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Showing 2526 to 2550 of 4962 results

2526. In Pisidian Antioch

Acts 13:13-52

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... observance of the law, the ‘God-fearers’ continued to be regarded as Gentiles, unless they went over to Judaism completely through circumcision and ritual baptism” (Hengel, Acts, p. 89). It is hardly surprising, then, that when they were told that “the messianic hope had come alive in Jesus, that in him the old distinction between Jew and Gentile had been abolished, that the fullest blessings of God’s saving grace were as readily available to Gentiles as to Jews,” many of this class gladly ...

2527. Paul Preaches at Rome Under Guard

Acts 28:17-31

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... very inclusion of the Gentiles in the kingdom would in time so rouse the Jews to “jealousy” that they would turn and “all Israel would be saved” (Rom. 11:11, 26). We cannot doubt that Paul now spoke as he did, not merely to condemn, but in the hope that these Roman Jews would repent. In any case, the gospel would not fail, but would gather in “the full number of Gentiles” (Rom. 11:25; cf. Isa. 55:11). They will listen is the final word of the Pauline testimony. Nothing can stop the onward march ...

2528. Accusations

2 Corinthians 10:1-18

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... where Paul exhorts the Corinthians to abound in the grace of giving, just as they already abound in faith, among other things. Hence, the difference in tone that is often detected between chapters 1–9 and 10–13 seems less pronounced than at first sight. Paul hopes to preach the same gospel, which he brought to Corinth and which they believed (cf. 10:14), in the regions beyond you. Given the fact that in verses 13 and 14 Paul has come “as far as” the Corinthians, who are identified with Achaia (cf. 1 ...

2529. Paul the Preacher to the Gentiles

Ephesians 3:1-13

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... . It is unlikely that it refers to a reading of the OT (see Foulkes, P. 92). Concerning the use of mystery, a number of items should be noted: In Colossians (1:27) the mystery is the rather mystical concept of the indwelling Christ (“Christ in you, the hope of glory”); in Colossians 4:3, the “mystery of Christ” alludes to the fact that the Gentiles are recipients of the gospel (cf. Rom. 16:25, 26); in Ephesians 1:9, the mystery is God’s plan to unite all creation through the agency of Christ; in ...

2530. The Supremacy of Christ

Colossians 1:15-23

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... a free gift from God, must be kept. Thus those who have received Christ are admonished to abide or to persevere in Christ (John 8:31; 15:4–7; Acts 14:22; Rom. 11:22; 2 John 9). To counter the threat of their eroding faith and shifting hope, Paul draws upon building metaphors that, as elsewhere in Scripture, portray strength, endurance, and security (Matt. 7:24–27; 1 Cor. 3:10–15; Eph. 2:19–22; 1 Pet. 2:4–10). The recipients can only have such a foundation, established and firm, by following in the ...

2531. Paul’s Longing to See the Thessalonians

1 Thessalonians 2:17--3:5

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... a parent’s loss of a child: “we were bereft of you” (NIV we were torn away from you). Consequently, whether consciously or not, he is maintaining the parental metaphor of the previous section (2:7, 11). Their loss, he says, was for a short time—or so they hoped. In Paul’s case, it would be some five years, as far as we can tell, before he would see them again (Acts 20:2f. by implication). Meanwhile, he was present with them at least in thought, if not in person (cf. 1 Cor. 5:3–5; also Gal ...

2532. Stand Firm

2 Thessalonians 2:13-17

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... has done for us in Christ. The description comprises two participles each in the aorist tense, sharing the one definite article. NIV translates as follows: who loved us and by his grace (see disc. on 1 Thess. 1:1 and 5:28) gave us eternal encouragement and good hope. The tense looks back to the manifestation of God’s love and grace in Christ. Especially in the cross of Christ, God’s love and grace resulted in encouragement or “comfort” (paraklēsis; see disc. on 1 Thess. 3:2; cf. Rom. 15:5; 2 Cor. 1 ...

