2nd Peter – The Coming of the Lord

Peter discusses the teaching of some who claim that Jesus will not come again and deliberately ignore what Jesus has said concerning this. The people Peter is writing about are unhappy with spiritual power and turn not only from the teaching on the end times but also the prophets and the commandments. God created the…

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2nd Peter – Scoffers

Peter concludes his message which he was probably writing in the final days of his life, racing to give his fellow Christians a final exhortation before he joins the Church Triumphant. In chapter 2, Peter spoke at length on the false teachers and schismatics, and in the third chapter, he narrows his focus to those…

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2nd Peter – False Teachers, continued

Peter says that the false prophets have come, but that the false teachers will be, which may suggest that he sees the time of the prophets as over. He then speaks out about the destructive heresies (or schools), which by their very nature cause division in the Church. In this sense, the heretic and the…

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2nd Peter – False Teachers

We must examine the things that are being taught, regardless of who teaches it to us. 2 Peter chapter 2 deals with this extensively, discussing the teachings of heresies, or sects of people who disagree with the orthodox teachings. Peter speaks about false teachings that were extant at the time he was writing, but there…

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2nd Peter – A Map for Spiritual Progress

Peter proclaims that he is a servant of Christ like the rest of us and makes a very explicit statement that Jesus is the God and Savior which is not as common in the Gospels as more oblique references. He then turns to his theme for this letter, which is that knowledge of God is…

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2nd Peter – Introduction

This begins a series entitled ”Second Peter, Jude, and the Christian Apocalyptic”. While each the three sections can stand on its own, they share many common themes. Second Peter is a pastoral letter with some apocalyptic elements traditionally attributed to St. Peter. It and and Jude share so much each other that some have questioned…

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Life of St. Paul – Paul in Jerusalem and Rome

Paul is welcomed by the brethren in Jerusalem, and is shown many Jewish converts to Christianity who are zealous for the law. Many of these had heard that Paul advises converts to forsake Moses, and Paul is told to — and does indeed — help some converts to perform a purification ritual to prove that…

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Life of St. Paul – Closing the Second Missionary Journey

After a brief of discussion Corinth and how it is important as one of the most detailed descriptions of the early Church, we move back to the second missionary journey, describing how Paul corrects some of the errors of Apollos other Ephesians. While in Ephesus, several people who had in the past practiced magic publicly…

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Life of St. Paul – Ending the First Missionary Journey, Beginning the Second

After Paul leaves Perga, his company arrives in Antioch in Pisidia (a different Antioch than the great Syrian city). Soon their ministry to the Gentiles spreads throughout this entire region. Such success brought much consternation to a number of Jews. In every synagogue and Gentile gathering, Paul takes every opportunity to boldly proclaim the Gospel.…

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Life of St. Paul – First Missionary Journey

Having powerfully witnessed Christ on the road to Damascus, Saul finds his zeal redirected and renewed towards the Gospel. But who in the early Church (which was almost entirely Jewish) could have imagined the great outpouring of faith upon the Gentiles that came from the ”First Missionary Journey”? After praying and fasting, the leaders of…

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