As we grow in faith, discipline and endurance, Peter next instructs us to “add…to perseverance godliness” (2 Pet. 1:6). Godliness refers to a life that is centered on God—a reverent, devoted way of living that seeks to please Him in all things. The word carries the idea of a “God-ward attitude,” where one’s conduct flows from a deep respect for and devotion…
Let's Go Back to the Bible
Let's Go Back to the Bible
Posts by David Sproule
Do you remember that Bible character who heard the gospel proclaimed, learned of God’s simple plan of salvation, recognized the requisite place of baptism to obtain forgiveness, and then said, “I know I need to be baptized. I plan to do it really soon, within the next week or two”? Oh? You don’t recall that in reading the…
How much do we actually want to help someone? It might be (but not always) found in how we word our willingness to help. If we tell someone—“Let me know if I can help”—then they may never ask, as it’s on them to initiate the request. If we ask someone—“Do you need any help?” or “Is there something…
It is one thing to begin doing what is right—it is another to keep doing it. That is why Peter says to “add…to self-control perseverance” (2 Pet. 1:6). Perseverance (or “steadfastness,” ESV) means endurance. The Greek word carries the idea of “remaining under” or bearing up under pressure. It is the ability to stay faithful through trials and difficulties. This quality is…
I saw this little shoe in a parking lot all by itself this morning. It made me sad to think about the little toddler who got home without a shoe and for the parent who probably searched the car and bags diligently looking for a lost shoe. All the while, the shoe is here by itself, of…
We may not normally think that our actions are inviting the devil to “come on in,” but do they? Eve would have never dreamed of the consequences that would follow eating that fruit. She just saw something that, in her mind, was “good,” “pleasant” and “desirable” (Gen. 3:6). Yet, in so doing, she was inviting the devil to…
Once we know what is right, the next challenge is doing it consistently. That is why Peter says to “add…to knowledge self-control” (2 Pet. 1:6). Self-control is the ability to govern oneself—to master desires, impulses and appetites rather than be mastered by them. The Greek word carries the idea of “holding oneself in,” having power over one’s passions. It is strength that…
Much has been made of whether Isaiah 40:22 teaches that the earth is a sphere or not. The verse says that God “sits above the circle of the earth.” The Hebrew word for “circle” probably does not itself indicate a spherical shape, but (1) there is other sufficient evidence for the earth as a sphere, and (2)…