I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. 2 Timothy 1:3 ESV As did my ancestors – Sometimes the smallest phrases require the greatest attention. In this introduction to his letter to Timothy, Paul makes an almost parenthetical…
“And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner” 1 Peter 4:18 NASB Godless man – Peter calls these people “godless” and “sinners.” “Godless man” is the Greek word asebes. It literally means, “without worship.” This is a person who does not honor…
“But let the man who boasts, boast of this, that he understands and knows me. For I am Yahweh who acts in steadfast loyalty, justice, and righteousness upon the earth; for in these things I delight – Yahweh’s word.” Jeremiah 9:24 J. A. Thompson translation. Delight – How would you answer this question: What are…
For the LORD will rise up as at Mount Parazim, He will be stirred up as in the valley of Gibeon, to do His task, His unusual task, and to work His work, His extraordinary work. Isaiah 28:21 NASB To work His work – “As for me and my house.” Joshua’s often-quoted declaration makes his…
and there was not a man to till the ground Genesis 2:5 (Hebrew World translation) To till – There is no difference between sacred and secular. Better read that again since nearly everything about our culture is based on separating sacred and secular. We have church and state, spiritual and carnal, righteous and wicked and…
But wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. James 3:17 Pure – Want peace in your life? Want gentleness, mercy and integrity? Want clear reason and satisfying production? Then start with hagnos (Greek for pure). Of course, it’s important to know what “pure”…
He has declared to you, O man, what is good. Micah 6:8 Declared – Context, context, context. Far too often we lift a verse from its culture and history when we apply it to extraneous theological topics. In this case, while it is certainly true that God does determine what is good, Micah is not…
But King David said to Ornan, “No, but I will surely buy it for the full price; for I will not take what is yours for YHWH, or offer a burnt offering which costs me nothing.” 1 Chronicles 21:24 Costs Me Nothing – Nancy Pearcey makes an astounding application of David’s principle. She says, “The…
“For you shall not worship any other god, for YHWH, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God” Exodus 34:14 Worship – In order to avoid idolatry, we must know what it means to worship. This might seem like a fairly simple thing, but we soon discover that it isn’t. One problem is our rationality…
Thus the priest shall make expiation for them, and they shall be forgiven. Leviticus 4:20 Expiation – For centuries we have heard Christian theologians proclaim that forgiveness comes by grace alone. Pastors and professors have driven a wedge between the teaching of Leviticus and the words of Paul. The Jews were under the “law.” Christians…
