Category: Bible Study

“If your light is darkness, how deep will the darkness be!” –Matthew 6:23 Have you ever been in a room illuminated only by a black light? Such a room is very dimly lit. Everything that’s white shows up, such as teeth and white socks. Dark objects are barely visible. It’s difficult to see how things interrelate. Picture the same room with the black light replaced by a hundred-watt bulb. Now that the room is brightly lit, it’s easy to see and understand the proper relationship of all objects in the room. Jesus describes a similar situation in today’s Gospel. In...

“When someone comes preaching another Jesus than the One we preached, or when you receive a different spirit than the One you have received, or a gospel other than the gospel you accepted, you seem to endure it quite well.” –2 Corinthians 11:4 To live the Christian life, we must know Jesus deeply and intimately. However, it is not easy to know Jesus. For example, Paul accused the Corinthian church of believing in “another Jesus” (2 Cor 11:4) – a false Jesus. Jesus warned: “Many will come attempting to impersonate Me. ‘I am the Messiah!’ they will claim, and they...

“He dawns through the darkness, a light for the upright.” –Psalm 112:4 In many aspects of our lives, we have various zones. For example, we all have comfort zones in work, relationships, prayer, study, service, etc. In our comfort zones, we are relaxing and probably enjoying ourselves. If we, because of love or some other reason, cross the boundary of our comfort zone, we enter into a discomfort zone. In this zone, we are struggling and suffering. In this zone, we find both the danger of burnout and the opportunity for significant growth in holiness as our faculties are challenged...

“Be made perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” –Matthew 5:48 Now I will show you the way of perfection (1 Cor 13:1). Jesus commands us to be made perfect. He then must necessarily make available to us the grace to be perfect. In fact, Jesus gives us the Holy Spirit. “The love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us” (Rm 5:5). “God is love” (1 Jn 4:8), and we have been given God’s very own love. Love is the way of perfection (1 Cor 13:1), and God...

“As your fellow workers we beg you not to receive the grace of God in vain.” –2 Corinthians 6:1 Much of 2 Corinthians is devoted to St. Paul’s defense of his apostleship. Traveling evangelists demeaned Paul’s apostleship to build up their own ministries. This situation can still exist in churches today. Paul’s accusers were evangelists who accepted money for their services, a practice which Paul himself recommended at least once (1 Tm 5:17). Paul had a calling from God to preach “the gospel free of charge” (1 Cor 9:18) while working to support himself. As a result, Paul’s accusers saw...