# verses

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So whenever this corruptible puts on incorruption and this mortal puts on immortality, then this written word will happen: “Death has been swallowed down into victory.” <n>See Isaiah 25:8.</n> 


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So then, my dear brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.


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<i> Concluding topics About a special collection</i> Now concerning the collection for the saints, you must do just as I instructed the congregations in Galatia.


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On the first day of the week, each of you should set something aside, saving up as he is being prospered, that there be no collections when I come.


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But should it be fitting that I go as well, they will go with me. <n>Paul clearly considers that he is in charge.</n> 


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<i> Personal plans</i> Now I will come to you when I pass through Macedonia (for I am coming through Macedonia).


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And perhaps I will stay with you awhile, or even winter, that you may send me on my way, wherever I go.


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I do not wish to see you now just in passing, since I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits.


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<i> This and that</i> Now if Timothy should come, see to it that he may be with you without fear, <n>Presumably about being taken care of.</n> because he does the Lord’s work just as I do.


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Therefore no one should despise him; <n>I suppose it could be because he was young.</n> but send him on his way in peace, that he may come to me; I am expecting him along with the brothers. <n>In passing we may note that there was evidently quite a bit of traffic between the congregations in different places.</n> 


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Now about brother Apollos: I repeatedly urged him to go to you with the brothers, but he just did not want to go at this time; he will go whenever he has an opportunity.


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Now brothers, you know that the household of Stephanas is the firstfruits of Achaia and that they have really devoted themselves to ministering to the saints,


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I am glad about the coming of Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus, for what was lacking on your part they have supplied;


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<i> Final greetings</i> The congregations of Asia greet you. Aquila and Priscilla, with the congregation in their house, greet you warmly in the Lord.


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If anyone does not love <n>The verb here is <i>filew</i>, not <i>agapaw</i>. We must be fond of the Lord, or be ‘accursed’. How many sermons have you heard on that subject?</n> our Lord Jesus Christ, <n>The eclectic Greek text currently in vogue omits ‘Jesus Christ’ (following some 2% of the Greek manuscripts); and so NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc. do the same—ho hum. I have supplied ‘our’ on the basis of 58% of the manuscripts, including the best line of transmission.</n> let him be accursed. The Lord is coming! <n>All commentators appear to be in agreement that <i>Maranatha</i> is a transliteration of an Aramaic expression [although I would have expected Paul to use Hebrew] made up of two words, but there is disagreement over how to make the division. It could be ‘maranatha’, meaning ‘the Lord has come’, or ‘marana tha’, meaning either ‘the Lord is coming’ or ‘O Lord, come’. All three make good sense, so take your pick.</n> 


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<i> Opening Considerations Greeting</i> Paul, apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and brother Timothy, to the church <n>Since there were probably several local congregations meeting in homes in Corinth, not to mention “throughout Achaia”, I have rendered ‘church’. Note that Paul obviously intended that his letter have a wide circulation.</n> of God in Corinth, together with all the saints throughout Achaia:


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<i> Praise for deliverance</i> All praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion <n>Literally, ‘the compassions’ or ‘the mercies’. I suppose the point to be that He is the Source of all genuine compassion (you won’t get any from Satan).</n> and God of all encouragement,


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who encourages us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to encourage those who are in whatever affliction, by means of the encouragement with which we ourselves are encouraged by God. <n>One important reason God sends suffering our way is so that we can help others later.</n> 


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Because just as the sufferings of the Christ flow over into us, <n>We get our share of suffering, we participate in Christ’s sufferings—Colossians 1:24, 1 Peter 4:13. Evidently for God’s Kingdom to increase among men, as we continue to undo Satan’s works in the world, we have to suffer.</n> so also our encouragement overflows, through Christ.


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Now then, if we are afflicted, it is for the sake of your encouragement and deliverance, that are effective for enduring the same sufferings that we also are suffering


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(yes, our hope concerning you is steadfast); if we are encouraged, it <i>also</i> is for the sake of your encouragement and deliverance, since we know that you will share in the encouragement just as you do in the sufferings.


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And so, brothers, we don’t want you to be in ignorance concerning the affliction that came upon us in Asia: we were under extreme pressure, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life.


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Yes, we ourselves have had the sentence of death within ourselves, so that we not place confidence in ourselves, but in the God who raises the dead; <n>If you look to the God who heals the sick, it’s because you are sick; if you look to the God who raises the dead, it’s because you are facing death. Paul evidently figured he had been pretty close.</n> 


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He did deliver us from that deadly peril, and still delivers; in whom we trust that He will keep on delivering,


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you also adding your cooperation in prayer, <n>Prayer makes a difference.</n> on our behalf; that thanks may be given by many persons for the gift bestowed on us by means of many, on your behalf.


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<i> A change of plans</i> Now this is our boast: the testimony of our conscience that we have conducted ourselves in the world with openness and godly sincerity, not by fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, and especially toward you.


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For we do not write you any other things than what you can read and understand; and I do hope that you will keep on understanding to the end


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(as indeed some of you have acknowledged) that we are your boast, just as you are ours, in the day of the Lord Jesus. <n>Paul seems to be speaking of a reciprocal boasting, and that before Christ’s Judgment Seat! We probably all know a father and son who are proud of each other; the idea may be similar.</n> 


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and by you to proceed into Macedonia, and to come back to you from Macedonia (that you might benefit twice), and then to be sent by you on my way to Judea.


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Now then, when I was deciding this, I wasn’t acting frivolously, was I? Or the things I decide, do I decide according to the flesh, so that with me there would be both “Yes, yes” and “No, no”?


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As God is faithful, our word to you was not “Yes” and “No”, <n>Paul took a clear stand on things; he was not ambiguous.</n> 


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because the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was proclaimed among you by us—by me and Silvanus and Timothy <n>Paul gives credit to his associates.</n> —was not “Yes” and “No”. In fact, with Him it has <i>always</i> been “Yes”,


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because all the promises of God in Him are with the “Yes”; indeed, in Him they are with the “Amen”, that there be glory to God through us. <n>As we take advantage of the promises, God gets the glory. God’s promises are positive, with the ‘yes’.</n> 


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Now He who establishes us together with you into Christ, and who anointed <n>The anointing is in the past, but the establishing is an ongoing process—note that it is ‘into’ Christ.</n> us, is God,


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who also sealed us and gave us the down payment of the Spirit in our hearts. <n>The Holy Spirit in us is like God’s brand on us, but is also our guarantee that we have been regenerated.</n> 


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<i> The change explained</i> For my part, I call on God as witness, upon my soul, that it was to spare you that I have not yet returned to Corinth.


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(Not that we have control over your faith, <n>This is an important point: in Matthew 23:8-10 the Lord Jesus forbids any attempt to dominate someone else’s faith or conscience. As He said to the Samaritan woman, the Father wants worship in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24)—the worship must not be faked, forced or controlled.</n> but we work with you for your joy, for it is by faith that you stand firm.)


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And I wrote this very thing to you so as not to have sorrow from those who ought to make me rejoice, when I come, having confidence in you all that my joy is also yours.


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<i> About the first letter</i> Now I wrote to you out of great distress and anguish of heart, with many tears, not that you should be made sorrowful, but that you might know the greatness of my love for you.


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So, if anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has all of you, to some extent—not to be too ‘heavy’.


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This punishment that was inflicted by the majority <n>Note that it is not necessary for ‘everyone’ to be in agreement with disciplinary action.</n> is sufficient to such a one,


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so that now, on the other side, you should forgive and comfort him, so that he not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.


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Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him. <n>The purpose of the discipline was to restore, not destroy.</n> 


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Now I also wrote to this end: to put you to the test, to see whether you are obedient in all things.


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If you forgive anyone, I do too; further, if indeed I have forgiven anything to someone, I have done so for your sakes in the presence of Christ,


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so that we not be exploited by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his intentions. <n>Well, at least we shouldn’t be, but how many Christians today really take the enemy seriously? Paul will refer to Satan by name several times.</n> 


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<i> An afterthought</i> Also, upon arriving in Troas for the Gospel of Christ, a door having been opened to me by the Lord, <n>If it was the Lord who opened the door, wasn’t that indicative of His will? So did he move on against that will?</n> 


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I had no rest in my spirit, because I didn’t find Titus my brother; so taking leave of them I went on into Macedonia.


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<i> We have a glorious ministry A fragrance of life</i> Now thanks be to the God who always leads us in triumph in the Christ, <n>The title ‘Christ’ is usually accompanied by the definite article, ‘the Christ’—we are not to forget what the title really means.</n> and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Him <n>The antecedent of the pronoun could be either the Father or the Son, but in this context most likely refers to the Son—getting to know Him is in view.</n> in every place.


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Because we are the aroma of Christ for God, among those who are being saved and those who are being wasted <n>We are accustomed to ‘perishing’. The verb here has a considerable semantic area and can be rendered—destroy, kill, deprive, void, lose, perish—depending on the context, but I believe the root idea is ‘waste’. The only way to fulfill the purpose for which you were created, to realize your potential, is to turn your life over to Jesus. The alternative is to waste your life, both now and forever. Of course the enemy works to make people think the opposite.</n> —


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to these a smell of death into death, while to those a fragrance of life into life—and who is adequate for such things?


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However, we are not like the rest <n>The Greek manuscripts are about evenly divided between ‘the rest’ and ‘the many’, but I follow the best line of transmission.</n> who retail <n>A retailer makes his living by buying goods wholesale and reselling them piecemeal, at a profit. In our day there is no lack of those who dole out their teaching, precisely with a view to getting more money out of it.</n> the word of God; rather, we speak in Christ, out of sincerity, as of God in His very presence. <n>To be objectively aware that you are in God’s presence does have a way of encouraging you to make the right choices!</n> 


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<i> an aside</i> (Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Do we need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you, or commendation from you?


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you are manifestly a letter of Christ, mediated by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, <n>In some sense all of us are ‘letters’ that those around us read. To the extent that we invest in others, build into their lives, we contribute to their ‘letters’. Of course it is our lives that people see, not what is inscribed on the heart.</n> not on stone tablets but on ‘tablets’ that are hearts of flesh.)


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not that we are competent of ourselves to reckon anything as being from ourselves, but our competence is from God <n>Competence is basic to everything that is done in this world; anything done by an incompetent will almost always be inferior. This is certainly true in the spiritual realm, where work done ‘in the flesh’ is poor work.</n> —


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indeed, He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant; not of letter but of Spirit, because the letter kills, while the Spirit gives life. <n>I have capitalized ‘Spirit’, but ‘spirit’ is also true.</n> 


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<i> A greater glory</i> Now if the ministry of death, engraved in letters on stones, came with glory—so that the children of Israel could not gaze at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance (that was fading)—


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For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, how much more glorious is the ministry of righteousness!


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Because what had glory could actually be said to be without glory, compared to the surpassing glory—


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if what is being set aside had glory, that which is continuing is much more glorious. <n>Paul is being emphatic about the superiority of the new covenant.</n> 


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<b>not</b> like Moses, who put a veil over his own face, so that the children of Israel would not observe the end of what was fading. <n>At first he used the veil because the people found the shine to be disconcerting, but the shine faded, and he kept on using the veil so they couldn’t see that it was gone. Any reflected light depends on the source, and constant exposure to that source.</n> 


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<i> But</i> , it was their minds that were closed, because to this day that very veil remains in place when the Old Testament is read, since only in Christ is it taken away.


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However, whenever anyone turns to the Lord the veil is removed. <n>Any Jew can escape that veil—here’s how.</n> 


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Now the Spirit is the Lord, <n>A clear statement that the Holy Spirit is God.</n> and where the Lord’s Spirit is there is freedom. <n>“The Truth will make you free” (John 8:32). Several times the Lord Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of the Truth.</n> 


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So we all, contemplating as in a mirror the glory of the Lord with unveiled face, <n>Comparing this text with others like Psalm 1:2-3, James 1:22-25, 2:12, Ephesians 6:17 and Hebrews 4:12, I conclude that the ‘mirror’ here refers to God’s Word. As we spend time in the Word with ‘unveiled face’ (sincerely open to what it says), the Holy Spirit moves us up from one plane of glory to another.</n> are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, precisely from Lord Spirit. <n>Had Paul been writing in Hebrew, I imagine we would have ‘Jehovah-Spirit’, or ‘Jehovah the Spirit’. He here reinforces what he already said in verse 17—the Holy Spirit is part of the Triune God.</n> 


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<i> But it isn’t easy</i> Therefore, since we have received mercy along with this ministry, we do not lose heart.


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Rather, we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in deception nor falsifying the Word of God, <n>Alas, there is no lack of those who deceive and falsify.</n> but by the open proclamation of the Truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience, in the sight of God.


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So where our Gospel has actually been concealed, it has been hidden from those who are being wasted,


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among whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, <n>The Text clearly states that Satan, “the god of this age”, is in the business of blinding the minds of unbelievers when they hear the Gospel, so they won’t understand, so they won’t be convicted, so they won’t repent and convert. This is a terrible truth, the most terrible truth in the world, at least as I see it. The enemy has access to our minds, access in the sense that he has the power or ability to invade them, whether by introducing thoughts or by jamming our reasoning. The Lord Jesus had already declared this truth previously, when He explained the parable of the sower. “These are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown; but, as soon as they hear it Satan comes and takes away the word that was planted in their hearts” (Mark 4:15). In the parallel passage in Luke 8:12 Jesus adds the following words: “lest they believe and be saved.” Note that the Word is already in the mind or heart of the person, but then Satan comes, invades the mind and “takes away” that word. I’m not sure just how this intrusion by the enemy works, perhaps he causes a mental block of some sort, but the practical effect is that the Word becomes ineffective, as if the person hadn’t even heard it.The crucial question then becomes, what can we do about it? We find the answer in Mark 3:27. “No one can plunder the strongman’s goods, invading his house, unless he first bind the strong man; then he may plunder his house.” I have used the definite article with the first occurrence of ‘strong man’ because the Greek Text has it, the point being that this particular strong man has already been introduced in the immediate context. ‘The strong man’ here is Satan. (The Jewish leaders tried to explain Jesus’ authority over the demons by saying that He expelled them by the power of Beelzebub, prince of the demons. In His retort Jesus doesn’t waste time with that name but uses the enemy’s proper name, Satan.)So then, the Lord Jesus declares that it is impossible to steal Satan’s goods unless we bind him first. (From His use of “no one” it seems clear that the Lord is enunciating a general principle or truth.) And what might the nature of those ‘goods’ be? In the context (see Matthew 12:22-24) Jesus had delivered someone from a demon that caused blindness and dumbness, and in their comments the scribes and Pharisees include other instances where Jesus had expelled demons—it seems clear that the “goods” are people who are subject to Satan’s power, in one way or another. Thus we have the same essential truth as that declared in Acts 26:18—we have to do something about Satan’s power over a person so that he or she can be saved!/n> 


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Now we do not proclaim ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, <n>That’s what the Text says.</n> and ourselves as your servants <n>Literally, ‘slaves’.</n> for Jesus’ sake;


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because the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness <n>See Genesis 1:3.</n> is He who shined in our hearts to give the light that comes from the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. <n>Did you get that? When you really look at Jesus you see God’s glory; that knowledge becomes a light shining in your heart.</n> 


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Further, we have this treasure in jars of clay, <n>That we are clay pots does not change the nature of the ‘treasure’.</n> so that this all-surpassing power may be of God and not from ourselves <n>God gives us the privilege of using His power, but we had better not try to take the credit.</n> 


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always carrying about in the body the putting to death of the Lord Jesus, so that also the life of Jesus may be manifested in our body. <n>One is reminded of 1 Corinthians 15:31, where Paul says, “I die daily”. Clearly he cannot be referring to physical death, so it must be a dying to self. As I die to myself, to my own ideas and desires, the life of Jesus will be manifested in and through me.</n> 


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For we, the living, are always being handed over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that also the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh. <n>You can’t have resurrection without death.</n> 


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<i> Momentary affliction; eternal glory</i> Now since we have the same spirit of faith, just like it is written, “I believed; therefore I spoke”, <n>See Psalm 116:10. We speak on the basis of what we believe.</n> we also believe and therefore speak,


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knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus will also raise us through Jesus and present us together with you.


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So all this is for your benefit, so that the grace that has spread through the many may cause the thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God. <n>The more people are reached by God’s grace, the more thanksgiving God gets.</n> 


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Therefore we do not lose heart—even though our outer man is wasting away, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day—


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because our light, momentary affliction is working out for us an eternal and limitless measure of glory,


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as we do not focus on the seen, but on the not seen; for what is seen is transitory, but what is unseen is eternal. <n>Where is your focus?</n> 


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<i> We live by faith</i> Now then, we know that though our earthly, tent-like ‘house’ may be destroyed, we have a building from God (not a handmade house), eternal in the heavens.


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Yes, being in this ‘tent’ is a burden, so we groan—not enough to want to strip, but to be really clothed; that what is mortal may be swallowed up by the Life. <n>This paragraph relates only to the redeemed; only we have the prospect of improving our ‘clothing’. As for the lost, the mortal will be swallowed up by the Death, and they will be left naked (but not cease to exist).</n> 


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Now it is God who has prepared us for this very purpose, who also has given us the down payment of the Spirit. <n>If you don’t have the Holy Spirit, you don’t have a ‘contract’.</n> 


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So we are always confident, even knowing that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord’s home


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Because we must all be exposed before Christ’s Judgment Seat, that each one may receive his due for the things he did while in the body, whether good or bad. <n>If we are wise, like Paul, we will never forget the Accounting. He was ‘confident’ that upon leaving his physical body he would be at home with the Lord. To have the same confidence we also must consciously live so as to be well pleasing to Him.</n> 


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Therefore, since we know the Lord’s intimidation, <n>God’s holiness is an aggressive quality that attacks anything evil that tries to approach. That holiness is truly intimidating, and we will all be judged by it. Jonathan Edwards preached on that basis, with extraordinary effect, but there are few in our day who follow his example. On a lower level, worldly people tend to feel uncomfortable in the presence of someone who is holy, sometimes to the point of reacting aggressively.</n> we try to convince people.<i> Why Christ died</i> We are well known to God, and I hope in your consciences as well.


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 We are not commending ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity of boasting on our behalf, that you may have <i>an answer</i> for those who boast in appearance and not in heart. <n>Paul will enlarge on this later on in the letter.</n> 


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For Christ’s love impels us, having concluded this: if One died for all it follows that all died; <n>They all died in Him; just like all sinned in Adam.</n> 


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and He died for all so that those who <i>now</i> live should no longer live for themselves but for the One who died for all and was raised again. <n>The clearest statements giving <b>why</b> Christ died begin with Romans 14:9, “that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living”; followed by this verse, that we should no longer live for ourselves, but for Him. Philippians 2:8-11 refers to the final victory. Hebrews 2:14 refers to destroying Satan; saving us from hell is a by-product.</n> 


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<i> We are Christ’s ambassadors</i> So then, from now on we regard no one from a fleshly perspective—even if we have ‘known’ Christ in this way, we do so no longer <n>The unregenerate are forever trying to explain or understand Jesus in purely humanistic terms.</n> —


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so then, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; the old things have passed on; look, all has become new! <n>This is neither immediate nor automatic; it is potential. No benefit of the shed blood of God’s Lamb is automatic; it must be appropriated.</n> 


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And that ‘all’ is from the God who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ and given us the ministry of the reconciliation, <n>Yes, the reconciliation—no other reconciling compares with reconciling men to God.</n> 


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namely that in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, <n>Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!</n> not imputing their trespasses to them, including committing to us the message of this reconciliation.


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So then, we are Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God!


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Because He made the One who did not know sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become God’s righteousness. <n>Here we are face to face with the mystery of our redemption. Jesus, God’s Son, never sinned, did not ‘know’ sin, experientially, but He was “made to be sin” on our behalf. It is a grim picture, as though on the cross He was changed into a bundle of sin. How can we ‘measure’ or understand such love? It is beyond our comprehension. As Romans 11:33 expresses it: “Oh the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!”</n> 


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So working together <n>‘Working together’ with whom? Presumably with other ambassadors, but also with God.</n> we really urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain,


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for He says: “At a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I aided you.” Well, right now is a really favorable time; indeed, the day of salvation is <i>now</i> ! <n>See Isaiah 49:8. The ‘window’ of opportunity for any individual does not last forever.</n> 


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<i> What it costs to be Christ’s ambassadors</i> (We give no occasion for offense in anything, that the ministry not be faulted;


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rather we commend ourselves as God’s servants in every way with great endurance—in afflictions, in hardships, in distress,


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by truthful speech, by God’s power, with the weapons of the righteousness in the right hand and in the left; <n>Why right and left? A right-handed soldier would have a shield in his left hand, for defense, with a sword or spear in his right, for offense—our weapons are for both offense and defense.</n> 


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as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing and yet possessing everything!) <n>Well, well, well, there really ought to be an easier way to make a living! Well, it depends on what kind of living quarters you want in Heaven. When I get there I hope to see many individuals who can say to me, “You made me rich; thank you!”.</n> 


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<i> Separation is a ‘must’</i> Do not enter a mismatch with unbelievers; <n>This does not refer only to marriage, as the explanation that follows makes clear.</n> for what do righteousness and lawlessness have in common? And what fellowship does light have with darkness?


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And what agreement is there between Christ and Belial? Or what portion can a believer share with an unbeliever?


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Further, what agreement can a temple of God have with idols? Because <i>you</i> are a temple of the living God, just as God said: “I will dwell in them and walk among them; I will be their God and they will by my people.” <n>See Leviticus 26:12, Ezekiel 37:27.</n> 


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Therefore, “Come out from among them and be separate,” says the Lord, “Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” <n>See Isaiah 52:11, Ezekiel 20:34.</n> 


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And, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be sons and daughters to me, says the LORD Almighty.” <n>This appears to be an application based on several passages.</n> 


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Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. <n>“Perfecting holiness in the fear of God”—how long since you heard, or preached, a sermon on that?</n> 


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<i> Titus, and the first letter Introduction</i> Make room for us; we have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one.


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I do not say this to condemn you; I have said before that you are in our hearts, whether to die together or to live together.


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I have great confidence in you; I do a lot of boasting about you. I am filled with encouragement, overflowing with joy in spite of all our affliction.


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<i> Enter Titus</i> Now indeed, when we came into Macedonia we had no physical rest, but were surrounded by affliction—conflicts on the outside, fears on the inside.


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and not only by his coming, but also by how much he was encouraged over you as he reported to us your longing, your mourning, your zeal in my stead, so that I rejoiced even more.


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<i> The effect of the first letter</i> Even though that letter caused you sorrow, I do not regret it (though I almost did), because I perceive that the letter made you sorry, though only for a while.


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Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry as God intended, so as not to be harmed by us in any way.


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Now godly sorrow produces repentance into salvation without regret, but the world’s sorrow produces death. <n>The Creator made us with emotions, which when properly used are beneficial, but that under the world’s control are destructive.</n> 


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Just consider your own being caused to sorrow in a godly manner, how much diligence it produced in you—what self-defense, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have demonstrated yourselves to be clear in the matter.


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So even though I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the wrongdoer, nor for that of the victim, but, before God, so that your real commitment to us might be made clear to you. <n>God’s agenda in dealing with us often includes several objectives.</n> 


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We have been encouraged by all this.<i> Titus again</i> Because of your encouragement, we rejoiced all the more over the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all.


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 Because wherein I boasted to him about you, I was not put to shame, but just as everything we spoke to you was true, so also our boasting to Titus proved to be true.


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 Also, his affection for you is all the greater, as he remembers your collective obedience as you received him with fear and trembling.


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<i> The collection for the church in Jerusalem The Macedonian example</i> And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace of God that has been bestowed upon the congregations of Macedonia,


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that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their extreme poverty produced their extravagant, sincere generosity.


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—and more than we had hoped, they first gave themselves to the Lord <n>Is obeying the commands of Christ the exclusive privilege of the rich? How about the first believers, there in Jerusalem, were they rich or poor? It would appear that the vast majority were poor; so much so that the few well-to-do were selling their property to feed the rest. (That’s what gave rise to the case of Ananias and Sapphira [Acts 4:32-5:11].) They evidently didn’t want to leave Jerusalem, in spite of the Lord’s words recorded in Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:8. So God Himself sent the persecutions to disperse them. And they scattered, preaching as they went, poor though they were.In 2 Corinthians 8:1-5 we find an account that is very much to the point. Those Macedonian believers were very poor (“extreme poverty”). Furthermore, they were experiencing a “severe test of affliction”. Even so, they insisted on giving. From verse 4 it almost seems that Paul felt a bit embarrassed about asking them to give—they needed help themselves! But they insisted; they wanted to give. And they gave more than they properly could (“beyond their ability”). But how was that possible? They had the mentality of the Kingdom—in verse 5 we read that “<b>first</b> they gave themselves to the Lord”. And they must have understood the secret of God’s economy, as described in 2 Corinthians 9:8.</n> (and due to God’s will, to us).


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So we urged Titus that as he had made a beginning so he should also bring to completion in you this grace as well;


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that as you excel in everything—in faith, in word, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us—that you excel in this grace too.


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<i> Christ’s example</i> I am not giving a command, but I am testing the sincerity of your love by the diligence of others.


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For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for our <n>Although some 60% of the Greek manuscripts, and most versions, have ‘your’ (thereby agreeing with the complement), I take it that the best line of transmission has ‘our’, that is more inclusive.</n> sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.


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So here is my advice in this (since already a year ago you began to give and to plan, this is to your advantage):


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now you must really finish the doing—not only of the enthusiastic planning but also of the completing—out of what you have


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(because when the intention is presented, it is acceptable according to what one may have, not what he doesn’t have).


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but by way of balance—at this juncture your surplus alleviates their lack, so that later their surplus may alleviate your lack—yes, that there be balance;


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as it is written: “He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little.” <n>See Exodus 16:18. Maybe there was some sharing involved in that picture.</n> 


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<i> When handling money, avoid criticism</i> Now thanks be to God who puts the same earnest care for you in the heart of Titus;


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because he not only welcomed my appeal but being very diligent he went to you of his own accord. <n>Evidently Titus was bearing this letter, and it was he who delivered it to them.</n> 


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But we have sent together with him the brother whose praise in the Gospel is throughout all the congregations;


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and not only that—he was actually chosen by the congregations as our traveling companion with this gift, that is being administered by us with a view to the glory of the Lord Himself, and to our own good-will,


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giving thought to blamelessness, not only before the Lord but also before men. <n>As we say in Brazil, ‘all care is little’ when handling God’s money. Carelessness, not to mention dishonesty, reflects negatively on the Gospel. The Macedonian Christians took the matter seriously.</n> 


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Further, we have sent with them our brother whom we have often proved to be diligent in many things, but now much more so, because of <i>our</i> <n>There is no possessive pronoun in the Text to show whose confidence, so it could be ‘his’, but in the context it seems to me to be more likely to be ‘our’.</n> great confidence in you.


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As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker toward you; as for our brothers, they are envoys of the congregations, a glory of Christ. <n>An interesting concept—Paul affirms that Christ was proud of those men. Now that is a compliment that I would really like to hear: “he is a glory of Christ”.</n> 


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Therefore show the proof of your love (and of our boasting about you) to them as representatives of the congregations.


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<i> A little precaution</i> Now concerning the ministry to the saints, it is unnecessary for me to write to you;


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for I know your readiness, about which I boast of you to the Macedonians, that Achaia has been ready since last year, and your zeal has stirred up the majority. <n>Nothing like a good example.</n> 


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Still, I have sent the brothers so that our boasting about you in this matter not prove to be empty, so that you may be ready, like I said


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—if any Macedonians were to go with me and find you unprepared, we (not to mention, you!) would be put to shame by this confident boasting.


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So I considered it necessary to urge the brothers to go to you in advance and finish preparing the ‘blessing’ you had promised, that it be ready, representing generosity and not stinginess.


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<i> Kingdom economics</i> Now then, whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. <n>All of chapters 8 and 9 of 2 Corinthians deal with money, in one way or another. But the description of how God’s economy operates begins at 9:6. This verse enunciates a fundamental principle that has global application. “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”Any farmer understands this. If he only plants a few beans that’s all he’ll get. If he wants more he has to plant more. Any businessman will also understand it. If he wants money he has to invest it. But there is one detail that can be quite bothersome—we must plant first, and reap later. It is better to tighten your belt than to eat the seed, no matter how hungry you are. Isn’t it obvious? If you eat the seed you won’t have anything to plant, and if you plant nothing you reap nothing!In the Creator’s goodness nature is often quite generous. I suppose corn is the champion. We usually plant three or four kernels in a hill, but suppose we just plant one. If that grain germinates we get one stalk. That stalk should produce two good ears (a third ear will likely be a nubbin). Now then, have you ever counted the number of kernels on an ear of corn? I have. A poor ear may have 300 kernels. A good ear will have around 500. A <b>super</b> ear can have up to 800! Let’s suppose our stalk gives us two good ears—we planted one kernel and get back 1,000! Isn’t that a deal? Even beans that only give us several dozen to one are a deal. That is God’s way.As already noted the context is financial, and verse 7 makes clear that when the author speaks of planting and harvesting he wants us to apply the principle to giving. “God loves a glad giver.” I believe the following conclusion is beyond reasonable doubt: whoever gives nothing receives nothing. Maybe that’s why many believers, including those in ‘full-time Christian service’, often seem to be in a financial bind. They don’t give; they never contribute. Luke 6:38 shows the reaction of men and Proverbs 3:9-10 that of God when someone gives.</n> 


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Each one <i>should give</i> as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a glad giver.


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Further, God is able to make all ‘grace’ abound toward you, that always having all sufficiency in everything you may abound to every good work; <n>I believe verse 8 gives the ‘secret’; let’s consider the meaning with care. It is <b>God</b> who is powerful, not we. He it is who will cause to abound, not we ourselves. And what He causes to abound to us is ‘all grace’. The grace in view here is the grace of giving (as in 2 Corinthians 8:1, “the grace of God given to the churches of Macedonia”, which was precisely the grace to give, even beyond their means). Now the Text piles up emphatic words: “always, all, sufficiency, everything, abound, every”. All that emphasis serves to guarantee two results: we ourselves should always have enough (at least), and we should be a significant channel of blessing to others. Let’s see how it works.I understand that it is as follows: God wants us to be channels, conduits through which He can send a flow of blessings, both material and spiritual, to others. Much of what we receive may not be intended for our own use—it has another address and we are supposed to pass the blessing along (the precise address must be discerned through the Spirit). When we get the point and cooperate with God, He sends more. The more sensitive and faithful we are, the more God sends, an ever increasing flow of blessings. But if God sends a blessing, suppose a sum of money, that has another destination and we choose not to understand, decide not to cooperate, if we retain it for ourselves we become like a water pipe that corrodes shut. (Now a plugged pipe is a sad thing; it has lost its reason for being.) With that, the flow of God’s grace through our lives is staunched, because He stops sending it. Sure. Why should God keep on sending if we won’t let it pass? Can it be that our churches are full of ‘plugged pipes’?When we cooperate with God He gains, the others gain, and we gain. But whoever holds back or abstains will be cheating himself, others and even God. Consider verses 9-14. Verse 9 is a quote from Psalm 112:9, bearing on the last clause of verse 8. Now verses 10 and 11: “He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed and increase the fruits of your righteousness, you being enriched in everything for all generosity, which produces thanksgiving to God through us.” This is marvelous! God even gives the seed to be planted, and lest we eat the seed He also gives us bread to eat. He wants us to plant, He wants to see fruit! When we are faithful and cooperate, then God not only meets our needs but augments our planting; in other words, He increases our generosity, or at least He will do so to the extent that we cooperate with His purpose. As a reasonable and proper consequence of this process God receives what He deserves: the beneficiaries give praise and thanks to Him.Verses 12 and 13 elaborate on this aspect. When we line ourselves up with God’s economy He receives the glory due Him, the needs of the saints are supplied, and we are blessed. First, the people who receive the benefits from our ministry will pray for us, and certainly God will listen to those prayers. Next, even if they don’t pray, our obedience will receive the effects of God’s faithfulness. This we know, not only from the promises and affirmations in this passage, but as an inference from God’s own interests—a faithful and useful ‘water pipe’ must not die of hunger.So there it is, my friends. God is no man’s debtor. That is worth repeating: <b>God will not be anybody’s debtor</b>! We are too small; He will not allow Himself to be in debt to the likes of us. We may rest assured: whoever gives much, receives much; whoever gives little, receives little; whoever gives nothing, . . . It seems to me that this principle, much like the tithe, works even when one’s motivation is selfish or self serving. However, I trust that the reader will agree that my whole appeal has been against selfishness. It is because of the “mercies of God” that we should present our lives as a “living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1). It is the privilege and pleasure of participating in God’s grace that should motivate us to give. I believe it is fair to say that our prosperity is in our own hands, at least in part (unfortunately it is also true that we may suffer because of others’ disobedience, just as they may suffer because of ours).</n> 


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as it is written: “He has distributed around, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” <n>See Psalm 112:9.</n> 


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Now may He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food, supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the yield of your righteousness;


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as you are being enriched in everything so as to always be generous, which passing through us produces thanksgiving to God.


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Because the administration of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God


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—on the basis of the proof that this service gives, they are glorifying God for the obedience of your confession into the Gospel of Christ, and for the generosity of your sharing with them and everybody—


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<i> Paul’s defense of his apostolic authority Weapons of spiritual warfare</i> Now I, Paul, am myself appealing to you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ (I who am ‘humble when present’ among you, but ‘bold when absent’ toward you).


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Yes, I beg you, that when I am present I may not have to be bold with the confidence that I will ‘dare’ to visit upon some who think that we are walking in a fleshly manner.


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Well, we do walk about in flesh, but we do not wage war that way, <n>Well, at least we shouldn’t!</n> 


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because the weapons of our warfare are not physical, but are powerful in God for demolishing strongholds: <n>The subject of Biblical spiritual warfare is generally not well understood in Christian circles. Much of what has been written concerns defensive procedures, but this text speaks of demolishing strongholds (presumably the enemy’s, since no one will want to destroy his own), that has to do with taking the offensive.


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demolishing sophistries and every arrogance that sets itself up against the knowledge of God; taking captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ;


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being ready to punish every act of disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete. <n>I suppose that the three gerunds—‘demolishing sophistries’, ‘taking captive every thought’ and ‘being ready to punish’—are some of our weapons, being grammatically subordinated to ‘demolishing strongholds’. In the context, the thoughts we take captive are not our own (though that also is a good thing to do), but those of the enemy’s servants.</n> 


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<i> Paul is criticized</i> Do you only look at the ‘face’ of things? If anyone has persuaded himself that he is Christ’s, let him consider this again with himself, that just as he is Christ’s, so also we are Christ’s.


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Now even if I boast a little to excess about our authority (which the Lord gave us for building up, not to tear you down), I will not act ashamed, <n>He is not going to pretend to be ashamed of having overdone the boasting (in the event), since his greater concern here is to cut the ground from under his critics.</n> 


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Because some say, “His letters are ‘heavy’ and forceful, but his physical presence is weak, and his speech can be disdained.”


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Let such a person consider this, that what we are in word by letters while absent is just what we will be in action when present.


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<i> Proper limits for boasting</i> Now we do not dare to class or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves; but they, measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves with themselves, are without understanding.


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We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will stay within the boundaries that God assigned to us, a field that includes you.


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For we are not overextending ourselves, as though we had not reached you, because we did indeed get to you with the Gospel of Christ;


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nor do we boast ‘off limits’ in the labors of others, but we have hope that as your faith grows our boundaries will be greatly expanded through you,


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so as to evangelize the regions beyond you <n>Paul seems to be saying that his ability to expand the boundaries of his ‘field’ is somehow tied to their spiritual growth. Well, if the spiritual condition of one’s physical children can qualify or disqualify him (1 Timothy 3:4-5, 12), why should the same principle not hold for one’s spiritual children? Ouch!</n> (not to boast in work already done in someone else’s field).


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Because it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but whom the Lord commends. <n>Just because God uses or ‘blesses’ someone does not necessarily mean that He is approving of them.</n> 


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<i> A godly jealousy</i> I could wish that you would put up with a little of my foolishness, but indeed you already are.


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For I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy, because I betrothed you to one man to present you to Christ as a pure virgin.


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But I am afraid that somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve with his cunning, so your minds may be corrupted <n>The implication is clear: Satan does the corrupting, directly or indirectly.</n> from the integrity that is in Christ.


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For if someone comes and preaches another ‘Jesus’ whom we did not preach, or you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you easily put up with it. <n>The impression one gets is that the Corinthian believers were lacking in discernment, or commitment, or both.</n> 


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<i> Paul ministered without charge</i> Now I consider that I am not at all inferior to the very best apostles.


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Though I may not be a trained speaker, I do have knowledge—but we have been fully manifested to you in all things.


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Or did I commit a sin in humbling self so that you might be exalted, in that I proclaimed God’s Gospel to you free of charge?


