith in him so that the reader will be bolstered to put faith in Jesus as the means for salvation. We probably miss the point of this chapter because we get caught up in the stories. The stories are fantastic and should be inspiring, but we still don't want to forget the cultural context and that the audience was Jewish. For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! Here’s an excerpt from the blog post. Christ "Does away with the first in order to establish the second." Christ did away with the first covenant, its priesthood, its temple, and its sacrifices so that he could establish the second. The new covenant is one of grace; the new priesthood is found in Jesus and remains forever, the new temple is the very heaven of God, and the new sacrifice is Jesus. The new was needed because "It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins." Those sacrifices of the Old Testament could not make anyone clean and could not remove sins. And even if those sacrifices were thought to make someone clean from sin, they could not overthrow the power of sin or the guilt associated with it. In contrast to the Old Testament sacrifices, we see that in Jesus, "By a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified." I would love nothing more than that my fellow believers would come to understand the riches found in the new covenant and the futility of the first. Too often people try to marry the two covenants into a single one; forgetting that the first was always intended to point to the coming of the second. For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! Here’s an excerpt from the blog post. As long as the first temple, with its holy of holies, remained, as long as the curtain separated the court from the holy sanctuary, the way to God was not opened. But in Christ Jesus, the way to God has been opened wide for all who believe. The gifts and sacrifices of the Old Testament could never perfect the worshipper's conscience. We Christians rightly find ourselves disinterested in utilizing the Jewish temple as a place of worship. We no longer feel a need to offer sacrifices so that we can please God. Still, though we can clearly see these things have been done away with or fulfilled in Christ Jesus, we often find ourselves adopting certain parts of the Jewish Law as a means to create or uphold righteousness. I will never know how we miss the obvious hypocrisy of this. (Though I myself missed it for my first twenty years of preaching) It could be because we are so woefully shallow in our understanding of the Biblical text. Christians, be certain of this: that we are partakers of a new covenant and are not in any way obligated to follow the old covenant. For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! Here’s an excerpt from the blog post. So then, Christ is the new high priest who did not have to enter a temple made by hands but instead entered heaven on our behalf to always make intercession for us. (As we saw in the previous chapter) This is a relatively short chapter, but it is packed with very important things we need to notice.) First, Christ has obtained a more excellent ministry than the priests of the Old Testament. Second, Christ has established a better covenant (one based on grace rather than works). Third, Christ operates on better promises than those priests in the line of Aaron. These three things are of eternal significance because we continue to have false, or maybe just ignorant, teachers who still try to hold up the priesthood of Aaron, the covenant through Moses, and the promises made to Abraham as glorious things we should still cling to. However, "In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete." Christ is superior in every way to the things of the Old Testament because the OT things were only put in place to point to and reveal Christ. As we saw in Colossians and will here in Hebrews, the things of the Old Testament are merely shadows pointing to the truth of Jesus. I would also have you read the text below from 2 Corinthians again. For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! Here’s an excerpt from the blog post. Melchizedek is barely a blip on the radar in the Old Testament. He is mentioned by name in a single verse of Genesis and then used as a prophecy of the Messiah in the Psalms. It would be entirely possible to read through the Old Testament and forget all about Melchizedek by the end of your study. He isn't featured in any way, shape, or form to hold our attention. However, of great importance is the fact that Melchizedek is called the "priest of God." He is, for our purposes in understanding the Scriptures, the first-ever priest of God in heaven. Furthermore, he predates the Levitical priesthood by about 600 years. In addition to that really amazing fact, he is also the king of Salem, later called Jerusalem. His name means "King of Righteousness," and he was by vocation "King of Peace." (Since "Salem" means "peace") Why does all that matter? The Jews all historically accepted Melchizedek as a priest of God, a King, and a foreshadowing of the coming Messiah. In the Jewish culture, there was not a single king who served as a priest; there was no priest who served as a king. (Though that would be prophesied in the book of Zechariah) The reason this all matters is simple. If Melchizedek had not existed and had not been so revered by the Jews, then there would be no precedent to accept a Messiah as both priest AND king. The Jews would be able to accept the premise of a king arising from a tribe other than Levi because Melchizedek himself was a priest who did not come from the tribe of Levi. The Jews would be able to accept Jesus as both a priest AND king because the Messiah was "like" Melchizedek. If that is not cool enough, we gain insight into the person and character of Jesus when we compare him to the name and purpose of Melchizedek because Jesus is also, by nature, King of Righteousness, and he also became (for us) King of Peace. Melchizedek then sets the stage for the Messiah to be unique. Christ would come to be both priest and king.  