“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son” (Hebrews 1:1-2). In the past, God revealed His will “at various times.” The Greek word is polymerōs – in many portions, i.e. variously as to …
Continue reading The Patternists: The Prophet to End All Prophets
James continued the theme of his epistle – “be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (1:22) – by bringing to the mind of his audience an attitude which was ungodly and destructive. He speaks of presumption (v. 13-15), arrogant boasting (v. 16), and the sinfulness of omission (v. 17). It is …
Continue reading James 4:13-17
If we wish to please our Creator, we must first understand that, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). A lion’s hunger cannot be satiated with a bale of hay, nor can a cow’s with a juicy piece of meat. God cannot be pleased with mere …
Continue reading Making Spiritual Things Carnal
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with inherent and inalienable rights; that among these, are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” (Declaration of Independence as originally written by Thomas Jefferson, 1776. ME 1:29, Papers 1:315) The government of the United …
Continue reading Facebook: The Pursuit of Happiness In verses 1-6, the Hebrew writer explained the “main point” of the things discussed in chapter 7 concerning Jesus’ High Priesthood. In verse 6, he explained that “He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.” The given text explained how …
Continue reading Hebrews 8:7-13 In the previous verses (v. 4-7), Paul acknowledged Philemon’s proven character of love as a Christian. This set the foundation for Paul’s appeal to him. He could have easily, and appropriately commanded Philemon to do “what is fitting,” but he instead appealed for “love’s sake.” He would have yet another opportunity to act in a …
Continue reading Philemon 8-11
“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith” (1 John 5:4). The world, with its lusts and hardships, cannot be bested without help from the Divine. When we are born of God in baptism we become His children (cf. John 3:3-5; Galatians 3:26-29). …
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Our Lord was no stranger to tests. He was met with many in His life, and continually proved His love for His Father, and showed His depth of wisdom. It was no different when one day His enemies came before Him with questions designed to trap. The Pharisees failed to find Jesus in contradiction when …
Continue reading Which is the greatest commandment? In his final messages to Titus, Paul urged him to come to the city of Nicopolis. Paul was headed that way for winter. We are not specifically told why, but it is not unlikely that Paul would spend a greater part of his time there preaching the gospel, and Titus would likely be of great …
Continue reading Titus 3:12-15
“But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves” (James 1:22; NASB). Are you a member of the Lord’s church who thinks avoiding evil is the only thing needed to please God? If so, you are an advocate of negative religion. James says the person who thinks this way is …
Continue reading Facebook: Are you delusional?