Law is a mandate that is designed to regulate procedure; it proceeds from a superior, who possesses authority to rule, to a subordinate. Law is viewed from several angles in the Scriptures. (a) The...

The idea of being born in sin or inheriting ancestral sin at birth is not a biblical concept. The most commonly misapplied passage relating to the notion that children are "born in sin" is Psalm 51...

The Bible clearly teaches that at the time of Christ's return, all the dead will be raised from their interment. (a) In the Patriarchal age, Job seems to allude to the hope of the resurrection (Job...

This word comes directly from Greek into English, letter-for-letter. W.E. Vine noted that some derive the term from the negative prefix a ("not") and eido ("seen"), hence "the unseen," though he fe...

The Greek term pascha has been mistranslated as "Easter" in the King James Version of the Bible (Acts 12:4). The term is consistently rendered "passover" elsewhere in the New Testament (see Mt. 26:...

The Christian commitment is biblically designated as a "calling." The divine calling (Eph. 4:1) is not a direct communication from God or his Holy Spirit, as some today allege. No one on earth know...

The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the very foundation of Christianity. If the Lord was not raised, the religion of Christ is a hoax (cf. 1 Cor. 15:4; 14-19). The Savior's resurrecti...

Isaiah was a prophet who lived in Judah in the eighth century before Christ. He foretold coming judgments from God to be visited upon Israel, Judah, and several heathen nations, because of their si...

Death is a term that, in one sense or another, suggests the idea of separation. Physical death is that state of the body which is separated from the "spirit" or "soul" (Gen. 25:8; 35:18; Jas. 2:2...

The book of Ezra documents Israel's first two returns from Babylonian captivity. The narrative covers approximately eighty years, from Cyrus's edict to Ezra's arrival in Jerusalem.  Zerubbabel led...

This word derives from the Greek -- pan ("all") and theos ("God"). Traditionally, the term reflects a religious theory that suggests the entire Universe is endowed with the nature of God.  God is ...

After Judah's initial return from Babylonian captivity (536 B.C.), God's people had begun the work of rebuilding the temple. Then, due to opposition from certain enemies, the Hebrews became discour...

John's first epistle is an defense against the "gnostic" doctrine that alleged that Jesus Christ was not a real, flesh-and-blood human being. This sect claimed a special "knowledge" received direct...

Gambling may be defined as the willingness to take a risk (a wager) motivated by the desire to get something for nothing.  Gambling, an ancient vice condemned in virtually all societies, is driven...

A "redeemer" is one who is qualified to effect "redemption" on behalf of one in need of the same. The term "redeem" means "to buy out of," (Grk. exagorazo -- ek "out of" and agorazo, "buy"), as in ...

This book contains the historical record of the change in Israel's form of government from judges to that of the kings. The nation, in an act of rejecting God, desired a king to be like their pagan...

This is Paul's first letter to his convert, Timothy, who was from the city of Lystra (Acts 16:1). It appears to have been written after Paul's release from his initial Roman imprisonment (Acts 28)....

The most common Greek word representing this idea is apollumi. The term can suggest the idea of an object that is estranged from its owner. A shepherd loses his sheep, a woman loses a coin, a Fathe...

Colossae was a city about 100 miles east of Ephesus. Paul wrote a letter to the church in this city. It was one of his four epistles from Rome (Acts 28), while he was in prison.  The letter of Col...

A religious denomination is a body or sect subscribing to a particular set of doctrinal tenets that is set apart from other religious groups by its name and human creed.  Denominations find no div...