I Timothy Chapter 6 - October 31, 2008

6:1 - With husbands, with wives, even here with slaves, the point is not that we should put up with horrible situation by painting on a smile...the point is: the way of Christ is a way of submission...a way of others first. In every area of our lives, we honor God by putting others above ourselves.

6:4 - This is something that I need to remember...winning every ridiculous argument is not the way to reflect God's love in this world. Humility and respect are not often found in the ranks of the absurdly argumentative.

6:7 - So simple...so true...and so far off from the way we live. WHAT IS WRONG WITH US! 

6:12 - We can take hold of our eternal life now! We can grasp it in our present, finite lives! Never forget the confession you have made and never forget the world/kingdom you have been called to live out now. The kingdom of heaven s now...the kingdom of heaven is here when we bring heaven crashing to earth through the path of Christ.

6:16 - Love that description of God/Jesus. That is what he gave up to come down to earth and die for us.

6:18 - The only type of wealth we should be chasing after...a wealth of God-honoring good deeds and generosity.

I Timothy Chapter 5 - October 30, 2008

5:1-16 - What we can glean from this passage about dealing with widows...
A.) Churches must determine the needs of widows in their congregations. Some widows will have significant amounts of money in savings and investments and may not need financial help at all. Many widows will be very self-sufficient and able to take care of themselves completely. What Paul may have been talking about in the passage when he says "true widows" over and over, is widows that do not have much in the money department and who cannot take care of themselves without assistance. These are the widows that churches must make sure they are taking care of to fulfill their Christian duty.
B.) We need to understand that as Christians the first people responsible for the "true widow" are the family members of the widow. The main supporters financially and the main supporters emotionally should be the widow's own family. That makes sense, right? All of us as sons and daughters should think about what it means for each of us, to take care of one or both of our parents in the future and prepare for that inevitability.
C.) The widows must be aware of their personal responsibilities. Paul is very clear that widowhood does not give a free pass to become idle and selfish. Widows should be focused completely on God and put their trust in Him (As we all should). Widows should seek after God and be an example for the younger people of the church (As we all should). Widows should pray continually for the church and people around the world. Paul sees widowhood for older women as an opportunity to serve God with every aspect of their lives. For younger widowed women he suggests moving on with life and marriage so that they don't burn with lust and become self-centered in the idleness. All of this seems to be good advice for widows and widowers today. In Paul's world there were rarely widowers, because men rarely lived beyond their 40's.

5:17-25 - Advice for pastors...
The word translated "elder" in this passage of the ESV is actually a different Greek word than the word used earlier in I Timothy to describe the overseers or what we would call elders today. Because of the reference to men who labor in preaching and teaching and the different Greek word, many have used this passage to relate directly to full-time pastors and teachers.
A.) The laborer deserves the wages. This is awkward for me to talk about, because I am a full-time paid minister. I will be the first to tell you that I am completely happy with the amount of money I receive and I actually do not even know what my salary is officially (My wife is the financial lady int he family). Because pastors want to keep themselves pure as described in verse 22, I think that we should all be very wary of becoming too money obsessed. When pastors start demanding huge yearly raises like the business world and hop from church to church to receive higher salaries, things start getting a little crazy. Churches should pay their ministers a decent wage, but ministers should remember that it wasn't the money that called us into ministry - it was God.
B.) Pastors must purposefully fight for their purity. As leaders in God's church they must understand that they are held to a higher standard and must go about the business of their heart and mind in such a way to bolster up their defenses against the attacks of Satan and his cronies. Ministry is often a high pressure job, where you are dealing with the greatest moments of people's lives and the lowest moments in people's lives in turn and no minister should ever assume that he/she is above any type of sin.

I Timothy Chapter 4 - October 29, 2008

4:3-4 - How many times has this happened in the Christian church...where we saddle each other with rules and regulations that have nothing to do with the will of God? What are some examples you have seen of this?

4:7 - Focus on what matters! How many hours have I wasted on the meaningless as my personal godliness was left to sit unchanging?

4:8 - This is a great verse for high school student athletes. Often driven to push their bodies through pain and punishment to reach the next level of athletic achievement. What could they do spiritually if they took the same attitude into their relationship with Christ...always striving to push the boundaries of their faith?

4:12 - Paul is talking to Timothy specifically here, but it applies to everybody. Whatever stage of life you are in, don't let people look down on your faith. Whether young or old, ignore the judgement of others and seek to honor God with every aspect of your life.

