Month: June 2021

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1 John, Lesson 2

Lesson 2

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, we acknowledged that You are the bright morning star, lily of the valley, rose of Sharon, ancient of days, kinsmen redeemer, Holy One of God, Holy One of Israel, and Holy One of Jacob. We pray for open, receptive, soft, obedient, and teachable spirits, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

1 John 1: 5-10, Walk in the light of Christ

V 5, This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.

Jesus is the word of God. Greek for word is “logos”, which means message. John declared to his readers and us, that he and the apostles had heard from Jesus, the message of God. Jesus is the light of life who shines His light into the dark world. Jesus is light of the world and whoever walks with Him will not stumble in darkness, 1 John 1:1, John 1:4, John 8:12, John 9:5.

1 John 1:1, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life”.

John 1:4, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men”.

John 8: 12, Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

John 9:5.  “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world”.

V 6, If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

We cannot have fellowship with Jesus if we continue to live in sin, continue to walk in darkness, deception, and falsehood. The light of Jesus removes darkness, exposes deceptions, lies, and falsehood. We cannot hide anything before Jesus because He is an all knowing omniscient God, Hebrews 4:13.

Hebrews 4:13, “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account”.

V 7, But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

If we walk in the light of Christ and are cleansed of sins, we can have fellowship with Him and with our fellow Christians.

VV 8-10, 8, If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

No one can claim to be sinless, for all had sinned and fallen short of God’s perfect standard, Romans 3:23. If we sin, we should come before Jesus, confessed and repent of our sin. Jesus is faithful and will forgive our sins and purifies us, 1 John 1:9. If we insist that we are sinless, we are not living in the truth of God’s words.

Romans 3:23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”.

1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”.

Application:

We are to walk in the truth of Holy Spirit. We are to be transparent before Him and not habitually sin. But if we sin, we are to confess our sin before Him and repent. We are to claim the promise of 1 John 1: 9 for the forgiveness of sin and cleansing.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, we praise You and thank You because You are worthy to be praised. You are the name above all names, You are light and there is no darkness in You. We pray that You will help us to walk in the light of Christ, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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1 John, lesson one

1 John

Lesson 1

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, we pray for wisdom to tap into Your knowledge through daily devotion, daily reading of Your Word, and daily Bible study. We pray for wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of scripture, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Introduction:

Authorship:

Scholars agreed that apostle John, who wrote the gospel of John and Revelation, was the author of 1 John, 2 John, and 3 John. It was believed to have been written around 90 AD in Ephesus. John was the last remaining apostle of Christ and he was a very old man when he wrote 1, 2, and 3 John.

Audience:

1 John was not written to any specific Church or individual. It was a cyclical letter written to a group of churches in the region around the city of Ephesus.

Occasion, setting, purpose :

John wrote 1 John to address the false teachers who came to deceive the Christians with the heretic teachings called Gnosticism. Gnosis in Greek means knowledge. These heretic gnostic teachers claimed that they had special knowledge on salvation that others did not have. The Gnostics believed that the soul is intrinsically good and the body is intrinsically evil. The Gnostics accept the Deity of Christ but reject the humanity of Christ. They believed that Jesus was hundred percent divine and zero percent human. They believed that when Jesus walked on the earth, He will not leave any footprint behind Him. There are two extreme forms of Gnosticism. One extreme is asceticism and denial of all physical pleasures of life. The other extreme is licentiousness and freedom to sin since the body is intrinsically evil and headed for destruction. John’s purpose was to refute the heretic teachings of the Gnostics and to bring the people back to correct theology.

1 John 1:1-4, John declared what he saw, heard, and handled

V 1, That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life,

The beginning alludes to Genesis 1:1, “in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” and John 1:1, “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”. John used the Word of life as a title for Jesus Christ, who pre-existed and self-existed from the beginning before creation, before time, before space, and before matter. John proclaimed that Christ is fully God and fully human. He could be seen, heard, touch, and handled. In the gospel of John, Christ could feel thirsty, hungry, tired, sad, and even wept.

VV 2-4, 2 the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us, 3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4 And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.

Greek for life is “zoe” which means the God-given divine or eternal life. Greek for manifest is “phaneroo”, which means to make visible. Jesus, the word of eternal life, was made visible through the His incarnation. John and the other apostles witnessed, declared, seen, handled, heard, and fellowshipped with the incarnate word of life. God invites us into a fellowship with Him and His Son Jesus Christ so that our joy may be complete.

