Category: <span>Commentary</span>

1 Thessalonians 1-3

During Paul’s brief stay in Thessalonica during his second missionary journey, he was chased from the city by some jealous Jews (Acts 17:1-9). He was forced to leave the young Thessalonian believers in a state of threat and turmoil. When Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians, he was complimentary toward them and detailed his concern for their situation because he wanted to edify them in the gospel as they suffered for it. In 1 Thessalonians 1-3, Paul greeted and commended the church for their steadfastness in the gospel, then provided a lengthy review of his relationship with the church. Paul’s prayer in 1 Thess 3:11-13 concludes this extended preliminary section of the letter. Concerns for moral purity and awareness of Christ’s return dominates the body of the letter (1 Thess 4:1-5:22). Paul concluded the letter with a prayer of benediction (1 Thess 5:23-28). Paul’s encouragement to the church reflected his Old Testament theology expressed in Christ’s death, resurrection, and the promise of His return.

(1) In 1 Thess 1:9, Paul noted that the Thessalonians turned from idols, reflecting the Lord’s commands that Israel avoid idolatry. When the Lord revealed Himself on Mount Sinai in Exodus 19, the people were afraid. The first two commandments the Lord gave Moses were that the people should have no gods before Him and avoid making any image that would represent Him (Exod 20:3-6). When the people complained to Aaron and he made a calf of gold for the people to worship, God was offended (Exodus 32). During the period of the Judges, the people worshipped idols and turned from the Lord (Judges 17-18). In 1 Kgs 12:25-33, Jeroboam established a pattern of idolatry that shaped Israel for generations and incited God’s wrath to the point that He removed Israel from the land (2 Kings 17, 25). Paul commended the Thessalonians as authentic believers in light of the fact that they received the gospel amid persecution (1 Thess 1:1-10). Paul surveyed his brief relationship with the church and recalled how their faith had already produced good works, love had produced labor, and hope had produced endurance (1 Thess 1:2-3). All of this was evidence of their authenticity—the fruit of their election by God, and the evidence of the Spirit among them (1 Thess 1:4-6). So true were the Thessalonians that—although they were not very old in the Lord—their Christian maturity made them “an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia” (1 Thess 1:7). These churches heard how the Thessalonians had “turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath” (1 Thess 1:9b-10).

(2) In 1 Thess 2:15, Paul wrote that the Jews in Judea were responsible for persecuting the Old Testament prophets, Jesus, himself, and the Thessalonians. The way that Paul fused generations of Jewish leaders that killed the righteous reflected Jesus’ statements in Matt 23:34-36//Luke 11:49-51. Jesus indicted His opponents because they behaved just like their forefathers. When Cain killed his brother Abel (Gen 4:8-10), Cain established a pattern of persecuting the righteous that would continue even until the time when King Joash of Judah killed the prophet Zechariah (2 Chron 24:15-22). When God sent His righteous Son, the Jewish leadership set their hearts against Him. When God sent Paul to Thessalonica, the Jewish leadership gathered a crowd to oppose Paul and his message of Christ crucified and risen (Acts 17:1-9). The Thessalonians, too, because of their commitment to Christ, had to endure the wrath of the Jewish leadership that opposed the righteous.

1 Thessalonians Commentary New Testament

Philemon

As a business owner and an owner of slaves, Philemon’s financial success was dependent upon loyalty amongst his laborers. Restless slaves could prove costly. If even one escaped successfully, many might follow in his wake. When Paul asked Philemon to free Onesimus—and charge any wrong to Paul’s own account (v. 18)—he was asking Philemon to risk both the stability of his business and his reputation in Roman society. Paul urged Philemon to display justice toward Onesimus, justice in light of Christ’s work in the storyline of Scripture.

Principles of justice and mercy found in passages like Deut 19:15-21 and 25:1-4 shaped Paul’s injunction to Philemon. In Deut 19:15-21, Moses commanded that checks and balances needed to be followed so that an accused person would receive a fair trial. Judges needed to carefully investigate matters so that legal verdicts would be based upon fact. Moses wrote, “Life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot” (Deut 19:21). The innocent were to be vindicated and the guilty were to be punished (Deut 25:1-2). As Israel maintained justice in their disputes, they would be recognized as God’s special people, far above the nations surrounding them (Deut 26:16-19).

