salvation

Sketched VI Day 2 Rhonda: Digging Deeper

Leave a Comment

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 Rhonda!

The Questions

1) What does comfort mean in these verses?

2) Why is affliction for salvation? (verse 6)

3) In light of these verses how should suffering and comfort be viewed?

2 Corinthians 1:3-7

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. 4 He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. 6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings that we suffer. 7 And our hope for you is firm, because we know that as you share in the sufferings, so you will also share in the comfort.

Original Intent

1) What does comfort mean in these verses?
Paul is writing to prepare the Corinthians for the life of a believer, a life in which there will be suffering. Jesus suffered up to the point of death on the cross, Paul suffered in his life as you traveled around teaching and preaching, and he knew suffering was expected for every genuine Christ-follower. If we look ahead to 2 Corinthians 4:8-11, Paul discusses how believers will be persecuted. However, there is also the promise of comfort that overflows. Matthew Henry describes it this way, “In the world they had trouble, but in Christ they had peace. The apostles met with many tribulations, but they found comfort in them all: their sufferings (which are called the sufferings of Christ because Christ sympathized with his members when suffering for His sake) did abound, but their consolation by Christ did abound also.” They were never alone and they had the peace of Christ, this was their comfort.

2) Why is affliction for salvation? (verse 6)
I can imagine the Corinthians read verse 6 and thought Paul had absolutely lost his mind. How could their salvation benefit from their affliction? However, God in His divine plan knew His creation and exactly what they would need. He also knew what lie ahead for them with false teachers and the temptation to fall away from truth. God knew as they leaned into Him there would be comfort and a deepened relationship. Expositor’s Bible Commentary says, “All that helps men to endure to the end, helps them to salvation. All that tends to break the spirit and to sink men in despondency, or hurry them into impatience or fear, leads in the opposite direction.”
It also links this suffering and comfort to salvation of others. It says, “If I am afflicted, it is in the interest of your comfort: when you look at me, and see how I bear myself in the sufferings of Christ, you will be encouraged to become imitators of me, even as I am of Him.” The God who specializes in redemption uses painful trials for His glory and expansion of His kingdom. In Philippians 1:12-18, Paul explains how even his imprisonment lead to increased boldness in other believers! Why might this be? Because the cost of following Jesus is always worth it, and the God who loves us, will always redeem evil for good; we can take great comfort in that truth!

3) In light of these verses how should suffering and comfort be viewed?
Paul informs the Corinthians they should know suffering will come, but it comes with the promise of comfort. He also tells them they will be able to comfort others through the same comfort they received. It is an abnormal picture of suffering and comfort and one which doesn’t make sense from a worldly perspective. However, the Corinthians need to look beyond a worldly perspective and to an eternal perspective where God is going to use their suffering and the comfort God provided to love His people and call those who don’t know Him into the fullness of salvation.

Everyday Application

1) What does comfort mean in these verses?
When we place our faith in Jesus we will join with Christ in suffering for Him as we surrender our life to Him, but we will also join with Christ in the peace only He can offer.  The life Jesus calls us to is guaranteed to include difficulty (John 16:33), but His peace is equally guaranteed. This is the comfort Paul is referring to. Comfort doesn’t mean God is going to take away suffering, but He will provide others to walk with us through it. God will give us strength only He can provide. He will place other believers in our lives to walk with us, encourage us, and love us through our struggles, and we always have the hope found only in Jesus. That is the comfort promised to us in our suffering. How have you been comforted lately? How have you extended comfort to others as part of the comfort of Christ?

2) Why is affliction for salvation? (verse 6)
We read that statement as believers and it seems confusing. However, when our life seems to be going according to the plan we think it should and it feels as if everything is perfect, there is a huge temptation to think we can do it all alone. There isn’t as much dependence on God. However, when we are in times of suffering or affliction, we lean into God in a much different way. Our relationship with Him is deepened in ways it never could be aside from affliction. We begin to look more like Jesus as we rely on Him and not on ourselves. Without affliction, we may begin to think we don’t need Jesus when in all reality Jesus is the source of everything we truly need. God also uses how we walk through affliction and suffering to draw others into relationship with Himself. Unbelievers watch how believers walk through trials and the testimony they provide draws others closer to a relationship with Jesus (or prayerfully into relationship with Jesus). Jesus promises affliction when He calls believers to take up their cross in Matthew 16:24 and immediately following in Matthew 16:25, Jesus promises that those who do will gain their life. That is salvation. As Expositor’s Bible Commentary states, “The great service that a true comforter does is to put the strength and courage into us which enable us to take up our cross, however sharp and heavy, and to bear it to the last step and the last breath.” The choice is ours… will we lean into affliction and suffering or try our best to avoid it?

3) In light of these verses how should suffering and comfort be viewed?
Scripture never makes the promise that with Jesus in our lives we will be free of suffering and believers can live a completely comfortable, perfect life. Quite the contrary, Scripture tells us we should be prepared to suffer just as Christ suffered. If the Son of God, the Word of Life, wasn’t exempt from suffering, neither are we. However, we do not suffer alone. Instead, Scripture offers the hope provided in Christ and the promise of His comfort. While in the midst of suffering, it is difficult to see how it will ever be beneficial. Often times, it isn’t until we are on the other side of that suffering we can see how God is using it for His glory. It doesn’t make it easy, but it does give us a hope to cling to. Our suffering will never be in vain!

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

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 Sketched VI 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.

Open Day 14 Radical Offering: Digging Deeper

Leave a Comment

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.

Open Day 9 Casting Out Fear: Digging Deeper

Leave a Comment

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 Casting Out Fear!

The Questions

1) Who is the speaker and audience in this passage of Scripture?

2) What is the context of this one verse within the chapter?

3) What kind of freedom is being described in this verse and how is it obtained?

John 8:36

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

Original Intent

1) Who is the speaker and audience in this passage of Scripture?
In reading the previous verses, we know the disciple John is the author of the book and he is recounting a conversation between Jesus and “Jews who believed Him.” (verse 31) Although Jesus’ audience, made up largely of Jews, were listening and believing, they were still questioning Him. They did not fully understand who He was as the long-awaited Messiah, nor did they grasp His purposes beyond being a knowledgeable Jewish teacher.

