INTRODUCTION
The theme for this week is the giving of the Holy Spirit. The main passage for this time of year is Acts 2:1-21, but other related passages are Psalm 104:24-34, 35b, Numbers 11:24-30, 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13 and John 7:37-39.
- The passage in Acts recounts the dramatic appearance of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost.
- The Psalm speaks of the Spirit being sent forth to create and renew.
- The Old Testament reading from Numbers presents the story of the Spirit resting on those who became empowered to prophesy.
- The Gospel reading from John equates the giving of the Spirit with rivers of living water.
- The text from 1 Corinthians gives an account of a variety of gifts that come from the same Spirit.
We’ll dive into those passages later, but first we give a listen to what Home Office is saying, by way of a Speaking of Live video and a sermon based on the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL).
SPEAKING OF LIFE
- Title: Cooperative Games
- Keynote Passage: 1 Corinthians 12:4-7
- Presenter: Jeff Broadnax, GCI Elder
From the transcript …
Have you ever played a cooperative board game? Cooperative games have become a popular alternative to the common competitive board games like Monopoly, Clue, or Risk. Competitive games have multiple players, but everyone competes against one another to be the sole winner at the end.
A cooperative board game works differently. Cooperative games also have multiple players, but instead of competing against one another, everyone works together to achieve a common goal or to survive a shared crisis. Games like solving a Murder Mystery, beating the clock in an Escape Room, or completing a big puzzle. Everyone either wins together or loses together. Players must work together and strategize by using the different tools, skills, or powers that are assigned to each player. Each participant is vital, and their distinct role is necessary to complete the mission. Even if you lose in the end, the shared experience is usually more rewarding than being the sole winner of a competitive game.
If the church were a board game, it would be a cooperative board game.
Here is a passage in 1 Corinthians that leads me to that conclusion:
“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”
1 Corinthians 12:4-7 (ESV)
According to the apostle Paul, each member of the church, like players in a cooperative game, is given unique gifts by the Spirit that add up for the good of all. The common good of the church, which will contribute to its worship and witness, is impeded when lone competitors try to come out on top. In a healthy church, everyone works together, in community, sharing with one another their gifts, in order to participate in what Jesus is doing as the head of his church. No one is considered dispensable or interchangeable. Each plays a vital role as a member of the body of Christ.
The gifts of the Spirit all come from the same source and are given to accomplish the same ends — to grow up into Christ, participating in what he is doing in the church for the sake of the world.
Imagine how healthy a church can be when we all bring our gifts together for the common good. Our journey together will be far more rewarding and far more productive. Who’s ready to play?
I’m Jeff Broadnax, Speaking of Life.
SERMON REVIEW
The Holy Spirit’s Unifying Gift of Diversity
1 Corinthians 12:3b-6,7-11,12-13 (NIV)
Today is Pentecost. So often on this day we hear the dramatic story of the Holy Spirit descending on Pentecost as the beginning of the church. However, that story alone may leave us with the impression that the Holy Spirit was given to begin the church and now the church must get along on its own. Thankfully, we have many other scriptures to tell us that the Spirit was NOT given JUST to jumpstart the church, BUT as the source of continual life.
We have for our lectionary reading today one such passage. It comes to us from Paul, who is responding to a question from the church in Corinth regarding spiritual gifts. Specifically, there are some who feel that their gift of speaking in tongues is of paramount importance, and every member should aspire to it as the pinnacle of spirituality. For these members, it seemed better for everyone to have the same gift rather than a diversity of gifts. It is in response to this view that Paul writes.
Most likely your church is not wrestling over some members speaking in tongues and thinking everyone else should do the same. But that does not mean this text does not answer our own questions in our modern context. Do we not still have an impulse to value uniformity over diversity in our culture and even in our churches? It is one of the insidious lies circulating in our world today, and ironically it goes under the banner of “diversity.” But we shouldn’t be surprised, that is how the evil one works, calling evil good and good evil. Under this banner we are hammered with the lie that we must minimize distinctions and differences in favor of a uniform vision of humanity. For example, we are told that differences between men and women are antiquated and should be ignored. Never mind that God created us in his image with this very distinction. Women especially are being crushed by this disregard for their distinctive gift of being female. Boys competing in girls’ sporting events is just one such exploitation. Men and women alike are left confused about their own distinctive gender, leading to all kinds of sexual identity issues, which have left many depressed and suicidal. Lies are destructive and deadly.
Paul, in his answer to the Corinthian church, will speak a word of truth. Distinctions will not be minimized, but rather seen as a gift that God gives to build up his church in her mission to point others to Jesus. As we look at his answer, since it is Pentecost, we will pay special attention to four observations about the Holy Spirit.
