Some Bible students find interest in realizing that Jesus’ feet were anointed with oil and wiped with a woman’s hair on two different occasions.  Sometimes these two events get confused as one event, because of the similarities between them, but they are definitely two distinct times in the life of Jesus.  Let’s consider them. The first anointing took place in Luke 7:36-50.  …

There is marked contrast between the covenant God had with Israel and the one He now has with mankind. Judaism was a national religion while Christianity is characterized by the personal relationship one has with God. We are so blessed that this has changed, but it demands we seek to have that personal intimacy with God. Judaism was designed for one to…

If you are reading this, then the answer is obvious. However, a spiritual death might be a different matter. Sometimes we make the choice to die spiritually and put away the old man of sin. Yet, we don’t completely put him away. We just compartmentalized our lives. We think or operate like “This part is for God and this part is for…

The word “compromise” is a word that often means different things to different people.  It is used often in marriage counseling, in an effort to help a husband and a wife to learn to get along and to find some kind of common ground in their relationship and even in their arguments.  “Just compromise.”  However, while some may see the word as…

It is remarkable how accurate those scholars, commissioned by King James in 1604, were in accomplishing their assigned tasks. Forty-seven leading Biblical scholars of England spent seven years to produce a translation of the mind of God which even today has a profound impact on our culture. They consistently translated the Greek word anomia as “iniquity,” and such is far from being…

We have an ability that we may not be using effectively for Christ. In His Sermon on the Mount, He described it as salt and light (Matt. 5:13-16). We should be very concerned about our influence. The Lord’s work consists of influencing people in God’s direction (Col. 1:28). Influence comes down to a matter of communication, both verbal or non-verbal. This includes…

For some reason, we sometimes try to justify certain behaviors and think we will “be ok” and that God will “be ok” with us.  Unfortunately, that is what “the flesh” does and how “the devil” works—he deceives us into thinking according to “the flesh” and living according to “the flesh.” God issues warning after warning against giving into and flirting with our…

Jesus commanded us to judge when He said, “Judge not according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment” (John 7:24). When we judge according to appearance, we can easily miss the real truth. God told Samuel to go to the house of Jesse to anoint the new king to replace evil King Saul, and he failed to understand this truth. When Samuel…