A Coptic Orthodox Journey through the Bible

Epistle to the Galatians Chapter 4

In the previous chapter St. Paul discussed the purpose of the law and what it was not for, which in part includes the concept that the law does not provide salvation. In this chapter St. Paul continues and concludes his defense that faith in Christ saves us while following the law does not.  * In verses 1-7, St. Paul explains that when Christ came, He redeemed those under the Law and made it possible for them to receive the adoption as "sons." * In verses 8-20, he offers an analogy to a woman going through labor again since he already gave birth to them as Christians but now he has to give birth to them again and all the pain associated with that as he seeks to ensure that Christ is formed in them. What I think we can learn from this is St. Paul continually looks for ways to connect with his audience. So he takes things easier to understand and then attaches his points to those ideas. This is an approach that still works today. * In verses 21-31, he concludes his defense by proclaiming that those in Christ are not of the bondwoman (the law) but of the free (under Christ) by returning to Genesis and considering the stories of Hagar and Sarah and the children of Abraham, Ishmael and Isaac.

Epistle to the Galatians Chapter 3

In this chapter St. Paul emphasizes something that should be familiar to us by now, which is that we are saved by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law. St. Paul also calls out the Galatians for going backwards - they came straight to believing and being baptized for Christ but now they are thinking about backing up from Christ and relying on the works of the Law. This makes no sense to St. Paul when they have already felt the impact of Christ in their lives. St. Paul also discusses why the law existed and its purpose. Also before we jump in there are a couple of places where we go pretty deep and see St. Paul is digging into the first few books of the Bible to make his argument, so it is okay if it gets a little confusing. With God’s blessings we will understand St. Paul’s arguments which I think are still relevant today.

Epistle to the Galatians Chapter 2

This chapter discusses what is believed to be St. Paul’s third visit to Jerusalem after meeting Jesus on the Road to Damascus. This is recorded in Acts 15 (the Jerusalem Council). As we will see this chapter discusses his visit about 14 years after his last visit. Barnabas and Titus go with St. Paul. He meets with some of the apostles, the pillars of the Church. The first part of the Chapter discusses the Jerusalem council; then from v11 - 21 he discusses interactions between him and St. Peter. As we see more of St. Paul’s thoughts being developed related to the Law of Moses, I want to take a moment and offer one way to think about the dispute between the Judaizers and St. Paul which I found from an Eastern Orthodox source: to St. Paul we are saved through Christ, that is what matters and that is who must be followed. The OT leads us to Christ who fulfills it so there is no need to follow much of the symbolism of the OT such as circumcision and Temple sacrifices. To the Judaizers these Gentiles are choosing to become Jews when they come to follow Christ, while we often use the term “converted” in reference to what happened to St. Paul on the road to Damascus, it would be more accurate to say he was enlightened or transformed by his experience as he came to recognize Christ as the Messiah prophesied in the OT. However, St. Paul never stopped believing he was a Jew, so from that perspective the Judaizers idea makes sense. So to continue, if the Gentiles are becoming Jews why would they not continue to follow Judaic teachings. The main issue in Galatians is not whether one has to be circumcised or not. It is: what does it mean for the way of life of Christians if we continue to lead a life based on the Law of Moses as if nothing has changed now that the Messiah, the Christ has arrived?

Epistle to the Galatians Intro & Chapter 1

A deep dive into the background of this epistle, including the date, the recipient, and theme of this epistle. This includes a deep dive into why St. Paul argues that Gentile Christians did not have to follow the Law of Moses (become Jewish) in order to be Christian and follow Jesus. This episode includes a review of the first chapter of this epistle.

Second Epistle to the Corinthians Chapter 13

After showing the Corinthians every love and compassion, confirming that he will spend everything he has, and will give even himself for their sake. He makes his final promise regarding his 3rd visit to Corinth. He encourages them to examine themselves and prays for them that they do not do any evil but do only what is honorable. He also proclaims his apostolic authority, which he will not use except for their edification and for the glory of God, which is important because he also highlights that they may not like his harshness which he may have to use. However, everything he does is to bring them to Christ and through love. He closes with a farewell.