But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. Galatians 5:16 NASB The desire of the flesh – “We are defined by the way in which we orient ourselves to desire.”[1] Paul wasn’t a Platonist. At times he certainly sounds like he believes in two separate worlds: the…
then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it. Ecclesiastes 12:7 NASB Spirit will return – Pythagoras, the Greek philosopher-mathematician, invented the doctrine of the eternal existence of the soul (in Greek psyche). The ancient world did believe in life after death (e.g., Egyptian burial…
But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. Romans 8:11 NASB Him/ He/ His – Who is the active agent in this verse? Who is “He, Him, His”…
God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:24 NASB Worship – Have we ever made mileage with this verse! I can’t count the numbers of times it has been employed in apologetics, sermons, and intense discussions of doctrine. Most of our focus seems to be on the first…
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. James 1:27 ESV Religion– In recent conversation a young man expressed his determination for spiritual truth in this way: “When I rely on the Holy Spirit to lead me to the truth, I know…
O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; my soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. Psalm 63:1 NASB Weary – Exhausted. Ever feel like that? Physically and spiritually. Just too tired to go on. Just want to sleep,…
But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. John 16:13 NASB All the truth – Gnostic thought is alive and well in the…
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. John 14:26 NASB Remembrance – We often read this verse as if it is Yeshua’s eternal promise that the Spirit will somehow ensure we will never forget what…
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Psalm 103:1 NASB Within me – What is within? The immediate temptation is to answer with a Greek worldview. What is within in my spirit. But how would we answer this question as a Hebrew? First, we would look…
“God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:24 NASB Spirit and truth – If you are familiar with the words of the Tanakh, you might hear this phrase differently. The combination of “truth” with another crucial Hebrew word is so common in the Hebrew Scriptures that you…
