Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: touch, feel, sense of touch, tactile sense, tactility, contact, using one's hands, sensation, sense, suspicion, sneaking suspicion, notion, inkling, hunch, fancy, apprehension, presentiment, premonition, foreboding, love, care, affection, fondness, tenderness, warmth, warmness, emotion, sentiment, emotional state, compassion, sympathy, empathy, fellow feeling, understanding, concern, solicitude, solicitousness, tender-heartedness, brotherly love, sensibilities, sensitivities, self-esteem, ego, pride, opinion, belief, view, impression, intuition, instinct, estimation, guess, theory, hypothesis, thought, way of thinking, point of view, atmosphere, ambience, aura, air, mood, climate, character, overtone, undertone, tenor, spirit, quality, flavour, colour, aptitude, knack, flair, bent, talent, gift, skill, art, trick, faculty, ability, propensity, inclination, sensitive, warm, warm-hearted, tender, tender-hearted, caring, soft-hearted, sympathetic, compassionate, empathetic, responsive, receptive, intuitive, thoughtful

Antonyms: bad feeling, acrimony, animosity, animus, antagonism, antipathy, aversion, bitterness, detestation, disgust, dislike, disrelish, enmity, friction, grievances, grudges, hatred, hostility, loathing, malevolence, malice

Showing 2251 to 2275 of 2669 results

2251. The Coming of the Kingdom of God

Luke 17:20-37

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... .” Therefore, when Jesus is asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, it is clear that their conception of the kingdom does not correlate well with what has already been stated above. Undoubtedly underlying their question was the popular belief about the kingdom, i.e., the hope for a political redeemer through whom God would bless and exalt Israel above the nations. Jesus’ immediate answer implies that he does not share this view (as could already be gathered by the statements mentioned ...

2252. Jesus Appears to the Disciples

Luke 24:36-49

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... in an explanation of the relevance of Scripture for understanding the person and ministry of Jesus. These two appearances are also similar in that both times Jesus eats and both times the unbelief and incomprehension on the part of the disciples give way to belief and understanding. 24:36–43 The second narrated appearance follows right on the heels of the first. While the two were still talking about their experience, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” Although a few ...

2253. The Jews and the Law

Romans 2:17-29

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... their importance. But this does not seem to be the case. These and other designations appear frequently enough in the OT and rabbinic literature to assure us that Paul is not being sarcastic. Especially in the Diaspora, one frequently encountered the belief that Torah was the supreme expression of the moral law, and that the wisdom of the Greek philosophers—Pythagoras, Heraclitus, and Plato—was indebted to Jewish moral patronage. The idea is evident in the Sibylline Oracles, “[Jews] point out the way ...

2254. Righteousness Through Faith

Romans 3:21-31

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... teaching, and one that created the most difficulty in the church of his day. Its implications have rarely been accepted in the two thousand-year history of the church. The Torah meant not only rules, but the whole structure of Jewish religious belief and practice. Freedom from the Torah in its boldest, starkest terms means freedom from all those structures, rituals, and forms by which Judaism organized its life” (Paul’s Covenant Community. Jew and Gentile in Romans, p. 67). 3:22 A thorough discussion ...

2255. The Remnant of Israel

Romans 11:1-10

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... his people; he will never forsake his inheritance”), the first part of which is quoted in v. 2. See Metzger, TCGNT, p. 526. The significance of Paul’s claim to be a Benjaminite (a descendant … from the tribe of Benjamin [v. 1]) owes to several beliefs from Scripture and tradition. Gen. 35:16–20 records that Benjamin was the only patriarch born in the Promised Land. According to rabbinic tradition, the tribe of Benjamin was the first to cross the Red Sea on dry land. Tradition also attested that the ...

2256. Personal Greetings

Romans 16:1-27

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... involved—and the teaching of the faith was a critical issue for Paul—he did not enter the fray unarmed. The use of teaching (v. 17) with reference to the gospel (also 6:17) is evidence that already the Christian faith was regarded as a content of belief as well as a personal experience of trust, and that something approximating a catechetical office (e.g., you have learned) was the means by which it was taught. And, as we have noted before, where truth was at issue, the proposition of that truth was but ...

2257. Divisions In the Church

1 Corinthians 1:10-17

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

This first major segment of the body of Paul’s letter forms a coherent reflection on the specific situation in Corinth in relation to and in the light of basic matters of Christian belief. Paul examines and explains the character of the gospel itself, so that the Corinthians are directed to evaluate their situation in the light of the gospel of God’s saving work in Jesus Christ and the implication of God’s work for their lives. Paul argues against understanding the gospel ...

