The text: A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.   (Galatians 6:7-8) Literally: Whoever sows into their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows into the Spirit, from the Spirit will […]

The text: And do not call anyone on earth ‘father’, for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.   (Matthew 23:9) Explanation of the word: The Greek for ‘father’ is: ‘pater’. The Greek-English dictionary translates ‘pater’ as: father, founder, forefather creator, forbearer cause The OLB translates it among other things as: procreator or male […]

The text: Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. (1 Peter 3:8-9) In the first part of […]

In the study ‘Discipleship (1)’ we explained that Jesus Christ expects those who are converted through faith in Him to become His disciples as well, by giving Him authority over their life. Jesus alludes to this in the conversation with Nicodemus, the Pharisee, and calls discipleship: Entering into the Kingdom of God. When Nicodemus asked […]

The text: We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One (Jesus) who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them.   (1 John 5:18) A little word of explanation: to continue to sin: is the translation of ‘hamartano’. The OLB translates this as: without […]

Additional explanation with reference to the study ‘Spirit, soul and body – and the power of trinity’. The Israelites had been carried off into exile, to Babylon. 70 years later they received permission from king Darius to return to their land, to rebuild the city of Jerusalem and the temple. Zerubbabel was one of the […]

Jesus said: Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them.   (Matthew 5:17) What Jesus did not come for? In this text Jesus says first of all what He did not come for. He did not come to abolish […]

Paul wrote: Love does no harm to a neighbour. Therefore love is the fulfilment of the law.  (Romans 13:10) ‘Fulfilment’ is the translation of ‘pleroma’, which is derived from ‘plero-oo’ (to be translated as: to fill up, replenish). ‘Pleroma’ is translated as: something that is filled, or being filled something that makes full, or with […]

Chapter 10 of the Epistle to the Hebrews closes with the following words: So do not throw away (give up, cast away) your confidence; it will be richly (greatly) rewarded (given its due recompense). You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. […]

When Jesus was crucified two criminals were also crucified, together with Him … … one on his right, the other on his left.   (Luke 23:33) One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”    (Luke 23:39) But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear […]