Digging in Deeper: 2 Corinthians 3:17

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

Two points here.  The first is that you won’t find a more direct connection between the Father and the Spirit than this.  While the connection between the Father and the Son is fairly easy to make in the Scriptures, for the sake of the Trinity, it is more difficult sometimes to connect the Spirit as the third person.  What Paul says here makes it pretty plain.  The Lord is the Spirit.  There you have it. Read the rest…

Digging in Deeper: 1 Corinthians 10:25-29

“Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience.  For ‘the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.”  If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience.  But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience–I do not mean your conscience, but his.  For why should my liberty be determined by someone else’s conscience?”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

Here are Paul’s final thoughts on the issue of eating meat that came from a pagan sacrifice: Eating it doesn’t matter.  If you want to eat it, go ahead.  If you don’t, don’t worry about it.  It’s meat.  Making a mountain out of this molehill is a worthless effort.   Read the rest…

Morning Musings: Romans 15:2

“Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.”  (ESV)

The goal here is not to become doormats, but to practice love for one another.  We are not looking to justify every irritating whim and warped conviction of those around us.  Speaking more directly to the call of our culture, this is definitely not talking about tolerating a habit or practice that is clearly sinful on the part of a fellow follower of Christ.  Read the rest…