2) What is the context of this one verse within the chapter?
Jesus is teaching in the temple and many are putting their full trust in Him by believing Him at His word that He is indeed exactly Who He claims to be, God Almighty in the flesh. (verse 30) Jesus is explaining who He is and what authority He has to teach, while, at the same time, He is teaching the truth of freedom as well as the truth of sin. Every time Jesus speaks, it is with truth and grace. He boldly preached on the reality of sin, which separates every person from the righteousness of God. Because of our sin, we are utterly and eternally incapable of being made whole in the presence of God. However, just as true is the reality of freedom found in placing our full belief and trust in Jesus Christ as the Only One who took the punishment we rightly deserved because of our sin, and magnificently, gave us righteousness in place of our sin. That is freedom!

3) What kind of freedom is being described in this verse and how is it obtained?
Jesus is specifically talking about freedom from sin. He clearly states that everyone who “practices sin is a slave to sin” (verse 34). Meaning that whoever continues in their state of sinfulness, relying only on themselves to somehow “become good” will always and forever be a slave to sin. There is no escape from the deadly grip of sin simply by trying to “become good” on our own will power. But, through the Son, there is freedom from that slavery! Jesus’ listeners would have understood His terminology, and followed His logic, but they did not see Him as God’s Son sent to take away the sins of the world and provide that freedom. Jesus was claiming to actually be God, for only God could possibly take away sin and its punishment of death. They did not understand the true freedom Jesus was offering because they could not fathom a God who became flesh, rather it was far more comfortable to keep God in a box they could manage. A box where they could be secure in their standing with a righteous God because of their Jewish lineage as Abraham’s descendants.

Everyday Application

1) Who is the speaker and audience in this passage of Scripture?
Scripture is the inspired word of God and although there is a specific context within which it was written, the message of the Bible is still active and living for us today (Hebrews 4:12). We are the audience just as much as the Jewish audience John was writing to over 2000 years ago. Jesus speaks to us today through His Word. How do you view Scripture? Is it strange and archaic to you? Do you find it boring or is it precious? Do your daily actions genuinely reflect your belief? Which claims of Christ do you struggle to fully embrace? Is He just a good teacher or is He the Lord of all? We must all wrestle with these questions, just as Jesus’ listeners did in the first century. Our answers reveal much about our hearts!

2) What is the context of this one verse within the chapter?
Freedom in Christ comes through knowing Him intimately, trusting Him as Lord of your life, and recognizing His authority. In other words, doing exactly what those in verse 30 were doing, “believing Him” and fully taking Him at His word. Jesus is exactly Who He says He is! Jesus is speaking powerful truth to His audience and there is a moment farther in the passage where His audience simply can no longer handle the truth. Angry, because Jesus’ truth makes them extremely uncomfortable as they come face to face with their own sin, His hearers actually pick up stones to throw at Him. (verse 59) What He was saying was so foreign to them, so outrageously unthinkable, it was considered blasphemous. How could Jesus possibly be the Almighty God, having authority to both call out sin and claim to offer freedom from it through Himself?!
Freedom isn’t free; it cost Jesus His life, but our freedom comes through submission, total surrender, to Him. We can’t earn this freedom and neither do we deserve freedom from our sin, but God, being rich in His mercy, provided it to us at the cost of His Son’s life. That is love!

3) What kind of freedom is being described in this verse and how is it obtained?
Throughout history, there have been wars in the name of freedom. A desire to break free from the tyranny of a government or a break from an ideology has caused uprising for the sake of freedom. The freedom Jesus speaks of is infinitely more than an ideal or moralistic teaching because this freedom is eternal, not earthly. My favorite passage in all of Scripture is Romans 8. It starts with the verse, “there is now therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ…” (Romans 8:1). Freedom from sin is freedom from the wrath of God that we rightly deserve because of our sinfulness before Him. All it takes is one small sin to render us separated and fallen below the standard of flawless, perfect righteousness that He as God exists eternally as. The freedom Jesus offers results in a breaking of all bondage from Sin and Death; no longer are we under that slavery, we are not bound to obey Sin. Rather, we are free to live in the light of Him who created us, free to dance in the love Christ lavishes upon us. That freedom is only accessed in Him through knowing, believing, trusting, submitting, and surrendering to who Jesus is as fully divine and fully human, able to take our punishment in our place. “My chains are gone I’ve been set free.”

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

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 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.

Open Day 7 The Unconventional Open: Digging Deeper

Leave a Comment

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 Unconventional Open!

The Questions

1) Can my faith in Christ save someone else?

2) If it’s 100% true that we must each believe in order to be saved, why did Mark record that Jesus saw the faith of the paralytic’s friends and then said, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”? (Mark 2:6)

3) Why did Jesus forgive the man’s sins first instead of healing his body?

Mark 2:1-12

When he entered Capernaum again after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 2 So many people gathered together that there was no more room, not even in the doorway, and he was speaking the word to them. 3 They came to him bringing a paralytic, carried by four of them. 4 Since they were not able to bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and after digging through it, they lowered the mat on which the paralytic was lying. 5 Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

6 But some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts: 7 “Why does he speak like this? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

8 Right away Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were thinking like this within themselves and said to them, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts?  Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat, and walk’? 10 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he told the paralytic— 11 “I tell you: get up, take your mat, and go home.”

