and being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground Luke 22:44 Very Fervently – “Prayer is not ‘quiet time’ but a time of wrestling and passion.” So says Peter Leithart. He goes on to say that the contemporary worship experience of prayer,…
Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, immorality, impurity, sensuality, . . Galatians 5:19 Adultery – Yesterday we looked at this same verse. Only yesterday the verse did not contain the word “adultery.” That’s because the current best scholarly edition of the Greek text from the oldest manuscripts does not have…
Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, . . Galatians 5:19 Impurity – The Greek is akatharsia. This word comes from kathairo (we derive the English “catharsis”). Here Paul makes it a negative, so the meaning is “not cleansed”. The background of katharos is ritual cleansing. It is not…
“Even if I bear witness to myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I go.” John 8:14 Bear Witness – Why were the Pharisees so distraught about Yeshua’s teaching? They were distressed because He did not fit the proper protocol. In rabbinic Judaism, a true teacher had to…
Now to Him being able to keep you without stumbling, and to set you before His glory without blemish . Jude 24 Without Stumbling – Zodhiates poses a question about this verse: “Is Jude promising we shall live our lives without ever stumbling?” If we answer, “yes,” then Jude seems to stand in contradiction…
“And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God demand of you? Only this: . . .” Deuteronomy 10:12 Demand – We don’t like the sound of this, do we? What God demands doesn’t sound much like the gentle, compassionate God we hear about in church. We would rather have this Hebrew word translated…
“say not to yourselves, ‘The LORD has enabled us to possess this land because of our virtues’, . . .” Deuteronomy 9:4 Virtues – Why does God bless? Do you think His blessings are the result of your goodness? Do you think He provides for you because you have been more obedient than others? I…
and do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2 Conformed – Let’s go to visit the blacksmith. Of course, today you might have to travel a long…
and do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2 And – How many times have you heard this verse? Dozens, I’ll bet, but we often miss the…
“Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?” Luke 13:7 Use Up – Parables make one point. That point is often a function of the event context of the parable. So, after Yeshua rejects the religious ranking of sins, He tells this parable about a fig tree that doesn’t produce. The parable…
