Advertise on podcast: The Blessed Hope Podcast -- with Dr. Kim Riddlebarger

Episode Synopsis: Gentiles had a difficult time understanding why Jews would circumcise their male children. There was no Gentile heritage or memory of Abraham.  Further complicating the situation was the fact that, among Jews in Rome—as with Jews across the Greco-Roman world—circumcision was understood to be a meritorious act.  Those who were circumcised were numbered among the people of God, and those who were not were not.  Imagine the difficulty of converting from Gentile paganism to Judaism and then having to undergo a very painful surgery in a very delicate place.  Proselytes not only needed to embrace monotheism, embrace Jewish feasts and ceremonial washings, follow the dietary laws, and obey the Decalogue (the Ten Commandments), but also undergo circumcision as adults. But just as Paul challenged the Galatian Judaizers—the covenant God made with Moses at Mount Sinai was not to be confused with the gracious covenant God made with Abraham—so too the true meaning of circumcision was not found in the cutting of flesh.  The cutting of flesh was an outward sign of the cutting of the heart—a way to speak of faith in Jesus Christ.  In Romans 2:17–29, Paul is not only correcting the Jewish misunderstanding of circumcision—a serious error in its own right—but also letting Jewish Christians know that uncircumcised Gentiles could be numbered among the people of God and become true children of Abraham without undergoing circumcision. Paul’s discussion of circumcision (verses 25–29) flows out of his efforts to take the Jews to task for their hypocrisy in verses 17–24.  The Jews demand certain behavior of others—stop stealing, stop committing adultery, stop robbing temples.  But many Jews were doing the same things themselves.  The Jews are supposed to instruct those who live in ignorance and walk in darkness—the Gentiles.  They were to show them that truth is found in the law of Moses, the very embodiment of God’s will.  But instead of leading and teaching the blind and foolish Gentiles, the Jews commit the very same sins themselves.  Imagine the blatant hypocrisy of insisting upon something permanent like circumcision, all the while committing the same sins that you insist the person about to submit to the procedure is supposed to stop doing. This leads to one of the most tragic lines in the whole of the New Testament (verse 24): “For, as it is written, `The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.’” For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here:  https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/

Episode Synopsis: Paul’s words in Romans 2:13 come as quite a shock to the Christian ear of those who have grown up with a theology that God is all-loving, but not holy in the sense described by Paul:  “For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.”  These words are enough to send shivers down the spine of any conscientious Christian willing to examine themselves in light of the demands of God’s law.  How can God be so strict?  How can such a God be loving?  How is that fair?  If God requires perfection, this would mean that everyone is bound for eternal punishment.  Yes, it does.  But that is only half the story. Reformed Christians affirm that Adam—as the biological and federal head of the human race—was created in a covenant of works.  Therefore, Adam lived in Eden under a time of divine probation.  He must keep YHWH’s commands perfectly on behalf of all humanity.  If he does, God will confirm him in righteousness and glorify human nature.  But should he disobey, he will plunge the entire human race into sin, guilt, and death.  The covenant of works remains in force, as indicated by Paul in Romans 2:6, which is repeated in 2:13.  Paul’s words have generated much controversy, which we will discuss, not because Paul isn’t clear, but because he is—crystal clear.  His words challenge many people’s assumptions about how a loving God can demand such perfection from sinners.  Yes, God is supremely loving. But he is also holy. Romans 2:12–16 is part of that section of chapter two in which Paul continues to expose Jewish hypocrisy for criticizing Gentile behavior, all the while doing the same things the Gentiles were doing.  Paul now explains why the Gentiles (who did not have the law) are as guilty as the Jews who had the law given through Moses at Mount Sinai.  It is because God’s law is written upon the human heart by virtue of the fact that all people are created in God’s image.  This is the basis for natural law—God’s revelation in the natural order (the civil kingdom and the ordering of society)—and is revealed through reason, the conscience, and human emotions. So, there is much here in this part of Romans well worth our consideration.  And just so I don’t leave you hanging, the second part of the story answers all the objections just mentioned.  In the gospel, through the merits of Jesus Christ—the law keeper—God freely gives what he demands of us under the law.  There’s no more loving act imaginable.  And we’ll get there, Lord willing, when we get to Romans 3:21 and following.  But for now, only doers of the law can be justified. The bad news comes before the good news. For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here:  https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/