I Timothy Chapter 3 - October 28, 2008

3:2 - "Above reproach" - live a life that no one can call into question.

3:6 - Rising to a position of authority too quickly can lead to thinking you are better than others. That is a great foothold fro the devil to use against your personal ministry.

3:7 - I thought this was an interesting and often ignored portion of the elder requirements. It would be my guess that there are a few elders in a lot of churches in this world that are not thought of very highly in the secular world. Words like arrogant, judgemental, "holier than thou," and hypocrite come to mind. (NCC has some pretty stinkin' awesome elders though, one of my favorite parts about this church - I know the leadership is in godly hands)

3:9 - I thought it was interesting that the deacons are called to know the mysteries of the faith, and the elders were not. What does that mean? It may have been a forgone conclusion for Paul that the elders would already be incredibly strong in their faith, because they were expected to be strong teachers.

3:11 - Another interesting difference between the elder and deacon expectations...there is a lot more said specifically about how the wives of the deacons should live their lives. What does that mean? There is a biblical example of a woman who was a deacon (See Romans 16:1 - servant is deacon), so it is possible that the wives of deacons were allowed to be deaconess's. This would explain why they were given such specific instructions and also why he says these things before the "husband of one wife" line which would not apply to the ladies.

3:15 - This drives home the importance of personal accountability and faithfulness in the way you live out your life. We are the church...the lives we live are a pillar of truth to this world. What kind of truth are we putting out there through our actions?

3:16 - Love this - "mystery of godliness." What is the mystery of godliness? Well, Christ is the center of Christianity and the only way to enter into a relationship with God, correct? The sacrifice of Christ offers us a chance to be made holy and he lives his life as an example for us to follow when it comes a to living holy lives. So Jesus Christ himself is the mystery of godliness.

I Timothy Chapter 2 - October 27, 2008

2:1 - A call to be prayer warriors for all people. Not just the ones we love...not just the ones we know...but all people. What could you do to make this a practical reality? Maybe you could pray for a different people group each day. Maybe you could pray for people you have a bias against.

2:7 - Simple, yet powerful statement of missional living. There is only one God. There is only one way to get to God (Jesus). My mission in life is to introduce as many people as possible to this truth.

2:8A - This is not a command that all men should constantly lift their hands in prayer, it is about an attitude of the heart. Lifting the hands was a Jewish custom of honoring the holiness of God. Paul is basically calling men to live lives worthy of the holiness of God.

2:8B - Anger and disputes stand directly in opposition to the holy life God has called us to live.

2:9ff - Women should dress modestly, not drawing attention to themselves through alluring clothing...they should draw attention to themselves through godly living. In Paul's day, he had to war against the pagan influences getting into his churches. The Greek society had female priestesses that slept with men for the glory of their fake gods. They had women who would dress extravagantly to impress people around them and show their superiority. Paul was willing to speak hard truth to fight against these kinds of things getting into the church. Today, we live in a much different world with an emphasis on gender equality (this will be discussed more in a minute), but that doesn't change the fact that we need to make sure the church is not twisted by outside influences. If women of this world dress to put their bodies on exhibit and get attention from men for all the wrong reasons...Christian women should seek the opposite end of the spectrum. They should live godly lives that draw attention towards God.

2:11ff - These are some of the hardest, most controversial passages in all of the New Testament. Yay! The first thing that we have to understand here is that context is king. Paul was living in a world where women, whether Greek or Jewish, were rarely, if ever, permitted to teach. Paul was writing to Timothy who is living in Ephesus. Ephesus was a center of worship for the goddess Artemis - who consequently had a huge following of sex obsessed male worshippers and free-love prostitute priestesses. Paul was dealing with some outside influences that could really crush the Christian church in its infancy...he had to make sure that pagan cultural ideals were not being taught in the church. Secondly, he never makes his statements about women a command...did you notice that? He says, "I do not permit..." In the context he is working in, he does not allow women to teach, but there may be contexts in which it is acceptable. In I Corinthians 9:22, Paul talks about how he is willing to become all things to all men so as not to become a stumbling block for non-believers. So, taking all that into account...I believe Paul would find it acceptable in our modern culture of equality that Christian churches would allow women to lead and teach. If we want to become all things to all men to avoid causing obstacles for non-believers, don't you think allowing women to use their God-given gifts or teaching and leadership would be an example of that. How many non-believers have mocked Christianity and turned from it in the modern world because they perceive it as oppressive and chauvinistic? Think about it. That said, the focus of the passage is about living peaceful lives of holiness. Whether a man or a woman, that is what you are supposed to be doing...so go do it.

