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Jesus commanded His disciples, "Love your enemies" as a rule by which to conduct their lives. Can it (should it) be extended to affairs of the courts or of government? I know Jesus expects us to love our enemies, it is actually a command spoken by Jesus Himself in for example Mat 5:44; Luke 6:37; 6:35. This means that we are to do good to those who hate us, who disgrace us, and who want to destroy us. It involves not only loving them but doing good to those who hate us; to speak well of them; to pray for them. This includes those in government or judicial positions. All of this is of course impossible for us to do without the help of the Holy Spirit. It is also only possible for those who give themselves fully to God. It shows that Jesus is Lord of our life.

Q4. (1 KINGS 2:13-46) Why doesn't Solomon act more quickly against David's enemies and his own? What does this indicate about Solomon? Do you think God is pleased with Solomon's dealing with enemies in these ways? In an absolute monarchy, what are the balance points between protection of the throne (the state), justice, and mercy? The way Solomon acts against both his father’s and his own enemies show the young king’s mercy and wisdom. Nothing done in haste or without due consideration. All kings have to initially establish their throne by getting rid of all threats and enemies. And it is because of his wise handling of these threats to the throne that the kingdom was firmly established in Solomon’s hands. Yes, God is pleased with the way he dealt with the enemies as it shows that Solomon would build his kingdom on justice. In the same way any evil threat to an absolute monarchy has to be eliminated. Only these acts of justice can assure the domestic peace of a kingdom.

Q3. (1 KINGS 2:2-3) David charges Solomon to observe God's commandments. Why are we tempted to break God's commandments as a means to an end, such as lying to win political points or job advancement? What does obedience have to do with prosperity? We are sinners by nature and easily fall prey to greed, wealth, and power. We might also be easily tempted since this seems to be the normal behaviour in the world today. This reminds me of Deu 5:33a, “Walk in all the way that the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper.” If we forget God’s glory and His love for us, we will have trouble obeying His commandments. He has told us that His commandments are to be upon our hearts (Deu 6:6). This reminds me of God’s instructions to Joshua before entering the land of milk and honey: “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” (Joshua 1:8). Today we think that prosperity and success come by having power and contacts. But true prosperity comes not from these world standards but from living in obedience to God’s will and His Word. God requires us to walk in His ways, to keep His commands and laws – to be strong and obey the Word of God.

Q2. (1 KINGS 1; 2 CHRONICLES 22:7) What indications do we have that Solomon has been chosen by God to build the temple? How does God protect His choice in spite of political intrigues? Why do you think Nathan the prophet is the first to move to protect Solomon? (Hint: see 2 Samuel 7:11-16) We read about the task God gave Solomon to build a permanent temple in Jerusalem in 1 Chr 22:9, and here God specifically names David’s son Solomon as the one chosen to build the temple. To protect His choice God made sure that Solomon would be made king of Israel, protecting him against the plot by Adonijah to seize the throne; giving him the necessary wisdom to rule and to accomplish his given tasks. Also, at that time there was peace in Israel. God is sovereign, He is in control, His purposes will prevail. God had instructed Nathan that Solomon would follow David as king, and to protect Solomon he gets Bathsheba to warn David about Adonijah’s plan to have himself declared king, and reminding David of the promise he had made to her that Solomon would be the one to reign. This resulted in David although very ill instructing Zadok to anoint Solomon king.

What are the main provisions of the Davidic Covenant? What does it say about the temple? About David's descendants? About discipline? About mercy? About the throne? The main provisions are that David will have a son (Solomon) who will succeed him and establish his kingdom; the throne of this kingdom will be established forever; and will not be taken away because of Solomon’s sin. Solomon and not David will be the one to build the temple. Further David’s dynasty, his throne, and his kingdom would be established forever, and his own descendants would sit on the throne. About the temple - God had told David that he was not to build the temple since he was a warrior and his job was to unify and lead Israel and destroy the enemy. He would use Solomon instead who was a man of peace and rest (1 Chr 22:8-9). About David’s descendants - we know that it is through this covenant that God promises that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah, will ultimately establish His throne and His eternal kingdom. About discipline - it is an unconditional covenant. There is no mention of discipline or any conditions of obedience. About mercy - it is solely dependent on God’s mercy, faithfulness, love, and grace. About the throne - the throne of Solomon will not be taken away even though his sins demand punishment. The throne of his kingdom will be established forever.

Q4. (2 TIMOTHY 4:21A) Why is it important to Paul for Timothy to come before winter? What happens if Timothy delays? Do you think Timothy dropped everything and came to Paul's side? Would you, if you were Timothy? The winter weather made travel very difficult or impossible. The seas were closed to shipping from about mid-November to mid-March (Acts 27:9-12). Even taking the overland route north of Greece, as Paul seems to suggest (2 Tim 4:13); Timothy would still need to sail across the Adriatic, which was also closed. Timothy may have received this letter in summer, leaving himself very little time to organize the trip. If delayed, he would only be able to come in the spring, so, Timothy could not delay and had to depart urgently as Paul might not be alive for long. I feel Timothy is obliged to respond immediately and help his fellow believer. His other companions had left Paul, he is lonely, the great apostle deserves to be obeyed. Timothy surely must have travelled immediately and joined Luke and John Mark, to be with Paul when he was taken outside the city and beheaded at the Ostian Gate. Yes, if I was Timothy, I’m sure I would have done the same. Perhaps, talk is cheap, who knows if I knew all the exact conditions if I would have obeyed Paul?

