Author: Melodye Reeves

Relentless Day 9 Relentless Love: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Relentless Love!

The Questions

1) What caused Jonah to become “furious” (4:1)? Why is it so significant to the story?

2) What caused Jonah to be “pleased” (4:6)? Why is it so significant to the story?

3) What does God’s response reveal about His heart of compassion toward rebellious people (4:11)?

Jonah 3:10-4:11

10 God saw their actions—that they had turned from their evil ways—so God relented from the disaster he had threatened them with. And he did not do it

1 Jonah was greatly displeased and became furious. 2 He prayed to the Lord: “Please, Lord, isn’t this what I thought while I was still in my own country? That’s why I fled toward Tarshish in the first place. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger, abounding in faithful love, and one who relents from sending disaster. 3 And now, Lord, take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.”4 The Lord asked, “Is it right for you to be angry?”
5 Jonah left the city and found a place east of it. He made himself a shelter there and sat in its shade to see what would happen to the city. 6 Then the Lord God appointed a plant, and it grew over Jonah to provide shade for his head to rescue him from his trouble. Jonah was greatly pleased with the plant. 7 When dawn came the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, and it withered. 8 As the sun was rising, God appointed a scorching east wind. The sun beat down on Jonah’s head so much that he almost fainted, and he wanted to die. He said, “It’s better for me to die than to live.”
9 Then God asked Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?” “Yes, it’s right!” he replied. “I’m angry enough to die!”
10 So the Lord said, “You cared about the plant, which you did not labor over and did not grow. It appeared in a night and perished in a night. 11 But may I not care about the great city of Nineveh, which has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot distinguish between their right and their left, as well as many animals?”

Original Intent

1) What caused Jonah to become “furious” (4:1)? Why is it so significant to the story?
In 2 Kings 14:25 we find evidence that Jonah was a historical prophet (not a parable character) called by God. He was a real man whose story was equally real. Jesus also referred to Jonah and Nineveh, giving us some idea what the city was like and what made Jonah furious. “This generation is an evil generation. It demands a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation.” (Luke 11:29-30) In Jonah 4:2 Jonah tells God: “I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger, abounding in faithful love, and one who relents from sending disaster.”
Old Testament professor Dr. Douglas Stuart says Jonah “was a prophet who has this kind of special situation.” Unlike his contemporaries Amos and Hosea, the attitude of Jonah is revealed more than his message. Dr Stuart gives insight into Jonah’s anger and its significance. The prophet had been preaching “the destruction of Israel’s enemies. [But] the Assyrians were far more threatening than some of those Jonah preached against like the Syrians. He does not want to hear that God is now calling him to go and have a ministry of compassion to people he hates.”

2) What caused Jonah to be “pleased” (4:6)? Why is it so significant to the story?
Bible scholars are not in agreement about the best interpretation of the Hebrew word used to describe what God provided for Jonah’s shade. The word kikayon is only referenced here in the book of Jonah. The CSB says God caused a “plant” to grow over Jonah’s head, where other translations will say tree. Whatever it was, Bible commentator John Calvin said “it must have therefore been something extraordinary. God added this shrub to the shade afforded by the booth: for in those regions, as we know, the sun is very hot; and further, it was, as we shall see, an extraordinary heat. So, it protects him a little bit in the early day when the sun is slanting and late. Then God causes this leafy gourd to grow up very quickly and suddenly he has got a roof. Now that is not bad. Breeze comes through and you have got shade and it is not bad. He kind of likes that gourd; it is a nice gourd.” (Biblehub.com) Simply put, the shade pleased Jonah. The contrast in Jonah’s attitude from anger to pleasure was of great significance, revealing what mattered most to Jonah. Sadly, it was not God’s mercy that comforted the prophet. Neither did he desire for it to be shown to the Ninevites.

3) What does God’s response reveal about His heart of compassion toward rebellious people (4:11)?
When God told Jonah He “cared” about the people of Nineveh (verse 11), He was communicating His mercy. The Hebrew meaning here is “to pity, look upon with compassion.” (biblehub.com) God’s desire was to spare them, despite their wickedness. This tender God would have spared the city of Sodom if only ten righteous men were found. (Genesis 18:20-33) Jonah obviously knew it was this kind of God who called him to Nineveh. “I knew You were a gracious and compassionate God.” (verse 2) Although some interpret the phrase to denote only children, most likely the “people who cannot distinguish between their right and their left” (verse 11) refer to all the Ninevite people in spiritual ignorance. The Hebrew word used here in Jonah is not the Hebrew word for “children,” giving evidence that a broader interpretation which includes all the people in Nineveh is probably the best rendering. (Holman OT Commentary) God is a God who takes pity on those who stumble blindly in the darkness of sin. His heart is merciful toward those far from Him. On the cross, God the Son prayed for His Father to forgive those who were murdering Him, saying “because they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:32-24)

Everyday Application

1) What caused Jonah to become “furious” (4:1)? Why is it so significant to the story?
When we first read about Jonah’s anger toward the people of Nineveh, we might find ourselves judging him and being critical of his merciless attitude. But if we consider the many who had loved ones die on 9-11, we begin to possibly comprehend his hatred toward a group of people.
What would you feel if you had a grandmother who shared her experience of captivity and severe abuse at the hands of Germans during the Holocaust, and then God called you to go as a missionary to Germany? From a distance, we can allow our resentment to subtly take shape within our hearts. We convince ourselves that evil and murderous people don’t deserve God’s love. We even dismiss them from our thoughts, or we pray for their destruction. Thankfully, God is not like us! He calls us to share the good news of the gospel even with our enemies. Though there will ultimately be a day of judgment for those who reject God, until then He calls us to patiently wait on Him as He pursues people and bestows His mercy on those who repent. (2 Peter 3:6)

2) What caused Jonah to be “pleased” (4:6)? Why is it so significant to the story?
Jonah was pleased while things were going his way. Briefly he sat watching Nineveh from his comfortable shelter in hopes that he would witness the destruction of those he hated so much. His pleasure, however, was short-lived when God interrupted it with a worm and a scorching wind. Similarly, the Scriptures tell us of a man named Job (Job 1:1) who was experiencing all the blessings of God. Amid his comfortable life, unknown to Job, Satan approached God and asked for permission to strike his life and fill it with suffering. Like Jonah, Job began to question God about his life, wondering why he was even born. (Job 3:1-3) Unlike Jonah, he did not waver in his understanding that God was in control. He knew He could put his hope in Him no matter what would come. (Job 2:10, Job 13:15) The significant lesson for us is that God is God and we aren’t. When Job asked God to explain, God didn’t really give an answer as much as He simply declared Who He is. (Job 40-41). When Jonah fretted over the loss of his comfort more than people’s lives being destroyed, God reminded him of Who He is and how He loves: “May I not care about the great city of Nineveh?”. (verse 11)

3) What does God’s response reveal about His heart of compassion toward rebellious people (4:11)?
Before we are too hard on old Jonah, we must ask ourselves what our response would have been. WE are Jonah! Thankfully, Jonah wasn’t judging the Ninevites and neither are we the final judge of our enemies. It is the gracious God of the universe who calls them to repentance and offers His forgiveness. Just as we are Jonah, we are also Ninevites – people desperately in need of the mercy. The shepherd/king, David, is a great example of someone who rehearsed the goodness of God (Psalm 23) He was deeply grateful for the forgiveness of God. (Psalm 51) I especially love David’s reflection when he had disobeyed God regarding a census. Of the three consequences presented to David, instead of relying on a human’s mercy, David chose to trust the mercy of God. (2 Samuel 24) And I’m with David! “David answered Gad, ‘I have great anxiety. Please, let us fall into the Lord’s hands because His mercies are great, but don’t let me fall into human hands.’” (2 Samuel 24:14)
“Because of the Lord’s faithful love we do not perish for his mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness! I say, ‘The Lord is my portion; therefore I will put my hope in Him.’” Lamentations 3:22-24

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Relentless Love!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Relentless Week Two!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Focus Day 12 Giving Space And Losing Control: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Giving Space And Losing Control!

The Questions

1) Does verse 13 prohibit or discourage believers from making plans?

2) Does the warning to the rich (5:1) connect to the previous verses in chapter 4?

