‘Why do you ask me about what is good?’ Jesus replied. ‘There is only One who is good…’ Matthew 19:17
Jesus is approached by a man; the text identifies him as possessing youth and wealth, a heady combination, yet his question to Jesus is directed toward his salvation.
‘Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?’ (ibid 19:16)
I know that my redeemer lives,
and that in the end he will stand on the earth
(Job 19:25)
Job prophesies, here in full:
I know that my redeemer lives,
and that in the end he will stand on the earth.
And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet in my flesh I will see God;
I myself will see him
with my own eyes – I, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me! (ibid 19:25-27)
Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? (1 Corinthians 11:13)
The Greek word for veil is καλύπτρα kalyptra gives rise to the verb κατακαλύπτω katakalyto ‘to completely veil’ or ‘to cover up’, and the resultant adjective (above) ἀκατακάλυπτος akatakalyptos ‘uncovered’ or ‘revealed’.
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? (James 2:14)
Many of a Calvinist persuasion object strongly to Jesus’ half-brothers linkage of faith and works, some even advocate the epistle be removed from the canon of the Bible, Read more
What is praying in tongues?
…if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. (1 Corinthians 14:14)
The context of this verse is instruction to the church of Corinth on how to behave as a collective. The word translated as ‘tongue’ is γλῶσσα glossa ‘language’ which means it is not a meaningless set of sounds but a structured speech with the purpose of communication.
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. (Mark 1:35)
It is notable that Jesus often sought solitude to pray, but what exactly did he do or say? The Greek verb used in the verse above is προσεύχομαι proseuchomai, which derives from pros ‘towards’ and euchomai ‘to wish’. Thus praying is literally an interaction of wishes.
While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. (Acts 13:2-3)
In Greek, the verb ‘to fast’ is νηστεύω nesteuo from ne,implying negation, and ἐσθίω esthio ‘to eat’, thus nesteuo is literally ‘to not eat’. But in the context of the Bible, this is abstinence not starvation. Thus, a Biblical definition of a fast is to refuse food in order to better focus on God – or put in the negative, and especially in a modern context, fasting without prayer is merely dieting.
The Lord said to Moses, ‘Speak to the Israelites and say to them: “If a man or woman wants to make a special vow, a vow of dedication to the Lord as a Nazirite (Numbers 6:1-2)
The Hebrew word referred to is נָזִיר nazir (Strong’s 5139) means pure; therefore, a Nazirite is one given in devotion, or one who is consecrated. It is the principle of being separated or set aside for God’s exclusive use.
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. (Hebrews 11:1-2)
Thus, begins chapter eleven in the book of Hebrews. The chapter’s burden is to cite those ancients for their faith, thereby making the point of the criticality of faith as the fundament to any human being’s relation to God. And this to the apostate Jews who were slipping away from faith in Christ as the persecution of the early church quickened.
God Breathed Words 