Antinomianism means “against law”, and the term has been used both rightly and wrongly. It has been used rightly to describe someone that uses “liberty for a cloke of maliciousness” (1 Pet. 2:16), “turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness” (Jude 4). In other words, it is rightly used to accuse someone who is […]

Related: Spiritual Gifts   Is service optional? Yes, and no. Yes in the sense that God’s servants are not robots. Our service is a voluntary thing. Christ does not command us to serve Him. We were once slaves to sin and Satan, but Christ has freed us. But are we now “free” to do our […]

The Collection. One of the most basic Christian privileges is giving. We have a giving God (John 3:16), and we ought to reflect His character. Throughout the New Testament we have instructions and patterns set forward for the assembly to have collections where funds can be gathered and used in the service of the Lord. […]

The Government of God. There is scarcely a more practical and foundational subject in that Word of God than the subject of God’s government in the lives of sinners and saints. The basic principle is this: because God is righteous and sovereign over all things, He generally rewards people on earth according to their deeds, […]

Circumcision. As we find in Genesis 17, circumcision was the sign of God’s covenant with Abraham, just as the rainbow was the  sign of God’s covenant with Noah. Circumcision itself did nothing inward for the soul. It was an outward sign of God’s covenant pertaining to outward blessing. In the case of Abraham, “he received […]

Chastening. We have been brought into relationship with God as our Father. In that relationship, God is watching over us, taking care of our every need, and seeking to conform us to the image of His Son. Just as with natural fathers, discipline or chastening is needed often for our blessing. Discipline is not always […]

Homosexuality in the Bible. The Word of God expressly condemns homosexual behavior. Whether in the Old Testament (Genesis 19; Leviticus 18:22; 20:13) or the New Testament (Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9), homosexual behavior is labeled by God as an abomination, a shame, and self-abuse. Under the law of Moses, it was punishable by death. The […]

Related: The House of God; The Body of Christ; The Bride of Christ   What is the Church or Assembly? One of most important subjects for the Christian to understand is that of the Church or Assembly. Man has an idea of what the church is, and he has built upon those ideas in the […]

Related: Sanctification; Godliness   Holiness. The word ‘holy’ is used in scripture in two different ways. It can refer to the character of a nature, or to an objective state. In the first sense, holiness is the character of God’s own nature. It is the love of good and the hatred of evil. As we […]

Related: The Intermediate State; The Father’s House   Three Heavens. In 2 Cor. 12:2 we read that Paul was caught up to “the third heaven”, which indicates that there are three “heavens”. The first, or physical heaven. The first heaven would be that which we immediately observe above us. We read of this heaven in the […]

The Judgment Seat of Christ. In John 5, the Lord Jesus explained that God the Father has chosen to give up His right to judge men, so that the Son of man will have that place exclusively. Judgment as a whole, and in all its forms, is committed to the Son; “that man whom he hath ordained” (Acts […]

Main article: The Sufferings of Christ   Christ’s Interpersonal Sufferings are what Christ endured in an emotional, social, or interpersonal way. These sufferings are not so much connected with His office of King, but with His Person as rejected, despised, etc. by fellow men. These interpersonal sufferings were felt by the Lord all through His life […]

Crucifixion. Crucifixion was a method of execution used by the Romans for slaves, pirates, and enemies of the state. It was considered a most shameful and disgraceful way to die (Phil. 2:8). Condemned Roman citizens were usually exempt from crucifixion except for major crimes against the state, such as high treason. The victim was either […]

Ages. The following references give us the bible’s definition of ages, this age, the conclusion of this age, and the age to come. It should be noticed that ages (or, eons) have to do with this world, or a display to this world of some kind. As no longer Jews and Gentiles, but part of […]

Death in scripture is always connected with separation: Physical death – the body separate from Spirit (Jam. 2:26). For the believer who dies, scripture says they are “fallen asleep through Jesus” or “put to sleep by Jesus” (1 Thess. 4:14). Physical death is a temporary state of the body without the soul and spirit. Hades (the intermediate […]

Related: The Kingdom of Heaven; The Gospel of the Kingdom   The Kingdom of God is a moral kingdom that God has in this world, where His authority is recognized and His character is reflected. We are not told of it’s beginning, although it is never spoken of as being present until Jesus was here on earth. […]

Related: Cleansing or Washing; Sanctification; New Birth   Regeneration. The word “regenerate” means “to give a new and more vigorous life to something”. It doesn’t mean “to give a new life when there was none before”, but “to give a new lifestyle”. It is the same word from which we get the English word “Renaissance” or “re-birth”. In […]

This generation. Twelve times over in Matthew’s gospel the term “this generation” is used.  Matt. 3:7; 11:16; 12:34, 39, 41, 42, 45; 16:4; 17:17; 23:33, 36; 24:34. Half of those are found in ch.11-12. It refers to the moral class of individuals among the nations of Israel that have been the rejecters of God’s testimony […]

Main article: The Prophetic Week Related: The Beginning of Sorrows   The Great Tribulation. The last 3 1/2 years of Daniel’s seventieth week is called “the Great Tribulation” (Matt. 24:21, Rev. 7:14). During this period the 7th seal, the Seven Trumpets, and the Seven Vials/Bowl are unfolded. It begins when the “abomination of desolations” is set […]