Preaching to the Preacher

Paul closes the letter by addressing the final threat to church unity—the spiritual forces of darkness—and how we combat them.

Paul continues discussing how the gospel impacts the household by addressing the slave and master relationship in ancient households.

Paul continues discussing how the gospel impacts the household by addressing parents and children.

Paul takes his teaching about unity in the body into the household, calling husbands who have a measure of delegated authority from Christ as head of household to use that authority to love and serve their wives and Jesus did the church. He also calls wives to honor Christ by submitting to their husbands as to himself. The call for both is to submit to Christ in their respective temporal roles. In doing so, marriage accurately reflects its true fulfillment--the union of Christ with his church.

Paul continues to describe the life of unity in the church by calling out those deeds that are destructive to it. These should be called out for the darkness they are and should be replaced with what builds up the body. 

Paul continues his call to maintain unity in the body of Christ by contrasting their old way of life with the new. They are to "put off" the old self, which is looking out for number one, and "put on" the new self that is looking for how to serve.

Paul introduces another metaphor for the church--the body of Christ. Each of us has been given unique gifts by Jesus himself, yet these gifts are to be used not for our own personal gain but for maintaining and building up unity in Christ's body so that it might grow and mature.

Paul bursts out in a prayer of blessing in light of this gospel. He specifically asks that believers would experience God's power, a power that comes from knowing the enormous extent of his love and fills to overflowing.

God's true plan was mysterious until it's unveiling through Christ. In meditation on the gospel, Paul marvels over that fact that God's plan has always been to include the Gentiles along with the Jews so that the one "chosen people" is actually a diversity of peoples whose existence as a people would make God's wisdom known throughout all creation, including the unseen heavenly powers. 

Paul meditates on how the work of Jesus has changed our relationship to God--from aliens approaching a temple through various procedures and ceremonies, or simply without hope of ever approaching, to being caught up and built into a newly created people who are themselves God's temple. And this is done entirely through the working of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Paul lays out the simple gospel: that we are dead in our sins but made alive in Christ because of God's great love for us. This is entirely his work and not ours.

Paul prays that the church would truly know God by knowing his benefits, namely the hope he gives, the power of what he has done, and what he will continue to do. 

Paul gives an extended meditation on the plan of God for all things in Christ.

Introduction to Paul's letter to the Ephesians including his main theme--that God's plan of salvation and our inclusion in it all take place in Christ.

Paul closes the letter rejoicing in the Philippians' partnership with him in the gospel. The Lord views such partnership as a pleasing sacrifice which will be rewarded in due time.

Paul encourages the Philippians to rejoice, not at their own circumstances, but "in the Lord." Indeed having their minds set on the Lord and his work brings great peace. 

Paul is focused, not on his own imperfect spiritual life, but on Christ and his mission. 

Paul warns the Philippians against those who would boast in their own merits for spiritual advantage. To Paul, these merits are a pile the latrine because they aren't the same as--and are, in fact, barriers to--knowing Christ as savior.

Paul now puts his money where his mouth is and puts the Philippians interests before his own in sending Timothy and Epaphroditus back to them.

The Philippians have been saved by Christ's work and are now encouraged to wrestle forward within this salvation. This is not a task to be done on their own initiative and steam, however. God is working in them and it is a work of joy.

Since they have tasted and seen the goodness of Jesus, Paul exhorts them to be like Christ in putting the interests of others before their own.

As Paul's life is bound to Christ, he has no insecurities about his fate. The advance of the gospel is a source of ongoing confidence.

Paul is able to rejoice even though he is in prison, has ruthless competitors, and may be facing his own death. How can he rejoice? Because he sees his own life bound up with Christ.

Paul opens the letter with a prayer of thanksgiving for the Philippians, and confidence that God's work will continue in them

An introduction to Paul's letter to the Philippian church

Paul closes the letter with a final appeal and warning

Freedom is a messy road, so those who are “spiritual” need to carry those who are burdened with the awareness that they, too, have their own load to bear.

If we are free from the law, does that mean it's a free-for-all? Paul addresses this question with the answer that we are free to walk with the Spirit which is at war with our flesh.

Paul closes his argument with a clear demarcation: choosing law severs us from Christ. It is an either/or proposition.

Paul's last example of working according to the flesh or the Spirit is Sarah and Hagar.

Paul appeals to his own experience with the Galatians and his love for them that they should not abandon Christ for slavery to the “elementary principles” of the world.

Paul uses the metaphor of slaves and sons to demonstrate that we cannot inherit eternal life through law, but only through adoption.

Why the Law? If we cannot be saved by the law, why did God ever give it?

The law is a curse for those who rely on it for salvation. We are redeemed from that curse because Jesus became a curse for us, hence why returning to law is so deeply offensive.

Paul appeals to the Galatians own experience of the Spirit as well as that of Abraham to convince them that faith supersedes law.

Paul's thesis for the entire letter: a person is not justified by works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ.

Hypocrisy is a danger everyone has fallen into. Paul confronted Peter about his hypocrisy toward the gentiles.

Paul's street cred

There is only one gospel

Greeting and introduction to the gospel

This is less of an exposition of a particular text, and more of an exposition of the entire letter. What is this letter about and why was it written in the first place?