12 Immediately he got up, took the mat, and went out in front of everyone. As a result, they were all astounded and gave glory to God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

Original Intent

1) Can my faith in Christ save someone else?
The mysteries we find within Scripture, that themselves whisper of the vast mysteries bound up in the heart of God, are many. But they are recorded on purpose for us to read and study and pray over. How prayer works, and how a believer’s faith impacts another person, whether lost or saint, is one of those mysteries. We can delve into the subject and consider it from all angles until we wear ourselves out thinking it through, but at its end, we can put it to rest knowing that our mighty God is completely sovereign and utterly beyond our ability to fully understand or comprehend. There is no box we can fathom that is able to contain God. Because Scripture is wholly true, it will never contradict itself. Where a verse seems to go against other Scriptures, it simply means we have a surface understanding of that passage and need to study and pray more thoroughly. Studying the Bible and rightly applying it does not mean simply reading it and taking what we want to hear from it! A strong, steady truth repeated often from Old Testament to New is that our faith is our own. No one can save us on our behalf. We must each make the choice whether to surrender ourselves to Christ or keep trusting ourselves to save us from our sin. Either we believe, and take God at His word, or we don’t. But that belief is individualistic, every single time. (Romans 3:22, Romans 10:9-10, Genesis 15:6)

2) If it’s 100% true that we must each believe in order to be saved, why did Mark record that Jesus saw the faith of the paralytic’s friends and then said, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”? (Mark 2:6)
I believe the answer is two-fold. First, God designed believers to live together in community, to love and act and move as one Body, with great unity. All throughout Scripture, we are commanded, not simply invited, to pray for one another, carrying each other’s everyday burdens (Galatians 6:2) as well as praying for opportunities for the Kingdom of God to advance and His gospel to be made known.  (Colossians 4:3) Prayer is an integral part of following Jesus in everyday life. He calls us to pray on behalf of those who have already believed in Him and those who have yet to trust Him at His Word. What these four men did by physically bringing their friend to Jesus’ house is a perfect picture of what every believer does when they pray for another. As we pray, we are carrying these people into the presence of God, directly into His throne room of grace and mercy where He hears and listens! (Hebrews 4:16) We do have influence on other’s engagement in the presence of God through our own faith, whether that person is a Christian or not. Second, Jesus did indeed see the faith of the four friends and so chose to call out this man and bring forgiveness to Him and eventually healing of His body. However, simply because Mark records Jesus’ noting the faith of the four, does not at all preclude that Jesus also saw the faith of the paralytic in his heart. A few verses later, Jesus makes it clear He has authority and power to know precisely what is in our hearts, whether good or evil. Naturally, Jesus saw the heart of the paralytic as well, and knew he was ready to accept Christ as His forgiver of sin and healing of His soul.  When it comes to matters of salvation, we must keep two things forefront. 1) Salvation is accessed through faith alone by grace alone and 2) God is sovereign, meaning we are not privy to all the inner workings of who is genuinely saved and who isn’t. That is for God to know and work out, not us.

3) Why did Jesus forgive the man’s sins first instead of healing his body?
First, the man’s most primary necessary healing, like each of us, was his soul. The mortal wound of his soul, caused by sin, was damning this man to an eternity separated from God. The paralytic’s restoration to God through Jesus was the most pressing healing. Second, Jesus did heal the man’s body, but for an incredibly focused purpose: glory to God and growth for the Kingdom. God does not heal for the sole happiness and health of the one being healed; His main purpose is always to draw others into Himself and we are drawn to Him by His revelation of glory.  The paralytic, though physically healed, one day died and his healed body ceased working. However, that same man, is right at this moment, dancing free in the very presence of the God whose glory was revealed on that day when his sins were forgiven! The temporary physical healing was a profound platform by which to demonstrate the pressing eminence of the eternal!

Everyday Application

1) Can my faith in Christ save someone else?
No, I cannot save anyone, no matter how much faith I have or how much it grieves me to watch them turn away from the Lord again and again. And neither can you. Paul grieved like this over his fellow Jews who, though they knew and studied every pen stroke of the Old Testament law and prophets, they missed the whole point of Jesus’ death and resurrection as the fulfillment of those very law and prophets. Paul wrote, “For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers…” (Romans 9:3) As much as we grieve for lost, our faith cannot save them. They must make that choice for themselves just as we had to.

2) If it’s 100% true that we must each believe in order to be saved, why did Mark record that Jesus saw the faith of the paralytic’s friends and then said, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”? (Mark 2:6)
While we clearly cannot give someone else salvation, no matter how much we love them, we can and must have influence in their spiritual lives by faithfully praying for them. We are called to bring others before God’s throne, asking Him to reveal His glory to them that they too might “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved.” (Romans 10:13) I hope you’re as convicted to read this as I am to write it, Sisters. Let’s be faithful Christ-followers and steadfastly bring our friends before the Lord just as these four men did for their paralyzed friend! Begin making a list of those in your sphere of influence, or even those on your street, who don’t know Jesus. Begin praying for them by name for their salvation! Ask for doors to be opened for you to share your own faith journey and what Jesus has meant to you. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you opportunities to invite these people you know and love to church, or even just over for a meal as you faithfully invest in their faith journey.

3) Why did Jesus forgive the man’s sins first instead of healing his body?
We can look around our world, our churches, and even our families and our hearts break with the heavy physical suffering being experienced by all of us on varying levels. Children sick with cancer, babies who never breath outside the womb, wives who bury husbands, parents who bury children, spouses who live with abuse, aunt and uncles who watch nieces and nephews ruin their lives, and grandparents who find themselves starting over as they parent their grandchildren. The ache is grievous, the load is heavy, and oh how our hearts break in agony wishing we could remove the pain, the wound, and the hurt. But we cannot. And so, we beg the God of all to do it for us. And often times, He does! But sometimes, though He certainly could, He does not. I’ll be straight up with you, we just cannot know all the reasons behind all of our whys and why nots on earth, but we can know for absolute certainty, that when the Lord God heals, and even when He doesn’t, there is a purpose. A good purpose. A purpose that He, and He alone, will use to expand the kingdom and grow our faith if we will allow Him. What we see is temporary. What is coming is eternal. What we live out today is just a vapor. What we invest in with faith will last forever. Pray, Sisters. Pray for the Lord to bring physical healing and make His Name great in the process, but please pray that far beyond the physical, that our hearts will lean into His good Father heart, and we will remember that His eternal healing is indeed coming!

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

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 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.

Open Day 4 Pineapple Power: Digging Deeper

Leave a Comment

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 Pineapple Power!

