Category Archives: Commentary

The Bridge Commentary is a running verse by verse breakdown of the Books of the New Testament including word definitions, significant historical background and comments.

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#S4-044: Why the Law of the Spirit of Life Sets You Free [Encore Podcast]

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The Law of the Spirit that Produces Life Will Set You Free from Death

Years ago when slavery was officially abolished in Jamaica, some of the slaves in the remote areas did not know of their freedom. Years after their release had been announced they still continued to serve their masters, oblivious to the fact that they were legally free. Their owners kept the news from the slaves as long as possible, hoping to extract every ounce of work from their captives. These people put up with these conditions for only one reason. 1 They didn’t know they were free. In Rom. 8:2 Paul says For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. You’re totally free because of Jesus if you only know it.

This is part 3 of the Series “Roaming through Romans” You can find Part 1, “How Romans Can Add Value to Your Life [Podcast]” and Part 2 ‘Why There Is No Condemnation in Christ’ here.

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[Tweet “The law of the Spirit of life in Christ will set anyone free from the law of sin and death.”]

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One Necessary Component You Need for Spiritual Growth in God

The Bridge Commentary: The Epistle of First Peter

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The Word of God is the Key to Spiritual Growth

The earliest African converts to Christianity were earnest and regular in their private devotions. Each one reportedly had separate spots in the thicket where he poured out his heart to God. The several paths to these little ‘Bethels’ became distinctly marked; and when anyone began to decline in devotions, it was soon apparent to others. They would then kindly remind him, saying, “Brother, the grass grows on your path yonder.”1 Being regular in your time with God is a key to spiritual growth as the Apostle Peter lets us know in his second epistle.

Why You Don’t Have to Be Sick in Light of the Bible

[Tweet “You can be saved for a whole pile of physical years and still be a spiritual infant.”]

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How to Make Certain You Never Backslide

The Second Epistle of Peter

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Diligence os one Key to Keep from Falling

As a teenager, J. Stephen Conn sensed God calling him to be a preacher. But he felt a certain disadvantage. Because he had been saved when he was 7 years old, he would never be able to hold an audience spellbound with stories of a wicked past. So he asked God for permission to backslide — just long enough to get some experience in a life of sin to “enhance” his preaching later on. Deep within he knew that God would not answer such a request, so he decided just to preach the Bible without a dramatic testimony. Sometime later Conn wrote, “For the past 11 years I’ve been pastoring a church. I realize now what a great testimony I really have. God not only has the power to deliver from sin, He has the even greater power to keep from sin. God not only saved my soul—He saved my entire life!”1  Did you know the Bible gives you the exact path to follow to keep from ever falling? The word backslide can be erased from your thinking and vocabulary if you follow God’s prescription in the book of Second Peter.

For more on the Second Epistle of Peter please see “Why You Can Be Thrilled With God’s Excellence.”

[Tweet “giving all diligence’ is the part a believer needs to add to the mix in order to become ‘fall proof’.”]

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Why You Can Be Thrilled With God’s Excellence

The Second Epistle of Peter

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You Can Be Thrilled with God's Excellence

Are you in love with excellence? Does it thrill your heart when you see it displayed? Gene Stallings tells of an incident when he was defensive backfield coach of the Dallas Cowboys. Two All-Pro players, Charlie Waters and Cliff Harris, were sitting in front of their lockers after playing a tough game against the Washington Redskins. They were still in their uniforms, and their heads were bowed in exhaustion. Waters said to Harris, “By the way, Cliff, what was the final score?” As these men show, excellence isn’t determined by comparing our score to someone else’s. Excellence comes from giving one’s best, no matter the score.1

[Tweet “Excellence is doing things well. It is doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.”]

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The Hypocrisy of Prejudice; The Man with the Gold Ring: James 2:2-4

The Epistle of James

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The Bridge Commentary consists of four sections: Definitions, Background, Questions, and Comments.  The Definitions section explains all significant Greek words found in all the verses of this passage. The Background section contains material which will help to frame the passage in its 1st-century setting. The Questions section includes queries you may want to ask of the text. Finally, the Comments section contains observations of the verses sorted in word or phrase order.

The entire second chapter of James addresses two areas: the hypocrisy of partiality or prejudice (James 2:1-13) and the life-altering alliance between faith and works  (James 2:14-26). In the first area, using a real-life incident between a rich and poor man, James disassembles the sin of prejudice, as it existed among the congregation.

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Why We Should Listen to the Word of God in the Person of Jesus

The Book of Hebrews

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You Can Know God's Will if You Listen to Jesus.

It is almost impossible to talk and listen at the same time. If we do most of the talking, we cannot hear God speaking to us. In When I Relax I Feel Guilty, author Tim Hansel notes: An American Indian was in downtown New York, walking with his friend who lived in New York City. Suddenly he said, “I hear a cricket.” “Oh, you’re crazy,” his friend replied. “No, I hear a cricket. I do! I’m sure of it.” “It’s the noon hour. There are people bustling around, cars honking, taxis squealing, noises from the city. I’m sure you can’t hear it.” “I’m sure I do.” He listened attentively and then walked to the corner, across the street, and looked all around. Finally, on the corner, he found a shrub in a large cement planter. He dug beneath the leaves and found a cricket. His friend was astounded. But the Cherokee said, “No. My ears are no different from yours. It simply depends on what you are listening to. Here, let me show you.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of change.… And he dropped it on the concrete. Every head within a block turned. “You see what I mean?” he said as he began picking up his coins. “It all depends on what you are listening for.” In a church filled with a variety of sounds, the truth rings clear when we close our mouths and train our ears to listen for God’s Word.1

For more on the Book of Hebrews please see the following post: How to Unravel the Puzzle Which Is God’s Will

[Tweet “You have to look into God’s Word with precision and effort. Lazy people get very little from God.”]

