The Living Word

Bible study on the set readings widely used by various churches and chapels and a weekly storytelling video. Also at www.medium.com/the-living-word and https://thelivingword.substack.com

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Archives for February 2023

Feb. 26: Jesus’ Integrity and Victory overcomes Adam’s Sin

February 27, 2023 by Ian Greig Leave a Comment

Late winter sunset with mist forming across the valley
Late winter sunset with mist forming across the valley

This is The Living Word Bible Study based on the following Bible passages set for Sunday, February 26:

Psalm 32

Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 — Adam and Eve are tempted to disobey God

Matthew 4:1-11 — Satan’s testing fails to tempt Jesus into sin

Romans 5:12-19 — Our choice is to receive the gift of God in Jesus

Theme title: Jesus’ Integrity and Victory overcomes Adam’s Sin

Psalm 32

1-2 Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit.

3-4 When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.

5 Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And You forgave the guilt of my sin.

6-7 Therefore let all the faithful pray to You while You may be found; surely the rising of the mighty waters will not reach them. You are my hiding place; You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.

8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with My loving eye on you.

9 Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.

10-11 Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in Him. Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!

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Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 — Adam and Eve are tempted to disobey God

• Breaking trust with God in the Garden of Eden introduces sin into the world

15-17 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

“To work it and take care of it” – humanity’s dignifying occupation.

• For further study, read Leviticus 8:35; Numbers 3:5-8, 8:26.

“The LORD God commanded the man” – the first covenant decree in the Bible. God undertook to provide from the park-like garden; man accepted this provision and trusted God by not eating from one particular tree.

“You are free… but…” – typical Bible covenant wording, where Adam is given a beneficial choice and a condition.

3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

“The serpent” – part of God’s creation, the talking snake appears to present an alternative source of ‘wisdom’, Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 9:10. It becomes clear that this is Satan manifesting as a snake, as Paul and the apostle John later taught.

• For further study, read 2 Cor. 11:3; Revelation 12:9, 20:2.

2-3 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ”

“Not… the tree… in the middle” – by not naming the tree, the woman skirts round the reason for the ban. 

4-5 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

“You will not… die” – the snake denies God’s clear pronouncement with this lie, deceiving both Eve and Adam into separation from God and hence spiritual death. Jesus called Satan a liar and murderer from the beginning, John 8:44.

6-7 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realised they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

“The fruit was… desirable” – appealing to the woman’s human independence, she is deceived into disobedience. They now have experience of evil, and sin is born.

Reflection

SUMMARY The first of three sub-stories about how sin entered the world and how in Jesus we have a God-given release from its bondage. Here in Genesis, the ‘beginnings’, we first encounter the devil’s ‘crafty’ legalism.

APPLICATION Forewarned is forearmed; the devil works by deception, the overriding characteristic of which is not realising that we are being deceived. This is why the early church was urged to “test everything”, 1 Thess. 5:21; 1 John 4:1, Rev. 2:1.

QUESTION Where in life and public life do we see evidence of the devil’s deceiving strategies?

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Matthew 4:1-11 — Satan’s testing fails to tempt Jesus into sin

• Jesus, unlike Israel in the desert, overcomes by declaring God’s word

1-3 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry. The tempter came to Him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

“Led by the Spirit… to be tempted by the devil” – “Tempted (tested and tried)” (Amp). God’s servants entering ministry routinely find their resolve and character tested, allowed by God but carried out by the devil.

“Into the wilderness to be tempted” – Jesus, in a version of the test of His forebears, is provoked to sin but instead shows Himself the true, or real, Israelite who holds to what God has said to do, below.

4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”

“It is written” – Jesus’ testing experience teaches us how to declare Scripture truth to deflect the enemy’s attentions; He cites Deut. 8:3 to assert the power of standing on what God has said.

5-6 Then the devil took Him to the holy city and had Him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If You are the Son of God,” he said, “throw Yourself down. For it is written: “ ‘He will command his angels concerning You, and they will lift You up in their hands, so that You will not strike your foot against a stone.’ ”

“If You are…” – using the temptation of fame, the devil twists the meaning of Psalm 91:11-12 to suggest that Jesus could test God in a spectacular way.

