Weekly Bible Study Review

Weekly Bible Study Review

May 22, 2011

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In This Issue

Cafe Class

Read-to-Believe Class

Dichotomy of the Week

Class Schedule
Go to www.theocentrix.org click on the "Events" tab
for maps and more information.

Cafe Class
Culture Cafe
1359 N Altadena Drive
Pasadena CA 91104
Wednesdays 10:00 am

Read-to-Believe Class
Lake Avenue Church
Family Life Room 201
309 N Lake Avenue
Pasadena CA 91101
Thursdays 6:30 pm

Arbo Class
LA County Arboretum
301 N Baldwin Ave
Arcadia CA 91007
Saturday 12:00 noon
Once per month

January 22

February 26

March 26

April 30

May no class

June 4
July 9
August 13
September 17
October 15
November 12
December no class

PCC Class
"How to Read the Bible with Confidence"
Pasadena City College
Extended Learning Center
www.pcclearn.org
July 19 and 26, 2011

REMINDER!

It's time to RSVP for

the next Arbo Lunch

and Bible Study

coming up on

Saturday, June 4th.
Cost: FREE

Click here to RSVP

Greetings!

This newsletter is sent to everyone who attends Sandy's weekly Bible studies. The left column has a table of contents and the current class schedule. Be sure to watch for the links in each article. Clicking on them will lead you to charts, diagrams and additional articles related to your class.

Anyone can subscribe to this free newsletter by using the link in the upper left corner. If you would like to forward this issue to a friend all you have to do is click on the link below.

Wednesday Cafe Class
Romans

Romans 6:8 - 7:14

v. 8-10 The believing readers died with Christ and will always live with Him. Christ will never die again. His victory over death is concrete evidence of His victory over sin.

v. 11-13 "In the same way" as Christ, the believing readers are dead to sin (meaning sin is no longer their master) and alive to God (their new Master). That's why they should no longer live as though sin rules their lives. They must now offer themselves to God "as instruments of righteousness."

v. 14-16 The believers are no longer under law but are now under grace. Does this give them permission to sin? No. The readers offer themselves either as slaves to sin or as slaves to God. A slave is obligated to obey his master. Being a slave to sin will result in death but obedience to God will result in righteousness. In those days it was not unusual for a person who had no money to sell themselves to a master just so they could survive. Presumably, they would try to offer themselves to a good master rather than an abusive one. Sin is an abusive master and being a slave of sin will only result in death.

v. 17-22 Paul says they used to be slaves to sin, but now that they are believers they are slaves to righteousness. Therefore, just as they used to offer themselves to "ever increasing wickedness," now they are slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. Back when they were slaves to sin they were not being controlled by righteousness. But what good did it do them to be free from righteousness? It was of no benefit to them at all. But now they are "free from sin and slaves to God." This will result in eternal life.

v. 23 Here Paul contrasts wages with a gift. If sin is their master then they work for sin and will receive wages for this work. Unfortunately, death is their paycheck. But eternal life is something the believing readers are not working for at all. It's a gift that is graciously given to them by God the Father through Jesus Christ. A person will either receive the wages or the gift, not both.

Click to read more...

Thursday Read-to-Believe Class Acts

*REMINDER: No class on May 26th.

Acts 9:32-13:12

9:32-35 Peter visited the believers in Lydda (see Map #1) where he healed a paralytic who had been bedridden for 8 years. People in "Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord." The miracles we see in Acts are not just some kind of sideshow. They authenticate the gospel message and result in conversions.

v. 36-43 In nearby Joppa (see Map #1), a believer named Tabitha (also called Dorcas) became sick and died. She was a kind woman who was always doing good for others. The believers in Joppa sent men to Lydda to bring Peter back. Peter returned with them, prayed for Tabitha and she came back to life. "This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord." Notice again that the miracle authenticated Peter's message and people believed in the Lord. Peter stayed awhile longer in Joppa with a tanner named Simon.

10:1-8 A devout, God-fearing Gentile named Cornelius was living in Caesarea (see Map #1). He was a centurion (a commander of 100 men) in the Italian Regiment. He prayed regularly and gave generously to the poor. At 3:00pm one day while he was praying, an angel came to him and told him to send men to Joppa to find a man named Peter and bring him to Caesarea. Cornelius sent three men immediately.

v. 9-16 About noon the next day the three men approached Joppa. Peter went on the roof to pray. He became hungry and while the meal was being prepared he saw a vision of something like a large sheet filled with all kinds of animals, reptiles and birds being lowered from heaven to earth. A voice told him to kill and eat. But Peter refused because he'd always been a devout Jew and had never eaten anything impure or unclean. But the voice told him not to call anything impure that God has made clean. This happened three times and then the sheet was taken back to heaven.

v. 17-23 While Peter was still trying to understand the meaning of the vision, the Spirit told him that three men were looking for him and he should not hesitate to go with them. The men arrived and Peter invited them to stay as his guests for the night. They set out the next morning with a few of the believers from Joppa.

