“Gospel” derives from the Greek euangelion, literally “good tidings” (see Lk. 2:10, where it is fully translated). The gospel is mentioned more than 75 times in the New Testament. It is the good ne...

As Jesus prayed on the mount of Olives, “his sweat became as it were great drops of blood falling down upon the ground” (Lk. 22:44). Did blood actually come from the Lord’s skin, or is the language merely a figure of speech emphasizing the Savior’s agony?

This small book contains one of the 1,005 songs penned by king Solomon (1 Kgs. 4:32). It extols the passion and bliss of wedded love, and praises the king’s “beloved.” Many scholars have suggested ...

The day of Pentecost was an annual Jewish festival which came fifty days (the word signifies “fiftieth”) after the Passover celebration (Lev. 23:15-21; Dt. 16:9-12). It was known also as the feast ...

This is one of the titles of a church official who oversees a local congregation of Christ’s church in the company of fellow bishops (always a plurality of men).

“Bishop” translates the Greek ter...

The term “synoptic” derives from the Greek word sunoptikos, which means “seeing the whole together.” The word is used to describe the first three Gospel narratives — Matthew, Mark, and Luke — bec...

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...

Does any man have the right to forgive sins? Some suggest that Jesus granted this authority to the apostles, and then, through them, to others (see John 20:23). Can you explain this passage?

This word comes directly from the Greek blasphemeo, which is believed to derive from blapto (to injure) and pheme (speech), hence injurious speech.

Scripture speaks of those who blaspheme God (Ro...

The Bible is filled with affirmations of our Creator’s generosity. Every good and perfect gift is from him (Jas. 1:17). Surely our gratitude must be lavishly expressed for his graciousness. 

God h...

Some allege that the apostle Matthew made a mistake when he attributed Jesus’ title, “Nazarene,” to Old Testament prophecy? Is there a possible solution to this enigma?

Literally, this term has to do with the implantation of seed by which a child is conceived. The word is used in Scripture figuratively to illustrate the spiritual agency, namely the word of God, by...

The Greek word diakonos comes into the English language as “deacon.”

The term basically means to serve. It is used of ordinary servants in a secular sense (Jn. 2:5, 9) or of those who serve gener...

Sanctified suggests “having been separated from (something), set apart.” The term is used in a variety of ways in the Bible. (a) Both God the Father and Christ the Son are to be sanctified (Num. 20...

The Mormons hope to shed the name “Mormon” in creating a new image.

The most common Greek word representing this idea is apollumi. The term can suggest the idea of an object that is estranged from its owner. A shepherd loses his sheep, a woman loses a coin, a Fathe...

“Holy” is from the Greek hagios, which carries the idea of something “separated” from other things. (a) God utterly stands apart from sinful man, and thus he is absolutely holy (Isa. 6:3; Rev. 4:8)...

Demons (not “devils” KJV) were evil spirits (Mt. 12:43-45) that were permitted to inhabit the bodies of some people during the days of Christ and his apostles. 

Almost certainly, this was to allow...

Was Paul the founder of Christianity, as some atheists allege?

There are three kindred words in the Greek N.T. that represent the idea of “propitiation.” Two are nouns — hilasmos (1 Jn. 2:2; 4:10) and hilasterion (Rom. 3:25; Heb. 9:5), and the third is the ve...