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and when I was with you and in need, I did not burden anyone; because the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied my need. Yes, I kept myself from being a burden to you in anything, and will keep on.


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<i> Exposing deceivers</i> The truth of Christ is in me: this boasting will not be silenced in me in the regions of Achaia.


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Further, I will keep on doing what I do in order to cut off the opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things of which they boast.


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Such men are really false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into ‘apostles’ of Christ. <n>There have always been those who want to ‘get on the band-wagon’, to get a free ride; who traffic in spiritual things for personal, temporal advantage.</n> 


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So it is no great thing if his servants also masquerade as ministers of righteousness, <n>It is well to remember that neither Satan nor his servants are in the habit of appearing with horns and tails. Just because someone ‘looks good’ doesn’t mean that he is.</n> whose end will be according to their works.


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<i> A little ‘necessary’ boasting</i> Again I say, let no one think me a fool. But should anyone do so, at least receive me as a fool, that I also may boast a little bit.


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What I am going to say I do not say according to the Lord, but as though foolishly, <n>The implication would appear to be that whatever we do that is not ‘according to the Lord’ is foolish.</n> in this confident boasting.


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In fact, you even put up with someone who enslaves you, who ‘devours’ you, who takes advantage, who exalts himself, who beats on your face! <n>Paul is really worked up. Even allowing for his sarcasm, there were evidently things going on at Corinth that we don’t know about.</n> 


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Is it disrespectful to say that we were ‘weak’? <n>I found this sentence to be especially difficult to translate, and am not sure I got it right.</n> In whatever anyone is bold (I speak foolishly) I am bold also.


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 Are they ministers of Christ? (I’m being irrational) I am more: in labors more abundantly, in beatings beyond count, in prison more frequently, in ‘deaths’ often <n>Verses 24 and 25 spell out the ‘deaths’; verse 26 resumes with the ‘in’s.</n> —


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 five times from the Jews I received the ‘forty lashes minus one’; <n>Deuteronomy 25:3 forbids exceeding forty blows, so the Jews always stopped one short, just in case they had miscounted.</n> 


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 three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked (I spent twenty-four hours in the open sea)—


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 in frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, in danger from robbers, in danger from my countrymen, in danger from Gentiles, in danger in cities, in danger in wildernesses, in danger in the sea, in danger among false brothers;


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 in toil and hardship, in many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, in frequent fastings, in cold and nakedness <n>When the Lord told Ananias to go and restore Saul’s sight, and he protested, the Lord continued, “For I will show him how many things he must suffer for my name’s sake” (Acts 9:16). Paul paid for what he did against the early Church.</n> —


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 Who is weak, and I do not feel it? Who is caused to stumble, and I do not burn <i>with indignation</i> ?


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<i> When I am weak, then I am strong</i> Well, if I must boast, I will boast of the things that concern my weakness.


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In Damascus the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of the Damascenes, wanting to arrest me;


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but I was lowered in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped from his hands. <n>Apparently Paul considered this to be a humiliating experience.</n> 


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<i> A visit to the third heaven</i> It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast; still, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord.


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I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or outside of it, I don’t know, God knows.


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how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that a man is not permitted to tell.


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Now even if I wanted to go on boasting, I would not be stupid but speak the truth; <n>To exaggerate would be stupid.</n> but I refrain, so that no one will think more of me than what he sees in me and hears from me.


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<i> The ‘thorn in the flesh’</i> Because of the incredible importance of the revelations, to keep <i>me</i> from feeling too important, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan <n>‘Satan’ is Satan. Down through human history God has always used Satan, demons and evil men, both to punish evil and to restrain it (usually in those who are evil). Here God does so with Paul before the fact, that is, to forestall the sin. The procedure was sufficiently unusual that God actually explained to Paul why He did it.</n> to beat on me—to keep me from feeling too important.


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But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more cheerfully about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may take up residence upon me. <n>That’s what the Text says, ‘take up residence’.</n> 


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So then, I take pleasure in weaknesses, <n>Well, I must confess that I haven’t gotten there yet.</n> in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.


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<i> Apostolic signs were produced</i> I have been boasting foolishly, but you drove me to it. I ought to have been commended by you, because in nothing have I been inferior to the very best apostles, though I am nothing.


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Truly the apostolic signs were produced among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles.


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Now in just what were you inferiorized, compared to the other congregations, except that I myself did not burden you? Forgive me this wrong. <n>Yes, it probably was a ‘wrong’, because they were not taught how God’s economy works. If Paul had taught them the content of chapter nine of this letter early on, a considerable portion of this letter would not have been necessary.</n> 


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<i> Still not burdening</i> Well now, I am ready to come to you a third time, and I will <i>still</i> not burden you, because I want you, not your things—children should not have to save up for parents, but parents for children.


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So I will gladly spend and be spent for the sake of your souls, even if the more I love you the less I am loved.


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‘Ok, ok, I didn’t burden you, but being crafty I took you by deception.’ <n>In verse 16 Paul repeats a criticism that someone might falsely level at him.</n> 


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I urged Titus and sent the brother along—did Titus take any advantage of you? Did we not walk in the same spirit, in the same footprints?


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<i> A little veiled threatening</i> Do you still think that we are defending ourselves to you? It is before God we speak, in Christ; but all of it, dear ones, is with a view to your edification.


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Yes, I am afraid that when I come I may not find you such as I wish, and you not find me such as you wish—may there be no strife, jealousies, outbursts of anger, factions, slanders, gossipings, conceits, disorders—


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that when I come again my God may not humble me before you, and I will mourn for many who have previously sinned and not repented of the impurity and fornication and licentiousness which they practiced. <n>There is only one definite article for the three nouns, and ‘which’ is singular, so the three are regarded as a single ‘package’. Unfortunately there have always been, and continue to be, those who go back to a sinful lifestyle, and stay there. Like Paul, about all we can do for such is ‘mourn’.</n> 


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<i> I will not spare</i> This is the third time I am coming to you. “At the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.” <n>See Deuteronomy 19:15.</n> 


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As I already said while with you the second time I now repeat in writing while absent, to those who sinned before and to all the rest: If I come again I will not spare,


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since you want proof that Christ is speaking through me—He who is not weak toward you but powerful among you


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(although He was crucified in weakness, He lives by the power of God). Now we also are weak in Him, but we will live with Him by the power of God toward you.


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<i> Examine yourselves</i> Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you yourselves really not know that Jesus Christ is in you? <n>Sin does have a way of undermining confidence. A Christian who keeps on sinning tends to become less and less sure of his salvation.</n> —unless indeed you are disqualified.


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Now I pray to God that you do no evil; not that we may appear approved, but that you may do what is right (even though we may appear to have failed). <n>I don’t understand this.</n> 


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This is why I write these things while absent, so that when present I may not have to deal harshly, according to the authority that the Lord gave me, for building up and not for tearing down.


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<i> Conclusion</i> Finally, brothers, rejoice; restore each other; encourage one another; be of one mind; live in peace; and the God of the love and the peace will be with you.


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The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. <n>Here we have a clear reference to the Trinity.</n> Amen.


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<i> Introduction Salutation</i> Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through a man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead <n>The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is absolutely central to the Christian Faith.</n> —


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and all the brothers with me, to the congregations in Galatia: <n>“the congregations in Galatia”—Paul evidently intended that the letter be widely circulated.</n> 


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who gave Himself for our sins, so that He might deliver us out of this present malignant age, <n>The word ‘malignant’ properly refers to Satan, the ‘god of this world’, so “this present malignant age” presumably refers to the whole world system controlled by Satan. All human cultures have suffered satanic influence, and so on. The second (last) Adam came to recover all that the first Adam lost—precisely the will of the Father.</n> according to the will of our God and Father,


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<i> Paul is disappointed</i> I am sadly surprised that you are turning away so quickly from the one who called you by the grace of Christ, to a different gospel


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—it is not a mere variation, but certain people are unsettling you and wanting to distort the Gospel of the Christ.


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Now even if we, or an angel out of heaven, should preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed!


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As we have just said, I here emphatically repeat: If anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed!! <n>‘Other gospels’ would seem to be in plentiful supply; those who promote them are under a curse.</n> 


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Am I just now appealing to men, or to God? <n>Since it is God who applies the curse, he is appealing to God to back him up.</n> Or am I trying to please men? You see, if I were still pleasing men I would not be a slave of Christ. <n>Oops, tilt! Come on Paul, you can’t be serious. Do you really mean that pleasing men and being a slave of Christ are mutually exclusive? On the basis of my experience I would have to agree with Paul, with the understanding that fellow-slaves are not included in the ‘pleasing men’. (When I am pleasing Christ His other slaves should be pleased as well.)</n> 


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<i> Paul’s credentials</i> Now I want you to know, brothers, that the Gospel preached by me is not according to man;


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because I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather it came through a revelation from Christ. <n>I follow what I understand to be the best line of transmission (though in a minority here) that reads ‘Christ’ without ‘Jesus’. I take it that ‘Christ’ is in the ablative case: ‘from’ rather than ‘of’. Paul is claiming revelation—this is the plain meaning of verses 11-12.</n> 


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<i> How he was before</i> You have heard of my former conduct while in Judaism, how I was rabid in my persecution of God’s Church and tried to annihilate it;


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indeed I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age, being far more zealous for the traditions of my forefathers.


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<i> How he was re-cycled</i> But when God—who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace—resolved


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to reveal His Son in me so that I might proclaim Him among the nations/Gentiles, I did not start by consulting with flesh and blood,


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nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before I was; rather I went off into Arabia, and then returned to Damascus.


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<i> A new life and ministry</i> Subsequently, after three years, <n>The Text doesn’t say that he spent three years in Arabia; part of the time he was in Damascus.</n> I went up to Jerusalem to compare notes with Peter, <n>98% of the Greek manuscripts have ‘Peter’, not ‘Cephas’.</n> and stayed with him fifteen days.


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So I remained unknown by face to the congregations of Judea (those in Christ) <n>Every town with a synagogue would have a local congregation, but usually not ‘in Christ’.</n> 


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—they just kept hearing that “He who once persecuted us now proclaims the faith he formerly tried to destroy.”


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<i> How he was recognized by the apostolate</i> Fourteen years later I went up to Jerusalem again, with Barnabas, taking Titus along as well.


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I went on the basis of a revelation and set before them [the main apostles] the Gospel that I proclaim among the nations/Gentiles.—Now I did this privately to those with influence, lest somehow I might run, or had run, in vain.


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This came up because of the false brothers who were smuggled in <n>Who was responsible for the smuggling? And in whose service were they, really, even though they were evidently part of the Christian community?</n> (who stole in to spy out our freedom, that we have in Christ Jesus, so as to reduce us to slavery),


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to whom we did not yield, even for a moment, so that the truth of the Gospel might continue with you.—


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Now from those who seemed to be important (whatever they were makes no difference to me; God shows favoritism to no man)—those with influence contributed nothing to me,


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but on the contrary, upon seeing that I had been entrusted with the Gospel for the uncircumcised, just as was Peter for the circumcised


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(for He who was at work with Peter for the apostleship to the circumcised was also at work with me for that to the uncircumcised),


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and upon perceiving the grace that had been given to me, James and Cephas and John, those reputed to be pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles, while they to the Jews. <n>Literally, ‘circumcised’.</n> 


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They did ask us to keep remembering the poor, the very thing I also was eager to do. <n>The early Church did not ignore the physical needs of the poor.</n> 


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<i> Paul has to rebuke Peter</i> But, when Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was blameworthy.


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Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came he began to draw back and separate himself, fearing those of the circumcision party.


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And the rest of the Jews played the hypocrite with him as well, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy. <n>That even Barnabas went along shook Paul up; the situation had gotten out of hand. Someone had to take a stand.</n> 


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So when I saw that they were not walking straight according to the truth of the Gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all: “If you, being a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, why do you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?


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We natural Jews (and not ‘Gentile sinners’), <n>My impression is that Paul is being a little sarcastic here, since the Jews liked to think that they were better than the Gentiles.</n> 


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knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, we ourselves have believed into Christ Jesus, so as to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law; because no one will be justified by works of law. <n>This point is so important that Paul says it three times!</n> 


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But if <n>We have here what in Greek grammar is called a ‘condition of fact’—the protasis is presented as being true—so that often ‘if’ should be ‘since’. Paul is affirming that he (and others) is a sinner, but also rejecting the notion that Christ could be viewed as an accomplice to their sin.</n> while seeking to be justified in Christ we ourselves were discovered to be sinners, then is Christ a minister of sin? Of course not!


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“Now if I rebuild the things that I destroyed, I acknowledge that I am a transgressor. <n>Whereas he had once tried to destroy the Church, he is now building it, which amounts to recognizing that he had been wrong before, a transgressor.</n> 


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For through the law I died to the law in order to live to God. <n>He thought he was serving God before, persecuting the Church in his zeal for the law. But ‘the law’ crucified Christ, and in declaring allegiance to the crucified Christ he died to the law, so that he could really live for God. 4:4 says that the Son was “born under law”.</n> 


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I have been crucified with Christ, so it is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me; what I now live in this body I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself in my place. <n>A tremendous statement, and when we allow it to function in our lives it is an equally tremendous truth! Those who try to live the Christian life generally make a poor job of it; when I allow Christ to live His life through me He makes a good job of it (to the extent that I stay out of the way).</n> 


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I do not nullify the grace of God; for if righteousness is through the law, then Christ died for nothing!”


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<i> Law or faith</i> O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you not be persuaded by the Truth <n>Perhaps 3% of the Greek manuscripts omit “that you not be persuaded by the Truth” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).</n> —Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as having been crucified, before your very eyes! <n>It almost sounds like there was a dramatic demonstration.</n> 


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Just tell me one thing: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?


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Furthermore, He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, <i>is He activated</i> by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? <n>Although I have capitalized the pronoun, there must have been a human being involved as well.</n> —


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just as Abraham “believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness”. <n>This is a quote from Genesis 15:6, but is not presented as such.</n> 


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Further, the Scripture, foreseeing that “God justifies the nations by faith”, <n>Wow! Notice that ‘the Scripture’ is personified! It/He sees/knows in advance what God is going to do. It is so certain that the verb ‘justifies’ is in the present tense; in other words, at any point in human history this was/is the way a ‘gentile’ is justified.</n> proclaimed the Gospel in advance to Abraham: “All the nations will be blessed through you”. <n>This is a direct quote from Genesis 12:3, which, of course, hadn’t been written yet in Abraham’s day (in his day the only written Scripture available was the book of Job). Notice that the personification of ‘Scripture’ continues; It/He is the One who said this to Abraham, so all we need to do is go back to Genesis to find out who it is—Jehovah Himself, presumably the Son!</n> 


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<i> The curse of the law</i> Now as many as are ‘by the works of the law’ are under a curse; because it stands written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all the things written in the Book of the Law, to do them”. <n>This is a direct quote from Deuteronomy 27:26.</n> 


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Further, it is evident that no one is justified by the law before God, because “the righteous will live by faith”. <n>This is a quote from Habakkuk 2:4.</n> 


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While the law is not of faith but, “the man who does them will live by them”. <n>This is a quote from Leviticus 18:5.</n> 


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Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse in our place—because it stands written, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree” <n>This is a direct quote from Deuteronomy 21:23.</n> —


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so that the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through the faith.


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<i> The covenant with Abraham</i> Brothers: as a man I speak a covenant; though only of a man, once it has been ratified no one annuls or adds to it.


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But to Abraham were spoken the promises, <n>Paul draws a contrast between a hypothetical covenant he might speak as a man, and the promises actually spoken to Abraham and his Seed.</n> and to his Seed. He doesn’t say “and to seeds”, as about many, but “and to your seed”, as about one, who is Christ.


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Further, I say this: a covenant confirmed beforehand by God in Christ <n>Less than 3% of the Greek manuscripts, of inferior quality, omit “in Christ” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.). Without Christ, the Seed, there would have been no promise.</n> cannot be annulled by the law that came four hundred and thirty years later, so as to make the promise of no effect.


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For if the inheritance were of the law, it would no longer be of promise, but God granted it to Abraham by promise.


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<i> The law was a guardian</i> Why then the law? It was added on account of the transgressions, until the Seed should come to whom the inheritance had been promised; and it was ordered through angels by the hand of a mediator. <n>“By the hand of a mediator” would presumably refer to Moses, since he passed the Law on to the people, but the reference to “angels” puzzles me. The O.T. account has God dealing directly with Moses, or so it seems to me. Perhaps God used angels to communicate some of the lesser details, or to refresh Moses’ memory.</n> 


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(Now that mediator is not for just one, but God is one.) <n>I take this verse to be parenthetical because it does not seem to contribute to the argument. The word ‘mediator’ that ends verse 19 gives rise to the parenthetical comment, because Paul then used the definite article with the same word at the beginning of verse 20, which is why I render “that mediator”. Paul then states the obvious—for someone to be a mediator there must be at least two parties at odds—which he contrasts with something even more obvious—God is one. Perhaps the point is that which lies behind the question in verse 21: since God is the source of both Law and Promise, and He being one cannot be at odds with Himself, then Law and Promise cannot be at odds. Moses functioned as mediator between God and the people.</n> 


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Is the law then against the promises of God? Of course not! Rather, if a law had been given that was capable of imparting life, truly righteousness would have been by the law.


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But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, <n>‘Everything’, not ‘everyone’—that’s what the Text says. Romans 8:19-22 spells it out—the consequences of Adam’s fall extended to and included the creation. How could a perfect world be administered by a fallen man?</n> so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.


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Now before this faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, in confinement until the coming faith was revealed.


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As many of you as were baptized into Christ <n>See 1 Corinthians 12:13.</n> have clothed yourselves with Christ


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—there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; all of you are one in Christ Jesus <n>The reference is to the spiritual realm, not the physical—a Jew who believes into Jesus does not stop being a physical Jew, a slave who believes into Jesus does not automatically change social status, a male who believes into Jesus does not stop being a physical male, etc. But if we are all “clothed with Christ”, verse 27, we will all look alike, at least from a distance. People looking at us should think they are looking at Him.</n> —


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so if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed <n>Abraham’s seed, not Jacob’s.</n> and heirs according to the promise.


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<i> Sons or slaves</i> To proceed, as long as the heir is a child he is no different from a slave, though he is owner of all,


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Similarly, when we were children we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world. <n>The only true freedom available in this life is to be a slave of Jesus Christ. In John 8:34 the Lord Jesus said, “whoever commits sin is a slave of sin”, and in verse 36, “if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed”. Sin gives Satan an entrance, and he has various instruments for binding people (see verse 8 below).</n> 


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And because you are sons, <n>If you have the Holy Spirit in your heart, it is because you have been adopted into God’s family; you are a ‘son’.</n> God sent out the Spirit of His Son into your <n>Perhaps 6% of the Greek manuscripts read “our” instead of “your”, setting up a conflict with the verb “you are” at the beginning of the verse (as in NIV, NASB, TEV, etc.).</n> hearts, calling, “Abba, Father”. <n>“Father” is a translation of “Abba”.</n> 


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Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, <n>Here Paul switches from plural to singular.</n> and if a son, also an heir of God through Christ. <n>Evidently 1½% of the Greek manuscripts, of inferior quality, read “through God” instead of “of God through Christ” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).</n> 


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<i> Paul’s concern</i> But at one time indeed, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those that by nature are not gods. <n>The reference is presumably to demons. Since the ‘world’ (verse 3) is controlled by Satan, his agents impose the ‘principles’.</n> 


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But now that you know God—better, are known by God—how can you turn back to those weak, yes decidedly inferior, basic principles, to which you wish to be enslaved all over again?


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Rather, you know that I preached the Gospel to you the first time in spite of a physical infirmity. <n>It will be observed that I have rendered “in spite of” a physical infirmity, whereas most versions have “because of”, in accordance with the normal meaning of the grammatical construction here (δια with the accusative is the usual way to express cause). What troubles me is that the normal meaning doesn’t make much sense here; how could an infirmity be the cause of his preaching the Gospel to them? A counter-cause would make better sense, but I am not aware of any way to express it in Greek; the closest thing appears to be καιπερ ‘although’, that occurs all of five times in the N.T. In spoken English ‘raise’ and ‘raze’ are pronounced the same, but have opposite meanings, and this sort of thing is not rare in language. An ironic inflection reverses the meaning of what is said. I assume that something of the sort has occurred in this verse.</n> 


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Also, you did not despise or recoil at my physical trial, but you received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.


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So what about your blessedness? Because I can testify that if it were possible you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me.


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They zealously court you <n>Paul contrasts himself with the proselytizers: he tells them the truth, even if unpleasant; they start by ‘buttering up’ their intended victims, but then move to create a dependency so they can control them.</n> —not for good but intending to isolate you, so that you may seek them.


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However, the one by the slave woman was born according to the flesh, while the one by the free woman was through the promise. <n>For Sarah to conceive required a miracle.</n> 


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I will now allegorize them—these are two covenants: one is from Mount Sinai, bearing children into slavery, which is ‘Hagar’


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(for this ‘Hagar’ is Mount Sinai in Arabia <n>The Sinai Peninsula is not part of Arabia, so what the maps call ‘Mt. Sinai’ may not be the real one.</n> and corresponds to the present day Jerusalem, <n>The Jerusalem of Paul’s day was in slavery to Rome.</n> and is in slavery with her children);


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For it is written: “Rejoice, barren one, who does not give birth; break forth and shout, you who have no labor pains; because the abandoned woman has many more children than she who has the husband.” <n>The quote is from Isaiah 54:1—in that chapter Jehovah is telling Israel, His abandoned ‘wife’, that He is going to take her back, restore her, and her future felicity will make her forget the pain of rejection. However, that restoration will presumably be based on the new covenant (Jeremiah 31), as is Christ’s Gospel.</n> 


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Now we, <n>Perhaps 8% of the Greek manuscripts read “you” for “we” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).</n> brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise.


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But, it is the same now as it was then: the one born according to flesh persecutes the one born according to Spirit.


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However, what does the Scripture say? “Expel the slave woman and her son, because the son of the slave woman absolutely must not inherit with the son of the free woman!” <n>The quote is from Genesis 21:10, where Sarah is demanding this of Abraham, but God backs her up (verse 12).</n> 


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<i> Freedom in Christ</i> Stand firm therefore in the freedom with which Christ has made us free, <n>6-7% of the Greek manuscripts replace this first half of the verse with, “for freedom Christ has made us free; stand firm therefore” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).</n> and do not be burdened again with a yoke of slavery.


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Further, I testify again to every man who gets circumcised that he is obligated to keep the whole law. <n>In the context it is clear that Paul is not decrying physical circumcision, that has an important side benefit—women with circumcised husbands don’t get cervical cancer. He is combating the idea of spiritual benefit from the practice, as claimed by the judaizers, and in particular the ‘necessity’ that they claimed.</n> 


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You who are ‘being justified’ by law have been alienated from the Christ; you have fallen away from the grace. <n>They have regressed from the covenant of grace to the covenant of law.</n> 


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For we through the Spirit eagerly wait <n>“eagerly wait”—I love it! Those who are trying to be justified by works don’t ‘eagerly wait’ for anything; the future accounting is a source of apprehension. On the other hand, we who understand that we are justified by faith in the Christ do indeed have a hope we can ‘eagerly wait’ for.</n> for the hope of righteousness by faith.


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Because in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.


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I have confidence toward you in the Lord that you will not think differently; but he who troubles you will bear the penalty, whoever he may be.


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But I, brothers, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that event the offense of the cross would have been removed.


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I do wish that those who are upsetting you would just remove themselves! <n>It will be observed that my rendering of this verse differs significantly from that of the better known versions: they have Paul wishing that they would castrate themselves, or commit suicide! The verb is in the middle voice, hence reflexive; it means to ‘sever’ or ‘amputate’, but can also mean to ‘exclude’. I take it Paul is wishing that they would ‘amputate’ or exclude themselves from the situation—he wants them to go away and leave the Galatian believers in peace!</n> 


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Now you, brothers, have been called to freedom; only do not use that freedom as an opening for the flesh, but slave for one another through love.


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<i> Spirit VS flesh</i> I say then: walk in the Spirit, and you will <i>not</i> fulfill the lust of the flesh.


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Because the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh; they oppose each other; it follows that you may not do the things that you wish.


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However, if you are led by the Spirit you are not under a law. <n>What the flesh wants is bad for you; what the Spirit wants is good for you. To be led by the Spirit is not to be under a set of rules; it is a relationship.</n> 


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Now the works of the flesh are obvious, namely: adultery, <n>Perhaps 5% of the Greek manuscripts omit “adultery” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.). This statement holds also for “murders” in verse 21.</n> fornication, uncleanness, licentiousness,


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idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousies, fits of anger, selfish ambition, dissentions, factions,


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envyings, murders, drinking bouts, orgies, and the like; about which I am warning you beforehand, as, in fact, I did before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God. <n>Here is a plain statement (see also 1 Cor. 6:9-10 and Rev. 21:8). Religious communities that condone or permit such practices are deceiving their constituents; at the Judgment they will get a very nasty surprise.</n> 


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gentleness, self-control—against such things there is no law. <n>Paul was not referring to certain satanically inspired regimes, that may actually preach hate and violence.</n> 


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Further, those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. <n>Another strong statement: a dead desire does not ask to be gratified.</n> 


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Since we live by the Spirit, let us also conform to the Spirit. <n>I believe the idea here is similar to that in 5:18. Conforming to, or perhaps seeing eye to eye with, the Spirit represents a higher level of spiritual experience.</n> 


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<i> Practical instructions</i> Brothers, if a man is actually caught in some wrongdoing, <n>He is ruling out hearsay.</n> you, the spiritual ones, should restore him in a spirit of gentleness, watching out for yourself lest you also be tempted.


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Let each one test his own work, and then do his ‘boasting’ only within himself, never to someone else. <n>Again, my rendering is unusual. My difficulty with the usual ‘in himself’ and ‘in another’ is that in both cases the preposition is ‘into’ (εις ), not ‘in’ (εν ). If someone forms an exaggerated notion about his work (verse 3) and then starts boasting out loud, he will look stupid.</n> 


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Let him who is taught the Word share all good things with him who teaches. <n>Teachers are people; they too need food, clothes, shelter, . . .</n> 


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Do not be deceived, God does not allow Himself to be treated with contempt; because whatever a man sows, that he will also reap


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—he who sows to his own flesh will reap deterioration <n>If the deterioration is never checked, guess what happens.</n> from that flesh; he who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from that Spirit.


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So then, as we have opportunity, let us do what is good toward everyone, but especially toward those who are of the household of faith.


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<i> Boast in the cross</i> See with what large letters I have written to you with my own hand. <n>This verse, coupled with 4:15, gives credence to the idea that Paul’s physical infirmity had to do with his eyes.</n> 


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Those who want to make a good showing in the flesh are pressuring you to be circumcised, but only so as not to be persecuted for the cross of Christ.


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For not even those who are circumcised keep the law themselves, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. <n>Again Paul makes clear that he is referring to the religious exercise when practiced on adults, not the physical fact (that is properly practiced on eight-day-old babies).</n> 


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But as for me, may I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.


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Because in Christ Jesus <n>Some 3% of the Greek manuscripts omit “because in Christ Jesus” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).</n> neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation. <n>If you aren’t a new creation, you aren’t saved.</n> 


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Now as for those who conform to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God. <n>According to Greek grammar, the repetition of the preposition ‘upon’ in two phrases joined by ‘and’ makes clear that the objects of the prepositions refer to distinct entities. Hence, “the Israel of God” cannot be a reference to the Church, assuming that “those who conform to this rule” refers to those who are “in Christ Jesus”. I take “the Israel of God” to refer to sincere, devout Israelites.</n> 


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Finally, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the brand marks of the Lord <n>Perhaps 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of inferior quality, omit “Lord” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.). I would say that the eclectic Greek text that these modern versions generally follow is mistaken at over eighty (80) points in Galatians, of which I mentioned only eleven (mainly the more serious ones).</n> Jesus. <n>This is an interesting claim. I suppose him to be saying that he deserves respectful treatment because of what he has suffered for Christ’s cause.</n> 


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<i> Salutation</i> Paul, apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God, to the saints who are at Ephesus, <n>I take it that Paul is claiming to be Christ’s apostle to them, so he is writing with specific apostolic authority. Less than 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit ‘at Ephesus’ [such is the basis for the nasty footnotes in NIV, NASB, LB, etc.].</n> that is, the faithful in Christ Jesus:


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Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. <n>The alternation between ‘Jesus Christ’ and ‘Christ Jesus’ appears to be stylistic, without doctrinal implication. The full name of Jehovah the Son is now ‘The Lord Jesus Christ’.</n> 


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<i> Some concentrated theology A paean of doctrinal praise</i> Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms <n>“In the heavenly realms” may be a synonym for Heaven.</n> in Christ; <n>The blessings are only for those who are in Christ.</n> 


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just as He [F] <n>Here the pronoun refers to the Father, not ‘Christ’. Below, whenever the referent changes I will indicate this by [F] or [S], which will be good until the next change.</n> chose us in Him [S] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him [F] , in love, <n>The syntax is ambiguous: does “in love” go with the preceding clause, or the following one? If the preceding, then it would be our love for Him; if the following, His love for us. When the Text is ambiguous I like to allow for both possibilities, which is why I place a comma before and after.</n> 


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having predestined us into an adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, into Him [S] , according to the good pleasure of His [F] will,


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in whom we have the redemption through His [S] blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His [F] grace,


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that He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and intelligent design, <n>I take it that many people, as they contemplate the mess the world is in, doubt that the Creator [[if He exists]] knew what He was doing. One day we will agree that the design is marvelous.</n> 


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having made known to us the ‘secret’ of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Him [S] 


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with a view to administering the fullness of the times <n>The reference is not so much to chronological time as to occasions or epochs.</n> so as to bring all things together under one head in Christ—those on the heavens <n>‘on the heavens’—that’s what the Text says. I take the reference to be to beings and things that are not an integral part of Heaven, temporary appendages—of course any beings and things on the earth are not an integral part of Heaven either. They all will jointly be subordinated to the Christ.</n> and those on the earth—in Him [S] ,


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in whom we were also assigned an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him [F] who works all things according to the decision of His will,


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so that we should be to the praise of His glory, <n>This is the main point of the whole exercise—the praise of His glory!</n> we who first trusted in the Christ;


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about whom, to be sure, we had heard the true Word <n>A majority of the Greek manuscripts, including the best line of transmission, have ‘we’, rather than the familiar ‘you’. Being unexpected, many scribes may have made the change (of one letter) almost without thinking.</n> —the Gospel of your salvation; by whom, since you also believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,


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who is the down payment on our inheritance until the release of the possession, <n>So what happens if ‘the down payment’ decides that someone doesn’t want Him?</n> to the praise of His glory.


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<i> Some doctrinal praying</i> Because of this, having heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints,


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that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, <n>To be the ‘Father’ of glory is to be the Source of all true glory.</n> may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the real knowledge <n>I finally settled on ‘real knowledge’ as the best way to render <i>epignwsis</i>, the heightened form of <i>gnwsis</i>, ‘knowledge’. Real knowledge is more than mere intellectual knowledge. The Text goes on to say, “the eyes of your heart having been enlightened”. Real knowledge changes your ‘heart’, who you are.</n> of Himself,


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the eyes of your heart having been enlightened, that you may know 1) what is the hope of His [F] calling, and 2) what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, <n>We normally concentrate on ‘our’ inheritance, what we are going to get. More important is God’s inheritance, what He is going to get.</n> 


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and 3) what the exceeding greatness of His power into <n>‘into us’—that’s what the Text says. Note that ‘believing’ is in the present tense. Please see the note at 3:20.</n> us who are believing, according to the demonstration of the extent of His might


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which He exercised in the Christ when He raised Him [S] from among the dead and seated Him at His [F] right, in the heavenly realms,


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far above every ruler and authority and power and dominion <n>It is generally understood that the reference is to the angelic hierarchy. The two thirds that remained faithful to God were never a problem, so presumably the special point is that Christ defeated Satan, with his one third, and is now (as the God/man, the second Adam) seated ‘far above’ that enemy. Please see the note at 2:6.</n> —even every name that can be named, not only in this age but also in the next.


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In short, He [F] placed everything under His [S] feet and appointed Him to be Head over everything in the Church, <n>Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the Church recognized that Headship in practice! Where <i>ekklesia</i> refers to the whole body of Christ, as here, I render ‘Church’; where it refers to a local assembly I render ‘congregation’.</n> 


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which is His body, the complement <n>Just as a wife complements her husband (when things are like they are supposed to be), God’s purpose is that the Bride complement the Groom.</n> of Him who fills everything in every way.


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<i> Our position in Christ</i> He [F] raised you up as well, when you were dead in your transgressions and sins,


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in which you once walked, according to the Aeon of this world, the ruler of the domain of the air, the spirit who is now at work in the sons of the disobedience; <n>Strictly speaking the Text has “according to the Aeon of this world, according to the ruler of the domain of the air”—the phrases are parallel, so ‘Aeon’ and ‘ruler’ have the same referent, a specific person or being. This spirit is presently at work (present tense) in ‘the sons of the disobedience’. ‘Sons’ of something are characterized by that something, and the something in this case is ‘the’ disobedience (the Text has the definite article)—a continuation of the original rebellion against the Sovereign of the universe. Anyone in rebellion against the Creator is under satanic influence, direct or indirect (in most cases a demon acts as Satan’s agent).</n> 


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among whom all of us also used to conduct ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and of the senses, <n>This is the way people who don’t belong to Christ may be expected to act. Far from being surprised, we should count on it, and our strategies should count on it.</n> and were by nature children of wrath, <n>To be in rebellion against the Creator is to be under His wrath.</n> just like the rest.


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even when we were dead in our transgressions—made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)


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and raised us up together and seated us together in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, <n>This is tremendous! Here we have our authority. Christ is now seated at the Father’s right, ‘far above’ the enemy and his hosts. This verse affirms that we are there too! So in Christ we also are far above the enemy and his hosts. We should be consciously operating on that basis.</n> 


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in order that in the coming ages He might display the surpassing riches of His grace, through His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.


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For by grace you have been saved, through the faith <n>The Text has ‘the’ faith; the reference is to a specific faith.</n> —and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God—


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You see, we are His ‘poem’, <n>The English word ‘poem’ comes from the Greek word here, <i>poiema</i>, and is one of its meanings. Just as each poem is an individual creation of the poet, so we are individual creations, not produced by a production line in a factory.</n> created in Christ Jesus for good works, <n>We are not saved by good works, but for good works. We do good works because we are saved.</n> which God prepared in advance in order that we should walk in them. <n>‘prepared in advance’—I imagine that this refers to God’s moral code, the rules of conduct that everyone should follow (if everyone did we wouldn’t need jails, rescue missions, etc.).</n> 


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<i> Once far, now near in Christ</i> So then, remember that once you physical Gentiles—called ‘uncircumcision’ by the so-called ‘circumcision’ (that made in flesh with hands)—


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that at that time you were apart from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and strangers to the covenants of the promise, <n>‘the promise’—that’s what the Text says. The various covenants recorded in the Old Testament differ considerably from each other, but one might say that there is one promise common to all: God promises to bless obedience, those who obey Him. To obey God one needs to have some contact with Him. Without such contact one has no hope.</n> having no hope and without God in the world.


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But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have come to be near through the blood of the Christ.


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<i> Two into one</i> For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one and broken down the barrier of separation—the law with its commandments and ordinances—


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having abolished the enmity through His ‘flesh’, so as to mold the two [Jew and Gentile] into one new man in Himself (thus making peace)


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He came and proclaimed peace to us, <n>The Greek manuscripts are badly divided between ‘us’ and ‘you’, so I follow the best line of transmission. Verses 17 and 18 form a single sentence, wherein Paul now handles Jew and Gentile as a unit, “we both”.</n> being both far and near,


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because through Him we both have access to the Father, by one Spirit. <n>Up to this point in the letter the Father and the Son have been repeatedly presented as distinct persons; now the Holy Spirit is added. All three persons are in this 18th verse.</n> 


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So then, you are no longer strangers and aliens, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household,


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built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone;


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<i> The ‘secret’ revealed to Paul</i> For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles—


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how that by revelation He made known to me the ‘secret’ <n>I consider that ‘secret’ is a better rendering than ‘mystery’. The truth about the Church isn’t all that mysterious; it just hadn’t been explained before.</n> (as I have written briefly already,


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with reference to which, when you read, <n>Whatever writing Paul is referring to, evidently the Ephesians hadn’t seen it yet, but he figures they have heard about it. Paul probably wrote a variety of things that were not preserved in the New Testament canon.</n> you can understand my insight into Christ’s secret),


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which in different generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: <n>The grammar indicates that ‘apostles and prophets’ refers to the same people. An apostle, upon receiving a revelation, would also function as a prophet.</n> 


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that the Gentiles are joint-heirs, of the same body, and fellow partakers of His promise in the Christ through the Gospel,


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of which I became a servant according to the gift of God’s grace, the gift given to me according to the outworking of His power.