3) The Bible plainly teaches that overt disobedience to God is sin, sometimes called a ‘sin of commission’; but how serious is it to simply neglect to do what is good, sometimes called a ‘sin of omission’? (verse 17)

James 4:13-5:6

13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.” 14 Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring—what your life will be! For you are like vapor that appears for a little while, then vanishes. 15 Instead, you should say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 But as it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 So it is sin to know the good and yet not do it.
Come now, you rich people, weep and wail over the miseries that are coming on you. 2 Your wealth has rotted and your clothes are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have stored up treasure in the last days. 4 Look! The pay that you withheld from the workers who mowed your fields cries out, and the outcry of the harvesters has reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts. 5 You have lived luxuriously on the earth and have indulged yourselves. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned, you have murdered the righteous, who does not resist you.

Original Intent

1) Does verse 13 prohibit or discourage believers from making plans?
We can know that James is not discouraging planning because of what he says in verse 15. He isn’t dealing with man’s plans as much as he is encouraging the reader to consider God’s sovereign rule in everything, just as the writer of Proverbs does: “Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the Lord’s decree will prevail” (Proverbs 19:21) and “Don’t boast about tomorrow, for you don’t know what a day might bring.” (Proverbs 27:1) Both Bible authors are expressing what God intends our posture to be towards Him, and what our attitude should be as we make plans. Under the influence of the Spirit (2 Peter 1:20-21), James was recalling and emphasizing these Old Testament principles. Neither the writer of Proverbs nor James prohibit planning. In fact, there are many Proverbs that encourage it! (Proverbs 15:22; Proverbs 16:3, Proverbs 24:27, and Proverbs 6:6-8) The focus is our need for humility and dependence on God as we plan, recognizing that He is in control of our present and future.

 

 

2) Does the warning to the rich (5:1) connect to the previous verses in chapter 4?
Bible scholars disagree about who James is directly addressing in James 4:13-5:6 (studylight.org). Whether he was speaking to those inside or outside the church, it’s clear that his appeal was urgent and serious and meant to be heard by all. James makes the same connection in chapters 4 and 5 that we find in the Gospel of Luke. Jesus told a story about a man who made plans for himself regarding his money. (Luke 12:16-21) This man proved his arrogance in the way he misused what was in his possession. James’ mention of the cause for their fights and quarrels (4:1-2) gives us insight into the attitude that had crept in to the hearts of his hearers.  Self-sufficiency was evidently taking the place of dependence on God. There were those in the church who had been influenced by an egotistical perspective which puts man in control rather than God. (James 4:6-10 ) James’ serious words in 4:13 and 5:1 take a similar tone to the Old Testament prophets like Isaiah. (Isaiah 10:1-2) The first words in both verses, “come now”, were meant to get the audience’s attention and reveal their self-reliance regarding their plans and possessions. The Expositor’s Greek Testament explains that “this expression of disapproval occurs only in 4:13 and in James 5:1 in the New Testament” and has a similar meaning to the phrase “woe is you.”

3) The Bible plainly teaches that overt disobedience to God is sin, sometimes called a ‘sin of commission’; but how serious is it to simply neglect to do what is good, sometimes called a ‘sin of omission’? (verse 17)
We don’t find the phrases “sin of omission” and/or “sin of commission” mentioned specifically in the Scriptures. But the Bible contains many verses which mention sin as a result of not doing something God’s Word commands us to do, as well as those sins a person deliberately commits. In the New Testament, Jesus uses a parable to compare a righteous Samaritan to an unrighteous priest and a Levite. The latter, knowing what was good, failed to do it. The former demonstrated his compassion by stopping to assist a man in need (Luke 10:30-37).  In His story, Jesus was making it clear that not doing the good thing was sinful. In Matthew 25:42-46 , those who are separated from Christ are the ones who saw others’ needs but did not provide for them. There was not intentional harm done, but there was an absence of intentional good. The subtlety of this kind of sin, sin of omission, is what makes this passage so serious. Just as neglecting the needy is unrighteous, so is the kind of pride that causes a lack of acknowledgment of God’s sovereign rule in our lives. “The Lord does whatever he pleases in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all the depth.” Psalm 135:6

Everyday Application

1) Does verse 13 prohibit or discourage believers from making plans?
Paul told Timothy that all Scripture was to be used in our learning. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) As we examine the many Bible passages that speak to some of our questions, we discover what the writers are teaching us through the wider lens. We know James is not instructing the Christian to stop making plans because of what the whole Bible teaches. Solomon repeatedly referred to the wisdom of planning. He even connected it to our possessions and how planning affects our future. Jesus also taught that planning was beneficial. (Luke 14:28-32) The slippery slope for us is failing to acknowledge how God is ultimately in control of every plan we make. We don’t have to verbally say “if the Lord wills” every time we plan something, but we certainly should have that thought in our heart and it should change our outlook and attitude about all our plans and encounters throughout the every day.

2) Does the warning to the rich (5:1) connect to the previous verses in chapter 4?
Most Christians would probably admit that much of their anxiety stems from something related to their finances or possessions. It is difficult to hold material things so loosely that if we lose them, we remain content. What we have can became a source of false security for us. When we let worry infest our living, we can unintentionally become hoarders instead of helpers. We can become keepers, not givers. Failure to daily see God as our sole Life giver and Lifesaver allows too much space in our hearts for the things of the world to move in and reside.
It’s important to maintain humility as we go through our lives, knowing it’s God who has given us everything we have, and He is also the One working in and through every plan to produce something good in and for us. (1 Corinthians 4:7, Romans 8:27-28) Once we learn to focus on His goodness and generosity, we can free ourselves to help others, rather than take advantage of them or oppress them for our own gain.

3) The Bible plainly teaches that overt disobedience to God is sin, sometimes called a ‘sin of commission’; but how serious is it to simply neglect to do what is good, sometimes called a ‘sin of omission’? (verse 17)
Sometimes it’s harder to see our sins of omission. We can become proud of our obedience in the way we avoid overt sins and can miss the grief we bring to the heart of God by our lack of “doing good” when given the opportunity. Though it takes time and intentional practice, it is vital that those of us who desire to please God recognize our dependence on Him. As we begin our day looking at our calendars, we can direct our attention toward Him. Do you see the “watermark” of God’s will on every page of your life’s journal? We should. It’s there in the background of our lives. The jobs we have, the money we make, the kids we raise, the friends we meet … what we commit to and what we omit should all be viewed in light of God’s will. When we take that first step of the day, let’s not neglect acknowledging His presence, His purpose, and His power in our every moment. To fail to do so is sin, and we don’t desire to grieve Him.

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Giving Space And Losing Control!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Focus Week Three!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Open Day 14 Radical Offering: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Radical Offering!

The Questions

1) Who is speaking and who is the audience in this passage?

2) Who are “they” in verse 44?

3) Based on verse 46, in its context of the entire passage, how is true, genuine righteousness demonstrated?

Matthew 25:42-46

42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink; 43 I was a stranger and you didn’t take me in; I was naked and you didn’t clothe me, sick and in prison and you didn’t take care of me. 44 “Then they too will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or without clothes, or sick, or in prison, and not help you?’
45 “Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ 46 “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.

Original Intent

1) Who is speaking and who is the audience in this passage?
The One speaking in these verses is Jesus. This passage is part of His teaching that began in the previous chapter of Matthew. “As Jesus left and was going out of the temple…” (Matthew 24:1) As He proceeded from the temple and made His way to the Mount of Olives, Jesus made a startling statement, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” Obviously curious, the disciples privately approached Him (Matthew 24:3) with questions. Commentator Ray Stedman explains: “It was well known that the Romans were lovers of temples. It was their boast that they preserved, if at all possible, the temples and monuments of any country they conquered. They had been in power in Palestine for many years and they had not destroyed the Temple. There seemed no good reason, therefore, why this Temple should ever be destroyed. But Jesus solemnly assures them that there would not be one stone left standing upon the other.”
Matthew 24-25, often referred to as the Olivet Discourse, contain the long answer to the disciples’ questions. Matthew 26:1 indicates it was only the disciples with Jesus as He spoke. (Matthew 26:1)

2) Who are “they” in verse 44?
Contained in Jesus’ long answer to the disciples was a warning communicated through a parable. In His explanation of future events, Jesus designated every person a sheep or a goat. He also assigned them a position on the right and the left. Although we have no scriptural evidence for why He chose to make the goats the evil ones and the sheep the virtuous ones, Bible commentator Adam Clarke compares them in a helpful way:
“Sheep, which have ever been considered as the emblems of mildness, simplicity, patience and usefulness, represent here the genuine disciples of Christ. Goats, which are naturally quarrelsome, lascivious, and excessively ill-scented, were considered the symbols of riotous, profane, and impure men.” In this chapter, it’s evident that the message of the parable is much less about the characteristics of sheep and goats, and much more about how behavior indicates what is truly in a person’s heart. Jesus began by describing the deeds of the righteous sheep (Matthew 25:35-40) positioned on the right. In verse 44, He’s referring to the unrighteous goats on the left, previously mentioned in Matthew 25:41. These are “they”. When Christ returns, “they” will join all the others mentioned in chapters 24-25 who will spend eternity separated from God.

