Posts by Josh Moody
Galatians 2: The Grace of God
2 Samuel 11-12, Psalm 111, Mark 14:43-52, Galatians 2 Galatians 2: Paul is continuing to establish his authority as a real apostle. He does it in the following ways—each of which allow us to put our trust in the authority of the Bible: First, Paul tells the story of his own visit to Jerusalem, making clear that he…
Read MoreGalatians 1: No Other Gospel
2 Samuel 8-10, Psalm 110, Mark 14:32-42, Galatians 1 Galatians 1: The church of Galatia was experiencing false teaching that had come to them under the guise of the authority of Jerusalem—men claiming to be sent “from James”—and were disturbing the faith of these Galatians. They were saying that you had to be circumcised, and thereby obey all…
Read More2 Corinthians 13: Confrontation and Blessing
2 Samuel 5-7, Psalm 109, Mark 14:12-31, 2 Corinthians 13 2 Corinthians 13: Paul comes towards the end of this letter and towards the end of his defense of his own ministry and the defense of the gospel itself. Here we can glean some principles from which we can learn as we seek to guard the gospel today:…
Read More2 Corinthians 12:11-21: Christian Service
2 Samuel 3-4, Psalm 108, Mark 14:1-11, 2 Corinthians 12:11-21 2 Corinthians 12:11-21: Paul’s defense of himself—which, as he clarifies at the end of this section, is really a defense of the gospel—continues. You sense here especially the deep emotion, the pain, and indeed some of the frustration that Paul carried in his relationship with the Corinthians. What…
Read More2 Corinthians 12:1-10: The Power of Christ
2 Samuel 1-2, Psalm 107, Mark 13:32-37, 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 2 Corinthians 12:1-10: As Paul continues to defend himself, his ministry—all for the purpose of defending the gospel—he now continues to turn the tables on his opponents. He is “boasting” about his achievements and abilities, but in the final analysis, the boasting takes on a distinctly cross-shaped…
Read More2 Corinthians 11:16-33: Power from Him and Not You
1 Samuel 29-31, Psalm 106:24-48, Mark 13:14-31, 2 Corinthians 11:16-33 2 Corinthians 11:16-33: Paul is continuing to defend his ministry—because by doing so he is defending the gospel. But now he takes the defense of the gospel a stage further. Apparently the false-teachers had been accusing Paul of being weak and inadequate because he had suffered so much.…
Read More2 Corinthians 11:1-15: Confronting False Teaching
1 Samuel 26-28, Psalm 106:1-23, Mark 13:1-13, 2 Corinthians 11:1-15 2 Corinthians 11:1-15: Paul continues to defend himself—but really, he is defending the gospel. Into the focus now come the “super apostles.” These were false teachers who were confusing the Corinthians. Paul takes them on. What can we learn from Paul about how we can confront false teaching?…
Read More2 Corinthians 10: Defending the Gospel
1 Samuel 24-25, Psalm 105, Mark 12:35-44, 2 Corinthians 10 2 Corinthians 10: Is it ever right to defend yourself? Paul apparently thought so. Sometimes Christians can act as if they should be run over by the bus, roadkill on the way to someone else’s agenda, all in the name of “self-sacrificial love.” But there is a time…
Read More2 Corinthians 9: The Indescribable Gift
1 Samuel 21-23, Psalm 104, Mark 12:28-34, 2 Corinthians 9 2 Corinthians 9: This chapter continues Paul’s instructions to the Corinthians (and us) about generosity. How does he teach about generosity? First, he encourages the Corinthians. Sometimes we can only ever hear the “ask.” But Paul takes the time to point out how generous the Corinthians have been.…
Read More2 Corinthians 8: Five Biblical Lessons About Generosity
1 Samuel 19-20, Psalm 103, Mark 12:13-27, 2 Corinthians 8 2 Corinthians 8: Now Paul moves on to another matter that is a common cause of friction in church life—and which was a problem in Corinth. Chapter 8 is the first of two chapters that focus on generosity. In the early days, the Corinthians had been at the forefront of…
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