Episode Synopsis: The church in Rome was predominately Gentile–made up of recent converts from Greco-Roman paganism to Christianity.  Such Gentiles knew little if anything about the Old Testament, nor its central figures, Abraham, Moses, and David.  They knew that Jewish Christians cared about dietary restrictions, as well as circumcision–a surgical procedure which seemed bizarre to former Gentile pagans.  They knew the Jews revered the law of Moses–which they claimed to be the very commandments from God.  Gentiles ate things Jews did not.  They touched things Jews regarded as unclean.  As new Christians, Gentiles were learning about the evils of idolatry and the importance of rejecting the libertine sexual ethics and practices of Roman life in favor of a biblical sexuality.  But they were also learning about Moses, Abraham, the law, and the covenants God made with Abraham and Moses.   Paul has been clear in the opening chapter of his letter to Rome.  “You Gentiles may not have known who Moses was, nor why the commandments God gave to Israel through him at Mount Sinai were so important, but you do know what is right and what is wrong because God has made it plain to you through the created order, which, until coming to faith in Jesus, you tried to suppress in unrighteousness.  You may claim ignorance, but you knew deep down inside that the things you were doing lead to death."   But Paul is not finished.  Even as he exposes Gentile godlessness and the futility of exchanging the truth of God for pagan nonsense, you can almost hear the Jewish Christians in Rome cheering Paul on.  Eyewitnesses of bad Gentile behavior and victims of Gentile oppression, Jewish converts, of course, were thrilled to hear Paul “give it to them good.”  “About time someone called out the Gentiles for their sinful and immoral practices.” But as the second chapter of Romans unfolds, Paul shifts gears and raises the uncomfortable reality of Jewish hypocrisy.  “OK, you Jews who criticize the Gentiles, do you do the same things they do?”  “How can you judge the Gentiles when you are no better.”  The truth is, God is going to judge all people according to their works–Jew and Gentile.  The blessing/curse principle will apply to all humanity.  Those who do good will receive God’s blessing, while those who do not keep God’s commands will face him on the day of judgment.  Yes, Paul has good news to proclaim, but there can be no good news until we realize that we are sinful, law-breakers, and deserving of God’s wrath whether we be Jew or Gentile. For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here:  https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/

Episode Synopsis: What happens to those who know right from wrong but choose to follow their own path even though their conscience and the Word of God warn them not to go that way?  No, lightning does not strike them, nor does the ground open up beneath their feet and swallow them whole. They don’t keel over dead.  According to Paul, what does happen to those who willingly exchange the truth of God for a lie and who willfully suppress the truth in unrighteousness is far more consequential than it seems at first glance.  In exposing Gentile sinfulness, Paul warns of how God gives such people over to the consequences of their sin.  If this is the path they persist in taking, well then, God will let them follow it to the end—an end, Paul says, that is deserving of death. While it is common for Christians to emphasize those sexual sins that figure prominently in Paul’s vice list in Romans 1:18–32 (and indeed they do), the sins mentioned here by Paul are universal to all of Adam’s fallen race and include things we might consider “little” or insignificant sins—envy, gossip, and disobedience to parents.  The point of this list is to show the Gentile Christians in Rome that despite the fact that they know neither Moses nor the law of God, their sins are self-evident and condemn the entire human race.  No one will be able to stand before God on Judgment Day and claim, “But I did nothing wrong.”  And “if I did something wrong,” it is certainly not worthy of eternal condemnation.  But since God is holy and cannot look upon sin, Paul’s vice list makes clear the sobering fact that all of us are sinners who have sinned against God and whose hearts are filled with sin and darkness. Those who don’t think this is fair are those who compare themselves to their neighbor, some of whom are better than they are, while some are worse.  But God does not measure us by our neighbor; he measures us by his perfect holiness, which he demands of all his creatures. The dreaded phrase “God gave them over” reminds us that we cannot stand before God on the Day of Judgment and plead ignorance or claim that our sins really are not that big a deal, deserving of such severe punishment.  “I didn’t kill anyone.”  Maybe not with my hands, but I’ve done it countless times in my heart, and so have you.  Although the phrase “God gave them over” has an eerie finality about it, we also ought to consider that the process of letting sinners feel the weight and consequences of their sins just might be the means by which God is preparing people to come to faith and repentance.  The conviction of sin is a work of the Holy Spirit.  The conviction of sin is actually a good thing—because we realize that we need to be delivered from the guilt and power of sin. Much better to feel the conviction of sin than to be allowed to continue uninterrupted on our chosen path to destruction. For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here:  https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/

