Synonyms: renounce, relinquish, dispense with, forswear, disclaim, disown, disavow, discard, wash one's hands of, give up, stop, cease, drop, forgo, desist from, have done with, abjure, abstain from, discontinue, break off, refrain from, set/lay aside, desert, leave, leave high and dry, turn one's back on, cast aside, break (up) with, vacate, quit, evacuate, withdraw from, surrender, cede, yield, indulge in, give way to, give oneself up to, yield to, lose oneself to/in, uninhibitedness, recklessness, lack of restraint, lack of inhibition, unruliness, wildness, impulsiveness, impetuosity, immoderation, wantonness
Antonyms: keep, claim, continue, stick by, self-control, power through, achieve, defend, bear, hope, acquire, quick visit, adopt, continue along, adhere, remain, pursue, support, take up, keep up, reuse, advocate, stay, persevere, cherish, keep going, carry on
Showing 276 to 300 of 4958 results
Teach the Text
Joe M. Sprinkle
... do what only God can do, forgive sin, he is thought to be blaspheming (Mark 2:7; Luke 5:21). When Jesus claims to be equal with God, some Jews want to stone him for blasphemy (John 10:33). And Caiaphas condemns Jesus to death when Jesus claims to be the “one like a son of man” of Daniel 7:13–14, a claim that Caiaphas considers blasphemous (Mark 14:62–64). But these claims are not blasphemous because each of them is true. Although the New Testament does not command that blasphemy be a capital offense ...
277. Before the Sanhedrin
Acts 22:30--23:11
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
... day” also points to the consistency and determination of Paul (cf. 2:29; 26:22) as he aims at fulfilling God’s call. From this basis, Paul makes it clear that he is defending not merely himself but the God whom he preaches. Apparently because of his claim in regard to his relationship with God, the high priest Ananias (AD 47–59) orders Paul to be struck on his mouth (23:2). In response, Paul says, “God will strike you,” a phrase that evokes a curse on those who are disobedient to God (cf. Deut ...
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
... 39–52) and with Jewish literature of the time (Psalms of Solomon 8:8–14; Philo, On the Confusion of Tongues 163; Testament of Levi 14:4–8; Damascus Document 6:16–17). Paul does not target all Jews as individuals; rather, he addresses the Jewish claim that Israel has a privileged position over the Gentiles on account of her possession of the law. He argues in the proposition of verse 23 (which should not be understood as a question) that even though Israel takes pride in the law, she dishonors God by ...
One Volume
Gary M. Burge
... 1:8–10. If the Johannine leadership were challenging some sins as mortal sins, to be rejected and disavowed on pain of spiritual death, and if some Gentile Christian—whose tendencies may have been bolstered by the false teachings of docetizing antichrists—were claiming that some practices were neither sinful nor a problem, that likely reflects an acute crisis faced by the elder and the communities he was addressing. Of course, all wrongdoing is sin (5:17), although not all sins lead to death. The root ...
Understanding Series
Robert H. Mounce
... when they look on the one they have pierced (cf. John 19:37 and Rev. 1:7). When the Son of Man returns, the mourning will be universal. All the nations of the earth will realize how irrevocably wrong they have been about the person and messianic claims of Jesus. Not only will all see his return but they will hear the loud trumpet call that announces his arrival. The trumpet was used in ancient Israel to gather God’s people for religious purposes and to signal activities on the battlefield. In speaking of ...
281. Divisions In the Church
1 Corinthians 1:10-17
Understanding Series
Marion L. Soards
... Christ, however, is not a message that is to be sold through elegant presentation. The cross is not a pretty sight, and sheer manipulative eloquence is not a medium that can bear the weight of the message of Christ’s cross. Above all, the shocking claim that God saves humanity in the cross of Jesus Christ demonstrates that God works in defiance of this world’s norms. Paul’s unstated point here is that the substance of the gospel—the message of the cross of Christ—determines the appropriate style ...
282. Eliphaz
Job 4:1-5:27
Understanding Series
Gerald H. Wilson
... ’s case the suffering has stopped short of death, although the friends’ mourning and their speeches betray their conclusion that he is not long for this world without some form of repentance. The use of the question format prevents Job from ignoring Eliphaz’s claims and presses him to acknowledge both their truth and their implications for his own situation. 4:8–9 The second aphorism is a variation on the classic observation “you reap what you sow” (Gal. 6:7 [KJV]; see also 2 Cor. 9:6). Eliphaz ...