7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”

“Jesus answered” – from Deut 6:16; a principle even higher than trusting God, is honouring Him. 

8-9 Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour. “All this I will give You,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

“All this I will give you” – Satan, called the prince or ruler of this world, John 12:31, offers Jesus a shortcut to future kingdom reign without the Cross — but a ruinous one.

“I will give” – Satan can exercise limited authority over the present sin-damaged world, but not to give what is not his.

• For further study, read Psalm 2:8; Luke 4:6; John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11; 2 Cor. 4:4.

10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’”

“Away from Me” – Jesus shows that true worship, in love and total submission to God, is a knockout blow in spiritual warfare. To focus on the goodness of God short-circuits the devil’s craving for attention.

11 Then the devil left Him, and angels came and attended Him.

“Angels… attended Him” – the verse Satan had twisted, Ps. 91:11-12 (note above) is now fulfilled in God’s way.

Reflection

SUMMARY This second sub-story concerns Jesus, following His baptism and publicly visible anointing for ministry, facing the devil in a test of His resolve and integrity.

APPLICATION The devil has a limited set of strategies, much repeated. As well as deception, as already noted, there is twisting of truth. Jesus shows the power of God’s word declared faithfully, using godly submission to disarm ungodly arrogance.

QUESTION In what ways can we imitate Jesus’ use of God’s word?

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Romans 5:12-19 — Our choice is to receive the gift of God in Jesus

• Paul teaches about original sin and the remedy, grace from accepting Jesus

12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned. 

“Sin entered the world” – Paul teaches the need for the gospel, because of man’s fall through Adam.

13 To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law.

“Before the law” – the period from Adam to Moses, when human independence from God was widespread but not in the sense of individual violations. The rules for righteous and unrighteous behaviour would follow.

14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.

“Death reigned” – Paul continues from his incomplete sentence of v.12, that the original man’s quest for independence was the root of sin, resulting in human mortality.

15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the One Man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!

“How much more” – a phrase Paul repeats. The reach and extent of God’s grace is immensely greater than even the disaster of Adam’s sin.

16 Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.

“One man’s sin” – through the “one man”, Adam, sin entered the world and with it the condemnation, or punishment due, for that sin. That is the human state we all inherit, regardless of the kind of life we lead. The Good News is that God has offered a way out, “the gift” of God, which we “receive”, v.17, by choosing to belong to Jesus.

17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the One Man, Jesus Christ!

“Trespass” – Adam’s offence was an act of trespass, a deliberate going astray. What Jesus Christ did for us was an act of undeserved grace, v.15, allowing us to be counted righteous if we have given our lives to Him. 

18-19 Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the One Man the many will be made righteous.

“One righteous act… justification… for all people” – condemnation “for all people” represented by Adam – the whole human race. The second “all people” is all who are represented by Christ: not everyone, but all who would believe in Him. The Bible is clear and consistent that salvation comes to those who make their choice to exercise faith in Jesus Christ – not everyone. 

• For further study, see Matthew 7:13-14, 23; 25:46; Romans 1:16-17, 3:22, 28, 4:5, 13.

Reflection

SUMMARY The third sub-story told by Paul looks back to Genesis and to Adam and how the mistake by one man led to sin entering the world. This is contrasted with the gracious act of obedience by the One Man who could secure justification and make righteous all who turn to Him.

APPLICATION We are equipped to recognise the tests and have confidence to make good choices if we have asked Jesus to be our Lord and invited His Holy Spirit to help us. This is about believing and trusting, not ‘good works’.

QUESTION How do we explain what it means to be free of condemnation?

PRAYER Father, we thank you for this reminder of Jesus’ testing and victory and how by grace we are allowed to participate in it.

Help us to grow more confident in Christ Jesus to speak out in faith and silence the devil’s accusations. We praise You for Jesus’ victory and join with Him in saying, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only. Amen.

