“What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.” Matthew 19:6 Joined Together – Every translation I checked has the same wording, “joined together.” But that doesn’t quite capture the overtones of this very unusual Greek verb (syzeugnymi). The verb literally means “yoked together.” It is found only twice in the LXX (Ezekiel 1:11 and…
“So also My heavenly Father will do to you unless each of you from your hearts forgive his brother their offenses.” Matthew 18:35 Forgive – Forgiveness is fundamental to faith. It is the action that separates human being from human biology. When I refuse to forgive, I move away from alignment with the Father. In…
but rather let him labor, working the good with the hands, that he may have to give to the one having need. Ephesians 4:28 Have To Give – Why do you work? Try making the list of your work objectives. Let’s see – pay the bills, keep a roof over your head, provide for your…
and do not give the devil an opportunity Ephesians 4:27 Opportunity – On the west end of Grand Cayman is a town called Hell. Maybe it’s only a tourist trap, but there is a post office there so you can mail a letter to someone from Hell. In physical space, this is about as close…
This I say therefore, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; Ephesians 4:17-18…
Then, be imitators of God, as beloved children; Ephesians 5:1 Imitators – When Paul exhorts the believers in Ephesus to imitate God, he fully expects that they will do so. We might find that expectation a little too much. After all, who can really imitate God? But Paul is adamant about it. His use of…
Judge me, YHWH, for I have walked in my integrity; I also have trusted in YHWH; I shall not slide. Psalm 26:1 Slide – James has a Greek expression for this Hebrew word. It was dipsuchos (two psyche). Most contemporary English translations use “waver” for the Hebrew ma’ad. But Hebrew is a tactile, phenomenological…
Judge me, YHWH, for I have walked in my integrity; I also have trusted in YHWH; I shall not slide. Psalm 26:1 Judge – David seems to make a very bold request. Can we echo his words? Are we ready to have YHWH judge us? Can we claim that we have walked in integrity when…
In the beginning, God created . . . Genesis 1:1 Created – Today I received an email announcement for “Creation 2010 Supercamp.” The advertisement said, “5 Fantastic Days. 14 Speakers. 20 Sessions.” Even the meals are included. But what caught my attention was the second headline. It read “Battle for the Bible.” Oops! Just a…
as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord Romans 5:21 Might Reign – Mark Seifrid makes an interesting observation about Paul’s tension between law and grace. He points out that the same tension is found in the apocryphal literature of Paul’s time. Paul’s…