2533. Warning Against False Teachers of the Law

1 Timothy 1:1-11

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

... he who gives commands is himself under command. The source of Paul’s authority is God our Savior and Christ Jesus our hope. It is Paul’s habit especially in the salutations to qualify the mention of God, but only in the PE (Pastoral Epistles ... and Jude 25). Here the emphasis is on God as the source of salvation, which in turn leads Paul to refer to Christ Jesus as our hope, who will complete our salvation at his appearing. (Note how these ideas all come together in Christ himself in Titus 2:13.) 1:2 The ...

2534. Advice About Widows, Elders and Slaves

1 Timothy 5:1-6:2

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

... to be left without family at the death of her husband, reflects the widow whose case does not fit verse 4. But such a widow must also be a woman who puts her hope in God. This language is obviously appropriate to widowhood, but more, it reflects the language of the psalms, where the poor (which includes widows) place their trust and hope in God. In this case her hope in God is found as she continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help. The words to pray and to ask for appear in 2:1 as the first ...

2535. Paul’s Request for Onesimus

Philemon 1:8-25

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... freedom. Thus he prays he will be restored to you in answer to your prayers. It is significant to note that the entire congregation (you and your are plural in Greek) is interceding for Paul’s release. Such action binds him closer to this church and gives him hope that God will make it possible for him to see all of them. Paul is so confident about this that he makes a reservation for a room. The early Christians placed considerable emphasis upon hospitality (Rom. 12:13; 1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:8; Heb. 13:2 ...

2536. Doing What is Good

Titus 3:1-11

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

... be fully realized eschatologically. Through Christ Jesus believers will ultimately become heirs of God’s full glory (cf. Gal. 4:7; Rom. 8:17), having the hope (cf. Titus 1:2; 1 Tim. 4:10) of eternal life (see disc. on 1 Tim. 1:16; 6:12; Titus 1:2). 3:8 As it ... divisive ones! Titus is to warn (or “admonish”) such a person once, and then warn him a second time. Thus he still holds out the hope of redeeming such people, as elsewhere in the PE (2 Tim. 2:25–26; see also disc. on 1 Tim. 1:20) and in Paul (2 ...

2537. Jesus Greater Than Moses

Hebrews 3:1-6

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

... brought by Christ. The author adds a conditional clause that is pastorally motivated and again directed at the specific needs of the readers. Membership in God’s house is not to be taken for granted. It is necessary to hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast. We have already seen allusions to the danger in which the readers stand (2:1, 18) and more are to follow as this theme becomes one of increasing importance in the epistle. Faithfulness is required not only of God’s special servants ...

2538. Melchizedek the Priest

Hebrews 7:1-10, Hebrews 7:11-28

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

... purpose of redemption (cf. 5:9). But in the new situation, which it is the major task of our author to expound, a better hope enters the picture, one which indeed makes it possible to draw near to God, which is exactly what the law of the cultus did ... seen below in v. 28. One of the author’s favorite words to describe Christianity is the word better. (See note on 1:4.) Here it modifies hope, a prominent word in our epistle (3:6; 6:11, 18; 10:23). As in 6:18, here the word refers to a present rather than a ...

2539. The Legitimacy and Superiority of Christ’s Priesthood

Hebrews 7:11-28, Hebrews 7:1-10

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

2540. God Disciplines His Sons

Hebrews 12:1-13, Hebrews 12:14-29

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

... language of “running a race,” see also Gal. 2:2; 5:7; Phil. 2:16. Perseverance or “endurance” (hypomonē) is an important need of the readers (cf. 10:36). If there is a demanding course marked out for (prokeimai, lit., “lying before”) us, there is also a great hope that is also said to lie before us (6:18, using the same verb; cf. the same verb in describing the joy set before Jesus in v. 2). 12:2 The exhortation let us fix our eyes on Jesus continues the metaphor of a race, where the runner ...

2541. Warning Against Refusing God

Hebrews 12:14-29, Hebrews 12:1-13

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

2542. Trials and Temptations

James 1:1-18, James 1:19-27

Understanding Series

Peter H. Davids

... –21). The wealthy will fade away as they go about [their] business. Theirs will not be an eternal remembrance with glory as they hoped, but they will go down to the dust like any mortal, and slowly their monuments and very memory will crumble and disappear into ... life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin” (Prov. 13:3). “Do you see a man who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for him” (Prov. 29:20). “Do not get upset quickly, for anger resides in the lap of fools” (Eccles. 7: ...