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To me, the very least of all saints, <n>Paul does not always describe himself at this level of humility!</n> was this grace given, to preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,


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and to enlighten all <n>His explanation of the secret is for everyone, Gentile and Jew alike.</n> as to the program of the secret that from the beginning of the ages has been hidden by the God who created all things through Jesus Christ; <n>This text joins Hebrews 1:10, John 1: 3, 10 and Colossians 1:16 in affirming that Jehovah the Son was the primary agent in the creation of our world and race.</n> 


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to the intent that now, through the Church, the manifold wisdom of God might be made known to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly realms, <n>Don’t you know that the cherubim and seraphim and other high ranking angels really wondered what the Sovereign was up to when He created the human being.</n> 


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according to the eternal purpose that He accomplished by Christ Jesus our Lord, <n>“The eternal purpose”—this included the Lamb with His blood shed (1 Peter 1:19-20)!</n> 


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from whom every family in heaven and on earth receives its name, <n>Here is another reference to the Son as the primary agent in the creation.</n> 


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that He [F] may grant you, according to the riches of His glory: 1) to be strengthened with power by His Spirit in the inner man;


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so that you may be fully able to grasp (with all saints) what is the breadth and length and depth and height;


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and 3) to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge—so that you may be fulfilled into all the fullness of God. <n>If it weren’t for verse 20 (see note), I would be inclined to think that Paul’s prayer was overly ambitious! Does he really expect us to arrive at “all the fullness of God”?! Well, we have the Trinity going for us—the Father is granting, the Spirit is strengthening our inner man and the Son is dwelling in our hearts—an unbeatable combination (if it weren’t for our lack of commitment). That said, however, I must confess that I don’t understand verse 18—what is Paul describing? Whatever it is, all saints are supposed to be able to grasp it, which seems rather improbable. Verse 19 offers another paradox: if the love of Christ surpasses knowledge, how can we know it? Spiritual growth is clearly a process. 2 Peter 1:3 affirms that “His divine power has granted to us all things pertaining to life and godliness.” So whether we get there or not is up to us.</n> 


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Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to the power that is working in us, <n>1:19 spoke of “the exceeding greatness of His power <b>into</b> us who are believing”—note that the verb is in the present tense; having believed yesterday won’t hack it, we must believe today. This tremendous power that God pours into us, as we believe, exceeds our powers of imagination. Well now, my personal horizon is limited and defined by my ability to imagine. Anything that I can’t imagine lies outside my horizon, and so obviously I won’t ask for it. I sadly confess that I have not yet arrived at a spiritual level where I can unleash this power—I have yet to make the truth in this verse work for me. But I understand that the truth affirmed here is literal, and I only hope that others will get there before I do, if I keep on delaying. The whole point of the exercise (verse 21) is for God to get glory [not for me to have a good time, although if I ever get there I will certainly have a great good time!], and to the extent that we do not put His power in us to work we are depriving Him of glory that He could and should have.</n> 


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to Him be the glory in the Church in Christ Jesus, to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. <n>The glory that God gets from the Church will go on forever.</n> 


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<i> Putting the theology into practice Unity</i> So then, as the prisoner in the Lord I urge you to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called,


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one God and Father of all, <n>Here’s the Trinity again—the Spirit in verse 4, the Son in verse 5 and the Father in verse 6.</n> who is over all and through all and in us all.


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<i> Building up the body</i> Now to each one of us the grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift was given.


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That is why He says, “When He ascended into the heights He captured the concentration camp, and distributed gifts to men.” <n>“He captured the concentration camp” doesn’t sound very much like “He led captivity captive” now does it. The point is that ‘captivity’ refers to people held in captivity, and they are freed. When an invading army takes a concentration camp, the prisoners are set free (usually). We have here a quote from Psalm 68:18, where the second half says, “You have received gifts from men,” just the opposite of ‘distributed’. What to do? The Targum (a Hebrew commentary) interprets as, “You have given gifts to the children of men.” Upon reflection this would appear to be obvious. When you put tithes and offerings in the offering plate at church, you are giving to God, but does that money literally go to Heaven? No, it is redistributed down here—some goes to the preacher’s salary, some to a missionary, some to pay the light bill, etc. God does indeed receive gifts from men, but He doesn’t stash them in Heaven somewhere; they are redistributed down here. When done properly He gets the credit: “He distributed gifts to men.”</n> 


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(What does ‘He ascended’ imply if not that He also first descended into the interior regions of the earth? <n>This is one of several texts that lead me to understand that Sheol/Hades is beneath the crust of the earth somewhere. For one of the things He did down there, see 1 Peter 3:19.</n> 


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He who descended is the very one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)


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Yes, He Himself gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, <n>I take it that this list follows the chronological sequence of the several ministries. An apostle introduces the Gospel into an area or context; a prophet gets the people’s attention and an evangelist urges them to believe; but once people are regenerated then pastors and teachers come to the fore—they are the ones who equip the saints. It is simply a fact of life that someone with a shepherd’s heart is not necessarily a good teacher, and an honest to goodness teacher often lacks a shepherd’s heart. The functions are supposed to be complementary, and the object is to get all true believers involved in the work of the ministry. Life in Christ is not a spectator sport!</n> 


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for the equipping of the saints into the work of the ministry, so as to build up the body of Christ,


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until we all attain into the unity of the faith and of the real knowledge of the Son of God, into a complete man, into the resulting full stature of Christ; <n>Verse 13 emphasizes the truth in verse 12—every believer is supposed to grow into full stature.</n> 


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so that we no longer be ‘infants’, tossed about as by waves and carried off by every doctrinal fad, through the underhanded dealings of the people who collect the fee for the error; <n>Before Paul wrote Ephesians, κυβεια always meant dice-throwing (but commentators usually don’t like that, and so take evasive action). Why do people do that? Usually for material advantage. If the dice-throwing is ‘crafty’ then it’s crooked—the dice are loaded. But this has to do with doctrinal fads (‘winds’). Why do people start and push fads? To get or to keep attention, which usually involves material advantage. But it takes two to tango: who throws dice by himself? To cheat you have to have a victim. But why is the other guy playing? He hopes to make a fast buck, too. So why do people buy into doctrinal fads? Often for material advantage—the purveyor makes promises (e.g. the ‘prosperity gospel’); sometimes for ‘spiritual’ or social prestige (which can translate into material advantage). You have to make the victim think that there’s something in it for him. One of the basic meanings for μεθοδεια is ‘a method of collecting taxes’ or ‘debts’. If you want to sheer the sheep, you need a method. But who would be vulnerable to any such ‘method’? Only a spiritual ‘infant’, who still thinks he can make a fast spiritual buck, who thinks there can be shortcuts. A “perfect man” (ανηρ , not ανθρωπος ) is like Jesus—when Satan comes with his shortcuts he is not taken in.Let’s try to pull it together. The fad (ανεμος ) is an error (πλανη ), which carries a fee—the error isn’t free. The purveyor needs a method for collecting the fee (μεθοδεια ) for the error he’s selling. But it can’t be obvious, he needs to finesse it (κυβεια εν πανουργια ) (he wants happy, unsuspecting sheep). Someone who is mature (verse 13) knows there are no shortcuts, so is not taken in by any cheap promise. Telling the truth in love (verse 15) contrasts with selling an error for gain (verse 14).</n> 


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from whom the whole body, being fitted and knit together by what every joint supplies, as each individual part does its work, promotes its own growth, <n>Any local congregation can promote its own growth by encouraging each member to exercise his gifts; by making room for all the gifts and promoting their use.</n> its own edification, in love.


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<i> Put away the old, put on the new</i> So then, I affirm and insist on this in the Lord: you must no longer carry on as the rest of the Gentiles do, <n>It sounds like some of them were not being altogether successful in breaking with their former way of life.</n> in the futility of their mind,


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having been darkened in their understanding, being alienated [as a continuing condition] from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts, <n>This works like a downward spiral: the ignorance feeds the hardening, that in turn increases the ignorance. The consequence is that they can never get out by themselves. Someone must take Christ’s power to them to help them out.</n> 


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who, having become dead to hope, have abandoned themselves to depravity, greedily indulging in every kind of vileness. <n>What kind of person or being might be ‘dead to hope’? If someone is dead to hope is he beyond hope, unrecoverable? And how should society defend itself against those who have ‘abandoned themselves to depravity’? (The consequences of depravity always spill over into the surrounding society.)</n> 


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that you put away, concerning your former way of life, the old man <n>The ‘old man’ cannot be cured; it must be rejected in favor of the new.</n> (that keeps on being corrupted by the deceitful desires),


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and that you be renewed <n>The verb here evidently means ‘renew’ and not ‘make new’, the implication being that a depraved mind represents a departure from a former condition. When a person is regenerated by the Holy Spirit he receives a new nature, but the old one is not obliterated or expunged. We must constantly choose to use the new one.</n> in the spirit of your mind,


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and put on the new man, created in the likeness of God, <n>Wait a minute! Wasn’t the first Adam created in the likeness of God? So when he fell did he lose that likeness? Probably not entirely, but Satan has been working at increasing the damage ever since. For someone to receive the ‘new man’ requires a new act of creation.</n> in true righteousness and holiness.


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<i> Practical instruction</i> Therefore, having put away falsehood, ‘Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,’ <n>This is an exact quotation from Zechariah 8:16, though not presented as such.</n> for we are members of one another.


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‘Be angry but don’t sin’; <n>This is an exact quotation from Psalm 4:4, though not presented as such.</n> do not let the sun set on your angry mood,


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The one who steals must steal no longer, but rather let him work, doing something good with his hands, that he may have something to share with someone in need.


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Let no evil word proceed from your mouth, but only what is good for edification, as needed, <n>‘as needed’—part of imparting grace is knowing when to keep quiet!</n> that it may impart grace to those who hear.


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And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, <n>I imagine that any sort of disobedience on our part grieves Him.</n> with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.


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Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and slander be removed from you, with all malice. <n>The focus in verses 31 and 32 is on how we treat other people.</n> 


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Rather, be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as in Christ God forgave you.


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and walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a fragrant aroma.


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<i> But</i> , you should not even talk about fornication or any form of moral corruption or insatiableness <n>Of course doing such things is out of the question, but why can’t we talk about them? If you talk about it you will think about it, which will provide an opening for temptation.</n> (as is fitting for saints);


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Because you can know this for sure: no fornicator, nor anyone who is morally corrupt or insatiable (actually an idolater), <n>To have an insatiable desire for something (say, money) is to be dominated by that something; it has become a god, an idolatry.</n> has any inheritance in the Kingdom of the Christ and God. <n>According to the grammatical construction here, “Christ and God” refer to the same person.</n> 


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Let no one deceive you with empty words, <n>Many ‘churches’ these days are making allowances for sexual immorality of various sorts (getting their values from Freud, not the Bible), but they will find themselves excluded from the Kingdom. Watch out for empty words!</n> for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of the disobedience. <n>See the note at 2:2.</n> 


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—even though you were once darkness, you are now light in the Lord.<i> Walk in light</i> Walk as children of light


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 Do not associate with the unfruitful works of the darkness, but rather expose/reprove them. <n>I couldn’t decide between ‘expose’ and ‘reprove’, since the verb here includes both ideas. So let’s do both.</n> 


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 Therefore He says: “Wake up, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and the Christ will shine on you.” <n>This is not a direct quote of any Old Testament passage. Not all God-given prophesies, though written down and read by subsequent generations, were included in the Canon.</n> 


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That is why you must not be foolish, <n>The ultimate foolishness is to not understand the Lord’s will.</n> but understand what the Lord’s will is.


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And don’t get drunk on wine, which can be harmful and wasteful; rather be filled with the Spirit, <n>Observe that this is a command, so it depends on us. The Holy Spirit is waiting to fill us, if we will only yield to Him. For light to fill the room all you have to do is flip the switch.</n> 


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speaking to one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making music in your hearts to the Lord;


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always giving thanks to God the Father concerning all things, <n>We are to declare God’s goodness, faithfulness and wisdom, even when we don’t like what’s happening.</n> in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,


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<i> Relationships within the home About wives</i> Wives, subordinate yourselves <n>Observe that this is something she should do of her own volition, not because she is beaten into submission.</n> to your own husbands, as to the Lord,


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because a man is head of his wife as also Christ is Head of the Church—He also is Preserver of the body.


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Yes, just as the Church is subject to Christ, so also the wives should be to their own husbands in everything.


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<i> About husbands</i> Husbands, love your own wives just as Christ also loved the Church and gave Himself up on her behalf,


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that He might present her—the splendid Church—to Himself, not having a blemish or a wrinkle or any such thing, but that she be holy and blameless.


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Just so the husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself.


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After all, no one ever hated his own flesh; rather he nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the Church


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“For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” <n>This is not just poetic language, it is a chemical reality.</n> 


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In any case, each of you individually: let each one love his own wife as himself, <n>Observe that ‘wife’ is singular. Although in the Old Testament men were not condemned for having more than one wife, in the context of the Church monogamy is the norm.</n> while the wife must respect her husband.


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And fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but nurture them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.


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<i> About slaves and masters</i> Slaves, obey your human masters with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; <n>Observe that slavery is not condemned. The owners are not commanded to free their slaves, just to treat them right. The slaves are not told to run away, but to be even better slaves.</n> 


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not only when being watched, to please men, but as slaves of the Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;


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knowing that whatever good each one does, he will receive the same again from the Lord, whether he is slave or free.


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And masters, be the same way towards them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.


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<i> Spiritual warfare</i> Finally, my brothers, <n>Only some 3% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit “my brothers” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.), but since the whole letter is written to Christians, there really is no doubt. Besides, how could an unbeliever put on the full armor of God? Note that Paul writes “our” wrestling match—apostles are also under attack, not to mention pastors, etc.</n> be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.


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Because, our wrestling match <n>The word here is a noun, not a verb, and means precisely ‘wrestling match’. A wrestling match is based on violent physical contact, and the Holy Spirit, through Paul, is advising us that we are in such a match, and the opponents are malignant spirits of all ranks. The ‘doctrine’ to be found in some circles that Christians can’t be attacked by demons is totally and dangerously false.</n> is not against flesh and blood, <n>Even though people may indeed act as our enemies, we need to keep in mind that they are only being used by the real enemy.</n> but against the principalities, against the authorities, against the world-rulers of the darkness of this age, against the malignant spirits in the heavenly realms.


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That is why you must take up the full armor of God so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, to stand firm, with everything in place.


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above all, having taken up the shield of the faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows <n>If it is faith that quenches these arrows, then they probably come in the form of doubts and fears.</n> of the malignant one;


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also, grasp the helmet of the salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word <n><i>hrema</i> (rather than <i>logos</i>)—the implication may be that we must speak the Word.</n> of God;


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praying at all times in the Spirit, using every prayer and petition, yes being watchful to this end with all perseverance and petition for all the saints


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—on my behalf too, <n>We all need prayer, even apostles.</n> that when I open my mouth utterance may be given to me with boldness, to make known the mystery of the Gospel,


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for which I am an ambassador in chains; that I may declare it boldly, <n>If you are in prison because you spoke out, to keep on doing so does require boldness and courage.</n> as I ought to do.


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<i> Closing greetings</i> Now that you also may know my affairs, how I am doing, Tychicus, the dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you everything;


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whom I have sent to you for this very purpose: that you may know our circumstances and that he may comfort your hearts.


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The grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love. <n>Evidently ‘the grace’ is not for everybody.</n> Amen.


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<i> Salutation</i> Paul and Timothy, <n>Paul gives recognition to his junior partner.</n> slaves of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus <n>Paul goes back and forth between ‘Jesus Christ’ and ‘Christ Jesus’ with apparently no difference in meaning.</n> who are at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:


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being certain of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; <n>Amen!</n> 


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just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the Gospel you all are partakers with me of grace. <n>They identified with Paul and what he was doing.</n> 


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This is what I pray: that your love may abound yet more and more in real knowledge <n>The compound noun, <i>epignosis</i>, is often rendered as ‘full knowledge’, but I consider that ‘real knowledge’ comes closer.</n> and full discernment, <n>We have all heard that ‘love is blind’, but <i>agape</i> love is just the opposite.</n> 


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for you to identify the things that really matter; that you may be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ, <n>In verse 6 the emphasis is on God’s sovereignty, here it is on our responsibility.</n> 


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having been filled <n>“having been filled”—that’s what the Text says. Since the righteousness of Christ is imputed (we can’t earn it), God gives us the best possible start; as it says in 2 Peter 1:3, “His divine power has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness”. What we do with it is up to us (see 2:12 below).</n> with the fruits of righteousness that are through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. <n>The glory of God is the ultimate purpose of all creation.</n> 


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<i> News and Instructions By whatever means, Christ is preached</i> Now I want you to know, brothers, that the events against me have actually turned out for the advancement of the Gospel:


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as a result, it has become evident to the whole imperial guard, and to everyone else, that I am in chains for Christ; <n>Paul did not hide his light ‘under a bushel’.</n> 


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also, most of the brothers in the Lord have been influenced by my chains to be much bolder, to speak the Word fearlessly.


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the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, thinking to add to my affliction while in chains,


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but the latter out of love, knowing that I am set here for the defense of the Gospel. <n>Even in prison Paul did not lose sight of the job God had given him. Some 10% of the Greek manuscripts transpose verses 16 and 17 (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).</n> 


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No problem: in every way, be it in pretense or in truth, <n>The Bible is clear to the effect that the means, not just the end, must be appropriate to God’s character, so this statement seems a bit strange. Within the community of faith deviations can be treated quite severely, but perhaps for what we might term ‘pre-evangelism’, getting people who have never heard of Him before to start thinking about Christ, there may be some leeway.</n> Christ is proclaimed, and in this I rejoice—yes, and will rejoice.


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<i> To live is Christ, to die is gain</i> You see, I know that this will turn out for my deliverance (through your supplication and the support of the Spirit of Jesus Christ) <n>This is presumably a reference to the Holy Spirit.</n> 


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according to my earnest expectation and hope that I will not be put to shame in anything but be truly bold, so that now as always Christ will be glorified in my person, whether by life or by death <n>Although it appears that Paul actually hoped to be freed from prison, he is prepared to die. His main concern is not to do anything that will shame his Master.</n> 


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—to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. <n>How can death be a gain? Only if you live for Christ.</n> 


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Now if I am to live on in the flesh it will mean fruitful labor for me, so I don’t know what to choose.


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I am torn between the two: I have the desire to depart and be with Christ (far better), <n>This is one of a few passages that lead us to believe that when a true believer dies his spirit goes directly to be with Christ in Heaven, not to the good side of Hades/Sheol (the ‘bosom of Abraham’) as with the Old Testament saints.</n> 


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but to remain in the flesh is more necessary, because of you. <n>His commitment to the Cause is more important than his personal desire.</n> 


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So having been persuaded of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith,


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so that your rejoicing over me may be more abundant in Christ Jesus, through my coming to you again.


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Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent I may hear about you that you stand firm in one spirit, striving together for the faith of the Gospel with one soul,


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and not being intimidated in any way by your opponents: to them this is an indicator of ruin, <n>How shall we understand this? What is the effect of our boldness in the face of opposition—do the opponents consider that we are sealing our own fate, or do they suspect that they may be on the wrong side? Perhaps both.</n> but to you of deliverance, <n>Our confidence in God assures us of deliverance, one way or another, by life or by death.</n> and that from God.


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For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe into Him, <n>The Text never has “believe ‘in’ Jesus”; we must believe into Him. Being on the outside we must change location. This involves commitment, a change of worldview or value system.</n> but also to suffer for His sake, <n>If you were taught to expect a ‘bed of roses’, you had a bad teacher.</n> 


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<i> About having the mind of Christ</i> Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship from the Spirit, if any tenderness and acts of compassion,


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Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard one another as being better than yourselves. <n>Personally I have a hard time with this one.</n> 


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Let each of you look out not only for his own concerns, but also for what concerns others. <n><i>Agape</i> love is the opposite of selfishness.</n> 


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who, existing in God’s form, did not consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, <n>Since Jehovah the Son was (and is) equally God, the point appears to be that He did not insist on hanging on to His prerogatives.</n> 


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but divested Himself, taking a slave’s form, coming to be in the likeness of men. <n>Note that to be a human being is to be a slave. We are born slaves, live slaves and die slaves. We are born slaves to self, sin and death (with Satan behind the scenes); Christ offers us the option of being slaves to God, good and life.</n> 


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And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself, becoming obedient to the point of death <n>Hebrews 5:8 says that Jehovah the Son “learned obedience by the things that He suffered”. He had never experienced anything like that before. So what happens to us if we have the same mindset?</n> —even death on a cross!


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so that at the name of <b>Jesus</b> <n>Note that it is at the name of Jesus, not Christ, that every knee will bow. ‘Jesus’ is His human name.</n> every knee will bow—of those in heaven, those on earth and those under the earth—


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and every tongue will acknowledge <n>The verbs ‘bow’ and ‘acknowledge’ are in the subjunctive mood in the Text, so many versions render ‘should bow’ rather than ‘will bow’. However, the mood of the verbs is governed by the conjunction <i>hina</i>, that normally takes the subjunctive; in the context the author evidently does not intend to leave any doubt about the extent of the recognition.</n> that Jesus Christ is <i>Lord</i> , to the glory of God the father.


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<i> Act like children of God</i> So then, my dear ones, just as you have always obeyed (not only in my presence but now much more in my absence), keep working out your own salvation with fear and trembling,


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because God Himself is the One at work in you, both to will and to produce, <n>Paul places our responsibility and God’s sovereignty side by side; we must consciously cooperate with Him.</n> for <i>His</i> good pleasure.


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Do all things without grumbling or arguing, <n>When we grumble or argue we are rejecting the Holy Spirit’s control, and the result is not purity.</n> 


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so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and depraved generation, <n>Can there be any doubt that our generation is crooked and depraved? And it’s not getting any better.</n> among whom you shine as light bearers in the world, <n>As we both live out and actively promote biblical values, the Word of Life, we will stand out like a bright torch at night. The darker it is, the farther any light can be seen.</n> 


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holding fast the Word of Life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I did not run in vain nor labor for nothing. <n>At the Accounting, one measure of our success will be the extent to which others bought into our commitment.</n> 


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Yes, even if I am a libation being poured on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.


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<i> About Timothy</i> Now I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be encouraged when I know how you are doing.


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(for all seek their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus). <n>Unfortunately, things haven’t changed much in 2,000 years.</n> 


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But you know the proof of him, that as a son with his father he slaved <n>That’s what the Text says.</n> with me for the Gospel.


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<i> About Epaphroditus</i> However, I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier; also your messenger and minister to my need;


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Well, he really was sick, nearly to death, but God had mercy on him, and not only on him but also on me, that I might not have sorrow upon sorrow.


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because for the work of Christ he came close to death, not regarding his life, <n>Right. That’s the kind the Church and the world need to see.</n> to complete what was lacking in your service toward me.


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<i> Paul’s example</i> Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not troublesome and for you it is the safe thing.


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Watch out for the ‘dogs’, <n>So who are ‘the dogs’? I think it scarcely credible that it could have been the author’s purpose to refer to the same group of people with these three clauses, though this handy gambit does get us off the hook—Paul is really mad at the Jewish proselytizers and souses this triple warning. That said however, I am obliged to confess that I don’t know who Paul was referring to, though the use of the definite article indicates a specific group that the Philippians would recognize.</n> watch out for the evil workers, <n>Might ‘the evil workers’ refer to people within the Christian community?</n> watch out for the mutilation! <n>‘the mutilation’ is explained, by contrast, in the next verse—it refers to those who insisted on physical circumcision but without a change of heart.</n> 


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For it is we who are the circumcision, the ones who worship by God’s Spirit and glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in flesh


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(though I myself actually have basis for such confidence).<i> About Paul</i> If anyone else thinks he has basis for confidence in flesh, I even more:


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 circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; with respect to the Law, a Pharisee;


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 with respect to zeal, persecuting the Church; with respect to the righteousness that is in the law, blameless. <n>Since Paul did not choose to be born to Hebrew parents, Benjaminites, nor to be circumcised the eighth day, these were advantages of birth. The rest was his choice.</n> 


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Yes indeed, in fact I actually consider everything to be a loss for the sake of the excelling thing, the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord <n>The most important thing in this life is to know Jesus Christ as Lord.</n> —for His sake I have already lost everything (and consider it as trash), so that I may gain Christ


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and be found in Him, not having as my righteousness that of the Law but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness of God based on faith;


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so that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the sharing in His sufferings, <n>The power of His resurrection is something I would really like to have, but if the price is to share in His sufferings . . . .</n> becoming like Him in His death, <n>We can’t resurrect if we haven’t died.</n> 


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and so, somehow, <n>“and so, somehow”—this really doesn’t sound like ‘once saved, always saved’. The writings of the Apostle Paul contain a variety of clear declarations to the effect that God is Sovereign; they equally contain a variety of clear declarations to the effect that we are responsible. In spite of having given up everything for Christ, in spite of being an Apostle, Paul is not resting on his laurels, is not taking anything for granted.</n> that I may arrive into the resurrection from among the dead


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—not that I have already obtained it or have already been perfected; but I press on to actually claim that for which Christ Jesus claimed me.


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Brothers, I do not consider that I have already claimed it, but this: forgetting the things behind and straining toward those ahead, <n>When Paul (he was still Saul) met Jesus on the road to Damascus he underwent a complete change of direction.</n> 


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I press on toward the goal for the prize, the upward call from God <n>‘the upward call from God’, that’s the real prize; and the only reason the Father calls anyone is because of Jesus Christ.</n> because of Christ Jesus.


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<i> Our citizenship is in Heaven</i> So then, those of us who are mature should have this mentality, but if on some point you think differently, God will reveal that to you as well.


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Only, in what we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind. <n>Less than 2% of the Greek manuscripts omit “let us be of the same mind” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).</n> 


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Brothers, join together in imitating me, and having us as a pattern take note of those who walk in the same way. <n>I take this as a personal challenge—to be a pattern that others can use to distinguish between friends and enemies of the cross.</n> 


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Because many are walking as enemies of the cross of Christ—of whom I told you often, and now tell you even with tears—


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whose end is ruin, whose god is their stomach, and whose glory is in their shame; their mind is only on earthly things. <n>Apparently relativistic, humanistic materialists have been around for quite a while.</n> 


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But our citizenship is in Heaven, and it is from there that we eagerly await <i>our</i> Deliverer, <n>He will deliver us from this world scene, with emphasis upon the glorification of our bodies.</n> the Lord Jesus Christ;


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who will transform the body of our humiliation <n>Although as the Psalmist says, we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Ps. 139:14), it is also the case that our physical bodies limit us, and not infrequently that limitation reaches the point of being humiliating. Personally, I’m ready and waiting for my glorified body.</n> so that it will be conformed to the body of His glory, according to the working by which He is indeed able to subject all things to Himself.


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So then, my brothers, beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, do stand fast in the Lord in this way, dear ones.


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<i> Concluding considerations To individuals</i> I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to come to agreement in the Lord.


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Yes, I urge you too, loyal Syzygus, <n>We have here a common word for ‘yokefellow’, but in the context I conclude that it is being used as a proper name.</n> help these women who labored with me in the Gospel, and with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life. <n>The Book of Life is the place to have your name.</n> 


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Don’t be anxious about anything, <n>Don’t be a worrywart.</n> but in everything, by prayer and petition along with thanksgiving, <n>We need to be careful not to forget the thanksgiving when we pray.</n> let your requests be made known to God;


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and the peace of God, that surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. <n>This is the greatest protection on the market.</n> 


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Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are commendable—whatever is of excellent character and whatever is praiseworthy—ponder these things. <n>Is this list the sort of thing you will find on television or the internet?</n> 


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Put into practice the things that you learned, received, heard and saw in me, <n>Paul is forthright in offering himself as an example, which is a challenge to us to live in such a way that we can do the same.</n> and the God of peace will be with you.


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<i> Thanks for material support</i> I rejoice in the Lord greatly that you have renewed your concern for me once again; of course you were concerned, just lacked the opportunity.


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I am not saying this because of lack, since I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.


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I know what it is to be restricted, and I know what it is to have an abundance; everywhere and in every way I have been initiated both into being well fed and into being hungry, both into having plenty and into having need.


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I can handle anything <n>In the context Paul isn’t claiming to be all-powerful, but God’s grace is sufficient for meeting whatever comes his way.</n> through Christ who strengthens me.


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Now you Philippians know very well that in the beginning of the Gospel, when I left Macedonia, no congregation shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you only.


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Not that I want the gift, but I want the fruit that is being added to your account. <n>When we die we can’t take any money or material goods with us, but we can send it on ahead, investing in Christ’s Kingdom.</n> 


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I have received everything and have plenty; I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the things you sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God.


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My God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. <n>2 Corinthians 9:6-12 explains how God’s economy works.</n> 


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<i> Salutation</i> Paul, apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and brother Timothy, <n>Literally, “Timothy the brother”—Paul gives recognition to his junior associate.</n> 


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to the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.


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<i> Building rapport <n>Paul had never been in Colosse, so he needed to build rapport with strangers.</n> </i> We always give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ when we pray for you


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because of the hope <n>‘Hope’ in the Bible contains an element of certainty; it is not mere wishful thinking.</n> that is being reserved for you in the heavens, of which you have already heard through the Word of the Truth <n>Yes, ‘the’ Truth—the Text has the definite article. The Lord Jesus repeatedly referred to the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of ‘the Truth’, so Paul is affirming that the Gospel they heard was God’s Word.</n> 


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(the Gospel that has come to you just as also in all the world, where it is producing fruit and growing <n>Although half the Greek manuscripts, followed by the <i>Textus Receptus</i>, and hence AV and NKJV, do not have “and growing”, the other half, including the best line of transmission (with the three most ancient versions), do.</n> just as also among you, from the day in which you heard about and truly understood God’s grace),


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even as you learned from Epaphras, our dear fellow slave, <n>The Greek word here means precisely ‘slave’; Paul repeatedly referred to himself as Christ’s slave, as did others.</n> who is a faithful servant of Christ on your behalf,


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who also reported to us your love in the Spirit. <n>The Text has no article with ‘spirit’, so the reference may not be to the Holy Spirit—in that event the rendering would be, ‘love in spirit’. This whole paragraph is a single sentence—if you feel that the syntax is a little convoluted, you’re right.</n> 


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<i> Christ preeminent Walk worthily of the Lord</i> For this very reason, since the day we heard of it, we have not stopped praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the real knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding,


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in order for you to walk worthily of the Lord, pleasing Him in every way, <n>This reminds me of John 5:19 and 12:49-50; the Lord Jesus was filled with this knowledge and understanding (and evidently we are supposed to be as well).</n> being fruitful in every good work and growing into the real knowledge of God; <n>Getting to know God is a process.</n> 


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being enabled with all capability according to the strength that resides in His glory, <n>His glory reflects who He is, and He is all powerful.</n> for all endurance and steadfastness. <n>This is a great prayer to pray for anybody. Note, however, that the emphasis is on enduring and being steadfast—sounds like tough times.</n> 


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<i> Nor have we stopped</i> giving thanks joyfully to the Father who has qualified us for the share in the inheritance of the saints in the Light; <n>Yes, ‘the’ Light—the Text has the definite article. John 1:7 refers to Jesus as ‘the Light’, and in John 8:12 Jesus calls Himself ‘the Light’ of the world. What sort of person will enjoy basking in the Light?</n> 


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who delivered us out of the dominion of the darkness <n>“The darkness” refers to Satan’s kingdom, and since there are only the two spiritual kingdoms in this world, everyone is in either one or the other (Luke 11:23).</n> and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,


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in whom we have the redemption through His blood, <n>“Through His blood” is omitted in some 40% of the Greek manuscripts, but the 60% include the best line of transmission. Without the shed blood of God’s Lamb, we would have neither redemption nor forgiveness. Praise God for the Blood.</n> the forgiveness of our sins.


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<i> The supremacy of Christ described</i> He is the visible representation of the invisible God, ‘Firstborn’ over all creation, <n>In that culture the ‘firstborn’ had the preeminence.</n> 


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because by Him all things were created <n>Although the Trinity was presumably involved in the Creation, this verse plainly states that the Son was the principal agent (see also Hebrews 1:10 and John 1:10).</n> —those in the heavens and those on the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. <n>Most inhabitants of planet Earth don’t understand that God created them for Himself, so they live out their existence here without knowing why they are here.</n> 


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Yes, He is before all, and in Him all things subsist. <n>‘Subsist’ could also be rendered ‘hold together’—maybe that is why molecules, with their contrary magnetic charges, don’t fly apart.</n> 


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Also, He is the Head of the body, the Church. He is Beginning, <n>There is no article with ‘beginning’, so I consider that it functions like a proper name.</n> the firstborn from among the dead, <n>This is an interesting figure of speech; death is viewed as a huge womb, pregnant with all the deceased, and Jesus was literally the first one out, the first one to be ‘born’, the first one to resurrect with a glorified body.</n> so that He may be preeminent in everything,


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 because <i>in</i> Him all the Fullness was pleased to dwell <n>I take the point to be that while Jehovah the son was confined to a human body the Father and the Holy Spirit were with Him to such an extent that it could be said that the Godhead was dwelling in Him.</n> 


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 and <i>through</i> Him to reconcile all things to Himself, <n>It is difficult to know whether the pronoun refers to ‘the Fullness’ (the Godhead) or to Christ—either makes sense.</n> having made peace through the blood of His cross <n>This is reminiscent of Isaiah 53:5, “The chastisement for our peace was upon Him.”</n> —through <b>Him</b>, whether things on the earth or things on <n>That’s what the Text says, “on”. Beings and things that are an inherent part of Heaven don’t need ‘reconciling’, so Paul uses this means to indicate the non-inherent ones that do need it.</n> the heavens.


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<i> The truth applied</i> So now He has reconciled you as well (you who once were alienated and hostile in your mind because of your wicked works),


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by His physical body through His death, so as to present you before Him holy and blameless and above reproach <n>What a marvelous purpose, what a marvelous prospect, but we have to continue in the faith (verse 23).</n> —


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if, that is, you continue in the faith established and firm, not drifting away from the hope of the Gospel, that you heard and that was proclaimed in all the creation under the heaven, <n>I wonder how and when this took place.</n> of which I, Paul, became a servant.


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<i> What Paul does and why he does it Present everyone perfect in Christ</i> Now I rejoice in my sufferings <n>I confess that I have not yet arrived at this spiritual level, to rejoice in suffering.</n> on your behalf and supplement in my flesh <n>Evidently the ongoing well-being of the Church requires suffering on our part, the enduring of affliction.</n> the things lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the Church,


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of which I became a servant according to the stewardship from God that was given to me towards you, to complete the Word of God, <n>I take it that Paul was aware that he was writing new Scripture, expounding Truth that had been withheld from Old Testament saints.</n> 


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the mystery that has been hidden from past ages and generations, but <i>now</i> has been revealed to His saints;


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to whom God resolved to make known who is the wealth of the glory of this mystery among the nations, namely Christ in you, the hope of glory; <n>Christ is ‘the wealth of the glory’, but He must be in us for us to have any hope of sharing in that glory.</n> 


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whom we proclaim, warning every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ. <n>In the Great Commission (Mt. 28:19) Christ commanded His followers to ‘make disciples’, and Paul declares that to be his objective.</n> 


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It is to this end that I labor, striving according to His working that works through me with power. <n>If we want to see God manifesting His power through us, we must subordinate ourselves to His working.</n> 


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<i> A wealth of confident understanding</i> I want you to know how great is my concern for you and those in Laodicea, even all who have not met me personally,


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that their hearts may be encouraged, being united in love and into a great wealth of confident understanding, <n>To have a confident understanding of God’s Truth is indeed a great treasure.</n> into a real knowledge of the mystery of the God and Father and of the Christ,


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in whom all the treasures of the wisdom and the knowledge are hidden. <n>As the primary agent in the creation of our world, the Son is the Source of all true wisdom and knowledge relative to life on this planet.</n> 


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For although in fact I am physically absent, yet my spirit is with you, rejoicing as I observe <n>The basic meaning of the verb rendered ‘observe’ is to observe with the physical eye, which implies being within range and with no obstacles. But Paul obviously was not there as he wrote, in fact had never been there. He affirms that it is his spirit that is doing the seeing and rejoicing. The Protestant Reformation was a result, in part, of the Renaissance, with its emphasis on reason, so Protestants in general have had trouble understanding the spirit world. So the tendency of commentators has been to ‘spiritualize’ Paul’s statement, rather than take it literally. Of course they have done the same with 2 Kings 5:26 (where Elisha says his spirit went with Gehazi) and 6:12 (where Elisha listens in on the king of Syria), not to mention John 1:48 (where the Lord Himself saw Nathanael when not physically present). Here in Brazil we have many former Spiritists and Satanists who have been converted and they affirm that they used to project their spirits outside their bodies and go all over the place—several of my former students, now genuinely converted, have told me they used to do it—but they could do so only with the assistance of a fallen angel (demon). Satan’s ‘thing’ is to be like the Most High, so he is always trying to imitate Him; perhaps God’s servants used to know how to do this, only without such assistance [I have heard of a few in our day who still do].</n> your orderliness and the firmness of your faith in Christ.


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<i> Christian responsibility</i> So then, keep on walking in the Christ, Jesus the Lord, just as you received Him,


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having been rooted and being built up in Him and being established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.


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<i> Christ VS ‘the world’</i> Be careful that no one captures you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the basic principles of the world and not according to Christ.


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In Him you were also circumcised by the putting off of the body of the sins of the flesh, not with a circumcision done by hands but with the circumcision of the Christ,


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having been buried with Him in the baptism. In Him you were also raised together through your faith in the productive power of the God who raised Him from among the dead.


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Yes you, though being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh—He has made you alive together with Him; having forgiven us all our trespasses; <n>This paragraph is made up of a series of participial phrases wherein Paul switches from the 2nd person, in the independent clause, to the 1st person, making inclusive statements.</n> 


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having wiped out the written record about us that was against us (based on the ordinances), <n>The ‘written record’ has generally been understood to refer to the Law in some way, but I believe it makes better sense to take it as the record of what each of us has done, which of course is negative. Having been forgiven, the record is nailed to the cross, and that is very good news.</n> indeed He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross;


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having stripped the principalities and the authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, having triumphed over them by it [the cross]. <n>This verse gives an important aspect of Christ’s victory by the cross and resurrection. Jehovah the Son took on human form in order to destroy Satan (Hebrews 2:14), and He succeeded. A victorious Roman general would bring back a certain number of the conquered soldiers and parade them, naked and in chains, before the Roman populace—total humiliation. Colossians 2:15 says that Christ did something similar to Satan and the high ranking angels that fell with him.</n> 


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<i> Don’t be disqualified!</i> So don’t let anyone judge you about food or drink, or with respect to a feast day or a new moon or Sabbaths,


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Nor let anyone disqualify you, <n>If you release your hold on ‘the Head’ to get involved in the sorts of things mentioned, you will be disqualified. An athlete who is disqualified doesn’t win.</n> taking pleasure in a subservience and devotion to the angels, ‘taking possession’ of things that he has not seen, being puffed up by his carnal mind to no useful purpose,


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and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, supported and held together by its joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.


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Now then, since you died with Christ away from the basic principles of the world, why, as though still living in it, are you subjecting yourselves to regulations


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(all of which result in corruption through overuse) <n>Actually, there are things that it is better not to taste or handle, but the overuse of such restrictions will give negative results.</n> according to the commands and teachings of men?


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Such things do indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and subservience and asceticism, but are not of any value against the indulgence of the flesh. <n>‘The flesh’ is used to refer to our ‘old man’ or sin nature, not the meat on our bones. Asceticism and legalism tend to make people feel self-righteous, which the ‘old man’ loves.</n> 


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<i> Things above VS things below</i> Furthermore, since you were raised together with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, sitting at God’s right;


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Therefore put to death your members that are on the earth: <n>A curious turn of phrase, ‘members on the earth’; perhaps the point is that the things listed belong to this earth and cannot leave it. There will be nothing of the sort in Heaven.</n> fornication, filthiness, passion, evil desire, and the greediness that is idolatry. <n>That’s what the Text says, ‘the greediness that is idolatry’, which leads me to suppose that there may be a greediness that isn’t, but I don’t know which it might be.</n> 


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But now you must also rid yourselves of all these—anger, rage, malice, slander, obscene speech—out of your mouth.


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and have put on the new one, who is being renewed into real knowledge according to the image of his creator,


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where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all and in all.


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<i> Relationships among believers</i> Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, put on hearts of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience;


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bearing with one another and forgiving each other, if anyone should have a complaint against another—just as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.


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Let the peace of God rule in your hearts, into which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.


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Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing with grace in your heart to the Lord, with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.


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Whatever you may do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.


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<i> Household relationships</i> Wives, subordinate yourselves to your own husbands, <n>In these verses we have a series of verbs in the imperative mood; they are commands. A woman who subordinates herself to her husband will be doing herself a favor (it makes it easier for him to love her).</n> as is fitting in the Lord.


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Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them. <n>Right on! That is just how men tend to react, being frustrated by women’s wiles and quite different way of thinking. But a man who has the good sense to give value to that different way of thinking will come out ahead.</n> 


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Fathers, do not provoke your children so that they lose heart. <n>Unreasonable demands, harsh treatment, lack of clear guidelines—there are various ways to frustrate children and cause them to lose heart, and even give up. In today’s world they will probably cop out by going to drugs.</n> 


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Slaves, obey your masters (according to the flesh) in all things, not just when they are looking, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God.


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knowing that it is from the Lord that you will receive the inheritance as a reward; because you serve the Lord Christ.


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(But he who does wrong will be repaid for this wrong, and there is no favoritism.) <n>Being saved does not mean we get a free ride.</n> 


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Masters, provide your slaves with what is just and fair, knowing that you also have a Master in the heavens. <n>This is a good thing for all of us to remember.</n> 


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at the same time praying for us, that God may open to us a door for the Word, to speak the mystery of Christ (for which I am also in chains),


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Let your word always be with grace, seasoned with salt, <n>I wonder what ‘seasoned with salt’ means.</n> to know how you ought to answer each one.


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<i> Concluding remarks</i> Tichicus will tell you all the news about me; he is a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow slave in the Lord.


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I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that he may know your circumstances and encourage your hearts,


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with Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you; they will tell you everything that is happening here.


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Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, as does Mark the cousin of Barnabas (about whom you received instructions; if he comes to you, welcome him), <n>Evidently Barnabas succeeded in ‘recovering’ Mark, which Paul here recognizes.</n> 


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and Jesus who is called Justus. These are my only fellow workers for the Kingdom of God who are of the circumcision; they have been a comfort to me.


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Epaphras, who is one of you, a slave of Christ, greets you; he is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. <n>We need more people like Epaphras.</n> 


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I bear him witness that he has a great zeal for you, and for those in Laodicea and those in Hierapolis.


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Greet the brothers who are in Laodicea, and Nymphas and the congregation at his <n>Perhaps 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of dubious quality, have ‘her’ (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).</n> house.


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Now when this letter has been read among you, see that it is also read in the Laodicean congregation, <n>Paul expected his letters to have a wide circulation.</n> and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea.


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And say to Archippus, “See to it that you complete the work that you received in the Lord.” <n>This personal word is unusual in a letter to the church. Since Paul had never been to Colosse, he must have known Archippus from somewhere else, but happened to know that he was in Colosse at that time.</n> 


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<i> Sign-off</i> This greeting is in my own hand—Paul. <n>The letter was dictated to a scribe or secretary, but Paul wrote the last line himself; this was his signature, authenticating the letter.</n> Remember my chains. The Grace be with you. Amen.


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<i> Opening Considerations Greeting</i> Paul, Silvanus and Timothy, <n>Paul gives recognition to the junior members of the team.</n> to the congregation <n>The first image that the term ‘church’ evokes in the minds of many is that of a building; what is in view here is a group of people.</n> of Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. <n>To the ‘western’ mind the repetition of the full form, “God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,” may seem unnecessary, if not stylistically poor, but this letter was written by a Hebrew. By switching from ‘the’ to ‘our’ Father he claims a personal relationship.</n> 


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<i> The Thessalonians are praised</i> We always give thanks to God for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers,


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continually remembering before our God and Father your work for the Faith and your labor coming from the Love and your perseverance based on the Hope, our Lord Jesus Christ being their source, <n>We are used to the rendering: “word of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ”. However, ‘faith’, ‘love’, ‘hope’ and ‘Lord’ all have the definite article and are in the genitive/ablative case. If we translate the definite articles it changes the ‘flavor’; we are looking at a particular faith, a particular love, a particular hope, and the three qualities either belong to the Lord or proceed from Him. The genitive/ablative case in Greek is quite ‘versatile’, and so just to render ‘of’ all the time is so ambiguous as to leave the precise intent undefined. (However, I can’t guarantee that my attempt to ‘disambiguate’ is correct.)</n> 


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knowing as we do, brothers loved by God, that you are chosen. <n>They are loved and chosen by God, marvelous privilege—verse 3 describes their appropriate response, which I suppose is how Paul ‘knew’ that they were chosen.</n> 


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<i> They became examples</i> You see, our Gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit <n>In verses 1 and 2 it is clear that the Father and the Son are distinct persons; here Paul adds the Holy Spirit.</n> and with complete certainty <n>Powerful manifestations of the Holy Spirit do have a way of adding certainty to the spoken word; they also help to face affliction with joy (next verse).</n> (of course you know what sort of men we proved to be among you for your sake).


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Yes you became imitators of us and of the Lord, <n>To imitate the messengers was to imitate the Lord; their walk with God presumably had something to do with the powerful manifestations.</n> having received the Word with the Holy Spirit’s joy, <n>The Holy Spirit’s joy in the soul is an unanswerable proof of the reality of true conversion; it also enables you to face ‘severe affliction’ with equanimity.</n> in spite of severe affliction,


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so that you became examples <n>They bought into the messengers’ life style of total commitment to Christ and His Kingdom.</n> to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.


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That’s because the Word of the Lord sounded out from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia but also in every place—your faith toward God has gone forth, so that we do not need to say anything.


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<i> Their hope</i> They themselves report about you what kind of entrance we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to be slaves to the living and true God,


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and to wait for His Son <i>coming</i> out of the heavens <n>Verses 9-10 give a good picture of true conversion. It involves turning your back on all the ‘idols’ that governed your life to trust in the true God; but the only acceptable way to truly relate to the Sovereign of the universe is as a slave = total commitment; this gives a valid hope for a bright future.</n> (whom He raised from among the dead) <n>Resurrection has to do with bodies, so the Son will return with a visible body.</n> —Jesus, who preserves us from the coming wrath. <n>Which expression of the Wrath is this? Jesus delivers us from the ultimate wrath, the Lake of fire, but based on 4:13-18 I imagine that this refers to a pre-wrath rapture.</n> 


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<i> Paul’s ministry in Thessalonica</i> Now you yourselves know, brothers, that our entrance to you did not happen without purpose.


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Rather, in spite of having already suffered and been insulted in Philippi, as you know, we made bold in our God to speak to you the Gospel of God, in the face of strong opposition. <n>They deliberately chose to pay a personal price to reach the Thessalonians. Are we prepared to do the same for the increase of Christ’s Kingdom today?</n> 


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but we speak precisely as those who have been approved by God to be entrusted with the Gospel, <n>They knew who they were and what they were about. They deny any form of delusion or hidden agenda—they were honest and aware.</n> not so as to please men, but to please the God who evaluates our hearts. <n>There it is: if you want to be a serious servant of God, His approval must be more important to you than that of the people around you.</n> 


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or to seek glory from men (whether from you or from others) <n>Wow! If all Christian workers could say the same—no impurity, no deception, no flattery, no greed, no seeking glory—the church and the world would be different than they presently are.</n> —as apostles of Christ <n>By his use of the plural, Paul is saying that Silvanus and Timothy were also apostles.</n> we could have been ‘heavy’,


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but we were gentle among you, like a nurse <n>The basic meaning of the noun is ‘nurse’, but the reference to ‘her own children’ has led some to translate it as ‘mother’. I take the point to be that whereas a professional nurse is supposed to take good care of anyone in her charge, she will be especially careful with her own children.</n> cherishing her own children.


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<i> Paul’s devotion to them</i> Yearning over you in this way, we were well pleased to share with you not only the Gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become dear to us.


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Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and exertion, because working night and day, so as not to burden any of you, <n>It is clear that they supported themselves financially by working (making tents, or whatever). Between working, evangelizing and discipling (teaching), their sleeping time was probably short. So when could they be alone with God? In prison Paul had lots of time for contemplation (and writing letters), but not in Thessalonica.</n> we proclaimed the Gospel of God to you.


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You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe;


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indeed you know how we treated each one of you as a father does his own children, exhorting and comforting you,


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insisting that you conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory. <n>They really involved themselves in the lives of their converts, a deliberate (and costly) investment, that produced remarkable results. God is calling us into His Kingdom and glory.</n> 


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<i> Their conversion</i> Another reason we give thanks to God continually is that when you received from us the spoken word of God, you welcomed it not as the word of men but, as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed operative in you who believe. <n>Whether written or spoken, any word from God is powerful, and changes lives.</n> 


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For you, brothers, became imitators of God’s congregations in Christ Jesus, the ones in Judea, <n>Israel was God’s congregation, but not in Christ Jesus.</n> in that you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen that they did from the Jews


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(the ones who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, who have persecuted us, who do not please God and are hostile to everybody,


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trying to prevent us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved—so as to fill up the measure of their sins. They have received the full impact of the Wrath). <n>I did the best I could with this last sentence, but the concept seems difficult. The verb is in the past and it is the wrath (not just any old wrath). I get the impression that ‘the Jews’ described here had passed the point of no return (like Pharaoh and the plagues—at first he hardened his own heart, but after a while God hardened it and his doom was sealed) and were just making their accounting worse and worse, ‘filling up the measure’—from God’s perspective the ‘full impact’ had already been decreed.</n> 


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<i> Paul’s concern for the Thessalonians A sense of bereavement</i> Now we, brothers, having been bereaved of you for a short season (in presence, not in heart), made every effort to see your face, from intense longing. <n>I find the degree of emotional attachment described here to be surprising—perhaps a natural consequence of having poured himself into them as he did.</n> 


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(We actually tried to come to you—I, Paul, time and again—but Satan thwarted us.) <n>I, for one, would like to know just how the enemy managed it.</n> 


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For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of glorying? Is it not precisely you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? <n>The Thessalonian believers represented ‘the fruit of their labor’, evidence that they had been faithful servants, to be presented to the Lord at the Accounting.</n> 


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<i> Concern leads to action</i> So when we couldn’t stand it any longer, we thought it good to be left in Athens alone


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and sent Timothy, our brother and minister of God, also our fellow worker in the Gospel of Christ, to confirm you and encourage you concerning your faith,


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that no one be unsettled by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we are appointed to this. <n>We are appointed to affliction in this life. How many sermons have you heard on this topic? If the Son learned obedience through suffering (Heb. 5:8), how about us? “Whom the LORD loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives” (Heb. 12:6). Have you ever been scourged, literally? I have—I didn’t enjoy it.</n> 


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For indeed, when we were with you we kept telling you in advance that we were going to be afflicted; <n>It was all a calculated risk. The messengers had their eyes open and wanted to make sure their hearers went into their new life with their eyes open—there were no misleading promises of peace and prosperity!</n> just as it happened, in fact, as you know.


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Yes, that’s why, no longer standing it, I sent to find out about your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter had <i>successfully</i> tempted you and our labor come to be for nothing.


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But now that Timothy has come to us from you and brought us glad news of your faith and love, and that you have good memories of us always, longing to see us, just as we also long to see you


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—because of this, brothers, in all our affliction and distress we were encouraged about you by your faith;


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for now we live, if you are standing firm in the Lord. <n>Again, I find the level of Paul’s involvement with them to be surprising. (It would be physically and emotionally impossible to be this involved with every church he started.) But as a responsible father, he is properly concerned for their growth and well being (verse 10).</n> 


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<i> Paul’s desire to go to them</i> With what thankfulness can we repay God for you, for all the joy with which we are rejoicing in the presence of our God because of you; <n>To see our spiritual children growing in their walk with God is a source of considerable joy.</n> 


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praying most earnestly night and day, that we may see your face and complete the things lacking in your faith?


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And may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love toward each other and toward all, just as we also do toward you,


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so as to establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His holy ones. <n>Another reference to the Accounting: a heart ‘blameless in holiness’ is the ticket.</n> 


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<i> Holiness pleases God</i> Finally then, brothers, we urge and exhort you in the Lord Jesus: as you received from us how you ought to behave and please God, do so even more


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—you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. <n>Paul keeps insisting that he is God’s spokesman.</n> 


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<i> Sanctified sex</i> Now this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you stay away from fornication; <n>‘Fornication’ refers to any sexual activity outside the marriage bond (distinct from adultery): it includes prostitution, rape, anal sex, sex with an animal; in short, sex without commitment and responsibility (sex that disregards the Creator’s intention).</n> 


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that no one trespass and defraud his brother in this matter, <n>I take it that this clause clarifies the interpretation of ‘vessel’; verse 4 refers to getting a wife. The term ‘defraud’ is quite strong, so I imagine it refers to courting (not to mention usurping) the affections of a girl already promised, if not betrothed, to another.</n> because the Lord is the avenger of all such behavior, <n>To behave so as to make yourself the object of God’s vengeance doesn’t sound like a good idea.</n> as, indeed, we have already told you and warned you.


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<i> An impressive life style</i> Now about brotherly love you do not need to be written to, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another,


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because in fact you are doing so toward all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Still, we exhort you to do even more, brothers,


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to make it a point to be peaceable and to mind your own business, to work with your hands (as we instructed you),


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so that outsiders may be well impressed by your life style, and that you may have no lack. <n>Throughout the Bible, laziness and idleness are proscribed.</n> 


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<i> Christ’s second coming The Rapture</i> Now then, brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who have ‘fallen asleep’, <n>This is a metaphor for dying.</n> so that you don’t grieve like the rest, who have no hope.


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Because since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, just so will God bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him.


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For this we say to you by a word of the Lord, that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will absolutely not precede those who have fallen asleep;


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because the Lord Himself—with a commanding shout, <n>One is reminded of Jesus’ words in John 5:25-29. In verse 25 He says “now is”, so He is speaking of the spiritually dead who need to listen to Him and receive spiritual life. But in verse 28 He speaks plainly of those “in the graves”—all the dead will be resurrected at Jesus’ command, including the lost, who will then be condemned to the Lake. I take it that here in 4:16 Jesus resurrects only the “dead in Christ”, and He uses a commanding shout. To raise Lazarus He gave a loud shout (Jn. 11:43), that might have carried half a mile; this one will be heard around the globe.</n> with the archangel’s voice <n>There is only one archangel or top angel; once Lucifer, now Michael.</n> and with God’s trumpet—will come down from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first;


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then we who are still alive, who are left, will be snatched up together with them in clouds to meet the Lord in the air. In precisely this way we will always be with the Lord.


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<i> The Day of the Lord</i> Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you do not need to be written to,


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For whenever they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction is standing near them, like labor pains to a pregnant woman, and they will <i>not</i> escape. <n>The destruction will not necessarily strike when they speak. Just as a pregnant woman knows she will have labor pains—the only uncertainty is when, not if—so the destruction will be inescapable.</n> 


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<i> Live as sons of light</i> But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this Day should come upon you like a thief.


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So then, let us not sleep, <n>Here the reference is to physical sleep or mental lethargy, not death.</n> like the rest, but let us stay alert and sober;


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but we being of day, let us be sober, putting on a breastplate of faith and love, and a helmet of hope of salvation.


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For God did not appoint us to <i>undergo</i> wrath but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,


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who died for us so that whether awake or asleep we may live together with Him. <n>Here is the bottom line: to be with the Creator throughout eternity.</n> 


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<i> Concluding instructions Esteem spiritual leaders</i> Now we urge you, brothers, to recognize those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you,


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<i> A variety of instructions</i> Now we exhort you, brothers: admonish the disorderly, encourage the fainthearted, be supportive of the weak, be patient toward all.


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See that no one pays back evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue the good, both for one another and for all.


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Give thanks in everything, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. <n>There are those who say we should give thanks for everything, as distinct from in everything. I doubt that our Lord in the garden of Gethsemane gave thanks for the suffering He was facing and already enduring. To give thanks in a distressful situation is a declaration of confidence in God and His disposition of our affairs.</n> 


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Do not quench the Spirit! <n>When you quench a lighted candle, you put out its light. To quench the Spirit is presumably to ‘put out’ or refuse His light, to suppress or ignore His voice when He speaks to us—this would include any rejection of the revealed will of God.</n> 


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<i> Complete sanctification</i> Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body <n>I take it that the grammatical structure of this phrase, “the spirit and the soul and the body” (in Greek), demands a tripartite/trichotomous view of the human being. I confess that I have trouble imagining complete sanctification for the body, in this life.</n> be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.


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I adjure you by the Lord that this letter be read to all the holy brothers. <n>To adjure by the Lord that the letter be read is tantamount to claiming inspiration for it.</n> 


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<i> Opening Considerations Greeting</i> Paul, Silvanus and Timothy, <n>Paul gives recognition to the junior members of the team.</n> to the congregation <n>The first image that the term ‘church’ evokes in the minds of many is that of a building; what is in view here is a group of people.</n> of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:


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Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. <n>To the ‘western’ mind the repetition of the full form, “God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,” may seem unnecessary, if not stylistically poor, but this letter was written by a Hebrew.</n> 


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<i> Commendation and encouragement</i> We are obligated to always give thanks to God about you, brothers, and properly so, because your faith is really growing, and the love of each and every one of you towards each other keeps increasing;


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so that we ourselves boast about you among God’s congregations, referring to your steadfastness and faith in the midst of all your persecutions, and the tribulations that you are enduring <n>Paul boasts of their steadfastness and faith. Evidently the believers in Thessalonica were passing through tough times—the adversity caused their faith to grow and their love for each other to increase. This equation appears to be a norm within the Kingdom of God.</n> 


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—the above is evidence that God’s judgment is right, <n>Presumably God’s judgment in choosing them (see 2:13).</n> to the end that you be considered worthy <n>Wait a minute! If salvation is by grace, where does ‘being worthy’ come in? Well, again we are faced with the paradox of the coexistence of God’s sovereignty and human responsibility. ‘God’s judgment’ = sovereignty; suffering to be considered worthy = responsibility. The gift of life in Christ is indeed free; we don’t deserve it and can’t buy it or earn it. To live for Christ costs everything.</n> of the Kingdom of God, on behalf of which you are actually suffering;


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since to God it is right to pay back affliction to those who are afflicting you <n>Payday is coming; those who mistreated God’s people aren’t going to like it.</n> 


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and rest (along with us) to you who are being afflicted, <n>There is a rest for the people of God (Hebrews, chapters 3 and 4).</n> at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with His powerful angels in blazing fire, <n>The syntax allows “in blazing fire” to go either with the angels or the vengeance; it seemed more natural to me to put the phrase with the angels—in that event the ‘revelation’ will be an impressive sight.</n> 


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inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, <n>It is clearly implied that they could have known God and could have obeyed the Gospel; if they had no way of knowing and never ever heard, ‘vengeance’ would seem to be too strong. So what about the millions of individuals born into cultures where no representative of the Creator has ever gone? Romans 1:18-25 makes clear that all have the light of creation. Since all human knowledge is based on the principle of cause and effect, any rational creature must conclude that there has to be a sufficient Cause for the marvelous creation he sees all around. Each one is also born with a conscience. No doubt anyone who responds correctly to the light of creation will receive more light.</n> 


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who will pay a penalty: everlasting ruin, <n>The lost do not cease to exist; they are eternally separated from the Source of all good; they are condemned to never achieve/realize their potential—everlasting ruin.</n> away from the face of the Lord and from the glory of His might,


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whenever He comes to be glorified by His saints, <n>There is a stark contrast between the saved and the lost: the saved will rejoice and glory in Christ’s presence; the lost will be excluded from it, a basic ingredient in the ruin.</n> yes to be marveled at by all who have believed (because our testimony to you was believed); <n>Paul includes them in that sanctified throng.</n> in that Day.


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<i> A model prayer</i> To this end we also pray always for you, that our God may count you worthy of the calling <n>I suppose that “the calling” here is to have an active part in bringing about God’s Kingdom in their context; as they are counted worthy God will work with them to introduce goodness and works of faith into that context.</n> and fulfill <n>God does the fulfilling.</n> every desire of goodness and work of faith with power,


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so that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, <n>Note that the point of the manifestations of God’s power is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ.</n> and you in Him, <n>When we glorify the Lord there is reciprocation.</n> according to the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ. <n>I take “our God and Lord, Jesus Christ” to be the best rendering of the precise turn of phrase here.</n> 


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<i> The Day of Christ</i> Now, brothers, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to Him, <n>The reference is to the Rapture, presumably.</n> we urge you


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not to be quickly shaken from your conviction or disturbed, whether by a spirit or a word or a letter as from us, as though the day of Christ <n>Some 15% of the Greek manuscripts have ‘Lord’ (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.); the 85% that have ‘Christ’ (including the best line of transmission) are doubtless correct. I remember one day in a Greek exegesis class, the professor stated that one reason he preferred the ‘critical’ text (that reads ‘Lord’ here) is that it fit better with his view of eschatology—the ‘Day of Christ’ is usually associated with the Rapture and blessing of the saints, while the ‘Day of the Lord’ is usually associated with heavy judgment upon the world and unrepentant Israel, including the outpouring of wrath just before and after the Second Coming of Christ, when He returns in glory to establish His Millennial Reign. The perceived difficulty here would appear to be that while verses 1, 6 and 7 evidently relate to the Rapture, verses 3-4 and 8-10 evidently relate to the Great Tribulation and the Second Coming. What to do? Look carefully at the Text. In verse 2, why would the Thessalonian believers be “disturbed”? Someone was teaching that the Rapture had already happened and they had been left behind—I would be disturbed too! So ‘day of Christ’ is precisely correct with reference to the content of verses 1 and 2. The trouble comes in verse 3 because a clause is elided; as an aid to the reader translations usually supply a clause, preferably in italics to show that it is an addition, as in NKJV—<i>“that Day will not come”</i>. But that would put the Rapture after the revelation of the man of sin and the ‘abomination of desolation’—definitely not congenial to certain eschatological systems. An easy ‘solution’ would be to change ‘Christ’ to ‘Lord’ in verse 2, but that would put the Rapture within the ‘day of the Lord’—also not congenial. I submit that fine-tuning our view of eschatology is preferable to tampering with the Text.</n> has come.


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<i> The man of sin</i> Don’t let anyone deceive you by any means; because <i>that day cannot come</i> unless <i>the</i> rebellion <n>There has been no end of rebellion down through the centuries, but this one will be worse.</n> comes first and <i>the</i> man of sin <n>Some 5% of the Greek manuscripts read ‘lawlessness’ (as in NIV, NASB, LB, etc.), but the 95% (including the best line of transmission) are doubtless correct. Yes, ‘the’ man of sin—there have been no end of evil men down through the centuries, but this one will be really bad.</n> is revealed, the son of ruin, <n>He is characterized by ruin; he ruins everything he touches (like Midas).</n> 


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who opposes and exalts himself over everything that is called a god or an object of worship, to the point of taking his seat as God in God’s sanctuary, proclaiming himself to be God.


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(Don’t you remember that I used to tell you these things while still with you?) <n>Evidently eschatology was in the roster of subjects that Paul normally covered in his teaching.</n> 


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<i> The Restrainer</i> So now you know what is restraining, to the end that he <n>The man of sin.</n> may be revealed at his own time.


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For the mystery of the lawlessness is already at work; <n>Why ‘mystery’ and why ‘the’ lawlessness? After Christ’s victory on the cross, demonstrated by His resurrection, and His taking back the ‘keys’ (Rev. 1:18), Satan had to go ‘underground’. He is behind all human lawlessness and foments it in all sorts of ways, but his master plan is under wraps, hence a ‘mystery’.</n> only He who now restrains <i>will do so</i> until He removes Himself. <n>Perhaps more literally, ‘gets Himself out of the middle’ (the verb γινομαι is inherently middle in voice).</n> 


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And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and abolish by the splendor of His coming; <n>Note that “His coming” is subsequent to the revelation of the man of sin and the events he will usher in, and that revelation is subsequent to the departure of the Restrainer. So if the Rapture is linked to the Restrainer’s departure, the Lord’s “coming” is a distinct, subsequent occurrence.</n> 


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that one’s coming is according to the working of Satan with all power <n>When Satan fell he did not lose his power.</n> and signs and lying wonders,


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and with all wicked deception among those who are wasting themselves, <n>The verb here, απωλλυμι , often rendered ‘to perish’ (John 3:16 in KJV), is used in a variety of contexts, but I take the core meaning to be ‘waste’. The participial form here is ambiguous as to voice, either middle or passive, but the basic form of the verb is middle. Ephesians 1:5-14 makes clear that a basic objective of our redemption is that we be “to the praise of His glory”, which was part of the original plan (Isaiah 43:7). Only as we live for the glory of God can we realize or fulfill our potential, our reason for being. If you live for any other reason you are wasting yourself.</n> because they did not receive the love of the truth <n>The use of the verb ‘receive’ clearly implies an act of volition on their part; that love was offered or made available to them but they didn’t want it; they wanted to be able to lie and to entertain lies told by others. But the consequences of such a choice are terrible; they turned their back on salvation.</n> so that they might be saved.


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<i> Believing ‘the lie’</i> Yes, because of this God will send them an active delusion <n>Notice the sequence: first they reject the love of the truth; it is as a consequence of that choice that God sends the delusion. The implication is that there is a point of no return; God sends the delusion so that they may be condemned. The only intelligent choice is to embrace the truth!</n> so that they will believe the lie <n>Perhaps “the lie” is best illustrated in our day by the theory of evolution: “There is no Creator”—so there won’t be any accounting; so you can do what you feel like.</n> 


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and so that all may be condemned who have not believed the truth but have taken pleasure in wickedness. <n>‘Taking pleasure in wickedness’ involves rejecting the Truth of a moral Creator who will demand an accounting.</n> 


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<i> To be Saved is Different</i> Now we are obligated to always give thanks to God about you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you into salvation, through sanctification of spirit and belief in truth,


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to which <n>Our versions typically have “sanctification of the Spirit and belief in the truth”, but the Text has no article with ‘spirit’ or ‘truth’; further, the relative pronoun ‘which’ is neuter in gender, while the most likely antecedents are either masculine (‘sanctification’) or feminine (‘salvation’ and ‘belief’). But when the antecedent is a phrase the pronoun is typically neuter, so I take the antecedent to be ‘through sanctification of spirit and belief in truth’. The human spirit must be sanctified.</n> He called you through our gospel, so as to obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.


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So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, whether by word or by letter.


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<i> Another model prayer</i> Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort <n>‘eternal comfort’—I love it.</n> and good hope, by grace,


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<i> A request for prayer</i> Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified, as also with you,


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But the Lord is faithful, who will strengthen you and guard you from the wicked one. <n>‘The’ wicked one is Satan.</n> 


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Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the perseverance of Christ. <n>As Paul makes clear in the opening paragraph, they are already manifesting love and perseverance, so I take the point of the prayer to be progress into God’s kind of love and Christ’s kind of perseverance. They have made a good start, they are on the right road; Paul asks God to help them on toward the goal.</n> 


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<i> Instructions Don’t be irresponsible or lazy</i> Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who behaves irresponsibly and not according to the tradition that they <n>There were several of them.</n> received from us.


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For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we did not behave irresponsibly among you;


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neither <n>The distinction implied here indicates that the irresponsible behavior covered a wider area than just idleness or freeloading.</n> did we eat anyone’s bread without paying; rather we worked night and day, with difficulty and hardship, so as not to be a burden to any of you;


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not because we don’t have the right, but in order to offer ourselves to you as a model for you to imitate.


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Yes, because when we were with you we gave you this command: “If anyone doesn’t want to work, <n>“Doesn’t <b>want</b> to work”—the reference is not to those who want to work but can’t find a job; it is to the lazy.</n> neither let him eat!”


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Now to such individuals we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread.


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If anyone does not obey our word in this letter, take note of him and don’t associate with him, that he may be shamed;


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yet do not regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother. <n>The discipline is to be corrective, not punitive. Note that Paul clearly claims authority; he expects to be obeyed.</n> 


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<i> Conclusion Benediction</i> Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you the peace <n>‘the’ peace: there is no lack of counterfeit ‘peace’, but the reference here is presumably to “the peace of God, that surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7)—and only ‘the Lord of peace’ can give it.</n> during every situation, in every way. <n>Since they were being actively persecuted, this was a very appropriate blessing.</n> The Lord be with you all.


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<i> Sign-off</i> The greeting of Paul, with my own hand, which is the ‘trademark’ in every letter that I write. <n>I take the clear implication to be that Paul dictated his letters to an amanuensis, but ‘signed’ the letter by writing the last line himself.</n> 


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<i> Greeting</i> Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the command of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ our hope, <n>The Father saves, the Son is our hope, and they chose Paul together—I wonder what the implications are.</n> 


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<i> Opening considerations Paul refers to their last conversation</i> You recall that I urged you to remain in Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, in order that you should command certain persons to stop teaching a different doctrine


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and occupying themselves with myths and endless genealogies, <n>This sounds like Gnosticism.</n> which cause disputes rather than the godly edification which is by faith.


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Now the goal of that command is love, out of a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith; <n>This is a beautiful picture, surely: a love that emanates from pure heart, good conscience and sincere faith will probably be quite similar to God’s love.</n> 


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some having strayed from these have been turned aside <n>The verb is in the passive voice; once they strayed they came under outside influence (see Eph. 2:2).</n> to empty talk,


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desiring to be teachers of the law, not understanding either what they say or the things that they affirm. <n>This is typical of people whose ambition exceeds their mental ability—they end up faking it.</n> 


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knowing that law is not made for a righteous person but for lawless and rebellious ones, for ungodly and sinners, for unholy and profane, for patricides and matricides, for murderers,


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for fornicators, for sodomites, <n>The reference is specifically to those who play the role of the male in homosexual intercourse, as distinct from catamites (1 Cor. 6:9), who play the role of the female. From the Creator’s point of view both are unacceptable forms of human behavior.</n> for kidnappers, <n>Or, ‘slave-dealers’.</n> for liars, for perjurers, and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine


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as defined by the Gospel <n>Notice that law is supposed to be based on God’s Word. Only the Creator is competent to legislate morality.</n> of the glory <n>The Gospel reflects God’s glory.</n> of the blessed God, with which I was entrusted.


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<i> The grace of God</i> I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who enables me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into a ministry;


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I, who was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and arrogant; but I was shown mercy, because being ignorant <n>Paul was highly instructed in the Jewish religion, but was ignorant where it really mattered.</n> I did it in unbelief;


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the grace of our Lord overflowed, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. <n>I take it that Paul is saying that he received an outpouring of faith and love, as well as grace.</n> 


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Here is a trustworthy word, worthy of total acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am chief;


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precisely for this reason I was shown mercy, that in me, the ‘chief’, Jesus Christ might display all his forbearance, as an example for those who are going to rely on Him into eternal life. <n>If God could save Paul, He can save anybody—there is hope for any sinner; which calls for a doxology (next verse).</n> 


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Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, <n>Most modern versions, following 2% of the Greek manuscripts (of dubious quality), omit ‘wise’, leaving ‘the only God’.</n> be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.


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<i> A charge to Timothy Wage the good warfare</i> Son Timothy, I am giving you this charge in accordance with the prophecies about you that lead the way, <n>‘Lead the way’ is in the present tense, and so does not refer to the past. Evidently those prophesies were of such a nature that they gave direction to Timothy’s ministry.</n> that in them you may wage the good warfare,


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holding on to faith and a good conscience <n>When a person starts faking it he rejects a good conscience.</n> (which some having rejected have suffered shipwreck concerning the faith;


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of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander—whom I have handed over to Satan that they may be taught <n>The verb here is in the passive voice, which makes Satan the teacher! But I wonder how this works—if you are under Satan’s tutelage, what are your chances? Unless it be that Paul isn’t talking about recovering them, but making them see the extent of their stupidity.</n> not to blaspheme).


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<i> About prayer</i> Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings be made on behalf of all men <n>The term ‘men’ here is generic and can include women and children = all people. By putting four synonyms in a row Paul achieves an unusual emphasis on the importance of praying for everybody.</n> 


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—on behalf of kings and all who are in authority, that we may live a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. <n>This is what God would like to see. War, turmoil and distress are not God’s desire for mankind but result from men’s bad choices. If everyone would obey God’s laws we would have paradise on earth.</n> 


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who desires all men to be saved and to come into a real knowledge of Truth. <n>When people are in the middle of distress and turmoil it is difficult to pause and reflect on spiritual things. People who live in a tranquil society where godliness is promoted have every chance to come into a real knowledge of Truth.</n> 


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For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men—a man! <n>Wonder of wonders! God has provided a <b>man</b> to represent us! Of course He is also God, so He can represent both sides with complete competence—the best of all possible mediators!</n> —Jesus Christ,


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who gave Himself as a ransom on behalf of all people (to be testified in its own seasons), <n>Although Jesus Christ gave Himself as a ransom for all peoples, obviously the exact time when a given people heard about it has varied considerably down through the last two millennia, and some have yet to hear! I take it that Paul is saying that God has a ‘time’ for each people to hear.</n> 


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to which ransom I was appointed <n>Recall from 1:1 that he was appointed by both Father and Son.</n> a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying—a teacher of nations <n>Through his epistles he has taught many hundreds of ethnic nations—no wonder both Father and Son were involved in the appointing.</n> in faith and truth.


