Matthew 5:3. The poor in spirit are those who acknowledge they have sinned against God and have no good within themselves, and who confess to having no power to undo the evil they have done and can do nothing to atone for their sin. In his heart he laments, “What a poor, miserable and wretched sinner I am.” He is driven to despair and cries out to God, “Forgive me, Oh Lord, a sinner.”
Matthew 5:4. A person is brought to mourning when the character of God is revealed and His Law expounded to him. He feels a deep sense of shame and guilt and knows that “against thee, the only have I sinned.” He would cry out with Paul, “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death.” For such a man there is comfort in the Scriptures: "By this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him" - 1 John 4:9.
Matthew 5:5. On “meek”. A person who is meek in the sight of God is one that possesses a disposition of spirit in which he accepts the Lord’s dealings with him without grumbling. Such a person takes comfort in the fact that God is sovereign and that all things work together for the good for those that love God. Jesus was a man of velvet and a man of steel; he was mild and tender but never afraid to take a stand against those who opposed him. On “Inherit the land”. This phrase is used several times in the Scriptures (Psalms 25:13; 37:9, 11, 32, 29, 34; Isaiah 60:21) and means that the meek would continue to enjoy living in and prospering in a land that had been blessed by God. It is important that we understand that God’s blessings were related to their character; they prospered because they were meek and were wholly dependant upon God. A change in character would result in God withdrawing His blessings, even though the might still be living in the land of inheritance. So then, to “inherit the land” stood for the great blessings of God. In this verse, what is in view are all the spiritual blessings that are bestowed upon us as citizens of God’s kingdom.
Matthew 5:6. The Lord employs these strong desires to show the extent of the desire we must have for righteousness. We have all experienced hunger and thirst but rarely to the extent of which the Lord has in mind. In a country blessed with such abundance, trying to determine the strength of desire we must have for righteousness against our own experience of hunger and thirst is inadequate. Our own personal experience of hunger and thirst is only a reference to which we can relate but it is not the measure. The intention is that we use the fact that we can relate to such desires to imagine true hunger and thirst. The Scriptures furnish us with examples by which we can measure the desire for righteousness – See Psalms 42:1-2; 63:1-2; 107:9. For example, in Psalm 42:1-2 there is expressed a desire that is compared to a hart that “pants for water brooks.” On the word “pants,” Barnes comments, “It refers here to the intense desire of the hind, in the heat of day, for water.” Such must be our desire for righteousness: an intense desire of which the normal pangs of hunger and thirst are only a shadow for the majority of us.
Matthew 5:8. The pure in heart are those whose love of God and love of the brethren is unfeigned. This is a person in whom there is no guile, no double mindedness, and whose motives are of the purest kind. God cannot look upon evil and so only the pure in heart can stand before God.
Matthew 5:13. We are the salt of the earth. We may not be able prevent the inevitable destruction of the world, but a few good men may preserve it. We may not be able to halt moral decline but we can slow it down.
Matthew 5:17. The Law of Moses was given to
Matthew 5:21. Jesus begins by first stating what had been taught, not in the Law, but by those who placed their own interpretation and application on the commandments – “Them of old.” These things the scribes and Pharisees also taught. Jesus’ intent is to highlight the defective concept of righteousness they conceived, and to show the way to a surpassing righteousness. Jesus was not setting Himself against the Law but against the erroneous interpretations place upon it by “them of old”.
Matthew 7:1. Unrighteous and hypocritical judgment of others is one of our biggest failings. Oh, how quick we are to assign the worst of motives, to condemn for sin, to be sickened by hypocrisy; yet so often, these too are our own faults. Thus, our fault is greater and so shall be our condemnation. Those who would sit in judgment must first examine themselves.
Matthew 7:6. The meaning here is that, we should refrain from presenting the truths of the gospel and doctrines of God to those of a carnal and brutish nature; whose sense and appreciation of true values has been dulled by the practise of sin and indulgence of the flesh; whose hearts are corrupted beyond redemption. Such people are symbolised by dogs and swine, animals that were regarded as unclean by Jewish law. Preaching to such men will only be met with verbal abuse and blasphemy.
Matthew 8:5. It is here stated that the centurion himself came to Jesus and requested that He heal his beloved servant. Luke, though, states that the centurion sent a delegation of Jewish elders to make the request on his behalf (Luke 7:2-3). However, this “contradiction” is easily resolved when it is realized that, it was common practice to ascribe the words and actions of the agent to the person who actually sent him. Whether I make a request of another personally or through an agent makes no difference, it is I who makes the request.