Filed Under: Lent, Year A

Feb. 19: Mountain-top encounters are a powerful testimony to others

February 17, 2023 by Ian Greig Leave a Comment

Snowdrops emerging form a white carpet in dusk light
Snowdrops emerging form a white carpet in dusk light

This is the Living Word Bible Study for Sunday, February 19, 2023

The Bible readings this week are those set for February 19 in the interdenominational scheme used by many diverse churches and chapels. They are:

Psalm 99

Exodus 24:12-18 — God summons Moses to wait for Him on Mount Sinai

Matthew 17:1-9 — God’s voice is heard as Jesus is transfigured

2 Peter 1:16-21 — Jesus will surely come again as Scripture tells us

Theme: Mountain-top encounters are a powerfully testimony to others 

Psalm 99

1 The Lord reigns, let the nations tremble; He sits enthroned between the cherubim, let the earth shake.

2-3 Great is the Lord in Zion; He is exalted over all the nations. Let them praise Your great and awesome name — He is holy.

4 The King is mighty, He loves justice — you have established equity in Jacob; you have done what is just and right.

5 Exalt the Lord our God and worship at His footstool; He is holy.

6-7 Moses and Aaron were among His priests, Samuel was among those who called on His name; they called on the Lord and He answered them. He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud; they kept His statutes and the decrees He gave them.

8 Lord our God, You answered them; You were to Israel a forgiving God, though You punished their misdeeds.

9 Exalt the Lord our God and worship at His holy mountain, for the Lord our God is holy.

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Exodus 24:12-18 — God summons Moses to wait for Him on Mount Sinai

After six days’ wait he hears God call him to enter the cloud and remain

12 The LORD said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction.”

“Come up to Me” — only Moses could draw near to God at this time of establishing the first covenant.

For further study: through Jesus and the new covenant, we can all draw near to God, see Matthew 7:7-11, Hebrews 4:4-16, Hebrews 7:19, Hebrews 10:22, James 4:8.

“I will give you the tablets” — first mention of the divine directives inscribed on stone. In ancient Near Eastern treaties, each party deposited a copy in the other’s temple, which might explain the two tablets. In this case both God’s copy (tablet) and man’s would be kept in the Ark of the Covenant.

13 Then Moses set out with Joshua his aide, and Moses went up on the mountain of God. 

“Joshua his aide” — first mention of Joshua in this significant role. It appears that Joshua helped Moses on the climb up Mount Sinai but was not ‘cleared’ to come right into the presence of the Lord.

14 He said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we come back to you. Aaron and Hur are with you, and anyone involved in a dispute can go to them.”

“Hur” — previously mentioned in the battle with Amalek when Hur helped Aaron hold up Moses’ hands in praise as the battle below them on the plain proceeded.

15-16 When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the LORD called to Moses from within the cloud.

“Six days… seventh” — a possible allusion to creation. Moses and Joshua waited on God in faithful worship, in the tradition of Abraham’s faithfulness. By contrast, the Israelites did not wait as instructed, but broke their vigil and began to worship a golden calf, Exodus 32.

17 To the Israelites the glory of the LORD looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain.

“Glory of the Lord” — a plainly visible and brilliant presence. Moses had seen such a fire in the burning bush, Exodus 3:2.

18 Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

“Moses entered” — and Joshua stayed outside the cloud while Moses stayed “forty days”, a term meaning a long time rather than an exact duration.

Reflection

SUMMARY In one of the best-known stories of the Old Testament, Moses is summoned by God to come up Mount Sinai to meet with Him, and receive the tablets of the law that God had written. Accompanied by Joshua, who was not allowed to enter the cloud of glory, Moses stayed for a long time, receiving the instruction that went with the 10 words. 

APPLICATION Moses was unique in being invited to come into God’s presence like this. However, under the new covenant in Jesus, every believer is invited to draw close to God, with the promise that He will draw close to them — the experience of intimate worship.

QUESTION Can you recall times when you have been close to God and He has spoken to you?

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Matthew 17:1-9 — God’s voice is heard as Jesus is transfigured

Jesus named as God’s Son gave the disciples confidence about God’s plan

1 After six days Jesus took with Him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.

“After six days” — following Peter’s breakthrough declaration of Jesus being the Christ (or Messiah), Matt. 16:16-17 (Luke counts the time as eight days). Matthew, writing for mainly Jewish readers, makes the allusion to Moses waiting six days on Mt. Sinai.