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How to Unravel the Puzzle Which Is God’s Will

The Book of Hebrews

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Finding God's WIll Can Be at Times Like Working a Puzzle.

Have you ever heard of the open window method in seeking God’s will? You put your Bible by a window and the pages blow and you put your finger on a verse. One man did that and pointed to the verse, “Judas went and hanged himself.” Not a very good life verse, and he did it again. This time he put his finger on the verse that said, “Go and do thou likewise.” The third verse he found said, “Whatsoever thou doest, do quickly.” 1 As you can tell from this illustration, this is not a very good method to ascertain God’s will. Here are some Bible thoughts along this line to help you in your journey.

[Tweet “Jesus style Spirit life is a big puzzle of which there are many pieces.”]

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Why the Calling of God on Your Life Takes Time

The Epistle to the Galatians

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God has a calling on your life.

I came across this amusing story which as a nice application in the area of our calling in God.

The commanding officer was furious when nine GIs who had been out on passes failed to show up for morning roll call. Not until 7 p.m. did the first man straggle in. “I’m sorry, sir,” the soldier explained, “but I had a date and lost track of time, and I missed the bus back. Being determined to get in on time, I hired a cab. Halfway there, the cab broke down. I went to a farmhouse and persuaded the farmer to sell me a horse. I was riding to camp when the animal fell over dead. I walked the last ten miles, and just got here.” Though skeptical, the colonel let the young man off with a reprimand. However, after him, seven other stragglers in a row came in with the same story—had a date, missed the bus, hired a cab, bought a horse, etc. By the time the ninth man reported in, the colonel had grown weary of it. “Okay,” he growled, “now what happened to you?” “Sir, I had this date and missed the bus back, so I hired a cab .” “Wait!” the colonel screeched at him. “don’t tell me the cab broke down.” “No, sir,” replied the soldier. “The cab didn’t break down. It was just that there were so many dead horses in the road, we had trouble getting through.” 1

The point is that sometimes there are obstacles that you have to traverse, bumps in the road that you have to climb on and over in order to realize your calling from God. Overcoming these bumps take time and in God, you just have to learn to respect the process.

For more on the book of Galatians see the following posts: Do You Look Like the Galatians?

Upcoming Series for the Light on Life Podcast: Gospel Truths on Healing

[Tweet “Paul was busy in ministry teaching and building the church before he got over into his calling.”]

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Why Your Miracle Testimony Gives Glory to God

The Epistle to the Galatians

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Your Miracle Testimony Is Important

A rather pompous-looking deacon was endeavoring to impress upon a class of boys the importance of living the Christian life. “Why do people call me a Christian?” the man asked. After a moment’s pause, one youngster said, “Maybe it’s because they don’t know you.”1 This is not the way to live. Our miracle testimony should give glory to the God who saved us. It should be evident.

For more on the book of Galatians see the following posts:

Do You Look Like the Galatians?

Why Bumbling Believers Are Yet Part of the Family of God

Why Things Never Go Right for Some

Why You’re Bored in Church and How to Overcome It

The Truth About the Enormous Problem of Itching Ears

Beware of Abandoning Jesus and Know How to Spot the Signs

[Tweet “Comparing one person’s sins to another is futile. We were all lost in whatever way we took.”]

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More on Revelation and Building the Kingdom of God

The First Epistle to the Corinthians

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You must revelation from God's Spirit to be a wise master builder.

There is nothing like nature to unfold truth about God. Nature is constantly shouting to us about the wisdom and the power of God. It gives a sense of awe and mystery to life. Even atheists cannot fully escape this. God’s revelation in nature is like an orchestra performing a concert. Some people who come to listen hear only the instruments as they express the melody and harmony of the music. But others who come are familiar with the composer and know the words that go with the music. These hear more than the music. In much the same way, only those who have a personal relationship with the Creator through Jesus Christ can really see in all of creation the fullness of what God intended to communicate through it.1 Seeing is part of knowing and knowing is part of building. Those who are God lover’s possess a deep desire to build His Kingdom. How do we do that exactly? Growing the Kingdom starts with growing you.

[Tweet “Anything built on the foundation of God has revelation from His Spirit as an essential element.”]

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Why Living Revelation from the Spirit of God Is Important To Your Life

The Gospel of Matthew

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Revelation of who God is starts by allowing Jesus in.

God in nature has revealed Himself, as it were, inarticulately and indistinctly; but, in His Son, He has revealed Himself as a man declares his inmost thoughts, by distinct and intelligible speech. Jesus is to the Father what speech is to us; He is the unfolding of the Father’s thoughts, the revelation of the Father’s heart.1 So says, Spurgeon. Along with this line, Jesus asked his disciples a compelling question. The answer required revelation from God. Do you know the answer to this question?

[Tweet “All revelation starts with the correct answer to this Jesus question, ‘Who do men say that I am?'”]

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Perfect Church? Why There Is No Such Thing

The Epistle to the Galatians

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Is this the perfect church?

Nice picture of a church in Cavtat, Croatia, don’t you think? But, does a nice location make for a perfect church? In last week’s blog, we took a look at a few of the problems which Paul dealt with in the churches he had influence in. We were able to see how Paul didn’t cast people aside who were imperfect in their walk with Christ. In Today’s post, we follow up on this thought about imperfections by looking at the subject ‘Why There Is No Such Thing as a Perfect Church.’

[Tweet “There will never be a perfect church on planet earth, that is until Jesus comes back.”]