Paul knew how to keep the main thing the main thing.  He was called to preach the gospel to the lost, and he never lost sight of that primary objective. 1 Corinthians 9:16 (ESV) 16  For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe […]

Too many people think that how one lives has no impact on the soul.  The truth, however, is that, while we are saved by grace (Ephesians 2:8-9), how we live does play a part in our salvation.  Paul makes this clear in 1 Corinthians 6. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (ESV) 9  Or do you not know […]

Church discipline has long since been a neglected responsibility of many local churches.  Never was this more evident than with the church at Corinth.  1 Corinthians 5 is Paul’s address to this issue.  While, according to 2 Corinthians, the saints at Corinth listened to Paul, many churches today need to revisit the teachings of Paul […]

All preachers preach a little bit differently, but there is one thing that all preachers should have in common—preaching the gospel with simplicity.  Paul was a magnificent preacher, able to cause his hearers to tremble at the Word of God at times (Acts 24:25).  His focus, however, was never to show off his oratory skills.  […]

The local church is God’s spiritual institution that He designed to accomplish His work in this world.  It is beneficial for both God and man when it operates according to His will.  A part of doing God’s will in a local church is having a proper attitude; an attitude that includes being united with brothers […]

As we wrap up our thoughts on the book of Galatians, I thought it would be good to look at one of the major themes of the book.  As was the case with the book of Romans, Paul’s primary focus is that we are justified by faith rather than by works of the law. The […]

Paul once said, “take heed, lest ye fall” 1 Corinthians 10:12).  Falling away from our Lord is a real and present danger for all Christians. Paul called it falling away from grace. Galatians 5:3-4 (ESV) 3  I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4 […]

The church needs men like Paul.  Yes, Paul was an apostle, but that is not what I am referring to here.  I am talking about men who are willing to stand for the truth no matter what the consequences might be.  Paul demonstrated this on several occasions. Perhaps the most notable occasion that Paul stood […]

In our last blog, we saw the importance of being in Christ.  To be in Christ, is to be a part of the fulfillment of the Abrahamic promise that involved all nations of the earth being blessed in Abraham’s offspring.  The blessedness had to do with being justified by God, the result of which meant […]