Through the Bible for Skeptics, Seekers, and Disciples

Since the Colossians were Gentiles, the Judaizers targeted them. The Judaizers taught that to become a Christian you must first become Jewish. This meant the men would need to be circumcised and all would need to observe special kosher eating laws and honor certain holidays. Paul sees this as a false gospel because the Judaizers were saying what Jesus did on the cross was not enough! Paul says faith in Jesus saves us. Getting baptized shows the world we are saved (not circumcision). Instead, Paul says “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” - ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭2‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬ How were they saved? By grace through faith so then that’s how they are to live. And that’s how we are to live. Avoiding adding religious or superstitious practices and instead living by grace through our faith fully in Jesus. By grace means acknowledging we need God’s help to grow and to change. God’s grace is the unconditional love He has for us that we do not deserve. Faith is our response to His unconditional love. Faith means we trust Him, we pursue Him through prayer, the Scriptures, community, and other spiritual disciplines; and we obey Him. Obedience has negative connotations in our society but think of obeying God as being invited by someone to your surprise party. You don’t know why they are asking you to do what they are asking, but you know you can trust them. The result of obeying them (even though you don’t want to) is a fantastic party. The more we spend time with God and obey His ways as shown in the Scriptures, the more we become like Jesus. Now the more you spend time with God, the more you will have promptings from God. These are thoughts we have that are from Him which will always be consistent with His character as found in the Scriptures. Having a spiritual running partner will be very important to help you discern if the prompting was from God or not from God. #NewTestament, #Colossians, #BibleStudy, #Christianity, #BibleCommentary, #ScriptureAnalysis, #Faith, #ReligiousEducation, #Devotional, #ChristianLifestyle, #SpiritualGrowth, #ChristianTeachings, #Church, #EarlyChurch

Paul and Timothy start their letter encouraging the Colossians who they don’t know personally but know through their friend Epaphras. They encourage them that the message of Jesus is transforming lives all across the Roman world just as it is in their town. They also encourage the Colossians to live a life worthy of the Lord and to please Him in every way. To do so includes doing good works, being strengthened with the power of the Spirit, giving joyful thanks, and growing in the knowledge of God. This word means so much more than head knowledge. This is not knowing facts about someone or something. This means “knowledge gained through first-hand relationships or experience.” We can come to know God through a growing and personal relationship with Jesus because He is the fullness of God in a person. If you want to know God, look to Jesus. Paul prays for God “to fill them with the knowledge” so they can grow in their knowledge of God.” God wants us to grow to maturity even more than we do. You see, our relationship with God is like any relationship with a person, we need to spend time with Him. Without being intentional, all our relationships drift apart unless we make those phone call, send those emails, texts, or letters, and visit. With God, we spend time with Him through prayer, reading the Scriptures, participating in a local church service, small group, and serving others with others. Don’t let the word “firstborn” throw you. That does not mean Jesus was created. When you come across something that doesn’t make sense, look at the context and use the Scriptures to interpret the Scriptures. Jesus was before all things and all things were created by Him. To the Jewish mind, firstborn has more to do with rank than birth order. Jesus has ultimate supremacy and authority over the world because He walked among us, willingly sacrificed His life and rose from the dead. Doing that did something in the spiritual realm so that we can escape the evil and broken kingdom of this world and become part of God’s New Kingdom though Jesus! #NewTestament #Colossians #BibleCommentary #ScriptureAnalysis #Devotional #ChristianLifestyle #SpiritualGrowth #ChristianTeachings #BibleSummary #Christianity #BibleStudy #ScriptureSummary #Peace #Contentment #Prayer #Praise #TrustInGod #ApostlePaul #ChristianLife #NewTestament #Faith #InnerPeace #Church #EarlyChurch

Paul concludes his letter to his friends in Philippi urging two people who were feuding to choose unity. He then guides believers towards a life of peace by taking our anxious thoughts to God in prayer allowing Him to transform our perspective. The battle is in the mind as we are to think on those things which are pure, praiseworthy, lovely, admirable, noble, true, excellent, and right. In doing so, we will discover contentment and a faith greater than our circumstances. #NewTestament, #Philippians, #BibleStudy, #Christianity, #BibleCommentary, #ScriptureAnalysis, #Faith, #ReligiousEducation, #Devotional, #ChristianLifestyle, #SpiritualGrowth, #ChristianTeachings, #Church, #EarlyChurch

Paul warns about those who want Gentiles to become Jews before the can become Christians. Paul himself, once a zealous Pharisee, considers his former accomplishments as worthless compared to knowing Christ. This shift in perspective underscores the Christian belief that salvation is a gift of grace, not something earned through human effort. The chapter also emphasizes the importance of pressing on toward the goal of knowing Christ intimately. It encourages believers to forget what lies behind and to reach forward to what is ahead, focusing on our citizenship in a new Kingdom. Paul’s message is an invitation to explore a faith centered on a personal relationship with Christ, rather than mere religious rituals. It speaks to the idea that in Christianity, one finds purpose and fulfillment in knowing and following Jesus, regardless of their past or skepticism about religion. #NewTestament, #Philippians, #BibleStudy, #Christianity, #BibleCommentary, #ScriptureAnalysis, #Faith, #ReligiousEducation, #Devotional, #ChristianLifestyle, #SpiritualGrowth, #ChristianTeachings, #Church, #EarlyChurch