Episode Synopsis: I have good news and bad news.  Which do you want first?  I gave you a hint about the good news in the previous episode, in which we took a look at the thesis statement of Romans—Romans 1:16–17.  The next time you'll hear good news from Paul—and it is really good news—is when we get to Romans 3:21, which is still a number of episodes down the road. As will become clear, the good news of the gospel must be seen against the backdrop of human sin and guilt before the holy God.  Since the vast majority of our contemporaries think that people are basically good and have the ability, if not the desire, to find favor with God, it is important to notice that Paul sees things much differently. Which is why the bad news is really bad, and why the good news makes no sense apart from the bad.  The entire human race is estranged from God by nature and by choice.  When Paul is finished with his indictment of the human race—both Jew and Gentile—there is no one left standing.  The wrath of God is being revealed against all those who suppress the truth about God in unrighteousness.  Because unbelievers inevitably engage in this act of suppressing the truth about God, he gives them over to their lusts and passions so that things run their course and leave such people without excuse.  Because all people know that there is a God, but refuse to worship and serve him, they demonstrate that their thinking is futile and their hearts are hardened.  And they dare not stand before him on judgment day and make appeal to their goodness, character, good works, or ignorance of the truth. Paul is clear that the Psalmist is absolutely right to affirm, “The fool has said in their heart, `There is no God.’”  As those made in the image of God, he has made us to be creatures well fitted for the world which he also created.  We are designed for this world and all of its beauties, joys, and pleasures.  This is what makes the suppression of the truth about him so foolish.  God has revealed himself to all people—that he is, that he is holy, and that we owe him our every breath.  So, when our race fell in Adam, we became a race of rebels who worship and serve created things rather than the Creator.  And as Paul is about to explain, the wrath of God is being revealed—not against the innocent who don't know better, but against a race of rebels who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.  We live as though none of this were true, or we create a god who blesses our rebellion.  But there is a tsunami on the horizon, and it is heading our way. For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here:  https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/

Episode Synopsis: Paul is eager to come to Rome to preach the gospel.  These words have long been familiar to Christians, and we understand Paul’s sentiment.  Yet, in Paul’s day, preaching the gospel was an absolutely scandalous message.  The gospel is centered on the cross of Jesus Christ.  For us, a cross is a well-known Christian symbol.  But for those in Paul’s day, the cross was a sign of shame and denigration.  It was something people abhorred and would not speak about.  The noted Roman statesman and orator Cicero spoke of the cross as so horrible that Roman citizens should never be subject to such a thing, and should never even entertain the thought of such a horrible manner of death, much less speak of it.  So why would Paul be eager to preach such a message if it was likely to repulse and offend people, rather than draw or attract them? Paul knows that this gospel—centered in the cross of Jesus Christ—is the power of God for the salvation of all who believe.  God uses this scandalous message to call his people unto himself, create faith, and grant them eternal life.  As Paul tells the Romans, the gospel was first preached to Jews in the types and shadows of the Old Testament, and then through recounting the events associated with the messianic mission of Jesus Christ, which culminated in his suffering and death upon a Roman cross.  When the crucified Jesus was raised from the dead three days after his crucifixion, God demonstrated his power—which is of a different kind and far greater than all the military might of Rome.  Jesus is truly Lord—not Caesar nor any of the Roman gods.  So, when Paul says he desires to come to Rome to preach this message, he is trusting the power of God to do what is impossible for sinful humans: to be given new life, the forgiveness of sins, and to be counted as righteous before God. Paul is also eager to preach the gospel because in it the righteousness of God is revealed.  Sinful men and women can be reckoned or credited as righteous by trusting in the crucified and risen Savior proclaimed by Paul.  No amount of sorrow or tears, no enlightened teacher or guru, and no amount of good works can grant this righteous status to sinful people.  The only proper response to Paul’s gospel is the empty hands of faith—the reception of this free gift of a perfect and faultless righteousness that is found in the gospel.  This is why Paul is eager to come to Rome and preach this scandalous message. For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here:  https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/

