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In 1 Peter 2:11-12, the Holy Spirit sets up a contrast between the typical Gentile approach to life in the first century and the attitude God desires to see in His children. The heathen perspective of the Greco-Roman society was that it was “normal” (even expected and “desirable”) for a person to embrace and indulge every physical desire, and yield to every temptation. Hedonism was the standard for human behavior throughout most of the Gentile world, and self-restraint was seen…

If the “key” thought in Peter’s first letter is suffering, then the point of Christians enduring suffering lies in the commandment of 1 Peter 1:15-16 where Peter quotes Leviticus 20:7 and applies these words to Christians as a contrast to our former manner of life (1 Peter 1:14). In Leviticus, Mo- ses was commanding the children of Israel to avoid ANY participation in idolatry, and by referencing that commandment, Peter was effectively equating a life apart from God – where…

Peter’s brief letters are clearly intended to encourage and strengthen Christians who were facing the prospect of persecution for their faith in Jesus. A Jew from Capernaum in Galilee, Peter had been a fisherman before becoming one of Jesus’ first disciples, and was among His closest companions during the period of His earthly ministry. He was first directed to Jesus by his brother Andrew, and was the first of the apostles to openly confess his conviction that Jesus is the…

The simple lesson to be learned from James 4:11-12 is that Christians must not give in to the temptation of “measuring” others against ourselves. None of us sets the standard against which anyone else is to be evaluated. The “evil speaking” of vs. 11 represents the idea of incriminating someone else, of deliberately (and wrongly) damaging their reputation. James makes it plain that the “evil speaker” is putting himself in the place of God by doing so (vs. 12). Paul…

In James 3:1-12 the Holy Spirit inspired a warning (vs. 1) that actually introduces a lesson on the profound power of what we say! The commandment to “let not many of you become teachers,” along with the warning that those who do teach will be held liable for a “larger degree” of responsibility in judgement is NOT meant to discourage any Christian from sharing the gospel OR from ever becoming a “teacher” (one who shares knowledge of the gospel with…

Although there were two men among the apostles who bore the name James, it is generally accepted that the inspired penman of the new testament book of James was one of our Lord’s four half -brothers (cf. Mark 6:3). The apostles who shared this name are James the son of Zebedee (and brother to John, Matthew 4:21), who was killed by the order of king Herod Agrippa I (Acts 12:1 – Herod died in 44 A.D.), and James the son…

The book of Hebrews concludes with a series of brief, pointed commandments – the summary of all the “proofs” meant to help these Jewish Christians remain committed to Christ instead of turning back to Judaism. These commandments form a simple, reasonable summary, rooted in the fact that Jesus and His church are the fulfillment of everything toward which the law of Moses had pointed Israel. There are eight distinct commandments, together with six statements of exhortation and instruction that should…

If the book of Hebrews is basically a sermon in written form (as many scholars describe it), then chapter twelve is the “invitation” at the conclusion of the sermon. The Holy Spirit summarizes all that has been said to this point with a “call to action” that begins with the instruction for Christians to lay aside or take off everything that could prevent us from finishing the “race” we have begun (cf. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27). The image is an athlete…

The eleventh chapter of Hebrews is often described as faith’s “hall of fame” because of its emphasis on faith and the long list of examples of those whose trust in God and His promises motivated them to live in hope. “Faith” is often depicted in the world as a belief in something without any evidence on which to base that belief (or even belief despite evidence that contradicts it). While that definition of “faith” might be appropriate for many religious…

by Cory Waddell, Bear Valley church of Christ, Denver, CO (This article from the Bear Valley church’s Daily Bread email struck me as worthy of being shared and considered – DR) “To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel…” Ephesians 6:18b-19 On January 2, during the NFL’s Monday Night Football broadcast,…

Christians enjoy a blessing no Jew ever experienced, according to Hebrews 10:19-25. We are permitted to directly enter God’s presence – to “go beyond the veil” (a reference to the veil of the temple, that separated everyone except the High Priest from the “Most Holy Place” where the ark of the covenant represented the presence of God). Under the law of Moses, even the High Priest was allowed to “enter” God’s presence only one day per year, on the day…

Hebrews 10:1-18 presents one basic lesson that the Jewish Christians of the first century urgently needed to understand (and it’s the same lesson that most of modern Christendom needs to grasp as well). That lesson, stated in vs. 1, is that “the Law” – the one delivered to Moses on Mt. Sinai, the “ten commandments” law that had governed the people of Israel and Judah for ten centuries – was a figure, a “shadow” that had outlined what God planned…