Neither the law of God, or Gospel of Christ, require this to be done of all men, and at all times; for though it is a duty binding upon all, and always, to relieve the poor and the needy, yet a man is not obliged to give all that he has to them; see ( [...]

The Greek word used here (distazo) has their sense of “to hold back” or “to hesitate.” Perhaps they felt it was too good to be true, or were frightened.

Parables are simply stories. All. young and old, like to hear a story. Storytelling is one of the most successful means of awakening an interest, securing attention, and teaching, illustrating, and enforcing important truths. Christ, the greatest of all teachers, recognized this, and therefore made constant use of this method of instruction.

Christ’s object, therefore, is using parables was to teach the mysteries, or truths, of the kingdom of heaven,–truths not necessarily difficult to understand, but which had long been hidden or obscured by sin, apostasy, and tradition,–in such a way that the spiritually minded and those desirous of learning the truth, might understand them, and the [...]

Authority over all things, including disease, is given to Jesus. These are perilous times. They are also times of great opportunity for the extension and application of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He reigns now.

Christ was a faithful student, a consistent user, and a perfect expounder of the Scriptures. He met temptation with scripture, He taught from the Scriptures, and he told His disciples to look to the scriptures as their counselor and guide for the future.

The teaching of the scribes and elders was cold and formal like a lesson learned by rote. To them the Word of God possessed no vital power. Their own ideas and traditions were substituted for its teaching. In the accustomed round of service they professed to explain the law, but no inspiration from God stirred [...]

Omission does not necessarily create contradiction. Luke, for example, writes of two angels at Jesus’ tomb after the Resurrection.Matthew mentions “an angel.” Is this a contradiction? If Matthew stated that only one angel was present, the accounts would be dissonant. As it stands, they can be harmonized.

The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. God’s chain of command must be in place before wealth can be created. We must seek the dominion of Christ, and then we will obtain wealth. Men blinded by sin vainly rush into the marketplace to try to get rich. They heap [...]

That which was lost – Απολωλος. In Revelation 9:11, Satan is called Απολλυων, Apolluon, the destroyer, or him who lays waste. This name bears a near relation to that state in which our Lord tells us he finds all mankind – lost, desolated, ruined. So it appears that Satan and men have the nearest affinity [...]

You have the ability to bring praise to the Father from others. Luther said that it is as well-pleasing to God to sweep the floor as to preach the gospel if it is done in the right spirit. This has not always been the church view, however. Hans Nielsen Hauge joined Luther on this point. [...]

To see God is to stand in the highest point of created being. Not until we see God–no partial and passing embodiment of Him, but the abiding Presence–do we stand upon our own mountain top, the height of existence which God has given us, and up to which He is leading us. That there we [...]

The eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth are part of the widespread ancient Near-Eastern Law of retaliation. In Israel other cultures, this principle was enforced by a court and refers to legalized vengeance: personal vengeance was never accepted in the Law of Moses except as a concession for a relative’s murder (Num [...]

I see the verse as two parts of an affirmation of reality: 1) Anyone who applies effort to save his life will, in the end, lose it. (religion?) 2) But he who exchanges his life for Jesus, will find it. These are both inevitable realities for all men. These were the words of Jesus to [...]

There was not going to be any effort to make a case before the public or friends to make himself look all the mad of “righteous.” The suggestion is that he was so attached to Mary, that he was not willing to allow her to suffer public shame.

Life in community involves problems. Marriage is spoken of as a yoke in scripture (II Cor 6:14), and believers are commanded to avoid the unequal yoking with unbelievers. Discipleship is also spoken of as a yoke. Modern man seeks to avoid the yokes of community life in Christ, and he falls under the heavy yokes [...]

Repentance is not a matter of words: it means a turning around, a change of direction, in the whole life of a man. It is not a matter of words but of life. Forgiveness comes when satisfaction, restitution, is made and the Biblical penalty for adultery as death. To reduce God’s repentance to a muttering [...]