Spiritual blessings “in Christ Jesus”. All of our distinctive Christian blessings are said to be “in Christ” (Eph. 1:3). We have them because of our standing before God. We cannot earn them; they are freely given to us by God! This is our spiritual inheritance. What are these blessings? Election (Eph. 1:4) Predestination (Eph. 1:5; Rom. 8:29) […]
Main article: The Ordinance of Baptism John’s Baptism and the Baptism of Jesus on earth can be viewed as “Kingdom baptism” in contrast with “Christian Baptism”. Kingdom baptism is what disconnected the faithful Jews from the guilt of apostate Israel, while Christian baptism bring us into the Christian testimony. Kingdom baptism is connected with […]
ENCYCLOPEDIA of Bible subjects, names, terms, and places. A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A Abraham, Abyss, Acts, Administrations, Administration (Assembly), Adoption, Adultery, Ages, Ages of Ages, Age to Come, Almighty God, Amos, Angels, Anointing of […]
Main article: The Sufferings of Christ Christ’s Anticipative Sufferings are what Christ passed through as He looked forward to the cross, and to the work of atonement which would be accomplished there. These sufferings intensified as the cross loomed nearer, but we see them concentrated in the garden of Gethsemane. Anticipative suffering is not merely […]
Related: Love The Light. A vast and important subject in scripture is that of light. The word has two primary meanings, which are closely related. Light as a character is moral purity, and as an agent is illumination.2 First, ‘light’ is a character or state of absolute moral purity. We read that “God is […]
Related: Light Various forms of Love. There are four different Greek words for love, and the distinctions between them are important to understand. The four words are: Eros, Storge, Philia, and Agape. Eros. This is love in a romantic sense; e.g. love between husband and wife. It the most “fiery” type of love, but also the most shallow […]
Related: Election Corporate Election. A clever denial of sovereign election has emerged and recently grown in popularity. The argument is intended to deny individual election by twisting the scriptures to support a different kind of election. Supporters of corporate election have found a convenient way to dispose of Eph. 1:4 and other verses that are crystal clear on […]
Related: Sanctification; Reconciliation; Rom. 3:24; Rom. 5:1 Justification. The verb “to justify” means ‘to declare a person righteous’. A nice example of this is in Num. 23:21, where God declared that He had not seen any iniquity in His erring people. Likewise, the Christian has been justified in that, while he has not lived righteously, yet God has declared […]
Reconciliation (Col. 1:20-22; Eph. 2:16; Rom. 5:11; 2 Cor. 5:18-19) has to do with God’s work of bringing lost and guilty sinners back to Himself. Reconciliation deals with alienation, and the feelings of enmity that are in the heart of the sinner. Alienation and enmity are the result of man’s sin. The fault is on our […]
The World. When scripture uses the word “world” it usually means one of three things, although sometimes there is a blend between them. The Greek word is kosmos, and in the broadest definition it means an ordered system. The World-place (“the planet”). In the most basic sense, the term refers to the literal planet earth. An […]
Main article: The Prophetic Week Related: The Great Tribulation “And the dragon was angry with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, who keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus.” (Revelation 12:17). The Jewish remnant is one of the most important people-groups in prophecy. Much […]
Related: Pharisees; Sadducees Essenes. This was one of three primary sects of the Jews in the first century. The sect arose apparently out of disgust for both the Pharisees and Sadducees. They were a monastic order, emphasizing isolation, a vegetarian diet, and celibacy. The name “Essenes” is not found in scripture, but they were […]
Related: Cleansing Footwashing. The very first subject brought out in the upper room ministry (John 13 – 17) is footwashing, which represents the work of refreshment and removing daily defilement for the maintenance of communion. It comes first before the rest of the upper room ministry, because we cannot enjoy Christ with defiled feet, […]
Main article: Millennium and Eternal State Related: The Intermediate State; Heaven The Father’s House is the eternal dwelling place of God that will be shared with the redeemed (John 14:2). Is it where the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit will be for all eternity, in the circle of divine light and love. When Jesus […]
Main article: Preliminary Events in Prophecy Related: The Great Tribulation The covenant. The leader of the revived Roman Empire, called “the prince that shall come”, will be instrumental getting a treaty or “covenant” online between his people (Rome) and “the many”, which refers to the Jews. “And he shall confirm a covenant with the many for one week;” Daniel […]
Related: Prayer Paul’s prayers. Not including benedictory prayers at the ends of his epistles, Paul records twenty-eight of his prayers! It is nice to trace these prayers through his writings. We are very thankful for them because they give us: (1) an insight into the heart of the apostle, and (2) a pattern for the way we should pray. […]