"For we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men" (1 Corinthians 4:9). How were the apostles made a "spectacle" to the angels?
Paul was aware that some members of the early Christian church had begun to regard him, the other Apostles, and other early Christians such as Apollos and Cephas as “spectacles” (“spectacle…to men” in 1 Corinthians 4:9), but unlike the angels, they had begun to identify themselves as followers of these individual men, and not as [...]
Why did an angel appear to shepherds to announce the birth of Jesus? Why choose shepherds? (Christmas)
These were lowly shepherds being rewarded for their humility with this incredible message. The humble shepherds out tending their sheep were given the gift of being able to observe and participate in this world-changing event. Luke 2:8: (NASB) “In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their [...]
What does Philippians 1:23 mean? ("For I am in a strait betwixt two having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ, which is far better)
The Apostle Paul was a prisoner in Rome when he wrote the letter to the church at Philippi that would eventually become the book of Philippians. Paul refers to his captivity as being “in my bonds” in Philippians 1:7, and again in Philippians 12-13. However, even imprisonment did not diminish Paul’s determination to remain faithful [...]
What does 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 mean? (Apostle Paul running a race)
The Apostle Paul uses the illustration of an athlete’s training to illustrate the lifestyle of a faithful Christian. Several Bible commentaries make reference to the Isthmain games, named because they took place in the isthmus where Corinth stood. For example, Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers: “These, like the other games of Greece—the Olympian, Pythian, and [...]
In 1 Thessalonians 5:23, what does the Apostle Paul mean in his prayer that “your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless”?
1 Thessalonians consists of a letter from the Apostle Paul to the early Christian church at Thessalonica (1 Thessalonians 1:1). In chapter 1, Paul issues greetings to the church members. Chapters 2 and 3 continue his greetings and also offer an explanation for his delay in visiting them in person. In chapter 4, Paul begins [...]
According to Genesis 2:2, God rests on the 7th day of creation, but in John 5:17, Jesus says the Father is still working. Is this a contradiction?
Genesis chapters 1 and 2 outline God’s process of creating the earth, the plants, the animals, and finally human beings. Genesis 2:1-3 state that God finished this creative work, and on the seventh “day,” God rested “from all his work which he had made.” The importance of God’s seventh “day” of rest was reinforced by [...]