10 Men often mentioned in connection with 2 Corinthians 8:18-22

18 And we are sending along with him (Titus) the brother who is praised by all the churches for his service to the gospel. 19 What is more, he was chosen by the churches to accompany us as we carry the offering, which we administer in order to honour the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help. 20 We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. 21 For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man. 22 In addition, we are sending with them our brother who has often proved to us in many ways that he is zealous, and now even more so because of his great confidence in you.

1. Titus. He is named in the passage.

First brother

2. Luke (The Strongest Tradition) The earliest and most widespread tradition among early church fathers (including Chrysostom, Jerome and Eusebius) points directly to Luke. The Argument: The phrasing "whose praise is in the gospel" was historically interpreted by the early church to mean praise for writing a physical Gospel book (the Gospel of Luke). Furthermore, the Book of Acts uses "we" passages right around this time, indicating Luke was actively travelling with Paul. The Counter-Argument: Modern scholars point out that when Paul wrote this letter, "the gospel" referred to the oral preaching of the good news rather than a written biography of Jesus. Additionally, the Gospel of Luke may not have been fully written or widely circulated yet.

3. Barnabas. Another early tradition mentioned by historical writers is Barnabas. The Argument: Barnabas was a highly prominent, universally respected figure across the early Gentile and Jewish churches. He was well-known for his generosity and gospel ministry.

The Counter-Argument: By the time 2 Corinthians was written, Paul and Barnabas had famously parted ways following a sharp disagreement over John Mark (Acts 15:36–41), making it less likely they were traveling together on this specific fundraising mission.

4. Apollos. Some commentators suggest Apollos. The Argument: Apollos was famously described in Acts as an eloquent speaker who was mighty in the Scriptures. His public preaching ministry perfectly matches the description of someone whose "praise is in the gospel".

The Counter-Argument: In Paul's previous letter (1 Corinthians 16:12), Paul notes that Apollos strongly declined to visit Corinth at that time, though he promised to come later when he had the opportunity.

(Apollos is also suggested for verse 18. The Argument: The text says this brother is now extra enthusiastic to visit Corinth because of his "great confidence" in them. If it was Apollos, this would mean his previous hesitation to visit Corinth (1 Corinthians 16:12) had finally been resolved, and he was now eager to return to a church he helped build.)

5. Trophimus or Tychicus (representatives from the province of Asia)

(Trophimus is also suggested for verse 22 - The Argument: Like Tychicus, Trophimus was an Asian Christian who accompanied Paul specifically on this journey to Jerusalem with the collection (Acts 20:4). He was so closely tied to Paul and this specific fund that his later presence with Paul in Jerusalem actually sparked a massive riot (Acts 21:29).)

6. Gaius

7. Aristarchus (representatives from Macedonia)

Second brother

8. Tychicus (The Leading Candidate) Many commentators view Tychicus as the most likely identity for the verse 22 brother. The Argument: Tychicus was a deeply trusted companion from the province of Asia who travelled with Paul to deliver the Jerusalem collection (Acts 20:4). Paul explicitly praises him in other letters using very similar language, calling him a "beloved brother, faithful minister, and fellow servant in the Lord" (Colossians 4:7; Ephesians 6:21). The Fit: His reputation for being dependable and "often tested" matches Paul's description perfectly.

9. Silas

10. Timothy

Older traditions occasionally suggested Silas or Timothy. The Counter-Argument: Timothy is already listed as a co-author of the letter in 2 Corinthians 1:1, so Paul would not refer to him anonymously in the third person here. Silas had largely stopped travelling with Paul by this stage of his missionary journeys.

Seven People who testified to the innocence of the Lord Jesus

James Tissot, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

1. Pontius Pilate: The Roman governor who presided over Jesus' trial. He publicly declared multiple times that he found no fault in Him. Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, "I find no basis for a charge against this man." ... Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people, and said to them, "You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him. Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death. ...  For the third time he spoke to them: "Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him." Luke 23:4, 13-15, 22, (Also John 18:38, 19:4)
2. Pilate’s Wife. She sent a message to her husband warning him not to harm Jesus because of a troubling dream she had.  While Pilate was sitting on the judge's seat, his wife sent him this message: "Don't have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him." Matthew 27:19
3. Herod Antipas: The tetrarch of Galilee who also examined Jesus. After questioning Him, he found no grounds to condemn nim to death and sent him back to Pilate. See above, Luke 23:15
4. The Repentant Thief. The criminal crucified alongside Jesus defended him while on the cross, stating that Jesus had done nothing wrong. We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong. Luke 23:41
5. The Roman Centurion: The soldier in charge of the execution detail declared Jesus to be a righteous and innocent man immediately after witnessing his death. The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, "Surely this was a righteous man. Luke 23:47
6. Judas Iscariot: After realising the consequences of his betrayal, the disciple confessed that he had sinned by handing over "innocent blood".  "I have sinned," he said, "for I have betrayed innocent blood." ... Matthew 27:4a
7. The religious leaders. Despite their efforts the religious leaders could not even find acceptable false evidence against his innocency. The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death. But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward. Matthew 26:59, 60

8 People Commended by Jesus

• Nathanael: When first meeting him, Jesus called him a "true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false" (John 1:47)
• The Roman Centurion: Jesus marvelled at this Gentile soldier's profound faith and understanding of spiritual authority, stating, "I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!" (Matthew 8:5-13)
• John the Baptist: Jesus publicly defended and honoured John, calling him the greatest among those born of women and describing him as a "lamp that burned and gave light" (Matthew 11:7-11)
• The Syrophoenician Woman: When she persistently begged Jesus to heal her daughter, he commended her persistence and faith, telling her, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted" (Matthew 15:21-28)
• The Poor Widow: Jesus praised a widow who placed two tiny copper coins into the temple treasury. He highlighted her sacrifice, noting she gave "out of her poverty... all that she had" (Mark 12:41-44)
• Mary of Bethany: After she anointed Jesus' feet with expensive perfume, he defended her actions from critics and commended her devotion, declaring that she had chosen "what is better, and it will not be taken away from her" (Luke 10:38-42)
• The Anointing Woman: In Luke 7:36-50, a woman washes Jesus' feet with her tears and hair. Jesus commended her great love and faith, saying, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace" (Luke 7:50)
• The Scribe: After a teacher of the law correctly summarised that loving God and one's neighbor is more important than burnt offerings, Jesus told him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God" (Mark 12:28-34)

10 Old Testament Quotations in Matthew 1-4

Yuvalr, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

1. Matthew Chapter 1: The Birth of Jesus Matthew 1:23 quotes Isaiah 7:14 "The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel."
2. Matthew Chapter 2: The Infancy of Jesus Matthew 2:6 quotes Micah 5:2 "But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah ... out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel."
3. Matthew 2:15 quotes Hosea 11:1 "Out of Egypt I called my son."
4. Matthew 2:18 quotes Jeremiah 31:15 "A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children ..."  (Matthew 2:23 alludes to "the prophets" (likely linking to Isaiah 11:1 or Judges 13:5) "He will be called a Nazarene.")
5. Matthew Chapter 3: The Ministry of John the Baptist Matthew 3:3 quotes Isaiah 40:3 "A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’"
6. Matthew Chapter 4: The Temptation and Early Ministry Matthew 4:4 (Jesus) quotes Deuteronomy 8:3 "Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."
7. Matthew 4:6 (Satan) quotes Psalm 91:11–12 "He will command his angels concerning you... so that you will not strike your foot against a stone."
8. Matthew 4:7 (Jesus) quotes Deuteronomy 6:16 "Do not put the Lord your God to the test."
9. Matthew 4:10 (Jesus) quotes Deuteronomy 6:13 "Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only."
10. Matthew 4:15–16 quotes Isaiah 9:1–2 "Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali ... the people living in darkness have seen a great light ..."

