After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 1 Peter 5:10 NASB For a little while – Pie in the sky, by and by. That’s what I really want, right? Oh, sure, I’ll have to put up with some bad things before…
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, Titus 2:11-12 NASB Has appeared – Why do you suppose Paul chooses this verb (epiphaínō) rather than the related but more common verb, phaínō? The common verb means almost…
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 NASB Grace/works – I used to think I knew what Paul was writing about. Decades ago, I had the right theological perspective on Paul. He was…
And He had to pass through Samaria. John 4:4 NASB Pass through– In this brief interlude between teaching passages, John recounts that Yeshua left Judea when things became difficult. During the journey, he encountered the woman at the well. I’m sure he didn’t plan to encounter her, but when he did, the opportunity for some truly fascinating discussion…
“There is none like the God of Jeshurun, Who rides the heavens to your help, and through the skies in His majesty. The eternal God is a dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms; Deuteronomy 33:26-27a NASB Everlasting arms – “And, of course, one of the things we must listen for is joy. It’s hard to…
We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. Romans 12:6 Berean Study Bible Gifts– While the Greek heritage provides a rich texture for understanding the idea of gifting as the expression of joyful celebration, an even deeper context can be seen in the Hebrew thought patterns that lie behind Paul’s vocabulary. Charis is typically…
“Thus says the LORD, “The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness.’” Jeremiah 31:2 NASB Found– The Hebrew verb māṣāʾ is used for finding just about anything. The Israelites found grace, but that wasn’t what they were looking for. They were looking for a way of escape. They were fleeing from their pain. Just like…
“Thus says the LORD, ‘The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness.’” Jeremiah 31:2 NASB Grace– At the edge of the Sahara, the sand moves as if it were alive. It writhes, glittering scales of shifting silicon. The serpent of the desert is there, slithering its way across the dunes, powered by the…
“Thus says the LORD, ‘The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness.’” Jeremiah 31:2 NASB Wilderness– Not everyone finds grace in the wilderness. God says that His people, the ones who have survived the sword, the ones He calls Israel, find something unexpected in the desolate wasteland. They find grace. Imagine the…
who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, 2 Timothy 1:9 NASB Our works– Luther established a concrete barricade between faith and works. He was wrong. Because he thought of faith as cognitive agreement to certain doctrines,…
