Monday, November 30, 2020

I & II Thessalonians, I & II Timothy, Titus, and Philemon Twenty Questions

1. According to I Thessalonians 1:5, with what did the word of God come to the Thessalonians?

2. What does Paul say in I Thessalonians 4 will happen to dead Christians?

3. What does the phrase “like a thief in the night” have to do with the return of Christ?  What kind of images does that phrase conjure?

4. According to I Thessalonians 5:16-18, what three actions may be reliably considered the will of God?  How are you practicing them?

5. What do we know about “the man of lawlessness” of II Thessalonians 2?  What role does he play in the Day of the Lord?

6. What was Paul’s rule concerning those unwilling to work? 

7. In what way do you think Paul’s handwriting was unique, serving as his trademark (II Thessalonians 3:17)?

8. According to I Timothy 1, who did Paul consider to be the worst sinner?  Do you think he was right?  

9. How should we reconcile what Paul says about women in church in I Timothy 2 (as well as their salvation through childbearing) with modern practice?  Was he wrong?  Are we wrong?  Is the Bible wrong?

10. What do you think is the most important qualification for an elder or an oversee in I Timothy 3:1-7?

11. According to I Timothy 4:11-16, what advice did Paul have for Timothy to overcome his youthfulness in his ministry?

12. What does Paul say is a root of all kinds of evil?  Have you ever heard him misquoted about this?

13. According to Paul in I Timothy 6:17-19, how should the rich and successful in this world live?

14. What earlier faith experiences did Timothy have, both in his family and from Paul, based on II Timothy 1 and II Timothy 3:15?

15. How does II Timothy 2:2 reveal that Paul is thinking of the future?

16. What does Paul foresee the last days will be like, in II Timothy 3?

17. What claims does Paul make of scripture in II Timothy 3:16-17?

18. In II Timothy 4:1-8 what does Paul charge Timothy to do, and for what reasons?

19. How many times do forms of words like “teach”/”exhort”/”speak” appear in your translation of Titus 2?

20. What was the relationship between Philemon and Onesimus?  What did Paul want it to be?

Sunday, November 22, 2020

Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians Twenty Questions

 1. According to Galatians 1, from where did Paul receive the gospel?

2. Which justifies?  The works of the law or faith in Jesus Christ?  Find a scripture citation from Galatians 2 to support your answer.

3. If Galatians 3:28 is true, should there be one rule or standard for men and a different one for women in the Body of Christ?

4. What lesson does Hagar and Sarah provide for the Church?

5. What are the differences between the “acts of the flesh” (5:19-21) and the “fruit of the Spirit” (5:22-24)?

6. Can you find two clues from Galatians (in chapters 4 and 6) that indicate Paul may have had a problem with his eyesight? 

7. What is Paul’s prayer for the Ephesian church in Ephesians 1?

8. What is our identity and purpose, according to Ephesians 2:10?

9. What is Paul’s prayer for the Ephesian church in Ephesians 3?

10. What is the problem of the Gentiles, according to Ephesians 4:17-19?

11. How high is the standard set in Ephesians 5:1-5 for Christian believers?

12. In Ephesians 5, what does Paul call wives to do?  What does he call husbands to do?

13. Memorization Challenge!  What are the six pieces of the armor of God in Ephesians 6?

14. How would you explain what Paul means by his expression “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” in Philippians 1:21?

15. What about Jesus does Paul want us to imitate in Philippians 2?

16. What qualities of Paul does he now rate “garbage” (Philippians 3:8) in comparison to knowing Christ?  What attributes of yours do you consider to be likewise trash next to your relationship with Jesus?

17. What is Paul’s “secret” of contentment in Philippians 4:12?

18. What do you consider to be Paul’s most startling claim about Jesus in Colossians 1:15-20?

19. What spiritual clothing is a Christian supposed to “take off” and “put on”, according to Colossians 3:5-14?

20. Does Colossians 4:16 hint that there is a “lost book of the Bible”?  Imagine, for a moment, that such a letter of Paul’s was unearthed today.  What would such a discovery mean for the Church?   

Monday, November 16, 2020

II Corinthians Twenty Questions

 1. When you write a letter to someone, how do you start it?  In what standard way does Paul begin this letter (and his other letters)?

2. How many times do variations of the word “comfort” appear in your translation in II Corinthians 1:3-7?

3. What is Paul saying with all the “yes” and “no” talk in 1:15-22?

4. What do you think it means that Paul and his companions simultaneously bring the aroma of life and of death in 2:14-17?

5. How does Paul contrast the old ministry of the law with the new ministry of the Spirit in II Corinthians 3:7-18?

6. II Corinthians 4:7 speaks of “treasure in jars of clay.”  What is the treasure?  What are the clay jars? 

7. What is the interplay between the life of the apostle and the death of Jesus, as well as the death of the apostle and the life of Jesus, as described in II Corinthians 4:8-12?

8. What terms does Paul use to describe our earthly body and our heavenly body in II Corinthians 5:1-4?

9. According to II Corinthians 5:17, what is true for those who are in Christ?

10. What is our role as Christ’s ambassadors?  What is our message to the world?

11. What does Paul say in II Corinthians 6:14-18 about unions between Christians and nonChristians?  Is this consistent or inconsistent with Jesus being “a friend of sinners”?