3) Based on verse 46, in its context of the entire passage, how is true, genuine righteousness demonstrated?
Chapter 25 ends with a serious statement from Jesus, just as chapter 24 does. (Matthew 24:51) The disciples’ questions regarding Jesus’ coming again and the “end of the age” gave Him an opportunity to again teach them about true righteousness as opposed to the false righteousness of the religious leaders of the day. (Matthew 5:20)
The Scriptures, Old Testament and New Testament both, clearly state what God means when He calls His people to righteousness. It’s not a call to work for our salvation, but it is a call to work out our salvation through obedience. James explains that true religion is demonstrated by our deeds. (James 1:26-27) This is especially true of how we respond to those in need within the church. The good works mentioned in Jesus’ parable are not meant to communicate that salvation is achieved by our efforts. He is stressing that our salvation will produce effects, including a compassion for others that motivates us to love through serving. The disciples very likely did not understand all that Jesus was saying about His returning (Matthew 24:27, 36, 44 and Matthew 25:13). He hadn’t even left yet! But one thing is certain, as commentator Adam Clarke reminds us:
“… the punishment inflicted on [these] was not because of their personal crimes; but because they were not good and were not useful … Their lives do not appear to have been stained with crimes, but they were not adorned with virtues. They are sent to hell because they did no good. They were not renewed in the image of God; and hence did not bring forth fruit to His glory.”

Everyday Application

1) Who is speaking and who is the audience in this passage?
Jesus taught and lived out compassion in front of His disciples in everyday life. His very purpose for coming to earth was to love other through serving them. (Mark 10:45) The disciples may have been slow learners, but that didn’t stop Jesus from teaching deep truths and demonstrating his compassionate love over and over. More than once, the disciples asked Jesus a question and they received an answer that was deeper and broader than they probably expected. Had we been in earshot of the conversation on the Mount of Olives, would we have chosen to keep following Him? The calling on the life of every disciple is exactly the same. What Jesus spoke on this day has just as much relevance today as it did then. As His followers, may we remain close to Him through His word. May we read and study this parable and pray for wisdom to practice the hospitality Jesus was teaching His disciples to live out with bold love.

2) Who are “they” in verse 44?
It’s doubtful that anyone participating in this Bible study desires to be counted with the goats in the parable Jesus told. Yet, we may find ourselves feeling guilty we aren’t serving our brothers and sisters in Christ the way we should. Though we should not compare our service to others, we would be wise to study the Scriptures that teach us to serve others, to pray for God’s leading and strength to do exactly this, and to seek how we can reach out to those God wants us to love through service. For those who have no desire to serve others, this is a serious message from Jesus: examine your heart. It may take time to discover the practical ways to meet the needs of others, but His sheep recognize His voice and are willing to obey His command to love and serve those “least” among us. (John 10:27-28)

3) Based on verse 46, in its context of the entire passage, how is true, genuine righteousness demonstrated?
The righteous have eternal life, not because we do great works, but because Christ did the great work on the cross. (Galatians 1:3-4)The eternal life we have in Him has already begun for those who are in Christ. While on earth, we are to live like He did while He was here. It’s a life that is outward focused, because we know our future with Christ. Truly righteous people who have been made new in Christ see others’ needs and serve them as Jesus would. The true believer does this not out of duty, but from a heart of gratitude for salvation and the rich, fullness of knowing Christ. Rosaria Butterfield was the recipient of genuine hospitality and it changed her life:
“Counterfeit hospitality seeks to impress and entertain. Counterfeit hospitality separates host and guest in ways that allow no blending of the two roles. It separates people into noble givers and needy receivers, or hired givers and privileged receivers. Counterfeit hospitality comes with strings; Christian hospitality comes with strangers becoming neighbors as they become the family of God. Radically ordinary hospitality is never convenient. A good question to ask yourself: What is the difference between inconvenient and impossible?”
What we do for the stranger, the disadvantaged, and the disabled we do for the Lord Jesus.
It’s real love in action. And it’s a crucial element in the believer’s life.

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Radical Offering!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Open Week Three!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Captivating Day 4 Community Calling: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Community Calling!

The Questions

1) What is Paul referring to in verse 16 when he uses the connecting word “then”?

2) What does it mean for us to be a new creation once we are in Christ (verse 17)?

3) Who and what is God reconciling, and how does this shape our present reality regarding our relationships (verses 18-19)?

4) What makes us “ambassadors for Christ,” and how should it affect our lives to be His representative (verse 20)?

2 Corinthians 5:16-21

16 From now on, then, we do not know anyone from a worldly perspective. Even if we have known Christ from a worldly perspective, yet now we no longer know him in this way. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come! 18 Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. 19 That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf: “Be reconciled to God.” 21 He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Original Intent

1) What is Paul referring to in verse 16 when he uses the connecting word “then”?
The epistle genre of letter-writing was common in Jewish culture. All the known authors of the biblical epistles were either an apostle (meaning they were an original disciple of Jesus) or a close relative of Jesus. These men were all uniquely inspired and equipped by the Spirit of God to relay messages to the people of God through their writing. It’s probable that Paul wrote at least three letters to the Corinthian church. 1 Corinthians 5:9 refers to a previous letter; and in 2 Corinthians 2:3-4, he references information which was not covered in the first letter. Bible scholars believe there was at least one other letter, probably written between 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians.
It is essential in the study of 2 Corinthians 5 to consider its context within the letter as a whole, as well as his original letter to the people in Corinth (1 Corinthians). As he often does, Paul is expressing one extended thought regarding the gospel’s work in the life of a believer. In these letters, he uses the words “for” and “therefore” and “so”. Paul’s use of “then” in verse 16 refers the reader to what he said in the previous sentences regarding our relationship with Christ (verse 15). Because of His death, believers are those “who should no longer live for themselves, but for the one who died for them and was raised.” This was the essence of all of Paul’s writing. And of his living. (Romans 8:9-11, Galatians 2:8-21 Ephesians 2:4-8)

2) What does it mean for us to be a new creation once we are in Christ (verse 17)?
Most dictionaries define a Christian as “a person professing belief in Jesus as the Christ or in the religion based on His teachings.” Unfortunately, the English dictionary falls short of communicating what being a Christian really is. The word “Christian” is used only three times in the New Testament (Acts 11:21-26 ; Acts 26:25-29 ; 1 Peter 4:13-16), and was not meant as a compliment. At the time, it was common for Greeks to mockingly bestow nicknames to specific groups. Therefore, those who had followed Jesus – the one claiming to be the Christ – in their behavior, activity, and speech, were identified with Christ and were dubbed “little christs.”
In verse 17, Paul gives a definition of what it really means to be a Christian. His writing, teaching, and his own life, focused on the truth that a person who was ”in Christ” most significantly demonstrates his new identity by inwardly rejecting the (old) self-absorption into which each person is born. As a “new creation,” the believer’s mindset/heart enthrones Christ, not self. Paul’s aim was to persuade the Corinthians to deny themselves and the sinful habits attached to a self-focused life.

3) Who and what is God reconciling, and how does this shape our present reality regarding our relationships (verses 18-19)?
Scripture teaches the believer’s life is not worldly (verse 16). Once someone has become a “new creation,” he or she is in union with God and His kingdom purposes, just as Christ is. Although there will one day be an ultimate reconciling of everything to God (Acts 3:20-22 Colossians 1:19-20), God sent Jesus to become human in order to redeem the human race He created. Paul mentioned this in his first letter. (1 Corinthians 1:28-31) Every person is in desperate need of being reconciled with God because sin broke the relationship God had established with man, separating us from Him forever (Isaiah 59:2). Humanity, which was once God’s good creation, became God’s enemy because of sin. Thankfully, unlike every other religion in the world which dismisses the requirements of the moral law for mercy’s sake, Christianity is the demonstration of God’s mercy through His justice. The very sin that alienated every person from the Creator was also atoned for through Christ’s sacrificial death. (Romans 3:24-26 ) Instead of counting the trespasses of man against him, which was justified action, God Himself took the punishment (through Christ) so those who believe can be reconciled to Him. In response, the reconciled become part of God’s work in the world to reconcile others to Him.