Application:

Jesus Christ is the pre-existing, self-existing, eternal Son of God. He is co-equal, co-divine, and co-eternal with the Father sharing the same Godhead. John testified that Jesus Christ is fully divine and fully man who could be seen, heard, and handled. John refuted the Gnostic’s claim that Jesus is one hundred percent divine and zero percent human.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, we claim the promise of Isaiah 55:11, that Your word will not return to You empty but will accomplish what You desire and achieve the purpose for which You sent it. We pray for wisdom to understand, apply, and obey Your teachings, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Philemon, lesson 6

Lesson 6

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, we acknowledged that You are Jehovah Rapha, Jehovah Rohi, Jehovah Jireh, and Jehovah Nissi. We confessed our sins before You and pray for forgiveness. We pray for You Word to minster to us and enlighten us, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Philemon: 23-25, Final greetings

VV 23-25, 23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you, 24 as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Luke, my fellow laborers. 25 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

Paul had a personal touch. He acknowledged all his co-workers by name. He sent greetings to Philemon from Epaphras, Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, his co-workers in the gospel. Epaphras was also a prisoner with him in the Roman prison.

He pronounced the grace of Christ to Philemon.

Romans 8:28:

According to Christian traditions, Onesimus was freed from slavery and went on to become a bishop of Ephesus. He was arrested, tortured, and beaten to death by the Romans for preaching the gospel. Onesimus was a real person, transformed, and freed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He suffered tremendous persecutions and eventually martyred for his faith in Christ. The epistle of Philemon is a good illustration of Romans 8:28 at work in the life of Onesimus. He was a slave. He committed a capital offence by running away from his master. Though God’s providence, he ran to Rome and met the great apostle Paul. Paul saved his soul, gave him a new life, new faith, new hope, and new beginning. Reconciled to his old master Philemon and freed from slavery, he served his new master Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose”.

Application:

The epistle of Philemon taught us that all things worked together for good to Christians. No matter what circumstances we may be facing today it will eventually worked for good in our favour. We may not see it immediately but we will see it in the future. This is a promise that we can claim when we go through difficult times especially now when situations are so unprecedented.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank You for the epistle of Philemon. Thank You for the promise of Romans 8:28. Thank You for for the forgiveness of sins, salvation by grace, justification by faith in Christ, sanctification, and the gift of eternal life. We pray for those who have run away from You to return back to You and be useful to You in the kingdom again, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Philemon, lesson 5

Lesson 5

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, we acknowledged that Your are El Ellyon, El Olam, El Roi, ams El Sheddai. We confessed that we are sinners. We pray for the forgiveness of sins, in Jesus name, Amen.

Philemon: 17-22, charge everything into my account

VV 17-19, 17 If then you count me as a partner, receive him as you would me. 18 But if he has wronged you or owes anything, put that on my account. 19 I, Paul, am writing with my own hand. I will repay, not to mention to you that you owe me even your own self besides.

Paul told Philemon to charge to his account all the criminal offences that Onesimus committed by running away from him unlawfully. Paul highlighted that he wrote this epistle himself. Paul reminded Philemon that he owed him his life because he saved his soul through evangelism. Paul took full responsibility for Onesimus’ debt to Philemon to procure his forgiveness and freedom from Philemon.

VV 20-22, 20 Yes, brother, let me have joy from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in the Lord. 21 Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. 22 But, meanwhile, also prepare a guest room for me, for I trust that through your prayers I shall be granted to you.

Paul drew spiritual strength by being joyful in the Lord. Paul appealed to Philemon to refresh his heart by forgiving and free Onesimus. Paul was confident that Philemon would agree to forgive and free Onesimus. He requested Philemon to prepare a guest room for him so that he could visit him upon release from the prison. Paul requested Philemon to pray for his release from prison.

Application:

We are all sinners before a Holy God. We owed a debt of sin to God that we could never repay. Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty of sin on our behalf to procure our freedom from sin. Jesus appealed to His Father to charge our debt of sin to His account. 2000 years ago, He paid our sin debt by dying on the cross to pay our penalty of sin for us.

Romans 6: 23, “for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord’’.