Matthew 16:18. The gates of walled cities were often popular resorts where people talked or arranged to meet. In time it became a convenient place for princes and judges to discharge their official duties in the administration of justice (Deuteronomy 16:18; 25:7; Joshua 20:4; Ruth 4:1; Job 5:4; 31:21; Psalms 77:5; Proverbs 22:22; 31:23; Jeremiah 38:7; Lamentations 5:14; Amos 5:12; Zechariah 8:16). Thus, the word ‘gate’ became a synonym for power or authority. It is in this sense that it is used here and means, ‘The power of Hades shall not prevail against the church that Christ should establish.
Luke 12:15-21. The length of our days and happiness are not determined by how rich we are or the number of possessions we have. True life and riches come through humility and fear of the Lord – Proverbs 22:4.
Luke 22:31. As with Job, it is quite possible that Satan’s desire to sift Peter was connected with a number of accusations brought against him before God.
John 13:35. So many Christians have taken to adorning themselves with crucifixes, charms, motifs, and other such icons; intended to identify them as those belonging to Christ, as if being identified was the main goal. Jesus shows that the true mark of a disciple is in the doing of love; a principle found throughout the scriptures: `Do not let your beauty be that be that outward adorning...but let it be the hidden person of the heart.' Adorning one's self with icons, far from identifying one with Christ, indicates a lack of understanding and immaturity.
Acts 2:38. The waters of baptism do not wash away sins because only the blood of Jesus can wash away sins. The question is, when does the blood of Jesus wash away sins? Peter told his audience to be baptised for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38), and Saul was told by Ananias to be baptised and wash away his sin (Acts 22:16). It is at the point of our obedience that Jesus’ blood washes away sins. This is in complete agreement with Jesus’ words, “Whoever believes and is baptised shall be saved” (Mark 16:16).
Acts 5:32. The giving of the Holy Spirit is not to be understood as ‘the giving of a person’ but as the giving of the gifts of the Spirit. This is evident from such passages as 1 Corinthians 12:4-11. The meaning here, then, is that, the Holy Spirit witnesses to the truth of the gospel by distributing miraculous gifts among those who obey the gospel.
Acts 9:17. Some argue that Saul must have been a Christian before his baptism because Ananias called him “brother” (Acts 9:17). I would say then, if you consider the words of Ananias weighty then also take note that he told Saul to “arise and be baptised and wash away your sins” (Acts 22:16). Whatever Ananias meant when he called Saul “brother,” he still recognised that he needed to have his sins washed away.
Acts 11:19-26. By divine intervention, a wonderful thing had happened: the doors of the kingdom had been flung wide open and the Gentiles were pressing into the kingdom by the hundreds every day. Previously, the Jews may have misunderstood the words of the great commission to refer to ‘Jewish people in every nation,’ but now things were crystal clear – the gospel was to be preached every man of every nation in all the world. On hearing the news of the revelation given to Peter, the baptism of the Spirit upon the Gentiles, and their salvation through faith, the church in Antioch began preaching the gospel to the Gentiles in their city, and they were eager to preach the gospel throughout all the world. Barnabas arrived in Antioch and saw the grace of God for himself and the zeal and readiness to go into all the world with the gospel. Immediately, his friend Saul comes to mind, the apostle to the Gentiles. Surely Saul should be here?! If the church planned to preach to the Gentiles in all the world, Surely Saul should be involved. Thus, he leaves at once for Tarsus to find him. When they returned to Antioch they both remained there preaching and teaching with great success.
Acts 11:27. The church at Antioch had grown considerably and, undoubtedly, was continuing to do so. It is likely then, that these prophets were sent to Antioch to assist in teaching the new Christians, not only in regards to doctrine but organization.
Acts 13:1-3. From the day of his conversion up to the present, Saul has been preaching the gospel with great zeal, boldness, and courage. And this based upon the commission he received directly from the Lord. Yet we detect, perhaps, a lack of guidance and organization. Now, however, all this is about to change: through the agency of a prophet, Saul and Barnabas are called to preach the gospel according to a plan, directed by the Spirit of God Himself.
Acts 13:12. ‘Believed…’ This is a figure of speech called synecdoche in which one of a related group of actions stands for all of them. The meaning here is that Paulus believed the gospel, repented of his sins, confessed the Savior, and was immersed into Christ.
Acts 13:46. Paul had been appointed as an apostle to the Gentiles, yet we find him preaching to the Jews!. Likewise, Peter was the apostle to the Jews, yet he opened the door of the kingdom to the Gentiles! Their respective appointments were not understood to be ‘exclusive’ but ‘primary.’ The guiding principle was, ‘To the Jews first and also to the Gentiles.’ The present circumstance would, therefore, dictate their course of action. In the circumstance before us, Paul is in a region where there are many Jews and so the course of action is clear: he must seek out the Jews first. Hence Paul’s words, ‘It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.
