2 Peter

Having dealt with some of the background of this letter in the last blog entry, let me just say this.  Whereas 1 Peter is more of a message of an encouragement and consolation in the face of suffering, 2 Peter is more of a warning against false teachers and their heresies. 

For an outline, let’s go with: opening (1:1-2), the essence of Christian virtue (1:3-11), apostolic reassurance (1:12-21), the rise and way of false teachers (2:1-22), the certainty of the Second Coming (3:1-9), and living in light of the 2^nd Coming (3:10-18).  So let’s briefly survey this text.

While Peter doesn’t explicitly identify the recipients of his letter, based on 3:1 it would likely be the same churches addressed in 1 Peter.  After remarking (almost in a throw-away statement) how his readers share the same kind of faith as his (2 Pet 1:1)—i.e., there is no 1^st class, 2^nd class, 3^rd class faith in Jesus—he goes onto list how true faith in Jesus expresses itself (1:3-11).  Let me highlight a few things here.  1^st, God has granted believers the power to become godly (2 Pet 1:3).  When we grow in godliness it is not something we do but something God does in us!  2^nd, God’s power operates through knowing him personally and accessing his promises (2 Pet 1:3-4).  In other words, the more deeply we come to know God personally and the more we come to trust and claim the promises in his Word, the godlier we will become.  3^rd, even though God is the one who ultimately enables us to grow in godliness, he expects us to try our best to live a godly life (2 Pet 1:5-7).  It can take a whole lot of effort to be godly!  4^th, godliness confirms the veracity of our profession of faith (2 Pet 1:10-11).  Jesus taught that many will claim to be his followers, but only those whose “life backs up their lips” are really his followers (Matt 7:21). Question: How would this apply to people in the church?

Peter then offers his readers some reassurances (1:12-21).  He reassures them that they already know and have been established in these truths (1:12); that he will find a way to make sure they are spiritually cared for after his death (1:15).  He also reassures them of the divine origin and inspiration of scriptural and apostolic prophecy (1:16-21): Peter and the other apostles didn’t make up anything about Jesus—they were eyewitnesses of the things the Lord said and did (2 Pet 1:16-18). The things the apostles write, therefore, are no less inspired than the prophets of old: both groups of writers wrote by the inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit (2 Pet 1:20-21). Question: Should 1 group of authors take priority over the other?  Why or why not?

The bulk of his letter (chaps. 2-3) deals with false teachers.  Peter characterizes false teachers in a number of ways.  1^st, their origin: where do false prophets come from?  The most dangerous ones come from within the ranks of the people of God (2 Pet 2:1).  Question: Given that, what groups are more dangerous for Christians: other religions or groups that resemble Christianity? 2^nd, the nature or tone of their teaching: the essence of the doctrine they espouse is licentiousness (2 Pet 2:2, 13-14).  In other words, they taught that it was more than OK for believers to practice sexual immorality—something Peter refutes using OT parallels: God poured out judgment upon the sexually immoral fallen angels (2:4), he brought about the flood to punish the ungodly (2:5), he destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah (2:6-8). 3^rd, these false teachers reject divine and divinely appointed authority (2:10-11).  4^th, false prophets/teachers seek to deceive and trap believers (2:17-19).  5^th, God will definitely punish them for their sins (2:20-22).

The judgment of false teachers will take place at the 2^nd Coming of Christ—something that these heretics mock and dispute (2 Pet 3:3-4).  Peter, however, tells his audience that the Day of the Lord will surely come in God’s specific time; for now, this “delay” is simply an expression of God’s patience, giving people time to repent (while there’s still time [3:5-9]).

In light of the awesome prospect of the outpouring of God’s fiery judgment at the 2^nd Coming, believers must do their best to live holy lives (2 Pet 3:14), to be “spotless,” “blameless,” and to be “on guard” against the error of false teaching—lest they fall from their secure position (2 Pet 3:17).  Peter commands believers to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (3:18).  The “knowledge” he refers to is not mere facts and figures about Jesus or about salvation.  He already referred to this knowledge in the opening of his letter (cf. 1:3-9). It refers to our experience of Jesus, our relationship with him: Jesus said the essence of eternal life is knowing God—knowing him personally, intimately (John 17:3).  That’s the “knowledge” that Peter’s referring to!  Thus, believers must grow in their relationship with the Lord.  Not to do so casts doubt on the veracity of your profession of faith. Question: Are you growing?

Next up: the 1^st of the so-called “Johannine” letters.

1 Peter

2 letters in the NT bear Peter’s name.  Let me briefly cover some of their social-historical background.  Conservative scholars hold that the Apostle Peter wrote these letters, thus dating them to the mid—late sixties AD.  Mainstream scholarship maintains that they’re pseudonymous (i.e.., written in the name of Peter by 1 of his followers/disciples), in which case, these letters are often dated much later: late 80s—mid 90s. The audience for 1 Peter was probably Gentile congregations in northwest Asia Minor near the Black Sea.  The reason he wrote was to encourage these believers b/c they were beginning to experience intensified persecution by Roman officials.  At this point in time Christians were not “officially” persecuted by the Empire, but it was happening more often in different locales.

1 way to outline 1 Peter is: introduction (1:1-12), call to holiness (1:13-2:10), relating to social institutions (2:11-4:11), Christian suffering (4:12-5:11), and concluding remarks (5:12-14).

