A Coptic Orthodox Journey through the Bible

A Coptic Orthodox Journey through the Bible

By SMSA - COCReligion & SpiritualityChristianity
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A Coptic Orthodox Journey through the Bible episodes

  • Epistle to the Romans Chapter 5

    Chapter 5 is a shift in St. Paul’s argument and can be broken into two halves:

    • In the first half of this chapter (vv1-11): after we were enemies with God because of our sins, now having been justified through our Lord Jesus Christ, we have peace with Him. Also through our justification we have access to the grace of God and the gifts of the Spirit. We also have hope in the glory of God and it is this hope which allows us to rejoice even during times of tribulation.
    • In the second half of the chapter (vv12-21): we see a comparison between Adam and Jesus Christ and how their actions impacted us. We will see that Adam is the type of Christ (the second Adam) although there is a big difference between the offense and the free gift.
    58 min
  • Epistle to the Romans Chapter 4

    In this chapter, St. Paul presents an example of Abraham as a righteous person in the Old Testament, Jewish Scriptures. He was justified through his faith even though he was uncircumcised and before he had practiced any of the instructions in the Law of Moses because the Law of Moses had not been given.

    42 min
  • Epistle to the Romans Chapter 3
    Among other things, here St. Paul discusses that all people have fallen under the yoke of sin - Jews & Gentiles. In some ways, this chapter sounds like an indictment of all humanity: all lack true righteousness and need to be justified.
    45 min
  • Epistle to the Romans Chapter 2
    In chapter 1, St. Paul spoke about the sins of the Gentiles and how they needed salvation and justification. Chapter 1 ended with St. Paul giving a long list of sins - things that people were doing and justifying to others that they were good things. In the last chapter St. Paul basically shared that the Gentiles have no excuse to not follow Jesus. In this chapter he is saying the same thing to the Jews. Here, St. Paul speaks about the sins of the Jews and how they need salvation and justification.
    46 min
  • Acts of the Apostles Chapter 28

    The last chapter explains St. Paul’s journey from Caesarea to Rome. We did not see him make it all the way to Rome as he journeyed at sea, encountered a storm, and the last chapter ended with a shipwreck. In this chapter we learn that they came ashore after the shipwreck on the island of Malta. We see God working through St. Paul on this island and the rest of his trip to Rome.

    Overall, the book of Acts covers approximately 30 years. It begins in Jerusalem and ends in Rome. At this time, Rome is still at the height of its power.

    45 min
  • Acts of the Apostles Chapter 27
    In this chapter we see the beginning adventures of St. Paul’s journey to Rome.St. Luke has constructed Acts in such a way that chapter 27, the great voyage and shipwreck, functions as a kind of parallel to the climax of his Gospel, which is obviously the trial and crucifixion of Jesus. That had been the moment when “the power of darkness” did its worst. This, now, is the moment when Paul has to face the worst that the powers of darkness (the devil) can throw at him before he can arrive in Rome to announce Jesus as Lord. His rescue and his arrival in Rome thus have the character of “salvation,” a major theme of the chapter.This chapter explains St. Paul’s journey from Caesarea to Rome. Some might ask how we can benefit from a chapter like this where it is about a journey at sea, a storm, and a shipwreck. We will see that this is a great chapter to read and contemplate on when we are going through hard times in our own lives. It shows us how to trust in God during difficult times and not just rely on our own understanding.
    44 min
  • Acts of the Apostles Chapter 26
    In this chapter we see St. Paul’s speech in front of Festus, Agrippa, and Bernice. This is the last time we see him give this type of speech in Acts. His speech before Agrippa, Bernice, Festus, and the others who are gathered is longer than either the Areopagus (Acts 17) address or the farewell address to the Ephesian elders (Acts 20). Like them, however, what is written in Acts must be a great deal shorter than what Paul actually said. However, this speech presses many of the same buttons that we have seen again and again in Paul’s own writings so we can be sure it summarizes his words fairly accurately. One thing we will see is that St. Paul is not defending himself. He is really preaching to King Agrippa about Christianity. Also, this is Paul’s longest, theologically most explicit defense.
    43 min
  • Acts of the Apostles Chapter 25

    In the previous chapter St. Paul had a trial before Felix, the Roman governor of the region with both the Jewish leaders and St. Paul present. Following the trial, the governor refused to make a final decision and put St. Paul back in prison. Afterwards, Felix and his wife, Drusilla met with St. Paul for some conversations.


    St. Paul spent two years in prison with no trial, as Felix did a favor for the Jews. The relationship between the Jewish leadership and Felix the Roman governor was characterized by some tension which is why he took steps to curry favor with them. Even so, he was removed from office and recalled to Rome due to complaints from the Jews. In part to curry favor with them, Felix left St. Paul in prison for his replacement, Festus.


    In this chapter we see St. Paul a couple of times and a couple of other times we see him being the subject of people’s conversation.

    • Festus’ account often seeks to make his own handling of St. Paul’s case look better than it was. Overall, Festus emerges as a figure like Felix who is compromised as an administrator of Roman justice because of his concern to grant favor to the Jewish leaders accusing St. Paul.
    • Theologically, the theme that is implicit in this chapter is the gracious providence of God, fulfilling his purpose for Paul by protecting him from injustice and making it possible for him to be taken to Rome.


    43 min
  • Acts of the Apostles Chapter 24
    This chapter contains two parts and a summary: verses 1-23 relate a formal trial before the governor with both parties present (Jewish leaders and St. Paul). The second part briefly recounts St. Paul’s conversations with Felix and his wife, Drusilla. The summary is then the last couple of verses.
    42 min

About A Coptic Orthodox Journey through the Bible

From the publisher's feed

A verse-by-verse Bible Study from the Coptic Orthodox Christian perspective. Geared for those who want to understand the Bible from the perspective of one of the most ancient churches in the world.…