Saul and Barnabas, Part 2

So Barnabas and Saul,1 sent out by the2 Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia,3 and4 from there they sailed to Cyprus.5  When they arrived in Salamis, they began to proclaim the word of God in the Jewish synagogues.6 They traveled east across the island this way to...

Is Sin Less Than Sin? Part 3

To understand the relationship of sin (παράπτωμα) to sin (ἁμαρτία) I’ll spend some time considering Paul’s usage of the words in other writings.  Both words were used in Romans 5:12-15 (NET). So then, just as sin (ἁμαρτία) entered the world through one man and death...

Jedidiah, Part 1

I want to turn my attention to the circumstances when God named Solomon Jedidiah.  It all started one spring when King David didn’t go to war with his army.  He couldn’t sleep.  He got up and walked on the roof of his palace.  He saw a woman bathing.  Now David wasn’t...

Saul and Barnabas, Part 1

After his encounter with the resurrected (and ascended) Jesus on the road to Damascus, after Ananias healed his blindness, after he was baptized and received the gift of the Holy Spirit, Saul (also known as Paul) stayed with the disciples in Damascus for several days,...