Purgatory is a state, fabricated by the Roman Catholic, which is supposed to be a depository for those who die, not wicked enough to enter hell, but not good enough to merit heaven. Accordingly, th...

“Liberalism” (in the classical sense of the word) is a rather flexible term for an ideological disposition that developed in the 1800’s, and reached an intense level in America during the days prec...

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 exp...

A “mediator” is a “go-between” (from mesos, “middle” and eimi “to go”). Ideally, the role of a mediator is to work for the reconciliation of parties that have become estranged. (a) Moses was a medi...

Jesus once declared that he came to this earth to give up his life as a “ransom” for others (cf. Mt. 20:28; Mk. 10:45). The term for “ransom” is lutron. Lutron derives from luo, “to loose,” and whe...

The book of Zechariah teaches important truths about the Messiah. Study it with us in this week’s Margin Notes.

The English “elect” derives from a compound Greek term, eklektos (ek — “out of,” and lego — “to gather”). It suggests the idea of being selected or chosen. 

The New Testament uses the term in va...

A “redeemer” is one who is qualified to effect “redemption” on behalf of one in need of the same. The term “redeem” means “to buy out of,” (Grk. exagorazo — ek “out of” and agorazo, “buy”), as in ...

The term “sabbath” is derived from the Hebrew shabath, to “cease.” The use of this word for the “seventh day” reflects the Genesis account of creation, when, after six days of creative activity, Je...

This striking passage clarifies the connection between one’s knowledge of the truth and his salvation.

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.

Pilate paraded Jesus before the crowd and exclaimed, “Behold, the man!” (Jn. 19:5). Significantly, this very phrase is found in an Old Testament prophecy that heralds the coming of Israel’s Messiah.

By virtue of man’s transgression, death and all its attendant evils, including illness, have become a part of the human experience. It is not surprising, therefore, that “healing” is a biblical the...

When 1 Peter 1:1, 2 is seen in concert with related biblical material, the doctrine of election is removed from the confusing fog of sectarian dogma.

The names “Jesus Christ” mean “savior” and “anointed,” suggesting that this noble person was “anointed” of God (Acts 10:38) to be prophet, priest, and king, and indeed, the Savior of the world (Mt....

Bible critics have charged the sacred book with mistakes in that the King James Version mentions both “unicorns” and “satyrs” — both of which are mythical creatures. How does the student of the Scriptures respond to this alleged difficulty?

What is the meaning of that phrase in the book of Hebrews, “the spirits of just men made perfect”? In order to understand the expression, the surrounding context must be examined. This study does that.

Did Jesus literally become a sinner on the cross? Or did he merely suffer the penalty for sin that we justly deserved?

One of the most fascinating areas of Bible study is that of typology—the study of Scripture “types.”

There is an interesting passage in the Jewish Talmud that mentions the death of Christ. Though written from a negative vantage point, it nonetheless constitutes a marvelous confirmation of the biblical record.