Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. Check out the video content in this post by clicking here.Â
Over the course of 10 verses in the second chapter of the Book of Philippians, Paul uses the personal pronoun âIâ eleven times! (see Philippians 2:19-28). This is an important autobiographical part of Paulâs letter, but it also shows us the intimacy of this godly manâs relationship with both Jesus and with the saints at Philippi.Â
We also see that becoming a Christian doesnât mean our unique personality gets toned down to be like every other Christianâs personality. In actuality, I become more me when I am in Jesus and when I am allowing the Holy Spirit to actively work in my life. At the moment of conception, the breath of God created a unique combination that makes me me. Then through the process of sanctification, my me becomes more of the me God created.Â
Look at these âIâ statements in Philippians 2:
Paul has plansâI hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon ⌠I hope to send him to you as soon as I see how things go with me (vv. 19, 23)Â
Paul has aspirationsâI am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon (v. 24)Â
Paul has a mindâI think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus (v. 25)Â
Paul has emotionsâI am all the more eager (v. 28)Â
Intermingled with Paulâs personal pronouns are six explicit references to his Savior and God. All Paulâs aspirations, plans, friendships, and work were channeled through his intense desire for both himself and these saints to stand together around the throne of God (2:16-18; 1: 3-8).Â
So it should be for us too. I am most me when I am allowing the Holy Spirit to direct my plans, thoughts, emotions, words, and actions in a way that exalts Jesus.Â
My unique personality shines brightest and I feel the most alive when I am abiding in Jesus and submitting to the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. Check out the video content in this post by clicking here.Â
Iâm going to spoil some of the surprise right up front. Weâre going to look at two questions about death, and the answer to the question, âIs that in the Bible?â is âNoâ for both questions.Â
Persisting to do unbiblical things is a sin because we are trying to point out why God is wrong and why our opinion is right.Â
But there is also a danger in pursuing non-biblical things, when we try to give our non-biblical opinion or preference biblical weight, and then look down on anyone who doesnât believe or act like we do. The Bible does tell us to be peacemakers (Romans 14:13-21).Â
Statement #17âCremating a loved one exempts them from heaven. Is that in the Bible?No.Â
The preferred method in the Old Testament appears to be burial. Sometimes in the ground, but more typically in a cave or man-made crypt. There were exceptions. For instance, the bodies of Saul and Jonathan were cremated (1 Samuel 31:11-13), and King Jehoram could have been cremated, but certainly he wasnât interred the same way that his father and grandfather were (2 Chronicles 21:1, 4-6, 18-20). Â
In the New Testament era there was an end-of-life process the Greeks adopted called ossilegium. The Greeks frequently anointed the body with oil and wine and burned it until just the bones were left. The Jews wrapped the dead body in burial shroud and anointed it with spicesâas with Lazarus (John 11:38-44) and Jesus (John 19:38-41). About a year after death, the bones would be collected and placed in an ossuary. Most often, multiple family membersâ bones would share the same ossuary.Â
Statement #18âSuicide is an unforgivable sin. Is that in the Bible?No.Â
We donât see suicide a lot in Scripture:Â
Saul died by his own swordâ1 Samuel 31:4Â
Zimri died by self-immolationâ1 Kings 16:18Â
Ahithophel and Judas both hanged themselvesâ2 Samuel 17:23; Matthew 27:5Â
But no where does Scripture speak to this form of death as being a reason to exclude that person from Heaven. These deaths do seem like last-ditch, hopeless acts. Because they are the very last act, it seems like these people have utterly rejected God. It has been a misconception for a long time that the way you die determines your eternal home. Consider a scene in Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Hamlet will not kill Claudius while heâs praying and send him to heavenâ
And that his soul may be as damned and black
As hell, whereto it goes.
