A priest is one who offers sacrifice and ministers in services pertaining thereto (cf. Heb. 5:1). This term implies recognition of sin and the need for atonement, in some fashion or another. (a) Th...

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 ...

Blood is a prominent theme in the Bible.

Because blood is the life stream of a person (Lev. 17:11), it becomes the biblical representation of life. Because of sin, man has forfeited the right to ...

“Gospel” derives from the Greek euangelion, literally “good tidings” (see Lk. 2:10, where it is fully translated). The gospel is mentioned more than 75 times in the New Testament. It is the good ne...

The Old Testament, the revered Hebrew Bible, is a divine collection of thirty-nine books. These books, inspired by God (Mt. 22:31-32; 2 Tim. 3:15-17), were produced over a period of about 1,000 yea...

An in-depth study of the interesting encounter between Jesus and an unnamed Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well recorded in John chapter four.

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 ...

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...

A significant portion of the Old Testament record embodies the law of Moses. Some basic facts relative to that system must be understood. (a) It was given by God, and ordained by angels; it came th...

After Jacob had his famous encounter with the “messenger” of Jehovah (Gen. 32:29; cf. Hos. 12:4-5), his name was changed to “Israel,” suggesting, “he who strove with God.” Later, the name is applie...

Literally, this term has to do with the implantation of seed by which a child is conceived. The word is used in Scripture figuratively to illustrate the spiritual agency, namely the word of God, by...

Homosexual activity is sexual intimacy between two persons of the same gender. This form of sexual conduct is uniformly condemned in the Bible. (a) It stands outside the divinely prescribed realm o...

The adjective “spiritual” has several senses. (a) It may refer to a being that is “spirit” in nature, e.g., angels (Eph. 6:12). (b) Spiritual may denote that which is from God, thus is lofty in its...

Some 17 different words in the Greek New Testament represent, in one way or another, the concept of “giving.”

While God does not “need” anything from man (Acts 17:25), he has always demanded that ...

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”); rat...

“Holy” is from the Greek hagios, which carries the idea of something “separated” from other things. (a) God utterly stands apart from sinful man, and thus he is absolutely holy (Isa. 6:3; Rev. 4:8)...

Demons (not “devils” KJV) were evil spirits (Mt. 12:43-45) that were permitted to inhabit the bodies of some people during the days of Christ and his apostles. 

Almost certainly, this was to allow...

There are three kindred words in the Greek N.T. that represent the idea of “propitiation.” Two are nouns — hilasmos (1 Jn. 2:2; 4:10) and hilasterion (Rom. 3:25; Heb. 9:5), and the third is the ve...

This is the title of a sovereign who exercises regal authority over a certain territory. The term is used in the following senses in Scripture. (a) Jehovah God is king over the entire earth (1 Sam....

It is unfortunate that so many think they can trifle with the Creator of the Universe and not be held accountable. What a tragic mistake this is.