Amen!!
     Point Your Children IN the RIGHT DIRECTION and when they are OLD they won't be Lost Other Seed FELL among thorns, which Grew Up with it and CHOKED the SEEDLINGS 1 TIMOTHY 1:6–7 "Certain Persons, by Swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, desiring to be Teachers of the Law, without Understanding What They are Saying.” Unless the LORD BUILDS the house, its builders labor in VAIN; The adjective of "vanity," and representing the same Hebrew and Greek words as does the latter, with a few additions CHIEFLY kenos, "empty," and its compounds in the New Testament Empty, Void, Barren, Unfruitful, Without the Spirit of God And "vain" can Always be Replaced by its synonym "Empty," often with advantage in modern English (Job 15:2; 1 Corinthians 15:14, etc.). The exception is the phrase "in vain," and even there the interchange can be made if some (understood) noun such as "ways" be added. So "to take God's name in vain" (Exodus 20:7; Deuteronomy 5:11) means simply to take it for an "empty" ("not good") purpose. We often think of false teaching as an intellectual problem, as if those who instruct others in falsehoods lack information or misunderstand biblical doctrines. Correcting error requires that we address the intellect with right data, of course. Yet as Paul makes clear in today’s passage, heresy at its root is a moral problem. For as 1 Timothy 1:6 explains, the “vain discussion” in Ephesus was due to the pseudo-teachers “swerving” from a “pure heart,” “good conscience,” and “sincere faith” (see v. 5). The problem was not so much that they did not know truth but that they suppressed it, failing to train themselves to discern good from evil. This suppression characterizes fallen humanity. Fools know in their minds that God exists, but they suppress this truth in their hearts, refusing to love Him (Ps. 14:1). Sinners understand that they must be grateful to their Creator, but they suppress this knowledge to justify evil (Rom. 1:18–32). Having suppressed the truth, the false teachers did not understand what they were saying or the things about which they made confident declarations (1 Tim. 1:7). Just as the Judaizers in Galatia did not comprehend the Law’s temporary role as a tutor to lead God’s people to faith in Christ (Gal. 3:15–29), so too did the Ephesian heretics not understand the right use of the Law. The specific misuse of the Law, however, differed between the two groups. In Galatia, the Judaizers were ethnically Jewish and wanted to impose circumcision and other works of the Law upon Gentile Christians. But in Ephesus the false teachers were probably Gentiles who used the Law to speculate about little-known historical figures and promote asceticism in the church (1 Tim. 1:3–4; 4:1–4). Either way, the results were vain discussions that hurt the church. Such vanity continues to exist today in the form of certain church leaders who do not use God’s law to train their consciences (Ps. 119:7–11; Heb. 5:11–14); rather, they refuse to identify sexual sin as sin, preferring to continue on “listening to” and “conversing with” people who show no inclination to repent of their wickedness and trust Christ. We must speak to unbelievers with respect, but let us never refuse to call evil that which our Lord identifies as evil. Coram DeoMatthew Henry says, “Mere talk, especially in religion, is meaningless, and yet many people’s religion consists of little else but meaningless talk.” Is your practice of the Christian religion tied up in endless talk on peripheral matters, or is it the pure and undefiled religion of James 1:27, which calls us to visit widows and orphans and to keep ourselves pure. This month, help a group that helps the needy, perhaps through a donation. Always stand firm against evil. The Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1–23; Mark 4:1–20) While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, He told them this parable: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, where it was trampled, and the birds of the air devoured it 6Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the seedlings withered because they had no moisture. 7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the seedlings. 8Still other seed fell on good soil, where it sprang up and produced a crop—a hundredfold.” As Jesus said this, He called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” then His disciples asked Him what this parable meant. He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, ‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.’ Now this is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. the seeds along the path are those who hear, but the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13The seeds on rocky ground are those who hear the word and receive it with joy, but they have no root. They believe for a season, but in the time of testing, they fall away. 14The seeds that fell among the thorns are those who hear, but as they go on their way, they are choked by the worries, riches, and pleasures of this life, and their fruit does not mature. 15But the seeds on good soil are those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, cling to it, and by persevering produce a crop. The Lesson of the Lamp (Mark 4:21–25) 16No one lights a lamp and covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he sets it on a stand, so those who enter can see the light. 17For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be made known and brought to light. 18Pay attention, therefore, to how you listen. Whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him.” Proverbs 22:1–16 dispenses practical advice about gaining a good reputation, avoiding danger, setting children on a good path, finances, pure living, and the Lord's watchfulness and judgment. These verses also speak on the absurdity of laziness, the danger of evil words, and the sin of oppressing the poor. This completes an extensive list of wise sayings (Proverbs 10:1) attributed to Solomon. This chapter completes a long string of wise sayings attributed to Solomon (Proverbs 10:1). He notes that reputation and godliness are far better than money. He also notes that godly wisdom keeps a person from various dangers. Loving parents use proper discipline to instill wisdom in their children. The last portion of the chapter introduces a new passage, made up of thirty wise teachings which Solomon endorses. This string of advice continues into chapter 24. What does Proverbs 22:6 mean? This is among the most quoted proverbs in the Bible. Here, Solomon (Proverbs 10:1) offers sound advice for parents. When a child is raised with the right values, and the right perspective, those lessons will last a lifetime (Ephesians 6:4). The literal wording here implies that the rightly trained child will not deviate from this path. Of course, Solomon's proverbial counsel is not an iron-clad promise. Despite the direction in which godly parents point their child, he or she may choose to pursue the way of the crooked mentioned in verse 5. Yet a foundation of godliness gives the child something positive to "fall back on" when they come to their senses (Luke 15:16–20). Hebrew wording here implies the idea of "dedicating" a child to God; the implication is that the child is being purposefully directed towards the Lord and His wisdom (Proverbs 1:7). Godly parents can only do their best to direct the steps of their children. They can trust that instructing their children about God and modeling what it looks like to have a relationship with God will most likely persuade each child to believe on the Lord and obey Him. If it does not, then those experiences will help to convict and change a stubborn heart later in life. Timothy had this kind of child rearing. He was taught the Scriptures when he was a young child (2 Timothy 3:15). The Parable of the Sower …some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the seedlings withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which-grew up with it and choked the seedlings. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it sprang up and produced a crop—a hundredfold.” As Jesus said this, He called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”… Matthew 13:7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the seedlings. Luke 8:6 Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the seedlings withered because they had no moisture. Luke 8:8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it sprang up and produced a crop--a hundredfold." As Jesus said this, He called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. Luke 8:14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. Genesis 3:18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; Luke 8 1. Women minister unto Jesus of their own means. 4. Jesus, after he had preached from place to place, 9. explains the parable of the sower, 16. and the candle; 19. declares who are his mother, and brothers; 22. rebukes the winds; 26. casts the legion of demons out of the man into the herd of pigs; 37. is rejected by the Gadarenes; 43. heals the woman of her bleeding; 49. and raises Jairus's daughter from death. 2 Corinthians 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded The description of the persons to whom the Gospel is hid, is here further carried on; in which the character of Satan is given, who is here styled "the god of this world"; just as he is by Christ, "the prince of this world", ( John 12:31 ) ( 14:30 ) not because he had any hand in the making of it, or has any concern in the government of it, or in the disposal of men or things in it; but because of his influence over the worst, and greatest part of the world; which lies in wickedness, under the power of this wicked one, being led captive by him at his will; who have voluntarily given themselves up to him, and whose lusts they will do; and so declare themselves to be his children, and him their Father, yea, their god: the influence he has over them is, he hath blinded the minds of them that believe not. The apostle here seems to refer to one of the devils, which the Jews F12 frequently speak of (lamo) , "Samael"; who they say is the head of all the devils; a very malignant spirit, and who deceived our first parents; the word is compounded of (la) , "god", and (amo) , "to blind"; him they call the angel of death, and say F13, that he hath (amle ynp Kyvxa) , "brought darkness upon the face of the world", or the creatures, the Gentiles: agreeably to which the apostle calls the devil, "the god that hath blinded"; what he blinds in men, is "their mind": the more excellent and knowing part of man; not the eyes of their bodies, but of their understandings; which shows the near access Satan has to the souls of men; he penetrates into their very hearts and minds, and has an influence there: the persons whose minds he blinds, are those "who believe not"; which distinguishes them from others that perish, who never enjoyed the Gospel, and therefore he says, "in", or "among whom"; and from true believers, on whom Satan can have no such influence; and is a reason of these men's perishing, and of Satan's influence over them; and must be understood of reprobates, and final unbelievers: the influence he has over them is expressed by "blinding" them; which he does, by diverting them from hearing the Gospel, and by stirring up the enmity of their minds against it, and by increasing their natural darkness and blindness with respect to it. The end which Satan has in doing this is, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them; here many things are hinted, in commendation of the Gospel, as that it is the Gospel of Christ; because he was not only the greatest and best preacher of it that ever was, but also is the author and subject of it; Christ is the sum and substance of the Gospel, the principal thing in it, or person that is spoken of therein; and then Christ who is the grand subject of the Gospel is described, in order to recommend it the more, as "the image of God". The Jews F14 call the Messiah, (la Mlu) , "the image of God"; some copies, and the Complutension edition, and the Arabic version, read, "the image of the invisible God", as in ( Colossians 1:15 ) . So Christ is as the Son of God, being the natural, substantial, essential, eternal, not created, and perfect image of his Father; and so he is as man and Mediator: further, the Gospel is said to be the "glorious" Gospel of Christ, as it must needs be, since it so clearly and illustriously sets forth the glory of Christ; contains such glorious doctrines and promises in it, and is attended with such glorious effects, where it comes with power: add to all this, that "light" is attributed to it; the Jews F15 speak of the "light of the law", and the law is called light; and say, that (hrwt ala rwa Nya) , "there is no light but the law"; but this may be more truly said of the Gospel, by which not only persons may be notionally enlightened, who never were made really partakers of the grace of God, but is the means of spiritual and saving illumination to thousands, when it is attended with the demonstration of the Spirit: now all these excellent characters of the Gospel serve to enhance the spite and malice of Satan, in endeavouring all he can to kinder the bright shining of this glorious Gospel, to and upon any of the sons of men; and his reason for so doing is, because he knows, that should the Gospel shine unto them, the interest and glory of Christ would be advanced, and his own would decline. A Father's Instruction …17For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence. 18The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until midday. 