Paul expressed the Mosaic principles for justly handling disputes by articulating them in light of Christ. For Paul, fairness rested not on just the circumstances of a case but upon God’s revelation of Himself in Christ and his own special role as the evangelist who spoke the gospel message to Philemon. Paul’s logic placed himself and Philemon as recipients of God’s great grace in Christ, and Philemon as a debtor to Paul in the gospel. Paul therefore asked Philemon to practice justice by demonstrating mercy to his former slave Onesimus and freeing him to minister with Paul (vv. 8-20). Paul wished for Philemon to deal with the former slave as he would the apostle himself (vv. 17-18), and to keep in mind that he owed Paul no small debt in the gospel as well (v. 19).

Commentary New Testament Philemon

Jude

Jude and Peter (in 2 Peter) employed some of the same imagery to warn their audiences regarding the danger of apostasy and God’s certain judgement on those who opposed the gospel. Jude exhorted his readers, saying, “Dear friends, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, expecting the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ for eternal life” (Jude 20-21). Jude wished for his readers to live in a distinctly Christian manner, seeing Scripture as a storyline of God’s power to condemn those who rebelled while saving His people through the Lord Jesus Christ and the work of the Spirit.

(1) In Jude 5, Jude recalled God’s salvation and judgement of Israel to persuade his readers to remain steadfast in their faith. God heard the cry of His people in slavery in Egypt (Exod 2:23-25) and sent Moses to redeem Israel. God demonstrated His power in removing Israel from the grip of the Egyptian king, as Moses described in his song in Exodus 15. But after the exodus, Israel complained because they lacked food and water (Exodus 16-17). Israel constructed the golden calf and worshipped it when Moses delayed on the mountain with God (Exodus 32). And the people failed to trust God at the southern edge of the Promised Land, with the result that only Joshua and Caleb would enjoy habitation in Canaan (Numbers 13-14). Jude wanted his audience to contend for the faith knowing that just as God judged the wicked in Israel, He would also judge the wicked surrounding them.

(2) In Jude 7, Jude portrayed God’s judgement of Sodom and Gomorrah in Gen 19:1-29 as an example of how God punishes those who continue in sin. After the three visitors prophesied to Abraham and Sarah that they would have a son in their old age, the men departed to look out over Sodom (Gen 18:1-16). Abraham joined them and pleaded for the Lord to have mercy if even ten righteous could be found in the city (Gen 18:22-33). Only Lot, his wife, and his two daughters escaped, and the Lord rained sulfur to destroy the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah for their wickedness (Gen 19:1-30). Jude reminded his readers that the Lord destroys those who continue in debauchery.

(3) In Jude 9, Jude referenced the Archangel Michael’s humility in spiritual warfare to illustrate the arrogance of the false teachers threatening his audience. In Dan 10:13, 21 and 12:1, the Archangel Michael is referenced as a powerful angelic being who courageously helped other angels and stood watch over Israel. Jude understood the portrayal of Michael in Daniel and assumed his audience did as well. Though Michael was such a great figure, he was humble and would not directly rebuke the Devil saying only, “The Lord rebuke you!” (Jude 9). Those who opposed Jude and his audience demonstrated their arrogance by blaspheming what they did not understand. Though the opponents in view were weak in comparison to Michael, they acted as though they were greater.

(4) In Jude 11, Jude connected the greed and selfishness of Cain, Balaam, and Korah to illustrate the behavior of those who blasphemed God. In Gen 4:8, Cain killed Abel because he was jealous that the Lord accepted Abel’s sacrifice and not his. In Num 22:1-21, Balak king of Moab hired Balaam to curse Israel and the Lord confronted Balaam’s greed to ensure that the prophet would speak only what the Lord required (Num 22:22-41). In Num 16:1-4, Korah and 250 Israelite men opposed Moses and Aaron saying that all the people were just as holy as Israel’s leaders. Jude pronounced judgement on those who imitated the arrogant behavior of Cain, Balaam, and Korah.

Commentary Jude New Testament

Colossians

At some point after the gospel began to take root in Colossae, a number of teachers arrived and compelled the Colossians to incorporate elements of the law into their Christian faith. For Paul, Christ plus anything implied that Christ meant nothing. Paul argued that Christ is supreme over all spiritual authorities (Col 1:13-20) with the result that believers are complete in Christ alone (Col 1:28; 2:6-10), awaiting a secured heavenly inheritance (Col 1:3-6, 9-12; 3:1-4). Earthly expressions of this heavenly hope included walking in moral purity and love for the church (Col 3:5-17). For the believers in Colossae to flourish, they needed to understand the supremacy of Christ in Scripture’s storyline.