To suffering Christians, Peter’s introduction must have greatly uplifted the deflated heart.  He speaks of them as being chosen—elected, predestined, foreordained—by God to serve Christ (1 Pet 1:1-2).  They are not suffering b/c they are bottom-feeders, or b/c God’s forgotten about them—quite the opposite: they are God’s chosen ones!  Peter speaks of salvation in terms of being “born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus” (1 Pet 1:3); in other words, while death might be nearby for some, Christianity is all about life: “born again”, “living hope”, and “resurrection.”  Even though they suffer, God has actually been protecting them spiritually b/c through their trials their faith is being strengthened, and Christ is being honoured in/through their witness (1 Pet 1:5-9).  Question: Can you think of a time when a trial strengthened your faith in God?

A proper understanding of our salvation leads to diligent moral action rather than inaction (1:13-2:12).  In other words, we must strive to live holy lives b/c the God who chose us is holy (1 Pet 1:15), b/c Christ who saved us lived a holy life (1:19-20), and b/c our spirits have been born again upon the living word of God (1:22-25).  The nitty-gritty of holy living for these Christians concerns several things (2:1-10).  It involves holy attitudes—not walking in malice or deception—and holy speech: avoiding slander.  It involves craving God’s word for personal/spiritual nourishment, and also coming together with other brothers/sisters to worship, and so, grow into the spiritual house of praise God desires.

How we live impacts the kind of witness we will have with unbelievers, particularly those in civic authority over us.  Therefore, Christians need to live holy lives not just for the sake of other believers but for the sake of unbelievers (1 Pet 2:11-12; cf. Matt 5:16).  God has called us to honour those in authority, and in doing so, we silence our critics, so to speak (1 Pet 2:13-17).  God wants his servants to submit to their earthly masters, even when they are being unreasonable (2:18-20).  Since some Christians had harsh taskmasters, such a command might seem unreasonable to obey.  Questions: How would you apply this command to today’s workplace?  The greatest example of submission is Jesus (1 Pet 2:21-23): he lived a perfectly holy life, yet was still persecuted (unto death!).  Just as he didn’t try to retaliate against evil, so suffering Christians must never try to take the law into their own hands. Similarly, Peter tells the Christian wife to submit to her non-Christian husband b/c her holy behaviour will eventually make a deep, spiritual impact on him (3:1-7).

To prepare the way for his comments on Christian suffering, Peter returns to the example of Jesus.  He says that b/c Jesus suffered in the flesh (1 Pet 4:1), i.e., in his Incarnation he suffered and died in order to bring us back to God (1 Pet 3:18), Christians must likewise arm themselves with the attitude to suffer in the flesh, but with a different goal: we suffer in flesh in order to conquer our illicit bodily lusts (4:2-4).  Perhaps you could call this “sanctificational suffering.”  How is this suffering?  Think of it like working out: “no pain no gain.” Denying bodily desires demands immense willpower; in other words, “Just saying no” can be hard!

As Peter closes out his letter he focuses on the other type of Christian suffering: persecution (4:12-5:10).  He says suffering is an integral part of Christianity: so don’t be surprised and don’t be ashamed (1 Pet 4:12-14).  He also says to the sufferer that b/c God is faithful, you can keep on trusting him and keep on doing good deeds (1 Pet 4:19). 

Peter tells the leaders to shepherd their suffering flock responsibly knowing that they will have to give an account to the Chief Shepherd (5:1-4).  He says that believers should humble themselves in the midst of difficult circumstances, expecting God to exalt them at the proper time (5:5-6).  He counsels them to be on the lookout for the devil, who uses suffering to separate members from the flock/herd (5:8).  But 1 of the reasons Christians can resist the devil is b/c of the fellowship and the goal of suffering: whatever you’re going thru, someone else has already gone thru it successfully (1 Pet 5:9); and God’s ultimate goal in suffering is to “perfect” us (1 Pet 5:10): to make us more like Jesus!

Up next: Peter’s shorter letter . . .

James: 2

Martin Luther wasn’t very fond of the book of James.  In fact, that’s putting it mildly!  Luther actually declared that James did not belong in the bible—precisely b/c of the passage we’re about to look at: Jas 2:14-26.  Luther believed that this passage contradicted Paul’s doctrine of justification by faith.  But does it really?

To me, James is basically offering a different view of justification by faith, viz., that faith and works are 2 sides of the same “salvation coin.”  Eternal life is only given to people who place their faith in Jesus—that alone justifies a person before God.  But that said, those who have genuinely done so, will live a life of good works: not b/c they’re trying to be saved—they already are (!)—but b/c good works simply and naturally flow out of a genuine faith in Christ, the way fruit tree naturally produce fruit.  Hence, the NT teaches that good works verify the genuineness of someone’s profession of faith in Christ (cf. Matt 7:21-23).

With most (all?) churches, conflicts are always an issue; James addresses conflict in 3:1-4:12.  There are 4 planks to what he says.  1^st, watch what you say (3:1-12; cf. 4:11)!  Words are powerful.  Remember in Genesis 1: how did God create the universe?  He “spoke” it into existence.  God now sustains the universe with his . . . “word” (Heb 1:3).  John calls Jesus the . . . “Word” (John 1:1).  Words are powerful!  James says we are capable of doing great things with our words: can bless and encourage people, thereby enabling them to do great things.  But we are also capable of doing great harm with our words: we can curse people and discourage them so that we in effect hinder them from achieving the things they could/should.  Thus, in conflict we need to watch what we say to people. 