19But the way of the wicked is like the darkest gloom; they do not know what makes them stumble.… Your Word is a Lamp to My Feet …104I gain understanding from Your precepts; therefore I hate every false way. 105Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. 106I have sworn and confirmed that I will keep Your righteous judgments.… A Good Name 1A good name is more desirable than great riches; favor is better than silver and gold. 2The rich and the poor have this in common: The LORD is Maker of them all. 3The prudent see danger and take cover, but the simple keep going and suffer the consequences. 4The rewards of humility and the fear of the LORD are wealth and honor and life. 5Thorns and snares lie on the path of the perverse; he who guards his soul stays far from them. 6Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. 7The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender. 8He who sows injustice will reap disaster, and the rod of his fury will be destroyed.a 9A generous manb will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor. 10Drive out the mocker, and conflict will depart; even quarreling and insults will cease. 11He who loves a pure heart and gracious lips will have the king for a friend. 12The LORD’s eyes keep watch over knowledge, but He frustrates the words of the faithless. 13The slacker says, “There is a lion outside! I will be slain in the streets!” 14The mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit; he who is under the wrath of the LORD will fall into it. 15Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him. 16Oppressing the poor to enrich oneself or giving gifts to the rich will surely lead to poverty. Thirty Sayings of the Wise Saying 1 17Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise-- apply your mind to my knowledge-- 18for it is pleasing when you keep them within you and they are constantly on your lips. 19So that your trust may be in the LORD, I instruct you today—yes, you. 20Have I not written for you thirty sayingsc about counsel and knowledge, 21to show you true and reliable words, that you may soundly answer those who sent you? Saying 2 22Do not rob a poor man because he is poor, and do not crush the afflicted at the gate, 23for the LORD will take up their case and will plunder those who rob them. Saying 3 24Do not make friends with an angry man, and do not associate with a hot-tempered man, 25or you may learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare. Saying 4 26Do not be one who gives pledges, who puts up security for debts. 27If you have nothing with which to pay, why should your bed be taken from under you? Saying 5 28Do not move an ancient boundary stone which your fathers have placed. Saying 6 29Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will be stationed in the presence of kings; he will not stand before obscure men. The Bible Reveals Two God Beings Christ came to reveal the Father Matthew 11:27 All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. They did not know Him They had lost this knowledge which has largely remained lost until this day Tripartite division of Old Testament Luke 24:44 Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.“ He is speaking of Himself – so He had to have existed during that time. As we go along we will see that there have always been two separate distinct persons in the God Family. They are eternal and have always existed. As we go along, it can be shown that Christ was not an angel or a created being, but a God along with the Father [I bring this up because some people believe it to be the case] We will spend most of the time in the Old Testament, but we will start with a couple of scriptures in the New Testament John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:2 He was in the beginning with God. John 1:3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. 1 Corinthians 10:4 and all [speaking of the Israelites :1-2] drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. [See also: The God of the Old Testament] Here we will show proofs in each of these sections; the Law, Prophets and Writings We will by no means go through all of them Law(First five Books of the Bible) Let US Make Man in OUR ImageGenesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; Let US make manWho made man? Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. So God is not talking about anyone or anything else OUR ImageGod is a person (Job 13:8 (KJV); Hebrews 1:3), with a spirit body (Daniel 7:9–14; 10:5–19; 1 Corinthians 15:44,49; Philippians 3:21) that has shape (John 5:37) and form (Philippians 2:5–7; 3:21). The scripture talks about His arms (Psalm 44:3; John 12:38), back parts (Exodus 33:23), breath (Genesis 2:7), ears (Psalm 18:6; 34:15), eyelids (Psalm 11:4), eyes (Revelation 1:14; Psalm 11:4; 18:24; 33:18), face (Deuteronomy 34:10; Genesis 33:10; Exodus 33:11), feet (Psalm 18:9; Ezekiel 1:26; 24:10; 1 Corinthians 15:27; Hebrews 2:8; Revelation 1:15; 2:18), fingers (Exodus 31:18; Psalm 8:3–6), hair (Daniel 7:9; Revelation 1:14), hands (Psalm 102:25–26; Hebrews 1:10), head (Revelation 19:12, 1:14; Jeremiah 19:5, 32:35), heart (Genesis 6:6; 8:21), lips (Isaiah 11:4; 30:27), loins (Ezekiel 1:26–28; 8:1–4), mouth (Numbers 12:8; Isaiah 1:20), nostrils (Psalm 18:8), palm (Isaiah 49:16), tongue (Isaiah 30:27), voice (Psalm 29:1–9; Hebrews 12:19, 26; Revelation 1:10; 10:3–4; Revelation. 14:2) and waist (Isaiah 11:5). A case can be made that this even goes beyond this and can refer to God making us or bringing us to resemble His character – but we will have to save that for another time. This shows that we look like God does – because we were made in their image and likeness. OUR LikenessGenesis 1:21 So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:24 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so. Genesis 1:25 And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. Then in :26 we are made after the God-kind Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let Us make man … according to Our likeness; Some have said that these plural pronouns refer to a God with His angels. He cannot be referring to any other spirit being The (Angelic Realm) message showed how most of them have the faces of animals. Not only that, but scripture shows that it was not the angelic realm that did the creating. All Things Created Through ChristAll things were created through Christ (including the angels) Ephesians 3:9 and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; It is very clear here that the “Us” and “Our” in Genesis 1:26 refers to the fact that it was both God and Christ that created man – it was God the Father doing it by and through Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:16) Royal “we” or majestic pluralAnother argument that is brought up: This is where speakers, the royals, refer to themselves using a plural form. Now-a-days it is sometimes used by people who hold higher offices. The problems with this: This is not a Hebrew concept The Hebrews never employed this style of speaking or writing Developed by the Greeks a long time later And as we will see, our argument in no way hinges on this point alone ELOHIM is PluralAlso in this verse (Genesis 1:26), the word for God is translated from the Hebrew “elohim” It is a plural form of El and Eloah Elohim has been called uniplural or a collective noun so when it refers to the group as a unit, then it takes a singular verb. If it refers to the individuals in the group or the parts that make up the group, then the verb should be plural. Example of deer: One deer was in the pasture. Many deer were in the pasture. Depending on the verb with it, it is understood to be singular or plural. This concept is understood or rejected based on other wrong concepts (one God or three-Gods-in-one) 1. The class describe their vacations. 2. The whole class meets at 3 PM. 1. class – individuals – (see the word, their…hint to plural) describe 2. class – one group – singular – meets Elohim With a Singular VerbGenesis 1:27 So God created man in His own image; So THEY start out with a plan in :26 and in :27 One of them executes it (and which One was that – hint Ephesians 3:9 that we just read) Elohim With a Plural VerbGenesis 35:6–7 God appeared Genesis 20:13 God caused me to wander from my father’s house… 2 Samuel 7:23 God went John Smith ExampleThere is a man named John John is with Smith John is also Smith How can this be? Because John is the son of Smith which is the surname. It really should not be that difficult to see how Elohim can be two separate beings. The prophets understood this: The ProphetsJeremiahJeremiah 23:5 “Behold, the days are coming,” says the LORD [YHVH; Father], “That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. Jeremiah 23:6 In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD [YHVH; Son] OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. [The Father is saying to the Son and BOTH are called YHVH] ZechariahZechariah 4:8 Moreover the word of the LORD [YHVH] came to me [Zechariah], saying: So here is what YHVH is saying: Zechariah 4:9 “The hands of Zerubbabel Have laid the foundation of this temple; His hands shall also finish it. Then you will know That the LORD [YHVH] of hosts has sent Me [the One who is talking; YHVH] to you. In this case both are considered YHVH [the eternal and self existing One] which they both are. Also: Zechariah 2:8-11; 6:9, 12–15 IsaiahIt’s sprinkled throughout the Bible if we have an eye to see it. Isaiah 34:16 “Search from the book of the LORD, and read: Not one of these shall fail; Not one shall lack her mate. For My mouth has commanded it, and His Spirit has gathered them. Though most of the time YHVH refers to the one that became Jesus Christ [See The God of the Old Testament] See also: Isaiah 29:22–23; 45:1; 62:6–7 In my Bible, the non scriptural heading says: The Futility of Idols Isaiah 41:21 “Present your case,” says the LORD. [Isaiah is quoting the LORD, so the LORD is not speaking about Him and Isaiah] “Bring forth your strong reasons,” says the King of Jacob. Isaiah 41:22 “Let them bring forth and show us what will happen; Let them show the former things, what they were, That we may consider them, And know the latter end of them; Or declare to us things to come. Isaiah 41:23 Show the things that are to come hereafter, That we may know that you are gods; Yes, do good or do evil, That we may be dismayed and see it together. For those that believe in the “royal we” this passage is not explainable as it mentions “together”. DanielDaniel 7:9 “I watched till thrones were put in place, And the Ancient of Days [God the Father] was seated; His garment was white as snow, And the hair of His head waslike pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, Its wheels a burning fire; Daniel 7:10 A fiery stream issued And came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, And the books were opened. Daniel 7:13 “I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man [Christ], Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him. Daniel 7:14 Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed. Psalms (Writings)Other Plural Nouns Referring to GodEcclesiastes 12:1 Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, Before the difficult days come, And the years draw near when you say, “I have no pleasure in them”: (YLT) Remember also thy Creators in days of thy youth, While that the evil days come not, Nor the years have arrived, that thou sayest, ‘I have no pleasure in them.’ Job 35:10; Proverbs 9:10 Holy Ones or Holies; Proverbs 30:3; Hosea 11:12 Psalm 45Psalms 45:6 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. Psalms 45:7 You love righteousness and hate wickedness; Therefore God [elohim], Your God [elohim], has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions. Hebrews 1:8 But to the Son He says: “YOUR THRONE, O GOD, IS FOREVER AND EVER; A SCEPTER OF RIGHTEOUSNESS IS THE SCEPTER OF YOUR KINGDOM. Hebrews 1:9 YOU HAVE LOVED RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HATED LAWLESSNESS; THEREFORE GOD, YOUR GOD, HAS ANOINTED YOU WITH THE OIL OF GLADNESS MORE THAN YOUR COMPANIONS.” Psalm 110Psalms 110:1 A Psalm of David. The LORD said to my Lord,”Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” This is called the most quoted Old Testament verse in the New Testament. When we look at these verses it is VERY clear that this phrase is “The LORD said to my Lord” is God the Father speaking to the Son, the one that would become Jesus on Earth. In explaining to those who doubted who He was, Jesus spoke the following words quoting Psalm 110:1: Matthew 22:41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, Matthew 22:42 saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?