Episode Synopsis: The next time you pass a Roman Catholic hospital, school, or church named for Catholic “saints,” you ought to remind yourself that you, too, are a “saint.”  Only your sainthood is something far greater than an honor bestowed upon you by the Roman church because of your notable piety or service.  You are a saint because you are clothed in the faultless righteousness of Jesus Christ, have been called to faith through the gospel, and have been set apart by God for his purposes.  Your saintliness is grounded in nothing that you did or accomplished. Rather, the righteousness that reckons you a “saint” was earned for you—through the obedience of Jesus, his death upon the cross, and his triumphant resurrection from the dead. Like those in Rome receiving Paul’s letter, you too will hear from Paul that you are called to belong to Jesus and are now a saint.  If you are a Gentile believer in Jesus, you are, in part, one of the multitude mentioned in Isaiah 49 who has seen the light for the nations—the salvation promised to reach the ends of the earth, granted to you by the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel.  Like those in Rome—members of a Christian church in the capital of a pagan empire—you too are serving the God of Israel, who is supremely revealed in Jesus Christ, in whatever locale you may currently find yourself.  You are a “saint” living in the midst of pagan darkness—now seeing the world around you through the lens of God’s word, as one called and set apart by God for God, who is your only source of true light and true life. And since you are in Christ, you are both reckoned a “saint” and are also now to strive to live as the saint that you are.  Once called to faith, Paul explains, you will acknowledge who you are in Christ (holy) and then strive to put to death the old self (who you were in Adam). You begin to live as what you are—a saint—now alive in Christ.  And to those who are now such “saints”—justified by grace through faith and set apart for God’s purposes—Paul extends to you God’s shalom: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here:  https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/

Episode Synopsis: In the opening words of the Book of Romans, Paul introduces himself to a church he has never visited and to a group of fellow believers, most of whom he has never met in person.  Therefore, it is important for Paul to explain his apostolic office as well his role in undertaking the Gentile mission.  Paul is making travel plans which include a future visit to the city of Rome.  Since the church in Rome was predominantly Gentile (with a Jewish Minority), it is important that both groups understand that all of Paul’s missionary efforts are grounded in the preaching of the Gospel of God–the death and resurrection of Jesus on behalf of sinners. To the Jewish Christians in Rome, Paul must explain that the gospel he preaches was revealed to him by Jesus Christ who was himself a descendant of David (Israel’s greatest king), while at the same time the eternal Son of God who ushers in a new age in redemptive history.  This gospel is not a message invented by Paul–a charge he’s heard previously from opponents in Galatia and Corinth.  The gospel which he is about to proclaim in the balance of the letter to follow, is the same message proclaimed throughout the Old Testament–though hidden in types and shadows, and a mystery which Paul is about to explain.  Furthermore, the gospel is true because its central figure (Jesus) has not only the proper Davidic genealogy, but he was raised bodily from the dead in power in accordance with the work of the Holy Spirit.  By virtue of his resurrection, Jesus is the Lord–an important bit of information to those living in Rome during the days of Caesar Nero, who thinks of himself as a sort of demi-God.  Nero is not Lord, Jesus is. Since Rome is such an important place–the capital of a huge pagan empire–Paul will make the point that this gospel “promised before hand,” is a gospel for all the nations, as foretold by Israel’s prophets.  This gospel summons all those called to belong to Jesus to the obedience of faith.  Is faith an act of obedience in our part.  Is it a work?  Is it the one thing which we must do to be saved?  Is there any merit in faith–something God sees and rewards.  And what is so-called, “evangelical obedience?”  For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here:  https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/