Click to read more...

Dichotomy of the Week

There are many dichotomies in the Bible. A dichotomy divides people into two groups that do not overlap. In other words, it's impossible for a person to be in both groups at the same time. Here's a list of some dichotomies that are found in Paul's epistles:
           "in Adam" or "in Christ"
           "under law" or "under grace"
           "darkness" or "light"

In Romans 4:6 Paul continues to show the dichotomy between righteousness by faith and righteousness by works. He explains how even King David talked about righteousness apart from works in Psalm 32. This proves that righteousness by faith was a consistent theme throughout the entire history of Israel.

Verse 10 speaks of Abraham and says, "Under what circumstances was it (righteousness) credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before!" Paul mentions circumcision because he wants to make it very clear that righteousness is not dependent on a person's ethnic heritage. In other words, the Jews were not righteous simply because they were circumcised Jews. This was important because the Jews regarded circumcision as a sign of their covenant relationship with God. It would have surprised them that Abraham was declared righteous before he was circumcised.

When it comes to the matter of righteousness, the critical issue is whether or not the individual believes God. In Abraham's case, he simply responded in faith to what God told him. God works the same way today in that believers are declared righteous when we respond to Him in faith.

--Albert Baroody

Since ancient times the Bible has been read aloud to groups of people who were eager to hear the words of Life. We're really no different today. Believers still look to the Bible for wisdom and instruction. We belong in the Word together. Thank you for your participation in these classes. I hope you will pass this email on to others and invite them to attend a Bible study.

Grace and peace,

Sandy Blank

Wednesday Cafe Class (continued)

Romans 6:8 - 7:14

7:1-3 In this section Paul is speaking to "men who know the law," that is, the Jewish Christian converts. They all knew that the law has power over a man only while he is alive. Once he dies, the law no longer has authority over him. Paul gives them an example from the law. A woman whose husband dies is free to marry someone else. But if she marries another man while her husband is still alive then she is an adulteress. Every Jew would have understood that this is what the law says.

v. 4 Now Paul takes it one step further and refers to his readers as the woman and the law as her husband. The Jews were bound to the law the same way a woman is bound to her husband. Only death can break that bond. The law cannot die. But the bond has to be broken so they can be free to be bound to Christ. The Jewish Christian converts must die to the law so that they can be bound to Christ. If they try to be bound to both the law and Christ at the same time then they are just like a woman with two husbands. They would be committing spiritual adultery. According to Paul they have already "died to the law through the body of Christ." Why did they die? So that they "might belong to another" -- to Christ -- and bear fruit to God.

v. 5-6 Before they became believers they were being controlled by the sinful nature and subsequently bore fruit for death. The sinful nature used the law to stir up their desire to sin. But now that they have died and been released from the law, they are able to serve God in "the new way of the Spirit."

v. 7 Some of his readers may have thought Paul was saying the law is evil. But Paul never disparages the law. He knows that the law was given for the purpose of revealing sin.

v. 8-10 Paul speaks of sin as though it is a person. It was not the law that produced those covetous desires in Paul. It was sin. "Apart from law sin is dead." In other words, sin does not have the authority to put people to death the way the law does. Sin took advantage of the law's authority. It's as though the law is an inanimate object like a sledge hammer and sin picks it up to use it for sin's own evil purposes.

v. 11-12 Sin is opportunistic and used the law against people. Sin deceives people and uses the law to put them to death. Paul personifies sin as this "bad guy" that took something good (the law) and used it for evil.

v. 13 Why did God allow sin to do such a terrible thing? "In order that sin might be recognized as sin.' The law being used by sin this way showed how deceitful and evil sin really is. The law made it possible for people to recognize sin as "utterly sinful."

v. 14 The law is spiritual but Paul says he is unspiritual and a slave of sin. Paul is probably speaking of his spiritual condition before he came to faith in Christ.

Much more next time!