2^nd, James says watch your wisdom (3:13-18)!  Not all wisdom is from God.  Yes, God does offer wisdom (Jas 1:5; cf. the book of Proverbs); and his wisdom always leads to virtue (Jas 3:17).  Satan, however, also offers people “wisdom,” a wisdom that might seem wise or good in the moment, but in time it proves to be demonic and chaotic (Jas 3:15-16). 

3^rd, James says watch your desires (4:1-9)! In conflict a person can be overcome with the wrong types of desires—sometimes obviously wrong, but sometimes not so obvious.  Wrong desires can lead a person to compromise their relationship with God.  4^th, James says to walk in humility (4:6-10).  Humility involves submitting to God in order to resist Satan (Jas 4:6-7), and walking in a penitent spirit (Jas 4:8-9). Question: Given how much James talks about Satan (3:6, 15-16; 4:7), what does this suggest about the extent to which Satan can influence Christians?

James goes on to offer some of the implications of a Christian worldview (4:13-5:6).  Christians should always allow for God’s sovereignty in their planning (Jas 4:13-17)—not to do so is sheer arrogance; Christians who are wealthy should treat the poor graciously (5:1-6); and Christians should be mindful of and be looking ahead to the Lord’s coming (5:7-11).  Here James calls once again for patience and “endurance” (Jas 5:11; cf. 1:2-12).

In his final exhortations, James returns to the topic of speech, saying not to take careless or rash oaths (5:12).  And just as he began his letter talking about prayer (1:5), he concludes it by talking about prayer.  He says to pray always (Jas 5:13), and to pray for the sick (Jas 5:14).  The “prayer of faith” (more literally from the Greek in 5:15) is not simply praying with faith (something we obviously should do).  James is actually talking about something much more specific: praying according to God’s sovereign, revealed will.  In other words, knowing what God’s specific will is in a matter and praying it back to God: this is what Elijah did (Jas 5:17-18).  How do we know this?  B/c when you go back to the story in 1 Kings, the bible says that God told Elijah that he was going to make it rain (1 Kgs 18:1)—so, Elijah prayed for rain (1 Kgs 18:42-44), i.e., he asked God for what God had just told him he was about to do.  God said it, so Elijah prayed it!  That is the “prayer of faith” James is talking about: praying according to God’s sovereign, revealed will (cf. 1 John 5:14-15).

With this things in mind, let me close our short survey of James with some questions:

• Do you pray as you ought? Why not?
• Have you ever prayed over a sick person for God to heal him/her? What happened?
• What do you think keeps Christians from praying the “prayer of faith”?

James: 1

Before we get to the text let’s spend a little time surveying the social-historical background.  In terms of authorship, conservative scholars maintain that it’s the step-brother of Jesus (cf. Matt 13:54-55), largely, I think, b/c the James refers to himself only as a “bond-servant” of the Lord Jesus Christ (Jas 1:1); the idea being that b/c James didn’t believe Jesus during the days of his earthly ministry he has since adopted this lowly, unassuming manner: a bond-servant rather than an Apostle.  Another option is a disciple of that James writing in the name/spirit of James.  If it was the former then the approx. date of the letter would be some time in the 40s AD, prior to the Jerusalem Council (in Acts 15).  If the letter was pseudonymous then it would date to the last quarter of the 1^st century (between 75 and 90).  The audience was most likely Jewish Christians based on: the letter’s favourable discussion of the Law, the use of “synagogue” to describe where believers meet, and the designation of the audience as “the 12 tribes.”  In terms of genre the text is a mix of letter, homily (or sermon), and Jewish wisdom literature.  As for the occasion: James is trying to help his community deal with matters of suffering, the meaning of justification by faith for Jewish believers, and interpersonal conflict.

The outline of letter would be something like this: trials and maturity (1:1-18), faith and works (1:19-2:26), interpersonal conflict (3:1-4:12), implications of a Christian worldview (4:13-5:11), and concluding exhortations (5:12-20).  So let’s see if we can follow the flow of the letter.

1 of the themes of James is perseverance or endurance: he begins and ends his letter with this theme.  In the opening section (1:1-12) he talks about how God uses suffering ultimately to produce spiritual maturity.  This is precisely why believers can rejoice in/through trials (Jas 1:2): b/c of what God will accomplish in our lives.  God accomplishes spiritual maturity by first producing “endurance” or “perseverance” (Jas 1:3).  The idea behind the Greek word for “endurance” is to “remain intact under pressure”; in other words God wants to produce in his children a faith that might bend during hard times but won’t break.  A faith that endures ultimately results in “perfection” (Jas 1:4), which is “NT-ese” for spiritual maturity. 

If someone’s struggling with this whole endurance thing, then just ask God for wisdom and he’ll help you (Jas 1:5).  James then offers 2 examples of the kind of wisdom God gives during trials: the trial/temptation (seem Greek word) of poverty and the trial of wealth (1:9-11).  Question: Why do you think James chooses these 2 trials in particular?  Wisdom teaches the poor person tempted to yearn for wealth that s/he is rich in Christ!  Wisdom teaches the rich person tempted to glory in his/her wealth to take the posture/attitude of a servant.

