Monthly Archives: December 2008

In Acts 8, why wasn’t the indwelling Spirit given to the Samaritans at their baptism? Why did the apostles have to lay hands on them for them to receive the… Read More

You mentioned in your series How the Bible Came To Be that apostolicity is the key to inclusion of a text in the NT canon. How do I know any writing is apostolic,… Read More

We know that John the Baptist immersed people. In John 4:1, we see that Jesus’ disciples were also immersing. John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. What was the purpose… Read More

How does one become married according to scripture? Actually, the Bible does not specify any one way to become married. This will depend on the laws of the nation in… Read More

What is your opinion of the NIV Translation Committee? It is my understanding that there were as many as three homosexuals assisting them in some capacity. When I compare the… Read More

I wanted your recommendation on a title(s)/author(s) for an English-NT Greek Lexicon; and the more "user friendly," the better for me. What would you recommend? At the moment, I do… Read More

Em João 17 Jesus ora para que sejamos completamente unidos. Em nossa congregação aqui em Recife tem alguns líderes que tem tido um contato muito grande com a Igreja de… Read More

Matt 1:1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham: 2 Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and… Read More

1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who… Read More

1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!  3 For this is… Read More

1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward he… Read More

1 Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them saying: 3… Read More

21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you… Read More

1 “Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven…. Read More

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in… Read More

1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it… Read More

13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the… Read More

1 When he came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. 2 man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can… Read More

1 Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. 2 Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their… Read More

18 While he was saying this, a ruler came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she… Read More

1 He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. 2 These are the names of… Read More

24 “A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like… Read More

1 Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that he departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities. 2 And when John… Read More

20 Then he began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent: 21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to… Read More

1 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And his disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2 And when… Read More

22 Then one was brought to him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and he healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw. 23 And… Read More

1 On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. 2 And great multitudes were gathered together to him, so that he got into… Read More

1 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus 2 and said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and… Read More

1 Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, 2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash… Read More

21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have… Read More

1 Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing him asked that he would show them a sign from heaven. 2 He answered and said to them, “When it is… Read More

1 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; 2 and he was transfigured before them. His… Read More

1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 Then Jesus called a little child to him, set him… Read More

1 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these sayings, that he departed from Galilee and came to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. 2 And great… Read More

1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 Now when he had agreed with… Read More

1 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village opposite… Read More

23 Now when he came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you… Read More

1 And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said: 2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son,… Read More

1 Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to his disciples, 2 saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 Therefore whatever they tell you to observe,… Read More

1 Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and his disciples came up to show him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said to them, “Do… Read More

1 “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Now five of them were wise,… Read More

1 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that he said to his disciples, 2 “You know that after two days is the Passover, and… Read More

31 Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, And the… Read More

1 When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put him to death. 2 And when they had bound him, they led… Read More

32 Now as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. Him they compelled to bear his cross. 33 And when they had come to a… Read More

1 Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there… Read More

1 The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2 It is written in the prophet Isaiah: Look, I am going to send my messenger in… Read More

9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptised by John in the Jordan. 10 As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw… Read More

21 They went as far as Capernaum, and at once on the Sabbath he went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22 And his teaching made a deep impression… Read More

1 When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days, it became known that he was at home. 2 Many gathered together so that there was no longer room for them,… Read More

1 Another time he went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. 2 Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so… Read More

1 Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on… Read More

1 They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. 2 When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs… Read More

1 Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him… Read More

30 The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. 31 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not… Read More

1 The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and 2 saw some of his disciples eating food with hands… Read More

1 During those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, 2 “I have compassion for these people; they… Read More

1 And he said to them, “I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power.”… Read More

1 Jesus then left that place and went into the region of Judea and across the Jordan. Again crowds of people came to him, and as was his custom, he… Read More

32 They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again he took the Twelve… Read More

1 And as they approached Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, 2 and said to them, “Go into the village… Read More

1 And he began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard, and put a wall around it, and dug a vat under the wine press, and… Read More

1 As he was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!” 2 “Do you see all these great buildings?”… Read More

21 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. 22 For false Christs and false prophets… Read More

1 Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some sly… Read More

32 They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 He took Peter, James and John along with him, and… Read More

1 Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, reached a decision. They bound Jesus, led him away… Read More

1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. 2 Very early on… Read More

Please read Luke 2:42-52. Jesus had the holiday spirit. This was a busy time. Yet his family literally forgot the Lord —  they were not on the same spiritual wavelength…. Read More

This popular Jewish celebration falls close to the Christmas of the traditional church observance. It dates to the days of the Maccabean revolt (2nd century BC). For the origins of… Read More

If you have followed all the studies this year, you have completed an intensive study of the entire New Testament. Well done! For the next few days seasonal information and… Read More

I noticed your reply to the inquiry about the ISV [Q 0695] and I wondered if you have noticed that free HCSB software is now available at e-sword.net. They also… Read More

We recently used IVF to conceive another child. However, instead of the normal number of good fertilized eggs (four), which would normally produce one or two babies, we ended up… Read More

Can you think of an instance where an evangelist, elder, deacon, etc. might have his authority removed? A situation has happened in our local congregation that has sparked many questions… Read More

What do you think about David Berçot and his writings, especially Will the Real Heretics Please Stand Up? — Alvin Gumiran (Manila) I enjoy David Berçot’s writings enormously. They make… Read More

Is it wrong if I move in with my boyfriend? If we love each other, isn’t that what counts? Is the Bible against this? Living (and, presumably, sleeping) with your… Read More

I have recently read the following books: How We Got the Bible, by Neil R. Lightfoot; The Origin of the Bible, by Philip Wesley Comfort; and From God to Us,… Read More

How do viruses fit into God’s plan, and where do you believe they come from? Also, do you believe they are living? — B.M. Virology is simply not addressed, even… Read More

Romans chapter 3 says that "there is no one righteous — not even one." If there is no one righteous, why is Jesus considered the righteous one? Does righteous mean… Read More

I recently wrote a paper on my blog entitled "What is Salvation?" Yet I felt that the baptism discussions were a little too pointed, too focused on baptism exclusively rather… Read More