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So I desire that the men in every place pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or argument. <n>When a number of men are together, any competition tends to take place in the realm of ideas, often producing more heat than light; when a number of women are together, any competition tends to involve physical appearance.</n> 


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Similarly the women also, dressing themselves in appropriate clothing, with modesty and good sense; not with braided hair <n>Presumably the reference is not to simple braids, but adding fancy things to the hair in the braid.</n> or gold or pearls or expensive clothes,


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I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. <n>The crucial factor here is authority, and the underlying need is to protect the structure of the home, the foundational unit of society, including the church. If a woman teaches her husband in church, crossing the street to their house will not make her want to submit to him.</n> 


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For Adam was formed first, then Eve. <n>Paul appeals to God’s purpose in Creation. God created the man first and gave him the responsibility to administer the earth. Later on He created the woman, using a part of the man’s body, for the declared purpose of being his assistant (Gen. 2:18). An assistant does not give orders to the boss; nor does he make policy decisions on his own.</n> 


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Also, Adam was not deceived; rather, the woman, being deceived, became a transgressor. <n>As a general rule (there are exceptions) a man tends to think things through before reaching a decision, so he can defend his choice on the basis of logical argument. A woman tends to be more intuitive and will decide on that basis, without being able to defend the choice logically (which tends to frustrate men no end). Whether that was why Eve could be so easily deceived, I am not prepared to say, but Paul uses that susceptibility as an argument in his case against allowing women to teach. Doctrine must be based on reason, not intuition—to teach is to define. Paul affirms that Adam was not deceived, so his choice was deliberate. To disobey the Creator was a policy decision that Eve, as assistant, had no business making—she rebelled against the role that the Creator assigned her. Her <i>fait accompli</i> left Adam with a difficult decision—let her die alone, or die with her. It is idle to speculate on why he decided as he did, but it was Adam’s choice (not Eve’s) that condemned the race to ‘death through sin’ (Romans 5:12-21).</n> 


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However, she will be saved through the Childbirth <n>Note that ‘she’ refers to Eve, she is the antecedent. Neither Eve nor any other woman is saved by bearing a child. ‘Childbirth’ is accompanied by the definite article, in the Text, so it is ‘the childbirth’. There is only one childbirth that could result in salvation for Eve, and the rest of us, the birth of the Messiah.</n> —if they <n>Paul breaks the rules of grammar and switches from ‘she’ to ‘they’ in the middle of the sentence—what is true of Eve is applied to all women. Well, strictly speaking, since ‘they’ has no antecedent, I suppose it could include men as well, everybody (unless someone wants to argue that women are saved on a different basis than men [which I think would run afoul of other passages]).</n> continue in faith, love and holiness, with self-control.


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<i> Qualifications Of overseers</i> Here is a trustworthy word: if a man aspires to the position of overseer, <n>The term here is usually rendered ‘bishop’, but today a bishop is one who has authority over a number of other pastors/presbyters/elders, whereas in the New Testament these four terms evidently refer to a single office in the church.</n> he desires a good work.


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Now then, it is obligatory for the overseer to be above reproach, a one woman man, <n>That is what the Text says, strictly speaking, emphasizing the quality—a man who has only one wife, but has a wandering eye, would not qualify. However, the term ‘woman’ can also mean ‘wife’, and because of the reference to children in verse four most versions render ‘wife’.</n> temperate, sensible, respectable, hospitable, good at teaching,


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not a recent convert, lest being puffed up he fall into the same judgment that the devil did. <n>Pride brought about Lucifer’s downfall (Isaiah 14:13-14).</n> 


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Also, it is necessary for him to have a good reputation with those who are outside <i>the congregation</i> , so as not to fall into reproach and the devil’s snare. <n>When a pastor is well known and respected in a community, any attempt to discredit him through false accusations will probably fail; the people know it isn’t true. On the other hand, a new arrival is an easy target.</n> 


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<i> Of deacons</i> Similarly, deacons must be respectable, not deceitful, not heavy drinkers, <n>An elder should not ‘drink’ (verse 3), while a deacon may, just not heavily!</n> not corrupt [financially];


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<i> Of ‘deaconesses’</i> Similarly, women <n>That’s what the Text says, just ‘women’—no article and no possessive pronoun. Because Paul returns to the deacons in verse 12, most versions take the reference here to be to their wives, but the grammatical construction of verse 11 is parallel to that of verse 8, which is parallel to verse 2. I take it that the grammar obliges us to see a third office in the congregation, one filled by women—deaconesses, or something of the sort. Counseling women can be dangerous for a man; certain matters are best handled by a mature, sanctified woman; if she has an official standing in the congregation, so much the better.</n> must be respectable, not slanderers, temperate, trustworthy in everything.


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For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and considerable confidence in the faith which is in Christ Jesus. <n>They become natural candidates for the office of elder.</n> 


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in case I am delayed, so that you may know how it is necessary to conduct oneself in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, pillar and foundation of the truth. <n>My first impression would be that the truth should be sustaining the church, not vice versa. But it is the church that has the responsibility to promote and defend the truth in the society at large—in education, health, commerce, government, everywhere.</n> 


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Yes, the mystery of <i>our</i> religion is confessedly great: God was manifested in flesh, <n>Instead of ‘God’, 1% of the Greek manuscripts read ‘who’, and most modern versions follow this 1%. But ‘who’ is nonsensical (in the context), so most of them take evasive action: NEB and NASB have “he who”; Phillips has “the one”; NRSV, Jerusalem, TEV and NIV render “he”. Berkley actually has “who”! In the Greek Text the relative pronoun has no antecedent, so it is a grammatical ‘impossibility’, besides being a stupidity—what is so mysterious about someone being manifested in flesh? All human beings have bodies. The pronoun can be accounted for as an easy transcriptional error, a simple copying mistake, so why not stay with the 98.5%? “God was manifested in flesh”—now there you have a mystery!</n> was vindicated in spirit, was revealed to angels, was proclaimed among nations, was believed in the world, was received up in glory!


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<i> About doctrine Things taught by demons</i> Now the Spirit says explicitly that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceiving spirits and to things taught by demons


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—through hypocritical liars whose own consciences have been cauterized, <n>Be not deceived, the churches (with exceptions, of course) are filled with a variety of ‘doctrines’ of demonic origin. The enemy uses a certain type of person to ‘sell’ them.</n> 


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who forbid to marry and to eat foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and really know the truth.


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For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,


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because it is consecrated through the word of God and prayer. <n>I gain the impression that the dietary regulations in the Mosaic Law have been superseded. I may enjoy a pork chop if I first consecrate it. (The trouble is that many of us forget about the consecrating.)</n> 


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<i> A good servant of Jesus Christ</i> If you instruct the brothers in these things you will be a good servant of Jesus Christ, brought up in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have faithfully followed.


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Now physical exercise has some value, but godliness has value in all things, holding promises for both this present life and the one to come.


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(which is also why we labor and suffer reproach): We have set our hope on the living God, who is ‘Savior of all men’, <n>This involves an exclusivist claim, which continues to give rise to opposition. If our God is ‘Savior of all men’ then there can’t be any other ‘saviors’, at least not legitimate ones. Jesus Himself said, “I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). For preaching that exclusivist claim Paul suffered reproach, and anyone who follows his example today will also suffer.</n> especially of those who believe. <n>‘Savior of all men’ is a potentiality; for the salvation to become effective, one must believe.</n> 


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Let no one look down on your youthfulness, <n>As a professor of mine once said, “Your youth is not the problem; it’s the immaturity that goes with it.”</n> but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.


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Do not neglect the gift that is in you, <n>The obvious implication is that a gift can be neglected.</n> which was given to you through prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the body of elders.


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Take pains with yourself and the doctrine; persevere in those things, <n>Paul refers back to the “these things” at the beginning of verse 15.</n> because by doing so you will save both yourself and those who hear you. <n>Paul here emphasizes human responsibility. If Timothy goes astray, those who trust him in spiritual matters will also go astray; if he remains firm those who follow him will too. This reminds me of James 3:1. “My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.”</n> 


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<i> Relationships</i> Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as a father, younger men as brothers,


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But if any widow has children or grandchildren, let them learn first to demonstrate piety in their own household by repaying their parents, for this is pleasing to God.


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Now she who is really a widow and desolate has set her hope on God, and continues in supplications and prayers night and day.


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But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. <n>This is reminiscent of our Lord’s word in Mark 7:9-13.</n> 


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known for good works—she brought up children, she lodged strangers, she washed saints’ feet, she relieved the afflicted, she devoted herself to every good work.


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<i> About younger widows</i> As for younger widows, do not enroll them; because whenever they are controlled by sensual desires rather than by Christ, they want to marry,


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Not only that, they learn to be idle, going around from house to house; and not only idle, but also gossips and busybodies, saying things they ought not to.


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So I want the younger widows to marry, to bear children, to manage the home, to give the adversary no occasion for caustic comments.


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If any man or woman who is a believer has widows, let them relieve them and not burden the congregation, so that it may relieve those who are widows indeed. <n>Here is the ‘bottom line’ in this discussion about widows. The congregation would have limited material resources, and these should be reserved for the more needy cases. (Any semblance to a ‘gravy train’ is to be avoided.)</n> 


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<i> Honor elders</i> Let the elders who lead well be counted worthy of a double honorarium, especially those who labor in word and teaching.


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For the Scripture says: “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out grain,” and “The worker is worthy of his wages.” <n>The part about the ox is a quote from Deuteronomy 25:4, definitely Scripture, but the part about the worker is a quote from Luke 10:7! Now this is very instructive. Paul, a former Pharisee, presumably ascribed the highest level of inspiration to the five books of the Law, so we expect him to call Deuteronomy Scripture. But for him to place Luke on a par with Moses is little short of incredible. Taking the traditional and conservative point of view, 1 Timothy is generally thought to have been written within five years after Luke—the ink was scarcely dry. Luke was recognized and declared by apostolic authority to be Scripture as soon as it came off the press, so to speak. But if Paul wrote this letter under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, as I believe, then God Himself is declaring Luke to be Scripture.</n> 


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Those who are sinning rebuke publicly, so that the rest also may be in fear. <n>It appears that Timothy was to act as a ‘deputy apostle’ (something like a deputy sheriff).</n> 


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<i> Watch your step</i> I charge you in the presence of God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels <n>I wonder what the angels have to do with it.</n> that you observe these things without prejudgment, doing nothing by partiality.


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Do not lay hands [in ordination] hastily on anyone, do not <i>thereby</i> participate in the sins of others. <n>The point seems to be that if we are responsible for ordaining somebody, we become accomplices of what he subsequently does, at least in part.</n> Keep yourself pure.


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Stop drinking only water; use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent infirmities. <n>A little homemade wine can be effective against diarrhea, which was presumably Timothy’s ‘infirmity’.</n> 


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The sins of some men are obvious, leading the way into judgment, <n>I take the point to be that some sins are judged already in this life, but all will be judged at the final accounting.</n> while those of others trail behind.


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<i> Slaves honor owners</i> As many as are under the yoke of slavery should consider their own owners to be worthy of full respect, so that God’s name and doctrine not be slandered.


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Those who have owners who are believers must not disregard them because they are brothers; instead they must serve them even better, because those receiving the good service are believers and beloved. <n>Observe that there is no indication that a slave who converts to Christ should expect to be freed from that condition.</n> <i>Conclusion to ‘Relationships’</i> Teach and exhort these things.


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 If anyone teaches differently and does not consent to sound words, the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine that accords with godliness,


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 he is conceited and understands nothing. Rather he is obsessed with controversies and hair-splitting word battles, from which come envy, strife, slanderings, evil suspicions,


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 constant wranglings of men with corrupted minds and destitute of the truth, <n>The clear implication is that these people have not been regenerated, and are being used by the enemy.</n> who suppose that godliness is a means to financial gain. <n>The religious mercenaries are with us still.</n> Keep away from such people.


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<i> Concluding considerations Godliness with contentment</i> Now godliness with contentment is great gain.


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We brought nothing into the world and it is certain that neither can we take anything out. <n>But if you belong to Christ you can send it on ahead, by investing in God’s Kingdom here.</n> 


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But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and harmful desires, that plunge people into ruin and loss;


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because the love of money is a root <n>That’s right, a root, not ‘the’ root. Love of money is only one of the causes that lead men to do evil.</n> of all kinds of evil; in their greediness some have been led away from the faith and have impaled themselves on many distresses. <n>As the Text says, “The way of the transgressor is hard” (Prov. 13:15).</n> 


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<i> Lay hold on eternal life</i> But you, O man of God, flee these things; rather pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness.


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Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life into which you were called—indeed you confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.


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In the presence of the God who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, I charge you


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which He will manifest at the proper time—He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and the Lord of lords;


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who alone has immortality, residing in unapproachable light; whom no man has seen or can see; to whom be honor and eternal power. Amen.


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<i> To the rich</i> Command those who are rich in this present world not to be haughty, nor to rely upon the uncertainty of riches but on the living God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy;


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—storing up for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, so that they may lay hold on the eternal life.


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<i> A closing exhortation</i> O Timothy, guard the deposit! Turn away from the godless, empty chatter and inconsistencies of what is falsely called ‘science’


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—by professing it some have erred concerning the faith. <n>For many generations the theory of evolution has been foisted on the populace at large as ‘science’. It dominates the schools, the media, the marketplace, the government. The spiritual damage has been incalculable—multiplied millions will spend eternity in the Lake because of it.</n> The Grace be with you. Amen.


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<i> Greeting</i> Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life <n>‘The life that is in Christ’—that’s what it’s all about. As He Himself said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).</n> that is in Christ Jesus,


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<i> Paul addresses Timothy’s spiritual crisis Paul encourages Timothy</i> I give thanks to God, whom I serve with a clear conscience like my forefathers did, <n>So why does Paul bring his ancestors into the picture? I suppose to set up a parallel with Timothy and his ancestors (verse 5). One’s heritage is important.</n> as I constantly remember you in my prayers, night and day,


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longing to see you (recalling your tears), <n>From what follows I take it that Timothy was going through a spiritual crisis when Paul last saw him, hence the tears. Paul did what he could to help, but is anxious to know how Timothy is doing.</n> that I may be filled with joy;


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while I call to mind the unfeigned faith that is in you—it resided first in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, in you also.


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For this reason I am reminding you to rekindle <n>Timothy had received a ‘charisma’ from God through Paul, but the verb ‘rekindle’ indicates clearly that the use of the gift is up to him, and he has been neglecting it.</n> the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.


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<i> Don’t be ashamed to suffer for Christ</i> So don’t be ashamed to identify with our Lord or with me His prisoner, but join in suffering for the Gospel according to the power of God


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—the One who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not because of our works but because of His own purpose and grace, which <n>It is hard to determine whether the pronoun refers only to ‘grace’ or to both ‘purpose and grace’.</n> was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, <n>Really; the Lamb’s blood was shed before this world was created (1 Peter 1:19-20).</n> 


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but has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who by means of the Gospel destroyed the death <n>That’s what the Text says, ‘the death’; I take it that the reference is to Satan’s kingdom.</n> and brought life and immortality to light;


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That is why I am suffering these things, yet I am not ashamed because I know in whom I have believed and am certain that He is able to guard my deposit <n>That’s right, ‘my deposit’; by dying to himself and living for Christ’s kingdom he is building up a ‘savings account’ in Heaven.</n> until that Day. <n>The Day when we face God’s bar and give an accounting (see verse 18).</n> 


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<i> Be loyal—the example of Onesiphorus</i> Hold fast the standard of sound teaching that you heard from me, through the faith and love in Christ Jesus.


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This you know, that all those in Asia have been turned away from me, <n>‘Turn away’ is in the passive voice; someone was working against Paul, with success.</n> including Phygellus and Hermogenes.


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May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorous, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chain;


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(may the Lord grant to him to find mercy from the Lord in that Day); you also know very well in how many ways he served me in Ephesus.


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Also, the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit the same to faithful men who will be competent to teach others also. <n>The future of the Church depends on this.</n> 


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No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in the affairs of <i>civilian</i> life; he wants to please the one who enlisted him.


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Further, if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules


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—the hardworking farmer should be the first to receive of the fruits. <n>I believe the verse could be just as well translated as, “the hardworking farmer must first receive of the fruits,” the point being that he has to have seed before he can plant.</n> 


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<i> Encouragement by example</i> Keep thinking of Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, of David’s seed; this is my gospel, <n>This brief statement evokes much of the essence of the Gospel. ‘David’s seed’ recalls that the Creator really became human, with David’s genes, and fulfills the prophecies about the Messiah. ‘Raised from the dead’ recalls everything connected with His death and resurrection. Thinking about Jesus is a good antidote to discouragement.</n> 


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for which I am suffering to the point of being in chains like a criminal, but the Word of God is not chained.


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This is why I endure it all: for the sake of the chosen ones, <n>They are ‘chosen’ but Paul has to suffer so that they may obtain.</n> that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.


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This is a trustworthy word: If, indeed, we died together, <n>We must really identify with Christ’s death, which involves commitment and a change of life, a change of worldview.</n> we will also live together;


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if we endure, we will also reign together; if we deny, <i>He</i> will also deny us; <n>Although most versions supply “with Him” in verses 11-12, it is only in this last clause that the pronoun actually occurs, but because it does the “with Him” is correctly understood. Notice the heavy emphasis on human responsibility—<b>if</b> we endure (but only if) we will reign; if we deny Him, He will certainly deny us.</n> 


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if we are faithless, He remains faithful—He is incapable of denying Himself. <n>There are at least two things that God can’t do: deny Himself (2 Tim. 2:13) and lie (Titus 1:2—which would be a form of denying His nature).</n> 


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Keep reiterating these things, exhorting them <n>I suppose that the antecedent of this pronoun is to be found in 2:2.</n> before the Lord not to argue about words to no useful purpose <n>This would not include a serious discussion of an important doctrinal point.</n> —it just ruins the hearers.


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<i> Approved and disapproved</i> Make every effort to render yourself approved by God, a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed, handling the Word of the Truth correctly.


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But shun godless, empty chatter, because <i>those who do it</i> will become increasingly godless, <n>Comparing this with what the Lord Jesus said in Matthew 12:34-37, those who speak godlessly do so because their heart is godless; and the more they do it the worse they get, because they continually reinforce their godlessness.</n> 


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who have wandered away from the Truth, saying that the resurrection has already occurred; and they overturn the faith of some. <n>Surely; if the resurrection has already happened and you’re still here, what hope have you?</n> 


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Nevertheless, the solid foundation of God stands firm, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His” and “Let everyone who claims the name of the Lord keep away from unrighteousness.”


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Now in a large house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some, to be sure, are for honor, but some are for dishonor.


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So if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, <n>The analogy here is not clear to me, but I take the point to be that the believer should avoid contamination from those who are dishonorable.</n> sanctified and useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.


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<i> The true source of opposition</i> Flee the lusts of youth; <n>Don’t play with it, to see if you’re strong enough to resist—just run!</n> but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.


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Now a slave of the Lord should not quarrel but be gentle towards all, skillful at teaching, forbearing, <n>I take the basic meaning of this term to be to handle opposition with maturity.</n> 


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correcting courteously those who oppose him, in hopes that God may grant them repentance leading to a real knowledge of Truth


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and that they may retrieve their senses out of the devil’s snare (having been taken captive by him to do his will). <n>Verses 23-26 provide a perspective that is not generally understood. At least some (most?) [all?] of the time that people oppose Biblical values they do so because of satanic influence in their minds. Since Satan is the ‘father of lies’ (John 8:44), he is behind any and every lie. So whenever anyone embraces a lie (materialism, humanism, relativism, spiritism, animism, whatever) they invite Satan into their minds. Once there he goes about setting up strongholds. As Ephesians 2:2 says, he is actively at work in the ‘sons of disobedience’—when you embrace a lie you reject the Truth; but then you are taken captive by the lie and wind up doing Satan’s will. This process goes area by area, which explains why people can be good in one area and bad in another (the reference is not to physical skills). So when someone opposes God’s truth and His values, we need to understand and remember how the person got that way; actually, they are being used. To lash out at them will not help them. A gentle, courteous probing of their presuppositions just might. More to the point, we have access to spiritual authority whereby we can break Satan’s strongholds, but that gets us into the area of spiritual warfare (extremely important, but too extensive to expound here).</n> 


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<i> Paul addresses Timothy’s future ministry What relativistic humanism produces</i> Now understand this: In the last days there will be grievous times;


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because people will be self-lovers, money lovers, boasters, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,


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wearing a form of godliness while having denied its power! <n>“Having denied” is in the perfect tense; they start out by not believing in true godliness and hence deny that it would have any power. But living in a culture that still has vestiges of a former godliness, they find it useful to pretend.</n> You must avoid such people;


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 because they are the sort that press <n>The description of such persons, given in verses 2-5, does not agree with ‘sneaking’ or ‘worming’—they enter openly, exuding confidence and competence. I follow the best line of transmission, in my opinion, albeit a minority reading.</n> into households and ‘capture’ gullible women loaded down with sins, who are led along by various lusts,


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 always learning yet never being able to come to a real knowledge of truth. <n>Who are these ‘little women’? Hardworking mothers and homemakers in families that are struggling to make ends meet have no leisure to indulge in a variety of lusts or to spend time listening to purveyors of high-sounding nonsense. Where do arrogant lovers of money, pleasure and self go? They go where the money and pleasure is, the high society. So the reference is probably to high society dames who have the money and leisure to indulge themselves, but enough conscience left to be bothered by it. But they don’t really want to give up their lifestyle.</n> 


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 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these oppose the truth—men of depraved mind, disqualified as regards the faith—


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 but they will not advance any further because, as in the case of the former, their folly will become evident to all.


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<i> “Continue in the things you have learned”</i> You, however, have carefully followed my doctrine, my lifestyle, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance;


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the persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra—what persecutions I endured; yet the Lord delivered me out of them all.


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But you, continue in the things you have learned and to which you were committed, <n>In the next verse Paul harks back to Timothy’s childhood and the influence of his mother and grandmother; just as we dedicate our children to God, Timothy was doubtless so dedicated. “To which you were committed” fits the context very nicely—I follow the best line of transmission, in my opinion, albeit a minority reading.</n> knowing from whom you learned,


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and that from infancy you have known the Sacred Scriptures which are able to make you wise into salvation through the faith that is in Christ Jesus.


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All Scripture is God-breathed <n>Paul coins an expression to describe the intimate connection between God and His written revelation; it’s like His very breath.</n> and is valuable for teaching, for reproving, for correcting, for training in righteousness,


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<i> Proclaim the Word!</i> Now then, in the presence of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who is about to judge both living and dead with a view to His appearing and His Kingdom, I give you this charge:


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Proclaim the Word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and exhort, with lots of patience and teaching. <n>If Timothy obeys this charge, he will at least slow down the process described in verses 3-4. And if we also obey this charge we should produce at least some improvement in our own context.</n> 


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Because the time will come when they will not tolerate the sound doctrine; rather, they will accumulate for themselves a great many teachers who will tickle their ears according to their lusts


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—yes, they will turn their ears away from the Truth and be turned aside to fables. <n>Notice the progression: first they choose to turn away from the Truth, but after that someone else takes over and leads them into ever greater stupidities.</n> 


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But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. <n>In view of his own impending death Paul urges Timothy to get, and stay, serious.</n> 


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<i> Timothy will no longer have Paul to help him</i> For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. <n>Evidently God told Paul he was about to die.</n> 


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Now the crown of the righteousness is reserved for me, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that Day; and not only to me, but also to all those who have longed for His appearing. <n>If we’re afraid of what might happen, we won’t ‘long’ for that appearing. The implication is that they also are fighting the good fight and keeping the faith.</n> 


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for Demas, loving this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica—Crescens to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.


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Only Luke is with me. Take Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry. <n>Comparing this statement with Acts 15:37-39, it appears that Barnabas was right in investing in Mark, and Paul here recognizes his success.</n> 


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Bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, when you come—and the books, especially the parchments.


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<i> People will disappoint you</i> At my first defense no one came to help me, but all deserted me. May it not be held against them.


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But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the nations might hear. Also, I was delivered out of a lion’s mouth; <n>I suppose this is literal; someone tried to have him condemned to face a lion in the arena, but the plan was foiled.</n> 


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and the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and save me into His heavenly Kingdom; to whom be the glory for ever and ever. Amen.


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<i> Farewell</i> Greet Prisca <n>It is generally considered that ‘Prisca’ is an alternate spelling, or shortened form, for ‘Priscilla’.</n> and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus.


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Erastus stayed in Corinth, while I left Trophimus sick in Miletus. <n>Evidently Paul wasn’t able to heal him.</n> 


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Do your best to come before winter. Eubulus greets you, as do Pudens, Linus, Claudia and all the brothers.


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The Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. The Grace <n>‘Grace’ occurs with the definite article = ‘the grace’; so I capitalized it.</n> be with you. <n>‘your spirit’ is singular, referring to Timothy, but the ‘you’ here is plural—I take it that Paul knew the letter would be read by others.</n> Amen.


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<i> Greeting</i> Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ according to the faith of God’s elect and a real knowledge of the truth that accords with godliness,


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in hope of eternal life <n>Paul frankly states his motivation; he wants eternal life, and the only way to get there is to be a slave of God. Since Jehovah the Son endured the cross with a view to the glory on the other side (Heb. 12:2), Paul is in good company. We have the same opportunity.</n> —which life God, who cannot lie, <n>This is one thing that God cannot do, being contrary to His nature.</n> promised before the ages of time <n>How did Paul know this? Presumably it was revealed to him, perhaps when he was caught up to the third heaven.</n> 


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but has manifested by a proclamation of His Word at chosen times, which word was entrusted to me by the command of our Savior God; <n>Paul is plainly claiming to be in the line of those whom God chose down through the ages to proclaim His Word, the implication being that it is a new proclamation, not just an exposition of what has already been written.</n> 


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to Titus, a true son in a common faith: Grace, mercy, peace, from Father God and Lord Jesus Christ, <n>I take it that ‘Father God’ and ‘Lord Jesus Christ’ act here as proper nouns.</n> our Savior.


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<i> Qualifications for elders</i> I left you in Crete for this reason, that you should set in order the things that were lacking and appoint elders in every town as I directed you


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—if a man is blameless, a one-woman man, <n>I take it that Paul is speaking of a quality, a kind of person. Many men have only one wife, but have wandering eyes—they would not qualify.</n> having children who believe and who are not open to the charge of being wild or disobedient.


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Because as an administrator under God the overseer <n>If we are going to represent God in an official capacity, we need to be clean.</n> must be blameless; not self-willed, not hotheaded, not given to wine, not a bully, not avaricious;


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holding fast the trustworthy Word as taught, so that he may be competent <n>Unfortunately, this competence in the use of God’s Word is in rather short supply these days.</n> both to exhort with the sound doctrine and to correct those who oppose it.


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<i> They must face opposition</i> Because there really are lots of rebels, loudmouths and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision group,


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who must be silenced—they are ruining whole households, teaching things that they ought not, and for dishonest gain! <n>Apparently those people weren’t acting out of strong personal conviction, but just for material gain. Pitiful.</n> 


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This testimony is true. <n>Nothing like telling it like it is! (Paul hadn’t heard about being ‘politically correct’.)</n> Therefore correct them rigorously, <n>Ingrained habits and cultural characteristics cannot be changed with a single rebuke; Paul is talking about a sustained effort to bring about a change in their attitudes.</n> that they may be sound in the faith,


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not paying attention to Jewish fables or to commands of men who are rejecting the truth. <n>Before listening to someone, you need to check out their presuppositions.</n> 


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To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; in fact, both their minds and their consciences are defiled. <n>I am reminded of Matthew 6:22-23, words of the Sovereign Creator while He walked this earth: “The lamp of the body is the eye. So if your eye is sound your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is evil your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” Of course we have two eyes, but the Text has “eye” in the singular. I take it that the reference is to the way we interpret what we see (which is our real “eye”)—two people, one pure and one vile, observing the same scene will give very different interpretations to it. “Evil” here has the idea of malignant—aggressively evil. Someone with a malignant mind will give an evil interpretation to everything he sees, and in consequence his being will be filled with unrelenting darkness. That’s what it says here in Titus 1:15; to someone who is defiled <b>nothing</b> is pure. With a defiled mind and conscience such a person is simply incapable of giving a decent interpretation to anything at all in this whole wide world. That’s why Paul goes on to say in the next verse that such a person is disqualified for any good work. Surely, if you are full of evil how can you do good?</n> 


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They profess to know God, but by their actions they deny Him, being detestable, disobedient and disqualified for any good work.


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similarly older women are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers nor enslaved to much wine, teachers of what is good


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to be prudent, pure, homemakers, good, <n>Or, ‘good homemakers’.</n> subordinating themselves to their own husbands, so that the Word of God not be maligned.


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Similarly, exhort the young men to be self-controlled, <n>Curiously the young men get only one requirement—self-control.</n> 


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in all things presenting yourself as an example of good works: <n>Again, if we are going to represent God in an official capacity, we need to be clean.</n> showing integrity, dignity and incorruptibility in your teaching


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—healthy speech, beyond reproach—so that the opponent may be put to shame, having nothing slighting to say about us. <n>A significant minority of the Greek manuscripts have ‘you’ (as in AV and NKJV), but the majority (including the best line of transmission) has ‘us’. Since Titus’ message and authority derive from Paul, it is properly first person.</n> 


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Exhort slaves to subordinate themselves to their own owners, to be well pleasing in all things, not talking back,


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not pilfering but showing total trustworthiness, so as to adorn the doctrine of our Savior God in everything. <n>Notice that Paul does not incite slaves to revolt or rebellion. Perhaps it is especially in adverse circumstances that we can ‘adorn’ the doctrine of God.</n> 


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teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live prudently, righteously and godly in this present age, <n>God’s saving grace has been made available for every one, but most people haven’t heard of it. If they are to hear, we must live godly lives.</n> 


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looking for the blessed hope, <n>If we are to live ‘looking’, then we regard it as something that could happen in our lifetime (otherwise there’s no point in ‘looking’).</n> even the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,


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who gave Himself for us, so that He might redeem us from all lawlessness <n>Since any ‘law’ that God promulgates derives from His character, I take the point here to be that God wants to deliver us from anything and everything that is not in conformity to His character.</n> and purify for Himself a special people, zealous for good works. <n>There is repeated emphasis on doing what is good, not just professing correct doctrine.</n> 


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Speak these things, whether you exhort or reprove, with all authority. Let no one disdain you. <n>The problem here could be his youth, but as Paul’s delegate he represents apostolic authority.</n> 


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<i> The difference the Gospel makes</i> Remind them <n>The Text just has the pronoun, but the reference is evidently to the Christians in Crete.</n> to subordinate themselves to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work,


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Because we ourselves were also foolish at one time, disobedient, being deceived, being enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, detestable, <n>Hey, there is hope! ‘Detestable’ is repeated from 1:16, so if people who are now regenerated were once that way, then they can be changed; there is a way out, through the Gospel. (Actually in the Text the terms are different, synonyms, but the point is the same.)</n> hating one another. <n>This description is very up-to-date; it fits contemporary society very well. So those who were saved out of that milieu should be gentle with those who are still in it.</n> 


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<i> What a marvelous salvation!</i> But when the kindness of our Savior God and His love toward mankind manifested itself,


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He saved us—not because of righteous deeds that we ourselves had done but according to His mercy, by means of the bath of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit, <n>The regenerating and renewing are performed by the Holy Spirit.</n> 


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so that having been justified by His grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.


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<i> So let’s do good</i> The above is a trustworthy statement and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be concerned to take the lead in good works. <n>I take that to be the normal meaning of the Text—Christians should take the lead in their communities with projects that are for the common good.</n> These things are good and profitable for mankind. <n>If everyone in the world lived according to Biblical principles it would be a much better place! There would be no need for jails, police departments, armies, rehabilitation centers, most hospitals, etc.</n> 


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But avoid foolish arguments and genealogies and contentions and disputes about the law, because they are unprofitable and useless. <n>Some people like to argue for the sake of arguing, but the Lord Jesus said we will be judged for every idle word (Mt. 12:36).</n> 


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knowing that such a person has been perverted <n>The passive voice indicates that the person was perverted by an outside force, in this context presumably by Satan; but he went along with the process, allowed it to happen (or he wouldn’t be ‘self-condemned’). So now he is on Satan’s side, and if he refuses to listen to two warnings, he doesn’t want to change. The next best thing is to excommunicate him, not allow him to work within the community.</n> and is sinning, being self-condemned.


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<i> Farewell</i> As soon as I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, because I have decided to spend the winter there.


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And let our people also learn to maintain good works, to meet pressing needs, that they not be unfruitful. <n>By meeting the needs of God’s servants we share in the fruit of their labors.</n> 


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All who are with me greet you. Greet those who love us in faith. <n>The Text doesn’t have “the” faith, just ‘faith’. Perhaps the reference is to those who have never met Paul, but love him anyway.</n> Grace be with you all. Amen.


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<i> Greeting</i> Paul, a prisoner for Jesus Christ, <n>Since Paul elsewhere calls himself a slave of Jesus, he would also be a prisoner of Jesus, but in this context I understand him to be saying that he is in prison because of Jesus.</n> and brother Timothy, to the beloved Philemon, our fellow worker,


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and to the beloved Apphia and our fellow soldier Archippus, and to the congregation at your (sg) <n>Since English is ambiguous as to whether the second person personal pronoun is singular or plural, and since Paul mixes both in this letter, it becomes necessary to let the reader know which is which.</n> house:


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so that the sharing of your (sg) faith may become powerful through a full understanding of every good thing that is among you (pl) who are in Christ Jesus; <n>Verse 6 probably reads quite differently in your version of the Bible. Were you aware that the “your” refers to Philemon while the “you” refers to the congregation? [The MSS evidence is about evenly divided between ‘you’ and ‘us’, but I follow what I consider to be the best line of transmission, as in AV and NKJV.] The verse usually ends with “you/us in Christ Jesus”, but the preposition is properly “into”, which doesn’t make good English. The reference is to those who have believed into Jesus (as He Himself invariably said)—they were outside but have moved inside. So Paul is referring to a group of regenerated people and to the aggregate of ‘good things’ to be found among them; which I assume would certainly include the gifts of the Spirit, as well as His fruit. As Philemon’s understanding of these resources increases, the sharing of his faith will become more powerful, and for this Paul prays.</n> 


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yes, we have much thanksgiving and encouragement because of your (sg) love, in that the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.


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<i> Paul intercedes for Onesimus</i> Now then, though I have all boldness in Christ to order you (sg) to do what is right, <n>Paul starts out by asserting his authority, but softens it with an emotional appeal, appealing to Philemon’s emotions in various ways.</n> 


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I—being none other than Paul the old man and now also a prisoner for Jesus Christ—would rather appeal to you, for love’s sake.


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I appeal to you on behalf of the son that I begot while in my chains, Onesimus, whom I am sending back


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—I would have liked to keep him with me, so that he might minister to me in your place, while I’m in chains for the Gospel,


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but I didn’t want to do anything without your consent, so that your contribution might be voluntary, not as an imposition.


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Perhaps this is why he was removed <n>“Removed” is passive; Paul implies that God was behind the flight of Onesimus.</n> for a while, so that you would have him forever


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—no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother, very much to me but even more to you, both in flesh and in the Lord. <n>What does “both in flesh and in the Lord” mean? Onesimus is now a brother in the Lord, but was he also Philemon’s physical brother? But if a brother, how did he become his slave? I don’t know. If I had to guess I would imagine that Philemon’s father begot Onesimus of a slave woman. Whatever the messy consequences of people’s lives without Christ, this letter illustrates nicely how the Gospel can straighten things out.</n> 


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<i> Paul asks for obedience</i> So if you consider me a partner, receive him as if it were me. <n>Verses 17-19 are often used as an illustration of substitutionary atonement, wherein Philemon would represent the Father, Paul the Son, and Onesimus the sinner—what Onesimus owes is charged to Paul, so Onesimus can go free. (Of course the second half of verse 19 doesn’t fit; the Father doesn’t owe His life to the Son.)</n> 


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I, Paul, am writing with my own hand, “I will repay” (rather than say to you that you actually owe me your very self!). <n>Dear me, Paul builds such a strong case that there’s really no way that Philemon can refuse!</n> 


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Being confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you (sg) will do even more than I say.


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But meanwhile, do prepare a guest room for me, because I hope that through your (pl) prayers I will be graciously bestowed on you (pl). <n>Might verse 22 be a veiled threat, that Paul could show up to check up on Philemon?</n> 


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as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, my fellow workers. <n>Evidently Epaphras was also in prison, but not the others.</n> 


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The grace of our Lord Jesus <n>I follow the best line of transmission (albeit representing only some 20% of the Greek manuscripts here) in not adding ‘Christ’. Being a very personal letter, Paul is less formal.</n> be with your (pl) spirit. <n>In what sense does the regenerated spirit need grace? It must, but I’m not sure how it works.</n> Amen.


