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"Belief" is the noun form of the verb "believe." True belief embraces several important elements. Despite God's invisibility and inaudibility, our belief in him is not rooted in superstition. Belief is not a blind leap but an intellectual awareness of certain theological and historical facts. It ...
While the term "unity" is rare in the English Bible (Psa. 133:1; Eph. 4:3; 4:13), the idea prevails profusely in a variety of contexts. (a) Unity is that oneness that obtains perfectly among the members of the divine Godhead -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These holy Persons are "one" (Dt. 6:4; ...
The Bible clearly teaches that at the time of Christ's return, all the dead will be raised from their graves. In the Patriarchal age, Job seems to allude to the hope of the resurrection (Job 19:25-26). Abraham believed that God could raise Isaac from the dead (Heb. 11:19). Moses, speaking on beha...
The Scriptures emphatically teach that the Second Person of the Godhead, the Word (Jn. 1:1), actually became a flesh and blood human being (Jn. 1:14; Heb. 2:14). One partakes of the spirit of antichrist who denies such (2 Jn. 7). See ANTICHRIST. The humanity of Jesus was essential in order that h...
This book, authored by the Lord's half-brother (Galatians 1:19), is directed to the "twelve tribes scattered abroad." This is either Jewish Christians or a figurative designation for "spiritual Israel" (Galatians 6:16), the church generally. The narrative is sometimes characterized as the "gospel...
The term "restoration" conveys a number of ideas in the Scriptures, depending upon the immediate context. (a) It may refer to the restitution of property or money in compliance to law (Dt. 22:2), or it may be a reflection of one's repentance (Lk. 19:8). (b) The term may be used of a spiritual inv...
The Greek term porne is a comprehensive term, covering every form of illicit sexual activity by human beings. Note the following passages that help us understand this word. Single people who wish to satisfy their sexual appetites may marry. Otherwise, such activity is "fornication" (1 Cor. 7:2). ...
Woman was fashioned from flesh and bone taken from the side of man (Gen. 2:21-24). Male and female qualities were designed by God (Mt. 19:4); these characteristics are not accidental developments of an imagined "evolutionary" process. The Hebrew term for "woman" is ishsha, thought to derive from ...
This word derives from a Latin term meaning "unmarried." In the divine scheme of things, the ideal is for human beings to marry (Gen. 2:18; 1 Tim. 5:14). Sometimes, however, it is not advisable to marry. One such time would be during severe persecution (1 Cor. 7:26, 35, 40). Even then, however, m...
The act of "laying on of hands" served several functions in the N.T. (a) Some parents brought their children that Jesus might lay his hands upon them (Mt. 19:13). This involved no magical ritual; rather, it was a symbolic act designed to invoke Jehovah's blessings upon these children. (b) Laying ...
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...
The adjective "spiritual" has several senses. (a) It may refer to a being that is "spirit" in nature, e.g., angels (Eph. 6:12). (b) Spiritual may denote that which is from God, thus is lofty in its quality (Rom. 7:14). (c) Spiritual may connote a person who has access to sacred revelation by supe...
The most popular Greek word for "authority" is exousia (sometimes translated as "power"). The term, with various usages, is found 102 times in the New Testament. The word, together with some parallel terms, are employed of: • The authority of God (Lk. 12:5; Rom. 9:21; Jude 25). God's authority is...
Jesus once declared that he came to this earth to give up his life as a "ransom" for others (cf. Mt. 20:28; Mk. 10:45). The term for "ransom" is lutron. Lutron derives from luo, "to loose," and when the suffix is added, the meaning suggested is "the means of loosing." In the O.T., the word was us...
A "mediator" is a "go-between" (from mesos, "middle" and eimi "to go"). Ideally, the role of a mediator is to work for the reconciliation of parties that have become estranged. (a) Moses was a mediator between God and Israel. He delivered the law to the nation on behalf of Jehovah (Jn. 1:17; Gal....
"Communion" is a term applied to the Lord's Supper because of its usage in 1 Corinthians 10:16. This act of worship emphasizes the fellowship (koinonia — sharing, participation) we enjoy with Christ when we partake of the sacred elements (cf. "with you" in Mt. 26:29). The communion involves two e...
Mary was a Hebrew maiden who was chosen to be the mother of Jesus Christ. Her miraculous conception was prophesied in the O.T. (Isa. 7:14). Mary was certainly worthy of honor as a godly Jewish woman (see Mt. 1:16ff; Lk. 1:27ff; Jn. 19:25ff), but the cult-like superstition that has evolved regardi...
The Flood, recorded in Genesis 6-8, was the most widespread disaster ever to affect this planet. Waters from the atmosphere above and from chasms beneath the earth inundated the entire globe (Gen. 7:19, 21; cf. 2 Pet. 3:6). More than 200 traditions of an ancient, universal flood, from which only ...