Command, Commandment The term “commandment” in the Bible (mainly Heb. miswa [h”w.xim]; Gk. entole [ejntolhv]) refers to orders or adjurations given by authorities. The plural predominantly refers to Mosaic laws. The commandments were for Israel’s good ( Deut 10:13 ) since God’s covenant love was lasting for those who kept them ( Exod 20:6 ; Deut 7:9 ). Obedience would result in prosperity, security, God’s […]
Covenant : The word “covenant, ” infrequently heard in conversation, is quite commonly used in legal, social (marriage), and religious and theological contexts. The Idea of Covenant. The term “covenant” is of Latin origin (con venire), meaning a coming together. It presupposes two or more parties who come together to make a contract, agreeing on […]
Create, Creation: Who created and sustains the universe? Why was it created? What is the nature of the Creator-creature relationship? These are the sorts of questions that the Bible addresses when it treats the topic of creation. Such queries are essentially theological in nature. Therefore, the juxtaposition, by some modern interpreters, of scriptural assertions about […]
Colossians, Theology of Introduction. Although short in length and written to a church Paul did not plant, Colossians stands tall in highlighting the centrality of Jesus Christ as the mediator of God’s saving activity. It emphasizes that those who belong to Jesus need only draw on the resources God provides through Jesus in order to […]
Corinthians, First and Second, Theology of Many modern interpreters believe that eschatology, the doctrine of the endtimes, is the center of the apostle Paul’s thought, beginning with his presupposition of the two-age structure. According to early Judaism, time is divided into two consecutive periods: this age and the age to come. The former is characterized […]
Colossians, Theology of Introduction. Although short in length and written to a church Paul did not plant, Colossians stands tall in highlighting the centrality of Jesus Christ as the mediator of God’s saving activity. It emphasizes that those who belong to Jesus need only draw on the resources God provides through Jesus in order to […]
Christ, Christology Jesus Christ is the central figure whom the Old Testament foreshadows and the New Testament proclaims as prophecy become fact. It is accordingly of first importance to understand the biblical portrayal of the Messiah (Heb. masiah [jyiv’m]; Gk. Christos [Cristov”], from chrio [crivw], to anoint), whom God has anointed to redeem his people and creation. A key passage that […]
BIBLE, ENGLISH VERSIONS. Published trs. of the Holy Scriptures in the Eng. language. Outline I. Need for versions and new versions. A. The ordinary reader cannot read the Scriptures in the original Heb. and Gr. Only a Biblereading Christian can be an effective Christian to the limit of his potential; only a Bible-reading church can […]
Bible, Inspiration of the The cornerstone of evangelical theology lies in its confession of the inspiration and authority of the Bible, as the revealed “Word of God Written.” Since the term “inspired” is used of the Bible in different ways, it is important to clarify the particular sense in which it should be employed, not […]
Study of the Bible that seeks to discover what the biblical writers, under divine guidance, believed, described, and taught in the context of their own times. Relation to Other Disciplines Biblical theology is related to but different from three other major branches of theological inquiry. Practical theology focuses on pastoral application of biblical truths in modern […]