Here are the truths we see in Scripture:Â
We are created in Godâs image and given a bodyâGenesis 1:26-27; 2:7.Â
Yet our body is called a temporary tentâ2 Corinthians 5:1-3.Â
We will be raised either to eternal life or a second and eternal deathâLuke 12:4-5; 1 Corinthians 15:42-54, 20-21; Revelation 20:11-15.Â
How we die and how our body is disposed of makes no difference to where we will spend eternity. The only thing that matters is if our name is written in the Book of Life. Our name is written there only if we are covered by the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 10:10, 17-22).Â
Check out more of the questions we have covered in our Is That In The Bible? series by clicking here.Â
âIt is the highest and holiest of the paradoxes that the man who really knows he cannot pay his debt will be for ever paying it. He will be for ever giving back what he cannot give back, and cannot be expected to give back. He will be always throwing things away into a bottomless pit of unfathomable thanks.â âG.K. ChestertonÂ
âNo Christian and, indeed, no historian could accept the epigram which defines religion as âwhat a man does with his solitude.â It was one of the Wesleys, I think, who said that the New Testament knows nothing of solitary religion. We are forbidden to neglect the assembling of ourselves together. Christianity is already institutional in the earliest of its documents. The Church is the Bride of Christ. We are members of one another. ⌠We live, in fact, in a world starved for solitude, silence, and privacy, and therefore starved for meditation and true friendship.â âC.S. Lewis, The Weight of GloryÂ
âOne will wickedly say, âIf I am a child of God, I may live as I like.â That is damnable doctrine. Another will say, âIf I am a child of God, I shall not want to live as I like, but as God likes, and I shall be led by the grace of God into the path of holiness, and through divine grace I shall persevere in that way of holiness right to the end.â That is quite another doctrine, and it is the true teaching of the Word of God.â âCharles SpurgeonÂ
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. Check out the video content in this post by clicking here.Â
I want to give you a life-changing Bible study tip in just one word: Therefore.Â
Takeaway: Whenever I am studying the Bible, I need to see how each Scripture interconnects, elaborate, clarifies, and strengthens the rest of Scripture. From the Old Testament to the New Testament, and inside each book of the Bible, there is airtight, irrefutable, and life-changing truth that connects with everything else in the Bible.Â
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. Â
âTherefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on JesusâŚâ (Hebrews 3:1).Â
The phrase âfix your thoughtsâ is one Greek word (katanoeo) which means a deep, attentive studying.
This isnât merely a quick glance, but a sustained and deep study. Jesus used this word with the examples He gave of His Fatherâs provision for usâ
Consider [katanoeo] the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! ⌠Consider [katanoeo] how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. (Luke 12:24, 27).Â
The writer of Hebrews says we need this deep studying for two reasons.
First, this deep and sustained look into the glory and supremacy of Jesus is the essential part of our hope and confidence in Him. âAnd we are His house if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we gloryâ (Hebrews 3:6). I want you to remember that phrase âhold firmlyâ (Greek: katecho) because we will come back to it in just a minute.Â
It is very hard to hold firmly to anything if we only have a surface understanding of it. But when we gaze deeply at Jesus and live in awe of His majesty and strength and love, we cannot help but cling evermore firmly to Him!Â
The second reason we need to fix our thoughts (katanoeo) on Jesus is to be able to help our fellow saintsâour âholy brothers and sisters.â I asked you to remember that phrase âhold firmlyâ (katecho). Notice how it is linked together with âconsiderâ (katanoeo) in these versesâ
Let us hold unswervingly (katecho) to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider (katanoeo) how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. (Hebrews 10:23-24)Â
So the writer of Hebrews is telling us that when we are gazing intently at the majesty of Jesus, we discover more reasons to not only hold firmly to Him ourselves, but we also discover more reasons to encourage others to gaze at Him and hold Him firmly themselves.Â
In his letter to the church, James uses katanoeo in the negative sense. In James 1:23-24, he says that those who only casually listen to and meditate on Godâs Wordânever looking into it deeplyâwill walk away unchanged.
