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This word comes directly from the Greek blasphemeo, which is believed to derive from blapto (to injure) and pheme (speech), hence injurious speech. Scripture speaks of those who blaspheme God (Rom. 2:24; 1 Tim. 6:1). It is also possible to blaspheme Christ, as certain hateful ones did at the cros...
The Greek word oikonomia is rendered "dispensation" several times in the New Testament (see 1 Cor. 9:17; Eph. 1:10; 3:2, 9; Col. 1:25). Sometimes the word suggests the idea of managing a household and is rendered as "stewardship" (Lk. 16:2, 3, 4; 1 Cor. 9:17). On other occasions, the word implies...
The word "perfect" is used in different ways in the Bible. (a) Only deity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) is perfect in the absolute, moral sense (Mt. 5:48), though Christians are to strive for this quality. Whenever man is referred to as "perfect" it is only in a relative sense, i.e., he is spiri...
Animals operate largely on instinct, an inherited pattern of behavior. Human beings are different. We are made in the very image of God himself (Gen. 1:26-27). We possess volition (i.e., the power to make personal choices). A few modern philosophers, such as Bertrand Russell, denied that man has ...
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 by the desire for gain, a lust for excitement, and a passion for combativeness. To express the matter...
The New Testament uses two principal Greek words to represent the idea of "fighting" and "war." Polemeo (18 times) means to "fight" or "make war." Strateuomai (7 times) means to "carry out a military engagement, to be a soldier." The Scriptures use war in both literal and figurative senses. Physi...
The doctrine of the virgin birth of Jesus is one of the lines of evidence establishing the Lord's identity as the Son of God. The angel Gabriel said to Mary, a "virgin" (Lk. 1:27): "The holy thing which is begotten shall be called the Son of God" (1:35). Proofs for the historicity of the virgin b...
Marriage is a covenant between a man and woman, whereby they pledge to belong to one another in a life-long union. There are several elements relative to this institution that are important to understand. (a) The origin of marriage is divine, commencing from the sixth day of the creation week (Ge...
The English word "bible" means "scroll" or "book" and refers to the sixty-six documents that comprise the book of Scripture -- thirty-nine Old Testament documents and twenty-seven New Testament books. These two divisions are sometimes called the two covenants (Ex. 24:7; Mt. 26:28; Heb. 8:7). The ...
A version of the Bible is a translation of the Scriptures from the original languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek) into another language. Versions may be classified as ancient or modern. Some ancient versions are noteworthy. The Septuagint (represented by the Roman numeral LXX) is a Greek transla...
Discipline is actually a process of training that begins at the point of one's conversion and continues throughout one's life. It includes teaching, example, exhortation, admonition, etc. (2 Timothy 3:16–17). The most extreme and ultimate form of church discipline, however, is the withdrawal of f...
Literally, this term has to do with the implantation of seed by which a child is conceived. The word is used in Scripture figuratively to illustrate the spiritual agency, namely the word of God, by which one becomes a believer in Christ. When Paul preached the gospel to the people of Corinth (Act...
The Greek word psallo is found five times in the N.T. It is rendered by the English terms "sing" (Rom. 15:9; 1 Cor. 14:15; Jas. 5:13), and "make melody" (Eph. 5:19). In the era of classical Greek (cir. 900 to 330 B.C.), the word was used in the sense of "to touch" or "to twang," as with a carpent...
References to "worship" are common in both the O.T. and the N.T. The Hebrew term shachah (about 100 times) refers to "bowing" before an object of religious devotion. Similarly, proskuneo (59 times) in the N.T. means to prostrate oneself, do obeisance. Worship can be offered to the true God (Gen. ...
The term "body" is used in Scripture in both literal and figurative sense. Literal user of the body In a literal sense, the term "body" in Scripture refers to the physical "tabernacle" in which the spirit of man dwells (2 Cor. 5:1ff). This human body was fashioned on the sixth day of the creation...
The word "dogma" is not found in the English Bible, but it is in the Greek New Testament. • In classical Greek, the term had a range of meanings from opinion to a legal edict. Luke refers to a census "decree" that Augustus sent forth (2:1). This was dogma with the force of law. See also the accus...
The term "tradition" renders a Greek word that suggests the idea of "instruction that has been handed down." It takes on two senses in Scripture. (a) "Tradition" may be instruction that is divinely originated. Paul commended the Corinthians for holding to the "traditions" he had delivered unto th...
"Gospel" derives from the Greek euangelion, literally "good tidings" (see Lk. 2:10, where it is fully translated). The gospel is mentioned more than 75 times in the New Testament. It is the good news of a plan of redemption for fallen man. Much can be learned about the gospel by a consideration o...
The practice of baptism "for the dead" is mentioned once in the New Testament. "If the dead are not raised at all, why then are they baptized for them?" (1 Cor. 15:29). Though the passage is somewhat obscure, several things are evident: First, it gives no sanction to the modern practice (by Mormo...
This English term is a rendition of the Greek zoopoieo, "to make alive." It is found about a dozen times in the N.T. and is rendered by such expressions as "quicken," "give life," and "make alive." Consider these facts: (a) The power to "make alive" is always attributed either to God (Jn. 5:21; R...