The apostle John affirms that Jesus functions as an “advocate” on behalf of his people (1 Jn. 2:1). The Greek word for advocate is parakletos, literally suggesting the sense "to call to one’s side....

Adultery is sexual intimacy between a married person and someone other than their lawful mate. The act begins in the mind (Mt. 5:28; Mk. 7:21) and ultimately manifests in physical union (cf. Jn. 8:...

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 ...

Astrology is a pagan superstition that believes the heavenly bodies influence human activity. Additionally, the theory often includes the belief that human events can be predicted by “reading” the ...

This is an expression used frequently in the Old Testament to describe those who forsook their loyalty to God and began to serve Satan again. 

No fewer than thirteen times, the prophet Jeremiah re...

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 Greek term antikristos is found five times in the New Testament — all references being in John’s writings (1 Jn. 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2 Jn. 7). The meaning is “against Christ.”

John warns that man...

Though this word is not found in most English translations of the New Testament, the thought is there in the Greek text. It is an anglicized form of the original term antitupos. The term is rendere...

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...

This word is an anglicized form of the Greek apologeia, literally meaning “a verbal defense.” It is found eight times in the New Testament, and a verb form occurs some ten times.

For example, Luke...

A word that denotes the commencement of anything with a point of origin. 

The “heavens and the earth” had a beginning (Gen. 1:1); hence, they are not eternal. Material origins must be explained su...

The English word “atonement” derives from an Anglo-Saxon term that practically signifies “a making at one.” Though the English term “atonement” is common to the Old Testament, it is found only once...

On the night before his death, during the Passover celebration, Jesus instituted the communion supper for his disciples (Mt. 26:26ff; Mk. 14:22ff; Lk. 22:19ff; cf. 1 Cor. 11:23ff). The Lord’s Suppe...

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 t...

In the first century, it was the Jewish custom to recline at the table during meals. Thus, the saying, “recline in the bosom,” signified a place of honor near the host. The apostle John enjoyed suc...

Citizenship is the legal relationship that one sustains to a city, state, or country. Paul was a citizen of Tarsus in Cilicia (Acts 21:39), and he enjoyed the privileges of “citizenship” in the Rom...

This English term is related to the Latin conscientia, literally, “to know together” or “joint knowledge.” It corresponds to the Greek suneidesis (found thirty times in the New Testament), which es...

The English “elect” derives from a compound Greek term, eklektos (ek — “out of,” and lego — “to gather”). It suggests the idea of being selected or chosen. 

The New Testament uses the term in va...

The term Catholic originates with a Greek word, katholikos, which means “general” or “universal.” The expression is not found in the Scriptures but has been employed in various senses in church his...

“Christian” is the name given to the disciples of Christ in Antioch of Syria following the first missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas (Acts 11:26).

The verb chrematizo (“called”) in this passa...