(1) In Col 1:12, Paul reminded the Colossians of their inheritance with the saints in the light, echoing themes of Canaan as Israel’s inheritance in the Old Testament. In Gen 12:1-3 and 15:1-20, the Lord promised Abraham that He would make Abraham a great nation and give him the land of Canaan as a possession. When Sarah died, Abraham purchased a burial site for her in Canaan (Gen 23:17-18). When Joseph was dying, he made his brothers swear that they would not burry him in Egypt but take his bones to the land God promised Abraham (Gen 50:24-25). When the Lord called Moses, He told Moses that He was going to use him to bring Israel out of Egypt so that the people would go to the land He promised Abraham (Exod 3:7-10). As Israel prepared to enter Canaan, Moses described the boundaries of the land Israel would inherit (Num 33:54; 34:13-18). Moses exhorted Israel to seek the Lord and follow His law in the land as a testimony of His greatness (Deut 4:1-8). Though Joshua and Eleazar divided the land among the tribes that would reside in Canaan (Josh 14:1-4), and Solomon restated that the Lord gave His people the land as an inheritance (1 Kgs 8:36), God’s people did not obey and were ultimately removed from the land (2 Kings 17, 25). Paul wrote that those united with Christ in His death and resurrection obtain a share in a heavenly inheritance (Col 1:12; 2:12) and must live in a manner on earth that reflects their heavenly security (3:1-11).

(2) In Col 1:19, Paul stated that all of God’s fullness dwelt in Christ bodily, reflecting statements of God’s transcendence and integrity in the Old Testament. When Moses asked to see God’s face, the Lord told Moses that He would pass by and allow Moses to see His back (Exod 33:12-23). When Moses completed the tabernacle, the Lord’s glory filled it (Exod 40:34-38). Solomon witnessed the same phenomenon when he completed the temple (1 Kgs 8:10-11). As Israel prepared to enter Canaan, Moses reminded the people that the Lord is One (Deut 6:4). When the Lord called Isaiah, Isaiah saw the Lord seated on a throne and the Lord’s glory filling the temple (Isa 6:3-4). Isaiah prophesied that God is transcendent, sitting in the heavens with earth as His footstool (Isa 66:1). Paul told the Colossians that God was pleased to have all of His fullness dwell bodily in Christ (Col 1:19). Because of Christ’s deity, the Colossians could trust that His death was the basis of forgiveness and peace with God; they needed nothing else.

(3) In Col 2:6-23, Paul contrasted faith in Christ Jesus as Lord and Jewish laws like circumcision, Sabbath-keeping, and ritual purity. The covenant of circumcision that God made with Abraham in Genesis 17 shaped Israel as a nation. All Israelite males were to be circumcised on the eighth day (Lev 12:3). Observing the Sabbath (Exod 20:8-10; Deut 5:12-15; Jer 17:21-27) and abstaining from certain foods (Lev 11:1-23, 41-47; Deut 14:3-21) also distinguished Israel from other nations. Paul’s opponents in Colossae proposed that followers of Christ could find a greater sense of fulfillment if they would incorporate some of these elements of the Mosaic law into their Christian lifestyle. Paul, however, assured the Colossians that they were spiritually complete in Jesus—needing nothing beyond sincere faith and devotion to Him (Col 2:10). While some claimed that the Colossian Christians needed to be circumcised, Paul reminded his readers that they were circumcised and raised with Christ (Col 2:11-15). Though ascetic practices of the law gave the impression of humble devotion to God, Paul countered that these practices were a mask for pride (Col 2:18). Paul exhorted the Colossians that true spiritual progress resulted from reliance on Christ (Col 2:19).

(4) In Col 3:17, Paul exhorted his readers that their lifestyle should reflect the name of Christ, echoing God’s name upon Israel and the temple in the Old Testament. In Num 6:22-23, the Lord told Moses to command Aaron and his sons to pronounce a blessing upon Israel. God said, “In this way they will put My name on the Israelites, and I will bless them” (Num 6:27). As the Israelites lived in the land and obeyed the law, they would represent God (Deut 4:1-8). When Solomon dedicated the temple, he said that the temple would be the place of God’s name (1 Kgs 8:29, 43, 48) and the Lord affirmed that He would put His name upon the temple (1 Kgs 9:3). Paul told the Colossians that they were united with Christ as Lord (Col 2:6-7, 11-13; 3:1-4), the One in whom all of God’s fullness dwelt bodily (Col 1:19; 2:9-10). The Colossians, as the people of Christ, were therefore to live in accord with Christ, doing everything in His name (Col 3:17).