Jas 1:12 concludes this section.  Its meaning is essentially this: to everyone who perseveres through trials, God will complete or fulfil his/her salvation.  I believe this verse is James’s version of Paul’s take in Phil 3:12-14.  In other words, God has “saved” us (past tense) from the penalty of sin, in order to “save” us (present tense) from the power of sin in our lives; and as he saves us from sin’s power and as we make it our goal to live morally victorious lives, God “will save” us (future tense) from the presence of sin: when we live with God forever in heaven.  Question: Is then the fulfilment/completion of our salvation conditional?

Having introduced the idea of temptation (remember: “temptation” is the same Greek word as “trial”), James talks a little bit about the mechanics of temptation in 1:13-18. He basically says that God cannot be tempted nor does he tempt others (Jas 1:13).  Rather, temptations and sins arise from our own inner lusts (Jas 1:14-15).  Paul spoke a lot about how our sinful thoughts and actions proceed from our sinful nature (e.g., Rom 7:14-21; Gal 5:16-17)—something we all picked up from Adam when he sinned in the Garden.

1:19-2:26 focuses on how real faith should be expressed.  Faith results in doing.  Thus, faith does God’s word (Jas 1:22-25). It cares inclusively for the socially marginalized (1:26-27).  It does not allow a believer to give undo preference to someone b/c of their high social status (2:1-13).

2:14-26 kind of sums up what James has been saying in 1:19-2:13.  His exposition of the relationship between faith and works gave the Reformer Martin Luther fits.  We’ll look at this next.

Hebrews: 3

So, in chapters 8-10, we read about the superiority of Christ’s ministry. Christ serves as high priest in the heavenly tabernacle, which serves as the prototype for the earthly one built by Moses (8:1-6).  Christ mediates the new covenant (NC), which is superior to the old one (OC—with my apologies to the TV show) in every way (8:7-9:28).  8:8-12 represents the longest quote of the OT in the NT.  What is most interesting about this quote is that it is a prophecy of Jeremiah (31:31-34) explicitly addressed to “Israel” and “Judah” but is fulfilled through the church. In other words, while not identical entities (cf. Rom 9-11), they are nevertheless closely connected (as Paul writes in Romans 11: two branches from 1 and the same tree). 

In what ways is the NC better than the OC?  Based on Jer 31:31-34 (cf. Ezek 36:25-27), the NC produces a greater level of obedience to God: we can now follow God not simply b/c we have to but b/c we want to.  According to Jer 31 (cf. Joel 2:28-29), the NC is much more inclusive: under the OC only prophets, priests, and kings could experience the Holy Spirit; now every believer receives him.  The NC is also superior in its finality: it is the last covenant—no future covenant looms on the horizon. Question: What are some other ways the NC surpasses the OC?

The author goes on to extol the perfection and sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice (10:1-25).  Under the OC, the priests had to offer sacrifices every month and every year—something that reminded them that sin was always an issue and always had to be atoned for.  In view of the surpassing holiness and finality of Christ’s high priestly ministry, believers must take serious heed to the message concerning Jesus (10:26-31).  The author thus issues a call for persevering faith, beginning in the tail end of chap. 10.  He exhorts his audience to continue to persevere through suffering (10:32-39): they must never shrink back but must press forward by faith unto perseverance (Heb 10:38-39).  In mentioning the need for faith, he then begins a sidebar on the topic in chap. 11, the so-called “Hall of Faith.”

All of the figures to whom he refers idealize different aspects of a life of faith: they did what they did b/c of their faith in God and his promises.  Thus, for example, Abel worshiped by faith (11:4), Noah built the ark by faith (11:7), Abraham traveled to an unknown land by faith (11:8-10), Sarah miraculously conceived by faith (Heb 11:11), etc., etc., etc.!  Living a life of faith is not always easy (11:8-9), is often difficult (11:25-26), and can sometimes be downright dangerous (11:35-37)!  Another integral part of living a life of faith according to chap. 11 is that the reward that God promises doesn’t always come in this life.  He makes this point early (Heb 11:13) and near the end of the chap. (Heb 11:39-40). Question: How does knowing that your reward for living faithfully might be bestowed after you die encourage you to keep going now?

While these “heroes” of the faith are worthy of our emulation, the ultimate example of living a life of faith is Jesus (12:1-3)—he is the one on whom we must forever fix our eyes (Heb 12:2).  Just as Jesus suffered so we can expect to suffer—as some of the original audience had (Heb 10:32-34).  In order to help his people endure their suffering, the author gives them some perspective.  On the 1 hand he says no matter how bad things are, they could always be worse (Heb 12:4).  On the other hand, suffering can be a sign of God’s love for us (12:5-17).  Parents discipline their children b/c they love them and they want them to do well in life.  Well similarly, God disciplines his children so that they might become more like Jesus (Heb 12:9-10)—which has always been his ultimate plan for us.  Thus, in light of God’s final plan for us (i.e., to become like his Son), we need to give heed to this all-important message concerning Jesus (12:18-29).

In his concluding remarks—the only part of the “letter” that actually sounds like a letter—the author begins by giving some ethical imperatives (13:1-8): believers are to show hospitality to those in need, they are to refrain from sexual immorality, and they are not to be materialistic.  Hmm, all things which still apply today!  He says that they must reject strange/errant teachings (13:9-14), they must praise and honour God even in the midst of difficult circumstances—in which case praise truly becomes a “sacrifice” to God (Heb 13:15-16).  Lay people must obey their leaders (Heb 13:17)—a note Paul regularly sounds in his letters. 

