For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 Corinthians 5:1 NASB Not made with hands– We’re just too much a part of our expected reality to see much beyond the edge. We struggle and…
But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does. James 1:25 NASB Liberty– Translators could just have easily written this as “the law of freedom.” The Greek word is eleuthería, a word…
And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” Matthew 13:10 NASB Parables– “The Bible is familiar, life is strange.”[1] Maybe we have it backwards. Maybe the “dark sayings” are really how we live, and those verses in the Bible that seem so odd and impenetrable at first,…
Make friends quickly with your opponent at law. . Matthew 5:25 NASB Make Friends– God reminds me that I need considerable improvement in the area of interpersonal conflict. It’s not that I am an angry, hostile man. Most people find me congenial, friendly, and helpful. That’s how I like to think of myself. But God lets me…
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 3:2 NASB At hand – We conclude our investigation of John the Baptist’s message by noticing the connection between repentance and the Kingdom. For John, repentance does not mean heavenly salvation. Furthermore, it might not even mean personal escape from deserved consequences. The Kingdom is a socio-political entity,…
The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! John 1:29 ESV Takes away – We continue. Luke is the only writer who suggests John’s preaching is connected to forgiveness. “And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance…
The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! John 1:29 ESV Takes away– A few days ago (April 22) we examined the Greek and Hebrew roots of this idea. We noted, “Whether the sense in Jn. 1:29 is ‘to take up and carry,’…
And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, Romans 9:10-11 NASB Choice– Why were you born? What difference…
Wash yourself therefore, and anoint yourself and put on your best clothes, and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. Ruth 3:3 NASB Wash/anoint/put on/go down – Listen! It just isn’t possible to experience the Bible in translations. You can read it, of course, but it won’t really belong to you because it…
Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. John 19:30 NASB It is finished! – Finished! What does that mean? Is it simply an expression of the end of life? The last words before dying? Most theologians read a great deal…