The Questions

1) Where is Zarephath and why is this significant?

2) Why would Elijah insist on the widow making some bread for himself first before herself and her son? (verse 13)

3) How is this widow’s faith important in the story of Scripture?

1 Kings 17:8-16

Then the word of the Lord came to him: 9 “Get up, go to Zarephath that belongs to Sidon and stay there. Look, I have commanded a woman who is a widow to provide for you there.” 10 So Elijah got up and went to Zarephath. When he arrived at the city gate, there was a widow gathering wood. Elijah called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup and let me drink.” 11 As she went to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a piece of bread in your hand.”

12 But she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I don’t have anything baked—only a handful of flour in the jar and a bit of oil in the jug. Just now, I am gathering a couple of sticks in order to go prepare it for myself and my son so we can eat it and die.”

13 Then Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid; go and do as you have said. But first make me a small loaf from it and bring it out to me. Afterward, you may make some for yourself and your son, 14 for this is what the Lord God of Israel says, ‘The flour jar will not become empty and the oil jug will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the surface of the land.’”

15 So she proceeded to do according to the word of Elijah. Then the woman, Elijah, and her household ate for many days. 16 The flour jar did not become empty, and the oil jug did not run dry, according to the word of the Lord he had spoken through Elijah.

Original Intent

1) Where is Zarephath and why is this significant?
The town of Zarephath was nestled in the country of Sidon beyond the borders of Israel. Why does this matter? Because Elijah was Jewish and the location of Zarephath made this widow a Gentile. Jews didn’t associate with Gentiles. Jews were the chosen people of God, Gentiles were ‘everyone else’. But God told Elijah to go to this widow, this Gentile, this ‘heathen’, yet she was the one who displayed enough faith in Elijah’s God of Israel (verse 12) that the Lord God displayed His great faithfulness to her. (verse 14) She feared the God of Israel. She took the prophet at his word spoken on behalf of his God, and she trusted.

2) Why would Elijah insist on the widow making some bread for himself first before herself and her son? (verse 13)
It feels self-focused and outlandish doesn’t it? “I see you and your son are about to die, so please make your last loaf of bread for me first.” If we don’t slow down, the request comes across cold-hearted and selfish. But that isn’t Elijah’s intent or God’s heart in the slightest. The widow had heard of Elijah’s God, she knew He was powerful. (verse 12 “as the Lord your God lives”) It’s one thing to hear stories, but quite another to trust in the God of those stories when your life and the life of your son are at stake. Add to the fact this woman was Gentile and not Jewish. According to religious culture, there was no reason for the God of Israel to bless a Gentile’s faith. Which is precisely why there is a line drawn in the sand by the Lord through the prophet’s words. Make the bread for Elijah first, and trust the God of Israel will provide for you and your son despite your logical calculations. This is the challenge of faith. The widow had to choose, either trust herself and die or trust the word of the Lord and live.

3) How is this widow’s faith important in the story of Scripture?
God used the faith of this widow to paint a vivid picture of true faith that is always welcomed by God. Centuries later when that widow and her son had long been buried and turned to dust, Jesus picked up her story in Luke 4:25-26 as He spoke to His own townspeople in Nazareth. They were His own neighbors, Jews waiting expectantly for the Messiah, but like all the widows who lived in Israel in Elijah’s time, they didn’t believe Jesus at His word. They scoffed. This can’t be the Messiah, we saw Him grow up. This is Joseph’s boy, we’ve seen him run the streets his whole life. They were too familiar with Jesus to be able to accept Him at His word that He was the fulfillment of all the ancient prophecies which they had studied for so long. In fact, Jesus’ claims of being God in the flesh, of being this promised Messiah come to rescue and set free and redeem, was so impossible to the Nazarites they became furious with Jesus. They literally mobbed Jesus, throwing Him out of the temple where He’d been teaching with every intention of throwing Him over the cliff to His death. But Jesus, being exactly the God He claimed to be, walked right through the angry crowd, leaving Nazareth and His faithless neighbors behind. They had Messiah in their midst, but they wanted only to be rid of Him.

Everyday Application

1) Where is Zarephath and why is this significant?
This seemingly random story of an arbitrary widow from Zarephath was deeply intentional by the Lord God. Here in the Old Testament, God was showing Elijah, and all Jews who would later read the recorded encounter or tell it as it was passed down generation to generation, that God was for the nations. Jew and Gentile. All peoples. Yes, God used the Jews as His chosen people to setup history as the backdrop for the coming Messiah who would rescue and reconcile all who would come to Him, but His heart has always been for all. Surely, Elijah raised an eyebrow at minimum when God directed Him outside of Israel for sustenance. To the Gentiles? Yes, to the Gentiles God sent His prophet, that the Name of the Lord God would continue to be declared to all people. I wonder, how often do we do the same with such careful intentions? Do we invite the ‘comfortable Christian people’ over for dinner, or are we making space to bring God’s Name to all? How are we using our “pineapple moments” for His glory?

2) Why would Elijah insist on the widow making some bread for himself first before herself and her son? (verse 13)
This “line in the sand” is exactly how it is for every single person living past, present, or future. At some point, we must each decide if we will trust ourselves and die or trust the word of the Lord and live. If we seek to save our soul by being good enough, doing more good than bad, going to church, giving money, praying hard, or even punishing ourselves, we are damned for eternity. Our sin is too deep, too marring, too impossible to outweigh compared to the flawless righteousness required by a righteous God. If we trust ourselves to save ourselves, we are condemned to death. But if we, just like the widow from Zarephath, see the line in the sand, and choose to take God at His word that He literally took our death on Himself, died in our place, and gave us His own perfect righteous standing before the Holy God Himself to us, WE LIVE! Through His death for us, we are made alive! But not by hearing this story, not by going to church, not by ‘knowing about God’, but through faith. Faith that says, “I believe You, God, are exactly who You say You are. And on that claim, I stake my life.” That’s exactly what the widow did, and it’s precisely what God is asking each of us.

