Brothers

1 Corinthians 2:14-3:1 - The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ.


1 Corinthians 1:10 - I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.

Application:

· Am I subject to the opinions of unbelievers?
· Do I follow mere natural instincts? Am I dominated by the merely physical world? Am I equipped to receive truth that comes from the Spirit?
· Am I united with my fellow believers?

All Scripture verses taken from ESV

Freedom

Galatians 2:4 - This matter arose because some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves.

Acts 1:16 - In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) and said, "Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus—he was one of our number and shared in this ministry."

Galatians 5:13 - You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.

Romans 6:18,22 - You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness…But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.

Romans 8:1-2 - Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

Galatians 3:28 - There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Conclusions:

• False brothers were Judaizers who held that Gentile converts should be circumcised and obey the law of Moses
• Free and freedom are key words in Galatians, occurring 11 times
• Both before and after Christ came, numerous psalms were viewed as Messianic
• What happened in the psalmist’s experience was typical of the experiences of the Messiah
• Liberty is not license but freedom to serve God and each other in love
• A Christian has changed masters
• Whereas a Christian was formerly a slave to sin, he becomes a willing servant to righteousness
• Slavery to God produces holiness, and the end of the process is eternal life
• There is no eternal life without holiness
• Anyone who has been justified will surely give evidence of that fact by the presence of holiness in his life
• The law of the Spirit of life is the controlling power of the Holy Spirit, who is life-giving
• Paul uses the word law in several different ways in Romans—to mean a controlling power; God’s law; the Pentateuch; the Old Testament as a whole; a principle
• The law of sin and death is the controlling power of sin, which ultimately produces death
• Unity in Christ transcends ethnic, social and male/female distinctions

Application:

• Do you see the psalms as Messianic?
• Do you see liberty as freedom to serve God and others in love?
• Are you a willing servant to righteousness?
• Is there evidence of the presence of holiness in your life?
• Have you been set free from the controlling power of sin?
• Are you ethnically and socially unified in Christ?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

Brothers Who Are With Me

Philippians 4:21-23 - Greet all the saints in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send greetings. All the saints send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar's household. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

Philippians 1:13-14 - As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.

Conclusions:

• The unexpected result of Paul’s imprisonment is that others, encouraged by his example, are forcefully exclaiming the gospel
• It has become apparent to all who know of Paul’s situation that he is imprisoned, not because he is guilty of some crime, but on account of his stand for the gospel
• The whole palace guard is a contingent of soldiers, numbering several thousand, many of whom would have had personal contact with Paul or would have been assigned individually to guard him during the course of his imprisonment
• Chains are either actual chains or a broader reference to his sufferings and imprisonment

Application:

• Are you forcefully proclaiming the gospel?
• Is it apparent that you are for Christ?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible