Fear – Numbers, Part 3

Now Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth, who were Reubenites, took men and rebelled against Moses, along with some of the Israelites, 250 leaders of the community, chosen from the...

Romans, Part 52

So how can I view, Abhor what is evil, cling to what is good,[1] and what follows as a definition of love rather than as rules?  I’ve constructed the following table to help. The Fruit of the Spirit Galatians 5:22, 23 (NET) Goodness (ἀγαθωσύνη) …for you were at one...

Condemnation or Judgment? – Part 6

I failed to come to a definitive conclusion whether the ones who have done what is evil (φαῦλα, a form of φαῦλος)[1] come out of their tombs to the resurrection resulting in[2] condemnation or judgment[3] (κρίσεως, a form of κρίσις).  My faith and my knowledge of God...

My Reasons and My Reason, Part 3

“I was really hoping that I could, um, move back in here for a while,” Linda probed her mother. “Here?” her mother asked. “Yeah.” “No, you know that’s not possible.” “Why not?” Linda asked. “How would it look for a married woman to move in with her parents apart...

Fear – Numbers, Part 2

The Lord spoke to Moses: “Send out men to investigate the land of Canaan…”[1]  To quote Dickens, “This must be distinctly understood, or nothing wonderful can come of the story I am going to relate.”[2]  The Lord wasn’t surprised by what happened.  He knew it from the...

Romans, Part 51

Love must be without hypocrisy.[1]  A note in the NET explained that must be “is understood in the Greek text”  Ἡ ἀγάπη ἀνυπόκριτος.  I am inclined to see it more as a subject heading: The love unfeigned,[2] as Robert Young[3] translated it.  I think Paul’s thinking...

Torture, Part 4

Suspecting that my antipathy (and objections) to Jonathan Edwards’ contention that God is the Superlative Torturer are rooted in my personal history, I need to revisit the long name of God for perspective. The Long Name of God The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and...

Torture, Part 3

Then a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and with the moon under her feet, and on her head was a crown of twelve stars.  She was pregnant and was screaming in labor pains, struggling (βασανιζομένη, a form of βασανίζω)[1] to give birth.[2]  A...

Condemnation or Judgment? – Part 5

I want to continue considering the eternal gospel the angel flying directly overhead “evangelized” (εὐαγγελίσαι, a form of εὐαγγελίζω)[1] in its context.  It is one of three messages by three different angels: one “evangelized,” another declared (λέγων, a form of...

My Reasons and My Reason, Part 2

I took my mother to see “Saving Mr. Banks” after Christmas.  We enjoyed it.  It was a well-done adult Disney movie.  (I wouldn’t recommend it for children.)  We’re both interested in the creative process so a movie about making a movie didn’t seem too masturbatory. ...