Posts from November 2020 (Page 2)

2 Timothy 4:2 might be rightfully called “The Preacher’s Mantra.” Every faithful gospel preacher knows it and strives to live by it–“Preach the word!” After my Uncle John died, my Aunt Leitha set up a scholarship at Freed-Hardeman for young men who were training to be gospel preachers. I vividly recall seeing her at the lectureship one year as she was speaking to one of the recipients. With that twinkle in her eye, she reminded the lad, “Whatever you do,…

The idea of Inspiration means different things to different people. Some speak of gifted artists as being inspired. Some think of inspiration as a sudden or brilliant thought or solution. But these are not the idea Paul intends to convey in the text. When Paul spoke of inspiration, he used a Greek compound meaning “God-breathed.” Paul believed that in reading the Scriptures, one should hear the voice of God as though God were speaking directly to him. This is true…

Today’s text contains Paul’s final use of this phrase (cf 1 Tim 1:15, 3:1, 4:9; Titus 3:8). So, what does Paul say in respect to this “faithful saying?” “If we died with Him, we shall also live with Him” (v 11) Of this, renown scholar and expositor William Mounce wrote, “Most agree that this first line refers to a believer’s baptism and the new life that follows” (Pastoral Epistles, 516). Paul’s writing elsewhere agrees with this assessment. In Romans 6,…

“… the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also” (2 Tim 1:5). My life is the sum of my decisions. This is not to say that the decisions of others have no effect on me, neither are my own decisions made in a vacuum. While reviewing literature for our Wednesday night adult class, I looked at Tim Lewis’s marvelous book, “The Domino…

This oft-quoted statement is actually a misrepresentation of the text and its intent. Specifically, 1 Timothy 6:10 is clear that “the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil…” The love of money has always been problematic for man. The love of money caused the prophet Balaam to undermine God’s people (Deut 23:4; 2 Pet 2:15; Jude 11). The love of money caused Achan to take what the Lord said belonged to Himself (Joshua 7). The love…

“No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach’s sake and your frequent infirmities” (1 Tim 5:23). I wish I had $1 for every time I’d heard or read this verse used in defense of social drinking. I wouldn’t be rich, but I’d have more cool stuff! Social drinking has become increasingly problematic for the Lord’s church and evangelicals in general. To be honest, most in the religious world have capitulated to the whims of their…

After one departs from a straight line, the further away from that point one goes, the further from “plumb” he will be. Such is the case with religious apostasy. Once initial departures from the truth are embraced, additional departures surely follow. For example, consider how Catholicism in no way resembles the church of which we read in the New Testament. Consider some of the signs of apostasy in today’s text, namely “forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats.”…

When one begins with a faulty premise, a faulty conclusion assuredly lies ahead. Two of the most atrocious tenets of Calvinism is its adamant denial that God desires everyone to be saved. This horrific picture of God is the result of a misunderstanding of Divine sovereignty and the nature of man. Thus, with a faulty foundation comes numerous faulty conclusions. In the early portion of today’s text, we see two statements concerning God our Savior and Christ Jesus with respect…