I Timothy Chapter 1 - October 23, 2008

1:4 - Like Paul talked about in II Thessalonians, speculation about what you don't know is a waste of time. Why should we sit around arguing over little things that we don't have the answers to, when we know the kind of lives God has called us to live. Wasting time on stupid arguments, is not good stewardship of the life that God has given you.

1:5ff - And what is the purpose behind most theological arguments? In almost every one, the argument was not about guiding someone towards the truth, it was about who was right and who was wrong...it was about pride and ego. I've seen people argue out of anger and drive wedges between fellow Christians, which I'm sure is exactly what Jesus wanted is to do with the scriptures (That was sarcasm if you didn't pick up on that.)! Paul says our aim is to speak love into the lives of the people we talk to...heated debates don't usually do that.

1:9 - Interesting thing to think about. The law is not a burden for the God followers, because they already know right and wrong...they are trying to live it out and the law is a helpful guide. The law exists truly for the godless rebels who do not know any better. The law offers them a chance to see they are destorying their lives and turn away from the path they are headed down.

1:12-13 - I love the fact that God saw a blasphemous persecutor of Christians and called him into His service. There is hope for rebellious sinners like us - YAY!

1:16 - God shows mercy to the sinful, because as they turn their lives around...they become a picture of the love and grace and patience of God. Redemption is beautiful, because it is the ultimate form of evangelism. Nothing speaks to the love and power of God as much as miraculous life-change.

1:20 - "Handed over to Satan." This seems to be one of those instances that calls for tough love. I imagine that Paul called these people out and tried to hold them accountable, but they probably rejected his words and continued to live however they wanted. Eventually Paul gave up on them and allowed them to reap what they had sown. His only hope is that as they are brought to their knees by the deception and sinfulness involved with a life of rejecting God, that they will come to their sense and turn back.

2 Thessalonians Chapter 3 - October 21, 2008

3:6ff - Stay way from lazy Christians. Why? Because it rubs off...it looks great, all the benefits of being a Christian (love, hope, community, etc.) with none of the hard work...lazy Christianity is tempting. But it is also meaningless, selfish and it shows extreme disrespect for God. What does laziness or idleness say about your faith? It says that you don't care enough about your relationship with God and the things that God has given you to get off your butt and do something for Him! You don't dishonor people who give you something through ingratitude and laziness - you show respect for their gift with thankfulness and working to give back. Don't dishonor the God who has given you everything, by doing nothing.

3:14 - If there are "Christians" around you who have heard the truth of God's word over and over and they refuse to obey it...stay away from them. They will do nothing but bring you down with them.

3:17 - I love this part. Paul usually has a scribe that writes his letters for him (If you haven't noticed, they are really long), but he always makes sure that he signs the last part in his own hand. He wants his audience to know that these are his words - Paul is a man of honor. We have a special place we put anonymous, whining notes and e-mails we get from the church...the trash. Christians should have enough character to stand behind the things they say, like Paul did.

2 Thessalonians Chapter 2 - October 20th, 2008

WOW! Intense chapter.

Before we get started, let's clear something up. The "rapture" is something that we have invented as Christians, because we think it sounds more fun and enjoyable to fly up into heaven, as opposed to going through the evil and persecution that will be rampant on the earth in the "end times." You will notice in this chapter how Paul talks about the coming of the "lawless one" or anti-Christ...he says that this person will come when Christians are still around and then Jesus will come back and end it all. Think about the embarrassing dilemma the "rapture" brings with it...so Jesus comes back a second time, raptures all good Christians, leaves, and then comes back a third time to end everything? Awkward. Every time Paul talks about the "gathering" or the "taking up" to heaven, it is closely related to the second coming of Christ...basically, it all goes down at the same time. And as Paul makes very clear, we don't need to be sitting around speculating about the "end times" because we are in the END TIMES! We have been in the end times since Jesus left. We are surrounded by self-seeking people that worship themselves (sometimes we are those people). This world is full of depravity and lawlessness and atrocities and horrors and deception and I could go on and on...but we need to accept we are in the end times - always. During times of persecution and lawlessness, Christians are given a chance to show the rest of the world truth and hope...why would we be removed from such opportunity! I am now officially stepping off my soap box.

