The Holy Spirit’s Intercession for Us

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In Romans 8:26 the Apostle Paul says, "the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with wordless groanings." This intercession is different from the intercession of our Lord Jesus Christ who sits at the right hand of God. It is an intercession from within our hearts and is the foundation of Jesus' intercession for us. The passage…

Christ in All the Psalms: Psalm 21

Posted inChrist in the Psalms
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David1. Yahweh, in your strength the king will rejoice,And in your salvation how greatly will he exult!2. The desire of his heart you give to him,And the request of his lips you do not withhold.3. For you will meet him with blessings of goodness.You will set on his…

More Adiaphora

Posted inThings Indifferent
In 1 Corinthians 9:1-14, the apostle Paul defends his right to earn a living from the preaching of the gospel. But this passage appears within his instruction regarding Christian liberty, the adiaphora or things indifferent, that is, things that God neither commands nor forbids. In chapter 8 the apostle had taught that eating food sacrificed…

The Adiaphora and the Weaker Brother

Posted inThings Indifferent
Things indifferent, adiaphora, Christian liberty. The question has plagued the church since the time of the apostle Paul, who was forced to deal with it in the churches of Corinth (1 Cor. 8-10) and of Rome (Rom. 14). Yet the problem is not so much understanding the Biblical principles as applying the principles without harming…

Christ in All the Psalms: Psalm 20

Posted inChrist in the Psalms
To the Chief Musician, A Psalm of David1. May Yahweh answer you in the day of trouble.May the name of the God of Jacob set you on high.2. May he send your help from the Holy Place,And from Zion support you.3. May he remember all your offerings,And make fat your burnt sacrifice. Selah.4. May he…

Christ in the Psalms: Psalm 18

Posted inChrist in the Psalms
In Psalm 18 David celebrates the work of the Lord in delivering him from all his enemies. These enemies were primarily the nations around Israel but also included Saul. Because David was an Old Testament foreshadowing of Christ, his victories exemplify the victories of our Lord Jesus Christ over our enemies, both demonic and human.…

Fasting in the Bible

Posted inFasting
Both Old and New Testaments talk about fasting, but there is a change in focus from Old to New. Old Testament fasts focused on sorrow or humbling oneself before God. New Testament fasts focus on prayer for spiritual endeavors. There are two terms for fasting in the Old Testament. Our translations render the first as…

Christ in the Psalms: Psalm 104

Posted inChrist in the Psalms
Yesterday I watched a Bible study from Ligonier Ministries (https://www.ligonier.org) by Dr. Robert Godfrey on Mark 9:2-7 and the transfiguration of Jesus. He made a connection between the transfiguration and Psalm 104 which is very helpful to our understanding of Psalm 104 and the Deity of our savior. Mark says that "his clothes became shining,…

Christ in the Psalms: Psalm 17

Posted inChrist in the Psalms
We can pray Psalm 17 only because of the free gift of righteousness in our Lord Jesus Christ. Anyone who prays verses 3-4 apart from Christ does not know what he is saying: You examine my heart. / You visit me at night. / You refine me. / You will find nothing. / I have…

Christ in the Psalms: Psalm 16

Posted inChrist in the Psalms
In his sermon on the day of Pentecost, Peter interpreted the last verses of Psalm 16 as a prophecy of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 2:25-31). David died and was buried, and his tomb was still known to the Jews of Peter's day. But David "spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ,…