4) What makes us “ambassadors for Christ,” and how should it affect our lives to be His representative (verse 20)?
Merriam-Webster defines an ambassador as one who is “accredited to another sovereign state … as the resident representative of their own government or sovereign.” Referring to himself as Christ’s ambassador, Paul saw himself and all believers as representatives of The Sovereign Lord. (Ephesians 6:18-20). Constantly aware of the grace of God, Paul’s letters indicate urgency as he pleads with the Corinthians to know and proclaim Christ crucified. (1 Corinthians 15:9-10, 2 Corinthians 4:14-15, 2 Corinthians 5:9-11 ) Paul continues his plea in Chapter 6, reminding the reader that God’s grace is to be received and applied to their lives, not ignored. As a new creation, a believer is intended to be a living gospel proclamation of Christ’s work on the cross on the sinner’s behalf. (Romans 12:1)
“Christ’s ambassadors come in God’s name, with His entreaties, and act in Christ’s stead, doing the very thing He did when He was upon this earth, and what He wills to be done now that He is in heaven.” (Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Bible).

Everyday Application

1) What is Paul referring to in verse 16 when he uses the connecting word “then”?
Paul wrote the majority of books we have in the New Testament. In all his writings, we see two big themes which give us a sense of his calling. He was chosen to 1) preach Christ to the Gentiles, and 2) relay God’s purpose for the Church. (Ephesians 3:8-9 )We know from his letters to the Corinthian church that conflict and unresolved issues had escalated among God’s people.  Paul once again took time to remind them of the gospel he was called preach. 2 Corinthians is Paul’s appeal to the church to practice forgiveness and reconciliation. Paul connects it this way: “For the love of Christ compels us, since we have reached this conclusion: ‘If one died for all then all died. And he died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for the one who died for them and was raised.’” (5:14-15)
Because of what Christ has done for the redeemed, we live for another world!

2) What does it mean for us to be a new creation once we are in Christ (verse 17)?
CS Lewis said, “Now the whole offer which Christianity makes is this: that we can, if we let God have His way, come to share in the life of Christ. If we do, we shall then be sharing a life which was begotten, not made, which always existed and always will exist. Christ is the Son of God. If we share in this kind of life, we also shall be sons of God. We shall love the Father as He does and the Holy Ghost will arise in us. He came to this world and became a man in order to spread to other men the kind of life He has — by what I call ‘good infection.’ Every Christian is to become a little Christ. The whole purpose of becoming a Christian is simply nothing else.” CS Lewis
God created humanity in His likeness and “it was very good”.  (Genesis 1:31) We failed to respond to Him in the way we should have and lost the good relationship we had when we sinned against Him. In His mercy, God redeemed and restored mankind, giving us the opportunity to be remade into His likeness and to enter into a forever relationship with Him. Paul gives us a great description of what it means to walk in this new life in Ephesians 4.

3) Who and what is God reconciling, and how does this shape our present reality regarding our relationships (verses 18-19)?
Those of us who have been reconciled to God through the cross of Christ are called to bring others into the family of God.  Paul made a plea for believers to recognize their responsibility to share the message of reconciliation with others. Although it’s not clear how we will be “repaid for what we have done … whether good or evil” at the judgment seat of Christ (5:10), Paul connects it to our witness in verse 11. Bible Commentator Bill Vaughn helps us to understand this: “The nature of the judgment … is not to judge sin … [but to] judge each Christian’s service for possible rewards. Paul’s greatest ambition was to please his Lord. Christians should follow Paul’s example and let the judgment seat of Christ be the reason for their ambition to please the Lord Jesus Christ in all of their service.”
The prophet Ezekiel had a similar word from the Lord (Ezekiel 3:17-19). Charles Spurgeon paraphrased Ezekiel’s words by saying: “If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies. If they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees. Let no one go there unwarned and un-prayed for.”

4) What makes us “ambassadors for Christ,” and how should it affect our lives to be His representative (verse 20)?
Believers are the ambassadors of the kingdom of God (that is, the rule of God over all the people in the world). As such, we represent Him to the world. He uses us to tell those not yet in Christ, that they can be reconciled to God through His Son. Paul’s plea to the church at Corinth is the same call on the life every believer. We are to sense the urgency of our mission of reconciliation. Because of His great mercy and love, God sent Jesus to pay the price for our reconciliation (John 3:14-17). The One who had never sinned became sin for us. (verse 21) This sacrifice compels us to share the message of reconciliation as bold ambassadors, doing so in love and compassion for those who have not yet experienced it.
“Our identity in Christ should be such an integral part of our lives that it is impossible for someone to know us well without understanding how our Christian faith informs our lives. By all means, build deep relationships with unbelievers. And be up front about who you and are and what you believe. Don’t go in cognito in order to be a better witness. Let people see Christ in you and let them know Who it is they’re seeing.” (Trevin Wax)

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Community Calling!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Captivating Week One!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Ignite Day 4 The Flame: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out The Flame!

The Questions

1) Some of Jesus’ sayings were hard because they were hard to understand. Some were hard because they were hard to obey. And some were both. What did Jesus mean in verse 26 when He said one must ‘hate his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters’?

2) Did Jesus make this statement intentionally to whittle down the size of the crowd? (Notice the connection the author, Luke, makes in verses 25-26)

3) How do the two illustrations Jesus used make His point to the crowd?

4) How does the flavor of salt (verse 34) relate to the previous verses and the overall message Jesus wanted the audience to hear?

Luke 14:25-35

25 Now great crowds were traveling with him. So, he turned and said to them: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, and even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you, wanting to build a tower, doesn’t first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, after he has laid the foundation and cannot finish it, all the onlookers will begin to ridicule him, 30 saying, ‘This man started to build and wasn’t able to finish.’
31 Or what king, going to war against another king, will not first sit down and decide if he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 If not, while the other is still far off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, therefore, every one of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.
34 Now, salt is good, but if salt should lose its taste, how will it be made salty? 35 It isn’t fit for the soil or for the manure pile; they throw it out. Let anyone who has ears to hear listen.”

Original Intent

1) Some of Jesus’ sayings were hard because they were hard to understand. Some were hard because they were hard to obey. And some were both. What did Jesus mean in verse 26 when He said one must ‘hate his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters’?
Verse 26 is set in the context of Jesus and a large crowd of followers, making the statement of Jesus even more dramatic. As always, being full of grace and truth, Jesus did not allow the circumstances to dictate His choice of words. He always knew and spoke the truth. Did it stun the crowd? Maybe they remembered He had spoken about this previously. On one occasion, Peter wondered if it was a message for everyone present. In His answer to Peter, Jesus quoted from the book of Micah, pronouncing division, not peace. (Luke 12:49-53) In the chapter before our focal passage, we find Jesus making His way to Jerusalem teaching this same message and prompting questions from the people: “So, will only a few be saved?” (Luke 13:22-23) Jesus never minced words, though He did often speak in parables. The crowd probably grasped these words much more than we do when we take this verse out of the context of Jesus’ life and ministry. They may not have completely comprehended all He meant, but they understood this was a radical call to commitment that superseded the bonds of their family relationships. Many recognized from their Hebrew Scripture the contrast between “love” and “hate” was sometimes used to communicate preference. (Genesis 29:31, Deuteronomy 21:15-17, Malachi 1:2-3)  This was not a command to an emotion of hate toward family or self. This was a call to self-denial and complete surrender, choosing Jesus above all others. The cost for them to continue to follow Jesus would be deep and wide.