Colossians Commentary New Testament

Philippians 3-4

While in prison in Rome (Acts 28:30-31), Paul was informed about the unrest in Philippi. He had enjoyed a prosperous but dangerous encounter there on his second journey (Acts 16:11-40), and from that meeting onward the Philippians began to provide Paul with financial support (Phil 1:5; 4:15-16). In the apostle’s mind, this act was a gracious gospel partnership, supplying his needs so that he could defend the gospel—even in Caesar’s household (Phil 1:7; 4:10-14, 17-18, 22). The latter half of Philippians continued Paul’s argument for the church to humble itself and be unified—especially considering the opposition they faced from unbelievers. Paul addressed the church in light of the narrative shift Christ’s death and resurrection brought about in the storyline of redemptive history.

(1) In Phil 3:1-11, Paul contrasted Jewish laws and God’s grace as means of righteousness. In Phil 3:2-6, Paul described his Jewish pedigree. He was circumcised in accordance with the Abrahamic covenant and the law (Gen 17:1-14; 21:4; Exod 4:24-26; Lev 12:3). Paul’s parents circumcised him to validate Paul’s lineage to Abraham and to identify Paul with the people of God via the tribe of Benjamin. Further, Paul displayed zeal for the law by persecuting the church. He said, “But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ” (Phil 3:7). Paul disavowed any attempts at righteousness by the law since he had received righteousness by faith as a gift from God (Phil 3:9). From the Old Testament, Paul understood that God would judge in righteousness (Pss 96:13; 98:1-3; Isa 56:1). When the Lord awakened Paul on the road to Damascus, Paul realized that God had revealed His righteous judgement in Jesus’ death and resurrection for sinners. In Paul’s frame of mind, attempts at keeping the Jewish law would lead to a spirit of competition in the church and ultimately divide the congregation. In Phil 3:10-11, he told the Philippians that he wanted to be conformed to the death of Christ so that he could experience the power of Christ’s resurrection. Paul’s language in Phil 3:10-11 recalled his argument in Phil 2:1-11. There Paul described Christ’s humility as a model for the church; as each believer followed Christ’s example of humility and considered others more important than himself, the church would enjoy an organic sense of unity with God and each other.

(2) In Phil 4:10-20, Paul thanked the Philippians for their financial support, which was necessary since he served God outside the structures of Judaism that met the needs of priests. In Lev 22:1-16, Moses described how the offerings provided by Israel were to also sustain the priests and their families. Moses also stated that the tithes the Israelites gave to the Lord were to be used to sustain the ministry of the tabernacle and meet the daily needs of priests (Num 18:8-32; Deut 18:1-8). These principles were to be followed both annually and every three years (Deut 14:22-29). After Jesus was raised, He told the disciples to scatter and make disciples of all nations (Matt 28:18-20). Paul reminded the Corinthians that “he who plows ought to plow in hope, and he who threshes should do so in hope of sharing the crop” (1 Cor 9:10). He said that that those who serve in the progress of the gospel should earn their living from their work, the gospel (1 Cor 9:14)—a right Paul was willing to give up for a time (1 Cor 9:15-17). Paul instructed Timothy, “The elders who are good leaders should be considered worthy of an ample honorarium, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says: ‘You must not muzzle an ox that is threshing grain,’ and, ‘The laborer is worthy of his wages’” (1 Tim 5:17-18). Paul told the Philippians that he had learned to be content in any financial situation (Phil 4:11), knowing he could do all things through Christ who gave him strength (Phil 4:13). Paul was overjoyed that the Lord prompted the Philippians to contribute toward his needs in Rome (Phil 4:17-18; Acts 28:30-31).

Commentary New Testament Philippians

Philippians 1-2

While Paul was imprisoned in Rome after his third missionary journey (Acts 28:30-31), he heard of the struggles of his friends in Philippi. On his second journey Paul had experienced both success and opposition there; he confronted the pagan culture and was accused of being a Jew who advocated illegal religious customs (Acts 16:19-21). In Philippi, Paul and Silas were released from prison by an angel and ultimately sent away from the city because their official Roman citizenship prevented them from being held without charge or trial (Acts 16:35-40). In writing to the Philippians, Paul was concerned that his audience work to unify their church, exhorting them to follow Christ’s example of humility displayed on the cross. God demonstrated His power by raising Christ from the dead—and Paul wanted the Philippians to know that God’s power was operational in them. In Paul’s portrayal of Christ in Phil 2:6-11, the apostle wove together scriptural imagery of the suffering and glorified Messiah.

