Defining the World

Defining the World Zephaniah preached the coming of the “great day of the LORD” (Zephaniah 1:14). God would be merciful to His people, but the world would be judged (see 3:8) and all the godless nations in it (see 2:1-15). The term “world” (Greek kosmos) basically...

Defining the World

Defining the World Zephaniah preached the coming of the “great day of the LORD” (Zephaniah 1:14). God would be merciful to His people, but the world would be judged (see 3:8) and all the godless nations in it (see 2:1-15). The term “world” (Greek kosmos) basically...

Overcoming the Old Nature

Overcoming the Old Nature Before Christ, our total person was dominated by the flesh and oriented toward sin. Now that Christ dwells within us, our hearts are oriented toward God, but we still have a remnant of propensity toward self-autonomy (flesh or old nature). We...

Defining the Flesh

Defining the Flesh One of the most dangerous heresies that confronted the Early Church in the second century was Gnosticism. The Gnostics taught that the spirit is good and that matter is evil. Therefore, our natural bodies are evil, but God is good because He is a...

The Enemies of Our Sanctification

The Enemies of Our Sanctification Jeremiah paints a bleak picture for those who trust in themselves and depend on their own strength and resources (see Jeremiah 17:5). Before Christ, our hearts were deceitful and beyond human cure (see verse 9). But if we trust in the...

The Work of Demons

The Work of Demons The Bible records extreme cases in which demons actually inhabit humans. In Mark 1:21-28, a demon spoke through a man in a synagogue. “‘Be quiet!’ said Jesus sternly. ‘Come out of him!’ The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him...

The Nature of Demons

The Nature of Demons After Jesus cast out a demon that rendered a man dumb, His detractors accused Him of casting out demons by the power of “Beelzebul, the prince of demons” (Luke 11:15). The following discussion about demons reveal their nature and personality is...

The Ministry of Angels

The Ministry of Angels The work of angels is to execute God’s will in heaven and upon this earth. Their service can be summarized in the following five ways: 1.      They announce and forewarn. An angel announced in advance to Abraham and...

The Nature of Angels

The Nature of Angels In the original creation, all angels were good. However, when Satan led a rebellion against God, he took a third of the angels with him (see Revelation 12:7-9). Now God commands His good angels and Satan commands a hoard of bad angels, who are...

Angels

Angels The word angel means messenger. The term primarily refers to heavenly beings, although the term can mean a human messenger such as a prophet (Haggai 1:13) or a priest (Malachi 2:7). Other terms in the Bible refer to these angelic beings as “sons of God”...

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