Romani 14
1 Primiţi bine pe cel slab în credinţă, şi nu vă apucaţi la vorbă asupra părerilor îndoelnice.
2 Unul crede că poate să mănânce de toate; pe când altul, care este slab, nu mănâncă decât verdeţuri.
3 Cine mănâncă să nu dispreţuiască pe cine nu mănâncă; şi cine nu mănâncă, să nu judece pe cine mănâncă, fiindcă Dumnezeu l-a primit.
4 Cine eşti tu, care judeci pe robul altuia? Dacă stă în picioare sau cade, este treaba stăpânului său; totuş, va sta în picioare, căci Domnul are putere să-l întărească pentru ca să stea.
5 Unul socoteşte o zi mai pe sus decât alta; pentru altul, toate zilele sânt la fel. Fiecare să fie deplin încredinţat în mintea lui.
6 Cine face deosebire între zile, pentru Domnul o face. Cine nu face deosebire între zile, pentru Domnul n-o face. Cine mănâncă, pentru Domnul mănâncă; pentrucă aduce mulţămiri lui Dumnezeu. Cine nu mănâncă, pentru Domnul nu mănâncă; şi aduce şi el mulţămiri lui Dumnezeu.
7 În adevăr, niciunul din noi nu trăieşte pentru sine, şi nici unul din noi nu moare pentru sine.
8 Căci dacă trăim, pentru Domnul trăim; şi dacă murim, pentru Domnul murim. Deci, fie că trăim, fie că murim, noi sântem ai Domnului.
9 Căci Hristos pentru aceasta a murit şi a înviat ca să aibă stăpânire şi peste cei morţi şi peste cei vii.
10 Dar pentruce judeci tu pe fratele tău? Sau pentruce dispreţuieşti tu pe fratele tău? Căci toţi ne vom înfăţişa înaintea scaunului de judecată al lui Hristos.
11 Fiindcă este scris: ,,Pe viaţa Mea Mă jur, zice Domnul, că orice genunchi se va pleca înaintea Mea, şi orice limbă va da slavă lui Dumnezeu.``
12 Aşa că fiecare din noi are să dea socoteală despre sine însuş lui Dumnezeu.
13 Să nu ne mai judecăm dar unii pe alţii. Ci mai bine judecaţi să nu faceţi nimic, care să fie pentru fratele vostru o piatră de poticnire sau un prilej de păcătuire.
14 Eu ştiu şi sânt încredinţat în Domnul Isus, că nimic nu este necurat în sine, şi că un lucru nu este necurat de cât pentru cel ce crede că este necurat.
15 Dar dacă faci ca fratele tău să se mâhnească din pricina unei mâncări, nu mai umbli în dragoste! Nu nimici, prin mâncarea ta, pe acela pentru care a murit Hristos!
16 Nu faceţi ca binele vostru să fie grăit de rău.
17 Căci Împărăţia lui Dumnezeu nu este mâncare şi băutură, ci neprihănire, pace şi bucurie în Duhul Sfânt.
18 Cine slujeşte lui Hristos în felul acesta, este plăcut lui Dumnezeu şi cinstit de oameni.
19 Aşa dar, să urmărim lucrurile, cari duc la pacea şi zidirea noastră.
20 Să nu nimiceşti, pentru o mâncare, lucrul lui Dumnezeu. Drept vorbind, toate lucrurile sânt curate. Totuş, a mânca din ele, când faptul acesta ajunge pentru altul un prilej de cădere, este rău.
21 Bine este să nu mănânci carne, să nu bei vin şi să te fereşti de orice lucru, care poate fi pentru fratele tău un prilej de cădere, de păcătuire sau de slăbire.
22 Încredinţarea pe care o ai, păstrează-o pentru tine, înaintea lui Dumnezeu. Ferice de cel ce nu se osândeşte singur în ce găseşte bine.
23 Dar cine se îndoieşte şi mănâncă, este osândit, pentrucă nu mănâncă din încredinţare. Tot ce nu vine din încredinţare, e păcat.
{"verseMap":{"1":[{"id":33287,"type":"article","type_label":"Articol","type_icon":"📖","type_color":"#d4af37","title_ro":"Letter to the Romans","title_en":"Letter to the Romans","content_ro":"<h3>ROMANS, Letter to the<\/h3>\n<p>Preview<\/p>\n<p>• Author<\/p>\n<p>• Date, Origin, and Destination<\/p>\n<p>• Background<\/p>\n<p>• Audience<\/p>\n<p>• Purpose and Theological Teaching<\/p>\n<p>• Content<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"Author\">Author<\/p>\n<p>Written in the first person (Rom 1:5, 10, etc.), this epistle was authored by the apostle Paul. (The first words of the first verse are “Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called an apostle.”) The actual transcription of the letter, however, was done by Tertius (16:22), who acted as Paul’s amanuensis (secretary). The letter’s authenticity has never been disputed by reputable scholarship, liberal or conservative, and Romans stands at the head of virtually every ancient list or collection of Pauline letters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"DateOriginandDestination\">Date, Origin, and Destination<\/p>\n<p>The destination of the letter is stated to be Rome (1:7). That Paul was in Corinth at the time of the writing seems clear from his reference to Erastus in 16:23 as the treasurer of the city. An inscription in the stone pavement beside the large theater in Corinth states that it was laid by Erastus, the city treasurer, in appreciation for his election. This could hardly be coincidental. Erastus evidently remained in Corinth, because it is mentioned as his home (2 Tm 4:20). Furthermore, Paul refers to Gaius as his host at the time he wrote Romans (Rom 16:23), probably the same Gaius who lived in Corinth (1 Cor 1:14). Finally, Phoebe, likely the carrier of this epistle, was a deaconess of the church at Cenchrea, the eastern port of Corinth (Rom 16:1).<\/p>\n<p>From the epistle itself we can determine when Paul wrote it. Romans 15:23-28 indicates that Paul was just about ready to make his visit to Jerusalem with a contribution for its Christian poor from the churches of Macedonia and Achaia, after which his purpose was to visit Rome on his way to Spain (15:23-28). He carried this contribution with him from Corinth, at the close of his third visit to that city, which lasted three months (Acts 20:2, 23; 24:17). On this occasion certain persons accompanied him from Corinth, whose names are given by the historian of Acts (20:4), and four of these are expressly mentioned in this epistle as being with the apostle when he wrote it—Timothy, Sosipater, Gaius, and Erastus (Rom 16:21, 23). Paul’s visit to Jerusalem is usually dated around <span>AD<\/span> 57–58. As such, the Epistle to the Romans was written around the same time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"Background\">Background<\/p>\n<p>In a previous visit to Corinth, during his second missionary journey, Paul established the church there and remained in the city for 18 months (Acts 18:1, 11). His arrival coincided with the arrival of Priscilla and Aquila, who had recently come from Rome. At the end of his 18-month stay, Paul was brought before the newly appointed proconsul, Gallio (Acts 18:12), whose arrival can be dated from the Gallio inscription found at Delphi to the spring of <span>AD<\/span> 51. Thus, Paul arrived in Corinth in the winter of <span>AD<\/span> 49.<\/p>\n<p>Leaving the city, he returned to Antioch, gave a report on his work, and set out on his last journey to collect the contribution for Jerusalem from the Gentile churches (Rom 15:25-29), for which he had previously prepared (1 Cor 16:1; 2 Cor 9:5). Continued problems in Corinth (1 Cor 1:11; 7:1) necessitated his return to the city (Acts 20:3), at which time he wrote Romans. It is clear from the last two chapters of the letter that he planned to take the contribution to Jerusalem almost immediately and from there go on to Rome (Rom 15:23-24). The occasion for the letter, therefore, is to alert the Romans to his coming so that they can assist him in his journey to Spain (15:24, 28). Rome was the only church, other than Colosse, which Paul did not establish. His letter, consequently, does not reflect awareness of specific problems in the membership there.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"Audience\">Audience<\/p>\n<p>The Roman church at this time was composed of both Jewish and Gentile believers. The church was probably started by Jewish believers who were at Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:10) and were among the 3,000 converts. Evidently, some of these took the gospel back with them to Rome. Probably some of the believers addressed in the salutations of the epistle were Christians already of long standing, if not among the earliest converts to the Christian faith. Thus, it is not improbable that up to the time of the apostle’s arrival, the Christian community at Rome had been dependent upon its own members for the increase of its numbers, aided perhaps by occasional visits from preachers.<\/p>\n\n<p>Evidently, the gospel had gone out to Gentiles, because there were Gentiles in the church, as is evidenced by Paul’s remarks throughout the letter. In fact, it is clear that the apostle wrote to them expressly as to a Gentile church (Rom 1:13, 15; 15:15-16). Perhaps the major constituency of the Gentiles were “God-fearers” (see Acts 10:2).<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"PurposeandTheologicalTeaching\">Purpose and Theological Teaching<\/p>\n<p>Of all the epistles of Paul, this is the most elaborate and, at the same time, the most glowing. It has just as much in common with a theological treatise as with a personal, heartfelt epistle. The major theme running throughout the book is that both Jew and Gentile have fallen short of God’s glory and stand in need of salvation (Rom 3:21-31). God’s righteousness has not been revealed only to the Jew—because God is not God only to the Jews but to the Gentiles as well, since there is only one God (3:29). He will justify the Jews on the basis of the saving work of Christ at Calvary, and the Gentiles on the basis of that same act of faithfulness to Abraham’s promise (v 30). Their common faith gives them access to this grace (5:2). The gospel is thus to the Jew first and also to the Greek (1:16).<\/p>\n<p>Once a person believes, that person is justified before God (chs 1–3). This new relationship with God provides the believer with a new life in Christ and makes him or her a part of God’s people (chs 4–8). This is the deepest and most difficult part of the whole epistle; it carries us directly to the eternal springs of grace, sovereign love, and the inscrutable purposes of God. After this, we are told about the calling of the Gentiles, the preservation of a faithful Jewish remnant amidst the general unbelief and the fall of the nation, and the ultimate recovery of all Israel to constitute, with the Gentiles in the latter day, one universal church of God upon earth (chs 9–11). The remainder of the epistle is devoted to the practical application (in church life) of the truths previously revealed (chs 12–15). And then the epistle concludes with Paul’s heartfelt salutations to several different believers in Rome (ch 16).<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"Content\">Content<\/p>\n<h5>Overview<\/h5>\n<p>The thematic statement of the first eight chapters of the letter is set forth in 1:17: “It is through faith that a righteous person has life” (<span>nlt<\/span>). This quotation from Habakkuk 2:4 sets Paul’s teaching on faith over against that of the OT on works. Thus, he affirms the fact that his teaching on faith is not new but is squarely rooted in the OT prophets. What was new was that the Gentiles would be fellow citizens with the Jews on the basis of faith in Christ (Eph 3:5-6). They would not have to become proselytes to Judaism in order to be acceptable to God, as some Jewish Christians demanded (Acts 15:1). This was the mystery of which Paul spoke in Ephesians (Eph 3:6).<\/p>\n<p>The first part of the epistle dwells on the theme that righteousness is attained by faith. The first three chapters demonstrate that Jew and Gentile are under sin and that the redemption of Christ is applicable to both (Rom 3:21-22). The fourth chapter demonstrates that Abraham is the father of Gentiles as well as Jews, because he is the spiritual father of believing Israel just as he is of believing Gentiles. Then, in chapters 5–8, Paul deals with the latter part of the theme of how a justifed person <em>lives<\/em> by faith. Whether Jew or Gentile, the person who accepts the righteous acts of God on Calvary through Christ will live free from the wrath of God (ch 5), the power of sin (ch 6), the enslaving power of the law (ch 7), and the power of death (ch 8).<\/p>\n<p>In chapters 9–11, Paul discusses the nation of Israel “according to the flesh” (physical Jews) in relation to the future purpose of God, concluding that God has not cast off his people who were Israelites descended from Abraham (11:1-2). He can regraft them back into the tree from which they have been cut off, if they will accept Jesus as their Messiah (v 23).<\/p>\n<p>Then in his closing section, he discusses the implications of the first 11 chapters for everyday Christian living (chs 12–16), closing the book with a reminder of the importance of the “offering of the Gentiles” through his own ministry (ch 15).<\/p>\n<h5>In Detail<\/h5>\n<p>In the first chapter Paul argues that the pagan Gentile world was in a state of rebellion against God, and the wrath of God had been revealed against their ungodliness (1:18). Even though God had given sufficient revelation of his existence to them in the world of nature, they had nevertheless become polytheistic and idolatrous, with all the accompanying moral degradations (vv 20-23). Thus, three times Paul emphasizes that God gave them up to their lusts (v 24), to dishonorable passions (v 26), and to a base mind and improper conduct (v 28). The meaning is that he passed over their sins (3:25), overlooked their spiritual ignorance of his true existence (Acts 17:30), and did not put a stop to such idolatry (7:42).<\/p>\n<p>The Jews fared little better because, even though they had received the law of Moses containing a revelation of the will of God for their nation, they had not kept the law (2:17-29). Even the Gentiles had those among them who did by nature the things contained in the law and were acceptable because their consciences were pure (vv 14-15). For a Jew, keeping the law was insufficient unless he did so as a spiritual conviction, not as a mere legal requirement (v 29). God-fearing Gentiles who kept the essence of the law were a model for condemning the Jews who did not (vv 14, 27). However, the faithlessness of the chosen nation did not nullify the faithfulness of God to the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham (3:3). Although the Jew had every advantage over the Gentile, he was no better off because both had given themselves over to the power of sin (vv 1, 9). The situation now was that “all have sinned [both Jew and Gentile] and fall short of the glory of God” (v 23, <span>rsv<\/span>).<\/p>\n<p>God had therefore made Christ the Redeemer for the sins of the world (3:21-31). The righteousness of God had been manifested apart from the law, through the “faith of Christ” (v 22; i.e., the faithfulness of Christ to the promise) and was available to the Gentile as well as Jew on the basis of personal faith. If this righteousness were available only through keeping the commandments of the law, as good and holy as it was (7:12), then God was a God of Jews only and not of Gentiles, because the law was given to the Jews (3:29). But God is also the God of the Gentiles and justifies the Jew on the basis of Christ’s faithfulness, and the Gentile on the basis of that same faithful act. Christ died for all who believe in him (v 22). Thus God’s righteousness was manifested through Christ’s faithfulness (vv 3, 22) and provides the basis of salvation for everyone who believes (5:9).<\/p>\n<p>Several times in the fourth chapter Paul insists that Abraham was the father of the Jews and of the Gentiles (vv 11-12, 16-18). Christ’s faithfulness to the promise to Abraham that all nations (Gentiles) would be blessed through his seed (the descendants of Isaac) enabled Abraham to become the father of all nations, that is, of all who believe (v 11).<\/p>\n<p>Having laid this broad theological base, Paul then argues that the impact of this justification or righteousness is that all believers experience salvation from the wrath of God and thereby experience peace (5:1, 9). Sin entered the world through the first transgression and passed to all people (v 12). Justification, however, was brought by the second Adam, Christ, who gives salvation to those who believe and receive the abundance of his grace (vv 16-18).<\/p>\n<p>The function of the law was not to save the Jew. It was added because of transgressions (Gal 3:19); it served to intensify the awareness of sin, present in all people, to the point of transgression of the law (Rom 5:20). Sin used the law to deceive and destroy those who tried to keep it (7:11). Paul had known what it was to covet before he knew the law, but when he became subject to the dictates and penalties of the law at age 12 or 13, the commandment against covetousness became even more demanding and destroyed him (7:11). After the law was known, the penalty for its disobedience was fully applicable. Sin had been intensified because it became a transgression of the law. This very fact caused the need for greater grace, because where sin abounded, grace abounded all the more (5:20). But it would be a gross perversion of what it means to live free from wrath, law, sin, and death to argue that one should therefore continue in sin that grace may abound (6:1). Paul argues that those who have been justified and saved by Christ have died to the power of sin, which no longer has enslaving power (vv 2, 6). The key thought here is that sin (i.e., Satan—sin personified) cannot exercise dominion over the believer (vv 9, 14); it cannot reign over him (v 12) and make him its slave (vv 17, 20).<\/p>\n<p>In addition to being liberated from God’s anger, the law, and sin, those who have been justified by faith have been freed from death, and God will give life to their mortal bodies through his Spirit (8:2, 11). If they live according to the flesh, they will die; but if they live by the Spirit, they will enjoy a liberating life (vv 6-13). Not even death will be able to separate them from the love of Christ (v 38). The Spirit leads them and helps in their human infirmity, praying and interceding for them just as Christ does (vv 14, 26, 34).<\/p>\n<p>Paul does not discuss the pragmatic application of these theological principles until chapter 12. In between, he deals with the issue of how and why the Jews could have rejected the Messiah. How is it that they, of all people on earth, with the history of God’s personal involvement with them, could have rejected the Promised One? Chapters 9–11 focus on this important question.<\/p>\n<p>Paul’s answer is fourfold. First, it was God’s purpose by election. He chose Israel, knowing what would happen in the future. These were physical Jews, Israelites, who enjoyed all the special relationships to God that an elect people could experience: sonship, glory, covenants, the law, worship, the promises, the patriarchs, and Christ (9:1-5). God had elected them just as he had chosen Jacob over Esau before either was born, just as he had hardened the heart of Pharaoh, just as the potter molds the clay into the vessel he desires (9:6-26). It had nothing to do with their character or inherent worth; it was strictly a matter of God’s purpose for them. There is no injustice on God’s part in making this choice, because it was necessary in order for God to show his power through them so that his name might be proclaimed in all the earth. He had chosen Israel to serve his purposes just as he had chosen Pharaoh and Jacob and Moses; their salvation was a matter of faith (Heb 11). After all, only a remnant of Israel ever really believed (Rom 9:27-29).<\/p>\n<p>Second, Paul argues that Israel, in rejecting the Messiah and his gospel, is following a precedent that appears repeatedly throughout history (9:30–10:21). The Jews did not seek righteousness by faith, and thus never found it. They based their righteousness on the law and thus stumbled over their own Messiah (9:30-33).<\/p>\n<p>Third, he argues that since a “remnant” of Israel has already believed the gospel, it is a clear indication that Israel as a whole will yet do so (11:1-16, 26). So, even though he says that God has rejected Israel, he argues that God has not rejected them finally and irrevocably. He has broken them off the cultivated branch of the Abrahamic promise, but he has not rejected his people. The elect (remnant) obtained what it sought, but the rest were hardened for a period of time until they could be provoked to jealousy by the Gentiles’ inclusion into the kingdom. So Israel’s alienation is not necessarily final.<\/p>\n<p>Fourth, Paul argues that since Israel’s rejection has been such a blessing for the inclusion of the Gentiles, the scenario of their conversion in large numbers would be like a resurrection from the dead. This argument runs throughout the rest of the chapter (11:17-36). The Gentiles should not be haughty, because Israel stumbled so as to make their inclusion possible (vv 17-19). Israel did not stumble just so they could fall (v 11); their fall was a blessing to Gentiles and was a part of the purpose of God. And God, who broke them off for their unbelief, will be able to regraft them back into the tree from which they were cut off, if they do not persist in their unbelief.<\/p>\n<p>Chapters 12–16 deal with the pragmatic implications of Paul’s impressive arguments. Thus the chapter begins with “I appeal to you therefore . . .” (12:1). What follows is a lengthy list of Christian virtues and responsibilities. Paul frequently includes advice in his letters so as to assist the young converts in their transition from paganism into the Judeo-Christian ethical and moral value system. He often even modifies some behavior patterns among Jewish converts. Chapter 13 discusses the important relationship that should exist between Christians in the capital city of the Roman Empire and their government officials. They should recognize that civil government is, as such, ordained by God and has a right to exist even if those who hold the offices are corrupt. They are God’s servants to execute judgment on the disobedient (13:4). Chapter 14 encourages Christians enjoying freedom in Christ to live without influencing others to violate their own consciences in various matters, such as eating meat. Nor should those with weaker consciences try to restrict others who have found this precious freedom. Mutual love and respect is the mark of a true disciple of Christ. Chapter 15 contains Paul’s travel plans and his understanding of his role as a priestly minister to Gentiles, offering their conversion to God symbolically on the altar at Jerusalem in the form of a large collection of money taken up among the Gentile churches. Chapter 16 closes typically with greetings and commendations from various individuals. Twenty-seven people are greeted by name.<\/p>\n<p><em>See also<\/em> Paul, The Apostle.<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>ROMANS, Letter to the<\/h3>\n<p>Preview<\/p>\n<p>• Author<\/p>\n<p>• Date, Origin, and Destination<\/p>\n<p>• Background<\/p>\n<p>• Audience<\/p>\n<p>• Purpose and Theological Teaching<\/p>\n<p>• Content<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"Author\">Author<\/p>\n<p>Written in the first person (Rom 1:5, 10, etc.), this epistle was authored by the apostle Paul. (The first words of the first verse are “Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called an apostle.”) The actual transcription of the letter, however, was done by Tertius (16:22), who acted as Paul’s amanuensis (secretary). The letter’s authenticity has never been disputed by reputable scholarship, liberal or conservative, and Romans stands at the head of virtually every ancient list or collection of Pauline letters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"DateOriginandDestination\">Date, Origin, and Destination<\/p>\n<p>The destination of the letter is stated to be Rome (1:7). That Paul was in Corinth at the time of the writing seems clear from his reference to Erastus in 16:23 as the treasurer of the city. An inscription in the stone pavement beside the large theater in Corinth states that it was laid by Erastus, the city treasurer, in appreciation for his election. This could hardly be coincidental. Erastus evidently remained in Corinth, because it is mentioned as his home (2 Tm 4:20). Furthermore, Paul refers to Gaius as his host at the time he wrote Romans (Rom 16:23), probably the same Gaius who lived in Corinth (1 Cor 1:14). Finally, Phoebe, likely the carrier of this epistle, was a deaconess of the church at Cenchrea, the eastern port of Corinth (Rom 16:1).<\/p>\n<p>From the epistle itself we can determine when Paul wrote it. Romans 15:23-28 indicates that Paul was just about ready to make his visit to Jerusalem with a contribution for its Christian poor from the churches of Macedonia and Achaia, after which his purpose was to visit Rome on his way to Spain (15:23-28). He carried this contribution with him from Corinth, at the close of his third visit to that city, which lasted three months (Acts 20:2, 23; 24:17). On this occasion certain persons accompanied him from Corinth, whose names are given by the historian of Acts (20:4), and four of these are expressly mentioned in this epistle as being with the apostle when he wrote it—Timothy, Sosipater, Gaius, and Erastus (Rom 16:21, 23). Paul’s visit to Jerusalem is usually dated around <span>AD<\/span> 57–58. As such, the Epistle to the Romans was written around the same time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"Background\">Background<\/p>\n<p>In a previous visit to Corinth, during his second missionary journey, Paul established the church there and remained in the city for 18 months (Acts 18:1, 11). His arrival coincided with the arrival of Priscilla and Aquila, who had recently come from Rome. At the end of his 18-month stay, Paul was brought before the newly appointed proconsul, Gallio (Acts 18:12), whose arrival can be dated from the Gallio inscription found at Delphi to the spring of <span>AD<\/span> 51. Thus, Paul arrived in Corinth in the winter of <span>AD<\/span> 49.<\/p>\n<p>Leaving the city, he returned to Antioch, gave a report on his work, and set out on his last journey to collect the contribution for Jerusalem from the Gentile churches (Rom 15:25-29), for which he had previously prepared (1 Cor 16:1; 2 Cor 9:5). Continued problems in Corinth (1 Cor 1:11; 7:1) necessitated his return to the city (Acts 20:3), at which time he wrote Romans. It is clear from the last two chapters of the letter that he planned to take the contribution to Jerusalem almost immediately and from there go on to Rome (Rom 15:23-24). The occasion for the letter, therefore, is to alert the Romans to his coming so that they can assist him in his journey to Spain (15:24, 28). Rome was the only church, other than Colosse, which Paul did not establish. His letter, consequently, does not reflect awareness of specific problems in the membership there.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"Audience\">Audience<\/p>\n<p>The Roman church at this time was composed of both Jewish and Gentile believers. The church was probably started by Jewish believers who were at Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:10) and were among the 3,000 converts. Evidently, some of these took the gospel back with them to Rome. Probably some of the believers addressed in the salutations of the epistle were Christians already of long standing, if not among the earliest converts to the Christian faith. Thus, it is not improbable that up to the time of the apostle’s arrival, the Christian community at Rome had been dependent upon its own members for the increase of its numbers, aided perhaps by occasional visits from preachers.<\/p>\n\n<p>Evidently, the gospel had gone out to Gentiles, because there were Gentiles in the church, as is evidenced by Paul’s remarks throughout the letter. In fact, it is clear that the apostle wrote to them expressly as to a Gentile church (Rom 1:13, 15; 15:15-16). Perhaps the major constituency of the Gentiles were “God-fearers” (see Acts 10:2).<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"PurposeandTheologicalTeaching\">Purpose and Theological Teaching<\/p>\n<p>Of all the epistles of Paul, this is the most elaborate and, at the same time, the most glowing. It has just as much in common with a theological treatise as with a personal, heartfelt epistle. The major theme running throughout the book is that both Jew and Gentile have fallen short of God’s glory and stand in need of salvation (Rom 3:21-31). God’s righteousness has not been revealed only to the Jew—because God is not God only to the Jews but to the Gentiles as well, since there is only one God (3:29). He will justify the Jews on the basis of the saving work of Christ at Calvary, and the Gentiles on the basis of that same act of faithfulness to Abraham’s promise (v 30). Their common faith gives them access to this grace (5:2). The gospel is thus to the Jew first and also to the Greek (1:16).<\/p>\n<p>Once a person believes, that person is justified before God (chs 1–3). This new relationship with God provides the believer with a new life in Christ and makes him or her a part of God’s people (chs 4–8). This is the deepest and most difficult part of the whole epistle; it carries us directly to the eternal springs of grace, sovereign love, and the inscrutable purposes of God. After this, we are told about the calling of the Gentiles, the preservation of a faithful Jewish remnant amidst the general unbelief and the fall of the nation, and the ultimate recovery of all Israel to constitute, with the Gentiles in the latter day, one universal church of God upon earth (chs 9–11). The remainder of the epistle is devoted to the practical application (in church life) of the truths previously revealed (chs 12–15). And then the epistle concludes with Paul’s heartfelt salutations to several different believers in Rome (ch 16).<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"Content\">Content<\/p>\n<h5>Overview<\/h5>\n<p>The thematic statement of the first eight chapters of the letter is set forth in 1:17: “It is through faith that a righteous person has life” (<span>nlt<\/span>). This quotation from Habakkuk 2:4 sets Paul’s teaching on faith over against that of the OT on works. Thus, he affirms the fact that his teaching on faith is not new but is squarely rooted in the OT prophets. What was new was that the Gentiles would be fellow citizens with the Jews on the basis of faith in Christ (Eph 3:5-6). They would not have to become proselytes to Judaism in order to be acceptable to God, as some Jewish Christians demanded (Acts 15:1). This was the mystery of which Paul spoke in Ephesians (Eph 3:6).<\/p>\n<p>The first part of the epistle dwells on the theme that righteousness is attained by faith. The first three chapters demonstrate that Jew and Gentile are under sin and that the redemption of Christ is applicable to both (Rom 3:21-22). The fourth chapter demonstrates that Abraham is the father of Gentiles as well as Jews, because he is the spiritual father of believing Israel just as he is of believing Gentiles. Then, in chapters 5–8, Paul deals with the latter part of the theme of how a justifed person <em>lives<\/em> by faith. Whether Jew or Gentile, the person who accepts the righteous acts of God on Calvary through Christ will live free from the wrath of God (ch 5), the power of sin (ch 6), the enslaving power of the law (ch 7), and the power of death (ch 8).<\/p>\n<p>In chapters 9–11, Paul discusses the nation of Israel “according to the flesh” (physical Jews) in relation to the future purpose of God, concluding that God has not cast off his people who were Israelites descended from Abraham (11:1-2). He can regraft them back into the tree from which they have been cut off, if they will accept Jesus as their Messiah (v 23).<\/p>\n<p>Then in his closing section, he discusses the implications of the first 11 chapters for everyday Christian living (chs 12–16), closing the book with a reminder of the importance of the “offering of the Gentiles” through his own ministry (ch 15).<\/p>\n<h5>In Detail<\/h5>\n<p>In the first chapter Paul argues that the pagan Gentile world was in a state of rebellion against God, and the wrath of God had been revealed against their ungodliness (1:18). Even though God had given sufficient revelation of his existence to them in the world of nature, they had nevertheless become polytheistic and idolatrous, with all the accompanying moral degradations (vv 20-23). Thus, three times Paul emphasizes that God gave them up to their lusts (v 24), to dishonorable passions (v 26), and to a base mind and improper conduct (v 28). The meaning is that he passed over their sins (3:25), overlooked their spiritual ignorance of his true existence (Acts 17:30), and did not put a stop to such idolatry (7:42).<\/p>\n<p>The Jews fared little better because, even though they had received the law of Moses containing a revelation of the will of God for their nation, they had not kept the law (2:17-29). Even the Gentiles had those among them who did by nature the things contained in the law and were acceptable because their consciences were pure (vv 14-15). For a Jew, keeping the law was insufficient unless he did so as a spiritual conviction, not as a mere legal requirement (v 29). God-fearing Gentiles who kept the essence of the law were a model for condemning the Jews who did not (vv 14, 27). However, the faithlessness of the chosen nation did not nullify the faithfulness of God to the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham (3:3). Although the Jew had every advantage over the Gentile, he was no better off because both had given themselves over to the power of sin (vv 1, 9). The situation now was that “all have sinned [both Jew and Gentile] and fall short of the glory of God” (v 23, <span>rsv<\/span>).<\/p>\n<p>God had therefore made Christ the Redeemer for the sins of the world (3:21-31). The righteousness of God had been manifested apart from the law, through the “faith of Christ” (v 22; i.e., the faithfulness of Christ to the promise) and was available to the Gentile as well as Jew on the basis of personal faith. If this righteousness were available only through keeping the commandments of the law, as good and holy as it was (7:12), then God was a God of Jews only and not of Gentiles, because the law was given to the Jews (3:29). But God is also the God of the Gentiles and justifies the Jew on the basis of Christ’s faithfulness, and the Gentile on the basis of that same faithful act. Christ died for all who believe in him (v 22). Thus God’s righteousness was manifested through Christ’s faithfulness (vv 3, 22) and provides the basis of salvation for everyone who believes (5:9).<\/p>\n<p>Several times in the fourth chapter Paul insists that Abraham was the father of the Jews and of the Gentiles (vv 11-12, 16-18). Christ’s faithfulness to the promise to Abraham that all nations (Gentiles) would be blessed through his seed (the descendants of Isaac) enabled Abraham to become the father of all nations, that is, of all who believe (v 11).<\/p>\n<p>Having laid this broad theological base, Paul then argues that the impact of this justification or righteousness is that all believers experience salvation from the wrath of God and thereby experience peace (5:1, 9). Sin entered the world through the first transgression and passed to all people (v 12). Justification, however, was brought by the second Adam, Christ, who gives salvation to those who believe and receive the abundance of his grace (vv 16-18).<\/p>\n<p>The function of the law was not to save the Jew. It was added because of transgressions (Gal 3:19); it served to intensify the awareness of sin, present in all people, to the point of transgression of the law (Rom 5:20). Sin used the law to deceive and destroy those who tried to keep it (7:11). Paul had known what it was to covet before he knew the law, but when he became subject to the dictates and penalties of the law at age 12 or 13, the commandment against covetousness became even more demanding and destroyed him (7:11). After the law was known, the penalty for its disobedience was fully applicable. Sin had been intensified because it became a transgression of the law. This very fact caused the need for greater grace, because where sin abounded, grace abounded all the more (5:20). But it would be a gross perversion of what it means to live free from wrath, law, sin, and death to argue that one should therefore continue in sin that grace may abound (6:1). Paul argues that those who have been justified and saved by Christ have died to the power of sin, which no longer has enslaving power (vv 2, 6). The key thought here is that sin (i.e., Satan—sin personified) cannot exercise dominion over the believer (vv 9, 14); it cannot reign over him (v 12) and make him its slave (vv 17, 20).<\/p>\n<p>In addition to being liberated from God’s anger, the law, and sin, those who have been justified by faith have been freed from death, and God will give life to their mortal bodies through his Spirit (8:2, 11). If they live according to the flesh, they will die; but if they live by the Spirit, they will enjoy a liberating life (vv 6-13). Not even death will be able to separate them from the love of Christ (v 38). The Spirit leads them and helps in their human infirmity, praying and interceding for them just as Christ does (vv 14, 26, 34).<\/p>\n<p>Paul does not discuss the pragmatic application of these theological principles until chapter 12. In between, he deals with the issue of how and why the Jews could have rejected the Messiah. How is it that they, of all people on earth, with the history of God’s personal involvement with them, could have rejected the Promised One? Chapters 9–11 focus on this important question.<\/p>\n<p>Paul’s answer is fourfold. First, it was God’s purpose by election. He chose Israel, knowing what would happen in the future. These were physical Jews, Israelites, who enjoyed all the special relationships to God that an elect people could experience: sonship, glory, covenants, the law, worship, the promises, the patriarchs, and Christ (9:1-5). God had elected them just as he had chosen Jacob over Esau before either was born, just as he had hardened the heart of Pharaoh, just as the potter molds the clay into the vessel he desires (9:6-26). It had nothing to do with their character or inherent worth; it was strictly a matter of God’s purpose for them. There is no injustice on God’s part in making this choice, because it was necessary in order for God to show his power through them so that his name might be proclaimed in all the earth. He had chosen Israel to serve his purposes just as he had chosen Pharaoh and Jacob and Moses; their salvation was a matter of faith (Heb 11). After all, only a remnant of Israel ever really believed (Rom 9:27-29).<\/p>\n<p>Second, Paul argues that Israel, in rejecting the Messiah and his gospel, is following a precedent that appears repeatedly throughout history (9:30–10:21). The Jews did not seek righteousness by faith, and thus never found it. They based their righteousness on the law and thus stumbled over their own Messiah (9:30-33).<\/p>\n<p>Third, he argues that since a “remnant” of Israel has already believed the gospel, it is a clear indication that Israel as a whole will yet do so (11:1-16, 26). So, even though he says that God has rejected Israel, he argues that God has not rejected them finally and irrevocably. He has broken them off the cultivated branch of the Abrahamic promise, but he has not rejected his people. The elect (remnant) obtained what it sought, but the rest were hardened for a period of time until they could be provoked to jealousy by the Gentiles’ inclusion into the kingdom. So Israel’s alienation is not necessarily final.<\/p>\n<p>Fourth, Paul argues that since Israel’s rejection has been such a blessing for the inclusion of the Gentiles, the scenario of their conversion in large numbers would be like a resurrection from the dead. This argument runs throughout the rest of the chapter (11:17-36). The Gentiles should not be haughty, because Israel stumbled so as to make their inclusion possible (vv 17-19). Israel did not stumble just so they could fall (v 11); their fall was a blessing to Gentiles and was a part of the purpose of God. And God, who broke them off for their unbelief, will be able to regraft them back into the tree from which they were cut off, if they do not persist in their unbelief.<\/p>\n<p>Chapters 12–16 deal with the pragmatic implications of Paul’s impressive arguments. Thus the chapter begins with “I appeal to you therefore . . .” (12:1). What follows is a lengthy list of Christian virtues and responsibilities. Paul frequently includes advice in his letters so as to assist the young converts in their transition from paganism into the Judeo-Christian ethical and moral value system. He often even modifies some behavior patterns among Jewish converts. Chapter 13 discusses the important relationship that should exist between Christians in the capital city of the Roman Empire and their government officials. They should recognize that civil government is, as such, ordained by God and has a right to exist even if those who hold the offices are corrupt. They are God’s servants to execute judgment on the disobedient (13:4). Chapter 14 encourages Christians enjoying freedom in Christ to live without influencing others to violate their own consciences in various matters, such as eating meat. Nor should those with weaker consciences try to restrict others who have found this precious freedom. Mutual love and respect is the mark of a true disciple of Christ. Chapter 15 contains Paul’s travel plans and his understanding of his role as a priestly minister to Gentiles, offering their conversion to God symbolically on the altar at Jerusalem in the form of a large collection of money taken up among the Gentile churches. Chapter 16 closes typically with greetings and commendations from various individuals. Twenty-seven people are greeted by name.<\/p>\n<p><em>See also<\/em> Paul, The Apostle.<\/p>","summary_ro":"ROMANS, Letter to the Preview • Author • Date, Origin, and Destination • Background • Audience • Purpose and Theological Teaching • Content Author Written in the first person (Rom 1:5, 10, etc.), this epistle was authored by the apostle Paul. (The first words of the first verse are “Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called an apostle.”) The actual transcription of the letter, however, was done by Tertius (16:22), who acted as Paul’s amanuensis (secretary). The letter’s authenticity has never bee...","summary_en":"ROMANS, Letter to the Preview • Author • Date, Origin, and Destination • Background • Audience • Purpose and Theological Teaching • Content Author Written in the first person (Rom 1:5, 10, etc.), this epistle was authored by the apostle Paul. (The first words of the first verse are “Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called an apostle.”) The actual transcription of the letter, however, was done by Tertius (16:22), who acted as Paul’s amanuensis (secretary). The letter’s authenticity has never bee...","source":"Articles\/R.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":57394,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:1","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:1","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:1–15:7<\/strong> Paul moves to a specific issue that was causing conflict in the church at Rome. The church in Rome was embroiled in a dispute between people who were <em>weak in faith<\/em> and people who were strong (see 15:1) regarding certain practices. Throughout this section, Paul instructs believers to be tolerant toward others and their practices; he is convinced that people on both sides of the issue are genuine believers, and he does not think the issues they are fighting over are essential to the faith.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:1–15:7<\/strong> Paul moves to a specific issue that was causing conflict in the church at Rome. The church in Rome was embroiled in a dispute between people who were <em>weak in faith<\/em> and people who were strong (see 15:1) regarding certain practices. Throughout this section, Paul instructs believers to be tolerant toward others and their practices; he is convinced that people on both sides of the issue are genuine believers, and he does not think the issues they are fighting over are essential to the faith.<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:1–15:7 Paul moves to a specific issue that was causing conflict in the church at Rome. The church in Rome was embroiled in a dispute between people who were weak in faith and people who were strong (see 15:1) regarding certain practices. Throughout this section, Paul instructs believers to be tolerant toward others and their practices; he is convinced that people on both sides of the issue are genuine believers, and he does not think the issues they are fighting over are essential to the f...","summary_en":"14:1–15:7 Paul moves to a specific issue that was causing conflict in the church at Rome. The church in Rome was embroiled in a dispute between people who were weak in faith and people who were strong (see 15:1) regarding certain practices. Throughout this section, Paul instructs believers to be tolerant toward others and their practices; he is convinced that people on both sides of the issue are genuine believers, and he does not think the issues they are fighting over are essential to the f...","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":57395,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:1","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:1","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:1<\/strong> Being <em>weak in faith<\/em> means having scruples against doing certain things that Christian liberty would allow. In Rome, most of the weak in faith were Jewish Christians whose consciences did not give them liberty from certain requirements of Jewish law.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:1<\/strong> Being <em>weak in faith<\/em> means having scruples against doing certain things that Christian liberty would allow. In Rome, most of the weak in faith were Jewish Christians whose consciences did not give them liberty from certain requirements of Jewish law.<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:1 Being weak in faith means having scruples against doing certain things that Christian liberty would allow. In Rome, most of the weak in faith were Jewish Christians whose consciences did not give them liberty from certain requirements of Jewish law.","summary_en":"14:1 Being weak in faith means having scruples against doing certain things that Christian liberty would allow. In Rome, most of the weak in faith were Jewish Christians whose consciences did not give them liberty from certain requirements of Jewish law.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":85020,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:1","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:1","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:1–15:7<\/strong> Paul moves to a specific issue that was causing conflict in the church at Rome. The church in Rome was embroiled in a dispute between people who were <em>weak in faith<\/em> and people who were strong (see 15:1) regarding certain practices. Throughout this section, Paul instructs believers to be tolerant toward others and their practices; he is convinced that people on both sides of the issue are genuine believers, and he does not think the issues they are fighting over are essential to the faith.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:1–15:7<\/strong> Paul moves to a specific issue that was causing conflict in the church at Rome. The church in Rome was embroiled in a dispute between people who were <em>weak in faith<\/em> and people who were strong (see 15:1) regarding certain practices. Throughout this section, Paul instructs believers to be tolerant toward others and their practices; he is convinced that people on both sides of the issue are genuine believers, and he does not think the issues they are fighting over are essential to the faith.<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:1–15:7 Paul moves to a specific issue that was causing conflict in the church at Rome. The church in Rome was embroiled in a dispute between people who were weak in faith and people who were strong (see 15:1) regarding certain practices. Throughout this section, Paul instructs believers to be tolerant toward others and their practices; he is convinced that people on both sides of the issue are genuine believers, and he does not think the issues they are fighting over are essential to the f...","summary_en":"14:1–15:7 Paul moves to a specific issue that was causing conflict in the church at Rome. The church in Rome was embroiled in a dispute between people who were weak in faith and people who were strong (see 15:1) regarding certain practices. Throughout this section, Paul instructs believers to be tolerant toward others and their practices; he is convinced that people on both sides of the issue are genuine believers, and he does not think the issues they are fighting over are essential to the f...","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":85021,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:1","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:1","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:1<\/strong> Being <em>weak in faith<\/em> means having scruples against doing certain things that Christian liberty would allow. In Rome, most of the weak in faith were Jewish Christians whose consciences did not give them liberty from certain requirements of Jewish law.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:1<\/strong> Being <em>weak in faith<\/em> means having scruples against doing certain things that Christian liberty would allow. In Rome, most of the weak in faith were Jewish Christians whose consciences did not give them liberty from certain requirements of Jewish law.<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:1 Being weak in faith means having scruples against doing certain things that Christian liberty would allow. In Rome, most of the weak in faith were Jewish Christians whose consciences did not give them liberty from certain requirements of Jewish law.","summary_en":"14:1 Being weak in faith means having scruples against doing certain things that Christian liberty would allow. In Rome, most of the weak in faith were Jewish Christians whose consciences did not give them liberty from certain requirements of Jewish law.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":112646,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:1","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:1","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:1–15:7<\/strong> Paul moves to a specific issue that was causing conflict in the church at Rome. The church in Rome was embroiled in a dispute between people who were <em>weak in faith<\/em> and people who were strong (see 15:1) regarding certain practices. Throughout this section, Paul instructs believers to be tolerant toward others and their practices; he is convinced that people on both sides of the issue are genuine believers, and he does not think the issues they are fighting over are essential to the faith.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:1–15:7<\/strong> Paul moves to a specific issue that was causing conflict in the church at Rome. The church in Rome was embroiled in a dispute between people who were <em>weak in faith<\/em> and people who were strong (see 15:1) regarding certain practices. Throughout this section, Paul instructs believers to be tolerant toward others and their practices; he is convinced that people on both sides of the issue are genuine believers, and he does not think the issues they are fighting over are essential to the faith.<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:1–15:7 Paul moves to a specific issue that was causing conflict in the church at Rome. The church in Rome was embroiled in a dispute between people who were weak in faith and people who were strong (see 15:1) regarding certain practices. Throughout this section, Paul instructs believers to be tolerant toward others and their practices; he is convinced that people on both sides of the issue are genuine believers, and he does not think the issues they are fighting over are essential to the f...","summary_en":"14:1–15:7 Paul moves to a specific issue that was causing conflict in the church at Rome. The church in Rome was embroiled in a dispute between people who were weak in faith and people who were strong (see 15:1) regarding certain practices. Throughout this section, Paul instructs believers to be tolerant toward others and their practices; he is convinced that people on both sides of the issue are genuine believers, and he does not think the issues they are fighting over are essential to the f...","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":112647,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:1","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:1","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:1<\/strong> Being <em>weak in faith<\/em> means having scruples against doing certain things that Christian liberty would allow. In Rome, most of the weak in faith were Jewish Christians whose consciences did not give them liberty from certain requirements of Jewish law.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:1<\/strong> Being <em>weak in faith<\/em> means having scruples against doing certain things that Christian liberty would allow. In Rome, most of the weak in faith were Jewish Christians whose consciences did not give them liberty from certain requirements of Jewish law.<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:1 Being weak in faith means having scruples against doing certain things that Christian liberty would allow. In Rome, most of the weak in faith were Jewish Christians whose consciences did not give them liberty from certain requirements of Jewish law.","summary_en":"14:1 Being weak in faith means having scruples against doing certain things that Christian liberty would allow. In Rome, most of the weak in faith were Jewish Christians whose consciences did not give them liberty from certain requirements of Jewish law.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":140272,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:1","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:1","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:1–15:7<\/strong> Paul moves to a specific issue that was causing conflict in the church at Rome. The church in Rome was embroiled in a dispute between people who were <em>weak in faith<\/em> and people who were strong (see 15:1) regarding certain practices. Throughout this section, Paul instructs believers to be tolerant toward others and their practices; he is convinced that people on both sides of the issue are genuine believers, and he does not think the issues they are fighting over are essential to the faith.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:1–15:7<\/strong> Paul moves to a specific issue that was causing conflict in the church at Rome. The church in Rome was embroiled in a dispute between people who were <em>weak in faith<\/em> and people who were strong (see 15:1) regarding certain practices. Throughout this section, Paul instructs believers to be tolerant toward others and their practices; he is convinced that people on both sides of the issue are genuine believers, and he does not think the issues they are fighting over are essential to the faith.<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:1–15:7 Paul moves to a specific issue that was causing conflict in the church at Rome. The church in Rome was embroiled in a dispute between people who were weak in faith and people who were strong (see 15:1) regarding certain practices. Throughout this section, Paul instructs believers to be tolerant toward others and their practices; he is convinced that people on both sides of the issue are genuine believers, and he does not think the issues they are fighting over are essential to the f...","summary_en":"14:1–15:7 Paul moves to a specific issue that was causing conflict in the church at Rome. The church in Rome was embroiled in a dispute between people who were weak in faith and people who were strong (see 15:1) regarding certain practices. Throughout this section, Paul instructs believers to be tolerant toward others and their practices; he is convinced that people on both sides of the issue are genuine believers, and he does not think the issues they are fighting over are essential to the f...","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":140273,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:1","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:1","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:1<\/strong> Being <em>weak in faith<\/em> means having scruples against doing certain things that Christian liberty would allow. In Rome, most of the weak in faith were Jewish Christians whose consciences did not give them liberty from certain requirements of Jewish law.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:1<\/strong> Being <em>weak in faith<\/em> means having scruples against doing certain things that Christian liberty would allow. In Rome, most of the weak in faith were Jewish Christians whose consciences did not give them liberty from certain requirements of Jewish law.<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:1 Being weak in faith means having scruples against doing certain things that Christian liberty would allow. In Rome, most of the weak in faith were Jewish Christians whose consciences did not give them liberty from certain requirements of Jewish law.","summary_en":"14:1 Being weak in faith means having scruples against doing certain things that Christian liberty would allow. In Rome, most of the weak in faith were Jewish Christians whose consciences did not give them liberty from certain requirements of Jewish law.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":66913,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"Tolerance","title_en":"Tolerance","content_ro":"<h3>Tolerance<\/h3>\n<p>Paul pleads for tolerance between those who are weak in faith and those who are strong in faith, and he teaches that believers need to accept each other (Rom 14:1; 15:7). He instructs them to stop condemning and belittling each other. Rather, they should learn to worship God with a united voice and spirit (Rom 15:6).<\/p>\n<p>Paul is addressing the specific issue of whether believers need to practice certain requirements of the Old Testament law and of Jewish worship. Theologians have used the Greek word <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">adiaphora<\/span> (“non-essentials”) to describe beliefs or practices that are neither required nor prohibited by Scripture. On such issues, Christians must accommodate a variety of opinions. And sometimes, believers may feel free to participate in certain activities, but to do so would cause problems for others. In such cases, Paul instructs believers to take into account the needs of others before their own (see 1 Cor 8:1-13).<\/p>\n<p>Paul takes a very different approach regarding tolerance when the Good News itself is at stake. In Galatians, for example, Paul confronts false teaching about the Good News by severely castigating the false teachers (Gal 1:6-9) and by warning readers that adopting false teaching will alienate them from Christ (Gal 5:4).<\/p>\n<p>In our day, we need to be careful about what we tolerate and accommodate, and we need to be equally careful about what we decide is worthy of confrontation. Believers need to consider carefully the different issues they confront in their associations with other believers. If the basic truth of the Good News is not violated, we should not quarrel or be divided over such issues. Other issues, however, strike at the heart of the message of Good News. In these cases, Christians need to take a stand and be faithful to the Good News and to Christ. In some cases, it is challenging to discern whether a particular issue is a central, core issue or whether it is a peripheral matter that is important to discuss but not essential for Christian fellowship. The way Paul himself dealt with a variety of issues in his own time can serve as a guide for dealing with conflicts and controversies in our time.