Episode Synopsis: When Paul writes his letter to the church in Rome, he is still in Corinth, having made a difficult visit there to deal with the ongoing problems in the Corinthian church, which we addressed in Season Four (when we covered 2 Corinthians).  But things have improved in Corinth to the point that Paul is making plans to continue his Gentile mission.  Before that can happen, Paul must make the journey to Jerusalem to deliver the offering collected from the churches in Greece.  Having done that, Paul hopes to go on to Spain (at the opposite end of the Mediterranean Sea).  The midpoint between Jerusalem and Spain is the Italian peninsula and the city of Rome.  So Paul writes a letter of introduction to the church there, a letter which we now know as Paul’s Epistle to the Romans.  Paul is unquestionably the author of Romans.  His epistle was sent by messenger – a woman named Phoebe – from Corinth to Rome early in 57 CE.  In this letter, the apostle addresses a number of matters which we will discuss in great detail in future episodes.  But if we are to boil down the contents of Romans to a single word, that word would be “gospel.”  Paul does not say much about the church to which he is writing–he’s never been there.  But we do know from the contents of this letter that like other churches of the Gentile mission, the Roman church was predominantly Gentile, though a number of Jews in Rome had come to faith in Jesus Christ.  And so Paul must explain how these two groups fit in God’s larger plan and how they are to get along with each other despite their cultural and religious differences.  Paul does this by stressing that both Jews and Gentiles are reckoned righteous, reconciled to the same God through the work of the same Savior in the power of the Holy Spirit, and this through the preaching of the one gospel.  Many Christians are familiar with the Book of Romans, but are likely far less familiar with the city, the situation there, and the recipients of this letter.  What was Rome like in the days of Paul?  What was it like to be an inhabitant of the city?  How did you live, and under what circumstances?  Where did you eat or work?  What was it like to live under the reign of Nero?  Life was brutal and cruel for many of the city’s inhabitants, but luxurious by first-century standards for others.  Why were the Jews expelled twice from the city?  And how did the gospel first arrive in the capital of this powerful pagan empire?  It is an interesting story and I’ll do my best to tell it. For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here:  https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/

Episode Synopsis: Season Five of the Blessed Hope Podcast is underway.  I know that for many of you, the Book of Romans is your favorite letter in all the New Testament.  When we wrapped up our time in 2 Corinthians a couple of months ago, the clock started on launching Season Five.  I love Romans, I’ve preached through it twice using the lectio continua style of exposition, and I have lectured on parts of Romans on a number of other occasions.  So I am very excited about season five, and I’ve worked very hard to get this verse by verse deep dive Bible study ready to go. There can be little doubt that Paul’s letter to the church in Rome is one of the most important letters ever written.  As we will discuss in this episode, the Epistle to the Romans has had a tremendous impact upon the course and history of Western Civilization, as well as a huge impact upon the people of God ever since it was written.  For reasons we will address momentarily, the Book of Romans has a clarity and power about it which brings Reformation and renewal to Christ’s church whenever it is proclaimed from the pulpit and studied by the people of God.  We open Season Five with two episodes devoted to the importance and historical background of the epistle.  In this first episode we’ll take a look at the ways in which this letter has impacted the world in which we live, and we’ll consider some of the key figures in church history and their testimonies about the influence which Romans has had upon them and their ministries.  The influence of Paul’s letter to the church in Rome is truly remarkable. That done, we’ll briefly look at some of the main themes of the letter.  What ground does Paul seek to cover in this letter to a church in the very capital of a pagan empire?  Why did the renewed interest in Romans some 500 years ago generate many of the controversies which led to the Protestant Reformation and the split from the Roman Catholic church?  Why does Romans still generate controversies, such as those associated with the New Perspective on Paul?  What about those doctrines long associated with confessional Reformed theology?  Can we find them in Romans?  So, in addition to the themes laid out by Paul in this letter, I’ll identify some of the main controversies we will address when we get into the meat of the letter.  I’ll also explain my operating assumptions as we open a new season–why am I approaching this letter from an exegetical, theological, historical, and confessional perspective? For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here:  https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/

