10/11/2024
๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐๐ฅ๐ฆ๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ฆ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ก
Those who give themselves to sin will die both physically and eternally, whereas Christians are assured of eternal life. Wages implies that the punishment for sin is what one has earned and what one deserves. Free gift is the opposite of something one deserves, which fits Paulโs earlier emphasis on justification by grace alone, through faith alone (trusting in Christ for justification; see ๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐๐ก๐ฆ ๐ญ:๐ญ๐ณ; ๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐๐ก๐ฆ ๐ฏ:๐ฎ๐ญโ๐ฐ:๐ฎ๐ฑ).
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๐ฃ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ฃ๐๐๐ก๐ฆ ๐ฎ:๐ญ๐ฎโ๐ญ๐ฏ
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
The Philippians have obeyed (cf. Christโs obedience, ๐ฃ๐๐๐. ๐ฎ:๐ด) in the past and should continue to do so as they work out their salvation with fear and trembling. They cannot be content with past glories but need to demonstrate their faith day by day as they nurture their relationship with God. But while Godโs justice is a cause for sober living (โfear and tremblingโ), it is not as though Paul wants the Philippians to be anxious that they can never be good enough to merit Godโs favor. Rather, it is Godโs love and enabling grace that will see them through: it is God who works in you. They can rejoice in Godโs empowering presence even as they work hard at living responsible Christian lives. While ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ฃ๐๐๐ก๐ฆ ๐ฎ:๐ญ๐ฎ may seem to suggest salvation by works, it is clear that Paul rejects any such teaching (cf. ๐ฃ๐๐๐ ๐ฏ:๐ฎโ๐ญ๐ญ). In ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ฃ๐๐๐ก๐ฆ ๐ฎ:๐ญ๐ฎ Paul means โsalvationโ in terms of progressively coming to experience all of the aspects and blessings of salvation. The Philippiansโ continued obedience is an inherent part of โworking outโ their salvation in this sense. But as ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ฃ๐๐๐ก๐ฆ ๐ฎ:๐ญ๐ฏ demonstrates, these works are the result of Godโs work within his people. both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Even the desire (โto willโ) to do what is good comes from God; but he also works in the believer to generate actual choices of the good, so that the desires result in actions.
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๐๐ข๐๐ก ๐ญ๐ฐ:๐ฒ
Jesus said to him, โI am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.โ
Jesus as the one way to the Father fulfills the Old Testament symbols and teachings that show the exclusiveness of Godโs claim, such as the curtain (๐๐ซ. ๐ฎ๐ฒ:๐ฏ๐ฏ) barring access to Godโs presence from all except the Levitical high priest (๐๐๐ฉ. ๐ญ๐ฒ), the rejection of human inventions as means to approach God (๐๐๐ฉ. ๐ญ๐ฌ:๐ฎ), and the choice of Aaron alone to represent Israel before God in his sanctuary (๐ก๐จ๐ . ๐ญ๐ณ:๐ฑ). Jesus is the only โwayโ to God (๐๐๐ง๐ฆ ๐ฐ:๐ญ๐ฎ), and he alone can provide access to God. Jesus as the truth fulfills the teaching of the Old Testament (๐๐ข๐๐ก ๐ญ:๐ญ๐ณ) and reveals the true God (cf. ๐๐ข๐๐ก ๐ญ:๐ญ๐ฐ, ๐ญ๐ณ; ๐๐ข๐๐ก ๐ฑ:๐ฏ๐ฏ; ๐๐ข๐๐ก ๐ญ๐ด:๐ฏ๐ณ; also ๐๐ข๐๐ก ๐ด:๐ฐ๐ฌ, ๐ฐ๐ฑโ๐ฐ๐ฒ; ๐๐ข๐๐ก ๐ญ๐ฐ:๐ต). Jesus alone is the life who fulfills the Old Testament promises of โlifeโ given by God (๐๐ข๐๐ก ๐ญ๐ญ:๐ฎ๐ฑโ๐ฎ๐ฒ), having life in himself (๐๐ข๐๐ก ๐ญ:๐ฐ; ๐๐ข๐๐ก ๐ฑ:๐ฎ๐ฒ), and he is thus able to confer eternal life to all those who believe in him (e.g., ๐๐ข๐๐ก ๐ฏ:๐ญ๐ฒ). This is another โI amโ saying that makes a claim to deity.
