And the Lord said, “The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave.” Genesis 18:20 NASB Sin – What is your idea of sin? Where did you learn that definition? I suspect that most of us inherit our theology of sin in the symbols, rituals and vocabulary of our…
The Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. Genesis 2:22 NASB Brought – Why is the role of women in the family and in society so misunderstood? Why are challenges to the typical characterizations of women seen as threats? Why does…
Gideon said, “All right, when the Lord has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, then I will thrash your bodies with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.” Judges 8:7 NASB Will thrash – Gideon begins with humility, fear and anxiety. The famous test of the fleece is really an attempt by Gideon to relieve his…
It was pleasing in the sight of the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing. 1 Kings 3:10 NASB Was pleasing – Was God happy with Solomon’s choice? Before you answer, consider the circumstances. Solomon is at Gibeon, making a sacrifice. But according to the prior verses, these high places were not simply alternatives waiting…
To Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. Titus 1:4 NASB Grace and peace – Paul often uses these words, “grace” and “peace,” in personal letters. We have a tendency to skip right over them, imagining that we know what they mean to his audience simply because they…
but at the proper time manifested, even His word, in the proclamation with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior, Titus 1:3 NASB At the proper time – You can probably guess what the Greek term is. Kairos, of course. The untranslatable word for time that isn’t found in the previous verse appears here. It is that…
in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago, Titus 1:2 NASB Long ages ago – Greek has three words for time: chronos, aeon and kairos. The latter actually has no English equivalent but it plays a very significant role in the gospels. In this verse, Paul uses the first two words…
Paul, a bond-servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness, Titus 1:1 NASB Bond-servant/apostle – No doubt by now you know that the translation “bond-servant” is softened to make it more palatable to our ears. The word is doulos, the…
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 NASB Causes – “God is the God of the entire cosmos; God has to do with every creature, and every creature has to do with God, whether they recognize it…
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 NASB Know – Well, we might know that God causes all things to work together for good, but it surely doesn’t feel that way, does it? Paul uses the Greek verb…
