Amos was a prophet in the Old Testament of the Bible who wrote the Book of Amos. He was one of the Twelve Minor Prophets and lived in the Kingdom of Judah during the reigns of King Uzziah of Judah and King Jeroboam II of Israel. Amos was a shepherd and fig farmer before God called him to prophesy to the northern kingdom of Israel. Here is an overview of who Amos was and what his life and ministry teach us: Amos Was a Shepherd and Farmer Amos was a shepherd from the town of Tekoa in Judah (Amos 1:1).…
Author: Erin Weitzman
The Bible teaches that this current heaven and earth will one day pass away and be replaced by a new heaven and new earth. This is referenced in several key passages: 2 Peter 3:10 says, “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.” Revelation 21:1 states, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first…
Angels are spiritual beings created by God to serve Him and carry out His will. Though there are many references to angels throughout the Bible, much about their nature and purpose remains a mystery. Based on scriptural accounts, we can discern several key purposes and roles of angels: 1. Messengers One of the most common roles of angels is as messengers or intermediaries between God and humanity. The word “angel” itself means “messenger” in both Hebrew and Greek. Angels delivered important messages to people in the Bible, such as announcing the births of John the Baptist and Jesus (Luke 1:11-20,…
The phrase “put on Christ” in Romans 13:14 refers to fully embracing and living out the new life we have in Jesus Christ. In this verse, Paul instructs believers to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” Let’s break this down further: Context of Romans 13:14 To properly understand this verse, we first need to look at the broader context of the Book of Romans. The first several chapters focus on the theology of salvation – how we are justified by faith in Christ (Romans 3-5). Chapters 6-8 describe the…
The phrase “Physician, heal thyself” comes from Luke 4:23 in the Bible. In this verse, Jesus has returned to his hometown of Nazareth and is teaching in the synagogue. The people are astonished by his wisdom and miracles, but also skeptical since they know him as Joseph’s son. Jesus discerns their doubtful thoughts and says to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Physician, heal yourself.’ What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.” By this statement, Jesus anticipates the demands of his fellow townspeople that he proves his powers by…
The Bible has a lot to say about how we should treat other people. Here is an overview of some of the major Biblical principles for how we should treat others: Love Your Neighbor One of the most famous teachings of Jesus is to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39). He says that this commandment sums up all of the Old Testament law and prophets. Loving your neighbor means caring for those around you, wanting the best for them, and treating them with kindness and respect. It applies not just to the people who live near you but to…
Bearing with one another is an important concept in Christianity that is mentioned in Colossians 3:13 – “Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” Here are 9000 words explaining what it means and why it’s important: The verse comes in the context of Paul urging the Colossian believers to set their hearts and minds on Christ by putting aside former sins and practices and embracing their new identity in Christ. An important part of this process is learning to bear with…
Paul writes in Galatians 5:24, “And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” This verse is speaking about the ongoing battle between our sinful nature and the new life we have in Christ. When we place our faith in Jesus, we are united with Him in His death on the cross. Our old self was crucified with Christ, meaning we put to death our sinful desires and passions. This doesn’t mean we will never struggle with sin again, but that we now have the power through the Holy Spirit to overcome temptation…
The practice of dedicating a new home is common in many Christian circles today. But is this a concept that actually has biblical support? Let’s take a thorough look at what the Bible does and does not say about dedicating houses. Old Testament Examples There are a few examples in the Old Testament of people dedicating their homes or parts of their homes to God. However, these dedications took very different forms than modern day house dedications. In Genesis 28, Jacob stops to sleep at a certain place on his journey and has a dream of a staircase reaching to…
Zechariah 11:12-13 has sparked much debate among Bible scholars as to whether it contains a Messianic prophecy or not. The verses state: Then I said to them, “If it seems good to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.” And they weighed out as my wages thirty pieces of silver. Then the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the lordly price at which I was priced by them. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord, to the potter. On the surface, this passage depicts the…