for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23 NASB Have sinned– Let’s reconsider Paul’s declaration. If sin is basically disconnection (i.e., disconnection from the source of life—God—and consequently from His creation including other people), then Paul is declaring that each and every one of us experiences, at some level, a sense…
For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, Romans 8:3 NASB Weak as it was– God saved you, right? I mean, you couldn’t save yourself, could you? You sinned. Repentance and restitution don’t…
I was mute and silent, I refrained even from good, and my sorrow grew worse. My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the fire burned; Psalm 39:2-3a NASB Silent– Listen! Silence is a good thing, right? Don’t we long for an escape from the din around us? The traffic, the elevator music, the indecipherable human clamor of…
It happened when the ark of the covenant of the Lord came to the city of David, that Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and celebrating; and she despised him in her heart. 1 Chronicles 15:29 NASB Leaping and celebrating – We’ve commented in the past that the books…
For the Jews there was light and gladnessand joyand honor. Esther 8:16 NASB Gladness/joy – The usual Hebrew word for “joy” is śimḥâ. It comes from the root śāmaḥ, “to rejoice.” You would have expected it to be the Hebrew translated as “joy” in this verse. But it isn’t. In this verse, śimḥâ is translated “gladness,” because there is…
By the sweat of your face you will eat bread, till you return to the ground, because from it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.Genesis 3:19 NASB Return to the ground– suveka el ha’adamah says the text. We recognize the verb and the noun, šûb andʾădāmâ (“to turn/return” and “ground/earth”). But do…
He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be shaken. Psalm 62:6 NASB Only – Here’s the problem. We all want deeply satisfying relationships, relationships that provide us a sense of worth, a place of safety, someone who knows us for who we really are. That’s the good part. The bad part is that in order…
“ If the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had not been for me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God has seen my affliction and the toil of my hands, so He rendered judgment last night.” Genesis 31:42 NASB Fear – We are a fragile audience. At least that’s what the…
“Have I sinned? What have I done to You, O watcher of men? Why have You set me as Your target, so that I am a burden to myself? Job 7:20 NASB Done to You– In the grand scheme of things, in the cosmic order, do you think that your little sins really make any difference? You are…
“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” John 14:15 NASB Commandments– I consider myself a careful reader. I even read the footnotes, just to make sure I don’t miss anything. So when I find myself confused when I read someone’s argument, I wonder if perhaps the argument itself is confusing. After plodding (and I…