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๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐๐ก๐ฆ ๐ญ:๐ญ๐ฒ
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
Paul explains why he is so eager to preach the gospel everywhere: the gospel is the saving power of God, in which the righteousness of God is revealed.
Because of their lack of size, fame, or honor in the Roman corridors of power and influence, Christians might be tempted to be ashamed of the Christian message.
But Paul says it is nothing to be ashamed of, for it is in fact a message coming with the power of God that brings people to salvation. โJewโ first indicates
the priority of the Jews in salvation history and their election as Godโs people. The role of the Jews is a major issue in Romans, as seen especially in the discussion in ๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐๐ก๐ฆ chs. ๐ตโ๐ญ๐ญ. Greek is not limited here to people from Greece but refers to all Gentiles.
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๐๐ข๐๐ก ๐ญ:๐ญ๐ฎโ๐ญ๐ฏ
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
โReceive himโ implies not merely intellectual agreement with some facts about Jesus but also welcoming and submitting to him in a personal relationship. โBelieved inโ (Gk. pisteuล eis) implies personal trust. โHis nameโ refers to all that is true about him, and therefore the totality of his person. โBorn, not of blood . . . , but of Godโ makes clear that neither physical birth nor ethnic descent nor human effort can make people children of God, but only Godโs supernatural work (๐๐ข๐๐ก ๐ด:๐ฐ๐ญโ๐ฐ๐ณ; cf. ๐๐ข๐๐ก ๐ฏ:๐ญ๐ฒ). This extends the possibility of becoming Godโs children to Gentiles and not just Jews (๐๐ข๐๐ก ๐ญ๐ญ:๐ฑ๐ญโ๐ฑ๐ฎ; cf. ๐๐ข๐๐ก ๐ญ๐ฌ:๐ญ๐ฒ). See also ๐๐ข๐๐ก ๐ฏ:๐ฏโ๐ด.
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๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ก๐ฆ ๐ญ:๐ญ๐ฏโ๐ญ๐ฐ
In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
โSealedโ can mean either that the Holy Spirit protects and preserves Christians until they reach their inheritance (see ๐๐ฃ๐. ๐ฐ:๐ฏ๐ฌ; ๐ฎ ๐๐ข๐ฅ. ๐ญ:๐ฎ๐ฎ; ๐ญ ๐ฃ๐๐ง. ๐ญ:๐ฑ; ๐ฅ๐๐ฉ. ๐ณ:๐ฎโ๐ฏ) or that he โcertifiesโ the authenticity of their acceptance by God as being genuineโthey bear the โroyal sealโ (see ๐๐ข๐๐ก ๐ฏ:๐ฏ๐ฏ; ๐๐๐ง๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ฌ:๐ฐ๐ฐ, ๐ฐ๐ณ). The first interpretation seems best here, though both ideas are biblically true.
God pours out his Holy Spirit on all of his children to guarantee (or to provide a โdown paymentโ on) their share in his eternal kingdom because he applies to them all Godโs powerful working in redemption. โuntil we acquire possession of it.โ This phrase can also be rendered โuntil God redeems his possession.โ In that case it means that, like the Levites in the Old Testament, believers are the Lordโs specially treasured possession (see ๐ก๐จ๐ . ๐ฏ:๐ญ๐ฎ, ๐ฐ๐ฑ; ๐ก๐จ๐ . ๐ด:๐ญ๐ฐ; ๐๐ข๐ฆ๐. ๐ญ๐ฐ:๐ฏโ๐ฐ; ๐ญ๐ด:๐ณ).
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๐๐ข๐๐ก ๐ฏ:๐ฏโ๐ฒ
Jesus answered him, โTruly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.โ Nicodemus said to him, โHow can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?โ Jesus answered, โTruly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.โ
This discussion of the need for spiritual rebirth further develops the earlier reference to the โchildren of Godโ who are โborn of Godโ (๐๐ข๐๐ก ๐ญ:๐ญ๐ฎโ๐ญ๐ฏ; cf. ๐๐ข๐๐ก ๐ด:๐ฏ๐ตโ๐ฑ๐ด; ๐๐ข๐๐ก ๐ญ๐ญ:๐ฑ๐ญโ๐ฑ๐ฎ). The phrase โborn of water and the Spiritโ in ๐๐ข๐๐ก ๐ฏ:๐ฑ refers to spiritual birth, which cleanses from sin and brings spiritual transformation and renewal. Water here does not refer to the water of physical birth, nor is it likely that it refers to baptism. The background is probably ๐๐ญ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ:๐ฎ๐ฑโ๐ฎ๐ณ, where God promises, โI will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean. . . . And I will give you a new heart. . . . And I will put my Spirit within you.โ For further discussion of being born again, see ๐ญ ๐๐ข๐๐ก ๐ฎ:๐ฎ
๐ต; ๐ฏ:๐ต; ๐ฐ:๐ณ; ๐ฑ:๐ญ, ๐ฐ, ๐ญ๐ด. The kingdom of God, a major topic in the other Gospels, is mentioned in John only in ๐ฏ:๐ฏ, ๐ฑ (see the reference to Jesusโ kingdom in ๐๐ข๐๐ก ๐ญ๐ด:๐ฏ๐ฒ).