(1) In Phil 2:6-8, Paul wrote that Christ took on human likeness, echoing Old Testament expectations that Israel’s Messiah would suffer as a human being. Paul noted that though Christ Jesus had a divine nature, He took up human flesh. Paul’s statements brought to a point of focus several Old Testament passages. In Psalm 8, the psalmist extolled the Lord’s majesty as Creator. The psalmist marveled that though the Lord created the universe by His great power, He entrusted the care of creation to humanity. The psalmist’s query, “What is man that You remember him, the son of man that You look after him?” (Ps 8:4), established the son of man as a special figure in the Old Testament narrative. Isaiah prophesied that a child would be born to Israel, a son given to God’s people (Isa 9:6). God’s servant would be meek and kind toward humans as they suffered (Isa 42:1-4) because he too would suffer even to the point of death (Isa 53:12). Paul wrote that Jesus came as a man and humbled Himself to the point of death—even crucifixion (Phil 2:7-8). Paul described Christ Jesus’ humble ministry as a model for how the Philippians could unify their church. Impeding their unity were pride and rivalry—the antitheses of Christ crucified. By adopting Christ’s disposition, the Philippians would be equipped to work out their salvation as a unified community, free from grumbling and arguing (Phil 2:12-14).

(2) In Phil 2:9-11, Paul wrote that God exalted Christ, echoing Old Testament expectations that Israel’s Messiah would rule from a position of authority. Christ’s humble state was not His final state. Paul wrote that because Christ Jesus humbled Himself to the point of death, God raised Him to the exalted position that was consistent with His deity. Paul’s logic in Phil 2:9-11 reflected the description of Israel’s king in Psalm 2. The psalmist described Israel’s king as God’s Son who ruled the nations and received honor from the kings of the earth. In Ps 110:1, the psalmist noted that God gave the king of Israel a place at His right hand and promised to make Israel’s enemies his footstool. Isaiah prophesied that the anointed of the Lord would rule and administer justice on earth (Isa 61:1-3). In Dan 7:13-14, Daniel saw an exalted figure enabled to approach God and rule for God over all nations. In Isa 45:14-25, Isaiah proclaimed the Lord’s greatness over the idols of the nations and prophesied that every knee will bow and every tongue swear devotion to the Lord. What Isaiah proclaimed concerning Israel’s God, Paul said was true of Jesus (Isa 45:23).

Commentary New Testament Philippians

Ephesians 4-6

In Ephesians 1-3, Paul described the formation of Jews and Gentiles into one body in Christ. In the remainder of the epistle, Paul exhorted Jews and Gentiles to be united in Christ in the church. The logic of Paul’s ethical exhortations was punctuated by the Old Testament.

(1) In Eph 4:8, Paul quoted Ps 68:18 to shape the Ephesians’ understanding of spiritual gifting and service in the church. In Psalm 68, the psalmist recounted God’s great power over those who had opposed the Lord and His people from the days of the giving of the law on Mount Sinai to the conquest of Canaan. The psalmist portrayed God as One who ascended to the heights of the mountains, received gifts from people, and overtook the lands of the rebellious so that His people might dwell in them; God was victorious over all. In Paul’s interpretation of Ps 68:18, he placed Christ as the ruling Victor who gifts His people in the church with abilities for spiritual service so that the church might function as a well-coordinated body. Paul wrote that gifted leaders labor “for the training of the saints in the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ” (Eph 4:12).

(2) In Eph 4:25-26, Paul quoted Zech 8:16 and Ps 4:4 to warn the Ephesians concerning the sins of slander and anger. In its original setting, Zech 8:16 was part of the prophet’s statement that the returned exiles need not be concerned with the traditions of fasting employed by their fathers. Since, in the present time, the Lord would restore His favor upon His people, they should feast—and speak the truth. In the coming of the Messiah, the Lord had indeed restored favor to His people. Paul’s use of Zech 8:16 was near the thrust of its original intent. In Psalm 4, the psalmist mused in his heart regarding the injustice committed against him. His self-talk included the counsel, “Be angry and do not sin; on your bed, reflect in your heart and be still” (Ps 4:4). Paul urged his readers to go beyond David’s statement, imploring them not to let the sun go down before they resolved the anger in their hearts.

(3) In Eph 4:27 and 6:10-13, Paul portrayed the Devil as the opponent of the church, echoing the descriptions of the Devil in the Old Testament. In Gen 3:1-7, the Devil, through the serpent, tempted Eve to disobey God. The Devil slandered God’s character and perverted His word to humanity. When Adam and Eve sinned, their fellowship was broken. Rather than being naked and unashamed, they were naked and sought to cover themselves (Gen 2:25; 3:7). As a consequence of Adam and Eve’s sin, the Lord stated that there would be hostility between the serpent and humanity until the day when the seed of Eve would strike the Devil on his head (Gen 3:15). In Eph 1:20-23 and 3:8-10, Paul wrote that in Christ’s resurrection and ascension, He ruled over the spiritual forces in the heavens. The Seed of Eve struck the Devil when Jesus Christ came alive out of the tomb and then took His place of authority at God’s right hand in heaven. Paul wrote that divisions in the church were the result of the Devil’s influence. The Ephesians thus needed to lovingly speak words that resulted from fellowship with the Holy Spirit so that they might be a community of grace and forgiveness (Eph 4:29-32). As the Ephesian church put on the armor of God, they could together withstand the Devil’s efforts to divide them against one another. Paul wrote, “For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens” (Eph 6:12).