10 Contrasts in Matthew 7

1. Two gates, one narrow and one wide

2. Two roads, one narrow and one broad

3. Two destinations, life or destruction

4. Two groups, one with a few and one with many

5. Two sorts of tree, one good and one bad

6. Two sorts of fruit, good fruit and bad fruit

7. Two sorts of profession, one true and one false

8. Two sorts of hearer, one who hears and puts into practice what Jesus says and one who hears but does not put these things into practice

9. Two sorts of housebuilder, one wise who builds on rock and one foolish who builds on sand

10. Two houses, one that did not fall and one that falls with a great crash

10 Things about the New Testament Missionary Barnabas

1. He was a Jewish man
2. He was from the priestly tribe of Levi
3. His name was Joseph
4. He was nicknamed Barnabas (son of encouragement) by the Apostles
5. He was wealthy but generous; he sold a field and gave the proceeds to the Apostles
6. He was from Cyprus but moved to Jerusalem
7. He was cousin to John Mark
8. He was a pastor in Antioch
9. He was the one who went to Tarsus and brought Paul to Antioch
10. He accompanied Paul on his first missionary journey

10 OT verses sometimes called the OT version of a NT verse

In commentaries you will sometimes come across the suggestion that a certain OT verse is the OT version one found in the NT. Here are some examples.

1. Genesis 50:20 - Romans 8:28 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives./And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
2. Leviticus 19:2 - Matthew 5:48 “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy./Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
3. Psalm 1:1 - Romans 12:2 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers,/Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.
4. Psalm 34:9 - Matthew 6:33 Fear the Lord, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing./But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
5. Psalm 91:9-11 - Romans 8:35-37 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;/Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
6. Psalm 119:164 - 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous laws./Pray continually
7. Psalm 138:8 - Philippians 1:6 The Lord will vindicate me; your love, Lord, endures forever - do not abandon the works of your hands./ being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
8. Proverbs 10:16 - Romans 6:23 The wages of the righteous is life, but the earnings of the wicked are sin and death./For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
9. Proverbs 28:13 - 1 John 1:8-10 Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy./If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
10. Ecclesiastes 11:5 - John 3:8 As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things./The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.

10 Shortest verses in the New Testament

1. John 11:35 – “Jesus wept.” (2 words, 9 letters)
2. 1 Thessalonians 5:16 – “Rejoice evermore.” (2 words, 15 letters: shorter than the first in Greek)
3. Luke 17:32 – “Remember Lot’s wife.” (3 words)
4. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 – “Pray without ceasing.” (3 words)
5. 1 Thessalonians 5:20 – “Despise not prophesyings.” (3 words)
6. 1 Thessalonians 5:19 – “Quench not the Spirit.” (4 words)
7. 1 Thessalonians 5:25 – “Brethren, pray for us.” (4 words)
8. Hebrews 13:1 - "Let brotherly love continue" (4 words)
9. 2 Corinthians 13:13 -  "All the saints salute you" (5 words)
10. Mark 4:14 - The sower soweth the word. (5 words)

Also John 6:48: I am that bread of life. (6 words but less letters than number ten)

Luke 20:30 - "The second" in modern versions (2 words and so actually the shortest)

J C Ryle on Luke 10:21-24

This is helpful

 

"The full significance of these words will probably never be understood by Christians until the last day. We have probably a most faint idea of the enormous advantages enjoyed by believers who have lived since Christ came into the world, compared to those of believers who died before Christ was born. The difference between the knowledge of an Old Testament saint and a saint in the apostles' days is far greater than we conceive. It is the difference of twilight and noon-day, of winter and summer, of the mind of a child and the mind of a full-grown man. No doubt the Old Testament saints looked to a coming Savior by faith, and believed in a resurrection and a life to come. But the coming and death of Christ unlocked a hundred Scriptures which before were closed, and cleared up scores of doubtful points which before had never been solved. In short, "the way into the holiest was not made manifest, while the first tabernacle was standing." (Heb. 9:8.) The humblest Christian believer understands things which David and Isaiah could never explain."

