How do the people in New Testament time read the book of Proverbs in the Old Testament? Some see Proverbs as just a collection of practical wisdom and therefore a lower kind of spiritual revelation than other books. Still, some see it as being on par with all other books in the Bible, but only because they see all books in the Bible as just moral teachings and practical wisdom, missing the spiritual revelation of… Read More »Proverbs
“Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. “John 13:1. “… that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body… Read More »The Lord’s Table
“…the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: ‘You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.’” Rev 4:10-11: “Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the… Read More »Worthy Is the Lamb
A brother half-jokingly told about a dream his college-freshman daughter had. The world was coming to an end, and she was glad, because she would no longer need to go to school. Although the young college student’s dream was a bit humorous, I felt it was a very realistic dream and tells a great parable of our life. If we really know what we are left on earth doing, most of us who belong to… Read More »The King’s children go to school
Abide with me, fast falls the even tide, The darkness deepens, Lord with me abide, When other helpers fail, and comforts flee, Help of the helpless, O abide with me. My heart has been repeatedly touched and blessed by this song written by Henry F. Lyte (1793-1847) in 1847: Although this song is usually used for comfort by Christians during sorrow and deep distress, I was touched by the song and the author beyond all… Read More »Abide with me
“We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves.” Romans 15:1: A dear brother in the Lord once confided how difficult and unreasonable one of his siblings was. Every complaint of the brother was more than justified, because his sibling was indeed not only less capable, but in fact irresponsible, inconsiderate and even selfish, a family member who seems to contribute more trouble and burdens than help.… Read More »Bearing with your brother
How far are you away from reaching the righteousness of God? It is a heart and a tongue away. “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10: 8-9: The fundamental meaning of “righteousness” is… Read More »The distance to the righteousness of God
Why is sin a recurring subject in the Bible? If gospel is all good news, why this preoccupation with the concept of sin, which clearly is bad news? The truth is, being ignorant of one’s sinful condition is part of what separates a person from salvation. The fallacy of every human philosophy more or less relates to ignorance or misunderstanding of sin as human nature. On a personal level, every excuse for unbelieving or rejecting… Read More »Sin & death, faith & resurrection
The Bible has a total of 66 books (39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament), authored by different individuals at different times. The New Testament itself has Gospels, Acts, Epistles, and Revelation. When more broadly defined, the book of Acts belongs to Gospels, while Revelation, the last book in the Bible, belongs to Epistles because it is a letter written by apostle John on behalf of the Lord to His church. … Read More »An essential introduction to Bible study of the New Testament
If we blindly emphasize a “simple Gospel” without giving heed to the whole counsel of God on the matter of salvation, we may fail to look beyond the basic truth to attain a deeper and more complete one. First of all, we must take it as an unshakable foundation that salvation is all grace and all by faith, not our own deeds and own righteousness, even when it comes to sanctification. It is the first… Read More »The complete salvation