(4) In Eph 5:31, Paul quoted Gen 2:24 to compare the oneness of man and woman in marriage with the oneness of Christ and the church. God created male and female and ordained their complimentary natures to be expressed in physical union in marriage (Gen 2:15-25). Since the Ephesians were surrounded by an immoral culture, Paul urged them, saying “Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise—making the most of the time, because the days are evil” (Eph 5:15-16). Church life was to be marked by fellowship with the Spirit, singing to the Lord in their hearts, gratitude, and mutual submission in the fear of Christ (Eph 5:21). Paul wrote that the Christian marriage should likewise conform to Christ’s work on the cross as wives submitted to their husbands and husbands sacrificially loved their wives (Eph 5:22-33). Just as members of the church were spiritually united together in one body, husbands and wives were to be united together both spiritually and physically. The intimate oneness of the marital union described in Gen 2:24 provided Paul a metaphor for describing the union between Christ and the church in Eph 5:30-32.

(5) In Eph 6:2-3, Paul quoted the fifth commandment to reinforce the need for children to obey their parents. In Exod 20:12 and Deut 5:16, Moses commanded children to obey their parents. In Eph 6:2-3, Paul observed that the fifth commandment was the first of the Ten Commandments that contained a promise. The Lord promised that a child’s good behavior would result in a long life in the Promised Land. Paul urged children to obey their parents in the Lord, honoring Christ so that they would have a long life in Him (Eph 6:1).

Commentary Ephesians New Testament

Ephesians 1-3

Paul had a familial relationship with the Ephesians, having spent time in Ephesus during his second and third missionary journeys (Acts 18:19-21; 19:1-20; 20:17-38). Paul wished for believers in Ephesus to understand their identity in Christ and in the corporate body of the church. In Ephesians, Paul portrayed God’s work in Christ in light of God’s historical revelation of Himself through Israel in the Old Testament.

(1) In Eph 1:11, 14, 18; 2:19; and 3:6, Paul described Gentiles together with Jews as God’s inheritance by the Spirit, reflecting concepts of God’s inheritance of Israel in the exodus. After summarizing Israel’s sojourn in the wilderness in Deuteronomy 1-3, Moses exhorted Israel to seek the Lord in the land they were entering so that they might display God’s greatness to the surrounding nations. Moses reminded Israel to abstain from idolatry in the land because “the LORD selected you and brought you out of Egypt’s iron furnace to be a people for His inheritance” (Deut 4:20). In Deut 32:8-9, Moses said that the Lord gave the nations their allotted portions of land but took Israel as His own inheritance. In Psalm 74, the psalmist felt abandoned and cried out to God for deliverance from his foes. He beseeched God to remember His congregation, the people He purchased and redeemed as His own possession (Ps 74:2). In Jer 10:1-16, the prophet contrasted the idols of the nations and Israel’s God. Jeremiah described the goldsmiths and idol makers as fools compared to the Lord who made the universe and chose Israel as the tribe of His inheritance (Jer 10:16). In Eph 1:11 and 14 Paul wrote that the Ephesians were God’s inheritance through predestination and the presence of the Spirit in them. Paul wanted his audience to be filled with hope in their special status as God’s inheritance (Eph 1:18). In Christ, God made Gentiles citizens in His household (Eph 2:19), co-heirs with Jews, and recipients of the fulfilled promise God made to Israel in Christ (Eph 3:6).

(2) In Eph 1:22, Paul quoted Ps 8:6 to articulate Christ’s exalted state following His resurrection and ascension to God’s right hand. In Psalm 8, the psalmist praised the Lord for His power in creation and the glory He placed upon humanity as stewards of all He had made. Concerning humanity, the psalmist said, “You made him lord over the works of Your hands; You put everything under his feet” (Ps 8:6). In Eph 1:22, Paul quoted Ps 8:6 saying that when God raised up Christ and He ascended to God’s right hand in heaven, everything was placed under Christ’s feet. Paul’s use of Ps 8:6 was not concerned with humanity, as in the original literary context of the psalm, but with Christ. The psalmist praised God for placing humanity over the natural world, but Paul used Ps 8:6 to articulate Christ’s rule over not just the physical universe but also the heavenly spiritual rulers that oppose believers. In Eph 3:10, Paul argued that God’s plan of unifying Jews and Gentiles in Christ was to demonstrate His victory over the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens—those that seek to divide God’s people, who are unified in Christ.