Hebrews then closes with one of the richest benedictions in the NT (Heb 13:20-21).  It is grounded in the “God of peace”; it is effective through the person and work of Jesus, “the great shepherd of the sheep”; and the benediction issues forth in the divinely enabled ability to live a life pleasing to God . . . world without end, amen.

Next up: James.

Hebrews: 2

For eons Christians have struggled with making sense of the warning passages in Hebrews.  Many churches (especially those in the Wesleyan—Arminian tradition) interpret these texts as teaching that Christians can lose their salvation.  So, I guess for these Christians there’s really no struggle at all—except then they try to fit these texts with many other passages that seem to teach the exact opposite.  If, however, you don’t accept the Arminiam view, then how do you make sense of these warnings?  There are different interpretive approaches used by scholars of the Calvinist—Reform tradition; I’m just going to give you some of my thoughts in brief.

1^st, I think a good window into how the author views salvation is in chap. 3, where he writes: “But Christ is faithful as a son over God’s house; and we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast” (3:6), and “We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first” (3:14).  The operative word in these verses is “if.”  I think the implication of them is this: you are indeed Christ’s house IF you hold fast; but you are not his house if you do not hold fast.  Similarly, you have come to share in Christ IF you hold fast; but IF you do not hold fast, you never did come to share in him.  In other words, if you fall away, your falling away proves that you never really belonged to Christ.  Question: Can you think of other verses in the NT that reflect this position?

2^nd, the author makes a “we”/“us”—“they”/“them” distinction in terms of his expectations of his audience heeding his warnings, e.g., Heb 6:3 vs. 6:4-6 (“we” vs. them); Heb 10:39 (“we” vs. “those”).  To me this echoes the point above: for those who truly belong he has high hopes, but for those who don’t he does not.

3^rd, the terms that the author uses to describe his audience are general—i.e., he avoids using explicitly Christian terms (probably his intention!), seen in other NT letters (especially Paul’s).  His ambiguous terms can apply equally to believers and unbelievers.  Let me offer a few examples.  The author’s audience has been spiritually enlightened (Heb 6:4a); but does enlightenment mean they’re Christian?  Not according to John 1:4, 9: the whole world was enlightened b/c of the Incarnation. He says they have tasted Christ (v. 4a), but does tasting mean they’re Christian?  According to John 6, tasting Jesus is not enough—one must “eat,” “drink,” or “consume” Christ.  He says they have experienced or shared in the Holy Spirit, but does this mean they’re Christian?  Not according to John’s Gospel: John states that Caiaphas the high priest—the one who led the rebellion against Jesus—told his associates, “‘You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish’” (John 11:50). Then take close note of what John says next: “He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation (11:51).  Prophecy is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, yet this unbeliever experienced God’s Holy Spirit by prophesying in that moment!  So the terms he uses for his audience are quite broad indeed! Question: Can you think of another example (in the bible or otherwise) of an unbeliever experiencing God?  

4^th, every church is a mixed audience consisting of believers and unbelievers: some of those unbelievers know they are unbelievers, but some of them think they are believers (cf. Matt 7:21-23).  Thus, the warnings are indeed real and not fake: those “believers”—i.e., in name only—who fall away will be eternally condemned as the unbelievers they really are.

So for my money, given that genuine faith is demonstrated by holding fast to the end, given the author’s “we”/“them” distinction, given the ambiguous terms he uses to describe his audience, and given that every church has a mix of unbelievers and believers, I believe that the warning passages of Hebrews apply to everyone: we are all to move forward spiritually.  For true believers moving forward will confirm the veracity of their faith, but for other “believers” (i.e., in name only) their falling away will confirm their unbelief.  Much more could be said, but again, I’ll leave it at that.

Hebrews: 1

Following the order of the NT canon, Hebrews is the 1^st of the explicitly non-Pauline letters.  But as I mentioned in the blog “NTO 2,” some of the early church fathers believed that Paul wrote this letter (hence, its placement next to Philemon); the King James Version thus follows this belief, labeling it: “The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews.”

 Let me begin the survey of this “letter” with a few remarks about its background.  1^st, technically Hebrews is not a “letter”: it lacks most of the characteristics of Graeco-Roman letters, as evidenced, for example, by the letters of Paul (see the blog, “Ltr Back”).  Moreover, the author of Hebrews calls his “letter” a “sermon” (Heb 13:22).  In terms of date, it was probably written post-70 AD: the Temple talk is based on the scriptures and not on the 1^st-century institution (which was destroyed in AD 70); and the persecution of Christians comes later in the century not earlier than 70.  In terms of authorship, it was perhaps written by a Gentile, given the extremely high level Greek used, and the strong allegiance to Graeco-Roman thought (e.g., his Platonic ideas).  The audience of the text was probably Jewish Christians in Rome; the reason he writes them is b/c they are being sucked back into practicing Judaism in order to escape being persecuted b/c of their Christian faith. Question: In what ways could a Christian practice Judaism?  Is it possible to practice it without compromising Christianity?

Before we take look at the text, let me offer a basic outline: Christ’s superiority in his essence (1:1-7:28), Christ’s superiority in his ministry (8:1-10:31), a persevering faith in God results in God’s reward (10:32-12:29), concluding remarks (13:1-19), and closing statements (13:20-25).