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Ps 133:1-3; Rom 12:9-21; 14:1–15:13; 1 Cor 1:10; 6:1-20; 8:1-13; 10:1–11:1; 12:12-27; 13:1-8; 2 Cor 6:14–7:1; Col 3:12-15; 2 Tim 2:23-26<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>Tolerance<\/h3>\n<p>Paul pleads for tolerance between those who are weak in faith and those who are strong in faith, and he teaches that believers need to accept each other (Rom 14:1; 15:7). He instructs them to stop condemning and belittling each other. Rather, they should learn to worship God with a united voice and spirit (Rom 15:6).<\/p>\n<p>Paul is addressing the specific issue of whether believers need to practice certain requirements of the Old Testament law and of Jewish worship. Theologians have used the Greek word <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">adiaphora<\/span> (“non-essentials”) to describe beliefs or practices that are neither required nor prohibited by Scripture. On such issues, Christians must accommodate a variety of opinions. And sometimes, believers may feel free to participate in certain activities, but to do so would cause problems for others. In such cases, Paul instructs believers to take into account the needs of others before their own (see 1 Cor 8:1-13).<\/p>\n<p>Paul takes a very different approach regarding tolerance when the Good News itself is at stake. In Galatians, for example, Paul confronts false teaching about the Good News by severely castigating the false teachers (Gal 1:6-9) and by warning readers that adopting false teaching will alienate them from Christ (Gal 5:4).<\/p>\n<p>In our day, we need to be careful about what we tolerate and accommodate, and we need to be equally careful about what we decide is worthy of confrontation. Believers need to consider carefully the different issues they confront in their associations with other believers. If the basic truth of the Good News is not violated, we should not quarrel or be divided over such issues. Other issues, however, strike at the heart of the message of Good News. In these cases, Christians need to take a stand and be faithful to the Good News and to Christ. In some cases, it is challenging to discern whether a particular issue is a central, core issue or whether it is a peripheral matter that is important to discuss but not essential for Christian fellowship. The way Paul himself dealt with a variety of issues in his own time can serve as a guide for dealing with conflicts and controversies in our time.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Ps 133:1-3; Rom 12:9-21; 14:1–15:13; 1 Cor 1:10; 6:1-20; 8:1-13; 10:1–11:1; 12:12-27; 13:1-8; 2 Cor 6:14–7:1; Col 3:12-15; 2 Tim 2:23-26<\/p>","summary_ro":"Tolerance Paul pleads for tolerance between those who are weak in faith and those who are strong in faith, and he teaches that believers need to accept each other (Rom 14:1; 15:7). He instructs them to stop condemning and belittling each other. Rather, they should learn to worship God with a united voice and spirit (Rom 15:6). Paul is addressing the specific issue of whether believers need to practice certain requirements of the Old Testament law and of Jewish worship. Theologians have used t...","summary_en":"Tolerance Paul pleads for tolerance between those who are weak in faith and those who are strong in faith, and he teaches that believers need to accept each other (Rom 14:1; 15:7). He instructs them to stop condemning and belittling each other. Rather, they should learn to worship God with a united voice and spirit (Rom 15:6). Paul is addressing the specific issue of whether believers need to practice certain requirements of the Old Testament law and of Jewish worship. Theologians have used t...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":94539,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"Tolerance","title_en":"Tolerance","content_ro":"<h3>Tolerance<\/h3>\n<p>Paul pleads for tolerance between those who are weak in faith and those who are strong in faith, and he teaches that believers need to accept each other (Rom 14:1; 15:7). He instructs them to stop condemning and belittling each other. Rather, they should learn to worship God with a united voice and spirit (Rom 15:6).<\/p>\n<p>Paul is addressing the specific issue of whether believers need to practice certain requirements of the Old Testament law and of Jewish worship. Theologians have used the Greek word <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">adiaphora<\/span> (“non-essentials”) to describe beliefs or practices that are neither required nor prohibited by Scripture. On such issues, Christians must accommodate a variety of opinions. And sometimes, believers may feel free to participate in certain activities, but to do so would cause problems for others. In such cases, Paul instructs believers to take into account the needs of others before their own (see 1 Cor 8:1-13).<\/p>\n<p>Paul takes a very different approach regarding tolerance when the Good News itself is at stake. In Galatians, for example, Paul confronts false teaching about the Good News by severely castigating the false teachers (Gal 1:6-9) and by warning readers that adopting false teaching will alienate them from Christ (Gal 5:4).<\/p>\n<p>In our day, we need to be careful about what we tolerate and accommodate, and we need to be equally careful about what we decide is worthy of confrontation. Believers need to consider carefully the different issues they confront in their associations with other believers. If the basic truth of the Good News is not violated, we should not quarrel or be divided over such issues. Other issues, however, strike at the heart of the message of Good News. In these cases, Christians need to take a stand and be faithful to the Good News and to Christ. In some cases, it is challenging to discern whether a particular issue is a central, core issue or whether it is a peripheral matter that is important to discuss but not essential for Christian fellowship. The way Paul himself dealt with a variety of issues in his own time can serve as a guide for dealing with conflicts and controversies in our time.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Ps 133:1-3; Rom 12:9-21; 14:1–15:13; 1 Cor 1:10; 6:1-20; 8:1-13; 10:1–11:1; 12:12-27; 13:1-8; 2 Cor 6:14–7:1; Col 3:12-15; 2 Tim 2:23-26<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>Tolerance<\/h3>\n<p>Paul pleads for tolerance between those who are weak in faith and those who are strong in faith, and he teaches that believers need to accept each other (Rom 14:1; 15:7). He instructs them to stop condemning and belittling each other. Rather, they should learn to worship God with a united voice and spirit (Rom 15:6).<\/p>\n<p>Paul is addressing the specific issue of whether believers need to practice certain requirements of the Old Testament law and of Jewish worship. Theologians have used the Greek word <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">adiaphora<\/span> (“non-essentials”) to describe beliefs or practices that are neither required nor prohibited by Scripture. On such issues, Christians must accommodate a variety of opinions. And sometimes, believers may feel free to participate in certain activities, but to do so would cause problems for others. In such cases, Paul instructs believers to take into account the needs of others before their own (see 1 Cor 8:1-13).<\/p>\n<p>Paul takes a very different approach regarding tolerance when the Good News itself is at stake. In Galatians, for example, Paul confronts false teaching about the Good News by severely castigating the false teachers (Gal 1:6-9) and by warning readers that adopting false teaching will alienate them from Christ (Gal 5:4).<\/p>\n<p>In our day, we need to be careful about what we tolerate and accommodate, and we need to be equally careful about what we decide is worthy of confrontation. Believers need to consider carefully the different issues they confront in their associations with other believers. If the basic truth of the Good News is not violated, we should not quarrel or be divided over such issues. Other issues, however, strike at the heart of the message of Good News. In these cases, Christians need to take a stand and be faithful to the Good News and to Christ. In some cases, it is challenging to discern whether a particular issue is a central, core issue or whether it is a peripheral matter that is important to discuss but not essential for Christian fellowship. The way Paul himself dealt with a variety of issues in his own time can serve as a guide for dealing with conflicts and controversies in our time.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Ps 133:1-3; Rom 12:9-21; 14:1–15:13; 1 Cor 1:10; 6:1-20; 8:1-13; 10:1–11:1; 12:12-27; 13:1-8; 2 Cor 6:14–7:1; Col 3:12-15; 2 Tim 2:23-26<\/p>","summary_ro":"Tolerance Paul pleads for tolerance between those who are weak in faith and those who are strong in faith, and he teaches that believers need to accept each other (Rom 14:1; 15:7). He instructs them to stop condemning and belittling each other. Rather, they should learn to worship God with a united voice and spirit (Rom 15:6). Paul is addressing the specific issue of whether believers need to practice certain requirements of the Old Testament law and of Jewish worship. Theologians have used t...","summary_en":"Tolerance Paul pleads for tolerance between those who are weak in faith and those who are strong in faith, and he teaches that believers need to accept each other (Rom 14:1; 15:7). He instructs them to stop condemning and belittling each other. Rather, they should learn to worship God with a united voice and spirit (Rom 15:6). Paul is addressing the specific issue of whether believers need to practice certain requirements of the Old Testament law and of Jewish worship. Theologians have used t...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":122165,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"Tolerance","title_en":"Tolerance","content_ro":"<h3>Tolerance<\/h3>\n<p>Paul pleads for tolerance between those who are weak in faith and those who are strong in faith, and he teaches that believers need to accept each other (Rom 14:1; 15:7). He instructs them to stop condemning and belittling each other. Rather, they should learn to worship God with a united voice and spirit (Rom 15:6).<\/p>\n<p>Paul is addressing the specific issue of whether believers need to practice certain requirements of the Old Testament law and of Jewish worship. Theologians have used the Greek word <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">adiaphora<\/span> (“non-essentials”) to describe beliefs or practices that are neither required nor prohibited by Scripture. On such issues, Christians must accommodate a variety of opinions. And sometimes, believers may feel free to participate in certain activities, but to do so would cause problems for others. In such cases, Paul instructs believers to take into account the needs of others before their own (see 1 Cor 8:1-13).<\/p>\n<p>Paul takes a very different approach regarding tolerance when the Good News itself is at stake. In Galatians, for example, Paul confronts false teaching about the Good News by severely castigating the false teachers (Gal 1:6-9) and by warning readers that adopting false teaching will alienate them from Christ (Gal 5:4).<\/p>\n<p>In our day, we need to be careful about what we tolerate and accommodate, and we need to be equally careful about what we decide is worthy of confrontation. Believers need to consider carefully the different issues they confront in their associations with other believers. If the basic truth of the Good News is not violated, we should not quarrel or be divided over such issues. Other issues, however, strike at the heart of the message of Good News. In these cases, Christians need to take a stand and be faithful to the Good News and to Christ. In some cases, it is challenging to discern whether a particular issue is a central, core issue or whether it is a peripheral matter that is important to discuss but not essential for Christian fellowship. The way Paul himself dealt with a variety of issues in his own time can serve as a guide for dealing with conflicts and controversies in our time.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Ps 133:1-3; Rom 12:9-21; 14:1–15:13; 1 Cor 1:10; 6:1-20; 8:1-13; 10:1–11:1; 12:12-27; 13:1-8; 2 Cor 6:14–7:1; Col 3:12-15; 2 Tim 2:23-26<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>Tolerance<\/h3>\n<p>Paul pleads for tolerance between those who are weak in faith and those who are strong in faith, and he teaches that believers need to accept each other (Rom 14:1; 15:7). He instructs them to stop condemning and belittling each other. Rather, they should learn to worship God with a united voice and spirit (Rom 15:6).<\/p>\n<p>Paul is addressing the specific issue of whether believers need to practice certain requirements of the Old Testament law and of Jewish worship. Theologians have used the Greek word <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">adiaphora<\/span> (“non-essentials”) to describe beliefs or practices that are neither required nor prohibited by Scripture. On such issues, Christians must accommodate a variety of opinions. And sometimes, believers may feel free to participate in certain activities, but to do so would cause problems for others. In such cases, Paul instructs believers to take into account the needs of others before their own (see 1 Cor 8:1-13).<\/p>\n<p>Paul takes a very different approach regarding tolerance when the Good News itself is at stake. In Galatians, for example, Paul confronts false teaching about the Good News by severely castigating the false teachers (Gal 1:6-9) and by warning readers that adopting false teaching will alienate them from Christ (Gal 5:4).<\/p>\n<p>In our day, we need to be careful about what we tolerate and accommodate, and we need to be equally careful about what we decide is worthy of confrontation. Believers need to consider carefully the different issues they confront in their associations with other believers. If the basic truth of the Good News is not violated, we should not quarrel or be divided over such issues. Other issues, however, strike at the heart of the message of Good News. In these cases, Christians need to take a stand and be faithful to the Good News and to Christ. In some cases, it is challenging to discern whether a particular issue is a central, core issue or whether it is a peripheral matter that is important to discuss but not essential for Christian fellowship. The way Paul himself dealt with a variety of issues in his own time can serve as a guide for dealing with conflicts and controversies in our time.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Ps 133:1-3; Rom 12:9-21; 14:1–15:13; 1 Cor 1:10; 6:1-20; 8:1-13; 10:1–11:1; 12:12-27; 13:1-8; 2 Cor 6:14–7:1; Col 3:12-15; 2 Tim 2:23-26<\/p>","summary_ro":"Tolerance Paul pleads for tolerance between those who are weak in faith and those who are strong in faith, and he teaches that believers need to accept each other (Rom 14:1; 15:7). He instructs them to stop condemning and belittling each other. Rather, they should learn to worship God with a united voice and spirit (Rom 15:6). Paul is addressing the specific issue of whether believers need to practice certain requirements of the Old Testament law and of Jewish worship. Theologians have used t...","summary_en":"Tolerance Paul pleads for tolerance between those who are weak in faith and those who are strong in faith, and he teaches that believers need to accept each other (Rom 14:1; 15:7). He instructs them to stop condemning and belittling each other. Rather, they should learn to worship God with a united voice and spirit (Rom 15:6). Paul is addressing the specific issue of whether believers need to practice certain requirements of the Old Testament law and of Jewish worship. Theologians have used t...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":149791,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"Tolerance","title_en":"Tolerance","content_ro":"<h3>Tolerance<\/h3>\n<p>Paul pleads for tolerance between those who are weak in faith and those who are strong in faith, and he teaches that believers need to accept each other (Rom 14:1; 15:7). He instructs them to stop condemning and belittling each other. Rather, they should learn to worship God with a united voice and spirit (Rom 15:6).<\/p>\n<p>Paul is addressing the specific issue of whether believers need to practice certain requirements of the Old Testament law and of Jewish worship. Theologians have used the Greek word <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">adiaphora<\/span> (“non-essentials”) to describe beliefs or practices that are neither required nor prohibited by Scripture. On such issues, Christians must accommodate a variety of opinions. And sometimes, believers may feel free to participate in certain activities, but to do so would cause problems for others. In such cases, Paul instructs believers to take into account the needs of others before their own (see 1 Cor 8:1-13).<\/p>\n<p>Paul takes a very different approach regarding tolerance when the Good News itself is at stake. In Galatians, for example, Paul confronts false teaching about the Good News by severely castigating the false teachers (Gal 1:6-9) and by warning readers that adopting false teaching will alienate them from Christ (Gal 5:4).<\/p>\n<p>In our day, we need to be careful about what we tolerate and accommodate, and we need to be equally careful about what we decide is worthy of confrontation. Believers need to consider carefully the different issues they confront in their associations with other believers. If the basic truth of the Good News is not violated, we should not quarrel or be divided over such issues. Other issues, however, strike at the heart of the message of Good News. In these cases, Christians need to take a stand and be faithful to the Good News and to Christ. In some cases, it is challenging to discern whether a particular issue is a central, core issue or whether it is a peripheral matter that is important to discuss but not essential for Christian fellowship. The way Paul himself dealt with a variety of issues in his own time can serve as a guide for dealing with conflicts and controversies in our time.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Ps 133:1-3; Rom 12:9-21; 14:1–15:13; 1 Cor 1:10; 6:1-20; 8:1-13; 10:1–11:1; 12:12-27; 13:1-8; 2 Cor 6:14–7:1; Col 3:12-15; 2 Tim 2:23-26<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>Tolerance<\/h3>\n<p>Paul pleads for tolerance between those who are weak in faith and those who are strong in faith, and he teaches that believers need to accept each other (Rom 14:1; 15:7). He instructs them to stop condemning and belittling each other. Rather, they should learn to worship God with a united voice and spirit (Rom 15:6).<\/p>\n<p>Paul is addressing the specific issue of whether believers need to practice certain requirements of the Old Testament law and of Jewish worship. Theologians have used the Greek word <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">adiaphora<\/span> (“non-essentials”) to describe beliefs or practices that are neither required nor prohibited by Scripture. On such issues, Christians must accommodate a variety of opinions. And sometimes, believers may feel free to participate in certain activities, but to do so would cause problems for others. In such cases, Paul instructs believers to take into account the needs of others before their own (see 1 Cor 8:1-13).<\/p>\n<p>Paul takes a very different approach regarding tolerance when the Good News itself is at stake. In Galatians, for example, Paul confronts false teaching about the Good News by severely castigating the false teachers (Gal 1:6-9) and by warning readers that adopting false teaching will alienate them from Christ (Gal 5:4).<\/p>\n<p>In our day, we need to be careful about what we tolerate and accommodate, and we need to be equally careful about what we decide is worthy of confrontation. Believers need to consider carefully the different issues they confront in their associations with other believers. If the basic truth of the Good News is not violated, we should not quarrel or be divided over such issues. Other issues, however, strike at the heart of the message of Good News. In these cases, Christians need to take a stand and be faithful to the Good News and to Christ. In some cases, it is challenging to discern whether a particular issue is a central, core issue or whether it is a peripheral matter that is important to discuss but not essential for Christian fellowship. The way Paul himself dealt with a variety of issues in his own time can serve as a guide for dealing with conflicts and controversies in our time.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Ps 133:1-3; Rom 12:9-21; 14:1–15:13; 1 Cor 1:10; 6:1-20; 8:1-13; 10:1–11:1; 12:12-27; 13:1-8; 2 Cor 6:14–7:1; Col 3:12-15; 2 Tim 2:23-26<\/p>","summary_ro":"Tolerance Paul pleads for tolerance between those who are weak in faith and those who are strong in faith, and he teaches that believers need to accept each other (Rom 14:1; 15:7). He instructs them to stop condemning and belittling each other. Rather, they should learn to worship God with a united voice and spirit (Rom 15:6). Paul is addressing the specific issue of whether believers need to practice certain requirements of the Old Testament law and of Jewish worship. Theologians have used t...","summary_en":"Tolerance Paul pleads for tolerance between those who are weak in faith and those who are strong in faith, and he teaches that believers need to accept each other (Rom 14:1; 15:7). He instructs them to stop condemning and belittling each other. Rather, they should learn to worship God with a united voice and spirit (Rom 15:6). Paul is addressing the specific issue of whether believers need to practice certain requirements of the Old Testament law and of Jewish worship. Theologians have used t...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false}],"2":[{"id":57396,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:2","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:2","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:2<\/strong> The weak in faith apparently believed that they should <em>eat only vegetables<\/em>. Their conviction probably stemmed from a concern to maintain Jewish ritual purity in the midst of a pagan culture. These Jewish Christians were following the lead of Daniel and his friends, who refused to eat the rich food and wine that the king of Babylon offered them (Dan 1:3-16). Other Jewish sources reveal that pious Jews often restricted their diets in pagan cultures because they could never be sure that meat had been slaughtered according to Jewish requirements.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:2<\/strong> The weak in faith apparently believed that they should <em>eat only vegetables<\/em>. Their conviction probably stemmed from a concern to maintain Jewish ritual purity in the midst of a pagan culture. These Jewish Christians were following the lead of Daniel and his friends, who refused to eat the rich food and wine that the king of Babylon offered them (Dan 1:3-16). Other Jewish sources reveal that pious Jews often restricted their diets in pagan cultures because they could never be sure that meat had been slaughtered according to Jewish requirements.<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:2 The weak in faith apparently believed that they should eat only vegetables. Their conviction probably stemmed from a concern to maintain Jewish ritual purity in the midst of a pagan culture. These Jewish Christians were following the lead of Daniel and his friends, who refused to eat the rich food and wine that the king of Babylon offered them (Dan 1:3-16). Other Jewish sources reveal that pious Jews often restricted their diets in pagan cultures because they could never be sure that mea...","summary_en":"14:2 The weak in faith apparently believed that they should eat only vegetables. Their conviction probably stemmed from a concern to maintain Jewish ritual purity in the midst of a pagan culture. These Jewish Christians were following the lead of Daniel and his friends, who refused to eat the rich food and wine that the king of Babylon offered them (Dan 1:3-16). Other Jewish sources reveal that pious Jews often restricted their diets in pagan cultures because they could never be sure that mea...","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":85022,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:2","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:2","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:2<\/strong> The weak in faith apparently believed that they should <em>eat only vegetables<\/em>. Their conviction probably stemmed from a concern to maintain Jewish ritual purity in the midst of a pagan culture. These Jewish Christians were following the lead of Daniel and his friends, who refused to eat the rich food and wine that the king of Babylon offered them (Dan 1:3-16). Other Jewish sources reveal that pious Jews often restricted their diets in pagan cultures because they could never be sure that meat had been slaughtered according to Jewish requirements.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:2<\/strong> The weak in faith apparently believed that they should <em>eat only vegetables<\/em>. Their conviction probably stemmed from a concern to maintain Jewish ritual purity in the midst of a pagan culture. These Jewish Christians were following the lead of Daniel and his friends, who refused to eat the rich food and wine that the king of Babylon offered them (Dan 1:3-16). Other Jewish sources reveal that pious Jews often restricted their diets in pagan cultures because they could never be sure that meat had been slaughtered according to Jewish requirements.<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:2 The weak in faith apparently believed that they should eat only vegetables. Their conviction probably stemmed from a concern to maintain Jewish ritual purity in the midst of a pagan culture. These Jewish Christians were following the lead of Daniel and his friends, who refused to eat the rich food and wine that the king of Babylon offered them (Dan 1:3-16). Other Jewish sources reveal that pious Jews often restricted their diets in pagan cultures because they could never be sure that mea...","summary_en":"14:2 The weak in faith apparently believed that they should eat only vegetables. Their conviction probably stemmed from a concern to maintain Jewish ritual purity in the midst of a pagan culture. These Jewish Christians were following the lead of Daniel and his friends, who refused to eat the rich food and wine that the king of Babylon offered them (Dan 1:3-16). Other Jewish sources reveal that pious Jews often restricted their diets in pagan cultures because they could never be sure that mea...","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":112648,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:2","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:2","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:2<\/strong> The weak in faith apparently believed that they should <em>eat only vegetables<\/em>. Their conviction probably stemmed from a concern to maintain Jewish ritual purity in the midst of a pagan culture. These Jewish Christians were following the lead of Daniel and his friends, who refused to eat the rich food and wine that the king of Babylon offered them (Dan 1:3-16). Other Jewish sources reveal that pious Jews often restricted their diets in pagan cultures because they could never be sure that meat had been slaughtered according to Jewish requirements.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:2<\/strong> The weak in faith apparently believed that they should <em>eat only vegetables<\/em>. Their conviction probably stemmed from a concern to maintain Jewish ritual purity in the midst of a pagan culture. These Jewish Christians were following the lead of Daniel and his friends, who refused to eat the rich food and wine that the king of Babylon offered them (Dan 1:3-16). Other Jewish sources reveal that pious Jews often restricted their diets in pagan cultures because they could never be sure that meat had been slaughtered according to Jewish requirements.<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:2 The weak in faith apparently believed that they should eat only vegetables. Their conviction probably stemmed from a concern to maintain Jewish ritual purity in the midst of a pagan culture. These Jewish Christians were following the lead of Daniel and his friends, who refused to eat the rich food and wine that the king of Babylon offered them (Dan 1:3-16). Other Jewish sources reveal that pious Jews often restricted their diets in pagan cultures because they could never be sure that mea...","summary_en":"14:2 The weak in faith apparently believed that they should eat only vegetables. Their conviction probably stemmed from a concern to maintain Jewish ritual purity in the midst of a pagan culture. These Jewish Christians were following the lead of Daniel and his friends, who refused to eat the rich food and wine that the king of Babylon offered them (Dan 1:3-16). Other Jewish sources reveal that pious Jews often restricted their diets in pagan cultures because they could never be sure that mea...","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":140274,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:2","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:2","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:2<\/strong> The weak in faith apparently believed that they should <em>eat only vegetables<\/em>. Their conviction probably stemmed from a concern to maintain Jewish ritual purity in the midst of a pagan culture. These Jewish Christians were following the lead of Daniel and his friends, who refused to eat the rich food and wine that the king of Babylon offered them (Dan 1:3-16). Other Jewish sources reveal that pious Jews often restricted their diets in pagan cultures because they could never be sure that meat had been slaughtered according to Jewish requirements.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:2<\/strong> The weak in faith apparently believed that they should <em>eat only vegetables<\/em>. Their conviction probably stemmed from a concern to maintain Jewish ritual purity in the midst of a pagan culture. These Jewish Christians were following the lead of Daniel and his friends, who refused to eat the rich food and wine that the king of Babylon offered them (Dan 1:3-16). Other Jewish sources reveal that pious Jews often restricted their diets in pagan cultures because they could never be sure that meat had been slaughtered according to Jewish requirements.<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:2 The weak in faith apparently believed that they should eat only vegetables. Their conviction probably stemmed from a concern to maintain Jewish ritual purity in the midst of a pagan culture. These Jewish Christians were following the lead of Daniel and his friends, who refused to eat the rich food and wine that the king of Babylon offered them (Dan 1:3-16). Other Jewish sources reveal that pious Jews often restricted their diets in pagan cultures because they could never be sure that mea...","summary_en":"14:2 The weak in faith apparently believed that they should eat only vegetables. Their conviction probably stemmed from a concern to maintain Jewish ritual purity in the midst of a pagan culture. These Jewish Christians were following the lead of Daniel and his friends, who refused to eat the rich food and wine that the king of Babylon offered them (Dan 1:3-16). Other Jewish sources reveal that pious Jews often restricted their diets in pagan cultures because they could never be sure that mea...","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false}],"3":[{"id":57397,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:3","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:3","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:3-4<\/strong> <em>look down on . . . condemn:<\/em> The “strong,” those who prided themselves on their enlightened freedom in Christ, looked with disdain on those they considered to be “weak.” The weak, in turn—certain that they were following the true route to piety—condemned the strong for their laxness. These attitudes, over different issues, are mirrored throughout the history of the Christian church. • <em>God has accepted them:<\/em> Both the weak and the strong are genuine believers, welcomed by God into his family. Therefore, they have no right to treat each other as if they do not belong (14:4; see also 15:7).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:3-4<\/strong> <em>look down on . . . condemn:<\/em> The “strong,” those who prided themselves on their enlightened freedom in Christ, looked with disdain on those they considered to be “weak.” The weak, in turn—certain that they were following the true route to piety—condemned the strong for their laxness. These attitudes, over different issues, are mirrored throughout the history of the Christian church. • <em>God has accepted them:<\/em> Both the weak and the strong are genuine believers, welcomed by God into his family. Therefore, they have no right to treat each other as if they do not belong (14:4; see also 15:7).<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:3-4 look down on . . . condemn: The “strong,” those who prided themselves on their enlightened freedom in Christ, looked with disdain on those they considered to be “weak.” The weak, in turn—certain that they were following the true route to piety—condemned the strong for their laxness. These attitudes, over different issues, are mirrored throughout the history of the Christian church. • God has accepted them: Both the weak and the strong are genuine believers, welcomed by God into his fam...","summary_en":"14:3-4 look down on . . . condemn: The “strong,” those who prided themselves on their enlightened freedom in Christ, looked with disdain on those they considered to be “weak.” The weak, in turn—certain that they were following the true route to piety—condemned the strong for their laxness. These attitudes, over different issues, are mirrored throughout the history of the Christian church. • God has accepted them: Both the weak and the strong are genuine believers, welcomed by God into his fam...","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":85023,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:3","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:3","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:3-4<\/strong> <em>look down on . . . condemn:<\/em> The “strong,” those who prided themselves on their enlightened freedom in Christ, looked with disdain on those they considered to be “weak.” The weak, in turn—certain that they were following the true route to piety—condemned the strong for their laxness. These attitudes, over different issues, are mirrored throughout the history of the Christian church. • <em>God has accepted them:<\/em> Both the weak and the strong are genuine believers, welcomed by God into his family. Therefore, they have no right to treat each other as if they do not belong (14:4; see also 15:7).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:3-4<\/strong> <em>look down on . . . condemn:<\/em> The “strong,” those who prided themselves on their enlightened freedom in Christ, looked with disdain on those they considered to be “weak.” The weak, in turn—certain that they were following the true route to piety—condemned the strong for their laxness. These attitudes, over different issues, are mirrored throughout the history of the Christian church. • <em>God has accepted them:<\/em> Both the weak and the strong are genuine believers, welcomed by God into his family. Therefore, they have no right to treat each other as if they do not belong (14:4; see also 15:7).<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:3-4 look down on . . . condemn: The “strong,” those who prided themselves on their enlightened freedom in Christ, looked with disdain on those they considered to be “weak.” The weak, in turn—certain that they were following the true route to piety—condemned the strong for their laxness. These attitudes, over different issues, are mirrored throughout the history of the Christian church. • God has accepted them: Both the weak and the strong are genuine believers, welcomed by God into his fam...","summary_en":"14:3-4 look down on . . . condemn: The “strong,” those who prided themselves on their enlightened freedom in Christ, looked with disdain on those they considered to be “weak.” The weak, in turn—certain that they were following the true route to piety—condemned the strong for their laxness. These attitudes, over different issues, are mirrored throughout the history of the Christian church. • God has accepted them: Both the weak and the strong are genuine believers, welcomed by God into his fam...","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":112649,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:3","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:3","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:3-4<\/strong> <em>look down on . . . condemn:<\/em> The “strong,” those who prided themselves on their enlightened freedom in Christ, looked with disdain on those they considered to be “weak.” The weak, in turn—certain that they were following the true route to piety—condemned the strong for their laxness. These attitudes, over different issues, are mirrored throughout the history of the Christian church. • <em>God has accepted them:<\/em> Both the weak and the strong are genuine believers, welcomed by God into his family. Therefore, they have no right to treat each other as if they do not belong (14:4; see also 15:7).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:3-4<\/strong> <em>look down on . . . condemn:<\/em> The “strong,” those who prided themselves on their enlightened freedom in Christ, looked with disdain on those they considered to be “weak.” The weak, in turn—certain that they were following the true route to piety—condemned the strong for their laxness. These attitudes, over different issues, are mirrored throughout the history of the Christian church. • <em>God has accepted them:<\/em> Both the weak and the strong are genuine believers, welcomed by God into his family. Therefore, they have no right to treat each other as if they do not belong (14:4; see also 15:7).<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:3-4 look down on . . . condemn: The “strong,” those who prided themselves on their enlightened freedom in Christ, looked with disdain on those they considered to be “weak.” The weak, in turn—certain that they were following the true route to piety—condemned the strong for their laxness. These attitudes, over different issues, are mirrored throughout the history of the Christian church. • God has accepted them: Both the weak and the strong are genuine believers, welcomed by God into his fam...","summary_en":"14:3-4 look down on . . . condemn: The “strong,” those who prided themselves on their enlightened freedom in Christ, looked with disdain on those they considered to be “weak.” The weak, in turn—certain that they were following the true route to piety—condemned the strong for their laxness. These attitudes, over different issues, are mirrored throughout the history of the Christian church. • God has accepted them: Both the weak and the strong are genuine believers, welcomed by God into his fam...","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":140275,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:3","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:3","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:3-4<\/strong> <em>look down on . . . condemn:<\/em> The “strong,” those who prided themselves on their enlightened freedom in Christ, looked with disdain on those they considered to be “weak.” The weak, in turn—certain that they were following the true route to piety—condemned the strong for their laxness. These attitudes, over different issues, are mirrored throughout the history of the Christian church. • <em>God has accepted them:<\/em> Both the weak and the strong are genuine believers, welcomed by God into his family. Therefore, they have no right to treat each other as if they do not belong (14:4; see also 15:7).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:3-4<\/strong> <em>look down on . . . condemn:<\/em> The “strong,” those who prided themselves on their enlightened freedom in Christ, looked with disdain on those they considered to be “weak.” The weak, in turn—certain that they were following the true route to piety—condemned the strong for their laxness. These attitudes, over different issues, are mirrored throughout the history of the Christian church. • <em>God has accepted them:<\/em> Both the weak and the strong are genuine believers, welcomed by God into his family. Therefore, they have no right to treat each other as if they do not belong (14:4; see also 15:7).<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:3-4 look down on . . . condemn: The “strong,” those who prided themselves on their enlightened freedom in Christ, looked with disdain on those they considered to be “weak.” The weak, in turn—certain that they were following the true route to piety—condemned the strong for their laxness. These attitudes, over different issues, are mirrored throughout the history of the Christian church. • God has accepted them: Both the weak and the strong are genuine believers, welcomed by God into his fam...","summary_en":"14:3-4 look down on . . . condemn: The “strong,” those who prided themselves on their enlightened freedom in Christ, looked with disdain on those they considered to be “weak.” The weak, in turn—certain that they were following the true route to piety—condemned the strong for their laxness. These attitudes, over different issues, are mirrored throughout the history of the Christian church. • God has accepted them: Both the weak and the strong are genuine believers, welcomed by God into his fam...","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false}],"5":[{"id":33442,"type":"article","type_label":"Articol","type_icon":"📖","type_color":"#d4af37","title_ro":"Sabbath","title_en":"Sabbath","content_ro":"<h3>SABBATH<\/h3>\n<p>Derivation of a Hebrew word that means “cease” or “desist.” The Sabbath was a day (from Friday evening until Saturday evening in Jesus’ time) when all ordinary work stopped. The Scriptures relate that God gave his people the Sabbath as an opportunity to serve him and as a reminder of two great truths in the Bible—Creation and redemption.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"IntheOldTestament\">In the Old Testament<\/p>\n<p>The relationship between Creation and the Sabbath is first expressed in Genesis 2:2-3. God “ceased” his work in Creation after six days and then “blessed” the seventh day and “declared it holy.” In the fourth commandment (Ex 20:8-11), God’s “blessing” and “setting aside” of the seventh day after Creation (the words used are the same as those in Genesis) form the basis of his demand that people should observe the seventh day as a day of Sabbath rest.<\/p>\n<p>The idea of God resting from his work is a startling one. It comes across even more vividly in Exodus 31:17, where the Lord tells Moses how he was refreshed by his day of rest. This picture of the Creator as a manual laborer is one the Bible often paints. No doubt it is presented in vividly human terms in Exodus to reinforce the fundamental Sabbath lesson that people must follow the pattern their Creator has set for them. One day’s rest in seven is a necessity for individuals, families, households, and even animals (Ex 20:10).<\/p>\n<p>The Sabbath’s setting in the biblical account of Creation implies that it is one of those OT standards that are meant for all people and not just for Israel. The inclusion of the Sabbath law in the Ten Commandments underlines this important truth. The Decalogue occupied a special place in OT law. Alone of all God’s instructions, it was spoken by his audible voice (Ex 20:1), written by his finger (31:18), and placed in the tabernacle ark at the heart of Israel’s worship (25:16). The NT, too, confirms the strong impression that the Decalogue as a whole embodies principles that are permanently valid for all people in all places at all times. Whether or not Sunday is recognized as the Christian Sabbath, one is obliged to accept the central principle of this biblical teaching as far as the Sabbath is concerned. God’s instructions require people to observe a regular weekly break from work.<\/p>\n<p>Significantly, the second main strand of the Bible’s Sabbath teaching—that of redemption—also features in a list of the Ten Commandments. The Sabbath law (already noted in Ex 20:8-11) reappears in Deuteronomy 5:12-15, but here a different reason is attached to its observance: “Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt and that the <span>Lord<\/span> your God brought you out with amazing power and mighty deeds. That is why the <span>Lord<\/span> your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day” (v 15, <span>nlt<\/span>).<\/p>\n<p>The differences between these two accounts of the fourth commandment are important. The first (Ex 20) is addressed, <em>through<\/em> Israel, to all people as created beings. The second (Dt 5) is directed <em>to<\/em> Israel as God’s redeemed people. So the Sabbath is God’s signpost, pointing not only to his goodness toward all people as their Creator but also to his mercy toward his chosen people as their Redeemer.<\/p>\n<p>There is one other significant point in Deuteronomy’s version of the Sabbath commandment that must not be missed. The prohibition of all work on the Sabbath day is followed by an explanatory note—“On that day no one in your household may do any kind of work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your oxen and donkeys and other livestock, and any foreigners living among you. All your male and female servants must rest as you do” (Dt 5:14, <span>nlt<\/span>). Practical concern for others is a feature of all the OT’s covenant teaching. So God’s loving concern for Israel in her Egyptian slavery must be matched by the Israelite family’s loving concern for those who served them. The Sabbath offered an ideal outlet for the practical expression of that concern. Jesus was especially keen to rescue this humanitarian side of Sabbath observance from the mass of callous regulations that threatened to suffocate it in his day (see, e.g., Mk 3:1-5).<\/p>\n<p>The OT’s provision for a “sabbatical year” develops this humanitarian theme further (see Ex 23:10-12; Lv 25:1-7; Dt 15:1-11; also the regulations for the “year of jubilee” in Lv 25:8-55). Every seventh year the land was to lie fallow and be uncultivated (Lv 25:4). It needed a regular rest just as much as the people it sustained. The primary purpose of this law was benevolent: “But you, your male and female slaves, your hired servants, and any foreigners who live with you may eat the produce that grows naturally during the Sabbath year. And your livestock and the wild animals will also be allowed to eat of the land’s bounty” (vv 6-7, <span>nlt<\/span>). Deuteronomy 15:1-11 extends the same humanitarian principle into the world of commerce. The sabbatical year must see the canceling of all debts within God’s redeemed community. For the tight-fisted who might be tempted to refuse a loan if the sabbatical year was imminent, the law added a warning and a promise: “Do not be mean-spirited and refuse someone a loan because the year of release is close at hand. If you refuse to make the loan and the needy person cries out to the <span>Lord<\/span>, you will be considered guilty of sin. Give freely without begrudging it, and the <span>Lord<\/span> your God will bless you in everything you do” (Dt 15:9-10, <span>nlt<\/span>).<\/p>\n<p>Observing the sabbatical year was obviously a great test of the people’s obedience to God and of their willingness to depend on him for their livelihood. Sometimes the temptation to turn a blind eye was too strong. But history testifies to Israel’s courage in observing the letter of this law on many occasions, despite threats of invasion and famine. Both Alexander the Great and the Romans excused Jews from paying taxes every seventh year in recognition of the depth of their religious convictions.<\/p>\n<p>Returning from the seventh year to the seventh day, the OT law codes go to considerable lengths to buttress the Sabbath ban on work by defining what may and may not be done by God’s people on the Sabbath day. The prohibitions were not meant to rule out activity of any kind. Their aim was to stop regular, everyday work, because if God had set aside the Sabbath (Ex 20:11), the most obvious way of profaning it was to treat it just like any other day. Rules were spelled out in specific terms that the farmer (34:21), the salesman (Jer 17:27), and even the housewife (Ex 35:2-3) would understand.<\/p>\n<p>The details may seem trivial, but obedience to the Sabbath law was seen as the main test of the people’s allegiance to the Lord. It was made quite clear that willful disobedience was a capital offense (Ex 35:2), and the fate of the person found gathering wood in defiance of Sabbath regulations showed that this was no idle threat (Nm 15:32-36).<\/p>\n<p>Hemmed in by so many rules and regulations (and with the death penalty overhanging all), the Sabbath easily could have become a day of fear—a day when the people were more afraid of committing an offense than worshiping the Lord and enjoying a weekly rest. But the Sabbath was intended to be a blessing, not a burden. Above everything else, it was a weekly sign that the Lord loved his people and wanted to draw them into an ever-closer relationship with himself. Those who valued that relationship enjoyed the Sabbath, calling it a delight (Is 58:13-14). Nowhere does the OT express its sheer joy in Sabbath worship more exuberantly than in Psalm 92, which has the title “A Song for the Sabbath.”<\/p>\n<p>The later prophets, were, however, far from blind to the darker side of human nature. They knew that a great deal of Sabbath observance was a sham. Many people treated the Sabbath day more as holiday than holy day, an opportunity for self-indulgence rather than delighting in the Lord (Is 58:13). Some greedy tradesmen found its restrictions an annoying irritant (Am 8:5).<\/p>\n<p>As God’s spokesman, the prophets did not shrink from exposing such neglect and abuse (Ez 22:26). Those who go through the motions of Sabbath worship with unrepentant hearts nauseate the Lord, Isaiah said (Is 1:10-15). As a symptom of rebellion against God, Jerusalem’s Sabbath breaking will bring destruction on the city, thunders Jeremiah (Jer 17:27). The Lord has been very forbearing with his people, warned Ezekiel, but prolonged neglect of his Sabbath makes judgment a certainty (Ez 20:12-24).<\/p>\n<p>When the ax of judgment fell (in the exile to Babylon, 586 <span>BC<\/span>), the surviving remnant of the nation took the lesson to heart. Sabbath keeping was one of the few distinctive marks faithful Jews could retain in a foreign land, so it assumed extra significance. At the prompting of prophets like Ezekiel, who set out rules for Sabbath worship in the rebuilt temple at Jerusalem (Ez 44:24; 45:17; 46:3), and under the leadership of men like Nehemiah, the returning exiles were more careful than their predecessors in observing the Sabbath day (Neh 10:31; 13:15-22).<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"IntheNewTestament\">In the New Testament<\/p>\n<p>Prior to the first century, some Jews in Palestine developed several rules for promoting the observance of the Sabbath. Two tractates of the Mishnah are devoted exclusively to these Sabbath rules and regulations. Their main purpose is to define work (one tractate does so under 39 headings) in an attempt to show every Israelite what is and is not permitted on the Sabbath. Unfortunately, this led to such hairsplitting complexities and evasions that ecclesiastical lawyers often differed among themselves in their interpretations, with the inevitable result that the main purpose of the Sabbath became lost beneath a mass of legalistic detail. The rabbis themselves were aware of how much they were adding to the straightforward teaching of the OT. As one of them put it, “The rules about the sabbath . . . are as mountains hanging by a hair, for Scripture is scanty and the rules many.”<\/p>\n<p>Jesus had many confrontations with the Jewish religious leaders over Sabbath observances. From their perspective, Jesus was a Sabbath breaker and therefore a lawbreaker. Jesus, however, never saw himself as a Sabbath breaker. He went to synagogue regularly on the Sabbath day (Lk 4:16). He read the lesson, preached, and taught (Mk 1:21; Lk 13:10). He clearly accepted the principle that the Sabbath was an appropriate day for worship.<\/p>\n<p>His point of collision with the Pharisees was the point at which their tradition departed from biblical teaching. He made this clear when he defended his disciples by appealing to Scripture, after they had been accused of breaking Sabbath tradition by walking through grainfields and breaking off heads of wheat (which fell into the category of “harvesting,” according to the Pharisees; Mk 2:23-26). He followed this up with a remark that took his hearers straight back to God’s Creation purpose for the Sabbath: “The Sabbath was made to benefit people, and not people to benefit the Sabbath” (Mk 2:27, <span>nlt<\/span>).<\/p>\n<p>Rabbinic tradition had exalted the institution above the people it was meant to serve. By making it an end in itself, the Pharisees had effectively robbed the Sabbath of one of its main purposes. Jesus’ words must have sounded uncomfortably familiar in his opponents’ ears. A famous rabbi had once said, “The Sabbath is given over to you, but you are not given over to the Sabbath.”<\/p>\n<p>More than anything else, Jesus’ Sabbath healings put him on a collision course with rabbinic restrictions. The OT does not forbid cures on the Sabbath day, but the rabbis labeled all healing as work, which must always be avoided on the Sabbath unless life was at risk. Jesus fearlessly exposed the callousness and absurd inconsistencies to which this attitude led. How, he asked, could it be right to circumcise a baby or lead an animal to water on the Sabbath day (which tradition allowed) but wrong to heal a chronically handicapped woman and a crippled man, even if their lives were not in immediate danger (Lk 13:10-17; Jn 7:21-24)? The Sabbath, he taught, was a particularly appropriate day for acts of mercy (Mk 3:4-5).<\/p>\n<p>Jesus, the man from heaven, claimed that he was Lord of the Sabbath (Mk 2:28; cf. Mt 12:5-8). Just as God kept working, despite his Creation rest, to sustain the world in his mercy, so Jesus would continue to teach and to heal on the Sabbath day (Jn 5:2-17). But one day his redemptive work would be complete, and then the Sabbath’s purpose as a sign of redemption would be accomplished.<\/p>\n<p>Living on the other side of Jesus’ death and resurrection, Paul was quick to grasp the significance of both for Sabbath observance. He did not go so far as to ban all observance of the Jewish Sabbath. Indeed, he attended many Sabbath synagogue services himself in his evangelistic travels (see, e.g., Acts 13:14-16). Jewish Christians who insisted on keeping up their Sabbath practices were free to do so, provided they respected the opinions of those who differed (Rom 14:5-6, 13). But any suggestion that observing the Jewish calendar was necessary for salvation must be resisted (Gal 4:8-11). For Paul considered the Sabbath to be a shadow, while Christ himself is the reality of that shadow (Col 2:17).<\/p>\n<p>Finally, it is the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews who explains how the twin biblical “sabbath themes” of creation and redemption find their joint fulfillment in Christ. He did so by linking together the ideas of God’s rest after Creation and his redemptive act in bringing Israel to her “rest” in Canaan, and by showing how both relate to the present and future rest that Christians can and do enjoy in Jesus (Heb 4:1-11).<\/p>\n<p>God intends all his people to share his rest—that is, his promise (Heb 4:1). He showed this intention clearly when he brought Israel to the Promised Land, but that did not mark the complete fulfillment of his promise. The full, complete rest still waiting for the people of God is in heaven. Christ has already entered there. He is resting from his work, just as God did after the Creation. And because of his redeeming work, he invites all those who believe in him to share that same “sabbath rest” now (v 9).<\/p>\n<p><em>See also<\/em> Lord’s Day, The; Sabbath Day’s Journey; Commandments, The Ten.<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>SABBATH<\/h3>\n<p>Derivation of a Hebrew word that means “cease” or “desist.” The Sabbath was a day (from Friday evening until Saturday evening in Jesus’ time) when all ordinary work stopped. The Scriptures relate that God gave his people the Sabbath as an opportunity to serve him and as a reminder of two great truths in the Bible—Creation and redemption.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"IntheOldTestament\">In the Old Testament<\/p>\n<p>The relationship between Creation and the Sabbath is first expressed in Genesis 2:2-3. God “ceased” his work in Creation after six days and then “blessed” the seventh day and “declared it holy.” In the fourth commandment (Ex 20:8-11), God’s “blessing” and “setting aside” of the seventh day after Creation (the words used are the same as those in Genesis) form the basis of his demand that people should observe the seventh day as a day of Sabbath rest.<\/p>\n<p>The idea of God resting from his work is a startling one. It comes across even more vividly in Exodus 31:17, where the Lord tells Moses how he was refreshed by his day of rest. This picture of the Creator as a manual laborer is one the Bible often paints. No doubt it is presented in vividly human terms in Exodus to reinforce the fundamental Sabbath lesson that people must follow the pattern their Creator has set for them. One day’s rest in seven is a necessity for individuals, families, households, and even animals (Ex 20:10).<\/p>\n<p>The Sabbath’s setting in the biblical account of Creation implies that it is one of those OT standards that are meant for all people and not just for Israel. The inclusion of the Sabbath law in the Ten Commandments underlines this important truth. The Decalogue occupied a special place in OT law. Alone of all God’s instructions, it was spoken by his audible voice (Ex 20:1), written by his finger (31:18), and placed in the tabernacle ark at the heart of Israel’s worship (25:16). The NT, too, confirms the strong impression that the Decalogue as a whole embodies principles that are permanently valid for all people in all places at all times. Whether or not Sunday is recognized as the Christian Sabbath, one is obliged to accept the central principle of this biblical teaching as far as the Sabbath is concerned. God’s instructions require people to observe a regular weekly break from work.