2258. Wisdom from the Spirit

1 Corinthians 2:6-16

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... initiated relationship with God. And, finally, it is important to notice that, while Paul’s language in this verse refers to the individual, the context of his comments in this section clearly indicates that he is thinking of the common human experiences of belief and disbelief. His concern is with a corporate, not a private, spiritual awakening. 2:15–16 Paul closes this portion of the letter with a statement of the benefits of the reception of the Spirit, which he substantiates with a quotation of ...

2259. Apostles of Christ

1 Corinthians 4:1-21

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... focus on Paul, as a key element in the development of Paul’s model of a paternal relationship with the Corinthian community. He understands Paul’s rhetoric to come from his sense of responsibility to mediate Christ to his Corinthian children in both belief and practice. 4:4 Conzelmann (1 Corinthians, p. 83 n. 18) notes that Paul’s reference to his consciousness (Gk. verb: synioda = “I am conscious”) is related to the “conscience” as the seat of judgment (Gk. noun: syneidēsis), so that the NIV ...

2260. Warnings from Israel's History

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... faithful. The tendency to overread this verse is a temptation within itself, but despite the mysterious matters that it raises, the plain sense of the verse is a call to recognize and to trust God. Additional Notes 10:1 Paul often introduces critical items of basic Christian belief and life with the phrase I do not want you to be ignorant. See Rom. 11:25; 1 Cor. 12:1; 2 Cor. 1:8; 1 Thess. 4:13. After this commanding opening the verses that follow in this section display a refined rhetorical character that ...

2261. Idol Feasts and the Lord's Supper

1 Corinthians 10:14-22

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... a demon to be, although his thought here is in perfect line with OT passages that identify pagan gods as demons and condemn such sacrifices (see Exod. 22:20; 32:8; Deut. 28:64; 32:17; Ps. 106:36–37). Paul’s general perceptions and beliefs about the demonic are not clear from this statement, although there is no reason to conclude that he doubted the existence of demons. Nevertheless, scholarly discussions on this verse that enter into denial or defense of the reality of the demonic are off the point ...

2262. Spiritual Gifts

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... 12:4, 9, 28, 30–31. At a minimum, the use of charismata emphasizes that whatever spiritual gifts occur in the Corinthian congregation, those gifts are by God’s grace (charis). 12:2 Cf. 10:19–20 to see that Paul is not brushing pagan belief and practice aside as mere illusions. 12:3 The interpretation of Paul’s comment, no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” produces vigorous debate. To capture the sense of the statement in contemporary idiomatic English, one should ...

2263. Final Greetings

1 Corinthians 16:19-24

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... being in Christ Jesus, so that Paul ends on the note of emphasis that he has sounded regularly if not constantly throughout the letter. This location and relationship is the most important aspect of Christian life for Paul in regard to all of Christian faith, belief, and practice. Additional Notes 16:19 The way Paul meets Priscilla and Aquila in the story in Acts 18 suggests that they were Christians at the time that Paul met them in Corinth. The explanation in Acts that the couple came to Corinth after the ...

2264. To the Church in Ephesus

Revelation 2:1-7

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

... the Nicolaitans, constitutes opposition to the essential conviction of Christian preaching: God is love. To forsake one’s “first love” would constitute the disavowal of this core conviction of apostolic teaching and would be considered apostasy. Second, the proper response to the belief that God is love is concrete actions of love for one another (1 John 4:20–21). The use of the Balaam typology in 2:14–15 for the Pergamum church suggests these two congregations face the same threat: forsaken love ...

2265. The Seals

Revelation 6:1-17

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

... in the future; both explain this delay in terms of the future vindication of God’s justice; both find here incentive for the community’s confidence in God’s intentions for salvation’s history; both encourage a patience justified by a belief in God’s sovereign control over history. The immediate context of Revelation suggests, however, that the tragic death of faithful believers indicates the nearness of God’s final triumph over their persecutors. In fact, the exaltation of the slain Lamb ...

2266. The Lamb and the 144,000

Revelation 14:1-5

Understanding Series

Robert W. Wall

... ” (17:2). Together, they symbolize the moral and theological evils, found inside and outside the church, that seduce unfaithful believers from the way of the Lamb. In light of these preliminary conclusions, the first condition of faithful discipleship is to resist beliefs and behaviors that corrupt the community’s devotion to God. Schüssler Fiorenza is right in saying that the expression points to “the cultic purity of the Lamb’s followers” as well as to their holiness (cf. 21:9–11), which ...