“ They said to Him, “The Son of David.” Matthew 22:43 He said to them, “How then does David in the Spirit call Him ‘LORD,’ saying: Matthew 22:44 ‘THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, “SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, TILL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES YOUR FOOTSTOOL” ‘? Matthew 22:45 If David then calls Him ‘LORD,’ how is He his Son?” Matthew 22:46 And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore. The answer to the question the Jesus posed to them is that He was formerly the Lord that sat at the right hand (the number one position of authority after God the Father) and He became flesh (John 1:14) to fulfill prophecy and His purpose. Jesus is also recorded as quoting this verse in Mark 12:35-37 and Luke 20:41-44. Peter also quotes Psalm 110:1 in Acts 2:34-35 saying that the verse cannot possibly refer to David but has to refer to Christ whom they crucified (Acts 2:36). Through the lens of the New Testament it is revealed to us the incredible truth that the Family of God is comprised of two beings (not one or three) and that David was in the spirit when he wrote this – the spirit being the power of God and not a separate personage. Verse 4Psalms 110:4 The LORD has sworn And will not relent, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.” Further proof is seen in this scripture when it states that you this being stated throughout the chapter is: Psalms 110:4 …a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek. The book of Hebrews makes this abundantly clear in many verses (Hebrews 5:10, 6:20, 7:3, 15, 17, 21) Hebrews 5:5 So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him: “YOU ARE MY SON, TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU.” Hebrews 5:6 As He also says in another place: “YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK”; Much of the rest of the chapter is prophetic and can also be confirmed in the New Testament by scriptures describing events at the RETURN of Christ. But the main purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the answer without using the obvious scriptures above. Proof from the Old TestamentWhile it is not nearly as easy and straightforward as using the entire Bible, it is nonetheless possible. Most of the argument against this referring to one God speaking to Another is based on the fact that the “second” Lord is translated from adon or adoni. It is surmised that since this word is always used to refer to a man that it cannot refer to a God being. There are several problems with this:
This scripture once again refers to the being at the right hand of YHVH. Psalms 110:5 The Lord is at Your right hand; He shall execute kings in the day of His wrath. But this time the word for Lord is translated from adonai. So we already see a discrepancy in how the Masoretes (sopherim: scribes) decided to interpret these two scriptures (:1 and :5). BUT this is not the most egregious error that they committed. The Masoretes who were largely responsible for the preservation and production of the Masoretic text, made 134 emendations of YHVH to adonai and Psalm 110:5 is one of the places. So in actuality it reads, “The LORD (YHVH) is at Your right hand” – in other words it is YHVH at the right hand of YHVH. The Masoretes were/are unitarians (belief in just one God being) and changed the text to suit their understanding of God. In this chapter is indisputible evidence of two God beings in the family of God – the Father in greater authority and with the Son being of equal power at His right hand (Philippians 2:6). So now when we read the first verse it is easily understandable as the Father talking to the Son or God talking to God, when David says, “The LORD said to my Lord.” The Feminine Imagery of God in the Hebrew Bible The language incorporates the feminine principle into the very essence of God There are profound metaphors of God as feminine in the Hebrew Old Testament. On occasion this poetic imagery is allegorized literally as female; most often the feminine appears in the Hebrew Bible in metaphor and allegory, as in Deuteronomy 32:18b where God, here named Eloah, gives birth to Israel in groaning and travail as of a woman giving birth.1 In later Jewish writings in the midrashim, or stories, the Shekhinah, or Divine Presence, is depicted literally in female form. In the Hebrew Old Testament itself, the feminine imagery is most often allegorical and poetic. Yet the feminine is there in the language incorporating the feminine principle into the very essence of God. The foundation for thinking of God in feminine terms is in the prologue to Genesis, Genesis 1:1 to 2:4. Scholars call this poetic section the Elohistic account of Creation because of the divine name used predominantly throughout and consider it to be newer than the earlier Yahwist (another divine name) account of the creation of Adam and Eve in chapter 2. Many feel that in so much of the Bible, the inspired priestly poets, scribes, and prophets rearranged topics and verses. The Hebrew writers were also obviously familiar with the mythology of the surrounding Canaanite culture, much as we are thoroughly familiar with the worldly, secular culture that surrounds us. However, the Lord inspired these writers of Scripture to reinterpret what they found. For women, this introduction to Genesis has profound implications, which are being grasped as a growing number of scholars closely examine the original Hebrew text. Simply stated, God is described in both masculine and feminine imagery in the opening verses of Genesis. God (a masculine noun) creates by his Word, and life begins as the spirit (a feminine noun) of God hovers over the earth with her life-giving breath. The Hebrew word for God in Genesis 1 is Elohim. So, in the beginning, Elohim created the heavens and the earth. For women, the significance is that the ruach Elohim of Genesis 1:2 is a feminine noun accompanied with a feminine-ending verb form, m’rechephet. Thus, the “spirit of God hovering” is a metaphorical allusion to the feminine in God. The verb m’rechephet is identical to the verb used in Deuteronomy 32:11 where God is compared to a mother eagle: God upholds Israel as an eagle hovers and spreads her wings. (It is not customary to use the pronoun She to identify the spirit, but in the Hebrew the Spirit cannot be identified with the pronoun He, according to many Hebrew scholars.) Deuteronomy 32 was the Song of Moses, which many scholars consider to be a part of the earliest and most sacred of the Hebrew traditions.8 Since this was originally an oral tradition, the priestly poet writing down Genesis 1:2 may well have memorized and repeated over and over the verses from the Song of Moses in Deuteronomy I believe that Genesis 1:2 was a deliberate allusion to the ancient poetical Song. I view this allusion to the feminine in Genesis 1:2 as a brilliant synthesis. It also helps develop the argument that the feminine imagery is integral to the original Hebrew concept of God. This allusion to the feminine in God builds in Genesis 1:26-27 where mankind, ha-adam, is made in the image and likeness of God, and ha-adam, male and female, is given dominion over all earth. This verse has often been interpreted to mean that man/male is the image and likeness of God; in recent years, however, many scholars are interpreting Genesis 1:26-27 as humankind, male and female, as the image and likeness of God. These two passages in Genesis 1-2:4 are foundational to any concept of the feminine in God in the Hebrew Scripture. These include the parallel description of Genesis 1:1 of the masculine God Elohim creating the heavens and the earth, followed by the description in Genesis 1-2 of the ruach Elohim, or Spirit of God, in feminine noun and verb form with its allusion to God as a mother eagle in Deuteronomy 32:11. Second, it includes the description in Genesis 1:26-27 of ha-adam, mankind, male and female, as the image and likeness of God.11 The poetic imagery of God in Genesis 1-2:4 spins in my mind in ever-widening circles of the concept of God in feminine form. God in Genesis 1 is Elohim, a masculine plural form most often used with a singular verb. According to the Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, the meaning of the word is unclear, but at times it can even refer to the council of the gods.12 It is derived from the ancient Ugaritic where God was El, the goddess was Elat, and the plural of the gods was Elohim. These words for God come out of the ancient Near East, where Gods and goddesses abounded;14Astarte and Baal are examples. Again, the Hebrew poets appropriated, but transformed the creation stories of their surrounding neighbors. I personally believe this was part of their genius. They demythologized the gods of the surrounding Canaanite culture, revealing God as a more spiritualized concept.15 In so doing, they eliminated the fertility gods and goddesses, and they taught that God is One. In their poetic imagery the god Elohim became singular-plural. Elohim was a masculine plural noun most often used with a singular verb.16 This word image of Elohim also incorporated the feminine as a noun concept, the ruach Elohim. This God was a plurality of oneness, the one including the many, the masculine and feminine combined, the two in one. This is a brilliant use of language. If we truly believe this is the Word of God, then the Word is inspired by a God who loves word play and delights in symbolism and a sophisticated use of language. This is poetry.18 This is metaphor. This is imagery. It is not theology as I think of theology. It is poetic imagery of God. It allows for the unity of the married couple in our Christian sacramental teachings in which man and wife become two in one flesh. Further, it can be expanded into our ecumenical concepts of the ways in which people follow Christ. We are one in the Spirit. We are one in the Lord. It allows for our Christian concept of the mystical body of Christ: We are one breed. We are one body. God in the Hebrew vision was a plurality of oneness. This God of the Hebrews was also demythologized. Sexuality was taken out of the literal performance of the fertility rites that were performed in pagan temple rituals to insure the productivity of the land; it was spiritualized and taken into the realm of transcendence and spirit. Sexuality of male and female was treated as allegory and symbol within the essence of God. Creation was by God’s Word when God said, Let there be light. Life began with the living breath of the Spirit of God, the ruach Elohim. Although the feminine in God was transformed and lifted into the realm of spirit, it was not eliminated. Rather, it became described in allegory and metaphor. The Canaanites worshiped the goddess Elat. The Hebrews emphasized the ruach Elohim, identified with the mother eagle of Deuteronomy 32:11. Then even later in the Wisdom literature, including Proverbs and the apocryphal books of Wisdom and Sirach, this holy spirit of God was identified with Lady Wisdom (Prov. 1:20-22; 8:1-9:6; Wis. 1:6-7, 6:22-25).20 In summary, in the first two verses of Genesis there is a parallel construction between the masculine and feminine. In the first verse, God, Elohim, creates the heavens and the earth. The noun is masculine and the verb ending is masculine. In the second verse, the ruach Elohim m’reche-phet,the spirit of God hovers. The noun, spirit or breath or wind, is feminine, and the verb ending is feminine. This ruach Elohim (Gen. 1:2) is identified with the mother eagle of Deuteronomy 32:11. Male and female are in the image and likeness of God (Gen. 1:26-27). Wisdom is identified as She in the Protestant Book of Proverbs (8:24). The Holy Spirit is identified with the feminine spirit of Wisdom in the Catholic Apocrypha. It has taken me a long time to come to this understanding—in fact, forty years of wandering through Scripture study groups, prayer meditations and graduate school. In the process I’ve had two books published, Woman: Image of the Holy Spirit and Elohim. Now, in my maturing years, it is all coming together. I am now aware that there are many passages concerning God in the Hebrew describing God in maternal and feminine metaphor, including Deuteronomy 32:18b, where God groans and gives birth in an image of a woman in labor. My foundational concept of the feminine in God is in Genesis in the introduction, where God is described with both masculine and feminine nouns and verbs, as Elohimand ruach Elohim. I now have this awesome certitude that, as a woman, I have been defined in the Hebrew Scripture as made in the image and likeness of