<\/p>\n<p>Significantly, the second main strand of the Bible’s Sabbath teaching—that of redemption—also features in a list of the Ten Commandments. The Sabbath law (already noted in Ex 20:8-11) reappears in Deuteronomy 5:12-15, but here a different reason is attached to its observance: “Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt and that the <span>Lord<\/span> your God brought you out with amazing power and mighty deeds. That is why the <span>Lord<\/span> your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day” (v 15, <span>nlt<\/span>).<\/p>\n<p>The differences between these two accounts of the fourth commandment are important. The first (Ex 20) is addressed, <em>through<\/em> Israel, to all people as created beings. The second (Dt 5) is directed <em>to<\/em> Israel as God’s redeemed people. So the Sabbath is God’s signpost, pointing not only to his goodness toward all people as their Creator but also to his mercy toward his chosen people as their Redeemer.<\/p>\n<p>There is one other significant point in Deuteronomy’s version of the Sabbath commandment that must not be missed. The prohibition of all work on the Sabbath day is followed by an explanatory note—“On that day no one in your household may do any kind of work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your oxen and donkeys and other livestock, and any foreigners living among you. All your male and female servants must rest as you do” (Dt 5:14, <span>nlt<\/span>). Practical concern for others is a feature of all the OT’s covenant teaching. So God’s loving concern for Israel in her Egyptian slavery must be matched by the Israelite family’s loving concern for those who served them. The Sabbath offered an ideal outlet for the practical expression of that concern. Jesus was especially keen to rescue this humanitarian side of Sabbath observance from the mass of callous regulations that threatened to suffocate it in his day (see, e.g., Mk 3:1-5).<\/p>\n<p>The OT’s provision for a “sabbatical year” develops this humanitarian theme further (see Ex 23:10-12; Lv 25:1-7; Dt 15:1-11; also the regulations for the “year of jubilee” in Lv 25:8-55). Every seventh year the land was to lie fallow and be uncultivated (Lv 25:4). It needed a regular rest just as much as the people it sustained. The primary purpose of this law was benevolent: “But you, your male and female slaves, your hired servants, and any foreigners who live with you may eat the produce that grows naturally during the Sabbath year. And your livestock and the wild animals will also be allowed to eat of the land’s bounty” (vv 6-7, <span>nlt<\/span>). Deuteronomy 15:1-11 extends the same humanitarian principle into the world of commerce. The sabbatical year must see the canceling of all debts within God’s redeemed community. For the tight-fisted who might be tempted to refuse a loan if the sabbatical year was imminent, the law added a warning and a promise: “Do not be mean-spirited and refuse someone a loan because the year of release is close at hand. If you refuse to make the loan and the needy person cries out to the <span>Lord<\/span>, you will be considered guilty of sin. Give freely without begrudging it, and the <span>Lord<\/span> your God will bless you in everything you do” (Dt 15:9-10, <span>nlt<\/span>).<\/p>\n<p>Observing the sabbatical year was obviously a great test of the people’s obedience to God and of their willingness to depend on him for their livelihood. Sometimes the temptation to turn a blind eye was too strong. But history testifies to Israel’s courage in observing the letter of this law on many occasions, despite threats of invasion and famine. Both Alexander the Great and the Romans excused Jews from paying taxes every seventh year in recognition of the depth of their religious convictions.<\/p>\n<p>Returning from the seventh year to the seventh day, the OT law codes go to considerable lengths to buttress the Sabbath ban on work by defining what may and may not be done by God’s people on the Sabbath day. The prohibitions were not meant to rule out activity of any kind. Their aim was to stop regular, everyday work, because if God had set aside the Sabbath (Ex 20:11), the most obvious way of profaning it was to treat it just like any other day. Rules were spelled out in specific terms that the farmer (34:21), the salesman (Jer 17:27), and even the housewife (Ex 35:2-3) would understand.<\/p>\n<p>The details may seem trivial, but obedience to the Sabbath law was seen as the main test of the people’s allegiance to the Lord. It was made quite clear that willful disobedience was a capital offense (Ex 35:2), and the fate of the person found gathering wood in defiance of Sabbath regulations showed that this was no idle threat (Nm 15:32-36).<\/p>\n<p>Hemmed in by so many rules and regulations (and with the death penalty overhanging all), the Sabbath easily could have become a day of fear—a day when the people were more afraid of committing an offense than worshiping the Lord and enjoying a weekly rest. But the Sabbath was intended to be a blessing, not a burden. Above everything else, it was a weekly sign that the Lord loved his people and wanted to draw them into an ever-closer relationship with himself. Those who valued that relationship enjoyed the Sabbath, calling it a delight (Is 58:13-14). Nowhere does the OT express its sheer joy in Sabbath worship more exuberantly than in Psalm 92, which has the title “A Song for the Sabbath.”<\/p>\n<p>The later prophets, were, however, far from blind to the darker side of human nature. They knew that a great deal of Sabbath observance was a sham. Many people treated the Sabbath day more as holiday than holy day, an opportunity for self-indulgence rather than delighting in the Lord (Is 58:13). Some greedy tradesmen found its restrictions an annoying irritant (Am 8:5).<\/p>\n<p>As God’s spokesman, the prophets did not shrink from exposing such neglect and abuse (Ez 22:26). Those who go through the motions of Sabbath worship with unrepentant hearts nauseate the Lord, Isaiah said (Is 1:10-15). As a symptom of rebellion against God, Jerusalem’s Sabbath breaking will bring destruction on the city, thunders Jeremiah (Jer 17:27). The Lord has been very forbearing with his people, warned Ezekiel, but prolonged neglect of his Sabbath makes judgment a certainty (Ez 20:12-24).<\/p>\n<p>When the ax of judgment fell (in the exile to Babylon, 586 <span>BC<\/span>), the surviving remnant of the nation took the lesson to heart. Sabbath keeping was one of the few distinctive marks faithful Jews could retain in a foreign land, so it assumed extra significance. At the prompting of prophets like Ezekiel, who set out rules for Sabbath worship in the rebuilt temple at Jerusalem (Ez 44:24; 45:17; 46:3), and under the leadership of men like Nehemiah, the returning exiles were more careful than their predecessors in observing the Sabbath day (Neh 10:31; 13:15-22).<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"IntheNewTestament\">In the New Testament<\/p>\n<p>Prior to the first century, some Jews in Palestine developed several rules for promoting the observance of the Sabbath. Two tractates of the Mishnah are devoted exclusively to these Sabbath rules and regulations. Their main purpose is to define work (one tractate does so under 39 headings) in an attempt to show every Israelite what is and is not permitted on the Sabbath. Unfortunately, this led to such hairsplitting complexities and evasions that ecclesiastical lawyers often differed among themselves in their interpretations, with the inevitable result that the main purpose of the Sabbath became lost beneath a mass of legalistic detail. The rabbis themselves were aware of how much they were adding to the straightforward teaching of the OT. As one of them put it, “The rules about the sabbath . . . are as mountains hanging by a hair, for Scripture is scanty and the rules many.”<\/p>\n<p>Jesus had many confrontations with the Jewish religious leaders over Sabbath observances. From their perspective, Jesus was a Sabbath breaker and therefore a lawbreaker. Jesus, however, never saw himself as a Sabbath breaker. He went to synagogue regularly on the Sabbath day (Lk 4:16). He read the lesson, preached, and taught (Mk 1:21; Lk 13:10). He clearly accepted the principle that the Sabbath was an appropriate day for worship.<\/p>\n<p>His point of collision with the Pharisees was the point at which their tradition departed from biblical teaching. He made this clear when he defended his disciples by appealing to Scripture, after they had been accused of breaking Sabbath tradition by walking through grainfields and breaking off heads of wheat (which fell into the category of “harvesting,” according to the Pharisees; Mk 2:23-26). He followed this up with a remark that took his hearers straight back to God’s Creation purpose for the Sabbath: “The Sabbath was made to benefit people, and not people to benefit the Sabbath” (Mk 2:27, <span>nlt<\/span>).<\/p>\n<p>Rabbinic tradition had exalted the institution above the people it was meant to serve. By making it an end in itself, the Pharisees had effectively robbed the Sabbath of one of its main purposes. Jesus’ words must have sounded uncomfortably familiar in his opponents’ ears. A famous rabbi had once said, “The Sabbath is given over to you, but you are not given over to the Sabbath.”<\/p>\n<p>More than anything else, Jesus’ Sabbath healings put him on a collision course with rabbinic restrictions. The OT does not forbid cures on the Sabbath day, but the rabbis labeled all healing as work, which must always be avoided on the Sabbath unless life was at risk. Jesus fearlessly exposed the callousness and absurd inconsistencies to which this attitude led. How, he asked, could it be right to circumcise a baby or lead an animal to water on the Sabbath day (which tradition allowed) but wrong to heal a chronically handicapped woman and a crippled man, even if their lives were not in immediate danger (Lk 13:10-17; Jn 7:21-24)? The Sabbath, he taught, was a particularly appropriate day for acts of mercy (Mk 3:4-5).<\/p>\n<p>Jesus, the man from heaven, claimed that he was Lord of the Sabbath (Mk 2:28; cf. Mt 12:5-8). Just as God kept working, despite his Creation rest, to sustain the world in his mercy, so Jesus would continue to teach and to heal on the Sabbath day (Jn 5:2-17). But one day his redemptive work would be complete, and then the Sabbath’s purpose as a sign of redemption would be accomplished.<\/p>\n<p>Living on the other side of Jesus’ death and resurrection, Paul was quick to grasp the significance of both for Sabbath observance. He did not go so far as to ban all observance of the Jewish Sabbath. Indeed, he attended many Sabbath synagogue services himself in his evangelistic travels (see, e.g., Acts 13:14-16). Jewish Christians who insisted on keeping up their Sabbath practices were free to do so, provided they respected the opinions of those who differed (Rom 14:5-6, 13). But any suggestion that observing the Jewish calendar was necessary for salvation must be resisted (Gal 4:8-11). For Paul considered the Sabbath to be a shadow, while Christ himself is the reality of that shadow (Col 2:17).<\/p>\n<p>Finally, it is the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews who explains how the twin biblical “sabbath themes” of creation and redemption find their joint fulfillment in Christ. He did so by linking together the ideas of God’s rest after Creation and his redemptive act in bringing Israel to her “rest” in Canaan, and by showing how both relate to the present and future rest that Christians can and do enjoy in Jesus (Heb 4:1-11).<\/p>\n<p>God intends all his people to share his rest—that is, his promise (Heb 4:1). He showed this intention clearly when he brought Israel to the Promised Land, but that did not mark the complete fulfillment of his promise. The full, complete rest still waiting for the people of God is in heaven. Christ has already entered there. He is resting from his work, just as God did after the Creation. And because of his redeeming work, he invites all those who believe in him to share that same “sabbath rest” now (v 9).<\/p>\n<p><em>See also<\/em> Lord’s Day, The; Sabbath Day’s Journey; Commandments, The Ten.<\/p>","summary_ro":"SABBATH Derivation of a Hebrew word that means “cease” or “desist.” The Sabbath was a day (from Friday evening until Saturday evening in Jesus’ time) when all ordinary work stopped. The Scriptures relate that God gave his people the Sabbath as an opportunity to serve him and as a reminder of two great truths in the Bible—Creation and redemption. In the Old Testament The relationship between Creation and the Sabbath is first expressed in Genesis 2:2-3. God “ceased” his work in Creation after s...","summary_en":"SABBATH Derivation of a Hebrew word that means “cease” or “desist.” The Sabbath was a day (from Friday evening until Saturday evening in Jesus’ time) when all ordinary work stopped. The Scriptures relate that God gave his people the Sabbath as an opportunity to serve him and as a reminder of two great truths in the Bible—Creation and redemption. In the Old Testament The relationship between Creation and the Sabbath is first expressed in Genesis 2:2-3. God “ceased” his work in Creation after s...","source":"Articles\/S.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":57398,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:5","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:5","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:5<\/strong> <em>some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike:<\/em> The reference is probably to Jewish festival days and to the Sabbath; cp. Col 2:16. With Christ’s provision of salvation, observance of the Sabbath in its original form is not required of Christians.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:5<\/strong> <em>some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike:<\/em> The reference is probably to Jewish festival days and to the Sabbath; cp. Col 2:16. With Christ’s provision of salvation, observance of the Sabbath in its original form is not required of Christians.<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:5 some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike: The reference is probably to Jewish festival days and to the Sabbath; cp. Col 2:16. With Christ’s provision of salvation, observance of the Sabbath in its original form is not required of Christians.","summary_en":"14:5 some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike: The reference is probably to Jewish festival days and to the Sabbath; cp. Col 2:16. With Christ’s provision of salvation, observance of the Sabbath in its original form is not required of Christians.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":85024,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:5","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:5","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:5<\/strong> <em>some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike:<\/em> The reference is probably to Jewish festival days and to the Sabbath; cp. Col 2:16. With Christ’s provision of salvation, observance of the Sabbath in its original form is not required of Christians.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:5<\/strong> <em>some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike:<\/em> The reference is probably to Jewish festival days and to the Sabbath; cp. Col 2:16. With Christ’s provision of salvation, observance of the Sabbath in its original form is not required of Christians.<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:5 some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike: The reference is probably to Jewish festival days and to the Sabbath; cp. Col 2:16. With Christ’s provision of salvation, observance of the Sabbath in its original form is not required of Christians.","summary_en":"14:5 some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike: The reference is probably to Jewish festival days and to the Sabbath; cp. Col 2:16. With Christ’s provision of salvation, observance of the Sabbath in its original form is not required of Christians.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":112650,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:5","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:5","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:5<\/strong> <em>some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike:<\/em> The reference is probably to Jewish festival days and to the Sabbath; cp. Col 2:16. With Christ’s provision of salvation, observance of the Sabbath in its original form is not required of Christians.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:5<\/strong> <em>some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike:<\/em> The reference is probably to Jewish festival days and to the Sabbath; cp. Col 2:16. With Christ’s provision of salvation, observance of the Sabbath in its original form is not required of Christians.<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:5 some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike: The reference is probably to Jewish festival days and to the Sabbath; cp. Col 2:16. With Christ’s provision of salvation, observance of the Sabbath in its original form is not required of Christians.","summary_en":"14:5 some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike: The reference is probably to Jewish festival days and to the Sabbath; cp. Col 2:16. With Christ’s provision of salvation, observance of the Sabbath in its original form is not required of Christians.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":140276,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:5","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:5","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:5<\/strong> <em>some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike:<\/em> The reference is probably to Jewish festival days and to the Sabbath; cp. Col 2:16. With Christ’s provision of salvation, observance of the Sabbath in its original form is not required of Christians.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:5<\/strong> <em>some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike:<\/em> The reference is probably to Jewish festival days and to the Sabbath; cp. Col 2:16. With Christ’s provision of salvation, observance of the Sabbath in its original form is not required of Christians.<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:5 some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike: The reference is probably to Jewish festival days and to the Sabbath; cp. Col 2:16. With Christ’s provision of salvation, observance of the Sabbath in its original form is not required of Christians.","summary_en":"14:5 some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike: The reference is probably to Jewish festival days and to the Sabbath; cp. Col 2:16. With Christ’s provision of salvation, observance of the Sabbath in its original form is not required of Christians.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":67443,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"Legalism","title_en":"Legalism","content_ro":"<h3>Legalism<\/h3>\n<p>The law was of critical importance for the Jewish people, and their understanding of religion was largely centered on the observance of rules and rituals. This was natural to them because God had given his law to the Jewish people as a mark of his favor upon them and as a way for them to ratify the covenant agreement he had made with them. However, many Jews added to the laws that God had given his people, trying to develop rules for virtually every situation in which they might find themselves. Their motivation was often a positive desire not to transgress any of God’s laws. As Jesus often pointed out, however, the rules developed by religious leaders sometimes became obstacles to obeying God’s instructions (Mark 7:1-15). Furthermore, many Jews thought that following the law would automatically endear them to God.<\/p>\n<p>Paul frequently confronted this kind of problematic legalism in the early churches. For example, in Colosse, false teachers, influenced by Jewish beliefs, were insisting that Christians follow certain rules as a way of expressing their faith (Colossians 2:16-23). Paul criticized this in light of faith in Christ. As the culmination of all God’s plans and purposes, Christ is the center of all true piety.<\/p>\n<p>This does not mean that rules for conduct are inherently bad. Some rules, such as the prohibition on lying (Col 3:9), clearly manifest an aspect of Christ’s character. Paul also had no problem with individual Christians imposing rules on themselves that they think are conducive to their own growth in Christ (cp. Rom 14:5; 1 Cor 8). But they must not require others to obey these self-imposed rules.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Matt 23:13-33; Mark 7:1-15; Gal 2:14-21; Col 2:16-23<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>Legalism<\/h3>\n<p>The law was of critical importance for the Jewish people, and their understanding of religion was largely centered on the observance of rules and rituals. This was natural to them because God had given his law to the Jewish people as a mark of his favor upon them and as a way for them to ratify the covenant agreement he had made with them. However, many Jews added to the laws that God had given his people, trying to develop rules for virtually every situation in which they might find themselves. Their motivation was often a positive desire not to transgress any of God’s laws. As Jesus often pointed out, however, the rules developed by religious leaders sometimes became obstacles to obeying God’s instructions (Mark 7:1-15). Furthermore, many Jews thought that following the law would automatically endear them to God.<\/p>\n<p>Paul frequently confronted this kind of problematic legalism in the early churches. For example, in Colosse, false teachers, influenced by Jewish beliefs, were insisting that Christians follow certain rules as a way of expressing their faith (Colossians 2:16-23). Paul criticized this in light of faith in Christ. As the culmination of all God’s plans and purposes, Christ is the center of all true piety.<\/p>\n<p>This does not mean that rules for conduct are inherently bad. Some rules, such as the prohibition on lying (Col 3:9), clearly manifest an aspect of Christ’s character. Paul also had no problem with individual Christians imposing rules on themselves that they think are conducive to their own growth in Christ (cp. Rom 14:5; 1 Cor 8). But they must not require others to obey these self-imposed rules.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Matt 23:13-33; Mark 7:1-15; Gal 2:14-21; Col 2:16-23<\/p>","summary_ro":"Legalism The law was of critical importance for the Jewish people, and their understanding of religion was largely centered on the observance of rules and rituals. This was natural to them because God had given his law to the Jewish people as a mark of his favor upon them and as a way for them to ratify the covenant agreement he had made with them. However, many Jews added to the laws that God had given his people, trying to develop rules for virtually every situation in which they might find...","summary_en":"Legalism The law was of critical importance for the Jewish people, and their understanding of religion was largely centered on the observance of rules and rituals. This was natural to them because God had given his law to the Jewish people as a mark of his favor upon them and as a way for them to ratify the covenant agreement he had made with them. However, many Jews added to the laws that God had given his people, trying to develop rules for virtually every situation in which they might find...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":95069,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"Legalism","title_en":"Legalism","content_ro":"<h3>Legalism<\/h3>\n<p>The law was of critical importance for the Jewish people, and their understanding of religion was largely centered on the observance of rules and rituals. This was natural to them because God had given his law to the Jewish people as a mark of his favor upon them and as a way for them to ratify the covenant agreement he had made with them. However, many Jews added to the laws that God had given his people, trying to develop rules for virtually every situation in which they might find themselves. Their motivation was often a positive desire not to transgress any of God’s laws. As Jesus often pointed out, however, the rules developed by religious leaders sometimes became obstacles to obeying God’s instructions (Mark 7:1-15). Furthermore, many Jews thought that following the law would automatically endear them to God.<\/p>\n<p>Paul frequently confronted this kind of problematic legalism in the early churches. For example, in Colosse, false teachers, influenced by Jewish beliefs, were insisting that Christians follow certain rules as a way of expressing their faith (Colossians 2:16-23). Paul criticized this in light of faith in Christ. As the culmination of all God’s plans and purposes, Christ is the center of all true piety.<\/p>\n<p>This does not mean that rules for conduct are inherently bad. Some rules, such as the prohibition on lying (Col 3:9), clearly manifest an aspect of Christ’s character. Paul also had no problem with individual Christians imposing rules on themselves that they think are conducive to their own growth in Christ (cp. Rom 14:5; 1 Cor 8). But they must not require others to obey these self-imposed rules.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Matt 23:13-33; Mark 7:1-15; Gal 2:14-21; Col 2:16-23<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>Legalism<\/h3>\n<p>The law was of critical importance for the Jewish people, and their understanding of religion was largely centered on the observance of rules and rituals. This was natural to them because God had given his law to the Jewish people as a mark of his favor upon them and as a way for them to ratify the covenant agreement he had made with them. However, many Jews added to the laws that God had given his people, trying to develop rules for virtually every situation in which they might find themselves. Their motivation was often a positive desire not to transgress any of God’s laws. As Jesus often pointed out, however, the rules developed by religious leaders sometimes became obstacles to obeying God’s instructions (Mark 7:1-15). Furthermore, many Jews thought that following the law would automatically endear them to God.<\/p>\n<p>Paul frequently confronted this kind of problematic legalism in the early churches. For example, in Colosse, false teachers, influenced by Jewish beliefs, were insisting that Christians follow certain rules as a way of expressing their faith (Colossians 2:16-23). Paul criticized this in light of faith in Christ. As the culmination of all God’s plans and purposes, Christ is the center of all true piety.<\/p>\n<p>This does not mean that rules for conduct are inherently bad. Some rules, such as the prohibition on lying (Col 3:9), clearly manifest an aspect of Christ’s character. Paul also had no problem with individual Christians imposing rules on themselves that they think are conducive to their own growth in Christ (cp. Rom 14:5; 1 Cor 8). But they must not require others to obey these self-imposed rules.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Matt 23:13-33; Mark 7:1-15; Gal 2:14-21; Col 2:16-23<\/p>","summary_ro":"Legalism The law was of critical importance for the Jewish people, and their understanding of religion was largely centered on the observance of rules and rituals. This was natural to them because God had given his law to the Jewish people as a mark of his favor upon them and as a way for them to ratify the covenant agreement he had made with them. However, many Jews added to the laws that God had given his people, trying to develop rules for virtually every situation in which they might find...","summary_en":"Legalism The law was of critical importance for the Jewish people, and their understanding of religion was largely centered on the observance of rules and rituals. This was natural to them because God had given his law to the Jewish people as a mark of his favor upon them and as a way for them to ratify the covenant agreement he had made with them. However, many Jews added to the laws that God had given his people, trying to develop rules for virtually every situation in which they might find...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":122695,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"Legalism","title_en":"Legalism","content_ro":"<h3>Legalism<\/h3>\n<p>The law was of critical importance for the Jewish people, and their understanding of religion was largely centered on the observance of rules and rituals. This was natural to them because God had given his law to the Jewish people as a mark of his favor upon them and as a way for them to ratify the covenant agreement he had made with them. However, many Jews added to the laws that God had given his people, trying to develop rules for virtually every situation in which they might find themselves. Their motivation was often a positive desire not to transgress any of God’s laws. As Jesus often pointed out, however, the rules developed by religious leaders sometimes became obstacles to obeying God’s instructions (Mark 7:1-15). Furthermore, many Jews thought that following the law would automatically endear them to God.<\/p>\n<p>Paul frequently confronted this kind of problematic legalism in the early churches. For example, in Colosse, false teachers, influenced by Jewish beliefs, were insisting that Christians follow certain rules as a way of expressing their faith (Colossians 2:16-23). Paul criticized this in light of faith in Christ. As the culmination of all God’s plans and purposes, Christ is the center of all true piety.<\/p>\n<p>This does not mean that rules for conduct are inherently bad. Some rules, such as the prohibition on lying (Col 3:9), clearly manifest an aspect of Christ’s character. Paul also had no problem with individual Christians imposing rules on themselves that they think are conducive to their own growth in Christ (cp. Rom 14:5; 1 Cor 8). But they must not require others to obey these self-imposed rules.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Matt 23:13-33; Mark 7:1-15; Gal 2:14-21; Col 2:16-23<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>Legalism<\/h3>\n<p>The law was of critical importance for the Jewish people, and their understanding of religion was largely centered on the observance of rules and rituals. This was natural to them because God had given his law to the Jewish people as a mark of his favor upon them and as a way for them to ratify the covenant agreement he had made with them. However, many Jews added to the laws that God had given his people, trying to develop rules for virtually every situation in which they might find themselves. Their motivation was often a positive desire not to transgress any of God’s laws. As Jesus often pointed out, however, the rules developed by religious leaders sometimes became obstacles to obeying God’s instructions (Mark 7:1-15). Furthermore, many Jews thought that following the law would automatically endear them to God.<\/p>\n<p>Paul frequently confronted this kind of problematic legalism in the early churches. For example, in Colosse, false teachers, influenced by Jewish beliefs, were insisting that Christians follow certain rules as a way of expressing their faith (Colossians 2:16-23). Paul criticized this in light of faith in Christ. As the culmination of all God’s plans and purposes, Christ is the center of all true piety.<\/p>\n<p>This does not mean that rules for conduct are inherently bad. Some rules, such as the prohibition on lying (Col 3:9), clearly manifest an aspect of Christ’s character. Paul also had no problem with individual Christians imposing rules on themselves that they think are conducive to their own growth in Christ (cp. Rom 14:5; 1 Cor 8). But they must not require others to obey these self-imposed rules.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Matt 23:13-33; Mark 7:1-15; Gal 2:14-21; Col 2:16-23<\/p>","summary_ro":"Legalism The law was of critical importance for the Jewish people, and their understanding of religion was largely centered on the observance of rules and rituals. This was natural to them because God had given his law to the Jewish people as a mark of his favor upon them and as a way for them to ratify the covenant agreement he had made with them. However, many Jews added to the laws that God had given his people, trying to develop rules for virtually every situation in which they might find...","summary_en":"Legalism The law was of critical importance for the Jewish people, and their understanding of religion was largely centered on the observance of rules and rituals. This was natural to them because God had given his law to the Jewish people as a mark of his favor upon them and as a way for them to ratify the covenant agreement he had made with them. However, many Jews added to the laws that God had given his people, trying to develop rules for virtually every situation in which they might find...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":150321,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"Legalism","title_en":"Legalism","content_ro":"<h3>Legalism<\/h3>\n<p>The law was of critical importance for the Jewish people, and their understanding of religion was largely centered on the observance of rules and rituals. This was natural to them because God had given his law to the Jewish people as a mark of his favor upon them and as a way for them to ratify the covenant agreement he had made with them. However, many Jews added to the laws that God had given his people, trying to develop rules for virtually every situation in which they might find themselves. Their motivation was often a positive desire not to transgress any of God’s laws. As Jesus often pointed out, however, the rules developed by religious leaders sometimes became obstacles to obeying God’s instructions (Mark 7:1-15). Furthermore, many Jews thought that following the law would automatically endear them to God.<\/p>\n<p>Paul frequently confronted this kind of problematic legalism in the early churches. For example, in Colosse, false teachers, influenced by Jewish beliefs, were insisting that Christians follow certain rules as a way of expressing their faith (Colossians 2:16-23). Paul criticized this in light of faith in Christ. As the culmination of all God’s plans and purposes, Christ is the center of all true piety.<\/p>\n<p>This does not mean that rules for conduct are inherently bad. Some rules, such as the prohibition on lying (Col 3:9), clearly manifest an aspect of Christ’s character. Paul also had no problem with individual Christians imposing rules on themselves that they think are conducive to their own growth in Christ (cp. Rom 14:5; 1 Cor 8). But they must not require others to obey these self-imposed rules.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Matt 23:13-33; Mark 7:1-15; Gal 2:14-21; Col 2:16-23<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>Legalism<\/h3>\n<p>The law was of critical importance for the Jewish people, and their understanding of religion was largely centered on the observance of rules and rituals. This was natural to them because God had given his law to the Jewish people as a mark of his favor upon them and as a way for them to ratify the covenant agreement he had made with them. However, many Jews added to the laws that God had given his people, trying to develop rules for virtually every situation in which they might find themselves. Their motivation was often a positive desire not to transgress any of God’s laws. As Jesus often pointed out, however, the rules developed by religious leaders sometimes became obstacles to obeying God’s instructions (Mark 7:1-15). Furthermore, many Jews thought that following the law would automatically endear them to God.<\/p>\n<p>Paul frequently confronted this kind of problematic legalism in the early churches. For example, in Colosse, false teachers, influenced by Jewish beliefs, were insisting that Christians follow certain rules as a way of expressing their faith (Colossians 2:16-23). Paul criticized this in light of faith in Christ. As the culmination of all God’s plans and purposes, Christ is the center of all true piety.<\/p>\n<p>This does not mean that rules for conduct are inherently bad. Some rules, such as the prohibition on lying (Col 3:9), clearly manifest an aspect of Christ’s character. Paul also had no problem with individual Christians imposing rules on themselves that they think are conducive to their own growth in Christ (cp. Rom 14:5; 1 Cor 8). But they must not require others to obey these self-imposed rules.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Matt 23:13-33; Mark 7:1-15; Gal 2:14-21; Col 2:16-23<\/p>","summary_ro":"Legalism The law was of critical importance for the Jewish people, and their understanding of religion was largely centered on the observance of rules and rituals. This was natural to them because God had given his law to the Jewish people as a mark of his favor upon them and as a way for them to ratify the covenant agreement he had made with them. However, many Jews added to the laws that God had given his people, trying to develop rules for virtually every situation in which they might find...","summary_en":"Legalism The law was of critical importance for the Jewish people, and their understanding of religion was largely centered on the observance of rules and rituals. This was natural to them because God had given his law to the Jewish people as a mark of his favor upon them and as a way for them to ratify the covenant agreement he had made with them. However, many Jews added to the laws that God had given his people, trying to develop rules for virtually every situation in which they might find...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false}],"6":[{"id":14788,"type":"article","type_label":"Articol","type_icon":"📖","type_color":"#d4af37","title_ro":"Gratitude","title_en":"Gratitude","content_ro":"<h3>GRATITUDE<\/h3>\n<p>Natural expression of thanks in response to blessings, protection, or love. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, gratitude is not a tool used to manipulate the will of God. It is never coerced or fabricated in one’s mind; rather, gratitude is a joyful commitment of one’s personality to God.<\/p>\n<p>In the OT, gratitude to God was the only condition in which life could be enjoyed. For Jews, every aspect of creation provided evidence of God’s lordship over all life. The Hebrew people thanked him for the magnificence of the universe (Pss 19:1-4; 33:6-9; 104:1-24). When they received good news, they thanked God for his goodness and great deeds (1 Chr 16:8-12). When they received bad news, they also gave thanks, trusting that he was a just God (Jb 1:21).<\/p>\n<p>These same sentiments are found in later Jewish writings such as the Talmud. The people of Israel thanked God for his faithfulness to covenant promises: (1) for deliverance from enemies (Pss 18:17; 30:1; 44:1-8) and from death (Ps 30:8-12; Is 38:18-20; (2) for forgiveness of sin (Pss 32:5; 99:8; 103:3; Is 12:1); (3) for answers to prayer (Pss 28:6; 66:19); (4) for compassion toward the afflicted and oppressed (Pss 34:2; 72:12); (5) for executing justice (Dt 32:4; Ps 99:4); and (6) for continuing guidance (Ps 32:8; Is 30:20-21).<\/p>\n<p>Gratitude was such a vital part of Israel’s religion that it pervaded most ceremonies and customs. Thank offerings acknowledged blessings from God (Lv 7:12-13; 22:29; Ps 50:14). Shouts of joy (Ps 42:4), songs of praise (Pss 145:7; 149:1), and music and dance (Ps 150:3-5) all added to the spirit of thanksgiving in worship. Feasts and festivals were celebrated in remembrance of God’s steadfast love throughout their history (Dt 16:9-15; 2 Chr 30:21-22). King David appointed Levitical priests to offer God thanks (1 Chr 16:4). This custom was carried on by the kings Solomon (2 Chr 5:12-13) and Hezekiah (2 Chr 31:2) and by those who returned from the exile (Neh 11:17; 12:24, 27).<\/p>\n<p>In the NT, the object of thanksgiving is the love of God expressed in the redemptive work of Christ. The apostle Paul thanked God for that gift of grace (1 Cor 1:4; 2 Cor 9:15) and the ability to preach the gospel (2 Cor 2:14; 1 Tm 1:12). Paul thankfully participated in the spiritual gifts (1 Cor 14:18). Gratitude for love and faith among believers pervades his letters (Rom 6:17; Eph 1:15-16; Phil 1:3-5; Col 1:3-4; 1 Thes 1:2-3).<\/p>\n<p>Because the expression of gratitude is tied so closely to the response of faith, Paul encouraged believers to give thanks in all things (Rom 14:6; 1 Thes 5:18). He commanded Christians to pray with thanksgiving (Phil 4:6; Col 4:2) in the name of Christ, who has made all thanksgiving possible (Eph 5:20). In his teaching on how to celebrate the Lord’s Supper, Paul specified that Christians should give thanks, just as the Lord “had given thanks” (1 Cor 11:24).<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>GRATITUDE<\/h3>\n<p>Natural expression of thanks in response to blessings, protection, or love. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, gratitude is not a tool used to manipulate the will of God. It is never coerced or fabricated in one’s mind; rather, gratitude is a joyful commitment of one’s personality to God.<\/p>\n<p>In the OT, gratitude to God was the only condition in which life could be enjoyed. For Jews, every aspect of creation provided evidence of God’s lordship over all life. The Hebrew people thanked him for the magnificence of the universe (Pss 19:1-4; 33:6-9; 104:1-24). When they received good news, they thanked God for his goodness and great deeds (1 Chr 16:8-12). When they received bad news, they also gave thanks, trusting that he was a just God (Jb 1:21).<\/p>\n<p>These same sentiments are found in later Jewish writings such as the Talmud. The people of Israel thanked God for his faithfulness to covenant promises: (1) for deliverance from enemies (Pss 18:17; 30:1; 44:1-8) and from death (Ps 30:8-12; Is 38:18-20; (2) for forgiveness of sin (Pss 32:5; 99:8; 103:3; Is 12:1); (3) for answers to prayer (Pss 28:6; 66:19); (4) for compassion toward the afflicted and oppressed (Pss 34:2; 72:12); (5) for executing justice (Dt 32:4; Ps 99:4); and (6) for continuing guidance (Ps 32:8; Is 30:20-21).<\/p>\n<p>Gratitude was such a vital part of Israel’s religion that it pervaded most ceremonies and customs. Thank offerings acknowledged blessings from God (Lv 7:12-13; 22:29; Ps 50:14). Shouts of joy (Ps 42:4), songs of praise (Pss 145:7; 149:1), and music and dance (Ps 150:3-5) all added to the spirit of thanksgiving in worship. Feasts and festivals were celebrated in remembrance of God’s steadfast love throughout their history (Dt 16:9-15; 2 Chr 30:21-22). King David appointed Levitical priests to offer God thanks (1 Chr 16:4). This custom was carried on by the kings Solomon (2 Chr 5:12-13) and Hezekiah (2 Chr 31:2) and by those who returned from the exile (Neh 11:17; 12:24, 27).<\/p>\n<p>In the NT, the object of thanksgiving is the love of God expressed in the redemptive work of Christ. The apostle Paul thanked God for that gift of grace (1 Cor 1:4; 2 Cor 9:15) and the ability to preach the gospel (2 Cor 2:14; 1 Tm 1:12). Paul thankfully participated in the spiritual gifts (1 Cor 14:18). Gratitude for love and faith among believers pervades his letters (Rom 6:17; Eph 1:15-16; Phil 1:3-5; Col 1:3-4; 1 Thes 1:2-3).<\/p>\n<p>Because the expression of gratitude is tied so closely to the response of faith, Paul encouraged believers to give thanks in all things (Rom 14:6; 1 Thes 5:18). He commanded Christians to pray with thanksgiving (Phil 4:6; Col 4:2) in the name of Christ, who has made all thanksgiving possible (Eph 5:20). In his teaching on how to celebrate the Lord’s Supper, Paul specified that Christians should give thanks, just as the Lord “had given thanks” (1 Cor 11:24).<\/p>","summary_ro":"GRATITUDE Natural expression of thanks in response to blessings, protection, or love. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, gratitude is not a tool used to manipulate the will of God. It is never coerced or fabricated in one’s mind; rather, gratitude is a joyful commitment of one’s personality to God. In the OT, gratitude to God was the only condition in which life could be enjoyed. For Jews, every aspect of creation provided evidence of God’s lordship over all life. The Hebrew people thanked him...","summary_en":"GRATITUDE Natural expression of thanks in response to blessings, protection, or love. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, gratitude is not a tool used to manipulate the will of God. It is never coerced or fabricated in one’s mind; rather, gratitude is a joyful commitment of one’s personality to God. In the OT, gratitude to God was the only condition in which life could be enjoyed. For Jews, every aspect of creation provided evidence of God’s lordship over all life. The Hebrew people thanked him...","source":"Articles\/G.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false}],"7":[{"id":42605,"type":"profile","type_label":"Profil","type_icon":"👤","type_color":"#f59e0b","title_ro":"Paul (Saul)","title_en":"Paul (Saul)","content_ro":"<h3>Paul (Saul)<\/h3>\n<p>Paul was a leading persecutor of the early Christians who later became an apostle of Jesus Christ, the most illustrious of the early Christian missionaries, and the great apostle to the Gentiles. He has done more to shape Christianity than any other individual except Christ himself. We know about him from Luke’s account of his conversion and ministry in Acts and from the thirteen letters bearing his name in the New Testament.<\/p>\n<p>Paul was born in Tarsus to Jewish parents who were Roman citizens (which enabled him to also acquire Roman citizenship) and grew up in a traditional Jewish home. A tentmaker (or leatherworker) by trade, he was educated as a Pharisee by the well-known rabbi Gamaliel in Jerusalem. He became active in the violent persecution of Christians as a young man (Acts 22:3-5). But through a life-changing, personal revelation of the resurrected Jesus (9:3-6; 22:6-10), he was radically converted. He then dedicated the rest of his life to proclaiming Jesus as Savior and Lord throughout the Mediterranean world (see Gal 1:11-16). His dedication and hard work, especially among Gentiles (to whom he was specifically called), resulted in the founding of scores of churches during the first century. Most of his letters were written to these churches.<\/p>\n<p>Paul’s belief in Jesus as the Jewish Messiah set him apart from his Jewish contemporaries. His vision of Jesus brought him to the realization that Jesus’ death and resurrection bring righteousness and life-transforming power to those who believe in him. Paul no longer understood righteousness in terms of the careful observance of the law of Moses, but as a gift from God to those who put their trust in Christ, the Savior who died for their sins (Rom 4:1-8). And he was convinced that this gift is for Gentiles as well as Jews.<\/p>\n<p>Paul’s thirteen letters deal with a wide range of issues, such as salvation and what Christians believe about Christ (Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians), specific problems in the church (1 Corinthians), the nature of Christian life and community (Ephesians, Colossians), and questions about Paul’s own authority as an apostle (2 Corinthians, Galatians). Some of his letters are intended to encourage young believers who are suffering for their faith (Philippians, 1 Thessalonians) or to correct false teachings (Galatians, Colossians, 2 Thessalonians). Still others are written to individuals, giving specific advice related to their life and ministry (1–2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon). Together, these thirteen letters reveal much about the life of the earliest Christians and the problems they faced, and about Paul’s own grace-centered understanding of the Christian faith and life.<\/p>\n<p>Paul’s letters, with their strong focus on Christ, reflect his all-consuming passion for Christ and his twin convictions that (1) salvation is given only to those who put their faith in Christ as Savior (Gal 2:16), and (2) every part of a believer’s life is to be devoted to serving Christ as Lord (Rom 14:7-9; 2 Cor 5:15). Of all the New Testament writers, it is Paul who spells out most clearly what salvation is (Rom 1–8) and gives us the fullest picture of the Christian life and Christian community. Paul’s letters also highlight the power of the Holy Spirit in believers’ lives (Rom 8:9-13; Gal 5:16-25; cp. Gal 2:20; Col 1:27). He encourages believers to pursue the high standard of a life that is truly like Christ (Rom 8:30; Eph 4:13, 15; 5:1-2). Believers are to live a life of love (1 Cor 13:1-13; Eph 5:2) and fully submit to Christ. Paul, more than any other New Testament writer, shows us how and why Christians must always find their deepest roots and motivation in the grace of Christ (Rom 12:1-2). For Paul, the whole of a believer’s life—and indeed, the entire universe—is centered in Christ and Christ alone; everything finds its true meaning only in relation to him (Col 1:15-20; 2:6–3:4).<\/p>\n<p>Luke’s account of Paul’s missionary life, which spans a period of perhaps thirty years, begins with Paul’s preaching in Damascus shortly after his conversion (around <span>AD<\/span> 32–35) and ends with his imprisonment in Rome (<span>AD<\/span> 60–62). But the Pastoral Letters (1 Timothy—Titus) appear to be dated to a later time, and reliable later traditions affirm that Paul was released from prison (around <span>AD<\/span> 62) and continued his missionary activity. He was later rearrested, and after a lifetime of suffering as an evangelist for Christ, he was finally killed in Nero’s persecution of Christians around <span>AD<\/span> 64–67. Paul’s desire, not only to suffer as Christ suffered but also to die as Christ died, was thus fulfilled—with the sure hope of one day being resurrected, just as Christ was resurrected (Phil 3:10-11).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Acts 7:58–8:3; 9:1-31; 11:25-30; 12:25–28:31; Rom 1:1–16:27; 1 Cor 1:1–16:24; 2 Cor 1:1–13:14; Gal 1:1–6:18; Eph 1:1–6:24; Phil 1:1–4:23; Col 1:1–4:18; 1 Thes 1:1–5:28; 2 Thes 1:1–3:18; 1 Tim 1:1–6:21; 2 Tim 1:1–4:22; Titus 1:1–3:15; Phlm 1:1-25; 2 Pet 3:15-16<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>Paul (Saul)<\/h3>\n<p>Paul was a leading persecutor of the early Christians who later became an apostle of Jesus Christ, the most illustrious of the early Christian missionaries, and the great apostle to the Gentiles. He has done more to shape Christianity than any other individual except Christ himself. We know about him from Luke’s account of his conversion and ministry in Acts and from the thirteen letters bearing his name in the New Testament.<\/p>\n<p>Paul was born in Tarsus to Jewish parents who were Roman citizens (which enabled him to also acquire Roman citizenship) and grew up in a traditional Jewish home. A tentmaker (or leatherworker) by trade, he was educated as a Pharisee by the well-known rabbi Gamaliel in Jerusalem. He became active in the violent persecution of Christians as a young man (Acts 22:3-5). But through a life-changing, personal revelation of the resurrected Jesus (9:3-6; 22:6-10), he was radically converted. He then dedicated the rest of his life to proclaiming Jesus as Savior and Lord throughout the Mediterranean world (see Gal 1:11-16). His dedication and hard work, especially among Gentiles (to whom he was specifically called), resulted in the founding of scores of churches during the first century. Most of his letters were written to these churches.<\/p>\n<p>Paul’s belief in Jesus as the Jewish Messiah set him apart from his Jewish contemporaries. His vision of Jesus brought him to the realization that Jesus’ death and resurrection bring righteousness and life-transforming power to those who believe in him. Paul no longer understood righteousness in terms of the careful observance of the law of Moses, but as a gift from God to those who put their trust in Christ, the Savior who died for their sins (Rom 4:1-8). And he was convinced that this gift is for Gentiles as well as Jews.<\/p>\n<p>Paul’s thirteen letters deal with a wide range of issues, such as salvation and what Christians believe about Christ (Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians), specific problems in the church (1 Corinthians), the nature of Christian life and community (Ephesians, Colossians), and questions about Paul’s own authority as an apostle (2 Corinthians, Galatians). Some of his letters are intended to encourage young believers who are suffering for their faith (Philippians, 1 Thessalonians) or to correct false teachings (Galatians, Colossians, 2 Thessalonians). Still others are written to individuals, giving specific advice related to their life and ministry (1–2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon). Together, these thirteen letters reveal much about the life of the earliest Christians and the problems they faced, and about Paul’s own grace-centered understanding of the Christian faith and life.<\/p>\n<p>Paul’s letters, with their strong focus on Christ, reflect his all-consuming passion for Christ and his twin convictions that (1) salvation is given only to those who put their faith in Christ as Savior (Gal 2:16), and (2) every part of a believer’s life is to be devoted to serving Christ as Lord (Rom 14:7-9; 2 Cor 5:15). Of all the New Testament writers, it is Paul who spells out most clearly what salvation is (Rom 1–8) and gives us the fullest picture of the Christian life and Christian community. Paul’s letters also highlight the power of the Holy Spirit in believers’ lives (Rom 8:9-13; Gal 5:16-25; cp. Gal 2:20; Col 1:27). He encourages believers to pursue the high standard of a life that is truly like Christ (Rom 8:30; Eph 4:13, 15; 5:1-2). Believers are to live a life of love (1 Cor 13:1-13; Eph 5:2) and fully submit to Christ. Paul, more than any other New Testament writer, shows us how and why Christians must always find their deepest roots and motivation in the grace of Christ (Rom 12:1-2). For Paul, the whole of a believer’s life—and indeed, the entire universe—is centered in Christ and Christ alone; everything finds its true meaning only in relation to him (Col 1:15-20; 2:6–3:4).<\/p>\n<p>Luke’s account of Paul’s missionary life, which spans a period of perhaps thirty years, begins with Paul’s preaching in Damascus shortly after his conversion (around <span>AD<\/span> 32–35) and ends with his imprisonment in Rome (<span>AD<\/span> 60–62). But the Pastoral Letters (1 Timothy—Titus) appear to be dated to a later time, and reliable later traditions affirm that Paul was released from prison (around <span>AD<\/span> 62) and continued his missionary activity. He was later rearrested, and after a lifetime of suffering as an evangelist for Christ, he was finally killed in Nero’s persecution of Christians around <span>AD<\/span> 64–67. Paul’s desire, not only to suffer as Christ suffered but also to die as Christ died, was thus fulfilled—with the sure hope of one day being resurrected, just as Christ was resurrected (Phil 3:10-11).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Acts 7:58–8:3; 9:1-31; 11:25-30; 12:25–28:31; Rom 1:1–16:27; 1 Cor 1:1–16:24; 2 Cor 1:1–13:14; Gal 1:1–6:18; Eph 1:1–6:24; Phil 1:1–4:23; Col 1:1–4:18; 1 Thes 1:1–5:28; 2 Thes 1:1–3:18; 1 Tim 1:1–6:21; 2 Tim 1:1–4:22; Titus 1:1–3:15; Phlm 1:1-25; 2 Pet 3:15-16<\/p>","summary_ro":"Paul (Saul) Paul was a leading persecutor of the early Christians who later became an apostle of Jesus Christ, the most illustrious of the early Christian missionaries, and the great apostle to the Gentiles. He has done more to shape Christianity than any other individual except Christ himself. We know about him from Luke’s account of his conversion and ministry in Acts and from the thirteen letters bearing his name in the New Testament. Paul was born in Tarsus to Jewish parents who were Roma...","summary_en":"Paul (Saul) Paul was a leading persecutor of the early Christians who later became an apostle of Jesus Christ, the most illustrious of the early Christian missionaries, and the great apostle to the Gentiles. He has done more to shape Christianity than any other individual except Christ himself. We know about him from Luke’s account of his conversion and ministry in Acts and from the thirteen letters bearing his name in the New Testament. Paul was born in Tarsus to Jewish parents who were Roma...","source":"Profiles.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":70231,"type":"profile","type_label":"Profil","type_icon":"👤","type_color":"#f59e0b","title_ro":"Paul (Saul)","title_en":"Paul (Saul)","content_ro":"<h3>Paul (Saul)<\/h3>\n<p>Paul was a leading persecutor of the early Christians who later became an apostle of Jesus Christ, the most illustrious of the early Christian missionaries, and the great apostle to the Gentiles. He has done more to shape Christianity than any other individual except Christ himself. We know about him from Luke’s account of his conversion and ministry in Acts and from the thirteen letters bearing his name in the New Testament.<\/p>\n<p>Paul was born in Tarsus to Jewish parents who were Roman citizens (which enabled him to also acquire Roman citizenship) and grew up in a traditional Jewish home. A tentmaker (or leatherworker) by trade, he was educated as a Pharisee by the well-known rabbi Gamaliel in Jerusalem. He became active in the violent persecution of Christians as a young man (Acts 22:3-5). But through a life-changing, personal revelation of the resurrected Jesus (9:3-6; 22:6-10), he was radically converted. He then dedicated the rest of his life to proclaiming Jesus as Savior and Lord throughout the Mediterranean world (see Gal 1:11-16). His dedication and hard work, especially among Gentiles (to whom he was specifically called), resulted in the founding of scores of churches during the first century. Most of his letters were written to these churches.<\/p>\n<p>Paul’s belief in Jesus as the Jewish Messiah set him apart from his Jewish contemporaries. His vision of Jesus brought him to the realization that Jesus’ death and resurrection bring righteousness and life-transforming power to those who believe in him. Paul no longer understood righteousness in terms of the careful observance of the law of Moses, but as a gift from God to those who put their trust in Christ, the Savior who died for their sins (Rom 4:1-8). And he was convinced that this gift is for Gentiles as well as Jews.<\/p>\n<p>Paul’s thirteen letters deal with a wide range of issues, such as salvation and what Christians believe about Christ (Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians), specific problems in the church (1 Corinthians), the nature of Christian life and community (Ephesians, Colossians), and questions about Paul’s own authority as an apostle (2 Corinthians, Galatians). Some of his letters are intended to encourage young believers who are suffering for their faith (Philippians, 1 Thessalonians) or to correct false teachings (Galatians, Colossians, 2 Thessalonians). Still others are written to individuals, giving specific advice related to their life and ministry (1–2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon). Together, these thirteen letters reveal much about the life of the earliest Christians and the problems they faced, and about Paul’s own grace-centered understanding of the Christian faith and life.