The Greek term for “firstborn” is prototokos.
“Firstborn of every creature” does not mean that Christ was “born first” in the sense of being the first created being. Rather it refers to Christ’s position of supremacy over all of creation by virtue of the fact that He is the Creator of all things (verse 16).
You will sometimes hear even quite conservative Christians saying they believe that only a minority of people will end up in hell.
Many seem to assume that the great love of God will find a way for most to gain eternal salvation. They think that the vast majority of people who say they are Christians will be saved. And they think too that large numbers who don’t even profess Christian faith will also finally be saved.
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Problem: Many alleged Bible contradictions can be answered logically by noting that two or more passages of Scripture may refer to the same word (or idea), but use the word in different senses. If a man leaves home during the middle of flu season and tells his wife, “I am thankful I’m not sick,” but then turns to his son, who just ransacked the living room while looking for his toy light saber, and says, “I am sick of seeing such a mess,” no one would accuse the father of being dishonest. He obviously used the word “sick” in two different senses. English-speaking Americans living in the twenty-first century understand the flexibility of language. American use of the word “bad” is a prime example of the elasticity of our language. Bad literally can mean “bad” (as in the “bad dog” who ate a student’s homework), or it can mean the very opposite: bad can mean “good.” A basketball fan watching a player make ten 3-pointers in one game may truthfully say: “That guy is bad!”—meaning, he is a very good basketball player. Unfortunately, critics of the Bible’s inspiration accept the freedom of language in today’s world (and they often take such freedom themselves), but they will not allow the ancient biblical writers the same liberty.
Problem: Some amillennial interpreters argue that the church inherits the promises of Israel. Is Paul reinterpreting the concept of being a Jew to apply to Christian believers?
Most of us have heard recordings of whales singing. Scientists have not yet learned to understand the whale’s language, but they have identified individual verses in whale song. Now they are more convinced than ever that whale song is a sophisticated language.
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Problem: Thousands of years prior to the establishment of the Lord’s Church, and long before Paul addressed the conduct of Christian slaves in the first century, various forms of slavery were commonplace. In fact, virtually every ancient civilization used slaves.1 Slavery was prevalent enough in Babylon in the 18th century B.C. to be mentioned numerous times in the Code of Hammurabi.2 The Egyptians enslaved hundreds of thousands of Israelites in the 16th century B.C. (Exodus 1; cf. Numbers 1:46). Historians estimate that, by the time Paul wrote his New Testament epistles in the first century A.D., five to eight million slaves resided within the Roman Empire,3 including 15-25% of the total population of Italy.4
The Apostle Paul’s words in Romans 9 reveal one of the most emotionally charged moments in all of Scripture. Speaking from the depths of his heart, Paul confesses his grief over those closest to him: his fellow Israelites, his family, and his friends, who have rejected Christ. “I speak the truth in Christ; I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit; I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race” (Romans 9:1-3, NIV).
Paul’s anguish was not theoretical. It was deeply personal. His sorrow came from the realization that many of his own people, those who shared his heritage, his traditions, and his memories, had chosen to remain outside of the salvation found in Jesus Christ. Although he does not explicitly declare that they are beyond redemption, his grief reflects a profound awareness of their separation from God’s plan of salvation. This passage is a moving expression of what every Christian eventually faces: the pain of knowing that those we love may never accept the gift of eternal life through Christ.
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According to The Telegraph of London, one of the “top 10 worst Bible passages” is Ephesians 5:22, in which Paul taught, “Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.”1 In his book God: The Most Unpleasant Character in All Fiction, Dan Baker titled chapter nine simply “Misogynistic.” Barker alleged: “Women are second-class. Because of Eve’s insubordination, she was forced to become dependent on man. From then on, all women are inferior, so the bible says.”2
Our lives are defined by the experience of invisible, limited, spiritual Truth. Our experience of the Truth is incomplete in terms of what impact is made on our natural mind, namely our temporal, physical limitations for how to know God. Our experience of the Truth is incomplete in terms of what impact is made on our natural heart, namely our ability to give and receive Love.
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All those who BELIEVE on the Lord Jesus Christ RECEIVE the Holy Spirit of God (John 7:37-39). This blessed and divine Person dwells within every born again believer (1 Corinthians 6:19; Romans 8:9). The living God wants to powerfully WORK in the submissive believer to produce CHRIST-LIKENESS (see Philippians 2:13)
The Atrocities Committed In Defense Of Unbiblical Traditions
Introduction
From the pages of Scripture to the annals of history, God repeatedly warns that religious power divorced from biblical truth becomes one of the most dangerous forces on earth.
Christ founded His church on humility, service, truth, and love (Matthew 20:25–28; John 18:36). Yet history records the rise of a religious system that departed from these principles, merging ecclesiastical authority with political power, enforcing doctrine by coercion, and shedding the blood of those who refused submission.
This difficult passage has been understood by Bible interpreters in various ways. The best
solution is to compare Scripture with Scripture, which I have endeavored to do in this
study. May the Lord help us to understand these verses. Peter once wrote about Paul’s
writings: “Our beloved brother Paul according to the wisdom given unto him hath written
unto you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some
things hard to be understood” (2 Peter 3:15-16). These three verses might be included
among things which Paul wrote which are hard to be understood. May the Lord give us
understanding in all things (2 Tim. 2:7)!
Ezekiel declared that the most massive Mideast invasion in human history would occur in the latter years. These are the latter years, and Israel and Russia are clearly identified in the Hebrew prophet’s ancient predictions.
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV)