16
votes
Accepted
If Jesus is God, how can we make sense of Him calling the Father "my God" in John 20:17?
This is a question on which it is difficult to be objective; I will attempt to offer an objective take (my own two cents in the conclusion only). I’ll probably fall somewhat short of any single ...
- 14.2k
11
votes
Did Jesus drink wine?
Jesus means none of the four things you noted
Here is a slightly expanded context to the words you quote. John the Baptist had just sent messengers to confirm some things about Jesus (Lk 7:18-23). ...
- 19.6k
10
votes
Accepted
Did Jesus drink wine?
Jesus is being compared to John the Baptist by the Pharisees in that John ate sparingly and only things such as locust and honey and drank no wine. Jesus ate pretty much whatever he wanted to and ...
- 200
9
votes
In Matt. 26:63–65, Why is Jesus’ admission to being the “Son of God” equated with “blasphemy”?
In the English language the expression "son of X" usually means an offshoot from X and therefore something which is distinct from X. Therefore "Son of God" may seem to imply a being who is not God. ...
- 319
8
votes
Accepted
What did Paul call Christians?
OP's interest in quantifying Paul's (or, if you like, the NT's Pauline tradition) most frequently used designations for "Christians" makes for a challenging question, and one that would take a long ...
- 24.5k
8
votes
Accepted
What does "revocalization" mean in Bible footnotes?
At the beginning the writing system for the Hebrew language only recorded the consonants. The vowels were remembered and passed on as oral tradition as one generation taught the next how to recite the ...
- 2,875
8
votes
Accepted
What does "word of God" mean in Ephesians 6:17?
Key Element of the analogy
To properly understand the analogy of the word of God as
the sword of the Spirit it is helpful to understand what, within the analogy, the sword of the Spirit is meant to be ...
- 2,428
7
votes
Accepted
What is the meaning of the phrase "men and brethren" in Acts?
This answer is intended as a follow-up to fdb’s answer, with which I basically agree.
OP:
Is it a Greek-ism?
Yes. Atticism might be another appropriate word. As mentioned, the phrase of ...
- 25.7k
7
votes
Accepted
What did Jesus mean by saying "I am the First and the Last" in Revelation 1:17?
"First and Last is one of Jesus' titles that He gives Himself in three places in Revelation:
Rev 1:17, 18 - When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. But He placed His right hand on me ...
- 71.9k
7
votes
Accepted
Is Paul talking about the 10 commandments or the entire Mosaic Law in Romans 13:8-10?
The entire Torah consists of several parts such as -
Largely historical sections like most of Genesis and parts of exodus
The giving of the Moral law (Ex 19-23) and its expanded meaning (much of ...
- 71.9k
7
votes
Accepted
In what sense did Jesus descend/come from heaven? John 3:13 & 3:31
The NT certainly asserts, using the precedents of the OT that Jesus existed before His incarnation.
We see this many times in the Bible, especially in the Gospel of John, such as:
John 1:1-3 - In the ...
- 71.9k
6
votes
What do the "Goodrick-Kohlenberger" numbers represent? What features does this system offer in distinction from previous numbering systems?
From the Introduction to the NIV Exhaustive Concordance [NIVEC], with some interspersed commentary:
Advances in biblical scholarship have made it difficult, if not impossible, to use Strong's ...
- 178
6
votes
In Matt. 26:63–65, Why is Jesus’ admission to being the “Son of God” equated with “blasphemy”?
A quick methodological note. An answer to the question of what was regarded as "blasphemy" by the Sanhedrin requires an answer rooted in Jewish Law of the Second Temple period,1 rather than in the ...
- 24.5k
6
votes
Accepted
How far was a "Sabbath's Day Journey"?
The Rabbis determined their answer based on Joshua 3:4 where the distance from the tents to the Tabernacle was about 2000 cubits (.5+ miles). So the Jewish people would have been allowed to travel at ...
- 376
6
votes
Accepted
Does the Hebrew word Qe'ver refer to Hell or to "the place of the dead" or "the grave"?
An intriguing point about the Hebrew word qe’ver is that it can refer to either a singular grave, or to many graves. But the Hebrew word she’ohl’ always has to be singular. There is only one she’ohl’, ...
- 11.9k
6
votes
Accepted
What does it mean that Jesus is before all things (Colossians 1:17)?
The phrase, "He is before all things" (αὐτός ἐστιν πρὸ πάντων) has been interpreted in two broad ways:
Christ exceeds all things in moral and authoritarian dignity
Christ temporally ...
- 71.9k
6
votes
Accepted
What did Martha most likely mean by "the last day" in John 11:24?
The "Last Day" ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ (yes, usually in the dative case) is a technical phrase, that occurs regularly:
John 6:39, 40 - And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall lose none ...
- 71.9k
6
votes
What does it mean to be "equal with God" in John 5:18?
Equal – equivalent – the same – not much needs to be explained. However, should this ‘equal’ pertain to Jesus being equal with God or God?
The argument that John 5:18 – implies that Jesus is equal to ...
- 1,144
6
votes
Accepted
What is meant by "schemes of the devil" in Ephesians 6:11?
The operative word here is μεθοδεία (methodeia) from which come our English word "method". It is a rare NT word only occurring in Eph 4:14, 6:11.
Eph 4:14 - Then we will no longer be ...
- 71.9k
6
votes
Accepted
Does it follow from John 17:3 that the wicked will cease to exist (since they won't have eternal life)?
There is such a thing as "a living death". It stands in stark contrast to eternal life, in Christ. A living death is being alive without belonging to Christ. Billions of people throughout ...
- 11.9k
6
votes
What does Jesus mean by "hot", "cold" and "lukewarm" in Revelation 3:16?
The Laodiceans did not have a fresh water supply. They built an aqueduct to bring the cold water down from the mountains, but by the time it got to Laodicea the water was lukewarm, and very ...
- 8,594
5
votes
Meek versus humble
It seems to me that there are two interconnected problems raised by the formulation of the question. I think it would help to disentangle them:
"meek" v. "humble"
The question of contrasting "meek" ...
- 24.5k
5
votes
Accepted
What comes "after" hermeneutics?
Hermeneutics is the science and art of interpretation. So "after" one studies the principles of how to interpret (of which there are varying philosophies about what these principles are, hence various ...
- 19.6k
5
votes
What is the difference between eternal life and immortality.?
Luke records the words, Luke 8:14, of Jesus when he describes the cares and riches and pleasures of life, using the Greek word bios, life - the time on earth, the living on the planet. Luke also ...
- 26.3k
5
votes
What did Martha most likely mean by "the last day" in John 11:24?
It's in Jesus' teachings.
And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that ...
- 16.5k
5
votes
Accepted
What does it mean to be "equal with God" in John 5:18?
Jesus never claimed to be equal with the Father. John 5:18 is merely describing one of the reasons that the Jews were seeking to kill Jesus, that he was calling God his own Father (true), making ...
- 1,371
5
votes
What relationship is there between lack of faith ("unbelief") and miracles ("mighty works") according to Matthew 13:58?
The other side of this same coin is what Jesus often said in other places. Recall that "belief", "faith" and "trust" all translate the same Greek noun - pistis, best ...
- 71.9k
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