The Crimson Thread - May I Gently Suggest?

This last letter from Paul to his protege is full of encouragement. The main theme of the first half is that Timothy should focus on sound teaching and order within the church. He should not get distracted by frivolous arguments. Rather he should seek out sound men who are able to teach and insure that they have been taught properly so that they can reproduce themselves.

In John 8, Y'shua says that His disciples will know the truth and they will be free. Instead of asking for the truth the Jews protest that they are not slaves. What is this truth that He promises and how does it make us free? The answer is important in a world awash in lies.

Paul's practical instruction about human relations; how to treat older people, widows and would-be teachers. In all cases it is Timothy's responsibility as the pastor to keep things orderly and protect from malign situations and influences. He is not to allow his relative youth deter him from insisting on sound doctrine and good order.

So called 'social justice' in today's world is nothing but warmed over collectivism - which always leads to misery and death. In Lev 25 God provides a system of insuring that the clever and ruthless among us do not wind up at the top of the pyramid in perpetuity. The Torah of the sabbatical year and the jubilee serve to do a soft reset and allow for social and economic mobility.

After listing the qualifications for church leadership Paul warns that some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and their teaching. Given the list of symptoms Paul is probably referring to Gnosticism which appeals to intelligent people who are not able to fully understand the grace of God.

The Biblical standard, 'an eye for an eye' has been ridiculed by those who should know better. In Judaism and early Christianity it was understood that the metaphor was not to be used literally. Rather that retribution was to be proportional to the damage done. For justice to be satisfactory to the injured party the perpetrator should incur an equivalent punishment or cost. If this does not happen...

Paul instructs Timothy to root out false teachers in the church at Ephesus. One of the subjects he mentions is 'endless genealogies.' To understand what he means it is useful to compare this letter with the letter to Titus and with the letter to the Ephesians.

Contrary to popular belief the Leviticus 19 commandment to 'love your neighbor as yourself' does not place unrealistic demands upon us. Rather the passage in context gives a procedure for minimizing the number of enemies one acquires and for keeping the community peaceful. In Matthew 18 Y'shua expands on the Leviticus procedure and gives instructions for those cases where it does not work.

Echoing Matthew 13 and Revelation 2, Paul explains that mixing adding works as a vehicle for justification is like adding a small amount of leaven to dough - it eventually corrupts everything.. Doing good works as a response to the grace of God is admirable. Doing them as a way of obligating God is an error.

Torah portion Acharei Mot (Lev 16-18) emphasizes that there is only one standard for the native born and for gentiles who join themselves to Israel. So when the Council of Jerusalem in Acts 15 tells gentiles to avoid idols, abstain from sexual immorality, things strangled and blood, they are simply quoting the Torah's requirements that apply to both Jew and gentile. When they say that gentiles nee...

Paul uses two metaphors to describe the effect of the Torah: that of an heir under a guardian and that of the son of Hagar, Sarah's slave. These examples are often cited as evidence that the Torah is done away with. This is a misunderstanding. Just as the two sets of tablets given to Moses were identical, the conditions of the New Covenant are the same as the Old. The difference is where God's law...

Most regard the Torah as (a possibly obsolete) set of "dos" and "dont's". While that can be true, it is more profitable to regard it as a mirror. Looking at yourself reflected in the Torah provides a roadmap for spiritual growth. To use a simple example, the Torah says not to steal. If you are prone to theft, it becomes a restriction that chafes and you are uncomfortable with what you see in yours...

In making the case that salvation is by faith and not by works of the law, Paul refers to the call of Abraham. When he believed God it was accounted to him as righteousness. Since the covenant between God and Abraham was prior to the giving of the Torah, it is not possible that the law would change the terms or the conditions for salvation.

We are commanded to tell our children the story of the first Passover. The elements of the Passover are each symbolic as well as historical. For the Hebrews in Egypt they pointed to events in Genesis. For gentiles today they are symbolic rather than historical. Considering the firstborn, the lamb, the blood and the bread leads to a fifth implied symbol.

The letter to the Galatians correlates with the Kingdom Parable of the woman and the leaven and with the Revelation letter to the church at Thyatira. All are concerned with sin coming into the church through strange doctrine. Paul begins the letter by establishing his credentials.

What did He mean when Y'shua said in John 19:30, "It is finished," as He died? If we look at God's ultimate purpose for the world, "to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth," it becomes clear that the Crucifixion was an intermediate step in a longer campaign; vital to the campaign but not the last objective to be taken. In that sense, "finished" is perhaps a misleading tran...

Chapter 13 predicts the Crucifixion and the scattering of Israel. Chapter 14 predicts the Second Coming and the Millennial Reign.

John 6 is a discourse on bread. It begins with feeding the 5000 with five barley loaves and two fish. This is the key to the whole chapter, the high point of which is Y'shua's statement that He is the bread of life. Bread was introduced in Genesis 3 when our diet was switched from the fruit of the trees of the Garden to bread. The metaphor is used consistently up to and through John 6. The goal ha...

God had set three classes of shepherd over Israel, priests, prophets and kings. These had all failed the sheep in one way or another leading to idolatry and corruption which caused God to send the nation into exile. God pronounces woe to the worthless shepherds.

Aaron's sons, Nadav and Abihu died when they tried to enter God's presence uninvited. Similarly, Uzzah died when David tried to transport the Ark in the wrong way. In both cases men acted with pure hearts, seeking to approach and honor God. They had the big picture right, but got the details wrong and died. Today's church has the big picture correct. God loves us, He sent His Son to die for our si...

Amidst prophecies about Alexander the Great, the return of Ephraim and the Maccabean Revolt we find the entry of a humble king riding a donkey into Jerusalem.

In John chapter 5 Y'shua makes quite a long statement which is logically in two parts. The first describes who He is and what powers and authority He has. The second explains why the leaders of Israel should accept His credentials. This passage leaves Israel without any excuse for their later behavior.

Returning exiles inquired whether they should continue to fast and weep for the destruction done by Babylon. In answering, God assured them that He would once again favor Israel with peace and security.

There is a great deal of misunderstanding about sacrifice. It is clearly a major subject in the Bible, but has not been practiced since the Temple was destroyed in 70AD. As such we have no real understanding of what it means either emotionally or spiritually.

In vision, Zechariah sees four chariots with differently colored horses. Chariots and horses are instruments of war. The ones going toward the north will bring God's spirit to rest, indicating that they will recompense Assyria and Babylon for the excessive damage done to Israel while acting as God's instrument of chastisement.