2 Corinthians 5:21, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him”.

The epistle of Philemon is a story of forgiveness. According to Catholic tradition, Onesimus was freed from slavery, and became a bishop of Ephesus. Just as Philemon forgave Onesimus, Christ also forgave us. Even though we ran away from Christ, He restored us to fellowship when we came back to him in repentance. Our master, Jesus Christ is full of grace and truth.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your love, mercy, grace, loving kindness, and faithfulness to us. Thank You for justification, sanctification, salvation, forgiveness of sins, and eternal life, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Philemon, Lesson 4

Lesson 4

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, we commit this time to You and pray for You to speak to each one of us according to our unique circumstances. We pray for opened ears, opened eyes, hungry hearts, and obedient spirits, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Philemon: 8-16, Paul appealed for Onesimus

VV 8-10, 8 Therefore, though I might be very bold in Christ to command you what is fitting, 9 yet for love’s sake I rather appeal to you, being such a one as Paul, the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ, 10 I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten while in my chains,

Paul considered himself an elderly prisoner of Jesus Christ. Although Paul had the apostolic authority to command Philemon to free Onesimus, yet for love’s sake he preferred to appeal to Philemon instead. Paul considered Onesimus as his spiritual son in the faith. Paul met Onesimus in the Roman prison, evangelized, converted, discipled, mentored, and adopted him as his spiritual godson in the faith.

VV 11-13, 11 who once was unprofitable to you, but now is profitable to you and to me. 12 I am sending him back. You, therefore, receive him, that is, my own heart, 13 whom I wished to keep with me, that on your behalf he might minister to me in my chains for the gospel.

Onesimus is a Greek name that means useful. Here is a wordplay. Greek for unprofitable is “achreston” which means useless. Greek for profitable is “euchreston” which means useful. Onesimus was once useless to Philemon but now he was useful to him. He was transformed, regenerated, born-again, undergone spiritual transformation, or spiritual heart transplant if you like. Paul was sending Onesimus back to his master Philemon. He appealed to Philemon to extend his right hand of fellowship to Onesimus just as he would to Paul.

VV 14-16, 14 But without your consent, I wanted to do nothing, that your good deed might not be by compulsion, as it were, but voluntary. 15 For perhaps he departed for a while for this purpose, that you might receive him forever, 16 no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a beloved brother, especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.

Although Paul wanted to retain Onesimus as his helper in Rome, he would not do this without Philemon’s consent. Paul appealed to Philemon to receive Onesimus back into his household not as a slave but as a brother in Christ. Paul appealed to Philemon to free Onesimus from slavery. In those days, the punishment for a runaway slave when caught was the death penalty. Paul took a risk when he sent Onesimus back to Philemon. If Philemon did not agree to Paul’s appeal, he could have sentenced Onesimus to death.

Application:

Onesimus ran away from his master and Paul had to send him back. Perhaps we may be running away from our master Jesus Christ by not walking with Him. We need to come back to Christ in obedience, in surrender, in faith and be useful to Him again. We can claim the promise of 1 John 1:9, “if you confess your sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive you of your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness”.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank You for the promise of 1 John 1:9. We acknowledged that You are Almighty God and we are sinners saved by Your grace. Please enable us to return to You and be useful to You in the kingdom, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Philemon , lesson 3

Lesson 3

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, we pray for wisdom, knowledge, mercy, and grace. We pray for attentiveness and mindfulness. We pray for divine insight to understand scripture. We pray for obedience and faithfulness, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Philemon: 4-7, Prayer for Philemon

V 4, I thank my God, making mention of you always in my prayers,

Paul prayed consistently, fervently, and persistently to God for Philemon mentioning him by name. Paul was a prayer warrior. He wrestled with the Lord in prayer every day. He remembered all his friends by name and interceded for them according to their needs. Even though Philemon was so far away, he still took the time to pray for him.

VV 5-6, 5 hearing of your love and faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints, 6 that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.

Paul was very encouraged to hear of Philemon’s love for the Lord and the saints, his faithful and effective evangelistic ministry in Collosae. Greek for saint is “hagios”, which means holy, sanctified, or separated for God. As Christians, we are saints, because we are holy, sanctified, and separated to serve God. We are a holy people and a royal priesthood, 1 Peter 2:9.

1 Peter 2:9, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light”.

V 7, For we have great joy and consolation in your love because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you, brother.

Paul rejoiced when he remembered Philemon. He was refreshed when he remembered the times that he spent with Philemon in Ephesus. Greek for refreshed is “anapsucho”, which means relief. Even though Paul was under house arrest, he found joy, encouragement, comfort, and relief by Philemon’s love and faithfulness.

