Content on 1 John 2:17
75 results
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Righteous
Righteous is the state or quality of being right. (a) Only Deity is righteous in the absolute sense (Rom. 3:10). To speak of the righteousness of God is to affirm his absolute morality, and the expectation he entertains for purity in those fashioned in his image (Gen. 17:1; 1 Pet. 1:15). God will...
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Firstfruits
Each year, the ancient Hebrews would offer the "firstfruits" of their crops to God as a token of their thanksgiving for the bounty to come (Lev 2:12, 23; 23:17, 39). In his initial letter to the saints at Corinth, Paul draws on this circumstance and refers to Jesus as the "firstfruits" of those w...
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Dogma, Dogmatic
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...
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Peace
The Greek word eirene ("peace") may derive from an original term meaning, "to weave together." This is a very significant Bible word. (a) There is a peace to be sought with God. Sin has separated man from his Creator (Isa. 59:1-2), so that rebellious man has become an enemy to God (Rom. 5:10; Jas...
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Faithful
Faithfulness conveys integrity, steadfastness, truth, and dependability, among other qualities. Two important emphases of this quality are highlighted in the Bible. • God is faithful in all things (see Psa. 36:5; 100:5; Lam. 3:23). This means one can have absolute confidence in his promises and t...
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Prayer
Prayer is a mode of communication between a human being and deity. Prayer is almost a human "instinct," reflecting man's innate need for contact with his Maker (Acts 17:27). It has been said that when one realizes that he is "lost," he cannot help praying. While that may well be true, the Bible p...
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Unity
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; ...
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Agnostic
The word "agnostic" does not appear in the English Bible. The term derives, however, from Greek roots suggesting the idea "not known." When Paul visited Athens, he noted that the pagans there had erected an altar to an "unknown" (agnostos) god (Acts 17:23). The apostle used that inscription as th...
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Knowledge
Knowledge refers to a body of factual data that is received and understood by a rational human being. The acquisition of spiritual knowledge is fundamental to Christianity. The prophets foretold that those of the Christian era who faithfully serve God will be those who "know" him (Jer. 31:31-34)....
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Mediator
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....
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Judgment Day
This is a specific time determined by God for the vindication of divine operation. Acts 17:31 is a very comprehensive passage in this regard: (a) A day of judgment has been "appointed." (b) The entire "world" will be judged (cf. Gen. 18:25; Mt. 25:32; Rev. 20:11-12). (c) Judgment will be accordin...
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Tongues, Speaking In
Literally speaking, the "tongue" is an organ of taste and speech within the mouth. By metaphorical extension, it is used in literature for a human language. In the N.T., the gift of being able to "speak in tongues" was one of the manifestations of the Holy Spirit (Mk. 16:17; 1 Cor. 12:10). There ...
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Apostle
This word is related to a Greek verb, apostello, meaning "to send away, to send forth." It is used in several senses in the New Testament. • Christ was God's "apostle," sent from heaven to reveal the divine will and to provide atonement for sin (Heb. 3:1). • The term "apostle" is used for a selec...
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Faith
Faith is the willingness to trust and obey God without ever having seen him. It is not a gullible "leap in the dark," as existential "faith" postulates. Instead, it rests on evidence that allows us to maintain a prima facie (self-evident) case for belief. Faith involves believing the truth, not m...
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Ten Commandments
The "Ten Commandments" constituted the core element of the law of Moses (see Ex. 19:16-20:17). They were written by God himself on the two tables of stone (Ex. 31:18; 32:15-16; 34:1, 28; Dt. 10:4). Moses shattered the first set when he learned of Israel's worship of the golden calf (Ex. 32:19). E...
