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...

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 s...

This expression is found only one time in the N.T. While on the island of Patmos, the apostle John was "in the spirit on the Lord's day" (Rev. 1:10). But the adjective, kuriakos, "the Lord's," is a...

Mentioned only in 1 Corinthians 11:20. See COMMUNION.

This expression generally refers to the apostasy of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, which introduced the human family to heartache, disease, and ultimately death (Gen. 2:17; 3:16ff; Rom. 5:12)....

In the Old Testament, this term denoted the firstborn offspring of humans or animals. The firstborn was accorded a place of special prominence (cf. Gen. 48:13-18; Dt. 21:15-17; 2 Chron. 21:3).  Th...

Form Criticism is a modern approach to the Bible that originated in a liberal theological context. It holds, for example, that the Gospel accounts are mythological. The "scholarly critic," therefor...

Gambling may be defined as the willingness to take a risk (a wager) motivated by the desire to get something for nothing.  Gambling, an ancient vice condemned in virtually all societies, is driven...

The Greek term porne is a comprehensive term, covering every form of illicit sexual activity by human beings. Note the following passages that help us understand this word. Single people who wish ...

The Bible affirms God's omniscience (i.e., that he knows everything—past, present, and future; cf. 1 Sam. 16:7; Psa. 139; Is. 40:13ff; Acts 1:24; Heb. 4:13).  One aspect of divine omniscience is "...

The Flood, recorded in Genesis 6-8, was the most widespread disaster ever to affect this planet. Waters from the atmosphere above and from chasms beneath the earth inundated the entire globe (Gen. ...

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 ...

The most common word in the Greek New Testament that conveys the idea of "forgiveness" is aphesis, a compound term meaning "to send away from." Forgiveness is a divine response to human sin, flowi...

This phrase appears in Galatians 4:4, where Paul describes Christ's birth and earthly ministry as occurring when "the fulness of time" had arrived. The expression highlights how, over the centuries...

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)...

Zechariah was a companion prophet with Haggai. The latter sternly admonished the Hebrews to rid themselves of self-interest and to complete the work on the temple during the post-Babylonian captivi...

The prophet Zephaniah was the great, great-grandson of King Hezekiah (1:1). His prophetic ministry was conducted in the days of Judah's good king, Josiah (ca. 639-09 B.C.).  Josiah came to the thr...

A version of the Bible is a translation of the Scriptures from the original languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek) into another language. Versions may be classified as ancient or modern. Some anc...

The doctrine of the virgin birth of Jesus is one of the lines of evidence establishing the Lord's identity as the Son of God.  The angel Gabriel said to Mary, a "virgin" (Lk. 1:27): "The holy thin...

The common word for "walk" in the New Testament is peripateo. It means to walk around or, in a figurative sense, "to conduct oneself" in a certain way. It was the common Jewish idiom for how one li...