Our Father in heaven Matthew 6:9 Our Father – The usual interpretation of this opening phrase focuses on fatherhood. Questions are raised about how we can understand God as Father if we lack examples of human fathers. This is, of course, a monumental problem in our culture today. With more and more children raised in…
“Pray, then, in this way.” Matthew 6:9 Pray – Do you say the Lord’s Prayer? Most of us do. We have since childhood. It’s part of the liturgy now. But I wonder if we actually pray as the Lord instructed. You see, Jesus was not teaching us a prayer. He was teaching how to pray. …
But Jesus said, “Leave the children alone, and don’t stop them from coming to me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such people.” Matthew 19:14 (translation R. France, NICNT) Kingdom Qualifications Such People – R. T. France has an excellent commentary on Matthew. In a footnote to this verse, he points out that there…
Then they secretly induced men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God. Acts 6:11 NASB Against Moses – If you read Luke’s account of the works of the apostles (commonly called Acts), you will find a very curious thing. Over and over the apostles claim to observe the…
according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, that you may obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled by His blood 1 Peter 1:2 Foreknowledge – Do we dare peek into such a controversial topic? Why not? It might be fun – and illuminating. Peter begins this thought with…
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen 1 Peter 1:1 Aliens – The Greek text really says, “to the elect sojourners of the dispersion”. The NASB changes the word order and alters some of the direct translation. The meaning…
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen 1 Peter 1:1 Apostle – God is a verb. He is all action. Even His Name, blessed be He, is a form of the verb “to be”. He is the great I…
male and female he created them Genesis 1:27 Male and Female – The difference between human beings and animals is so important to our entire perspective that it cannot be overemphasized. The world teaches that we are merely a higher evolution of animals, not distinctly different in origin or essence. The Bible has a very…
Hence a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, so that they become one flesh. Genesis 2:24 One Flesh – Everything important happens in the first three chapters of Genesis*. Sometimes what’s important isn’t quite as obvious in our language, so we need to take a look at the insights of…
“but you shall go to my country and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” Genesis 24:4 Take A Wife – This is not the way we do things. Abraham seeks a wife for his son. While we would call this an arranged marriage, as we will soon see, it’s not…