<\/p>\n<p>Paul’s letters, with their strong focus on Christ, reflect his all-consuming passion for Christ and his twin convictions that (1) salvation is given only to those who put their faith in Christ as Savior (Gal 2:16), and (2) every part of a believer’s life is to be devoted to serving Christ as Lord (Rom 14:7-9; 2 Cor 5:15). Of all the New Testament writers, it is Paul who spells out most clearly what salvation is (Rom 1–8) and gives us the fullest picture of the Christian life and Christian community. Paul’s letters also highlight the power of the Holy Spirit in believers’ lives (Rom 8:9-13; Gal 5:16-25; cp. Gal 2:20; Col 1:27). He encourages believers to pursue the high standard of a life that is truly like Christ (Rom 8:30; Eph 4:13, 15; 5:1-2). Believers are to live a life of love (1 Cor 13:1-13; Eph 5:2) and fully submit to Christ. Paul, more than any other New Testament writer, shows us how and why Christians must always find their deepest roots and motivation in the grace of Christ (Rom 12:1-2). For Paul, the whole of a believer’s life—and indeed, the entire universe—is centered in Christ and Christ alone; everything finds its true meaning only in relation to him (Col 1:15-20; 2:6–3:4).<\/p>\n<p>Luke’s account of Paul’s missionary life, which spans a period of perhaps thirty years, begins with Paul’s preaching in Damascus shortly after his conversion (around <span>AD<\/span> 32–35) and ends with his imprisonment in Rome (<span>AD<\/span> 60–62). But the Pastoral Letters (1 Timothy—Titus) appear to be dated to a later time, and reliable later traditions affirm that Paul was released from prison (around <span>AD<\/span> 62) and continued his missionary activity. He was later rearrested, and after a lifetime of suffering as an evangelist for Christ, he was finally killed in Nero’s persecution of Christians around <span>AD<\/span> 64–67. Paul’s desire, not only to suffer as Christ suffered but also to die as Christ died, was thus fulfilled—with the sure hope of one day being resurrected, just as Christ was resurrected (Phil 3:10-11).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Acts 7:58–8:3; 9:1-31; 11:25-30; 12:25–28:31; Rom 1:1–16:27; 1 Cor 1:1–16:24; 2 Cor 1:1–13:14; Gal 1:1–6:18; Eph 1:1–6:24; Phil 1:1–4:23; Col 1:1–4:18; 1 Thes 1:1–5:28; 2 Thes 1:1–3:18; 1 Tim 1:1–6:21; 2 Tim 1:1–4:22; Titus 1:1–3:15; Phlm 1:1-25; 2 Pet 3:15-16<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>Paul (Saul)<\/h3>\n<p>Paul was a leading persecutor of the early Christians who later became an apostle of Jesus Christ, the most illustrious of the early Christian missionaries, and the great apostle to the Gentiles. He has done more to shape Christianity than any other individual except Christ himself. We know about him from Luke’s account of his conversion and ministry in Acts and from the thirteen letters bearing his name in the New Testament.<\/p>\n<p>Paul was born in Tarsus to Jewish parents who were Roman citizens (which enabled him to also acquire Roman citizenship) and grew up in a traditional Jewish home. A tentmaker (or leatherworker) by trade, he was educated as a Pharisee by the well-known rabbi Gamaliel in Jerusalem. He became active in the violent persecution of Christians as a young man (Acts 22:3-5). But through a life-changing, personal revelation of the resurrected Jesus (9:3-6; 22:6-10), he was radically converted. He then dedicated the rest of his life to proclaiming Jesus as Savior and Lord throughout the Mediterranean world (see Gal 1:11-16). His dedication and hard work, especially among Gentiles (to whom he was specifically called), resulted in the founding of scores of churches during the first century. Most of his letters were written to these churches.<\/p>\n<p>Paul’s belief in Jesus as the Jewish Messiah set him apart from his Jewish contemporaries. His vision of Jesus brought him to the realization that Jesus’ death and resurrection bring righteousness and life-transforming power to those who believe in him. Paul no longer understood righteousness in terms of the careful observance of the law of Moses, but as a gift from God to those who put their trust in Christ, the Savior who died for their sins (Rom 4:1-8). And he was convinced that this gift is for Gentiles as well as Jews.<\/p>\n<p>Paul’s thirteen letters deal with a wide range of issues, such as salvation and what Christians believe about Christ (Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians), specific problems in the church (1 Corinthians), the nature of Christian life and community (Ephesians, Colossians), and questions about Paul’s own authority as an apostle (2 Corinthians, Galatians). Some of his letters are intended to encourage young believers who are suffering for their faith (Philippians, 1 Thessalonians) or to correct false teachings (Galatians, Colossians, 2 Thessalonians). Still others are written to individuals, giving specific advice related to their life and ministry (1–2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon). Together, these thirteen letters reveal much about the life of the earliest Christians and the problems they faced, and about Paul’s own grace-centered understanding of the Christian faith and life.<\/p>\n<p>Paul’s letters, with their strong focus on Christ, reflect his all-consuming passion for Christ and his twin convictions that (1) salvation is given only to those who put their faith in Christ as Savior (Gal 2:16), and (2) every part of a believer’s life is to be devoted to serving Christ as Lord (Rom 14:7-9; 2 Cor 5:15). Of all the New Testament writers, it is Paul who spells out most clearly what salvation is (Rom 1–8) and gives us the fullest picture of the Christian life and Christian community. Paul’s letters also highlight the power of the Holy Spirit in believers’ lives (Rom 8:9-13; Gal 5:16-25; cp. Gal 2:20; Col 1:27). He encourages believers to pursue the high standard of a life that is truly like Christ (Rom 8:30; Eph 4:13, 15; 5:1-2). Believers are to live a life of love (1 Cor 13:1-13; Eph 5:2) and fully submit to Christ. Paul, more than any other New Testament writer, shows us how and why Christians must always find their deepest roots and motivation in the grace of Christ (Rom 12:1-2). For Paul, the whole of a believer’s life—and indeed, the entire universe—is centered in Christ and Christ alone; everything finds its true meaning only in relation to him (Col 1:15-20; 2:6–3:4).<\/p>\n<p>Luke’s account of Paul’s missionary life, which spans a period of perhaps thirty years, begins with Paul’s preaching in Damascus shortly after his conversion (around <span>AD<\/span> 32–35) and ends with his imprisonment in Rome (<span>AD<\/span> 60–62). But the Pastoral Letters (1 Timothy—Titus) appear to be dated to a later time, and reliable later traditions affirm that Paul was released from prison (around <span>AD<\/span> 62) and continued his missionary activity. He was later rearrested, and after a lifetime of suffering as an evangelist for Christ, he was finally killed in Nero’s persecution of Christians around <span>AD<\/span> 64–67. Paul’s desire, not only to suffer as Christ suffered but also to die as Christ died, was thus fulfilled—with the sure hope of one day being resurrected, just as Christ was resurrected (Phil 3:10-11).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Acts 7:58–8:3; 9:1-31; 11:25-30; 12:25–28:31; Rom 1:1–16:27; 1 Cor 1:1–16:24; 2 Cor 1:1–13:14; Gal 1:1–6:18; Eph 1:1–6:24; Phil 1:1–4:23; Col 1:1–4:18; 1 Thes 1:1–5:28; 2 Thes 1:1–3:18; 1 Tim 1:1–6:21; 2 Tim 1:1–4:22; Titus 1:1–3:15; Phlm 1:1-25; 2 Pet 3:15-16<\/p>","summary_ro":"Paul (Saul) Paul was a leading persecutor of the early Christians who later became an apostle of Jesus Christ, the most illustrious of the early Christian missionaries, and the great apostle to the Gentiles. He has done more to shape Christianity than any other individual except Christ himself. We know about him from Luke’s account of his conversion and ministry in Acts and from the thirteen letters bearing his name in the New Testament. Paul was born in Tarsus to Jewish parents who were Roma...","summary_en":"Paul (Saul) Paul was a leading persecutor of the early Christians who later became an apostle of Jesus Christ, the most illustrious of the early Christian missionaries, and the great apostle to the Gentiles. He has done more to shape Christianity than any other individual except Christ himself. We know about him from Luke’s account of his conversion and ministry in Acts and from the thirteen letters bearing his name in the New Testament. Paul was born in Tarsus to Jewish parents who were Roma...","source":"Profiles.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":97857,"type":"profile","type_label":"Profil","type_icon":"👤","type_color":"#f59e0b","title_ro":"Paul (Saul)","title_en":"Paul (Saul)","content_ro":"<h3>Paul (Saul)<\/h3>\n<p>Paul was a leading persecutor of the early Christians who later became an apostle of Jesus Christ, the most illustrious of the early Christian missionaries, and the great apostle to the Gentiles. He has done more to shape Christianity than any other individual except Christ himself. We know about him from Luke’s account of his conversion and ministry in Acts and from the thirteen letters bearing his name in the New Testament.<\/p>\n<p>Paul was born in Tarsus to Jewish parents who were Roman citizens (which enabled him to also acquire Roman citizenship) and grew up in a traditional Jewish home. A tentmaker (or leatherworker) by trade, he was educated as a Pharisee by the well-known rabbi Gamaliel in Jerusalem. He became active in the violent persecution of Christians as a young man (Acts 22:3-5). But through a life-changing, personal revelation of the resurrected Jesus (9:3-6; 22:6-10), he was radically converted. He then dedicated the rest of his life to proclaiming Jesus as Savior and Lord throughout the Mediterranean world (see Gal 1:11-16). His dedication and hard work, especially among Gentiles (to whom he was specifically called), resulted in the founding of scores of churches during the first century. Most of his letters were written to these churches.<\/p>\n<p>Paul’s belief in Jesus as the Jewish Messiah set him apart from his Jewish contemporaries. His vision of Jesus brought him to the realization that Jesus’ death and resurrection bring righteousness and life-transforming power to those who believe in him. Paul no longer understood righteousness in terms of the careful observance of the law of Moses, but as a gift from God to those who put their trust in Christ, the Savior who died for their sins (Rom 4:1-8). And he was convinced that this gift is for Gentiles as well as Jews.<\/p>\n<p>Paul’s thirteen letters deal with a wide range of issues, such as salvation and what Christians believe about Christ (Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians), specific problems in the church (1 Corinthians), the nature of Christian life and community (Ephesians, Colossians), and questions about Paul’s own authority as an apostle (2 Corinthians, Galatians). Some of his letters are intended to encourage young believers who are suffering for their faith (Philippians, 1 Thessalonians) or to correct false teachings (Galatians, Colossians, 2 Thessalonians). Still others are written to individuals, giving specific advice related to their life and ministry (1–2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon). Together, these thirteen letters reveal much about the life of the earliest Christians and the problems they faced, and about Paul’s own grace-centered understanding of the Christian faith and life.<\/p>\n<p>Paul’s letters, with their strong focus on Christ, reflect his all-consuming passion for Christ and his twin convictions that (1) salvation is given only to those who put their faith in Christ as Savior (Gal 2:16), and (2) every part of a believer’s life is to be devoted to serving Christ as Lord (Rom 14:7-9; 2 Cor 5:15). Of all the New Testament writers, it is Paul who spells out most clearly what salvation is (Rom 1–8) and gives us the fullest picture of the Christian life and Christian community. Paul’s letters also highlight the power of the Holy Spirit in believers’ lives (Rom 8:9-13; Gal 5:16-25; cp. Gal 2:20; Col 1:27). He encourages believers to pursue the high standard of a life that is truly like Christ (Rom 8:30; Eph 4:13, 15; 5:1-2). Believers are to live a life of love (1 Cor 13:1-13; Eph 5:2) and fully submit to Christ. Paul, more than any other New Testament writer, shows us how and why Christians must always find their deepest roots and motivation in the grace of Christ (Rom 12:1-2). For Paul, the whole of a believer’s life—and indeed, the entire universe—is centered in Christ and Christ alone; everything finds its true meaning only in relation to him (Col 1:15-20; 2:6–3:4).<\/p>\n<p>Luke’s account of Paul’s missionary life, which spans a period of perhaps thirty years, begins with Paul’s preaching in Damascus shortly after his conversion (around <span>AD<\/span> 32–35) and ends with his imprisonment in Rome (<span>AD<\/span> 60–62). But the Pastoral Letters (1 Timothy—Titus) appear to be dated to a later time, and reliable later traditions affirm that Paul was released from prison (around <span>AD<\/span> 62) and continued his missionary activity. He was later rearrested, and after a lifetime of suffering as an evangelist for Christ, he was finally killed in Nero’s persecution of Christians around <span>AD<\/span> 64–67. Paul’s desire, not only to suffer as Christ suffered but also to die as Christ died, was thus fulfilled—with the sure hope of one day being resurrected, just as Christ was resurrected (Phil 3:10-11).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Acts 7:58–8:3; 9:1-31; 11:25-30; 12:25–28:31; Rom 1:1–16:27; 1 Cor 1:1–16:24; 2 Cor 1:1–13:14; Gal 1:1–6:18; Eph 1:1–6:24; Phil 1:1–4:23; Col 1:1–4:18; 1 Thes 1:1–5:28; 2 Thes 1:1–3:18; 1 Tim 1:1–6:21; 2 Tim 1:1–4:22; Titus 1:1–3:15; Phlm 1:1-25; 2 Pet 3:15-16<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>Paul (Saul)<\/h3>\n<p>Paul was a leading persecutor of the early Christians who later became an apostle of Jesus Christ, the most illustrious of the early Christian missionaries, and the great apostle to the Gentiles. He has done more to shape Christianity than any other individual except Christ himself. We know about him from Luke’s account of his conversion and ministry in Acts and from the thirteen letters bearing his name in the New Testament.<\/p>\n<p>Paul was born in Tarsus to Jewish parents who were Roman citizens (which enabled him to also acquire Roman citizenship) and grew up in a traditional Jewish home. A tentmaker (or leatherworker) by trade, he was educated as a Pharisee by the well-known rabbi Gamaliel in Jerusalem. He became active in the violent persecution of Christians as a young man (Acts 22:3-5). But through a life-changing, personal revelation of the resurrected Jesus (9:3-6; 22:6-10), he was radically converted. He then dedicated the rest of his life to proclaiming Jesus as Savior and Lord throughout the Mediterranean world (see Gal 1:11-16). His dedication and hard work, especially among Gentiles (to whom he was specifically called), resulted in the founding of scores of churches during the first century. Most of his letters were written to these churches.<\/p>\n<p>Paul’s belief in Jesus as the Jewish Messiah set him apart from his Jewish contemporaries. His vision of Jesus brought him to the realization that Jesus’ death and resurrection bring righteousness and life-transforming power to those who believe in him. Paul no longer understood righteousness in terms of the careful observance of the law of Moses, but as a gift from God to those who put their trust in Christ, the Savior who died for their sins (Rom 4:1-8). And he was convinced that this gift is for Gentiles as well as Jews.<\/p>\n<p>Paul’s thirteen letters deal with a wide range of issues, such as salvation and what Christians believe about Christ (Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians), specific problems in the church (1 Corinthians), the nature of Christian life and community (Ephesians, Colossians), and questions about Paul’s own authority as an apostle (2 Corinthians, Galatians). Some of his letters are intended to encourage young believers who are suffering for their faith (Philippians, 1 Thessalonians) or to correct false teachings (Galatians, Colossians, 2 Thessalonians). Still others are written to individuals, giving specific advice related to their life and ministry (1–2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon). Together, these thirteen letters reveal much about the life of the earliest Christians and the problems they faced, and about Paul’s own grace-centered understanding of the Christian faith and life.<\/p>\n<p>Paul’s letters, with their strong focus on Christ, reflect his all-consuming passion for Christ and his twin convictions that (1) salvation is given only to those who put their faith in Christ as Savior (Gal 2:16), and (2) every part of a believer’s life is to be devoted to serving Christ as Lord (Rom 14:7-9; 2 Cor 5:15). Of all the New Testament writers, it is Paul who spells out most clearly what salvation is (Rom 1–8) and gives us the fullest picture of the Christian life and Christian community. Paul’s letters also highlight the power of the Holy Spirit in believers’ lives (Rom 8:9-13; Gal 5:16-25; cp. Gal 2:20; Col 1:27). He encourages believers to pursue the high standard of a life that is truly like Christ (Rom 8:30; Eph 4:13, 15; 5:1-2). Believers are to live a life of love (1 Cor 13:1-13; Eph 5:2) and fully submit to Christ. Paul, more than any other New Testament writer, shows us how and why Christians must always find their deepest roots and motivation in the grace of Christ (Rom 12:1-2). For Paul, the whole of a believer’s life—and indeed, the entire universe—is centered in Christ and Christ alone; everything finds its true meaning only in relation to him (Col 1:15-20; 2:6–3:4).<\/p>\n<p>Luke’s account of Paul’s missionary life, which spans a period of perhaps thirty years, begins with Paul’s preaching in Damascus shortly after his conversion (around <span>AD<\/span> 32–35) and ends with his imprisonment in Rome (<span>AD<\/span> 60–62). But the Pastoral Letters (1 Timothy—Titus) appear to be dated to a later time, and reliable later traditions affirm that Paul was released from prison (around <span>AD<\/span> 62) and continued his missionary activity. He was later rearrested, and after a lifetime of suffering as an evangelist for Christ, he was finally killed in Nero’s persecution of Christians around <span>AD<\/span> 64–67. Paul’s desire, not only to suffer as Christ suffered but also to die as Christ died, was thus fulfilled—with the sure hope of one day being resurrected, just as Christ was resurrected (Phil 3:10-11).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Acts 7:58–8:3; 9:1-31; 11:25-30; 12:25–28:31; Rom 1:1–16:27; 1 Cor 1:1–16:24; 2 Cor 1:1–13:14; Gal 1:1–6:18; Eph 1:1–6:24; Phil 1:1–4:23; Col 1:1–4:18; 1 Thes 1:1–5:28; 2 Thes 1:1–3:18; 1 Tim 1:1–6:21; 2 Tim 1:1–4:22; Titus 1:1–3:15; Phlm 1:1-25; 2 Pet 3:15-16<\/p>","summary_ro":"Paul (Saul) Paul was a leading persecutor of the early Christians who later became an apostle of Jesus Christ, the most illustrious of the early Christian missionaries, and the great apostle to the Gentiles. He has done more to shape Christianity than any other individual except Christ himself. We know about him from Luke’s account of his conversion and ministry in Acts and from the thirteen letters bearing his name in the New Testament. Paul was born in Tarsus to Jewish parents who were Roma...","summary_en":"Paul (Saul) Paul was a leading persecutor of the early Christians who later became an apostle of Jesus Christ, the most illustrious of the early Christian missionaries, and the great apostle to the Gentiles. He has done more to shape Christianity than any other individual except Christ himself. We know about him from Luke’s account of his conversion and ministry in Acts and from the thirteen letters bearing his name in the New Testament. Paul was born in Tarsus to Jewish parents who were Roma...","source":"Profiles.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":125483,"type":"profile","type_label":"Profil","type_icon":"👤","type_color":"#f59e0b","title_ro":"Paul (Saul)","title_en":"Paul (Saul)","content_ro":"<h3>Paul (Saul)<\/h3>\n<p>Paul was a leading persecutor of the early Christians who later became an apostle of Jesus Christ, the most illustrious of the early Christian missionaries, and the great apostle to the Gentiles. He has done more to shape Christianity than any other individual except Christ himself. We know about him from Luke’s account of his conversion and ministry in Acts and from the thirteen letters bearing his name in the New Testament.<\/p>\n<p>Paul was born in Tarsus to Jewish parents who were Roman citizens (which enabled him to also acquire Roman citizenship) and grew up in a traditional Jewish home. A tentmaker (or leatherworker) by trade, he was educated as a Pharisee by the well-known rabbi Gamaliel in Jerusalem. He became active in the violent persecution of Christians as a young man (Acts 22:3-5). But through a life-changing, personal revelation of the resurrected Jesus (9:3-6; 22:6-10), he was radically converted. He then dedicated the rest of his life to proclaiming Jesus as Savior and Lord throughout the Mediterranean world (see Gal 1:11-16). His dedication and hard work, especially among Gentiles (to whom he was specifically called), resulted in the founding of scores of churches during the first century. Most of his letters were written to these churches.<\/p>\n<p>Paul’s belief in Jesus as the Jewish Messiah set him apart from his Jewish contemporaries. His vision of Jesus brought him to the realization that Jesus’ death and resurrection bring righteousness and life-transforming power to those who believe in him. Paul no longer understood righteousness in terms of the careful observance of the law of Moses, but as a gift from God to those who put their trust in Christ, the Savior who died for their sins (Rom 4:1-8). And he was convinced that this gift is for Gentiles as well as Jews.<\/p>\n<p>Paul’s thirteen letters deal with a wide range of issues, such as salvation and what Christians believe about Christ (Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians), specific problems in the church (1 Corinthians), the nature of Christian life and community (Ephesians, Colossians), and questions about Paul’s own authority as an apostle (2 Corinthians, Galatians). Some of his letters are intended to encourage young believers who are suffering for their faith (Philippians, 1 Thessalonians) or to correct false teachings (Galatians, Colossians, 2 Thessalonians). Still others are written to individuals, giving specific advice related to their life and ministry (1–2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon). Together, these thirteen letters reveal much about the life of the earliest Christians and the problems they faced, and about Paul’s own grace-centered understanding of the Christian faith and life.<\/p>\n<p>Paul’s letters, with their strong focus on Christ, reflect his all-consuming passion for Christ and his twin convictions that (1) salvation is given only to those who put their faith in Christ as Savior (Gal 2:16), and (2) every part of a believer’s life is to be devoted to serving Christ as Lord (Rom 14:7-9; 2 Cor 5:15). Of all the New Testament writers, it is Paul who spells out most clearly what salvation is (Rom 1–8) and gives us the fullest picture of the Christian life and Christian community. Paul’s letters also highlight the power of the Holy Spirit in believers’ lives (Rom 8:9-13; Gal 5:16-25; cp. Gal 2:20; Col 1:27). He encourages believers to pursue the high standard of a life that is truly like Christ (Rom 8:30; Eph 4:13, 15; 5:1-2). Believers are to live a life of love (1 Cor 13:1-13; Eph 5:2) and fully submit to Christ. Paul, more than any other New Testament writer, shows us how and why Christians must always find their deepest roots and motivation in the grace of Christ (Rom 12:1-2). For Paul, the whole of a believer’s life—and indeed, the entire universe—is centered in Christ and Christ alone; everything finds its true meaning only in relation to him (Col 1:15-20; 2:6–3:4).<\/p>\n<p>Luke’s account of Paul’s missionary life, which spans a period of perhaps thirty years, begins with Paul’s preaching in Damascus shortly after his conversion (around <span>AD<\/span> 32–35) and ends with his imprisonment in Rome (<span>AD<\/span> 60–62). But the Pastoral Letters (1 Timothy—Titus) appear to be dated to a later time, and reliable later traditions affirm that Paul was released from prison (around <span>AD<\/span> 62) and continued his missionary activity. He was later rearrested, and after a lifetime of suffering as an evangelist for Christ, he was finally killed in Nero’s persecution of Christians around <span>AD<\/span> 64–67. Paul’s desire, not only to suffer as Christ suffered but also to die as Christ died, was thus fulfilled—with the sure hope of one day being resurrected, just as Christ was resurrected (Phil 3:10-11).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Acts 7:58–8:3; 9:1-31; 11:25-30; 12:25–28:31; Rom 1:1–16:27; 1 Cor 1:1–16:24; 2 Cor 1:1–13:14; Gal 1:1–6:18; Eph 1:1–6:24; Phil 1:1–4:23; Col 1:1–4:18; 1 Thes 1:1–5:28; 2 Thes 1:1–3:18; 1 Tim 1:1–6:21; 2 Tim 1:1–4:22; Titus 1:1–3:15; Phlm 1:1-25; 2 Pet 3:15-16<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>Paul (Saul)<\/h3>\n<p>Paul was a leading persecutor of the early Christians who later became an apostle of Jesus Christ, the most illustrious of the early Christian missionaries, and the great apostle to the Gentiles. He has done more to shape Christianity than any other individual except Christ himself. We know about him from Luke’s account of his conversion and ministry in Acts and from the thirteen letters bearing his name in the New Testament.<\/p>\n<p>Paul was born in Tarsus to Jewish parents who were Roman citizens (which enabled him to also acquire Roman citizenship) and grew up in a traditional Jewish home. A tentmaker (or leatherworker) by trade, he was educated as a Pharisee by the well-known rabbi Gamaliel in Jerusalem. He became active in the violent persecution of Christians as a young man (Acts 22:3-5). But through a life-changing, personal revelation of the resurrected Jesus (9:3-6; 22:6-10), he was radically converted. He then dedicated the rest of his life to proclaiming Jesus as Savior and Lord throughout the Mediterranean world (see Gal 1:11-16). His dedication and hard work, especially among Gentiles (to whom he was specifically called), resulted in the founding of scores of churches during the first century. Most of his letters were written to these churches.<\/p>\n<p>Paul’s belief in Jesus as the Jewish Messiah set him apart from his Jewish contemporaries. His vision of Jesus brought him to the realization that Jesus’ death and resurrection bring righteousness and life-transforming power to those who believe in him. Paul no longer understood righteousness in terms of the careful observance of the law of Moses, but as a gift from God to those who put their trust in Christ, the Savior who died for their sins (Rom 4:1-8). And he was convinced that this gift is for Gentiles as well as Jews.<\/p>\n<p>Paul’s thirteen letters deal with a wide range of issues, such as salvation and what Christians believe about Christ (Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians), specific problems in the church (1 Corinthians), the nature of Christian life and community (Ephesians, Colossians), and questions about Paul’s own authority as an apostle (2 Corinthians, Galatians). Some of his letters are intended to encourage young believers who are suffering for their faith (Philippians, 1 Thessalonians) or to correct false teachings (Galatians, Colossians, 2 Thessalonians). Still others are written to individuals, giving specific advice related to their life and ministry (1–2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon). Together, these thirteen letters reveal much about the life of the earliest Christians and the problems they faced, and about Paul’s own grace-centered understanding of the Christian faith and life.<\/p>\n<p>Paul’s letters, with their strong focus on Christ, reflect his all-consuming passion for Christ and his twin convictions that (1) salvation is given only to those who put their faith in Christ as Savior (Gal 2:16), and (2) every part of a believer’s life is to be devoted to serving Christ as Lord (Rom 14:7-9; 2 Cor 5:15). Of all the New Testament writers, it is Paul who spells out most clearly what salvation is (Rom 1–8) and gives us the fullest picture of the Christian life and Christian community. Paul’s letters also highlight the power of the Holy Spirit in believers’ lives (Rom 8:9-13; Gal 5:16-25; cp. Gal 2:20; Col 1:27). He encourages believers to pursue the high standard of a life that is truly like Christ (Rom 8:30; Eph 4:13, 15; 5:1-2). Believers are to live a life of love (1 Cor 13:1-13; Eph 5:2) and fully submit to Christ. Paul, more than any other New Testament writer, shows us how and why Christians must always find their deepest roots and motivation in the grace of Christ (Rom 12:1-2). For Paul, the whole of a believer’s life—and indeed, the entire universe—is centered in Christ and Christ alone; everything finds its true meaning only in relation to him (Col 1:15-20; 2:6–3:4).<\/p>\n<p>Luke’s account of Paul’s missionary life, which spans a period of perhaps thirty years, begins with Paul’s preaching in Damascus shortly after his conversion (around <span>AD<\/span> 32–35) and ends with his imprisonment in Rome (<span>AD<\/span> 60–62). But the Pastoral Letters (1 Timothy—Titus) appear to be dated to a later time, and reliable later traditions affirm that Paul was released from prison (around <span>AD<\/span> 62) and continued his missionary activity. He was later rearrested, and after a lifetime of suffering as an evangelist for Christ, he was finally killed in Nero’s persecution of Christians around <span>AD<\/span> 64–67. Paul’s desire, not only to suffer as Christ suffered but also to die as Christ died, was thus fulfilled—with the sure hope of one day being resurrected, just as Christ was resurrected (Phil 3:10-11).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Acts 7:58–8:3; 9:1-31; 11:25-30; 12:25–28:31; Rom 1:1–16:27; 1 Cor 1:1–16:24; 2 Cor 1:1–13:14; Gal 1:1–6:18; Eph 1:1–6:24; Phil 1:1–4:23; Col 1:1–4:18; 1 Thes 1:1–5:28; 2 Thes 1:1–3:18; 1 Tim 1:1–6:21; 2 Tim 1:1–4:22; Titus 1:1–3:15; Phlm 1:1-25; 2 Pet 3:15-16<\/p>","summary_ro":"Paul (Saul) Paul was a leading persecutor of the early Christians who later became an apostle of Jesus Christ, the most illustrious of the early Christian missionaries, and the great apostle to the Gentiles. He has done more to shape Christianity than any other individual except Christ himself. We know about him from Luke’s account of his conversion and ministry in Acts and from the thirteen letters bearing his name in the New Testament. Paul was born in Tarsus to Jewish parents who were Roma...","summary_en":"Paul (Saul) Paul was a leading persecutor of the early Christians who later became an apostle of Jesus Christ, the most illustrious of the early Christian missionaries, and the great apostle to the Gentiles. He has done more to shape Christianity than any other individual except Christ himself. We know about him from Luke’s account of his conversion and ministry in Acts and from the thirteen letters bearing his name in the New Testament. Paul was born in Tarsus to Jewish parents who were Roma...","source":"Profiles.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":57399,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:7","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:7","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:7<\/strong> As the Lord’s servants (14:4), Christians are to look to God for guidance and seek to honor him in all things (14:8). Because we are ultimately accountable to him, our desire should always be to please him, not to <em>live for ourselves<\/em>.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:7<\/strong> As the Lord’s servants (14:4), Christians are to look to God for guidance and seek to honor him in all things (14:8). Because we are ultimately accountable to him, our desire should always be to please him, not to <em>live for ourselves<\/em>.<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:7 As the Lord’s servants (14:4), Christians are to look to God for guidance and seek to honor him in all things (14:8). Because we are ultimately accountable to him, our desire should always be to please him, not to live for ourselves.","summary_en":"14:7 As the Lord’s servants (14:4), Christians are to look to God for guidance and seek to honor him in all things (14:8). Because we are ultimately accountable to him, our desire should always be to please him, not to live for ourselves.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":85025,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:7","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:7","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:7<\/strong> As the Lord’s servants (14:4), Christians are to look to God for guidance and seek to honor him in all things (14:8). Because we are ultimately accountable to him, our desire should always be to please him, not to <em>live for ourselves<\/em>.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:7<\/strong> As the Lord’s servants (14:4), Christians are to look to God for guidance and seek to honor him in all things (14:8). Because we are ultimately accountable to him, our desire should always be to please him, not to <em>live for ourselves<\/em>.<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:7 As the Lord’s servants (14:4), Christians are to look to God for guidance and seek to honor him in all things (14:8). Because we are ultimately accountable to him, our desire should always be to please him, not to live for ourselves.","summary_en":"14:7 As the Lord’s servants (14:4), Christians are to look to God for guidance and seek to honor him in all things (14:8). Because we are ultimately accountable to him, our desire should always be to please him, not to live for ourselves.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":112651,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:7","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:7","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:7<\/strong> As the Lord’s servants (14:4), Christians are to look to God for guidance and seek to honor him in all things (14:8). Because we are ultimately accountable to him, our desire should always be to please him, not to <em>live for ourselves<\/em>.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:7<\/strong> As the Lord’s servants (14:4), Christians are to look to God for guidance and seek to honor him in all things (14:8). Because we are ultimately accountable to him, our desire should always be to please him, not to <em>live for ourselves<\/em>.<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:7 As the Lord’s servants (14:4), Christians are to look to God for guidance and seek to honor him in all things (14:8). Because we are ultimately accountable to him, our desire should always be to please him, not to live for ourselves.","summary_en":"14:7 As the Lord’s servants (14:4), Christians are to look to God for guidance and seek to honor him in all things (14:8). Because we are ultimately accountable to him, our desire should always be to please him, not to live for ourselves.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":140277,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:7","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:7","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:7<\/strong> As the Lord’s servants (14:4), Christians are to look to God for guidance and seek to honor him in all things (14:8). Because we are ultimately accountable to him, our desire should always be to please him, not to <em>live for ourselves<\/em>.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:7<\/strong> As the Lord’s servants (14:4), Christians are to look to God for guidance and seek to honor him in all things (14:8). Because we are ultimately accountable to him, our desire should always be to please him, not to <em>live for ourselves<\/em>.<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:7 As the Lord’s servants (14:4), Christians are to look to God for guidance and seek to honor him in all things (14:8). Because we are ultimately accountable to him, our desire should always be to please him, not to live for ourselves.","summary_en":"14:7 As the Lord’s servants (14:4), Christians are to look to God for guidance and seek to honor him in all things (14:8). Because we are ultimately accountable to him, our desire should always be to please him, not to live for ourselves.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":66964,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"Belonging to Christ","title_en":"Belonging to Christ","content_ro":"<h3>Belonging to Christ<\/h3>\n<p>To many modern readers, the New Testament seems to portray an extreme view of the Christian life. Believers are called to forfeit their rights, suffer, and even die for the sake of Christ (Mark 8:34-36). They are to turn away from the things of the world that everybody else lives for (1 Jn 2:15-17) and even to despise their life in this world (John 12:24-25). Paul encourages believers to give up the normal desires for marriage and family and remain single for Christ, if they have that spiritual gift (1 Cor 7:7).<\/p>\n<p>What lies behind such an apparently extreme view of life? For Paul, it is the awareness that believers are claimed by Christ and so belong to him, body and soul. When Christ died, he bought them for himself (6:20). They must no longer live simply for themselves and their own desires (2 Cor 5:14-15). Having died to their own personal interests, they are called to live entirely for their Lord (Rom 14:7-9).<\/p>\n<p>For true Christians, obedience to Christ is not an onerous burden, but a way to express their love and loyalty to the one who died for them. For the people of Christ, the whole of life is to be a joyful expression of thanks for the grace God has shown them in Jesus Christ. They gladly yield their lives to serve the one who gave up everything for them (see 1 Jn 3:16). By dying to themselves, believers make it possible for Christ to live in and through them (Gal 2:19-20).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Deut 9:26, 29; 32:9; 1 Kgs 8:53; Pss 2:8; 28:9; Ezek 18:4; Mark 8:34-36; 12:30; Rom 14:7-9; 1 Cor 6:19-20; 7:20-24; 7:32-35; 2 Cor 5:14-15; Gal 2:19-20; 1 Pet 2:9-10<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>Belonging to Christ<\/h3>\n<p>To many modern readers, the New Testament seems to portray an extreme view of the Christian life. Believers are called to forfeit their rights, suffer, and even die for the sake of Christ (Mark 8:34-36). They are to turn away from the things of the world that everybody else lives for (1 Jn 2:15-17) and even to despise their life in this world (John 12:24-25). Paul encourages believers to give up the normal desires for marriage and family and remain single for Christ, if they have that spiritual gift (1 Cor 7:7).<\/p>\n<p>What lies behind such an apparently extreme view of life? For Paul, it is the awareness that believers are claimed by Christ and so belong to him, body and soul. When Christ died, he bought them for himself (6:20). They must no longer live simply for themselves and their own desires (2 Cor 5:14-15). Having died to their own personal interests, they are called to live entirely for their Lord (Rom 14:7-9).<\/p>\n<p>For true Christians, obedience to Christ is not an onerous burden, but a way to express their love and loyalty to the one who died for them. For the people of Christ, the whole of life is to be a joyful expression of thanks for the grace God has shown them in Jesus Christ. They gladly yield their lives to serve the one who gave up everything for them (see 1 Jn 3:16). By dying to themselves, believers make it possible for Christ to live in and through them (Gal 2:19-20).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Deut 9:26, 29; 32:9; 1 Kgs 8:53; Pss 2:8; 28:9; Ezek 18:4; Mark 8:34-36; 12:30; Rom 14:7-9; 1 Cor 6:19-20; 7:20-24; 7:32-35; 2 Cor 5:14-15; Gal 2:19-20; 1 Pet 2:9-10<\/p>","summary_ro":"Belonging to Christ To many modern readers, the New Testament seems to portray an extreme view of the Christian life. Believers are called to forfeit their rights, suffer, and even die for the sake of Christ (Mark 8:34-36). They are to turn away from the things of the world that everybody else lives for (1 Jn 2:15-17) and even to despise their life in this world (John 12:24-25). Paul encourages believers to give up the normal desires for marriage and family and remain single for Christ, if th...","summary_en":"Belonging to Christ To many modern readers, the New Testament seems to portray an extreme view of the Christian life. Believers are called to forfeit their rights, suffer, and even die for the sake of Christ (Mark 8:34-36). They are to turn away from the things of the world that everybody else lives for (1 Jn 2:15-17) and even to despise their life in this world (John 12:24-25). Paul encourages believers to give up the normal desires for marriage and family and remain single for Christ, if th...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":67379,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"Living for Christ","title_en":"Living for Christ","content_ro":"<h3>Living for Christ<\/h3>\n<p>From prison Paul writes, “To me, living means living for Christ” (1:21). Why are believers called to devote their lives to Christ?<\/p>\n<p>1. <em>Believers acknowledge that they owe everything to Christ,<\/em> including their salvation. Devoting their life to his service expresses their eternal indebtedness and gratitude (see Rom 12:1).<\/p>\n<p>2. <em>Believers acknowledge Christ as their master and Lord<\/em> and submit to Christ’s rule in their lives. They recognize that they belong to the Lord and no longer live simply for themselves (see Rom 14:7-9; 2 Cor 5:14-15).<\/p>\n<p>3. <em>Believers now share in Christ’s death and resurrection<\/em>—they have died to themselves and have risen with him (see Rom 6:3-14; cp. Gal 2:19-20). They have a new identity in Christ (Rom 8:14-17; Eph 1:11, 14; Phil 3:20).<\/p>\n<p>4. <em>Believers recognize that everything of value is found in Christ.<\/em> Things of the world that once seemed important have lost their attraction; nothing compares to the infinite value of knowing Christ (Phil 3:7-11; Eph 1:3–3:21; Col 1:15–3:4).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Rom 6:3-14; 8:14-17; 12:1; 14:7-9; 1 Cor 6:19; 2 Cor 5:14-15; Gal 2:19-20; Eph 1:11, 14; Phil 1:21; 3:7-11, 20<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>Living for Christ<\/h3>\n<p>From prison Paul writes, “To me, living means living for Christ” (1:21). Why are believers called to devote their lives to Christ?<\/p>\n<p>1. <em>Believers acknowledge that they owe everything to Christ,<\/em> including their salvation. Devoting their life to his service expresses their eternal indebtedness and gratitude (see Rom 12:1).<\/p>\n<p>2. <em>Believers acknowledge Christ as their master and Lord<\/em> and submit to Christ’s rule in their lives. They recognize that they belong to the Lord and no longer live simply for themselves (see Rom 14:7-9; 2 Cor 5:14-15).<\/p>\n<p>3. <em>Believers now share in Christ’s death and resurrection<\/em>—they have died to themselves and have risen with him (see Rom 6:3-14; cp. Gal 2:19-20). They have a new identity in Christ (Rom 8:14-17; Eph 1:11, 14; Phil 3:20).<\/p>\n<p>4. <em>Believers recognize that everything of value is found in Christ.<\/em> Things of the world that once seemed important have lost their attraction; nothing compares to the infinite value of knowing Christ (Phil 3:7-11; Eph 1:3–3:21; Col 1:15–3:4).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Rom 6:3-14; 8:14-17; 12:1; 14:7-9; 1 Cor 6:19; 2 Cor 5:14-15; Gal 2:19-20; Eph 1:11, 14; Phil 1:21; 3:7-11, 20<\/p>","summary_ro":"Living for Christ From prison Paul writes, “To me, living means living for Christ” (1:21). Why are believers called to devote their lives to Christ? 1. Believers acknowledge that they owe everything to Christ, including their salvation. Devoting their life to his service expresses their eternal indebtedness and gratitude (see Rom 12:1). 2. Believers acknowledge Christ as their master and Lord and submit to Christ’s rule in their lives. They recognize that they belong to the Lord and no longer...","summary_en":"Living for Christ From prison Paul writes, “To me, living means living for Christ” (1:21). Why are believers called to devote their lives to Christ? 1. Believers acknowledge that they owe everything to Christ, including their salvation. Devoting their life to his service expresses their eternal indebtedness and gratitude (see Rom 12:1). 2. Believers acknowledge Christ as their master and Lord and submit to Christ’s rule in their lives. They recognize that they belong to the Lord and no longer...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":94590,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"Belonging to Christ","title_en":"Belonging to Christ","content_ro":"<h3>Belonging to Christ<\/h3>\n<p>To many modern readers, the New Testament seems to portray an extreme view of the Christian life. Believers are called to forfeit their rights, suffer, and even die for the sake of Christ (Mark 8:34-36). They are to turn away from the things of the world that everybody else lives for (1 Jn 2:15-17) and even to despise their life in this world (John 12:24-25). Paul encourages believers to give up the normal desires for marriage and family and remain single for Christ, if they have that spiritual gift (1 Cor 7:7).<\/p>\n<p>What lies behind such an apparently extreme view of life? For Paul, it is the awareness that believers are claimed by Christ and so belong to him, body and soul. When Christ died, he bought them for himself (6:20). They must no longer live simply for themselves and their own desires (2 Cor 5:14-15). Having died to their own personal interests, they are called to live entirely for their Lord (Rom 14:7-9).<\/p>\n<p>For true Christians, obedience to Christ is not an onerous burden, but a way to express their love and loyalty to the one who died for them. For the people of Christ, the whole of life is to be a joyful expression of thanks for the grace God has shown them in Jesus Christ. They gladly yield their lives to serve the one who gave up everything for them (see 1 Jn 3:16). By dying to themselves, believers make it possible for Christ to live in and through them (Gal 2:19-20).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Deut 9:26, 29; 32:9; 1 Kgs 8:53; Pss 2:8; 28:9; Ezek 18:4; Mark 8:34-36; 12:30; Rom 14:7-9; 1 Cor 6:19-20; 7:20-24; 7:32-35; 2 Cor 5:14-15; Gal 2:19-20; 1 Pet 2:9-10<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>Belonging to Christ<\/h3>\n<p>To many modern readers, the New Testament seems to portray an extreme view of the Christian life. Believers are called to forfeit their rights, suffer, and even die for the sake of Christ (Mark 8:34-36). They are to turn away from the things of the world that everybody else lives for (1 Jn 2:15-17) and even to despise their life in this world (John 12:24-25). Paul encourages believers to give up the normal desires for marriage and family and remain single for Christ, if they have that spiritual gift (1 Cor 7:7).<\/p>\n<p>What lies behind such an apparently extreme view of life? For Paul, it is the awareness that believers are claimed by Christ and so belong to him, body and soul. When Christ died, he bought them for himself (6:20). They must no longer live simply for themselves and their own desires (2 Cor 5:14-15). Having died to their own personal interests, they are called to live entirely for their Lord (Rom 14:7-9).<\/p>\n<p>For true Christians, obedience to Christ is not an onerous burden, but a way to express their love and loyalty to the one who died for them. For the people of Christ, the whole of life is to be a joyful expression of thanks for the grace God has shown them in Jesus Christ. They gladly yield their lives to serve the one who gave up everything for them (see 1 Jn 3:16). By dying to themselves, believers make it possible for Christ to live in and through them (Gal 2:19-20).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Deut 9:26, 29; 32:9; 1 Kgs 8:53; Pss 2:8; 28:9; Ezek 18:4; Mark 8:34-36; 12:30; Rom 14:7-9; 1 Cor 6:19-20; 7:20-24; 7:32-35; 2 Cor 5:14-15; Gal 2:19-20; 1 Pet 2:9-10<\/p>","summary_ro":"Belonging to Christ To many modern readers, the New Testament seems to portray an extreme view of the Christian life. Believers are called to forfeit their rights, suffer, and even die for the sake of Christ (Mark 8:34-36). They are to turn away from the things of the world that everybody else lives for (1 Jn 2:15-17) and even to despise their life in this world (John 12:24-25). Paul encourages believers to give up the normal desires for marriage and family and remain single for Christ, if th...","summary_en":"Belonging to Christ To many modern readers, the New Testament seems to portray an extreme view of the Christian life. Believers are called to forfeit their rights, suffer, and even die for the sake of Christ (Mark 8:34-36). They are to turn away from the things of the world that everybody else lives for (1 Jn 2:15-17) and even to despise their life in this world (John 12:24-25). Paul encourages believers to give up the normal desires for marriage and family and remain single for Christ, if th...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":95005,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"Living for Christ","title_en":"Living for Christ","content_ro":"<h3>Living for Christ<\/h3>\n<p>From prison Paul writes, “To me, living means living for Christ” (1:21). Why are believers called to devote their lives to Christ?<\/p>\n<p>1. <em>Believers acknowledge that they owe everything to Christ,<\/em> including their salvation. Devoting their life to his service expresses their eternal indebtedness and gratitude (see Rom 12:1).<\/p>\n<p>2. <em>Believers acknowledge Christ as their master and Lord<\/em> and submit to Christ’s rule in their lives. They recognize that they belong to the Lord and no longer live simply for themselves (see Rom 14:7-9; 2 Cor 5:14-15).<\/p>\n<p>3. <em>Believers now share in Christ’s death and resurrection<\/em>—they have died to themselves and have risen with him (see Rom 6:3-14; cp. Gal 2:19-20). They have a new identity in Christ (Rom 8:14-17; Eph 1:11, 14; Phil 3:20).<\/p>\n<p>4. <em>Believers recognize that everything of value is found in Christ.<\/em> Things of the world that once seemed important have lost their attraction; nothing compares to the infinite value of knowing Christ (Phil 3:7-11; Eph 1:3–3:21; Col 1:15–3:4).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Rom 6:3-14; 8:14-17; 12:1; 14:7-9; 1 Cor 6:19; 2 Cor 5:14-15; Gal 2:19-20; Eph 1:11, 14; Phil 1:21; 3:7-11, 20<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>Living for Christ<\/h3>\n<p>From prison Paul writes, “To me, living means living for Christ” (1:21). Why are believers called to devote their lives to Christ?<\/p>\n<p>1. <em>Believers acknowledge that they owe everything to Christ,<\/em> including their salvation. Devoting their life to his service expresses their eternal indebtedness and gratitude (see Rom 12:1).<\/p>\n<p>2. <em>Believers acknowledge Christ as their master and Lord<\/em> and submit to Christ’s rule in their lives. They recognize that they belong to the Lord and no longer live simply for themselves (see Rom 14:7-9; 2 Cor 5:14-15).<\/p>\n<p>3. <em>Believers now share in Christ’s death and resurrection<\/em>—they have died to themselves and have risen with him (see Rom 6:3-14; cp. Gal 2:19-20). They have a new identity in Christ (Rom 8:14-17; Eph 1:11, 14; Phil 3:20).<\/p>\n<p>4. <em>Believers recognize that everything of value is found in Christ.<\/em> Things of the world that once seemed important have lost their attraction; nothing compares to the infinite value of knowing Christ (Phil 3:7-11; Eph 1:3–3:21; Col 1:15–3:4).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Rom 6:3-14; 8:14-17; 12:1; 14:7-9; 1 Cor 6:19; 2 Cor 5:14-15; Gal 2:19-20; Eph 1:11, 14; Phil 1:21; 3:7-11, 20<\/p>","summary_ro":"Living for Christ From prison Paul writes, “To me, living means living for Christ” (1:21). Why are believers called to devote their lives to Christ? 1. Believers acknowledge that they owe everything to Christ, including their salvation. Devoting their life to his service expresses their eternal indebtedness and gratitude (see Rom 12:1). 2. Believers acknowledge Christ as their master and Lord and submit to Christ’s rule in their lives. They recognize that they belong to the Lord and no longer...","summary_en":"Living for Christ From prison Paul writes, “To me, living means living for Christ” (1:21). Why are believers called to devote their lives to Christ? 1. Believers acknowledge that they owe everything to Christ, including their salvation. Devoting their life to his service expresses their eternal indebtedness and gratitude (see Rom 12:1). 2. Believers acknowledge Christ as their master and Lord and submit to Christ’s rule in their lives. They recognize that they belong to the Lord and no longer...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":122216,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"Belonging to Christ","title_en":"Belonging to Christ","content_ro":"<h3>Belonging to Christ<\/h3>\n<p>To many modern readers, the New Testament seems to portray an extreme view of the Christian life. Believers are called to forfeit their rights, suffer, and even die for the sake of Christ (Mark 8:34-36). They are to turn away from the things of the world that everybody else lives for (1 Jn 2:15-17) and even to despise their life in this world (John 12:24-25). Paul encourages believers to give up the normal desires for marriage and family and remain single for Christ, if they have that spiritual gift (1 Cor 7:7).<\/p>\n<p>What lies behind such an apparently extreme view of life? For Paul, it is the awareness that believers are claimed by Christ and so belong to him, body and soul. When Christ died, he bought them for himself (6:20). They must no longer live simply for themselves and their own desires (2 Cor 5:14-15). Having died to their own personal interests, they are called to live entirely for their Lord (Rom 14:7-9).<\/p>\n<p>For true Christians, obedience to Christ is not an onerous burden, but a way to express their love and loyalty to the one who died for them. For the people of Christ, the whole of life is to be a joyful expression of thanks for the grace God has shown them in Jesus Christ. They gladly yield their lives to serve the one who gave up everything for them (see 1 Jn 3:16). By dying to themselves, believers make it possible for Christ to live in and through them (Gal 2:19-20).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Deut 9:26, 29; 32:9; 1 Kgs 8:53; Pss 2:8; 28:9; Ezek 18:4; Mark 8:34-36; 12:30; Rom 14:7-9; 1 Cor 6:19-20; 7:20-24; 7:32-35; 2 Cor 5:14-15; Gal 2:19-20; 1 Pet 2:9-10<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>Belonging to Christ<\/h3>\n<p>To many modern readers, the New Testament seems to portray an extreme view of the Christian life. Believers are called to forfeit their rights, suffer, and even die for the sake of Christ (Mark 8:34-36). They are to turn away from the things of the world that everybody else lives for (1 Jn 2:15-17) and even to despise their life in this world (John 12:24-25). Paul encourages believers to give up the normal desires for marriage and family and remain single for Christ, if they have that spiritual gift (1 Cor 7:7).<\/p>\n<p>What lies behind such an apparently extreme view of life? For Paul, it is the awareness that believers are claimed by Christ and so belong to him, body and soul. When Christ died, he bought them for himself (6:20). They must no longer live simply for themselves and their own desires (2 Cor 5:14-15). Having died to their own personal interests, they are called to live entirely for their Lord (Rom 14:7-9).<\/p>\n<p>For true Christians, obedience to Christ is not an onerous burden, but a way to express their love and loyalty to the one who died for them. For the people of Christ, the whole of life is to be a joyful expression of thanks for the grace God has shown them in Jesus Christ. They gladly yield their lives to serve the one who gave up everything for them (see 1 Jn 3:16). By dying to themselves, believers make it possible for Christ to live in and through them (Gal 2:19-20).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Deut 9:26, 29; 32:9; 1 Kgs 8:53; Pss 2:8; 28:9; Ezek 18:4; Mark 8:34-36; 12:30; Rom 14:7-9; 1 Cor 6:19-20; 7:20-24; 7:32-35; 2 Cor 5:14-15; Gal 2:19-20; 1 Pet 2:9-10<\/p>","summary_ro":"Belonging to Christ To many modern readers, the New Testament seems to portray an extreme view of the Christian life. Believers are called to forfeit their rights, suffer, and even die for the sake of Christ (Mark 8:34-36). They are to turn away from the things of the world that everybody else lives for (1 Jn 2:15-17) and even to despise their life in this world (John 12:24-25). Paul encourages believers to give up the normal desires for marriage and family and remain single for Christ, if th...","summary_en":"Belonging to Christ To many modern readers, the New Testament seems to portray an extreme view of the Christian life. Believers are called to forfeit their rights, suffer, and even die for the sake of Christ (Mark 8:34-36). They are to turn away from the things of the world that everybody else lives for (1 Jn 2:15-17) and even to despise their life in this world (John 12:24-25). Paul encourages believers to give up the normal desires for marriage and family and remain single for Christ, if th...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":122631,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"Living for Christ","title_en":"Living for Christ","content_ro":"<h3>Living for Christ<\/h3>\n<p>From prison Paul writes, “To me, living means living for Christ” (1:21). Why are believers called to devote their lives to Christ?<\/p>\n<p>1. <em>Believers acknowledge that they owe everything to Christ,<\/em> including their salvation. Devoting their life to his service expresses their eternal indebtedness and gratitude (see Rom 12:1).<\/p>\n<p>2. <em>Believers acknowledge Christ as their master and Lord<\/em> and submit to Christ’s rule in their lives. They recognize that they belong to the Lord and no longer live simply for themselves (see Rom 14:7-9; 2 Cor 5:14-15).<\/p>\n<p>3. <em>Believers now share in Christ’s death and resurrection<\/em>—they have died to themselves and have risen with him (see Rom 6:3-14; cp. Gal 2:19-20). They have a new identity in Christ (Rom 8:14-17; Eph 1:11, 14; Phil 3:20).<\/p>\n<p>4. <em>Believers recognize that everything of value is found in Christ.<\/em> Things of the world that once seemed important have lost their attraction; nothing compares to the infinite value of knowing Christ (Phil 3:7-11; Eph 1:3–3:21; Col 1:15–3:4).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Rom 6:3-14; 8:14-17; 12:1; 14:7-9; 1 Cor 6:19; 2 Cor 5:14-15; Gal 2:19-20; Eph 1:11, 14; Phil 1:21; 3:7-11, 20<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>Living for Christ<\/h3>\n<p>From prison Paul writes, “To me, living means living for Christ” (1:21). Why are believers called to devote their lives to Christ?