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"Fellowship" translates the Greek koinonia, meaning "participation, association, sharing." Fellowship exists on two levels -- the vertical (the Christian's relationship with God) and the horizontal (the sharing among children of God). The Bible emphasizes the wonderful "communion" that Christians...
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...
The term "evangelist" is an Anglicized form of the Greek euanglistes, derived from eu ("well") and angelos ("messenger"). An evangelist is someone who proclaims the good news, serving as a gospel herald. In a broader sense, all Christians are evangelists. However, the term is used in the New Test...
Drunkenness involves the ingestion of a mind-altering substance for purely pleasurable purposes. This vice is repeatedly condemned in the Scriptures (Proverbs 23:29ff; Ephesians 5:18; 1 Corinthians 5:11; 6:10; Galatians 5:21). While the Bible does not prohibit the use of certain drugs for medicin...
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 essentially has the same meaning. The conscience is an inward faculty, unique to human beings, that ei...
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 live (Gen. 2:17; Rom. 6:23; Eph. 2:1). To satisfy the justice of God, a blood-offering was required (H...
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...
This is one of the titles of a church official who oversees a local congregation of Christ's church in the company of fellow bishops (always a plurality of men). "Bishop" translates the Greek term episcopos, literally "oversee." The bishop is the same as an elder (presbuteros -- older man; see Ac...
The noun "baptism" and the corresponding verb "baptize" come directly from Greek into English with only slight spelling changes. The word literally denotes to immerse, dip, or submerge. When used metaphorically, it suggests being overwhelmed. It takes several senses in the New Testament, dependin...
Scholarly sources may be helpful, but good Bible students recognize any human source can be biased or flawed. God’s Word is the ultimate standard of faith and practice.
Many believe that a Christian can never be lost. But what does the Bible say?
Discover the significance of worship in the Bible, its historical context, and principles for true worship. Learn how to honor God through biblical practices.
Biblical ethics would never allow the faithful Christians to engage in practices commonly known as bribery.
Do Christians today receive the Comforter as promised by Christ in the gospel of John?
The literary unity of the Bible is evidence of Divine inspiration.
This article explores the meaning of Hebrews 10:26 and whether deliberate sin after becoming a Christian can lead to someone becoming lost. Wayne Jackson considers the context of the letter’s original recipients who were contemplating leaving Christianity and God’s willingness to forgive all sin.
The Lamb’s blood flows from the book of Genesis all the way through the book of Revelation, and there are valuable lessons all along the way.
Why do so many Christians label gambling as a “sin” when the Bible doesn’t specifically condemn gambling?
Is there New Testament authority for a woman to EVER teach a man in any circumstance?
Unlike some other religions, the validity of Christian faith rests upon what we believe about the gospel of Christ. But what exactly must one know to become a child of God? Let’s explore these thoughts in this brief article.