The passages below speak of the appearing, revelation, and coming of Christ. Were we to transliterate the Greek words in each verse below, we could speak of Christ’s epiphany (appearing), apocalypse (revelation), and parousia (coming). While these terms make for an interesting study, especially when used other passages, it encourages us first and foremost… Continue Reading
Scripture indicates that some understand God’s Word better than others. An unbeliever does not truly understand God’s Word in that, without the Spirit, he does not see its value to himself and thus rejects it (1 Cor 2:14–15). Believers truly understand God’s Word, and vary in their understanding of it. Those Who Misunderstand Negatively, some… Continue Reading
The Word of God is instrumental in conversion and sanctification. As to our conversion, Peter says you “have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God” (1 Pet 1:23). While we may not know all of the Word of God, we at least know what… Continue Reading
Worldliness in 1 John 2:15–17 could be described as valuing what is temporary more than what is eternal. It is living primarily to satisfy the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes. It could also be placing one’s confidence in what this present life offers rather than placing one’s confidence in God… Continue Reading
1 John 2:15–17 commands us to love neither the world nor the things in it, such as the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life. To have these desires or this pride would characterize one as being of the world or worldly by virtue of loving the world… Continue Reading
A simple question for a simple post today, but the difficulty is in the doing of it, is it not? Jesus regularly arose early in the morning to pray (e.g., Mark 1:35). The blessed man finds that “but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and… Continue Reading
What does it mean that Moses “considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt” (Heb 11:26)? Did Moses understand who Christ was and thus knowledgeably suffer His reproach? Or does “the reproach of Christ” mean something else? Consider three options below suggested by others. First, and dodging these questions altogether, some… Continue Reading
If you could wish for the one thing you want most and have this wish granted, what would be your wish? What is it that you want above all other things? The Bible speaks quite a bit about what we should want. One point for us to remember as Christians is that we already have… Continue Reading
Below is a very brief array of verses in Proverbs that describes the speech of fools and wise men. The verses below were chosen for explicitly mentioning the fool or his foolishness in speech and the wise man or his wisdom in speech as well. Many more verses on speech from the Proverbs could be… Continue Reading
“18 And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, 19 but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful” (Mark 4:18–19 ESV). While this passage describes why some unbelievers never believe, it… Continue Reading
If God decreed all things, did He actively decree that some would sin, be unbelievers, and thus be punished forever? If we were to ask Jesus for an answer to this question, He might point us to His words in Matthew 25, a prophecy of the judgment of believers and unbelievers to come at His… Continue Reading
What is propitiation? John states that Jesus “is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2) and, similarly, that the Father “sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10). The Greek term for propitiation in these… Continue Reading
In 1 John 1:5–10, John is speaking to believers, those who “have fellowship with one another” and God (1 John 1:7; cf. 1:3). In 1 John 1:9 it is these believers who “confess” (homologeō) their “sins,” obviously to God. Broken apart, the Greek verb homologeō literally means “to say the same thing,” and its use… Continue Reading
John proclaims that “God is light” in 1 John 1:5. Technically, the name “God” in this statement has the article “the” in the Greek, and “light” does not, indicating that God is metaphorically presented as light and not equated with it. Stated simply, God is light, but light is not God. We see, then, that… Continue Reading
The Greek word koinōnia is translated four times as “fellowship” in 1 John 1. John wrote the letter of 1 John to his readers to clarify what true Christian belief and living really were, primarily to assure them of the eternal life that they possessed (1 John 5:13). Assuming they held fast to what he… Continue Reading
Apart from the introduction (1:1–4) and conclusion (5:13–21), students of 1 John find little agreement as to how to outline his book. Some see a “spiral” outline in which John repeatedly spirals around themes of doctrine and Christian living. Others see John having a general overview of topics, only then to move more specially into… Continue Reading
Each Gospel mentions a handful of people at the cross. Luke is the most general in mentioning “all His [i.e., Jesus’] acquaintances and the women who had followed Him from Galilee” (Luke 23:49). Matthew and Mark mention many women as well (Matt 27:55; Mark 15:40). As for Luke’s acquaintances, the individuals who were present and… Continue Reading
“And a young man followed him, with nothing but a linen cloth about his body. And they seized him, but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked” (Mark 14:51–52). Who is the naked man in Mark 14:51–52, and why did Mark include this interesting episode in his Gospel? Similar to how the apostle… Continue Reading
The Passion Week refers to the final six days of Jesus’ life before His resurrection, His one full day in the tomb, and the day of resurrection. It is called the Passion Week because the word passion comes from the Greek word pasxō, which means “to suffer.”1 Sunday: Day of Celebration Matt 21:1–11, 14–17; Mark… Continue Reading
When Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Mark 13:31), was He somehow saying that the Bible would be preserved? In context, Jesus’ words in Mark 13:31 were verifying that all that would happen in Mark 13:3–30 would actually come to pass. Even if the universe were… Continue Reading