Nearly the first half of the book is devoted to extolling Christ’s superiority in his essence.  Right off the top the author states that Jesus represents God’s ultimate/final revelation to the world (Heb 1:1-2).  Jesus is the climax of God’s revelation to humankind.  In fact, Jesus represents the very essence of God (Heb 1:3).  In other words, Jesus is God, not simply some lesser divine being; and as God, he sustains his creation by his powerful word, and he completed God’s plan for redemption.  Hence, Jesus is greater than the angels (Heb 1:4).  Angels were always considered extremely powerful beings in the OT; and during the interim between the Old and New Testaments, their role in providence and salvation became even more exalted.  So the author corrects this for his audience.  He gives some reasons why Jesus is greater than the angels: b/c he is God’s Son (Heb 1:4-5); b/c angels actually worship and serve him (Heb 1:6-7); b/c he is called “God” (Heb 1:8-9); and b/c he rules over God’s kingdom (1:8-14; cf. 2:5-8).

B/c Jesus is God that means that we need to give heed the message concerning him (Heb 2:1-4).  Question: How, according to this text, does someone heed the message of Jesus? 2:1-4 is the 1^st of the author’s infamous “warning passages”; I’m going to save my remarks for these warning passages when I get to chap. 6.

It is b/c Jesus is God and therefore greater than the angels that his suffering accomplished salvation (2:9-18).  Not surprisingly, then, Jesus is also greater than Moses (3:1-6).  Moses was considered more than just a hero to the Jews.  During the interim between the writing of the Old and New Testaments, there was tons of literature written about him, e.g., Testament of Moses, the Life of Moses, the Apocryphon of Moses, the Apocalypse of Moses, the Book of Moses, etc., etc., etc (just to name a few).  But despite Moses’ greatness, Jesus is far greater: Moses was only a servant in God’s house, but Jesus is not a servant but a son (Heb 3:2, 5-6); and while Moses served in God’s house, Jesus created that house and owns it (3:3-4).  Once again, in view of Jesus’ surpassing greatness, we need to heed the message concerning him (3:7-4:16): don’t fall back from your faith in Christ but move ahead (Heb 4:11)! Question: Can you think of other reasons to move forward in your faith?

Jesus is also greater than the mysterious high priest, Melchizedek (5:1-10; 7:1-28).  Of all the high priests of the past, the greatest was Melchizedek.  He was not simply a priest but a king (7:1-2); he was even greater than the “founder” of God’s people, Abraham (7:1-4); and his priesthood served as an archetype for all others (Heb 5:6; 7:17).  Yet, Jesus surpasses even this great high priest: Mel was a priest of the Old Covenant, but Jesus inaugurates and ministers the vastly superior New Covenant.  The author will return to his point of the superiority of the New Covenant in chap. 8.

At the close of his 2 discussions of Jesus’ high priesthood (5:1-10 and 10:1-17), the author offers 2 frightening warnings about “falling away” from the faith.  I will look at these next.

Philemon

While not the shortest text in the NT, Philemon is Paul’s shortest letter.  For that reason alone, I like it!

In terms of the social-historical background: it seems that Philemon’s slave, Onesimus, ran away (as slaves were sometime wont to do) and met up with Paul, who led him to Christ.  Paul then sent Onesimus (with this letter) back to his master, Philemon—as the Roman law required.  But Paul makes an appeal to Philemon: that he should treat Onesimus lovingly and not according to the rigour of the Roman law.  Paul wrote this letter from prison, either from Rome (thus dating it to the early 60s), or from Ephesus or Colossae (dating it to the late 50s).

The basic structure of the letter is as follows: the opening (vv. 1-3), an expression of thanksgiving and confidence (vv.4-9), an appeal for Onesimus (vv. 10-20), and closing remarks (vv. 21-25).  So, let’s follow the flow of Paul’s thought . . .

In his opening salutation, while the letter takes its name from the lead recipient (Philemon), Paul actually addresses 3 people: Philemon, Apphia, and Archippus (as well as the members of their house church).  Paul begins the body of this letter by offering a prayer of thanksgiving for Philemon (Phil 4-7).  Paul is thankful for Philemon’s love for and faith in Jesus, and he’s thankful that his love and faith in Jesus are expressed by his love for all the believers; he then prays that the generosity of his faith might become even more active through the knowledge of the blessings Christ offers believers.

Now we know that Paul is going to make an appeal for Onesimus’s freedom (vv. 10-14).  But before he makes his actual appeal, he “softens” Philemon up for his request.  How does he do this?  Look carefully at vv. 4-9.   Paul has acknowledged Philemon’s great love for all believers; he has prayed that this love for others would become especially active/effective; he has acknowledged how Philemon has refreshed other believers; he appeals to him in love not apostolic authority; Paul acknowledges his own agedness (i.e., he’s nearing the “end of the line”); he expresses his confidence that Philemon will do what he asks him.  And oh yeah, remember the salutation?  The letter is addressed to 2 other people (and their house church).  In other words, Paul let’s everyone in one the request he’s about to make of Philemon.  Talk about pressure!