Application:

Paul was a great prayer warrior. Even though in chains, he spent times interceding for everyone. We are to emulate Paul to be a prayer warrior. We are to pray for all our immediate family members, relatives, friends, colleagues, church members, acquaintances, etc. mentioning them by name and interceding for them at a personal level.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank You for speaking to us. We pray for the transformation of hearts and the renewal of minds. We give You permission to do spiritual heart transplants in us. We pray for renewed perspectives and a balanced worldview, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Philemon, Lesson 2

Lesson 2

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, we come before You on bended knees. We pray for wisdom and understand to unlock the truth of Your eternal Word. We pray that You will speak to us through the inerrant, infallible, and inspired Words of the Holy Spirit, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Philemon: 1-3, opening salutation and greeting

VV 1-3, 1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon our beloved friend and fellow laborer, 2 to the beloved Apphia, Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul, the author of Philemon, considered himself a prisoner of Jesus Christ, not Rome, not Caesar, and not Nero. Paul included and acknowledged Timothy, his spiritual god-son in his opening salutation and greeting. Paul was a prisoner of Jesus Christ because he was imprisoned according to God’s will and sanctioned by Jesus Christ his Lord and Master. Paul sent greetings to Philemon, his beloved friend, a co-worker in the gospel, and founder of the Colossians house church. Scholars believed that Apphia was Philemon’s wife and Archippus was Philemon’s son and pastor of the Colossians house church. Greek for grace is “charis”, which means getting what we do not deserve to get. Hebrews for peace is “shalom”, which means welfare and tranquility. Paul pronounced grace and peace from God, the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace always precedes peace. When we are justified by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, we have peace with God, peace from God, and peace of God. The source of grace and peace is God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

1 Corinthians 4:17, “For this reason I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church’’.

Romans 5:1-2, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God”

Philippians 4:6-7, Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Application:
When we are justified by grace through faith in Christ, we are reconciled to God. We are no longer in enmity with God and God’s wrath is removed. We can come before God the Father in His throne room of God in heaven with boldness and confidence. We experience peace within us that transcends all understanding, we have access to God and the promise of the glorious heaven in the future.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for justification, sanctification, salvation, eternal life, the promise of heaven, and resurrection in Your second coming. Thank You for giving us the peace that transcends all understandings, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Philemon 1

Introduction

Dr. Andrew C S Koh

a photo showing opened bible
bible

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we acknowledged that You are the only true God, the Trinitarian God of the Holy Bible, the God of creation, redemption, reconciliation, and salvation. We thank You for all that You have done for us in our lives, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Introduction

Authorship

Philemon is one of the four prison epistles written during his first imprisonment in Rome between AD 60-62. The other three are Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians. Paul was under house arrest in Rome while awaiting trial under Caesar Nero. Although he was allowed to live by himself in a house, he was chained to a Roman Pretorian guard 24 hours a day, seven days a week, who rotated through shift duties. Epaphras visited Paul and brought him a financial love gift from the Colossian church. Paul sent the epistle of Colossians and Philemon back to the house church in Colossae through Epaphras.

Colossae

Colossae was an ancient Roman province along the Lycus River valley in Asia Minor, now in western Turkey. In its heyday, Colossae was famous for the manufacturing of a dark red wool cloth called colossinum.

Purpose and historical setting

The epistle of Philemon was Paul’s letter to Philemon, a wealthy leader of the Colossian house church. Paul shared the gospel with Philemon when he was in Ephesus, converted, discipled, and mentored him in the faith. Philemon returned to Colossae and planted the Colossian house church. Onesimus was one of Philemon’s slaves who ran away from his master and secretly found his way to Rome. Through providence at work, Onesimus met the apostle Paul in Rome who shared the gospel with him, converted, discipled, and mentored him in the faith. When Paul realized that Philemon was a runaway slave of Philemon, he sent Onesimus back to Philemon with a personal letter. Paul entrusted Tychicus to accompany Onesimus to his master Philemon with this personal epistle called Philemon, Colossians 4:7-9.

Now when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard; but Paul was permitted to dwell by himself with the soldier who guarded him

Acts 28:16

Tychicus, a beloved brother, faithful minister, and fellow servant in the Lord, will tell you all the news about me. I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that he may know your circumstances and comfort your hearts, with Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will make known to you all things which are happening here

Colossians 4:7-9

Application

Onesimus was a runaway slave. Onesimus had committed a very serious offense. In first-century Israel, the consequence of a slave running away from a master was capital punishment. Onesimus confessed his situation to Paul who sent him back to his master. Before we came to know Christ, we too had run away from our Lord and Master but when we confessed our sins, believed, and returned to Christ, He forgave us and gave us eternal life.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for this small book of Philemon. We pray that You will speak to us through the pages of Your inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Dr Andrew C S Koh

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Galatians , Lesson 15

Lesson 15

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, we are now in the last chapter of Galatians. We give You our full intention. We pray for a spirit of receptiveness and teachable hearts, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Galatians 6: 1-18, closing exhortations.

