“The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 2:14 An unbeliever does not have the Spirit of God, in contrast to the Christian who does have the Spirit….
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33 “To seek … His kingdom of God and His righteousness” means to desire God’s righteous rule (His salvation) on this earth. In other words, you desire above all to live under the rule of…
“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.” 1 John 2:1 With fatherly concern, the aged apostle John addresses his readers affectionately as children. He uses this Greek word seven times in this…
“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” Hebrews 10:35-36 The author of Hebrews is addressing former Jews and is simply telling them that to return to the safety of…
“Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” Romans 5:3-4 “Glory” is the same Greek word that is translated “rejoice” in the previous verse. “Sufferings” refers to physical hardship and distress. Believers can glory (or rejoice) not only in their future…
“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” Romans 15:7 “Then” is a transition to introduce the conclusion of the discussion begun in 14:1, where Paul deals with quarrels over opinions and here resolves them. Paul began chapter 14 with the command to receive the weak believer….
“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” 2 Corinthians 13:14 Paul articulates the reality of the blessed Trinity in this benediction to his letter. The gifts associated with the three divine persons who make one God (thus the…
“Be glad, people of Zion, rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given you the autumn rains because he is faithful. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before.” Joel 2:23 In this verse, by sending badly needed rainfall instead of a locust invasion, the Lord powerfully vindicates those…
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Ephesians 4:29 Standards of speech for Christians are extremely high since “no unwholesome talk” is permitted. Similar themed verses in the Gospel of Matthew…
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” Philippians 2:3-4 With God as our foundation, we relinquish concern for ourselves in order to care for others. Here Paul attempts to correct…