2543. Consecration of the Firstborn

Exodus 13:1-16

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... -long promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (2:24; 3:6, 15–16; 4:5; 6:3, 8; 13:5, 11; 32:13; 33:1; see comment at 3:15). Moses briefly centered the people’s attention on the present with the words “Today . . . you are leaving.” He gave them hope for the future and for the day by mentioning their promised destination. The land of the future was not a wilderness, but flowing with milk and honey. Neither was the land of the Canaanites unoccupied (3:8, 17; 13:5, 11; 23:23, 28; 33:2; 34:11). Moses gave ...

2544. The Song of Moses and Miriam

Exodus 15:1-21

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... plant them on the mountain of your inheritance. The final stanza begins as the others did, with a witness of belief in the Lord’s deliverance, past and future (vv. 12–13). The first line looks back; the second and third look forward. They add witness to their hope for the future to their praise for the past victory. Faith had been created in the midst of the people singing. There is another mention of the “unfailing love” (khesed) of the Lord, and this is not the last time (2:24, 6:4–8; 20:6; 34 ...

2545. The Ten Commandments

Exodus 20:1-21

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... 2:23–3:5; Matt. 12:1–13; Luke 6:1–10; see also John 9). The Lord healed on the Sabbath, giving rest and respite from disease, rather than following a strict observance of the gift as a law. The preacher in Hebrews 4:1–11 further broadened the hope of rest in God. 20:12 The fifth commandment is, “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you” (see also Deut. 5:16). The integrity of the newly formed community required that the adults honor ...

2546. The Golden Calf

Exodus 32:1-33:6

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... tablets and the writing on them three times each. They represented the agreement the people had made with the Lord in the book of the covenant (24:3). The work of the living God in history and in the lives of these specific people is at stake. Whether hope remained for God’s project in time and space depended on what happened next. Joshua, who was with Moses (24:13), heard the noise of the people shouting and thought it was the sound of war (or “fighting”) in the camp. The mention of Joshua helps to ...

2547. The New Residents of Jerusalem

Nehemiah 11:1-36

Understanding Series

Leslie C. Allen

... possess this good land and pass it on as an inheritance.” The fate and fortune of Jerusalem symbolized those of the covenant people, as in the messages of Second Isaiah. Building Jerusalem, not merely with stones but with people, was an omen laden with hope for the fulfillment of God’s ancient promises to Israel. 11:1–2 The editor did not continue at this point with Nehemiah’s memoirs, which we last encountered in the citation of the list of earlier immigrants as a basis for drafting Judeans into ...

2548. Mordecai Honored

Esther 6:1-14

Understanding Series

Timothy S. Laniak

... casting of the pur), it now denies. Zeresh speaks with the wisdom perceived by Gentiles when God is present among his people (Num. 22–24; Dan. 2:46–47; 3:28–29). Haman’s friends are referred to ironically as “wise men” (NIV advisers). They offer no hope to a man who is marked by fate to fall. Like Balaam, they recognize the futility of trying to curse God’s chosen people and bless Israel’s enemies—especially when they are Amalekites (Num. 24:20; Jdt. 5:21). Notice that Haman is not simply ...

2549. Jeremiah in Prison

Jeremiah 37:1-21

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

... him brought to the palace so he could ask him personally and not go to the prison house himself. The question is surprising considering how he has been treating the prophet. He asks him “Is there any word from the LORD?” It is clear Zedekiah was hoping for something different than what he heard. The oracle was short and to the point: you will be handed over to the king of Babylon. The text does not record Zedekiah’s response to this harsh oracle. Rather Jeremiah now has a private request for the king ...

2550. How Deserted Lies the City

Lamentations 1:1-22

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

... woman who represents Jerusalem. Zion is the name given here to personified Jerusalem, pointing to the fact that the city contained the most sacred place on earth. However, Lamentations bemoans the destruction of the temple on Mount Zion and so she stretches out her hands with hope to beseech help, but again (1:16, but also vv. 2 and 21) no one, not even God, is there to comfort her (see also 1:21). Indeed, not only is there no comfort from God or from any human being, God has appointed Judah’s neighbors ...

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