God. In examining Scripture, two facts become clear. First, God is a Spirit and does not possess human characteristics or limitations. Second, all the evidence contained in Scripture agrees that God revealed Himself to mankind in a male form. To begin, God’s true nature needs to be understood. God is a Person, obviously, because God exhibits all the characteristics of personhood: God has a mind, a will, an intellect, and emotions. God communicates and He has relationships, and God’s personal actions are evidenced throughout Scripture. As John 4:24 states, “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” Since God is a spiritual being, He does not possess physical human characteristics. However, sometimes figurative language used in Scripture assigns human characteristics to God in order to make it possible for man to understand God. This assignment of human characteristics to describe God is called “anthropomorphism.” Anthropomorphism is simply a means for God (a spiritual being) to communicate truth about His nature to humanity, physical beings. Since humanity is physical, we are limited in our understanding of those things beyond the physical realm; therefore, anthropomorphism in Scripture helps us to understand who God is. Some of the difficulty comes in examining the fact that humanity is created in God’s image. Genesis 1:26-27 says, “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Both man and woman are created in the image of God, in that they are greater than all the other creations as they, like God, have a mind, will, intellect, emotions, and moral capacity. Animals do not possess a moral capacity and do not possess an immaterial component like humanity does. The image of God is the spiritual component that humanity alone possesses. God created humanity to have a relationship with Him. Humanity is the only creation designed for that purpose. That said, man and woman are only patterned after the image of God—they are not tiny “copies” of God. The fact that there are men and women does not require God to have male and female features. Remember, being made in the image of God has nothing to do with physical characteristics. We know that God is a spiritual being and does not possess physical characteristics. This does not limit, however, how God may choose to reveal Himself to humanity. Scripture contains all the revelation God gave to humanity about Himself, and so it is the only objective source of information about God. In looking at what Scripture tells us, there are several observations of evidence about the form in which God revealed Himself to humanity. Scripture contains approximately 170 references to God as the “Father.” By necessity, one cannot be a father unless one is male. If God had chosen to be revealed to man in a female form, then the word “mother” would have occurred in these places, not “father.” In the Old and New Testaments, masculine pronouns are used over and over again in reference to God. Jesus Christ referred to God as the Father several times and in other cases used masculine pronouns in reference to God. In the Gospels alone, Christ uses the term “Father” in direct reference to God nearly 160 times. Of particular interest is Christ’s statement in John 10:30: “I and the Father are one.” Obviously, Jesus Christ came in the form of a human man to die on the cross as payment for the sins of the world. Like God the Father, Jesus was revealed to humanity in a male form. Scripture records numerous other instances where Christ utilized masculine nouns and pronouns in reference to God. The New Testament Epistles (from Acts to Revelation) also contain nearly 900 verses where the word theos—a masculine noun in the Greek—is used in direct reference to God. In countless references to God in Scripture, there is clearly a consistent pattern of His being referred to with masculine titles, nouns, and pronouns. While God is not a man, He chose a masculine form in order to reveal Himself to humanity. Likewise, Jesus Christ, who is constantly referred to with masculine titles, nouns, and pronouns, took a male form while He walked on the earth. The prophets of the Old Testament and the apostles of the New Testament refer to both God and Jesus Christ with masculine names and titles. God chose to be revealed in this form in order for man to more easily grasp who He is. While God makes allowances in order to help us understand Him, it is important to not try to “force God into a box,” so to speak, by placing limitations on Him that are not appropriate to His nature. The final verses of Matthew 28 contain what we refer to as the Great Commission. Jesus gave believers their mission—to make disciples—as they live under His authority and as His representatives on earth. This mission will continue to the end of the age. Christians have the assurance that God is with us, no matter what happens, even “to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). As Jesus’ time on earth neared its end, He often told His disciples of what was to come, including what would happen at the end of the age. The “end of the age” or “the end of the world” (KJV) means the end of this present era and the commencement of the next dispensation. At the end of the church age, the end-times events will occur, God will judge the wicked, and Christ will return again to establish His kingdom (Matthew 24). Jesus had told His disciples that He would be killed but would rise again (Matthew 16:21). He intentionally gave them specific ways to recognize that the end was near (Matthew 24:4–14). Although Jesus did not give the disciples all the details of the end of the age, knowing they would not fully understand, His warnings came with assurances that would sustain them. Each time He warned them or gave them a command, He also gave them hope. For example, when He forewarned His followers that they would have trouble in this world, He also assured them, saying, “‘Take heart. I have overcome the world’” (John 16:33). Jesus’ warnings and commands to His own are never found apart from His assurances. Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He instructed His disciples, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19–20). This promise that He would be with His disciples even to the end of the age still holds true for believers today. We are not yet to the end of the age. In His promise to be with His disciples always, even to the end of the age, Jesus did not mean He would physically be with them. God is with us always through His Spirit. Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He promised His disciples that He would send the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, to them (John 14:26). Since Pentecost, the Holy Spirit indwells all believers from the moment they are saved. He guards and guarantees our salvation (Ephesians 1:13; 4:30), leads us into righteousness (Galatians 5:16–18), reminds us of what is true (John 14:26), and gives us godly wisdom (1 Corinthians 2:10–11). Through the Holy Spirit, we have assurance that God is in control and that He is with us always, even to the end of the age. Just as God promised Joshua that He would never leave him or forsake him (Deuteronomy 31:6), so Jesus told His disciples, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (NKJV). This promise sustains us as we seek to make disciples and live as God’s representatives on earth, no matter what trials or difficulties come our way. After Jesus announced to His disciples that He would be leaving them soon, He gave them a statement of great encouragement: “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of Truth” (John 14:16–17). The Greek word translated “Comforter” or “Counselor” (as found in John 14:16, 26; 15:26; and 16:7) is parakletos. This form of the word is unquestionably passive and properly means “one called to the side of another”; the word carries a secondary notion concerning the purpose of the calling alongside: to counsel or support the one who needs it. This Counselor, or Paraclete, is God the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity who has been “called to our side.” He is a personal being, and He indwells every believer. During His earthly ministry, Jesus had guided, guarded, and taught His disciples; but now, in John 14—16, He is preparing to leave them. He promises that the Spirit of God would come to the disciples and dwell in them, taking the place of their Master’s physical presence. Jesus called the Spirit “another Comforter”—another of the same kind. The Spirit of God is not different from the Son of God in essence, for both are God. During the Old Testament age, the Spirit of God would come on people and then leave them. God’s Spirit departed from King Saul (1 Samuel 16:14; 18:12). David, when confessing his sin, asked that the Spirit not be taken from him (Psalm 51:11). But when the Spirit was given at Pentecost, He came to God’s people to remain with them forever. We may grieve the Holy Spirit, but He will not leave us. As Jesus said in Matthew 28:20, “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” How is He with us when He is in heaven, seated at the right hand of the Father? He is with us by His Spirit (the Helper—the Parakletos). To have the Holy Spirit as our Paraclete is to have God Himself indwelling us as believers. The Spirit teaches us the Word and guides us into truth. He reminds us of what Jesus has taught so that we can depend on His Word in the difficult times of life. The Spirit works in us to give us His peace (John 14:27), His love (John 15:9–10), and His joy (John 15:11). He comforts our hearts and minds in a troubled world. The power of the indwelling Paraclete gives us the ability to live by the Spirit and “not gratify the desires of the sinful flesh” (Galatians 5:16). The Spirit can then produce His fruit in our lives (Galatians 5:22–23) to the glory of God the Father. What a blessing to have the Holy Spirit in our lives as our Paraclete—our Comforter, our Encourager, our Counselor, and our Advocate! Luke, the narrator of the book of Acts, often paused in his recounting of events to summarize the condition of the church (see Acts 2:41, 46–47; 4:32; 5:12–14, 42). After writing about the conversion of Paul and his initial boldness in ministry and moments of intense persecution (Acts 9:1–30), Luke presents a snapshot of the present situation of the earliest Christian congregations: “So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied” (Acts 9:31, ESV). Before Jesus Christ ascended into heaven, He promised the disciples that they would “receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). In Acts 9:31, Luke stops to highlight that the apostles are accomplishing just what Jesus said they would—the successful spread of the gospel and expansion of the church. The Word of truth was getting out. Despite fierce opposition and hardship, the fledgling church communities are growing strong in faith and increasing numbers (see Acts 4:4; 5:14; 6:7; 9:35, 42). In Acts 9, the believers are “walking in the fear of the Lord,” meaning their behavior reflects their profound respect and reverence for God. They are also walking in the “comfort of the Holy Spirit.” This “comfort of the Holy Spirit” is the unique ministry of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers. Jesus said He would send the Holy Spirit to be our “Comforter” (John 14:16, KJV), “Advocate” (John 14:26, NIV), or “Helper” (John 16:7, ESV). The Greek word for the Holy Spirit in these verses is parakletos, meaning “one who is called to our side.” When we receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, God dispatches His Holy Spirit to reside in us, always ready to assist, console, reassure, and guide us in times of distress or need. The comfort of the Holy Spirit supplies Christians with a failproof, world-reaching ministry operating in and through them: “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning” (John 15:26–27, KJV). The “comfort of the Holy Spirit” in Acts 9:31 refers to the encouragement available to believers because of the Spirit’s indwelling presence. “Comfort” (paraklēsis in Greek) here refers to exhortation and includes the idea of earnestly supporting or encouraging someone. This same word is found frequently throughout the New Testament (see Acts 13:15; Romans 12:8; Hebrews 12:5; 2 Thessalonians 2:16; Matthew 5:4). We walk in the comfort of the Holy Spirit when we happily recognize that God has given us a Helper to be always at our side. We are never alone. Through the Spirit, we receive constant assurance that we are God’s children (Romans 8:16). He draws us closer to Jesus and strengthens us in our inner being (Ephesians 3:16–17). The comfort of the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness when we don’t know how to pray (Romans 8:26). The Spirit gives us the power and wisdom to witness with boldness (Acts 4:31; 1 John 5:6–8). He teaches us (John 14:26; 16:13; 1 John 2:27). The Holy Spirit even reveals to us the deep mysteries of God (1 