Episode Synopsis: Paul has written a long letter dealing with on-going controversies in Corinth–his fourth letter to this congregation.  We know this letter as 2 Corinthians.  Among other things, Paul’s first Corinthian letter dealt with factions, lawsuits, idolatry, gifts of the Spirit, proper worship, and the nature of our Lord’s bodily resurrection in anticipation of our own.  After Paul made a difficult visit to Corinth and sent the so-called painful letter to the Corinthians, word came to him in Ephesus that existing troubles continued and new ones had erupted. Paul will need to go back to Corinth to deal with these matters, so he began making his way through Macedonia (where he encountered a number of unspecified trials) and began composing 2 Corinthians on his way to Corinth.  One pressing matter is that an individual did great harm to Paul’s reputation and to the church, and while the Corinthians dealt with him, substantial damage was done among church members.  Another even more pressing matter was that false teachers and boastful braggarts were doing their best to undermine Paul’s apostolic authority in the church.  Paul addresses these matters head-on and prescribes a series of actions the Corinthians need to take. While in Macedonia, Paul learned that the Corinthians had not followed through on their promise to collect an offering for the suffering saints in Jerusalem who were living through the effects of a severe famine in Palestine.  Paul hoped that this offering would do two things.  One is to provide badly needed relief to those suffering in the region.  A second is that a generous offering from Gentile churches to the Jewish church in Jerusalem would do much to end any hostilities between Christian Jews and Gentile converts.  The Macedonian churches were poor, but they gave above and beyond what they could to contribute to these offerings.  But Paul has learned that the Corinthians, who were wealthy, had been working on this for a year, but still, their offering was not ready.  So Paul challenges the Corinthians to make good on their promise. About the time Paul and his companions were getting ready to make their way south from Macedonia to Corinth, Paul got news from Titus that a group of false teachers–whom Paul describes as false teachers and false apostles, and agents of Satan himself–were teaching a false gospel, a false Jesus, and a false Holy Spirit.  Paul responds with a fair bit of righteous anger by adding four additional chapters to his letter–chapters 10-13 of 2 Corinthians.  Paul has had enough of the Corinthian apathy toward the Christian life and doctrine, especially among those who continue in sexual sin and idolatrous practices, and who have been won over by these men who are doing everything in the power to undermine Paul and who seek to replace him. This prompted Paul’s “Fool’s Speech” (2 Corinthians 11:21b-12:14)–a masterpiece of apostolic rhetoric.  In the closing verses of this letter–our text for this episode–Paul informs them he is coming to Corinth for the third time.  He does so in a manner which has the tone of an exasperated mother telling her disobedient children, “wait till your father gets home.”  Well, Paul is an exasperated father returning to a church he founded, and ready to settle things once and for all.  He hopes for the best, but is fully prepared to deal with an apathetic church which has tolerated agents of Satan for far too long in their midst.  The Corinthians have been warned.  “Your apostle is coming home.”  Time to put a stop to their bad behavior! For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here:  https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/

Lord willing, Season Five of the Blessed Hope Podcast will launch later this spring.   I am hard at work preparing new episodes.  In this brief introductory podcast episode, I hope to whet your whistle as I speak to the importance of this epistle, reveal some of the issues I will be addressing in the upcoming season, and give future listeners a homework assignment. I am really looking forward to getting underway and I hope you are too. For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here:  https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/

Episode Synopsis: Paul’s “Fool’s Speech” is a masterpiece in ancient rhetoric.  Under constant criticism from false teachers and apostles who thought of themselves wiser and superior to Paul, the apostle responds to their accusations by taking on the role of a fool.  These men are braggarts who regard Paul as weak and ineffective.  They see themselves as vastly superior to the apostle.   Rather than respond in kind, Paul offers a bit of bragging of his own.  But instead of boasting about his own accomplishments (which are far greater than anything the false teachers claim)–he will play the fool and exalt in his weaknesses.  This is how he has been portrayed by those seeking to undermine his role in the Corinthian church.  Okay, so he will take on the role they’ve assigned to him.  Paul will boast, but not in his strength.  Instead, He will boast in  his weakness.  In doing so he will expose the false apostles for what they are–men who think the gospel is about power, success, and overcoming all the difficulties of life.  And in playing the fool, Paul will also remind the Corinthians of their own foolishness in listening to such men with their false gospel, false Jesus, and false Holy Spirit. In this remarkable speech Paul gives us a list of the incredible suffering which he has endured for the cause of Christ and the sake of the gospel.  He has faced all sorts of physical danger–from near drowning, to being stoned and beaten nearly to the point of death.  He’s been reviled by both Jews and Gentiles.  He has taken great risks in his 10,000 miles of travel and suffered all sorts of physical deprivation and danger as a result.  He’s borne the weight of worrying about the new churches–the fruit of his Gentile mission.  He’s spent many a sleepless night.  And all the while the false teachers seek a life of ease and luxury while exploiting the Corinthian’s foolishness in giving them free reign in the congregation.  In playing the fool, Paul exposes the false teachers for who and what they are, as well as rebuke the Corinthians for being foolish enough to listen to them. We also find several important biographical gems in Paul’s speech.  The first is a catalogue of Paul’s trials and tribulations just mentioned.  But we also find Paul’s account of his vision of the third heaven–that which he sees cannot be put into words.  Paul is prevented from attempting to do so.  What he saw he cannot reveal.  But since such a vision carries with it the possibility of fostering pride, Paul was given an unidentified “thorn in the flesh” to remind him of his weakness, where his real power is to be found.  Paul repeatedly asked for this thorn to be taken away, and each time, the Lord’s answer was “no,” my grace is sufficient for you.  We learn much here about which otherwise we would not know.  And we are reminded yet again that weakness is Paul’s secret weapon. For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here:  https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/

