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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 401 to 425 of 579 results

401. The God of All Comfort

2 Corinthians 1:1-11

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... situation at all, but rather the suffering with Christ that is the common lot of all children of God and part of the sufferings of the present age (cf. Rom. 8:17–18). On Paul’s concept of endurance, see Judith M. Gundry Volf, Paul and Perseverance: Staying In and Falling Away (WUNT 2/37; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 1990). 1:8 The NIV supplies the words the province of. While Paul might be thinking of the Roman province, his conception of geography and ethnography seems to be rooted firmly in conceptions ...

402. Body / Ambassador

2 Corinthians 5:11--6:2

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... becomes a revelation in person of the covenant faithfulness of God (“On Becoming the Righteousness of God: 2 Corinthians 5:21,” in Hay, ed., Pauline Theology, pp. 200–208). 6:1 On receive grace in vain, see Judith M. Gundry Volf, Paul and Perseverance: Staying In and Falling Away (WUNT 2/37; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 1990), pp. 277–80. Cf. Hafemann, Paul, Moses, and the History of Israel, p. 345: “Whether those in Corinth accept or reject Paul’s final defense of his ministry in this letter ...

403. Paul's Concern for the Corinthians

2 Corinthians 12:11-21

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... ways. In the case of the Corinthians, the apostle appeals specifically to manifestations of the Spirit in their midst as incontestable evidence that his apostleship is genuine (cf. 2 Cor. 3:1–6). The fact that Paul performed these signs with great perseverance suggests perhaps that the Corinthians were slow to perceive their significance or actually rejected them at first (cf. 1 Cor. 1:22). Moses, we may add, had a similar problem with the wilderness generation. 12:13 Paul states another reason (gar) that ...

404. Thanksgiving and Prayer

Colossians 1:1-14

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... s power in words. The expressions that Paul uses here are common in early Christian doxologies that praise God for his glory and power (1 Pet. 4:11; 5:11; Jude 25; Rev. 1:6; 5:13). He knows that his readers are going to need perseverance and steadfastness to continue in the will of God and to accomplish all the things for which he has prayed. Only the divine resources of God’s mighty and glorious power can fortify them for this task. The verb strengthened is a present participle (dynamoumenoi), indicating ...

405. The Supremacy of Christ

Colossians 1:15-23

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... reminds them of an important condition that needs to be kept in mind: if you continue in your faith, established and firm. Salvation, although 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 ...

406. Warnings Against Idleness

2 Thessalonians 3:6-15

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... of this verse addresses all of the brothers (see disc. on 1 Thess. 1:4). As for you—the emphatic you marking the change of reference from a particular group to the whole church—never tire of doing what is right (cf. Gal. 6:9, and for other exhortations to perseverance, 1 Cor. 15:20, 58; 16:13; Phil. 1:27f.; 2:15f.; 4:1; 1 Thess. 3:5, 13; 5:23). Paul may have had in mind specifically the attitude of the church as a whole to the idlers. The latter’s conduct may have been the cause of irritation ...

407. What Must Be Taught to Various Groups

Titus 2:1-15

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

... early as 1 Thessalonians 1:3 (though not quite in this way). The triad faith, love, and hope appears to be a very early piece of Christian ethical instruction (see note). That “hope” has been replaced by endurance probably reflects an emphasis on perseverance that the word hope itself does not always connote. Thus “what accords with sound doctrine” for the older men is that they should be respectable in every way (esp. in light of 1:12!); above all they should be exemplary of the cardinal Christian ...

408. Final Greetings

1 Peter 5:12-14

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... grace of God. It is as if he were saying “I know at first hand that the grace of God, what he gives, is completely sufficient for every demand made upon a Christian life: that grace is true, ‘the genuine article.’ So, stand fast in it! Persevere to the very end along the Christian way, regardless of what happens.” 5:13 Finally, Peter conveys greetings from she who is in Babylon. The pronoun she almost certainly refers to a church (a feminine noun in Greek) and not to an individual, especially as the ...

409. The Lord Commands Joshua

Joshua 1:1-18

Understanding Series

J. Gordon Harris

... discouragement, because the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. The Hebrew reverses the word order to emphasize that God is near: “Because with you is the Lord your God.” God’s presence as the divine warrior ensures perseverance and ultimate victory under difficult circumstances. The presence of God is the greatest weapon of a chosen servant. God the warrior transforms an unknown wilderness into familiar territory. God’s presence is the ultimate contingency plan for believers. It is the ...