3) How is this widow’s faith important in the story of Scripture?
The widow’s story in 1 Kings, reiterated by Jesus in Luke, hits home for us in our churches, our neighborhoods, and cities. America is still known as the ‘Christian country’, the place where you’re ‘Christian’ simply because of birthplace, or because you ‘believe in God’. Let this widow’s story hit our hearts in the most tender places. Sisters, even the demons ‘believe in God’. (James 2:19) Belief in God does not save. Birthplace or home address or family tree does not save any more for us than it did for the many Jewish widows who lived in Elijah’s time or the many Jews who lived in Nazareth. Only true faith, true heart trust in the faithfulness of God to be and do exactly as He says He will be and do. Only this kind of faith saves. This is the faith of the widow from Zarephath. This is the faith of a true believer who will be rescued from the consequences of our sin, which is death and eternal separation from God. So we beg the question, “of what is our faith made of”? Have we had ‘just enough’ Jesus to make us angry at Him when His call interferes with our want? Or do we take Him at His word that He is the Divine Rescuer, come to save, redeem, and make us new?!

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

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 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.

Worship V Day 9 1,000 Tongues To Sing: Digging Deeper

Leave a Comment

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 1,000 Tongues To Sing!

The Questions

1) Why did Jesus come into the world?

2) How does Paul convey himself in this letter to Timothy?

3) What do we learn about God in this passage?

1 Timothy 1:15-17

This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them. 16 But I received mercy for this reason, so that in me, the worst of them, Christ Jesus might demonstrate his extraordinary patience as an example to those who would believe in him for eternal life. 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

Original Intent

1) Why did Jesus come into the world?
Jesus, God the Son, came as an act of obedience to God the Father, Who sent Him (John 6:38) for the purpose of “saving sinners”. The most well-known verse in the Bible, John 3:16, describes this perfectly (in concert with John 3:17). Jesus gives everlasting life, therefore “saving” sinners. Jesus saves them from torment and separation from God. In Luke 5:32 Jesus states, “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Again, Jesus says in John 10:10, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” Who are these “sinners” Jesus came to rescue? The collective “US” across all humanity. “There is none righteous, no, not one, for all have fallen short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:10, 23)

2) How does Paul convey himself in verse 15 to Timothy?
Paul refers to himself as the “worst sinner” in verse 15 and reiterates it in verse 16. In verses 12-17, Paul gives a brief recounting of his “faith story” as he describes who he was, the moment he was eternally changed because of Christ, and how that decision changed everything about him going forward. In his story, Paul openly admits to being “the worst sinner” because he outright persecuted the Church but he received mercy and was made new. He was a sinner, but now he is the recipient of undeserved mercy so that Christ’s patient love would take center stage through Paul’s redeemed life. If Paul, the worst sinner, can be brought back to God, and his core identity change from sinner to saint because of Christ’s great mercy, then no one is too far gone! Paul purposefully emphasizes his own unworthiness of receiving forgiveness to Timothy to encourage him to continue persevering in sharing this freeing gospel to all as he pastored the church in Ephesus.

3) What do we learn about God in verse 17?
Our Great God is King of all time from eternity past through eternity future. He has always been and will always be the True King, the only God. There is none like Him; He has no equal! (Isaiah 40:25) God is immortal, meaning He is not limited to our earthly bodies which die and decay, returning to dust; He lives for eternity and exists outside of temporal time and space constraints. Within Him is found nothing but immortality; not a hint of death or an end. He is also invisible, at least to our fallen human eyes, dwelling in light which no human can approach (1 Timothy 6:16).

Everyday Application

1) Why did Jesus come into the world?
Do you ever find yourself feeling like you and Jesus are “okay” because you do so much? Maybe you serve at church and you’re a homeroom mom at your kids’ school and you also donate to a local food pantry. That’s enough, right?
Friend, no. That’s not enough. Nothing you or I could ever do, even if we worked yourself into utter exhaustion and poverty, could ever be enough to work your way to salvation. God’s economy just doesn’t work that way.
Father God knew we would need a Savior. He knew even before He created anything or anyone that the first humans (Adam and Eve) would disobey (Genesis 2:15-3:7). The sin that entered the world through this couple could only be removed by a blameless sacrifice from The Spotless Lamb.
Jesus Christ’s death on the cross was unlike other crucifixions in a myriad of ways, the most important being that He was innocent of any crimes, yet He took upon Himself all of the sin of the world. All sin. Of all time. Past, present, and future. He took the punishment that every person who ever lived deserved from God.
And then, He defeated Sin and Death by rising up out of that grave!
HE is the reason we can experience salvation and eternal life.

2) How does Paul convey himself in verse 15 to Timothy?
If Paul, being the foremost of all sinners, can experience the mercy Jesus gives when He is trusted for salvation, then anyone can! That was the message for Timothy to take to the church at Ephesus (1 Timothy 1:3), and that is the message to you and me today, Sisters. Think your worst is too much for Jesus to forgive? Think again! Just take one step of faith toward Jesus…He’s been waiting for you. He loves you. He wants to give you eternal life with Him and help transform you into the beautiful woman He created you to be. In the same vein, extend that free gospel to all. Pull back from pre-deciding who “will never choose Christ”. Our mission is to extend this grace wrapped truth of salvation, not decide who will or will not embrace its message.

3) What do we learn about God in this passage?
When we open ourselves to Jesus’ powerful mercy and allow Him rule and reign in our life, we experience radical heart changes no one can comprehend unless they’ve also allowed Jesus to transform them.
Wesley’s song lyrics are a wonderfully descriptive account of the salvation experience.
Jesus shines on a dark soul, weighed down by sin, and cleanses it.
The burden of punishment is lifted!
Real living begins!
Praise and worship are natural consequences!
There’s such a glorious freedom in knowing He is forever holding you!
The greatest thing is how surrender opens us to a relationship with God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Our Triune God wants us to talk to Him and, if our hearts are in tune with His, we will sense His leading and guiding.

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with 1,000 Tongues To Sing!

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 Worship V 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.