2) Did Jesus make this statement intentionally to whittle down the size of the crowd? (Notice the connection the author, Luke, makes in verses 25-26)
Luke makes special note of the fact there was a multitude present. In chapter 12, he also made mention of the large crowd (Luke 12:1). Although Jesus and His disciples spent time away from the masses, when people heard He was near they usually gathered in droves. We read in the four Gospels of Jesus speaking directly to His disciples, yet much of the larger crowd was often in earshot of His teaching. The enormous crowds following Jesus frequently did so for His miracles. They saw Him heal diseases and provide for needs. Jesus used these opportunities to explain to them the necessity of sacrifice. He did not shy away from the hard truths. In fact, He made difficult and exclusionary statements, knowing the future grim consequences. Although He was popular, for the most part the crowds did not desire to obey Him, nor were they willing to surrender their lives. (John 6) They loved to marvel at the miraculous. (John 4:48) They found Jesus to be fascinating in numerous ways, but He knew their hearts were far from God. He declared His intentions to the people who were listening, and He also exposed theirs. (Luke 11:27-30) Even though He knew their ultimate rejection would bring about His death, He wept for them. (Luke 19:41-42)

3) How do the two illustrations Jesus used make His point to the crowd?
As in His previous teachings, Jesus is warning the eager multitudes that following Him is far more serious than they imagined. Contained in these illustrations are significant lessons concerning the calling of those who would choose to continue to follow Him. In His invitation (“If anyone comes to Me…”) Jesus speaks of the importance to commit fully and not shrink back, even if it leads to death (“even his own life” verse 26). It’s unclear if Jesus has specific instances in mind with these illustrations. Did He look around and observe an unfinished building? Possibly. And regarding a king going to war, was Jesus drawing from the history of the day? A few Bible scholars indicate He was likely alluding to the troubled relationship between Herod Antipas and his father-in-law. But even if this was not a specific reference, the crowd would understand the processes of kings and kingdoms. The point of Jesus’ analogy was clear. He was painting a vivid picture of what it meant to “calculate the cost”. The wise builder and the strategic warrior both take time to consider the consequences of their undertaking. Likewise, the resolve to proceed with Christ would be proven genuine and worthwhile only as there was deliberate fortitude to persevere, not simply a desire to witness miracles or be healed.

4) How does the flavor of salt (verse 34) relate to the previous verses and the overall message Jesus wanted the audience to hear?
Three Gospels record Jesus referencing “salt”. (Matthew 5:13, Mark 9:50 and here in Luke 14) All these verses are similar, but each statement was spoken in a different context. From this passage, how do we understand what Jesus was saying to those listening? We can derive intent from reading and receiving Jesus’ words relative to the rest of His message. The crowd was familiar with the uses of salt. It was a common additive that served two purposes in this area of the world at that time: 1) Due to the lack of refrigeration, salt was utilized to preserve the food, specifically the meat. 2) Like today, it enhanced the flavor of food. Here in verse 34, Jesus draws from this cultural understanding to illustrate a follower’s calling to be useful for God’s purposes – in life or death. Just as salt is useless if it has no flavor or preserving element, it would be of no value for anyone to continue to be His disciple if they were half-hearted in their commitment to obedience and full surrender.

Everyday Application

1) Some of Jesus’ sayings were hard because they were hard to understand. Some were hard because they were hard to obey. And some were both. What did Jesus mean in verse 26 when He said one must ‘hate his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters’?
For years, well-intentioned voices have challenged Christians to “focus on the family”. Scripture is clear that families are to be a priority. Unfortunately, far too many have misunderstood, misapplied or have even ignored Jesus’ teaching regarding family relationships. Christian families can frequently fall into the trap of becoming self-absorbed. Bible teacher and author David Platt said “I want to love my family well. I want to pass the word and works of God down to the next generation. On the other hand, I see a world of urgent spiritual and physical need — unreached people, on top of physical needs. I want to leverage my life for the spread of the gospel among the nations.” Many Christians, especially in the United States, will never have to sacrifice their familial relationships to follow Christ. What often occurs, though, is an extreme focus on the immediate family, ignoring the call of Christ to be willing to die for His sake. Platt goes on to exhort us: “Lay your life before the Lord every day. Deny yourself. Cry out, ‘Lord save me from myself, save me from my dreams, my plans. Help me want to do whatever You want me to do. Help me to want to go wherever You want me to go.’” This is what Christ meant.

2) Did Jesus make this statement intentionally to whittle down the size of the crowd? (Notice the connection the author, Luke, makes in verses 25-26)
In his commentary on the book of Luke, Alexander MacLaren said “He desired every soul in that crowd for His own, and He knew the best way to attract is sometimes to repel; and that a plain statement of the painful consequences of a course will quench no genuine enthusiasm, but may turn a mere flash in the pan into a purpose that will flame through a life.” (studylight.org) It wasn’t that Jesus wanted people to stop following Him. His very presence on earth indicated His desire for all people to have a relationship with God. (1 Timothy 2:5) Jesus’ purpose in making radical statements was to stir the crowds of people to consider their motives. The coming of the kingdom of God was not what they imagined. Genuine faith would be reflected in an extreme commitment to obedience. Even now the message is clear: there’s a great cost. But the reward is greater! (Mark 10:28-31)

3) How do the two illustrations Jesus used make His point to the crowd?
Ponder yourself in this scene yet make it present day: You have been gifted an all-expense-paid life on the tropical island of your choice, complete with full-time housekeeper. You could spend your time bragging about this offer. You could dream about it constantly and make all the plans for a new life. But until you fully engage by relocating, the exotic life never becomes a reality. You can’t have both a full-time life here and a full-time life there. Many people view following Christ this way. They love the idea of eternal happiness, of eternal fulfillment, of escaping hell, and of having Jesus satisfy their needs. But they are not willing to abandon the life they have. It’s more tempting than we may realize to hold tightly to our desires, comfort, and sinful habits. Releasing them, even for a glorious eternity, takes faith and courage. Our lives may exhibit a temporary modification—attending church more often or giving of our time and money to good causes—but if we have no real desire to relinquish ownership of everything, then we are more like the crowds who followed Jesus. That cost is just too great for most. (Matthew 7:14,  John 6:66 )

4) How does the flavor of salt (verse 34) relate to the previous verses and the overall message Jesus wanted the audience to hear?
In the context of obedient discipleship, the loss of saltiness occurs when those who call themselves followers of Christ are not living for Him wholeheartedly. Jesus’ words to the crowd that day are relevant to us today. Our very reason for being in the world, as believers, is to be salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16). The purpose for which we became followers of Jesus (Matthew 4:19) may be hindered or prevented when we choose to compromise, or settle, for what is more convenient and comfortable, rather than giving our lives to whatever will bring the most people into the kingdom of God. Becoming and remaining ‘useful salt’ happens when we maintain a life of humble obedience to Christ. When we deviate from Spirit-enthused sacrifice and submission, the distinctions between ourselves and those of the world are blurred and we allow our testimony to become empty words – useless for producing genuine life change in others. By focusing on and following Christ, even in inevitable suffering or loss, we will have opportunities to proclaim Him to all who witness our lives. (Colossians 1:24-29)

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with The Flame!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Ignite Week One!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Seeds Day 9 Stepping Into Identity: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Stepping Into Identity!

The Questions

1) Why does Paul say the readers were “dead” when they were in fact “living”?

2)  How does the phrase “but God” impact our understanding of the Gospel message Paul was committed to proclaiming?

3) If salvation comes by grace alone, not by good works, why did Paul say we were created for good works?

Ephesians 2:1-10

1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins 2 in which you previously lived according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the disobedient.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, 5 made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace!
6 He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might display the immeasurable riches of his grace through his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—
9 not from works, so that no one can boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.

Original Intent

1) Why does Paul say the readers were “dead” when they were in fact “living”?
Scripture teaches that “dead men walking” is a very real thing. Although we can’t see it with human eyes, every single person in the world exists in one of only two categories: either spiritually dead or spiritually alive. Believers understand physical death to be the separation of the soul from the body. Of even greater significance is spiritual death, which separates the soul from God. Paul explains this difference using the phrase “liv(ing) according to the ways of this world.” (Verse 2) Those living only for the world were not really living. We trace this kind of dying back to the Garden of Eden.
In Genesis 2 God told Adam that eating the fruit from the forbidden tree in the garden would cause sure death. (Genesis 2:16-17) Even though Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s instruction, physical death did not occur immediately, signifying that God had another type of death in mind. Believing Satan’s lie, Adam and Eve sadly discovered their enlightenment created a great gulf between themselves and their Creator.
One of the saddest scenes in the Bible is found in Genesis 3:8: “Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.” The intimate fellowship that had existed between man and God was broken. They were now separated from God and, in effect, had died. Later in Ephesians, Paul describes this separation by saying that those living apart from Christ had been “excluded from the life of God.” (Ephesians 4:18)  Paul gave a similar message to the church at Colossae. It is an essential belief of the gospel message to understand that sin separates us from God and results in soul death. (Colossians 2:10)

