Regarding Revelation, how do I apply this to my community?: (I flipped the questions this one time.)
Once, maybe soon after college, I was on a trip to Assateague Island and Chincoteague, where the wild horses are, with my Aunt Connie, Uncle Tom, and cousin Jason. Once when we were driving in the area, I notice a billboard that had a picture of Jesus. His eyes were red and kind of glowing. He looked pretty mad. I chuckled, because it seemed to be the opposite of the common depiction of Jesus, portrayed a soft and gentle. I have learned that Jesus is Loving, and I have learned that Jesus is also just. People doing wrong is not unknown by Jesus, or unaccounted for by Jesus. For those who do not receive Him, their sins have not been atoned for, and on judgment day, they will be sentenced. Love is offered by Jesus right now. To not accept it is to not accept the punishment that Jesus took on the cross for anyone. I am willing to tell that to my community right here and now.
Regarding Revelation, how do I apply this to myself?:
Years ago I played a game with a Sunday school - "Stump Hunter," having students ask me questions about the Bible to try and stump me. It was great. Interesting that in my heart I end over three months of hard work on this assignment on the similar note with which I began this personal New Testament Introduction. I mention one thing I do not know. I do not know how there can be no tears in heaven. After so much suffering in this world full of so many hurtful things being done by however many people, and knowing that the perfection process has been completed for me so that I can be completely loving, someone who was not loving before giving my heart to Jesus, I do not know how I could refrain from crying when delivered in full into the arms of Jesus. Yet I will find out, praise be to Jesus!
+Thank You Holy Father for enabling me to write this entire New Testament Introduction. It is through Your Awesome name Lord Jesus that I pray. Amen.
Hunter Irvine
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Revelation background
Revelation
Author: John
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 6, Chapter 25, Verse 10.
Date: Around 95 A.D. is quite a popular date.
Language: Greek
Place: Island of Patmos
Purpose: There is a clear threefold purpose. First, to give compliments and corrections to churches at the time of John, which has been advice to heed for Christians ever since in these "last days." Second, to present a vision of God's majesty and just wrath during the "last call" of the end times. Thirdly, to close Scripture with a prophecy of Judgement Day and a promise of heaven for those who have given their heart to Jesus, the One who died to forgive sins.
What kind of book?: Apocalyptic, revealing prophecy, through a vision given to John the apostle by God, full of metaphors, full of truths.
Reflection: A little more than one year after I turned to Jesus, I decided to read the entire New Testament. That was in 1991. I would usually do the reading on the way home from work on the subway. One evening I was reading Revelation. The chapters involved some "far out" stuff. Not being into "sci-fi," that stuff was rather foreign to me, and brought doubts to my mind regarding the legitimacy of all Scripture. After the subway ride, I would then take a bus from the subway station, and then I would have a bit of a walk from the bus stop to my parent's house. So after that subway reading I had the bus ride, and I was kind of out of it thinking about what I had read. Then I had the walk from the bus stop where I was really thinking about what I had read. Coming out of the woods I had to go through, I looked up to see a grand rainbow. A rainbow had been something that I knew God had used to reach out to me in the past. It had become a sign from God for me. (Whenever I see a rainbow now, I say the Lord's Prayer.) The cool thing was that it was a really sunny day. I was not even expecting a rainbow. I knew that God gave that rainbow for me that evening to comfort me. And comforted I was.
Hunter Irvine
Author: John
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 6, Chapter 25, Verse 10.
Date: Around 95 A.D. is quite a popular date.
Language: Greek
Place: Island of Patmos
Purpose: There is a clear threefold purpose. First, to give compliments and corrections to churches at the time of John, which has been advice to heed for Christians ever since in these "last days." Second, to present a vision of God's majesty and just wrath during the "last call" of the end times. Thirdly, to close Scripture with a prophecy of Judgement Day and a promise of heaven for those who have given their heart to Jesus, the One who died to forgive sins.
What kind of book?: Apocalyptic, revealing prophecy, through a vision given to John the apostle by God, full of metaphors, full of truths.
Reflection: A little more than one year after I turned to Jesus, I decided to read the entire New Testament. That was in 1991. I would usually do the reading on the way home from work on the subway. One evening I was reading Revelation. The chapters involved some "far out" stuff. Not being into "sci-fi," that stuff was rather foreign to me, and brought doubts to my mind regarding the legitimacy of all Scripture. After the subway ride, I would then take a bus from the subway station, and then I would have a bit of a walk from the bus stop to my parent's house. So after that subway reading I had the bus ride, and I was kind of out of it thinking about what I had read. Then I had the walk from the bus stop where I was really thinking about what I had read. Coming out of the woods I had to go through, I looked up to see a grand rainbow. A rainbow had been something that I knew God had used to reach out to me in the past. It had become a sign from God for me. (Whenever I see a rainbow now, I say the Lord's Prayer.) The cool thing was that it was a really sunny day. I was not even expecting a rainbow. I knew that God gave that rainbow for me that evening to comfort me. And comforted I was.
Hunter Irvine
Jude application
Regarding Jude, how do I apply this to myself?:
"Be merciful to those who doubt..."(Jude 1:22)(NIV)
It always helps me to do this if I remember what was going on with me before I was a follower of Jesus. Even after Jesus was reaching out to me, and even after I developed a private belief in the existence of God and the existence of the "Son" Jesus, I was not trusting Him. That only happened after I gave my heart to Jesus.
Regarding Jude, how do I apply this to my community?:
As I near the end of my project here, I think of things I have not talked about here. Yet this is my personal introduction to others of the New Testament, and not a commentary. But one thing to say here is that right now, I can not show people my friend Jesus. I recognize that when I am talking about my best friend, I am talking about someone that no one, not even me, can physically see. Once I spoke at a chapel service for a Christian High School. I told them how we can not physically see Jesus, yet a person believes in Him, a person can know Him.
To know Jesus requires relying on the witness of Jesus in the Scripture, and it requires relying on the witness of the Holy Spirit in your heart, though unseen. That is why we need faith. Yet it is not blind faith! We have the Scripture! We have a history of God working in the lives of Christians, true believers. We have the Holy Spirit even today.
The fact is I would never dare to do a speaking engagement where I told the Gospel if I did not have Jesus with me. Jesus is actually always with me! Yet He is only with me in Spirit. And there have been brief times when I wondered if he had gone to be with somebody else. Dealing with Jesus who is unseen has challenges for everyone. Yet for me being someone who is a very "spiritual" person, I must remember that there are doubters who need understanding, yet who also need to be told the truth about Jesus the Messiah.
Hunter Irvine
"Be merciful to those who doubt..."(Jude 1:22)(NIV)
It always helps me to do this if I remember what was going on with me before I was a follower of Jesus. Even after Jesus was reaching out to me, and even after I developed a private belief in the existence of God and the existence of the "Son" Jesus, I was not trusting Him. That only happened after I gave my heart to Jesus.
