For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. Romans 14:18 Approved – Who is acceptable to God and approved by men? To answer this question, we need to look at the Greek word dokimos. It means, “to be certified as completely real.” It is not about tolerance. …
Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. Romans 14:1 Weak – If I called you “weak in faith” in Rome in the first century, who would you be? That’s a rather odd question, but it is crucial to understanding what Paul is…
Following after Paul and us, she kept crying out, saying, “These men are bond-servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation.” Acts 16:17 Salvation – John Stott wrote, “The hallmark of an authentic evangelicalism is not the uncritical repetition of old traditions but the willingness to submit every…
Provoked to Jealousy Recently a friend of mine asked me to read and review David Klinghoffer’s Why The Jews Rejected Jesus. This was no academic exercise since my friend is Jewish. If Klinghoffer’s arguments were correct, there was no room for Jesus in a Jewish world. I happily took on the project because it reminded…
These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that YHWH Elohim made the earth and heaven. Genesis 2:4 Generations – Rabbi Robert Gorelik makes an observation about the Hebrew word translated “generations” in his lectures on the genealogy of Yeshua. It is worth remembering. The Hebrew…
“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 Good Works – Imagine that you are sitting on the hillside with the disciples of Yeshua. You hear him say, “ma’aseykem hatovim.” Now what do you suppose He…
“Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen better than the fat of rams.” 1 Samuel 15:22 Is Better Than – Saul loved being king. He loved to be the man in charge. He loved to make the decisions. That love of power and prestige ruined him. He forgot that the king is…
You are the anointed cherub that covers, I have set you so Ezekiel 28:14 Anointed Cherub – Ezekiel’s prophetic announcement to the king of Tyre describes more than we might think. Ezekiel provides us with a midrash on Adam. We need to pay close attention to the prophet’s words since they tell us a great…
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1 In The Beginning – Rethink from the beginning. Start with the beginning and think again about what it says. In our culture, we are so saturated with scientific naturalism (the idea that all explanation must be found within a closed-universe model of inferential…
A wise man fears, and departs from evil; but the fool rages, and is confident. Proverbs 14:16 Wise Man – Here’s a little self-assessment test. It will help you determine if your view of life is biblically-based or a part of the dominant culture of the West. It’s about your perception of wisdom. Do you…