I want to be changed every time I encounter the glory of God as revealed in the Word of God!Â
Deep, sustained gazing stimulates more attentive meditating, which turns into more reasons to hold firmly. The more firmly I hold onto Jesus, the more the life of Jesus changes me. Then my ability to spur on other saints to their own gazing, abiding, and holding is increased exponentially.Â
I am holding on to Jesus to help others hold on to Jesus too!Â
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. Check out the video content in this post by clicking here.Â
As we rejoin our series asking, âIs that in the Bible?â we have come to statement #16âThe lion will lay down with the lamb.Â
Is that in the Bible?No!Â
You may be surprised by that because it is one of those phrases repeated so often that people assume it has to be in the Scripture. Even those who donât have a religious persuasion for their life still accept this phrase as meaning world peace, where former adversaries now live together in harmony. Â
There are some verses in the prophesies of Isaiah from which this phrase may have originated, like Isaiah 11:6. On the 8th anniversary of the modern independence of the nation of Israel (in April 1956), the British parliament presented a bronze Menorah to the Israeli Knesset. Benno Elkan designed this beautiful piece, modeled after the lampstand in the Holy Place of the Temple. On one of the branches, Benno portrays the prophet Isaiah, and at his feet are images of a lion, a wolf, a lamb, and a small child.Â
But in the images on this menorah, based on so many Kingdom-anticipating passages throughout the Old Testament, is the hope for which we long. Peace is coming. It is peace purchased by the Prince of Peace and it is a peace that only He can establish and maintain.Â
To see the peace that will exist in Godâs kingdom, we must look back to the beginning of Time. The Book of Isaiah has been called âthe Bible within the Bible.â Partly because it is near the middle of the Bible, but partly because its 66 chapters (like the 66 books of the Bible) trace the perfection of God that was marred by sin, the ravages of sin, the redemption that comes only through the Messiah, and His eternal kingdom of peace that is for all who put their faith in Jesus. So today I want us to look at the first book of the Bible, the âBible within the Bible,â and the last book of the Bible.Â
God created perfection in the Earth. Part of His plan included man and animals as herbivores (Genesis 1:29-30). At least one of Godâs animals could talk (Genesis 3:1). Given the fact that neither Adam nor Eve were distressed by a talking snake, perhaps there was a way for man and animals to navigate their differences.Â
This encounter with the devil led to sin, which also opened the door for further pain and hardshipâself-awareness that brought embarrassment, pain in childbirth, difficulty farming the land, and removal from the Garden of Eden (3:16-19).Â
Sin continued to ravage (Genesis 6:6). At the time of the Flood, it appears men and animals were still herbivores (vv. 20-21), but that changes after the Flood (9:1-6).Â
Sin ravages and destroys and enslaves people in their ungodly passions. God does forgive, but many times the consequences of sin still remainâas we witness in our world today.Â
Remember that after Adam and Eve sinned, they were aware of their nakedness. Their attempt to cover themselves was with what they had dominion over: fig leaves (Genesis 3:7). The very first animal sacrifice was performed by God Himselfâan innocent calf or lamb had to shed its blood so that God could cover the shame of sin (v. 21).Â
Sinful man tries to copy what God did without calling on God Himself, and God sees it for what it is: a sham (Isaiah 65:1-7; Revelation 7:9-10).Â
Only Jesus can bridge the gulf between sinful man and righteous God (Isaiah 11:1-9; Revelation 5:1-6; 11-13).Â
â[Jesus] endured death as a lamb; He devoured it as a lion.â âAugustine
(see John 1:29; Revelation 1:18)
We get a small glimpse of the eternal kingdom during the Millennial Reign (Isaiah 65:17-25), but the eternal kingdom is the Reality for the saints of God forever (Isaiah 35:8-10; Revelation 21:1-8, 22:1-5)!Â
The next time you hear someone long for the day when âthe lion will lay down with the lamb,â remind them that the Lion and the Lamb are one in the same. Jesus is BOTH our sacrificial Lamb that died in our place to pay the penalty of our sin AND He is the Lion that devoured death once for all!Â
There is an eternal Kingdom where peace and joy and wholeness are indescribable and unending. But we only get into this Kingdom by the blood of the Lamb and the power of the Lion!Â
Check out the previous statement we have discussed in this series by clicking here.Â
Thereâs nothing wrong with getting godly advice from someone, and thereâs nothing wrong with sharing godly wisdom with others. Letâs just make sure that weâre not putting godly people above God Himself.
âIf sin came to you openly proclaiming itself as sin, you would fight against it; but it is very cunning and deceitful and it gradually petrifies the heart and especially the heart of those who think that they will never provoke God by their sin. Pride has already begun to work in them; and where pride can work, every other sin finds elbow-room.â âCharles SpurgeonÂ
The Eiffel Tower may be one of the most iconic symbols of architecture. In this post, we learn that its creator âGustave Eiffel, a French engineer, looked not to classical architecture or ancient ruins but to the human bodyâspecifically, the thigh bone.â
âHe that hath slight thoughts of sin, never had great thoughts of God.â âJohn OwenÂ
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.Â
Think back to some of the hard times youâve been through. Do those times conjure up fond memories and a longing to return to yesteryear? Of course not! Most people do their best to forget these moments as quickly as possible, but a mature leader recognizes the value of the suffering theyâve endured. Join us for todayâs episode as we discuss how your most painful moments have the potential to be your biggest opportunities for growth.
