Related: Spiritual Gifts   Is service optional? Yes, and no. Yes in the sense that God’s servants are not robots. Our service is a voluntary thing. Christ does not command us to serve Him. We were once slaves to sin and Satan, but Christ has freed us. But are we now “free” to do our […]

The Collection. One of the most basic Christian privileges is giving. We have a giving God (John 3:16), and we ought to reflect His character. Throughout the New Testament we have instructions and patterns set forward for the assembly to have collections where funds can be gathered and used in the service of the Lord. […]

The Government of God. There is scarcely a more practical and foundational subject in that Word of God than the subject of God’s government in the lives of sinners and saints. The basic principle is this: because God is righteous and sovereign over all things, He generally rewards people on earth according to their deeds, […]

Chastening. We have been brought into relationship with God as our Father. In that relationship, God is watching over us, taking care of our every need, and seeking to conform us to the image of His Son. Just as with natural fathers, discipline or chastening is needed often for our blessing. Discipline is not always […]

Homosexuality in the Bible. The Word of God expressly condemns homosexual behavior. Whether in the Old Testament (Genesis 19; Leviticus 18:22; 20:13) or the New Testament (Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9), homosexual behavior is labeled by God as an abomination, a shame, and self-abuse. Under the law of Moses, it was punishable by death. The […]

Related: The House of God; The Body of Christ; The Bride of Christ   What is the Church or Assembly? One of most important subjects for the Christian to understand is that of the Church or Assembly. Man has an idea of what the church is, and he has built upon those ideas in the […]

Related: Sanctification; Godliness   Holiness. The word ‘holy’ is used in scripture in two different ways. It can refer to the character of a nature, or to an objective state. In the first sense, holiness is the character of God’s own nature. It is the love of good and the hatred of evil. As we […]

Related: The Intermediate State; The Father’s House   Three Heavens. In 2 Cor. 12:2 we read that Paul was caught up to “the third heaven”, which indicates that there are three “heavens”. The first, or physical heaven. The first heaven would be that which we immediately observe above us. We read of this heaven in the […]

Circumcision. As we find in Genesis 17, circumcision was the sign of God’s covenant with Abraham, just as the rainbow was the  sign of God’s covenant with Noah. Circumcision itself did nothing inward for the soul. It was an outward sign of God’s covenant pertaining to outward blessing. The sign was consequent on God’s unconditional […]

The Judgment Seat of Christ. In John 5, the Lord Jesus explained that God the Father has chosen to give up His right to judge men, so that the Son of man will have that place exclusively. Judgment as a whole, and in all its forms, is committed to the Son; “that man whom he hath ordained” (Acts […]

Main article: The Sufferings of Christ   Christ’s Interpersonal Sufferings are what Christ endured in an emotional, social, or interpersonal way. These sufferings are not so much connected with His office of King, but with His Person as rejected, despised, etc. by fellow men. These interpersonal sufferings were felt by the Lord all through His life […]

Crucifixion. Crucifixion was a method of execution used by the Romans for slaves, pirates, and enemies of the state. It was considered a most shameful and disgraceful way to die (Phil. 2:8). Condemned Roman citizens were usually exempt from crucifixion except for major crimes against the state, such as high treason. The victim was either […]

Related: Footwashing; New Birth; Baptism; Regeneration; Sanctification; Blood of Christ   Cleansing or Washing. As believers, we have a double cleansing through the work of Christ. A moral cleansing when we received a new life with right desires and motives. A judicial cleansing when we rest in faith on the finished work of Christ.   By Water and Blood. […]

There are three chief men called James in the New Testament. They are sometimes hard to distinguish, and even the best expositors do not all agree on who is who. After studying these men, here are my conclusions. James the Great. This is James the son of Zebedee. He was part of the favored trio (Peter, […]

Old Testament prophecies quoted in the New Testament. The Old Testament scriptures are quoted often in the New Testament, and used various ways. A translational note in Darby’s bible on Matt. 2 is helpful: To show the event, without which the prophecy could not be fulfilled; in these cases it says “that it might be fulfilled” e.g. John 19:24, 28, 36; Matt. 21:4-5. […]

Related: Spiritual Gifts   New Testament Apostles and Prophets. When Paul refers to “the apostles and prophets” he is referring to New Testament apostles and prophets. These apostles and prophets are the “foundation gifts” (Eph. 2:20). The apostles were those men sent by the Lord Himself. Read more… But not all the New Testament writers […]

Main article: Key Players and Terms in Prophecy Related: The Prophetic Earth; The Land; The Prophetic World; The Third Part   The Fourth Part of the earth. It is unclear from scripture what “the fourth part” definitely refers to. The phrase occurs only once in prophecy, in Rev. 6: “And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name […]

Related: Baptism of the Spirit; The House of God; The Bride of Christ   The Body of Christ. The body of Christ is a figure used in the New Testament to describe the assembly of God. The body of Christ was formed on the Day of Pentecost, when the Spirit of God was sent down […]