As we read the Bible, it is easy to pass over familiar words and not dwell on the significance of them. This is especially true the more familiar we are with the language. I Peter 1:18-21 provides a good example of this. In the previous few...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
In the first nine verses of his letter to us, Peter describes the glorious nature of redemption in Christ beginning with the big picture of election and foreknowledge, and then he moves to the more immediate picture of our life in Christ with its...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
In the introductory portion (verses 1-5) of his first letter, the inspired Apostle Peter addresses God's people in layer after layer of biblical instruction regarding the nature of God's people and the glories of their inheritance in Christ. The...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
In Jeremiah 31, the glorious promise of a New Covenant is made, but not everything was glorious. The promise was made to God's people while they were suffering for their sins in another country and having lost every physical blessing of the...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
When the LORD makes a covenant with David, He does so in the context of David's desire to build a permanent dwelling for the LORD's presence in Jerusalem. The LORD then responds to David's desire by speaking to him through the prophet, Nathan....[ abbreviated | read entire ]
Of all of the narratives in the Scriptures that tug at our heartstrings, Genesis 22:1-19 has to be among the those that tug the most. But we shouldn't let the evocative story distract us from the point of the account. The focal point is...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
Is the Christian life lived as though on a solitary island, or is it lived with and among others? Of course we live the Christian life as part of a greater whole. That is, whether we are talking about the local church, the universal church, or...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
Brothers and Sisters, The covenant with Abraham is a milestone covenant because the Sovereign Lord reveals what His purposes are regarding the redemption of fallen humans to Himself and that purpose includes Abraham and his family. First, God...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
After the Flood, God spoke to Noah and, much like Adam, made a covenant with Noah. He repeated the command to multiply and replenish the earth and established the principle of capital punishment. But more particularly, He made glorious promises....[ abbreviated | read entire ]
In order to more fully understand the biblical doctrine of the sealing of the Holy Spirit, we look at three passages: Ezekiel 11:19, 20, II Corinthians 1:20-22, and Ephesians 3:16 - 19. In Ezekiel, the prophet tells God's people that there will...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
