Month: October 2012

  • “Till Death Do Us Part”

    for you shall not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God  Exodus 34:14 NASB Jealous – Out of all the names of God given in the Tanakh, this one is perhaps among the least understood. YHVH, God – His name is Jealous. That word carries with it…

  • True Religion (3)

     For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.  James 2:10 ESV Rodney Baker has contributed several TW’s on Religion while I am in South Africa. Whole – This is a favourite proof text for those who would claim that the Law is no longer applicable…

  • True Religion (2)

    If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. James 1:26 ESV Rodney Baker has contributed several TW’s on Religion while I am in South Africa. Religious  – Now James provides the solution to the riddle. What is it to truly fear God?…

  • True Religion (1)

    If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. James 1:26 ESV Rodney Baker (Adelaide, Australia) has contributed several TW’s on Religion while I am in South Africa. Religious  – threskos. What a loaded word! A word that occurs only once in the…

  • Repenting in Advance

    How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered!  Psalm 32:1  NASB Forgiven – Martin Luther broke ranks with the Roman Catholic Church over the practice of selling indulgences; the offer of providing forgiveness for sinful actions to be committed in the future for a monetary payment now.  Actually, it was a…

  • The Joy of Fear

    How blessed is the man who  fears always, but he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity.  Proverbs 28:14  NASB Fears always – It is quite popular to encourage believers with the thought that we do not need to be afraid.  We are often reminded that Scripture tells us, “Do not fear” more than…

  • Free to Do

    But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.  James 1:25 ESV  Looks – To look into the perfect law of liberty. Twice in his letter, James refers to the nomos eleutherias….

  • Children of the Corn

    “I will winnow them with a winnowing fork at the gates of the land;”  Jeremiah 15:7  NASB Winnow – The Hebrew word is zarah.  This verb captures a daily event in the life of the people.  Just as they threw grain into the air to separate the good from the bad, God throws His people…

  • Four Chicken, Four Cheese

    They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.  1 Timothy 3:9  ESV Mystery – On my last trip to El Salvador, I received a lesson in theology at the local restaurant.  Keith (who accompanied me on the trip) and I decided to have enchiladas.  The menu offered three choices.  Four enchiladas…

  • Inside Job

    A little leaven leavens the whole lump.  Galatians 5:9  ESV Leaven – When the Greek word zyme is used in Matthew 16:6 or 1 Corinthians 5:6, no one has any doubt about the application of the proverbial saying to the context.  In both cases, the metaphor of leaven means some small thing that is introduced…