in whom we have redemption through His blood, forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace Ephesians 1:7 Sins – The usual word of “sin” in the New Testament is hamartia. This word means, “missing the mark.” It carries the idea that a sin falls short of the standard of God’s holiness and…
who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies with Christ Ephesians 1:3 Heavenlies – Where is heaven? Is it “up there” somewhere, or is it found in the recesses of the heart? The mysterious location of a place called heaven causes all sorts of speculation. The word in this verse helps clarify…
redeeming the time because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:16 Redeeming – What is your time worth? Most of us wouldn’t think of this as a theological question, but it is. We are likely to consider a question about the value of time as a business inquiry, far from the mind of the God of…
redeeming the time because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:16 Time – Professor R. Paul Stevens makes an important observation about our usual interpretation of this verse and its parallel in Colossians 4:5. We think that the word for time here is “clock” time (chronos); time that “can be managed, dissected, digitalized, and processed –…
He who turns away his ear from listening to the law, even his prayer is an abomination. Proverbs 28:9 Abomination – Only a few things are identified as abominations. The list is not very pleasant. Idolatry, child sacrifice, marriage to unbelievers, religious activities of the wicked, homosexuality, lying and certain foods make the list. Proverbs…
Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy. Ezekiel 16:49 The Sister’s Sin Did Not Help – What was the sin of Sodom? Did you say sexual immorality? Did you mention homosexuality? Yes, that’s…
When you have eaten and are satisfied, you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land which He has given you. Deuteronomy 8:10 Land – The best way for the enemy to undermine the power of God’s redemptive people in an affluent society is to prevent something good from accomplishing God’s purpose by…
Then Laban and Bethuel replied, “The matter comes from the LORD; so we cannot speak to you bad or good.” Genesis 24:50 Cannot speak – “Judgment is not a matter of human decision, only its execution.” With this sentence, Hover-Johag sums up the entire judicial perspective of the Bible. It is worth some serious consideration….
Because the ground is cracked, for there has been no rain in the land Jeremiah 14:4 Cracked – We all know that the Bible establishes a strong connection between human beings and the earth. According to Scripture, we come from the ground and we will return to the ground. In fact, Adam is a variation…
saying, “My purpose shall rise; and I will do all My desire.” Isaiah 46:10 Desire – What happens when God reveals His own delight? We know that our delight in Him is characterized by faithfulness to His commandments and longing to be in His presence. But what can we say when this word (haphets) is…
