Titus was a Gentile co-worker of Paul's whom the apostle had left on the island of Crete to "set in order" certain matters and to work toward the ordination of elders within the local congregations...

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...

The word "soul" is used in several senses in the Bible. (a) It may signify an individual person (Ezek. 18:20). (b) It may be employed of mere biological life (Gen. 1:30). (c) It can have to do with...

This is the erroneous theory that a vast span of time (billions of years) transpired between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2.  Allegedly, during this period, large creatures roamed the earth (e.g., dinosaurs)...

John's second epistle is a word of commendation for a certain "elect lady" and her children. Further, it provides strong warnings regarding those who go beyond the teaching of Christ, and cautions ...

This small book contains one of the 1,005 songs penned by king Solomon (1 Kgs. 4:32). It extols the passion and bliss of wedded love, and praises the king's "beloved." Many scholars have suggested ...

Roman numeral; seventy. Common abbreviation for the Greek Version of the O.T. (third century B.C.). See SEPTUAGINT.

The Greek noun hesuchia does not signify absolute silence, i.e., absence of sound, but that which is tranquil, causing no disturbance. When Paul addressed an unruly mob, and they perceived that he ...

Animals operate largely on instinct, an inherited pattern of behavior. Human beings are different. We are made in the very image of God himself (Gen. 1:26-27). We possess volition (i.e., the power ...

Expediency is sometimes defined as the method by which a determined goal is achieved, regardless of the moral consequences. This is not the biblical concept of expediency. In Bible parlance, a me...

This book is an appeal to a godly Christian whose name was Gaius, to the end that this brother might assist certain workers who were laboring on behalf of the Lord. Additionally, it conveys a stron...

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...

Paul wrote this epistle to a church he had established on his second missionary campaign (Acts 18:1-11). It deals with problems within that local congregation, such as division (1:10ff), carnality ...

The Hebrew term satan ("adversary" - one who "cherishes animosity") comes over into Greek as diabolos ("slanderer, accuser"). Satan is a spirit-being who is the arch-enemy of God and man. His chara...

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...

This profound work analyzes the avenues men commonly explore to pursue temporal happiness. Written by Solomon (1:1) likely in his advanced years, it affirms that earthly goals such as wealth, power...

The Greek word krino means to render a verdict (Lk. 7:43; Acts 15:9). Prepositions may be attached as prefixes to provide some direction to the term. For example, diakrino suggests the idea of dist...