Episode Synopsis: After completing the first 9 chapters of the letter we know as 2 Corinthians, and even as he was preparing to leave Macedonia and head south to Corinth, Paul received word from Corinth that a group of men whom he describes as false teachers and false apostles were wreaking havoc in the church.  Not good news, and certainly a cause for immediate action.  In Paul’s estimation, these men were the agents of Satan who deceitfully disguises himself as an angel of light.  As his agents, these men were able to do their master’s bidding, disguising themselves as servants of righteousness, taking credit for the work done by Paul, and all the while undermining his efforts and seeking to divide Paul from the church he had founded through the proclamation of the apostolic gospel of Christ crucified. Although criticizing Paul’s speaking abilities and less than imposing presence, their real crime was introducing a false gospel, another Jesus, and another Holy Spirit–a heretical departure from what Paul had proclaimed.  The true gospel (which had been revealed to Paul by the Lord himself), the true Jesus (who had appeared to Paul and commissioned him to his apostolic office as the apostle to the Gentiles), and the true Holy Spirit (who gave life to Paul’s preaching of Christ and him crucified) were replaced by counterfeits.  The goal of the false teachers was to undermine Paul’s office and authority so that they would have a free hand to teach their distorted gospel, false Jesus, and false Holy Spirit while displacing Paul’s role in Corinth.  These men and their names, as well as the specifics of their false gospel have been lost to history, but Paul’s warnings to the Corinthians and rebuke of these false teachers stands across time. Satan never seems to weary of distorting the gospel and creating false doctrine just as he did in Corinth.  He was a liar from the beginning and remains so to this day.  In warning the Corinthians of his efforts, Paul is warning us.  By identifying a false gospel, a false Jesus, and a false Holy Spirit, Paul is warning Christians of the methods used by Satan and his minions to disguise his intentions and his agents.  No doubt these men were refined orators, addressed the issues of life in a way which appealed to Greco-Roman pagans, and they had been welcomed in the congregation.  But Paul exposes their master, their false teaching, and their methods.  How could the Corinthians allow themselves to be taken in by such men? For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here:  https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/

Episode Synopsis: Paul is in Macedonia preparing to head south to Corinth.  So far, he has written to the Corinthians about his office and authority and he has encouraged them to wrap up their efforts to collect an offering to be sent to the struggling church in Jerusalem.  The Corinthians have been a difficult bunch for Paul, but when he wraps up the letter we know as in 2 Corinthians in chapter 9 he is both joyful and confident that the Corinthians understand his office and role in the apostolic churches. But then Paul gets news which can only be described as infuriating.  A number of men–apparently Jews claiming to have the blessing of the Jerusalem church, yet who use Greek rhetorical gimmicks, and who brag about visions, revelations, and who claim to have performed miracles–have infiltrated the Corinthian church in his absence.  Paul is understandably upset and the apostolic gloves come off.  He describes these men as false teachers and apostles who preach a different gospel, a different Jesus, and a different Holy Spirit than he has taught the Corinthians.  He even identifies them as agents of Satan.  How can the Corinthians be so foolish and gullible?  We can only imagine Paul’s frustration with these people.  R. C. Sproul’s words come to mind here–”what is wrong with you people?!” So before Paul returns to Corinth, he adds chapters 10-13 to what he thought was his completed letter.  He will send Titus and the others south, while he wraps up his remaining business in Macedonia.  Unlike the specious charges raised against him by the false teachers and gospel peddlers, Paul will demonstrate that he is every bit as tough in person as he is in his letters–a charge which has been leveled against him by the false apostles.  He will challenge these agents of Satan and their false gospel by reminding them that divine warfare is conducted in the power of the Holy Spirit (not grounded in the flesh as these men were doing) and that Paul’s gospel can destroy all lofty opinions and take every thought captive to the knowledge and Lordship of Christ. For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here:  https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/