Regarding Jude, how do I apply this to my community?:
As I near the end of my project here, I think of things I have not talked about here. Yet this is my personal introduction to others of the New Testament, and not a commentary. But one thing to say here is that right now, I can not show people my friend Jesus. I recognize that when I am talking about my best friend, I am talking about someone that no one, not even me, can physically see. Once I spoke at a chapel service for a Christian High School. I told them how we can not physically see Jesus, yet a person believes in Him, a person can know Him.
To know Jesus requires relying on the witness of Jesus in the Scripture, and it requires relying on the witness of the Holy Spirit in your heart, though unseen. That is why we need faith. Yet it is not blind faith! We have the Scripture! We have a history of God working in the lives of Christians, true believers. We have the Holy Spirit even today.
The fact is I would never dare to do a speaking engagement where I told the Gospel if I did not have Jesus with me. Jesus is actually always with me! Yet He is only with me in Spirit. And there have been brief times when I wondered if he had gone to be with somebody else. Dealing with Jesus who is unseen has challenges for everyone. Yet for me being someone who is a very "spiritual" person, I must remember that there are doubters who need understanding, yet who also need to be told the truth about Jesus the Messiah.
Hunter Irvine
Jude background
Jude
Author: Jude
See Reflection
Also see Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 3.
Date: Possibly 65 A.D. (1)
Language: Greek
Place: Unknown
Purpose: An urging to "contend for the faith" in the midst of people who are working to deceive people about the true identity of Jesus, and to deceive people about the grace of God.
What kind of book?: A general epistle with a specific lesson.
Reflection: This is a similar reflection as the one I wrote for James, because the argument is tied together. The popular assumption that the author of Jude and James were the "brothers" (they were not physical brothers obviously) of Jesus is not documented. People assume the authors of Jude are the "brothers" because Jude states he is the brother of James at the start of his letter. Yet both could have been apostles! The apostle Thaddaeus whose nickname was Judas, and who was probably called Jude to distinguish him from Judas Iscariot, was the son of a James (Luke 6:16), thus it is more likely that he would have a brother named James. I saw a commentary once that asked why Jude would make special mention of his brother if he was an apostle? Good question. But if he had been the "brother" of Jesus, why would he not mention him instead of his earthly brother. I tend to lean toward apostle authorship, since had they been the "brothers" of Jesus, I think it is more likely that early Christian historians would have made specific mention of that. But I add that these two books were doubted by some early church historians as to whether they were authentic Scripture.
Hunter Irvine
(1) See [Samuel A. Cartledge, A Conservative Introduction to the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1938).
{Note: The definition of "conservative" in this context means giving the biblical text the full authority, and working to interpret according to the original intent of the author, rather than having anything to do with politics.}
Author: Jude
See Reflection
Also see Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 3.
Date: Possibly 65 A.D. (1)
Language: Greek
Place: Unknown
Purpose: An urging to "contend for the faith" in the midst of people who are working to deceive people about the true identity of Jesus, and to deceive people about the grace of God.
What kind of book?: A general epistle with a specific lesson.
Reflection: This is a similar reflection as the one I wrote for James, because the argument is tied together. The popular assumption that the author of Jude and James were the "brothers" (they were not physical brothers obviously) of Jesus is not documented. People assume the authors of Jude are the "brothers" because Jude states he is the brother of James at the start of his letter. Yet both could have been apostles! The apostle Thaddaeus whose nickname was Judas, and who was probably called Jude to distinguish him from Judas Iscariot, was the son of a James (Luke 6:16), thus it is more likely that he would have a brother named James. I saw a commentary once that asked why Jude would make special mention of his brother if he was an apostle? Good question. But if he had been the "brother" of Jesus, why would he not mention him instead of his earthly brother. I tend to lean toward apostle authorship, since had they been the "brothers" of Jesus, I think it is more likely that early Christian historians would have made specific mention of that. But I add that these two books were doubted by some early church historians as to whether they were authentic Scripture.
Hunter Irvine
(1) See [Samuel A. Cartledge, A Conservative Introduction to the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1938).
{Note: The definition of "conservative" in this context means giving the biblical text the full authority, and working to interpret according to the original intent of the author, rather than having anything to do with politics.}
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
3 John application
Regarding 3 John, how do I apply this to myself?:
Boy I'll tell you, I have been following Jesus for eighteen years. The easy thing to do is contemplate how crummy churches are and how few people seem to really take the teachings of Jesus seriously. The easy thing to do is even get upset as some ministers even distort the teachings of Jesus. The hard thing to do is to do good yourself. I praise Jesus, the One who has enabled me to do good. Just today, I got to do three things that were good. Two of the three things may have really helped someone! God is good. I rely on Him to do good.
Regarding 3 John, how do I apply this to my community?:
Plenty in the community may think that "Christians" are fools, but most people notice when someone does something good.
Hunter Irvine
Boy I'll tell you, I have been following Jesus for eighteen years. The easy thing to do is contemplate how crummy churches are and how few people seem to really take the teachings of Jesus seriously. The easy thing to do is even get upset as some ministers even distort the teachings of Jesus. The hard thing to do is to do good yourself. I praise Jesus, the One who has enabled me to do good. Just today, I got to do three things that were good. Two of the three things may have really helped someone! God is good. I rely on Him to do good.
Regarding 3 John, how do I apply this to my community?:
Plenty in the community may think that "Christians" are fools, but most people notice when someone does something good.
Hunter Irvine
3 John background
3 John
Author: John
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 6, Chapter 25, Verse 10.
Date: Unknown, nineties at the latest
Language: Greek
Place: Unknown, probably Ephesus
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 4, Chapter 14 and
Book 3, Chapter 31.
Purpose: Encouragement to do what is good.
What kind of book?: Letter to his friend Gaius
Reflection: "Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good"(3 John 11 NIV).
How do you "imitate" what is good. By having your heart changed so that it really is good.
Hunter Irvine
Author: John
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 6, Chapter 25, Verse 10.
Date: Unknown, nineties at the latest
Language: Greek
Place: Unknown, probably Ephesus
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 4, Chapter 14 and
Book 3, Chapter 31.
Purpose: Encouragement to do what is good.
What kind of book?: Letter to his friend Gaius
Reflection: "Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good"(3 John 11 NIV).
How do you "imitate" what is good. By having your heart changed so that it really is good.
Hunter Irvine
2 John application
Regarding 2 John, how can I apply this to myself?:
Sounds easy to simply obey the commands of Jesus. It is impossible without being enabled by Him who is good.
Regarding 2 John, how can I apply this to my community?:
Obedience to Jesus will impact a community, even if we never detect that.
Hunter Irvine
Sounds easy to simply obey the commands of Jesus. It is impossible without being enabled by Him who is good.
Regarding 2 John, how can I apply this to my community?:
Obedience to Jesus will impact a community, even if we never detect that.
Hunter Irvine
2 John background
2 John
Author: John
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 6, Chapter 25, Verse 10.