(3) In Eph 2:11-22, Paul wrote that God reconciled Jews and Gentiles, historically separated because of the law, to each other and to Himself in Christ. God told Abraham that He would make him into a great nation and bless all the peoples on earth in Abraham (Gen 12:1-3; 15:1-6). In the exodus, God distinguished Israel as His son and gave Israel the law so that they would live distinctly unto Him in Canaan (Exod 4:21-23; Exod 19:1-6; Deut 4:1-14). The psalmists and the prophets wrote of a future day when God would fulfill His word to Abraham and bring the nations to Israel that they might join the descendants of Jacob in worshipping the Lord (Pss 67:2-5; 98:3-9; Isa 51:4-6; 56:1-7; Zech 8:18-23; 14:16-19). Historically speaking, Jews chastised Gentiles as the uncircumcised, excluded from the blessings God promised Israel (Eph 2:11-12). But in His grace, God brought Gentiles near to Himself through Christ, making Jews and Gentiles one by removing the law as a wall that separated the nations from Israel (Eph 2:14-15). Paul told the Gentiles that in Christ they were fellow citizens of God’s kingdom, built together with the Jews on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ as the cornerstone (Eph 2:19-20).

Commentary Ephesians New Testament

Galatians 5-6

Galatians is Paul’s focused argument regarding what should govern the lives of Gentile Christians. Paul’s thesis to the Galatians was clear: the justified should live by faith in Christ, and not the law (Gal 2:15-21). In Galatians 5-6, Paul rounded out his argument and applied it to the ethical norms he hoped to see established in the churches receiving his letter. For Paul, the Old Testament was part of God’s progressive revelation, requiring that one interpret it in light of the new creation that had begun in Christ.

(1) In Gal 5:6 and 6:15, Paul stated that circumcision was inconsequential for Christian fellowship, departing from commands in the law that the descendants of Abraham must be circumcised. The Lord commanded Abraham to circumcise Ishmael and all the males in his household (Gen 17:1-14). Abraham obeyed and circumcised Isaac when the boy was eight days old (Gen 21:4). Moses’ wife Zipporah circumcised their son as they returned to Egypt to confront Pharaoh (Exod 4:24-26). Joshua circumcised all the males born during the forty-year period of wilderness travel so that they could identify as Abraham’s descendants before taking the land of Canaan (Josh 5:1-9). In Paul’s logic in Rom 4:1-12, circumcision represented the law and placed an ethnic restriction on the covenantal blessings God gave to Abraham by faith (Gen 12:1-3; 15:1-6). The Lord blessed Abraham before He instituted the covenant of circumcision (Gen 17:1-14). Paul told the Galatians, “In Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision accomplishes anything; what matters is faith working through love” (Gal 5:6); and, “Both circumcision and uncircumcision mean nothing; what matters instead is a new creation” (Gal 6:15).

(2) In Gal 5:14, Paul quoted Lev 19:18 and stated that love for one’s neighbor fulfills the law. In Leviticus 19, Moses established laws for relational justice and integrity in Israel. Moses’ commands were based upon God’s covenant with the people, that they would represent Him in Canaan. The command of Lev 19:18, “Do not take revenge or bear a grudge against members of your community but love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD,” has a theological basis. Jesus cited Lev 19:18 as one of the most important commandments in the law (Matt 19:19; Matt 22:39//Mark 12:31//Luke 10:27) as did Paul in Rom 13:9 and James in Jas 2:8. Paul told the Galatians that in Christ they were free from the law and needed to be slaves to serving one another in love. He said, “For the entire law is fulfilled in one statement: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Gal 5:14).

(3) In Gal 5:16-26, Paul described the Spirit as the agent working through believers to express God’s presence among them, reflecting Ezek 36:24-37:14. In Ezek 36:24-37:14, the prophet described the day when the Lord would restore His people to Himself by cleansing them from their sin and giving them new life by His Spirit. On that day, he said, “You will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves, for your iniquities and your abominations” (Ezek 36:31). Ezekiel portrayed the Spirit as God’s agent producing ethical uprightness and purity in His people. What Ezekiel prophesied, Paul witnessed in his own life and in the lives of all who belonged to Christ. In Gal 5:16-26, Paul contrasted the vices produced by people of the flesh, those who sought to be justified by works of the law, with the fruit the Spirit produced in those trusting Christ for right standing with God.

