True Christian fellowship
Jul 01
This one-chapter epistle of Paul to his friend Philemon is essentially a personal request by Paul that Philemon forgive his runaway slave, Onesimus, and receive him back into "the church in thy house" as a new Christian, recently won to Christ
The Bible’s Every Word and Letter Divinely Inspired
Feb 11
"For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." Matthew 5:18 Here is the commentary of the Lord Jesus on the doctrine of plenary verbal inspiration. Not only were the words of the Bible divinely inspired, but even the very letters! The "jot" was the smallest letter of the Hebrew alphabet (yod, the tenth letter). The "tittle" was a small horn-like appendage which transformed one Hebrew letter into another. Thus, a stronger statement of absolute verbal inspiration than this could hardly be imagined. Further, the phrase "in no wise" is actually a double negative in Greek. In New Testament Greek it was used for strong emphasis. According to none other than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, every word -even every letter - of the "law" must be fulfilled. This certainly includes the books of the Pentateuch- - including even the often-maligned and distorted opening chapters of Genesis! He applied the same principle to other parts of Scripture as well. "The scripture cannot be broken," He said (John 10:35) in the course of an exposition of Psalm 82:6, based on one single word used in the verse, supporting the vital doctrine of His own deity. It is clear that Christ taught the doctrine of full, verbal inspiration of the Holy Scriptures. It is sad and inexcusable that so many today who call themselves Christians repudiate this vital teaching of the Lord Jesus by rejecting, diluting, or "interpreting" the plain statements of the Word of God. And, lest anyone equivocate by suggesting that, since the original writings have all been lost, we no longer can know what the divinely given words may have been, we should remember Christ's promise: "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away" (Matthew 24:35).
God’s mercy is our escape
Jan 08
"O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever." Psalm 136:1 God’s "mercy" is a monumental theme in Scripture. This word, "mercy", appears some 341 times in the Bible. Variations of this word in both Hebrew and Greek appear a total of 454 times and are also translated by "kindness," "lovingkindness," "goodness," "favor," "compassion," and "pity." Of the 66 books of the Bible, only 16 do not use one of the words for mercy. Even though "mercy" is an important concept, it is somewhat difficult to prescribe a definition for it, especially since "grace" is occasionally coupled with it.
Divine power. Divine nature.
Jul 14
"According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust" (II Peter 1:3-4).
Why are we not in one accord?
May 04
"If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind" (Philippians 2:1,2). Churches haven't changed much in 2000 years. The call to unity in these verses is as needed now as it has always been. Let us examine the prerequisites for unity found here.
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