2 There He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.

“He was transfigured” — a dramatic change in appearance. “His appearance changed from the inside out, right before their eyes.” (The Message).

“His face shone” — recalling how Moses was transformed as he encountered God’s glory, Exodus 34:29-30, 35. 

3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

“There appeared… Moses and Elijah” — with similarities to Moses’ experience on the mountain, now clearly showing Jesus to be unique and superior to these renowned historic figures who represent the law and the prophets respectively.

4 Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters — one for You, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”

“Three shelters” — shelters as memorials (NLT) or tabernacles, as in the feast of tabernacles. All Jewish men were used to constructing such tents. Peter’s impulse was to preserve and commemorate the moment.

5 While He was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased. Listen to Him!”

“A bright cloud” — following the appearance of Moses and Elijah, the presence and the shekinah, visible glory of God, covers them. As in Moses’ encounter, Exodus 24:16, the voice of God comes from the cloud. They hear His voice pronounce the same words as at Jesus’ baptism, Matt. 3:17, with the addition of the command to listen to Him.

“Listen to Him!” — from Deuteronomy 18:15. Jesus, the incarnate Son of God, has come to fulfil a messianic purpose in which He speaks for God. The disciples must hear this.

6 When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified.

“Facedown… terrified” — the fear of God is awesome awareness of God’s presence. It’s a scene that would terrify anyone, but Jesus’ intention is to reveal… and encourage.

7-8 But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” He said. “Don’t be afraid.” When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.

“They saw no one” — the experience was not to be prolonged.

9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

“Don’t tell” — the purpose of the visitation was to reveal Christ for who He was, but they could not explain what they did not fully understand. The meaning of Jesus’ death and resurrection would come to them later.

Reflection

SUMMARY Although the disciples had now realised that Jesus was the Messiah, they had only just found the courage to declare it with Peter their spokesman. Remaining doubts for Peter, James and John were quickly dispelled in a terrifying encounter with God’s glory and voice, and a command to take Jesus at His word.

APPLICATION Those who have come to God, by trusting Jesus have the privilege of knowing they can come into His presence. We don’t live by experiences, but God may use them at points in our life to bring change in us.

QUESTION is God’s direction “Listen to Him!” also for us? How do we listen to Jesus in our busy lives?

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2 Peter 1:16-21 — Jesus will surely come again as Scripture tells us

An eyewitness reminds us to pay attention to the prophetic message

16 For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.

“Cleverly devised stories” — the false teachers derided the apostles’ faithful teaching and coming judgment of Jesus’ return as ‘invented myths’ . Peter relates his irrefutable firsthand experience and warns against this heresy, 2 Peter 3:3-4.

“Eyewitnesses of His majesty” — Peter, James and John witnessed the transfiguration, which revealed Jesus as the Son and gave a foretaste of His return as king of His eternal kingdom.

•For further study, compare Matt. 17:1-8 (above) and Mark 9:2-8; Luke 9:28-36.

17 He received honour and glory from God the Father when the voice came to Him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.”

“The Majestic Glory” — Jews were anxious about using God’s name and ‘The Glory” was a form of words to overcome this; for Jews it would reinforce the connection between Jesus’ transfiguration and Moses’ encounter on Mt. Sinai.

18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with Him on the sacred mountain.

“We ourselves heard this voice” — corrupt and deceiving church leadership was a problem the apostles constantly faced. They had staked their lives on the certainty of the gospel, and their eyewitness status added to their unique call by Jesus as the true authorities of His Church.

19 We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

“Also… the prophetic message” — the Hebrew Scriptures we call the Old Testament. Peter is saying that the Scriptures are even more authoritative than his having been with Jesus.

“Completely reliable” — Peter is saying that his first-hand experience of hearing God’s audible voice, something hard to dismiss, reinforces what the prophets had said about the Messiah coming as Lord of all, at the end time.

“Until the day dawns… the morning star rises” — Jesus’ kingly return. Peter’s point is to keep going back to the prophetic Scriptures until the Second Coming finally happens.

