The resurrection of Jesus Christ happened almost two thousand years ago, yet it is still remembered, is still talked about, and continues to impact the lives of people throughout the world. The preaching of the apostles was filled with it (Acts 2:22-24, 32; 3:15; 4:10; 5:30; 10:38-43; 13:29-31; 17:31; 26:23). Today, we continue to proclaim the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. But why? And what evidence do we have that this event happened? Let us consider a few points.Continue Reading
Over the course of this study, we have been looking at qualities we are to add to our faith – moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. Now, we are going to wrap up the series by looking at Peter’s conclusion.
“For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you” (2 Peter 1:8-11).
Let us consider four points from the verses above.Continue Reading
At the beginning of his second epistle, Peter spoke of various qualities that Christians are to possess and continue to develop throughout their lives. He just reminded them that they had “escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust” (2 Peter 1:4), so they were to live differently from the world. But what would this look like? Notice the characteristics that he listed:
“Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:5-8).
All of these qualities are essential, and we will discuss them as we progress through this series. However, it is important to note at the beginning that these characteristics are built upon a foundation of FAITH. So as we begin, let us consider this foundation of faith upon which the character of a Christian must be built.Continue Reading
Peter wrote his second epistle shortly before his death. In fact, he told the brethren that “the laying aside of [his] earthly dwelling [was] imminent” (2 Peter 1:14). Though not recorded in the Bible, historical accounts suggest that Peter was crucified in Rome.* Over the next several years, all the apostles would depart from this life, with most of their deaths resulting from persecution. Eventually, these brethren would be without Peter and any of the other apostles.
Today, we also have no living apostles.** Like the brethren at the end of the first century, we live in the world without personal direction from the ones chosen to be the “ambassadors for Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:20). We work to teach others without the ones commissioned by the Lord to “go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15). We carefully study the words they wrote as they revealed “the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:10-16) without the ability to hear them teach or to ask questions to help our understanding.
It might seem as though we are at a disadvantage. For the Christians living in the last part of the first century, the prospect of losing access to the living apostles may have felt the same. However, in this letter written near the end of his life, Peter assured them (and this applies to us as well) that they had everything they needed to serve God and obtain His promises.
Let us notice what Peter said about this just in the verses leading up to his statement about his death being “imminent” (2 Peter 1:14). What would they still have after the time of the apostles? What do we still have?Continue Reading
It is reasonable to assume that all those who believe in God, understand who He is, and recognize all that He has done for us will want to please Him in the things that they do. But how do we live in such a way as to please God?
Paul wrote to the brethren in Ephesus about “trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:10). If this is something we are “trying to learn,” then that tells us two things:
If we are going to please God, we need to learn how to please Him and be sure we are learning the proper way to do it. Since we cannot look to ourselves (or other men) to determine this, we need to look to God Himself and the word He has revealed to us. Paul wrote, “For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God” (1 Corinthians 2:11). Just as you and I do not know what the other is thinking unless we tell each other, we cannot know the mind of God unless He tells us. Thankfully, He has revealed the Scriptures to us so that we may be “equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). In other words, everything we need to know to please the Lord can be learned through a study of the Scriptures.
So what do the Scriptures teach about what we must do to please the Lord? Let us consider a few points:Continue Reading
We have already discussed how we are reconciled to God and set apart as His special people (sanctified). This means we can be in a right standing before God. Yet it is important to understand how this comes about. Paul used the example of Abraham to explain this.
“What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.’ Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness…” (Romans 4:1-5).
The Greek word for justification (dikaiosis), which is used in verses that follow our text (Romans 4:25; 5:18), refers to God declaring man to be free from guilt and right before Him. The word in our text (dikaioo) means that one is declared to be acceptable to God. The words translated righteous (dikaios) and righteousness (dikaiosyne) are related to this. God can declare us to be right before Him because of Jesus’ death on the cross. Without His sacrifice, we could not be right (justified) before God.Continue Reading
During the apostle Paul’s second preaching tour, he met a young man named Timothy. Paul was so impressed with him that he wanted Timothy to accompany him on his journey (Acts 16:3). As Luke introduced Timothy in this passage, we can see that it was not just Paul who held this young man in high regard.
“Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. And a disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek, and he was well spoken of by the brethren who were in Lystra and Iconium” (Acts 16:1-2).
What made Timothy such an outstanding young man? The passage above does not give us much information (other than the fact that he was “a disciple”), yet we learn more from Paul’s second letter to Timothy about what set him apart from others.Continue Reading
What does “propitiation” mean? How is “justification” connected to salvation? What does “sanctification” look like in our day-to-day lives? The Bible uses some powerful words to describe God’s plan to save mankind. However, these words are not always easy to understand, especially when they are not part of our everyday vocabulary. This book explores key Bible terms that unlock the message of the gospel.
Big Words in the Bible examines five important words – Propitiation, Reconciliation, Sanctification, Justification, and Resurrection – using plain language to see how the Scriptures describe these concepts and how the apostle Paul employs them in his letter to the Romans. This book also contains an appendix with eleven additional articles to explore these topics further.
Whether you are new to the Bible and want to grow in your understanding or want a simple way to explain these core gospel doctrines to others, this book will be helpful. With a focus on the Scriptures, Big Words in the Bible helps break down these fundamental topics to shed light on the life-changing message of the gospel and the salvation found in it.
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