2:3ffA - The important thing is this - our interest should not be in the anti-Christ, but in Jesus Christ - period! Who cares about when the guy who is going to lose is going to show up! I want to live for Jesus, so that when he shows up I am ready!

2:3ffB - It is interesting that when the anti-Christ comes, he will deceive the world through lies and false miracles...this charade will go on for some time, but there is no real power in his rule. There is only chaos, fear, depravity and lies. When Jesus returns, it is once for all. Jesus returns in true power and ends it all. No messing about, no lies or trickery...just plain unadulterated victory. Very different forms of leadership, don't you think?

2:7 - "The mystery of lawlessness is already at work." Great line. Basically - Satan and his cronies are already doing their best to prepare the world for the anti-Christ...lawlessness is already rampant and it always has been, and it is waiting for the man of lawlessness to come. Also, this verse says, "Only who who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way." What is this thing restraining the anti-Christ from coming. Short answer - nobody knows. We can see in verse 5 that Paul has already talked in person with the Thessalonians about these things, so we have no idea who he is talking about. We can assume that it is a power of good (God, Holy Spirit, angels, people preaching the gospel, etc.), because it is holding the evil at bay, but we don't know for sure. Ask Jesus when he comes back.

2:8 - *SPOILER ALERT* In the end...Jesus wins. That's all that really matters - now go live for Him!

2:12 - Paul wants these people to quit worrying about the future and focus on the NOW. Our fate is going to be decided by how we respond to the truth of God. How we respond now...not in the future...not someday, but NOW.

There is also other good stuff in the close of the chapter, but I am theologically spent. Please leave comments about what you got out of the chapter or my commentary.

2 Thessalonians Chapter 1 - October 16th, 2008

1:3 - Some people think that faith is a static thing - either you have it or you don't. Paul wants them to understand that true faith is an organic, ever-growing thing...you can always know God more and offer him more...love people more. He is continuing a theme he used throughout I Thessalonians.

1:5 - Paul says that their staying faith strong in the face of persecution is evidence to God's justice. Because the Thessalonians trust God no matter what comes their way, they become a piece of evidence for the rest of the world to see...that God is worthy of trust. They are able to have this peace and strength in the face of hard times, and their inhuman power to do this is evidence of God's peace and grace.

As you read through the second half of this chapter, it seems to bring up a question...if God is so just, why are His people going through this persecution? If God is just, why doesn't He judge the world now? Paul gives us a clue in Romans 2:4 (Go read it)...God is showing patience and grace with the unbelieving sinners of the world. He is offering them a chance to come into His kingdom. His patience puts Christians in the path of persecution, but it offers nonbelievers a chance at redemption. It's a fair trade. Persecution forces us to rely on God and trust in His justice...and patience gives the nonbelievers we know and love a chance at eternal life. Works for me!

1:9 - Paul lays it out for us...separation from God is eternal destruction. Hell is separation from God. God is love and life...existence outside of God's influence would result in hatred and death. I'll take door number 1 Alex!

1:11 - God may I live to be worthy of Your calling.

I Thessalonians Chapter 5 - October 15th, 2008

5:2 - We need to stop making predictions about when the Lord will return, because scripture tells us over and over again - we won't know! We have no idea. It is our job to live in the light and never give up hope for our future...the rest we leave up to God's timing. I personally hope it is soon.

5:11 - He continues with the theme of continually working and building and encouraging each other. Our job as fellow Christians is never done. There are always people to build up and encourage.

5:14 - Great list of leadership goals. Light a fire under the butts of the lazy. Give courage to those paralyzed by fear. Give strength to the weak and be patient with all of them (Because it can get really discouraging!).

5:23 - Awesome benediction! Wow. Anybody can speak this over me anytime they want!

I Thessalonians Chapter 4 - October 14th, 2008

4:3 - God is not trying to be the cosmic kill-joy here by taking away all our fun sexual immorality, He is honestly showing us the best way for our lives. We have to be able to control our own bodies...because when our flesh is out of control, that is when we enter into a world of pain and joyless, meaningless experience that warp us forever. It goes way beyond sex...if you can't control your body is this department, how are you going to control it with addictions - nicotine, food, drugs, alcohol, shopping, whatever? How are you going to control your temper, your violence, your ability to rationally deal with other people. Absolutely no control over your flesh is no way to live. But Paul is saying it starts with controlling sexual sin.