<\/p>\n<p>1. <em>Believers acknowledge that they owe everything to Christ,<\/em> including their salvation. Devoting their life to his service expresses their eternal indebtedness and gratitude (see Rom 12:1).<\/p>\n<p>2. <em>Believers acknowledge Christ as their master and Lord<\/em> and submit to Christ’s rule in their lives. They recognize that they belong to the Lord and no longer live simply for themselves (see Rom 14:7-9; 2 Cor 5:14-15).<\/p>\n<p>3. <em>Believers now share in Christ’s death and resurrection<\/em>—they have died to themselves and have risen with him (see Rom 6:3-14; cp. Gal 2:19-20). They have a new identity in Christ (Rom 8:14-17; Eph 1:11, 14; Phil 3:20).<\/p>\n<p>4. <em>Believers recognize that everything of value is found in Christ.<\/em> Things of the world that once seemed important have lost their attraction; nothing compares to the infinite value of knowing Christ (Phil 3:7-11; Eph 1:3–3:21; Col 1:15–3:4).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Rom 6:3-14; 8:14-17; 12:1; 14:7-9; 1 Cor 6:19; 2 Cor 5:14-15; Gal 2:19-20; Eph 1:11, 14; Phil 1:21; 3:7-11, 20<\/p>","summary_ro":"Living for Christ From prison Paul writes, “To me, living means living for Christ” (1:21). Why are believers called to devote their lives to Christ? 1. Believers acknowledge that they owe everything to Christ, including their salvation. Devoting their life to his service expresses their eternal indebtedness and gratitude (see Rom 12:1). 2. Believers acknowledge Christ as their master and Lord and submit to Christ’s rule in their lives. They recognize that they belong to the Lord and no longer...","summary_en":"Living for Christ From prison Paul writes, “To me, living means living for Christ” (1:21). Why are believers called to devote their lives to Christ? 1. Believers acknowledge that they owe everything to Christ, including their salvation. Devoting their life to his service expresses their eternal indebtedness and gratitude (see Rom 12:1). 2. Believers acknowledge Christ as their master and Lord and submit to Christ’s rule in their lives. They recognize that they belong to the Lord and no longer...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":149842,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"Belonging to Christ","title_en":"Belonging to Christ","content_ro":"<h3>Belonging to Christ<\/h3>\n<p>To many modern readers, the New Testament seems to portray an extreme view of the Christian life. Believers are called to forfeit their rights, suffer, and even die for the sake of Christ (Mark 8:34-36). They are to turn away from the things of the world that everybody else lives for (1 Jn 2:15-17) and even to despise their life in this world (John 12:24-25). Paul encourages believers to give up the normal desires for marriage and family and remain single for Christ, if they have that spiritual gift (1 Cor 7:7).<\/p>\n<p>What lies behind such an apparently extreme view of life? For Paul, it is the awareness that believers are claimed by Christ and so belong to him, body and soul. When Christ died, he bought them for himself (6:20). They must no longer live simply for themselves and their own desires (2 Cor 5:14-15). Having died to their own personal interests, they are called to live entirely for their Lord (Rom 14:7-9).<\/p>\n<p>For true Christians, obedience to Christ is not an onerous burden, but a way to express their love and loyalty to the one who died for them. For the people of Christ, the whole of life is to be a joyful expression of thanks for the grace God has shown them in Jesus Christ. They gladly yield their lives to serve the one who gave up everything for them (see 1 Jn 3:16). By dying to themselves, believers make it possible for Christ to live in and through them (Gal 2:19-20).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Deut 9:26, 29; 32:9; 1 Kgs 8:53; Pss 2:8; 28:9; Ezek 18:4; Mark 8:34-36; 12:30; Rom 14:7-9; 1 Cor 6:19-20; 7:20-24; 7:32-35; 2 Cor 5:14-15; Gal 2:19-20; 1 Pet 2:9-10<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>Belonging to Christ<\/h3>\n<p>To many modern readers, the New Testament seems to portray an extreme view of the Christian life. Believers are called to forfeit their rights, suffer, and even die for the sake of Christ (Mark 8:34-36). They are to turn away from the things of the world that everybody else lives for (1 Jn 2:15-17) and even to despise their life in this world (John 12:24-25). Paul encourages believers to give up the normal desires for marriage and family and remain single for Christ, if they have that spiritual gift (1 Cor 7:7).<\/p>\n<p>What lies behind such an apparently extreme view of life? For Paul, it is the awareness that believers are claimed by Christ and so belong to him, body and soul. When Christ died, he bought them for himself (6:20). They must no longer live simply for themselves and their own desires (2 Cor 5:14-15). Having died to their own personal interests, they are called to live entirely for their Lord (Rom 14:7-9).<\/p>\n<p>For true Christians, obedience to Christ is not an onerous burden, but a way to express their love and loyalty to the one who died for them. For the people of Christ, the whole of life is to be a joyful expression of thanks for the grace God has shown them in Jesus Christ. They gladly yield their lives to serve the one who gave up everything for them (see 1 Jn 3:16). By dying to themselves, believers make it possible for Christ to live in and through them (Gal 2:19-20).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Deut 9:26, 29; 32:9; 1 Kgs 8:53; Pss 2:8; 28:9; Ezek 18:4; Mark 8:34-36; 12:30; Rom 14:7-9; 1 Cor 6:19-20; 7:20-24; 7:32-35; 2 Cor 5:14-15; Gal 2:19-20; 1 Pet 2:9-10<\/p>","summary_ro":"Belonging to Christ To many modern readers, the New Testament seems to portray an extreme view of the Christian life. Believers are called to forfeit their rights, suffer, and even die for the sake of Christ (Mark 8:34-36). They are to turn away from the things of the world that everybody else lives for (1 Jn 2:15-17) and even to despise their life in this world (John 12:24-25). Paul encourages believers to give up the normal desires for marriage and family and remain single for Christ, if th...","summary_en":"Belonging to Christ To many modern readers, the New Testament seems to portray an extreme view of the Christian life. Believers are called to forfeit their rights, suffer, and even die for the sake of Christ (Mark 8:34-36). They are to turn away from the things of the world that everybody else lives for (1 Jn 2:15-17) and even to despise their life in this world (John 12:24-25). Paul encourages believers to give up the normal desires for marriage and family and remain single for Christ, if th...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":150257,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"Living for Christ","title_en":"Living for Christ","content_ro":"<h3>Living for Christ<\/h3>\n<p>From prison Paul writes, “To me, living means living for Christ” (1:21). Why are believers called to devote their lives to Christ?<\/p>\n<p>1. <em>Believers acknowledge that they owe everything to Christ,<\/em> including their salvation. Devoting their life to his service expresses their eternal indebtedness and gratitude (see Rom 12:1).<\/p>\n<p>2. <em>Believers acknowledge Christ as their master and Lord<\/em> and submit to Christ’s rule in their lives. They recognize that they belong to the Lord and no longer live simply for themselves (see Rom 14:7-9; 2 Cor 5:14-15).<\/p>\n<p>3. <em>Believers now share in Christ’s death and resurrection<\/em>—they have died to themselves and have risen with him (see Rom 6:3-14; cp. Gal 2:19-20). They have a new identity in Christ (Rom 8:14-17; Eph 1:11, 14; Phil 3:20).<\/p>\n<p>4. <em>Believers recognize that everything of value is found in Christ.<\/em> Things of the world that once seemed important have lost their attraction; nothing compares to the infinite value of knowing Christ (Phil 3:7-11; Eph 1:3–3:21; Col 1:15–3:4).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Rom 6:3-14; 8:14-17; 12:1; 14:7-9; 1 Cor 6:19; 2 Cor 5:14-15; Gal 2:19-20; Eph 1:11, 14; Phil 1:21; 3:7-11, 20<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>Living for Christ<\/h3>\n<p>From prison Paul writes, “To me, living means living for Christ” (1:21). Why are believers called to devote their lives to Christ?<\/p>\n<p>1. <em>Believers acknowledge that they owe everything to Christ,<\/em> including their salvation. Devoting their life to his service expresses their eternal indebtedness and gratitude (see Rom 12:1).<\/p>\n<p>2. <em>Believers acknowledge Christ as their master and Lord<\/em> and submit to Christ’s rule in their lives. They recognize that they belong to the Lord and no longer live simply for themselves (see Rom 14:7-9; 2 Cor 5:14-15).<\/p>\n<p>3. <em>Believers now share in Christ’s death and resurrection<\/em>—they have died to themselves and have risen with him (see Rom 6:3-14; cp. Gal 2:19-20). They have a new identity in Christ (Rom 8:14-17; Eph 1:11, 14; Phil 3:20).<\/p>\n<p>4. <em>Believers recognize that everything of value is found in Christ.<\/em> Things of the world that once seemed important have lost their attraction; nothing compares to the infinite value of knowing Christ (Phil 3:7-11; Eph 1:3–3:21; Col 1:15–3:4).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Rom 6:3-14; 8:14-17; 12:1; 14:7-9; 1 Cor 6:19; 2 Cor 5:14-15; Gal 2:19-20; Eph 1:11, 14; Phil 1:21; 3:7-11, 20<\/p>","summary_ro":"Living for Christ From prison Paul writes, “To me, living means living for Christ” (1:21). Why are believers called to devote their lives to Christ? 1. Believers acknowledge that they owe everything to Christ, including their salvation. Devoting their life to his service expresses their eternal indebtedness and gratitude (see Rom 12:1). 2. Believers acknowledge Christ as their master and Lord and submit to Christ’s rule in their lives. They recognize that they belong to the Lord and no longer...","summary_en":"Living for Christ From prison Paul writes, “To me, living means living for Christ” (1:21). Why are believers called to devote their lives to Christ? 1. Believers acknowledge that they owe everything to Christ, including their salvation. Devoting their life to his service expresses their eternal indebtedness and gratitude (see Rom 12:1). 2. Believers acknowledge Christ as their master and Lord and submit to Christ’s rule in their lives. They recognize that they belong to the Lord and no longer...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false}],"9":[{"id":57400,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:9","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:9","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:9<\/strong> Paul refers to standard early Christian teaching on the significance of Jesus’ death and resurrection (e.g., 2 Cor 5:15). • <em>of the living and of the dead<\/em> (literally <em>of the dead and of the living<\/em>): The original word order matches the sequence of Jesus’ death and resurrection, the redemptive events that make Jesus our Lord.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:9<\/strong> Paul refers to standard early Christian teaching on the significance of Jesus’ death and resurrection (e.g., 2 Cor 5:15). • <em>of the living and of the dead<\/em> (literally <em>of the dead and of the living<\/em>): The original word order matches the sequence of Jesus’ death and resurrection, the redemptive events that make Jesus our Lord.<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:9 Paul refers to standard early Christian teaching on the significance of Jesus’ death and resurrection (e.g., 2 Cor 5:15). • of the living and of the dead (literally of the dead and of the living): The original word order matches the sequence of Jesus’ death and resurrection, the redemptive events that make Jesus our Lord.","summary_en":"14:9 Paul refers to standard early Christian teaching on the significance of Jesus’ death and resurrection (e.g., 2 Cor 5:15). • of the living and of the dead (literally of the dead and of the living): The original word order matches the sequence of Jesus’ death and resurrection, the redemptive events that make Jesus our Lord.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":85026,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:9","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:9","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:9<\/strong> Paul refers to standard early Christian teaching on the significance of Jesus’ death and resurrection (e.g., 2 Cor 5:15). • <em>of the living and of the dead<\/em> (literally <em>of the dead and of the living<\/em>): The original word order matches the sequence of Jesus’ death and resurrection, the redemptive events that make Jesus our Lord.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:9<\/strong> Paul refers to standard early Christian teaching on the significance of Jesus’ death and resurrection (e.g., 2 Cor 5:15). • <em>of the living and of the dead<\/em> (literally <em>of the dead and of the living<\/em>): The original word order matches the sequence of Jesus’ death and resurrection, the redemptive events that make Jesus our Lord.<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:9 Paul refers to standard early Christian teaching on the significance of Jesus’ death and resurrection (e.g., 2 Cor 5:15). • of the living and of the dead (literally of the dead and of the living): The original word order matches the sequence of Jesus’ death and resurrection, the redemptive events that make Jesus our Lord.","summary_en":"14:9 Paul refers to standard early Christian teaching on the significance of Jesus’ death and resurrection (e.g., 2 Cor 5:15). • of the living and of the dead (literally of the dead and of the living): The original word order matches the sequence of Jesus’ death and resurrection, the redemptive events that make Jesus our Lord.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":112652,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:9","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:9","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:9<\/strong> Paul refers to standard early Christian teaching on the significance of Jesus’ death and resurrection (e.g., 2 Cor 5:15). • <em>of the living and of the dead<\/em> (literally <em>of the dead and of the living<\/em>): The original word order matches the sequence of Jesus’ death and resurrection, the redemptive events that make Jesus our Lord.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:9<\/strong> Paul refers to standard early Christian teaching on the significance of Jesus’ death and resurrection (e.g., 2 Cor 5:15). • <em>of the living and of the dead<\/em> (literally <em>of the dead and of the living<\/em>): The original word order matches the sequence of Jesus’ death and resurrection, the redemptive events that make Jesus our Lord.<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:9 Paul refers to standard early Christian teaching on the significance of Jesus’ death and resurrection (e.g., 2 Cor 5:15). • of the living and of the dead (literally of the dead and of the living): The original word order matches the sequence of Jesus’ death and resurrection, the redemptive events that make Jesus our Lord.","summary_en":"14:9 Paul refers to standard early Christian teaching on the significance of Jesus’ death and resurrection (e.g., 2 Cor 5:15). • of the living and of the dead (literally of the dead and of the living): The original word order matches the sequence of Jesus’ death and resurrection, the redemptive events that make Jesus our Lord.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":140278,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:9","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:9","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:9<\/strong> Paul refers to standard early Christian teaching on the significance of Jesus’ death and resurrection (e.g., 2 Cor 5:15). • <em>of the living and of the dead<\/em> (literally <em>of the dead and of the living<\/em>): The original word order matches the sequence of Jesus’ death and resurrection, the redemptive events that make Jesus our Lord.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:9<\/strong> Paul refers to standard early Christian teaching on the significance of Jesus’ death and resurrection (e.g., 2 Cor 5:15). • <em>of the living and of the dead<\/em> (literally <em>of the dead and of the living<\/em>): The original word order matches the sequence of Jesus’ death and resurrection, the redemptive events that make Jesus our Lord.<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:9 Paul refers to standard early Christian teaching on the significance of Jesus’ death and resurrection (e.g., 2 Cor 5:15). • of the living and of the dead (literally of the dead and of the living): The original word order matches the sequence of Jesus’ death and resurrection, the redemptive events that make Jesus our Lord.","summary_en":"14:9 Paul refers to standard early Christian teaching on the significance of Jesus’ death and resurrection (e.g., 2 Cor 5:15). • of the living and of the dead (literally of the dead and of the living): The original word order matches the sequence of Jesus’ death and resurrection, the redemptive events that make Jesus our Lord.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":60081,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"Death","title_en":"Death","content_ro":"<h3>Death<\/h3>\n<p>Humans are mortal, and death is the natural end of earthly life (Ps 90:1-6). Human identity began with the earth’s dust being animated by the breath of God (Gen 2:7). This passive state returns at death as God withdraws his breath and the human body collapses again into dust (3:19; Job 4:19-21; Isa 40:6-8). Human life depends entirely and continuously on the Creator of life—his breath is a gift that sustains us in life for as long as he grants it (Ps 104:29).<\/p>\n<p>Death entered the human race by sin and brought ruin to it; death comes suddenly, bringing mourning and an apparent end to hopes and dreams. Death is the severest penalty in human justice. In the Old Testament, the death penalty was a punishment for murder (Gen 9:6; Exod 21:12) or blasphemy (Lev 24:16; John 10:30-33)—violations that threatened the living community.<\/p>\n<p>In the Old Testament, the opposite of “the land of the living” (Ps 27:13) was <em>Sheol,<\/em> the realm of the dead that was shrouded in darkness and silence (Job 10:21-22; Ps 94:17; Jon 2:6). Yet even in death, God’s people cannot be separated from his presence (see Prov 14:32). God is sovereign and rules over death (Deut 32:39).<\/p>\n<p>While the Old Testament often speaks of death simply in terms of joining one’s ancestors—without specific reference to resurrection (see, e.g., Gen 49:29-33)—there are some allusions to resurrection (see Job 19:25-27; Isa 25:6-9; 26:19; Dan 12:2). Jewish belief in resurrection seems to have become more widespread during the intertestamental period, and resurrection is a prominent theme in the New Testament. Through Christ, God’s redeemed people will triumph over death (1 Cor 15:54-57), the last enemy to be destroyed (1 Cor 15:26). Death results from sin (Rom 5:12), and those who live in sin and refuse to turn to God will be punished in the lake of fire in what is called the second death (Rev 21:8). But Christ’s death defeated death, and his resurrection serves as the paradigm for all believers (Col 1:18). He is the Lord of the living and of the dead (Rom 14:9). The time of death—when the natural inclination is to mourn—should also be the time of the greatest demonstration of faith, for the recipient of God’s promises has a hope beyond the grave.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Gen 2:15-17; 3:19; 6:17; 9:5-6; 49:29-33; Exod 21:12-17, 28-29; 23:7; 31:14-15; Lev 24:16; Deut 32:39; Job 10:18-22; 19:25-27; Pss 90:1-12; 94:17; Prov 14:32; Eccl 12:1-7; Isa 25:6-9; 26:19; 40:6-8; Dan 12:2-3; Mark 12:26-27; Rom 5:12-17; 1 Cor 15:20-26, 51-58; Rev 20:4-6, 11-15; 21:3-8<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>Death<\/h3>\n<p>Humans are mortal, and death is the natural end of earthly life (Ps 90:1-6). Human identity began with the earth’s dust being animated by the breath of God (Gen 2:7). This passive state returns at death as God withdraws his breath and the human body collapses again into dust (3:19; Job 4:19-21; Isa 40:6-8). Human life depends entirely and continuously on the Creator of life—his breath is a gift that sustains us in life for as long as he grants it (Ps 104:29).<\/p>\n<p>Death entered the human race by sin and brought ruin to it; death comes suddenly, bringing mourning and an apparent end to hopes and dreams. Death is the severest penalty in human justice. In the Old Testament, the death penalty was a punishment for murder (Gen 9:6; Exod 21:12) or blasphemy (Lev 24:16; John 10:30-33)—violations that threatened the living community.<\/p>\n<p>In the Old Testament, the opposite of “the land of the living” (Ps 27:13) was <em>Sheol,<\/em> the realm of the dead that was shrouded in darkness and silence (Job 10:21-22; Ps 94:17; Jon 2:6). Yet even in death, God’s people cannot be separated from his presence (see Prov 14:32). God is sovereign and rules over death (Deut 32:39).<\/p>\n<p>While the Old Testament often speaks of death simply in terms of joining one’s ancestors—without specific reference to resurrection (see, e.g., Gen 49:29-33)—there are some allusions to resurrection (see Job 19:25-27; Isa 25:6-9; 26:19; Dan 12:2). Jewish belief in resurrection seems to have become more widespread during the intertestamental period, and resurrection is a prominent theme in the New Testament. Through Christ, God’s redeemed people will triumph over death (1 Cor 15:54-57), the last enemy to be destroyed (1 Cor 15:26). Death results from sin (Rom 5:12), and those who live in sin and refuse to turn to God will be punished in the lake of fire in what is called the second death (Rev 21:8). But Christ’s death defeated death, and his resurrection serves as the paradigm for all believers (Col 1:18). He is the Lord of the living and of the dead (Rom 14:9). The time of death—when the natural inclination is to mourn—should also be the time of the greatest demonstration of faith, for the recipient of God’s promises has a hope beyond the grave.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Gen 2:15-17; 3:19; 6:17; 9:5-6; 49:29-33; Exod 21:12-17, 28-29; 23:7; 31:14-15; Lev 24:16; Deut 32:39; Job 10:18-22; 19:25-27; Pss 90:1-12; 94:17; Prov 14:32; Eccl 12:1-7; Isa 25:6-9; 26:19; 40:6-8; Dan 12:2-3; Mark 12:26-27; Rom 5:12-17; 1 Cor 15:20-26, 51-58; Rev 20:4-6, 11-15; 21:3-8<\/p>","summary_ro":"Death Humans are mortal, and death is the natural end of earthly life (Ps 90:1-6). Human identity began with the earth’s dust being animated by the breath of God (Gen 2:7). This passive state returns at death as God withdraws his breath and the human body collapses again into dust (3:19; Job 4:19-21; Isa 40:6-8). Human life depends entirely and continuously on the Creator of life—his breath is a gift that sustains us in life for as long as he grants it (Ps 104:29). Death entered the human rac...","summary_en":"Death Humans are mortal, and death is the natural end of earthly life (Ps 90:1-6). Human identity began with the earth’s dust being animated by the breath of God (Gen 2:7). This passive state returns at death as God withdraws his breath and the human body collapses again into dust (3:19; Job 4:19-21; Isa 40:6-8). Human life depends entirely and continuously on the Creator of life—his breath is a gift that sustains us in life for as long as he grants it (Ps 104:29). Death entered the human rac...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":87707,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"Death","title_en":"Death","content_ro":"<h3>Death<\/h3>\n<p>Humans are mortal, and death is the natural end of earthly life (Ps 90:1-6). Human identity began with the earth’s dust being animated by the breath of God (Gen 2:7). This passive state returns at death as God withdraws his breath and the human body collapses again into dust (3:19; Job 4:19-21; Isa 40:6-8). Human life depends entirely and continuously on the Creator of life—his breath is a gift that sustains us in life for as long as he grants it (Ps 104:29).<\/p>\n<p>Death entered the human race by sin and brought ruin to it; death comes suddenly, bringing mourning and an apparent end to hopes and dreams. Death is the severest penalty in human justice. In the Old Testament, the death penalty was a punishment for murder (Gen 9:6; Exod 21:12) or blasphemy (Lev 24:16; John 10:30-33)—violations that threatened the living community.<\/p>\n<p>In the Old Testament, the opposite of “the land of the living” (Ps 27:13) was <em>Sheol,<\/em> the realm of the dead that was shrouded in darkness and silence (Job 10:21-22; Ps 94:17; Jon 2:6). Yet even in death, God’s people cannot be separated from his presence (see Prov 14:32). God is sovereign and rules over death (Deut 32:39).<\/p>\n<p>While the Old Testament often speaks of death simply in terms of joining one’s ancestors—without specific reference to resurrection (see, e.g., Gen 49:29-33)—there are some allusions to resurrection (see Job 19:25-27; Isa 25:6-9; 26:19; Dan 12:2). Jewish belief in resurrection seems to have become more widespread during the intertestamental period, and resurrection is a prominent theme in the New Testament. Through Christ, God’s redeemed people will triumph over death (1 Cor 15:54-57), the last enemy to be destroyed (1 Cor 15:26). Death results from sin (Rom 5:12), and those who live in sin and refuse to turn to God will be punished in the lake of fire in what is called the second death (Rev 21:8). But Christ’s death defeated death, and his resurrection serves as the paradigm for all believers (Col 1:18). He is the Lord of the living and of the dead (Rom 14:9). The time of death—when the natural inclination is to mourn—should also be the time of the greatest demonstration of faith, for the recipient of God’s promises has a hope beyond the grave.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Gen 2:15-17; 3:19; 6:17; 9:5-6; 49:29-33; Exod 21:12-17, 28-29; 23:7; 31:14-15; Lev 24:16; Deut 32:39; Job 10:18-22; 19:25-27; Pss 90:1-12; 94:17; Prov 14:32; Eccl 12:1-7; Isa 25:6-9; 26:19; 40:6-8; Dan 12:2-3; Mark 12:26-27; Rom 5:12-17; 1 Cor 15:20-26, 51-58; Rev 20:4-6, 11-15; 21:3-8<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>Death<\/h3>\n<p>Humans are mortal, and death is the natural end of earthly life (Ps 90:1-6). Human identity began with the earth’s dust being animated by the breath of God (Gen 2:7). This passive state returns at death as God withdraws his breath and the human body collapses again into dust (3:19; Job 4:19-21; Isa 40:6-8). Human life depends entirely and continuously on the Creator of life—his breath is a gift that sustains us in life for as long as he grants it (Ps 104:29).<\/p>\n<p>Death entered the human race by sin and brought ruin to it; death comes suddenly, bringing mourning and an apparent end to hopes and dreams. Death is the severest penalty in human justice. In the Old Testament, the death penalty was a punishment for murder (Gen 9:6; Exod 21:12) or blasphemy (Lev 24:16; John 10:30-33)—violations that threatened the living community.<\/p>\n<p>In the Old Testament, the opposite of “the land of the living” (Ps 27:13) was <em>Sheol,<\/em> the realm of the dead that was shrouded in darkness and silence (Job 10:21-22; Ps 94:17; Jon 2:6). Yet even in death, God’s people cannot be separated from his presence (see Prov 14:32). God is sovereign and rules over death (Deut 32:39).<\/p>\n<p>While the Old Testament often speaks of death simply in terms of joining one’s ancestors—without specific reference to resurrection (see, e.g., Gen 49:29-33)—there are some allusions to resurrection (see Job 19:25-27; Isa 25:6-9; 26:19; Dan 12:2). Jewish belief in resurrection seems to have become more widespread during the intertestamental period, and resurrection is a prominent theme in the New Testament. Through Christ, God’s redeemed people will triumph over death (1 Cor 15:54-57), the last enemy to be destroyed (1 Cor 15:26). Death results from sin (Rom 5:12), and those who live in sin and refuse to turn to God will be punished in the lake of fire in what is called the second death (Rev 21:8). But Christ’s death defeated death, and his resurrection serves as the paradigm for all believers (Col 1:18). He is the Lord of the living and of the dead (Rom 14:9). The time of death—when the natural inclination is to mourn—should also be the time of the greatest demonstration of faith, for the recipient of God’s promises has a hope beyond the grave.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Gen 2:15-17; 3:19; 6:17; 9:5-6; 49:29-33; Exod 21:12-17, 28-29; 23:7; 31:14-15; Lev 24:16; Deut 32:39; Job 10:18-22; 19:25-27; Pss 90:1-12; 94:17; Prov 14:32; Eccl 12:1-7; Isa 25:6-9; 26:19; 40:6-8; Dan 12:2-3; Mark 12:26-27; Rom 5:12-17; 1 Cor 15:20-26, 51-58; Rev 20:4-6, 11-15; 21:3-8<\/p>","summary_ro":"Death Humans are mortal, and death is the natural end of earthly life (Ps 90:1-6). Human identity began with the earth’s dust being animated by the breath of God (Gen 2:7). This passive state returns at death as God withdraws his breath and the human body collapses again into dust (3:19; Job 4:19-21; Isa 40:6-8). Human life depends entirely and continuously on the Creator of life—his breath is a gift that sustains us in life for as long as he grants it (Ps 104:29). Death entered the human rac...","summary_en":"Death Humans are mortal, and death is the natural end of earthly life (Ps 90:1-6). Human identity began with the earth’s dust being animated by the breath of God (Gen 2:7). This passive state returns at death as God withdraws his breath and the human body collapses again into dust (3:19; Job 4:19-21; Isa 40:6-8). Human life depends entirely and continuously on the Creator of life—his breath is a gift that sustains us in life for as long as he grants it (Ps 104:29). Death entered the human rac...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":115333,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"Death","title_en":"Death","content_ro":"<h3>Death<\/h3>\n<p>Humans are mortal, and death is the natural end of earthly life (Ps 90:1-6). Human identity began with the earth’s dust being animated by the breath of God (Gen 2:7). This passive state returns at death as God withdraws his breath and the human body collapses again into dust (3:19; Job 4:19-21; Isa 40:6-8). Human life depends entirely and continuously on the Creator of life—his breath is a gift that sustains us in life for as long as he grants it (Ps 104:29).<\/p>\n<p>Death entered the human race by sin and brought ruin to it; death comes suddenly, bringing mourning and an apparent end to hopes and dreams. Death is the severest penalty in human justice. In the Old Testament, the death penalty was a punishment for murder (Gen 9:6; Exod 21:12) or blasphemy (Lev 24:16; John 10:30-33)—violations that threatened the living community.<\/p>\n<p>In the Old Testament, the opposite of “the land of the living” (Ps 27:13) was <em>Sheol,<\/em> the realm of the dead that was shrouded in darkness and silence (Job 10:21-22; Ps 94:17; Jon 2:6). Yet even in death, God’s people cannot be separated from his presence (see Prov 14:32). God is sovereign and rules over death (Deut 32:39).<\/p>\n<p>While the Old Testament often speaks of death simply in terms of joining one’s ancestors—without specific reference to resurrection (see, e.g., Gen 49:29-33)—there are some allusions to resurrection (see Job 19:25-27; Isa 25:6-9; 26:19; Dan 12:2). Jewish belief in resurrection seems to have become more widespread during the intertestamental period, and resurrection is a prominent theme in the New Testament. Through Christ, God’s redeemed people will triumph over death (1 Cor 15:54-57), the last enemy to be destroyed (1 Cor 15:26). Death results from sin (Rom 5:12), and those who live in sin and refuse to turn to God will be punished in the lake of fire in what is called the second death (Rev 21:8). But Christ’s death defeated death, and his resurrection serves as the paradigm for all believers (Col 1:18). He is the Lord of the living and of the dead (Rom 14:9). The time of death—when the natural inclination is to mourn—should also be the time of the greatest demonstration of faith, for the recipient of God’s promises has a hope beyond the grave.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Gen 2:15-17; 3:19; 6:17; 9:5-6; 49:29-33; Exod 21:12-17, 28-29; 23:7; 31:14-15; Lev 24:16; Deut 32:39; Job 10:18-22; 19:25-27; Pss 90:1-12; 94:17; Prov 14:32; Eccl 12:1-7; Isa 25:6-9; 26:19; 40:6-8; Dan 12:2-3; Mark 12:26-27; Rom 5:12-17; 1 Cor 15:20-26, 51-58; Rev 20:4-6, 11-15; 21:3-8<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>Death<\/h3>\n<p>Humans are mortal, and death is the natural end of earthly life (Ps 90:1-6). Human identity began with the earth’s dust being animated by the breath of God (Gen 2:7). This passive state returns at death as God withdraws his breath and the human body collapses again into dust (3:19; Job 4:19-21; Isa 40:6-8). Human life depends entirely and continuously on the Creator of life—his breath is a gift that sustains us in life for as long as he grants it (Ps 104:29).<\/p>\n<p>Death entered the human race by sin and brought ruin to it; death comes suddenly, bringing mourning and an apparent end to hopes and dreams. Death is the severest penalty in human justice. In the Old Testament, the death penalty was a punishment for murder (Gen 9:6; Exod 21:12) or blasphemy (Lev 24:16; John 10:30-33)—violations that threatened the living community.<\/p>\n<p>In the Old Testament, the opposite of “the land of the living” (Ps 27:13) was <em>Sheol,<\/em> the realm of the dead that was shrouded in darkness and silence (Job 10:21-22; Ps 94:17; Jon 2:6). Yet even in death, God’s people cannot be separated from his presence (see Prov 14:32). God is sovereign and rules over death (Deut 32:39).<\/p>\n<p>While the Old Testament often speaks of death simply in terms of joining one’s ancestors—without specific reference to resurrection (see, e.g., Gen 49:29-33)—there are some allusions to resurrection (see Job 19:25-27; Isa 25:6-9; 26:19; Dan 12:2). Jewish belief in resurrection seems to have become more widespread during the intertestamental period, and resurrection is a prominent theme in the New Testament. Through Christ, God’s redeemed people will triumph over death (1 Cor 15:54-57), the last enemy to be destroyed (1 Cor 15:26). Death results from sin (Rom 5:12), and those who live in sin and refuse to turn to God will be punished in the lake of fire in what is called the second death (Rev 21:8). But Christ’s death defeated death, and his resurrection serves as the paradigm for all believers (Col 1:18). He is the Lord of the living and of the dead (Rom 14:9). The time of death—when the natural inclination is to mourn—should also be the time of the greatest demonstration of faith, for the recipient of God’s promises has a hope beyond the grave.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Gen 2:15-17; 3:19; 6:17; 9:5-6; 49:29-33; Exod 21:12-17, 28-29; 23:7; 31:14-15; Lev 24:16; Deut 32:39; Job 10:18-22; 19:25-27; Pss 90:1-12; 94:17; Prov 14:32; Eccl 12:1-7; Isa 25:6-9; 26:19; 40:6-8; Dan 12:2-3; Mark 12:26-27; Rom 5:12-17; 1 Cor 15:20-26, 51-58; Rev 20:4-6, 11-15; 21:3-8<\/p>","summary_ro":"Death Humans are mortal, and death is the natural end of earthly life (Ps 90:1-6). Human identity began with the earth’s dust being animated by the breath of God (Gen 2:7). This passive state returns at death as God withdraws his breath and the human body collapses again into dust (3:19; Job 4:19-21; Isa 40:6-8). Human life depends entirely and continuously on the Creator of life—his breath is a gift that sustains us in life for as long as he grants it (Ps 104:29). Death entered the human rac...","summary_en":"Death Humans are mortal, and death is the natural end of earthly life (Ps 90:1-6). Human identity began with the earth’s dust being animated by the breath of God (Gen 2:7). This passive state returns at death as God withdraws his breath and the human body collapses again into dust (3:19; Job 4:19-21; Isa 40:6-8). Human life depends entirely and continuously on the Creator of life—his breath is a gift that sustains us in life for as long as he grants it (Ps 104:29). Death entered the human rac...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":142959,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"Death","title_en":"Death","content_ro":"<h3>Death<\/h3>\n<p>Humans are mortal, and death is the natural end of earthly life (Ps 90:1-6). Human identity began with the earth’s dust being animated by the breath of God (Gen 2:7). This passive state returns at death as God withdraws his breath and the human body collapses again into dust (3:19; Job 4:19-21; Isa 40:6-8). Human life depends entirely and continuously on the Creator of life—his breath is a gift that sustains us in life for as long as he grants it (Ps 104:29).<\/p>\n<p>Death entered the human race by sin and brought ruin to it; death comes suddenly, bringing mourning and an apparent end to hopes and dreams. Death is the severest penalty in human justice. In the Old Testament, the death penalty was a punishment for murder (Gen 9:6; Exod 21:12) or blasphemy (Lev 24:16; John 10:30-33)—violations that threatened the living community.<\/p>\n<p>In the Old Testament, the opposite of “the land of the living” (Ps 27:13) was <em>Sheol,<\/em> the realm of the dead that was shrouded in darkness and silence (Job 10:21-22; Ps 94:17; Jon 2:6). Yet even in death, God’s people cannot be separated from his presence (see Prov 14:32). God is sovereign and rules over death (Deut 32:39).<\/p>\n<p>While the Old Testament often speaks of death simply in terms of joining one’s ancestors—without specific reference to resurrection (see, e.g., Gen 49:29-33)—there are some allusions to resurrection (see Job 19:25-27; Isa 25:6-9; 26:19; Dan 12:2). Jewish belief in resurrection seems to have become more widespread during the intertestamental period, and resurrection is a prominent theme in the New Testament. Through Christ, God’s redeemed people will triumph over death (1 Cor 15:54-57), the last enemy to be destroyed (1 Cor 15:26). Death results from sin (Rom 5:12), and those who live in sin and refuse to turn to God will be punished in the lake of fire in what is called the second death (Rev 21:8). But Christ’s death defeated death, and his resurrection serves as the paradigm for all believers (Col 1:18). He is the Lord of the living and of the dead (Rom 14:9). The time of death—when the natural inclination is to mourn—should also be the time of the greatest demonstration of faith, for the recipient of God’s promises has a hope beyond the grave.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Gen 2:15-17; 3:19; 6:17; 9:5-6; 49:29-33; Exod 21:12-17, 28-29; 23:7; 31:14-15; Lev 24:16; Deut 32:39; Job 10:18-22; 19:25-27; Pss 90:1-12; 94:17; Prov 14:32; Eccl 12:1-7; Isa 25:6-9; 26:19; 40:6-8; Dan 12:2-3; Mark 12:26-27; Rom 5:12-17; 1 Cor 15:20-26, 51-58; Rev 20:4-6, 11-15; 21:3-8<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>Death<\/h3>\n<p>Humans are mortal, and death is the natural end of earthly life (Ps 90:1-6). Human identity began with the earth’s dust being animated by the breath of God (Gen 2:7). This passive state returns at death as God withdraws his breath and the human body collapses again into dust (3:19; Job 4:19-21; Isa 40:6-8). Human life depends entirely and continuously on the Creator of life—his breath is a gift that sustains us in life for as long as he grants it (Ps 104:29).<\/p>\n<p>Death entered the human race by sin and brought ruin to it; death comes suddenly, bringing mourning and an apparent end to hopes and dreams. Death is the severest penalty in human justice. In the Old Testament, the death penalty was a punishment for murder (Gen 9:6; Exod 21:12) or blasphemy (Lev 24:16; John 10:30-33)—violations that threatened the living community.<\/p>\n<p>In the Old Testament, the opposite of “the land of the living” (Ps 27:13) was <em>Sheol,<\/em> the realm of the dead that was shrouded in darkness and silence (Job 10:21-22; Ps 94:17; Jon 2:6). Yet even in death, God’s people cannot be separated from his presence (see Prov 14:32). God is sovereign and rules over death (Deut 32:39).<\/p>\n<p>While the Old Testament often speaks of death simply in terms of joining one’s ancestors—without specific reference to resurrection (see, e.g., Gen 49:29-33)—there are some allusions to resurrection (see Job 19:25-27; Isa 25:6-9; 26:19; Dan 12:2). Jewish belief in resurrection seems to have become more widespread during the intertestamental period, and resurrection is a prominent theme in the New Testament. Through Christ, God’s redeemed people will triumph over death (1 Cor 15:54-57), the last enemy to be destroyed (1 Cor 15:26). Death results from sin (Rom 5:12), and those who live in sin and refuse to turn to God will be punished in the lake of fire in what is called the second death (Rev 21:8). But Christ’s death defeated death, and his resurrection serves as the paradigm for all believers (Col 1:18). He is the Lord of the living and of the dead (Rom 14:9). The time of death—when the natural inclination is to mourn—should also be the time of the greatest demonstration of faith, for the recipient of God’s promises has a hope beyond the grave.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Gen 2:15-17; 3:19; 6:17; 9:5-6; 49:29-33; Exod 21:12-17, 28-29; 23:7; 31:14-15; Lev 24:16; Deut 32:39; Job 10:18-22; 19:25-27; Pss 90:1-12; 94:17; Prov 14:32; Eccl 12:1-7; Isa 25:6-9; 26:19; 40:6-8; Dan 12:2-3; Mark 12:26-27; Rom 5:12-17; 1 Cor 15:20-26, 51-58; Rev 20:4-6, 11-15; 21:3-8<\/p>","summary_ro":"Death Humans are mortal, and death is the natural end of earthly life (Ps 90:1-6). Human identity began with the earth’s dust being animated by the breath of God (Gen 2:7). This passive state returns at death as God withdraws his breath and the human body collapses again into dust (3:19; Job 4:19-21; Isa 40:6-8). Human life depends entirely and continuously on the Creator of life—his breath is a gift that sustains us in life for as long as he grants it (Ps 104:29). Death entered the human rac...","summary_en":"Death Humans are mortal, and death is the natural end of earthly life (Ps 90:1-6). Human identity began with the earth’s dust being animated by the breath of God (Gen 2:7). This passive state returns at death as God withdraws his breath and the human body collapses again into dust (3:19; Job 4:19-21; Isa 40:6-8). Human life depends entirely and continuously on the Creator of life—his breath is a gift that sustains us in life for as long as he grants it (Ps 104:29). Death entered the human rac...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false}],"10":[{"id":4224,"type":"article","type_label":"Articol","type_icon":"📖","type_color":"#d4af37","title_ro":"Bema*","title_en":"Bema*","content_ro":"<h3>BEMA*<\/h3>\n<p>Greek term for a judgment seat or tribunal of a Roman official. Although the term also means “to step” or “stride,” it was used in the first century <span>AD<\/span> primarily to denote an elevated area or platform (reached by steps) from which political orations or judicial decisions were made. Excavations in the city of Corinth have revealed a large, elaborately decorated <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">bema<\/span> located in the center of the marketplace.<\/p>\n<p>In the NT, Jesus was questioned before the judgment seat of Pilate (Mt 27:19; Jn 19:13). Herod Agrippa I addressed the people of Tyre and Sidon from a <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">bema<\/span> (Acts 12:21). The apostle Paul was brought before the tribunal of Gallio in Corinth (18:12-17) and again before Festus’s tribunal in Caesarea (25:6, 10, 17).<\/p>\n<p>In two passages, Paul used the term to refer to God’s judgment seat. In Romans 14:10 he warned those who would arrogantly judge others that all must stand before the tribunal of God. According to 2 Corinthians 5:10, the merits of each person’s work will be determined before the judgment seat of Christ (cf. 1 Cor 3:13-15).<\/p>\n<p><em>See also<\/em> Judgment; Judgment Seat; Last Judgment.<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>BEMA*<\/h3>\n<p>Greek term for a judgment seat or tribunal of a Roman official. Although the term also means “to step” or “stride,” it was used in the first century <span>AD<\/span> primarily to denote an elevated area or platform (reached by steps) from which political orations or judicial decisions were made. Excavations in the city of Corinth have revealed a large, elaborately decorated <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">bema<\/span> located in the center of the marketplace.<\/p>\n<p>In the NT, Jesus was questioned before the judgment seat of Pilate (Mt 27:19; Jn 19:13). Herod Agrippa I addressed the people of Tyre and Sidon from a <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">bema<\/span> (Acts 12:21). The apostle Paul was brought before the tribunal of Gallio in Corinth (18:12-17) and again before Festus’s tribunal in Caesarea (25:6, 10, 17).<\/p>\n<p>In two passages, Paul used the term to refer to God’s judgment seat. In Romans 14:10 he warned those who would arrogantly judge others that all must stand before the tribunal of God. According to 2 Corinthians 5:10, the merits of each person’s work will be determined before the judgment seat of Christ (cf. 1 Cor 3:13-15).<\/p>\n<p><em>See also<\/em> Judgment; Judgment Seat; Last Judgment.<\/p>","summary_ro":"BEMA* Greek term for a judgment seat or tribunal of a Roman official. Although the term also means “to step” or “stride,” it was used in the first century AD primarily to denote an elevated area or platform (reached by steps) from which political orations or judicial decisions were made. Excavations in the city of Corinth have revealed a large, elaborately decorated bema located in the center of the marketplace. In the NT, Jesus was questioned before the judgment seat of Pilate (Mt 27:19; Jn ...","summary_en":"BEMA* Greek term for a judgment seat or tribunal of a Roman official. Although the term also means “to step” or “stride,” it was used in the first century AD primarily to denote an elevated area or platform (reached by steps) from which political orations or judicial decisions were made. Excavations in the city of Corinth have revealed a large, elaborately decorated bema located in the center of the marketplace. In the NT, Jesus was questioned before the judgment seat of Pilate (Mt 27:19; Jn ...","source":"Articles\/B.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":21393,"type":"article","type_label":"Articol","type_icon":"📖","type_color":"#d4af37","title_ro":"Judgment Seat","title_en":"Judgment Seat","content_ro":"<h3>JUDGMENT SEAT<\/h3>\n<p>Place before which people will one day stand to give an account of their lives to God.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"IntheOldTestament\">In the Old Testament<\/p>\n<p>The NT concept of divine judgment has its roots in the OT. There God is seen as Judge of the whole world, and especially of his own people.<\/p>\n<p>During his intercession for Sodom, Abraham spoke of God as the Judge of all the earth (Gn 18:25). Moses’ position as judge over the Israelites was based on the belief that God gave judgments through Moses. A similar relationship existed between God and the judges who led Israel after the conquest of the Promised Land. That understanding of God became explicit in Jephthah’s message to the king of Ammon: “Let the <span>Lord<\/span>, who is judge, decide today which of us is right—Israel or Ammon” (Jgs 11:27, <span>nlt<\/span>). When God called Samuel, he told Samuel that he (God) would judge Eli’s house.<\/p>\n<p>The concept of God as the Judge of his people is prevalent in the Psalms and Prophets. In Psalm 9:4 David said of God, “For you have judged in my favor; from your throne, you have judged with fairness” (<span>nlt<\/span>). He added, “But the <span>Lord<\/span> reigns forever, executing judgment from his throne. He will judge the world with justice and rule the nations with fairness” (9:7-8, <span>nlt<\/span>). Isaiah described a future day when God shall judge the nations (Is 2:4). Joel also spoke of God as the judge of the nations (Jl 3:12).<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"IntheNewTestament\">In the New Testament<\/p>\n<p>Statements like those above formed part of the background for the NT understanding of the judgment seat of God or Christ. The image of a judgment seat came from the fact that in the Roman world judgment took place on a platform (Gk, <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">bema<\/span>) or tribunal, from which a judge would hear and decide cases. Thus, most of the NT references to a judgment seat occur when Jesus, or the apostle Paul, was brought before a ruling authority. For example, Pilate sat on his judgment seat when he tried Jesus (Mt 27:19; cf. Jn 19:13; Acts 18:12, 16-17; 25:6, 10, 17).<\/p>\n<p>The two passages in the NT that speak directly of the judgment seat of God or Christ are Romans 14:10 and 2 Corinthians 5:10. In Romans 14:10 Paul addressed the urgent problem of unity within the church—unity based on a loving acceptance of those with different understandings of the effects of faith in a Christian’s daily life. Paul urged the Christians, both Jews and Gentiles, to accept one another in spite of differences concerning eating certain foods and observing certain days. All, he reminded them, must eventually stand before the judgment seat of God to give an account of the way they had lived. Further, since God is the ultimate Judge, Christians should not judge one another. Again, in 2 Corinthians 5 Paul told the Corinthian Christians why Christians strive to please the Lord: all must appear before the judgment seat of Christ to be recompensed for their deeds. The judgment seat of Christ or God, therefore, expresses the ultimate accountability of the Christian.<\/p>\n<p><em>See also<\/em> Bema; Judgment; Last Judgment; Second Coming of Christ.<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>JUDGMENT SEAT<\/h3>\n<p>Place before which people will one day stand to give an account of their lives to God.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"IntheOldTestament\">In the Old Testament<\/p>\n<p>The NT concept of divine judgment has its roots in the OT. There God is seen as Judge of the whole world, and especially of his own people.<\/p>\n<p>During his intercession for Sodom, Abraham spoke of God as the Judge of all the earth (Gn 18:25). Moses’ position as judge over the Israelites was based on the belief that God gave judgments through Moses. A similar relationship existed between God and the judges who led Israel after the conquest of the Promised Land. That understanding of God became explicit in Jephthah’s message to the king of Ammon: “Let the <span>Lord<\/span>, who is judge, decide today which of us is right—Israel or Ammon” (Jgs 11:27, <span>nlt<\/span>). When God called Samuel, he told Samuel that he (God) would judge Eli’s house.<\/p>\n<p>The concept of God as the Judge of his people is prevalent in the Psalms and Prophets. In Psalm 9:4 David said of God, “For you have judged in my favor; from your throne, you have judged with fairness” (<span>nlt<\/span>). He added, “But the <span>Lord<\/span> reigns forever, executing judgment from his throne. He will judge the world with justice and rule the nations with fairness” (9:7-8, <span>nlt<\/span>). Isaiah described a future day when God shall judge the nations (Is 2:4). Joel also spoke of God as the judge of the nations (Jl 3:12).<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"IntheNewTestament\">In the New Testament<\/p>\n<p>Statements like those above formed part of the background for the NT understanding of the judgment seat of God or Christ. The image of a judgment seat came from the fact that in the Roman world judgment took place on a platform (Gk, <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">bema<\/span>) or tribunal, from which a judge would hear and decide cases. Thus, most of the NT references to a judgment seat occur when Jesus, or the apostle Paul, was brought before a ruling authority. For example, Pilate sat on his judgment seat when he tried Jesus (Mt 27:19; cf. Jn 19:13; Acts 18:12, 16-17; 25:6, 10, 17).<\/p>\n<p>The two passages in the NT that speak directly of the judgment seat of God or Christ are Romans 14:10 and 2 Corinthians 5:10. In Romans 14:10 Paul addressed the urgent problem of unity within the church—unity based on a loving acceptance of those with different understandings of the effects of faith in a Christian’s daily life. Paul urged the Christians, both Jews and Gentiles, to accept one another in spite of differences concerning eating certain foods and observing certain days. All, he reminded them, must eventually stand before the judgment seat of God to give an account of the way they had lived. Further, since God is the ultimate Judge, Christians should not judge one another. Again, in 2 Corinthians 5 Paul told the Corinthian Christians why Christians strive to please the Lord: all must appear before the judgment seat of Christ to be recompensed for their deeds. The judgment seat of Christ or God, therefore, expresses the ultimate accountability of the Christian.<\/p>\n<p><em>See also<\/em> Bema; Judgment; Last Judgment; Second Coming of Christ.<\/p>","summary_ro":"JUDGMENT SEAT Place before which people will one day stand to give an account of their lives to God. In the Old Testament The NT concept of divine judgment has its roots in the OT. There God is seen as Judge of the whole world, and especially of his own people. During his intercession for Sodom, Abraham spoke of God as the Judge of all the earth (Gn 18:25). Moses’ position as judge over the Israelites was based on the belief that God gave judgments through Moses. A similar relationship existe...","summary_en":"JUDGMENT SEAT Place before which people will one day stand to give an account of their lives to God. In the Old Testament The NT concept of divine judgment has its roots in the OT. There God is seen as Judge of the whole world, and especially of his own people. During his intercession for Sodom, Abraham spoke of God as the Judge of all the earth (Gn 18:25). Moses’ position as judge over the Israelites was based on the belief that God gave judgments through Moses. A similar relationship existe...","source":"Articles\/J.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":22606,"type":"article","type_label":"Articol","type_icon":"📖","type_color":"#d4af37","title_ro":"Judgment*, Last","title_en":"Judgment*, Last","content_ro":"<h3>LAST JUDGMENT*<\/h3>\n<p>Time at the end of history when God will judge the deeds of all humankind. In their preaching concerning the Day of the Lord, various OT prophets anticipated the time when God would wage war against all wicked nations and establish his rule in the eternal city of Zion (Is 4:2; 11:10; Jer 50:3-32; Jl 2:1-3; 3:9-16; Am 5:18-20; 9:11; Zep 1:7-18). The NT writers continue this theme, restating it in the light of the words and work of Jesus. He has been appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead (Acts 10:42; 17:31). Both believers and unbelievers must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive good or evil, according to what they have done with their lives (2 Cor 5:10; cf. Rom 14:10).<\/p>\n<p>The focus of God’s judgment is human behavior. Those faithful to the covenant will prosper, but those who are disloyal will perish. The prophet Habakkuk identifies the righteous person as the one who is faithful (Hb 2:4). NT writers state that one will be judged according to whether or not his deeds are pleasing to God (2 Cor 5:10; Rv 20:12). However, the NT also states that no one has met the perfect standards of God. All have sinned and therefore deserve to be punished (Rom 3:9, 23). The issue to be determined at the time of judgment is not one’s guilt but rather whether or not one has been acquitted. The NT speaks of this acquittal as justification and reconciliation (3:21-28; 5:1-21). The means of acquittal is the death and resurrection of Christ, for Jesus’ act of righteousness leads to acquittal and life for all people (5:18). The one who trusts in Christ is not condemned (Jn 3:16-18) and can enter the Day of Judgment with confidence (1 Jn 4:17). His name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Rv 21:27). The unbeliever must face the Day of Judgment with no assistance. He will be judged by what is written in the books; that is, by what he has done (20:11-12).<\/p>\n<p><em>See also<\/em> Day of the Lord; Eschatology; Judgment; Judgment Seat; Last Days; Wrath of God.<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>LAST JUDGMENT*<\/h3>\n<p>Time at the end of history when God will judge the deeds of all humankind. In their preaching concerning the Day of the Lord, various OT prophets anticipated the time when God would wage war against all wicked nations and establish his rule in the eternal city of Zion (Is 4:2; 11:10; Jer 50:3-32; Jl 2:1-3; 3:9-16; Am 5:18-20; 9:11; Zep 1:7-18). The NT writers continue this theme, restating it in the light of the words and work of Jesus. He has been appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead (Acts 10:42; 17:31). Both believers and unbelievers must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive good or evil, according to what they have done with their lives (2 Cor 5:10; cf. Rom 14:10).<\/p>\n<p>The focus of God’s judgment is human behavior. Those faithful to the covenant will prosper, but those who are disloyal will perish. The prophet Habakkuk identifies the righteous person as the one who is faithful (Hb 2:4). NT writers state that one will be judged according to whether or not his deeds are pleasing to God (2 Cor 5:10; Rv 20:12). However, the NT also states that no one has met the perfect standards of God. All have sinned and therefore deserve to be punished (Rom 3:9, 23). The issue to be determined at the time of judgment is not one’s guilt but rather whether or not one has been acquitted. The NT speaks of this acquittal as justification and reconciliation (3:21-28; 5:1-21). The means of acquittal is the death and resurrection of Christ, for Jesus’ act of righteousness leads to acquittal and life for all people (5:18). The one who trusts in Christ is not condemned (Jn 3:16-18) and can enter the Day of Judgment with confidence (1 Jn 4:17). His name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Rv 21:27). The unbeliever must face the Day of Judgment with no assistance. He will be judged by what is written in the books; that is, by what he has done (20:11-12).<\/p>\n<p><em>See also<\/em> Day of the Lord; Eschatology; Judgment; Judgment Seat; Last Days; Wrath of God.<\/p>","summary_ro":"LAST JUDGMENT* Time at the end of history when God will judge the deeds of all humankind. In their preaching concerning the Day of the Lord, various OT prophets anticipated the time when God would wage war against all wicked nations and establish his rule in the eternal city of Zion (Is 4:2; 11:10; Jer 50:3-32; Jl 2:1-3; 3:9-16; Am 5:18-20; 9:11; Zep 1:7-18). The NT writers continue this theme, restating it in the light of the words and work of Jesus. He has been appointed by God to be judge ...","summary_en":"LAST JUDGMENT* Time at the end of history when God will judge the deeds of all humankind. In their preaching concerning the Day of the Lord, various OT prophets anticipated the time when God would wage war against all wicked nations and establish his rule in the eternal city of Zion (Is 4:2; 11:10; Jer 50:3-32; Jl 2:1-3; 3:9-16; Am 5:18-20; 9:11; Zep 1:7-18). The NT writers continue this theme, restating it in the light of the words and work of Jesus. He has been appointed by God to be judge ...","source":"Articles\/L.