Shining a light on the weekly Bible Lessons published in the Christian Science Quarterly®
God the Only Cause and Creator
Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.
Reckoning or numbering was familiar to the Hebrew people—head counts verified tribe membership and overall population growth (see the book of Numbers, as well as examples in Joshua 8:10; I Samuel 11:8). By contrast, God’s works are proclaimed to be countless. And His saving power, earlier acknowledged for the individual psalmist (see vv. 1–3), is celebrated here as all-encompassing and infinite.
We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. . . . and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord.
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Resources cited in this issue
RR: Wilkins, Michael J. NIV Application Commentary: From Biblical Text . . . to Contemporary Life. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2004; Barclay, William. The Daily Study Bible: The Letters to the Galatians and Ephesians. Edinburgh: Saint Andrew, 1955. Revised and updated by Saint Andrew, 2001. Reprinted as The New Daily Study Bible: The Letters to the Galatians and Ephesians. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 2001–04.
Cit. 4: Barry, John D., et al. Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016.
Cit. 16: Wilkins, Michael J. NIV Application Commentary: From Biblical Text . . . to Contemporary Life. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2004.
Cit. 20: Keck, Leander E., et al., eds. The New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary. Vol. 8, Luke, John. Nashville: Abingdon, 2015.
Cit. 21: Knowles, Andrew. The Bible Guide. Minneapolis: Augsburg, 2001.
COPYRIGHT
Scriptural quotations marked Good News Translation are taken from the Good News Translation in Today’s English Version—Second Edition, copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.
Scriptural quotations marked Amplified® Bible are taken from the Amplified® Bible, copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org.
Scriptural quotations marked New International Reader’s Version™ are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version™, NIrV™. Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc. Used with permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scriptural quotations marked New Living Translation are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scriptural quotations marked Holman Christian Standard Bible® are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.
Scriptural quotations marked Contemporary English Version are taken from the Contemporary English Version, copyright © 1991, 1992, 1995 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.
© 2023 The Christian Science Publishing Society. The design of the Cross and Crown is a trademark owned by the Christian Science Board of Directors and is used by permission. Bible Lens and Christian Science Quarterly are trademarks owned by The Christian Science Publishing Society. Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptural quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.
