Tom Wright
The Pastoral Letters - The Character of a Bishop
The Pastoral Letters - The Character of a Bishop
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Character of a Bishop 1Timothy 3.1-7 A friend gave me a lift in the car the other night. He’s a politician and has been a member of parliament for 25 years. But now he’s decided to run for a new kind of public office: he’s hoping to be a candidate to be Mayor of London. ‘Sudd…
The Pastoral Letters - Women Must Be Allowed to be Learners
The Pastoral Letters - Women Must Be Allowed to be Learners
by SPCK - N T Wright
Woman Must Be Allowed to be Learners 1Timothy 2.8-15 As I write this, a short war has just finished in the Middle East. The newspapers have been full of it, and now they are picking over the details: was it really justified, who was to blame, did the invading armies fight accordi…
The Pastoral Letters - The First Rule: Prayer fo the World
The Pastoral Letters - The First Rule: Prayer fo the World
by SPCK - N T Wright
The First Rule: Prayer for the World 1Timothy 2.1-7 When did you last make a list of people you wanted to pray for? Whose were the first names you wrote down? Most of us would start with the people we know and love best: our spouse, our children, our parents; other close relative…
The Pastoral Letters - The Battle of Faith
The Pastoral Letters - The Battle of Faith
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Battle of Faith 1Timothy 1.18-20 In the days before ships could navigate by satellite, the compass was the most crucial item on board. Whether it was sunny or snowing, whether it was day or night, whether the ship was on course or off course, the compass was the vital sign th…
The Pastoral Letters - Paul as an Example of God's Saving Grace
The Pastoral Letters - Paul as an Example of God's Saving Grace
by SPCK - N T Wright
Paul as an Example of God’s Saving Grace 1Timothy 1.12-17 When I was a boy, television was in its infancy. There was only one channel, and there wasn’t very much to watch on it. But, when I graduated off the programmes for little children (Andy Pandy and Bill and Ben, the Flowerp…
The Pastoral Letters - The Purpose of the Law
The Pastoral Letters - The Purpose of the Law
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Purpose of the Law 1Timothy 1.8-11 We stood by the stream, looking across to the other side of the valley. It was a perfect spring day: gentle breeze, high cloud, bright sunshine, the hills around us at their best. Somewhere in the distance we could hear a sheep calling to it…
The Pastoral Letters - The Teaching about the Truth
The Pastoral Letters - The Teaching about the Truth
by SPCK - N T Wright
True Teaching about the Truth 1Timothy 1.1-7 I remember with considerable embarrassment one of the very first sermons I ever preached. In my mind’s eye I could see it so well. I knew – or thought I knew – what I wanted to say. But when I sat down to put it together, to write it o…
The Pastoral Letters - Introduction
The Pastoral Letters - Introduction
by SPCK - N T Wright
INTRODUCTION On the very first occasion when someone stood up in public to tell people about Jesus, he made it very clear: this message is for everyone. It was a great day – sometimes called the birthday of the church. The great wind of God’s spirit had swept through Jesus’ follo…
Paul for Everyone Romans part 2 - Glossary
Paul for Everyone Romans part 2 - Glossary
by SPCK - N T Wright
GLOSSARY age to come, see present age apostle, disciple, the Twelve ‘Apostle’ means ‘one who is sent’. It could be used of an ambassador or official delegate. In the New Testament it is sometimes used specifically of Jesus’ inner circle of twelve; but Paul sees not only himself b…
Paul for Everyone Romans part 2 - Final Blessing
Paul for Everyone Romans part 2 - Final Blessing
by SPCK - N T Wright
Final Blessing ROMANS 16.25-27 I watched as the children played in the swimming pool. The water was about four feet deep. Three of them stood side by side, with linked arms. Then they squatted down, with only their noses above water, and two others climbed on to their shoulders. …
Paul for Everyone Romans part 2 - Warnings and Greetings
Paul for Everyone Romans part 2 - Warnings and Greetings
by SPCK - N T Wright
Warnings and Greetings ROMANS 16.17-24 It had been a difficult meeting. Several complex issues had been on the table, some of them involving delicate political issues, others involving money. It was right at the end of a busy university term, and everyone was tired and inclined t…
Paul for Everyone Romans part 2 - Commending Phoebe, Greeting Friends
Paul for Everyone Romans part 2 - Commending Phoebe, Greeting Friends
by SPCK - N T Wright
Commending Phoebe, Greeting Friends ROMANS 16.1-16 A farmer in the English Midlands was ploughing a field when the plough struck a solid object. Thinking it was a large rock, he stopped to move it. But it wasn’t a rock. It was an ancient chest, dating (so the museum told him when…
Paul for Everyone Romans part 2 - Aid for Jerusalem
Paul for Everyone Romans part 2 - Aid for Jerusalem
by SPCK - N T Wright
Aid for Jerusalem ROMANS 15.25-33 I have now translated most of the New Testament for this present series, and I’ve discovered one or two interesting things as I’ve done so. The hardest Greek I have so far faced, without a doubt, is in one particular section of 2 Corinthians, nam…
Paul for Everyone Romans part 2 - Coming to Rome at Last
Paul for Everyone Romans part 2 - Coming to Rome at Last
by SPCK - N T Wright
Coming to Rome at Last ROMANS 15.14-24 I mentioned earlier in this book how, when my family and I first moved to North America, we were struck again and again at the thought of what the pioneers had achieved in such very recent history. They had navigated uncharted rivers, climbe…
Paul for Everyone Romans part 2 - United Praise under the Messiah's Universal Role
Paul for Everyone Romans part 2 - United Praise under the Messiah's Universal Role
by SPCK - N T Wright
United Praise under the Messiah’s Universal Rule ROMANS 15.7-13 The great Finnish composer Jean Sibelius brought the art of writing symphonies to a new glory. His first six were each splendid in their own way, developing the form which previous composers had used and flooding it …
Paul for Everyone Romans part 2 - Unity: Modelled by the Messiah, Encouraged by Scripture
Paul for Everyone Romans part 2 - Unity: Modelled by the Messiah, Encouraged by Scripture
by SPCK - N T Wright
Unity: Modelled by the Messiah, Encouraged by the Scripture ROMANS 15.1-6 We went to Venice last month, and marvelled again at the extraordinary achievement of the people who built that unique city many centuries ago. Just as remarkable, actually, is the achievement of those who …
Paul for Everyone Romans part 2 - The Way of Love and Peace
Paul for Everyone Romans part 2 - The Way of Love and Peace
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Way of Love and Peace ROMANS 14.13-23 The snow was heavy that night – so heavy that by the time they opened the curtains they could only just see the top of the garden gate. There must have been at least three feet of the stuff. At the breakfast table, the son reminded his fa…
Paul for Everyone Romans part 2 - The Final Judgement is the Only One That Counts