20-21 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

“Prophets… spoke from God as… by the Holy Spirit” — Scripture was written by hand of someone anointed and filled with the Holy Spirit. Therefore the understanding of Scripture is not (like the false teachers) human opinion but revelation by the Spirit-filled church as a whole.

Reflection

SUMMARY The background to Peter’s letter is the constant struggle the apostles had with unbelieving, unspiritual false teachers. To counter their human-centred opinions, he states his irrefutable first-hand experience of witnessing God’s glory and hearing His voice affirm Jesus at the Transfiguration. 

APPLICATION Our testimony story about our experience of meeting with God is probably the most powerful means we have of making God real to someone else. There will always be those who assume a position to teach but without that first-hand experience. Our own story can be told in many ways and different situations, and God uses this. 

QUESTION. What is your story about coming to trust God? Can you tell it really briefly to illustrate a point? 

PRAYER Father God, we thank Yyou for revealing Yourself to Moses, showing Yourself to Jesus and the three disciples at the Transfiguration, and for the way You have become real in our lives and make Yourself known in all sorts of ways.

We’re sorry for the times that we have sided with the doubting and philosophising arguments, rather than simply telling our story of meeting You.

We thank You that we can come close to You and know Your closeness with us. We ask that You fill us with Your Spirit, put a little of Your glory in us and so equip us to show You to others. We pray this in Jesus’ name and for His glory. Amen. 

Filed Under: Epiphany, Year A

Feb. 12: Loving God is living a transformed life in Jesus

February 11, 2023 by Ian Greig Leave a Comment

View along a bare winter hedgerow with autumn sown wheat rows appearing in the field
A bare winter hedgerow guards autumn sown wheat rows appearing

This is The Living Word Bible Study for Sunday, February 12, 2023.

Psalm 119:1-8

Deuteronomy 30:15-20 — Choosing to love God is to prosper in life

Matthew 5:21-37— Jesus shows and fulfils the spirit of the law

1 Corinthians 3:1-9 — Live by the Spirit, not by your preferences

Theme: Loving God is living a transformed life in Jesus


Psalm 119:1-8

1 Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord.

2-3 Blessed are those who keep His statutes and seek Him with all their heart—they do no wrong but follow His ways.

4 You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed.

5-6 Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying Your decrees! Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all Your commands.

7-8 I will praise You with an upright heart as I learn Your righteous laws. I will obey Your decrees; do not utterly forsake me.

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Deuteronomy 30:15-20 — Choosing to love God is to prosper in life

The way of life that works is a relationship that amounts to worship of God

15 See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction.

“I set before you today” — about to enter the Promised Land, Moses reminds the Israelites to choose obedience to God which will bring success, Deut. 30:9-14.

“Life and… death” — opposites of God’s blessings of life; or divine blessing withheld, Psalm 1:6, 23:6. The way we choose life is through Jesus’ offer, Matt. 7:13-14, John 5:24, John 14:6.

16 For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to Him, and to keep His commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.

“To love the LORD your God” — paraphrasing the familiar Shema saying, Deut. 6:5, Matt. 22:37. The order is significant: loving God results in walking in obedience.

17-18  But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.

“This day” — now; it is dangerous to assume that there will be another chance.

19-20  This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him. For the LORD is your life, and He will give you many years in the land He swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

“Now choose life” — instruction for the Israelites successfully settling their new land, also echoing through Jesus’s words and to us today.

For study: Psalm 36:9; Micah 6:6-8; John 11:25-26, John 17:3; Gal. 2:20.

Reflection

SUMMARY First of three perspectives of living by the law; the spirit of the law in Jesus’ teaching; and the new life of the Holy Spirit. Here Moses summarises obedience to the law that will give the people a successful start on entering the Promised Land.

APPLICATION As Christians who have made Jesus our Lord and Saviour, we are  not under law, but the teaching and example of Jesus, and new life of the Spirit, keep us in alignment with God and His decrees.

QUESTION Loving the Lord your God… is this church life, or the rest of life? Discuss.

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Matthew 5:21-37— Jesus shows and fulfils the spirit of the law

Disciples will want to uphold God’s law without looking for ways around it 

21-22 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder,  and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.