--Sandy Blank

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Thursday Read-to-Believe Class (continued)

Acts 9:32 - 13:12

v. 24-29 The following day they arrived in Caesarea at Cornelius' house where he'd brought together a large group of his relatives and close friends. Peter started by reminding them that he was violating Jewish law by visiting a Gentile. But God had shown him that he should not call any man impure or unclean.

v. 30-43 Cornelius told Peter about the angel who spoke him four days earlier and thanked him for his visit. The whole group was waiting to hear what God had sent Peter to tell them. Peter spoke to them about the fact that God does not show favoritism but accepts those from every nation who fear Him and do what is right. Peter knew Cornelius was familiar with Jewish teaching and history. Apparently, Cornelius also knew about Jesus' ministry. Peter was an eye-witness of Jesus' ministry. He told them how the Jews had Jesus killed but God raised Him from the dead and caused Him to be seen by many people. Jesus commanded His witnesses to preach and testify that He is the one who will judge the living and the dead. The OT prophets also testify that those who believe in Him will receive forgiveness through His name.

v. 44-48 The Spirit came on Cornelius and his household and they began speaking in tongues. Peter ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus. Notice that in this case the Spirit came upon them before they were baptized. However, in Acts 8:12-17, the people were baptized but did not receive the Spirit until later when Peter and John laid hands on them.

11:1-18 The Jewish-Christian converts throughout Judea heard that some Gentiles had come to faith in Christ. So when Peter returned to Jerusalem they criticized him for entering the house of a Gentile and eating with him. Peter carefully explained everything to them, starting with the vision he had in Joppa and ending with the baptism of Cornelius and his household. He reminded them that the Lord had told them, "John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." Then the brothers praised God for His gift to the Gentiles.

v. 19-30 The believers who fled Jerusalem after Stephen's death traveled as far as Antioch (see Map #2). A few began to preach to Gentiles. Many people believed and turned to the Lord. When the apostles in Jerusalem heard about this they sent Barnabas to Antioch. He was encouraged by what he saw and went to Tarsus (see Map #2) to find Saul (Paul). They spent a whole year teaching the church in Antioch. The believers were first called Christians in Antioch. Some prophets came from Jerusalem and predicted a severe famine, so the Christians in Antioch decided to help provide for the Jewish Christians living in Judea.

12:1-18 King Herod (a Jewish leader under Roman authority) arrested some believers and put to death James, brother of John. This pleased the unbelieving Jews so he arrested Peter also. He had him heavily guarded and intended to bring him out for trial after the Passover. The church prayed for Peter. The night before his trial an angel came to Peter and brought him safely out of prison. Peter immediately went to Mary's house where the believers were praying for him. At first they couldn't believe it was him but then they were overjoyed at his miraculous escape. Then Peter left. In the morning the soldiers realized Peter was not in the prison. Herod cross-examined the 16 guards and executed them.

v. 19-24 Herod went from Judea to Caesarea (see Map #2) and met with leaders from Tyre and Sidon. They were dependent on Herod for their food supply and wanted peace with him. On the day of their meeting, Herod gave a speech and they praised him, calling him a god. Herod should have immediately given glory to God rather than accept their praise, but he did not. Therefore, an angel of the Lord struck him down, he was eaten by worms and died. The word of God continued to spread.

v. 25-13:12 Barnabas and Saul returned to Jerusalem from Antioch and took John Mark with them. The Holy Spirit chose Barnabas and Saul to go out and preach the gospel elsewhere. The believers in Antioch prayed for them and sent them out. They went to Salamis on the island of Cyprus (see Map #2) and preached the gospel in the Jewish synagogues. They went to Paphos and met a Jewish sorcerer who was an attendant of the proconsul (a Roman official), Sergius Paulus. The proconsul wanted to hear the word of God but the Jewish sorcerer tried to turn him from the faith. Saul (Paul) confronted the sorcerer, calling him "a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right." He also accused him of perverting the ways of the Lord. Then Paul told him the Lord would temporarily blind him. Immediately the man was unable to see. When the proconsul saw what happened to the sorcerer, he believed in the Lord. Again, notice that a miraculous sign was used to authenticate the message and resulted in conversion.

Paul is just getting started. There's much more to come. See you next time.

--Sandy Blank

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This newsletter is maintained by Sandy Blank (Ph.D. Educational Studies, Biola; MA Biblical Studies, Grace University). If you would like further information about any of her classes or would like to know how to start a Bible study in your area please contact her at sandyblank@theocentrix.org. This newsletter is sponsored by Theocentrix, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting God-centered Bible literacy. Visit www.theocentrix.org for more information.