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Apostolic Writings Discussions

Galatians 6 — Law plus Spirit vs. Law plus flesh

The Christ-like life is compared to a race, but it’s not a cut-throat competition against our fellow believers. We are to help one another reach the ultimate goal. The “fruit of the Spirit” that are given to us by God to help us and others in this life are not a “grab bag” that we can pick and chose which fruits we want. We should want them all and use them all and we should share them with our fellow believers and the world at large. We are also called to understand that God is the same yesterday, today and forever. He has one plan for the salvation of man, not two, three for four versions.

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Apostolic Writings Discussions

Galatians 1:6-9 — What is the ‘different gospel’ in this letter? A look at Colossians 2-4, Romans 5-7

Who makes us holy? Paul calls his hearers to remember that it is Yeshua who makes us holy. Yeshua makes us holy when He creates in us a new heart. We discover the definition of sin and the remedy for sin in the same text. Paul is not giving the Galatians a new Torah, a new teaching. He is sending them back to the old ways that were there all along yet hidden and ignored. We explore the “new covenant” transformation from “old self” to “new self” in Colossians 2–4 and Romans 5-7.

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Apostolic Writings Discussions

Galatians 1:6-9 — What is the ‘different gospel’ addressed in this letter? A look at Ephesians 2-4

We continue to explore the “gospel” that Paul delivered to the Galatians by reading what is recorded of his messages to those congregations and his parallel explanations in letter to other congregations. Today, we explore Ephesians 2-4 and its discussion of the “new man” and “old man.”

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Apostolic Writings Discussions

Not Another Gospel: Paul’s Defense of the New Covenant in Galatia

We are continuing our New Testament study on the New Covenant as revealed in the writings of the Apostle Paul. Before figuring out “different gospel” Paul is speaking against in the letter to the Galatians, we should look at what “gospel” he presented to the Galatian congregations, as recorded in Acts 13:14-52.

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Apostolic Writings Discussions

Galatians introduction, part 2 : 2Corinthians 3 on ‘new covenant,’ ‘old covenant,’ ministries of condemnation and righteousness

The kind of presuppositions we bring to the New Testament can color our view of the Bible as a whole. This is a discussion series on the more difficult passages of the New Testament that anti-nomians often use to try to take us away from Torah and lead us to “freedom.”

Today, we look at 2nd Corinthians 3, which includes an involved discussion on the “new covenant,” “old covenant” and a “veil” over it, “ministry of the spirit,” “ministry of condemnation/death” and “ministry of righteousness.” As this passage is commonly interpreted, Paul taught that Christ abolished the “old covenant,” doing away with the “ceremonial law,” which was anything connected to the tabernacle/temple ministry. That would include Shabbat (Sabbath) and the other “appointed times to the LORD” as well as “clean” and “unclean” foods. This discussion will explore how Paul explained himself in this letter and in other writings on the same topic.

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Apostolic Writings Discussions

Galatians introduction, part 1: ‘New covenant’ according to the Bible

The kind of presuppositions we bring to the New Testament can color our view of the Bible as a whole. This is a discussion series on the more difficult passages of the New Testament that anti-nomians often use to try to take us away from Torah and lead us to “freedom.”

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Apostolic Writings Discussions

Acts of the Apostles thematic recap

This is a recap of the themes weaved throughout the book of the Acts of the Apostles.