Tag: <span>apostle paul</span>

Published January 23, 2022

Staggering Love (1 Corinthians 13:1-13)

Summary: The Apostle Paul is in the middle of an extended discussion about spiritual gifts when he breaks stride to explain the importance of love. It isn’t just that love is an amazing force for good; love is permanent. Love does not energize spiritual gifts; love is the point of all the spiritual gifts. That’s a critical thing for preachers to remember, since preachers as much as anyone else have a responsibility to exercise and build their gifts. They also need to devote themselves to love and urge others to love. Nothing else matters. This is a vital message, too, for people doing ministry during a pandemic in a divided and frustrated society, when loving others is much more difficult than it sounds. Fortunately love never falters.

I wrote this article for those preparing to preach or hear sermons on 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. It was originally a contribution to the “Dear Working Preacher” series. Read the full article at Working Preacher.

Bible commentary: preachers & teachers workingpreacher.org commentary

apostle paul charismata covid-19 love preaching selfishness spiritual gifts

Published May 24, 2021

At the threshold…

Summary: Questions about the past have a way of propelling me forward. At least that’s what I experienced once on a visit to Caesarea Maritima as I stared toward the sun sinking down toward the vast Mediterranean Sea. Knowing how we got somewhere is one thing; where we will go next is not so different a question. The vocations we chase after never end; nor do our attempts to make sense of them and their effects on our lives. I think this is one way that faith works and continues to disrupt and comfort our lives, by giving us the nudge to keep journeying and to keep our sights set on a future that exists–out there, yet to be discovered.

I wrote this meditative article for the publication Thin Places, which offers resources for spiritual growth and is published by Westminster Presbyterian Church of Minneapolis. The article appears in the June/July/August 2021 issue (Issue Number 107). Read the full article at Thin Places.

Bible commentary: general audience

apostle paul book of acts Caesarea Maritima contemplation future meditation mediterranean sea memory vocation

Published May 18, 2015

Sorry, Presidential Candidates: Hope Resides in Groans, Not in Your Rhetoric (Romans 8:22-27)

Summary: Political campaigns and commencement ceremonies seem designed to rouse feelings of hope from within us, giving us the energy and courage to move toward a better future. But when the Apostle Paul speaks about hope, he anchors it solely in God’s determination to deliver us from the decay and oppression wrought by sin and death. We know this divine determination because of what God has done through Jesus Christ and because God continues to be among us in the Holy Spirit, restlessly groaning in concert with all creation to express dissatisfaction with the status quo.

Read the full article, which is part of the ON Scripture–The Bible project, on The Huffington Post, Day1, and Patheos.

Bible commentary: general audience ON Scripture--The Bible

apostle paul commencement creation election season holy spirit hope letter to the romans paul pentecost romans 8:22-27

Published February 1, 2012

Paul Hated Women–Or Did He?

Summary: This article offers a basic introduction to what Paul’s letters say about women exercising public leadership in ancient Christian communities. While some passages from these letters have been used throughout the church’s history to restrict women’s roles and to diminish women’s value, it appears to be the case that Paul knew of, supported, and partnered with women who were church leaders. Some of the more notorious passages were probably written not by Paul but by an admirer who wrote after the apostle’s death. The issue is a complex one, and it reminds us of the challenges inherent in navigating among the various perspectives in the Bible and the need to take account of the cultures in which the biblical documents were written (and to which these documents were addressed).

Read the full article, and listen to an accompanying podcast, in the “Everything You Wanted to Know about the Bible but Were Afraid to Ask” section of EnterTheBible.

Bible commentary: general audience Christianity and culture

1 corinthians 11 1 timothy 2 apostle paul ephesians 5 galatians 3:28 ministry romans 16 women

Published August 14, 2011

Commentary on Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32

Summary: In this biblical passage, which concludes the discussion of Romans 9-11, Paul declares that God’s gifts and calling are irrevocable. God therefore has certainly not rejected the Jewish people. Paul cannot finally explain why the Jewish people have, for the most part, not turned to follow Jesus Christ. Still, he leaves the matter up to God and is confident that God will show mercy to all.

I wrote this biblical commentary for those preparing to preach or teach on the passage. Read the commentary at Working Preacher.

Bible commentary: preachers & teachers

apostle paul judaism letter to the romans mercy paul romans 11:1-2a romans 11:29-32

Published August 7, 2011

Commentary on Romans 10:5-15

Summary: In this biblical passage, as Paul continues a discussion that spans Romans 9-11, he enters into an abstruse conversation with biblical texts to argue that God’s salvation is near and available to all through Jesus Christ.

I wrote this biblical commentary for those preparing to preach or teach on the passage. Read the commentary at Working Preacher.

Bible commentary: preachers & teachers

apostle paul jesus judaism letter to the romans paul romans 10:5-15

Published July 31, 2011

Commentary on Romans 9:1-5

Summary: In this biblical passage, Paul launches an extended discussion (spanning Romans 9-11) about what the message about Jesus means for Jewish people who do not receive it. The apostle expresses great commitment to his fellow Jews and emphasizes their longstanding identity as people blessed by God.

I wrote this biblical commentary for those preparing to preach or teach on the passage. Read the commentary at Working Preacher.

Bible commentary: preachers & teachers

apostle paul judaism letter to the romans Romans 9:1-5

Published October 1, 2010

What Every Christian Should Know about Paul’s Letters

Summary: This article is more academic than most of the other things I’ve written that are accessible on the Web. It offers a basic overview of the Apostle Paul’s letters, especially some of the theological convictions that inform what he wrote. To read Paul’s letters properly is to understand that Paul wrote as a pastor seeking to offer care to communities and to understand Paul’s enduring Jewish faith–a faith not replaced but transformed by his experience of Jesus Christ.

Read the full article from the journal Word & World. It was originally published in the Fall 2010 issue.

Journal articles

apostle paul new testament theology

Published May 25, 2008

Commentary on 1 Corinthians 4:1-5

Summary: In this biblical passage, Paul speaks of himself and his associates as “servants of Christ and stewards of God’s mysteries.” We do not belong to ourselves but live seeking to be faithful to God. Only God can know our success and failure at doing so.

I wrote this biblical commentary for those preparing to preach or teach on the passage. Read the commentary at Working Preacher.

Bible commentary: preachers & teachers

1 corinthians 4:1-5 apostle paul first letter to the corinthians judgment paul servant stewards of christ's mysteries

Published May 18, 2008

Commentary on 2 Corinthians 13:11-13

Summary: In this biblical passage, the Apostle Paul concludes a letter to the church in Corinth with a benediction that—among other things—names Jesus Christ, God, and the Holy Spirit. Paul speaks about God as deeply involved in the lives of the people of God. The lectionary assigns this passage for Trinity Sunday.

I wrote this biblical commentary for those preparing to preach or teach on the passage. Read the commentary at Working Preacher.

Bible commentary: preachers & teachers

2 corinthians 2 corinthians 13:11-13 apostle paul benediction holy spirit jesus paul trinity