4:7 - Talk about an in your face challenge to all of us...(Imagine this dripping with sarcasm) Oh, you mean God called you to a life of impurity - that's funny, I thought He called us all to a life of HOLINESS! We are called to holiness. God believes that we are worthy of such a call, and that gives me great pride - now it's time to go live it out.

4:10 - There seems to be this recurring theme throughout the letter - NEVER SETTLE. We are never going to "arrive" in any area of our faith. There is always going to be room for improvement...there is always going to be more and more that we can do...more and more that we can give. Christianity should never be boring, because there is always another mountain for us to climb - always.

4:13 - Our grieving should be completely different from the grieving of those married to this world, because we have hope. We know that an end to this earthly body is really just the beginning.

I Thessalonians Chapter 3 - October 13th, 2008

3:4 - If you are really, truly going to walk the path of Jesus, you have to know there is going to be serious trouble. I think this is one of those things in the back of our minds that keeps us from actually doing it - fear. Life doesn't become easier as a Christian...it becomes more dangerous. Do I live a dangerous life? And I'm not talking about throwing myself in front of cars and stuff like that...I mean, is there an air of danger in my life because I so desperately try to make the will of the Father my own? Do I teach a dangerous message? How about you?

3:5 - Paul is in torment and his only concern is the faith of his friends. That is so Jesus-like (Praying forgiveness for those who are crucifying you, anyone?)! I find that more often than not, I am exclusively worrying about my own problems. I think it's time for me to take some of Batman's anti-self-centeredness pills (If he has some, but he did have shark-repellent, so I'm pretty sure he's got these!).

3:12 - This is what life should be like for us...a constant increase in our ability to love other people. Seriously, after 30 years of being a Christian I should have a pretty large capacity for loving others, and after another 30 years (God willing...although I really wouldn't mind ditching this world and chillin' with Him!) my ability to love others should have increased by leaps and bounds. Part of the process that Christian go through to prepare their hearts for God's will, is living out a love for others. Why do I show the greatest ability to love myself?

I Thessalonians Chapter 2 - October 9th, 2008

2:4 - This is an important verse for teachers and preachers to remember - it's NOT about pleasing men...it's not about making people happy or making them feel good. We are called to speak the truth that God expects us to speak. He is the judge, not our fellow citizens of earth...His opinion is what we should be worried about.

2:11 - This is a great verse for youth ministry, because this is basically my job! Exhort, encourage and charge students to step into the glorious kingdom of God. That's what I'm supposed to do! In fact, that's what we are all supposed to be speaking into the lives of the people we come in contact with.

2:14 - Through the power of the Spirit of God and through the hard work and love of Paul and other ministers pouring their lives into the Thessalonians, they became imitators of Christ. The Thessalonians went from non-believers to suffering servants. This is a picture of the ultimate reward of ministering to people. To see them go from death to life. To see them leave the path of the world and walk in the footsteps of Jesus. That is awesome!

I Thessalonians Chapter 1 - October 8th, 2008

The end of Colossians and the beginning of Thessalonians are short, so I thought I'd throw two down today, to do some catching up.

1:3 - Labor of love. Is that what your personal ministry is to you? Sometimes I think we allow our own ministries (we are all ministers, so don't check out!) to become this dead weight crushing us...an obligation that we must fulfill to be "good Christians." This is how people get burned out. We must never forget to look at out ministry in this world as a labor of love. It is labor...it is hard, but it is about love. It is not about saving ourselves or being "good Christians," our labor for the Lord is about understanding how huge His love for us is and wanting other people to come in contact with that. If you lose that focus, you will lose any ability to function as a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

1:8 - This reminds me of a quote from St. Francis of Assisi, "Preach the Gospel at all times, if necessary use words." Great quote. Paul tells the Thessalonians their faith has gone everywhere because of their actions and applauds them because they haven't even had to say anything...they have just loved on people. Every day we should all be preaching that kind of Gospel...preaching the love of God through our actions. But don't forget - don't use St. Frannies quote as an excuse to allow you to only do "nice things" and consider your ministry finished. He said, "when necessary use words." There are times when it is definitely necessary to speak the words of God's love into people's lives. Be ready when the call to speak is placed on you.

