“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.” 1 Peter 3:18 “Suffered once for sins” may need a little explanation. Our sufferings and good works do not atone for our sin; Christ…
“For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves.” 1 Peter 2:15-16 When Christians live out their faith, they prove that the world’s slanderous accusations are false….
“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.” 1 John 2:15-16 “Love the…
“…he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.” Ephesians 1:9-10 “The mystery” is not a puzzle to solve, or knowledge…
“I call on the Lord in my distress, and he answers me.” Psalm 120:1 “Distress” – later in verses 5-7, the Psalmist appears to have traveled extensively under the threat of war. “He answers me” is a general statement of God’s rescue in the Psalms. The tongue is a powerful tool of peace or war….
“I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life.” Psalm 119:93 “By them You have preserved my life” is a similar phrase to the psalmist’s appeal for God to give life earlier in verse 50, “…Your promise preserves my life”. Here, God’s precepts (commands and promises) are the unforgettable support…
“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:14 Basically, the Apostle Paul is saying that we strain against our own sinful nature and against the world and the devil, even while we are at peace under God’s promises and grace. “Goal”…
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us…” Hebrews 12:1 The “cloud of witnesses” refers to the people of faith mentioned in Hebrews Chapter 11….
“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1 This verse is not a definition of “faith”, but more of a description of what faith does. “Confidence” is a Greek term that describes something substantive, meaning essence or reality. Faith treats things hoped for as…
“I will hasten and not delay to obey your commands.” Psalm 119:60 The promise of this verse is the whole counsel of God’s Word and Law along with the certainty of His action. Here the Psalmist is undergoing mental anguish as he contemplates the fate of the ones who had forsaken God’s Law. For those…