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":34294,"type":"article","type_label":"Articol","type_icon":"📖","type_color":"#d4af37","title_ro":"Coming of Christ*, Second","title_en":"Coming of Christ*, Second","content_ro":"<h3>SECOND COMING OF CHRIST*<\/h3>\n<p>The return of Jesus Christ to earth to complete the work of salvation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"TermsUsed\">Terms Used<\/p>\n<p>The doctrine is expressed by verbs such as “come,” “descend,” “appear,” and “is revealed” with Christ as the subject (e.g., “I will come again,” Jn 14:3; “the Lord himself will descend,” 1 Thes 4:16; “when he appears,” 1 Jn 2:28; 3:2; “the day when the Son of man is revealed,” Lk 17:30; “when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven,” 2 Thes 1:7). It is expressed also by a variety of nouns, principally by “coming” (which is the regular translation of the Greek word <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">parousia<\/span><em>,<\/em> meaning “presence,” “visit,” “arrival,” “advent,” especially of a royal or distinguished person) but also by “appearing” (as in 2 Tm 4:8; Ti 2:13), “revealing,” or “revelation” (1 Cor 1:7). These different verbs and nouns point to the same event but highlight different aspects of it, especially the manifestation of God’s glory in Christ when he comes. The time of this event is repeatedly referred to as “the Day,” sometimes absolutely (as in Rom 13:12; 1 Cor 3:13; Heb 10:25), more often with a qualification, such as “the day of Christ” (Phil 1:10; 2:16), “the day of the Lord” (1 Thes 5:2; 2 Thes 2:2), “the day of the Lord Jesus” (1 Cor 5:5; 2 Cor 1:14), “the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6), and “the day of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 1:8). When such expressions are used, there is often some reference to the judgment to be passed at the coming of Christ: his day is “the day of judgment” (1 Jn 4:17) or “the day of wrath” (Rom 2:5). For the people of God, however, it is “the day of redemption” (Eph 4:30).<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"TheProclamationoftheNewTestament\">The Proclamation of the New Testament<\/p>\n<p>That the second coming of Christ was an essential element in the gospel as preached in the apostolic age is clear from many NT writings (quoted below from the <span>rsv<\/span>).<\/p>\n<p>The origin of the Second Coming is found in the teachings of Jesus before his death. Speaking of himself as the Son of Man, Jesus said, “The day when the Son of man is revealed” (Lk 17:30) he will come “in clouds with great power and glory” (Mk 13:26). This language is derived from the OT, especially from Daniel’s vision in which “one like a son of man” is brought “with the clouds of heaven” to receive everlasting dominion from the Ancient of Days (Dn 7:13-14). A cloud or clouds regularly enveloped the divine glory in the OT (as in Ex 40:34; 1 Kgs 8:10-11); their mention in connection with the coming of the Son of Man indicates that, when he comes, the glory of God will be manifested in him. Jesus’ last reference to his second coming came at his trial before the Jewish authorities when, asked by the high priest to say whether or not he was “the Christ, the Son of the Blessed,” he replied, “I am; and you will see the Son of man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven” (Mk 14:61-62).<\/p>\n<p>After the Gospels, the rest of the NT affirms the eventuality of Christ’s second coming. The record of Acts begins with the angels’ assurance at the ascension of Christ that “this Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). The summaries of apostolic addresses that the book contains make repeated references to Jesus as “the one ordained by God to be judge of the living and the dead” (10:42; cf. 17:31).<\/p>\n<p>Writing to his converts in Thessalonica (c. <span>AD<\/span> 51) a few weeks after they first heard and believed the gospel, Paul reminds them how they had “turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come” (1 Thes 1:9-10). Here Jesus’ expected deliverance of his people from end-time judgment is put on the same plane as his historical resurrection; the Christian way of life embraces both serving God and waiting for Christ. This note of waiting for Christ is repeated and amplified several times in this short letter. A few years later Paul uses similar language when writing to his converts in Corinth (cf. Acts 18:1-18): “You are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 1:7). And in what may have been his last letter he speaks of “the crown of righteousness” that the Lord will award him “on that Day, and not only to me,” he adds, “but also to all who have loved his appearing” (2 Tm 4:8). To love his appearing and to wait for him are two different ways of expressing the same attitude.<\/p>\n<p>The writer to the Hebrews encourages his readers with the assurance that in a little while “the coming one shall come and shall not tarry” (Heb 10:37). James says that “the coming of the Lord is at hand” (Jas 5:8). Peter speaks of the time “when the chief Shepherd is manifested” (1 Pt 5:4). The Revelation to John ends with the risen Lord’s promise, “Surely I am coming soon,” and the church’s response, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rv 22:20).<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"TheSecondComingandtheResurrection\">The Second Coming and the Resurrection<\/p>\n<p>In 1 Thessalonians, written not more than 20 years after the death and resurrection of Christ, his coming again is presented by way of comfort and encouragement to those whose Christian friends had died. Paul had been compelled to leave Thessalonica before he had time to give his converts there as much teaching as they required, and when some of their number died shortly after his departure, their friends wondered if they would suffer some serious disadvantage at the Second Coming, in contrast to those who would still be alive to greet the returning Lord. No, says Paul, “those who have fallen asleep” will suffer no disadvantage. On the contrary, the first thing to happen when “the Lord himself will descend from heaven” is that “the dead in Christ will rise.” Only after that will those who survive until then be caught away to join them and be forever “with the Lord” (1 Thes 4:15-17). Fuller information on the same subject is given in 1 Corinthians, written about five years later. There the resurrection of believers is the full harvest that was inaugurated by the resurrection of Christ: “Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ” (1 Cor 15:23). An additional revelation is imparted: not only will each believer who has died be raised in a “spiritual body” (v 44) but also those who are still alive will be “changed” so as to have bodies suitable for life in resurrection. For dead and living believers alike, Paul proclaimed that “as we have borne the image of the man of dust [i.e., Adam; cf. Gn 2:7], we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven [i.e., the risen Christ]” (1 Cor 15:49). To the same effect, Paul writes (a few years later still) in Philippians 3:20-21 that from heaven “we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will change our lowly body to be like his glorious body.” A deeper unveiling of what this will involve is made in Romans 8:18-23, where the resurrection of the people of Christ is the catalyst for the liberation and glorious renewal of all creation.<\/p>\n<h5>The Second Coming and Judgment<\/h5>\n<p>The association of judgment with the Second Coming arises in Jesus’ teaching in the Gospels. The association is equally plain in the epistles of the NT. Paul, in particular, put the subject on a personal level. He forbade premature judgment of fellow Christians: “Do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes” (1 Cor 4:5). The Lord will conduct an investigation that will bring to light the hidden motives of the heart. Paul knew that his own apostolic work would be assessed on “the day of Christ” (Phil 2:16; 1 Thes 2:19). Elsewhere, Paul urges his converts to bear in mind that they, with himself, must appear before the divine tribunal, variously called “the judgment seat of God” (where “each of us shall give account of himself,” Rom 14:10-12) or “the judgment seat of Christ” (where each will “receive good or evil, according to what he has done in the body,” 2 Cor 5:10). It seems clear that this judgment is to take place at the second coming of Christ, who will then “judge the living and the dead” (2 Tm 4:1). Because Paul was writing to Christians, he tended to concentrate on the judgment or assessment that the believers would experience at the Lord’s return. But he also made it plain that the same coming would bring judgment to those who opposed the Christian faith (2 Thes 1:6-10). This is made explicit in Acts 17:31, where Paul told the Athenians that God “has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed.”<\/p>\n<p><em>See also<\/em> Day of the Lord; Eschatology; Judgment; Judgment Seat; Last Days; Rapture; Resurrection; Revelation, Book of; Tribulation.<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>SECOND COMING OF CHRIST*<\/h3>\n<p>The return of Jesus Christ to earth to complete the work of salvation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"TermsUsed\">Terms Used<\/p>\n<p>The doctrine is expressed by verbs such as “come,” “descend,” “appear,” and “is revealed” with Christ as the subject (e.g., “I will come again,” Jn 14:3; “the Lord himself will descend,” 1 Thes 4:16; “when he appears,” 1 Jn 2:28; 3:2; “the day when the Son of man is revealed,” Lk 17:30; “when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven,” 2 Thes 1:7). It is expressed also by a variety of nouns, principally by “coming” (which is the regular translation of the Greek word <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">parousia<\/span><em>,<\/em> meaning “presence,” “visit,” “arrival,” “advent,” especially of a royal or distinguished person) but also by “appearing” (as in 2 Tm 4:8; Ti 2:13), “revealing,” or “revelation” (1 Cor 1:7). These different verbs and nouns point to the same event but highlight different aspects of it, especially the manifestation of God’s glory in Christ when he comes. The time of this event is repeatedly referred to as “the Day,” sometimes absolutely (as in Rom 13:12; 1 Cor 3:13; Heb 10:25), more often with a qualification, such as “the day of Christ” (Phil 1:10; 2:16), “the day of the Lord” (1 Thes 5:2; 2 Thes 2:2), “the day of the Lord Jesus” (1 Cor 5:5; 2 Cor 1:14), “the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6), and “the day of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 1:8). When such expressions are used, there is often some reference to the judgment to be passed at the coming of Christ: his day is “the day of judgment” (1 Jn 4:17) or “the day of wrath” (Rom 2:5). For the people of God, however, it is “the day of redemption” (Eph 4:30).<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"TheProclamationoftheNewTestament\">The Proclamation of the New Testament<\/p>\n<p>That the second coming of Christ was an essential element in the gospel as preached in the apostolic age is clear from many NT writings (quoted below from the <span>rsv<\/span>).<\/p>\n<p>The origin of the Second Coming is found in the teachings of Jesus before his death. Speaking of himself as the Son of Man, Jesus said, “The day when the Son of man is revealed” (Lk 17:30) he will come “in clouds with great power and glory” (Mk 13:26). This language is derived from the OT, especially from Daniel’s vision in which “one like a son of man” is brought “with the clouds of heaven” to receive everlasting dominion from the Ancient of Days (Dn 7:13-14). A cloud or clouds regularly enveloped the divine glory in the OT (as in Ex 40:34; 1 Kgs 8:10-11); their mention in connection with the coming of the Son of Man indicates that, when he comes, the glory of God will be manifested in him. Jesus’ last reference to his second coming came at his trial before the Jewish authorities when, asked by the high priest to say whether or not he was “the Christ, the Son of the Blessed,” he replied, “I am; and you will see the Son of man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven” (Mk 14:61-62).<\/p>\n<p>After the Gospels, the rest of the NT affirms the eventuality of Christ’s second coming. The record of Acts begins with the angels’ assurance at the ascension of Christ that “this Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). The summaries of apostolic addresses that the book contains make repeated references to Jesus as “the one ordained by God to be judge of the living and the dead” (10:42; cf. 17:31).<\/p>\n<p>Writing to his converts in Thessalonica (c. <span>AD<\/span> 51) a few weeks after they first heard and believed the gospel, Paul reminds them how they had “turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come” (1 Thes 1:9-10). Here Jesus’ expected deliverance of his people from end-time judgment is put on the same plane as his historical resurrection; the Christian way of life embraces both serving God and waiting for Christ. This note of waiting for Christ is repeated and amplified several times in this short letter. A few years later Paul uses similar language when writing to his converts in Corinth (cf. Acts 18:1-18): “You are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 1:7). And in what may have been his last letter he speaks of “the crown of righteousness” that the Lord will award him “on that Day, and not only to me,” he adds, “but also to all who have loved his appearing” (2 Tm 4:8). To love his appearing and to wait for him are two different ways of expressing the same attitude.<\/p>\n<p>The writer to the Hebrews encourages his readers with the assurance that in a little while “the coming one shall come and shall not tarry” (Heb 10:37). James says that “the coming of the Lord is at hand” (Jas 5:8). Peter speaks of the time “when the chief Shepherd is manifested” (1 Pt 5:4). The Revelation to John ends with the risen Lord’s promise, “Surely I am coming soon,” and the church’s response, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rv 22:20).<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"TheSecondComingandtheResurrection\">The Second Coming and the Resurrection<\/p>\n<p>In 1 Thessalonians, written not more than 20 years after the death and resurrection of Christ, his coming again is presented by way of comfort and encouragement to those whose Christian friends had died. Paul had been compelled to leave Thessalonica before he had time to give his converts there as much teaching as they required, and when some of their number died shortly after his departure, their friends wondered if they would suffer some serious disadvantage at the Second Coming, in contrast to those who would still be alive to greet the returning Lord. No, says Paul, “those who have fallen asleep” will suffer no disadvantage. On the contrary, the first thing to happen when “the Lord himself will descend from heaven” is that “the dead in Christ will rise.” Only after that will those who survive until then be caught away to join them and be forever “with the Lord” (1 Thes 4:15-17). Fuller information on the same subject is given in 1 Corinthians, written about five years later. There the resurrection of believers is the full harvest that was inaugurated by the resurrection of Christ: “Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ” (1 Cor 15:23). An additional revelation is imparted: not only will each believer who has died be raised in a “spiritual body” (v 44) but also those who are still alive will be “changed” so as to have bodies suitable for life in resurrection. For dead and living believers alike, Paul proclaimed that “as we have borne the image of the man of dust [i.e., Adam; cf. Gn 2:7], we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven [i.e., the risen Christ]” (1 Cor 15:49). To the same effect, Paul writes (a few years later still) in Philippians 3:20-21 that from heaven “we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will change our lowly body to be like his glorious body.” A deeper unveiling of what this will involve is made in Romans 8:18-23, where the resurrection of the people of Christ is the catalyst for the liberation and glorious renewal of all creation.<\/p>\n<h5>The Second Coming and Judgment<\/h5>\n<p>The association of judgment with the Second Coming arises in Jesus’ teaching in the Gospels. The association is equally plain in the epistles of the NT. Paul, in particular, put the subject on a personal level. He forbade premature judgment of fellow Christians: “Do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes” (1 Cor 4:5). The Lord will conduct an investigation that will bring to light the hidden motives of the heart. Paul knew that his own apostolic work would be assessed on “the day of Christ” (Phil 2:16; 1 Thes 2:19). Elsewhere, Paul urges his converts to bear in mind that they, with himself, must appear before the divine tribunal, variously called “the judgment seat of God” (where “each of us shall give account of himself,” Rom 14:10-12) or “the judgment seat of Christ” (where each will “receive good or evil, according to what he has done in the body,” 2 Cor 5:10). It seems clear that this judgment is to take place at the second coming of Christ, who will then “judge the living and the dead” (2 Tm 4:1). Because Paul was writing to Christians, he tended to concentrate on the judgment or assessment that the believers would experience at the Lord’s return. But he also made it plain that the same coming would bring judgment to those who opposed the Christian faith (2 Thes 1:6-10). This is made explicit in Acts 17:31, where Paul told the Athenians that God “has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed.”<\/p>\n<p><em>See also<\/em> Day of the Lord; Eschatology; Judgment; Judgment Seat; Last Days; Rapture; Resurrection; Revelation, Book of; Tribulation.<\/p>","summary_ro":"SECOND COMING OF CHRIST* The return of Jesus Christ to earth to complete the work of salvation. Terms Used The doctrine is expressed by verbs such as “come,” “descend,” “appear,” and “is revealed” with Christ as the subject (e.g., “I will come again,” Jn 14:3; “the Lord himself will descend,” 1 Thes 4:16; “when he appears,” 1 Jn 2:28; 3:2; “the day when the Son of man is revealed,” Lk 17:30; “when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven,” 2 Thes 1:7). It is expressed also by a variety of nouns...","summary_en":"SECOND COMING OF CHRIST* The return of Jesus Christ to earth to complete the work of salvation. Terms Used The doctrine is expressed by verbs such as “come,” “descend,” “appear,” and “is revealed” with Christ as the subject (e.g., “I will come again,” Jn 14:3; “the Lord himself will descend,” 1 Thes 4:16; “when he appears,” 1 Jn 2:28; 3:2; “the day when the Son of man is revealed,” Lk 17:30; “when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven,” 2 Thes 1:7). It is expressed also by a variety of nouns...","source":"Articles\/S.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":57401,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:10","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:10","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:10<\/strong> <em>we will all stand before the judgment seat of God:<\/em> Paul reminds the Roman Christians that it is the Lord, not other Christians, who will ultimately judge all of us (cp. 2 Cor 5:10).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:10<\/strong> <em>we will all stand before the judgment seat of God:<\/em> Paul reminds the Roman Christians that it is the Lord, not other Christians, who will ultimately judge all of us (cp. 2 Cor 5:10).<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:10 we will all stand before the judgment seat of God: Paul reminds the Roman Christians that it is the Lord, not other Christians, who will ultimately judge all of us (cp. 2 Cor 5:10).","summary_en":"14:10 we will all stand before the judgment seat of God: Paul reminds the Roman Christians that it is the Lord, not other Christians, who will ultimately judge all of us (cp. 2 Cor 5:10).","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":85027,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:10","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:10","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:10<\/strong> <em>we will all stand before the judgment seat of God:<\/em> Paul reminds the Roman Christians that it is the Lord, not other Christians, who will ultimately judge all of us (cp. 2 Cor 5:10).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:10<\/strong> <em>we will all stand before the judgment seat of God:<\/em> Paul reminds the Roman Christians that it is the Lord, not other Christians, who will ultimately judge all of us (cp. 2 Cor 5:10).<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:10 we will all stand before the judgment seat of God: Paul reminds the Roman Christians that it is the Lord, not other Christians, who will ultimately judge all of us (cp. 2 Cor 5:10).","summary_en":"14:10 we will all stand before the judgment seat of God: Paul reminds the Roman Christians that it is the Lord, not other Christians, who will ultimately judge all of us (cp. 2 Cor 5:10).","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":112653,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:10","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:10","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:10<\/strong> <em>we will all stand before the judgment seat of God:<\/em> Paul reminds the Roman Christians that it is the Lord, not other Christians, who will ultimately judge all of us (cp. 2 Cor 5:10).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:10<\/strong> <em>we will all stand before the judgment seat of God:<\/em> Paul reminds the Roman Christians that it is the Lord, not other Christians, who will ultimately judge all of us (cp. 2 Cor 5:10).<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:10 we will all stand before the judgment seat of God: Paul reminds the Roman Christians that it is the Lord, not other Christians, who will ultimately judge all of us (cp. 2 Cor 5:10).","summary_en":"14:10 we will all stand before the judgment seat of God: Paul reminds the Roman Christians that it is the Lord, not other Christians, who will ultimately judge all of us (cp. 2 Cor 5:10).","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":140279,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:10","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:10","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:10<\/strong> <em>we will all stand before the judgment seat of God:<\/em> Paul reminds the Roman Christians that it is the Lord, not other Christians, who will ultimately judge all of us (cp. 2 Cor 5:10).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:10<\/strong> <em>we will all stand before the judgment seat of God:<\/em> Paul reminds the Roman Christians that it is the Lord, not other Christians, who will ultimately judge all of us (cp. 2 Cor 5:10).<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:10 we will all stand before the judgment seat of God: Paul reminds the Roman Christians that it is the Lord, not other Christians, who will ultimately judge all of us (cp. 2 Cor 5:10).","summary_en":"14:10 we will all stand before the judgment seat of God: Paul reminds the Roman Christians that it is the Lord, not other Christians, who will ultimately judge all of us (cp. 2 Cor 5:10).","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":60813,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"Purge the Evil","title_en":"Purge the Evil","content_ro":"<h3>Purge the Evil<\/h3>\n<p>Sin is so abhorrent to God that it cannot coexist with him. The same should be true for his people. God is holy, and he expects his people to reflect his holiness (Lev 11:45; 19:2).<\/p>\n<p>God required severe measures to remove sin from the covenant community. God offered forgiveness, but only for the truly repentant; those who hardened their hearts could expect God’s judgment—a purging process that devours sinners and their sins and leaves nothing behind (see Deut 9:3; 13:5; Isa 33:14; Heb 12:28-29). Such cleansing is meant to heal the community of believers and deter others from rebelling against the Lord (Deut 17:13).<\/p>\n<p>In the Old Testament, God’s judgment among his people was often immediate (see, e.g., Num 11:1-3; 16:1-50; Josh 7). God thus made his people keenly aware of his demand for obedience and of the penalty for those who did not comply.<\/p>\n<p>God’s retribution is now reserved for the future day of judgment, when the sins of the unrighteous will be exposed and judged (Rom 14:10; 2 Cor 5:10; Heb 9:27; 1 Pet 4:5). However, some instances of calamity can be understood as God’s judgment on his disobedient children (e.g., Acts 5:1-11; see 1 Cor 11:27-30). It is still a “terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb 10:31).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Lev 19:1-2; Deut 9:3-6; 13:5; 17:2-13; Josh 7:1-26; 2 Chr 34:3-8; Isa 1:24-26; 4:2-6; 33:14; Ezek 20:32-38; Matt 18:8-9; Acts 5:1-11; Rom 14:10; 1 Cor 11:27-30; 2 Cor 5:10; Heb 9:27-28; 10:31; 12:28-29; Jas 5:19-20; 1 Pet 4:5<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>Purge the Evil<\/h3>\n<p>Sin is so abhorrent to God that it cannot coexist with him. The same should be true for his people. God is holy, and he expects his people to reflect his holiness (Lev 11:45; 19:2).<\/p>\n<p>God required severe measures to remove sin from the covenant community. God offered forgiveness, but only for the truly repentant; those who hardened their hearts could expect God’s judgment—a purging process that devours sinners and their sins and leaves nothing behind (see Deut 9:3; 13:5; Isa 33:14; Heb 12:28-29). Such cleansing is meant to heal the community of believers and deter others from rebelling against the Lord (Deut 17:13).<\/p>\n<p>In the Old Testament, God’s judgment among his people was often immediate (see, e.g., Num 11:1-3; 16:1-50; Josh 7). God thus made his people keenly aware of his demand for obedience and of the penalty for those who did not comply.<\/p>\n<p>God’s retribution is now reserved for the future day of judgment, when the sins of the unrighteous will be exposed and judged (Rom 14:10; 2 Cor 5:10; Heb 9:27; 1 Pet 4:5). However, some instances of calamity can be understood as God’s judgment on his disobedient children (e.g., Acts 5:1-11; see 1 Cor 11:27-30). It is still a “terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb 10:31).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Lev 19:1-2; Deut 9:3-6; 13:5; 17:2-13; Josh 7:1-26; 2 Chr 34:3-8; Isa 1:24-26; 4:2-6; 33:14; Ezek 20:32-38; Matt 18:8-9; Acts 5:1-11; Rom 14:10; 1 Cor 11:27-30; 2 Cor 5:10; Heb 9:27-28; 10:31; 12:28-29; Jas 5:19-20; 1 Pet 4:5<\/p>","summary_ro":"Purge the Evil Sin is so abhorrent to God that it cannot coexist with him. The same should be true for his people. God is holy, and he expects his people to reflect his holiness (Lev 11:45; 19:2). God required severe measures to remove sin from the covenant community. God offered forgiveness, but only for the truly repentant; those who hardened their hearts could expect God’s judgment—a purging process that devours sinners and their sins and leaves nothing behind (see Deut 9:3; 13:5; Isa 33:1...","summary_en":"Purge the Evil Sin is so abhorrent to God that it cannot coexist with him. The same should be true for his people. God is holy, and he expects his people to reflect his holiness (Lev 11:45; 19:2). God required severe measures to remove sin from the covenant community. God offered forgiveness, but only for the truly repentant; those who hardened their hearts could expect God’s judgment—a purging process that devours sinners and their sins and leaves nothing behind (see Deut 9:3; 13:5; Isa 33:1...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":88439,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"Purge the Evil","title_en":"Purge the Evil","content_ro":"<h3>Purge the Evil<\/h3>\n<p>Sin is so abhorrent to God that it cannot coexist with him. The same should be true for his people. God is holy, and he expects his people to reflect his holiness (Lev 11:45; 19:2).<\/p>\n<p>God required severe measures to remove sin from the covenant community. God offered forgiveness, but only for the truly repentant; those who hardened their hearts could expect God’s judgment—a purging process that devours sinners and their sins and leaves nothing behind (see Deut 9:3; 13:5; Isa 33:14; Heb 12:28-29). Such cleansing is meant to heal the community of believers and deter others from rebelling against the Lord (Deut 17:13).<\/p>\n<p>In the Old Testament, God’s judgment among his people was often immediate (see, e.g., Num 11:1-3; 16:1-50; Josh 7). God thus made his people keenly aware of his demand for obedience and of the penalty for those who did not comply.<\/p>\n<p>God’s retribution is now reserved for the future day of judgment, when the sins of the unrighteous will be exposed and judged (Rom 14:10; 2 Cor 5:10; Heb 9:27; 1 Pet 4:5). However, some instances of calamity can be understood as God’s judgment on his disobedient children (e.g., Acts 5:1-11; see 1 Cor 11:27-30). It is still a “terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb 10:31).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Lev 19:1-2; Deut 9:3-6; 13:5; 17:2-13; Josh 7:1-26; 2 Chr 34:3-8; Isa 1:24-26; 4:2-6; 33:14; Ezek 20:32-38; Matt 18:8-9; Acts 5:1-11; Rom 14:10; 1 Cor 11:27-30; 2 Cor 5:10; Heb 9:27-28; 10:31; 12:28-29; Jas 5:19-20; 1 Pet 4:5<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>Purge the Evil<\/h3>\n<p>Sin is so abhorrent to God that it cannot coexist with him. The same should be true for his people. God is holy, and he expects his people to reflect his holiness (Lev 11:45; 19:2).<\/p>\n<p>God required severe measures to remove sin from the covenant community. God offered forgiveness, but only for the truly repentant; those who hardened their hearts could expect God’s judgment—a purging process that devours sinners and their sins and leaves nothing behind (see Deut 9:3; 13:5; Isa 33:14; Heb 12:28-29). Such cleansing is meant to heal the community of believers and deter others from rebelling against the Lord (Deut 17:13).<\/p>\n<p>In the Old Testament, God’s judgment among his people was often immediate (see, e.g., Num 11:1-3; 16:1-50; Josh 7). God thus made his people keenly aware of his demand for obedience and of the penalty for those who did not comply.<\/p>\n<p>God’s retribution is now reserved for the future day of judgment, when the sins of the unrighteous will be exposed and judged (Rom 14:10; 2 Cor 5:10; Heb 9:27; 1 Pet 4:5). However, some instances of calamity can be understood as God’s judgment on his disobedient children (e.g., Acts 5:1-11; see 1 Cor 11:27-30). It is still a “terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb 10:31).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Lev 19:1-2; Deut 9:3-6; 13:5; 17:2-13; Josh 7:1-26; 2 Chr 34:3-8; Isa 1:24-26; 4:2-6; 33:14; Ezek 20:32-38; Matt 18:8-9; Acts 5:1-11; Rom 14:10; 1 Cor 11:27-30; 2 Cor 5:10; Heb 9:27-28; 10:31; 12:28-29; Jas 5:19-20; 1 Pet 4:5<\/p>","summary_ro":"Purge the Evil Sin is so abhorrent to God that it cannot coexist with him. The same should be true for his people. God is holy, and he expects his people to reflect his holiness (Lev 11:45; 19:2). God required severe measures to remove sin from the covenant community. God offered forgiveness, but only for the truly repentant; those who hardened their hearts could expect God’s judgment—a purging process that devours sinners and their sins and leaves nothing behind (see Deut 9:3; 13:5; Isa 33:1...","summary_en":"Purge the Evil Sin is so abhorrent to God that it cannot coexist with him. The same should be true for his people. God is holy, and he expects his people to reflect his holiness (Lev 11:45; 19:2). God required severe measures to remove sin from the covenant community. God offered forgiveness, but only for the truly repentant; those who hardened their hearts could expect God’s judgment—a purging process that devours sinners and their sins and leaves nothing behind (see Deut 9:3; 13:5; Isa 33:1...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":116065,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"Purge the Evil","title_en":"Purge the Evil","content_ro":"<h3>Purge the Evil<\/h3>\n<p>Sin is so abhorrent to God that it cannot coexist with him. The same should be true for his people. God is holy, and he expects his people to reflect his holiness (Lev 11:45; 19:2).<\/p>\n<p>God required severe measures to remove sin from the covenant community. God offered forgiveness, but only for the truly repentant; those who hardened their hearts could expect God’s judgment—a purging process that devours sinners and their sins and leaves nothing behind (see Deut 9:3; 13:5; Isa 33:14; Heb 12:28-29). Such cleansing is meant to heal the community of believers and deter others from rebelling against the Lord (Deut 17:13).<\/p>\n<p>In the Old Testament, God’s judgment among his people was often immediate (see, e.g., Num 11:1-3; 16:1-50; Josh 7). God thus made his people keenly aware of his demand for obedience and of the penalty for those who did not comply.<\/p>\n<p>God’s retribution is now reserved for the future day of judgment, when the sins of the unrighteous will be exposed and judged (Rom 14:10; 2 Cor 5:10; Heb 9:27; 1 Pet 4:5). However, some instances of calamity can be understood as God’s judgment on his disobedient children (e.g., Acts 5:1-11; see 1 Cor 11:27-30). It is still a “terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb 10:31).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Lev 19:1-2; Deut 9:3-6; 13:5; 17:2-13; Josh 7:1-26; 2 Chr 34:3-8; Isa 1:24-26; 4:2-6; 33:14; Ezek 20:32-38; Matt 18:8-9; Acts 5:1-11; Rom 14:10; 1 Cor 11:27-30; 2 Cor 5:10; Heb 9:27-28; 10:31; 12:28-29; Jas 5:19-20; 1 Pet 4:5<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>Purge the Evil<\/h3>\n<p>Sin is so abhorrent to God that it cannot coexist with him. The same should be true for his people. God is holy, and he expects his people to reflect his holiness (Lev 11:45; 19:2).<\/p>\n<p>God required severe measures to remove sin from the covenant community. God offered forgiveness, but only for the truly repentant; those who hardened their hearts could expect God’s judgment—a purging process that devours sinners and their sins and leaves nothing behind (see Deut 9:3; 13:5; Isa 33:14; Heb 12:28-29). Such cleansing is meant to heal the community of believers and deter others from rebelling against the Lord (Deut 17:13).<\/p>\n<p>In the Old Testament, God’s judgment among his people was often immediate (see, e.g., Num 11:1-3; 16:1-50; Josh 7). God thus made his people keenly aware of his demand for obedience and of the penalty for those who did not comply.<\/p>\n<p>God’s retribution is now reserved for the future day of judgment, when the sins of the unrighteous will be exposed and judged (Rom 14:10; 2 Cor 5:10; Heb 9:27; 1 Pet 4:5). However, some instances of calamity can be understood as God’s judgment on his disobedient children (e.g., Acts 5:1-11; see 1 Cor 11:27-30). It is still a “terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb 10:31).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Lev 19:1-2; Deut 9:3-6; 13:5; 17:2-13; Josh 7:1-26; 2 Chr 34:3-8; Isa 1:24-26; 4:2-6; 33:14; Ezek 20:32-38; Matt 18:8-9; Acts 5:1-11; Rom 14:10; 1 Cor 11:27-30; 2 Cor 5:10; Heb 9:27-28; 10:31; 12:28-29; Jas 5:19-20; 1 Pet 4:5<\/p>","summary_ro":"Purge the Evil Sin is so abhorrent to God that it cannot coexist with him. The same should be true for his people. God is holy, and he expects his people to reflect his holiness (Lev 11:45; 19:2). God required severe measures to remove sin from the covenant community. God offered forgiveness, but only for the truly repentant; those who hardened their hearts could expect God’s judgment—a purging process that devours sinners and their sins and leaves nothing behind (see Deut 9:3; 13:5; Isa 33:1...","summary_en":"Purge the Evil Sin is so abhorrent to God that it cannot coexist with him. The same should be true for his people. God is holy, and he expects his people to reflect his holiness (Lev 11:45; 19:2). God required severe measures to remove sin from the covenant community. God offered forgiveness, but only for the truly repentant; those who hardened their hearts could expect God’s judgment—a purging process that devours sinners and their sins and leaves nothing behind (see Deut 9:3; 13:5; Isa 33:1...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":143691,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"Purge the Evil","title_en":"Purge the Evil","content_ro":"<h3>Purge the Evil<\/h3>\n<p>Sin is so abhorrent to God that it cannot coexist with him. The same should be true for his people. God is holy, and he expects his people to reflect his holiness (Lev 11:45; 19:2).<\/p>\n<p>God required severe measures to remove sin from the covenant community. God offered forgiveness, but only for the truly repentant; those who hardened their hearts could expect God’s judgment—a purging process that devours sinners and their sins and leaves nothing behind (see Deut 9:3; 13:5; Isa 33:14; Heb 12:28-29). Such cleansing is meant to heal the community of believers and deter others from rebelling against the Lord (Deut 17:13).<\/p>\n<p>In the Old Testament, God’s judgment among his people was often immediate (see, e.g., Num 11:1-3; 16:1-50; Josh 7). God thus made his people keenly aware of his demand for obedience and of the penalty for those who did not comply.<\/p>\n<p>God’s retribution is now reserved for the future day of judgment, when the sins of the unrighteous will be exposed and judged (Rom 14:10; 2 Cor 5:10; Heb 9:27; 1 Pet 4:5). However, some instances of calamity can be understood as God’s judgment on his disobedient children (e.g., Acts 5:1-11; see 1 Cor 11:27-30). It is still a “terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb 10:31).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Lev 19:1-2; Deut 9:3-6; 13:5; 17:2-13; Josh 7:1-26; 2 Chr 34:3-8; Isa 1:24-26; 4:2-6; 33:14; Ezek 20:32-38; Matt 18:8-9; Acts 5:1-11; Rom 14:10; 1 Cor 11:27-30; 2 Cor 5:10; Heb 9:27-28; 10:31; 12:28-29; Jas 5:19-20; 1 Pet 4:5<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>Purge the Evil<\/h3>\n<p>Sin is so abhorrent to God that it cannot coexist with him. The same should be true for his people. God is holy, and he expects his people to reflect his holiness (Lev 11:45; 19:2).<\/p>\n<p>God required severe measures to remove sin from the covenant community. God offered forgiveness, but only for the truly repentant; those who hardened their hearts could expect God’s judgment—a purging process that devours sinners and their sins and leaves nothing behind (see Deut 9:3; 13:5; Isa 33:14; Heb 12:28-29). Such cleansing is meant to heal the community of believers and deter others from rebelling against the Lord (Deut 17:13).<\/p>\n<p>In the Old Testament, God’s judgment among his people was often immediate (see, e.g., Num 11:1-3; 16:1-50; Josh 7). God thus made his people keenly aware of his demand for obedience and of the penalty for those who did not comply.<\/p>\n<p>God’s retribution is now reserved for the future day of judgment, when the sins of the unrighteous will be exposed and judged (Rom 14:10; 2 Cor 5:10; Heb 9:27; 1 Pet 4:5). However, some instances of calamity can be understood as God’s judgment on his disobedient children (e.g., Acts 5:1-11; see 1 Cor 11:27-30). It is still a “terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb 10:31).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Lev 19:1-2; Deut 9:3-6; 13:5; 17:2-13; Josh 7:1-26; 2 Chr 34:3-8; Isa 1:24-26; 4:2-6; 33:14; Ezek 20:32-38; Matt 18:8-9; Acts 5:1-11; Rom 14:10; 1 Cor 11:27-30; 2 Cor 5:10; Heb 9:27-28; 10:31; 12:28-29; Jas 5:19-20; 1 Pet 4:5<\/p>","summary_ro":"Purge the Evil Sin is so abhorrent to God that it cannot coexist with him. The same should be true for his people. God is holy, and he expects his people to reflect his holiness (Lev 11:45; 19:2). God required severe measures to remove sin from the covenant community. God offered forgiveness, but only for the truly repentant; those who hardened their hearts could expect God’s judgment—a purging process that devours sinners and their sins and leaves nothing behind (see Deut 9:3; 13:5; Isa 33:1...","summary_en":"Purge the Evil Sin is so abhorrent to God that it cannot coexist with him. The same should be true for his people. God is holy, and he expects his people to reflect his holiness (Lev 11:45; 19:2). God required severe measures to remove sin from the covenant community. God offered forgiveness, but only for the truly repentant; those who hardened their hearts could expect God’s judgment—a purging process that devours sinners and their sins and leaves nothing behind (see Deut 9:3; 13:5; Isa 33:1...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false}],"11":[{"id":22232,"type":"article","type_label":"Articol","type_icon":"📖","type_color":"#d4af37","title_ro":"Kneeling","title_en":"Kneeling","content_ro":"<h3>KNEELING<\/h3>\n<p>Position often denoting worship, respect, or submission. A strong knee symbolically implied a man with strength of faith and purpose, and thus bowing the knee indicated submission to a superior. The knee was bowed before a king, a ruler, a governor, or God. Genesis 41:43 describes the people who were kneeling before Pharaoh and Joseph. Kneeling in reverence before the Lord was common (Is 45:23; Rom 14:11; Phil 2:10). In a time of famine, when the Israelites turned away from the Lord, those who remained faithful were described as “all the knees that have not bowed to Baal” (1 Kgs 19:18, <span>rsv<\/span>; see Rom 11:4).<\/p>\n<p>As firm knees represented strength, so smiting those knees represented the destruction of power (Dt 28:35). Isaiah pleaded with the Lord for the strengthening of weak knees (Is 35:3). References to weak or feeble knees were generally used to show a lack of firmness of faith (Jb 4:4; Heb 12:12) but could sometimes refer to failing health (Ps 109:24). Ezekiel referred to those who had knees “as weak as water” (Ez 7:17; 21:7).<\/p>\n<p>Kneeling before the Lord was a posture representing worship (Ps 95:6) and also prayer (Dn 6:10). Christ himself knelt to pray in the garden of Gethsemane (Lk 22:41), and Peter, Paul, and Stephen all did the same (Acts 7:60; 9:40; 20:36; 21:5). Solomon knelt in prayer and supplication before the Lord (1 Kgs 8:54), and even on one occasion had a scaffold built so that he could climb up and be seen by the whole congregation of Israel kneeling before the Lord (2 Chr 6:13).<\/p>\n<p>Some knelt in penitence, as Ezra did at the evening sacrifice (Ezr 9:5) and as Peter did when begging the Lord’s forgiveness for his lack of faith and trust (Lk 5:8). Those who were beseeching the prophet Elijah knelt before him as God’s representative (2 Kgs 1:13), and many came kneeling and begging the Lord for healing (Mt 17:14; Mk 1:40). Daniel knelt in wonder and awe before an angel (Dn 10:10), and a sign of Belshazzar’s fear was that his “knees knocked together” (Dn 5:6). In the NT a regal and patient Christ is subjected to the taunting and mockery of the soldiers who knelt before him and sarcastically cried, “Hail, King of the Jews” (Mt 27:29; Mk 15:19).<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>KNEELING<\/h3>\n<p>Position often denoting worship, respect, or submission. A strong knee symbolically implied a man with strength of faith and purpose, and thus bowing the knee indicated submission to a superior. The knee was bowed before a king, a ruler, a governor, or God. Genesis 41:43 describes the people who were kneeling before Pharaoh and Joseph. Kneeling in reverence before the Lord was common (Is 45:23; Rom 14:11; Phil 2:10). In a time of famine, when the Israelites turned away from the Lord, those who remained faithful were described as “all the knees that have not bowed to Baal” (1 Kgs 19:18, <span>rsv<\/span>; see Rom 11:4).<\/p>\n<p>As firm knees represented strength, so smiting those knees represented the destruction of power (Dt 28:35). Isaiah pleaded with the Lord for the strengthening of weak knees (Is 35:3). References to weak or feeble knees were generally used to show a lack of firmness of faith (Jb 4:4; Heb 12:12) but could sometimes refer to failing health (Ps 109:24). Ezekiel referred to those who had knees “as weak as water” (Ez 7:17; 21:7).<\/p>\n<p>Kneeling before the Lord was a posture representing worship (Ps 95:6) and also prayer (Dn 6:10). Christ himself knelt to pray in the garden of Gethsemane (Lk 22:41), and Peter, Paul, and Stephen all did the same (Acts 7:60; 9:40; 20:36; 21:5). Solomon knelt in prayer and supplication before the Lord (1 Kgs 8:54), and even on one occasion had a scaffold built so that he could climb up and be seen by the whole congregation of Israel kneeling before the Lord (2 Chr 6:13).<\/p>\n<p>Some knelt in penitence, as Ezra did at the evening sacrifice (Ezr 9:5) and as Peter did when begging the Lord’s forgiveness for his lack of faith and trust (Lk 5:8). Those who were beseeching the prophet Elijah knelt before him as God’s representative (2 Kgs 1:13), and many came kneeling and begging the Lord for healing (Mt 17:14; Mk 1:40). Daniel knelt in wonder and awe before an angel (Dn 10:10), and a sign of Belshazzar’s fear was that his “knees knocked together” (Dn 5:6). In the NT a regal and patient Christ is subjected to the taunting and mockery of the soldiers who knelt before him and sarcastically cried, “Hail, King of the Jews” (Mt 27:29; Mk 15:19).<\/p>","summary_ro":"KNEELING Position often denoting worship, respect, or submission. A strong knee symbolically implied a man with strength of faith and purpose, and thus bowing the knee indicated submission to a superior. The knee was bowed before a king, a ruler, a governor, or God. Genesis 41:43 describes the people who were kneeling before Pharaoh and Joseph. Kneeling in reverence before the Lord was common (Is 45:23; Rom 14:11; Phil 2:10). In a time of famine, when the Israelites turned away from the Lord,...","summary_en":"KNEELING Position often denoting worship, respect, or submission. A strong knee symbolically implied a man with strength of faith and purpose, and thus bowing the knee indicated submission to a superior. The knee was bowed before a king, a ruler, a governor, or God. Genesis 41:43 describes the people who were kneeling before Pharaoh and Joseph. Kneeling in reverence before the Lord was common (Is 45:23; Rom 14:11; Phil 2:10). In a time of famine, when the Israelites turned away from the Lord,...","source":"Articles\/K.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":31399,"type":"article","type_label":"Articol","type_icon":"📖","type_color":"#d4af37","title_ro":"and Powers*, Principalities","title_en":"and Powers*, Principalities","content_ro":"<h3>PRINCIPALITIES AND POWERS*<\/h3>\n<p>Phrase familiarized by the <span>kjv<\/span>, occurring several times in Paul’s writings, and expressed by means of three Greek synonyms. The concept of principalities is signified by <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">exousia<\/span> and <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">archai<\/span><em>,<\/em> while powers is represented by <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">dunamis<\/span><em>.<\/em> In the NT, <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">exousia<\/span> describes the power inherent in authority as something confirmed by or derived from a position of prominence. There is nothing evil about this kind of authority; on the contrary, it is essentially right both morally and spiritually (Mt 21:23). It thus applies most appropriately to the authority of the Messiah (Mt 9:6; Mk 2:10), of the apostles (2 Cor 10:8; 13:10), and of human government (cf. Mt 8:9; Lk 20:20). <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">Archai<\/span> has several meanings but occurs 12 times in the sense of “command,” “rule,” or “sovereignty,” 9 of which (Rom 8:38; 1 Cor 15:24; Eph 1:21; 3:10; 6:12; Col 1:16; 2:10, 15; Ti 3:1) appear in Paul’s letters. Finally <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">dunamis<\/span><em>,<\/em> a common word for power, denotes the ability or strength to achieve an impressive goal (Mt 25:15; Acts 3:12).<\/p>\n<p>By using the expression “principalities and powers,” Paul was referring to the hierarchy of supernatural agencies, such as angelic beings, who worship and serve the Creator of the universe. Some commentators have divided this hierarchy into five categories, namely thrones, principalities, powers, authorities, and dominions. This categorization, however, can be arrived at only by general inference, since there is nothing in Scripture that points directly to such distinct groups. In using the phrase, Paul was probably expressing the cosmic lordship of Jesus in as colorful and dramatic a manner as possible.<\/p>\n<p>In giving Jesus a name above every other name, Paul was demonstrating the supreme lordship of Christ over all created beings, whether good or bad (Rom 14:11; Phil 2:10). As their Creator, the heavenly hosts were his subjects, acknowledging him as Lord of the universe. This affirmation was important for the Colossians, whose theology had apparently been tainted by unbiblical speculation (Col 2:8). The truth is that in Jesus there resided all the fullness of God, and this is transmitted to believers through the Lord’s Spirit.<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>PRINCIPALITIES AND POWERS*<\/h3>\n<p>Phrase familiarized by the <span>kjv<\/span>, occurring several times in Paul’s writings, and expressed by means of three Greek synonyms. The concept of principalities is signified by <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">exousia<\/span> and <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">archai<\/span><em>,<\/em> while powers is represented by <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">dunamis<\/span><em>.<\/em> In the NT, <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">exousia<\/span> describes the power inherent in authority as something confirmed by or derived from a position of prominence. There is nothing evil about this kind of authority; on the contrary, it is essentially right both morally and spiritually (Mt 21:23). It thus applies most appropriately to the authority of the Messiah (Mt 9:6; Mk 2:10), of the apostles (2 Cor 10:8; 13:10), and of human government (cf. Mt 8:9; Lk 20:20). <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">Archai<\/span> has several meanings but occurs 12 times in the sense of “command,” “rule,” or “sovereignty,” 9 of which (Rom 8:38; 1 Cor 15:24; Eph 1:21; 3:10; 6:12; Col 1:16; 2:10, 15; Ti 3:1) appear in Paul’s letters. Finally <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">dunamis<\/span><em>,<\/em> a common word for power, denotes the ability or strength to achieve an impressive goal (Mt 25:15; Acts 3:12).<\/p>\n<p>By using the expression “principalities and powers,” Paul was referring to the hierarchy of supernatural agencies, such as angelic beings, who worship and serve the Creator of the universe. Some commentators have divided this hierarchy into five categories, namely thrones, principalities, powers, authorities, and dominions. This categorization, however, can be arrived at only by general inference, since there is nothing in Scripture that points directly to such distinct groups. In using the phrase, Paul was probably expressing the cosmic lordship of Jesus in as colorful and dramatic a manner as possible.<\/p>\n<p>In giving Jesus a name above every other name, Paul was demonstrating the supreme lordship of Christ over all created beings, whether good or bad (Rom 14:11; Phil 2:10). As their Creator, the heavenly hosts were his subjects, acknowledging him as Lord of the universe. This affirmation was important for the Colossians, whose theology had apparently been tainted by unbiblical speculation (Col 2:8). The truth is that in Jesus there resided all the fullness of God, and this is transmitted to believers through the Lord’s Spirit.<\/p>","summary_ro":"PRINCIPALITIES AND POWERS* Phrase familiarized by the kjv, occurring several times in Paul’s writings, and expressed by means of three Greek synonyms. The concept of principalities is signified by exousia and archai, while powers is represented by dunamis. In the NT, exousia describes the power inherent in authority as something confirmed by or derived from a position of prominence. There is nothing evil about this kind of authority; on the contrary, it is essentially right both morally and s...","summary_en":"PRINCIPALITIES AND POWERS* Phrase familiarized by the kjv, occurring several times in Paul’s writings, and expressed by means of three Greek synonyms. The concept of principalities is signified by exousia and archai, while powers is represented by dunamis. In the NT, exousia describes the power inherent in authority as something confirmed by or derived from a position of prominence. There is nothing evil about this kind of authority; on the contrary, it is essentially right both morally and s...","source":"Articles\/P.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":57402,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:11","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:11","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:11<\/strong> This quotation is from Isa 49:18; 45:23. In its original context, Isa 45:23 is surrounded by assertions of God’s sovereignty (Isa 45:22, 24). Only the sovereign God has the right to stand in judgment (Rom 14:10, 12).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:11<\/strong> This quotation is from Isa 49:18; 45:23. In its original context, Isa 45:23 is surrounded by assertions of God’s sovereignty (Isa 45:22, 24). Only the sovereign God has the right to stand in judgment (Rom 14:10, 12).<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:11 This quotation is from Isa 49:18; 45:23. In its original context, Isa 45:23 is surrounded by assertions of God’s sovereignty (Isa 45:22, 24). Only the sovereign God has the right to stand in judgment (Rom 14:10, 12).","summary_en":"14:11 This quotation is from Isa 49:18; 45:23. In its original context, Isa 45:23 is surrounded by assertions of God’s sovereignty (Isa 45:22, 24). Only the sovereign God has the right to stand in judgment (Rom 14:10, 12).","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":85028,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:11","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:11","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:11<\/strong> This quotation is from Isa 49:18; 45:23. In its original context, Isa 45:23 is surrounded by assertions of God’s sovereignty (Isa 45:22, 24). Only the sovereign God has the right to stand in judgment (Rom 14:10, 12).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:11<\/strong> This quotation is from Isa 49:18; 45:23. In its original context, Isa 45:23 is surrounded by assertions of God’s sovereignty (Isa 45:22, 24). Only the sovereign God has the right to stand in judgment (Rom 14:10, 12).<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:11 This quotation is from Isa 49:18; 45:23. In its original context, Isa 45:23 is surrounded by assertions of God’s sovereignty (Isa 45:22, 24). Only the sovereign God has the right to stand in judgment (Rom 14:10, 12).","summary_en":"14:11 This quotation is from Isa 49:18; 45:23. In its original context, Isa 45:23 is surrounded by assertions of God’s sovereignty (Isa 45:22, 24). Only the sovereign God has the right to stand in judgment (Rom 14:10, 12).","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":112654,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:11","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:11","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:11<\/strong> This quotation is from Isa 49:18; 45:23. In its original context, Isa 45:23 is surrounded by assertions of God’s sovereignty (Isa 45:22, 24). Only the sovereign God has the right to stand in judgment (Rom 14:10, 12).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:11<\/strong> This quotation is from Isa 49:18; 45:23. In its original context, Isa 45:23 is surrounded by assertions of God’s sovereignty (Isa 45:22, 24). Only the sovereign God has the right to stand in judgment (Rom 14:10, 12).<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:11 This quotation is from Isa 49:18; 45:23. In its original context, Isa 45:23 is surrounded by assertions of God’s sovereignty (Isa 45:22, 24). Only the sovereign God has the right to stand in judgment (Rom 14:10, 12).","summary_en":"14:11 This quotation is from Isa 49:18; 45:23. In its original context, Isa 45:23 is surrounded by assertions of God’s sovereignty (Isa 45:22, 24). Only the sovereign God has the right to stand in judgment (Rom 14:10, 12).","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":140280,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:11","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:11","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:11<\/strong> This quotation is from Isa 49:18; 45:23. In its original context, Isa 45:23 is surrounded by assertions of God’s sovereignty (Isa 45:22, 24). Only the sovereign God has the right to stand in judgment (Rom 14:10, 12).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:11<\/strong> This quotation is from Isa 49:18; 45:23. In its original context, Isa 45:23 is surrounded by assertions of God’s sovereignty (Isa 45:22, 24). Only the sovereign God has the right to stand in judgment (Rom 14:10, 12).<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:11 This quotation is from Isa 49:18; 45:23. In its original context, Isa 45:23 is surrounded by assertions of God’s sovereignty (Isa 45:22, 24). Only the sovereign God has the right to stand in judgment (Rom 14:10, 12).","summary_en":"14:11 This quotation is from Isa 49:18; 45:23. In its original context, Isa 45:23 is surrounded by assertions of God’s sovereignty (Isa 45:22, 24). Only the sovereign God has the right to stand in judgment (Rom 14:10, 12).","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false}],"12":[{"id":65179,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"The Stone the Builders Rejected","title_en":"The Stone the Builders Rejected","content_ro":"<h3>The Stone the Builders Rejected<\/h3>\n<p>Jesus continually offended the Jewish leaders and those who followed them. Though he was born in David’s line, his mother’s reputation was tainted (Matt 1:18-25). Jesus himself was from Nazareth (Matt 2:23), a very unprestigious place (see Matt 13:53-58). His ministry was in Galilee, a backwater distant from official Judaism (see Matt 4:12-16). His closest associate was the inexplicable John, who baptized people and prophetically castigated the political leaders (Matt 11:2-19; 14:3-12). Jesus was evasive in his dialogues (e.g., Matt 13:10-15; 17:24-27; 19:3-12; 21:23-27), he refused to produce signs proving his messianic claims (12:38-42; 16:1-4), and he was accompanied by outcasts of society (9:9-13; 11:16-19). He offended Jewish sensibilities, disregarded Jewish traditions (5:17-20; 9:14-17; 12:1-14; 15:1-20; 21:12-13), and purposefully avoided recognition (8:4; 12:15-21). His revelations were reserved for the unlikely (11:25-27; 13:16-17; 16:13-20), and he often spoke of his own humiliating death (16:21; 17:22-23; 20:18-19; 26:2). Jesus did not come with the flash and spark of someone in need of attention, nor did he make his status and calling glowingly obvious. Instead, he chose the path of humility, privacy, and revelation recognized by faith.