410. Opposition to the Rebuilding

Ezra 4:1-5

Understanding Series

Leslie C. Allen

... a persecuted minority suffering for its spiritual convictions. One of the narrator’s aims was to teach the Israelite people a lesson from their early history, as the writer to the Hebrews did in Hebrews 10:32–12:12. They should not be discouraged by setbacks but persevere in commitment to their God. 4:1–5 We are still in the year 537, according to the story, although the names of Zerubbabel and Jeshua are linked with the present incident, as in chapter 3. Mention of Cyrus in verse 5 and of Darius as a ...

411. Paul's Chains Advance the Gospel

Philippians 1:12-30

Understanding Series

F. F. Bruce

... which he has received by divine revelation or the like. He has in fact been given no revelation about the outcome of his trial. 1:20 Paul’s eager expectation and hope is not for his own safety but for the progress of the gospel, the perseverance of his converts, and the accomplishment of God’s redeeming purpose. This is one of the two Pauline occurrences of the noun (Gk. apokaradokia) here rendered eagerly expect; in Romans 8:19 it is used for the “eager longing” with which all creation waits “for ...

412. Warning Against Antichrists

1 John 2:18-27

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

... remain in them, then, as a consequence, they themselves will remain in the Son and in the Father. There is a direct tie between faithfulness to the gospel and remaining in fellowship with God and God’s Son. 2:25 There is a promise which belongs to the Christian who perseveres to the end, “remaining in the Father and the Son” (v. 24): eternal life. To be and to remain in the Son (and the Father) is life. This gift from God of eternal life is in the Son, just as it is also in the Father (cf. John 5:26 ...

413. Isaac and Abimelech

Genesis 26:1-35

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

... Abimelech. Isaac called that well Shibah, which means both “seven” and “oath.” From then on that town was called Beersheba, the name Abraham had given it earlier (21:31). Isaac’s experience again parallels Abraham’s. In this sequence of episodes Isaac perseveres, displays high moral integrity, and is so blessed by Yahweh that even his enemy comes to recognize God’s blessing on his life. 26:34–35 The narrative goes on to preserve a fragment from the traditions about Esau. This brief report ...

414. Comfort for God's People

Isaiah 40:1-31

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

... fact that the God in whom they believe is the one who as creator is sovereign in political events. “Hope” means not hope against hope but convinced expectation that has grounds for it. Such hope means that the weary find new resources of energy and perseverance, because they know that they have a future. In this particular case, the grounds lie in God’s power as Creator. This fact about the past and the present gives grounds for hope in the future. Creator-power is thus applied to weariness. The Poet ...

415. Jesus Tempted in the Wilderness

Matthew 4:1-11

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... it is shortsighted to imagine Jesus being tempted only at this point in the story line of Matthew. There are several moments in the narrative when Jesus experiences temptation to be unfaithful to God’s plan for him (see comments on 4:1). Yet Jesus perseveres, proving to be God’s faithful son. While it is common in preaching this text to highlight Jesus as divine (possibly because of his identification as the “Son of God” [4:3, 6]), Matthew emphasizes Jesus as faithful to God’s covenant in contrast ...

416. Interpreting the Times

Luke 12:54-59, Luke 12:49-53, Luke 12:35-48

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... s father, Laertes, and only when it is completed will she choose one of them to be her husband. Every day for a number of years she unravels part of the work that she has already finished, buying time. Because of Penelope’s perseverance, her name has come to be associated with faithfulness in marriage. Jesus’s mission will leave people seriously divided. Biography: Billy Sunday. Sunday was a baseball player who became a celebrated evangelist. His biographer, Elijah Brown, writes, “No one can doubt the ...

417. The Cost of Discipleship

Luke 14:25-35, Luke 14:15-24

Teach the Text

R.T. France

... the following sayings envisage the possibility that some who initially respond to God’s call may ultimately fail to make the grade. This raises issues at two levels: (1) theologically, it seems to call in question the traditional understanding of the “perseverance of the saints”; (2) pastorally, it opens up the issue of assurance of salvation. Does our ultimate salvation depend on our continued faithfulness? Part of the answer here may be found in considering the historical context discussed above. In ...

