Word for Today, Fri, 06 Aug 2004: Studying the scriptures
Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>
Dear friends,
Today's message is a short lesson on scripture. Recently, my
pastor opened a sermon with this passage of scripture. Read the
first sentence of the passage. What does it say to you? (See
below for a discussion I've put together based on the scripture).
Yours in Christ,
Brian
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1 My friends, God has made us these promises. So we should stay away
from everything that keeps our bodies and spirits from being clean. We
should honor God and try to be completely like him. (2
Corinthians 7:1, Contemporary English Version, CEV)
"My friends, God has made us these promises".
What promises? Well, do we see the answer below? No, we see the
conclusion and the directives, namely that we ought to
consciously avoid anything that compromises who we are and how we
act. We are urged to do everything possible to honor God and
try to be like Him.
That's great, and I agree, but this passage leaves us with
questions. What promises did God make? Well, that's where our
assignment comes in. In this passage, the apostle Paul has drawn
some conclusions about what he has just written. The six
previous chapters of his second letter to the church in Corinth
explain the promises of God. The verses that follow the first
verse of 2 Corinthians 7 go into detail, recounting Paul's first
letter, where he criticized and counseled the church. Paul then
goes on to let the people know how much they mean to him and how
much Paul is encouraged by them.
Have you ever read 2 Corinthians? If not, why don't you take
some time this week to do so? If you are an avid reader and you
read through novels, you could certainly read through the entire
book of 2 Corinthians in an evening. If you are reading for
recreation, you might even read it in under an hour.
Personally, when I read the Bible, there are times I read in
volume and quantity, simply enjoying and soaking in the stories
of scripture. When I read in this manner, I tend to read for
quite a while and in large chunks. Other times, I read only a
few verses at a time, then I look for similar and related
passages of scripture, or study where particular words are used
elsewhere in the Bible. Computer searching tools are a great
resource for this kind of study.
The Bible is God's spoken Word to us. God spoke to men and
women, who recorded what He said. In order to know God, we need
to know the Bible. I encourage you to read your Bible today. If
you don't already have a plan, read Corinthians this week. If
you are a good reader, read both 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians.
The first letter sharply criticizes the church at Corinth, but
then Paul explains what the Christian life is like. Some of the
most famous passages in the Bible can be found in 1 Corinthians
13. 2 Corinthians is an important book, too, for it provides
many important principles to follow.
Can you think of any well known passages in 2 Corinthians?
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Brian Masinick, mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: http://www.geocities.com/masinick/
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