Far from representing an abandonment of his commitment to God or God's commitment to him, Paul's hardships are a way for God to continually work through him. By framing his hardships in this way, Paul reveals that "it is the gospel, rather than [himself], which is on trial and needs defense," because our individual circumstances only matter inasmuch as they relate to our enactment of God's will (Fowl 41)
He instructs his reader to "let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness" (Philippians 2:5-7). The particular Greek word Paul uses to describe Jesus' "emptying" of himself is kenosis, and it connotes a kind of spiritual emptying, where Jesus, as a man, gave up his own will and any hold he had over the course of his own life so that he could be filled instead with God's will (Gorman 2)
This is important for Christians facing difficulty and hardship, because it demonstrates that although God will allow us to undergo abuse, difficulty, and sorrow, he will never allow more than we can bear. As Richard Hays notes, "in community with others," sharing their hardships and sacrifices, "believers find themselves conformed to the death of Christ," in that they embody His sacrifice in their own lives, but are able to bear this sacrifice not because they are God become man, like Jesus, but because through their community they are able to share this sacrifice equally (Hays 30)
Instead, focusing on our commitment to God as a servant of Jesus Christ reminds us that this relationship is what gives our lives true meaning, and that all the problems of the world can only disrupt this relationship if we let it. Paul is doing just that, because he manages to celebrate his role as a servant of Jesus even though he was actually in prison when he wrote this letter to the Philippians (MacArthur 5)
Paul goes on to hope for "grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ," and in doing so he reminds his readers of the precisely what God promises them if they remain servants of Christ (Philippians 1:2). As John Walvoord notes, these words "beautifully express the content of Christian salvation and the triumph […] in suffering," because they remind the reader of the gift already given to them (Walvoord 25)
Instead of focusing on living up to the standards created by human society, we must focus on living up to the standards created by God and exemplified by Jesus' life. Furthermore, we must be prepared to give up any earthly recognition or success in the service of Jesus, because just as Paul "was prepared to abandon all his privileges to gain Christ," so too might we have to abandon any societal successes and privileges in order to fulfill God's will (Wright 124)
whose creating and redeeming action transforms this world into God's Kingdom and calls all men and women to the freedom and divine fullness of life in this Kingdom" is mainly understood through understanding Jesus' physical act of resurrection as well as his spiritual, "visible and invisible as the Creed says," that "has its unity and goodness in the unity and goodness of God who is its origin and final fulfillment. (Sachs 41) However, despite the stress upon the resurrection as a physical as well as a spiritual act, the Catholic Church still frequently uses resurrection as a metaphor for understanding the Church's mission
Quite simply, it is a letter that he is writing while he is incarcerated to various supporters and to the world at large. The fact that this particular piece of a literature is a letter actually considerably assists in the interpretation of the Philippians 4:21-23 which is characterized by Paul's "sense of joy in the midst of difficulty" (Bugg, 1991, p
However, he is not acting like it. These circumstances have only solidified his faith in Christ all the more (King, 2009, p
Thus, we should not fail to appreciate the characteristics of Luke, which are spiritually satisfying because they concentrate on the spiritual aspects of Jesus. More than any other Gospel, the Gospel of Luke shows Christ "as an example of prayer" (Frey 144), and it is the episode of Christ's temptation in this last of the Synoptic Gospels that we now examine
By denying the flesh we are more easily ready to combat those temptations that stimulate the flesh. "Thus we may say that perseverance as a Christian is the only true test of genuine faith in God and Christ" (Mugridge 81)
" This may be connected to the fact that Luke was writing to the Gentiles and attempting to avoid religious language that was explicit. For example, "Luke avoids the religious language for fasting" (Nolland 179)
.Satan had a satanic suggestion, namely to bypass the moral problem of guilt and its need of expiation, and to concentrate purely on worldly factors" (Sheen 63)
In his two-volume analysis of the Book of Ezekiel, modern scholar Daniel I. Block sees Chapter 4 as a simple dramatization of the fall of Jerusalem, which can be taken as symbolic and representative of the fall of the Hebrew people and kingdoms as a whole (Block 1997, pp
In this chapter, the prophet describes in great and often highly unusual detail methods prescribed by God for his prophecy against Israel, which make for interesting symbolic, realistic, and rhetorical considerations in an examination of this particular piece of Ezekiel's text. An overall analysis of the Book of Ezekiel reveals a strong use of certain formulaic devices: for prophecies against Israel and other nations as well as blessing Israel and, in many key passages Babylon; for introducing prophecies as revelations and/or commanded speeches and utterances from God; even formulas for the presentations of certain riddles, parables, and other devices for delivering Ezekiel's prophetic point in a more effective way (Malick 2009)
While this direct interpretation is certainly possible, it is not the only means of understanding and interpreting Chapter 4 of the Book of Ezekiel. It has been noted that one of the rhetorical strategies that Ezekiel employs elsewhere in this Book is the deliberate obfuscation of a prophecy's direct meaning, and this could certainly be a way for drawing the reader into an examination of meaning and intent in this chapter (Renz 1999, pp
There is also no date attributed to this prophecy, as there are for many of the oracles spoken by Ezekiel as recorded in the text, but instead this passage reflects the enormity and depth of Ezekiel's personal sacrifice and suffering as a prophet and leader both spiritually and to some degree politically for his exiled people (Malick 2009). The difference in tone and formula in this chapter has led many scholars to assert that significant redaction and creative liberties were taken with this portion of the text, especially as Ezekiel seems to take on a different persona during his completion of the strange modes of prophesying he is commanded to perform (Vawter & Hoppe 1991, pp
God does not honor earthly wisdom in this matter and more than He disdains folly. Solomon then sees that even this is a vanity (Constable)
In the final chapter of the book, he concludes that to "fear God and keep His commandments" is the whole duty of man (Ecclesiastes 12:13). An exegesis of the second chapter of Ecclesiastes, in which Solomon continues the process of laying down a foundation for the rest of the book (Copeland 5), must include certain elements if it is to be complete
Vernon McGee, a renowned scholar and teacher, says that the theme is the obvious. He says of Solomon "his conclusion was, "All is vanity" (McGee)