Teach Me Thy Statutes

Offering meat to idols and a global health pandemic: what on earth could these two things have in common? We discussed 1 Corinthians 8-9 today, where Paul highlights the believer may have a right to do something, but nonetheless has a duty as a Christian to abstain from exercising that right in order to not offend or scandalize a weaker brother. We then showed how the situation Paul addressed to 1st century Corinthian Christians applies today amidst a pandemic.

Today we discussed a section of Romans 9 often used to support a theology called “predestination.” This erroneous theology applies Paul’s words to support the idea that God has chosen some for heaven and others for hell. That approach creates an exclusive club among those who believe they have been chosen to be saved. But in reviewing the context of Romans 9, we see that Paul is doing the exact opposite, creating an inclusive community of people from all nations, tribes, and tongues. In fact, in Romans 9, Paul is shaming those among the Jews who were so bold as to question God’s plan to save the Gentiles. We concluded by discussing the similarities between Romans 9 and other familiar stories like that of Jonah and the parable of the Prodigal Son.

Today we discussed Paul’s conundrum regarding the struggle of sin vs. the will to do what is right. Ultimately, this internal battle, together with the revelation on the road to Damascus, leads Paul to conclude that the only way to attain righteousness is outside the Mosaic Law itself, and through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We then discussed two terms used by Paul, the flesh and the mind, and how through the use of these terms Paul is challenging us to rise above the limitations of nature and serve the law of Christ.

In today’s episode we discussed the names that Christ uses for Peter and how an understanding of the meaning of these names helps us to understand more deeply these stories from Scripture. More importantly, this understanding of the names helps teach us how this narrative impacts the way we should live our lives.

Today we discussed why Paul was so critical of the Jews in Romans 2. Fr Aaron provided context by reminding us the Jews had an advantage over the Gentiles, namely the Mosaic Law. And yet, even with the Law of God they continued to behave as though they were Gentiles. We then moved on to discussing what St. Paul means when he says, “For he is not a real Jew who is one outwardly, nor is true circumcision something external and physical.” Fr Aaron showed from the Mosaic Law itself that the true purpose of circumcision is not the physical aspect, but to cut off sin from your life.

Fr Aaron explained that the famous verse of Jesus praying that His disciples would “be one” should not primarily be understood as a reference to ecumenism. Rather, we should recognize that Jesus is praying that we would be perfectly united to God’s will. For centuries, Christians have been separated into many different denominations and branches, and we arrived at this place because of our sin which often expresses itself in pride. These divisions were present even in the early Church prior to Constantine, and they became even more prevalent in the centuries thereafter. But to put ourselves at the center of the universe and interpret that these verses speak to our current situation would take Christ’s words far from the context in which he spoke. His comments reflected His desire that we, just like Him, would be united to God’s will.

Based on our reading of Acts 17:1-9, we discussed the role of evangelism in the Christian life. We distinguished between the overt evangelism of St Paul and other apostles and evangelists, and the evangelism all Christians should show through loving their neighbor. We also discussed how the evangelical movement has overemphasized the role of each individual Christian to be an evangelist, noting that most Christians have been given other gifts to help the Body of Christ, which should not be minimized.

We discuss why Jesus told the Pharisees there father is the devil. Ultimately, what we find is that the teaching of the devil leads us to accept God's grace for ourselves, while at the same time applying the law and judgment to others. In this context, Father Aaron showed how John 8 and Matthew 25 are intertwined, with the Mount of Olives (John 8) and the oil used in the lamps of the Five Wise Virgins (Matthew 25) connecting these two passages.

Based on our reading today, we discussed what Christ is referring to when He says that, “He who eats this bread will live forever.” Here, Christ not only refers to Holy Communion, but also to His teaching. A broader understanding of Scripture is helpful here, showing how the reception of the Word of God equips us to go forth and spread the Gospel. Prior to that, we also discussed how we should teach; namely, to equip others to become independent, giving them the ability to apply in their own lives the broader concepts we are able to convey

We began with questions regarding the Trinity and other theological questions, highlighting the importance that we guard against placing too much emphasis on these intellectual concepts at the expense of neglecting the practical teaching of Scripture. If our primary focus is on theology, and our faith is merely something that we believe in our head, we will likely live our lives in stark contrast to the teachings of Scripture. Jesus’ statement in today’s reading teaches us about the importance of submitting ourselves to the will of God. And if we keep this as our primary focus, we will not concern ourselves so much with the ability to verbalize complex theological concepts; instead we will devote ourselves to living according to God’s will.