Don't miss the significance of, "If perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood, what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron? For where there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well." The Aaronic priesthood was set in place according to the law of Moses, but the priesthood of Jesus is established by better blood, on better promises, for a better covenant, namely grace. We have to quit teaching Christians that the Law of Moses is the metric of righteousness and begin proclaiming the righteousness that only comes by faith.  For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! Here’s an excerpt from the blog post. For those of us who grew up in church, the idea of Jesus as a high priest is not foreign. For the Jews, the idea of a high priest was paramount to their religious system. So, for the author of Hebrews to argue that Jesus is a high priest is both understandable to the Jews but also offensive. The priesthood of Judah had always been run through the tribe of the Levites, though in the northern kingdom of Israel, people were appointed as idolatrous priests at will. The Jewish audience of the Hebrew letter would understand their need for a priest but would be thrown by the idea that the "new" high priest would arise from the tribe of Judah. But I'll address that more tomorrow.  Here, we see the author of Hebrews point out that "Every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God." And then, "No one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was. So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, 'You are my son, today I have begotten you;' as he also says in another place, 'You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.'" These quotes originate from Psalm 2 and Psalm 110, both of which were recognized as prophetic texts pointing to the Messiah. As I have mentioned previously, Psalm 110 is the most quoted or referenced Old Testament text in the New Testament. We can stop here for now and continue this conversation about Melchizedek in more detail tomorrow. For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! Here’s an excerpt from the blog post. There truly is rest for the believer, but it isn't the rest of the Jewish Sabbath. It isn't about taking a single day off a week. It isn't even about the Jews entering the Promised Land when led by Joshua. The true rest of and for the believer is entering into the salvation provided by God through Jesus Christ. We, believers, get to REST in the work of God and cease from our own works for salvation. We are not redeemed through the works of the law, but through faith in Christ. After all, no one can be made righteous through works. To put it another way, the only "work" God requires is that we believe in the one whom he has sent. (John 6:29) The author here seems to be warning his particular audience not to take God's teaching lightly, like those who died in the wilderness due to their disobedience and disbelief. He seems to be challenging the reader to put faith in Jesus or to "enter into the rest" supplied by God. I will tell you that when I was just starting to preach, and certainly in my youth, I thought all the parts of the Bible were written to and for Christians. As I will explain further in this video series, I think that Hebrews is written to a group of Jews who are faithfully serving God but may not have put faith in Jesus as the Messiah yet. I know that my view is not widely accepted, and I realize I may be wrong in my assessment, but for now, it is where I land, though previously, I believed all of Hebrews to be addressing what we might call Christians. For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! Here’s an excerpt from the blog post. I know you probably tire of me saying this, but Hebrews has to be one of my absolute favorite books in the Bible. I mean it this time. I love how Hebrews seems to function a bit like an Old Testament commentary. I love how much of the Scripture the author of Hebrews uses. I love how the entire book is geared to proving that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament systems. In the first chapter alone, there are at least seven Old Testament quotes or references. This also proves our need to read and understand the OT so that we can better make sense of the New Testament. Of great importance is the idea presented at the opening of Chapter Two, "For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?" The idea of the law being given through angels is relatively new to me, but it certainly is prevalent here in Hebrews as well as in Stephen's defense of the gospel. And if what the angels handed down was rejected, then the penalty was death for the violator; how much more then will those who reject Jesus be subject to death? That which was delivered to Moses by angels was of such value that "every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution." And those were the temporary earthly things. Now, something better than angels is here, namely Jesus, and now, a new covenant has been established based on the testimony of God rather than angels, so there is a greater punishment waiting for those who reject Jesus. For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! Here’s an excerpt from the blog post. Like the letters directed to Timothy, this is a letter from Paul to Titus, a fellow preacher of the word of God. He gives similar instructions to Titus as those we find in the first letter to Timothy regarding elders and deacons. Paul gives a few more instructions in Chapter Two regarding how older men and women should behave, as well as younger men and women. I think the line that stands out to me the most in this little letter is, "Being justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people." In other words, since we know we have eternal life, live in such a way that demonstrates that truth. Do all things for the glory of God. Live in a way that brings God