Now to Paul’s plea for Onesimus’s emancipation (Phil 10-14): Paul grounds his appeal in 4 factors.  1^st, Onesimus’s newfound usefulness to Paul: Paul tells Philemon of his slave’s usefulness to him in prison. Paul has led him to Christ, and he has now proven himself to be extremely dear to Paul (Phil 10-14).  2^nd, divine providence: Paul suggests that maybe Onesimus’s running away was ultimately part of God’s plan to convert him to Christ (Phil 14-16).  Question: Can you think of a time/situation in your life where God turned a negative into a definite positive? 3^rd, Paul’s relationship with Philemon: he acknowledges that they have a close relationship, and that Philemon owes his own conversion—like Onesimus—to Paul (Phil 17-19).  4^th, Philemon’s love-ministry to other believers (v. 16, 20): Onesimus is now a believer—hence, an eligible recipient for Philemon’s love-ministry; moreover, Philemon can now minister to Paul in this way—that is, if he grants him this one request.  In his closing remarks, Paul offers a final expression of his confidence in Philemon to do the right thing (Phil 21).  Question: In the end, do you think Philemon granted Onesimus his freedom?

Paul has often been misunderstood on the issue of slavery.  Numerous people (e.g., Christian slave owners of yesteryear and other pro-slavery proponents) argue that Paul never spoke out against slavery.  In fact, in a couple of instances where he addresses this institution he seems to condone it (e.g., Eph 6; Col 3).  This implies (they argue) that he was pro-slavery—otherwise, if Paul was against slavery why did he not explicitly speak out against it?  This is a hard question, but let me try to address it in brief.  1^st, this letter clearly shows Paul’s heart in the matter: he believed a slave should be granted his freedom—otherwise, why else would he say what he said?  2^nd, while slavery was not the ideal, the emancipation of slaves was probably not a priority for Paul b/c it wasn’t crucial for the proclamation of the gospel or for the establishment of churches.  And 3^rd, Paul probably believed that this was Jesus’ call: in other words, when Jesus returned he would be the one to overturn all evil institutions and establish his kingdom.

That’s it for the letters of Paul.  Now we move to the explicitly non-Pauline letters of the NT.

Titus

Confession time: OK, I maybe know least about this text than any other NT book (and that’s saying a lot).  Um, I remember the Fox sitcom “Titus”—but I never watched it.  So now that I’ve frightened some people off, let’s get to it!

As was the case with 1-2 Timothy, the purpose of this letter was to help Titus deal with false teachers/teaching, and deal with the church’s organizational difficulties.  Scholars believe that it was written some time between 1 and 2 Timothy.  The basic structure of the letter is: opening (1:1-4), leadership matters (1:5-16), instructions for the church (2:1-15), instructions for daily living (3:1-8), further instructions about dealing with false teaching (3:9-11), and closing remarks (3:12-15).  So let’s take a look at Titus.

If you take a quick scan of Titus you can see certain recurring words: “belief”/“faith”/“trust” (etc.)—same Greek word behind each—“teaching”/“doctrine”, “sound”, “sensible”, “good deeds,” and “God our Saviour” (these words might vary depending on your bible version) These repetitions reveal the author’s emphases, like faith and orthodoxy.

In his opening greeting, Paul refers to “the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness” (Tit 1:1).  Knowledge of the truth leads to godliness.  In other words, if someone who claims to be a Christian, i.e., 1 of God’s elect (cf. 1:1), then their knowledge of the Truth—Jesus (John 14:6)—and his truth (the scriptures) necessarily leads to a godly life; otherwise the veracity of their confession remains in doubt (e.g., Tit 1:16a).  Question: Why should “knowledge of the truth” lead to a godly lifestyle?  Can’t you “know” the truth without it influencing how you live?

Paul then quickly moves to leadership matters, specifically, for elders.  Paul reminds Titus that he left him in Crete to appoint elders for the different congregations (Tit 1:5).  He then restates for him the qualifications for elders (1:6-9) which, not surprisingly, sound nearly identical to those listed in 1 Timothy; so I needn’t go into them any further here.  2 important prerequisites of an elder is that he be able to teach and be sound in doctrine, in order to silence false teachers who go around upsetting believers with their deceptions (Tit 1:9-11).  Question: Do these requirements mean that every elder in the church should have some sort of teaching ministry?  Similar to what we observed in 1 Timothy, the false teaching seemed to revolve around Jewish mysticism and an unwarranted emphasis on obeying the legal requirements of the Mosaic Law (1:14).

Paul’s instructions now broaden to the rest of the church, offering instructions dealing with the character of older men (2:2), the behaviour of older women, for whom he has much more to say (2:3-5): they are to mind their habits, their speech, and help teach the younger women to be good home-makers.  Paul similarly offers instruction for young men—for whom Titus is to set a godly example (Tit 2:7-8)—specifically, about controlling themselves (2:6).  He also addresses slaves (2:9-10) who, by conducting themselves well, can “make the teaching about Christ attractive” (Tit 2:10).  Interestingly enough, masters are not addressed, which is odd b/c I think in every other instance in the NT slaves and masters are always addressed together.  Question: Why do you think masters are not explicitly addressed here?

The basis for all of these ethical exhortations is “the grace of God” (Tit 2:11), i.e., the gospel.  The gospel brings salvation to every person—regardless of age, race, class, gender, etc.—who receives it.  But salvation isn’t just about being saved “from” something; it’s about being saved “for” something.  In other words, we are saved “from” God’s eternal punishment of sin, and we are saved “for” godliness/holiness (Tit 2:12).  This truth receives emphasis in the subsequent verses: Jesus gave/sacrificed himself on the cross in order to redeem/save us but also to purify us for himself (Tit 2:13-14).  There is no pardon with purity!