<\/p>\n<p>In the end, Jesus was vindicated: He won arguments (Luke 20:20-40), exorcized demons (Matt 8:28-34), healed wondrously (Matt 9:1-8), raised people from the dead (Matt 9:18-26), and ultimately rose from the dead himself (Matt 28:1-10). His divisive but effective ministry inaugurated God’s Kingdom (Matt 11:2-6).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Isa 3:8; 8:14-15; 28:12-13; 59:9-10; Jer 13:16; 20:11; 31:7-9; 50:31-32; Hos 4:4-6; 5:5; 14:9; Mal 2:7-9; Matt 11:5-6; 13:54-58; 17:27; 21:42-46; Mark 6:3; Luke 20:17-19; John 6:60-69; Rom 9:30-33; 11:7-12; 14:12-13, 20-21; 1 Cor 1:21-23; 8:9-13; 10:31–11:1; 2 Cor 6:3; Gal 5:11; 1 Pet 2:5-8; 1 Jn 2:10<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>The Stone the Builders Rejected<\/h3>\n<p>Jesus continually offended the Jewish leaders and those who followed them. Though he was born in David’s line, his mother’s reputation was tainted (Matt 1:18-25). Jesus himself was from Nazareth (Matt 2:23), a very unprestigious place (see Matt 13:53-58). His ministry was in Galilee, a backwater distant from official Judaism (see Matt 4:12-16). His closest associate was the inexplicable John, who baptized people and prophetically castigated the political leaders (Matt 11:2-19; 14:3-12). Jesus was evasive in his dialogues (e.g., Matt 13:10-15; 17:24-27; 19:3-12; 21:23-27), he refused to produce signs proving his messianic claims (12:38-42; 16:1-4), and he was accompanied by outcasts of society (9:9-13; 11:16-19). He offended Jewish sensibilities, disregarded Jewish traditions (5:17-20; 9:14-17; 12:1-14; 15:1-20; 21:12-13), and purposefully avoided recognition (8:4; 12:15-21). His revelations were reserved for the unlikely (11:25-27; 13:16-17; 16:13-20), and he often spoke of his own humiliating death (16:21; 17:22-23; 20:18-19; 26:2). Jesus did not come with the flash and spark of someone in need of attention, nor did he make his status and calling glowingly obvious. Instead, he chose the path of humility, privacy, and revelation recognized by faith.<\/p>\n<p>In the end, Jesus was vindicated: He won arguments (Luke 20:20-40), exorcized demons (Matt 8:28-34), healed wondrously (Matt 9:1-8), raised people from the dead (Matt 9:18-26), and ultimately rose from the dead himself (Matt 28:1-10). His divisive but effective ministry inaugurated God’s Kingdom (Matt 11:2-6).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Isa 3:8; 8:14-15; 28:12-13; 59:9-10; Jer 13:16; 20:11; 31:7-9; 50:31-32; Hos 4:4-6; 5:5; 14:9; Mal 2:7-9; Matt 11:5-6; 13:54-58; 17:27; 21:42-46; Mark 6:3; Luke 20:17-19; John 6:60-69; Rom 9:30-33; 11:7-12; 14:12-13, 20-21; 1 Cor 1:21-23; 8:9-13; 10:31–11:1; 2 Cor 6:3; Gal 5:11; 1 Pet 2:5-8; 1 Jn 2:10<\/p>","summary_ro":"The Stone the Builders Rejected Jesus continually offended the Jewish leaders and those who followed them. Though he was born in David’s line, his mother’s reputation was tainted (Matt 1:18-25). Jesus himself was from Nazareth (Matt 2:23), a very unprestigious place (see Matt 13:53-58). His ministry was in Galilee, a backwater distant from official Judaism (see Matt 4:12-16). His closest associate was the inexplicable John, who baptized people and prophetically castigated the political leader...","summary_en":"The Stone the Builders Rejected Jesus continually offended the Jewish leaders and those who followed them. Though he was born in David’s line, his mother’s reputation was tainted (Matt 1:18-25). Jesus himself was from Nazareth (Matt 2:23), a very unprestigious place (see Matt 13:53-58). His ministry was in Galilee, a backwater distant from official Judaism (see Matt 4:12-16). His closest associate was the inexplicable John, who baptized people and prophetically castigated the political leader...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":92805,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"The Stone the Builders Rejected","title_en":"The Stone the Builders Rejected","content_ro":"<h3>The Stone the Builders Rejected<\/h3>\n<p>Jesus continually offended the Jewish leaders and those who followed them. Though he was born in David’s line, his mother’s reputation was tainted (Matt 1:18-25). Jesus himself was from Nazareth (Matt 2:23), a very unprestigious place (see Matt 13:53-58). His ministry was in Galilee, a backwater distant from official Judaism (see Matt 4:12-16). His closest associate was the inexplicable John, who baptized people and prophetically castigated the political leaders (Matt 11:2-19; 14:3-12). Jesus was evasive in his dialogues (e.g., Matt 13:10-15; 17:24-27; 19:3-12; 21:23-27), he refused to produce signs proving his messianic claims (12:38-42; 16:1-4), and he was accompanied by outcasts of society (9:9-13; 11:16-19). He offended Jewish sensibilities, disregarded Jewish traditions (5:17-20; 9:14-17; 12:1-14; 15:1-20; 21:12-13), and purposefully avoided recognition (8:4; 12:15-21). His revelations were reserved for the unlikely (11:25-27; 13:16-17; 16:13-20), and he often spoke of his own humiliating death (16:21; 17:22-23; 20:18-19; 26:2). Jesus did not come with the flash and spark of someone in need of attention, nor did he make his status and calling glowingly obvious. Instead, he chose the path of humility, privacy, and revelation recognized by faith.<\/p>\n<p>In the end, Jesus was vindicated: He won arguments (Luke 20:20-40), exorcized demons (Matt 8:28-34), healed wondrously (Matt 9:1-8), raised people from the dead (Matt 9:18-26), and ultimately rose from the dead himself (Matt 28:1-10). His divisive but effective ministry inaugurated God’s Kingdom (Matt 11:2-6).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Isa 3:8; 8:14-15; 28:12-13; 59:9-10; Jer 13:16; 20:11; 31:7-9; 50:31-32; Hos 4:4-6; 5:5; 14:9; Mal 2:7-9; Matt 11:5-6; 13:54-58; 17:27; 21:42-46; Mark 6:3; Luke 20:17-19; John 6:60-69; Rom 9:30-33; 11:7-12; 14:12-13, 20-21; 1 Cor 1:21-23; 8:9-13; 10:31–11:1; 2 Cor 6:3; Gal 5:11; 1 Pet 2:5-8; 1 Jn 2:10<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>The Stone the Builders Rejected<\/h3>\n<p>Jesus continually offended the Jewish leaders and those who followed them. Though he was born in David’s line, his mother’s reputation was tainted (Matt 1:18-25). Jesus himself was from Nazareth (Matt 2:23), a very unprestigious place (see Matt 13:53-58). His ministry was in Galilee, a backwater distant from official Judaism (see Matt 4:12-16). His closest associate was the inexplicable John, who baptized people and prophetically castigated the political leaders (Matt 11:2-19; 14:3-12). Jesus was evasive in his dialogues (e.g., Matt 13:10-15; 17:24-27; 19:3-12; 21:23-27), he refused to produce signs proving his messianic claims (12:38-42; 16:1-4), and he was accompanied by outcasts of society (9:9-13; 11:16-19). He offended Jewish sensibilities, disregarded Jewish traditions (5:17-20; 9:14-17; 12:1-14; 15:1-20; 21:12-13), and purposefully avoided recognition (8:4; 12:15-21). His revelations were reserved for the unlikely (11:25-27; 13:16-17; 16:13-20), and he often spoke of his own humiliating death (16:21; 17:22-23; 20:18-19; 26:2). Jesus did not come with the flash and spark of someone in need of attention, nor did he make his status and calling glowingly obvious. Instead, he chose the path of humility, privacy, and revelation recognized by faith.<\/p>\n<p>In the end, Jesus was vindicated: He won arguments (Luke 20:20-40), exorcized demons (Matt 8:28-34), healed wondrously (Matt 9:1-8), raised people from the dead (Matt 9:18-26), and ultimately rose from the dead himself (Matt 28:1-10). His divisive but effective ministry inaugurated God’s Kingdom (Matt 11:2-6).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Isa 3:8; 8:14-15; 28:12-13; 59:9-10; Jer 13:16; 20:11; 31:7-9; 50:31-32; Hos 4:4-6; 5:5; 14:9; Mal 2:7-9; Matt 11:5-6; 13:54-58; 17:27; 21:42-46; Mark 6:3; Luke 20:17-19; John 6:60-69; Rom 9:30-33; 11:7-12; 14:12-13, 20-21; 1 Cor 1:21-23; 8:9-13; 10:31–11:1; 2 Cor 6:3; Gal 5:11; 1 Pet 2:5-8; 1 Jn 2:10<\/p>","summary_ro":"The Stone the Builders Rejected Jesus continually offended the Jewish leaders and those who followed them. Though he was born in David’s line, his mother’s reputation was tainted (Matt 1:18-25). Jesus himself was from Nazareth (Matt 2:23), a very unprestigious place (see Matt 13:53-58). His ministry was in Galilee, a backwater distant from official Judaism (see Matt 4:12-16). His closest associate was the inexplicable John, who baptized people and prophetically castigated the political leader...","summary_en":"The Stone the Builders Rejected Jesus continually offended the Jewish leaders and those who followed them. Though he was born in David’s line, his mother’s reputation was tainted (Matt 1:18-25). Jesus himself was from Nazareth (Matt 2:23), a very unprestigious place (see Matt 13:53-58). His ministry was in Galilee, a backwater distant from official Judaism (see Matt 4:12-16). His closest associate was the inexplicable John, who baptized people and prophetically castigated the political leader...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":120431,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"The Stone the Builders Rejected","title_en":"The Stone the Builders Rejected","content_ro":"<h3>The Stone the Builders Rejected<\/h3>\n<p>Jesus continually offended the Jewish leaders and those who followed them. Though he was born in David’s line, his mother’s reputation was tainted (Matt 1:18-25). Jesus himself was from Nazareth (Matt 2:23), a very unprestigious place (see Matt 13:53-58). His ministry was in Galilee, a backwater distant from official Judaism (see Matt 4:12-16). His closest associate was the inexplicable John, who baptized people and prophetically castigated the political leaders (Matt 11:2-19; 14:3-12). Jesus was evasive in his dialogues (e.g., Matt 13:10-15; 17:24-27; 19:3-12; 21:23-27), he refused to produce signs proving his messianic claims (12:38-42; 16:1-4), and he was accompanied by outcasts of society (9:9-13; 11:16-19). He offended Jewish sensibilities, disregarded Jewish traditions (5:17-20; 9:14-17; 12:1-14; 15:1-20; 21:12-13), and purposefully avoided recognition (8:4; 12:15-21). His revelations were reserved for the unlikely (11:25-27; 13:16-17; 16:13-20), and he often spoke of his own humiliating death (16:21; 17:22-23; 20:18-19; 26:2). Jesus did not come with the flash and spark of someone in need of attention, nor did he make his status and calling glowingly obvious. Instead, he chose the path of humility, privacy, and revelation recognized by faith.<\/p>\n<p>In the end, Jesus was vindicated: He won arguments (Luke 20:20-40), exorcized demons (Matt 8:28-34), healed wondrously (Matt 9:1-8), raised people from the dead (Matt 9:18-26), and ultimately rose from the dead himself (Matt 28:1-10). His divisive but effective ministry inaugurated God’s Kingdom (Matt 11:2-6).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Isa 3:8; 8:14-15; 28:12-13; 59:9-10; Jer 13:16; 20:11; 31:7-9; 50:31-32; Hos 4:4-6; 5:5; 14:9; Mal 2:7-9; Matt 11:5-6; 13:54-58; 17:27; 21:42-46; Mark 6:3; Luke 20:17-19; John 6:60-69; Rom 9:30-33; 11:7-12; 14:12-13, 20-21; 1 Cor 1:21-23; 8:9-13; 10:31–11:1; 2 Cor 6:3; Gal 5:11; 1 Pet 2:5-8; 1 Jn 2:10<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>The Stone the Builders Rejected<\/h3>\n<p>Jesus continually offended the Jewish leaders and those who followed them. Though he was born in David’s line, his mother’s reputation was tainted (Matt 1:18-25). Jesus himself was from Nazareth (Matt 2:23), a very unprestigious place (see Matt 13:53-58). His ministry was in Galilee, a backwater distant from official Judaism (see Matt 4:12-16). His closest associate was the inexplicable John, who baptized people and prophetically castigated the political leaders (Matt 11:2-19; 14:3-12). Jesus was evasive in his dialogues (e.g., Matt 13:10-15; 17:24-27; 19:3-12; 21:23-27), he refused to produce signs proving his messianic claims (12:38-42; 16:1-4), and he was accompanied by outcasts of society (9:9-13; 11:16-19). He offended Jewish sensibilities, disregarded Jewish traditions (5:17-20; 9:14-17; 12:1-14; 15:1-20; 21:12-13), and purposefully avoided recognition (8:4; 12:15-21). His revelations were reserved for the unlikely (11:25-27; 13:16-17; 16:13-20), and he often spoke of his own humiliating death (16:21; 17:22-23; 20:18-19; 26:2). Jesus did not come with the flash and spark of someone in need of attention, nor did he make his status and calling glowingly obvious. Instead, he chose the path of humility, privacy, and revelation recognized by faith.<\/p>\n<p>In the end, Jesus was vindicated: He won arguments (Luke 20:20-40), exorcized demons (Matt 8:28-34), healed wondrously (Matt 9:1-8), raised people from the dead (Matt 9:18-26), and ultimately rose from the dead himself (Matt 28:1-10). His divisive but effective ministry inaugurated God’s Kingdom (Matt 11:2-6).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Isa 3:8; 8:14-15; 28:12-13; 59:9-10; Jer 13:16; 20:11; 31:7-9; 50:31-32; Hos 4:4-6; 5:5; 14:9; Mal 2:7-9; Matt 11:5-6; 13:54-58; 17:27; 21:42-46; Mark 6:3; Luke 20:17-19; John 6:60-69; Rom 9:30-33; 11:7-12; 14:12-13, 20-21; 1 Cor 1:21-23; 8:9-13; 10:31–11:1; 2 Cor 6:3; Gal 5:11; 1 Pet 2:5-8; 1 Jn 2:10<\/p>","summary_ro":"The Stone the Builders Rejected Jesus continually offended the Jewish leaders and those who followed them. Though he was born in David’s line, his mother’s reputation was tainted (Matt 1:18-25). Jesus himself was from Nazareth (Matt 2:23), a very unprestigious place (see Matt 13:53-58). His ministry was in Galilee, a backwater distant from official Judaism (see Matt 4:12-16). His closest associate was the inexplicable John, who baptized people and prophetically castigated the political leader...","summary_en":"The Stone the Builders Rejected Jesus continually offended the Jewish leaders and those who followed them. Though he was born in David’s line, his mother’s reputation was tainted (Matt 1:18-25). Jesus himself was from Nazareth (Matt 2:23), a very unprestigious place (see Matt 13:53-58). His ministry was in Galilee, a backwater distant from official Judaism (see Matt 4:12-16). His closest associate was the inexplicable John, who baptized people and prophetically castigated the political leader...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":148057,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"The Stone the Builders Rejected","title_en":"The Stone the Builders Rejected","content_ro":"<h3>The Stone the Builders Rejected<\/h3>\n<p>Jesus continually offended the Jewish leaders and those who followed them. Though he was born in David’s line, his mother’s reputation was tainted (Matt 1:18-25). Jesus himself was from Nazareth (Matt 2:23), a very unprestigious place (see Matt 13:53-58). His ministry was in Galilee, a backwater distant from official Judaism (see Matt 4:12-16). His closest associate was the inexplicable John, who baptized people and prophetically castigated the political leaders (Matt 11:2-19; 14:3-12). Jesus was evasive in his dialogues (e.g., Matt 13:10-15; 17:24-27; 19:3-12; 21:23-27), he refused to produce signs proving his messianic claims (12:38-42; 16:1-4), and he was accompanied by outcasts of society (9:9-13; 11:16-19). He offended Jewish sensibilities, disregarded Jewish traditions (5:17-20; 9:14-17; 12:1-14; 15:1-20; 21:12-13), and purposefully avoided recognition (8:4; 12:15-21). His revelations were reserved for the unlikely (11:25-27; 13:16-17; 16:13-20), and he often spoke of his own humiliating death (16:21; 17:22-23; 20:18-19; 26:2). Jesus did not come with the flash and spark of someone in need of attention, nor did he make his status and calling glowingly obvious. Instead, he chose the path of humility, privacy, and revelation recognized by faith.<\/p>\n<p>In the end, Jesus was vindicated: He won arguments (Luke 20:20-40), exorcized demons (Matt 8:28-34), healed wondrously (Matt 9:1-8), raised people from the dead (Matt 9:18-26), and ultimately rose from the dead himself (Matt 28:1-10). His divisive but effective ministry inaugurated God’s Kingdom (Matt 11:2-6).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Isa 3:8; 8:14-15; 28:12-13; 59:9-10; Jer 13:16; 20:11; 31:7-9; 50:31-32; Hos 4:4-6; 5:5; 14:9; Mal 2:7-9; Matt 11:5-6; 13:54-58; 17:27; 21:42-46; Mark 6:3; Luke 20:17-19; John 6:60-69; Rom 9:30-33; 11:7-12; 14:12-13, 20-21; 1 Cor 1:21-23; 8:9-13; 10:31–11:1; 2 Cor 6:3; Gal 5:11; 1 Pet 2:5-8; 1 Jn 2:10<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>The Stone the Builders Rejected<\/h3>\n<p>Jesus continually offended the Jewish leaders and those who followed them. Though he was born in David’s line, his mother’s reputation was tainted (Matt 1:18-25). Jesus himself was from Nazareth (Matt 2:23), a very unprestigious place (see Matt 13:53-58). His ministry was in Galilee, a backwater distant from official Judaism (see Matt 4:12-16). His closest associate was the inexplicable John, who baptized people and prophetically castigated the political leaders (Matt 11:2-19; 14:3-12). Jesus was evasive in his dialogues (e.g., Matt 13:10-15; 17:24-27; 19:3-12; 21:23-27), he refused to produce signs proving his messianic claims (12:38-42; 16:1-4), and he was accompanied by outcasts of society (9:9-13; 11:16-19). He offended Jewish sensibilities, disregarded Jewish traditions (5:17-20; 9:14-17; 12:1-14; 15:1-20; 21:12-13), and purposefully avoided recognition (8:4; 12:15-21). His revelations were reserved for the unlikely (11:25-27; 13:16-17; 16:13-20), and he often spoke of his own humiliating death (16:21; 17:22-23; 20:18-19; 26:2). Jesus did not come with the flash and spark of someone in need of attention, nor did he make his status and calling glowingly obvious. Instead, he chose the path of humility, privacy, and revelation recognized by faith.<\/p>\n<p>In the end, Jesus was vindicated: He won arguments (Luke 20:20-40), exorcized demons (Matt 8:28-34), healed wondrously (Matt 9:1-8), raised people from the dead (Matt 9:18-26), and ultimately rose from the dead himself (Matt 28:1-10). His divisive but effective ministry inaugurated God’s Kingdom (Matt 11:2-6).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Isa 3:8; 8:14-15; 28:12-13; 59:9-10; Jer 13:16; 20:11; 31:7-9; 50:31-32; Hos 4:4-6; 5:5; 14:9; Mal 2:7-9; Matt 11:5-6; 13:54-58; 17:27; 21:42-46; Mark 6:3; Luke 20:17-19; John 6:60-69; Rom 9:30-33; 11:7-12; 14:12-13, 20-21; 1 Cor 1:21-23; 8:9-13; 10:31–11:1; 2 Cor 6:3; Gal 5:11; 1 Pet 2:5-8; 1 Jn 2:10<\/p>","summary_ro":"The Stone the Builders Rejected Jesus continually offended the Jewish leaders and those who followed them. Though he was born in David’s line, his mother’s reputation was tainted (Matt 1:18-25). Jesus himself was from Nazareth (Matt 2:23), a very unprestigious place (see Matt 13:53-58). His ministry was in Galilee, a backwater distant from official Judaism (see Matt 4:12-16). His closest associate was the inexplicable John, who baptized people and prophetically castigated the political leader...","summary_en":"The Stone the Builders Rejected Jesus continually offended the Jewish leaders and those who followed them. Though he was born in David’s line, his mother’s reputation was tainted (Matt 1:18-25). Jesus himself was from Nazareth (Matt 2:23), a very unprestigious place (see Matt 13:53-58). His ministry was in Galilee, a backwater distant from official Judaism (see Matt 4:12-16). His closest associate was the inexplicable John, who baptized people and prophetically castigated the political leader...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false}],"13":[{"id":5776,"type":"article","type_label":"Articol","type_icon":"📖","type_color":"#d4af37","title_ro":"Brother","title_en":"Brother","content_ro":"<h3>BROTHER<\/h3>\n<p>Man or boy in his relationship to the other children of his parents; also a close male friend or fellow member of the same race, creed, profession, organization, and the like; a kinsman.<\/p>\n<p>In the OT the Hebrew word translated “brother” describes the relationship between male children who have at least one parent in common. Joseph and Benjamin were children of Jacob and Rachel (Gn 35:24), but the other sons born to Jacob are also called Joseph’s brothers (42:6). The love Joseph had for Benjamin is not always found between brothers. Cain killed his brother Abel (4:8), and Esau hated his brother, Jacob (27:41). A brother may be a bad influence (Dt 13:6-7), but ideally he is one who helps in times of need (Prv 17:17). The law of levirate marriage required that if a man died leaving a childless widow, the man’s brother had to raise up children through her to perpetuate the family name (Dt 25:5).<\/p>\n<p>David spoke affectionately of his “brother” Jonathan, although they were not related (2 Sm 1:26). A fellow Israelite could be called brother. The relationship required certain obligations: money could not be loaned to a brother at interest, and a brother could not be enslaved (Lv 25:35-43).<\/p>\n<p>In the NT the Greek word is used to describe natural brothers, such as Andrew and Peter (Jn 1:41). Four brothers of Jesus are named (Mk 6:3). (The Roman Catholic view is that they were really Jesus’ cousins, but the Greek language has several words for cousin, and the word “brother” is used here; thus, it refers either to children or foster children of Mary and Joseph.) Jesus’ brothers did not believe in him at first (Jn 7:5), but after the resurrection they were meeting with the Christian community (Acts 1:14). Jesus taught that his disciples had one Father (God) and were therefore brothers (Mt 23:8-9), and he graciously identified himself with the disciples as their brother (28:10).<\/p>\n<p>Early in the history of the church it became customary for Christians to address one another as brother (Acts 9:17; Col 1:1); on two occasions the Christian community is called “the brotherhood” (1 Pt 2:17; 5:9, <span>rsv<\/span>). Specific duties and responsibilities accompany Christian brotherhood. A Christian’s love for his brother will be demonstrated in the restraint of sexual passions (1 Thes 4:6), provision of material goods when needed (Jas 2:15-16), and determination not to offend (Rom 14:13). A Christian must not “go to law” against a brother (1 Cor 6:5-6), but brothers must resolve their problems either personally or within the church group (Mt 18:15-17). The relationship between Christians is significant because a Christian cannot offer worship to God if he is out of harmony with his brother (Mt 5:23-24).<\/p>\n<p><em>See also<\/em> Family Life and Relations; Brothers (and Sisters).<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>BROTHER<\/h3>\n<p>Man or boy in his relationship to the other children of his parents; also a close male friend or fellow member of the same race, creed, profession, organization, and the like; a kinsman.<\/p>\n<p>In the OT the Hebrew word translated “brother” describes the relationship between male children who have at least one parent in common. Joseph and Benjamin were children of Jacob and Rachel (Gn 35:24), but the other sons born to Jacob are also called Joseph’s brothers (42:6). The love Joseph had for Benjamin is not always found between brothers. Cain killed his brother Abel (4:8), and Esau hated his brother, Jacob (27:41). A brother may be a bad influence (Dt 13:6-7), but ideally he is one who helps in times of need (Prv 17:17). The law of levirate marriage required that if a man died leaving a childless widow, the man’s brother had to raise up children through her to perpetuate the family name (Dt 25:5).<\/p>\n<p>David spoke affectionately of his “brother” Jonathan, although they were not related (2 Sm 1:26). A fellow Israelite could be called brother. The relationship required certain obligations: money could not be loaned to a brother at interest, and a brother could not be enslaved (Lv 25:35-43).<\/p>\n<p>In the NT the Greek word is used to describe natural brothers, such as Andrew and Peter (Jn 1:41). Four brothers of Jesus are named (Mk 6:3). (The Roman Catholic view is that they were really Jesus’ cousins, but the Greek language has several words for cousin, and the word “brother” is used here; thus, it refers either to children or foster children of Mary and Joseph.) Jesus’ brothers did not believe in him at first (Jn 7:5), but after the resurrection they were meeting with the Christian community (Acts 1:14). Jesus taught that his disciples had one Father (God) and were therefore brothers (Mt 23:8-9), and he graciously identified himself with the disciples as their brother (28:10).<\/p>\n<p>Early in the history of the church it became customary for Christians to address one another as brother (Acts 9:17; Col 1:1); on two occasions the Christian community is called “the brotherhood” (1 Pt 2:17; 5:9, <span>rsv<\/span>). Specific duties and responsibilities accompany Christian brotherhood. A Christian’s love for his brother will be demonstrated in the restraint of sexual passions (1 Thes 4:6), provision of material goods when needed (Jas 2:15-16), and determination not to offend (Rom 14:13). A Christian must not “go to law” against a brother (1 Cor 6:5-6), but brothers must resolve their problems either personally or within the church group (Mt 18:15-17). The relationship between Christians is significant because a Christian cannot offer worship to God if he is out of harmony with his brother (Mt 5:23-24).<\/p>\n<p><em>See also<\/em> Family Life and Relations; Brothers (and Sisters).<\/p>","summary_ro":"BROTHER Man or boy in his relationship to the other children of his parents; also a close male friend or fellow member of the same race, creed, profession, organization, and the like; a kinsman. In the OT the Hebrew word translated “brother” describes the relationship between male children who have at least one parent in common. Joseph and Benjamin were children of Jacob and Rachel (Gn 35:24), but the other sons born to Jacob are also called Joseph’s brothers (42:6). The love Joseph had for B...","summary_en":"BROTHER Man or boy in his relationship to the other children of his parents; also a close male friend or fellow member of the same race, creed, profession, organization, and the like; a kinsman. In the OT the Hebrew word translated “brother” describes the relationship between male children who have at least one parent in common. Joseph and Benjamin were children of Jacob and Rachel (Gn 35:24), but the other sons born to Jacob are also called Joseph’s brothers (42:6). The love Joseph had for B...","source":"Articles\/B.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":28144,"type":"article","type_label":"Articol","type_icon":"📖","type_color":"#d4af37","title_ro":"Offense Offend","title_en":"Offense Offend","content_ro":"<h3>OFFEND, OFFENSE<\/h3>\n<p>Words used two ways in the Bible: doing what is wrong oneself, or causing someone else to do wrong or to stumble.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"DoingWrong\">Doing Wrong<\/p>\n<p>In both the Hebrew of the OT and the Greek of the NT there are several words for sin or wrongdoing having a variety of different translations. With the word “offend” or “offense,” the emphasis is on the sin being against a person or against the law, an offense against either God or man.<\/p>\n<p>Sin is fundamentally an offense against God. For example, the people of Edom had grievously offended in taking vengeance on Judah, and so the hand of the Lord was against them in judgment (Ez 25:12-13). Israel commited an offense in their worship of Baal (Hos 13:1). The breaking of God’s law is spoken of as an “offense committed” (Dt 19:15; cf. 22:26; 25:2). In the NT, James (Jas 2:10; 3:2) speaks of offenses against God and against his law.<\/p>\n<p>There are many passages in the Bible addressing one man’s offense against another: for example, Abraham’s against Abimelech (Gn 20:9), or Pharaoh’s chief butler and chief baker against their master (40:1). Sometimes it is an alleged offense and no actual wrong has been done (e.g., Gn 31:36; 2 Kgs 18:14; Jer 37:18). Paul, in his defense before the Roman governor Festus, said, “Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I offended at all” (Acts 25:8, <span>rsv<\/span>).<\/p>\n<p>Finally, the Bible speaks about dealing with real offenses against God and people. Offenses should be acknowledged and confessed (Hos 5:15). One’s proper resolution before God is “I will not offend any more” (Jb 34:31, <span>rsv<\/span>). One needs to make amends for offenses (Eccl 10:4) and to forgive the offenses of others (Prv 17:9; 19:11). Jesus Christ died for our offenses (Rom 4:25; 5:15-21), so that in turning to him there is forgiveness for all sins.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"CausingAnothertoSin\">Causing Another to Sin<\/p>\n<p>The noun “offense” and the verb “offend” are also used in reference to a person being caused to stumble or to do what is wrong. There are three ways in which this may happen:<\/p>\n<p>1. There may be something in the individual that causes him or her to stumble. Jesus expressed the seriousness of this, and though speaking metaphorically, he indicated the strenuous steps of prevention (Mt 5:29-30; 18:8-9).<\/p>\n<li>2. There may be something in a person that causes offense to others. Jesus said, “Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!” (Mt 18:7, <span>kjv<\/span>). There are, in fact, many NT passages that insist that one should live so as not to cause others to stumble (Rom 14:13). The apostle Paul says, “Don’t tear apart the work of God over what you eat. Remember, there is nothing wrong with these things in themselves. But it is wrong to eat anything if it makes another person stumble. Don’t eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another Christian to stumble” (Rom 14:20-21, <span>nlt<\/span>; cf. 1 Cor 10:32; 2 Cor 6:3).<\/li>\n<li>3. However, people may be offended at the truth through no fault of the person who presents it. Isaiah speaks of God as “a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall” (Is 8:14) in that people would not always accept his demands and the way of faith in him. The NT takes these same words and applies them to the offense of the gospel of Christ (Rom 9:32-33; 1 Pt 2:8). In the time of his ministry there were those who were offended at Jesus—at his lowly birth (Mt 13:57), at what he said and did (15:12), or because of the cost of following him (13:21). Even disciples were capable of being offended and turning aside (Jn 6:61). In the end all were offended and fled from him (Mt 26:31, 56). Finally, the apostle Paul spoke of the offense in the preaching of the cross of Christ. He could have chosen to preach a popular message and avoided persecution, a “message that doesn’t offend anyone” (Gal 5:11). He chose rather to preach the cross even though it was a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles (1 Cor 1:23).<\/li>\n<p><em>See also<\/em> Sin.<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>OFFEND, OFFENSE<\/h3>\n<p>Words used two ways in the Bible: doing what is wrong oneself, or causing someone else to do wrong or to stumble.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"DoingWrong\">Doing Wrong<\/p>\n<p>In both the Hebrew of the OT and the Greek of the NT there are several words for sin or wrongdoing having a variety of different translations. With the word “offend” or “offense,” the emphasis is on the sin being against a person or against the law, an offense against either God or man.<\/p>\n<p>Sin is fundamentally an offense against God. For example, the people of Edom had grievously offended in taking vengeance on Judah, and so the hand of the Lord was against them in judgment (Ez 25:12-13). Israel commited an offense in their worship of Baal (Hos 13:1). The breaking of God’s law is spoken of as an “offense committed” (Dt 19:15; cf. 22:26; 25:2). In the NT, James (Jas 2:10; 3:2) speaks of offenses against God and against his law.<\/p>\n<p>There are many passages in the Bible addressing one man’s offense against another: for example, Abraham’s against Abimelech (Gn 20:9), or Pharaoh’s chief butler and chief baker against their master (40:1). Sometimes it is an alleged offense and no actual wrong has been done (e.g., Gn 31:36; 2 Kgs 18:14; Jer 37:18). Paul, in his defense before the Roman governor Festus, said, “Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I offended at all” (Acts 25:8, <span>rsv<\/span>).<\/p>\n<p>Finally, the Bible speaks about dealing with real offenses against God and people. Offenses should be acknowledged and confessed (Hos 5:15). One’s proper resolution before God is “I will not offend any more” (Jb 34:31, <span>rsv<\/span>). One needs to make amends for offenses (Eccl 10:4) and to forgive the offenses of others (Prv 17:9; 19:11). Jesus Christ died for our offenses (Rom 4:25; 5:15-21), so that in turning to him there is forgiveness for all sins.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"CausingAnothertoSin\">Causing Another to Sin<\/p>\n<p>The noun “offense” and the verb “offend” are also used in reference to a person being caused to stumble or to do what is wrong. There are three ways in which this may happen:<\/p>\n<p>1. There may be something in the individual that causes him or her to stumble. Jesus expressed the seriousness of this, and though speaking metaphorically, he indicated the strenuous steps of prevention (Mt 5:29-30; 18:8-9).<\/p>\n<li>2. There may be something in a person that causes offense to others. Jesus said, “Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!” (Mt 18:7, <span>kjv<\/span>). There are, in fact, many NT passages that insist that one should live so as not to cause others to stumble (Rom 14:13). The apostle Paul says, “Don’t tear apart the work of God over what you eat. Remember, there is nothing wrong with these things in themselves. But it is wrong to eat anything if it makes another person stumble. Don’t eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another Christian to stumble” (Rom 14:20-21, <span>nlt<\/span>; cf. 1 Cor 10:32; 2 Cor 6:3).<\/li>\n<li>3. However, people may be offended at the truth through no fault of the person who presents it. Isaiah speaks of God as “a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall” (Is 8:14) in that people would not always accept his demands and the way of faith in him. The NT takes these same words and applies them to the offense of the gospel of Christ (Rom 9:32-33; 1 Pt 2:8). In the time of his ministry there were those who were offended at Jesus—at his lowly birth (Mt 13:57), at what he said and did (15:12), or because of the cost of following him (13:21). Even disciples were capable of being offended and turning aside (Jn 6:61). In the end all were offended and fled from him (Mt 26:31, 56). Finally, the apostle Paul spoke of the offense in the preaching of the cross of Christ. He could have chosen to preach a popular message and avoided persecution, a “message that doesn’t offend anyone” (Gal 5:11). He chose rather to preach the cross even though it was a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles (1 Cor 1:23).<\/li>\n<p><em>See also<\/em> Sin.<\/p>","summary_ro":"OFFEND, OFFENSE Words used two ways in the Bible: doing what is wrong oneself, or causing someone else to do wrong or to stumble. Doing Wrong In both the Hebrew of the OT and the Greek of the NT there are several words for sin or wrongdoing having a variety of different translations. With the word “offend” or “offense,” the emphasis is on the sin being against a person or against the law, an offense against either God or man. Sin is fundamentally an offense against God. For example, the peopl...","summary_en":"OFFEND, OFFENSE Words used two ways in the Bible: doing what is wrong oneself, or causing someone else to do wrong or to stumble. Doing Wrong In both the Hebrew of the OT and the Greek of the NT there are several words for sin or wrongdoing having a variety of different translations. With the word “offend” or “offense,” the emphasis is on the sin being against a person or against the law, an offense against either God or man. Sin is fundamentally an offense against God. For example, the peopl...","source":"Articles\/O.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":36392,"type":"article","type_label":"Articol","type_icon":"📖","type_color":"#d4af37","title_ro":"Block*, Stumbling","title_en":"Block*, Stumbling","content_ro":"<h3>STUMBLING BLOCK*<\/h3>\n<p>Term used both literally and figuratively to refer to anything that might cause one to stumble.<\/p>\n<p>The phrase is used literally in Leviticus 19:14, where the people of Israel are admonished not to “put a stumbling block before the blind,” but to “fear the Lord your God.” An isolated figurative use occurs in Jeremiah 6:21, where God promises to put a stumbling block before the people of Israel if they do not heed his warnings.<\/p>\n<p>The most common OT usage, however, is found in Ezekiel, where the phrase is used to refer to idols and idolatry: “Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts, and set the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces; should I let myself be inquired of at all by them?” (Ez 14:3, <span>rsv<\/span>; also 7:19; 44:12).<\/p>\n<p>In the NT the term essentially retains its Hebraic meaning. Even so, the phrase is employed figuratively to speak of the difficulties encountered by many Jews in believing Jesus to be the Son of God: “But we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles” (1 Cor 1:23, <span>rsv<\/span>; see also Rom 9:31-32). In Romans 11:11-12, Paul says that this resistance is actually part of God’s plan to spread his riches to the world. Finally, 1 Corinthians 8:9 uses “stumbling block” to speak of some practices that might in themselves be appropriate but might also have the unintended effect of offending a weaker brother (see also Rom 14:13).<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>STUMBLING BLOCK*<\/h3>\n<p>Term used both literally and figuratively to refer to anything that might cause one to stumble.<\/p>\n<p>The phrase is used literally in Leviticus 19:14, where the people of Israel are admonished not to “put a stumbling block before the blind,” but to “fear the Lord your God.” An isolated figurative use occurs in Jeremiah 6:21, where God promises to put a stumbling block before the people of Israel if they do not heed his warnings.<\/p>\n<p>The most common OT usage, however, is found in Ezekiel, where the phrase is used to refer to idols and idolatry: “Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts, and set the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces; should I let myself be inquired of at all by them?” (Ez 14:3, <span>rsv<\/span>; also 7:19; 44:12).<\/p>\n<p>In the NT the term essentially retains its Hebraic meaning. Even so, the phrase is employed figuratively to speak of the difficulties encountered by many Jews in believing Jesus to be the Son of God: “But we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles” (1 Cor 1:23, <span>rsv<\/span>; see also Rom 9:31-32). In Romans 11:11-12, Paul says that this resistance is actually part of God’s plan to spread his riches to the world. Finally, 1 Corinthians 8:9 uses “stumbling block” to speak of some practices that might in themselves be appropriate but might also have the unintended effect of offending a weaker brother (see also Rom 14:13).<\/p>","summary_ro":"STUMBLING BLOCK* Term used both literally and figuratively to refer to anything that might cause one to stumble. The phrase is used literally in Leviticus 19:14, where the people of Israel are admonished not to “put a stumbling block before the blind,” but to “fear the Lord your God.” An isolated figurative use occurs in Jeremiah 6:21, where God promises to put a stumbling block before the people of Israel if they do not heed his warnings. The most common OT usage, however, is found in Ezekie...","summary_en":"STUMBLING BLOCK* Term used both literally and figuratively to refer to anything that might cause one to stumble. The phrase is used literally in Leviticus 19:14, where the people of Israel are admonished not to “put a stumbling block before the blind,” but to “fear the Lord your God.” An isolated figurative use occurs in Jeremiah 6:21, where God promises to put a stumbling block before the people of Israel if they do not heed his warnings. The most common OT usage, however, is found in Ezekie...","source":"Articles\/S.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":57403,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:13","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:13","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:13<\/strong> This verse acts as a bridge. <em>Let’s stop condemning each other<\/em> summarizes 14:1-12, while the concern about causing <em>another believer to stumble and fall<\/em> becomes the major emphasis of 14:14-23. • <em>stumble and fall:<\/em> This phrase originally applied to obstacles that could trip people as they walked, or to traps into which a person might fall. It is used metaphorically throughout the New Testament for behavior that might bring spiritual harm to another person (see 1 Cor 8:9, 13; 1 Jn 2:10; cp. Matt 21:42-44; Luke 20:17-18; Rom 9:32-33; 1 Pet 2:8).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:13<\/strong> This verse acts as a bridge. <em>Let’s stop condemning each other<\/em> summarizes 14:1-12, while the concern about causing <em>another believer to stumble and fall<\/em> becomes the major emphasis of 14:14-23. • <em>stumble and fall:<\/em> This phrase originally applied to obstacles that could trip people as they walked, or to traps into which a person might fall. It is used metaphorically throughout the New Testament for behavior that might bring spiritual harm to another person (see 1 Cor 8:9, 13; 1 Jn 2:10; cp. Matt 21:42-44; Luke 20:17-18; Rom 9:32-33; 1 Pet 2:8).<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:13 This verse acts as a bridge. Let’s stop condemning each other summarizes 14:1-12, while the concern about causing another believer to stumble and fall becomes the major emphasis of 14:14-23. • stumble and fall: This phrase originally applied to obstacles that could trip people as they walked, or to traps into which a person might fall. It is used metaphorically throughout the New Testament for behavior that might bring spiritual harm to another person (see 1 Cor 8:9, 13; 1 Jn 2:10; cp. ...","summary_en":"14:13 This verse acts as a bridge. Let’s stop condemning each other summarizes 14:1-12, while the concern about causing another believer to stumble and fall becomes the major emphasis of 14:14-23. • stumble and fall: This phrase originally applied to obstacles that could trip people as they walked, or to traps into which a person might fall. It is used metaphorically throughout the New Testament for behavior that might bring spiritual harm to another person (see 1 Cor 8:9, 13; 1 Jn 2:10; cp. ...","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":85029,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:13","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:13","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:13<\/strong> This verse acts as a bridge. <em>Let’s stop condemning each other<\/em> summarizes 14:1-12, while the concern about causing <em>another believer to stumble and fall<\/em> becomes the major emphasis of 14:14-23. • <em>stumble and fall:<\/em> This phrase originally applied to obstacles that could trip people as they walked, or to traps into which a person might fall. It is used metaphorically throughout the New Testament for behavior that might bring spiritual harm to another person (see 1 Cor 8:9, 13; 1 Jn 2:10; cp. Matt 21:42-44; Luke 20:17-18; Rom 9:32-33; 1 Pet 2:8).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:13<\/strong> This verse acts as a bridge. <em>Let’s stop condemning each other<\/em> summarizes 14:1-12, while the concern about causing <em>another believer to stumble and fall<\/em> becomes the major emphasis of 14:14-23. • <em>stumble and fall:<\/em> This phrase originally applied to obstacles that could trip people as they walked, or to traps into which a person might fall. It is used metaphorically throughout the New Testament for behavior that might bring spiritual harm to another person (see 1 Cor 8:9, 13; 1 Jn 2:10; cp. Matt 21:42-44; Luke 20:17-18; Rom 9:32-33; 1 Pet 2:8).<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:13 This verse acts as a bridge. Let’s stop condemning each other summarizes 14:1-12, while the concern about causing another believer to stumble and fall becomes the major emphasis of 14:14-23. • stumble and fall: This phrase originally applied to obstacles that could trip people as they walked, or to traps into which a person might fall. It is used metaphorically throughout the New Testament for behavior that might bring spiritual harm to another person (see 1 Cor 8:9, 13; 1 Jn 2:10; cp. ...","summary_en":"14:13 This verse acts as a bridge. Let’s stop condemning each other summarizes 14:1-12, while the concern about causing another believer to stumble and fall becomes the major emphasis of 14:14-23. • stumble and fall: This phrase originally applied to obstacles that could trip people as they walked, or to traps into which a person might fall. It is used metaphorically throughout the New Testament for behavior that might bring spiritual harm to another person (see 1 Cor 8:9, 13; 1 Jn 2:10; cp. ...","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":112655,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:13","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:13","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:13<\/strong> This verse acts as a bridge. <em>Let’s stop condemning each other<\/em> summarizes 14:1-12, while the concern about causing <em>another believer to stumble and fall<\/em> becomes the major emphasis of 14:14-23. • <em>stumble and fall:<\/em> This phrase originally applied to obstacles that could trip people as they walked, or to traps into which a person might fall. It is used metaphorically throughout the New Testament for behavior that might bring spiritual harm to another person (see 1 Cor 8:9, 13; 1 Jn 2:10; cp. Matt 21:42-44; Luke 20:17-18; Rom 9:32-33; 1 Pet 2:8).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:13<\/strong> This verse acts as a bridge. <em>Let’s stop condemning each other<\/em> summarizes 14:1-12, while the concern about causing <em>another believer to stumble and fall<\/em> becomes the major emphasis of 14:14-23. • <em>stumble and fall:<\/em> This phrase originally applied to obstacles that could trip people as they walked, or to traps into which a person might fall. It is used metaphorically throughout the New Testament for behavior that might bring spiritual harm to another person (see 1 Cor 8:9, 13; 1 Jn 2:10; cp. Matt 21:42-44; Luke 20:17-18; Rom 9:32-33; 1 Pet 2:8).<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:13 This verse acts as a bridge. Let’s stop condemning each other summarizes 14:1-12, while the concern about causing another believer to stumble and fall becomes the major emphasis of 14:14-23. • stumble and fall: This phrase originally applied to obstacles that could trip people as they walked, or to traps into which a person might fall. It is used metaphorically throughout the New Testament for behavior that might bring spiritual harm to another person (see 1 Cor 8:9, 13; 1 Jn 2:10; cp. ...","summary_en":"14:13 This verse acts as a bridge. Let’s stop condemning each other summarizes 14:1-12, while the concern about causing another believer to stumble and fall becomes the major emphasis of 14:14-23. • stumble and fall: This phrase originally applied to obstacles that could trip people as they walked, or to traps into which a person might fall. It is used metaphorically throughout the New Testament for behavior that might bring spiritual harm to another person (see 1 Cor 8:9, 13; 1 Jn 2:10; cp. ...","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":140281,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:13","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:13","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:13<\/strong> This verse acts as a bridge. <em>Let’s stop condemning each other<\/em> summarizes 14:1-12, while the concern about causing <em>another believer to stumble and fall<\/em> becomes the major emphasis of 14:14-23. • <em>stumble and fall:<\/em> This phrase originally applied to obstacles that could trip people as they walked, or to traps into which a person might fall. It is used metaphorically throughout the New Testament for behavior that might bring spiritual harm to another person (see 1 Cor 8:9, 13; 1 Jn 2:10; cp. Matt 21:42-44; Luke 20:17-18; Rom 9:32-33; 1 Pet 2:8).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:13<\/strong> This verse acts as a bridge. <em>Let’s stop condemning each other<\/em> summarizes 14:1-12, while the concern about causing <em>another believer to stumble and fall<\/em> becomes the major emphasis of 14:14-23. • <em>stumble and fall:<\/em> This phrase originally applied to obstacles that could trip people as they walked, or to traps into which a person might fall. It is used metaphorically throughout the New Testament for behavior that might bring spiritual harm to another person (see 1 Cor 8:9, 13; 1 Jn 2:10; cp. Matt 21:42-44; Luke 20:17-18; Rom 9:32-33; 1 Pet 2:8).<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:13 This verse acts as a bridge. Let’s stop condemning each other summarizes 14:1-12, while the concern about causing another believer to stumble and fall becomes the major emphasis of 14:14-23. • stumble and fall: This phrase originally applied to obstacles that could trip people as they walked, or to traps into which a person might fall. It is used metaphorically throughout the New Testament for behavior that might bring spiritual harm to another person (see 1 Cor 8:9, 13; 1 Jn 2:10; cp. ...","summary_en":"14:13 This verse acts as a bridge. Let’s stop condemning each other summarizes 14:1-12, while the concern about causing another believer to stumble and fall becomes the major emphasis of 14:14-23. • stumble and fall: This phrase originally applied to obstacles that could trip people as they walked, or to traps into which a person might fall. It is used metaphorically throughout the New Testament for behavior that might bring spiritual harm to another person (see 1 Cor 8:9, 13; 1 Jn 2:10; cp. ...","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":66979,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"Giving up Rights","title_en":"Giving up Rights","content_ro":"<h3>Giving Up Rights<\/h3>\n<p>Paul nowhere tells believers that they should defend their rights. On the contrary, he emphasizes that believers must always be willing to give up their rights for the sake of others. Believers are free from many of the rules that others feel bound by, but they must always be ready to give up their freedoms if their actions would cause someone else to sin (Rom 14:13-23; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 10:23-33). Defending one’s own personal rights is of little value to Paul.<\/p>\n<p>Paul, like Jesus, sees loving others as one of the most important principles in life (Rom 13:8-10; 1 Cor 13:1-13; Gal 5:6; see Matt 5:43-44; 22:36-39). Real Christian love is always sacrificial (1 Cor 13:4-7), like Christ’s own love. Believers ought never to focus on what is best for themselves, but on what is best for others (1 Cor 10:32-33). The sacrificial death of Christ for sinners is the model that reveals the nature of true love (Rom 5:6-8; 15:1-5; 1 Jn 4:9-12). The whole of a believer’s life is to be an expression of Christ’s sacrificial love. This will never be easy, for it means people must consider themselves dead to their own desires (see Mark 8:34-35).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Matt 5:38-48; 16:24-27; 22:37-39; Rom 5:6-8; 13:8-10; 14:15-22; 15:1-5; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 9:1-23; 10:23-24, 31-33; 13:4-7; Gal 5:6; Phil 2:3-4; 2 Tim 2:9-13; Heb 11:24-26; 1 Jn 4:9-12<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>Giving Up Rights<\/h3>\n<p>Paul nowhere tells believers that they should defend their rights. On the contrary, he emphasizes that believers must always be willing to give up their rights for the sake of others. Believers are free from many of the rules that others feel bound by, but they must always be ready to give up their freedoms if their actions would cause someone else to sin (Rom 14:13-23; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 10:23-33). Defending one’s own personal rights is of little value to Paul.<\/p>\n<p>Paul, like Jesus, sees loving others as one of the most important principles in life (Rom 13:8-10; 1 Cor 13:1-13; Gal 5:6; see Matt 5:43-44; 22:36-39). Real Christian love is always sacrificial (1 Cor 13:4-7), like Christ’s own love. Believers ought never to focus on what is best for themselves, but on what is best for others (1 Cor 10:32-33). The sacrificial death of Christ for sinners is the model that reveals the nature of true love (Rom 5:6-8; 15:1-5; 1 Jn 4:9-12). The whole of a believer’s life is to be an expression of Christ’s sacrificial love. This will never be easy, for it means people must consider themselves dead to their own desires (see Mark 8:34-35).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Matt 5:38-48; 16:24-27; 22:37-39; Rom 5:6-8; 13:8-10; 14:15-22; 15:1-5; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 9:1-23; 10:23-24, 31-33; 13:4-7; Gal 5:6; Phil 2:3-4; 2 Tim 2:9-13; Heb 11:24-26; 1 Jn 4:9-12<\/p>","summary_ro":"Giving Up Rights Paul nowhere tells believers that they should defend their rights. On the contrary, he emphasizes that believers must always be willing to give up their rights for the sake of others. Believers are free from many of the rules that others feel bound by, but they must always be ready to give up their freedoms if their actions would cause someone else to sin (Rom 14:13-23; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 10:23-33). Defending one’s own personal rights is of little value to Paul. Paul, like Jesus, ...","summary_en":"Giving Up Rights Paul nowhere tells believers that they should defend their rights. On the contrary, he emphasizes that believers must always be willing to give up their rights for the sake of others. Believers are free from many of the rules that others feel bound by, but they must always be ready to give up their freedoms if their actions would cause someone else to sin (Rom 14:13-23; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 10:23-33). Defending one’s own personal rights is of little value to Paul. Paul, like Jesus, ...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":94605,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"Giving up Rights","title_en":"Giving up Rights","content_ro":"<h3>Giving Up Rights<\/h3>\n<p>Paul nowhere tells believers that they should defend their rights. On the contrary, he emphasizes that believers must always be willing to give up their rights for the sake of others. Believers are free from many of the rules that others feel bound by, but they must always be ready to give up their freedoms if their actions would cause someone else to sin (Rom 14:13-23; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 10:23-33). Defending one’s own personal rights is of little value to Paul.<\/p>\n<p>Paul, like Jesus, sees loving others as one of the most important principles in life (Rom 13:8-10; 1 Cor 13:1-13; Gal 5:6; see Matt 5:43-44; 22:36-39). Real Christian love is always sacrificial (1 Cor 13:4-7), like Christ’s own love. Believers ought never to focus on what is best for themselves, but on what is best for others (1 Cor 10:32-33). The sacrificial death of Christ for sinners is the model that reveals the nature of true love (Rom 5:6-8; 15:1-5; 1 Jn 4:9-12). The whole of a believer’s life is to be an expression of Christ’s sacrificial love. This will never be easy, for it means people must consider themselves dead to their own desires (see Mark 8:34-35).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Matt 5:38-48; 16:24-27; 22:37-39; Rom 5:6-8; 13:8-10; 14:15-22; 15:1-5; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 9:1-23; 10:23-24, 31-33; 13:4-7; Gal 5:6; Phil 2:3-4; 2 Tim 2:9-13; Heb 11:24-26; 1 Jn 4:9-12<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>Giving Up Rights<\/h3>\n<p>Paul nowhere tells believers that they should defend their rights. On the contrary, he emphasizes that believers must always be willing to give up their rights for the sake of others. Believers are free from many of the rules that others feel bound by, but they must always be ready to give up their freedoms if their actions would cause someone else to sin (Rom 14:13-23; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 10:23-33). Defending one’s own personal rights is of little value to Paul.<\/p>\n<p>Paul, like Jesus, sees loving others as one of the most important principles in life (Rom 13:8-10; 1 Cor 13:1-13; Gal 5:6; see Matt 5:43-44; 22:36-39). Real Christian love is always sacrificial (1 Cor 13:4-7), like Christ’s own love. Believers ought never to focus on what is best for themselves, but on what is best for others (1 Cor 10:32-33). The sacrificial death of Christ for sinners is the model that reveals the nature of true love (Rom 5:6-8; 15:1-5; 1 Jn 4:9-12). The whole of a believer’s life is to be an expression of Christ’s sacrificial love. This will never be easy, for it means people must consider themselves dead to their own desires (see Mark 8:34-35).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Matt 5:38-48; 16:24-27; 22:37-39; Rom 5:6-8; 13:8-10; 14:15-22; 15:1-5; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 9:1-23; 10:23-24, 31-33; 13:4-7; Gal 5:6; Phil 2:3-4; 2 Tim 2:9-13; Heb 11:24-26; 1 Jn 4:9-12<\/p>","summary_ro":"Giving Up Rights Paul nowhere tells believers that they should defend their rights. On the contrary, he emphasizes that believers must always be willing to give up their rights for the sake of others. Believers are free from many of the rules that others feel bound by, but they must always be ready to give up their freedoms if their actions would cause someone else to sin (Rom 14:13-23; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 10:23-33). Defending one’s own personal rights is of little value to Paul. Paul, like Jesus, ...","summary_en":"Giving Up Rights Paul nowhere tells believers that they should defend their rights. On the contrary, he emphasizes that believers must always be willing to give up their rights for the sake of others. Believers are free from many of the rules that others feel bound by, but they must always be ready to give up their freedoms if their actions would cause someone else to sin (Rom 14:13-23; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 10:23-33). Defending one’s own personal rights is of little value to Paul. Paul, like Jesus, ...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":122231,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"Giving up Rights","title_en":"Giving up Rights","content_ro":"<h3>Giving Up Rights<\/h3>\n<p>Paul nowhere tells believers that they should defend their rights. On the contrary, he emphasizes that believers must always be willing to give up their rights for the sake of others. Believers are free from many of the rules that others feel bound by, but they must always be ready to give up their freedoms if their actions would cause someone else to sin (Rom 14:13-23; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 10:23-33). Defending one’s own personal rights is of little value to Paul.