Bible Commentary

Psalm 8 is one of the psalms characterized as Songs of Praise to the Creator. Even though the entire book of Psalms is often described as praise to God, this psalm speaks eloquently to the question, “What is Man?” or, as John Stott labels it, “What is a Human Being?”

We all know about beginnings: that first day in school, becoming old enough to join the youth group at church, going off to college, starting a new job or career, marriage. You may remember the exact moment you accepted Christ as Savior and the day you publicly declared your life commitment by baptism.

When I lived in the Philippines in the 1950’s, our gardener was named Jesus. Thinking this odd I did some casual research and found that it was common to name one’s children after biblical characters such as John, Mary, Joseph and even Jesus.

In the closing verse of last Sunday’s lesson, Paul affirmed that all of the gifts described in 1 Corinthians 12:4-10 are “the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each man just as he determines.”

Tucked away in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian church are many questions about the beliefs that should guide them in their church life and personal behavior.

The Jews fervently believed God would bring them to the pinnacle of power and greatness in this world. They looked for a greater kingdom than their King David's through a miraculous intervention of God in history. After their long and varied history, including sinful rebellion, exile, wars and restoration, they anticipated the prophets’ declarations and God’s promises would come true.

In the earlier chapters of Ephesians, Paul discussed deliverance from death, reconciliation at the cross and union with Christ. In this lesson, we turn to one of Paul’s powerful prayers to gain greater understanding of how the Christian is strengthened by God’s power through his Spirit in the believer’s inner being.

The prelude or overture for our lesson in the first chapter of John’s Gospel is called the prologue to the larger scope of the full Gospel.

A favorite memory from my childhood Christmases with my grandparents in Chicago is arranging the nativity set under the tree. The scene included the usual figures of the holy family, shepherds, wise men, sheep, cows, plus cats, chickens, ducks and a dog.

Many evangelical commentaries and most modern translations do not regard John 7:53-8:11 as originally part of John’s Gospel even if they affirm the general authenticity of the account. For example, the New International Version and the New Revised Standard Version each bracket these verses as important teaching about how Jesus dealt with a woman accused of being involved in an adulterous affair. We will gain such insight by treating the experience as authentic.