Colossians Chapter 4 - October 8th, 2008

4:2 - Pray at all times, but don't just pray mechanically...watch your prayers, look at what you are saying and make sure they are not selfish but full of thanks for all that God has given you. I have a bad habit of resorting to businesslike prayers where I pray only for what I want and need (Even if the stuff is honorable like wisdom for youth leadership or something like that). I must watch myself and make sure I am honoring God for who He is and what He has done for me.

4:3 - Notice Paul does not say, "Please pray for me, so I can get out of prison."? He says, "Pray that God will open up doors so I can share the Gospel." What an incredible, unselfish attitude. I love that! I want to be like that - in the midst of terrible circumstances, I want my thoughts to be only for God and His kingdom. Wow.

4:12 - Paul says that Epaphras is, "always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God." Could this description be given to me? I want to pray like this...I want to struggle on behalf of my family and my youth ministry praying that they will stand mature and assured in the will of God. This cuts to the heart, because I am frequently a man of selfish prayer.

Colossians Chapter 3 - October 7th, 2008

3:1 - If you are a Christ follower you focus on things above...on heavenly things. This is so different from what most Christian, myself included, live out on a day to day basis. We spend so much time talking about politics or sports or movies (that are probably spiritually bankrupt anyway) or money, and then we wonder how we always run out of time for God. One of the marks of a true believer is a "big picture," God-centered focus.

3:5-10 - In case you were confused, Paul gives us all a little list of things that need to be left behind if you plan on living focused on what is above. Verse 7 jumps out at me, where he says, "in these things you once walked" (which I definitely have and sometimes do)...what challenges me about that phrase is the past tense. These are the things we leave behind as God's people. I want to be known as a man who "once" struggled with those things...because that implies that I no longer do. How beautiful would that be - how freeing!

3:11 - There is no place for bigotry, racism and stereotyped hatred...Jesus Christ has created all, is in all and through ALL! We when all ourselves to judge others on their culture or appearance...we pass judgement on Jesus Christ who made them.

3:14 - If anybody is reading this, how does love bind everything together? Why is love the ultimate relational glue?

3:18 - Wives, submit to your husbands as it fitting to the Lord. As is fitting to the Lord? This means wives aren't personal slaves to their husbands - that is not fitting to a daughter of the king. This means wives aren't lesser people than their husbands...that flies directly in the face of Colossians 3:11! It means that wives honor God and their husbands by offering respect and love...the same things that the husband should be sending back to the wife.

3:23 - Wherever you are....whatever you are doing...work hard because you aren't working for yourself or somebody else...you are working for the Lord. Every day is a gift. Every ability you have is a gift. These should be offered up to God daily as a sacrifice of love.

Colossians Chapter 1 - October 6, 2008

Sorry about last week...I was rarely near a computer for a reasonable amount of time. I thought about doing to chapters throughout this week, but these chapters are too intense. I'll try to catch up later.

2:2-3 - Talk about a ministry mission statement! Wow! It's a little harder to remember then always growing, but this is intense. What does Paul long for in his people - unity (so close it is like they are knit together) - wisdom (being able to discern the mysteries of God) - hope (having full assurance that God is in control) - knowing God...literally knowing God, like they know themselves. This is what Paul longed for in the lives of his fellow Christians. Is that what we long for in our lives? Is this what we are striving towards? I hope so.

2:9-10 - The fullness of God dwells within Jesus and in turn Jesus fill us. We have the Spirit and power of God to call upon in our lives - why are we scared so often?

2:12 - I think that some people believe Christianity is this morbid religion calling everyone to die...to crucify themselves...kinda depressing. But it is about so much more. It is a call to die with Christ, so that we can be raised with Him. A call to a new and better life, not a call to morbidly live in a state of death. Jesus bids us to come and put to death the life that is strangling us anyway and experiencing life at his side. Call me crazy, but that sounds pretty incredible to me.

2:16-19 - Why do we argue over the meaningless and not pour our energy into focusing on the meaning of everything - God?

2:23 - Religiously following rules does not overcome the sinful human nature for us. Sorry if that is news to you. Jesus overcame the flesh and we can only do that through him. Stop focusing on the rules and who is holier than who and start to chasing after Christ and Christ-like living.