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Biblical Words and World

2018-06-13T13:49:58-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Be Ye Perfect? What Does Jesus Mean?

Last updated on: June 13, 2018 at 1:49 pm   By Tom Hobson

“Be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48) Perfect? What does Jesus mean? The word used here has three basic meanings: perfect, mature, and complete. Knowing these options can help tremendously when reading the Bible. Read more

Biblical word studies

1 Corinthians 13:10

Ephesians 4:13

Hebrews 6:1

James 1:4

James 2:23

James 3:2

John Wesley Christian perfection

Matthew 5:48

mature

perfect

Philippians 3:12

sinless perfection

teleios

2018-06-10T16:13:52-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Gambling Is Not a Biblical Issue

Last updated on: June 10, 2018 at 4:13 pm   By Tom Hobson

The Bible never classifies gambling as a sin, and has virtually nothing to say about the subject. Surprised? I am surprised that there used to be such a universal taboo and such tough laws against gambling, with so little Biblical basis for the morality behind those laws. Read more

Biblical ethic

1 Corinthians 6:12

2 Kings 18:23

Acts 15:26

De Aleatoribus

dice-playing

gambling

gambling and the Bible

Isaiah 36:8

Judges 14:11-18

Philippians 2:30

Proverbs 13:11

2018-06-06T12:24:34-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

R-Rated Prophets

Last updated on: June 6, 2018 at 12:24 pm   By Tom Hobson

Ezekiel was literally an R-rated prophet. St. Jerome writes that Jews in 400 AD would not let men read parts of Ezekiel until they were 30 years old. Why not? The most obvious reason to restrict the reading of Ezekiel is the very “adult” sexual rhetoric he uses. Read more

Biblical world

erastai

Ezekiel 16:25

Ezekiel 23:20

Ezekiel restricted

Jeremiah 2:23-24

Jeremiah 3:2

Jerome Epistle 53:8

shiggel

2018-06-03T16:58:59-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

False Versus Unfulfilled Prophecy

Last updated on: June 3, 2018 at 4:58 pm   By Tom Hobson

One of the key tests of a false prophet is false prophecy, predictions that do not come true (Deuteronomy 18:21-22). But if a prophecy does not come true in the short term, does that mean that it is false? Not necessarily. What if the prophecy is about the distant future? And how do we know that? Read more

Biblical ethic

1 Kings 22

Deuteronomy 13:1-3

Deuteronomy 18:21-22

Ezekiel 26:1-14

Ezekiel 29:17-20

false prophecy

Haggai 2:21-23

Isaiah destruction of Babylon

Jehoiakim burial of an ass

Jeremiah 22:19

Mark Hofmann

Matthew 7:15-20

2018-05-30T10:46:46-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Literalism and Inerrancy: Both Need Careful Definition

Last updated on: May 30, 2018 at 10:46 am   By Tom Hobson

Both literalism and inerrancy need to be carefully defined. Strictly defined, nobody believes in literalism. And inerrancy only works as a meaningful term if you share the reverence for Biblical authority held by those who affirm the term. Read more

Biblical world

Biblical literalism

Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy

evangelical Ockham's razor

inerrancy

literalism

Matthew 13:31-32

2018-05-30T05:57:54-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

History or Fairy Tales? Does It Matter?

Last updated on: May 30, 2018 at 5:57 am   By Tom Hobson

History, or hogwash? Does it matter whether anything in the Bible really and truly happened? Or can fairy tales do just as good a job of inspiring faith? Did historicity matter to the ancient world? Should it matter to us? Read more

Biblical world

2 Peter 1:16-18

ancient view of history

Bible and myth

Cicero De Oratore

historicity

history and Bible

Lucian How to Write History

Polybius history

2018-07-04T15:51:20-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Back to the Second Century: Gnostics Then and Now

Last updated on: July 4, 2018 at 3:51 pm   By Tom Hobson

Today’s church is re-living the world of heresy of the second and third centuries AD. Today we look at how this was true for the Gnostics, and how we now find ourselves where no one is in a position to exercise effective church discipline over the mess of heresy that surrounds us. Read more

Biblical world

1 Corinthians 5:11

2 John 9-11

church discipline

Gnostics

heresy

Irenaeus Against Heresies

second century heresies

2018-07-04T15:49:46-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Back to the Second Century: Echoes of Modern Heresy

Last updated on: July 4, 2018 at 3:49 pm   By Tom Hobson

Today’s church is now re-living the second century AD, a period when the church was shot through with heresy so badly that it threatened to take over the church entirely. That period may give us clues to help us find our way forward in our present age. Read more

Biblical world

Carpocrates

Cerinthus

heresy

Irenaeus Against Heresies

Marcion

second century AD

2018-07-04T15:49:02-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

What’s the Difference Between Spirit and Soul?

Last updated on: July 4, 2018 at 3:49 pm   By Tom Hobson

Pentecost is the perfect time to explore the use of the word spirit in the New Testament. What's the difference between spirit and soul? Read more

Biblical word studies

1 Thessalonians 5:23

Hebrews 4:12

Holy Spirit

John 4:24

Pentecost

pneuma

spirit

2018-05-13T15:05:44-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Soul or Life? The Double Meaning of Psychē

Last updated on: May 13, 2018 at 3:05 pm   By Tom Hobson

Soul, or life? Such is the choice we must make in translating the New Testament word psychē, which we have borrowed into English as our term “psyche,” and from which we get our word “psychology.” Read more

Biblical word studies

1 Thessalonians 5:23

John 15:13

life

Luke 1:46-47

Luke 9:24

Mark 10:45

Mark 8:35-37

Matthew 16:25-26

Matthew 20:28

psychē

soul

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