Date: Unknown, nineties at the latest
Language: Greek
Place: Unknown, probably Ephesus
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 4, Chapter 14 and
Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 31
Purpose: Encouragement to obey the commands of Jesus.
What kind of book?: Letter to "the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in the truth..." (2 John 1 NIV).
Reflection: This letter gives a teaching of Jesus which John recorded Jesus stating in John 14:15 and in John 15:17. I once asked a youth group, "Why is it loving Jesus to obey Jesus?" The answer to that is the fact that obeying the commands of Jesus always result in true love. If your friend said, "If you really loved me, you would obey me." Well that is not the case if the friend ever gave a command that did not result in doing God's will. The commands of Jesus are God's will, and the result is always good.
Hunter Irvine
Author: John
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 6, Chapter 25, Verse 10.
Date: Unknown, nineties at the latest
Language: Greek
Place: Unknown, probably Ephesus
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 4, Chapter 14 and
Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 31
Purpose: Encouragement to obey the commands of Jesus.
What kind of book?: Letter to "the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in the truth..." (2 John 1 NIV).
Reflection: This letter gives a teaching of Jesus which John recorded Jesus stating in John 14:15 and in John 15:17. I once asked a youth group, "Why is it loving Jesus to obey Jesus?" The answer to that is the fact that obeying the commands of Jesus always result in true love. If your friend said, "If you really loved me, you would obey me." Well that is not the case if the friend ever gave a command that did not result in doing God's will. The commands of Jesus are God's will, and the result is always good.
Hunter Irvine
I John application
Regarding I John, how do I apply this to myself?
I believed in Jesus, giving Him my heart, on April 15, 1990, receiving His atonement for sins.
Regarding I John, how do I apply this to my community?
Tell them that Jesus died as the Atonement, which is the substitute for the consequence of sin, spiritual death, for them!
Hunter Irvine
I believed in Jesus, giving Him my heart, on April 15, 1990, receiving His atonement for sins.
Regarding I John, how do I apply this to my community?
Tell them that Jesus died as the Atonement, which is the substitute for the consequence of sin, spiritual death, for them!
Hunter Irvine
I John background
I John
Author: John
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 6, Chapter 25, Verses 9-10.
Date: Unknown, nineties at the latest
Language: Greek
Place: Unknown, probably Ephesus
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 4, Chapter 14 and
Book 3, Chapter 31.
Purpose: That people would believe in Jesus, and for those who believe in Jesus, that they would obey Him.
What kind of book?: General epistle
Reflection: "[Jesus] is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world"(I John 2:2 NIV).
Jesus died on the Cross for the forgiveness of sins of everyone. Yet what He did needs to be receive. Receiving the atonement of Jesus is a choice, as He taught. How do you receive? By believing in Jesus. I am going to do something I have never done in this entire journal, but which I do most of the time in my personal journal, which is to say a prayer. + Thank you Jesus for being the atoning sacrifice for my sins, the reason that I can be with you forever! It is through Your Name Holy Jesus I pray. Amen.
Hunter Irvine
Author: John
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 6, Chapter 25, Verses 9-10.
Date: Unknown, nineties at the latest
Language: Greek
Place: Unknown, probably Ephesus
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 4, Chapter 14 and
Book 3, Chapter 31.
Purpose: That people would believe in Jesus, and for those who believe in Jesus, that they would obey Him.
What kind of book?: General epistle
Reflection: "[Jesus] is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world"(I John 2:2 NIV).
Jesus died on the Cross for the forgiveness of sins of everyone. Yet what He did needs to be receive. Receiving the atonement of Jesus is a choice, as He taught. How do you receive? By believing in Jesus. I am going to do something I have never done in this entire journal, but which I do most of the time in my personal journal, which is to say a prayer. + Thank you Jesus for being the atoning sacrifice for my sins, the reason that I can be with you forever! It is through Your Name Holy Jesus I pray. Amen.
Hunter Irvine
2 Peter application
Regarding 2 Peter, how do I apply this to myself?
Learn from those who were eyewitnesses!
Regarding 2 Peter, who do I apply this to my community?
Be an eyewitness! I love my testimony, but I also have numerous testimonies that I can share when they fit the context of the occasion. And I can direct people to the eyewitnesses of people like the Apostle Peter.
Hunter Irvine
Learn from those who were eyewitnesses!
Regarding 2 Peter, who do I apply this to my community?
Be an eyewitness! I love my testimony, but I also have numerous testimonies that I can share when they fit the context of the occasion. And I can direct people to the eyewitnesses of people like the Apostle Peter.
Hunter Irvine
2 Peter background
2 Peter
Author: Peter
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 3.
Date: There is indication that it was soon before his death, so maybe 67 A.D. (1)
Language: Greek
Place: Rome
Purpose: To encourage people as an eyewitness of the life of Jesus when He was physically in this world. "We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty"(2 Peter 1:16 NIV).
What kind of book?: A general letter to followers of Jesus
Reflection: Again, why all of this authorship research is important. If a person is inspired by the Holy Spirit, he could know something that happened to Jesus even if he was not there. Yet the more people get away from eyewitness accounts, the more people can claim that the information recorded in the "Holy Bible" is inaccurate. Yet the New Testament is full of eyewitness accounts indeed. Matthew and John were disciples of Jesus, members of the Twelve. Mark and Luke recorded much history having been directly told accounts by eyewitnesses. Paul never saw Jesus when Jesus was in this world, yet He had a direct encounter with Jesus after He ascended into heaven, an unusual encounter, appropriate since Paul was an unusual guy, as can be seen from his statement in Philippians 3:5. James & Jude were eyewitnesses, whether you take them to be the ones who grew up with Jesus, or two of the Twelve. And here is Peter, whom I have heard numerous ministers talk about, and even criticize, yet I do not recall a minister ever "quoting Peter." 2 Peter 1:16 is a quote to always remember!
Hunter Irvine
(1) See Samuel Cartledge, A Conservative Introduction to the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing 1938), 174.
Note: Conservative as in Biblically conservative as in giving the text full authority and working to translate in accordance with the original intention, rather than having anything to do with politics.
Author: Peter
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 3.
Date: There is indication that it was soon before his death, so maybe 67 A.D. (1)
Language: Greek
Place: Rome
Purpose: To encourage people as an eyewitness of the life of Jesus when He was physically in this world. "We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty"(2 Peter 1:16 NIV).
What kind of book?: A general letter to followers of Jesus
Reflection: Again, why all of this authorship research is important. If a person is inspired by the Holy Spirit, he could know something that happened to Jesus even if he was not there. Yet the more people get away from eyewitness accounts, the more people can claim that the information recorded in the "Holy Bible" is inaccurate. Yet the New Testament is full of eyewitness accounts indeed. Matthew and John were disciples of Jesus, members of the Twelve. Mark and Luke recorded much history having been directly told accounts by eyewitnesses. Paul never saw Jesus when Jesus was in this world, yet He had a direct encounter with Jesus after He ascended into heaven, an unusual encounter, appropriate since Paul was an unusual guy, as can be seen from his statement in Philippians 3:5. James & Jude were eyewitnesses, whether you take them to be the ones who grew up with Jesus, or two of the Twelve. And here is Peter, whom I have heard numerous ministers talk about, and even criticize, yet I do not recall a minister ever "quoting Peter." 2 Peter 1:16 is a quote to always remember!