Q3. (2 TIMOTHY 4:9-12) Why is it so difficult when trusted friends desert us? Why is it so difficult when they move away or die? Is it better to trust no one? Who remains with Paul besides Luke? (Hint: see verse 17a). Since our trusted friends will mostly be believers, we will dearly miss them because we have so much in common, so much to look forward to, and so much to discuss. Today it will not be so severe when our friends move away since through technology, we can still be in contact with them. It’s not that they are completely gone, but of course it’s the same as in Paul’s days when they die – we grieve them. I’ve lost many close and dear friends who have gone to be with the Lord and I truly miss them. Good close friends are very precious and not easily replaced. When it comes to trust I feel trust must be earned; we don’t trust everyone. Paul was never left completely alone. We might think that it feels like all have deserted him, but we know that the Lord stood at his side and gave him the needed strength to face anything (Php 4:13; 1 Tim 1:12).

Q2. (2 TIMOTHY 4:8) What does the "crown of righteousness" represent? To whom is it given? On what basis is it awarded? It is a reward, a symbol of victory and honour, stored in heaven for each believer (2:5), who has fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith. Safely stored and carefully guarded with all our other heavenly treasure (Mat 6:20). It is given to all true believers who have shown righteousness in their service and faithfulness to God and His Word. It is a righteous crown which our Saviour Jesus Christ earned for us on the cross; a free gift of eternal life based on His righteousness, not ours. A righteousness obtained through faith in Jesus Christ (Rom 3:22); reserved for all who love Jesus Christ. It is also an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade, with our name on it, kept in heaven for us (1 Pet 1:4). An inheritance we will receive on the day of the Lord’s return – the day of His appearance.

Q1. (2 TIMOTHY 4:6-7) What does it mean to have "fought the good fight" or "run the good race"? What does it take to "finish the race(course)" God has designed for you? What does it mean to "keep the faith"? We sees the Christian life as a race. By having fought the good fight means we ran a good race and had tried our best. It had been a fight against Satan, against the law of sin operating within our own heart. To be able to say I finished the race means to have ran on course, and are now insight of the finishing line. A planned, designed race ruled by a personal faith in my Lord and which by God’s grace, I had managed to stay on course till the very end. To keep the faith means to continue to believe and obey all the doctrines of the Christian faith; to have kept it; to have guarded it; and to have passed it on to others.

Q4. (2 TIMOTHY 4:5) Why does Paul command Timothy to "discharge all the duties of your ministry"? What is the work of an evangelist that Timothy is to do? What does the command in verse 5 mean to you personally? Meaning that Timothy should fulfil his ministry, God’s plan for him, by devoting all of his talents and efforts to finishing the work at hand. Nothing must get in the way or try to stop Timothy from fulfilling his ministry to the full. He was to do the work of preaching the gospel to the best of his abilities, and not be distracted; knowing that God will provide the strength and the means. As an evangelist his work is to focus on preaching the gospel and not to get sidetracked or involved in meaningless myths, lies, false teachings, and arguments. He must spread the good news to as many people as possible for them to hear the truth, which is the same duty I have to the Lord, only not being a preacher, in a more minor way. I am to stand up for our Lord, not to get tired or discouraged, but always to be there for Him.

Q3. (2 TIMOTHY 4:1-2) Why do you think Paul has to resort to the command in verses 1-2? Why does he have to talk about being ready when it's inconvenient and when it is convenient? What problem is Paul trying to overcome here? How do these verses speak to you in particular? The whole world needs to hear Jesus Christ’s gospel invitation of salvation and their personal response in repentance and faith. For all have sinned (Rom 3:23); the wages of sin is death … the gift of God is eternal life (Rom 6:23); while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Rom 5:8). Amazing Words – God sent Jesus Christ to die for us, not because we were good enough, but just because of His grace and love for us. If these words are not preached how could unbelievers ever come to faith in Jesus? We should be sensitive to any opportunity our Lord may give us, irrespective of whether it is convenient or not. In other words, we should always be ready to serve God in any situation. I think Paul is trying to emphasize the urgency of the situation and overcome complacency. Time is running out and there are many who have not heard the good news and need to be saved. It was because of a good Christian team that came to our church one Sunday in 1982 that both my wife and I truly heard the gospel for the first time. We put our trust and faith in our Lord Jesus as our Saviour. I shudder to think if this had not happened, and we had both carried on in our ignorance. We will be ever grateful for them. Praise the Lord.

