Bible Reading Plan | Devotion for the week of March 26, 2023

Weekly Reading: Galatians 6:11–18 | Acts 16:16–40 | Romans 2:17–29 | 1 Corinthians 10:1–11:1 | 2 Corinthians 4:1–18 | 2 Corinthians 11:16–12:1 | Phillipians 3:1–4:1

This week, Avary Metzger, a lifetime WCC-er who grew up attending Sonlight and Student Ministries, shares her reflections on the authority of God’s Word. Check out the insights and encouragements she has drawn from passages in our weekly readings.

God’s Word: The Word of the Law

God’s Word is greater than the word of the law. This is exactly what Paul needed the Corinthians, Galatians, Romans, Gentiles and Jews to recognize. 

Historically speaking, Judaism was moderated by 613 commandments (mitzvot). In biblical times, the Jews believed that the only way you could make it into God’s family was by following each rule, which is the law that Paul refers to throughout his letters. These commandments set an unrealistic standard for all humans since we are sinful creatures by nature. We can see in passages like Romans 2:17–29 that Paul begins to call out the Jewish people who boasted about their relationship with Christ yet failed to practice what they preached.

“You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law?” –Romans 2:23

Hypocrisy is often rooted in insecurity, and in Galatians 6:12, Paul says that “those who are trying to force you to be circumcised want to look good to others. They don’t want to be persecuted for teaching that the cross of Christ alone can save.” In a way, believers in Paul’s time were not only scared but also embarrassed to truly live by God’s Word. They worried too much about their worldly image and the impression they gave others that they overtly lost track of Jesus. In many ways, this is similar to how Christians act today. I personally have found myself being embarrassed at times to be open about my faith. Sure, I would not face the same level of persecution as first and second-century believers, but there still are critics in our world who would hate or make fun of me for my beliefs. 

Like always though, Paul has a note on my and many others’ apprehensions. In 2 Corinthians 4:1–18, Paul refers to us as “fragile clay jars.” This comparison might be perplexing at first… Why would I want to be a fragile piece of clay? Well, the jar is a symbol of our bodies, our souls and our mission throughout our earthly life up to death. Paul adds that the jar contains the greatest treasure: the Gospel of Christ—His Word. The aspect of fragility is to show that, like pottery, we are prone to shattering. God knows we will be battered by sin and that is something we will have to endure, just as Paul and other followers did. 

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” | 2 Corinthians 4:7

At the end of the day, the plan all along was for the jar to break, meaning we shift our dependence to the unbreakable strength of His Word and not ourselves. It serves as a reminder that the Truth will protect us and is everlasting, but depending on the word of man will fail us, just as it did Jews and Gentiles of Paul’s time. 

Have questions about this week’s Bible reading? We’d love to help! Rather than relying on the first thing you find on the internet, email us at biblequestions@warsaw.cc. We are more than happy to answer that nagging question, provide you with some clarity or point you in the right direction for further study.