10 Shortest Chapters in the New Testament

Deepforest351, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>,
via Wikimedia Commons

1. Revelation 15 (8)

2. 1 Thessalonians 1 (10 [387])

3. 1 John 1 (10 [500])

4. Revelation 4 (11 [338])

5. Revelation 10 (11 [343])

6. 2 Thessalonians 1 (12)

7. 1 Corinthians 13 (13 [258])

8. 1 Corinthians 8 (13 [297])

9. 2 Corinthians 13 (13 [302])

10. 1 Corinthians 5 (13 [309])

NT Hapax Legomena List

Hapax legomena are words that only occur once.
Ranked in order it goes (according to this source)

1. Acts 326

2. Luke 221

3. Hebrews 126

4. Romans 113

5. 1 Corinthians 110

6. 2 Corinthians 99

7. Matthew 89

8. 2 Timothy 82

9. Revelation 74

10. John 68

(A second ten:
Mark 67; I Pet. 62; II Pet. 54; II Tim./James both 53; Eph. 43; Phil. 41; Col. 38; Gal. 34, Tit. 33;
The other seven:
I Thess. 23, Jude 14, II Thess. 11, Philem. 5, 3 John 2; 1 John/2 John 1 each)
You might also enjoy this YouTube clip

New Testament Answers to Job

These New Testament answers to Job are suggested in John Benton's book PC World

 

Job 14:14 If someone dies, will they live again? ...
John 11:25 Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;

Job 23:3 If only I knew where to find him; if only I could go to his dwelling!
John 14:9 Jesus answered: ‘Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, “Show us the Father”?

Job 9:33 If only there were someone to mediate between us, someone to bring us together,
1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus,

Berkhof on the New Testament

I didn't even know this book existed I must confess and here it is for free!

LTS Conference 3 Robert Strivens

The third session focused on the NT data. Robert Strivens began by pointing how most people today tend to take the view that man does not have a soul, an immaterial element. Even some Christians have accepted the idea. He cited Nancey Murphy of Fuller Theological Seminary. Nevertheless the traditional view was reasserted in the light of verses such as 2 Corinthians 4:16, 1 Corinthians 2:11, 5:3, 5, 7:34, James 2:26.

Again we had a word study on the various NT words and how they are employed (soma, sarx, nous, chardia, psyche, pneuma, etc). Passing over the trichotomy, dichotomy issue, he warned against over emphasising the difference between body and soul. The traditional division of mind, will and passions is okay as long as we remember that while compatible with Scripture the words as used there cannot aways be given the expected understanding.

The NT (like the OT) views man as a whole, though it will often take a physical or inward perspective. Generally speaking, the inward is not thought to be more spiritual than the body. Each aspect is interconnected and what tensions there are, are caused by sin.

In conclusion then we were reminded that we must always keep in mind our physical as well as spiritual nature. Physicality should not be seen as a problem. Practically, he warned against a false asceticism or an elevation of spiritual over physical. If a person cannot hear you speak or see the word on the page his soul will not be reached. Preachers must treat their hearers as whole persons. This is often forgotten as with conversion for example. To say either that everything depends on the Spirit or that everything depends on what we do is to create a false dichotomy.We need to speak the Spirit, of course, but we must also be fully aware of our own responsibilities. Discussion followed.

Kimyal New Testament

The Kimyal People Receive the New Testament from UFM Worldwide on Vimeo.
(We were shown this moving video in the final session here at Affinity).

AHOCIA 100 Objects 04

Papyrologist Bernard Grenfell (1920), as preserved at the John Rylands Library.
Photo: courtesy of JRUL., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

This is P52 the oldest known fragment of the New Testament dating It contains part of John 18. More here.