Understanding Series
Gerald H. Wilson
... s context is unclear. Clines, Job 1–20, p. 395, takes the proverb to describe, “the boastful man who calls his friends to a banquet when his larder is so empty that his children are starving.” Clines has in mind those who mock Job, claiming “to have knowledge of the true situation, but their intellectual cupboard is bare, for their minds have been closed.” A Byword to Everyone 17:6–7 Returning to his lament concerning his dismal circumstances, Job places the blame squarely upon God, who has made ...
Understanding Series
Craig C. Broyles
... beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn and so I pursued my enemies and crushed them (vv. 36–38). You made my enemies turn their backs in flight, and I destroyed my foes (v. 40). The victory Yahweh has effected through his agent is so complete that he claims, you have made me the head of nations (v. 43). 18:46–50 Climaxing the psalm is hymnic praise and a vow to praise yet more widely. The essence of this praise is, Exalted be God my Savior, because he in turn exalted me above my foes. Yahweh’s ...
Understanding Series
Craig C. Broyles
... kneel before him. In verse 29, we should probably read, “all who sleep in the earth will bow down” (see the Additional Notes; in the OT only Dan. 12:2; Isa. 26:19 come close to this). This is a striking revelation, especially in light of earlier psalms that claim, “It is not the dead who praise the LORD” (115:17; cf. 6:5; 30:9; 88:10–12). Our exploration of Psalm 22 in its OT contexts has uncovered its singular character and perhaps reasons why it is heard on the very lips of Jesus. By taking up ...
Understanding Series
Robert H. Mounce
... realized). Only those who do the will of my Father may enter. On that day (v. 22) refers to the day of judgment (cf. Mal. 3:17–18; the “day of the Lord,” Joel 2:1; Amos 5:18; etc.). At that time false prophets will make all sorts of claims regarding what they did on earth. Some will have invoked the name of Jesus to perform exorcisms. The seven sons of Sceva are an example of this (Acts 19:13–16). The use of a name in this connection implies full authority of the one named. Peter commanded the lame ...
Understanding Series
Craig C. Broyles
... psalm’s negative half: the feeling that his achievement of a heart that is pure—which should lead to God’s goodness (v. 1)—and of hands washed in innocence has been in vain (v. 13). All day long I have been plagued (v. 14), he claims, in contrast to the wicked, who in spite of their moral depravity “are not plagued by human ills” (v. 5, in both cases alluding perhaps to physical illness). The psalm marks this admission with the same certainty that attended the opening proverb: both begin with ...
Understanding Series
Craig C. Broyles
... particular (v. 5) and the helpless in general (v. 6), and their denial of Yahweh’s effectiveness (v. 7). The last item does not point to their atheism because their assertion is explicitly directed against the LORD, the God of Jacob. 94:8–13 Their claim, “The LORD does not see” and “pays no heed,” which is part of the opening prayer addressed to God, leads to an exhortation (vv. 8–11) addressed to you senseless ones among the people, who must take heed. This admonition aims to show the obvious ...
Understanding Series
Craig A. Evans
... responds by saying that as Son of Man (see note on 5:24) he will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God (see note below). From this answer members of the Sanhedrin then ask Jesus whether he is the Son of God. Whether Jesus’ implicit claim of messiahship, his self-designation as Son of Man, or both prompt this question is uncertain. Since the latter title is related to Ps. 110:1, which was probably understood as a messianic Psalm (see note below), the title Son of Man would also have been understood ...
Understanding Series
Robert W. Wall
... given that Christ holds the key of David (cf. 1:18) that opens what no one can shut, and … shuts what no one can open. This reference to David probably has the Jewish opponents of 3:9 in mind. No doubt they disputed the church’s claim that Jesus is the promised Davidic Christ, whose key unlocks the door into the household of eschatological Israel (cf. Isa. 22:22). Rather than a defeated “anti-Christ,” as his scandalous death might suggest to unbelieving Jews (cf. 1 Cor. 1:23), Jesus is the Messiah ...
Understanding Series
Iain W. Provan
... other prophet of the LORD here [whom we may consult]?” (cf. RSV) or “Does no prophet of the LORD remain here [whom we may consult]?” (NIV). The ambiguity is consonant with the atmosphere of the whole narrative. Are the other prophets truly “of the LORD” (as they claim, vv. 6, 11–12, 24) or are they not (as the links between 1 Kgs. 18 and 22 imply)? Is Micaiah a prophet of the LORD, even though he has apparently lied in v. 14 and uttered a false “prophecy” in v. 15 (cf. 13:18)? The ambiguity ...