Gospel Day 4 So Loved: Digging Deeper

1 Comment

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 So Loved!

The Questions

1) How has God loved us?

2) How does this transform the way we love others?

3) What other theme is tied into these verses of love?

1 John 4:7-16

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him. 10 Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in us and his love is made complete in us. 13 This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and we testify that the Father has sent his Son as the world’s Savior. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God—God remains in him and he in God. 16 And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.

Original Intent

1) How has God loved us?
The author of John (believed to be a half-cousin of Jesus, and described often as “the disciple whom Jesus loved”) tells us in verse 7 how all genuine and true love begins with God. God is the first and ultimate model of love. These verses focus on His greatest act of love for people, God the Father sending God the Son “as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (verse 10). The depth of this statement is difficult to comprehend in its brevity. In fact, God used the whole Bible, years of history, and the entire nation of Israel to display what this statement is summarizing. As 1 John 2:2 states, “He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.”
In light of this, sacrifice is a key descriptor of God’s love for His people. However, this word does not stand alone. In offering himself as a perfect, innocent sacrifice, Jesus’ years on earth are full of the fruits of the Spirit: humility, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22) Jesus, as God the Son, lived out perfect obedience and submission the plan of the triune godhead to reconcile humanity to Himself.

2) How does this transform the way we love one another?
1 John 4:11 states, “if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” This theme is actually threaded all throughout 1 John. The letter ties together loving our fellow Christians closely with walking in righteousness and loving God. 1 John 2:10 states, “The one who loves his brother or sister remains in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.”
Later in 3:18, “ Little children, let us not love in word or speech, but in action and in truth”, firmly reminds us that love is an action. Love does not sit idly by while someone is hurting, in need, or simply needs a friend for company. However, John tells us the importance of these actions being tied to truth, the anchoring, transforming power of the Gospel. 1 John emphasizes actions of love flowing from a heart bound to God, and therefore, flowing from a genuine concern for the overall well-being of those around us because we have been so loved!

3) What other theme is tied into these verses of love?
We have discussed how God is the beginning of love, the demonstration of His love, and how we are to mimic and reflect that love. Threaded tightly throughout the commands to love one another is the warning against being deceived by false teaching. In watching for false teaching, one must learn to recognize the Spirit of the Lord. God does not give us power to judge another’s salvation, however, recognizing whether or not we are in Christ is emphasized strongly throughout 1 John. John’s letter is full of contrasts between the one who loves his brother and the one who loves the world. The one who loves the Father most, will also love others with the same mark. The one who chases after self and the world, John clearly says the Father is not in him (2:15).
The way we love others is a litmus test of our genuine salvation, being mentioned at least 4-5 times in these few verses. This test is first for ourselves personally, assessing if we are truly tethered to Christ by confessing Jesus as the Son of God (verse 15). Secondly, the test of genuine, sacrificial love tied to the truth of Scripture, is a signpost by which we are to examine actions, teaching, and speech. If these are not in line with the truth of the gospel, proceed with awareness and a readiness to share truth of Christ with grace, realizing they may not have embraced the saving power of Christ.

Everyday Application

1) How has God loved us?
God’s love for people cannot be grasped without first understanding who people are before God. When reading in Genesis, we only get a few chapters in before we see the first created humans twisting God’s words, doubting His goodness, and lying about their disobedience. The Old Testament Law is eventually given as a mirror to remind us how we all sin and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) Who are we, as created beings, that God should suffer and die on our behalf while keeping in mind, His own righteous judgment, which declares us guilty, sentencing us to death and eternal separation from Him?! He delivered justice, pouring out our consequence upon Himself, that we might be forgiven if we trust in Him for our only salvation.
So, what is our life application since God is doing all the work on our behalf in taking our punishment and literally being righteous for us? Rest and freedom in God’s love.
First, recognize salvation is completely the work of God! Repent then, turn from your sin, and rejoice in the freedom given as a result of God bestowing His favor upon us through His gracious forgiveness!  You cannot earn something that has already been paid for by someone else. Second, as a Christian, your identity is in Christ alone. Be free to be who God made you to be. Throw yourself on Jesus who will continue to free you from your rebelling, selfish ways and from fears of this physical world. The God who created you and saved you will keep you for HIS eternal, big picture purposes.

2) How does this transform the way we love one another?
“We love because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19). Christians and non-Christians alike can display deep, inspiring acts of love. Non-Christians can indeed make sacrificial loving choices that put others first. These are following the ways of the Lord without even realizing it. Anyone can be kind, even sacrificial, but to love as radically as Christ, we must first experience His love in a deep, intimate, personal way. Only His love is truly transformative to radically make every aspect of our lives and our minds bran new. Only a love rooted in the personal experience of the gospel will overflow into an entire life lived with the love by which Christ has loved.
1 John 3:16 notes, “He laid down His life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.” Yes, Christ sacrificed His life at the cross, but we must not downplay the 30+ years of daily sacrifice Christ demonstrated on earth as He submitted to the Father, getting his hands dirty and building His Kingdom. Do you and I go about life according to our desires and sprinkle it with Christ’s love when it is convenient? Or do we prioritize our lives to intentionally focus on encouraging and building up others in the church.
Are you willing to sacrifice time, talent, and treasure to love the hurting? Or expose the imperfections of your home to welcome the lonely? Do we demonstrate patience and grace when a fellow servant of Christ makes ignorant statements? Do you ask God to help you cover a fellow Christian with forgiveness and mercy when they have hurt you?
Love! You have been well loved first!