418. The New-Covenant Blessings: Peace and Hope

Romans 5:1-11

Teach the Text

C. Marvin Pate

... . Here is the second new-covenant blessing: hope. We noted above that 5:2b–4 forms a chiasm, indicating that hope is conditioned on suffering. These verses also form a rhetorical graditio, whereby words are repeated creating a climactic effect: “suffering,” “perseverance,” “character,” all of which crescendo in “hope” (cf. James 1:2–4; 2 Pet. 1:6–7). We also noted previously that this idea of suffering leading to the hope of the glory of God is both Adamic and eschatological. Suffering ...

419. Israel and the Present Curses and the Past Blessings of the Covenant

Romans 9:1-29

Teach the Text

C. Marvin Pate

... can be summarized by the acrostic TULIP: T — total depravity of humanity U — unconditional predestination of the elect by God L — limited atonement (Christ died for only the elect) I — irresistible grace (sinners cannot resist God’s effective call to salvation) P — perseverance of the saints Thus, the Calvinist focuses on God’s sovereign election of the saved (vessels of mercy) and the lost (vessels of wrath) in Romans 9:6–29. Before anyone was even born, God chose in eternity past those who ...

420. Message to Pergamum

Revelation 2:12-17

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

... the new heaven and new earth can begin now with the family of God as people experience these very realities. The church can be the place where the eschatological promises begin to be fulfilled. Illustrating the Text We are called to persevere as faithful witnesses, even in the most difficult circumstances. Biography: Pastor Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand, founders of Voice of the Martyrs, were no strangers to persecution. A Romanian minister, Richard watched as that country fell under the control of communism ...

421. God on His Throne as the Sovereign Creator

Revelation 4:1-11

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

... . In the act of worship we participate in the reality of heaven, and we’re never the same. 4. We can overcome on earth when we have a clear vision of the realities of heaven. This passage reminds us of the power of vision to motivate perseverance (cf. Rev. 3:21). Without vision, endurance fades. When worldly powers seem to be in control, people need faith and hope to endure. These qualities grow stronger when they rest on the truth that God reigns from his throne and holds ultimate power over any and ...

422. The Four Horsemen

Revelation 6:1-17

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

... God has promised, we will probably have to wait. And should we have to wait beyond our lifetime, it will be worth it. Even death cannot change God’s commitment to keep his word. To read more about waiting in faith, see Hebrews 11. 3. We can persevere in faithfulness because we know that one day God will judge evil and vindicate his people. The martyrs’ cry, “How long, Sovereign Lord,” is a prayer that has been prayed by God’s people many times before and since. In his merciful sovereignty, God is ...

423. The Protective Sealing of God’s People on Earth

Revelation 7:1-8

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

... redemptive project (2 Cor. 5:5; Eph. 1:14). During times of intense spiritual struggle, God’s people can know that they truly belong to God and that God will protect them until the day of Christ Jesus (Phil. 1:6). We are called to overcome, but our perseverance is rooted in the grace of God made real in our lives through the power of the Holy Spirit. Illustrating the Text God will judge a wicked world. Bible: The apostle Peter liked to use the story of Noah to illustrate God’s judgment and promise of ...

424. The Lamb and the 144,000

Revelation 14:1-5

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

... followers (14:1–5), angelic proclamations of judgment (14:6–13), and the harvests of judgment (14:14–20). (Notice the markers for “seeing” in 14:1, 6, 14.) For those engaged in brutal combat with the forces of evil, knowing the final glorious outcome provides encouragement to persevere. Outline b. The Lamb and the 144,000 (14:1–5) i. The Lamb and the 144,000 on Mount Zion (14:1) ii. The 144,000 sing a new song (14:2–3) iii. The godly character of the 144,000 (14:4–5) Interpretive Insights 14 ...

425. The Vision of the Great Prostitute

Revelation 17:1-18

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

... �Lord of lords and King of kings”), victory is certain. To participate with Jesus in his victory calls for more than a declaration of our past experience with God (“I was saved when I was ten”); it demands our present obedience and our future perseverance. The called and chosen follow Jesus faithfully (2:10; 12:11, 17; 13:10; 14:12; 16:15; 17:14). The loftiness of apocalyptic literature gives way to the ordinary grind of daily discipleship. We fight the enemy by following Jesus. This passage contains ...

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