honor. Living in that manner is a benefit for all people. Contrasted with that are those who stir up division and dissension in the group. Warn such an individual one time and then twice, but after that, have nothing more to do with them. I wonder what our churches would be like if we didn't put up with the people causing division in the body? I suppose in today's world, they'd just go down the road to the next church and cause division there. But as Paul says, "Such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned." For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! Here’s an excerpt from the blog post. Again, we find instructions to the young-ish (some people estimate Timothy was in his forties) pastor to "Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching." We do the text a disservice when we say this is Paul's instruction to all believers. Not only so, but we also put an undue burden on most believers that is not theirs to carry. Not all believers, not even most, are "preachers" of the word of God. The same beautiful gospel redeems all believers, and all have been declared righteous through faith, but not all have the same gifts. Also, "The time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching but have itching ears. They will accumulate for themselves as teachers to suit their own passions, and they will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths." We remember Paul addressing this in 1 Timothy 4 and, of course, in Galatians as well. Clearly, in Paul's day, the gospel was being twisted to suit the hearers, and the hearers were pleased to have it so. Why should we assume that today is any different? Wouldn't it make sense for us to argue that if people were readily twisting the message of Christ in the first century, then they certainly would be in the twenty-first century? I wonder why we so seldom recognize weak and powerless teaching in the church today. Perhaps, in at least a few cases, it is because the people in the pews have itching ears and absolutely no love for the truth of the gospel. For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! Here’s an excerpt from the blog post. First of all, can we just give credit to Lois and Eunice, Timothy's grandmother and mother? They were women of faith, and though Timothy's father was a Greek, they diligently taught young Timothy the scriptures since childhood. (2 Timothy 3:15) It is important to understand that when Paul talks about Timothy "knowing the Scripture," Paul is referring to the Old Testament. Timothy, his mother, Eunice, and his grandmother, Lois, were familiar with the Old Testament and how it bore witness to the coming Messiah. So when Paul showed up preaching Christ, they were likely quick converts. And, of course, we know that Timothy then became Paul's traveling companion. But it all started with a godly mother and grandmother. What an incredible blessing that must have been for Timothy. Second, since college, I have been taught to take "What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others." Every time I was encouraged to memorize this verse or taught this verse at any kind of conference or Bible study, the general sentiment was that every believer was supposed to take what God had taught them and then teach it to other people who would then be able to teach it to other people. This, after all, "Is the very model of discipleship." However, in my youth, I was not smart enough to consider context, author, or audience. As we have already discussed, Paul is writing this to the young-ish pastor Timothy and is imparting to him specific instructions for taking care of the needs of the church in Ephesus. The instruction we find in 1 Timothy 2:2 is right in line with what Paul was addressing in the first letter, specifically the need for godly elders and leadership in the church. This is not a general command to all Christians. That isn't to say we believers should keep to ourselves what God has shown us and revealed to us through his word, but as we saw in Ephesians 4, specific gifts were given to the church in the form of Shepherds/teachers, evangelists, apostles, and prophets "For the building up and the equipping of the church," that is the believers. Simply speaking, not every believer falls into one of those four roles. Not every believer falls into the footsteps of Timothy, and not every believer falls into the position of the "trained men" who should then "train others." For that matter, not everyone is a "worker," as mentioned in 2:15, "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth." I would remind you that in 1 Corinthians 3, it was Paul and Apollos who were the "workers," while the church people were just the "field" and the "building." It is okay, and even good, for any and all believers to share with those around them the work of God in their lives, but this letter is to a pastor for a specific task and should, therefore, be interpreted and applied in that context. For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! Here’s an excerpt from the blog post. As I write out these posts, it dawns on me that I should make it my aim to know and understand the letter of First Timothy more completely. There are so many good things in this letter. Perhaps it appeals to me more as a pastor. Maybe I'm just struck by how many things in this letter fly in the face of our cultural church practices. When I get to the fifth chapter, I am again struck by the requirements Paul lists for being included as a widow cared for by the church. A widow wasn't to be under the care of the church if she had any family who could care for her, but neither should she be counted as a widow if she did not have godly character. In our culture of social justice, we just hurry to take care of any widow we run into, but what would happen if we held to the standard of the Scripture? For that matter, why do we hold to the Scripture on some matters and depart from Scripture on others? I know that it falls on us to try to understand the context and the original intent, but I think we struggle to uphold the Scripture for one of two reasons. One, we just don't know the Bible well enough to follow it. Two, we just don't care enough to follow it. The first can be lightly excused; the second is just rebellion. For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! Here’s an excerpt from the blog post. As someone who has spent the last thirty years preaching the Bible and the last fifteen years leading a church body, I have to say that it is painfully obvious how little value churches seem to place on 1 Timothy Chapter 3. The number of men I have known in church leadership who were not "respectable," who could not "manage his own household," who were "unable to teach," and still allowed to stay in the pulpit, is astounding. I wonder why we don't take Paul's message about overseers seriously. I said yesterday that the letter to Timothy doesn't have a one-to-one correlation to all the believers in the church, but at least here, the typical churchgoer should be informed on the kind of shepherd/teacher they employ and sit under. I recently asked the question, "How many affairs does a so-called man of God get to have before he is disqualified as a preacher?" Or, "How much money should the so-called man of God be allowed to steal from the church and still stand in the pulpit handling the Scripture?" Why do so many churches vote pastors and deacons (servants) into positions of leadership without holding them to the standard of the Scriptures? No wonder so many churches are weak and powerless. No wonder so many people sitting in the church seats are incapable of mature biblical thought. When the leaders are unqualified, it ought not to surprise us that the people are ill-equipped. As in Paul's day, it is in ours that teachers are "departing from the faith." I think this could have been avoided so many times by just holding the overseer of the church to the standard that Paul set out for the church in Ephesus. But then, don't get me started on the typical pastoral selection process. What a weird model churches so often use. But this isn't the place for that rant. I'll leave you with this: if you are in a position to help select the next pastor of your church, be sure to hold them to the standard set forth in 1 Timothy. If you are in a church where a pastor is not being held to this standard, have the courage to ask where else the pastor is disregarding biblical authority. For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! Here’s an excerpt from the blog post. It is helpful to remember that First Timothy is written to the pastor himself and not to the church body. This will absolutely shape how we read the letter. Not all of us are pastors/shepherds, so there is not a one-to-one correlation between what Paul instructs Timothy and the responsibility of each individual believer. When Paul is addressing a church as a whole, we can more easily find applications (for the masses) in the teachings of the Apostle, but when Paul is addressing a shepherd/overseer (Timothy) at the church in Ephesus, the application part becomes a bit more narrow. Certainly, not all believers are called to appoint elders in the church of God. Certainly, not all believers are meant to instruct and correct the elders of the church. Or if one wants to take the approach that even here, Paul is talking to all believers, how are we to read this letter (addressed to a pastor) as addressed to all people? We have to decide if the authorial intent and intended audience have any bearing on interpretation and application. I have been making the case throughout this entire year that both of those things directly shape how we interpret and apply any particular text. Without pausing to think about the author's intent and the intended audience, a reader would be free to make the text say anything at all that he or she desired. And if that approach was followed to its logical end, if the text can mean anything, then it actually means nothing. In this letter, Paul spends a great deal of time addressing the kind of person(s) he desires to see as overseer(s), deacon(s), and leaders in general, but we can get into that a bit more tomorrow. For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! Here’s an excerpt from the blog post. It is the second chapter of Second Thessalonians I find myself revisiting most often. Paul, again addressing the return of Jesus, focuses more on what (or who) will precede the coming of Jesus. The "man of lawlessness" will be revealed, "The son of destruction." We often call this individual "The Antichrist." He is certainly "an" antichrist. We see in 1 John that ALL who deny Jesus have the spirit of the antichrist. But this singular figure, sometimes called "The abomination of desolation" and "The Antichrist," will precede the coming of our Savior. The coming of this "lawless one" is by the power and work of Satan himself. He comes with deception for those who are perishing "because they refused to love the truth and so be saved." I think that the last part is key. "They REFUSED to love the truth and be saved" and therefore succumbed to the deception of the "lawless one" by the power of "Satan." Those who refuse to love the truth of God see that God then hands them over to further believe what is false. Be careful to see that this further delusion is in response to the individual's rejection of God. They refused to believe the truth so God handed them over to believe further what was false. They rejected God, and so God said, "If you want the lie, you can have it." These deceived ones took pleasure in unrighteousness and will, for that misplaced affection, be condemned. Two thoughts about this passage: First, let us be careful that we do not believe what is false. Second, let us, like the Thessalonians, represent well what it looks like to put our faith in the person and work of Jesus. For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! Here’s an excerpt from the blog post. I already stated this in the