Hunter Irvine
(1) See Samuel Cartledge, A Conservative Introduction to the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing 1938), 174.
Note: Conservative as in Biblically conservative as in giving the text full authority and working to translate in accordance with the original intention, rather than having anything to do with politics.
Monday, December 8, 2008
1 Peter application
Regarding 1 Peter, how do I apply this to myself?:
"Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us"(1 Peter 2:12)(NIV). [Holy Bible, New International Version Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.]
Once I had a speaking engagement at a retirement community, which I will not specify, about my backpacking journey on the Appalachian Trail. I had given the same talk in over thirty retirement communities, yet I was excited about speaking at such a large retirement community. Since I turned to Jesus near the beginning of my Appalachian Trail hike, which I consider the greatest event of my life, let alone the ultimate blessing during my hike, I always ended my talk, after the question and answer session, making a statement that we all need love, and that Jesus offers love. then I would sing, "Restore," by Sherri Youngward.
I thought my speaking engagement there went well, and I was given some compliments afterwards as I talked with folks for awhile. Then I went to the office, because I wanted to say thank you to the Activities Director who had booked me for the talk. She was standing in the office, holding a stack of papers. She had not attended the talk, but she had talked with a few people who came out of my talk. She told me that many people said they liked it, except there was one complaint about the "religious part." Such a comment brought a sinking feeling after I had just given my heart to those folks. I responded that I always mention God because He was a key part of my journey. I should have left it at that, but then I stated, using a word I never use, "Before the Appalachian Trail, I was a pagan." Right after saying this, the woman got a shocked look on her face and dropped all of her papers on the floor. I helped her pick them up. Yet I probably will not be invited back.
Pagan is not a popular vocabulary word to use in our culture. And the current definition does not completely fit who I was before I turned to Christ. I was an Eagle Scout. I was a Resident Advisor at Virginia Tech. I was not a murder, thief, or other type of criminal, and I was not even a meddler, as is discussed in I Peter 4:15. Yet I also was not doing God's will. God's will is what is truly good. And that includes the first point of loving people, even when the odds are high that criticism is going to result! I do God's will now, and I say, "Praise by to God."
Regarding 1 Peter, how do I apply this to my community?:
Jesus died for every single person who had lived and died on this planet before he came. Going back to my speaking engagement illustration, does everyone in retirement communities know this. Once I gave that same talk at the Meridian which is near Kipling and Colfax. To make a long story short, after I sang "Restore," I opened my eyes to see the tears in the eyes of a gentleman who had been sitting in the corner.
Hunter Irvine
"Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us"(1 Peter 2:12)(NIV). [Holy Bible, New International Version Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.]
Once I had a speaking engagement at a retirement community, which I will not specify, about my backpacking journey on the Appalachian Trail. I had given the same talk in over thirty retirement communities, yet I was excited about speaking at such a large retirement community. Since I turned to Jesus near the beginning of my Appalachian Trail hike, which I consider the greatest event of my life, let alone the ultimate blessing during my hike, I always ended my talk, after the question and answer session, making a statement that we all need love, and that Jesus offers love. then I would sing, "Restore," by Sherri Youngward.
I thought my speaking engagement there went well, and I was given some compliments afterwards as I talked with folks for awhile. Then I went to the office, because I wanted to say thank you to the Activities Director who had booked me for the talk. She was standing in the office, holding a stack of papers. She had not attended the talk, but she had talked with a few people who came out of my talk. She told me that many people said they liked it, except there was one complaint about the "religious part." Such a comment brought a sinking feeling after I had just given my heart to those folks. I responded that I always mention God because He was a key part of my journey. I should have left it at that, but then I stated, using a word I never use, "Before the Appalachian Trail, I was a pagan." Right after saying this, the woman got a shocked look on her face and dropped all of her papers on the floor. I helped her pick them up. Yet I probably will not be invited back.
Pagan is not a popular vocabulary word to use in our culture. And the current definition does not completely fit who I was before I turned to Christ. I was an Eagle Scout. I was a Resident Advisor at Virginia Tech. I was not a murder, thief, or other type of criminal, and I was not even a meddler, as is discussed in I Peter 4:15. Yet I also was not doing God's will. God's will is what is truly good. And that includes the first point of loving people, even when the odds are high that criticism is going to result! I do God's will now, and I say, "Praise by to God."
Regarding 1 Peter, how do I apply this to my community?:
Jesus died for every single person who had lived and died on this planet before he came. Going back to my speaking engagement illustration, does everyone in retirement communities know this. Once I gave that same talk at the Meridian which is near Kipling and Colfax. To make a long story short, after I sang "Restore," I opened my eyes to see the tears in the eyes of a gentleman who had been sitting in the corner.
Hunter Irvine
1 Peter background
1 Peter
Author: Peter
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 3, Verse 1, and Book 6, Chapter 25, Verse 8.
Date: 64 A.D. (1)
Language: Greek
Place: Probably Rome (being coined Babylon)
Purpose: To encourage the believers to trust the Lord.
What kind of book?: Letter to Jewish followers of Jesus in specific areas that he lists.
Reflection: "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God"(I Peter 3:18 NIV).
Because Jesus died as the "substitute" for sins, eternal life is gained by those who believe in Jesus.
+If you would like, please see my commentary on I Peter here on this blog in 2013!+
Hunter Irvine
(1) J.B. Phillips, Letters To Young Churches (New York: The Macmillian Company, 1947).
Author: Peter
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 3, Verse 1, and Book 6, Chapter 25, Verse 8.
Date: 64 A.D. (1)
Language: Greek
Place: Probably Rome (being coined Babylon)
Purpose: To encourage the believers to trust the Lord.
What kind of book?: Letter to Jewish followers of Jesus in specific areas that he lists.
Reflection: "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God"(I Peter 3:18 NIV).
Because Jesus died as the "substitute" for sins, eternal life is gained by those who believe in Jesus.
+If you would like, please see my commentary on I Peter here on this blog in 2013!+
Hunter Irvine
(1) J.B. Phillips, Letters To Young Churches (New York: The Macmillian Company, 1947).
Sunday, December 7, 2008
James application
Regarding James, how do I apply this to myself?
"Everyone should be...slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires." (James1:19)(NIV).
The first time I ever gave my testimony, I discussed this verse, since anger is a part of my testimony. Though I do not dwell on it to such a degree in my written testimony, the fact is I had two parents with anger, and then they divorced, which I reacted to with anger. Thus when I turned to Jesus, I had anger. Though soon after I turned to Jesus I felt as though certain anger had been removed, it was then a process of learning from Jesus to be enabled to forgive people. I also learned (I add this after taking a latter class at CCU) everyone gets angry, yet "blowing up" is a choice. It is a choice I use to make sometimes, and now it is my choice not to blow up!!