Corinthians 2:9–10). We can walk free from sin’s control in the comfort of the Holy Spirit because the Spirit is a righteousness-producing, life-giving source for every believer: “But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. . . . And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you” (Romans 8:9–11, NLT). The phrase “transformed by the renewing of the mind” is found in Romans 12:2. Chapter 12 marks the transition in that epistle from the apostle Paul’s theological teaching to his practical teaching. The book of Romans is probably the closest thing in the Bible to a systematic theology. Paul did not found the church at Rome, but he had every intention of visiting that church on his way to Spain. As a result, Paul wrote this epistle as a way of introducing himself to that congregation and to give them an overview of the gospel and what it means in the lives of believers. After teaching the great doctrine regarding the gospel of God’s righteousness that is ours through faith in Christ in Romans chapters 1—11, Paul begins to exhort us to godly living. How are we to live in light of the saving power of the gospel? That is what Romans 12—16 aims to teach. The practical section of Romans begins with a great “therefore.” Seeing all that God did on our behalf, therefore live like this. The first of Paul’s great exhortations is to be renewed in our minds: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:1–2, ESV). The phrase “the mercies of God” refers to all of what has preceded in chapters 1—11. The exhortation that Paul presents is that since we have been the recipients of God’s great mercies, we are to be “living sacrifices” to God. How do we do this? We are living sacrifices to God by not conforming to this world, but by being transformed by the renewal of our minds. This exhortation really serves as a summary statement of all that follows. A living sacrifice to God is one who does not conform, but is transformed. We are not to be conformed to this world. Paul is using the word world here to refer to the spirit of the age. In other words, world refers to the popular worldview that rejects God and His revelation. As unbelievers, we are naturally conformed to the world (Ephesians 2:1–3). As believers, we are no longer conformed to this world because we no longer belong to the spirit of this age. We have been translated from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God’s beloved Son (Colossians 1:13). Therefore, rather than continuing to conform to this world, we are to be transformed by having our minds renewed. It is interesting to note that Paul says that we must be transformed by the renewing of our “minds.” The mind is the key to the Christian life. The reason why non-Christians do not respond to Christian truth is that they cannot discern spiritual truth (1 Corinthians 2:14). The gospel is a call for the unbeliever to repent of his sin and embrace Christ by faith. The Greek word translated “repentance” carries the notion of a change of mind. Our thinking must be changed (transformed) from old, ungodly ways of thinking into new, godly ways of thinking. What we know in our minds to be true forms a conviction in our hearts of that truth, and that conviction in our hearts translates into action. Therefore, we must first renew our minds. The only way to replace the error of the world’s way of thinking is to replace it with God’s truth, and the only infallible source of God’s truth is His revealed Word, the Bible. Transformation through renewed minds comes as believers expose themselves to God’s Word through the faithful exposition of it each week in church, personal Bible study, and group Bible study. A solid church that believes in preaching the Word, reading the Word, and singing the Word is invaluable in helping us renew our minds. There are no shortcuts. There is no magical formula for renewing our minds. We must fill our minds with God’s Word. As Jesus prayed to the Father, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). In Proverbs 1:20–33 and Proverbs 8:1—9:12, wisdom is personified as a woman who has much to offer—including “enduring wealth and prosperity” and “life”—to anyone who would heed her words (Proverbs 8:18, 35). We will look at Proverbs 8 in particular, since it seems to be a jumping-off point for some creative “proof-texting” by cults such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses to arrive at conclusions with no textual warrant. We will cover the three subjects that are often disregarded when considering these verses—figure of speech, genre, and grammatical gender—to focus on the question, why is Wisdom a she? Let’s start with figures of speech. These, by definition, should not be taken literally. For example, “And the Lord said, ‘What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground’” (Genesis 4:10). Did Abel’s blood actually cry out, audibly, from the ground? No. The Lord was using a figure of speech called personification, or prosopopoeia, to help Cain understand the inescapable nature of sin. We realize that Abel’s blood was inanimate, non-articulate, and in no way capable of speech—its “cry” is just a literary figure. We cannot formulate a doctrine that says blood actually speaks after a person dies. This may sound like common sense, but people can and do invent such teachings! We must be alert to figures of speech, because in figure, God’s exact words will not equal His exact meaning. In Proverbs 9:2 wisdom is not literally a woman who prepares a banquet. Wisdom is an intangible quality, but Solomon describes it as if it were an actual person—personification, again. But why is Wisdom a “she” and not a “he”? As we answer that, let’s consider genre. Proverbs 8 is poetry—one of the many genres found in the Bible. This is important to consider, for, if we do not know what we are reading, we will not know how we should read it. A reader will always make some sense of the words, but if genre is not considered, the reader will likely miss the author’s intent. For example, if we’re reading Treasure Island, it’s important to understand it as a novel, that is, a work of fiction. This understanding will prevent our seeking out the family history of Jim Hawkins as if he were a real person. When reading the Bible, if we do not understand an author’s intent, then we will not understand God’s intent—which, of course, is what matters when it comes to interpreting His Word. Proverbs 8 is a specific type of poem called an encomium—a poem of praise. Other encomia in Scripture are found in 1 Corinthians 13(in praise of love), Hebrews 11 (in praise of faith), and Proverbs 31:10–31 (in praise of the virtuous wife). We cannot interpret the Bible’s poetry in the same way we do its historical narratives, its prophecies, its apocalyptic passages, etc. For instance, we cannot treat “Love is patient, love is kind” (1 Corinthians 13:4) in the same way as “When anyone has a swelling or a rash or a shiny spot on their skin that may be a defiling skin disease, they must be brought to Aaron the priest” (Leviticus 13:2). The first passage is effusive, the latter exacting. These are just two examples of types of writings that must be read with sensitivity to their genre, purpose, and context. So, when we read that Wisdom is a “she,” understand that Proverbs is heavily artistic; therefore, we are not reading a technical definition of wisdom. Finally, let’s talk about gender in language. Except for some personal pronouns, English does not use grammatical gender (classifying words as masculine, feminine, or neuter). However, the Hebrew language (in which Proverbs was written) does use grammatical gender, much like Spanish, French, and many other languages do. Herein is our problem. “She,” as we understand it, is not necessarily “she” as it was intended in Hebrew. Native English speakers are ambivalent concerning grammatical gender. We naturally think of the noun girl as feminine and the noun boy as masculine, so, when assigning pronouns to these words, we use she/her/hers for girl and he/him/his for boy. When we speak of a ship, which has no actual gender, we use neuter pronouns (it/its). However, these ships are often named after men (such as the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan). The name of the ship does not affect its gender. To compound matters, mariners usually refer to a ship in feminine terms: she is a fine ship, head her into port, etc. Gender is somewhat arbitrary in English usage, but this is not the case in many other languages. In many languages (including Hebrew) most nouns have a strong gender component—but the gender assignment is grammatical and does not necessarily indicate the physical gender of the object. In Spanish, a guitar (la guitarra) is feminine, and a car (el coche) is masculine. This has nothing to do with literal gender. In fact, the Spanish word masculinidad, which means “masculinity,” is a feminine noun! Therefore, when translating from Hebrew into English, we must distinguish grammatical gender from our notions of sexual gender. In English, the word wisdom is grammatically neuter, but not so in Hebrew. The Hebrew word is chokmoth, and it is grammatically feminine. In Hebrew, it would have been natural to speak of wisdom as a “she.” As previously mentioned, Solomon used the literary tool of personification to extol the inanimate and abstract idea of wisdom as if it were a real person. By doing so, Solomon communicated a vivid illustration of the blessings of being wise. In personifying wisdom, it was necessary to use the appropriate pronouns. Since a person is not referred to as an “it,” Wisdom as an antecedent requires feminine personal pronouns. The grammatical construction is an artifact of the process of personification. In other words, since the word wisdom is feminine (in Hebrew grammar), Wisdom personified becomes a “she” to satisfy the demands of diction—not to add information to its object. There may be a couple other reasons why Solomon portrayed Wisdom as a “she.” In the broader context, Solomon is drawing a careful contrast between wise and foolish choices. Immediately before and after presenting Wisdom as an elegant lady offering riches and satisfaction, Solomon presents a picture of Folly, pictured as a prostitute who promises pleasure but who delivers death (Proverbs 6:24—7:27; 9:13–18). So, the foolishness of immorality is contrasted with the wisdom of virtue. Two parallel illustrations are used, and both involve a virtual woman. Also, Proverbs shows us Wisdom personified performing activities that are usually associated with a woman (such as preparing a meal, Proverbs 9:2, 5). This description transcends the technical grammar and further necessitates the feminine pronouns applied to Wisdom. Solomon was not saying that women are intrinsically wiser than men—that would be reading too much into the use of grammar. And he was definitely not referring to some type of goddess named “Wisdom” or “Sophia.” It is impossible to tell whether or not Solomon intended a feminine portrayal of wisdom from the outset. Perhaps the feminine underpinnings of the word wisdom influenced his choice, or perhaps he just found himself awash in the feminine grammar and ran with it. Either way, the use of she was not necessarily driven by any intrinsic femininity of wisdom. As such, men should not be insulted nor women puffed up at its reading. Chapter 9 of Proverbs uses personification to describe wisdom and foolishness as women. Why would the author use women as his examples? The answer is found in the descriptions used of these two terms. Wisdom is discussed in Proverbs 9:1–12, where it is personified as a wise woman. This wise lady has built her house (verse 1), has prepared a great dinner (verse 2), and gives wisdom to those who lack it (verses 3–5). The benefits to those who seek wisdom include becoming wiser and increasing in learning (verse 8). The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (verse 10). Wisdom is even said to add years to one’s life (verse 11). In Proverbs 9:13–18, folly is associated with a seductive woman. Folly (“foolishness” in some translations) is loud, seductive, and knows nothing (verse 13). She seduces the simple who pass by (verses 14–17). Those who turn to her find death (verse 18). In contrast to the lady Wisdom who provides fine food and wine, the woman Folly provides stolen water and bread eaten in secret (verse 17). The ninth chapter of Proverbs, then, calls readers to embrace wisdom and to flee from folly or foolishness. Those who do receive many benefits, while those who do not will experience judgment. These teachings resemble in some ways the teachings of Jesus in Matthew 22:1–14 and Luke 14:15–24 of responding in a positive manner to God’s Word. The call to wisdom also closely resembles the New Testament’s call to salvation. Further, a chiastic structure is present in Proverbs 9 that highlights verses 7–12 as the central focus of the teaching. These verses include a clear call to the benefit of