Archive for November 2023
November 26-30, 2023
In keeping with the Bible reading plan we are using, the last days of each month are designated as “free days.” November 26-30 then are intended to allow you to catch up on reading you may have missed or to study passages more in depth that intrigued you during the first 25 days of the month.…
Read MoreJude 17-25: Strategies for Dealing with False Teaching
Daniel 10-12, Job 22, John 13:31-38, Jude 17-25 Jude 17-25: Jude has been urging his readers to contend for the faith. There is false teaching around and they need to proactively engage with it and show where it is false. He has warned them of the dangers of false teaching in order to motivate them to contend for…
Read MoreJude 8-16: Illustrations
Daniel 9, Job 21:22-34, John 13:18-30, Jude 8-16 Jude 8-16: Jude is urging his readers to contend for the faith. In this section, he is telling us that false teaching is not only serious, it has serious consequences for the false teachers and any who follow them. To make that case, he uses various illustrations – sometimes from…
Read MoreJude 1-7: Contend for the Faith
Daniel 7-8, Job 23:1-21, John 13:12-17, Jude 1-7 Jude 1-7: We tend to run to extremes. At one moment, parts of the Christian church seem to be astonishingly naïve regarding heresy, embracing untruth with a wilful disregard to its danger in the name of “love.” The next moment parts of the Christian church are stridently insisting that their…
Read More3 John 1-14: The Power of Example
Daniel 5-6, Job 20, John 13:1-11, 3 John 1-14 3 John 1-14: One of the best ways to grow in Christlikeness is to find models of Christlikeness in godly Christians around you and imitate their walk with Christ. At the same time, there are others around whom you want to avoid imitating. In this letter, John (called “the…
Read More2 John 1-13: Joy, Request and Warning
Daniel 3-4, Job 19, John 12:37-50, 2 John 1-13 2 John 1-13: John here continues with similar themes to his first letter, though in a briefer form and developed in a different way. He is emphasizing love and truth, and the importance of having both. Note the joy, the request and the warning. First, the joy that John…
Read More1 John 5:13-21: Keep Yourself from Idols
Daniel 1-2, Job 18, John 12:20-36, 1 John 5:13-21 1 John 5:13-21: John is coming towards the end of his letter, and as he does so, he returns to some of his main themes but takes some fresh angles and perspectives. And then he concludes in a way that has surprised many people, but is full of impact…
Read More1 John 5:6-12: Water and Blood
Ezekiel 48, Job 17, John 12:12-19, 1 John 5:6-12 1 John 5:6-12: This part of John has caused some confusion over the years. First, remember that John is addressing false teaching by reminding and instructing his readers of the connection between doctrinal orthodoxy and moral obedience. In that context, he brings in this notion of Jesus coming by…
Read More1 John 5:1-5: Five Ways Love Becomes Practical
Ezekiel 45-47, Job 16, John 12:1-11, 1 John 5:1-5 1 John 5:1-5: John is again interweaving reflections on the necessary connection between doctrinal orthodoxy and moral obedience. He does so in five ways: First, If you are part of the family of God, you will love others in that family too. John talks about those who believe in…
Read More1 John 4:7-21: Love and Truth
Ezekiel 42-44, Job 15:17-35, John 11:45-57, 1 John 4:7-21 1 John 4:7-21: John’s style of writing is like a spiral staircase: he turns first one way and then another way as he comes back to his main themes from different directions. Here he is mostly focusing on the love of God, and our love, but in the middle,…
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