12. What is the difference between godly sorrow and worldly sorrow, as Paul describes them in II Corinthians 7:10?

13. Based on II Corinthians 8:1-7, how did the Macedonians demonstrate their generosity?

14. Have you ever observed the truth of the proverb, “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously?”

15. Why do you think God loves a “cheerful” giver?  How can you personally give more cheerfully?

16. What is Paul’s mood/tone toward the Corinthians in chapter 10?

17. Have you ever heard of another Jesus or different Spirit/gospel than the one preached to you, as Paul discusses in II Corinthians 11:4?

18. As you consider all that Paul went through as recounted in II Corinthians 11:22-33, how do such sufferings give him credibility?

19. What do you suppose Paul’s “thorn” in II Corinthians 12:7 may have been?  What was God’s answer each time he prayed for it to be removed?

20. When you write a letter to someone, how do you end it?  In what standard way does Paul close this letter (and his other letters)?   

Monday, November 9, 2020

I Corinthians Twenty Questions

 1. How would you describe the first problem that Paul addresses in I Corinthians 1:10-12?  Have you seen a church struggle with this?

2. How does Paul say God’s foolishness compares with man’s wisdom in 1:25?  How does God’s weakness compare with man’s strength?

3. According to 2:14, can a person without the Spirit accept and/or understand spiritual things?  Have you seen this truth for yourself?

4. In I Corinthians 3:5-17, Paul employs two metaphors: a field and a building.  How does he say that spiritual growth is like these things?

5. What was an apostle’s life like, as depicted in I Corinthians 4:9-13?

6. What church discipline does Paul advise in I Corinthians 5:1-2 regarding a case of sexual immorality? 

7. Why doesn’t Paul apply Jesus’ teaching of “judge not” in I Corinthians 5:9-13?  Why is there a difference between associating with sinners inside the Church and those outside?

8. What are some things wrong with Christians suing one another in court in I Corinthians 6:1-8?  What does Paul recommend instead?

9. Which sinners are kept out of the kingdom in I Corinthians 6:9-10?  Does Paul have hope for those who used to commit such acts?

10. According to Paul in I Corinthian 6:18-20, what is a Christian’s body and who really owns it?

11. Under what limited conditions in I Corinthians 7:5 does Paul say it is acceptable for Christian spouses to NOT have sex?

12. According to Paul, is it always wrong to eat food offered in the pagan temples?  When does it become wrong?

13. Why does Paul endeavor to contort himself to various states (as one living under the law, not under the law, weak, etc.) in I Corinthians 9:19-23?  What does this suggest about the importance of his goal?

14. According to 10:6-10, what kind of sins did the Israelites commit in the wilderness, and how are they an example to us to do better?

15. What kinds of errors were the Corinthians making in their practice of the Lord’s Supper, as described in I Corinthians 11:17-34? 

16. What metaphor in I Corinthians 12:12-31 does Paul employ to explain why God doesn’t just give us all the same spiritual gift?

17. Which specific description of love in I Corinthians 13 do you personally find it most difficult to practice?  Easiest?

18. In I Corinthians 14, how do the gifts of prophecy and tongues compare?  What is the role of the gift of interpretation of tongues?

19. Do Paul’s words in I Corinthians 14:34-38 leave any room for women teachers or preachers?  How can we determine if this is an absolute, universal law, or one that is culturally and contextually dependent?  (For instance, do we practice I Corinthians 11:2-16?) 

20. How would you engage a person who professes to be a Christian, but doesn’t believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ?  How can I Corinthians 15:12-34 help you in this?  


Sunday, November 1, 2020

Romans Twenty Questions

 1. Read Romans 1:18-32 very carefully.  What sin is the root cause of God “giving them over” to sexual impurity and unnatural relations?

2. Would you take the works-righteousness deal that Paul offers in Romans 2:6-11?  Why or why not?

3. According to Paul in Romans 3:1-8, what is wrong with the thinking that it’s fine for us to do evil because it makes God’s righteousness and glory shine all the brighter?

4. What can we do to be declared righteous by the law?

5. Where does the righteousness apart from the law that Paul preaches come from?

6. How is Abraham the father in faith of the circumcised and the uncircumcised? 

7. Based on Romans 5:6-8, what would you say to a person who says they can’t come to Jesus and attend church until they get themselves right first?

8. What do you think is the relationship between the concepts of the Original Sin of Adam and the Atonement of Christ, as described in Romans 5:18-19? 

9. It is sometimes observed that everyone has to serve something or someone.  What two alternatives does Paul lay out that people will ultimately be slave to in Romans 6?

10. Based on Romans 7, what would you say to someone wrestling with sin?  Do you think Paul describes a Christian or pre-Christian state?

11. How do our present sufferings compare with our future hope?

12. What must Christians fear separating us from the love of Christ?

13. In Romans 9:1-5, Paul lists some of the blessings of the Jews.  What are they?

14. Where do we see elements of God’s sovereignty in Romans 9?

15. What is necessary for salvation, according to Romans 10:8-13?    And what are the necessary preconditions for that, in 10:14-15? 

16. To what does Paul attribute the spiritual hardening of his people the Jews in Romans 11:25?

17. Paul issues many commands in Romans 12:9-21.  Which do you find to be the most difficult?  The easiest?

18. How does Paul summarize all the commands in Romans 13?

19. How does Paul say that people of strong faith should treat those of weaker faith?

20. Some critics of Christianity argue that Paul had a different message than Jesus.  What would you say in response?