2)  How does the phrase “but God” impact our understanding of the Gospel message Paul was committed to proclaiming?
Although not translated with two English words every time, the message contained within the transitional phrase “but God” demonstrates a thread that runs throughout the entire Bible. In fact, to recognize the importance of these two words as they are used in Scripture is the beginning of comprehending the width and breadth of the gospel. In one way or another, the book of Romans is filled with this rally cry of Paul: BUT GOD! (Romans 5:1-10) Immediately following verse 10 in our passage, Paul begins to express his wonder at the thought of God’s grace in the life of his readers and his own life. Reminding his readers of their previous sinful state, he emphasizes how it was God who reached out toward them. We read in Acts 9, 22, and 26 of Paul’s personal story of God’s pursuit. At one time in his life, Paul was on his way to Damascus, heading in the opposite direction of the God he thought he worshipped. In his possession was a letter from the high priest giving him authority to arrest those who followed Christ. Now, because of God’s grace, he was boldly preaching the very message of those he was persecuting. (Ephesians 3:7-9)

3) If salvation comes by grace alone, not by good works, why did Paul say we were created for good works?
Are works part of our salvation or are we saved by grace alone? Like it is with so many Bible questions, the answer is YES! But that can’t be, can it? It is questions like this that can cause Bible students to get sidetracked in debate. In conversations about grace and works, many people stir the pot of biblical controversy by pitting the teachings of Paul against those of James. But they were not contradicting each other. In fact, both Paul and James agree that our works can’t save us. James stressed that everyone who has ever sinned has broken God’s law. That includes everyone. In ourselves, we are unable to correct the distance that is created. It’s only through mercy that we will escape judgment. (James 2:10-13) So why do the teachings of Paul and James seem to be different, and what does that have to do with the Ephesians? Unlike James, who wrote to intellectuals putting head knowledge above obedience, Paul’s emphasis on grace was specific to people who were tempted to trust in their works for salvation. But Paul’s message of grace was always accompanied by the teaching that genuine salvation would be demonstrated by walking in the ways of God. Grace is the root, of which, good works of obedience flowing from love, are the fruit!

Everyday Application

1) Why does Paul say the readers were “dead” when they were in fact “living”?
“Jesus didn’t come to make bad people good. He came to make dead people live.” Attributed to C.S. Lewis, this quote is a good way to translate what Paul is saying in this passage. Our main goal as believers should not be to place rules around ourselves and others to make us or them better people. Parent experts have written many books to explain that rules alone without a genuine relationship with our kids won’t produce spiritually healthy kids. Far too many of us seem to care more about morals and good behavior than we do about the gift of grace given to us. It is not a certain lifestyle that will save us or keep us in a right relationship with God. Apart from Christ we are dead. And nothing will revive us except the Spirit of God working in our hearts. It is only by His kindness that we have been “raised us up with Him and seated with Him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might display the immeasurable riches of His grace!” (Ephesians 2:6-7)

2) How does the phrase “but God” impact our understanding of the Gospel message Paul was committed to proclaiming?
But God. Theologian James Montgomery Boice wrote: “If you understand those two words, they will save your soul. If you recall them daily and live by them, they will transform your life completely.” There are several two-word phrases in the Scriptures that impact me. “Jesus wept.” “Be still.” “Rejoice always.” These are a few, but none carry more weight than the two words: “But God”. The lyrics to a newer hymn perfectly speak to the deep, life-changing confession we find in these words.
But as I ran my hell-bound race, indifferent to the cost,
You looked upon my helpless state and led me to the cross.
And I beheld God’s love displayed; You suffered in my place.
You bore the wrath reserved for me; now all I know is grace. (All I Have Is Christ)

3) If salvation comes by grace alone, not by good works, why did Paul say we were created for good works?
Paul told Timothy that “all Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable … so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work”. We do not need to fret that Paul was confused when he wrote to the church at Ephesus. Neither must we choose who to have confidence in, either Paul or James. They did not have different beliefs about salvation.  In Ephesians, Paul shows that a life of good works was the evidence of grace, emphasizing it is grace, and God’s transforming love, that leads us to obedience. Genuine believers will live out their faith by doing what God wills. What has happened in our hearts through salvation will be fleshed out in our works because God Himself has made us new! (Philippians 2:12-13) Even though the book of James challenged his thinking to the point of frustration, it was Martin Luther who said, “We are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone.” Obedience will flow out of our salvation. We will serve God from a grateful heart that recognizes such great mercy extended to us who don’t deserve it and can never boast that we do!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Stepping Into Identity!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Seeds Week Two!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Cross Day 12 Trinity: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Trinity!

The Questions

1) As He hung on the cross, what was Jesus saying in verse 46: “Elí, Elí, lemá sabachtháni”?

2) What is the significance of the sanctuary curtain being torn from top to bottom at the moment of Jesus’ death?

3) How did the crucifixion events impact the soldiers who were standing guard?

4) Did God (the Father) completely abandon God (the Son)?

Matthew 27:45-54

45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over the whole land.
46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Elí, Elí, lemá sabachtháni?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”
47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling for Elijah.”
48 Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and offered him a drink.
49 But the rest said, “Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”
50 But Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and gave up his spirit.
51 Suddenly, the curtain of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom, the earth quaked, and the rocks were split.
52 The tombs were also opened and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised.
53 And they came out of the tombs after his resurrection, entered the holy city, and appeared to many.
54 When the centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they were terrified and said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

Original Intent

1) As He hung on the cross, what was Jesus saying in verse 46: “Elí, Elí, lemá sabachtháni”?
The Scriptures present seven times in which Jesus spoke from the cross. Bernard Guy (bible.org) gives us a great word picture for what was happening as Christ spoke: “Crucifixion was a form of torture that literally knocked the wind out of a person. The weight of the body … paralyzed the pectoral muscles, making breathing extremely difficult. The person being crucified could inhale but had great difficulty exhaling. To exhale he had to push on his feet and straighten his legs to release the pressure exerted on his arms and chest. But the pain that this caused to his feet was so excruciating, because of the nails, that he would immediately cease any such effort. It was in this context, while he was fighting for His every breath, that Jesus uttered His last words.”
We don’t know for sure that the words spoken these seven times were the only ones He spoke, but the significance of these statements lead most bible scholars to believe this is an exhaustive record. They are found in the four gospels: three in Luke 23:34, 43, 46; three in John 19:26-28, 30; and in Mark 15:34 we find the same words as Matthew 27. In verse 46, Matthew tells us before Jesus’ very last breath and very last word, Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani.” Some of those who were standing nearby didn’t understand what Jesus was saying. But Matthew (and Mark) interpret it for us: “My God, My God, why have you abandoned me?” (verse 46) He spoke two more times and, after about six hours on the cross, He died.

2) What is the significance of the sanctuary curtain being torn from top to bottom at the moment of Jesus’ death?
Years earlier, King David wanted to build a temple for God (1 Chronicles 17), instead, God said his son Solomon would build it. Placed next to the king’s palace, it was Israel’s central place of worship (1 Kings 9:3). Though the Babylonians destroyed it in 586 BC, it was later rebuilt (Ezra 1:2) and during war, King Herod took control and completed its renovation. Inside the temple things were arranged much like the tabernacle in Moses’ day, with the Holy of Holies remaining a sacred area – the place of God’s presence. Only the high priest was allowed to enter the place beyond the curtain (Hebrews 9:3). Based on temple dimensions, it most likely hung 30 feet high in order to block the entrance, and though we don’t have a specific Scripture to confirm it, early Jewish tradition reports the curtain about four inches thick.
During Jesus’ lifetime, with the temple again a focal place for Jewish religious life, the significance of the curtain was clear to the Jews: God and man were separated because of man’s sin. On the day Jesus breathed His last breath, this heavy dividing curtain tore from top to bottom as the earth quaked. The writer of Hebrews offers us insight into the implication of the event (Hebrews 8-9). From the throne of heaven where God ruled (top of the curtain), access was granted. And as our High Priest, Jesus symbolically entered the holy place and took our sin once and for all.

3) How did the crucifixion events impact the soldiers who were standing guard?
As the day’s events unfolded, those present couldn’t help but notice they were in the presence of God’s Son. It wasn’t everyday the earth quaked and rocks moved, giving way for dead bodies to be resurrected and make appearances around town. Verse 54 says some of the soldiers who saw this were afraid, but in their fear they also came to a life-changing realization: THIS was the Son of God! As he often does, Luke adds detail to this in Luke 23 by telling us, “when the centurion saw what had happened, he began to glorify God, saying, ‘This man really was a righteous!’” Was this possibly the first post-crucifixion conversion? It sure seems so!

