Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8 Devour – Peter uses a mixed metaphor. When he suggests that the devil acts like a hunting lion, we expect a word like “devour.” That’s why it is surprising to…
and whatever is not from faith is sin Romans 14:23 Whatever – Paul must have been a crazy fanatic! How could he say something like this? Do we really believe that everything that does not arise from faith is sin? That’s what Paul says, whether we like it or not. The Greek is pan, as…
Surely there is a latter end; your hope will not be cut off. Proverbs 23:18 Will Not Be Cut Off – It’s all about the end game. The biblical perspective never stops on this side of the earthly horizon; but maintaining that perspective is the most difficult part about living. The Bible implores us to…
The one who loves pleasure is a destitute person Proverbs 21:17 (Waltke) Pleasure – Long before psychiatrists and brain chemistry researchers discovered the concept of addictive tolerance, the Bible already knew why addicts never get enough. Tolerance is the mechanism of the body that adjusts to expected levels of the addictive substance. Once the body…
Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. John 11:38 Greatly Disturbed – How well do I manage my emotions? Christian answers often contain a misunderstanding of the biblical view of emotional maturity. We see emotions from a Greek perspective. The Greek feared…
in whom we have redemption through His blood, forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace Ephesians 1:7 Sins – The usual word of “sin” in the New Testament is hamartia. This word means, “missing the mark.” It carries the idea that a sin falls short of the standard of God’s holiness and…
who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies with Christ Ephesians 1:3 Heavenlies – Where is heaven? Is it “up there” somewhere, or is it found in the recesses of the heart? The mysterious location of a place called heaven causes all sorts of speculation. The word in this verse helps clarify…
redeeming the time because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:16 Redeeming – What is your time worth? Most of us wouldn’t think of this as a theological question, but it is. We are likely to consider a question about the value of time as a business inquiry, far from the mind of the God of…
redeeming the time because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:16 Time – Professor R. Paul Stevens makes an important observation about our usual interpretation of this verse and its parallel in Colossians 4:5. We think that the word for time here is “clock” time (chronos); time that “can be managed, dissected, digitalized, and processed –…
He who turns away his ear from listening to the law, even his prayer is an abomination. Proverbs 28:9 Abomination – Only a few things are identified as abominations. The list is not very pleasant. Idolatry, child sacrifice, marriage to unbelievers, religious activities of the wicked, homosexuality, lying and certain foods make the list. Proverbs…