Understanding Series
Leslie C. Allen
... in verse 2. Yet the response contains a deeper meaning; behind the command of Cyrus lay the prompting of God (1:1), and these very heads of the families were back in Judah to rebuild the temple by divine behest (1:5). The result was intimidation and, claims the narrator, the bribing of Persian officials to obstruct the work over a long period of time—for the rest of the reign of Cyrus onward. Verse 5b, resumed with a little extra detail in verse 24, looks forward hopefully and wistfully to chapters 5–6 ...
Sermon
April Yamasaki
... faith is always active. The conflict between the two sides was theological and ethical, and on both sides it was so intense that some people were even leaving the church over it. Yet both sides claimed, "I love God." In spite of their conflict with one another, both sides claimed this vertical dimension of love between themselves and God. Both sides claimed to be following what Jesus gave as the first commandment. To address their conflict, 1 John doesn't contradict either side. Instead, he builds on the ...
Sermon
Will Willimon
... ' Weekend here and, through some act of divine serendipity, the lectionary has assigned as our first reading a passage from the book of Ruth. The book of Ruth is a family story, an ancient novella which may be three thousand years old. It's an old story, but I'm claiming that it's a true story because it's a story about a family in trouble. Here is a middle-class family that's hit on hard times and has to move, a father who dies leaving his wife and sons poorly provided for, two sons who marry women of ...
295. Down by the Riverside
Mark 1:4-11 · Genesis 1:1-5
Sermon
Billy D. Strayhorn
... for granted. A wedding ring is not a ticket to a marriage and a life lived happily ever after and baptism isn't a sure fire ticket to heaven. We need to remember that there is more to it than just being claimed. God reaches out, claims and accepts us but we have to make a response to that claiming. We are called to respond positively. Baptism is that time of life and faith when life itself is intersected by the Holy Spirit and we are enabled to live as full heirs of the promise of God's Kingdom, and people ...
296. Easter Is True
Luke 24:13-35 · 1 Peter 1:17-23
Sermon
Will Willimon
... is said than this. In the Christian faith, the emphasis is on what God reveals, not on how humanity responds. Interpreters who try to make Easter more palatable by reducing it to oatmeal assertions about human perspectives and attitudes, distort the Bible's claims for what happened on Easter. Gospel writers like Luke go to great lengths to show that this was not something the disciples had expected, prayed for, or even wanted. The resurrection of Jesus scared them out of their wits. Nothing they knew about ...
297. On Rendering to God and to Caesar
Mark 12:13-17, Isaiah 42:1-9
Sermon
Will Willimon
... to Hitler, to Khomeini, perhaps to Mao. Normally revolutions end in new tyranny by some other name. Democracy alone, even democracy, is no insurance policy against the omnivorous power of the state over our lives. Something else is needed, some worthy competitor for the idolatrous claims of the state. A man I know here, a professor, has become friends with a high official in one of the Eastern block countries. He's had his own East­ West dialogue going with her for the past few years. "Have you ever met a ...
298.
Psalm 73:1-28
Understanding Series
Craig C. Broyles
... psalm’s negative half: the feeling that his achievement of a heart that is pure—which should lead to God’s goodness (v. 1)—and of hands washed in innocence has been in vain (v. 13). All day long I have been plagued (v. 14), he claims, in contrast to the wicked, who in spite of their moral depravity “are not plagued by human ills” (v. 5, in both cases alluding perhaps to physical illness). The psalm marks this admission with the same certainty that attended the opening proverb: both begin with ...
Sermon
Robert A. Hausman
... :25-27). Then the people were outraged and sought to kill Jesus by throwing him off a cliff; but Jesus passed through them and went on his way (Luke 4:29-30). The gracious words of God are a free gift; we are not entitled to them; we cannot lay claim to them ourselves. If we cannot relinquish our pride and autonomy, if we cannot hear both law and gospel, then Jesus will pass through our midst and be on his way. Like Jeremiah, we are between a rock and a hard place. If we cannot accept and proclaim the law ...
Sermon
Alexander H. Wales
... could, there wasn't really anywhere I could turn except for some miraculous cure. "This Jesus fellow has been making quite a stir in these parts. I know that some of the people in power dislike him, but the common people are attracted to him. There are all sorts of claims that this Jesus has done miracles. Some even say he walks on water, but I know that some of Rome's enemies think that the Legion walks on water. I haven't seen anything with my own eyes to tell you one way or the other. "I figured that the ...
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