God determines who is to be identified as a Christian; he has not assigned that responsibility to us.

The Greek word oikonomia is rendered “dispensation” several times in the New Testament (see 1 Cor. 9:17; Eph. 1:10; 3:2, 9; Col. 1:25). Sometimes the word suggests the idea of managing a household ...

“Confession” means “to say the same thing.” 

In connection with our salvation, confession is the personal acknowledgment of the transgressions in our lives that God has spoken of and condemned thr...

The book of Ephesians was a letter written by Paul from Rome while he was in prison (AD 60-62). The book develops the theme of “God’s eternal purpose” (3:10-11). It reveals that even before the wor...

The Greek term palingenesia consists of two components. Palin means “again, back,” and genesis, denotes “to become, come about, birth.” The word thus signifies a rebirth or a renewal. The actual wo...

Will there be different “degrees” of reward and punishment in the eternal order of things? The concept of “justice” — together with scriptural declarations — suggest there will be appropriate judgements.

Faithfulness conveys integrity, steadfastness, truth, and dependability, among other qualities. Two important emphases of this quality are highlighted in the Bible. 
• God is faithful in all things...

What is the origin and design of marriage?

Jesus once spoke of an “eternal” sin, for which there is no forgiveness. What was that sin? Can it be committed today?

Paul commended Timothy for making “the good confession” before many witnesses (1 Tim. 6:12). 
The word “confession” comes from the Greek homologia, which means “to say the same thing.” It implies a...

A number of terms, both in the O.T. and the N.T., suggest the idea of a “path” or “way” of travel. The words come to be employed of a “course of conduct,” whether for good (Ex. 18:20; 32:8; Dt. 31:...

False notions about death permeate society’s thinking. Is death just an illusion? Is reincarnation a reality? Will we recognize each other after death? What about purgatory or speaking with the dead? What does the Bible say about these common beliefs about the dead?

A sincere lady lives in terror because she fears that she is lost and cannot find peace of mind.

History is a record of the past. One would think that this is a perception of relative simplicity. It appears not to be; there are so many perversions of history. This article deals with a number of them.

There are extremes to the left and right on the topic of Christian fellowship.

Is the doctrine of eternal punishment in hell consistent with the idea of a good and loving God?

Blood is a prominent theme in the Bible.

Because blood is the life stream of a person (Lev. 17:11), it becomes the biblical representation of life. Because of sin, man has forfeited the right to ...

The most common word in the Greek New Testament that conveys the idea of “forgiveness” is aphesis, a compound term meaning “to send away from.”

Forgiveness is a divine response to human sin, flowi...

Though this word is not found in most English translations of the New Testament, the thought is there in the Greek text. It is an anglicized form of the original term antitupos. The term is rendere...

In a previous article, I inadvertently mischaracterized Professor Daniel Wallace’s religious affiliation. He kindly corrected the matter. Here is my response.