Once For All

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Romans 8:38 Persuaded – When you think about this verb, what comes to mind?  Is persuasion a mental function, the result of argument, of a dialogue that demonstrates evidence?  Is that what Paul…

Sticks and Stones

And looking at them He said, “What, then, is this which has been written, “The stone that the builders rejected, this one came to be the head of the corner”? Luke 20:17 Stone – “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”  That childhood rhyme certainly wasn’t what Jesus had…

Theological Propaganda

Therefore, let no one act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or Sabbath days, things which are a [mere] shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ. Colossians 2:16-17 (NASB) Mere – When you read the word “mere”…

Reading Backwards

Therefore, let no one act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or Sabbath days Colossians 2:16 No One – Every letter Paul wrote fits into the cultural context of the audience he addressed.  The first principle of biblical interpretation is to determine…

Status Symbol

for in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.” Romans 1:17 Righteous – Tim Hegg, in the book The Letter Writer, makes an incredibly important point about Paul’s understanding of righteousness after his encounter with Christ.  Paul as a…

Church Fanatics

“You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the Law;” Acts 21:20   Zealous – There’s a lot of discussion these days about the impact, power and outreach of the early church.  There are a lot of books, programs, videos and…

Follow Me

This is how we know we are in him:  whoever claims to live in him must walk as Yeshua did.  1 John 2:5-6 (NIV) Walk – It seems pretty clear, doesn’t it?  John says that if we claim to be in Christ, we must walk as He did.  The Greek verb, peripateo, is a nice…

Just Think About It

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge Hosea 4:6 Knowledge – How often have you heard this verse quoted in a plea for renewed diligence toward the things of God?  The quotation is usually followed by an enumeration of our lack of Bible study, church attendance, daily devotion or some other missing element in…

A Wedding Date

And you shall put this ark in front of the veil that is near the ark of the testimony, in front of the mercy seat that is over [the ark of] the testimony, where I will meet with you. Exodus 30:6 Meet – Where would you go to keep an appointment with God?  Does that…

A Man Of the People

And Moshe spoke to YHWH, saying, “Let YHWH, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation” Numbers 27:15-16 Appoint – Not many leaders display the character of Moses.  There’s a reason that he was called the most humble man who ever walked the earth.  If we look hard, we…