VV 1-3, 1 Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

Greek for trespass in verse one is “paraptoma”, which means to cross a boundary line. “Paraptoma” is an intentional sin. Greek for sin is “harmatia” which means to miss the mark. “Harmatia” is an unintentional sin. Paul encouraged his audience and us that someone who has willfully sinned should be restored to fellowship in a spirit of gentleness. We are to shoulder one another’s burdens to fulfil Christ command to love one another, John 13:34. We are not to overvalue ourselves, for we are nothing in God’s sight.

John 13:34, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another”.

VV 4-6, 4 But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. 5 For each one shall bear his own load. 6 Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches.

We are to examine our work and not to compare our work with others. We are to take responsibility for what we do. We are to be generous teachers who taught us the word.

VV 7-8, 7 Do not be deceived. God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.

Greek for mock is “empaizo”, which means to ridicule. We cannot ridicule God. Whatever we do will return to us. If we operated in the flesh and indulged in the works of the flesh, we will end up in eternal death. If we walked in the Spirit, we will produce the fruit of the Spirit and receive eternal life.

VV 9-10, 9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

We are to do good to others, for God will reward us. We are to take every opportunity to do good, especially to those who are Christians.

V 11 See with what large letters I have written to you with my own hand!

Paul wrote Galatians with his own hands in large letters. In Romans, Paul dictated to his secretary or amanuensis who wrote for him, Romans 16:22.

Romans 16:22, “I, Tertius, who wrote this epistle, greet you in the Lord”.

V 12-13, 12 As many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh, these would compel you to be circumcised, only that they may not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. 13 For not even those who are circumcised keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh.

The Judaizers who compelled the Galatians Christians to be circumcised were legalists, opportunist, and hypocrites who did not keep the law.

VV 14-15, 14 But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything but a new creation.

Paul did not boast about himself except to boast in the crucifixion of Christ. Circumcision is of no spiritual value in the kingdom of God. What count is to be born again as a new creation, 1 Cor 5:17.

Ephesians 2:8-9, “by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast”.

1 Cor 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new”. VV 16-17, 16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God. 17 From now on, let no one trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.

If we walk in the Spirit, peace and mercy will be upon us and Israel. Paul called the scars on his body marks of the Lord Jesus. Paul’s body was severely scarred due to the beatings he received from the Jews, 2 Cor 11:25.

2 Cor 11:25, “Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have been in the deep”.

V 18 Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your Spirit. Amen.

Paul ended the epistle of Galatians with a doxology of grace to his audience and us.

Application:

If you sow generously, you will reap well, but if you sow sparingly, you will reap poorly. You are to take every opportunity to help one another, especially those who are Christians.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank You for Paul’s epistle of Galatians. Thank You for allowing us to hear Your words. We pray that You will empower us to apply all that we heard, meditated, memorised, and learned, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Galatians, lesson 14

Lesson 14

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, refreshed us with fresh insights, fresh understanding, fresh revelation, and fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Galatians 5: 16-26, the flesh and the Spirit

VV 16-18, 16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Two opposed natures are at work inside every Christians, the flesh and the Spirit. The flesh waged war against the Spirit. The antidote to the lust of the flesh is to walk in the Spirit. If we walk in the Spirit, we will not do the works of the flesh.

VV 19-21, 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Verses 19-21 list out all the works of the flesh. Greek for inherit is “klenonomeo”, which means become a partaker of. Those who practice the things listed in verses 19-21 will not become a partaker of God’s kingdom.

VV 22-23, 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such, there is no law.

Verses 22-23 list out the fruit of the Spirit. Those who walk in the Spirit will have the fruit of the Spirit. Fruit is singular. There is one fruit of the Spirit, but there are nine virtues, love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Those who walk in the Spirit is under grace and not under the law.

VV 24-26, 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Paul encouraged his audience and us to crucify the passions and desires of the flesh and walk in the Spirit. Paul encouraged his audience and us to love one another in unity and harmonious living.

Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me”.

Application:

You are to walk in the Spirit and free yourself from the flesh. You are to possess the fruit of the Spirit. You are to love one another as Christ love you so that others will know that you are His disciples.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, help us to walk in Spirit and not in the flesh. Help us to love You and love others. Give us love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, in Jesus’ name, Amen.