Grace

  • Ferrari Grace

    So, then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.  Romans 7:12  NASB Law – I live on Thoroughbred Lane, but the only horses I have ever had are the ones packed into the back of fine examples of human engineering like this Ferrari 512TR that used to grace my…

  • Mass Confusion

    “Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood.”  Acts 15:19-20  NASB Abstain – (This is going to be…

  • Good to Eat

    For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.   Ephesians 2:8  NASB Grace – Grace is a very familiar word to readers of the New Testament.  What may not be so apparent is the fact that this word comes from the same group as…

  • Under His Wings

    But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.  Genesis 6:8 NASB Found favor – Now this is important, so pay close attention.  We have examined the Hebrew word hesed, discovering that it isn’t accurately portrayed by the single idea of “lovingkindness” or “mercy.”  That’s because hesed presupposes obligation established by mutual relationship.  Hesed,…

  • Résumé

    What is man that You take thought of him, and the son of man that You care for him?  Psalm 8:4  NASB What is man – It’s the wrong question, isn’t it?  We would ask “Who is man?”  We expect a list of personal attributes like “free will agent,” or “sinner,” or “decision-maker.”  But the…

  • Law and Grace Disguised

    But the LORD was with Joseph and extended kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer.  Genesis 39:21  NASB Gave him favor – Did you know that the Old Testament also contains language about Law and Grace?  We often think that this issue began with Paul.  We think it…

  • Idiom or Idiot?

    Therefore Sheol has enlarged its throat and opened its mouth without measure;  Isaiah 5:14  NASB   Opened its mouth – How many commandments must be violated before a man is condemned?  Would God sentence me to death for the tiniest infraction?  Am I lost because I ate a ham sandwich or wore a garment of…

  • The Certificate

    having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us, and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Colossians 2:14  NASB It – What is “it”?  What is nailed to the cross?  According to the Greek text in this verse, it…

  • Painful Consequences

    “I, YHWH, search the heart, I try the kidneys, and give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.” Yirmeyahu 17:10 (ISR) According To – The Hebrew here is not difficult, at least not on the surface.  It is simply the letter bet attached to the nouns for “ways” and…

  • The Punisher

    “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; . . .” Jonah 1:2 Cry Out Against It – Jonah knew the heart of God.  That’s why he ran in the opposite direction.  Jonah knew the power of God’s word.  That’s why he refused to preach the message.  But if you thought…