Commentary Galatians New Testament

Galatians 3-4

Paul wrote Galatians to fortify believers he met during his first missionary journey (Acts 13:1-14:28). He first described the unchanging nature of the gospel (Gal 1:1-11) and then shared his testimony and ministry to date (Gal 1:12-2:14). Paul’s thesis in Galatians was that since Gentiles are justified by faith in Christ, they must not submit to the law as a rubric for Christian living (Gal 2:15-21). In Galatians 3-4, Paul contrasted the old covenant and the new. Paul paired texts from Genesis, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Isaiah, and Habakkuk to root in the storyline of Scripture his argument concerning justification by faith.

(1) In Gal 3:6 and 8, Paul quoted God’s covenant statements to Abraham in order to establish that justification before God has always been on the basis of faith and not the law. In Gen 15:6 it is written, “Abram believed the LORD, and He credited it to him as righteousness.” Abraham believed God’s promise, the promise God made to him while he was yet in Haran. God told Abraham that He would bless him in both land and lineage such that all nations would be blessed in him (Gen 12:1-3). Paul exhorted the Galatians to be confident in their faith, reminding them that by faith they received the Spirit (Gal 3:1-5) and by faith Abraham was justified (Gal 3:6-9). If they submitted to the law, they would contradict both the Spirit’s work among them and the historical precedent established in Abraham who believed.

(2) In Gal 3:10 and 13 Paul explained his thesis of Gentile freedom by quoting Moses’ curses upon unfaithfulness in Israel. In Deuteronomy 27 and 28 Moses listed the covenant curses and blessings the Lord would exhibit toward Israel based upon their faithfulness, or lack thereof, in the land. Paul quoted Deut 27:26 in Gal 3:10b, writing, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue doing everything written in the book of the law.” Israel did not keep the law—and that was Paul’s motivation for citing the text. Since no one could keep the law, anyone who tried was cursed. But Paul saw in the words of Moses another curse text, citing Deut 21:23 in Gal 3:13: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” Moses’ concern was that any who were executed on a tree needed to be removed and buried before nightfall because that person was under God’s curse and the land would be polluted if they hung on the tree beyond the day of their execution. Paul saw Christ as the link between Deut 21:23 and Deut 27:26. The Galatians should stand fast against the threat of those who proposed that Gentiles needed to submit to the law because throughout history all who tried had failed and been cursed—and Christ was cursed for them when He submitted to being crucified.

(3) In Gal 3:11 and 12, Paul explained the means of spiritual life by quoting Hab 2:4 and Lev 18:5. Habakkuk struggled to understand how God could use the ungodly Chaldeans to discipline His people. The Lord told Habakkuk that the Chaldeans would grow so puffed up that He would eventually exhibit His wrath upon them. In the meantime, however, the Lord told Habakkuk and the people of Judah, that the righteous will live by their trust in God to work His plan even if it did not make sense to them (Hab 2:4). Faith was necessary for Habakkuk and Judah if they were going to trust God in the midst of their confusion. Paul said that faith in Christ, not observance of the law, was necessary for spiritual life in Christ. Paul used Lev 18:5, “Keep My statues and ordinances; a person will live if he does them. I am the LORD,” to contrast justification by faith and justification by the law. In Lev 18:1-5, Moses emphasized that as Israel practiced the law and abstained from idolatry, they would enjoy life in Canaan. Paul argued that faith and not practicing the Mosaic law was the basis of life in Christ.

(4) In Gal 4:27 and 30, Paul quoted Isa 54:1 and Gen 21:10 to explain the favored status of those in the new covenant. Paul understood the new covenant to be based upon the supernatural work of God. Because God had empowered Abraham and Sarah to conceive Isaac in their old age, Isaac was a symbol of God’s faithfulness to His promises—unlike Ishmael who was the product of natural conception between Abraham and Hagar, Sarah’s handmaid (Gen 16:1-4; 21:1-7). Paul used Hagar and Sarah to represent the old and new covenants. He saw in Isa 54:1 a prophetic description of God’s faithfulness to Sarah: she was once barren but became the mother of many children. In Gal 4:27 Paul wrote, “Rejoice, O barren woman who does not give birth. Break forth and shout, you who are not in labor, for the children of the desolate are many, more numerous than those of the woman who has a husband.” Paul contrasted the exalted, lofty status enjoyed by those who had received God’s favor in the new covenant with the stern word spoken by Sarah in Gen 21:10, “Throw out the slave and her son, for the son of the slave will never inherit with the son of the free woman” (Gal 4:30). For Paul, there was a chasm fixed between those adhering to the old covenant and those in the new. The participants in the new covenant needed to reject those advocating that the law was the basis of life for Gentiles.

Commentary Galatians New Testament