“You have heard… it… said” — Jewish teachers would continue, “But I say…”, and then add some rules of their own. Jesus does not correct the OT, but addresses common misunderstandings, showing that the true spirit of the law needs more than external obedience.  The Pharisees agreed that “You shall not murder”, yet were angry enough to plot Jesus’ death.

“Anyone who  murders…  anyone who is angry” — taking the sixth commandment, Jesus says that unresolved hatred and murder of reputation, are just as serious.

“Raca” — empty-headed and immoral, an Aramaic curse word.

23-24 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.

“First… be reconciled” — God welcomes offerings from those who act justly; reconciliation is a priority.

• For further study,Genesis 4:4-7; Proverbs 15:8; Isaiah 1:11-17; Jeremiah 6:20; Amos 5:21-24.

25-26 “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

“Settle matters quickly” — “Make friends quickly” (NASB), “Don’t lose a minute — make the first move, make things right with him (The Message). Jesus emphasises being proactive.

“The judge… prison” — someone unable to settle a debt could be imprisoned for life. It is an allusion to the heavenly Judge, and to hell, v.30 below.

27-28 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

“Anyone who looks… lustfully” — Jesus uses the word from the tenth commandment, about coveting a neighbour’s wife, linking this with the seventh, which prohibited adultery. The intention, adultery of the heart, is equivalent to the action.

29-30 “If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

“Right hand… right eye” — graphic overstatement makes the point: the hand represents an immoral action and the eye, an immoral intention.

“Hell” — the place of eternal punishment, for the Devil and for those who die without receiving Christ, a banishment associated with the final judgment. Hell is characterised by despair and anguish, and awareness of the total absence of God. Jesus was clear about the reality of not  “choosing life” in Him, Deut. 30:19 above.

• For further study,Matt. 25:30; Psalm 88:3-5.

31-32 “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

“Divorce” — the rabbis of Jesus’ day permitted divorce either for sexual infidelity or for ‘a good cause’. Here and in Matt. 19:3-9, Jesus reflects God’s intention that marriage should be a permanent union of a man and woman as “one flesh”, Mark 10:8.  

33-35 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfil to the Lord the vows you have made.’ But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is His footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King.

“Do not swear an oath” — the OT recognised oaths as guarantees. Jesus wanted His disciples to have integrity: their word was to be their assurance.

36-37 “And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” 

“Do not swear by” — anything God has made, and so risk being like the Devil who tried to usurp authority that is God’s alone.

Reflection

SUMMARY Here Jesus picks up instances where traditions had added to the original teaching of the law.  Jesus puts the focus on God’s original intentions and explains how truly loving God results in keeping them.

APPLICATION The traditions we should protect are the ones Jesus taught, not others created to suit times and temperaments. Without being narrowly literalistic, we need to hold up the Word and base our lives on it.

QUESTIONS What traditions do we emphasise although the Bible doesn’t?

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1 Corinthians 3:1-9 — Live by the Spirit, not by your preferences

New life in Jesus is making the main thing being part of God’s plan

1-2 Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly — mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.

“As people who live by the Spirit” — literally “as spiritual people”. We might say: “Right now, friends, I’m completely frustrated by your unspiritual dealings with each other and with God” (The Message).

“As people who are still worldly” — “you are still carnal” (NKJV), “people of the flesh”, ESV. Not to be confused with “the person without the Spirit”, 1 Cor. 2:14; they had given their lives to Christ and were in-dwelt by His Spirit, but had not grown and were spiritually immature, slipping back into the old pre-Christian selfish nature.

“Milk, not solid food” — Paul had given them the Good News of Jesus: who He is, what He has done through His death and resurrection. He questions whether they have grasped these fundamentals enough to receive more doctrinal teaching about the kingdom of God.

3-4 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarrelling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings?

“Worldly… acting like… humans” — a rebuke: they had made a commitment to Christ; Paul asserts that no one could tell the difference. The evidence is in the rivalries and conflicts and the following of personalities instead of allegiance to Christ alone.

5-6 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe — as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.