First, the Holy Spirit gives voice to the Christian confession that Jesus is Lord.
No one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:3b NIV)
Jesus is Lord. This is the confession and the proclamation the church takes upon her lips to share with the world. Paul begins here. The church does not, and indeed cannot, make this confession apart from the working of the Holy Spirit.
After Jesus ascended back to the Father, he told his disciples to wait for the sending of the Spirit before they went on any mission. It is no different today. No mission, no sermon, no outreach program, no matter how well delivered or carried out can claim any credit for added members of the body of Christ. All glory goes to God. Paul must have seen the need to redirect this church’s thinking to know that it was not what they did, or the gifts they had, that would accomplish God’s mission for them. Is that not a reminder we need in our churches today? What comfort and freedom we have knowing God’s grace and provision is given to the church by the Holy Spirit to accomplish her mission. We do not have to fall back on our own abilities, resources, talents, and skills. Praise God! Otherwise, we will always feel inadequate, clamoring and clawing for more, in an effort to be up to the task of God’s calling. He has not left us orphaned to work alone in the Father’s fields. No, he goes with us by the Spirit, calling us to participate in what he is doing, trusting him for the harvest.
Second, the Holy Spirit is the very source of the diversity of gifts in the church.
There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. (1 Corinthians 12:4-6 NIV)
Paul insists that diversity is an unquestionable trait of the church. He points out that there are “different kinds of gifts… different kinds of service… different kinds of working.” That’s a lot of differences. Whether we are thinking in terms of personal gifts, gifts for ministry or forms of work, variety and diversity is not the exception but the norm.
What is beautiful in how Paul speaks of all this diversity is how he grounds it in its source from the Trinity. He includes Father, Son, and Spirit, as the “same” source for all the diversity given. There is a mirror of the gift given and the giver of the gifts. Just as there is a unity in diversity in the being of God, there is given a unity in diversity for his church. However, Paul does aim to accent the Holy Spirit in his writing to the Corinthian church. He will go on to repeat the name “Spirit” and the phrase “the same Spirit” that would hammer his point home. Paul wants to be clear that the Spirit cannot be controlled or possessed like an object for our own glory. It is the Spirit who gives the gifts to whom he chooses.
Third, the Holy Spirit works for the common good.
Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. (1 Corinthians 12:7-11 NIV)
Paul does not want us to pit one gift over and against another. That would be a manifestation of our pride and not a manifestation of the Spirit. The Spirit on the other hand has the common good of the church in mind when he distributes the gifts he gives, “just as he determines.”
It’s important to understand the common good of the church is determined by the common identity and common purpose of the church. Otherwise, we can assume some improper and distorted views of what the “common good” is. The church’s identity must remain rooted in Christ with the common purpose of worship and witness. Arguing over gifts undermine both our identity and purpose in Christ.
Paul seems to underscore this by his insistence that all the gifts are given by the Spirit. It would be hard to read Paul’s repetitions and still insist that one gift was preferred over another. To do so would be to question God’s wisdom in the giving of his gifts.
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- Perhaps we do the same when we look at our churches and determine that God has not given us what we need. Instead of enjoying and receiving the gifts provided in our local congregation, we go seeking for those who possess the “greater gifts.” Perhaps we think the greater gifts are located only in the young. Or maybe we pursue those who have musical talent in thinking that is what will bring people through the front door. We may think we are being wise and strategic; however, we may simply be resisting God’s grace and his provision for us.
Fourth, the Holy Spirit brings unity to the body of Christ.
Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body — whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free — and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. (1 Corinthians 12:12-13 NIV)
Using Paul’s analogy of a human body, we are to see that each member makes up the body of Christ. That is a staggering image. It points to the reality of the intimate relationship we are called into with Christ, and by extension, to all those who belong to him. When parts of our body are not functioning in coordination with the rest of the body, we would call the doctor. A simple leg cramp can serve to illustrate the disruption one member can bring when drawn into himself with his own gift. Thankfully, we have the Holy Spirit who works out the cramps and massages our hardened joints and stiffened necks. He is patient and kind but determined to bring us all to the unity we have in Christ. It is to this end Paul points to in the work of the Spirit.
After Pentecost we move into the long season on the Christian calendar called “Ordinary Time.” During this stretch we continue to feed on Christ and live out the life we have in him, all by the Spirit. It is fitting to complete the Easter season on Pentecost, where we are reminded that the Holy Spirit has been given to the church, empowering and gifting us to worship together while bearing witness to Jesus and his Father in faith, hope, and love.