video, so I won't belabor the point at length here, but the day of the Lord will not be like a "Thief in the night" for those who know and serve him. I was taught from an early age that the return of Jesus would catch us all off guard, and I am sure I must have taught that well into my twenties. (Hopefully not into my thirties) "But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night nor of the darkness." We see then that those who do not know Jesus are "surprised" by his return. They are the caught off guard ones since they do their deeds in the darkness. We need to ask ourselves why believers are not caught off guard at the return of Christ. The answer is obviously because we, who walk in the light, are looking for and hastening the return of Jesus. It figures into everything we believe. We live our lives shaped by the truth of Jesus's return. "The suffering of this present age is nothing compared to the glory that will be brought to us the day Christ is revealed." "Set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you on the day of Christ Jesus." I do find myself wondering about the authenticity of a "believer's" faith when they do not have any framework for the return of Jesus, when they are not in the least shaped by his return. For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! Here’s an excerpt from the blog post. When Paul first went to the region of Macedonia, he was seriously opposed, and yet it is clear that the pocket of believers who rose up in Thessalonica were very serious about their faith. "You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia." When you consider that most of Paul's letters address the church's sinfulness, it is quite refreshing to see that the believers in Thessalonica seem, at least based on this letter, to be stalwarts of faith. People like that are certainly necessary for the health of the church. When so many Christians seem to be limping along in their faith, I wonder if it is often for lack of proper examples. Of the Thessalonians, Paul says, "Not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything." And again, "You turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God." If I could offer you any encouragement, it would come in one of two ideas. First, if you are a faithful follower of Christ Jesus, seek to set an example to all around you so the testimony of your faith and the work of Jesus by the Holy Spirit is proclaimed with every mention of your name. Second, if you are young in your faith, set your eyes on someone like the faithful Thessalonians who make much of Jesus in all they do; that you might learn from their example. For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! Here’s an excerpt from the blog post. I've said it for over a decade now: if we are going to read Colossians 3, we really have to start, at the minimum, in Chapter 2, Verse 20. You will note how Chapter Three begins with, "If then you have been raised with Christ," but of course, that only makes sense in light of the earlier verse, "If with Christ you died." The prerequisite for every resurrection is death. When we track the thought process of Chapter 3, we see that it begins with the false gospel that has permeated the early church: that one is saved by faith AND works (usually circumcision and occasionally the observation of various holy days or feast days). Paul reminds the reader, "These are only a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ." (The author of Hebrews uses the same language in 8:5 and 10:1) So, since you have died with Christ to the Law (think Romans 7) and have been raised with Christ to walk in new life (think Romans 6), then you should now walk in a manner consistent with being people of God, no longer deceiving yourselves or those around you by walking in the things of the world as well as the things of God (think Galatians 5). It should become apparent to us, having already read and studied these other chapters along with Acts 15, that the gospel of faith-based righteousness was in direct opposition to the "gospel" of faith and circumcision or of faith and Sabbath. It is good for us to be reminded once again that these letters of Paul should be taken as whole units rather than fortune cookie quips. When these letters are compared to other letters by Paul, we see the themes are regularly repeated to all the churches, signifying that the difficulties faced in one community of believers were almost certainly being faced in all the rest. I don't imagine it is any less true today. For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! Here’s an excerpt from the blog post. Here, we see a theme we've seen since our first day together. God the creator, revisited in the gospels and exposed as Jesus the creator. Jesus, after all, is "the image of the invisible God." And "By him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible." There are people even today who would minimize the fullness of Jesus as equal with God, and yet we find here, "In him the fullness of God was pleased to dwell." And again, "In him, the whole fulness of deity dwells in bodily form." Neither will we forget the words of the book of John, "In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God." And shall we disregard the words of Jesus himself, "If you have seen me, you have seen the Father?" I am not sure what was going on in Colossae in the first century, but Paul felt it was necessary to remind the people there of the person and power of Jesus. And I am glad, for our sake, that he did. I'll end with that for today and tie the rest of Chapter Two into our discussion on Chapter Three tomorrow. For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! Here’s an excerpt from the blog post. In the third chapter, we find another attitude adjustment I often need: "Whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord." What an amazing view of Christ Jesus to consider everything lost compared to knowing him. I always want to hold that view in my heart so badly. Whatever thing has