wisdom. Verse 10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, / and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” The personification of both wisdom and folly as two different women presents the benefits of wisdom and the judgment associated with folly. A woman of wisdom benefits her husband, just as a woman of folly can destroy a husband. These words are written as advice from a father to a son (Proverbs 2:1; 3:1; 4:20; 5:1, 20; 6:20; 7:1), so the illustrations of two kinds of women are a powerful method to illustrate God’s wisdom. Reading these words in this context provides a deeper understanding of the passage and much application for life today. The short letter of 2 John is written in part to warn believers against the influence of false teachers. John identifies them as those “who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh” and describes them as deceivers and antichrists (2 John 1:7). He goes on to say in verse 10 that, if anyone comes teaching a falsehood about Jesus Christ, “do not take them into your house or welcome them.” Does this prohibition refer to those who knock on our doors today, such as Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses? Are we to deny members of these sects access to our homes? It is important to understand the doctrine that John was defending. In saying, “Jesus Christ has come in the flesh,” John affirms that Jesus is both fully God and truly man. He also addressed this issue in 1 John 4:2, telling his readers how to identify false teachers and the spirits who drive them. The first test of a true teacher/prophet of God is that he proclaims that Jesus is God incarnate (see John 1:14). A godly teacher will teach both the full deity and true humanity of Christ. The Holy Spirit testifies to the true nature of Christ, while Satan and his demonic host deny that true nature. The Gnostics of John’s day denied the true humanity of Christ. Today, there are many who deny the full deity of Christ—such as the Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses—and John identifies them as deceivers and antichrists. It is also important to understand the context of John’s epistle. John is writing to “the elect lady and her children” (2 John 1:1). This lady was engaged in a ministry of hospitality. In the name of Christian love (verse 6), this kind-hearted woman was receiving itinerant preachers into her home, providing room and board for them, and sending them on their way with her blessing. John writes this quick note to her to warn her about the many false teachers who would gladly take advantage of her generosity. Her love needed to be tempered by truth. Boundaries had to be drawn. Hospitality should not be extended to charlatans, hucksters, and the devil’s own emissaries. That’s why John tells her, “Do not take them into your house or welcome them” (verse 10). And he tells her why: “Anyone who welcomes them shares in their wicked work” (verse 11). John gives the hospitable lady a litmus test: what does the traveling preacher teach about Jesus Christ? If he is presenting the full deity and full humanity of Christ, then he can be welcomed into her home as a guest. However, if the teacher mitigates, obscures, or equivocates on the fact that Jesus is fully man and fully God, then the lady is to have nothing to do with him. Such false teachers are not to receive help from believers, not even so much as a greeting. To give material aid or spiritual encouragement to the purveyors of false doctrine is to partake in their wickedness (verse 11). What should be our response, then, when cultists or false teachers come knocking at the door? It is not wrong to share the truth with them or to relate our testimony. We are called to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). However, we must be careful not to do anything that would give the appearance that we approve of their message. We should never invite them into our home for an extended stay, donate money to their cause, or allow them to conduct a “Bible study” with us. Here are some things to remember: First, cultists are master deceivers who are well trained in techniques that will confuse those whose knowledge of Scripture is limited. Well-meaning and compassionate souls (like the elect lady in 2 John) can be coaxed to dialogue with cultists and then be fooled by them. Second, Christians are of Christ; cultists are anti-Christ (2 John 1:7), no matter how kind, sincere, and charming they may appear. Third, believers should not give the cultists or anyone else the impression that the cult has legitimate claims, doctrines, or opinions. Fourth, Jesus tells us to “watch out” for false teachers (Matthew 7:15), and Paul tells us to “avoid them” (Romans 16:17) and declares them to be “accursed” (Galatians 1:8). Therefore, we should build no close associations with those who teach a false gospel. Fifth, John tells the lady in 2 John not to “welcome” a false teacher (or “bid him God speed” in the KJV). This phrase in the Greek means “to cheerfully or joyfully hail someone.” In other words, we are not to bless false teachers or wish them well. We are to be always ready with an answer for the hope that is within us (1 Peter 3:15), but we must do so in the Holy Spirit’s power, following His lead. When cultists or false teachers knock at the door, it could be an opportunity to relate the truth about Jesus to them, or it could be an opportunity to “leave them; they are blind guides” (Matthew 15:14). In any case, we must rely on the Lord’s wisdom (James 1:5) and be cautious not to cast our pearls before pigs (Matthew 7:6). Romans 12:2 reveals that the believer who is being transformed by a new, godly way of thinking “may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (NKJV). This three-fold description of God’s will can teach us more about who God is and His plan for us. God’s will for the believer is good. It is good because He is fully good (Luke 18:19) with no evil or darkness in Him (1 John 1:5). Every “good and perfect gift” comes from God (James 1:17), and “He withholds no good thing from those who walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11). God’s good will is revealed for our benefit and the benefit of those we serve. God’s will for the believer is acceptable. God’s will is acceptable, or pleasing, in that it is approved by God and fully pleasing to Him. Those who obey the will of God are acceptable to Him (Matthew 12:50). The believer who serves the Lord in a spirit of deference, love, and righteousness is “acceptable to God and approved by men” (Romans 14:18, ESV). God’s will for the believer is perfect. His perfect will has no defect and fully reaches the goal, purpose, or end that was intended. Following God’s perfect will makes us better reflections of God’s perfect nature. God’s perfect will leads us to spiritual maturity. Scripture was given to make the believer “perfect” in the sense of “thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:17). In Romans 12:2, the words good, acceptable, and perfect can also be taken as nouns that rename the will of God; in other words, God’s will equals that which is good and acceptable and perfect. This appositional construction is brought out in the ESV: “You may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Viewed this way, if you are doing good things that are pleasing to God and leading to your maturity, then you are doing God’s will. At times God’s will does not seem to us to be good, acceptable, or perfect. If His will includes suffering, or if it doesn’t make sense to us, we question it. When God called Moses to go to Egypt and rescue the Israelites, he questioned God’s will, wondering if the people would believe him (Exodus 4:1). Moses gave excuses for why he could not do it, saying he was not “eloquent” of speech (Exodus 4:10). God reminded Moses that God made man’s mouth and that He would help Moses speak and teach Moses what to say (Exodus 4:11). God’s will revealed to Joshua probably didn’t seem to be good, acceptable, or perfect, either. What human sense did it make to walk around Jericho for seven days (Joshua 6:1–27)? What sense did it make for the widow of Zarephath to give Elijah her last meal (1 Kings 17:7–16)? For Naaman to bathe in the Jordan River seven times (2 Kings 5)? For Peter to cast his net on the other side of the boat after a night of fishing in vain (John 21:1–14)? When Jesus revealed His will that the disciples feed 5,000 people, Philip remonstrated: “Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to have a small piece” (John 6:7). Jesus told the people at Lazarus’s tomb to roll away the stone, a seemingly pointless thing to do, since Lazarus had been dead for four days (John 11:17–44). In each of these cases, people obeyed the Lord, with the result that God’s plan was fulfilled perfectly. In our limited thinking and strength, God’s will seems strange, but it truly is good, acceptable, and perfect. Romans 12:1–2 tells us how we can know and fulfill God’s will. The process begins by consecrating ourselves to God: “In view of God’s mercy, . . . offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship” (verse 1). As we offer our whole selves to Him, He transforms and redirects our lives. Verse 2 continues with setting ourselves apart from the world and allowing our minds to be transformed: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Then comes the ability to discern God’s will: “You will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2). As believers renounce the ways of the world and submit to Christ, their minds, hearts, and wills are renewed by God’s Word and Spirit. This is how we can test and approve God’s will. By His divine power, God “has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (2 Peter 1:3). Following God’s good, acceptable, and perfect will allows us to enjoy life abundantly (see John 10:10). May we echo the psalmist’s words in Psalm 119:111–112: “Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart. My heart is set on keeping your decrees to the very end.” Romans 12:1–2 says, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” As followers of Christ, we are not to be conformed to this world’s pattern. In Romans 12:2, Paul has a “don’t” follow by a “do.” The negative command is to not conform to the pattern of this world. As the J. B. Phillips Bible translates it, “Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould,” which is what the Greek term for “conform”—syschēmatizō—means: “to form according to a pattern or mold.” The same term is found in only one other place in the New Testament, which is 1 Peter 1:14: “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance.” What exactly do Paul and Peter mean by telling Christians to not conform to the world? The Christian and the world are not to be “like-shaped.” That is, we should not allow ourselves to be pressed into following the corrupt customs, ungodly principles, or evil plans of action promoted by worldly men. The blessed man, according to Psalm 1:1, resists being conformed to the pattern of the world: “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers.” Just as a boat is in the water, but not of the water, the Christian is in the world, but not of the world. Followers of Christ pattern their lives after their Lord (see 1 Peter 2:21), not according to the principles of the world, which the Bible says is controlled by the devil, the “god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4). The reference to “world” is not the physical world, but rather the aion or age. The Bible says that Christians are delivered from this present evil age (Galatians 1:4), which Satan oversees and which is marked by idolatry, fleshly lusts, and rebellion. The believer lives by the powers of the age to come (Hebrews 6:5), even while residing in this world. The key to escaping the world’s grip of conformity is the metamorphosis (rendered “transformed” in Romans 12:2) of the Christian’s mind. This is accomplished through God’s gift of the Holy Spirit who is working to change believers’ hearts and minds from within, so that their obedience to God might be natural and immediate (see Romans 7:6; 8:5–9; Jeremiah 31:31–34; 2 Corinthians 3:6–7; Ephesians 4:22–24). Colossians 3:2 says, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things,” or, as the NET puts it, “Keep thinking about things above, not things on the earth.” To set one’s mind on something is to choose to think about it, influencing one’s goals and guiding one’s course of action. The first part of the chapter is worth quoting in full to give the proper context: “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:1–17). Colossians was written by the apostle Paul to the church in the city of Colossae. The culture of Colossae was thoroughly pagan and immoral, as it was in most of the Roman world—and as it is in much of the world today. The Christians in Colossae, however, could no longer take their cues from the world around them. They had to take direction from “above.” Although physically in the world, they were not to believe the same things that the culture around them did. They were not to behave according to the standards of the culture around them. That would be taking their cues from “below.” Paul describes the “below” culture in a number of words and concepts: anger, rage, malice, slander, filthy language, lying. The “above” culture, in contrast, is characterized by compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, peace, singing, worship, and gratitude. How are we to cultivate the values that are from above while living below? It takes a concentrated effort. We must “set our minds” to it. We are inundated with messages that promote the “below” behavior. If we listen to the radio, overhear conversations at work, read billboards, watch the news, read the newspaper, flip through a magazine at the doctor’s office, watch TV programs or movies, etc., we will be constantly directed to embrace values that are clearly from below. Even if the messages we receive are not overtly immoral, the perspective is one that excludes God and prioritizes things as though life on earth is all that matters—our happiness and fulfillment (the “right” to be happy) are top priority. If we want to be directed “from above,” we must make an effort to counteract the messages that are omnipresent in our culture. To set our minds on things above, we must read and meditate on Scripture, attend church, listen to uplifting music, and read things that turn our hearts toward God. This is a recurring theme in Scripture: Romans 12:2: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Matthew 6:19–20, 33: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven. . . . Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” 1 Timothy 6:17: “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” Following his contrast of things below and things above in Colossians 3, Paul goes on to give a list of standards for Christian behavior that make absolutely no sense in today’s culture. Everything about the individualist, self-centered priorities that have high value today run counter to the type of restraint and sacrifice that Paul enjoins in verses 18–22: “Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged. Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.” The only way that a person can live according to the above dictates is if he or she is taking directions from somewhere other than the secular culture. Thinking on “things above” (the truths of God’s Word) not only guides us in what we should do but gives the reasons we should do it (grace, our position in Christ, our eternal reward, etc.). As we believe the truth “from above” more than the lies “from below,” we will start to act like creatures born from above, who have been raised with Christ (Colossians 3:1) and seated with Him at the right hand of the Father (Ephesians 2:6). The term double-minded comes from the Greek word dipsuchos, meaning “a person with two minds or souls.” It’s interesting that this word appears only in the book of James (James 1:8; 4:8). Bible scholars conclude that James might have coined this word. To grasp the full meaning of this word, it is best to understand how it is used within its context. James writes of the doubting person that he is “like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does” (James 1:6–8). A doubter is a double-minded person. Jesus had in mind such a person when He spoke of the one who tries to serve two masters (Matthew 6:24). As such, he is “unstable,” which comes from a Greek word meaning “unsteady, wavering, in both his character and feelings.” A double-minded person is restless and confused in his thoughts, his actions, and his behavior. Such a person is always in conflict with himself. One torn by such inner conflict can never lean with confidence on God and His gracious promises. Correspondingly, the term unstable is analogous to a drunken man unable to walk a straight line, swaying one way, then another. He has no defined direction and as a result doesn’t get anywhere. Such a person is “unstable in all he does.” Those who are double-minded do not have the faith spoken of in Hebrews 11:1, 3: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. . . . By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” We cannot be both “certain” and doubting, as is the double-minded person. One part of his mind is sure of something, while the other part doubts. It brings to mind the “pushmi-pullyu” of the Dr. Doolittle stories, an animal with a head at either end of its body and which was constantly trying to walk in two directions at once. Such is the double-minded man. Jesus declared, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other” (Matthew 6:24). God and the things of this world are of such opposite natures that it is impossible to love either one completely without hating the other. Those who try to love both will become unstable in all their ways. If someone struggles with being double-minded, he or she should read, study, and memorize the Word, for it is the Word of God that produces faith (Romans 10:17). And he or she should pray for faith. God freely gives what is good to those who ask Him (Luke 11:9–12), and it’s good to ask for an increase of faith (Luke 17:5; Mark 9: In Hebrews 11, we learn about faith from the Bible’s Old Testament heroes. One crucial detail stands out in their lives: they placed their whole confidence in God, entrusting themselves into His hands. The actions and accomplishments of these men and women proved that faith pleases God, and He rewards those who seek Him: “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). The author of the book of Hebrews points out two critical convictions of believers. First, “anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists.” Those who desire to draw near to God must have a deep-rooted belief that He is real. Such belief is not mere intellectual knowledge but a wholehearted devotion to His presence and participation in every part of one’s life. Without a genuine conviction that God exists, it is impossible to have an intimate relationship with Him. Second, the Lord’s followers must believe “that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” This aspect of faith trusts in the character of God as a good, loving, generous, gracious, and merciful Father (James 1:17; Psalm 84:11; Lamentations 3:22–23). These two certainties are the groundwork of saving faith—a faith that pleases God. Without faith, it is impossible to please God, because faith is the avenue by which we come to God and trust Him for our salvation. In His infinite goodness, God provides the very thing we need to draw near to Him: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9). God gives us the faith required to please Him. Hebrews 11:1 gives a definition, or at least a good description, of the faith that pleases God: “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” “Confidence” is the translation of a Greek word that means “foundation.” Faith is the foundation that undergirds our hope. It is not a blind grasping in the dark, but an absolute conviction that comes from experiencing God’s love and the faithfulness of His Word. The term translated “assurance” is also translated as “evidence” or “proof.” With our natural eyes, we cannot see the realities of God’s kingdom, but by faith we receive the evidence or proof that they exist. We’ve established that without faith it is impossible to come to God. It is also impossible to live for God—to follow and serve Him daily and persevere until the end—without faith. The entire Christian life is lived out by faith: “For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith’” (Romans 1:17; see also Habakkuk 2:4; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38). The apostle Paul affirmed, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). Scripture refers explicitly to Enoch’s faith as pleasing to God: “It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—‘he disappeared, because God took him.’ For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God” (Hebrews 11:5, NLT; cf. Genesis 5:24). How did Enoch please God? Through living by faith. Enoch walked by faith in God. He obeyed the Word that had been revealed up to that point and lived in the light of its truth. Walking by faith means consistently living according to God’s Word (John 14:15). Without faith, it is impossible to believe God’s Word and obey it. Scripture says that it is impossible to please God through works of the flesh: “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:8, ESV). We can’t earn God’s approval through good works. Only based on what Jesus Christ has done for us can we become holy and able to live a life pleasing to God (1 Corinthians 1:30). Christ’s life in us produces the righteousness that pleases God (2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 2:13; 3:9). Without faith, it is impossible to please God; in fact, we cannot even begin to approach the Lord and experience a personal relationship with Him without it. Faith is the atmosphere in which the believer’s life is lived. We are called “believers” because we are continually putting our faith, trust, and confidence in God. By faith the Christian life begins, and by faith it perseveres until the end. The champions of the Old Testament like Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Joseph, Rahab, Gideon, and David all lived by faith. As they looked toward their future hope, they relied on God to fulfill His promises (Hebrews 11:13–16). And they obeyed God’s Word even when they did not understand it. This kind of walking by faith—accepting as truth the things we cannot yet touch, feel, or see, and then acting on them in obedience—is the prescription for living a life that pleases God. We may not see ourselves right now as God does—holy and made righteous by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. But when we accept the evidence in God’s Word (Romans 10:17) and reach out in response to experience fellowship with Him, then we begin to live by faith, and that pleases God. Genesis 1:27 ESV / 9,796 helpful votes Helpful Not HelpfulSo God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Genesis 2:24 ESV / 7,849 helpful votes Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. Ephesians 5:22-33 ESV / 6,848 helpful votes Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, ... Genesis 2:18 ESV / 6,822 helpful votes Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” 1 Corinthians 11:3 ESV / 6,692 helpful votes But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God. Ephesians 5:33 ESV / 6,576 helpful votes However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. Hebrews 13:4 ESV / 6,399 helpful votes Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. Galatians 3:28 ESV / 6,289 helpful votes There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 1 Timothy 2:11-15 ESV / 5,213 helpful votes Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control. Genesis 3:16 ESV / 5,167 helpful votes To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.” 1 Peter 3:7 ESV / 5,145 helpful votes Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered. Deuteronomy 22:5 ESV / 4,979 helpful votes “A woman shall not wear a man's garment, nor shall a man put on a woman's cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lordyour God. Ephesians 5:25 ESV / 4,942 helpful votes Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 1 Peter 3:1-7 ESV / 4,652 helpful votes Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, ... Matthew 19:9 ESV / 4,506 helpful votes And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.” 1 Timothy 2:11-14 ESV / 4,414 helpful votes Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. 1 Corinthians 11:11 ESV / 4,347 helpful votes Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman; Proverbs 12:4 ESV / 4,294 helpful votes An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones. Titus 2:3-5 ESV / 4,257 helpful votes Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. Proverbs 31:10 ESV / 4,143 helpful votes An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. Proverbs 18:22 ESV / 4,137 helpful votes He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord. 1 Timothy 5:1-2 ESV / 4,134 helpful votes Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity. Matthew 19:4-5 ESV / 3,844 helpful votes He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? Proverbs 21:9 ESV / 3,704 helpful votes It is better to live in a corner of the housetop than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife. 1 Peter 3:1-22 ESV / 3,655 helpful votes Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, ... Colossians 3:18-19 ESV / 3,605 helpful votes Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. Proverbs 14:1 ESV / 3,582 helpful votes The wisest of women builds her house, but folly with her own hands tears it down. Matthew 19:4-6 ESV / 3,468 helpful votes He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” 1 Corinthians 7:2 ESV / 3,352 helpful votes But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. Mark 10:6-9 ESV / 3,215 helpful votes But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” Proverbs 19:14 ESV / 3,214 helpful votes House and wealth are inherited from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the Lord. Revelation 1:1 ESV / 3,171 helpful votes The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, Ephesians 5:1-33 ESV / 3,132 helpful votes Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. ... 1 Timothy 3:11 ESV / 3,089 helpful votes Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. Psalm 133:1 ESV / 3,063 helpful votes A Song of Ascents. Of David. Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! 1 Corinthians 7:1-4 ESV / 3,027 helpful votes Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Mark 7:20-23 ESV / 3,027 helpful votes And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” 1 Peter 3:1 ESV / 3,012 helpful votes Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, 1 Timothy 2:9-15 ESV / 3,009 helpful votes Likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works. Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; ... Deuteronomy 24:5 ESV / 2,986 helpful votes “When a man is newly married, he shall not go out with the army or be liable for any other public duty. He shall be free at home one year to be happy with his wife whom he has taken. John 3:16-17 ESV / 2,946 helpful votes “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Ephesians 5:22 ESV / 2,933 helpful votes Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. Genesis 1:28 ESV / 2,885 helpful votes And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 1 Timothy 2:12 ESV / 2,878 helpful votes I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. Proverbs 31:1-31 ESV / 2,872 helpful votes The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him: What are you doing, my son? What are you doing, son of my womb? What are you doing, son of my vows? Do not give your strength to women, your ways to those who destroy kings. It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to take strong drink, lest they drink and forget what has been decreed and pervert the rights of all the afflicted. ... Colossians 3:18 ESV / 2,724 helpful votes Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 1 Timothy 3:2 ESV / 2,713 helpful votes Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, Ephesians 5:22-23 ESV / 2,675 helpful votes Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Genesis 2:18-24 ESV / 2,663 helpful votes Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. ... Genesis 2:20 ESV / 2,556 helpful votes The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. Proverbs 21:19 ESV / 2,546 helpful votes It is better to live in a desert land than with a quarrelsome and fretful woman. 1 Timothy 2:9 ESV / 2,542 helpful votes Likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 ESV / 2,492 helpful votes Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Genesis 2:22-24 ESV / 2,473 helpful votes And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 1 Corinthians 11:5 ESV / 2,462 helpful votes But every wife who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same as if her head were shaven. Proverbs 19:13 ESV / 2,360 helpful votes A foolish son is ruin to his father, and a wife's quarreling is a continual dripping of rain. Titus 2:4-5 ESV / 2,342 helpful votes And so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. Genesis 2:22 ESV / 2,340 helpful votes And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Genesis 2:7 ESV / 2,327 helpful votes Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. 1 Peter 3:1-2 ESV / 2,313 helpful votes Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Matthew 19:5 ESV / 2,306 helpful votes And said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? Matthew 19:4 ESV / 2,291 helpful votes He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 1 Peter 4:8 ESV / 2,269 helpful votes Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Proverbs 31:10-31 ESV / 2,261 helpful votes An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands. She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar. ... John 15:13 ESV / 2,248 helpful votes Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 1 Corinthians 7:1-5 ESV / 2,190 helpful votes Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. Proverbs 31:30 ESV / 2,166 helpful votes Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. 1 Corinthians 7:1-40 ESV / 2,141 helpful votes Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. ... 1 Timothy 2:1-15 ESV / 2,135 helpful votes First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, ... Ephesians 5:22-24 ESV / 2,133 helpful votes Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 ESV / 2,132 helpful votes The women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church. Ephesians 5:32 ESV / 2,112 helpful votes This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. 1 Corinthians 11:9 ESV / 2,105 helpful votes Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. Leviticus 18:22 ESV / 2,083 helpful votes You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination. Proverbs 11:16 ESV / 2,077 helpful votes A gracious woman gets honor, and violent men get riches. 1 Timothy 5:14 ESV / 1,923 helpful votes So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, manage their households, and give the adversary no occasion for slander. 1 Corinthians 13:13 ESV / 1,903 helpful votes So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. Genesis 2:23 ESV / 1,873 helpful votes Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Proverbs 30:18-19 ESV / 1,864 helpful votes Three things are too wonderful for me; four I do not understand: the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a virgin. Proverbs 17:17 ESV / 1,843 helpful votes A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. Proverbs 5:18-19 ESV / 1,776 helpful votes Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth, a lovely deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight; be intoxicated always in her love. 1 Timothy 2:13 ESV / 1,686 helpful votes For Adam was formed first, then Eve; Ephesians 5:2 ESV / 1,650 helpful votes And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Exodus 20:12 ESV / 1,644 helpful votes “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. Genesis 5:2 ESV / 1,642 helpful votes Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created. Acts 18:26 ESV / 1,640 helpful votes He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. 1 Timothy 2:11-12 ESV / 1,623 helpful votes Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. Titus 2:5 ESV / 1,542 helpful votes To be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. Revelation 1:1-20 ESV / 1,536 helpful votes The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood ... 1 Peter 3:1-6 ESV / 1,483 helpful votes Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, ... Psalm 23:1-6 ESV / 1,461 helpful votes A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. ... Leviticus 20:13 ESV / 1,380 helpful votes If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them. Genesis 1:26 ESV / 1,379 helpful votes Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” Ephesians 5:23 ESV / 1,355 helpful votes For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 1 Corinthians 14:34 ESV / 1,339 helpful votes The women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. Isaiah 3:12 ESV / 1,274 helpful votes My people—infants are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, your guides mislead you and they have swallowed up the course of your paths. 1 Corinthians 11:2 ESV / 1,263 helpful votes Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you. Joshua 1:9 ESV / 1,252 helpful votes Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Ephesians 5:3 ESV / 1,235 helpful votes But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. 1 Timothy 2:2 ESV / 1,218 helpful votes For kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath; instead, bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Deuteronomy 4:9 Only be on your guard and diligently watch yourselves, so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen, and so that they do not slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and grandchildren. Deuteronomy 11:19 Teach them to your children, speaking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Genesis 18:19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. Deuteronomy 4:9 Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons; Deuteronomy 6:7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. the way 1 Samuel 1:28 Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD. And he worshipped the LORD there. 1 Samuel 2:26 And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the LORD, and also with men. 1 Samuel 12:2,3 And now, behold, the king walketh before you: and I am old and grayheaded; and, behold, my sons arewith you: and I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day… 2 Peter 1:19 We also have the word of the prophets as confirmed beyond doubt. And you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Proverbs 6:23 For this commandment is a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way to life, Psalm 19:8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. Psalm 43:3 O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles. Proverbs 6:23 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law islight; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life: lamp. Psalm 18:28 For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness. Job 29:3 When his candle shined upon my head, and whenby his light I walked through darkness; Matthew 5:14 You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Philippians 2:15 so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine as lights in the world 2 Samuel 23:4 is like the light of the morning at sunrise of a cloudless dawn, the glistening after the rain on the sprouting grass of the earth.' Job 11:17 Your life will be brighter than noonday; its darkness will be like the morning. Job 17:9 Yet a righteous one holds to his way, and the one with clean hands grows stronger. Psalm 84:7 They go from strength to strength, until each appears before God in Zion. Psalm 97:11 Light shines on the righteous, gladness on the upright in heart. 2 Samuel 23:4 And he shall be as the light of the morning, whenthe sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; asthe tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain. Job 11:17 And thine age shall be clearer than the noonday; thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as the morning. Job 23:10 But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. Leviticus 26:20 and your strength will be spent in vain. For your land will not yield its produce, and the trees of the land will not bear their fruit. Psalm 78:69 He built His sanctuary like the heights, like the earth He has established forever. Psalm 121:3 He will not allow your foot to slip; your Protector will not slumber. Psalm 121:4 Behold, the Protector of Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. Psalm 126:6 He who goes out weeping, bearing a trail of seed, will surely return with shouts of joy, carrying sheaves of grain. Psalm 120:1 A Song of degrees. In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me. Psalm 121:1 A Song of degrees. I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. Psalm 122:1 A Song of degrees of David. I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD. for Solomon. Psalm 72:1 A Psalm for Solomon. Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king's son. The Lord Psalm 33:16-18 There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength… Proverbs 16:9 A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps. Proverbs 21:30,31 There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD… build 1 Chronicles 22:10,11 He shall build an house for my name; and he shall be my son, and I will be his father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel for ever… 1 Chronicles 28:10,20 Take heed now; for the LORD hath chosen thee to build an house for the sanctuary: be strong, and do it… 1 Chronicles 29:19 And give unto Solomon my son a perfect heart, to keep thy commandments, thy testimonies, and thy statutes, and to do all these things, and to build the palace, for the which I have made provision. they labour 1 Corinthians 15:14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Galatians 4:11 I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain. that build it. Psalm 121:3-5 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber… Isaiah 27:3 I the LORD do keep it; I will water it every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day. 1. persuades to wisdom 14. and to show wickedness 20. He exhorts to sanctification |
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