1 Timothy 3:1-13 St. Paul continues in chapter 3 with his teaching on authority in the church, only this time he is addressing bishops and deacons in particular. Like so much of Scripture, if we really believed what God has commanded us, I wonder how it might revolutionize our lives and our churches. As we look at the qualifications for bishops and deacons, we should keep in mind two things: the standards for being a leader in God’s holy Church... Read more
1 Timothy 2 We come today to a difficult teaching of St. Paul: his teaching on women in the church. So what does Paul teach? First, that a woman should learn in silence with all submission. Second, he does not permit a woman to teach or have authority over a man, but to be in silence. Third, that the reason that women are to be submissive and under authority is that Adam was formed first. Fourth, that Eve was the... Read more
1 Timothy 1:12-20 Today’s lesson is really very simple. Though St. Paul has much more to say, and though understanding more perfectly what he does say today will take time, in essence his teaching is a simple but life-changing one. It is this: First, that “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (verse 15); and second, “But the grace of God was exceedingly abundant” (verse 14.) As... Read more
1 Timothy 1:1-11 “Teach no other doctrine.” “The purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart.” “The law is made for those who act contrary to sound doctrine.” These are the main thoughts St. Paul has in his heart as he instructs Timothy on how to lead a church. What strikes me from the very beginning is Paul’s use of the word “doctrine.” I normally associate “doctrine” with our formal theologies that we are supposed to learn, the... Read more
James 5:12-19 “Is anyone among you suffering?” – James 5:13 Is anyone among you, reading this, suffering? St. James has some wisdom from God for you today. The first thing James tells you to do is to pray. Of course, you already knew this, but maybe you have become discouraged in your prayers. Maybe God has not seemed to be working quickly enough in healing you. James’ counsel (and commandment) is still to pray. Remember that the purpose of your... Read more
James 4:13-5:11 Here come da Judge! I don’t know how many of you remember Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In from the late 60s and early 70s, but that TV show popularized the saying “Here come da Judge!” We might say that “Here come da Judge!” is James’ message this morning, for he says in verse 9 of Chapter 5: “Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!” The implication is that the Judge stands ready to judge us imminently. Along with... Read more
James 4:1-12 In the beginning of Chapter 4, James unveils the lowest layer, the very foundation, of our spiritual warfare: it is the battle within each of us between pride and humility. All throughout the Bible, the two paths a man may walk are presented in terms of a binary choice. In Genesis 3, it is the choice between obedience or disobedience. In the Psalms and Proverbs, it is the choice between the way of the wise (righteous) or the... Read more
James 3 Now that James has taught about faith and works, belief and deeds, he turns his attention to our words. What James has to say, though it is in keeping with the wisdom of the Old Testament and even if it is familiar, is startling. “The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity.” “No man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.” Who would have thought that such a small part of... Read more
James 2:14-26 Sola Fide! Faith alone! That was one of the rallying cries made by the Protestant Reformers in the 16th century. The slogan “faith alone” was particularly popularized by Martin Luther in his violent reaction to the abuses of the Roman Catholic Church. As a consequence, for some centuries now Protestants have been strongly tempted to separate faith from works, which is in reality not what the Bible teaches but antinomianism (a fancy word for meaning “against the Law... Read more
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Monday of the 20th Sunday after Trinity – 1 Timothy 3:14-4:5
1 Timothy 3:14-4:5 In I Timothy 3:14-4:5, St. Paul teaches what is called a sacramental worldview. According to the Book of Common Prayer, a sacrament is “an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace given unto us.” There are two dominical Sacraments, those Jesus Christ Himself specifically ordained: Baptism and Holy Communion. In some way, things such as ordination, confirmation, and unction for healing are also sacraments in that God gives His grace at such times, at... Read more