Acts 14:21-22. The apostles of Antioch have now reached Derbe, they had great success and planted many churches. But they had also met with great opposition from both unbelieving Jews and Gentiles whose minds they had poisoned. Paul, in fact, had been stoned and left for dead. Small wonder he says, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” If John Mark had remained with Paul and Barnabas through all this, can you imagine the look of horror that would have came across his face when they suggested returning to all these cities?! He would most certainly have deserted them at this point.
Acts 15:1-30. Paul went to Jerusalem by ‘divine revelation’ to correct a false doctrine that threatened to divide the Christian church. In the mind of Paul, the matter was already settled: Paul had received all his knowledge on this question by direct revelation; it was not a matter that needed to be reviewed but a question of convincing the gainsayers. Through the presentation of his testimony of the salvation of the Gentiles by faith and God’s approval of his message by signs and wonders, the ‘party of the circumcision’ were silenced. Jesus had promised the twelve that the Holy Spirit would lead them into all truth, and this He did through the instrumentality of Paul.
Acts 16:30. Such a question could surely not have come from the lips of one who had no knowledge of these men or their message. We believe that, either by personal presence or report, he had heard that, ‘These men are the servants of the most high God, which show unto us the way of salvation” (Acts 16:17). Paul and Silas may have spoken to him prior to this as he took them to the inner prison but, up until now, had paid no attention.
Romans 3:23. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life are the three avenues through which Satan tempts mankind. Is sin inevitable? I cannot say. However, I say with all confidence that all who have ever lived have sinned, and all who are yet to be born will sin.
Romans 6:1. This erroneous conclusion was based on the statement in 5:20b. If our interpretation of scripture leads to evil conclusions, then the interpretation is wrong.
Romans 7:9. All those passing from childhood to adulthood, at some stage, become accountable for their sin. To what degree an individual becomes enslaved to sin will, to a large extent, depend on the instruction they received from their parents. But let us be careful not to blame our parents or the circumstances in which we were raised for our present behaviour. When you sin it is because you choose to do so.
Romans 8:29. Our purpose here on earth is to become conformed to the image of Christ. Conformity begins with learning and ends in the application of that knowledge in our day-to-day lives.
1 Corinthians 13:4. Kindness is express through both words and deeds. The Greek word chretos means ‘useful, helpful’ and, therefore, our words and deeds should be useful and helpful to others.
1 Corinthians 15:33. Choosing the wrong companions not only has the potential to corrupt your standards but it also reveals the true motivations and desires of your heart!
Galatians 1:4. “Jesus was not coerced into giving Himself, He gave Himself, He laid down His life of His own accord for our sins - John 10:17-18. He did this that He might rescue us from the present evil age. The word ‘rescue’ is from ek, ‘from’, and haireo, ‘to take’ or ‘to pluck’. A person who has been rescued was in no position to save himself. “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly” - Romans 5:6. Were it not for Christ’s intervention [His death, burial, and resurrection], we would yet be dead in trespasses and sins -1 Corinthians
Ephesians 1:4. Calvinists begin with the proposition that ‘God knows all things and He has known from all eternity who, ultimately, would be saved and who would be lost.’ It is from this proposition that they assume that foreknowledge equals election and non-election. Indeed, God does know all things and He knows the end of all things, but this foreknowledge does not mean that God is responsible for the end.
Ephesians 1:17-19. Paul’s prayer is that God give each one of us a spiritual disposition to receive wisdom and understanding (that comes through the hearing of the word of God) that grows out of a knowledge of Him. Possessing such a disposition leads to a deeper understanding and appreciation of the eternal truths of the gospel. The apostle desires that we come to a greater understanding of the hope to which God has called us, the everlasting glory that we shall share in Christ, and the inexpressible power that He exercised toward us in regards to our salvation.
Ephesians 4:19. To whatsoever we yield our wills is our Lord, whatsoever is the motive for all our thoughts, words and actions is our master, and whatsoever we adore and delight in is our God. Thus, the man who is covetous (“eager to have more” 4124) of wealth has made mammon his god.
Ephesians 5:22. Christ is the head of the church and directs all the body’s functions and actions. Likewise, a wife must submit to her head; even as the church is overseen and directed by the Lord, so she submits to the authority and oversight of her husband
Ephesians 5:29. The term oudies, ‘no man’ (KJV), is better translated ‘no one’ in the NASB as it refers to anyone or any thing. The sense is that, there is no one that ever neglected the needs of their own body: food, clothing, etc., as indicated by the terms nourish, ekrrepho, and cherish, thalpo. This being the case, a man must demonstrate the same love, agapao, toward his own wife, he must provide for all her physical, spiritual, and emotional needs.
Ephesians 6:15. Here is a paradox, the Christian is dressed for war but preaches peace.
Colossians 2:16-17. All these things were shadows of the realities that were to come, a reality they now experienced. So it just would not make sense to return to a religion that contained shadows of realities to come when they those realities were now present.
1 Timothy 1:15-16. There is no person who has sunk so low whom God cannot save. There is none whose sins are so depraved and vile of which He is unwilling to forgive. Here before us is an example that shows forth the power of God’s love and banishes every doubt.
1 Timothy 2:15. The basic meaning here is, that women will be preserved if they continue to walk in faith and in fulfilment of the role that God has designed for all women alike. The term bearing of children is put for all the functions and duties that are associated with her role. The term housewife and homemaker are modern synonyms.
1 Timothy 4:2. The meaning of this is to proclaim the pure unadulterated word in its fullness, not adding or taking away from it. Paul himself said to the Ephesian elders, ‘I shrank not from declaring unto you the whole counsel of God’ - Acts
James 1:26. One might ‘think’ himself to be religious but genuine piousness is evidenced by a temperance that permeates every area and aspect of one’s conduct. If there is any one thing in respect to which its influence is not felt, despite other evidences of piety that might exist, this will demonstrate that all those appearances of religion are vain.
James 1:27. Christians must keep themselves from all worldly influences that defile and corrupt the mind.
1 John 2:15. The word ‘world’ is used in several ways in the writings of John: (i) it is used to refer to the world of nature, the created order, the material universe (John 1:10; 1 John 4:17), (ii) it is used to refer to the human race that is in need of redemption (John 3:16), (iii) it is used to refer to an unbelieving pagan society thought of as a rebel order embodying the influences and forces hostile to God. It is this world that Christians are forbidden to love. John spoke of this world, an invisible spiritual system, as being in opposition to the people of God and threatening their very existence. A ‘love of the world’ is descriptive of an unregenerate man’s attitude toward the ungodly principles by which his contemporaries are governed. That such an attitude prevails is evidenced by the fact that he himself conforms to them. The ‘things of the world’ are inordinate desires and vain glory. Christians are not set their affections on those objects that fulfill inordinate desires and promote vain glory.
1 John 2:18. When John wrote this epistle, false teachers were prevalent in various Christian communities. This brought to mind Jesus’ warning of the many false teachers that would arise before the inevitable destruction of
1 John 2:20. One of the marked differences between the Mosaic and Christian covenants concerns the relationship between the covenant people and God. Under the Mosaic covenant, one came into a covenant relationship with God from birth and came to ‘know the Lord’ as one grew up. Under the Christian covenant one comes to ‘know the Lord’ and then, in obedience to the gospel, one comes into a covenant relationship with the Lord (Jeremiah 31:31-34). The anointing that John’s readers had received is a reference to the teaching they received prior to their immersion. The knowledge they had and the truths they had learnt were sufficient, there was no new or higher knowledge and no new truths to learn concerning the Father and the Son. Therefore, anything that contradicts the knowledge and the truths they had received is a lie.
1 John 3:2. The word rendered “see” properly means “a continual seeing” or “an abiding sight of”. If we are continually seeing Him then we will continually be like Him. As the moon reflects the glory of the Sun, so shall God’s children reflect the glory of the Son.
1 John 3:4. The ‘Law’ John has in view the transgression of the will of God; in particular, it is the law of Christ which man transgresses.
1 John 4:4. “You are of God.” This is a word of great comfort, consolation, and encouragement because it comes from the mouth of the inspired apostle John who is himself a great expert at knowing who is of God and who is not of God.
1 John 4:7. A better translation is, “Beloved, let us keep on loving one another because this love is from God.” The article, “this”, points to the narrow range of love to which John is referring – the love that Christians have for “one another”; the love that Jesus commanded, the love that will lay down its life for its brethren (John
1 John 4:18. The development of perfect love begins with a knowledge and understanding of the characteristics of divine love.
1 John 4:19. John has all the while had a particular kind of love in view – brotherly love. It is a continued manifestation of this love that assures us that we have fellowship with the Father and His Son; it is the continued demonstration of this love that proves that our claim to loving God is true. Bearing this in mind, we paraphrase this verse, “The reason we love God, shown by our continuing love for the brethren, is because God first demonstrated this kind of love toward us in sending His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
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