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๐๐ข๐๐ก ๐ฏ:๐ญ๐ฒโ๐ญ๐ด
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
Here is the most famous summary of the gospel in the entire Bible. โForโ connects to ๐ฉ๐๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ ๐ญ๐ฑ and explains what happened to make it possible that someone can โhave eternal lifeโ (๐๐ข๐๐ก ๐ฏ:๐ญ๐ฑ), that is, through believing in Christ. God so loved the world was an astounding statement in that context because the Old Testament and other Jewish writings had spoken only of Godโs love for his people Israel. Godโs love for โthe worldโ made it possible for โwhoeverโ (๐๐ข๐๐ก ๐ฏ:๐ญ๐ฑ) believes in Christ, not Jews alone, to have eternal life. Godโs love for the world was not mere sentiment but led to a specific action: he gave his only Son, which John elsewhere explains as sending him to earth as a man (๐๐ข๐๐ก ๐ฏ:๐ญ๐ณ) to suffer and die and thereby to bear the penalty for sins. The purpose of giving his Son was to make Godโs great gift of eternal life available to anyoneโto whoever believes in him, that is, whoever personally trusts in him. โNot perishโ means not perish in eternal judgment, in contrast to having eternal life, the life of abundant joy and immeasurable blessing in the presence of God forever. Those who โbelieve inโ Christ have that โeternal lifeโ and already experience its blessings in this present time, not yet fully, but in some significant measure.
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๐ง๐๐ง๐จ๐ฆ ๐ฎ:๐ญ๐ญโ๐ญ๐ฐ
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
Christians should live this way because (โforโ) the grace of God that saves also instructs its recipients to live in a new way. One cannot truly claim to be a recipient of saving grace without also being a pupil of โtraining grace.โ This change in lifestyle is rooted in the atonement (๐ง๐๐ง๐จ๐ฆ ๐ฎ:๐ญ๐ฐ) and the expectation of Christโs return (๐ง๐๐ง๐จ๐ฆ ๐ฎ:๐ญ๐ฏ).
โBringing salvationโ for all people is sometimes misunderstood as meaning that all people will be saved. However, such a reading is not necessary here and flatly contradicts other Scripture. It means, rather, that salvation has been offered to all people (including all ethnic groups), not just to some.
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๐ญ ๐ง๐๐๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐๐ข๐ก๐๐๐ก๐ฆ ๐ฑ:๐ตโ๐ญ๐ฌ
For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.
โForโ connects this verse with either ๐ญ ๐ง๐๐๐ฆ๐ฆ. ๐ฑ:๐ฒโ๐ด in general or the specific exhortation in ๐ญ ๐ง๐๐๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐๐ข๐ก๐๐๐ก๐ฆ ๐ฑ:๐ด to put on the helmet of hope. Paul restates what he said in ๐ญ ๐ง๐๐๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐๐ข๐ก๐๐๐ก๐ฆ ๐ฑ:๐ฐ: the Thessalonians have nothing to worry about, because they are destined not for wrath but for salvation at the second coming.
โ๐๐ช๐๐๐โ alludes to the concern of the living Christians regarding their destiny on the day of the Lord (๐ญ ๐ง๐๐๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐๐ข๐ก๐๐๐ก๐ฆ ๐ฑ:๐ญโ๐ญ๐ญ), while โ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ฃโ alludes to the destiny of deceased Christians (๐ญ ๐ง๐๐๐ฆ๐ฆ. ๐ฐ:๐ญ๐ฏโ๐ญ๐ด). At the second coming, Christians will experience a new quality of life in the company of Christ.
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