2267. The Sin Offering

Leviticus 4:1--5:13

Understanding Series

W. H. Bellinger, Jr.

... These offerings for inadvertent sins and sins of omission relate to atonement, but the consistent and distinctive characteristic is purification with blood. Blood is a cleansing agent; here it cleanses the sanctuary from the contagious effects of sin and uncleanness. The underlying belief is that God is holy and cannot endure to dwell in the midst of the effects of sin and uncleanness. Yet God seeks to be present with the community and to give life. The Manual of Sacrifice shows that although the community ...

2268. Purification After Childbirth

Leviticus 12:1-8

Understanding Series

W. H. Bellinger, Jr.

... periods seem to reflect primarily the male chauvinism of the culture, a social preference for males in the Priestly ideology. Levine, in contrast, associates the longer times with respect for the power of female fertility (Leviticus, pp. 249–50). These verses reveal the belief that childbirth is a serious and fearsome experience that is to be treated with great care and caution. 12:6–8 The remainder of the chapter describes the sacrifices to be offered on behalf of the mother. At the end of the full ...

2269. Various Laws

Leviticus 19:1-37

Understanding Series

W. H. Bellinger, Jr.

... universal, in form. The parallels with the Decalogue fit that frame and occur in the first part of the chapter: honoring parents, observing the Sabbath, prohibiting images, theft, false witness, honoring Yahweh’s name. These laws contain long-standing practices and beliefs, from before the time of the monarchy. They were probably preserved and collected in some sort of cultic setting, here by the Priestly tradents, and addressed to the whole people. Care for all of society and for justice are central to ...

2270. Eli’s Wicked Sons

1 Samuel 2:12-26

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... , direct action would have been impossible. The general sinfulness of the sons included sexual immorality, possibly involving misuse of power, but their sins were primarily sins against the LORD. The sons did not listen because they had no regard for and probably no belief in God’s power. However, the text portrays their not listening as an expression of God’s power, preventing any repentance that could lead to forgiveness because it was the LORD’s will to put them to death. Verse 26 serves the same ...

2271. Israel Asks for a King

1 Samuel 8:1-22

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... —maybe the only way forward. They believe that it will solve their need for a consistent and organized response to the continuing Philistine threat, as well as to ongoing internal injustices (v. 3). The elders’ motivation may also include a spiritual aspect, a belief that they need the kind of spiritual direction that helps rather than hinders their worship of the Lord. The fact that they come to Samuel with their request and that the corruption of Joel and Abijah is seen as a problem indicates that ...

2272. David Saves Keilah

1 Samuel 23:1-6

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... example of this is the overturning of the judgment on Nineveh when, as a result of Jonah’s prophecy, the city repented (Jonah 3:10). 23:17 Jonathan’s statement that Saul will not lay a hand on David reflects not a naïve, ongoing belief in the basic goodness of Saul’s nature but rather a conviction that God will not permit Saul to carry out his intentions. The repeated stress on Jonathan’s endorsement of David’s future kingship probably reflects the authors’ intention to convince any doubters of ...

2273. David Hears of Saul's Death

2 Samuel 1:1-16

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... ’s words I killed the LORD’s anointed, this would provide further evidence that the youth had some awareness of what was involved in killing Saul. If he had been close to the Israelite army, he was likely to have known something of David’s belief in the inviolability of Saul’s position as God’s anointed. In this section the writers show their ongoing interest in the question of how power was achieved and exercised. David could have had several motives in passing the death sentence on the Amalekite ...

2274. The Gibeonites Avenged

2 Samuel 21:1-14

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... those involved. 21:2 1 Kgs. 3:4 speaks of an important high place at Gibeon where Solomon offered sacrifices, and Josh. 9:27 tells us that the Gibeonites were appointed as temple servants. It has been suggested that Saul’s zeal was related to a belief that it was inappropriate to allow non-Israelites to serve at such a shrine. If such service had been prevented by Saul, this would make sense of David’s call for the Gibeonites to restart their blessing of the LORD’s inheritance. 21:5–6 The Gibeonites ...

2275. Bildad's Second Speech to Job

Job 18:1-21

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... them away with a burst of anger so that our inner turmoil is not brought out into the open. Perhaps Bildad’s heat here is a way of cloaking the insecurity he is feeling as Job’s critique of the wisdom worldview chips away at the foundational beliefs Bildad and the other friends had depended on for so long. Rather than allow Job’s perceptions to reorder their world, they push him away with anger and cling to the comfort of the familiar. 18:4 Bildad concludes his opening critique by describing the self ...

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