SONG OF RESPONSE
GOING DEEPER
Theme: The giving of the Holy Spirit
Related Passages: Psalm 104:24-34, 35b, Numbers 11:24-30, John 7:37-39, Acts 2:1-21 and 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13.
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- The Psalm speaks of the Spirit being sent forth to create and renew.
- The Old Testament reading from Numbers presents the story of the Spirit resting on those who became empowered to prophesy.
- The Gospel reading from John equates the giving of the Spirit with rivers of living water.
- The passage in Acts recounts the dramatic appearance of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost.
- The text from 1 Corinthians gives an account of a variety of gifts that come from the same Spirit.
24 O Lord, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all. The earth is full of Your possessions — 25 This great and wide sea, In which are innumerable teeming things, Living things both small and great. 26 There the ships sail about; There is that Leviathan[a] which You have [b]made to play there. 27 These all wait for You, That You may give them their food in due season. 28 What You give them they gather in; You open Your hand, they are filled with good. 29 You hide Your face, they are troubled; You take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. 30 You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; And You renew the face of the earth. 31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever; May the Lord rejoice in His works. 32 He looks on the earth, and it trembles; He touches the hills, and they smoke. 33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. 34 May my meditation be sweet to Him; I will be glad in the Lord.
Footnotes
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- Psalm 104:26 A large sea creature of unknown identity
- Psalm 104:26 Lit. formed
Bless the Lord, O my soul! [a]Praise the Lord!
Footnotes
- Psalm 104:35 Heb. Hallelujah
Footnotes
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- Numbers 11:25 Tg., Vg. and they did not cease
- Numbers 11:29 jealous
37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those [a]believing in Him would receive; for the [b]Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Footnotes
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- John 7:39 NU who believed
- John 7:39 NU omits Holy
When the Day of Pentecost had fully come (Lev.23:15-21; Deut.16, they were all [a]with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them [b]divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
5 And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. 6 And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. 7 Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each in our own [c]language in which we were born? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and [d]Arabs — we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.”
12 So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?” 13 Others mocking said, “They are full of new wine.”
14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. 15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only [e]the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. Your young men shall see visions. Your old men shall dream dreams. 18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days and they shall prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath: blood and fire and vapor of smoke. 20 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. 21 And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
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- Luke 24:46-49 46 Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, [l]and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And you are witnesses of these things. 49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city [m]of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”
- Acts 1:4-8 4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; 5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be [c]witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
- Acts 2:36-39 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”
38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the [u]remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
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Leviticus 23
Feasts of the Lord
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘The feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts.
The Sabbath
3 ‘Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings.
The Passover and Unleavened Bread
4 ‘These are the feasts of the Lord, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times. 5 On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the Lord’s Passover. 6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; seven days you must eat unleavened bread. 7 On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no [a]customary work on it. 8 But you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord for seven days. The seventh day shall be a holy convocation; you shall do no customary work on it.’ ”
The Feast of Firstfruits
9 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 10 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest. 11 He shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. 12 And you shall offer on that day, when you wave the sheaf, a male lamb of the first year, without blemish, as a burnt offering to the Lord. 13 Its grain offering shall be two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire to the Lord, for a [b]sweet aroma; and its drink offering shall be of wine, one-fourth of a hin. 14 You shall eat neither bread nor parched grain nor fresh grain until the same day that you have brought an offering to your God; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
The Feast of Weeks
15 ‘ And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed. 16 Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to the Lord. 17 You shall bring from your dwellings two wave loaves of two-tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven. They are the firstfruits to the Lord. 18 And you shall offer with the bread seven lambs of the first year, without blemish, one young bull, and two rams. They shall be as a burnt offering to the Lord, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, an offering made by fire for a sweet aroma to the Lord. 19 Then you shall sacrifice one kid of the goats as a sin offering, and two male lambs of the first year as a sacrifice of a peace offering. 20 The priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits as a wave offering before the Lord, with the two lambs. They shall be holy to the Lord for the priest. 21 And you shall proclaim on the same day that it is a holy convocation to you. You shall do no customary work on it. It shall be a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.
22 ‘When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field when you reap, nor shall you gather any gleaning from your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the stranger: I am the Lord your God.’ ”
The Feast of Trumpets
23 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. 25 You shall do no customary work on it; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord.’ ”
The Day of Atonement
26 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 27 “Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. 28 And you shall do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the Lord your God. 29 For any person who is not afflicted in soul on that same day shall be cut off from his people. 30 And any person who does any work on that same day, that person I will destroy from among his people. 31 You shall do no manner of work; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. 32 It shall be to you a sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall [c]afflict your souls; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall [d]celebrate your sabbath.”