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<i> The supremacy of the Son</i> God, having spoken to the fathers through the prophets in many parts and in various ways, in the past,


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has at the end of these days spoken to us by <b>Son</b>, <n>I take it that ‘Son’ is being used like a proper name.</n> whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the ages; <n>That’s what the Text says, although most versions render ‘worlds’, which seems to make better sense, at least at first glance. But let’s stop and think a minute—since God is eternal, the concept of ‘time’ may be part and parcel of this Creation, limited to it and perhaps be a defining characteristic, along with space. But ‘ages’ is plural, and how does one distinguish one age from another? Presumably by the events of history—in other words, the Son controls the history of this planet.</n> 


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who being the projection of His glory and the very image of His essence, and sustaining all things by the expression of His [S] <n>Here the pronoun refers to the Son; the previous occurrences refer to the Father. Below, whenever the referent changes I will indicate this by [F] or [S], which will be good until the next change.</n> own power, when He had by Himself provided purification for our sins He sat down on the highest Majesty’s right,


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having become so much superior to the angels as He has inherited a more excellent name than they have.


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<i> He is superior to the angels</i> For to which of the angels did He [F] ever say, “You are my Son, today I begot you”, and again, “I will be ‘Father’ to Him, and He will be ‘Son’ to me”?


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Again, when He introduces the Firstborn <n>In Hebrew culture the firstborn son usually inherited the lion’s share of the father’s estate (so as not to splinter the estate) and was thus the boss, so the expression ‘firstborn’ took on the extended meaning of ‘preeminent’, which I take to be the intended meaning here. But as the God-man Christ was both only-begotten and firstborn.</n> into the inhabited earth <n>I assume that this must have happened at the incarnation of the Son.</n> He says, “Let all God’s angels worship Him [S] ”.


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Further, about the angels He [F] says, “Who makes His angels winds, <n>The Greek word here also means ‘spirits’, but ‘winds’ fits the Hebrew parallelism better.</n> His servants flames of fire”;


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while to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; ‘Scepter of Uprightness’ <n>I take ‘Scepter of Uprightness’ to be a proper name (like the sword ‘Excalibur’).</n> is the scepter of Your kingdom.


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You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness, therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of exultation beyond Your companions.”


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Also: “You, LORD , <n>The quote is from Psalm 102:25-27, and in that context it is Jehovah who is being addressed, Jehovah the Son. This is one of several passages in the New Testament that contradict the heresy of the ‘Jehovah’s Witnesses’ and Mormons that denies that Jesus Christ is Jehovah.</n> in the beginning, laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are works of Your hands;


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You will roll them up like a cloak and they will be changed, while You stay the same and Your years will never end.”


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On the other hand, to which of the angels did He ever say, “Sit on my right until I place your enemies as a stool under your feet”?


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Are they not all ministering spirits being sent <n>This participle being in the present tense, I take it that this is an ongoing activity.</n> to serve those who are going to inherit salvation?


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<i> Do not neglect the great salvation</i> So then, we really must pay the utmost attention to the things we have heard, so that we not drift away.


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For if the word spoken through angels became binding, and every violation and disobedience received a deserved penalty, <n>When was that? Zacharias was punished for not believing Gabriel, but the clearest example that comes to mind is the angels’ warning to Sodom through Lot.</n> 


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how shall we escape if we are careless about that tremendous salvation?—it received its beginning through the Lord’s declaration and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him [S] , <n>By expressing himself in this way the author let’s us know that he was not one of the Twelve.</n> 


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God adding His [F] attestation by signs, wonders, various miracles, and distributions of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.


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<i> Temporarily lower than the angels</i> Because it is not to angels that He has subjected the coming inhabited earth, <n>The new earth that follows this one will not be administered by angels, so who will do the administering? I agree with those who hold that this life is a classroom wherein the redeemed are being prepared for their functions in the new earth, and some of those functions will be administrative.</n> about which we are speaking;


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rather, there is a place where someone testified <n>I find this turn of phrase to be curious; the author knew his Old Testament well, and presumably knew he was citing a Psalm (8:4-6)—why such a roundabout reference?</n> saying: “What is man that You are mindful of him, or son of man that you care for him?


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You made him lower than the angels, for a little while; <n>The human being is superior to the angelic being in essence; we bear God’s image and they don’t, and once glorified that superiority will be obvious, but only for the redeemed. Those who serve Satan subordinate themselves to him, and thus can never rise above him. If Lucifer’s rebellion was provoked, as I suppose, by the creation of a being superior to himself, he is doing very well at getting his ‘revenge’, by depriving the vast majority of humanity of that superiority (and so the next verse does not apply to them).</n> You crowned him with glory and honor, <n>Some 25% of the Greek manuscripts add, “and set him over the works of your hands”, as in TR, AV, NKJV.</n> 


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You subjected all things under his feet.” It follows that in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not so subjected. However, we do not yet see everything subjected to him, at present.


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But we do see Jesus, who ‘was made lower than the angels, for a little while’ (in order to suffer death), ‘crowned with glory and honor’—this, by the grace of God, so that He [S] might taste death on behalf of everyone. <n>‘Everyone’ is not a synonym for ‘the elect’. The death of Christ is adequate, sufficient to provide salvation for all human beings, and is there for them; of course not all actually avail themselves of it (many never even heard about it)—in fact, the Lord Jesus referred to them as ‘few’ in His day (Mt. 7:14).</n> 


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<i> “Bringing many sons into glory”</i> Because it was appropriate to Him [F] , for whom are all things and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons into glory, <n>This contrasts with the many more who will never see the glory.</n> to perfect the Author of their salvation through sufferings.


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For both He [S] who is sanctifying and those who are being sanctified are all from One, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them ‘brothers’,


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saying, “I will declare Your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing praise to You.”


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And again, “I will put my trust in Him [F] ”; and again, “Here am I and the children whom God has given me.” <n>See Psalms 22:22, 2 Samuel 22:3, Isaiah 8:17-18—the author knew his Old Testament.</n> 


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Since, then, the children have flesh and blood as their share, He [S] Himself likewise partook of the same, in order that through His death He might abolish the one who had <n>Had, not ‘has’ (as in NIV, etc.)—in Rev. 1:18 the glorified Christ affirms that He now holds the ‘keys’.</n> the power of death—that is, the devil—


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and set free these [the children] who during their whole lifetime were subject to slavery through fear of death. <n>The fear of death is a bad master; it drives people to do incredibly stupid things.</n> 


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That is why He was obliged to become like those ‘brothers’ in all respects, so that He could be a merciful and faithful high priest, in what concerns God, with a view to making propitiation <n>‘Propitiation’ is a theological term; God’s righteous character has been outraged by human sin, and something must be done to ‘satisfy’/’pacify’ that outraged character. Christ’s sacrifice propitiated God, satisfied/pacified His outraged character.</n> for the sins of the people.


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For in that in which He Himself endured suffering, having been tested, <n>The Greek word here covers both ‘to test’ and ‘to tempt’ (to tempt is to test one’s moral fiber), the choice in English being guided by the context. Jesus was not tested only in the area of morals; He was tested physically as well. We too are tested in a variety of ways.</n> He is able to assist those who are being tested.


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<i> The Apostle and High Priest of our confession</i> So then, holy brothers, you who share in the celestial calling, do contemplate the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Jesus Christ!


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For this One has been counted worthy of more glory than was Moses, just as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself


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also, Moses was indeed faithful as a servant in all His house, providing evidence of those things that would later be spoken, <n>A curious statement—he provided evidence before it was called for, as it were. Of course Moses is referred to many times in the Scriptures written after his day.</n> 


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but Christ is faithful as a Son over His house, whose house are we, if, that is, we hold fast the confidence, even the boast, of the Hope <n>I take it that the Hope has to do with eternal life. To still be part of the ‘house’ at the end, one must never give up the confidence.</n> firm to the end.


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<i> The Holy Spirit’s warning</i> Therefore—just as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you would hear His voice,


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do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, during the time of the testing <n>In the context the people were testing God, not vice-versa.</n> in the desert,


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In consequence I became very angry with that generation and said, ‘Their heart always leads them astray; they have not known my ways.’


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take care, brothers, that there not be a malignant heart of unbelief in any of you, so as to go away from <n>Notice the direction. The term ‘malignant’ implies Satanic influence.</n> the living God;


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rather, exhort yourselves <n>The pronoun here is reflexive, not reciprocal, but being plural probably includes both ideas—each one should exhort himself, but we should also exhort each other.</n> every day, while it is called ‘today’, so that none of you be hardened through sin’s deceitfulness.


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For we have become associates of the Christ, if, that is, we hold fast the beginning of the Endeavor <n>I take it that the Christian life or walk with God is called ‘the Endeavor’ (much like ‘the Way’); people usually start with confidence and enthusiasm, but frequently slow down as the going gets rough.</n> firm to the end,


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while it is <i>still</i> being said, “Today, <n>There comes a time when the window of opportunity is closed, and there are no more ‘todays’.</n> if you would hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”


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So who were they who, upon hearing, rebelled? Really now, wasn’t it all those who came out of Egypt by Moses? <n>Strictly speaking, since the Original Text did not use question marks, this verse could be translated as a statement: “For some, having heard, did rebel, but not all who came out of Egypt by Moses.” However, since those who did not rebel were very few, a minuscule fraction of the people, most versions treat the verse as a question, as I have done.</n> 


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And with whom was He [F] angry for forty years? Wasn’t it with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the desert?


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So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief. <n>The implication is clear; if we disobey it’s because we don’t really believe—see 4:6 below.</n> 


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Therefore we <i>should</i> fear, since a promise of entering His rest still stands, lest any one of you should expect to have come short of it. <n>This verse is a continuation of the whole preceding paragraph that emphasizes the need to persevere in faith, so as to enter the rest. If someone decides he has already fallen short, he will likely give up, stop trying.</n> 


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<i> There is still a promised rest</i> Really, because we are continually hearing good news <n>Strictly speaking it should be “we are continually being good-newsed / evangelized”, but to try to make a verb out of ‘good news’ is awkward; on the other hand ‘evangelize’ has the connotation of preaching the Gospel to an unbeliever, which is not the point here. I take the ‘good news’ here to be God’s Truth, on any and all topics.</n> just like they did, but the word that they heard did not profit them, since they were not intimately united with the faith of those who obeyed.


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Now we who have believed do enter that rest, just as He has said, “So I took an oath in my wrath, ‘As if they will ever enter my rest!’”—His works were certainly finished from the foundation of the world,


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because somewhere He has spoken about the seventh day like this, “And on the seventh day God rested from all His works,”


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while again, in this place, “As if they will ever enter my rest!” <n>Dear me, this is the third citation of the oath! When He took it, God was ‘very angry’ (3:10); is the author implying that 1,500 years later God is similarly angry with those who insist on disobeying? Then it will still be true in our day (another 2,000 years later).</n> 


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Therefore since it remains for some to enter into it, and those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not enter because of disobedience,


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He again designates a certain day, after such a long time, <n>About 500 years.</n> saying through David: “Today” (as was stated above), “Today, if you would hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.”


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Further, the one having entered into His rest has himself also rested from his own works, <n>We enter God’s rest through faith in Christ’s Work, not through our own works.</n> just as God did from His.


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<i> We must give an account</i> Therefore, let us take pains to enter into that rest so that no one may fall through the same pattern of disobedience.


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Because the Word of God is living and efficient, and sharper than any two-edged sword, actually penetrating to the point of separating soul and spirit, <n>If soul and spirit can be separated, they obviously cannot be the same thing, just as joints and marrow are not the same thing.</n> joints and marrow; in fact, it is able to evaluate a heart’s reflections and intentions. <n>Meditating on God’s Word can be uncomfortable; it is a ‘mirror’ that tells us the truth about ourselves.</n> 


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Nothing in all creation is hidden from His sight; rather all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. <n>We must give an account to a Judge who knows ALL the facts. This knowledge really ought to turn us into serious people, diligent seekers of God, but . . . .</n> 


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<i> We have a Great high Priest</i> Therefore, since we have a Great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast the Confession.


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For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but He was tested in all points, in similar ways, without sin.


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So let us approach the throne of grace with confidence, that we may receive mercy and find grace, for timely help.


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<i> Qualifications for high priesthood</i> Now every high priest taken from among men is appointed <i>to act</i> on behalf of men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins,


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being able to deal gently <n>A gentle priest is a comfort.</n> with those who sin in ignorance and go astray, since he himself is also subject to weakness.


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Because of this he must offer sacrifices for his own sins as well, just as he does for the people’s.


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<i> Christ meets the qualifications</i> So also Christ did not exalt Himself to become High Priest, but it was He [F] who said to Him [S] , “You are my Son; today I have begotten You.”


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Just as He [F] also says in another place, “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”


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He [S] , in the days of His flesh, having offered up both prayers and supplications, with a loud cry and tears, to the One who was able to save Him from death, and having been answered because of His godly fear, <n>I believe the reference is to Gethsemane. Note that there was a single loud (desperate?) cry (that should have roused the drowsy disciples). His anguish was so severe that Jesus literally passed blood through the pores in His skin—normally fatal. I suspect that the fear mentioned here was the fear that He would die prematurely, there in the garden. He came to die, certainly, but it had to be on the cross. So the Father sent angels to strengthen Him, to keep Him from dying prematurely.</n> 


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And having been completed <n>His qualifications to become High Priest were completed. As God, what could He know about suffering and obedience, except in theory? While in human form Jesus literally <b>learned</b> obedience—He had to feel it like we feel it.</n> He became the Source of eternal salvation for all those obeying Him, <n>That’s what the Text says; we must obey Him.</n> 


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concerning whom we have much to say, but it is hard to explain, since you have become sluggish in hearing.


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<i> “Let’s move on toward perfection”</i> Really, because although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary principles of God’s oracles all over again; you have come to the point of needing milk, not solid food!


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On the other hand, solid food is for the mature, those who by habitual use have trained their senses to distinguish good from bad.


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Therefore, leaving the elementary teaching about Christ, let us move on toward perfection, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and trust in God,


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of teaching about baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.


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<i> No one kills Jesus twice</i> Because, it is impossible to bring back into repentance those who were once for all enlightened, who have partaken <n>The verb here—whether ‘to taste’, ‘to partake’, ‘to obtain’ or ‘to come to know’—has to do with experience.</n> of the heavenly gift and were made sharers in the Holy Spirit, <n>It seems clear enough that the reference is to people who have the Holy Spirit.</n> 


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who have experienced God’s good event <n>I take it that ‘God’s good event’ refers to regeneration.</n> and capabilities of the coming age,


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and yet have fallen away—they would be crucifying the Son of God all over again, just for themselves, holding Him up to contempt. <n>No amount of theological shifting and squirming can nullify the plain meaning of this verse. The only way to crucify Jesus <b>again</b> is if you have already done so once before. No one is going to kill Jesus twice; if the first time wasn’t good enough for you, you’ve had it!</n> 


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Now the ground that drinks in the rain that frequently falls on it and produces a crop useful to those for whom it is really cultivated receives blessing from God;


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but should it bear thorns and thistles, it is disqualified, almost a curse, whose destiny is a burning. <n>This ground was cultivated, not an unplowed weed patch, and planted with good seed; if it still produces thorns and thistles there’s something wrong with it. Thistle seeds need to be burned, not plowed under.</n> 


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<i> A word of encouragement</i> For all that, dear ones, we are confident of the better things concerning you—things that accompany salvation—even though we speak like this.


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Because God is not unjust so as to ignore your work, even the labor of love you have invested in His name, in that you have ministered to the saints and continue to do so.


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You see, we really do want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so as to fulfill the hope;


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so that you not become lazy, but rather imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. <n>We inherit the promises through faith and perseverance—the author keeps insisting: we have to persevere, hang on, stay with it, whatever, until the end of our earthly life.</n> 


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<i> Our secure anchor</i> Now when God made a promise to Abraham, since He had no one greater to swear by, He swore by Himself


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saying, “Indeed, blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.” <n>I didn’t want to lose the Hebrew idiom; a freer rendering would be, “Indeed, I will bless you greatly, and I will multiply you greatly”—the ‘multiply’ referring to descendants.</n> 


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And so, after he had been patient, <n>Well, his ‘patience’ was an up and down thing (Ishmael, and all that), but he never gave up altogether.</n> he obtained the promise.


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Because since men swear by the greater, and for them the confirming oath puts an end to every dispute,


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similarly God, being determined to show even more clearly to the heirs of the promise the unchanging nature of His purpose, guaranteed it by an oath,


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so that by two unalterable things in which it is impossible for God to lie we should have a strong encouragement, we who have taken refuge by grasping the hope set before us;


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which hope we have as an anchor for the soul, both certain and secure, <n>Oh, praise God! With an ‘anchor’ like that we have every reason to persevere.</n> actually entering the inner <i>sanctuary</i> behind the curtain,


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where Forerunner Jesus has entered on our behalf, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.


text:
<i> Melchizedek, priest and king</i> Now this Melchizedek—king of Salem, priest of God Most High, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,


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to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all (first, his name means ‘king of righteousness’, and then again ‘king of Salem’, which means ‘king of peace’),


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without father, without mother, without genealogy; having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but having been made like the Son of God <n>One wonders if Melchizedek wasn’t some sort of theophany.</n> —remains a priest continually.


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<i> Melchizedek greater than Abraham</i> Now consider how great this personage was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils:


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You see, those of the sons of Levi who receive the priesthood have a command, according to the Law, to collect a tithe from the people—that is, from their brothers—even though they <i>too</i> came out of Abraham’s body;


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but he whose descent is not counted among them collected a tithe from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises.


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because he was still in the reproductive system of his fore-father when Melchizedek met him. <n>This is instructive. The inspired author affirms that Levi was in Abraham and also paid the tithe to Melchizedek, but when Abraham met Melchizedek not even Isaac had been born yet, much less Jacob and Levi. So the human spirit, the ‘image’ of the Creator, is transmitted by the male sperm. This agrees with Romans 5:12-21, where we are informed that Adam’s sin contaminated all his descendants. When Eve sinned, she sinned alone. When Adam sinned, we did too.</n> 


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<i> Melchizedek greater than Aaron</i> Now then, if there could be perfection through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the people had received the Law), what further need would there be for a different kind of priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek, rather than being called according to the order of Aaron?


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For He of whom these things are said belongs to a different tribe, from which no one has officiated at the altar.


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For it is evident that our Lord arose out of Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood.


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And it all becomes clearer still if a different kind of priest, in the likeness of Melchizedek, appears,


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who has come, not on the basis of a law about a physical rule but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. <n>‘An indestructible life’—that’s how come He can be ‘a priest forever’.</n> 


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(for the Law made nothing perfect), and a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.


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<i> Our eternal High Priest represents us eternally</i> Further, inasmuch as it was not without the taking of an oath


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—they indeed had become priests without an oath-taking, but He [S] with an oath by Him [F] who said to Him [S] : “The LORD has sworn and will not change His [F] mind; you are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek”—


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Therefore He is able to save absolutely <n>Wonderful!</n> those who come to God through Him, since He always lives and can intercede on their behalf.


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Now such a High Priest was fitting for us—holy, innocent, undefiled, having been set apart from sinners, and having become higher than the heavens—


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who, unlike those high priests, does not need to offer up daily sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people; because He did this once for all when He offered up Himself.


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The Law appoints as high priest men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, that came after the Law, appointed <b>Son</b>, forever perfect. <n>The Text has, literally, ‘having been perfected’ (or ‘completed’, or ‘consecrated’); the result of ‘having been perfected’ is to be perfect, and it is the result that is eternal, not the process.</n> 


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<i> Priest and Mediator of a better covenant</i> Now the main point of the things we are saying is this: We do have such a High Priest, who sat down <n>He took His seat; it was His prerogative.</n> at the right of the Majesty’s throne in the heavens,


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Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices (it follows that it is necessary for this One also to have something He might offer)


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—if He were on earth He would not be a priest, there already being priests who offer the gifts according to the Law;


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who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things <n>The Tabernacle assembled by Moses was but a ‘shadow’ of the real thing; which probably means that the spiritual realm is more ‘real’ than the physical one—which is difficult for us to believe, so very few live on that basis.</n> (that is why Moses was warned by God when he was ready to assemble the Tabernacle: “See to it,” He says, “that you make everything according to the pattern shown to you on the mountain”)—


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but <i>now</i> He has obtained a more excellent ministry, just as He is Mediator of a better covenant, which was enacted as law on the basis of better promises. <n>[Wow! How’s that for convoluted syntax—verses 3-6 form a single sentence. It almost feels ‘Pauline’!]</n> 


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<i> A new covenant</i> Now if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for a second one;


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but finding fault with them <n>That’s right, the people, since they didn’t live up to the covenant. The following quote is from Jeremiah 31:31-34.</n> He says: “Listen! Days are coming,” says the LORD , “when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah <n>The author equates the second covenant, inaugurated by Christ, with Jeremiah’s new covenant, so the reference to ‘the house of Israel’ and ‘the house of Judah’ means that there are no ‘lost’ tribes—God knows who they are and where they are (see Rev. 7:4-8).</n> —


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not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, because they did not abide by my covenant and so I disregarded them,” says the LORD .


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“Now this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” says the LORD , “I will put my laws into their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God and they will be my people.


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Further, not one of them will teach his neighbor and not one his brother saying, ‘Get to know the LORD !’ because they all will know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them.


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For I will be merciful to their wrongdoings; I will not at all remember their sins and lawless deeds.”


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<i> The earthly sanctuary</i> Now that first covenant did indeed have regulations for divine service and the earthly sanctuary.


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Yes, a tabernacle was set up: the first part, which is called the Holy Place, in which were the lamp stand, the table and the showbread;


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having a golden censer <n>The normal meaning of the Greek word here is precisely ‘censer’, but unfortunately modern versions like NIV, TEV, LB, NASB render ‘altar of incense’, thus setting up a contradiction with the Old Testament. According to Exodus 30:6 the altar of incense was placed in front of the curtain leading into the Holy of Holies, and so it was in the Holy Place, not the Holy of Holies. The only reference to this particular censer appears to be in Leviticus 16:12, where it was to be used behind the second curtain to hide the Ark with smoke. Since that censer would only be used once a year (on the day of atonement), it may well have been stored just behind a corner of the second curtain (where the high priest could retrieve it without looking in) and thus the author of Hebrews would be correct in saying that the censer was behind the second curtain, whereas the altar was in front of it. In any event, evidently that censer was only used within the Holy of Holies, and so it would be appropriate to say that the area ‘had’ a golden censer.</n> and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold—in it were a golden jar holding the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant;


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while above it were cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat (this is not the place to go into detail about them). <n>Oh, but I wish he had!</n> 


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<i> The service of the sanctuary</i> Now when these things had been thus prepared, the priests continually went into the first part, performing the divine services,


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but into the second one only the high priest could go, once a year and only with blood, which he offered for himself and for the people’s sins of ignorance;


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the Holy Spirit was making clear that the way into the Most Holy Place was not yet open to the public while the first tabernacle was still in existence.


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It was a figure during the time then present, a time when both gifts and sacrifices were being offered that were incapable of clearing the conscience of the worshipper—


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they were only about foods and drinks and various ceremonial washings and physical regulations, things imposed until the time of restructuring. <n>Or, ‘the time of getting it right’.</n> 


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<i> Christ serves in the heavenly sanctuary</i> But Christ entered once for all into the real Holy Places, having obtained eternal redemption—He had come as High Priest of the good things that are about to be, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation,


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For if the blood of bulls and goats, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who had been ceremonially defiled, restored ceremonial purity to the body,


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how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the Holy Spirit <n>We are accustomed to ‘the Eternal Spirit’, an attractive reading; I have followed the best line of transmission, albeit supported by only some 30% of the Greek manuscripts, plus the Latin tradition.</n> offered Himself unblemished to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?


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For this reason He is mediator of a new covenant, so that those who have been called <n>‘Who have been called’—the author alludes to God’s sovereignty.</n> may receive the promised eternal inheritance—since a death has occurred for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant.


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<i> The earthly sanctuary inaugurated with blood</i> Now where there is a will, the death of the one who made it must be established;


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because a will is in force after men are dead, since it never takes effect while the one who made it lives.


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because when every commandment of the Law had been proclaimed by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the scroll itself and all the people,


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Then he sprinkled both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the divine service with the blood in the same way.


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In fact, according to the Law nearly everything is cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.


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<i> The heavenly sanctuary inaugurated with Christ’s blood</i> So then, it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with such, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than those.


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For Christ did not enter into Holy Places made by hands, mere copies of the true ones, <n>The ‘real’ world is the spirit world, not the physical.</n> but into Heaven itself, now to appear in God’s presence on our behalf;


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but not in order to offer Himself repeatedly, like the high priest who entered the Most Holy Place year by year with another’s blood


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—otherwise He would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world; but now, once for all at the end of the ages, He has been revealed to nullify sin by the sacrifice of Himself.


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Also, inasmuch as men are destined to die but once, after which the judgment, <n>This verse contradicts any notion of ‘reincarnation’. We only die once.</n> 


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so the Christ also, having been offered once for all to bear the sins of many—He will appear a second time to those who are eagerly waiting for Him, apart from sin, into salvation. <n>I suppose this is a reference to the Rapture, but however we receive our glorified bodies, at that point we receive our definitive transferal ‘into salvation’.</n> 


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<i> Animal blood is insufficient</i> You see, the Law is but a shadow of the good things to come, not their actual matter, so it can never perfect those who approach with the same sacrifices that they offer endlessly, year after year.


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Otherwise would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshippers would have had no more consciousness of sins, having been cleansed once for all?


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<i> “I have come to do Your will, O God”</i> Therefore, upon coming into the world He says: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but You prepared a body for me; <n>When Jehovah the Son accepted the ‘prepared body’ He accepted the whole Plan—the humiliation of being limited to a human body, being born as a helpless baby, living on this sin-cursed planet for 33 years, being rejected, the death on the cross—the works. Would not the humiliation of being confined to a human body be worse than the humiliation on the cross? When I participate in the ‘Lord’s Supper’, since the bread represents His body, I thank Him for accepting that body. As a personal application, I am challenged to accept the ‘body’ prepared for me—God’s plan for my life in its daily outworking, complete with the unpleasant circumstances.</n> 


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Then I said, ‘Yes indeed, I have come to do Your will, O God—thus it is written about me in the scroll of the book.’”


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First He says, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings You did not desire, nor were You pleased with them” (which are offered according to the Law),


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then He says, “Yes indeed, I have come to do Your will, O God.” He removes the first in order to establish the second.


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By that will <n>God’s sovereignty, again.</n> we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.


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<i> Christ perfects forever</i> Now every priest has stood ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices that can never take away sins;


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“‘This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days,’ says the LORD , ‘I will put my laws on their hearts and I will write them on their minds,


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<i> Hold fast the confession of the Hope</i> Therefore, brothers, having courage to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus,


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let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, our hearts having been sprinkled <n>Sprinkling indicates cleansing.</n> from an evil conscience and our body having been washed with clean water. <n>I suppose most people take a bath before going to church, but how about in our daily devotions?</n> 


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not forsaking the assembling of ourselves (like some are doing), but exhorting one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.


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<i> A severe warning</i> Because, if we deliberately keep on sinning after having received the real knowledge of the Truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,


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just a certain fearful anticipation of judgment and fierce fire that is ready to consume the hostiles.


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Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be deemed worthy who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has regarded as unholy the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, <n>“By which he was sanctified”, that’s what the Text says. “His people” presumably refers to people who belong to Him. Verse 31 is not talking about the ordinary consequences of ordinary sin—the clear implication is that God is especially unhappy!</n> and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?


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For we know Him who said, “‘Vengeance is up to me’, says the Lord, ‘I will repay’.” And again, “The LORD will judge His people.”


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<i> A word of encouragement</i> However, remember those earlier days in which, having been enlightened, you endured a great struggle of sufferings:


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partly being publicly exposed to both insults and oppression, and partly siding with those who were so treated.


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Indeed, you also shared in the suffering of my chains; you even accepted the plundering of your possessions with joy, knowing that you have for yourselves a better and enduring possession in the heavens.


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But we are not of those who back away into ruin, <n>The emphasis here is on human responsibility.</n> but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.


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<i> About faith</i> Now faith is a realization of things being hoped for, an evidence of things not seen.


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By faith we understand that the ages <n>That’s what the Text says, ‘ages’; see the note at 1:2.</n> were created by a word from God, so that the things that are seen were made out of things invisible.


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<i> Abel, Enoch, Noah</i> By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than did Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, <n>Although Genesis doesn’t mention it, I assume that God had given instruction to Adam about the necessity of blood sacrifice.</n> God testifying concerning his gifts; and by means of it he still speaks, even though being dead.


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By faith Enoch was transferred so as not to see death, and could not be found because God had translated him; before his translation he had obtained witness that he was pleasing to God. <n>His contemporaries probably looked down on Enoch as being a little ‘odd’, altogether too ‘religious’ or ‘spiritual’.</n> 


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Now without faith it is impossible to please Him, because the one approaching God must believe that He exists and that He becomes a rewarder of those who earnestly seek Him. <n>When we get serious with God, He answers.</n> 


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By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, <n>It had never rained during the 1600 years since the creation of the world. Don’t you know that Noah was the laughingstock of the surrounding society for the 120 years it took him to build the ark. (But he got the last laugh.)</n> moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that is according to faith.


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<i> Abraham and Sarah</i> By faith Abraham, upon being called to go forth to the place that he would receive as an inheritance, obeyed and went, though not being acquainted with where he was going.


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By faith he migrated into the land of promise as into a foreign country, dwelling in tents, along with Isaac and Jacob, the fellow heirs of the same promise;


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for he was waiting expectantly for the city with the real foundations, whose designer and builder is God.


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By faith Sarah herself also received power to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the normal age, since she judged Him faithful who had promised.


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And so, from one man, actually an impotent, <n>This statement helps us understand why Sarah urged Abraham to sleep with Hagar; she knew his virility was declining and was desperate for him to produce an heir. For Isaac to be born, God had to work a miracle in Abraham’s body, as well as in Sarah’s.</n> were begotten descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and as countless as the sand on the seashore.


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<i> Seeking a heavenly homeland</i> These all died believing—not having received the promises, but having seen and welcomed them from a distance, thus confessing that they were aliens and sojourners on the earth.


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If they were actually remembering that land from which they had departed, they would have had opportunity to return.


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Instead they are aspiring to a better home—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; in fact He has prepared a city for them.


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<i> Patriarchs</i> By faith Abraham, upon being tested, offered up Isaac; yes, he who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his only begotten, <n>That’s what the Text says, ‘only begotten’. In terms of the promise, that included Sarah, Isaac was his only begotten, although he also had children with Hagar and Keturah.</n> 


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calculating that God was indeed able to raise him from the dead; from whence in fact he did receive him, figuratively speaking.


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By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons and worshipped, leaning on the top of his staff. <n>Genesis 47:31 has Jacob leaning on the head of the bed (following the Massoretic Text), rather than the top of his staff. The Hebrew words for ‘bed’ and ‘staff’ are spelled with the same three consonants, the difference being in the vowels, that were not written. Thus the Original Hebrew Text was ambiguous here. When the Massoretes added vowel pointing to the Hebrew Text, many centuries after Christ, they chose ‘bed’. Long before, the Septuagint had chosen ‘staff’. The inspired author of Hebrews indicates that ‘staff’ is the correct choice (it also makes better sense).</n> 


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By faith Joseph, near the end, thought of the exodus of the sons of Israel and gave orders concerning his bones. <n>He was doubtless well aware of the content of Jehovah’s conversations with Abraham.</n> 


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<i> Moses</i> By faith Moses was hidden for three months by his parents, after he was born, because they saw he was a fine child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.


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choosing rather to be maltreated along with God’s people than to have the temporary pleasure of sin,


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considering the reproach of Christ <n>This statement intrigues me. What did Moses know about the Christ (when he left Egypt), and from whom did he learn it? And how did he know about the reward?</n> to be greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; because he was looking ahead to the reward.


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By faith he left Egypt behind, not fearing the king’s rage, because he persevered as though seeing Him who is invisible.


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By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch them.


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By faith they passed through the Red Sea as on dry ground, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were swallowed up.


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By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, having been encircled for seven days. <n>Those walls were so thick that they contained houses. To get several million Jews to march in silence was also quite a trick.</n> 


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By faith the prostitute Rahab, having received the spies in peace, did not perish with the disobedient.


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<i> Exploits achieved through faith</i> And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell about Gideon, about Barak and Samson and Jephtha, about David and Samuel and the prophets,


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quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became mighty in battle, put to flight foreign armies.


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Women received their dead back by resurrection; while others were tortured, not accepting their deliverance, so that they might obtain a better resurrection. <n>I assume that by ‘better resurrection’ is meant more rewards and honor once resurrected.</n> 


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They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they were tempted, they were murdered by sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, mistreated


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—of whom the world was not worthy—wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. <n>We have had it pretty easy, wouldn’t you say?</n> 


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<i> “Let us run with endurance”</i> So then, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, we too must run with endurance the race that is set before us, laying aside every impediment and the sin <n>I suppose that each of us has his own ‘besetting sin’—what gives me trouble will not necessarily be the same thing that gives you trouble.</n> that so easily ensnares,


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looking unto Jesus, the Founder and Perfecter of the Faith, who for the joy <n>I imagine that that ‘joy’ has something to do with His Bride.</n> that was set before Him endured a <i>cross</i> , scorning its ignominy, and took His seat at the right hand of the throne of God.


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<i> All legitimate children receive discipline</i> Do consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, so as not to grow weary, losing courage in your souls.


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In your struggle against sin <n>In the context this presumably refers to sin in the world, not within.</n> you have not yet resisted to the point of bloodshed. <n>The Text doesn’t say whose blood.</n> 


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And you have forgotten the exhortation that instructs you as sons: “My son, do not make light of the LORD ’s discipline, nor lose heart when you are reproved by Him;


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because whom the LORD loves He chastens, yes scourges every son whom He accepts.” <n>When I was a boy my father had a horse, a gentle creature, and a proper horsewhip to go with it. I found myself on the business end of that whip more than once (more often than did the horse), and I can assure the reader that it was not a pleasant experience. So God’s scourgings tend not to be very pleasant; but if we end up partaking of His holiness (verse 10), it will be worth it.</n> 


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If you are enduring discipline, God is dealing with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not discipline?


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But if you are without discipline (something everyone undergoes), then you are illegitimate and not sons.


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Furthermore, we have had our human fathers as correctors and respected them. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits <n>“The Father of spirits”—an interesting concept.</n> and live?


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Now they indeed disciplined us during a short period as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, so that we may partake of His holiness.


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Now no discipline seems to be pleasant at the time, but painful; yet afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been exercised by it. <n>That’s the secret—we must be ‘exercised’ by it; that is, we must learn whatever lesson the Lord is trying to teach us.</n> 


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and make straight paths for your feet, so that the lame not be turned aside but rather be healed. <n>I take the point to be that we should not turn our Christian walk into a bunch of complicated rules—keep it simple.</n> 


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Pursue peace with all, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord; <n>If we need to ‘pursue’ this holiness, then it is experiential, not positional. God rewards those who “earnestly seek Him” (11:6).</n> 


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taking care that no one come short of the grace of God, that no root of bitterness springing up cause trouble and thereby many be defiled,


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that no one be a fornicator, or worldly like Esau, who in exchange for one meal gave up his birthright.


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Because you do indeed know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing he was rejected; he found no place for a change of mind, <n>Neither Isaac nor God changed his mind; Jacob was in and Esau was out.</n> though he sought it diligently with tears.


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<i> Sinai X Zion</i> Now you have not come to a touchable mountain burning with fire, to blackness and darkness, to tempest;


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to a trumpet blast and spoken words such that those who heard begged that no further word be spoken to them


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(because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain it must be stoned!”


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but you have come to Mount Zion, even to the City of the Living God, Heavenly Jerusalem; to myriads of angels in festal gathering,


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to an assembly of firstborn ones <n>I wonder who these ‘firstborn ones’ are.</n> who have been enrolled in heaven; to God, Judge of all; to the spirits of the perfected righteous;


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to Jesus, Mediator of a new covenant, and to a blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel. <n>Let me try to list the ‘reception committee’: 1) the City; 2) angels; 3) firstborn ones (different from angels?); 4) God the Father; 5) the perfected righteous; 6) Jesus; 7) the Blood. An impressive list.</n> 


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<i> Warning: “Our God is a consuming fire”</i> See to it that you not refuse Him who speaks. Because if they did not escape who refused Him who gave divine warning on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from Him who warns from Heaven!


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<i> Then</i> His voice shook the earth, but <i>now</i> He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth but also the heaven.”


