Lesson 13 – II Thessalonians 2:6–12 In the previous verses the author had spoken of the nature of the man of sin who will come before our Lord returns. The question may well rise in the minds of the readers: Why is his coming delayed until the time just before the return of Christ? Paul […]

To review briefly, James means by that pregnant phrase “the perfect law of liberty” the law of the Spirit and of life as opposed to the law of sin and death. The law of the Spirit and of life is the law, the only law, that grants liberty. To the extent that this kind of […]

Most of life’s conflicts have an outer front and an inner front. The outer front is the storm that people can see, the circumstances that rattle us. The inner front is the hidden storm, the violent movements of the soul. Jonah certainly faced an external conflict. At his own request the sailors, whom he first […]

Lesson 11 II Thessalonians 1:6–12 In the previous verses of this chapter the Apostle had spoken of the great progress these Thessalonians had made in the Christian life and how grateful he is that this work of God has proceeded so beautifully. These words were also an introduction to the main theme with which he […]

Lesson 9 I Thessalonians 5:16–28 The Apostle is coming to the close of this first epistle to the Thessalonian church but he still has many things to say to them. When we consider the volume of work accomplished by this man, we often wonder how he found the time to write to so many churches […]

Lesson 7 I Thessalonians 5:1–11 Awaiting the Lord’s Return The last event in the history of the redemption of God’s people is the second coming of Christ. The question naturally arises, when will He come again? This question has been asked throughout the ages. Are we not to look forward to His coming? Can this […]

Lesson 5 I Thessalonians 4:1–12 In all of the Pauline epistles there is a doctrinal section and a section dealing with the practical life of those whom he is addressing. Usually the doctrinal section comes first according to the rule: the practical life is based on the doctrines which are confessed. In this epistle he […]

Lesson4 I Thessalonians 3 Personal Letters One of the most fascinating things about the Epistles of Paul is the fact that they are indeed letters sent to a specific people, dealing with a specific purpose and written at a specific time. They are not, as has often been charged, dry treatises on doctrinal matters, but […]

Henry Vander Kam, pastor of the CR Church at Doon, Iowa, begins a series of studies on the letters to the Thessalonians, letters which focus attention especially on the Return of Christ. Lesson 1 – I Thessalonians 1 On his second missionary journey the Apostle Paul had also come to the city of Thessalonica. This […]

Good story-writing allows readers to see what the author didn’t fully describe because he has helped them imagine. In narrative writing the writer says what he sees and gets on with the story.1 God is the ultimate story teller. “Not only are there narratives in the Bible,” but also “the Bible itself is overall best […]