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"Salvation" is the result of having been "saved." The verb "save" (sozo) had a variety of ancient meanings. It could signify to deliver, to heal, to liberate, to preserve, etc., depending upon the context. Most prominently in the N.T. it has to do with deliverance from the guilt and ultimate cons...
Righteous is the state or quality of being right. (a) Only Deity is righteous in the absolute sense (Rom. 3:10). To speak of the righteousness of God is to affirm his absolute morality, and the expectation he entertains for purity in those fashioned in his image (Gen. 17:1; 1 Pet. 1:15). God will...
The name "Jesus" means "savior." "Christ" means "anointed." These names suggest that this noble person was "anointed" of God (Acts 10:38) to be prophet, priest, and king, and indeed, the Savior of the world (Matthew 1:21). The following facts about Jesus are paramount: • He existed eternally as t...
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, flowing from the loving and merciful disposition of God (Jn. 3:16; Eph. 2:4). Forgiveness is possible beca...
The book of Romans is magnificent in that it reveals so many aspects of the “righteousness of God” (1:16-17).
Is the doctrine of eternal punishment in hell consistent with the idea of a good and loving God?
The declaration, “The righteous shall live by faith,” is found several times in the Bible. What is the significance of the expression? This essay explores this issue.
Jesus once declared, “Salvation is from the Jews.” What did he mean?
Was the death of Jesus Christ a part of God’s eternal plan for human salvation? Amazingly, some have contended it was not—contrary to the explicit testimony of Peter (see 1 Peter 1:19-20).
The book of Revelation ignites a confidence in the soul of every child of God — of any century. What a thrilling ray of hope this must have generated in the hearts of those early, suffering saints. Truly, it is the “gospel in miniature.”
Mel Gibson’s movie, “The Passion of the Christ,” continues to generate controversy —especially the prolonged scenes of violence. How does this emphasis compare to the Gospel accounts of the death of Christ? Read this week’s Penpoints for a discussion of this matter.
William Barclay was a popular Scottish theologian who died in 1978. His books are immensely popular. But Barclay was a “mystery.” He was modernistic in many of his views; yet extremely instructive in other ways. Read this discussion regarding a hurtful, but helpful, scholar.
A critic has charged that Christians have manipulated the text of Psalm 22 to foreshadow the crucifixion of Christ. What are the facts of the matter?
Biblical scholars have catalogued more than 300 amazing prophecies that find precise fulfillment in the life and labor of the Son of God. One of these predictive declarations is found in Daniel 9:24–27, commonly referred to as the prophecy of “Daniel’s Seventy Weeks.”
Was Jesus absolutely sinless? What does the evidence actually reveal? If he was sinless, was this necessary in the divine scheme of things? If so, why?
The Old Testament is worthy of our time and study. Although it held a distinct place in redemptive history, which it no longer holds, it still has timeless truths to be learned and applied.
The phenomenon of “sin” has wrought a terrible harvest upon this earth. Consider this matter with us.
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.
Can man know that God exists? Is humanity the result of divine creation, or merely the consequence of impersonal evolutionary forces?
Paul’s admonishment of the Cretan Chrisitans, through Titus, provides a marvelous synopsis of the redemption process.