The Feast of Tabernacles
33 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 34 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the Lord. 35 On the first day there shall be a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it. 36 For seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation, and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. It is a sacred[e] assembly, and you shall do no customary work on it.
37 ‘These are the feasts of the Lord which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire to the Lord, a burnt offering and a grain offering, a sacrifice and drink offerings, everything on its day — 38 besides the Sabbaths of the Lord, besides your gifts, besides all your vows, and besides all your freewill offerings which you give to the Lord.
39 ‘Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep the feast of the Lord for seven days; on the first day there shall be a sabbath-rest, and on the eighth day a sabbath-rest. 40 And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the [f]fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees, the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. 41 You shall keep it as a feast to the Lord for seven days in the year. It shall be a statute forever in your generations. You shall celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 You shall dwell in [g]booths for seven days. All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths, 43 that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.’ ”
44 So Moses declared to the children of Israel the feasts of the Lord.
Footnotes
- Leviticus 23:7 occupational
- Leviticus 23:13 pleasing
- Leviticus 23:32 humble yourselves
- Leviticus 23:32 observe your sabbath
- Leviticus 23:36 solemn
- Leviticus 23:40 foliage
- Leviticus 23:42 tabernacles; shelters made of boughs
Deuteronomy 16
The Passover Reviewed
“Observe the month of Abib, and keep the Passover to the Lord your God, for in the month of Abib the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night. 2 Therefore you shall sacrifice the Passover to the Lord your God, from the flock and the herd, in the place where the Lord chooses to put His name. 3 You shall eat no leavened bread with it; seven days you shall eat unleavened bread with it, that is, the bread of affliction (for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste), that you may remember the day in which you came out of the land of Egypt all the days of your life. 4 And no leaven shall be seen among you in all your territory for seven days, nor shall any of the meat which you sacrifice the first day at twilight remain overnight until morning.
5 “You may not sacrifice the Passover within any of your gates which the Lord your God gives you; 6 but at the place where the Lord your God chooses to make His name abide, there you shall sacrifice the Passover at twilight, at the going down of the sun, at the time you came out of Egypt. 7 And you shall roast and eat it in the place which the Lord your God chooses, and in the morning you shall turn and go to your tents. 8 Six days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a [a]sacred assembly to the Lord your God. You shall do no work on it.
The Feast of Weeks Reviewed
9 “You shall count seven weeks for yourself; begin to count the seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the grain. 10 Then you shall keep the Feast of Weeks to the Lord your God with the tribute of a freewill offering from your hand, which you shall give as the Lord your God blesses you. 11 You shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite who is within your gates, the stranger and the fatherless and the widow who are among you, at the place where the Lord your God chooses to make His name abide. 12 And you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and you shall be careful to observe these statutes.
The Feast of Tabernacles Reviewed
13 “You shall observe the Feast of Tabernacles seven days, when you have gathered from your threshing floor and from your winepress. 14 And you shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant and the Levite, the stranger and the fatherless and the widow, who are within your [b]gates. 15 Seven days you shall keep a sacred feast to the Lord your God in the place which the Lord chooses, because the Lord your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you surely rejoice.
16 “Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed. 17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you.
Justice Must Be Administered
18 “You shall appoint judges and officers in all your [c]gates, which the Lord your God gives you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with just judgment. 19 You shall not pervert justice; you shall not [d]show partiality, nor take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and [e]twists the words of the righteous. 20 You shall follow what is altogether just, that you may live and inherit the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
21 “You shall not plant for yourself any tree, as a [f]wooden image, near the altar which you build for yourself to the Lord your God. 22 You shall not set up a sacred pillar, which the Lord your God hates.
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 16:8 Lit. restraint
- Deuteronomy 16:14 towns
- Deuteronomy 16:18 towns
- Deuteronomy 16:19 Lit. regard faces
- Deuteronomy 16:19 perverts
- Deuteronomy 16:21 Or Asherah
1 Corinthians 15:20-21,22-28
But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have [d]fallen asleep. 21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. 24 Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. 27 For “He has put all things under His feet.” But when He says “all things are put under Him,” it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted. 28 Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.
Colossians 2:11-17
In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body [h] of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the [i]handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.
16 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a [j] festival (Gk ~ feast day) or a new moon or sabbaths, 17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance (Gk ~ body) is of Christ.