Related: Resurrection, The Resurrection of Christ The First Resurrection (Rev. 20:4). It is of utmost importance to understand the first resurrection. The first resurrection is a resurrection “from among the dead”. All of the dead will be raised, but the first resurrection is a special resurrection that will take place before the general resurrection. It […]
Related: Holiness Godliness. Godliness, sometimes translated piety, comes from the Greek word meaning “well devout”, and it refers to a manner of living that is totally pleasing to God. It relates to holiness, and certainly includes it, but is broader. Godliness or “devoutness” involves our motives, our attitude, and our conduct in the sight […]
Related: Office; Spiritual Gifts; Christian Priesthood Three Spheres of Christian Activity. What God has asked the believer to do (i.e. Christian activity) can be largely divided into three spheres: office, gift, and priesthood. When all of these spheres are maintained in their proper order, the result is the God is glorified and His people […]
Related: The Gospel of the Kingdom; The Everlasting Gospel The Christian Gospel. The gospel that Christians preach, “the gospel of the grace of God” and “the gospel of the glory of God”, is based on the death and resurrection of Christ, His exaltation at God’s right hand, and God’s heart of love flowing out […]
Related: The Gospel; The Everlasting Gospel; The Kingdom of Heaven; The Kingdom of God The Gospel of the Kingdom. The “gospel of the kingdom” is the presentation of good news based on Christ’s glory as king (Matt. 4:23; 9:35; 24:14). It is connected with earthly hopes and deliverance rather than heavenly hopes. It announces […]
Related: The Gospel of the Kingdom; The Gospel The Everlasting Gospel. The “everlasting gospel” (Rev. 14:6-7) warns of coming judgment based on God’s power and majesty as Creator, and therefore man’s responsibility to Him as Judge (Psa. 19:1-3, Psa. 96, Rom. 1:19-20). God will at last intervene to deliver a world fallen into Satan’s […]
Related: The First Epistle to Timothy Timothy. Timotheus, or Timothy, was a young man from Derbe whom Paul calls “my own son in the faith” (1 Tim. 1:2) and to whom Paul addressed two pastoral epistles. He was a companion of the apostle Paul from a young age, accompanying him on many journeys. As […]
Abraham. Perhaps the most prominent individual in connection with the Jewish people is Abraham. In fact, all three of the great monotheistic religions trace their origins to Abraham. But we must be clear, that when Abraham is called “the father of all them that believe” (Rom. 4:11) it does NOT mean “the father of religion”. […]
Main article: Office Related: House of God; Elders Ministers or Deacons. Those who occupy the office of a deacon are merely “ministers” or “servants”. Overseers care for the spiritual needs of the assembly, but deacons care for the material needs. We get the appointment of deacons in Acts 6:1-6, where the assembly would “look […]
Main article: Office Related: House of God; Deacons Elders, Bishops, and Overseers. The world for overseers is ‘episkopos’, which means ‘those looking on’. It is translated ‘bishops’, and ‘overseers’, referring to the office itself. The word for elders is ‘presbuterous’, and means seniors or older ones, and refers specifically to the persons who occupy […]
Related: Spiritual Gifts; House of God Three Spheres of Christian Activity. What God has asked the believer to do (i.e. Christian activity) can be largely divided into three spheres: office, gift, and priesthood. When all of these spheres are maintained in their proper order, the result is the God is glorified and His people […]
Only-begotten. The expression “only-begotten” is one word in the Greek; ‘monoganes’. It is an expression that confers the thought of uniqueness. A modern English equivalent is “one and only”. Most notably, “only-begotten” is used to convey the special place that the Son has in relation to God the Father.1 It is often coupled with the […]
Related: Son of David The Son of Man. “Son of man” is a title Christ has in special connection with mankind; as either the rejected sufferer at the hands of mankind and on behalf of mankind as the one who assumes the responsibilities of the whole human race, or as exalted heir and head […]
Related: The New Covenant The Covenants. Throughout scripture, we read of a number of covenants that God made with special individuals, or with the nation of Israel. The Noahic Covenant (Gen. 9:8-11), the Abrahamic Covenant (Gen. 15:18; 17:2), the Priestly Covenant with Phinehas (Num. 25:13), the Davidic Covenant (2 Sam. 23:5; 1 Kings 8:25), […]
The Times of the Gentiles. When Israel had failed to listen to the prophets God sent, they were eventually taken captive. Previously, the nation of Israel was God’s earthly center of government… but no longer. God took the government away from Israel, and gave it into the hand of the Gentiles. This began a period […]
Related: The Son of God, Eternal Sonship of Christ Sonship. In Greek, the word ‘huiothesian’ means ‘the place of a son’. It is translated into English as “sonship” or “adoption”. Sonship is a privilege that Christians are given because they are justified and stand in Christ’s place before God. Sonship is not the same […]
Related: Conversion Repentance means to have a change of mind; literally “re” (change) “pent” (think). Repentance is an important part of God’s work in the soul leading to salvation. There are both positive and negative aspects of repentance. Positively, there should be “repentance toward God” (Acts 20:21). Negatively, there should be “repentance from dead […]
Related: Resurrection Christ’s Resurrection. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is vital to Christianity because it is the proof that our sins are gone, and that God is satisfied with the work of Calvary. The Lord rose bodily from the dead, not merely in spirit, as some have taught through the ages. When Paul summed up […]
Related: The Personal Glory of Christ; The Moral Glory of Christ; The Official Glory of Christ The mediatorial glory of Christ is that glory which He acquired through humiliation, suffering, and death. He has perfectly glorified God as to the question of sin, and now God has glorified Christ “in Himself”. As the expiator of sin, […]
Main article: Names of God Related: Jehovah; Elohim; El Elyon “El Shaddai”, or God Almighty. The name of Almighty God has the thought of special strength on behalf of those who are called by Him; i.e. power and provision for His people. It is a special name of character and relationship with those to whom […]