3) What other theme is tied into these verses of love?
Committing to learning more about what God says in His word can feel overwhelming as there is so much to take in! But it’s not impossible, nor as difficult as it first seems. Begin simply by opening His Word, this is His revelation to us about Himself. Write down your questions and take them to a pastor, a trusted believing friend, or write us here at Gracefully Truthful! Biblical sermons, podcasts, truthful websites, and commentaries are all good resources, but nothing compares to the beautiful Word of God itself! As you study the Bible, God will reveal His character. Look for His justice, mercy, faithfulness, humility, patience, and sovereignty in each recorded event. Spend time with Him by connecting through prayer either aloud, silently, or journaling. Engage in fellowship with other Christians. Believers aren’t perfect people, just people who have been saved and are in the process of being made new in Christ.
To help you grow, no matter how long you’ve been following Jesus, read through 1 John and answer his questions for yourself. Are you walking in light and righteousness of the Lord? Or, perhaps, do you know of Him but are not tethered to him IN Christ? Then read the book again considering who you look to for spiritual leading. Do their teachings and actions reflect God’s sacrificial love while being bound to the truth of Scripture? Are they proclaiming Christ IS God? True love and life begin with first knowing God and abiding in Him through the power of His Spirit.

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

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 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.

Anchored Day 13 When The World Is At Stake

Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Psalm 95:2-5
Matthew 28:16-20
Colossians 4:2-6
1 Corinthians 16:9-10

Anchored, Day 13

Our world is dying.
Those of us walking with Jesus know the narrow road to life,
and we are commissioned to invite the perishing around us on the
journey to life everlasting. (Matthew 7:13-14)

The stakes couldn’t be higher.

This urgency drove Paul’s words to the Colossian church in chapter 4.
Having laid a foundation for Godly living in chapter 3, Paul now invites the Colossians to broaden their perspective to the lost world stretching out before them.

“Fellow saints,” he seems to say, “remember your transformation is unto transferral:
the transferral of lost souls from the Kingdom of Darkness into the Kingdom of Light.”

Paul extends the hand of ministry partnership to Colossian believers.
He begins by highlighting the power of prayer, fundamentally understanding the success of his local evangelism depends on a suffusion of supernatural power garnered by prayers of distant believers.

So too for us, sisters!
While evangelism may not be our main vocation, we are not sidelined!
Our supportive role is critical to the work of those on the mission field.
When the world is at stake, our prayers matter.

But how should we pray?
Verse 2 of this passage provides three main guidelines for powerful, supportive prayer.

First, we are to be STEADFAST in our prayers for those sharing the Gospel.
Consistency in prayer exponentially strengthens both the pray-er (growing both motivation and intensity within her) and the recipient.

Next, we are to be WATCHFUL in prayer.
When we get busy praying, the enemy gets busy opposing us. We need to be alert to his strategies, which he’s crafty enough to tailor to each of us. Head on a swivel, sisters, let’s fight to protect our prayers.

And finally, we are to be THANKFUL in prayer.
While the view from the trenches may be discouraging at times, it’s important to remember that ultimately, the victory has already been won. As we reflect on our testimonies, we are reminded God has been faithful and will be again.
We find ourselves infused with fresh hope and strength for the fight.

We’re ready to be consistent in our prayers,
alert to the strategies of the enemy to thwart us,
and gratefully confident that in the epic struggle for the world,
our God has already been declared Victor.
We’re ready to pray.

But what should we pray?
Verses 3-4 provide timely guidance.

First, Paul requests prayer “also for us”.
Again, this refers to those whose main vocation is spreading the Gospel, whether local or far distant. Specifically, Paul shares a deep desire to make the most of “open door” moments: those special opportunities to share Jesus in unusually effective ways. These are not day-to-day conversations with a single person, but rather unique openings to minister on a large scale.

In every interaction, Paul longs to declare the mystery of Christ in a way that makes it clear. Some people may have been taught a wrong understanding of the Gospel.
Others may have no frame of reference at all and find it overwhelming.
Paul seeks wisdom to spread the word of God in a way that is relatable to each person he encounters.

So, as we pray for our missionaries, let’s ask God to create open doors for the exponentially effective move of the Gospel.
Let’s ask Him to give those on the front line precisely the right words
to make clear the heart of the Father.

In the last few verses of this passage, Paul moves instructs the Colossians
how they ought to share Jesus.

Because of course, evangelism is not just for missionaries.
Each and every one of us have been commissioned
to engage in everyday, ordinary ways of sharing
the most extraordinary story ever told.

“The time has come,” Paul seems to say, “to put all of your learning, all of your discipline, all of your growth, into action. Being transformed into the Father’s image means your heart also becomes more like His, broken for His lost children. Go now; it’s time to act.”

Walk in wisdom toward outsiders,
making the best use of the time.
Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt,
so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. (Colossians 4:5-6)

Right off the bat, Paul encourages us with the simple command to engage those outside the family of believers. Time is short, and every interaction matters.
Therefore, Paul explains, wisdom is paramount.

Where is this person in the process of salvation?
What action on my part would be most beneficial
for this person
in this moment?

Perhaps my role is to sew a seed, leaving the harvest for another worker. (1 Corinthians 3:5-9) Or perhaps this is the moment of decision, and I ought to press on.
God’s timing is perfect, and my desire is to move in step with Him as He leads.

Furthermore, operating in the Father’s wisdom and listening the Spirit’s whisper allows our words to be seasoned in a way that makes the Gospel most powerful in each interaction. Because it isn’t about us, this is God’s Work!

A highly effective approach with one person might prove detrimental with another.
Before we’re overwhelmed by the weightiness of what lies ahead, remember we have God on our side. He created each soul; He is perfectly capable of leading us as His Spirit courts each one for the Kingdom.

When the world is at stake, the power of prayer is critical
along with a willing obedience to go.
Let us meet the Lord on our knees,
hear His whispers in our hearts,
and take Him with us to the streets.

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
Can we pray for you?
Sign up to receive every Journey Study!
Join our Facebook Community!

Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Anchored Week Three! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Anchored!

Sketched V Day 14 Paul, The Renewed Soldier: Digging Deeper

Leave a Comment

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 Paul, The Renewed Soldier!

The Questions

1) What is considered sound doctrine?

2) Is sound doctrine really important?

3) But I just want to love Jesus and enjoy life. Are we over thinking this?

2 Timothy 4:3-5

3 For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will multiply teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear what they want to hear. 4 They will turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to myths. But as for you, exercise self-control in everything, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist fulfill your ministry.