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Now the ‘yet once more’ clearly indicates the removal of the things being shaken (created things), so that the unshakables may remain.


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Therefore, since we are receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us hold on to the grace by which we serve God acceptably, with reverence and godly fear;


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because our God is indeed a consuming fire. <n>One gets the impression that taking God for granted is definitely not a good idea.</n> 


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Do not forget hospitality to strangers, for in doing so some have entertained angels without knowing it.


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Remember the prisoners as if chained with them, those who are being mistreated as if you yourselves were physically there.


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Marriage is honorable among all and the marriage bed undefiled, <n>The rendering of the King James Version—“marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled”—has been seriously misused, here and there. While in Seminary, a ‘Christian’ psychologist used this text to tell our class that it was ok for a man to have anal sex with his wife: “marriage is honorable in all”! It should be obvious that it is not ok to murder in bed, to tell lies in bed, to steal in bed, to commit adultery in bed, to fornicate in bed. Since the Creator decrees the death penalty to those who engage in anal sex, doing it in the marriage bed can’t make it right!</n> but God will judge fornicators and adulterers. <n>This is one of several texts that show that ‘fornication’ and ‘adultery’ are distinct concepts. ‘Fornication’ includes pre-marital sex, prostitution, anal sex and animal sex, but not adultery.</n> 


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Your way of life should be free from the love of money, being content with what you have, because He Himself has said: “I absolutely will not desert you; I most certainly will not abandon you.” <n>What a marvelous assurance!</n> 


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Remember your leaders, those who spoke the Word of God to you, whose faith imitate, considering the outcome of their conduct.


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Jesus Christ is Himself, <n>The basic meaning of the emphatic pronoun here is ‘self’, but it can also mean ‘same’, especially in a comparison. If Jesus is always Himself, then He is always the same.</n> yesterday and today and into the ages.


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Do not be carried away by various and strange teachings, because it is good that the heart be established by grace, not foods, by which those who were so occupied were not benefited.


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<i> Join Jesus outside the camp</i> We have an altar from which those who serve in the Tabernacle have no right to eat. <n>[I don’t understand this. The Tabernacle set up by Moses had been gone for over 1000 years when Paul wrote.]</n> 


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Because the bodies of the animals—whose blood, concerning sin, is brought into the Holies by the high priest—are burned up outside the camp,


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therefore Jesus also, so that He might sanctify the people by His own blood, suffered outside the city gate.


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So then, let us go out to Him, outside the camp, bearing His disgrace; <n>Persecuted Christians in China and elsewhere know all about this, but we in North America have had such an easy time of it that we have ‘forgotten’ this aspect of the Gospel. But our turn is coming—in Canada, if you speak out against homosexualism you go to jail, for instance.</n> 


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Through Him therefore, at all times, let us offer up a sacrifice of praise to God <n>To praise God when everything is fine is no ‘sacrifice’, so I suppose that the reference is to doing so when we are hurting, perplexed, not understanding.</n> —the fruit of lips that identify with His name.


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<i> Concluding remarks</i> Obey your leaders and submit, for they keep watch over your souls, as those who must give account, so that they may do it with joy and not sighing (which would be unprofitable for you).


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Pray for us; for we are confident that we have a good conscience, desiring to live commendably in all things;


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I especially urge you to do this so that I may be restored to you more quickly. <n>This suggests that the author is in jail, in Italy (verse 24), so Paul is a possible candidate.</n> 


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<i> Benediction</i> Now may the God of peace—who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep—


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equip you for every good work to do His will, <n>In John 5:19 the Lord Jesus said that He only did what He saw the Father doing. All the power, enabling, equipping that the Text says is available to us is there for us to do the Father’s will, not our own.</n> working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.


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<i> Sign off</i> Now I appeal to you, brothers, bear with this word of exhortation, for I have written to you in few words. <n>As the Apostle to the Gentiles, Paul’s letters to them are liberally sprinkled with commands—he could be quite ‘heavy’ at times. There he was on his own ‘turf’. But the Jews were Peter’s turf (Galatians 2:7-8), so in writing to them Paul (as I assume) does not come on as an apostle, and here ‘appeals’ rather than commands. The reference to Timothy in the next verse also suggests Paul as the author.</n> 


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James, a slave of God and of Sovereign Jesus Christ, <n>There is no definite article with ‘Sovereign Jesus Christ’, so I treat the phrase like a proper noun. Note that James, half-brother of Jesus (same mother), declares himself to be His slave. Another half-brother, Jude, does the same (Jude 1). They make no special claim, based on that relationship.</n> to the twelve tribes <n>If there are twelve, then none are ‘lost’. Evidently James is writing to Jewish Christians.</n> that are in the Dispersion: Greetings.


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<i> Various exhortations</i> Count it all joy, <n>Joy, not happiness or pleasure.</n> my brothers, whenever you fall into various trials,


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but let that endurance have a complete work, <n>Since trials tend to be unpleasant, we tend to try to cut them short, but if they are lessons that need to be learned, we need to endure until the lesson is fully learned. I believe Paul Billheimer (<i>Don’t Waste Your Sorrows</i>) has given us a handle on a basic truth—the only way a human being can learn αγαπη love is through suffering. And the mainspring of God’s Kingdom is αγαπη love, and God wants to prepare His servants for their responsibilities in the next world. So the lessons God wants us to learn come wrapped in unpleasant circumstances; but if we refuse a given lesson our spiritual growth stops. Further, sooner or later that lesson will return, and will keep on returning until we learn, or die (which is why Billheimer says, “don’t waste your sorrows,” because if we don’t learn the first time we will have wasted that suffering). Notice verse 12 below.</n> so that you may be perfect and complete, falling short in nothing.


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<i> About wisdom</i> But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask from the giving God, <n>One of God’s characteristics is that He gives, and evidently wisdom is something that He especially enjoys giving. What better time to ask for wisdom than when we are in the middle of a test?</n> who gives to all liberally and does not reproach, and it will be given to him.


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However, let him ask in faith, with no doubting, because he who doubts is like a sea wave driven and tossed by the wind—


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<i> being</i> a double-minded man, <n>In verse 7 we have the generic term for man, but here the term refers to males.</n> unstable in all his ways.


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Now the lowly brother should glory in his high position, <n>I assume that the reference is to his position in Christ, in spite of his low social standing.</n> 


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but the rich <i>brother</i> in his humiliation, <n>I take the point to be that he has already been humbled; otherwise he probably would not have trusted in Christ.</n> because he will pass away like a flower of wild grass. <n>Presumably this is true of a lowly person as well, but they are usually less arrogant, more aware of their vulnerability.</n> 


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For the sun rises with its burning heat and withers the grass, and its flower falls off and the beauty of its face perishes. Just so the rich man will be withered in his undertakings. <n>Sovereign Jesus said that someone who trusts in riches cannot be saved (Mark 10:24); not infrequently God uses financial reverses to bring people to Himself.</n> 


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<i> About testings</i> A man who endures testing is blessed, because upon becoming approved he will receive the crown of the life that the Lord <n>The so-called ‘critical’ text omits ‘the Lord’, following 2% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality. Curiously, versions like NIV, TEV and NASB, that usually follow the ‘critical’ text, here create their own Greek text, following 4% of the manuscripts in reading ‘God’.</n> has promised to those loving Him.


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Let no one, upon being tempted, <n>The same Greek word can mean ‘test’ or ‘tempt’ (to tempt = to test in a moral context), the translator’s choice being guided by the context.</n> say, “I am being tempted by God,” because God is untemptable by evil, so He Himself does not tempt anyone.


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Then the craving, upon conceiving, gives birth to sin, and the sin, upon completion, delivers death.


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every good giving and every perfect gift is from Above, <n>Gifts coming from other sources may certainly strike us as pleasant and inviting, but will presumably have a negative effect upon our spiritual life.</n> coming down from the Father of the lights, <n>That’s what the Text says, presumably referring to the sun, moon, etc. (shadows caused by those lights move and change).</n> with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.


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Having willed it, He brought us forth by a word of truth, <n>For someone to be born again he must be exposed to a word of truth. In John 14:6 Sovereign Jesus said, “I am the Truth”.</n> so that we might be a sort of first fruits of His products. <n>I don’t understand the use of ‘first fruits’ here; I would expect something in the direction of ‘most important’.</n> 


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So then, <n>Instead of “so then”, some 4% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, read “know!” (as in NIV, TEV, LB, NASB, etc.).</n> my beloved brothers, let every man be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;


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because a man’s anger does not achieve God’s righteousness. <n>‘A man’s anger’, not God’s anger. We can and should be angry as a reflection of God’s anger in the presence of evil and perversity.</n> 


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<i> About obeying the Word</i> Therefore, laying aside all filthiness and overflow of evil, <n>Evidently James isn’t laboring under any exaggerated notions of their saintliness—he refers to rather gross manifestations of the old nature.</n> receive with meekness the implanted Word which is able to save your souls. <n>This sounds like a process—the Word has been implanted, but needs to be ‘received’ with meekness, and then must be practiced.</n> 


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Because if anyone is a law <n>I render ‘law’, instead of ‘word’, following some 30% of the Greek manuscripts including what is clearly the best line of transmission, in my opinion. Comparing verse 23 with 25, James is now talking about ‘law’, but copyists, having already written ‘word’ twice, in verses 21-22, could make the change (of ‘law’ to ‘word’) without thinking.</n> hearer and not a doer, the same is like a man observing his physical face in a mirror;


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But he who looks carefully into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, <n>This is reminiscent of John 8:31.</n> he—not being a forgetful hearer but a work doer—<i> he</i> will be blessed in what he does.


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If anyone among you thinks he is religious, not bridling his tongue but deceiving his heart, his religion is useless. <n>This topic will be developed further in 3:1-12.</n> 


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Pure and undefiled religion before God and Father <n>The phrase ‘God and Father’ works like a proper noun, referring to one being.</n> is this: to care for orphans and widows in their adversity; to keep oneself unspotted from the world. <n>The importance of this is developed in 4:1-6.</n> 


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<i> About partiality</i> My brothers, stop holding the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Glory, with partiality. <n>James is accusing them of being partial. Can you think of a single local church where a rich person and a beggar receive equal treatment?</n> 


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For if a man with a gold ring, in fine clothes, should enter your synagogue, <n>That’s what the Text says, synagogue. James is addressing Christian Jews, and their culture is very strong. For many generations they have called their meeting places ‘synagogues’, so why stop now? Since the place or building is in view, to render ‘assembly’ is less clear.</n> and a poor man in filthy rags should also enter,


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and you pay special attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You sit in this special seat,” but to the poor one you say, “You stand there,” or “Sit here at my footstool,”


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have you not been separated among yourselves and become judges with malignant thoughts? <n>The verb ‘separate’ is in the passive voice, so some outside force has acted on them. The term ‘malignant’ is generally used of Satan and his works—something malignant is aggressively evil, it contaminates. Obviously their partiality did not come from God.</n> 


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Listen, my beloved brothers. Has not God chosen the poor of the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that He has promised to those loving Him?


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If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well;


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Because He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. <n>It is more comfortable to regard the commands like beads on a string, but James says they are more like a pane of glass—if you break off a corner, the pane is broken.</n> 


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(the judgment will be without mercy to the one not showing mercy). <n>Even though inserted as an aside, this is a very serious bit of information! Since showing mercy is not one of my strong points, . . .</n> <i>That law</i> exalts mercy <n>Perhaps 20% of the Greek manuscripts have ‘mercy’ in the nominative case, making it the subject of the verb (as in most versions),but some 80%, including the best line of transmission, have ‘mercy’ in the accusative case, making it the direct object (which to me makes much better sense). This accords with God’s description of Himself in Exodus 34:6-7—He keeps mercy to the 1000th generation, He punishes to the 4th; the proportion is 250:1.</n> over judgment.


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<i> Faith and works</i> What is the advantage, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? That faith can’t save him, can it?


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and someone among you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you (pl) do not give them the things needed for the body, what is the benefit?


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(But someone will say: “You have faith and I have works. Show me your faith by your works <n>He is citing James’ position.</n> and I, <b>by my works</b> will show you <i>my</i> faith [what he believes].” <n>This delightful verse is generally misunderstood to this day. The translations that close the quote after the first ‘works’ don’t make sense. The hypothetical objector has disclaimed faith, so for James to say, “Show me your faith,” doesn’t follow. James clearly teaches salvation by faith, a faith that is alive (if you’re alive you do things). But an orthodox Jew believes in salvation by works, so here James (who had once been one) anticipates an objection from that quarter. The salvation-by-works person has a different faith.</n> 


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You believe that God is one. <n>In his retort James cites a central tenet in Judaism. Since the demons believe the same thing, and it doesn’t do them any good, something more or different is needed.</n> You do well. The demons also believe—and shudder!)


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But you need to know, you foolish fellow, <n>Whom is James addressing here? I imagine it’s the ‘someone’ in verse 14.</n> that faith without works is dead!


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<i> Examples</i> Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?


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You can see that faith was acting together with his works, and the faith was made complete by the works.


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And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “So Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” <n>See Genesis 15:6. We like to quote Ephesians 2:8-9, but James is saying that we need to give equal time to verse 10. We are not saved by good works, but for good works. We do good works because we are saved, and if we don’t, we probably aren’t.</n> And he was called ‘friend of God’.


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Similarly, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by a different way?


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<i> Careful with your tongue</i> My brothers, not many of you should become teachers, knowing that we <n>James knew that he was included.</n> shall receive a stricter judgment.


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Because we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, <i>he</i> is a perfect man, being able to bridle the whole body as well.


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Consider also the ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the impulse of the pilot may desire.


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So also the tongue is a small member and boasts great things. Just look at how great a forest a little fire can kindle!


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 And the tongue is a fire! The organization of wickedness, that is how the tongue is placed among our members, defiling the whole body and setting on fire the course of life, <i>itself</i> being set on fire by hell. <n>Since none of us can literally go to the Lake of Fire and dip our tongue in it, this must be figurative—a case of metonymy. With what, or whom, is hell most closely associated? In Matthew 25:4 Sovereign Jesus affirms that the Lake was “prepared for the devil and his angels.” Apparently the antichrist and the false prophet will be the first residents (Revelation 19:20), followed a thousand years later by Satan, presumably along with his angels (Revelation 20:10). The defiling, destructive activity of the tongue is the result of demonic participation.</n> 


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 Every kind of animal and bird, reptile and sea creature, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race,


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 but no one among men is able to tame the tongue—an uncontrollable evil, full of deadly poison. <n>Notice the violence of the description of the tongue—‘organization of wickedness’, ‘defiles the whole body’, ‘uncontrollable evil’,‘deadly poison’—it would be difficult to be more emphatic. Obviously James is describing something extraordinary. One of Satan’s most effective ways of lousing up our lives is by causing us to say things that we shouldn’t, and that by ourselves we wouldn’t. By this means he turns our homes, our schools, our work places into places of contention instead of peace. “No one among men is able to tame the tongue”—an unaided human being is presumably incapable of escaping from demonic attack, but the Holy Spirit can indeed tame our tongue, if we let Him.</n> 


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 With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse the people who have been made in God’s likeness.


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 Out of the same mouth proceed blessings and curses. My brothers, these things should not be that way.


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 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grape vine figs? Thus no spring yields salt water and sweet. <n>In nature this doesn’t happen—if it ever did it would mean that there were two veins of different water meeting just below the opening of the spring. James is affirming that our mouths produce words from two different sources—our own mind and demonic interference (since Satan is not omnipresent he works through his angels, the demons). (Perhaps 3.5% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, replace the last sentence with, ‘nor can salty yield sweet water’ [as in NIV, TEV, LB, NASB, etc.].)</n> 


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<i> True wisdom True contrasted with demonic</i> Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him exhibit his works in the meekness of wisdom, by his good way of life.


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But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not boast and lie against the truth—


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such ‘wisdom’ is not coming down from Above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. <n>James is forthright about demonic interference in our minds. The prevailing ignorance on this subject in Christian circles is a calamity with terrible consequences—it condemns most Christians to a life of defeat.</n> 


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Because where envy and selfish ambition exist, there is unruliness and every foul practice. <n>Self-centeredness is the essence of sin; the more we give in to it the dirtier becomes our practice, the lower we are prepared to go to achieve what we want, or think we want.</n> 


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In contrast, the wisdom from Above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.


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<i> Is not worldliness</i> Where do the wars and disputes among you come from? Is it not precisely from your pleasures, the ones at war in your members?


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You crave and do not have; you murder <n>Remember 1 John 3:15, “Whoever hates his brother is a murderer.” The fighting and warring isn’t done with guns or knives, but is real none the less. Our churches are full of people who have been wounded by other Christians.</n> and covet and are not able to obtain; you fight and war. You do not have because you do not ask.


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Adulterers and <n>Some 2% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit ‘adulterers and’ (as in NIV, TEV, LB, NASB, etc.).</n> adulteresses! Don’t you know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? So whoever may want to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. <n>This is all exceedingly serious—if you make God your enemy, what are your chances? 1 John 2:15-17 is to the same effect. To love the things of the world (especially its values) is to adulterate against God.</n> 


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Or do you suppose that the Scripture says in vain that the Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously?


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But He gives greater grace; therefore He says: “God resists proud ones, but gives grace to humble ones.”


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<i> Is submitting to God</i> Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil <n>This is a command, not an optional point. ‘Submit to God’ is also a command, and comes first. To resist Satan in our own strength is to be defeated. To wield God’s power against the enemy we must be in submission to God. I take it that the main way to resist is with words—commanding Satan to stop doing some particular thing; we must be specific.</n> and he will flee from you.


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Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Sinners, cleanse your hands! Double-minded, purify your hearts! <n>Notice that these are commands, which means that they are things that we can and must do. We have the Holy Spirit to help us, but we must take the initiative.</n> 


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Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into dejection. <n>Dear me, we aren’t used to exhortations like this! I would rather hear, “Rejoice in the Lord always . . .” So what does James want? Well, all along his letter has been an exercise in ‘tough love’; we have seen ‘filthiness and overflow of evil’, ‘malignant thoughts’, ‘foolish fellow’, ‘uncontrollable evil, full of deadly poison’, ‘bitter envy and selfish ambition’, ‘unruliness and every foul practice’, ‘adulterers and adulteresses’, ‘enemy of God’—all in all, not a pretty picture. I take it that James is saying that we have a long way to go in our spiritual growth. There is no room for spiritual pride or self-contentedness, or a conquering hero complex; if we really want to walk with God we need to fall on our faces before Him, put our mouth in the dust—in short, try to see our sin as He sees it.</n> 


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<i> Does not judge the different brother</i> Brothers, do not speak evil of one another. Because the one speaking against a brother and judging his brother speaks against a law and judges a law. So if you judge a law you are not a law-doer but a judge.


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The Lawgiver and Judge <n>Some 62% of the Greek manuscripts, including the best line of transmission, read “Lawgiver and Judge”. The <i>Textus Receptus</i> (and all published ‘Majority Texts’) follows the 38% in omitting “and Judge” (as in AV, NKJV, etc.).</n> is One, the one who is able to save and to destroy. So who are <i>you</i> (sg) to be judging someone who is different? <n>I was surprised to find the Greek ετερος here, which usually refers to a different kind. I personally don’t enjoy dealing with ‘brothers’ who are too different; I would rather question whether they are really ‘brothers’ at all! But James tells me not to do that. Each person is different (background, experiences, personality, training) and we must recognize that God can and will deal differently with different people. He uses one ‘law’ with me, another ‘law’ with you, and so on. A law is a set of rules or demands, so when I judge a brother I am questioning the way (‘law’) that God is working on him. As He is both Lawgiver and Judge, I will have to answer to Him for how I judged my ‘brothers’. (For ‘different one’ the eclectic text currently in vogue has ‘neighbor’, following some 12% of the Greek manuscripts [as in NIV, TEV, LB, NASB, etc.].)</n> 


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<i> Does not boast about tomorrow</i> Come now, you who say, “Today and tomorrow let us travel to that certain city, spend a year there, do business and make a profit;”


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whereas you don’t know anything about the morrow. For what is our life? <n>I follow some 26% of the Greek manuscripts, including the best line of transmission, in reading “our” rather than “your”. I take it that the question is properly inclusive; James includes everyone.</n> It is even a vapor that appears for a little time but then vanishes away.


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But now you boast in your arrogant pretensions. All such boasting is malignant. <n>It is aggressively evil.</n> 


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Therefore, to the one knowing to do good and not doing it, to him it is sin. <n>The sin here is of omission, perhaps harder to recognize than sins of commission.</n> 


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<i> The coming of the Lord Rich oppressors will be judged</i> Come now, you rich, howl as you weep over your distresses that are coming upon you!


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Your gold and silver are corroded, <n>For some reason they just hoarded their wealth; they didn’t invest it, didn’t put it to work. They are doubly at fault—they acquired the wealth unjustly, and then just sat on it.</n> and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire—you stored it up for the last days. <n>They probably thought they were hoarding if for a future ‘rainy day’, but they were actually hoarding it against themselves at the Day of Judgment.</n> 


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Look, the wages of the workers who cut your fields, that were unjustly held back by you, cry out, and the loud cries of the reapers have entered the ears of the Lord of Hosts.


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You have lived on the earth in self-indulgence and luxury, you fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter.


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You condemned, you murdered the righteous—he offers you no resistance. <n>The tense of the verb changes from past to present, and I don’t understand why. How can he offer resistance after he’s dead?</n> 


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<i> Patience and perseverance</i> Therefore, brothers, be patient until the coming of the Lord. Consider, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it until it receives the early and late rain.


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Do not groan against one another, brothers, lest you be judged. Look, the Judge is standing at your doors!


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Brothers, take as an example the patient bearing of hardship and the steadfastness of the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.


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Indeed we count as blessed those who endure—you have heard of the perseverance of Job and have seen the final outcome <i>given</i> by the Lord, that He is very compassionate and merciful.


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But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or any other oath. Let your “Yes” be “Yes”, and your “No”, “No”, lest you fall into pretense. <n>Some 5% of the Greek manuscripts read ‘judgment’ instead of ‘pretense’ (as in NIV, TEV, LB, NASB, etc.). The more we talk, the more likely we are to say things that aren’t precisely true.</n> 


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<i> Righteous prayer is powerful</i> Is anyone among you suffering hardship? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.


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Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.


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And the prayer of faith will deliver the one who is sick, <n>The implication is that the person is really sick, confined to a bed (that’s why the elders have to go to him). Note that it is the faith of the elders.</n> and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sin, it will be forgiven him.


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Confess your transgressions to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous one, being operative, is very powerful.


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Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly for it not to rain; and it didn’t rain on the land for three years and six months.


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<i> Help the wanderer</i> Brothers, if anyone among you should wander away from the truth, and someone should turn him back,


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let him know that the one who turns a sinner back from the error of his way will deliver a soul from death <n>In spite of the demands of our doctrinal packages, I don’t see how this can be referring to mere physical death. Apart from the Rapture, all Christians die physically.</n> and will remove from sight a multitude of sins. <n>Most of the letter has been about sin, sinning and sinners, one way or another, so this is a fitting conclusion. As we help each other, it will reduce the level or incidence of sin, and therefore the consequences.</n> 


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<i> To elect pilgrims</i> Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the elect sojourners <n>One could render ‘resident aliens’ or perhaps even ‘refugees’—these are presumably Christians who had left their homelands because of persecution (but since Paul was apostle to the Gentiles, Peter may be writing to Jews, as did James); Peter will emphasize the security of their position in heaven, in contrast to the uncertainty of their situation on earth.</n> of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia,


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<i> elect</i> according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the setting apart of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling with the blood of Jesus Christ: <n>Peter is evidently making a point of including all three persons of the Godhead in the process of our salvation: the Father chooses, the Spirit sets apart (He works in our minds to encourage or predispose us to obey) and the Son paid the price for our cleansing. God has done His part, but each of us must obey.</n> May grace and peace be multiplied <n>‘Multiplied’—not just a little, lots!</n> to you.


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<i> Don’t take your inheritance for granted Begotten into an incorruptible inheritance</i> Blessed be the God and Father <n>‘The God and Father’ is one person.</n> of our Lord Jesus Christ, <n>Since His victory by the cross and resurrection, the official name of Jehovah the Son is ‘the Lord Jesus Christ’, to which Peter adds the possessive pronoun.</n> who according to His great mercy has given us <n>The 1st person plural is presumably inclusive, including the people Peter is addressing; in the next verse he switches to the 2nd plural, applying the truth directly to them.</n> another birth <n>The Text neither says nor implies that God begot them the first time (that was done by their physical father); He is giving them a second begetting, a spiritual one.</n> into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from among the dead, <n>If Jesus had not arisen we would have no hope, but now we have a ‘living’ hope, that will not let us down.</n> 


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into an imperishable and undefiled and unfading inheritance, <n>Like, wow! Now that’s an inheritance! And it’s already reserved. Before talking about the difficulties they are facing Peter emphasizes the incredible blessing of a secure position.</n> already reserved in the heavens for you,


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who are being guarded by the power of God through faith <n>Time and again Peter will present both divine sovereignty and human responsibility; God guarantees His part, we must do our part.</n> unto a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. <n>The full manifestation of our salvation is still future.</n> 


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<i> Genuineness of faith proved by testing</i> You should be overjoyed about this, even if just now, briefly, of necessity, <n>The trials are necessary to prove the quality of the faith.</n> you have been distressed by a variety of trials,


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so that the demonstrated genuineness of your faith (much more precious than gold that perishes, albeit tested through fire) may translate into <n>Literally, “may be found into”.</n> praise, glory and honor <n>These are things that the faithful person will receive. To hear “Well done, good and faithful servant” from the lips of the Sovereign will be the ultimate praise.</n> at the revelation of Jesus Christ


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—whom not having understood <n>The familiar ‘seen’ is based on about 7% of the Greek manuscripts (early, but of objectively inferior quality); to render ‘known’ rather than ‘understood’ would require qualification.</n> you love, into whom believing (not yet seeing) you exult with joy inexpressible, already glorified, <n>Anyone who has experienced this joy will agree with Peter—it definitely is not ‘natural’; it is ‘other-worldly’, a foretaste of heaven.</n> 


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obtaining for yourselves the end result of your faith, <n>Here Peter emphasizes human responsibility; the verb ‘obtain’ is in the middle (reflexive) voice.</n> the salvation of your souls.


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<i> Salvation foretold by prophets</i> Concerning this salvation <n>‘This salvation’ presumably includes the basis and the process, as well as the result; evidently quite different from the ‘salvation’ they themselves knew.</n> the prophets, who prophesied about the grace <i>that would come</i> to you, searched and inquired diligently,


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investigating into whom, or what sort of time, the Spirit of Christ <n>The Spirit of Christ was at work in the Old Testament. Is this a reference to the Holy Spirit, or did Jehovah the Son also do some inspiring?</n> who was in them was indicating <n>Evidently Peter had access to information that we don’t. However, when a prophet spoke or wrote under inspiration, he would not necessarily receive an explanation of the interpretation. Anything pertaining to the Messiah would be of intense interest, and they would certainly keep mulling over the implications—assuming a single advent, it would be hard to reconcile glory and suffering.</n> as He testified beforehand the sufferings <i>that would be inflicted</i> on Christ <n>The Text says literally, ‘the sufferings into Christ’.</n> and the glories that would follow them.


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It was revealed to them that they were not ministering these things to themselves, but to you; <n>The familiar ‘to us’ (TR, AV, NKJV) is based on about 14% of the Greek manuscripts, and is more congenial than ‘to you’; I take it that having already narrowed the focus to his addressees, Peter just keeps on going.</n> which things have now been announced to you by those who proclaimed the gospel to you, with <n>The more usual rendering is ‘by’, but I don’t think it fits the context. The Holy Spirit went along with the Gospel.</n> the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things that angels really desire to look into. <n>That’s what the Text says, but I’m not sure what it means. I assume that angels can read, so are they not allowed to? Or is it that they can’t really understand why the Sovereign would do something like that? Do angels have ‘soul’—emotions, ambitions, etc.? I wonder.</n> 


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<i> Be serious, be holy, be fearful</i> Therefore, having girded up the loins of your mind, <n>This is obviously a figure of speech, but I wasn’t sure how else to render it; in order to work, fight, run, or whatever, they would tie in their loose garments with a rope or a belt—the idea appears to be to prepare the mind for action, which would involve discipline and determination.</n> staying sober, <n>I take this phrase to be basically synonymous to the figure of speech; staying sober involves being disciplined and determined.</n> rest your hope fully upon the grace being brought to you in the revelation of Jesus Christ <n>In verse 7 I rendered the same Greek phrase as ‘at the revelation of Jesus Christ’, referring to His second coming, but here in verse 13 ‘being brought’ is in the present tense, so I take the revelation to be contemporaneous. The more we obey, the more Jesus reveals Himself to us.</n> —


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as children of obedience, <n>Peter, a Jew, uses a Jewish idiom—he is not saying they are children, but are to be characterized by obedience.</n> not conforming yourselves to the former lusts as in your ignorance,


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because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” <n>Since God is holy all the time, we are to be also. The quote is from Leviticus 11:45 or 19:2.</n> 


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Also, since you invoke as Father <n>To ‘invoke as Father’ is to place yourself under His authority and protection—also His evaluation.</n> the One who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves during the time of your sojourn <i>here</i> in fear, <n>‘In fear’ is emphasized in the Text. We tend to forget just who and what God is, and so we get complacent—not a good idea, says Peter.</n> 


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knowing that it was not with perishable things (silver or gold) that you were redeemed from the futile way of life handed down by your forefathers, <n>All ways of life that are not biblical are futile. We should not be apologetic about challenging people’s belief systems or presuppositions, provided we are in a position to present the biblical worldview.</n> 


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who was foreknown indeed before the foundation of the world, <n>This sort of ‘blows my mind’—the Text is saying that the Lamb, with blood shed, was so known before the creation of our race and planet; which means that the Creator knew, before creating, what would happen and the terrible redemption price He Himself would have to pay, yet He went ahead anyway. Wow!</n> but was revealed in these last times for your sake,


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who through Him are believing into God, <n>‘Into’ not ‘in’, both here and at the end of the verse; what is involved is a change of position, from being outside to being inside.</n> who raised Him out from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are into God.


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<i> Born again through an eternal Word</i> Since you have purified your souls by obeying the truth through the Spirit, resulting in sincere brotherly love, you must love one another fervently from a pure heart,


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having been begotten again, not from a corruptible seed but an incorruptible, <n>The seed that Adam received when he was created proved to be corruptible, in fact became corrupted upon his Fall, and that corrupted seed has been passed down through the succeeding generations [less than 300]; so our first begetting, by a human father, was with that corrupt seed. God gives us a second begetting with a pure seed that cannot be corrupted.</n> through the living Word of God that remains <i>valid</i> forever.


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For: “All flesh is as grass, and all man’s glory as flower of grass. The grass withers and its flower falls off, but the Lord’s word endures forever.” <n>The quote is from Isaiah 40:6-8.</n> 


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Now this is the good word that was proclaimed to you. <n>Wait a minute—was the ‘good word’ they proclaimed limited to the Old Testament? I would say it was mostly about Jesus, the content of the Gospels. So Peter is saying that New Testament material is also God’s Word.</n> 


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<i> To grow you must eat</i> So then, laying aside all malignity <n>This refers to the deliberate effort to harm others. If they must ‘lay aside’ such attitudes and activities, the implication is that they haven’t yet, or at least not sufficiently—actually, if they are still involved in such activities they have quite a ways to go.</n> —even all deceit and play-actings and envies, yes all malicious speaking—


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crave the pure spiritual ‘milk’, <n>Since Peter has just referred overtly to God’s Word, it is generally assumed that the ‘milk’ here is a metaphor for that Word. Peter isn’t saying that they are babies, just that they should imitate the craving.</n> like newborn babies do, so that by it you may grow into salvation, <n>Until quite recently, based upon von Soden’s apparent ascribing of some 80% attestation to the shorter reading (80% of the extant Greek manuscripts), I was rather critical of the longer form; I argued that Peter was writing to the “elect” [1:2], to the “redeemed” [1:18], to the “born again” [1:23], to a “holy priesthood” [2:5], to “believers” [2:7], to “slaves of God” [2:16]—they did indeed need to grow, but not “into salvation”. However, the evidence as presented by ECM [<i>Editio Critica Maior</i>] looks quite different (some 65% for the longer reading, including the best line of transmission, and joined by all three ancient versions, a not insignificant witness).Time and again Peter presents both divine sovereignty and human responsibility; God guarantees His part, we must do our part. According to 1:5 the full manifestation [at least] of our salvation is still future. Here in 2:2 the immediately following “if indeed” would appear to allow for some uncertainty as to their spiritual condition; Peter is emphasizing their responsibility.</n> 


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you also, as living stones, are being built <n>Spiritual growth is a process, much like physical growth.</n> into a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. <n>Much of the preaching nowadays focuses on what we are supposed to get, rather than what we are supposed to do. We need to talk more about what God is supposed to get—‘spiritual sacrifices’.</n> 


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<i> The Chief Cornerstone</i> That is why the Scripture contains: “Attention, I am laying in Zion a chief cornerstone, chosen, precious, and the one who rests his trust upon Him will absolutely not be humiliated.” <n>The quote is from Isaiah 28:16.</n> 


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So then, this recompense is for you who believe, but to those who disobey, “the stone that the builders rejected is just the one that became the chief cornerstone,” <n>The quote is from Psalm 118:22.</n> 


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also “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense;” <n>The quote is from Isaiah 8:14. One is reminded of the Sovereign’s words in Matthew 21:44. “Whoever falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but upon whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.”</n> being disobedient to the Word, they stumble, to which, indeed, they were appointed. <n>Were they ‘appointed’ to stumble, a direct and necessary consequence of being disobedient to the Word, or were they ‘appointed’ to be disobedient? If the latter, this would become one of a very few passages that overtly point to ‘double predestination’ or preterition (that the lost are predestined to be lost). The answer hinges on the grammar, the antecedent of the pronoun ‘which’—is it the finite verb ‘stumble’ or the participle ‘disobey’? Being higher in rank, the finite form presumably takes precedence. Also, since there are hundreds of passages that clearly teach human responsibility, I take the former option to be the preferred interpretation.</n> 


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<i> A royal priesthood</i> But you are a chosen family, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a private-property people, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;


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who formerly were not a people but now are God’s people, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. <n>Peter alludes to a number of OT passages, including Hosea 2:23.</n> 


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<i> Your practice should be consistent with your standing</i> Dear ones, I urge you to abstain from the lusts of the flesh, that war against the soul, <n>When we indulge the flesh our soul is adversely affected.</n> 


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keeping your way of life among the nations praiseworthy (you being foreigners and sojourners), so that wherein they speak against you as evildoers, in spite of the praiseworthy deeds they have observed, <n>The critics have already observed the good deeds—they know their criticism is false.</n> they may glorify God in the day of visitation. <n>What ‘day of visitation’ might this be? Is it a personal visitation wherein God touches a critic, wakes him up and he glorifies God; or is it the Day of judgment where ‘every knee will bow and every tongue confess’, only it will be too late to do them any good? In either event, we are to live in such a way that we don’t furnish any pretext to those who are looking for ways to ‘justify’ their unbelief.</n> 


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<i> Respect civil authority</i> Therefore subordinate yourselves to every human institution because of the Lord, whether to a king, as being in authority,


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or to governors, as being sent by him, both for punishment of evildoers and for praise of good-doers. <n>But what happens if the ‘government’ does just the opposite, persecutes those who fear God and protects the corrupt? We have spiritual ‘weapons’ (authority) that we should learn how to use, but the time may come when we must say with Peter, “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).</n> 


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Respect everyone; <n>Since every human being carries the ‘image of God’, that image should be respected (even when it is scarcely recognizable).</n> love the brotherhood; fear God; honor the king.


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<i> A word for servants</i> Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unscrupulous. <n>Slavery was a normal aspect of the culture at that time. Note that belonging to Christ did not automatically change one’s social situation.</n> 


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For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God someone endures grief, suffering unjustly.


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For what credit is it if upon sinning and being beaten you endure patiently? But if upon doing good and suffering you endure patiently, this is commendable before God.


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<i> Christ gave the example</i> Now you have been called to this, really, because Christ also suffered in our behalf, leaving you <n>15% of the Greek manuscripts have ‘our’ and ‘us’ (1st person pl., as in TR, AV and NKJV) while a different 15% have ‘your’ and ‘you’ (2nd person pl., as in the eclectic text currently in vogue and most modern versions)—I take it that the 85% readings are correct (‘our’ and ‘you’); in addressing his readers Peter uses the expected 2nd person, but referring to the scope of the benefits of Christ’s suffering he properly uses the inclusive 1st person.</n> an example that you should follow in His footsteps:


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who being reviled did not revile in return, suffering did not threaten but committed it to Him who judges righteously;


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who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, so that we, having died to those sins, <n>Since the Lord died for our sins, we should die to them (separate ourselves from them).</n> might live for the <n>The Text has the definite article; the point being, I suppose, that there is only one true righteousness, God’s.</n> righteousness; by whose wound <n>‘Wound’ is singular in the Text; of course the familiar ‘stripes’ sounds better, but do you really suppose that the marks left by the individual blows produce our healing? It was THE WOUND, when the Father placed on the Son the sins of the world (including yours and mine). In verses 22-25 Peter obviously has Isaiah 53:4-12 in mind, though he creates his own mosaic.</n> you were healed.