If you want to know how to get rid of entrenched anger and to be helped from lashing out, know Jesus, because He can enable any person to forgive any person, thus anger is gone. Anger will eat at you from the inside out, and I am thankful that Jesus has freed me.
Regarding James, who do I apply this to my community?
If I am slow to become angry, I will have better relationships in my community!
Hunter Irvine
"Everyone should be...slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires." (James1:19)(NIV).
The first time I ever gave my testimony, I discussed this verse, since anger is a part of my testimony. Though I do not dwell on it to such a degree in my written testimony, the fact is I had two parents with anger, and then they divorced, which I reacted to with anger. Thus when I turned to Jesus, I had anger. Though soon after I turned to Jesus I felt as though certain anger had been removed, it was then a process of learning from Jesus to be enabled to forgive people. I also learned (I add this after taking a latter class at CCU) everyone gets angry, yet "blowing up" is a choice. It is a choice I use to make sometimes, and now it is my choice not to blow up!!
If you want to know how to get rid of entrenched anger and to be helped from lashing out, know Jesus, because He can enable any person to forgive any person, thus anger is gone. Anger will eat at you from the inside out, and I am thankful that Jesus has freed me.
Regarding James, who do I apply this to my community?
If I am slow to become angry, I will have better relationships in my community!
Hunter Irvine
James background
James
Author: James
See Reflection.
Also see Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius, Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 3.
Date: Possibly 50 A.D. (1)
Language: Greek
Place: Not known
Purpose: To exhort the believer to good behavior, which is what God wants.
What kind of book?: Teaching Epistle to Jewish followers of Jesus wherever they happened to be.
Reflection: The popular assumption that the author of James & Jude were the "brothers"(they were not physical brothers obviously) of Jesus is not documented. People assume that because Jude states he is the brother of James at the start of his letter. Yet both could have been apostles! The apostle Thaddaeus, whose nickname was Judas, and who was probably called Jude to distinguish him from Judas Iscariot, was the son of a James (Luke 6:16), thus it is more likely that he would have a brother named James. I saw a commentary once that asked why he would make special mention of his brother if he was an apostle! Good question. But if he had been the "brother" of Jesus, why would he not mention him instead of his earthly brother. I tend to lean toward apostolic authorship, since I think that had they been the "brothers" of Jesus, it is more likely that early Christian historians would have made specific mention of that. Yet the early Christian historians had doubts about both of these books being Scripture in the first place, so maybe that is because they did not come from one of the Apostles. Professor Tafoya said that there still is a loose apostolic connection. That makes sense since the converted "brothers" of Jesus were eyewitness of Jesus, and it is documented by early historians that the "brother" of Jesus, James "the just" was the Bishop of the Jerusalem church until his being murdered.
[This is a similar reflection that I am going to use for Jude, because the argument is tied together.]
Hunter Irvine
(1) J.B. Phillips, Letters To Young Churches (New York: The Macmillian Company, 1947).
Author: James
See Reflection.
Also see Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius, Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 3.
Date: Possibly 50 A.D. (1)
Language: Greek
Place: Not known
Purpose: To exhort the believer to good behavior, which is what God wants.
What kind of book?: Teaching Epistle to Jewish followers of Jesus wherever they happened to be.
Reflection: The popular assumption that the author of James & Jude were the "brothers"(they were not physical brothers obviously) of Jesus is not documented. People assume that because Jude states he is the brother of James at the start of his letter. Yet both could have been apostles! The apostle Thaddaeus, whose nickname was Judas, and who was probably called Jude to distinguish him from Judas Iscariot, was the son of a James (Luke 6:16), thus it is more likely that he would have a brother named James. I saw a commentary once that asked why he would make special mention of his brother if he was an apostle! Good question. But if he had been the "brother" of Jesus, why would he not mention him instead of his earthly brother. I tend to lean toward apostolic authorship, since I think that had they been the "brothers" of Jesus, it is more likely that early Christian historians would have made specific mention of that. Yet the early Christian historians had doubts about both of these books being Scripture in the first place, so maybe that is because they did not come from one of the Apostles. Professor Tafoya said that there still is a loose apostolic connection. That makes sense since the converted "brothers" of Jesus were eyewitness of Jesus, and it is documented by early historians that the "brother" of Jesus, James "the just" was the Bishop of the Jerusalem church until his being murdered.
[This is a similar reflection that I am going to use for Jude, because the argument is tied together.]
Hunter Irvine
(1) J.B. Phillips, Letters To Young Churches (New York: The Macmillian Company, 1947).
Hebrews application
Regarding Hebrews, how do I apply this to myself?
As a Gentile, I am in need of recognizing that the Messiah did not simply appear as the baby of a virgin Jewish woman. During a Bible study the other day I was reading Isaiah 7:14. "...The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." That was written before 680 B.C. (I add this at a later date. My Old Testament Survey professor, who I like, argued that the word in Isaiah should translate as maiden, not virgin. Soon thereafter, I was browsing in a book at the Used Christian Bookstore in Littleton, which was written by a Jewish scholar. He said the modern argument that the word should not translate as virgin is wrong; it is a result of language revisionism. He said the traditional translation as virgin is correct.
Regarding Hebrews, how do I apply this to my community?
Probably due to having a close friend who is Jewish in my youth, I have a heart for telling the Gospel to Jewish people. One follower of Jesus I really looked up to in my Christian infancy was a Jewish believer, Eddie Isler, who was the leader at the time of Career Fellowship, a blessed singles group in McLean, back in the 1990s.
Hunter Irvine
As a Gentile, I am in need of recognizing that the Messiah did not simply appear as the baby of a virgin Jewish woman. During a Bible study the other day I was reading Isaiah 7:14. "...The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." That was written before 680 B.C. (I add this at a later date. My Old Testament Survey professor, who I like, argued that the word in Isaiah should translate as maiden, not virgin. Soon thereafter, I was browsing in a book at the Used Christian Bookstore in Littleton, which was written by a Jewish scholar. He said the modern argument that the word should not translate as virgin is wrong; it is a result of language revisionism. He said the traditional translation as virgin is correct.
Regarding Hebrews, how do I apply this to my community?
Probably due to having a close friend who is Jewish in my youth, I have a heart for telling the Gospel to Jewish people. One follower of Jesus I really looked up to in my Christian infancy was a Jewish believer, Eddie Isler, who was the leader at the time of Career Fellowship, a blessed singles group in McLean, back in the 1990s.
Hunter Irvine
Hebrews background
Hebrews
Author: Unknown (1)
Date: 68 A.D. (2)
Language: Greek
Place: Italy (Hebrews 13:24)
Purpose: To explain that the covenant between God and the Israelites, often called the Mosaic Covenant since Moses was the mediator, which I like to call the "leading covenant," was used by God to lead to the "New Covenant," where Jesus was the atoning sacrifice for sins.