been credited to my account, whatever accolades I have received, whatever trophies I've collected, let them all pale in comparison to my affection for Jesus. I want to "know him and the power of his resurrection, and share in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead." Finally, in the fourth chapter, I find myself challenged again to "Rejoice in the Lord always" and to contemplate those things that are "true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and praiseworthy." By placing all of my confidence in the Lord, I will, like Paul, be able to say that "I can do all things [endure all circumstances] through Christ who gives me strength." That is how I view the book of Philippians as a much-needed attitude adjustment. Death is Gain. Serve like Jesus even to the point of death. All other honors are rubbish compared to knowing Christ. And no matter the circumstances, I can endure all things through Christ, who gives me his strength. How might these four shifts in perspective forever shape the way we live in this temporary world? I can only imagine how profound a change it would be. For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! Here’s an excerpt from the blog post. In the opening chapter of the letter to the Philippians, I am struck by Paul's words, "It is my eager expectation and hopes that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." I want so desperately to view the riches of Christ from this perspective and to long so fully for him that I could say with all sincerity, "To die is gain." In this world, we often consider beautiful but temporary things to be our highest treasures. However, the reality is that to die and be with Christ is gain, is more, is greater than anything we can know or imagine on this side of heaven. I want to hold such an eternal perspective that everything I call blessings and all those things that cause me to suffer will be shaped by the truth and beauty of my Christ the King and his eternal kingdom. If you have ever been to our church, you know I don't go very many weeks without referencing the second chapter of Philippians. Here again, I find another attitude in myself I want to have conformed to that of Christ. Paul reminds the believer, "Have this attitude in yourself which is also in Christ Jesus." The "attitude" contemplated in this particular text is that of a servant. We are to serve as Christ served, in obedience to God, even to the point of death. I try to remind myself that Jesus's death glorified God, that Lazarus was allowed to die for the glory of God, that even Peter's death was going to be for the glory of God, and if "to die is gain" then I long for my life and even my death to be for the glory of God. For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! Here’s an excerpt from the blog post. Two things that I think are absolutely essential to understand from these latter chapters of Ephesians: First, please consider the context before discussing how wives should submit to their husbands. Ephesians 5:21 says that the believers should be "Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ." Now, some people will take this one step further and say that this is how husbands and wives should relate to one another, but that is still two steps too short. When we keep reading in Chapter Six (don't let the chapter break destroy your contextual reading) we see that the "submission" carries over to the parent/child relationship and the slave/master relationship as well. The discussion on marriage at the end of chapter five, while important, is part of the larger discussion of submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. All three of these first-century relationship examples should be viewed through the filter of 5:21. Second, the part on spiritual warfare in Chapter Six, while significant, is secondary to the point being made that a believer's enemies are not the flesh and blood varieties but the spiritual varieties. This is yet another way for Paul to emphasize the importance of the unity of the believers. We have seen this theme used broadly in this short letter. Usually, when we get to this part of Ephesians, we direct our teaching to the topic of battling spiritual forces in the heavenly places, but of course, that is not the primary theme of the letter. (But you should take note of how Paul utilizes "heavenly places" throughout this letter. I am sure you will find it interesting." For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! Here’s an excerpt from the blog post. We left off with the Jewish believers and the Gentile believers being made into one person by faith in Christ. No longer is there any dividing wall between them. As I've previously stated, even the Apostles originally thought that the gospel was for the Jews only. They thought "go into all the world" was a command to speak to all the Jews scattered among the Gentiles. This becomes really clear to us in Acts 11 when the believers are upset with Peter for going to be the guest of the Gentiles. But then Peter tells them how even the Gentiles were coming to faith. This, it seems, is the first time it dawned on the believing Jews in Jerusalem that salvation was for the whole world. It makes sense then that you would have some Jews in Asia (Ephesus) who were uncomfortable with Gentile conversion and still felt as though the Gentiles were "less than" or "sub-par" believers. Paul addresses this in the third chapter when he says, "This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel." This "mystery" had been "Hidden for ages" but was now revealed through Christ by the assembly of the saints. As twenty-first-century believers we are aware that salvation was alwasy intended for the Jew and the Gentile, but in the first centruy, and prior to then, the inclusion of the Gentiles was a mystery. Though the prophets had written about Gentile inclusion at length, the Jews had missed it. Paul, then takes a moment in Chapter Four to remind the believers, Jews and Gentiles, that they share the