In the Old Testament, anointing with oil was used ceremonially to set apart special roles, especially those of prophets (1 Kgs. 19:16), priests (Ex. 28:41), and kings (1 Sam. 9:16).

The most comm...

The doctrine of “annihilation” is the idea that eventually, after a sufficient period of punishment, the souls of the wicked will go out of existence. This dogma is without biblical support. 

The ...

Autonomy derives from two roots: auto (“self”) and nomos (“law”). It can have a negative or positive connotation.

It’s crucial to remember that man is not autonomous. He is not empowered to rule ...

Blood is a prominent theme in the Bible.

Because blood is the life stream of a person (Lev. 17:11), it becomes the biblical representation of life. Because of sin, man has forfeited the right to ...

The term “brother” is from the Greek adelphos. It technically signifies “from the same womb.” The word is used in different senses in the New Testament. 
• It is employed literally to identify sibl...

The term “sovereign” denotes the right that God has to rule the Universe. Note that the word “reign” is contained within “sovereign.”

Jehovah has this “right” because he is the Creator, and theref...

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 somewh...

The name “Armageddon” derives from a passage in the book of Revelation, where certain opposing forces were gathered at a place called Har-Magedon for a great battle (Rev. 16:16).

It is believed t...

This is the name of a figure of speech whereby things are described in human terms. The word derives from the Greek anthropos (man) and morphe (form), hence man-form. 

Because God is “spirit” (Jn....

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 t...

Infallibility means “without error.”

In theology, it signifies the belief that the Scriptures, in their original form (the autographs), were without error. Furthermore, the divine documents were ...

The “church” is a body of baptized believers, called by the gospel from the “world” into a special fellowship with Christ. 

We must acknowledge, however, that the church exists in the modern world...

The title “Christ” was applied to Jesus of Nazareth because he fulfilled Old Testament prophecies about the coming Messiah. 

The prophets previewed Jesus as the Messiah (Psa. 2:1ff; Dan. 9:25-27)....

The English word “church” is derived from the Greek kurikon, meaning “belonging to the Lord.”

The actual word in the Greek text, which stands behind the modern rendition, “church,” is ekklesia, "...

“Extreme Unction” is one of the so-called “sacraments” of the Roman Catholic Church. It is the action of a priest in applying oil to someone who is at the point of death. The priest reads prayers a...

The Greek term presbuteros is rendered “elder.” It can refer simply to an older person (cf. Acts 2:17; Heb. 11:2) or take on a technical sense—an officer in the church, equivalent to a bishop or pa...

Biblical chronology has to do with the relationship of the events recorded in Scripture to specific dates. Some events are a bit ambiguous in terms of date. Others are more precise. 

While the Bib...

Critics are fond of claiming that the Bible cannot be the word of God because, supposedly, it contains multiple contradictions. Such allegations reveal that these critics are oblivious to the natur...

“Confession” means “to say the same thing.” 

In connection with our salvation, confession is the personal acknowledgment of the transgressions in our lives that God has spoken of and condemned thr...

Idolatry is the worship of any being or object other than the true God, or the worship of supposed images of Jehovah himself (Ex. 20:3-6).

A more subtle form of idolatry is the slavish yielding t...