What kind of book?: Christian teaching letter
Reflection: I did a personal study of this book in Grand Junction, and I absolutely loved it, because it explains how Jesus did what He said He had come to do in Matthew 5:17. Jesus fulfilled the Law! Those who believe in Jesus, who is the Messiah, are no longer under the Mosaic Law, rather we are to live by the Spirit, the One who indwells those who have given their heart to Jesus!
Hunter Irvine
(1) On this topic, and regarding the entire book, see my blog commentary on Hebrews starting in April of 2014, and I also recommend a commentary from the 1970's by a longtime professor: Lightfoot, Neil R. Jesus Christ Today: A Commentary on the Book of Hebrews (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1976).
(2) Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary, New Testament (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 1993), 647.
Author: Unknown (1)
Date: 68 A.D. (2)
Language: Greek
Place: Italy (Hebrews 13:24)
Purpose: To explain that the covenant between God and the Israelites, often called the Mosaic Covenant since Moses was the mediator, which I like to call the "leading covenant," was used by God to lead to the "New Covenant," where Jesus was the atoning sacrifice for sins.
What kind of book?: Christian teaching letter
Reflection: I did a personal study of this book in Grand Junction, and I absolutely loved it, because it explains how Jesus did what He said He had come to do in Matthew 5:17. Jesus fulfilled the Law! Those who believe in Jesus, who is the Messiah, are no longer under the Mosaic Law, rather we are to live by the Spirit, the One who indwells those who have given their heart to Jesus!
Hunter Irvine
(1) On this topic, and regarding the entire book, see my blog commentary on Hebrews starting in April of 2014, and I also recommend a commentary from the 1970's by a longtime professor: Lightfoot, Neil R. Jesus Christ Today: A Commentary on the Book of Hebrews (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1976).
(2) Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary, New Testament (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 1993), 647.
Philemon application
Regarding Philemon, how do I apply this to myself?:
All people were created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27).
I am to love all people.
Regarding Philemon, how do I apply this to my community?"
People in the larger community have a tendency to huddle up in their restrictive communities. I am to witness to people in any corner of the community where God has me for the day.
Hunter Irvine
All people were created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27).
I am to love all people.
Regarding Philemon, how do I apply this to my community?"
People in the larger community have a tendency to huddle up in their restrictive communities. I am to witness to people in any corner of the community where God has me for the day.
Hunter Irvine
Philemon background
Philemon
Author: Paul
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 2.
Date: 62-64 A.D. (1)
Language: Greek
Place: Rome
Purpose: To inform a friend to love his slave Onesimus, who is his brother in Christ.
Professor Tafoya stated that he thinks that Paul is stating that the Onesimus should be freed, and that freedom is what Paul was willing to pay for.
What kind of letter?: Letter re: a special occasion.
Reflection: Dr. Keener - "A few philosophers said that slaves were equals as people, but they never suggested that masters should free their slaves"(2).
"So powerful was this precedent that many early U.S. slaveholders did not want their slaves to be exposed to Christianity, for fear that they would be compelled to free them; only in time was a distorted enough form of the Christian message available for use in sustaining slavery..."(3).
Hunter Irvine
(1) Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary, New Testament (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 1993).
(2) Ibid. 643.
(3) Ibid. 643.
Author: Paul
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 2.
Date: 62-64 A.D. (1)
Language: Greek
Place: Rome
Purpose: To inform a friend to love his slave Onesimus, who is his brother in Christ.
Professor Tafoya stated that he thinks that Paul is stating that the Onesimus should be freed, and that freedom is what Paul was willing to pay for.
What kind of letter?: Letter re: a special occasion.
Reflection: Dr. Keener - "A few philosophers said that slaves were equals as people, but they never suggested that masters should free their slaves"(2).
"So powerful was this precedent that many early U.S. slaveholders did not want their slaves to be exposed to Christianity, for fear that they would be compelled to free them; only in time was a distorted enough form of the Christian message available for use in sustaining slavery..."(3).
Hunter Irvine
(1) Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary, New Testament (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 1993).
(2) Ibid. 643.
(3) Ibid. 643.
Titus application
Regarding Titus, how do I apply this to myself?
Live the Golden Rule. The other day I dropped something in King Soopers that I was going to buy. I put it on the shelf, since it had been on the floor after all, and I was going to grab another one that had not been on the floor, that I knew about. But then I thought about the "Golden Rule." I bought the one that I had dropped.
Regarding Titus, how do I apply this to my community?
A devoted follower of Jesus is unpopular in many work environments. Reading your Bible at lunch hour is enough to disturb certain employees or bosses. Something I discovered a long time ago, however, is that there is always a shortage of hard workers. I think the best compliment a worker can have is to be asked to come back to a job after you have resigned it. That has happened to me for three major jobs, and I accredit God with motivating me to work hard, which became part of my Christian witness. Once after I left my job as a paralegal, I was offered the job of my previous supervisor, Jim Stanko, by Jim who had been promoted, and now oversaw his old job position. He was in a Christian denomination, and not offended by my lunch Bible study or such. Yet even he asked me once to stop talking about religion with a fellow paralegal as we were getting into a serious discussion. Yet he knew I worked hard. Maybe he even knew that I did so because of my Christian ethic. If you have a job to do, do it well, and it will assist your Christian witness, even if there are some who will not notice.
Hunter Irvine
Live the Golden Rule. The other day I dropped something in King Soopers that I was going to buy. I put it on the shelf, since it had been on the floor after all, and I was going to grab another one that had not been on the floor, that I knew about. But then I thought about the "Golden Rule." I bought the one that I had dropped.
Regarding Titus, how do I apply this to my community?
A devoted follower of Jesus is unpopular in many work environments. Reading your Bible at lunch hour is enough to disturb certain employees or bosses. Something I discovered a long time ago, however, is that there is always a shortage of hard workers. I think the best compliment a worker can have is to be asked to come back to a job after you have resigned it. That has happened to me for three major jobs, and I accredit God with motivating me to work hard, which became part of my Christian witness. Once after I left my job as a paralegal, I was offered the job of my previous supervisor, Jim Stanko, by Jim who had been promoted, and now oversaw his old job position. He was in a Christian denomination, and not offended by my lunch Bible study or such. Yet even he asked me once to stop talking about religion with a fellow paralegal as we were getting into a serious discussion. Yet he knew I worked hard. Maybe he even knew that I did so because of my Christian ethic. If you have a job to do, do it well, and it will assist your Christian witness, even if there are some who will not notice.
Hunter Irvine
Titus background
Titus
Author: Paul
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 2.
