The Gospel & The Religious Mind
An attempt to distinguish the mind of Christ from the ordinary religious mind.

Father, Forgive Them – Part 4

by | May 2, 2018 | Father, Forgive Them, Section Four

I have attempted to cleanse Jesus’ words of the crime/punishment motif I think the translators of the NET and NASB superimposed upon them, so that his mercy—planning the offspring of vipers’ escape from being condemned to hell—shines through (Matthew 23:33-35 NET;...

Father, Forgive Them – Part 3

by | Mar 31, 2018 | Father, Forgive Them, Section Four

Jesus said (Matthew 23:33-36 NASB): You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell? “Therefore (Διὰ τοῦτο; See: Table1 below), behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of...

My Deeds, Part 3

by | Mar 7, 2018 | My Deeds, Section Four

There is a table representing my unstudied view of the relationship of the clauses of Revelation 2:26-29.  I’m considering the clause, who continues in my deeds until the end, because it tugs the hardest at me to return to my own works.  I’ve begun to try to...

Atonement, Part 1

by | Feb 20, 2018 | Atonement, Section Four, To Make Holy

I plan to begin a slow pilgrimage through kâphar, which will at a minimum include surveying kôpher and kippûr.  The first occurrences of kâphar and kôpher according to Strong’s Concordance are found in, Make rooms in the ark, and cover (kâphar, וכפרת; Septuagint:...

Forgiven or Passed Over? Part 5

by | Feb 14, 2018 | Forgiven or Passed Over?, Section Four

If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord (ʼădônây, אדני), Moses said, let my Lord (ʼădônây, אדני) go among us, for we are a stiff-necked people; pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance.[1] Before I continue to study nâśâʼ[2] and ʽâbar...

Forgiven or Passed Over? Part 4

by | Feb 7, 2018 | Forgiven or Passed Over?, Section Four

As I continue to study nâśâʼ[1] and ʽâbar in Exodus 20:7 – Deuteronomy 4:26 I’ll begin with an aside.  The first occurrence of nâśâʼ in this section translated pardon was an angel who will not pardon [Israel’s] transgressions.  A table contrasting two mentions of an...

Hypocrisy

by | Jan 31, 2018 | Section Four

You shall not take (nāśā’, תשׁא; Septuagint: λήμψῃ, a form of λαμβάνω) the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold guiltless anyone who takes (nāśā’, ישׁא; Septuagint: λαμβάνοντα, another form of λαμβάνω) his name in vain.[1] Three...

Who Am I? Part 8

by | Jan 26, 2018 | Section Four, What Kind of Carpenter is Jesus?, Who am I?

I study the Bible for my own benefit primarily.  I’ve been on a work binge lately, long days with no time or energy to study.  The sin in my flesh obtrudes, wanting dominion over my thoughts and motives.  Both ʽâbar and nâsâh await my attention, holding out the...

To Make Holy, Part 4

by | Jan 14, 2018 | Jesus' Prayer, Section Four, To Make Holy

The next form of ἁγιάζω I’ll consider is found in Jesus’ prayer to his Father: Set them apart (ἁγίασον, a form of ἁγιάζω) in the truth; your word is truth.[1]  But I plan to crawl through his prayer on my knees because I believe I can know his holiness here. I have...