Saul of Tarsus, chief among sinners, by the grace of God became the apostle Paul. Paul was one of the most influential and important figures of the New Testament. We can learn many wonderful lessons by examining his life.
Using the declaration of Ruth’s love and loyalty to her mother-in-law Naomi, recorded in Ruth 1:16-17, we are able to recognize the importance and beauty of such an attribute for the Christian.
Envy destroyed the life of King Saul. He could not stand the success David had as God’s annointed. That and other scriptural examples show the dangerous consequences of the sin of envy.
Denominationalists have long called for union and tolerance of doctrine error, and vain religious practices. The common claim is that as long as one is sincere, he is accepted by God. This is not true. There is a litmus test for acceptance by God, abiding in truth!
The apostle Paul describes the work of an evangelist in 2 Timothy 4:2-4 to be, in part, exposing those who teach error. The evangelist must do so readily, and with longsuffering. But, it must be done!
Young men want to marry young ladies who have kept themselves pure, and are modest. Young men then, should respect young ladies, and not take advantage of them. Too, young ladies must respect themselves, and keep themselves pure.
Even as James brings his epistle to a close, he has many beneficial admonitions for us as Christians.
Archeology continually corroborates the Bible, giving evidence as to its inspiration.
The writer James (5:1-12) contrasts the materialistic and oppressive rich with the type of men we should be as we look forward to the coming of our Lord.
In James chapter 4, the writer points out the ephemeral nature of life, and man’s responsibility to humbly serve God in preparation for eternity.
To be a friend with the World is to become an enemy of God. Christians should submit in humble obedience to God, and resist the devil. Only in doing this can we overcome the siren call of worldliness.
The third chapter of James’ epistle defines divine wisdom, differentiating between it and human wisdom, and establishing the means of obtaining divine wisdom.
The third chapter of James’ epistle establishes both the difficulty, and the importance of bridling the tongue. It is an unruly evil, that left unchecked, can destroy a man.
Does the text in Acts 2:38 indicate that we are baptized because our sins are forgiven, or in order to receive the forgiveness of sins. Context and a word study indicate that “for the remission of sins” indicates that repentance and baptism are necessary for salvation!
The writer James explains the necessity of obedience, and the relationship between faith and works in his epistle, chapter 2.