Date: 62-64 A.D. (1)
Language: Greek
Place: Rome
Purpose: "This letter contains direction as to the type of church officer Titus should appoint in Crete, and the sort of Christian character he is trying to develop in the Cretan Church" (2)
What kind of book?: Letter re certain occasion
Reflection: For my U.S. History class, I am reading an autobiography by Frederick Douglass. I was reading it all day Saturday, (I actually wrote this during Thanksgiving break and I am now just typing it in) and all morning today. The horror of being a slave in America in the 1800's is made so clear by Frederick's personal story. Slavery is a sin, and my advice would be escape the sin if you could. How can Titus 2:9-10 possibly be reconciled in the face of the slavery story by Frederick Douglass?
I note some insight by Dr. Keener. "...one should recognize that Paul addresses instead the traditional Roman values of his day (including the household slavery of his day, which differed from many other societies' model of slavery) (3).
Professor Tafoya discussed how a number of "slaves" had that status upon agreement for paying off a debt that they owed to a person.
Back to Dr. Keener, "Minority religions were already viewed as subversive, and to counter this prejudice Christians had to work especially hard to avoid the normal causes of slander." [Ibid. p.638]
Christians who have said that Paul's teachings show that God approves of slavery have always been wrong, taking this passage in Titus or the one in 1 Peter out of context!
Abraham Lincoln was right! "...he who would be no slave, must consent to have no slave"(4).
That is what Christians call the "Golden Rule," which is the teaching by Jesus; "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"(Matthew 7:12).
Whenever there is a moral issue that is in doubt, go to Jesus.
Hunter Irvine
(1) Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary, New Testament (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 1993), 607.
(2) J.B. Phillips, Letter To Young Churches (London: The Macmillian Company, 1947).
(3) Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary, New Testament (Downer's Grove: IVP Academic, 1993), 637.
(4) Ralph G. Newman, ed., Lincoln For The Ages (New York: Doubleday and Company, Inc., 1960), 279-280.
Author: Paul
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 2.
Date: 62-64 A.D. (1)
Language: Greek
Place: Rome
Purpose: "This letter contains direction as to the type of church officer Titus should appoint in Crete, and the sort of Christian character he is trying to develop in the Cretan Church" (2)
What kind of book?: Letter re certain occasion
Reflection: For my U.S. History class, I am reading an autobiography by Frederick Douglass. I was reading it all day Saturday, (I actually wrote this during Thanksgiving break and I am now just typing it in) and all morning today. The horror of being a slave in America in the 1800's is made so clear by Frederick's personal story. Slavery is a sin, and my advice would be escape the sin if you could. How can Titus 2:9-10 possibly be reconciled in the face of the slavery story by Frederick Douglass?
I note some insight by Dr. Keener. "...one should recognize that Paul addresses instead the traditional Roman values of his day (including the household slavery of his day, which differed from many other societies' model of slavery) (3).
Professor Tafoya discussed how a number of "slaves" had that status upon agreement for paying off a debt that they owed to a person.
Back to Dr. Keener, "Minority religions were already viewed as subversive, and to counter this prejudice Christians had to work especially hard to avoid the normal causes of slander." [Ibid. p.638]
Christians who have said that Paul's teachings show that God approves of slavery have always been wrong, taking this passage in Titus or the one in 1 Peter out of context!
Abraham Lincoln was right! "...he who would be no slave, must consent to have no slave"(4).
That is what Christians call the "Golden Rule," which is the teaching by Jesus; "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"(Matthew 7:12).
Whenever there is a moral issue that is in doubt, go to Jesus.
Hunter Irvine
(1) Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary, New Testament (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 1993), 607.
(2) J.B. Phillips, Letter To Young Churches (London: The Macmillian Company, 1947).
(3) Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary, New Testament (Downer's Grove: IVP Academic, 1993), 637.
(4) Ralph G. Newman, ed., Lincoln For The Ages (New York: Doubleday and Company, Inc., 1960), 279-280.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
2 Timothy application
Regarding 2 Timothy, how do I apply this to myself?:
As Paul encourages Timothy, I consistently need encouragement from God. Whenever I read the Scripture, I get encouragement to some degree from God!
Regarding 2 Timothy, how do I apply this to my community?:
How popular is studying the Bible these days? However popular it is, I realize it is my call to always convey the blessing of studying messages from God Almighty, which are revealed in the Bible.
Hunter Irvine
As Paul encourages Timothy, I consistently need encouragement from God. Whenever I read the Scripture, I get encouragement to some degree from God!
Regarding 2 Timothy, how do I apply this to my community?:
How popular is studying the Bible these days? However popular it is, I realize it is my call to always convey the blessing of studying messages from God Almighty, which are revealed in the Bible.
Hunter Irvine
2 Timothy background
2 Timothy
Author: Paul
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 2.
Date: 62-64 A.D. (1)
Language: Greek
Place: Rome
Purpose: Encouraging Timothy to carry on with ministry work
What kind of book?: Letter re: specific occasion
Reflection: The all important verse of 2 Timothy 3:16 states how Scripture is inspired. That was one of my Salt and Light Bible memory verses of course. Yet I note now the verse before it which is one that is likewise crucial. "...the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus"(2 Timothy 3:15 NIV).
Through Jesus is the one way for salvation.
Hunter Irvine
(1) Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary, New Testament (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 1993).
Author: Paul
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 2.
Date: 62-64 A.D. (1)
Language: Greek
Place: Rome
Purpose: Encouraging Timothy to carry on with ministry work
What kind of book?: Letter re: specific occasion
Reflection: The all important verse of 2 Timothy 3:16 states how Scripture is inspired. That was one of my Salt and Light Bible memory verses of course. Yet I note now the verse before it which is one that is likewise crucial. "...the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus"(2 Timothy 3:15 NIV).
Through Jesus is the one way for salvation.
Hunter Irvine
(1) Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary, New Testament (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 1993).
1 Timothy application
Regarding 1 Timothy, how do I apply this to myself?
1 Timothy 4:12 has long been a verse of much importance to me, and still is even now that I am over 40 years of age. People say I look young, working with youth I get affiliated with the young, and I am single and celibate. Thus, people sometimes look down on me as young, and I often have not been treated with the same respect as peers. It is interesting that people in my church who are single and do not have children are treated with less respect than people who are married and have children, considering that Jesus was single, and did not have children. And of course there are always people in church who do not treat a person according to his or her character, rather they treat people according to other factors such as age or financial income. Yet how other folks interact with me is not to be my focus. Living in obedience to Jesus is my concern.
Regarding 1 Timothy, how do I apply this to my community?
When I was younger, there were people who recognized my life in the love of Christ. And there are people who still do.
Hunter Irvine
1 Timothy 4:12 has long been a verse of much importance to me, and still is even now that I am over 40 years of age. People say I look young, working with youth I get affiliated with the young, and I am single and celibate. Thus, people sometimes look down on me as young, and I often have not been treated with the same respect as peers. It is interesting that people in my church who are single and do not have children are treated with less respect than people who are married and have children, considering that Jesus was single, and did not have children. And of course there are always people in church who do not treat a person according to his or her character, rather they treat people according to other factors such as age or financial income. Yet how other folks interact with me is not to be my focus. Living in obedience to Jesus is my concern.