Q2. (2 TIMOTHY 3:16-17) In what ways does Scripture equip a Christian for ministry? In what different ways can the Scriptures function, according to verse 16? Scripture thoroughly prepares and equips us, as believers, for any work that God has designed and ordained for us to do. As we grow spiritually, we will find that His Word becomes an integral part of our lives as we are guided step by step to do good works that bring glory to our Lord. We are created to do good works, and Scripture, being God’s inspired Word, will equip us to perform these deeds (Eph 2:10). We are not saved merely for our own benefit but to serve Christ and build up the church (Eph 4:12). In our fight against evil, we can learn from Jesus who used Scripture to defeat the tempter (Luke 4:1-13). Because the Bible is the word of God, it functions in many ways in our lives and every portion of it is profitable. As we grow in faith, we realize that there is spiritual nourishment in every word that has proceeded from the mouth of God. The Bible is profitable for teaching about the various doctrines such as the Trinity, angels, man, sin, salvation, sanctification, the church, and future events. It is profitable for rebuking us, making us aware of the things that are displeasing to God. It is profitable for correcting us. Pointing out no only what is wrong but also the way in which it can be made right. Finally, the Bible is profitable for instruction in righteousness. The grace of God teaches us to live godly lives, but the word of God traces out in detail the things which go to make up a godly life.

Q1. (2 TIMOTHY 3:16) What does inspiration of Scripture mean? What does the term "God-breathed" tell us about the source and authority of Scripture? Why is the doctrine of inspiration of Scripture important? Inspiration is the way God guided and got men to write down His Word. God-breathed means that they wrote the words of God, inspired and infallible. God did not simply give the thoughts to the individual writers and allow them to express these thoughts in their own words - they were His own words. At the same time the individual literary style of each writer was not destroyed. Each writer wrote what God wanted them to write using their minds, talents, language, and style; even though they came from vastly different historical and cultural backgrounds. The doctrine of inspiration is vital. The whole Bible is God’s inspired Word, if this is not so it would be worthless as a reliable guide to divine truth. Because it is inspired and trustworthy, we use it as our standard for testing all truths and is our safeguard against false teachings which are so rife today. At the same time, it shows us how we should live as well as being the only source about our salvation. God wants to show us what is true and equip us to live for Him. Knowing that the Bible is the word of God; we know that it is the absolute truth, written without error and is our guide to Christian living – our instruction manual. It equips us to do every good work. But we have to be careful – our knowledge of God’s Word is not useful unless it strengthens our faith and leads us to do good.

Q4. (2 TIMOTHY 3:10-12) How does a failure to accept the inevitability of persecution hinder our witness? Just what does it mean to "take up His cross daily" (Luke 9:23) and to "carry His cross" (Luke 14:27)? Is Jesus talking about persecution - or something else? Persecution is an integral part of a devout Christian life. When we are called upon to go through deep waters, we might be tempted to think that we have failed the Lord or that the Lord is displeased with us for some reason. However, we must remember that persecution is inevitable for all of us who desire to live in a godly manner. Our godly life exposes the wickedness of others, and instead of repenting of their ungodliness and turning to Christ, they seek to destroy the one who has shown them up for what they really are. For this reason, we are often persecuted. A basic condition of taking up His cross daily is to deny self. This involves a completely new way of life; no more living for our own selfish interests, but living a life for the sake of Jesus and the gospel. We recognise His Lordship in every area of our life – we live to serve His purposes. It means to identify with Christ in His rejection, shame, suffering, and death. It’s a sign of suffering, a sign of rejection by the world, and a sign of obedience to God. To “carry His cross” means that in following Jesus Christ we deliberately choose to live the life He lived. We do this by recognising His lordship in every area of our life, and we die spiritually to self and the things of this world. This involves us loving Jesus supremely, perhaps forsaking family, a complete dependence on God and obedience to the Holy Spirit, maybe even becoming unpopular and hated, suffering for righteousness' sake, and living an unselfish life for others. We live to glorify our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It also signifies a willingness to actually die for the name of Christ if need be. We are to seek His kingdom and His righteousness yielding ourselves unreservedly to Him. This involves laying hold of life that is life indeed! It also means finding at last the reason for our existence.

Q3. (2 TIMOTHY 3:5) Why is it so easy to become a hypocrite? How can we prevent our faith from degenerating into "a form of religion" without the power? It is so easy to give an outwardly appearance of being a Christian. We go to church, know some Christian doctrine, use a few Christian clichés, and follow Christian traditions. That’s it. But there is no substance. Whereas to live the life of a disciple requires effort; we must come humbly before Him, and hand over control to Him; our benefits are something in the future; and we are constantly aware of our sinful natures and our total dependence on Him. It is not easy being a Christian. We might want to do what is correct but the ‘sinful man’ in us, is always pulling us in the wrong direction. It takes discipline and dedication to our Lord; we have to continually be in prayer and in reading the Word; we must always be aware that our actions speak louder than our words, knowing that the world is watching us. Always very keen to label us as hypocrites. They will judge us by our fruit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal 5:22-23). By our ungodly behaviour we show the world that we are living a lie, and there is no evidence of the power of God in our lives. But as Christians we have no difficulty in identifying the works of the flesh. We read about it in Gal 5:19-21: “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”