The apostle Paul encourages the Philippians to choose humble people themselves, following the example of Jesus who willingly emptied himself even to the point of dying on the cross for the sake of humanity. As a result, God exalted Him above all else “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭10‬-‭11‬ NIV) True humility comes from considering others' needs and interests above one's own. This selfless attitude is presented as a model for healthy relationships and demonstrated by the church leaders Epaphroditus and Timothy. Humility protects us from selfish ambition, vain conceit, grumbling and arguing and instead helps us experience unity. #NewTestament, #Philippians, #BibleStudy, #Christianity, #BibleCommentary, #ScriptureAnalysis, #Faith, #ReligiousEducation, #Devotional, #ChristianLifestyle, #SpiritualGrowth, #ChristianTeachings, #Church, #EarlyChurch

Paul expresses a deep love for the church in Philippi. They sent one of their leaders along with financial help to Paul. This letter is his thank you note expressing his love for them, and he is also encouraging them that he is still experiencing the joy of following Jesus, and seeing the message of Jesus spread while he’s in prison. for Paul it’s about a perspective that’s different than the rest of the world. For him “to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” whether he lives or dies, he wants the Philippians to live a life worthy of the Gospel of Jesus. This means living in unity, enduring suffering, and not being afraid of those who oppose them. #NewTestament, #Philippians, #BibleStudy, #Christianity, #BibleCommentary, #ScriptureAnalysis, #Faith, #ReligiousEducation, #Devotional, #ChristianLifestyle, #SpiritualGrowth, #ChristianTeachings, #Church, #EarlyChurch

On his second missionary journey in about the year A.D. 49, Paul and his team were led to Europe for the first time. Acts 16 tells us that the the Holy Spirit blocked them from going one way and the Spirit of Jesus blocked them from going another way. Eventually, God gave Paul a vision of a Macedonian man. Ironically the first person to respond to their message was actually a woman named Lydia. Paul delivered a young woman from her demonic oppression. This angered her owners because they made money off of her predictions of the future. As a result, a riot breaks out and Paul and Silas end up in jail. They continued to praise God in spite of their suffering. Even after an earthquake shook the jail, they stayed and led the jailer and his household to faith. Lydia, the jailer, and their households made up the core group of the church in Philippi. Years later they remained supportive of Paul sending him a letter and financial support. To thank them and encourage them, Paul writes the letter to the Philippians which is one of the most encouraging books in the Bible. #Philippians #BibleSummary #Christianity #BibleStudy #ScriptureSummary #Peace #Contentment #Prayer #Praise #TrustInGod #ApostlePaul #ChristianLife #NewTestament #Faith #InnerPeace

Paul continues writing to those who follow Jesus about living differently in their households. Our homes are to be known by the way we love, honor, and respect one another. Paul addresses masters and slaves which is not his way of approving of this living arrangement. Instead it was an acknowledgment of where most people were as 80% of the Romans world were enslaved. This was not race-based or the result of kidnapping others. This was a way to have a place to live or pay off debts. Either way, Paul does advocate for freedom in the letter to Philemon. Paul ends this letter sharing about the armor of God which includes the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, shoes with the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit. This armor protects us from the attacks from spiritual darkness enabling us to stand firm in our faith. #NewTestament, #Ephesians, #BibleStudy, #Christianity, #BibleCommentary, #ScriptureAnalysis, #Faith, #ReligiousEducation, #Devotional, #ChristianLifestyle, #SpiritualGrowth, #ChristianTeachings, #Church, #EarlyChurch

Followers of Jesus are called and equipped to live differently. We are to be a light in our dark world by living a life of love. This means hating what is evil by choosing to avoid doing the things that bring death and destruction to our lives and the lives of those we love. This all means that in all of our relationships we submit to one another out of reverence to Jesus. If we are married, our marriage represents the relationship between Christ and the Church, a relationship that honors and respects each other. #NewTestament, #Ephesians, #BibleStudy, #Christianity, #BibleCommentary, #ScriptureAnalysis, #Faith, #ReligiousEducation, #Devotional, #ChristianLifestyle, #SpiritualGrowth, #ChristianTeachings, #Church, #EarlyChurch

Paul urges believers to live in a manner worthy of their calling in Christ, emphasizing qualities such as humility, gentleness, patience, and love. He stresses the idea of maintaining unity through the bond of peace. Paul likens the Church to a body, with Christ as the head and individual believers as its various parts, emphasizing the interconnectedness and mutual dependence of believers within the community. Spiritual leaders have the various roles of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. These gifts are given to equip the members of the Church for service and to promote spiritual maturity. Those who follow Jesus grow to become more like Jesus. #NewTestament, #Ephesians, #BibleStudy, #Christianity, #BibleCommentary, #ScriptureAnalysis, #Faith, #ReligiousEducation, #Devotional, #ChristianLifestyle, #SpiritualGrowth, #ChristianTeachings, #Church, #EarlyChurch