Regarding 1 Timothy, how do I apply this to my community?
When I was younger, there were people who recognized my life in the love of Christ. And there are people who still do.
Hunter Irvine
1 Timothy background
1 Timothy
Author: Paul
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 2.
(May have been written down by a Scribe.)
Date: 62-64 A.D. (1)
Language: Greek
Purpose: To instruct Timothy, a young minister in Ephesus.
What kind of book?: Letter with "pastoral" instruction.
Reflection: In this letter, Paul states, "I do not permit a woman to teach..."(I Timothy 2:12 NIV). The key word is "I." For a culture that discriminated against women, Paul is giving a specific personal command, not a permanent command from God.
Jesus calls women to be ministers according to their calling just like men, or he would have had Martha and Mary at work in the kitchen. A number of Christians think women cannot be "ordained" as ministers due to specific statements by Paul in Epistles for women to refrain from doing anything in church. However, if those church leaders were to follow the letter of what Paul states, then women could not even teach Sunday school. Paul gives a number of personal commands and context specific demands, and to distinguish them from moral commands, the context of the passage must be carefully, examined, very carefully.
Hunter Irvine
(1) Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary, New Testament (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 1993), 607.
Author: Paul
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 2.
(May have been written down by a Scribe.)
Date: 62-64 A.D. (1)
Language: Greek
Purpose: To instruct Timothy, a young minister in Ephesus.
What kind of book?: Letter with "pastoral" instruction.
Reflection: In this letter, Paul states, "I do not permit a woman to teach..."(I Timothy 2:12 NIV). The key word is "I." For a culture that discriminated against women, Paul is giving a specific personal command, not a permanent command from God.
Jesus calls women to be ministers according to their calling just like men, or he would have had Martha and Mary at work in the kitchen. A number of Christians think women cannot be "ordained" as ministers due to specific statements by Paul in Epistles for women to refrain from doing anything in church. However, if those church leaders were to follow the letter of what Paul states, then women could not even teach Sunday school. Paul gives a number of personal commands and context specific demands, and to distinguish them from moral commands, the context of the passage must be carefully, examined, very carefully.
Hunter Irvine
(1) Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary, New Testament (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 1993), 607.
2 Thessalonians application
Regarding 2 Thessalonians, how do I apply this to myself?
I look forward to the day that Jesus comes to take me home!
I am thankful to be His worker at this time, even though it is a rough journey.
Regarding 2 Thessalonians, how do I apply this to my community?
I use to be a member of an Episcopal church in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. I have left the Episcopal/Anglican denomination for some doctrinal reasons I consider important, however I still have friends who are Episcopal and Anglican. Praise be to God, I have friends in oodles of denominations. I now choose a church based on the church, not the denominational, though there are certain denominations I would not join as a member. I say all of this as a preface to a story of when I was at that church which had a wonderful "Alpha" program. The person who was in charge of it was enthusiastic about the program. I appreciated his enthusiasm, but I felt he got completely carried away as he would make announcements during the church announcement time for the next session of Alpha months in advance. One time it was early summer, and sure enough, he raised his hands during the announcements and talked about the "Alpha" program that was coming up in the fall. Listening to the assuredness with which he talked about the upcoming program in the distant months, I amusingly thought to myself, "[He] definitely does not believe that Jesus could come back at any time." So as he continued to make the announcement Sunday after Sunday that summer, it became a personal joke for me. Yet one day I was praying to God, and we somehow got on the topic of the man's announcements, and I thought about my personal joke, thinking that the man does not think the return of Christ is imminent, and then I had a thought that I know came from God; "Do you?" That got my attention. I had not thought about that. No, I did not. From that time on, I quit my personal joke, yet I was convicted Jesus will return as He promised, at a time determined by the Father, and there will be people who are not anticipating it.
Hunter Irvine
I look forward to the day that Jesus comes to take me home!
I am thankful to be His worker at this time, even though it is a rough journey.
Regarding 2 Thessalonians, how do I apply this to my community?
I use to be a member of an Episcopal church in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. I have left the Episcopal/Anglican denomination for some doctrinal reasons I consider important, however I still have friends who are Episcopal and Anglican. Praise be to God, I have friends in oodles of denominations. I now choose a church based on the church, not the denominational, though there are certain denominations I would not join as a member. I say all of this as a preface to a story of when I was at that church which had a wonderful "Alpha" program. The person who was in charge of it was enthusiastic about the program. I appreciated his enthusiasm, but I felt he got completely carried away as he would make announcements during the church announcement time for the next session of Alpha months in advance. One time it was early summer, and sure enough, he raised his hands during the announcements and talked about the "Alpha" program that was coming up in the fall. Listening to the assuredness with which he talked about the upcoming program in the distant months, I amusingly thought to myself, "[He] definitely does not believe that Jesus could come back at any time." So as he continued to make the announcement Sunday after Sunday that summer, it became a personal joke for me. Yet one day I was praying to God, and we somehow got on the topic of the man's announcements, and I thought about my personal joke, thinking that the man does not think the return of Christ is imminent, and then I had a thought that I know came from God; "Do you?" That got my attention. I had not thought about that. No, I did not. From that time on, I quit my personal joke, yet I was convicted Jesus will return as He promised, at a time determined by the Father, and there will be people who are not anticipating it.
Hunter Irvine
2 Thessalonians background
2 Thessalonians
Author: Paul
[See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 2.]
Date: Possibly 51 (1)
Language: Greek
Place: Writing from Corinth
Purpose: Some people thought Christ's Second Coming was imminent, thus they quit their occupations. Paul tells them to carry on with work.
What kind of book?: Letter re: a certain occasion
Reflection: "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father"(Matthew 24:36 NIV).
Yet there is consistently someone who gets notoriety for stating that the time will be during this year or that. Yes, I think the ripeness of the fig tree for the conclusion of the `last days' (not the end times) was evident with the Holocaust. Six million people were murdered, a horror beyond human comprehension. Yet remember that a thousand years is like a day for God, thus it is trying to play God by pinpointing the time of his Second Coming.
Hunter Irvine
(1) J.B. Phillips, Letters To Young Churches (New York: The Macmillian Company, 1947).
Author: Paul
[See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 2.]
Date: Possibly 51 (1)
Language: Greek
Place: Writing from Corinth
Purpose: Some people thought Christ's Second Coming was imminent, thus they quit their occupations. Paul tells them to carry on with work.
What kind of book?: Letter re: a certain occasion
Reflection: "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father"(Matthew 24:36 NIV).
Yet there is consistently someone who gets notoriety for stating that the time will be during this year or that. Yes, I think the ripeness of the fig tree for the conclusion of the `last days' (not the end times) was evident with the Holocaust. Six million people were murdered, a horror beyond human comprehension. Yet remember that a thousand years is like a day for God, thus it is trying to play God by pinpointing the time of his Second Coming.
Hunter Irvine
(1) J.B. Phillips, Letters To Young Churches (New York: The Macmillian Company, 1947).
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