Category Archives: New Testament Studies

He Made the Stars Also

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Genesis 1:16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.

This one verse may contain the most understated fact in all the Bible.  After stating that God created a greater light to rule the day (the Sun) and a lesser light to rule the night (the Moon), it states that God “made the stars also”.  That is the first and only time stars are mentioned in the creation narrative. When one considers that mankind has attempted to count and catalog the stars down through history and at this point has numbered over 945,000,000 stars1, this statement seems to minimize the incredible magnitude of the accomplishment. Continue reading →

How God Justifies Sinners

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Justification is a key doctrine in Christianity.  The basic problem is: (1) all human beings are sinners and (2) God is holy and must judge sin.  Justification has to do with how God justifies sinners (declares them to be righteous) so that they can be accepted by Him.  The following is one of many verses that address this doctrine.

Galatians 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. Continue reading →

Resistance or Grace?

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James 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

This verse is a paraphrase of Proverbs 3:34:

Proverbs 3:34 Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly.

Pride, often manifested in scorn, will cause God to resist (oppose) us.  Pride is what caused Satan to be cast out of heaven (Isaiah 14:12-15).  Pride is one of the seven deadly sins (Proverbs 6:16-19).  If we desire God’s grace on our lives, we must be humble.  In short, we must resist pride or God will resist us.   Continue reading →

Try the Spirits

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In our world, there is a broad spectrum of religious systems.  Without being unkind, it is safe to say that they all cannot be right since they often have beliefs that contradict each other.  How do we know which is right and which is wrong?  The Bible provides us guidance in this area. Continue reading →

The Need for Spirit-Led Bible Study

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I want to cover a topic that is sometimes overlooked or at least under-emphasized when discussing Bible study.  That is the fact that proper interpretation is a matter of spiritual guidance, not just grammar, syntax, and context.  Even a thorough knowledge of the original languages of the BIble (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek) is no substitute for the active work of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer.  Continue reading →