“Only servants” — Paul, the church planter apostle, had started the church; later Apollos exercised a significant ministry. But, says Paul, we’re just servants who the Lord has assigned to our task. Which implies, answerable to the Lord, not to critics.

7-8 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labour.

“One purpose” — apostles and teachers share the aim of teaching the gospel and equipping people to mature. But “only God… makes things grow” — all salvation and growth is God’s work of grace, so no servant takes any glory, but only Him.

9 For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.

“God’s field, God’s building” — faithful farmers recognise God’s hand in crop growth, and reliable builders follow the architect’s specification.

Reflection

SUMMARY These Greek converts had found new life in Jesus and were excited to discover the empowering of the Spirit. But their progress was limited while they still carried the rivalry and rhetoric of the old ways, and wanted to put leaders on pedestals instead of exalting Jesus as Lord of His church.

APPLICATION When we give our lives to the Lord and become Christians, we bring baggage from the old life with us. Spiritual maturity is recognising what it is and deciding to renounce it and let it go.

QUESTION What do you find helps you to grow and mature spiritually?

PRAYER Praise You, Jesus, that You came to be the fulfilment of the Law.

Thank You for giving us a much better way to live for God — by belonging to You.

Empower us by Your Spirit to show how much we love God by living in His way of love — and drawing others to Your light.  Amen.

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LINKS

Read this week’s post Learn What Being Spiritual Really Means

Watch the video which uses excerpts of the readings as part of the storytelling encouragement for this week

Link to the Facebook TLW page: https://fb.com/TLWbiblestudy


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    • The need to be reborn from above
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Welcome to The Living Word

You get a lot more out of the Sunday service readings if they are already speaking to you. TLW is about reading and re-reading these Scriptures with some commentary to bring out what is hidden and make connections with cross references. This is different from liturgy because it is a Bible study, putting the Bible passages in sequence from OT, through the NT gospel era, and then through the lens of the post-resurrection, early church in the power of the Spirit. Enabling this progressive revelation points to a theme.  The translation used is the readable and widely-used 2011 edition of the New International Version (NIV) Bible. Commentary is drawn from a wide range of sources and is Bible-centric and theologically neutral. As we read and reflect and allow the Holy Spirit to help us hear God through His word during the week, we prepare ourselves to hear afresh and receive the Sunday sermon in church or chapel.

For convenience, use the ‘Subscribe’ box below to receive a short email with the Bible passage and notes for each weekday (and that’s all!).

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A little about me and my vision for The Living Word

I live in the Marches, a green and beautiful expanse of hills between England and Wales where churches and chapels share duty to the Christian faithful in every valley, and churchgoing is still part of the community life. However, there are few Bibles to be seen in these buildings, and home-based groups for fellowship and Bible study are rare.

I want to encourage Sunday worshippers in churches and chapels to enjoy reading the Bible during the week, to get used to hearing God for themselves through His word, and to be  spiritually prepared for the message they will hear on Sunday from the lectionary readings they all share. It is no substitute for meeting and worshipping together, nor for Holy Spirit-inspired preaching. It supports both by encouraging the personal growth of church and chapel members of any denomination. It offers faith encouragement for those no longer able to, or no longer wanting to take part in, formal physical church.

My background is not in churches that use the lectionary and I bring a breadth of tradition and spiritual understanding to the writing.  I have pastored a number of churches and been involved in a variety of other missional initiatives with a ‘kingdom of God’ agenda.

As well as The Living Word and its weekly video I also post regularly on www.freshbread.today and www.thelivingword.substack.com with a podcast as well as video and written content. There is also a Facebook page at fb.com/TLWbiblestudy

Revd Ian Greig BD (Hons), DPS

SEE ALSO other Living Word Publications

Substack newsletter and podcast (free subscription) — audio podcast, video and written content all in one place

Fresh Bread Today — the freshest bake, with a bit of a tang, unpackaged and uncut. His word to live by, today.

Believe the Good News – finding the good news and encouragement all through the Bible

GLOW – God’s Love Over Weobley, encouraging prayer and spiritual fellowship. With a local flavour for this NW Herefordshire village.

 

 

 

 

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