4) Did God (the Father) completely abandon God (the Son)?
Jesus cried out: “My God, my God, why have You abandoned me?”
Would God the Father abandon His own Son? Could He do that?! Or did Jesus merely feel abandoned momentarily? There has been much debate about these words. Bible scholars have strong feelings, some believing that to experience the full wrath of God for our sin, Jesus faced a separation from the Father. Bible teacher John Piper shares this opinion, explaining that Jesus isn’t really asking a question, but is quoting the psalmist (Psalm 22). “It is a real cry of spiritual desolation with words that were second nature because his whole life was scripted by God. The judgment was to have God the Father pour out his wrath, and instead of pouring it out on us, he pours it out on him. That necessarily involves a kind of abandonment.”
Others feel the need to reconcile Scriptures like John 10:30 , John 14:6-11 , and Ephesians 2:18 which they believe communicate that God the Father, Son and Spirit are inseparable.
Two other great theologians, Martin Luther and Charles Spurgeon differ on exactly what was happening here, but I found Spurgeon’s thoughts to be a helpful focus: “I think I cannot understand the words … When uttered by Jesus on the Cross, I cannot comprehend, so I shall not pretend to be able to explain them. There is no plummet that can fathom this deep! There is no eagle’s eye that can penetrate the mystery that surrounds this strange question.”

Everyday Application

1) As He hung on the cross, what was Jesus saying in verse 46: “Elí, Elí, lemá sabachtháni”?
On the cross, Jesus felt the sting of sin’s grief. The One who had never been out of His Father’s will and never strayed from His Father’s purpose was experiencing the agony of hell. Being separated from His Father’s kindness was so unbearable Jesus cried out from the pain deep in His soul. And in this sorrow, Jesus once again demonstrated His humble obedience to the Father’s will “to bring many sons to glory”. (Hebrews 2:9-10) Even on our darkest day, we have One who was acquainted with grief and sorrow. “He was despised and rejected by men; a man of suffering who knew what sickness was.” Isaiah 53:3

2) What is the significance of the sanctuary curtain being torn from top to bottom at the moment of Jesus’ death?
Praise God! We can now enter the Holy of Holies through Jesus Christ. Hebrews 10:19 says, “we have boldness” to enter the presence of God through the death of Christ. The temple curtain was a constant reminder to the Jews that sin creates a separation from God. The Old Testament explained how the sin offering was to be offered yearly along with numerous other sacrifices. The washings and rituals showed vividly that sin could not be completely or finally removed by mere animal sacrifices. BUT GOD in Jesus Christ has made a way for us to enter. Through His death, Christ has removed the barriers between God and man and brought us near.  We are able to approach Him at any time with confidence and boldness (Hebrews 4:14-16). At the cross, the God who created the universe made a loud declaration with an earthquake. The Son had made a way to the Father and invites us to enter with Him. The Psalmist worshiped this God centuries before: “The humble will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the Lord will praise Him. May your hearts live forever!” (Psalm 22)

3) How did the crucifixion events impact the soldiers who were standing guard?
It was surely not a job for the soft-hearted or those with weak stomachs. Carrying out executions must have required a certain kind of resolve and emotional hardness. But on the day Jesus died, there he stood, a soldier who’d observed all that had happened and began to look more closely at this Jesus. We don’t know when it started to become clear for him. Maybe it was the way Jesus showed such resolve as He experienced the anguish of the cross. Or it may have been the way He lovingly made sure His mother would receive continued care. Had he heard Jesus praying for His executioners? That prayer would include him! It’s doubtful he’d ever observed that kind of forgiveness. Added to these, there were strange occurrences like the sky darkening in the middle of the day, the earth rumbling violently, and dead bodies emerging from the ground.
Who knows what moment clenched it for him and others standing there. Like him, who knows when that moment happens for others. As we share our stories, we tell of God’s grace and goodness. We tell of His faithfulness and power. And we pray for that moment when another can deny it no longer and freely confesses: “He is surely God’s Son!”

4) Did God (the Father) completely abandon God (the Son)?
It’s mind-boggling to consider the suffering Son crying out to His merciful Father in agony.  When we sing the words “how can it be,” we demonstrate our lack of full comprehension that the God of creation would come to earth as a man to die in order to save us. Pastor, author, and hymn writer, Charles Wesley, put it like this, “He left His Father’s throne above; so free, so infinite His grace! Emptied Himself of all but love, and bled for Adam’s helpless race. ‘Tis mercy all immense and free, for O my God, it found out me.”
Amazing love. Amazing gospel. Amazing mystery. God abandoning God! At the end of the day, it is a mystery in which we must wrestle, but ultimately surrender to the One who knows all things. We humbly do so because we would not want a God we could so easily fit into our small-minded boxes. This glad surrender has great gospel implications. Tim Keller sums it up so well: “If you think you really, really understand the gospel, you don’t. If you really think that you haven’t even begun to understand the gospel, you do. Gospel theologizing isn’t anywhere near enough if we’re going to change the world with it. There has to be a lifelong process of more and more deeply realizing the wonder of the gospel.” It is within this wonder that we study and pray and then bow our heads and hearts in worship. For this we know: God is WITH us and He is FOR us!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Trinity!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Cross Week Three!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Gospel Day 7 That He Gave: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out That He Gave!

The Questions

1) What is being compared or connected in verse 25 with the word “neither”?

2) What important doctrine is taught in the phrase “God who made the world”?

3) Why is Paul reminding the people of Athens God doesn’t need anything or anyone?

Acts 17:24-25

“The God who made the world and everything in it—he is Lord of heaven and earth—does not live in shrines made by hands. 25 Neither is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives everyone life and breath and all things.”

Original Intent

1) What is being compared or connected in verse 25 with the word “neither”?
The context for this passage of Scripture places Paul in Athens. While waiting for Timothy and Silas to join him, he engages in continual dialogue with the Jewish leaders and many of the people in the city. Disturbed by the number of idols he has noticed, Paul feels compelled to tell them the truth about Jehovah, the One True God. The gods the Athenians worshipped were made with human hands and had limitations. But the God unknown to them, the One who had delivered them and was worthy of their worship, was in reality the Creator God. This God was “neither” confined to an earthly temple “nor” was He dependent on humans to provide Him with anything. He has no needs. God is the Provider. In fact, He is the ultimate giver of everything.  Romans 11:33 reminds us, “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments and untraceable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? And who has ever given to God, that he should be repaid?”
The word “neither” places emphasis on the fact that God wasn’t needy of anything, and therefore was uniquely worthy of their worship.

2) What important doctrine is taught in the phrase “God who made the world”?
Some people in Athens didn’t know the One they were honoring was indeed the One True God. There are Bible scholars who believe the verses regarding this specific altar (verses 22-23) are possibly referencing a time in Athenian history when the people believed they were rescued from pestilence and plague. They constructed the altar/idol out of their gratitude. Paul wanted them to understand the altar they had erected to their “unknown God” (verse 23) was not just to a god. He was in fact The God. He was their Deliverer. He was the One who had rescued them.
He was also their Creator. In their ignorance, they were celebrating the God of the universe without realizing it. In the following verses, Paul revealed how this God was also their Savior through the work of Christ Jesus. Paul’s message to the people declared the God who created them, and the God who had rescued them from disease, was the very same God who would save their souls. (Acts 17.30-31) Paul’s gospel was this: From creation to this very moment, this is the same God. The only God.

3) Why is Paul reminding the people of Athens God doesn’t need anything or anyone?
The people who worshiped in this day were accustomed to their religious practices (verse 22). They mostly likely served their gods “religiously”. Paul used this opportunity to teach them that the God he was speaking of did not need their service. “If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and everything in it is mine.” Psalm 50:12
In fact, this God was the giver of all things, not the receiver. Through the prophet Isaiah, God reminded His people of this truth. Reminding them of the inadequacy of idols, He said, “Listen to me, house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been sustained from the womb, carried along since birth. I will be the same until your old age, and I will bear you up when you turn gray. I have made you, and I will carry you; I will bear and rescue you. Who will you compare me or make me equal to? Who will you measure me with, so that we should be like each other?” (Isaiah 46:3-5)
Just like foreign gods could not save the people of old, neither were the present gods able to deliver them. Only an all-powerful and all-sufficient God was worthy of genuine worship.

