Then they will cry out to the Lord, but He will not answer them. Instead, He will hide His face from them at that time because they have practiced evil deeds. Micah 3:4 NASB Hide His face – Hebrew is a tactile, idiomatic language. It uses common life experiences to describe crucial religious concepts. Salvation is described as a…
We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. Romans 12:6 Berean Study Bible Gifts – While the Greek heritage provides a rich texture for understanding the idea of gifting as the expression of joyful celebration, an even deeper context can be seen in the Hebrew thought patterns that lie behind Paul’s vocabulary. Charisis…
For one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God; for no one understands, but in his spirit he speaks mysteries. 1 Corinthians 14:2 NASB Mysteries – Paul writes these words to the Corinthians. He never speaks of this subject in other letters. What was it about the Corinthian audience that motivated Paul to…
For one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God; for no one understands, but in his spirit he speaks mysteries. 1 Corinthians 14:2 NASB No one understands – Paul’s remark about speaking in tongues fuels great debate. Some denominations of Christianity consider the practice obsolete, ending with the age of the apostles. Others…
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9 NASB Are higher than – The transcendent God is a staple of classic theology. Consider this example: Question: “What…
For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly practice justice between a man and his neighbor, if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, nor walk after other gods to your own ruin, then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land…
For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 NASB Two-edged sword – I grew up on one of the foothills of the Cascades in Washington State. In…
You drew near when I called on You; You said, “Do not fear!” Lamentations 3:57 NASB Near – Lamentations is not high on our list of “good reads.” It’s basically a funeral dirge coupled with tragic poetry about God’s absence. It’s depressing. We would rather read Psalms. Furthermore, since sin is the cause of all this…
I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, Revelation 1:10 NASB In the Spirit – In 156 C. E., Montanus appeared in the village of Phrygia. He caused a ripple in the Church that became a tsunami centuries later. In fact, you might owe your understanding…
As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore. John 6:66 NASB As a result of this – Have you ever wondered why many followers of Yeshua left after he spoke at the synagogue in Capernaum? You remember what he said, right? Things like this: “Truly, truly, I say…