Similar to Paul’s exhortation in Rom 13, he exhorts Titus to command the people to obey the earthly authorities and to watch their conduct before people in general, walking especially with a humble spirit (3:1-2).  It certainly can be difficult to do this at times, given how crude and rebellious unbelievers can be.  But patience comes with understanding: we used to be the same way (3:3); “use to,” that is, until Christ saved us.

Verses 4-7 offer an amazing picture of salvation.  1^st, Christ’s incarnation—which brought salvation—was a completely free act of divine kindness (Tit 3:4); God did not owe fallen humanity the incarnation.  The only debt God owed us was eternal punishment!  2^nd, God saved us purely out of mercy (Tit 3:5a).  God didn’t have to send Jesus; but having sent him, he did not apply his cross-work to people who tried to do good works to try to gain God’s favour—b/c no one ever could!  Salvation is purely an act of mercy/grace.  3^rd, salvation comes through the work of the Holy Spirit (Tit 3:5b-6).  Jesus said that no one can come to him unless the Father draws him (John 6:44).  This drawing is none other than the salvific work of the Holy Spirit in the life of a person who is in the process of coming to (faith in) Jesus.  Question: What does the “drawing” work of the Holy Spirit look like in the life of an unbeliever?  4^th, the initial result of salvation is justification with God (Tit 3:7); in other words, God declares the guilty person just in his sight b/c of Christ.  The final result is we get to receive/experience our full inheritance in Christ when we are with him in glory.

I think with that, I’ll end my overview of Titus.  Next up: Paul’s shortest letter in the NT.

2 Timothy

The 2^nd letter to Timothy is considerably shorter than the 1^st, but it still has a lot of neat little tidbits.

The basic structure of the letter is: opening/introduction (1:1-5), an appeal not to be ashamed of the gospel (1:6-18), the necessity of suffering (2:1-13), responsible leadership (2:14-26), living in light of the End Times (3:1-17), Paul’s final charge to Timothy (4:1-8), and closing remarks & instructions (4:9-22).

Paul opens by stating how thankful he is for Timothy’s faith in Christ—a faith imparted to him by his mother and grandmother (2 Tim 1:5); in other words, they probably led him to Christ at an early age.  Since no men are mentioned, it’s likely that these women became Christians but their husbands did not.  So we can see here 1 of the blessings of being born into a Christian family.  Question: While a Christian heritage can be a blessing, can you think of any downsides of being born into a Christian family?  Tim was probably a young (cf. 1 Tim 4:12) and quite shy pastor, so Paul exhorts him not to be afraid or ashamed to speak out for the gospel, but to be a witness to it through the power of the Holy Spirit (2 Tim 1:7-8).  Tim can take heart in Paul’s example, for Paul rejected shame and suffered much for the gospel, and indeed continues to do so (1:11-12; cf. 1:16).

Paul extends his discussion of suffering and shame by using some common metaphors for the Christian life.  1^st, he compares Christians to “soldiers” (2 Tim 2:3-4).  Just like soldiers, Christians can expect to suffer harm in battle; so we need to arm ourselves with a soldier’s mentality, knowing that our commanding officer is none other than Christ.  Christians are like athletes: there are rules by which we must abide and a prize (Phil 3:14) for which we compete (2 Tim 2:5).  Believers are like farmers, so followers of Christ should be able to enjoy their own harvest (2:6).  Even though we suffer hardship, the Word of God will always prosper, and God remains ever faithful to see us through our trials (2:9-13).

Paul admonishes Timothy to be faithful to the Word of God, and not get sidetracked by foolish talk and teaching (2:14-18).  Question: Can you think of any foolish controversies that preachers/pastors get caught up in that they shouldn’t?  Tim must further separate himself from false teachers through his integrity and upright character (2 Tim 2:22-24).  It is the attitude and actions of false teachers that will characterize the moral ethos of the End times (3:1-13).  But 1 thing that should distinguish Timothy and others in the midst of such spiritual chaos is a commitment to the bible—a book Timothy encountered at a young age—for only it is God-inspired, and useful for transforming our lives according to the pattern set for us by Christ (2 Tim 3:16-17).

Thus, Paul charges his protégé to always be about the business of preaching the Word of God (2 Tim 4:2), b/c in the last days, most will turn aside from it and/or not listen to it.  But Tim must continue to endure any hardship related to preaching the Word, just as Paul has (4:5-7).  To those who endure to the end, great reward awaits them from God (2 Tim 4:8).

As he closes out his letter, Paul—as was his custom—continues to name names re. Christian “drop-outs” (2 Tim 4:10a, 14-15), and re. faithful followers (4:10b-13, 19).  2 things strike me about his final words.  1^st, how Paul loved the bible! (2 Tim 4:13)  Paul’s on death row with limited freedoms; he can only receive 1 item; what does he want?  What does he ask for?  What would you ask for?  He wants his bible!  Wow!  2^nd, he makes a statement that still puzzles me.  He declares that the Lord has always stood by him and protected him during his missionary journeys, and that he delivered him from the “lion’s mouth.” (2 Tim 4:17).  It’s the next part that strikes me: “The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom” (4:18).  History tells us that Paul was executed by the Romans—according to church tradition, his head was lopped off.  So how does what he says here square with how his life ended? . . . .

Next up: Titus.