Author: Jim Cantelon

Read Ephesians 4

Key Verse: Ephesians 4: 11-13 “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son fo God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the statures of the fullness of Christ…” Jesus takes the Church seriously. He has given the Church all it needs to reach maturity. First of all, He has given Himself to the Church. But then, He has given various ministering gifts...

March 17, 2021

Alms, Prayer, & Fasting 6:1-18 Forgiveness v. 12 (see also vv. 14 & 15) – Part 2 “As we forgive” is more accurately translated “as we have forgiven”. The assumption is that in invoking the forgiveness of God we’ve already swept our house clean in terms of any dustup we may have had our injustice suffered with our neighbour. Jesus won’t countenance any prayer for divine forgiveness on any other terms. Indeed in vv. 14&15 he says, “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But...

Read Ephesians 3

Key Verse: Ephesians 3:12 “In Him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence .” (NIV) What is the difference between “in Him” and “through faith in Him”? “In Him” means there is a highway to God — whether we accept its reality or not makes no difference: there is access to God. “Through faith in Him” means that God can be approached by one means only — the access route is that highway. You’ve got to get on the road, and you’ve got to trust that it leads to God. And there is something...

Read Ephesians 2

Key Verse: Ephesians 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Redemption means not only that we have been bought back, set free, and made new — it also means that we belong to the Redeemer. He paid the price, so we’re His. We are the product of God’s plan, His workmanship. And the means of “working” us into shape was the atonement provided by Christ on Calvary. We’re new creations with a new purpose: “good works.” What’s more, the process...

Read Ephesians 1

Key Verse: Ephesians 1:7 “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sing, according to the riches of His grace…” The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines the word “redeem” this way: 1. Buy back, recover by expenditure or effort or by stipulated payment 2. Perform (promise) 3. Purchase the freedom of (another, oneself), save (one’s life) by ransom 4. Save, rescue, reclaim (of God or Christ), deliver from sin and damnation. 5. Make amends for, compensate, counterbalance, save from a defect (“the eyes redeem the face from ugliness”). Key...

Read Galatians 6

Key Verse: Galatians 6:9 “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart”. Freedom and unfreedom ultimately betray themselves by their fruit. If, in the name of freedom, we “indulge the sinful nature” (5:13), the product will eventually manifest itself: “sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealously, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissections, factions, and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like” (5:19-21). On the other hand, if we “love our neighbours...

Read Galatians 5

Key Verse: Galatians 5:6 “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.” Free means free — without qualifications. That’s why Paul says, in this discussion of freedom (vv.1-18), that “indulging the sinful nature” (v.13) is an option available to the truly liberated. But there is a strong caution here. And it relates to the “libertines” (Gnostics) I mentioned in the introduction. The Gnostics separated the world of matter from the world of spirit. They believed that all things material...

March 10, 2021

Alms, Prayer, & Fasting 6:1-18 Forgiveness v. 12 (see also vv. 14 & 15) – Part 1 Our sinfulness is assumed in scripture, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Ro. 3:23). And as the apostle John put it, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 Jo. 1:18). But our sinfulness is not assumed in our twenty-first century secular culture. Indeed the word “sin” is rarely if ever used. “Mistake” maybe. But “sin”? The thing about the word “sin” is that it implies...

Read Galatians 4

Key Verse: Galatians 4:9 “But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage?” Paul’s discussion about the role of law and faith, as they relate to righteousness, continues. He reminds his readers that the promise God made to Abraham preceded the law given to Moses by 430 years (v.17). God, “in His grace”, gave a promise to Abraham (v.18), and it takes priority over any subsequent introduction or qualification of law. The law was introduced purely...

Read Galatians 3

Key Verse: Galatians 3:6 “Consider Abraham: ‘He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.'” (NIV) The key verse occurs in a context that stretches from chapter three, verse one to chapter four, verse seven. The discussion is about the role of law and faith as they relate to righteousness. And remember, Paul’s readers are Gentiles. As I said in the introduction, there were two competing faction in the Galatian churches, both undermining Paul’s work: the legalists (Judaizers) and the libertines (Gnostics). Most of Paul’s counterattack, however,...

Read Galatians 2

Key Verse: Galatians 2:10 “They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do.” The first ten verses of this chapter ideal with Paul’s acceptance as an apostle by the leadership in Jerusalem. The discussion actually begins in chapter one, verse 11. In verses 15 and 16, he speaks of his conversion and then, three years later, going upon to Jerusalem “to get acquainted with Peter” (b.18). The “fourteen years later” of 2:1 probably refers to fourteen years after that visit to Peter. He went up to Jerusalem again...

March 8, 2021

Photo by Kevin Delvecchio on Unsplash I’ve been thinking of the impact of the home on a child’s life. Rather than my thoughts here’s something from a late 19th century theologian: “ The father and mother of an unnoticed family, who, in their seclusion awaken the mind of one child to the idea and love of perfect goodness, who awaken in him a strength of will to repel all temptation, and who send him out prepared to profit by the conflicts of life, surpass in influence a Napoleon breaking the world to his sway.” Parents have a “captive audience” of their children during...