An update

The trip back from Aber last Friday was long but uneventful. I came via Newport but just didn't have time to visit my dad. On reflection, I should have been up at 6 am not 7 am. There we are. It was imperative that I got back to London in good time as I had agreed to take the funeral of a lady (Betty Plant) who I knew from the BUPA care home I visit fortnightly. The funeral was at the Marylebone Crematorium in Finchley. There were only a handful of mourners. We wisely chose not to sing. There was a brief tribute by her grandson and a poem then I spoke briefly from Romans 6:23. Refreshments were served back at the grandson's home. One funny things was that I had heard recently that she had been to Lourdes, which made me concerned about whether she would really have wanted the sort of funeral I would do. Anyway, it turned out she was a cricket fan and the trip had been to Lord's! These occasions are not easy and I don't do them often but I feel one can just gently scatter the seed and hope for something. We had the clubs in the evening. Somehow I'd found time to prepare an Autumn quiz. Saturday was mostly taken up with preparations. However, in the morning four us headed up to Golders Green to give out a tract I'd prepared. It was called The power of God for salvation. One man tried to be clever and said he had his own power. As I pointed out that will soon run out though. In the evening we had the older young people around and I spoke from the call to remember your Creator in the days of your youth towards the end of Ecclesiastes. To make things interesting I put up some appropriate little posters, played some music (death by Ravi Shankar, young gifted and black, if I had a little time, etc) and had quizzes on age related diseases and guessing people's ages (I must replicate the latter quiz some time). Sunday was a good day as we carried on with Mark 11 and Romans 1. I had to spend a lot of time preparing in the afternoon a it has been such a busy week. The days following haven't been much less busy. On Monday there were lots of Jews about marking Yom Kippur. I was at LTS for the TSG, looking at Calvin's sermons on Acts (I only had time to read some of these beforehand but it was still worthwhile being present with the other 6 or 7 present led by Jeremy Walker. On Tuesday it was the committee for organising the next Grace Assembly, preceded by a trip to Brent Cross with my wonderful wife for a cuppa in the Krispy Kreme joint there. David Last will chair next May and Gerard Hemmings will be among the speakers. Watch this space. Then to round off Wednesday was another busy day with a trip up to the new library location in Bounds Green to help out with manning the place while the stuff that has been in storage was unloaded. Ian Densham did the lion's share as ever. In the evening we had a good turn out for the midweek meeting looking at Deuteronomy 32 and praying for GBM, etc.

52 JC No 14

On Galatians 2:20
Yet not I, but Christ lives in me. This explains what he meant by “living to God.” He does not live by his own life, but is animated by the secret power of Christ; so that Christ may be said to live and grow in him; for, as the soul enlivens the body, so Christ imparts life to his members. It is a remarkable sentiment, that believers live out of themselves, that is, they live in Christ; which can only be accomplished by holding real and actual communication with him.

Christ lives in us in two ways.

The one life consists in governing us by his Spirit, and directing all our actions; the other, in making us partakers of his righteousness; so that, while we can do nothing of ourselves, we are accepted in the sight of God. The first relates to regeneration,

the second to justification by free grace. This passage may be understood in the latter sense; but if it is thought better to apply it to both, I will cheerfully adopt that view.

52 JC No 13

On 2 Peter 1:4
He points out that the excellence of the promises arises from the fact that they make us partakers of the divine nature, than which nothing more outstanding can be imagined. We must take account whence it is that God raises us to such a peak of honour. We know how worthless is the condition of our nature, and the fact that God makes himself ours so that all his possessions become in a sense ours is a grace the magnitude of which our minds can never fully grasp. This thought alone ought to give us abundant cause to renounce the world entirely and be borne aloft to heaven. We should notice that it is the purpose of the Gospel to make us sooner or later like God; indeed it is, so to speak, a kind of deification.

52 JC No 11

On Romans

Calvin's first commentary was on Romans. In the argument at the beginning he writes

With regard to the excellency of this Epistle, I know not whether it would be well for me to dwell long on the subject; for I fear, lest through my recommendations falling far short of what they ought to be, I should do nothing but obscure its merits: besides, the Epistle itself, at its very beginning, explains itself in a much better way than can be done by any words which I can use. It will then be better for me to pass on to the Argument, or the contents of the Epistle; and it will hence appear beyond all controversy, that besides other excellencies, and those remarkable, this
can with truth be said of it, and it is what can never be sufficiently appreciated — that when any one gains a knowledge of this Epistle, he has an entrance opened to him to all the most hidden treasures of Scripture.