Second Skin

Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  Ephesians 6:11  NIV Full armor – In my dream I’m covered with some kind of black plastic tarry substance.  It tries to hold me down to the ground.  I try to fight it off, but no matter what…

I Deserve It

The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me.  Psalm 18:20  NASB According to – I don’t know many who could have written these words: The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me. For I have kept the ways of the Lord,…

The Other Shoe

for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.  Romans 10:10  NASB (1963) Resulting – You’ll need to read a few other English translations of this verse to see the issue. “For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one…

Mystery Parallelism

Clouds and thick darkness surround Him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.  Psalm 97:2  NASB Righteousness and justice – Do you know the mystery of righteousness and justice?  Oh, we’re familiar with the Hebrew words, no doubt.  ṣĕdāqâ (righteousness) and mišpāṭ (justice—but a lot more than our idea) are words we have…

Choosing the Right Word

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”  Matthew 5:6 NASB Righteousness– Let’s have a conversation about the process of converting language from one culture to another.  It’s not just the translation of the words that matters.  It’s the way the language fits into the patterns of living when the worldview changes. …

Grace Is Free

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 2 Corinthians 5:10 NASB According to what he has done – I guess Paul was mistaken. He doesn’t sound very much like…

The List

Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. Psalm 112:3 NASB Righteousness – The blessed father is one whose children are aligned with God’s word (Psalm 112:2), but his influence doesn’t stop there. His righteousness endures. What does that mean? Does it mean that the father experiences eternal life? Does it…

All That Matters

I will sing of the lovingkindness of the Lord forever; to all generations I will make known Your faithfulness with my mouth. Psalm 89:1 NASB Faithfulness – The message and story of the Bible can be summarized in one word—‘emunah—faithfulness. You might be inclined to say, “Yes, of course. It’s all about God’s faithfulness.” But…

Not What We Expected

Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, Romans 1:1 NASB Gospel of God – Dwight Pryor’s lectures on Paul and the Protestant paradigm challenge our presuppositions about Paul’s letters.[1] Pryor makes many significant points, but chief among them must be his focus on the meaning…

Are You Devout?

But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness, 2 Timothy 2:16 NASB Ungodliness – The Greek word asebeia is translated as “ungodliness.” It comes from the root sebomai which means “reverence” or “worship.” It is found most often in the Greek world as eusebeia, a word that refers to general…