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Yes, you were like straying sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of our <n>The evidence is split between ‘our’ and ‘your’; both make good sense, but I take it that the best line reads ‘our’, inclusive.</n> souls.


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<i> A word to wives</i> Similarly, <n>This is parallel to 2:18, and both are examples of ‘the will of God’, 2:15.</n> wives, be submissive to your own husbands, so that even if some are disobedient to the Word, they may be won over, without a word, by the conduct of their wives


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whose adorning should not be the outward one of braiding hair and wearing gold, or putting on fine clothing, <n>Peter is not advocating a sloppy or slovenly appearance; the problem is the vanity and competition expressed by extravagant hairstyles, clothes, jewelry—anything to get attention.</n> 


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but rather the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible <i>adorning</i> of the gentle and quiet spirit that is of great value before God.


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For this is how the holy women who hoped in God in former times also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands,


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as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him ‘lord’, whose (f) daughters you became <n>A woman becomes a ‘daughter of Abraham’ by faith in God; she becomes a ‘daughter of Sarah’ by doing good.</n> by doing good and not being afraid of any intimidation. <n>An incorruptible character does not surrender to intimidation. Since there has never been a lack of evil people in the world, to keep on being and doing good one must stand up to intimidation.</n> 


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<i> A word to husbands</i> Similarly, <n>This is parallel to 3:1 and 2:18.</n> husbands, live together knowledgeably as with a weaker vessel, <n>Oh dear me, definitely not politically correct in this year of our Lord 2011! But then, when did the Sovereign Lord ever worry about being ‘politically correct’, especially in a culture heavily influenced by Satan? And when did the Sovereign’s true servants ever worry about being ‘politically correct’ in such a culture? Remember James 4:4—“Adulterers and adulteresses! [so 98% of the Greek manuscripts]. Don’t you know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? So whoever may want to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” 1 John 2:15-17 is to the same effect. To love the things of the world (especially its values) is to adulterate against God: “the love of the Father is not in him”. As Joshua said so long ago, “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:15). In Genesis 3:16 the Creator said to the woman, “your desire shall be for your husband”—a woman’s emotional health and sense of security are heavily influenced by her husband’s attitudes, more so than vice versa.</n> according honor to the wife especially as being a joint heir of the grace of life, <n>‘The grace of life’—I love it. I take this to be the bottom line in marriage, husband and wife are joint heirs of the grace of life. Without males the race dies out; without females the race dies out; so both sexes are 100% necessary, so they are equally important. But for people to live together harmoniously there has to be organization, a chain of command, an authority structure.</n> for your prayers not to be hindered. <n>Oops, there’s more involved than meets the eye. ‘Your’ is plural—it could be referring to the husbands, but could also be referring to a husband and his wife, which seems to me more likely. Praying together is an important activity for any Christian couple, but if their relationship is strained such praying becomes awkward, in fact probably won’t even happen.</n> 


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<i> The golden rule</i> Finally, all of you be likeminded, compassionate, loving as brothers, <n>This list of attitudes refers primarily to relationships within the Christian community.</n> tenderhearted, courteous,


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not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but instead blessing, knowing that you were called to this so that you may inherit a blessing.


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For: “The one who wants to love life and to see good days must refrain his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit;


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Because the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears <i>open</i> to their prayer; but the face of the Lord is against those doing evil.” <n>The quote is from Psalm 34:12-16.</n> 


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<i> Better to suffer than to sin</i> Now who is he who will harm you if you become imitators of the good? <n>‘The good’ is ambiguous as to gender; it could be a good person or a good thing, or a generic good.</n> 


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But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. “Don’t fear what they fear, neither be troubled.” <n>The quote is from Isaiah 8:12. In that context there is a contrast between Jehovah as the ‘fear’ of Israel and whatever god the others fear. Whatever ‘fear’ motivates those who persecute you for doing good, don’t let it shake your devotion to the true God.</n> 


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Rather, sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready with an answer for everyone who asks you a reason concerning the hope that is in you, with meekness <n>‘Meek’ is not ‘weak’—it is power that is restrained, under control. Since the worldview of the Bible is far superior to all others, someone who really understands the issues can smash the opposition, but Peter says not to do that; by handling the questioners gently we have a better chance of converting them. In verse 18 he will make the point that in this we will be following Christ’s example.</n> and respect;


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keeping a good conscience, so that wherein they speak against you as evildoers, <n>This clause is a repeat of 2:12.</n> those who revile your good way of life in Christ may be put to shame. <n>Often such people are put to shame in this life, but if not, they certainly will be at the Judgment.</n> 


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For it is better to suffer for doing good, should the will of God so determine, than for doing evil.


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<i> Follow Christ’s example to victory</i> Because Christ also suffered on account of sins, once for all, the righteous on behalf of the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God; having been put to death, to be sure, in flesh but having been made alive in spirit;


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in which He also went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison <n>What spirits are these? Peter gives a little more detail in his second letter, 2:4-6. “For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to Tartarus and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, . . .” So the spirits in question are angels. Jude 6-7 refers to those same angels: “and the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day; as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these [angels], having given themselves over to fornication and gone after a different kind of flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.” Recall that the men of Sodom wanted to rape the angels who were in Lot’s house; whatever kind of flesh angels have when they materialize, it isn’t human flesh, it is precisely a different kind of flesh. So the angels in question are the ones who cohabited with women, producing the mongrel race of <i>nephilim</i> (Genesis 6:2-4).Their crime was so terrible that God incarcerated them even before Jehovah the Son became flesh and defeated Satan—they were put in cold (or hot) storage until human history played itself out. So the ‘proclamation’ that Jesus went to make to those spirits was that he had won and that their condemnation was now irreversible.</n> 


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who formerly were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, while the Ark was being prepared, <n>It probably took Noah at least 100 years.</n> in which a few, that is eight, souls were brought safely through water.


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This is an antitype <n>Why ‘antitype’ rather than ‘type’? I suppose because the roles are reversed: the ark was to save Noah from the water, the water was the problem; in baptism the water is part of the solution, it saves us from something else. From what, from sin and death? Probably not. I have been given to understand that for the early Church water baptism was meant to do the following: by invoking the name of the Lord Jesus Christ the convert was placing himself under Christ’s protection and repudiating Satan and the world system (with its values) and the demons controlled by him. Recall that in the New Testament water baptism followed immediately upon conversion (no weeks or months of instruction). Peter discounts the physical effect of water—the point is to appeal to God in good conscience—and goes on to the victory of Christ over death and the whole angelic hierarchy. So obviously He is in a position to protect us from Satan and his angels.</n> of baptism, that now saves us also (not the removal of physical filth, but the appeal into God from a good conscience) through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,


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who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him. <n>I believe that this truth is directly relevant to Ephesians 2:6. In Christ we have authority over the hierarchy of fallen angels. [I am still working on how we may interact with the good ones.]</n> 


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<i> Some concluding instructions Pursue the will of God</i> Therefore, since Christ suffered on our behalf in flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mentality (for the one who has ‘suffered in flesh’ has been made to cease from sin) <n>3:18 says Christ was ‘put to death in flesh’, as the culmination of His suffering, and I take that to be the point of reference here. I take‘suffer in flesh’ to be a euphemism for death, and when one dies he stops sinning [I suppose]. All during His earthly life Jesus knew He was going to die on account of sins and was totally committed to doing the Father’s will. With the same mentality we too will be committed to doing God’s will, and so will avoid sin. “Reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin but alive to God in Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:11). Verse two here agrees that this is not automatic—we must determine not to indulge the flesh.</n> 


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Because the time that has passed is plenty for you <n>The Greek manuscripts are about evenly divided between ‘you’ and ‘us’, but the best line of transmission has ‘you’, which jives with verse 4.</n> to have performed the will of the pagans—having walked in lewdness, <n>All the nouns in this list are actually plural, emphasizing that their life was characterized by these things. The main ingredients would be alcohol and sex.</n> lusts, drunkenness, revelries, carousings and disgusting idolatries—


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in regard to which they are disagreeably surprised at your not running with them into the same flood of debauchery, reviling you;


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(which is precisely why dead ones were <i>once</i> evangelized, that they should be judged as men in flesh, to be sure, but that they should live according to God in spirit). <n>This delightful verse has given commentators no end of exercise. Verse 5 ends with “judge living and dead”, but anyone who is dead was once alive, obviously, and the judgment will be based on what they did while alive, which is why everyone needs to be evangelized while in this life (including the people who are making fun of us). There is no definite article with ‘dead’, either in verse 5 or 6, so Peter is referring to the ones who were evangelized in this life—he is not saying that everyone has been or will be evangelized. Everyone will be judged, but to ‘live according to God in spirit’ one must respond adequately to the Gospel.</n> 


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<i> Redeem the time</i> The end of all things has approached; therefore be serious and self-controlled in your praying. <n>Haven’t you heard a lot of ‘praying’ that wouldn’t qualify?</n> 


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Above all things your love for one another should be constant, because love covers a multitude of sins.


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Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. <n>Have you never heard anyone grumble? Recall that to be hospitable is commanded.</n> 


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As each has received a gift, minister it to one another as good administrators of God’s varied grace. <n>Does your church allow people to minister their gifts?</n> 


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If anyone speaks, let it be as utterances of God. If anyone serves, let it be as from strength as God supplies, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion throughout the ages. Amen.


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<i> Suffering in the will of God</i> Dear ones, don’t be surprised at the fiery trial that has come upon you as a test, as though something strange was happening to you,


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but to the extent that you share in Christ’s sufferings, rejoice, so that at the revelation of His glory you also may rejoice a great deal more.


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If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of the glory and of God has come to rest upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.


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Now don’t any of you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or an evildoer, or as a meddler in others’ affairs;


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but if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.


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Because the time has come for judgment to begin at God’s house; <n>Dear me, does this mean that the more I call down judgment on the forces of evil at work in the society at large, the more God judges the church?</n> now if it starts with us, what will be the end of those who keep disobeying the Gospel of God?


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Also, ‘If the righteous one is saved with difficulty, where will the godless and sinful person appear?’ <n>See Proverbs 11:31 in LXX (Septuagint), which is quite different from the Hebrew Text. However, Peter does not claim to be quoting Scripture here, but used a statement that is true and served his purpose.</n> 


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And so let those who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.


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<i> How to be a shepherd</i> The elders who are among you I exhort, I, the fellow elder and witness of Christ’s sufferings; also the partaker of the glory that is to be revealed: <n>I take it that Peter is referring to his having been on the mount of transfiguration; only James and John could say as much, and presumably they were not among the addressees. Peter uses the definite article with ‘fellow elder’ and ‘partaker’, from which I conclude that he is claiming a position of special authority.</n> 


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Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers willingly, not under compulsion; not for dishonest gain but freely;


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neither as lording it over those entrusted to you, <n>How many church leaders do you know who enjoy ‘lording’?</n> but being examples to the flock.


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<i> Humility is a must</i> Similarly, you younger ones, submit to elders. Yes, all of you clothe yourselves with humility, submitting to one another, because ‘God resists proud ones, but gives grace to humble ones’. <n>Proverbs 3:34 in LXX.</n> 


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casting all your care upon Him, because He does the caring for you. <n>My rendering follows the best line of transmission; God is offering to handle our concerns for us, so we don’t have to—now that’s a real deal (but it only works if we hand them over).</n> 


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<i> Guard against the devil</i> Be sober, stay alert! Because your enemy the devil, like a roaring lion, is circling <i>you</i> , <n>He isn’t ambling aimlessly; he is circling the prey, looking for an opening.</n> looking for someone to devour;


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withstand him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. <n>What does this last clause have to do with withstanding Satan? Well, when we are suffering it is easy to question God’s goodness, to think that we are being picked on, to feel sorry for ourselves, and so on—our faith starts to waver and Satan has all sorts of fun.‘Devour’ means to gobble up (or gobble down); for a while I lived among a people in the Amazon jungle who used to practice cannibalism—I was assured that human flesh is sweet; now really, would any self-respecting ‘lion’ turn up his nose at such a treat?</n> 


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<i> Benediction</i> Now may the God of all grace, who called you into His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, Himself perfect, establish, strengthen and ground you—after you have suffered a while. <n>Oh dear, can’t I have all the good stuff without needing to suffer? Guess what the answer is.</n> 


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<i> Sign-off</i> I have written to you briefly by our faithful brother Silvanus, as I consider him, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand.


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The jointly elect <i>sister</i> in ‘Babylon’ greets you; <n>Almost half the Greek manuscripts have a postscript that the letter was written in Rome, and it seems likely that such was the case. So ‘Babylon’ presumably refers to Rome. The ‘sister’ could be an individual woman, but could also be the church.</n> and so does Mark, my son. <n>Presumably Peter is referring to John Mark (Acts 12 & 15, Colossians 4:10, 2 Timothy 4:11), whom he took under his wing, as it were. This is the Mark who wrote the second Gospel. Many Greek manuscripts have a scribal comment that Mark wrote his Gospel with Peter at his elbow.</n> 


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Greet one another with a kiss of love. <n>The love here is <i>agape</i>, not <i>phile</i>. What is involved is genuine concern for the other’s well-being, not an emotional interest</n> Peace be to you, all who are in Christ Jesus. <n>If you aren’t in Christ Jesus you can’t expect peace.</n> Amen.


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<i> To fellow believers</i> Simon Peter, slave <n>That’s right, slave—Jude (vs. 1), James (1:1) and Paul (Romans 1:1) also call themselves slaves of Jesus Christ.</n> and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained <n>The verb here suggests receiving something by lot or appointment; in this case the source would be God’s will: this faith is something God apportioned to them.</n> with us the same kind of faith in the righteousness <n>That’s right, faith in Christ’s righteousness: 1) that Jesus was righteous, not dying for any wrongdoing of His own; 2) that being intrinsically righteous He can impart His righteousness to us.</n> of our God and Savior <n>“God and Savior” refer to a single person, the Son.</n> Jesus Christ:


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may grace and peace be multiplied to you <n>‘Multiplied’—not just a little, lots. In his first letter Peter ended the salutation here, but now he fleshes out the means.</n> through a real knowledge of God <n>As our genuine knowledge of God grows, so the amount or degree of grace and peace we receive also grows.</n> and of our Lord Jesus, <n>Here the reference is to two persons, Father and Son—however, the grammar could be taken to indicate a single person, in which case I would render ‘of God, even our Lord Jesus’ (or ‘Jesus our Lord’).</n> 


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in that His divine power has granted to us all things <i>pertaining</i> to life and godliness, through the real knowledge of the One <n>Again, we only appropriate the complete provision for ‘life and godliness’ to the degree that we grow in our genuine knowledge of God. As Creator He made everything upon which life depends, including life itself, but our understanding of and appreciation for His provision is measured by our relationship with Him.</n> who called us by glory and excellence, <n>I take it that Peter is saying that it is the glory and moral excellence of Christ that attracts us, but there is the extraordinary promise that we can share in those qualities, as he spells out in verse 4.</n> 


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through which <n>‘Which’ is plural and presumably refers back to ‘glory and excellence’.</n> He has granted to us such precious and extraordinary promises, so that through these <n>The promises—but of course we have to appropriate them.</n> you may become partakers of a divine nature, <n>There is no definite article with ‘divine nature’; ‘become’ indicates a process—the more like Christ we become, the more divine will our nature be.</n> having escaped the depravity that is in the world because of lust. <n>At times Peter’s syntax seems to be almost as convoluted as Paul’s; the first four verses form a single sentence. The precise interrelationship of the dependent clauses is not transparent. The notes above give my understanding of Peter’s intent.It is the inordinate desire (lust) for anything in this world that leads to depravity. The proper amount of food, drink, pleasure, money, power or whatever is a good thing. It’s when people want more that they get into trouble.</n> 


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<i> Take the Truth seriously! Our ‘entrance’ depends on us</i> So for this very reason, making every effort, <n>Here Peter emphasizes human responsibility, heavily.</n> to your faith add excellence, <n>The word used here can refer to excellence in any area, but in this context the emphasis is presumably on moral excellence.</n> and to the excellence knowledge,


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and to the knowledge self-control, and to the self-control perseverance, and to the perseverance godliness,


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and to the godliness brotherly affection, and to the brotherly affection love. <n>Do these qualities have to be added in this sequence, or can we tackle them in any order, or even all at once? If this sequence must be followed I don’t understand how it works. I believe spiritual growth moves in an upward spiral; the Holy Spirit makes the rounds of all areas, progressively increasing the level of excellence, or Christ-likeness. I take this to be the point of the ‘increasing’ in verse 8.</n> 


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Because with these things existing and increasing in you, it makes <i>you to be</i> neither useless nor unfruitful in the real knowledge <n>I have used ‘real knowledge’ repeatedly because I take that to be the intent of the Text. Real knowledge of God contrasts with human ideas about God and false ‘knowledge’ furnished by demonic prophecies, visions, etc. It also contrasts with true theoretical knowledge about God—real knowledge must be experiential, as well as being true. Notice that we are supposed to be useful, to be fruitful. If we don’t grow something is definitely wrong, as verse 9 makes clear.</n> of our Lord Jesus Christ.


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For he who lacks these things is blind, being so myopic, having forgotten the cleansing from his past sins.


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Therefore, brothers, you should be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, <n>As in his first letter, Peter emphasizes both divine sovereignty and human responsibility, only this verse is especially bothersome to certain theological systems. If we can make our election sure, then we can also make it unsure, or words have no meaning. Since both truths are clearly presented from cover to cover of the Bible, theological systems that emphasize only one of the two do not do justice to the Sacred Text. To emphasize only one is to hop on one foot—to walk, run and work efficiently you really need both feet. To our limited human logic the two truths appear to be incompatible, but to God’s infinite logic they obviously are not. Those who are wise will bow to God’s logic.</n> for if you do these things you will never stumble. <n>The verb used is ‘to stumble’, not ‘to fall’, but the tense used suggests a permanent consequence.</n> 


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Because in this way you will be granted the abundant entrance <n>The Text has the definite article; I take the point to be that there will be different levels or kinds of ‘entrance’; some will have many rewards, others some, others none (1 Corinthians 3:15). Those who follow the orientation in these verses will receive many rewards, they will get ‘the abundant entrance’. (I suppose we will all agree that it is better to get in by the skin of your teeth [1Corinthians 3:15] than not to get in at all, but wouldn’t it be better yet to have some rewards? The amount is up to us.)</n> into the unending kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.


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<i> Peter’s death is imminent</i> So then, I will not neglect to keep reminding you about these things, though you know and are established in the present truth.


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knowing that the shedding of my ‘tent’ is imminent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. <n>The Lord told Peter his time was up, and evidently did the same for Paul (2 Timothy 4:6). “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139:16). A servant of God dies only at the appointed time.</n> 


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Moreover I will take pains to provide a reminder of these things for you to have, <n>If he did indeed write more than the two letters, we have no copy of the added material. (Maybe he died before he could.)</n> as needed, after my exit.


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<i> The prophetic Word is trustworthy</i> Now then, we did not follow craftily devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, rather we were attentive eyewitnesses of His majesty


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—because He received from God the Father honor and glory when <b>that</b> voice <n>Peter never forgot that VOICE; he even coined the phrase, Magnificent Glory, to describe the source. Evidently what happened on that mountain was totally overwhelming.</n> was directed to Him by the Magnificent Glory, “This is my Son, the beloved, in whom I am <i>always</i> well pleased”—


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yes, we heard this voice being uttered from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. <n>Verses 16-18 have to do with the transfiguration experience: those present had a foretaste of ‘the power and coming’ of the Lord; they experienced a microcosm of the Millennial Kingdom.</n> 


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And so we have the most reliable prophetic Word, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, <n>In this dark world we need the light of God’s Word, but when all prophecies are fulfilled and we are glorified, when we are basking in the light of the Lamb (Revelation 21:23), the prophetic Word we now know will belong to ancient history.</n> until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; <n>An interesting figure of speech—I imagine that ‘the day dawning’ and ‘the morning star rising’ are basically synonymous, since the morning star heralds the new day. But the new day happens in our hearts; eternal life is a quality of life that we can start enjoying right now, in this world. However, Peter’s use of ‘until’ points to the future Glorious Day.</n> 


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knowing this first, that no Prophecy of Scripture comes to be from private release; <n>The word rendered ‘release’ occurs only here in the New Testament, but the basic meaning of the root is ‘to loose’ or ‘release’. With reference to a prophetic word it could refer either to its enunciation/origination or to its interpretation. Verse 21 makes clear that here it is the origination. False or fake prophecies derive from the will of the ‘prophet’ (or demonic influence), but true prophecy never does.</n> 


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for no Prophecy ever came by the will of man, rather holy men of God spoke as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. <n>Here we have an impressive description of the process of Inspiration.</n> 


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<i> Watch out for false teachers! Their teachings are destructive</i> However, there were also <i>false</i> prophets among the people, just as, indeed, there will be false teachers among you, who will introduce <n>The verb here does not normally imply secrecy; purveyors of false ideas usually come on as sincere, above board, confident, even bold.</n> destructive heresies, even denying the Owner who bought them (bringing on themselves swift destruction). <n>Sometimes we wish that destruction were a little ‘swifter’, but 3:9 gives the answer.</n> 


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And many will follow their licentious ways, because of which the way of the Truth will be defamed. <n>The biblical worldview is defamed.</n> 


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And in covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; since way back the judgment for such people is not slack, and their destruction will not sleep.


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<i> Their doom is sure</i> Because if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but delivered them into chains of darkness, confining them in Tartarus <n>Tartarus is not to be equated with Hades (the holding area for departed human spirits) nor with the Lake of Fire, since the Text here clearly says those angels are being reserved for judgment. The day when Satan and his angels will be cast into the Lake is still future (Revelation 20:10, Matthew 25:41). So Tartarus is a prison for certain fallen angels—for more about these angels see 1 Peter 3:19-20 and Jude 6-7.</n> to be reserved for judgment,


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and did not spare the ancient world but preserved Noah, with seven others, a preacher of righteousness, when He brought a flood on the world of the ungodly,


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and condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction, reducing them to ashes (providing a warning to those who are intent on being ungodly),


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(for that upright man, <n>Compared to the people around him Lot was definitely ‘upright’, but evidently it was mostly a passive uprightness; he didn’t make any converts.</n> dwelling among them, tormented an upright soul from day to day by seeing and hearing lawless deeds)


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—<i> then</i> the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment <n>They are under punishment already before the Day of judgment. Compare Luke 16:19-31, which is not said to be a parable: in Hades (which is not the Lake of Fire), before the final judgment, the rich man was already being punished (when someone is put in prison he is already being punished, before his case is tried and sentence pronounced). In Hades there is a great gulf between the just and the unjust. Since we determine our destination by what we do in this life, and there is no second chance (the rich man knew he was condemned), the punishment, or the blessing, starts at physical death.</n> for the day of judgment,


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and especially those who go after the flesh in the lust for defilement, <n>People who are greedy in their moral depravity tend not to respect (or even acknowledge) authority, including that of angelic beings.</n> and despise authority.<i> Their depravity is ‘unreal’</i> They are audacious, self-willed; they are not afraid to revile majestic beings, <n>Literally ‘glories’—based on verse 11 it appears that they are high ranking fallen angels.</n> 


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 whereas angels, though being greater in might and power, <n>Than unregenerate human beings (presumably not than those seated in Christ—Ephesians 1:20-21, 2:6).</n> do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord.


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 But these, as unreasoning animals, creatures of instinct made to be caught and destroyed, spouting off in matters of which they are ignorant, will be destroyed by their own depravity, <n>Depravity destroys the quality of life already, down here, even before death and judgment.</n> 


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 receiving the wages of unrighteousness. Counting it a pleasure to carouse in the daytime, they are stains and blemishes, reveling in their own deceptions <n>‘Reveling in their own deceptions’—I imagine all of us know people like this.</n> while they feast with you,


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 having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, <n>The eyes don’t stop sinning. I am reminded of our Lord’s words in Matthew 6:22-23. “The lamp of the body is the eye. So if your eye is sound your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is evil your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” Of course we have two eyes, but the Text has ‘eye’ in the singular. I take it that the reference is to the way we interpret what we see (which is our real ‘eye’)—two people, one pure and one vile, observing the same scene will give very different interpretations to it. ‘Evil’ here has the idea of malignant, aggressively evil. Someone with a malignant mind will give an evil interpretation to everything he sees, and in consequence his being will be filled with unrelenting darkness. Compare Titus 1:15.</n> enticing unstable souls; having a heart trained in greediness they are children of a curse; <n>Peter, a Jew, uses a Jewish idiom—they are characterized by curse. They are a walking curse, damaging everyone they touch.</n> 


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 having forsaken the right way <n>Their first decision was to forsake the right—once you turn out the light you condemn yourself to stumble around in the dark.</n> they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;


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 but he got a rebuke for his wrongdoing—a mute donkey speaking with a human voice restrained the insanity of the prophet.


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 These are waterless springs, clouds driven by a storm, <n>Such clouds often rush past without dropping any water. The false teachers make all sorts of promises, but being empty they can’t deliver; they cheat their hearers.</n> for whom the blackest of the darkness <n>This darkness is associated with Satan’s kingdom. Peter is saying that they will share Satan’s destiny. The description given to these false teachers is unusually severe, Peter really doesn’t like them! Since God hates those who have sold themselves to do evil (Psalm 5:5-6, Deuteronomy 7:10), so does Peter, and so must we. (Psalm 97:10 has a command: “You who love Jehovah, hate evil!” David, at least, obeyed it—Psalm 26:5, 31:6, 119:113, 139:21-22. How about us?) God’s love includes hating evil, of necessity, because of the consequences of the evil. If God loves us He must be against whatever may harm us.</n> has been reserved forever.


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<i> Their victims lose out</i> Because speaking pompous words of emptiness they entice through fleshly lusts, through licentiousness, those who have actually escaped from those who are living in error,


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promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.


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For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the real knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter circumstances have become worse for them than the first ones.


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For it would have been better <n>Oh my, batten down the hatches! If it would have been <b>better</b> for them not to have known, then of necessity they are now worse off than they were before they knew (as verse 20 makes clear). But before they knew they were lost, so what can be worse than that? To be lost without a chance. Before, they were lost but had the option to be saved. But once they know the Truth, if they throw it away there is no second chance. Hebrews 6:4-6 is plain enough (if you hear someone twist the Text into a pretzel in an effort to avoid the plain meaning, you may be sure that whatever position he is trying to defend is incorrect). “For it is impossible for those who were once for all [<i>hapax</i>] enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become sharers in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good Word of God and the powers of the coming age, and have fallen away—<i>it is impossible</i> to renew them again to repentance, thereby crucifying the Son of God <b>again</b>, <i>just</i> for themselves, holding Him up to contempt.” You can’t crucify again unless you have crucified at least once already. For someone to crucify Jesus again must mean that he has indeed taken advantage of the first crucifixion, he was indeed saved—if he was never really saved he never really appropriated the first crucifixion, so he can’t do it <b>again</b>.I have used ‘to really know’ to translate the heightened form <i>epiginwskw</i> (in contrast to <i>ginwskw</i>, ‘to know’) and ‘real knowledge’ to translate the heightened form <i>epignwsis</i> (in contrast to <i>gnwsis</i>, ‘knowledge’). I consider that the Holy Spirit is an intelligent and honest user of human language, so His choice of the heightened forms was deliberate. Those who seek to arrive at the intended meaning of the Text need to respect that deliberate choice. When Peter says someone has a ‘real knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ’, that someone must be saved.To elevate a doctrinal system above the Word of God is a form of idolatry.</n> for them not to have really known the way of the righteousness, than having really known it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them.


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But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: a dog returns to its own vomit and a bathed sow to wallowing in mud.


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<i> So take the Truth seriously!!</i> Dear ones, this is now a second letter I am writing to you (in both of which I stir up your sincere mind by way of reminder),


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so that you remember the words that were spoken before by the holy prophets and the command of the Lord and Savior, through your apostles. <n>Peter places the ‘command of the Lord and Savior through your apostles’ (which I take to be a reference to N.T. writings) on a par with the ‘words spoken before by the holy prophets’, which evidently refers to O.T. writings.</n> 


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<i> Mockers will come</i> Knowing this first: in the last days mockers will come, living according to their own lusts


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and saying: “Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”


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This because they deliberately forget that heavens <n>There is no definite article with ‘heavens’, I suppose because the third heaven, God’s abode, is not included—the reference here would be to the first heaven (the atmosphere) and the second (stellar space).</n> and land (out of water and through water) <n>To be visible and useable (for normal purposes) land must rise above the water level, ‘out of water’, but to sustain life there must be water available on the land as well, ‘through/by water’.</n> had been existing from of old by the word of God,


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by which <i>word</i> the world <n>‘World’ is different from ‘land’ (vs. 5) and refers to the organized world—Noah’s flood didn’t destroy the planet earth, just the organized surface. It was the divine decree that unleashed the destructive forces.</n> that then was perished, being flooded by water. <n>All around the world there are layers of sedimentary material hundreds of meters deep, and the layerings are similar. The whole globe was scoured and the surface rearranged about 4350 years ago. To ignore the evidence is a deliberate choice, and has serious consequences.</n> 


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<i> This world will be destroyed</i> But the current heavens, and the earth, are being reserved by His word for fire, <n>God promised Noah that He would never destroy the world by water again, investing the rainbow as a symbol of that promise (there were no rainbows before the Flood)—the next time it will be by fire. The destruction in Noah’s day involved the earth and the first heaven, the atmosphere; the next destruction will include the second heaven, stellar space, as well.</n> being preserved until the day of judgment and perdition of godless men. <n>‘Preserved’—our planet was created for the use of the human race and placed under human administration, so it cannot be destroyed until human history has run its course.</n> 


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<i> The Lord is longsuffering</i> But dear ones, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. <n>Although I myself have been partial to the idea that this information constitutes a precise formula, it is doubtless more prudent to take this as a general statement, showing that an eternal Being does not regard time the way we do.</n> 


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The Lord is not delaying the promise, as some consider delay, but rather is patient toward us, not wishing anyone to perish but all to come into repentance. <n>If everything were ‘cut and dried’, there would be no point in waiting.</n> 


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<i> Hasten the Day of God</i> However, the day of the Lord will come like a thief at night, in which heavens <n>The same comment applies as in verse 5.</n> will pass away with a whoosh, while the elements will be dissolved by burning—both the earth and the works in it will be completely consumed.


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Therefore, since all these things will be destroyed, what kind of people ought you to be in holy living and godliness,


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expecting and hastening <n>‘Hastening’ is a transitive verb. If we can hasten the coming, we can also delay it, or words don’t mean anything. The point is, what we do or don’t do makes a difference, which is why there will be an accounting. I imagine that there are outside limits or parameters that God’s sovereignty will guarantee, but within those parameters it’s up to us (like players on a football field—the score is up to them). So how can we hasten the coming of God’s day? By living our lives to the hilt on behalf of His Kingdom, standing up for biblical values in the society at large, working to get the Gospel to the last ethnic nation.</n> the coming of the day of God, because of which heavens, being on fire, will be dissolved, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?


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<i> A better world is coming</i> Nevertheless, we look for new heavens and a new earth in which dwells righteousness, according to His promise.


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<i> So be serious!</i> Therefore, dear ones, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, <n>When we face the Creator are we going to see a smile, or a frown—it’s up to us.</n> faultless and blameless;


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and consider the longsuffering of our Lord to be salvation <n>Peter repeats the truth stated in verse 9 above—just because God isn’t striking us down like He did with Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11) doesn’t mean that we’re getting a free ride. If you have sense you look ahead.</n> —just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you, according to the wisdom given to him,


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as also in all his epistles <n>Peter was obviously aware of a ‘Pauline corpus’—the use of ‘all’ suggests that Peter was aware of a fair number of Paul’s letters.</n> (speaking in them of these things, about which there are some things hard to understand), which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, <n>Peter affirms that Paul’s letters are Scripture!</n> to their own destruction. <n>The verb form of this noun is usually rendered ‘to perish’—the implication is that such people are lost. To distort what is in a newspaper or magazine does not have the same consequence—it is distorting God’s Word that is serious.</n> 


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You therefore, dear ones, being forewarned, be on guard lest, being carried away by the error of the wicked, you fall from your own steadfastness. <n>Peter emphasizes human responsibility, again.</n> 


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Rather, may you grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and into the eternal day. <n>Peter doesn’t use the usual ‘forever’, but the effect is the same.</n> Amen.


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<i> Prologue</i> That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have witnessed with our eyes, that which we contemplated and our hands handled <n>John could hardly be more emphatic as to the certainty of what he’s going to write—he’s an eye-witness, an ear-witness, a hand-witness, a mind-witness, . . .</n> with reference to the word of the Life <n>The text has the definite article with ‘life’, and from verse 2 it seems clear that the reference is to the Son (compare John 1:4).</n> 


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—oh yes, the Life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and declare to you that eternal Life who was in the presence of the Father and was manifested to us—


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that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, so that you also may have fellowship with us; <n>Note that the fellowship is to be based on historical fact, not someone’s sub-culture.</n> indeed, our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ.


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Yes, we write these things to you so that our <n>The manuscript evidence is badly divided between ‘our’ and ‘your’, roughly 60:40%. The best line of evidence, in my view, is with the majority in favor of ‘our’; it is easy to see how many copyists could make the change (a change in only one letter). The more people we bring into the fellowship, the greater our joy.</n> joy may be fulfilled.


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<i> The conditions of fellowship God is light</i> Now this is the message that we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and there is no darkness <n>I suppose that ‘darkness’ here refers to sin and Satan; presumably it follows that there is no light in Satan.</n> at all in Him.


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If we claim that we have fellowship with Him while walking in the darkness, we are lying and not living the truth.


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But if we walk in the light just 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.


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<i> God forgives confessed sin</i> If we claim that we have no sin, <n>I take the reference to be to the sin nature; of course someone without a sin nature would have no need of a Savior, nor of regeneration. Anyone who really thinks that they don’t have one is most certainly self-deceived, if not satanically deceived.</n> we are deceiving ourselves and the Truth is not in us.


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If we confess our sins He is faithful and righteous so as to forgive us those sins and to cleanse <n>If He forgave without cleansing us, we would still be dirty. But He only forgives when we confess. (Don’t forget Proverbs 29:1).</n> us from all unrighteousness.


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If we claim that we have not sinned, <n>The reference here is to individual acts of sin. To contradict God, who affirms that we do in fact commit sins, is to make Him out to be a liar—probably not a good idea.</n> we call Him a liar and His Word is not in us.


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<i> Jesus Christ is our Advocate</i> My dear children, I am writing these things to you so that you not sin; if someone does sin, we have an Advocate in the Father’s presence, righteous Jesus Christ—


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also, He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; <n>Now there is a good deal! Having Himself paid my debt, when the Son pleads my case before the Father, I will be cleared. Thank you, Lord! The term ‘propitiation’ is not so well known these days, but it has a specific theological content that needs to be preserved. It refers to an atoning sacrifice that is required to satisfy God’s outraged character, outraged by our sin.</n> not concerning ours only but also concerning those of the whole world. <n>“The whole world” cannot be limited to the elect, if language has verifiable meaning. Just because many do not avail themselves of the propitiation (most have never heard about it) does not mean it is not available.</n> 


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<i> We must keep His commandments</i> Now by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments.


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He who says, “I have come to know Him”, yet doesn’t keep His commandments, is a liar and the Truth is not in him. <n>A statement both strong and uncomfortable, yet true. Deliberate sin indicates an inadequate knowledge of God.</n> 


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But whoever keeps His Word, God’s love has truly been perfected in him: by this we know that we are in Him.


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He who claims to be abiding in Him really needs to act just like He acted. <n>I imagine John was remembering the upper room—John 14:12.</n> 


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<i> An old/new commandment</i> Brothers, <n>Some 15% of the Greek manuscripts have ‘beloved’ (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).</n> I am not writing a new commandment to you but an old one that you have had from the beginning; this old commandment is the word that you have heard from the beginning.


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Again, I <i>am</i> writing a new commandment to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness <n>I take ‘the darkness’ to be a reference to Satan’s kingdom, while “the true Light is already shining” would refer to the outworking of Christ’s victory, which in a certain sense turned all old commandments into new ones—the indwelling Holy Spirit enables us to do what we couldn’t, before. Darkness is merely the absence of light; to introduce light in any situation reduces the darkness, which is why the world hates us.</n> is passing away and the true Light is already shining.


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He who keeps loving his brother is staying in the Light, and there is no occasion for stumbling in him.


