Bible
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What did Jesus mean in John 13:8 and 10?
Re: John 13:8 “Commentators have debated the meaning of Jesus’ response, ‘Unless I wash you, you have not part with me.’ The context suggests that ‘wash’ (nipto) must refer to the washing of feet, but some believe that a double meaning is present. Morris believes the words point to a ‘washing free from sin.’ Tenney interprets Jesus to refer to the need for ‘cleansing’ Peter’s personality to make him fit for the kingdom. Westcott argues that Jesus is referring to ‘self-surrender” as the first condition of discipleship. Students of Scripture must avoid such speculation and interpret the passage quite literally.” Re; John 3:10 “Many expositors interpret 13:10 to teach the…
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Now I Can See
by Andy Rupert 1 – The disciples and Jesus were passing a manWho had never been able to seeWas this the result of the parents or manWho had sinned so egregiously? Je-sus responded and had to explainThat the fault was from neither of thoseIn God’s perfect mind this misfortune was plannedTo showcase the good works that He chose With hope for the man Jesus spat on the groundand mixed it with dirt to make clayWhen applied to the eyes of the suffering manTo the pool he was soon sent away When the clay was removed the man’s eyes had been healedHis reaction was filled with such blissAs he smiled with…
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Why was John 8:1-11 removed from some Greek manuscripts?
“The episode of the woman, covering the first eleven verses, is not found in some of the better manuscripts. As I am sure you know, our English Bibles are translated from the original languages. The New Testament was first written in the Greek language. Extant manuscripts were used to compile a Greek New Testament; then our English translations were made from that. The Greek text of Westcott and Hort omits the incident of the woman taken in adultery from its position in the eight chapter of John but inserts it at the end of that gospel. Nestle’s Greek text includes it but encloses it in brackets. Augustine writes that it…
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Should a man and woman live together before marriage?
For some, this may seem to be an odd question based on morals from a bygone era. Many couples have live together before marriage and some seem to have turned out okay. Is it really necessary to get married before living together? While there may be convincing arguments for living together before marriage, perhaps it would be good to consider what God says about the subject. Thankfully, He makes His answer clear. Do you see God’s answer to the question? God has a definite plan about “living together.” With our best interest in mind, He has reserved living together for a man and a woman in a committed marriage relationship.…
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Feeling and Speaking Thankfulness
“Whatever others may think or say, the redeemed have overwhelming reasons for declaring the goodness of the Lord. … The Redeemer is so glorious, the ransom price so immense, and the redemption so complete, that they are under sevenfold obligations to give thanks unto the Lord, and to exhort other to do so. Let them not only feel so but say so.” Charles Spurgeon re: Psalm 107:2 in The Treasury of David, Vol II, Psalm 58-110, McLean: MacDonald Publishing Company, n. d.
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Biblical Secondary Separation
In the New Testament, the Lord commands believers to separate from religious unbelief (2 Cor. 6:14-7:1), false teachers (Rom. 16:17-18; 2 John 9-11), worldly believers (1 Cor. 5:1-13; 1 John 2:15-17; James 4:4), and disobedient believers (2 Thess. 3:6-15). Depending on the situation, this may involve not working together with, separation from, making note of, avoiding, not receiving or greeting, withdrawal from, and admonishment of these people. If these commands are not obeyed, continued fellowship with such people sends a mixed message about true faith (2 Cor. 6:14) and Christian fellowship (1 Cor. 5:11-13). Because of that, biblical separation must be practiced. But what happens when another Christian refuses to…
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Lenski on the Application of Romans 16:17
“Paul’s admonition is weakened in its application to us today by use of the historical principle of interpretation. Who were ‘those causing the divisions,’ etc.? In the first place, the well-known Judaizers who mixed law with gospel; then as First Corinthians shows, a number of others, some by means of philosophical, some through false moral teaching. And it is stated that Paul’s words can be applied only to these errors, and that we cannot today apply Paul’s admonition unless we are able to point to exact duplicates of these errors. The case is generally narrowed down to the Judaizers of Paul’s day who demanded circumcision and observance of Jewish ceremonialism.…
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Christian Hedonism?
During a recent Sunday School class, we discussed the idea of Christian Hedonism. It is a concept popularized by John Piper. As you know, hedonism is the love of pleasure. So, why would he combine a love of pleasure with Christianity? According to Piper’s website, the idea is that “God’s ultimate goal in the world (his glory) and our deepest desire (to be happy) are one and the same, because God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. Not only is God the supreme source of satisfaction for the human soul, but God himself is glorified by our being satisfied in him. Therefore, our pursuit…
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What is the purpose of a fellowship of churches?
Just before ascending into heaven, Jesus gave the disciples the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20). This consisted of making disciples, baptizing them, and teaching His commands. The Book of Acts shows the results of their efforts. They preached the gospel in Jerusalem and thousands believed (Acts 2:41). These new believers responded by learning doctrine, fellowshipping, breaking bread, and praying (Acts 2:42). As opposition arose, the new believers were scattered across the world giving opportunity for the gospel to be preached in other places (Acts 8:1,4). As the gospel reached new areas, new churches were started in different parts of Israel (Acts 9:31). The gospel slowly spread from Jerusalem to places like…
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Secondary Separation
“If only we would listen to the directions of God, in his protective, preserving kindness, to stand apart from worldly and harmful things. Secondary separation means standing apart even from Bible believers when they do things that maim and harm the Gospel and the churches. As we have mentioned already, we stand apart with discretion. If a minister or church is employing contemporary material only to a small extent, we would far rather appeal and persuade, than break fellowship. If, however, the drums are in with the full manifestation of worldliness, we cannot work together. James 4.4 hangs over the situation – ‘Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is…