same faith, same God, same Lord, same Spirit, same baptism, same hope, and that they are of one body. The last three chapters of Ephesians has Paul giving them practical wisdom and application on what it looks like to walk in unity before the Lord. For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! Here’s an excerpt from the blog post. Too often, people, including myself, for the first twenty years of my ministry, proof text the Scripture. We get an idea about the Bible and find verses that help to support that belief system we hold to. I am convinced that most people avoid or embrace the first Chapter of Ephesians either because they have a distaste or an affection for the way those opening verses are typically taught. To put it bluntly, those who call themselves Calvinists often use these verses to speak to the particular nature of salvation, and those who dislike the teachings of Calvinism avoid these verses because of how they're used. Either way, the avoidance or adherence to these verses is usually shaped by a Calvinistic filter. What if, instead, we just let the context of Ephesians shape the text for us? If we did that, we would find, by the time we made it to Chapter Two, that Paul is addressing the common salvation (and also the experienced disunity) between the Jewish and Gentile believers. By the time we hit Ephesians 2:11, and then through the end of the Chapter, we can see the context quite clearly. On the one hand, you have the Gentiles, the uncircumcision, those who were separated from Christ, strangers, and far off. On the other hand, you have the Jews, the circumcision, the predestined people of God, those who were near to the things of Christ through the prophets. Though there are two groups of people, there are not two means of salvation. There are not two saviors, nor are there two faiths. In Christ, those who were once strangers (Gentiles) are now fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God (the Jews who believe). For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! Here’s an excerpt from the blog post. "It is for freedom Christ has set us free." People often quote the opening line of Galatians Chapter Five without connecting it at all to the verses from Chapter Four. Remember what we have just read, "You are no longer a slave, but a son. Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and one by the free woman. Present-day Jerusalem is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. Brothers, we are not children of the slave [law] but of the free woman [faith]." AND THEN WE COME TO THE NEXT LINE; "For freedom, Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." When people reduce the opening line of Chapter 5 to some sort of sentiment about the fourth of July or a political coup, we see how they have missed the grand, and better, point: that we are set free from slavery to the law and given freedom to find righteousness by faith rather than by our own works and efforts. After all, "In Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love." If only we would walk by the Spirit rather than walk according to our own abilities, we would see that we are not under the law but under grace. There is no law against the work of the Spirit, so then we ought to rest in the Spirit rather than our own works. Only those who want to brag about how great they are at keeping the law, press other people to do the law well. (again, this context is referring to circumcision) Law followers want to boast and brag about their ability to follow the law. However, faith people like to boast and brag about the cross of Jesus Christ and its saving power. For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding. What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey. Connect with Us: http://simplerbible.com https://www.instagram.com/simplerbible/ https://facebook.com/simplerbible https://www.youtube.com/@SimplerBible https://www.tiktok.com/@simplerbible https://twitter.com/simplerbible Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption. Join us in making Bible study Simpler! Here’s an excerpt from the blog post. Paul begins this section of his letter to the Galatians by reminding them that they are no longer slaves but sons. "When we were children, we were enslaved...under the law. So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God." To really drive this point home, Paul highlights the difference between Ishmael and Isaac, the two eldest sons of Abraham. Ishmael was born according to the desires of the flesh and the "work" of Abraham, but Isaac was born according to the promise of God. These two sons represent two covenants. Ishmael represents those who are in slavery and still pursuing righteousness through the works of the flesh according to the law of Moses, in this case, specifically through circumcision. But those who are like Isaac, the free son, are not born of works but born instead of faith. They are from the New Jerusalem, the heavenly city. Again, these two sons, these two Jerusalems, represent two covenants, the Old and the New. Just as Ishmael, who was older than Isaac by 14 years, mocked his younger brother; so also now those who hold to the law for righteousness' sake mock the people who insist righteousness is by faith. This tension between the two camps is not limited to the days of Paul, but is still prevalent even in the twenty-first century. Tell someone that the Law is not a means for righteousness and watch them squirm uncomfortably. Perhaps you are uncomfortable with this idea yourself, but there have always been people who struggled with the simplicity of righteousness by faith. It seems too easy. It seems too light a thing. But those who pursue righteousness, as though it had anything to do with works, will find themselves cast out of the presence of God with no inheritance in his kingdom. Even Ishmael had no share in his father's blessing. But "Brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman." For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes