Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. (Acts 8:5)
Philip was a common Greek name, Φίλιππος (Philippos) a compound of philos and hippos, it meant ‘lover (of) horses’, and features several times in the New Testament. Matthew (14:3) tells us that Herod the Tetrarch’s brother was called Philip and also that one of the twelve disciples is a Philip (10:3).
Read more
They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit… (Acts 6:5)
Stephen was among the founding members of the church in the immediate aftermath of Jesus’ ascension. His name is Greek, Στέφανος (Stephanos) and it means ‘crown’.
Stephen was one of seven ‘deacons’ (from διακονέω diakoneó to serve ‘waiting tables’) chosen to oversee a dispute arising from perceived inequity in dispensing alms to the widows within the church. We need to remember that at this early juncture the church bar a very few exceptions (such as the author of Acts) was Jewish, but Luke’s text shows that there were two types of Christian Jew, those who had kept the Law of Moses, and others who had adopted the ways of the prevailing culture and become ‘Greek’, these Luke refers to as Hellénistés, or Hellenists.
Read more
In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. (Hebrew 12:4)
The Greek word translated ‘struggle’ is ἀνταγωνίζομαι antagónizomai, from anti ‘against’ and agónizomai ‘contend with’, whence English derives the verb ‘to agonise’. The common usage of agónizomai was in the context of warfare or an athletic contest, and it refers to the physical, mental and emotional exertion in contending with an enemy.
The writer of Hebrews references Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, who –
knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.” (Luke 22:42-46)
Read more
The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the Lord your God has not permitted you to do so. The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him. For this is what you asked of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the Lord our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.”
The Lord said to me: “What they say is good. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. (Deuteronomy 18:14-18)
In the second reading of the Law brought down from Mount Sinai, or Horeb, Moses brings a message from Almighty God. In this capacity Moses is acting as a ‘spokesman’. The Hebrew word translated as prophet is נָבִיא nevi and it means just that, one who speaks on God’s behalf.
Read more
The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. (Genesis 3:20)
When God created Adam and then for him a helpmeet, the woman, they were under no immediate obligation to procreate. They were perfect in every way and there was no disease. Adam and the woman would represent humanity and be undying.
Eternal beings are then created and nowhere in the Bible do the angels procreate; rather they are brought into being as celestial host and endure.
Read more
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. (1 John 4:8)
The noun ‘love’ translates: ἀγάπη; agapé; this word denotes love or goodwill that comes from moral preference. It occurs 116 times is the New Testament in every book apart from the Gospel Mark and the James’ encyclical.
Love is then a disposition, God is disposed to love and chooses to act upon it:
For God so loved (apapeo) the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
Read more
‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’ (John 8:32)
The Greek word for freedom is ἐλευθερία eleutheria, specifically manumission, the freedom from slavery, and it is of this context Jesus speaks and to which his audience takes offence:
“We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free?”’ (ibid 8:33)
Read more
Oh, how I love your law!
I meditate on it all day long. (Psalm 119)
The longest psalm is a paean to God’s law. It extols God’s decrees, statutes and precepts; all synonyms for His commandments.
Read more
Apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:21-24)
The word translated ‘justify’ is δικαιόω dikaioo which is word taken from a legal setting, dike is ‘to be proved right’ or ‘to gain judicious approval’. The word translated above as ‘righteousness’ as the noun based on the same root, δικαιοσύνη dikeaiosune.
Read more
and deliver us from evil…(Matthew 6:13)
In giving us a pattern for prayer, Jesus tell his followers to pray to be delivered from evil. The Greek word that is translated ‘evil’ is πονηρός poneros, which derives from ponos pain, thus poneros is literally pain-ridden, or more properly that which gives pain.
God Breathed Words 