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18
Apr
2022

Paul Is Hard To Understand

Hard To Understand
Image by Andrew Martin from Pixabay

…our dear brother Paul has written to you according to the wisdom given to him. He speaks about these things in all his letters. There are some things hard to understand in them…  (2 Pet. 3:15–16 CSB17)

As we noted in the overview of 1 Timothy, we have to read between the lines when studying this letter. We are, after all, reading someone else’s mail. When we have access to only one side of a conversation, we have to attempt to fill in the gaps. 

Some of these gaps come in the form of following Paul’s flow of thought from one paragraph to the next. There are a couple of times in the first chapter of 1 Timothy where it appears that Paul abruptly changes subjects. At first glance, it is not always obvious how the paragraphs relate to each other. 

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Posted by Eddie Lawrence in 1 Timothy, Hermeneutics
11
Apr
2022

What Is An Apostle?

Apostle

The word apostle is one of several words in the Bible that has not been translated from the original biblical language into English. Instead, the word apostle is a transliteration from Greek into English. Transliteration is the process of taking the letters of a word from one language and substituting them with the equivalent letters of a different language. Translation, on the other hand, is the process of choosing a word in the destination language that has the same meaning as the word in the source language. The word apostle came into the English language from the Greek word apostolos (ἀπόστολος). 

ἀπόστολος  →  apostolos  →  apostle 

As you can see, our English word apostle is composed by substituting the Greek letters with the equivalent English letters. The word hasn’t been translated at all, but is really just an approximation of the sound of the Greek word.

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Posted by Eddie Lawrence in Word Studies
04
Apr
2022

The Reason For The Letter Of 1 Timothy

Reason For The Letter

A study of the book of 1 Timothy is best begun in the middle. It isn’t until the middle of the book that Paul specifically tells us the reason for the letter:

14 I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, 15 if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. (1 Tim. 3:14–15 ESV)

Paul is writing the letter so that the Christians in Ephesus could know how they should conduct themselves as members of God’s family. Even though Paul addressed this letter to Timothy, it would appear it was not meant to be a private letter. The very last words of the letter, “Grace be with you” (1 Tim 6:21), implies a wider audience because “you” is plural. Paul intended for this letter to be read by others in the Ephesian church.

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Posted by Eddie Lawrence in 1 Timothy, Church
28
Mar
2022

1 Timothy: Introduction

1 Timothy: Introduction

1 Timothy: Introduction

Important Facts:

  • Author: The apostle Paul.
  • Date: About AD 65.
  • Reasons for the letter:
    • Instruct Timothy about the false teachers in Ephesus and how to deal with them.
    • Establish guidelines for church practices in Ephesus.
    • To encourage Timothy.

What do we know about Ephesus?

Ephesus was the third largest city in the Roman empire in the first century AD with a population of about 250,000. Only Alexandria and Rome were larger. Ephesus was the leading city in the richest region of the Roman empire. There had been a significant Jewish presence in the city since at least the third century BC.

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Posted by Eddie Lawrence in 1 Timothy
21
Mar
2022

“Put Your Hand Under My Thigh”

Put Your Hand Under My Thigh

2 And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh, 3 that I may make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell, 4 but will go to my country and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” (Gen. 24:2–4 ESV)

There are a lot of things in the Bible that are strange and outlandish to us. The traditions and cultures of people in the ancient Near East who lived thousands of years ago were, needless to say, very different from our own. For us it is common to place our right hand on a Bible to take an oath. Abraham had his servant swear by putting his hand under Abraham’s thigh. This is probably one of the most unusual customs in the Bible.

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Posted by Eddie Lawrence in Ancient Customs, Genesis