[0:00] Introduction
[0:16] During this episode you might be saying, âI donât want to go there!â
[2:03] Growth comes from switching from, âHow do I get out of this?â to âWhat can I get out of this?â
[3:08] Why do we avoid that painful lessons that could help us grow?
[4:53] Greg shares about a learning experience from his football career.
[6:13] My rough season led to a book called When Sheep Bite.
[8:15] We have to practice learning in difficult seasons.
[10:00] Pain can show us what needs to be changed to realize growth opportunities.
[13:02] Greg asks me what is one thing that held me back from learning from adversity.
[14:55] Greg shares what held him back earlier in his leadership journey.
[16:52] I have learned an important first response in difficult times.
[18:53] Sometimes we need an outside mentor to help us see where weâre struggling.
[22:00] âYour hardest times often lead to some of your greatest moments.â
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.Â
In some of the final words Paul wrote to his friends in Philippi, he said, âLet your gentleness be evident to allâ (Philippians 4:5).Â
Today, we donât often refer to people as gentlemen or gentlewomen, but Paul suggests that saints should strive to earn this title every day.Â
The Greek word means behavior that is suitable for the occasion; not someone given to extremes nor being unpredictable. Paul uses this word in his leadership qualifications to both Timothy and Titus (1 Timothy 3:3; Titus 3:2). Peter uses this word for servants in relationship to their masters (1 Peter 2:18), and James uses it to describe what godly wisdom looks and sounds like (James 3:17).Â
When Paul says that our gentleness is to be âevident to all,â he uses a word that means intimate relationships. In other words, those who are closest to us should be the most aware of our gentleness. But it also means that anyone should be able to predict quite accurately how a gentleman or gentlewoman is going to behave or respond in the situations they are in.Â
Look how this phrase is rendered in other Bible translations:
AMPC: Let allmenknow and perceive and recognize your unselfishness.Â
NLT: Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do.Â
KJV: Let your moderation be known unto all men.Â
How do I know if I am being a gentleman for Jesus? I must look in the mirror of othersâ faces. If they are wondering how I am going to respond, or if they are shocked at how I just responded, then they must not know my gentlemanliness. I cannot excuse my unpredictable or unseemly response with excuses like, âI was caught off guard,â âI was having a bad day,â or âThey just donât know me very well.âÂ
Christians, I pray that we may be known as the best of gentlemen or gentlewomen wherever we go and in whatever circumstances we find ourselves. After all, Paul concludes this verse in Philippians 4:5 with a heavy reminder for us: âThe Lord is near.âÂ
A meme that makes me chuckle every time I see it is a âquoteâ attributed to Abraham Lincoln in which he says, âThe problem with quotes found on the internet is that they are often not true.â
(Not to spoil the joke for you, but unless Lincoln knew how to time travel to the future, I donât think he knew about the modern internet! )
I love this meme because it captures something that so many people fall into: a quick acceptance of a statement without verifying its source or thinking through the implications of the statementâs truthfulness.
Some insightful comments sound Shakespearean, but William never wrote them.
Some pieces of wisdom sound Socratic, but Socrates never taught them.
Some religious maxims sound godly, but the Bible never recorded them.
I would like to invite you to join me as we relaunch this series called Is That In The Bible? I think you may be surprised to discover just how many phrases we call biblical arenât, and how many phrases there are that we never realized are actually in the Bible.
By the way, if you have a phrase that you would like to have us explore in this series, please leave it in a comment below. You may want to check out the questions we have already addressed:
Over the course of 10 verses in the second chapter of the Book of Philippians, Paul uses the personal pronoun âIâ eleven times! (see Philippians 2:19-28). This is an important autobiographical part of Paulâs letter, but it also shows us the intimacy of this godly manâs relationship with both Jesus and with the saints at Philippi. 
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Craig T. Owens 