The description of Joseph as a “just man” in Matthew 1:19 gives us insight into his character and provides context for his actions. Let’s explore the meaning behind this phrase. 1. The word “just” refers to righteousness and integrity In the original Greek, the word translated as “just” is δίκαιος (dikaios). This word means righteous, upright, virtuous, keeping the commands of God. It is more than simply being law-abiding – it implies integrity of heart and action. Describing Joseph as “just” indicates he consistently sought to live according to God’s standards, not merely human ideals. He pursued justice, morality, and…
Author: Nicole Sands
The verse “I know whom I have believed” comes from 2 Timothy 1:12 in the Bible. The apostle Paul wrote this letter to Timothy, his young protégé in the faith, while Paul was imprisoned in Rome awaiting execution. This verse is part of Paul’s personal testimony of faith in Jesus Christ. The full verse says, “For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.” (2 Timothy 1:12) Let’s break this verse…
Walking in darkness is a biblical metaphor that refers to living a lifestyle disconnected from God’s truth and righteousness. 1 John 1:6 warns, “If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” This verse indicates that those who claim to know God but continue in patterns of sin and unbelief are deceiving themselves. They are living in spiritual darkness rather than walking in the light of Christ. Throughout Scripture, light represents truth, wisdom, and holiness, while darkness signifies falsehood, ignorance, and sin (John 3:19-21). Those who walk in…
Consistency is vitally important in the Christian life. As believers, we are called to steadfastly pursue Christlikeness and faithfully obey God’s Word. Though we stumble and fall at times, we must continually realign our lives to God’s standards for holiness, purity, love, and righteousness. The Bible emphasizes the need for steadfast devotion and unwavering commitment to following Jesus. Scriptures encourage us to persevere in godliness despite trials or temptations (James 1:2-4), to stand firm in our faith (1 Corinthians 15:58), and to continually set our minds on things above rather than earthly things (Colossians 3:2). Here are some key reasons…
The 10/40 Window refers to the rectangular area of North Africa, the Middle East and Asia approximately between 10 degrees north and 40 degrees north latitude. The term was coined in the 1990s by Christian mission strategists to refer to the area of the Eastern Hemisphere that had the greatest need for missionary work and evangelism. The countries included in the 10/40 Window are said to contain the majority of the world’s unevangelized people. The concept behind the 10/40 Window is that Christian missionaries and evangelists should focus their efforts on this part of the world because of its concentrated…
The passage in Matthew 9:37 that refers to “the workers are few” comes amid Jesus’ instructions to his twelve disciples before sending them out to preach and heal. After seeing the crowds that had gathered to hear him teach and be healed, Jesus turns to his disciples and says, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” This passage provides an important insight into an issue Jesus saw as he ministered to the people of Israel – that despite the readiness of many…
The Hagarites, also known as the Hagrites or Hagarenes, were a people group mentioned several times in the Old Testament books of 1 Chronicles and Psalms. Though not much is known about them, the Bible provides some clues as to their origins and interactions with the Israelites. Hagar in the Bible To understand the identity of the Hagarites, we must first look at the story of Hagar in Genesis. Hagar was an Egyptian slave girl owned by Sarah, the wife of Abraham. Since Sarah was unable to conceive, she offered Hagar to Abraham as a surrogate mother (Genesis 16:1-3). Hagar…
God desires for us to return to Him with our whole heart. This phrase comes from Jeremiah 24:7 which says, “I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with their whole heart.” To understand what it means to return to God with our whole heart, we must first understand the context of this verse. Jeremiah was a prophet during a tumultuous time in Israel’s history. The people had turned away from God and were worshipping idols. As…
The question of who can be saved is an important one that the Bible addresses throughout its pages. At the heart of this question is how a person can have a right relationship with God and receive eternal life. The Bible makes clear that salvation is made possible only through faith in Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and rose again (John 3:16; Romans 5:8; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4). However, there are differing perspectives on how inclusive or exclusive salvation is. Here is an overview of what the Bible says about who can be saved: Salvation is available to all…
The Bible warns believers about giving in to the “works of the flesh” and instead encourages us to live by the Spirit and bear the “fruit of the Spirit.” The works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit are contrasted in Galatians 5:19-23. The works of the flesh are characteristics, attitudes and behaviors that emanate from the sinful nature, while the fruit of the Spirit are godly virtues that come from the Holy Spirit working in the believer. According to Galatians 5:19-21, “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife,…
