the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. Genesis 1:2 KJV These words from Genesis are part of the creation story. They immediately follow God’s creation of heaven and the earth. Before the Lord began...
I will pray to the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, that he may be with you forever: the Spirit of truth, whom the world can’t receive; for it doesn’t see him and doesn’t know him. You know him, for he lives with you, and will be in you. John 14:16-17 WEB In this powerful message to...
Don’t think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I didn’t come to destroy, but to fulfill. Matthew 5:17 WEB Sometimes, as Christians, we might be tempted to take for granted the forgiveness of our sins. As followers of Christ, we cannot ignore the burden of obedience to the word and...
Jesus answered, “Most certainly I tell you, unless one is born of water and spirit, he can’t enter into God’s Kingdom. John 3:5 WEB When Jesus says, “Most certainly I tell you, unless one is born of water and spirit,” his statement implies absolute truth. The word “amen” translates here as most...
He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who disbelieves will be condemned. Mark 16:16 WEB In the time of John the Baptist and the ministry of Christ, new sects of Judaism baptized converts as soon as they affirmed the teaching of the sect. Notably, John the Baptist baptized Jesus...
Jesus therefore said to those Jews who had believed him, “If you remain in my word, then you are truly my disciples. John 8:31 WEB These words of Jesus clarify the difference between those who profess a shallow faith in Christ and those who truly submit to the Lord. Obedience to the word and will...
who also said, “You men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who was received up from you into the sky, will come back in the same way as you saw him going into the sky.” Acts 1:11 WEB This statement about heaven receiving Christ into the sky is part of the description of...
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also love one another. John 13:34 WEB When we think of commandments in scripture, we often think of the Ten Commandments Moses received from God to give to the people of Israel. In addition, when we think of...
Now the deeds of the flesh are obvious, which are: adultery, sexual immorality, uncleanness, lustfulness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousies, outbursts of anger, rivalries, divisions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these; of which I forewarn you, even as I...
When he has come, he will convict the world about sin, about righteousness, and about judgment. John 16:8 WEB With these words, Jesus continues to explain the significance of the coming of the Holy Spirit. Several times in the gospel of John, Jesus speaks of the Holy Spirit and his role in helping...
But we don’t want you to be ignorant, brothers, concerning those who have fallen asleep, so that you don’t grieve like the rest, who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 WEB...
Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. John 5:24 NIV With these words concerning the crossing over from death to life, Jesus continues his teaching about the authority given to him...