Everyday Application

1) What is being compared or connected in verse 25 with the word “neither”?
We must keep in mind we worship a God much higher than us. “’For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways.’ This is the Lord’s declaration. ‘For as heaven is higher than earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8)
Paul was burdened that the people of Athens were missing the true God of salvation. The One True God of whom Moses proclaimed, “For I will proclaim the Lord’s name. Declare the greatness of our God! The Rock—his work is perfect; all his ways are just. A faithful God, without bias, he is righteous and true. The Lord declares, ‘See now that I alone am he; there is no God but me. I bring death and I give life; I wound and I heal. No one can rescue anyone from my power.’” (Deuteronomy 32:3-4, 39)
This God is able to accomplish anything. He created the universe and He sustains it. We do well to humbly acknowledge our relation as humans to Him, the LORD of all.

2) What important doctrine is taught in the phrase “God who made the world”?
In John 3:16, we learn that God loved the world and He gave us His only Son. In Acts 17 we learn God created the world and gives us life and breath … and ALL things. What an amazing thought: The creator of the universe is a giver. He did not just create a world and then leave us alone. He isn’t some distant deity, uninterested in our lives.
We understand this because we are made in His image.
Those in Athens had heard their own poets refer to themselves as God’s offspring (17:29). Paul used this familiar concept to communicate how God was more than a figure made of wood or stone. Humans were created to live in relationship with the Creator. He has given us life and has also given us the power to live and breathe. He demonstrated this life through the resurrection of Jesus, the Son He gave. THE God, who created everything wants a forever relationship with us. Peter preached the same message that Paul preached, “By the word of God the heavens came into being long ago and the earth was brought about from water and through water… [This] Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:5, 9) We were created by God and we are loved by God. He is a life-breathing, life-giving God!

3) Why is Paul reminding the people of Athens God doesn’t need anything or anyone?
When we worship the One True God, we are the beneficiaries. He doesn’t need our worship, He deserves our worship. We must recognize that we remain a receiver and God is always the giver, yet even so, He finds delight in relationship with us. We are the beneficiary and He is the benefactor. Everything we have was given to us by God. (1 Corinthians 4:7 ) When we pray, we are confessing our dependence on Him to even desire to pray. When we serve, we aren’t working for a weak God who can’t accomplish a task without us. We are simply vessels God created to be His human hands and feet on earth. When we ‘count our blessings’, we aren’t tallying what we owe God. We could never repay Him. Nor should we see it that way. God doesn’t give because He needs a return. God gives because He is a giving God. In Isaiah 41:10, God says “I’ll help you, and I’ll hold you.”
John Piper said, “Trust this God, and every day pray as a helpless, empty recipient of this promise. And when you pray and when you trust as a helpless little kid, God will work for you. And He will get the glory, and you’ll get the joy.”

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with That He Gave!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Gospel Week Two!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Anchored Day 14 When The World Is At Stake: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out When The World Is At Stake!

The Questions

1) What is the author of Psalm 95 urging his audience/readers to join him in doing?

2) In what way is the posture of the psalmist (demonstrated by his language) communicating an important aspect of prayer?

3) In the context of the entire Psalm, what can we conclude about this writer’s previous encounters with the Lord?

Psalm 95:2-5

Let us enter His presence with thanksgiving; let us shout triumphantly to Him in song.
For the Lord is a great God, a great King above all gods.
The depths of the earth are in His hand, and the mountain peaks are His.
The sea is His; He made it. His hands formed the dry land.

Original Intent

1) What is the author of Psalm 95 urging his audience/readers to join him in doing?
Though there is no name attached to this specific psalm nor details given of the occasion, it would be very reasonable to conclude from the book of Hebrews that David penned this psalm. A likely reference to verses 7-8 is found in Hebrews 4:7 and includes David’s name. There are bible scholars, however, who believe the mention of David in the Hebrews passage is a more general reference. Whoever the author, the call to the Hebrew people is clear: Let’s join together to approach God and worship Him.
The writer is making an appeal to his audience to draw near to God in worship. Just as a pastor may stand before a congregation and invite them to “join in prayer”, the psalmist is seeking to generate a corporate awareness that God’s presence is available to them. In the original Hebrew, the call to “come” to the Lord (verse 1) includes anticipation. In some translations, the word “come” is repeated in verse 2. The CSB is valuable here, using clarifying wording instead and giving us insight into what’s meant by “come.” As God’s people, we enter His presence (Hebrew “meet His face”) together. We may recall that the Old Testament believers’ entrance into God’s presence was restricted (Hebrews 10:19-22 ). But from 95:2, we can know that does not mean the people of God had no access to Him. The psalmist’s invitation communicates and celebrates this access to come and enter.

2) In what way is the posture of the psalmist (demonstrated by his language) communicating an important aspect of prayer?
Psalm 95 is a picture of someone who is captivated by God’s supreme nature and His personal nurture. He uses terms that reflect the majesty of the One he worships, while also acknowledging the constant care He receives from Him. “Come”, he says in verses 1 and 6, to “bow down” and “kneel” before God, the One who created us and everything else. Preaching to ourselves the truths about God through song and prayer reminds us of His greatness and His goodness. We often think of bowing before someone of royal greatness as a demonstration of honor and humility toward that person. Yet in verses 1-2, there’s also a courageous cry of victory. The writer declares to the people that they should “shout triumphantly” in thanksgiving for God’s goodness. Verse 7 says, “He is OUR God, and we are HIS people.” Entering His presence is a holy honor that prompts our sincere and energetic worship. He is great! He is good!

3) In the context of the entire Psalm, what can we conclude about this writer’s previous encounters with the Lord?
Psalm 95:1 begins with “Come, let us shout joyfully …” Barnes (studylight.org ) explains that the psalmist is telling the people “to make a loud noise .. like the sound or clangor of a trumpet. In public worship it would denote praise of the most animated kind.” The people of God were to express their joy in Him with exuberant worship. Why? Because, as Barnes expounds, God is “the Rock of our salvation – the strong ground of our confidence; the basis of our hope; our security.” The psalmist and the people had come to know God’s character. He had a history of faithfulness with them. (Deuteronomy 7:9, 1 Kings 8:56, Psalm 23, Psalm 33:4). The people were to remind themselves of Who He was and what He had done by expressing their worship. “Let us enter HIS presence.” This God. The magnificent One who created and ruled the universe. The One who had brought them this far.

Everyday Application

1) What is the author of Psalm 95 urging his audience/readers to join him in doing?
Throughout His Word, God invites His people to commune with Him regularly. The psalmists, in particular, call God’s people to corporately worship Him through confessing His goodness and His greatness. It has been said that the book of Psalms is a “Him” book. In Psalm 95 the author is appealing to the people of God to make Him known by verbalizing (singing and shouting) His presence and His power. “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His faithful love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord proclaim that He has redeemed them from the power of the foe …” (Psalm 107) We come boldly to God, making our requests known. And we bow humbly before God, recognizing His majesty.
We speak to Him, to our own hearts, and to each other through prayer and song. We also speak about Him and what He’s done for us personally and corporately. In quiet time with the Lord, the expectation can be that the conversation remains internal, but suppose we challenged ourselves to speak out loud of the Lord’s goodness?!

2) In what way is the posture of the psalmist (demonstrated by his language) communicating an important aspect of prayer?
In prayer, we come to the God who cares for us (1 Peter 5:6-7 ) and we recognize He’s great and He’s good. The simple prayer of a child at the dinner table communicates an amazing and inseparable two-part aspect of God: God is great, God is good. This is a helpful filter for all our prayers. We acknowledge He’s great – exalted above all – and we bow in humble adoration. We also acknowledge He is good – inviting us to draw near – and we thank Him.
God, You are great. Far and above all people and powers, above all creation and circumstances, and above all that has even been or will be.
God, You are good. Thank You for Your goodness to us. You care for us like a shepherd cares for the sheep. You lead us to quiet waters. You provide and protect us.
We bow down and worship You!

3) In the context of the entire Psalm, what can we conclude about this writer’s previous encounters with the Lord?
As the psalmist remembers the Rock of our salvation, so should we! David constantly rehearsed the Lord’s faithfulness to himself and those around him. “My soul, bless the Lord, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. My soul, bless the Lord, and do not forget all His benefits.” (Psalm 103 )
On the first day of this new year, my friend penned these impeccable truths:
“2018: Jesus was endlessly faithful, wholly sufficient, indescribably beautiful, and the source of all enduring hope.
2019: Jesus will be endlessly faithful, wholly sufficient, indescribably beautiful, and the source of all enduring hope.
Worthy He has been and worthy He will be.”
Yes and yes! This is the essence of what prayer is. We come to Him … in exuberant expectation because of His greatness. We bow to Him … in humble adoration because He will never be anything or do anything that isn’t perfectly good.
God is great. God is good.
Let us thank Him.

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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

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Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

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Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

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