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Psalms is a collection of 150 songs of praise, authored by a variety of writers (seventy-three are attributed to David). They celebrate the Lord's power of creation and his sovereignty over nature. The Psalms reflect an awareness of Israel's redemptive role in the history of mankind. A number of ...
The doctrine of hereditary total depravity is also known as "original sin" in Roman Catholicism. This concept asserts that all children come into the world with both the effects and guilt of Adam's original sin. By "heredity," therefore, they are totally (completely) depraved (evil). Proponents o...
The idea of being born in sin or inheriting ancestral sin at birth is not a biblical concept. The most commonly misapplied passage relating to the notion that children are "born in sin" is Psalm 51:5. For several reasons, this text cannot be teaching that infants are born sinful; such a view woul...
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 that eternal aspect of man that is in the very image of God (Mt. 10:28). "Spirit" may be used in di...
The original words that are rendered by the English "tempt" are employed in two broad senses in the Scriptures, depending upon the context in which they are found. First, the concept may be that of putting something to the "test" to determine its character. David did not want to use Saul's armor ...
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, "called out." It is now generally conceded that the basic meaning of the term is "assembly" or "congreg...
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 by the desire for gain, a lust for excitement, and a passion for combativeness. To express the matter...
The New Testament uses two principal Greek words to represent the idea of "fighting" and "war." Polemeo (18 times) means to "fight" or "make war." Strateuomai (7 times) means to "carry out a military engagement, to be a soldier." The Scriptures use war in both literal and figurative senses. Physi...
Marriage is a covenant between a man and woman, whereby they pledge to belong to one another in a life-long union. There are several elements relative to this institution that are important to understand. (a) The origin of marriage is divine, commencing from the sixth day of the creation week (Ge...
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 thing which is begotten shall be called the Son of God" (1:35). Proofs for the historicity of the virgin b...
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 Roman empire (Acts 22:28). His citizenship granted certain protective procedures (cf. 22:25), and the p...
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 saints at Corinth, Paul draws on this circumstance and refers to Jesus as the "firstfruits" of those w...
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 knows anything about Jesus Christ and his way of redemption except what they have learned either directl...
The Greek term graphe ("writing") comes into the English Bible (via Latin, scriptura) as "scripture." The word almost always has the definite article "the scriptures." The expression may refer to a particular passage, e.g., "have you not read this scripture?" (Mk. 12:10 - citing Psa. 118:22), or ...
This word derives from the Latin term rapio, "to snatch." The corresponding Greek expression is harpazo, signifying "caught up" (cf. 2 Cor. 12:2, 4) or "caught away" (Acts 8:39). At the time of Christ's return to raise the dead (Jn. 5:28-29; Acts 24:15), the Lord's people will be "caught up" to b...
The Bible clearly teaches that at the time of Christ's return, all the dead will be raised from their graves. In the Patriarchal age, Job seems to allude to the hope of the resurrection (Job 19:25-26). Abraham believed that God could raise Isaac from the dead (Heb. 11:19). Moses, speaking on beha...
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...
The Holy Spirit is a divine being who is spirit in nature (Luke 24:39) and holy in character. • The Holy Spirit is not a mere force (as some cultists insist, e.g., the "Jehovah's Witnesses"); rather, he is an individual entity, a person, who speaks, teaches, helps, etc. (1 Timothy 4:1; John 14:26...
The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the very foundation of Christianity. If the Lord was not raised, the religion of Christ is a hoax (cf. 1 Cor. 15:4; 14-19). The Savior's resurrection was foretold by the prophets (Psa. 16:8ff), and promised by Jesus himself (Jn. 2:19-22; Mt. 12:39...
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 to make personal choices). A few modern philosophers, such as Bertrand Russell, denied that man has ...