Original Intent

1) What is considered sound doctrine?
God’s word, with appropriate application in context and further interpreted by other Scripture, is “sound doctrine.” Doctrine in and of itself is defined as “a belief or set of beliefs.” As noted in an article by Ligonier Ministries, even demons have teachings and their own doctrine (1 Timothy 4:1).  Scripture notes that even demons are fully aware of who God is (Luke 4:40b-41; James 2:19). Therefore, being aware of God alone is neither the basis of salvation nor the definition of living a life honoring to the Lord. Simply knowing about God does not equal “sound doctrine”.
The basic foundation of Biblical doctrine is summarized multiple times in the book of Acts: “…by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified and whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing here before you healthy.  This Jesus is the stone rejected by you builders, which has become the cornerstone. There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:10-12) Sound doctrine involves a deep and wide understanding and confession of Jesus Christ as fully human, fully God, and the only means why which salvation is attained for humanity.

2) Is sound doctrine really important?
Paul devoted his life to preaching Scripture accurately as revealed through the lens of the Gospel. Paul apparently thought it was important enough for people to align with truth that he spent years traveling and ploughing through extreme circumstances of shipwrecks, imprisonment, and more in order to call people to Christ and to living out sound doctrine.
During his own imprisonment, Paul urges Timothy to not be afraid of people and circumstances; nor to not allow these things to alter his teachings in order to please others or protect himself from persecution. (2 Timothy 1:6-7; 2 Timothy 1:13; 2 Timothy 4:1-5)
In Paul’s first letter to Timothy, Paul specifically notes of deterring from sound doctrine leads to “empty speculations” and “fruitless discussion.” (1 Timothy 1:3-7). In 2 Timothy, it’s noted how idle talk easily leads to some turning away from truth and towards false claims about Christ (2 Timothy 2:14-19).  Having witnessed the destruction of handling Scripture inaccurately, Paul leads in to 2 Timothy 4 with a charge to “preach the word; in season and out of season.” Though people will want teaching that permits their chosen lifestyle and offers entertainment with “tickling of the ears”, it is absolutely necessary to cling to the gospel and pronounce it to the lost world (2 Timothy 4:1-5).

3) But I just want to love Jesus and enjoy life. Are we overthinking this?
God wants us to enjoy life! He is the one who created a perfect garden for us to live in complete union with Him. He is the one who gave Himself—His Son—as the perfect sacrifice that we may have opportunity to be right with God. And all of this after we repeatedly deny recognition of Him as Almighty Creator GOD.
However, due to the severity of sin (even “little sins”), this world is no longer perfect peace and harmony. (Obviously!) God graciously gives what is needed to sustain life in order that every human soul may have opportunity to draw near to Him through Christ in repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)
Understanding that it is the Lord’s holy, perfect standard we have violated because of sin is the beginning of making sense of the broken world around us. A right understanding of who God is illuminates good news of what He has done for us. Though God does want us to have joy, He knows true joy is only in HIM. He knows we are innately driven to please ourselves. His greater purpose is to lead us out of a path that leads to death driven by self-desires and into the eternal life with His perfect presence.

Everyday Application

1) What is considered sound doctrine?
When I first met my husband, one of the things that caught my attention was his constant challenge with the question of who people believe God is. Do I believe in the God of the Bible or do I believe in God as I assume him to be and, perhaps as I want Him to be, through my own personal experiences and interpretations? This leads to the challenge of, “What does the Bible say about God?”
To some degree, in our fallen state of thinking, we will never fully see God as He truly is until we reach Heaven in His full presence and glory. But we are to strive with Scripture as our guide. Scripture always trumps and interprets experience. Personal experience may bring alive or enhance what Scripture is teaching, but personal experience is not the interpreter of Scripture.
Life is overwhelming and the Bible is rather thick. The task can feel too hard. But God can produce great things from small, consistent bites. Follow a Bible study plan even if you fall behind. In this age of FREE podcasts, listen to multiple teachers as you drive, exercise, or clean the kitchen. The goal is to know Christ and Him crucified, resurrected, and coming again!

2) Why is sound doctrine important?
Often people skirt from seeking doctrine because it can feel overwhelming or, perhaps, believe that by declaring some sort of definite statements will divide the church. In actuality, clinging to the doctrine of the Gospel and encouraging each other to grow pulls the church together.
In a sermon by Stephen Armstrong, he describes Paul’s charge in 2 Timothy 4:1 as the climatic answer to all the problems mentioned prior. Pastor Armstrong breaks it down, “the solution to false teachers: preach the word. The solution to having misguided believers led astray: preach the word. The solution to persecution: preach the word. The solution to apostasy: preach the word.”
There are many good acts of charity and ministry people in God’s church carry out to bring Him glory. But the bottom line is only the Holy Spirit through the Word of God can change hearts and win souls. Only when hearts are repented and surrendered to the Lord can real change happen. “Whatever you do, do for the glory of the Lord,” but while you are doing these things, speak God’s Word to those around you “with complete patience and teaching.”

3) But I just want to love Jesus and enjoy life. Are we overthinking this?
Yeah, I just want to enjoy life and love Jesus, too. But living this way may not be how you initially imagine. God allows tough circumstances. Some trials are such a part of life that they are not going away in my lifetime. I get tired. My emotional love for and connection to Christ stretches thin. I question my relationship with Christ as feeling a need for a vacation more than the feeling of surrender.
So, what does it mean to love Jesus? Paul and the apostles are great examples. Through the lens of who Jesus is, they grasped their identity, not the other way around where our feelings dictate who Jesus is or who we are. Paul urges Timothy to live his identity in Christ with, “self-control in everything, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist fulfill your ministry.” (2 Timothy 4:5). Paul was “being poured out as a drink offering” to spread the Gospel (verse 6). Even then, he learned to rejoice in all circumstances (Philippians 4:11-12). Paul did not fake until he made it type of thing. As he learned more deeply the character of God and his own place before Christ, he learned true joy in living out God’s purpose to further the Gospel.

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

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 Sketched V 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.