<\/p>\n<p>Paul, like Jesus, sees loving others as one of the most important principles in life (Rom 13:8-10; 1 Cor 13:1-13; Gal 5:6; see Matt 5:43-44; 22:36-39). Real Christian love is always sacrificial (1 Cor 13:4-7), like Christ’s own love. Believers ought never to focus on what is best for themselves, but on what is best for others (1 Cor 10:32-33). The sacrificial death of Christ for sinners is the model that reveals the nature of true love (Rom 5:6-8; 15:1-5; 1 Jn 4:9-12). The whole of a believer’s life is to be an expression of Christ’s sacrificial love. This will never be easy, for it means people must consider themselves dead to their own desires (see Mark 8:34-35).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Matt 5:38-48; 16:24-27; 22:37-39; Rom 5:6-8; 13:8-10; 14:15-22; 15:1-5; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 9:1-23; 10:23-24, 31-33; 13:4-7; Gal 5:6; Phil 2:3-4; 2 Tim 2:9-13; Heb 11:24-26; 1 Jn 4:9-12<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>Giving Up Rights<\/h3>\n<p>Paul nowhere tells believers that they should defend their rights. On the contrary, he emphasizes that believers must always be willing to give up their rights for the sake of others. Believers are free from many of the rules that others feel bound by, but they must always be ready to give up their freedoms if their actions would cause someone else to sin (Rom 14:13-23; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 10:23-33). Defending one’s own personal rights is of little value to Paul.<\/p>\n<p>Paul, like Jesus, sees loving others as one of the most important principles in life (Rom 13:8-10; 1 Cor 13:1-13; Gal 5:6; see Matt 5:43-44; 22:36-39). Real Christian love is always sacrificial (1 Cor 13:4-7), like Christ’s own love. Believers ought never to focus on what is best for themselves, but on what is best for others (1 Cor 10:32-33). The sacrificial death of Christ for sinners is the model that reveals the nature of true love (Rom 5:6-8; 15:1-5; 1 Jn 4:9-12). The whole of a believer’s life is to be an expression of Christ’s sacrificial love. This will never be easy, for it means people must consider themselves dead to their own desires (see Mark 8:34-35).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Matt 5:38-48; 16:24-27; 22:37-39; Rom 5:6-8; 13:8-10; 14:15-22; 15:1-5; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 9:1-23; 10:23-24, 31-33; 13:4-7; Gal 5:6; Phil 2:3-4; 2 Tim 2:9-13; Heb 11:24-26; 1 Jn 4:9-12<\/p>","summary_ro":"Giving Up Rights Paul nowhere tells believers that they should defend their rights. On the contrary, he emphasizes that believers must always be willing to give up their rights for the sake of others. Believers are free from many of the rules that others feel bound by, but they must always be ready to give up their freedoms if their actions would cause someone else to sin (Rom 14:13-23; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 10:23-33). Defending one’s own personal rights is of little value to Paul. Paul, like Jesus, ...","summary_en":"Giving Up Rights Paul nowhere tells believers that they should defend their rights. On the contrary, he emphasizes that believers must always be willing to give up their rights for the sake of others. Believers are free from many of the rules that others feel bound by, but they must always be ready to give up their freedoms if their actions would cause someone else to sin (Rom 14:13-23; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 10:23-33). Defending one’s own personal rights is of little value to Paul. Paul, like Jesus, ...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":149857,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"Giving up Rights","title_en":"Giving up Rights","content_ro":"<h3>Giving Up Rights<\/h3>\n<p>Paul nowhere tells believers that they should defend their rights. On the contrary, he emphasizes that believers must always be willing to give up their rights for the sake of others. Believers are free from many of the rules that others feel bound by, but they must always be ready to give up their freedoms if their actions would cause someone else to sin (Rom 14:13-23; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 10:23-33). Defending one’s own personal rights is of little value to Paul.<\/p>\n<p>Paul, like Jesus, sees loving others as one of the most important principles in life (Rom 13:8-10; 1 Cor 13:1-13; Gal 5:6; see Matt 5:43-44; 22:36-39). Real Christian love is always sacrificial (1 Cor 13:4-7), like Christ’s own love. Believers ought never to focus on what is best for themselves, but on what is best for others (1 Cor 10:32-33). The sacrificial death of Christ for sinners is the model that reveals the nature of true love (Rom 5:6-8; 15:1-5; 1 Jn 4:9-12). The whole of a believer’s life is to be an expression of Christ’s sacrificial love. This will never be easy, for it means people must consider themselves dead to their own desires (see Mark 8:34-35).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Matt 5:38-48; 16:24-27; 22:37-39; Rom 5:6-8; 13:8-10; 14:15-22; 15:1-5; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 9:1-23; 10:23-24, 31-33; 13:4-7; Gal 5:6; Phil 2:3-4; 2 Tim 2:9-13; Heb 11:24-26; 1 Jn 4:9-12<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>Giving Up Rights<\/h3>\n<p>Paul nowhere tells believers that they should defend their rights. On the contrary, he emphasizes that believers must always be willing to give up their rights for the sake of others. Believers are free from many of the rules that others feel bound by, but they must always be ready to give up their freedoms if their actions would cause someone else to sin (Rom 14:13-23; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 10:23-33). Defending one’s own personal rights is of little value to Paul.<\/p>\n<p>Paul, like Jesus, sees loving others as one of the most important principles in life (Rom 13:8-10; 1 Cor 13:1-13; Gal 5:6; see Matt 5:43-44; 22:36-39). Real Christian love is always sacrificial (1 Cor 13:4-7), like Christ’s own love. Believers ought never to focus on what is best for themselves, but on what is best for others (1 Cor 10:32-33). The sacrificial death of Christ for sinners is the model that reveals the nature of true love (Rom 5:6-8; 15:1-5; 1 Jn 4:9-12). The whole of a believer’s life is to be an expression of Christ’s sacrificial love. This will never be easy, for it means people must consider themselves dead to their own desires (see Mark 8:34-35).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Matt 5:38-48; 16:24-27; 22:37-39; Rom 5:6-8; 13:8-10; 14:15-22; 15:1-5; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 9:1-23; 10:23-24, 31-33; 13:4-7; Gal 5:6; Phil 2:3-4; 2 Tim 2:9-13; Heb 11:24-26; 1 Jn 4:9-12<\/p>","summary_ro":"Giving Up Rights Paul nowhere tells believers that they should defend their rights. On the contrary, he emphasizes that believers must always be willing to give up their rights for the sake of others. Believers are free from many of the rules that others feel bound by, but they must always be ready to give up their freedoms if their actions would cause someone else to sin (Rom 14:13-23; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 10:23-33). Defending one’s own personal rights is of little value to Paul. Paul, like Jesus, ...","summary_en":"Giving Up Rights Paul nowhere tells believers that they should defend their rights. On the contrary, he emphasizes that believers must always be willing to give up their rights for the sake of others. Believers are free from many of the rules that others feel bound by, but they must always be ready to give up their freedoms if their actions would cause someone else to sin (Rom 14:13-23; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 10:23-33). Defending one’s own personal rights is of little value to Paul. Paul, like Jesus, ...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false}],"14":[{"id":6883,"type":"article","type_label":"Articol","type_icon":"📖","type_color":"#d4af37","title_ro":"Regulations concerning Cleanness and Uncleanness","title_en":"and Uncleanness, Regulations concerning, Cleanness","content_ro":"<h3>CLEANNESS AND UNCLEANNESS, Regulations Concerning<\/h3>\n<p>Aspect of Hebrew religion having physical, ceremonial, moral, and spiritual significance. Though these senses of clean and unclean can be distinguished with reference to their contexts, they also merge into and illustrate each other; the physical and ceremonial contexts point to a moral state of the worshiper and to a spiritual relationship between God and his people.<\/p>\n<p>The OT vision of a people’s relationship with God is along moral and personal lines—God’s personal nature being expressed in his giving of the law to Moses. The personal and uniquely consistent character of Israel’s Lord made him morally a completely different being from the many gods of pagan cultures. Unlike the Lord, the Baals of the Canaanites were capricious and vicious; nobody expected them to be ethically consistent. Israel’s Lord, on the other hand, could be trusted to keep his word (a verbal communication through his chosen prophets). Nobody, not even the high priest or the king, was above the law, which expressed not only God’s character but also his sovereign will for the individual and the nation. His moral consistency carried over into his miraculous interventions into history to protect his people, to judge them and their enemies, and to redeem humanity itself.<\/p>\n<p>Cleanness as defined in the book of Leviticus, therefore, was always conditioned by the presence of the personal God who gave the law. As the people sought to approach the Lord, they necessarily did so on his terms and therefore within the framework of the cultic ceremonies he had prescribed. Details of the Levitical ceremonies were designed to illustrate the moral implications of the sinner’s approach to God and God’s provision for his people to become morally clean in his sight.<\/p>\n<p>The meaning of the Levitical system was stated clearly in the psalmist’s words: “Who shall ascend the hill of the <span>Lord<\/span>? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false, and does not swear deceitfully” (Ps 24:3-4, <span>rsv<\/span>). One’s state of cleanness depends not only on external actions but also on an internal relationship with God. As a result, the sinner’s inability to satisfy the moral demands of a holy God leads to his or her complete dependence on God and on God’s provision for satisfying his own demands. That provision was detailed in the law.<\/p>\n<p>Preview<\/p>\n<p>• Early History<\/p>\n<p>• Levitical Prescriptions<\/p>\n<p>• Purification Rites<\/p>\n<p>• New Testament Perspective<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"EarlyHistory\">Early History<\/p>\n<h5>Gentile Religious Background<\/h5>\n<p>The gentile conscience was no doubt a strong influence on the development of ethnic notions of clean and unclean. The subjective sense of sin’s uncleanness is universally encountered in one form or another in the literature of every great religion, whatever explanation is given for it. Many religions have rites of purification based on water and washings. The Hebrews’ ritual avoidance of certain objects, some because of their holiness and others because of their unholiness, finds an analogy in the taboos of many primitive religions, including some of those with which the early Hebrews came into contact.<\/p>\n<p>The similarities between the Hebrew and other ancient religions are easily established by superficial comparison. It would be surprising if there were none. Those differences that give biblical religion its distinctive character, however, must be accounted for.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"LeviticalPrescriptions\">Levitical Prescriptions<\/p>\n<h5>Ceremonial and Moral Law<\/h5>\n<p>The relationship between the external ceremonial details of the Mosaic law and the internally directed moral requirements of such parts of it as the Ten Commandments is one of the fundamental issues of OT theology. It is possible to demonstrate that, throughout the OT, uncleanness and sin are virtually synonymous. In many passages sin is described as uncleanness (e.g., Lv 16:16, 30; the ordeal of the bitter water in Nm 5:11-28; Zec 13:1).<\/p>\n<p>The relationship between ceremonial and moral cleanness can be illustrated from passages mentioning clean hands on the one hand (2 Sm 22:21; Jb 17:9; 22:30) and a clean heart on the other (Pss 24:4; 51:10; 73:13; Prv 20:9). The prophet Isaiah felt convicted of “unclean lips” when he was in God’s presence; a purifying coal, perhaps representing forgiveness and atonement, cleansed him (Is 6:5-7). In many passages cleanness represents innocence before God (Jb 11:4; 33:9; Ps 51:7-10; Prv 20:9), and uncleanness is said to come from sin (Ps 51:2; Is 1:16; 64:6).<\/p>\n<h5>Causes of Uncleanness<\/h5>\n<p>From the Mosaic law a number of causes of uncleanness can be derived.<\/p>\n<p>1. Some foods were not to be eaten. Various laws concerning animals make a “distinction between the unclean and the clean and between the living creature that may be eaten and the living creature that may not be eaten” (Lv 11:47, <span>rsv<\/span>). Permitted food was what was acceptable to God (see also Dt 14:3-21; Acts 15:28-29).<\/p>\n<li>2. Diseases, especially leprosy, produced an unclean state (Lv 13–14). The story of Naaman refers to leprous defilement (2 Kgs 5:1-14). The Gospels refer often to lepers (e.g., Mt 8:1-4; 10:8; 11:5; Lk 4:27). Many swellings, sores, and rashes were included under that heading, including Hansen’s disease (modern leprosy). The defilement of disease included all things touched by a diseased person (Lv 14:33-57).<\/li>\n<li>3. Bodily discharges were unclean, and contact with them defiled a person for various periods of time. Emission of semen produced uncleanness until the evening, whether in intercourse (Lv 15:16-18) or inadvertently during the night (Dt 23:10). An unnatural discharge, since it usually indicated disease, made a person unclean for seven days after it had ceased (Lv 15:1-15). Menstruation also produced uncleanness lasting seven days after it ceased (Lv 15:19-24; 2 Sm 11:4). Sexual intercourse during that time made both partners unclean (Lv 15:19-24; 20:18). Contact with the spittle of an unclean person produced uncleanness for a day (15:8).<\/li>\n<li>4. Dead bodies, or even parts of them such as bone, caused uncleanness (Nm 19:16). Persons who touched a dead body were unclean for a month, and only after that period could they celebrate their own Passover if they had missed it (9:6-11). The high priest could not even bury his own parents because of his special ritual responsibilities (Lv 21:10-11; cf. Nm 6:6-7; Hg 2:13; Mt 23:27).<\/li>\n<li>5. Idolatry was the greatest source of spiritual defilement. The entire nation of Israel was defiled because of it (Ps 106:38; Is 30:22; Ez 36:25), as were the Gentiles (Jer 43:12). Consequently, contact with Gentiles was thought to produce defilement. The gospel’s universal appeal confronted that conviction (e.g., Jn 4:9; Acts 10:28; cf. Gal 2:11-14). Closely related to the defilement of idolatry was the defilement caused by unclean spirits (Zec 13:2; cf. Mt 10:1; Mk 1:23-27).<\/li>\n<h5>Laws about Objects<\/h5>\n<p>Certain laws illustrate the principle that uncleanness was transmitted much like a contagion. Dead bodies contaminated what they touched, as did dead insects and certain crawling things (Lv 11:29-38). It is interesting that dry grain, running springwater, and water in a cistern were expressly excluded from that law of contamination; perhaps otherwise, starvation would have resulted, dead insects and mice being found in grain and water every day in an agricultural community. Unclean pottery had to be broken, but wooden vessels merely required washing (Lv 15:12). Even uncovered pots in a house where a person had died became unclean (Nm 19:15); everyone who entered the house was unclean.<\/p>\n<p>Because of their idolatrous associations, the possessions of pagans were unclean; therefore, booty taken in war had to be cleansed by fire or washing (Nm 31:21-24). Clothing of wool, linen, or leather could contract unclean “leprosy” from diseased persons and had to be tested. If the leprous spots (greenish or reddish patches) spread after a test period, the garments had to be burned (Lv 13:47-59; 14:33-53).<\/p>\n<h5>Laws about Places<\/h5>\n<p>The land and people of Israel were holy; they could be defiled by the uncleanness of economic oppression or idolatry (Jos 22:17-19; Jer 13:27). Jerusalem was a holy city, but it could be defiled by the sins of its people (Ez 22:2-4; Lam 1:8) or by the blood of its slaughtered inhabitants (Lam 4:15).<\/p>\n<p>The temple could be defiled by unclean persons. It was necessary for Hezekiah to cleanse the temple after Ahaz’s idolatrous worship (2 Chr 29:15-19); Nehemiah had to cleanse the rooms in which Tobiah had been living (Neh 13:9). One of the functions of the Day of Atonement was removal of impurities transferred to the temple by the sins of the Israelites during the past year (Lv 16:16-19; 31-33).<\/p>\n<p>An unclean place received the pieces of a leprous house after its demolition (Lv 14:45). The valley of Hinnom became Jerusalem’s garbage dump in later years, giving rise to the visions of “Gehenna” as a place of eternal punishment in NT eschatology. Since the Israelite camp was a holy place, care was taken to bury human excrement outside its boundaries (Dt 23:12-14). The value of that simple expedient in preventing disease during military excursions can hardly be exaggerated, since plagues were a great scourge of ancient armies.<\/p>\n<h5>Laws about Food<\/h5>\n<p>Certain kinds of animals were unclean and thus could not be eaten (Lv 11; Dt 14:3-21). Animals that died of old age, disease, or injury, or had been wounded by predators, were unclean. Animals that did not both chew the cud and have a cloven hoof were unclean, a definition that included pigs, camels, badgers, and rabbits among others. Israelites could eat only those fish that had both fins and scales. Birds of prey and scavengers were unclean. All winged insects were unclean except hopping insects (locusts, grasshoppers, and crickets). A large classification of “crawling things” was prohibited, including worms, lizards, snakes, weasels, and mice. In addition to all those was the ancient prohibition against eating blood (Gn 9:4; Lv 17:14-15; Dt 12:16-23; Acts 15:28-29).<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"PurificationRites\">Purification Rites<\/p>\n<h5>Purification by Lapse of Time<\/h5>\n<p>Secondary contamination could often be canceled simply by waiting until the evening (Lv 11:24) or for 7, 14, 40, or 80 days. Dead bodies contaminated what they touched for 7 days (Nm 19:11), as did menstruation (Lv 15:19). When a child was born, the mother’s unclean condition lasted 7 days for a boy and 14 days for a girl. An additional 33 days for a male child and 66 days for a female were required before the mother could touch any sacred thing.<\/p>\n<h5>Purification by Water<\/h5>\n<p>Contact with unclean things, such as bodily discharges, often required washing of hands and clothing, usually accompanied by the lapse of a day (Lv 15:5-11).<\/p>\n<h5>Purification by Ceremonial Substances<\/h5>\n<p>Ceremonial substances used in purification rites included the ashes of a red heifer mixed with water (Nm 19:1-10), and (in cases of leprosy) cedarwood, scarlet cloth, hyssop, and blood (Lv 14:2-9). When the altar was used in a purification ceremony, only blood was suitable, since the altar was the place of sacrifice for sin (Lv 16:18-19; Ez 43:20).<\/p>\n<h5>Purification by Sacrifice<\/h5>\n<p>Sacrifice was the ultimate source of both ritual and moral purification. All bodily discharges except sexual ones were purified by offerings of doves and pigeons (Lv 15:14-15, 29-30). Childbirth required a lamb and a bird (12:6). Poor people could offer birds in place of an animal (Lv 12:8; 14:21-32; Lk 2:24).<\/p>\n<p>In sacrifice, blood was symbolic of a life given and therefore a death experienced; the uncleanness of disease or sin was thought of as being transferred to the victim, thus removing the uncleanness (Lv 14:7). Sacrificial death, therefore, always had a substitutionary element. Only blood sacrifice could provide the moral cleansing necessary for sin itself; such sacrifice was therefore the basis of all cleansing, including that of disease.<\/p>\n<h5>Purification by Fire<\/h5>\n<p>Some contamination could be removed only by fire, such as contamination of metal pots (Nm 31:22-23). Incest was punishable not only by death but also by burning the bodies (Lv 20:14). Idolatry had to be put away by total destruction of the objects and by burning (Ex 32:20). Cities consecrated to pagan deities were to be burned.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"NewTestamentPerspective\">New Testament Perspective<\/p>\n<p>The NT did not reject the OT concept of clean and unclean, but rather reinterpreted it in a new context. It stressed in particular the moral sense of the concept as well as the identification of uncleanness with sin.<\/p>\n<p>The Gospels were written in the context of OT law and its Pharisaic and Sadducean accretions. Jesus obeyed the law but was often at odds with the practical casuistry (system) that had grown up around it. Jesus taught that true defilement came from the sinner’s heart and not from outside contamination (Mk 7:14-23; Lk 11:39-41). A central element in his teaching was his attack on the ceremonial externalism of the Pharisees. Thus it has been said that Jesus “internalized” the law. It would be more correct to say that he forced attention to the law’s demands on people’s inner lives.<\/p>\n<p>The intrinsic wickedness of demons is underscored by the use of the term “unclean spirit” throughout the Gospels. In fact, the word “unclean” itself always appears in the Gospels in the context of spirit, a detail that illustrates the NT shift of emphasis from ritual uncleanness to sin and its guilt.<\/p>\n<p>An important episode in the life of the early church came in Acts 10, when God taught the apostle Peter that Gentiles were not unclean in themselves and that Peter was obliged to receive them. The result was Cornelius’s conversion.<\/p>\n<p>Jesus’ assertion that uncleanness originates in the heart bore fruit in the apostle Paul’s doctrine of Christian freedom. Paul, a Pharisee who could say of himself that he had never broken an external law, came to see that nothing is unclean in itself (Rom 14:14-20). Throughout his epistles, cleanness is the result of obedience of the heart flowing from regeneration; it is based on the cleansing power of the Atonement (see Rom 6:19; 1 Thes 2:3-4, where uncleanness is strictly moral).<\/p>\n<p>Christ’s atonement was the final cleansing agent for sin and its moral results (Heb 9:14, 22; 1 Jn 1:7), doing in reality what the blood of bulls and goats only typified. Thus those who are washed in the blood of the Lamb (Rv 7:14) are seen as wearing clean white robes (15:6; 19:8-14). His blood, symbolizing the life given and the death died by the Son at the behest of the Father, satisfies the attributes of personal justice of the triune God. Because the personal character of a righteous Father was vindicated, the personal forgiveness of sinners is morally possible. God can be in history only what he is eternally: he is both just and the justifier of believers in Christ (Rom 3:24-26).<\/p>\n<p><em>See also<\/em> Baptism; Circumcision; Uncircumcision; Offerings and Sacrifices; Law, Biblical Concept of; Dietary Laws.<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>CLEANNESS AND UNCLEANNESS, Regulations Concerning<\/h3>\n<p>Aspect of Hebrew religion having physical, ceremonial, moral, and spiritual significance. Though these senses of clean and unclean can be distinguished with reference to their contexts, they also merge into and illustrate each other; the physical and ceremonial contexts point to a moral state of the worshiper and to a spiritual relationship between God and his people.<\/p>\n<p>The OT vision of a people’s relationship with God is along moral and personal lines—God’s personal nature being expressed in his giving of the law to Moses. The personal and uniquely consistent character of Israel’s Lord made him morally a completely different being from the many gods of pagan cultures. Unlike the Lord, the Baals of the Canaanites were capricious and vicious; nobody expected them to be ethically consistent. Israel’s Lord, on the other hand, could be trusted to keep his word (a verbal communication through his chosen prophets). Nobody, not even the high priest or the king, was above the law, which expressed not only God’s character but also his sovereign will for the individual and the nation. His moral consistency carried over into his miraculous interventions into history to protect his people, to judge them and their enemies, and to redeem humanity itself.<\/p>\n<p>Cleanness as defined in the book of Leviticus, therefore, was always conditioned by the presence of the personal God who gave the law. As the people sought to approach the Lord, they necessarily did so on his terms and therefore within the framework of the cultic ceremonies he had prescribed. Details of the Levitical ceremonies were designed to illustrate the moral implications of the sinner’s approach to God and God’s provision for his people to become morally clean in his sight.<\/p>\n<p>The meaning of the Levitical system was stated clearly in the psalmist’s words: “Who shall ascend the hill of the <span>Lord<\/span>? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false, and does not swear deceitfully” (Ps 24:3-4, <span>rsv<\/span>). One’s state of cleanness depends not only on external actions but also on an internal relationship with God. As a result, the sinner’s inability to satisfy the moral demands of a holy God leads to his or her complete dependence on God and on God’s provision for satisfying his own demands. That provision was detailed in the law.<\/p>\n<p>Preview<\/p>\n<p>• Early History<\/p>\n<p>• Levitical Prescriptions<\/p>\n<p>• Purification Rites<\/p>\n<p>• New Testament Perspective<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"EarlyHistory\">Early History<\/p>\n<h5>Gentile Religious Background<\/h5>\n<p>The gentile conscience was no doubt a strong influence on the development of ethnic notions of clean and unclean. The subjective sense of sin’s uncleanness is universally encountered in one form or another in the literature of every great religion, whatever explanation is given for it. Many religions have rites of purification based on water and washings. The Hebrews’ ritual avoidance of certain objects, some because of their holiness and others because of their unholiness, finds an analogy in the taboos of many primitive religions, including some of those with which the early Hebrews came into contact.<\/p>\n<p>The similarities between the Hebrew and other ancient religions are easily established by superficial comparison. It would be surprising if there were none. Those differences that give biblical religion its distinctive character, however, must be accounted for.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"LeviticalPrescriptions\">Levitical Prescriptions<\/p>\n<h5>Ceremonial and Moral Law<\/h5>\n<p>The relationship between the external ceremonial details of the Mosaic law and the internally directed moral requirements of such parts of it as the Ten Commandments is one of the fundamental issues of OT theology. It is possible to demonstrate that, throughout the OT, uncleanness and sin are virtually synonymous. In many passages sin is described as uncleanness (e.g., Lv 16:16, 30; the ordeal of the bitter water in Nm 5:11-28; Zec 13:1).<\/p>\n<p>The relationship between ceremonial and moral cleanness can be illustrated from passages mentioning clean hands on the one hand (2 Sm 22:21; Jb 17:9; 22:30) and a clean heart on the other (Pss 24:4; 51:10; 73:13; Prv 20:9). The prophet Isaiah felt convicted of “unclean lips” when he was in God’s presence; a purifying coal, perhaps representing forgiveness and atonement, cleansed him (Is 6:5-7). In many passages cleanness represents innocence before God (Jb 11:4; 33:9; Ps 51:7-10; Prv 20:9), and uncleanness is said to come from sin (Ps 51:2; Is 1:16; 64:6).<\/p>\n<h5>Causes of Uncleanness<\/h5>\n<p>From the Mosaic law a number of causes of uncleanness can be derived.<\/p>\n<p>1. Some foods were not to be eaten. Various laws concerning animals make a “distinction between the unclean and the clean and between the living creature that may be eaten and the living creature that may not be eaten” (Lv 11:47, <span>rsv<\/span>). Permitted food was what was acceptable to God (see also Dt 14:3-21; Acts 15:28-29).<\/p>\n<li>2. Diseases, especially leprosy, produced an unclean state (Lv 13–14). The story of Naaman refers to leprous defilement (2 Kgs 5:1-14). The Gospels refer often to lepers (e.g., Mt 8:1-4; 10:8; 11:5; Lk 4:27). Many swellings, sores, and rashes were included under that heading, including Hansen’s disease (modern leprosy). The defilement of disease included all things touched by a diseased person (Lv 14:33-57).<\/li>\n<li>3. Bodily discharges were unclean, and contact with them defiled a person for various periods of time. Emission of semen produced uncleanness until the evening, whether in intercourse (Lv 15:16-18) or inadvertently during the night (Dt 23:10). An unnatural discharge, since it usually indicated disease, made a person unclean for seven days after it had ceased (Lv 15:1-15). Menstruation also produced uncleanness lasting seven days after it ceased (Lv 15:19-24; 2 Sm 11:4). Sexual intercourse during that time made both partners unclean (Lv 15:19-24; 20:18). Contact with the spittle of an unclean person produced uncleanness for a day (15:8).<\/li>\n<li>4. Dead bodies, or even parts of them such as bone, caused uncleanness (Nm 19:16). Persons who touched a dead body were unclean for a month, and only after that period could they celebrate their own Passover if they had missed it (9:6-11). The high priest could not even bury his own parents because of his special ritual responsibilities (Lv 21:10-11; cf. Nm 6:6-7; Hg 2:13; Mt 23:27).<\/li>\n<li>5. Idolatry was the greatest source of spiritual defilement. The entire nation of Israel was defiled because of it (Ps 106:38; Is 30:22; Ez 36:25), as were the Gentiles (Jer 43:12). Consequently, contact with Gentiles was thought to produce defilement. The gospel’s universal appeal confronted that conviction (e.g., Jn 4:9; Acts 10:28; cf. Gal 2:11-14). Closely related to the defilement of idolatry was the defilement caused by unclean spirits (Zec 13:2; cf. Mt 10:1; Mk 1:23-27).<\/li>\n<h5>Laws about Objects<\/h5>\n<p>Certain laws illustrate the principle that uncleanness was transmitted much like a contagion. Dead bodies contaminated what they touched, as did dead insects and certain crawling things (Lv 11:29-38). It is interesting that dry grain, running springwater, and water in a cistern were expressly excluded from that law of contamination; perhaps otherwise, starvation would have resulted, dead insects and mice being found in grain and water every day in an agricultural community. Unclean pottery had to be broken, but wooden vessels merely required washing (Lv 15:12). Even uncovered pots in a house where a person had died became unclean (Nm 19:15); everyone who entered the house was unclean.<\/p>\n<p>Because of their idolatrous associations, the possessions of pagans were unclean; therefore, booty taken in war had to be cleansed by fire or washing (Nm 31:21-24). Clothing of wool, linen, or leather could contract unclean “leprosy” from diseased persons and had to be tested. If the leprous spots (greenish or reddish patches) spread after a test period, the garments had to be burned (Lv 13:47-59; 14:33-53).<\/p>\n<h5>Laws about Places<\/h5>\n<p>The land and people of Israel were holy; they could be defiled by the uncleanness of economic oppression or idolatry (Jos 22:17-19; Jer 13:27). Jerusalem was a holy city, but it could be defiled by the sins of its people (Ez 22:2-4; Lam 1:8) or by the blood of its slaughtered inhabitants (Lam 4:15).<\/p>\n<p>The temple could be defiled by unclean persons. It was necessary for Hezekiah to cleanse the temple after Ahaz’s idolatrous worship (2 Chr 29:15-19); Nehemiah had to cleanse the rooms in which Tobiah had been living (Neh 13:9). One of the functions of the Day of Atonement was removal of impurities transferred to the temple by the sins of the Israelites during the past year (Lv 16:16-19; 31-33).<\/p>\n<p>An unclean place received the pieces of a leprous house after its demolition (Lv 14:45). The valley of Hinnom became Jerusalem’s garbage dump in later years, giving rise to the visions of “Gehenna” as a place of eternal punishment in NT eschatology. Since the Israelite camp was a holy place, care was taken to bury human excrement outside its boundaries (Dt 23:12-14). The value of that simple expedient in preventing disease during military excursions can hardly be exaggerated, since plagues were a great scourge of ancient armies.<\/p>\n<h5>Laws about Food<\/h5>\n<p>Certain kinds of animals were unclean and thus could not be eaten (Lv 11; Dt 14:3-21). Animals that died of old age, disease, or injury, or had been wounded by predators, were unclean. Animals that did not both chew the cud and have a cloven hoof were unclean, a definition that included pigs, camels, badgers, and rabbits among others. Israelites could eat only those fish that had both fins and scales. Birds of prey and scavengers were unclean. All winged insects were unclean except hopping insects (locusts, grasshoppers, and crickets). A large classification of “crawling things” was prohibited, including worms, lizards, snakes, weasels, and mice. In addition to all those was the ancient prohibition against eating blood (Gn 9:4; Lv 17:14-15; Dt 12:16-23; Acts 15:28-29).<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"PurificationRites\">Purification Rites<\/p>\n<h5>Purification by Lapse of Time<\/h5>\n<p>Secondary contamination could often be canceled simply by waiting until the evening (Lv 11:24) or for 7, 14, 40, or 80 days. Dead bodies contaminated what they touched for 7 days (Nm 19:11), as did menstruation (Lv 15:19). When a child was born, the mother’s unclean condition lasted 7 days for a boy and 14 days for a girl. An additional 33 days for a male child and 66 days for a female were required before the mother could touch any sacred thing.<\/p>\n<h5>Purification by Water<\/h5>\n<p>Contact with unclean things, such as bodily discharges, often required washing of hands and clothing, usually accompanied by the lapse of a day (Lv 15:5-11).<\/p>\n<h5>Purification by Ceremonial Substances<\/h5>\n<p>Ceremonial substances used in purification rites included the ashes of a red heifer mixed with water (Nm 19:1-10), and (in cases of leprosy) cedarwood, scarlet cloth, hyssop, and blood (Lv 14:2-9). When the altar was used in a purification ceremony, only blood was suitable, since the altar was the place of sacrifice for sin (Lv 16:18-19; Ez 43:20).<\/p>\n<h5>Purification by Sacrifice<\/h5>\n<p>Sacrifice was the ultimate source of both ritual and moral purification. All bodily discharges except sexual ones were purified by offerings of doves and pigeons (Lv 15:14-15, 29-30). Childbirth required a lamb and a bird (12:6). Poor people could offer birds in place of an animal (Lv 12:8; 14:21-32; Lk 2:24).<\/p>\n<p>In sacrifice, blood was symbolic of a life given and therefore a death experienced; the uncleanness of disease or sin was thought of as being transferred to the victim, thus removing the uncleanness (Lv 14:7). Sacrificial death, therefore, always had a substitutionary element. Only blood sacrifice could provide the moral cleansing necessary for sin itself; such sacrifice was therefore the basis of all cleansing, including that of disease.<\/p>\n<h5>Purification by Fire<\/h5>\n<p>Some contamination could be removed only by fire, such as contamination of metal pots (Nm 31:22-23). Incest was punishable not only by death but also by burning the bodies (Lv 20:14). Idolatry had to be put away by total destruction of the objects and by burning (Ex 32:20). Cities consecrated to pagan deities were to be burned.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"NewTestamentPerspective\">New Testament Perspective<\/p>\n<p>The NT did not reject the OT concept of clean and unclean, but rather reinterpreted it in a new context. It stressed in particular the moral sense of the concept as well as the identification of uncleanness with sin.<\/p>\n<p>The Gospels were written in the context of OT law and its Pharisaic and Sadducean accretions. Jesus obeyed the law but was often at odds with the practical casuistry (system) that had grown up around it. Jesus taught that true defilement came from the sinner’s heart and not from outside contamination (Mk 7:14-23; Lk 11:39-41). A central element in his teaching was his attack on the ceremonial externalism of the Pharisees. Thus it has been said that Jesus “internalized” the law. It would be more correct to say that he forced attention to the law’s demands on people’s inner lives.<\/p>\n<p>The intrinsic wickedness of demons is underscored by the use of the term “unclean spirit” throughout the Gospels. In fact, the word “unclean” itself always appears in the Gospels in the context of spirit, a detail that illustrates the NT shift of emphasis from ritual uncleanness to sin and its guilt.<\/p>\n<p>An important episode in the life of the early church came in Acts 10, when God taught the apostle Peter that Gentiles were not unclean in themselves and that Peter was obliged to receive them. The result was Cornelius’s conversion.<\/p>\n<p>Jesus’ assertion that uncleanness originates in the heart bore fruit in the apostle Paul’s doctrine of Christian freedom. Paul, a Pharisee who could say of himself that he had never broken an external law, came to see that nothing is unclean in itself (Rom 14:14-20). Throughout his epistles, cleanness is the result of obedience of the heart flowing from regeneration; it is based on the cleansing power of the Atonement (see Rom 6:19; 1 Thes 2:3-4, where uncleanness is strictly moral).<\/p>\n<p>Christ’s atonement was the final cleansing agent for sin and its moral results (Heb 9:14, 22; 1 Jn 1:7), doing in reality what the blood of bulls and goats only typified. Thus those who are washed in the blood of the Lamb (Rv 7:14) are seen as wearing clean white robes (15:6; 19:8-14). His blood, symbolizing the life given and the death died by the Son at the behest of the Father, satisfies the attributes of personal justice of the triune God. Because the personal character of a righteous Father was vindicated, the personal forgiveness of sinners is morally possible. God can be in history only what he is eternally: he is both just and the justifier of believers in Christ (Rom 3:24-26).<\/p>\n<p><em>See also<\/em> Baptism; Circumcision; Uncircumcision; Offerings and Sacrifices; Law, Biblical Concept of; Dietary Laws.<\/p>","summary_ro":"CLEANNESS AND UNCLEANNESS, Regulations Concerning Aspect of Hebrew religion having physical, ceremonial, moral, and spiritual significance. Though these senses of clean and unclean can be distinguished with reference to their contexts, they also merge into and illustrate each other; the physical and ceremonial contexts point to a moral state of the worshiper and to a spiritual relationship between God and his people. The OT vision of a people’s relationship with God is along moral and persona...","summary_en":"CLEANNESS AND UNCLEANNESS, Regulations Concerning Aspect of Hebrew religion having physical, ceremonial, moral, and spiritual significance. Though these senses of clean and unclean can be distinguished with reference to their contexts, they also merge into and illustrate each other; the physical and ceremonial contexts point to a moral state of the worshiper and to a spiritual relationship between God and his people. The OT vision of a people’s relationship with God is along moral and persona...","source":"Articles\/C.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":57404,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:14","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:14","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:14<\/strong> <em>no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat<\/em> (literally <em>nothing is common in itself<\/em>): The word <em>common<\/em> signals that the root concern that Paul was addressing was Jewish purity regulations. Jews described food as <em>common<\/em> if it was not clean (i.e., not kosher), thereby causing a Jew to become ritually impure (see Lev 11; cp. Mark 7:2, 5; Acts 10:14). Paul again follows the teaching of Jesus that “every kind of food is acceptable in God’s eyes” (Mark 7:19). • <em>for that person it is wrong:<\/em> The truth that no food is wrong to eat was not easy for pious Jews to accept because they had been raised to honor God by avoiding certain foods. Paul urges those who are strong in faith not to force others to violate their consciences (cp. 1 Cor 8:1-13).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:14<\/strong> <em>no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat<\/em> (literally <em>nothing is common in itself<\/em>): The word <em>common<\/em> signals that the root concern that Paul was addressing was Jewish purity regulations. Jews described food as <em>common<\/em> if it was not clean (i.e., not kosher), thereby causing a Jew to become ritually impure (see Lev 11; cp. Mark 7:2, 5; Acts 10:14). Paul again follows the teaching of Jesus that “every kind of food is acceptable in God’s eyes” (Mark 7:19). • <em>for that person it is wrong:<\/em> The truth that no food is wrong to eat was not easy for pious Jews to accept because they had been raised to honor God by avoiding certain foods. Paul urges those who are strong in faith not to force others to violate their consciences (cp. 1 Cor 8:1-13).<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:14 no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat (literally nothing is common in itself): The word common signals that the root concern that Paul was addressing was Jewish purity regulations. Jews described food as common if it was not clean (i.e., not kosher), thereby causing a Jew to become ritually impure (see Lev 11; cp. Mark 7:2, 5; Acts 10:14). Paul again follows the teaching of Jesus that “every kind of food is acceptable in God’s eyes” (Mark 7:19). • for that person it is wrong: The t...","summary_en":"14:14 no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat (literally nothing is common in itself): The word common signals that the root concern that Paul was addressing was Jewish purity regulations. Jews described food as common if it was not clean (i.e., not kosher), thereby causing a Jew to become ritually impure (see Lev 11; cp. Mark 7:2, 5; Acts 10:14). Paul again follows the teaching of Jesus that “every kind of food is acceptable in God’s eyes” (Mark 7:19). • for that person it is wrong: The t...","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":85030,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:14","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:14","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:14<\/strong> <em>no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat<\/em> (literally <em>nothing is common in itself<\/em>): The word <em>common<\/em> signals that the root concern that Paul was addressing was Jewish purity regulations. Jews described food as <em>common<\/em> if it was not clean (i.e., not kosher), thereby causing a Jew to become ritually impure (see Lev 11; cp. Mark 7:2, 5; Acts 10:14). Paul again follows the teaching of Jesus that “every kind of food is acceptable in God’s eyes” (Mark 7:19). • <em>for that person it is wrong:<\/em> The truth that no food is wrong to eat was not easy for pious Jews to accept because they had been raised to honor God by avoiding certain foods. Paul urges those who are strong in faith not to force others to violate their consciences (cp. 1 Cor 8:1-13).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:14<\/strong> <em>no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat<\/em> (literally <em>nothing is common in itself<\/em>): The word <em>common<\/em> signals that the root concern that Paul was addressing was Jewish purity regulations. Jews described food as <em>common<\/em> if it was not clean (i.e., not kosher), thereby causing a Jew to become ritually impure (see Lev 11; cp. Mark 7:2, 5; Acts 10:14). Paul again follows the teaching of Jesus that “every kind of food is acceptable in God’s eyes” (Mark 7:19). • <em>for that person it is wrong:<\/em> The truth that no food is wrong to eat was not easy for pious Jews to accept because they had been raised to honor God by avoiding certain foods. Paul urges those who are strong in faith not to force others to violate their consciences (cp. 1 Cor 8:1-13).<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:14 no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat (literally nothing is common in itself): The word common signals that the root concern that Paul was addressing was Jewish purity regulations. Jews described food as common if it was not clean (i.e., not kosher), thereby causing a Jew to become ritually impure (see Lev 11; cp. Mark 7:2, 5; Acts 10:14). Paul again follows the teaching of Jesus that “every kind of food is acceptable in God’s eyes” (Mark 7:19). • for that person it is wrong: The t...","summary_en":"14:14 no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat (literally nothing is common in itself): The word common signals that the root concern that Paul was addressing was Jewish purity regulations. Jews described food as common if it was not clean (i.e., not kosher), thereby causing a Jew to become ritually impure (see Lev 11; cp. Mark 7:2, 5; Acts 10:14). Paul again follows the teaching of Jesus that “every kind of food is acceptable in God’s eyes” (Mark 7:19). • for that person it is wrong: The t...","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":112656,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:14","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:14","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:14<\/strong> <em>no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat<\/em> (literally <em>nothing is common in itself<\/em>): The word <em>common<\/em> signals that the root concern that Paul was addressing was Jewish purity regulations. Jews described food as <em>common<\/em> if it was not clean (i.e., not kosher), thereby causing a Jew to become ritually impure (see Lev 11; cp. Mark 7:2, 5; Acts 10:14). Paul again follows the teaching of Jesus that “every kind of food is acceptable in God’s eyes” (Mark 7:19). • <em>for that person it is wrong:<\/em> The truth that no food is wrong to eat was not easy for pious Jews to accept because they had been raised to honor God by avoiding certain foods. Paul urges those who are strong in faith not to force others to violate their consciences (cp. 1 Cor 8:1-13).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:14<\/strong> <em>no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat<\/em> (literally <em>nothing is common in itself<\/em>): The word <em>common<\/em> signals that the root concern that Paul was addressing was Jewish purity regulations. Jews described food as <em>common<\/em> if it was not clean (i.e., not kosher), thereby causing a Jew to become ritually impure (see Lev 11; cp. Mark 7:2, 5; Acts 10:14). Paul again follows the teaching of Jesus that “every kind of food is acceptable in God’s eyes” (Mark 7:19). • <em>for that person it is wrong:<\/em> The truth that no food is wrong to eat was not easy for pious Jews to accept because they had been raised to honor God by avoiding certain foods. Paul urges those who are strong in faith not to force others to violate their consciences (cp. 1 Cor 8:1-13).<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:14 no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat (literally nothing is common in itself): The word common signals that the root concern that Paul was addressing was Jewish purity regulations. Jews described food as common if it was not clean (i.e., not kosher), thereby causing a Jew to become ritually impure (see Lev 11; cp. Mark 7:2, 5; Acts 10:14). Paul again follows the teaching of Jesus that “every kind of food is acceptable in God’s eyes” (Mark 7:19). • for that person it is wrong: The t...","summary_en":"14:14 no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat (literally nothing is common in itself): The word common signals that the root concern that Paul was addressing was Jewish purity regulations. Jews described food as common if it was not clean (i.e., not kosher), thereby causing a Jew to become ritually impure (see Lev 11; cp. Mark 7:2, 5; Acts 10:14). Paul again follows the teaching of Jesus that “every kind of food is acceptable in God’s eyes” (Mark 7:19). • for that person it is wrong: The t...","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":140282,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:14","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:14","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:14<\/strong> <em>no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat<\/em> (literally <em>nothing is common in itself<\/em>): The word <em>common<\/em> signals that the root concern that Paul was addressing was Jewish purity regulations. Jews described food as <em>common<\/em> if it was not clean (i.e., not kosher), thereby causing a Jew to become ritually impure (see Lev 11; cp. Mark 7:2, 5; Acts 10:14). Paul again follows the teaching of Jesus that “every kind of food is acceptable in God’s eyes” (Mark 7:19). • <em>for that person it is wrong:<\/em> The truth that no food is wrong to eat was not easy for pious Jews to accept because they had been raised to honor God by avoiding certain foods. Paul urges those who are strong in faith not to force others to violate their consciences (cp. 1 Cor 8:1-13).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:14<\/strong> <em>no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat<\/em> (literally <em>nothing is common in itself<\/em>): The word <em>common<\/em> signals that the root concern that Paul was addressing was Jewish purity regulations. Jews described food as <em>common<\/em> if it was not clean (i.e., not kosher), thereby causing a Jew to become ritually impure (see Lev 11; cp. Mark 7:2, 5; Acts 10:14). Paul again follows the teaching of Jesus that “every kind of food is acceptable in God’s eyes” (Mark 7:19). • <em>for that person it is wrong:<\/em> The truth that no food is wrong to eat was not easy for pious Jews to accept because they had been raised to honor God by avoiding certain foods. Paul urges those who are strong in faith not to force others to violate their consciences (cp. 1 Cor 8:1-13).<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:14 no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat (literally nothing is common in itself): The word common signals that the root concern that Paul was addressing was Jewish purity regulations. Jews described food as common if it was not clean (i.e., not kosher), thereby causing a Jew to become ritually impure (see Lev 11; cp. Mark 7:2, 5; Acts 10:14). Paul again follows the teaching of Jesus that “every kind of food is acceptable in God’s eyes” (Mark 7:19). • for that person it is wrong: The t...","summary_en":"14:14 no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat (literally nothing is common in itself): The word common signals that the root concern that Paul was addressing was Jewish purity regulations. Jews described food as common if it was not clean (i.e., not kosher), thereby causing a Jew to become ritually impure (see Lev 11; cp. Mark 7:2, 5; Acts 10:14). Paul again follows the teaching of Jesus that “every kind of food is acceptable in God’s eyes” (Mark 7:19). • for that person it is wrong: The t...","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false}],"15":[{"id":14848,"type":"article","type_label":"Articol","type_icon":"📖","type_color":"#d4af37","title_ro":"Grief","title_en":"Grief","content_ro":"<h3>GRIEF<\/h3>\n<p>Emotional suffering brought on by bereavement, mishap, or disaster. To grieve is either to cause or feel sorrow or distress. The concept is found in the Scriptures under a variety of circumstances. Isaac and Rebekah experienced grief when their son Esau married a Hittite woman (Gn 26:35). God mourned the misery of Israel brought upon them by disobedience (Jgs 10:16). Because she had no son, Hannah was sad—so much so that she appeared to be drunk while praying (1 Sm 1:16). Similarly, Samuel, distraught at King Saul’s disobedience, prayed all night. Job was exceedingly sorrowful over his personal loss (Jb 2:13; cf. 6:2; 16:6), and the psalmist poetically demonstrated distress and sorrow (Pss 6:7; 31:9-10; 69:26; 73:21; 95:10; 112:10). The book of Lamentations is devoted to the expression of grief, and the prophets in general speak of judgment because Israel had grieved a holy God.<\/p>\n<p>Jesus experienced sorrow and distress (Mk 3:5; Jn 11:33), including crying over the death of a friend (Jn 11:35). The Jews are said to have been grieved as the apostles taught about Christ (Acts 4:2). The apostle Paul instructed believers not to grieve one another (Rom 14:15) and did not want to cause any sorrow himself (2 Cor 2:1-5). Most of all, the believer is not to grieve the Holy Spirit (Eph 4:30). A believer may, of course, experience grief and suffering in an alien world (1 Pt 2:19). In Bible times grief was given particular expression at a time of death by means of shrieks, wails, and laments (Jer 9:17-18; Am 5:16; Mk 5:38).<\/p>\n<p><em>See also<\/em> Mourning.<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>GRIEF<\/h3>\n<p>Emotional suffering brought on by bereavement, mishap, or disaster. To grieve is either to cause or feel sorrow or distress. The concept is found in the Scriptures under a variety of circumstances. Isaac and Rebekah experienced grief when their son Esau married a Hittite woman (Gn 26:35). God mourned the misery of Israel brought upon them by disobedience (Jgs 10:16). Because she had no son, Hannah was sad—so much so that she appeared to be drunk while praying (1 Sm 1:16). Similarly, Samuel, distraught at King Saul’s disobedience, prayed all night. Job was exceedingly sorrowful over his personal loss (Jb 2:13; cf. 6:2; 16:6), and the psalmist poetically demonstrated distress and sorrow (Pss 6:7; 31:9-10; 69:26; 73:21; 95:10; 112:10). The book of Lamentations is devoted to the expression of grief, and the prophets in general speak of judgment because Israel had grieved a holy God.<\/p>\n<p>Jesus experienced sorrow and distress (Mk 3:5; Jn 11:33), including crying over the death of a friend (Jn 11:35). The Jews are said to have been grieved as the apostles taught about Christ (Acts 4:2). The apostle Paul instructed believers not to grieve one another (Rom 14:15) and did not want to cause any sorrow himself (2 Cor 2:1-5). Most of all, the believer is not to grieve the Holy Spirit (Eph 4:30). A believer may, of course, experience grief and suffering in an alien world (1 Pt 2:19). In Bible times grief was given particular expression at a time of death by means of shrieks, wails, and laments (Jer 9:17-18; Am 5:16; Mk 5:38).<\/p>\n<p><em>See also<\/em> Mourning.<\/p>","summary_ro":"GRIEF Emotional suffering brought on by bereavement, mishap, or disaster. To grieve is either to cause or feel sorrow or distress. The concept is found in the Scriptures under a variety of circumstances. Isaac and Rebekah experienced grief when their son Esau married a Hittite woman (Gn 26:35). God mourned the misery of Israel brought upon them by disobedience (Jgs 10:16). Because she had no son, Hannah was sad—so much so that she appeared to be drunk while praying (1 Sm 1:16). Similarly, Sam...","summary_en":"GRIEF Emotional suffering brought on by bereavement, mishap, or disaster. To grieve is either to cause or feel sorrow or distress. The concept is found in the Scriptures under a variety of circumstances. Isaac and Rebekah experienced grief when their son Esau married a Hittite woman (Gn 26:35). God mourned the misery of Israel brought upon them by disobedience (Jgs 10:16). Because she had no son, Hannah was sad—so much so that she appeared to be drunk while praying (1 Sm 1:16). Similarly, Sam...","source":"Articles\/G.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":57405,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:15","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:15","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:15<\/strong> The word translated <em>ruin<\/em> (Greek <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">apollumi<\/span><em>,<\/em> “destroy”) is often applied to eternal damnation (see 2:12; Matt 10:28; 18:14; Luke 9:24; 13:2-5; John 3:16; 10:10, 28; 1 Cor 1:18-19; Jas 4:12; 2 Pet 3:9). By insisting on their freedom to eat whatever they want, the strong might cause sensitive Jewish Christians <em>for whom Christ died<\/em> to turn away from the faith.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:15<\/strong> The word translated <em>ruin<\/em> (Greek <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">apollumi<\/span><em>,<\/em> “destroy”) is often applied to eternal damnation (see 2:12; Matt 10:28; 18:14; Luke 9:24; 13:2-5; John 3:16; 10:10, 28; 1 Cor 1:18-19; Jas 4:12; 2 Pet 3:9). By insisting on their freedom to eat whatever they want, the strong might cause sensitive Jewish Christians <em>for whom Christ died<\/em> to turn away from the faith.<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:15 The word translated ruin (Greek apollumi, “destroy”) is often applied to eternal damnation (see 2:12; Matt 10:28; 18:14; Luke 9:24; 13:2-5; John 3:16; 10:10, 28; 1 Cor 1:18-19; Jas 4:12; 2 Pet 3:9). By insisting on their freedom to eat whatever they want, the strong might cause sensitive Jewish Christians for whom Christ died to turn away from the faith.","summary_en":"14:15 The word translated ruin (Greek apollumi, “destroy”) is often applied to eternal damnation (see 2:12; Matt 10:28; 18:14; Luke 9:24; 13:2-5; John 3:16; 10:10, 28; 1 Cor 1:18-19; Jas 4:12; 2 Pet 3:9). By insisting on their freedom to eat whatever they want, the strong might cause sensitive Jewish Christians for whom Christ died to turn away from the faith.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":85031,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:15","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:15","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:15<\/strong> The word translated <em>ruin<\/em> (Greek <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">apollumi<\/span><em>,<\/em> “destroy”) is often applied to eternal damnation (see 2:12; Matt 10:28; 18:14; Luke 9:24; 13:2-5; John 3:16; 10:10, 28; 1 Cor 1:18-19; Jas 4:12; 2 Pet 3:9). By insisting on their freedom to eat whatever they want, the strong might cause sensitive Jewish Christians <em>for whom Christ died<\/em> to turn away from the faith.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:15<\/strong> The word translated <em>ruin<\/em> (Greek <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">apollumi<\/span><em>,<\/em> “destroy”) is often applied to eternal damnation (see 2:12; Matt 10:28; 18:14; Luke 9:24; 13:2-5; John 3:16; 10:10, 28; 1 Cor 1:18-19; Jas 4:12; 2 Pet 3:9). By insisting on their freedom to eat whatever they want, the strong might cause sensitive Jewish Christians <em>for whom Christ died<\/em> to turn away from the faith.<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:15 The word translated ruin (Greek apollumi, “destroy”) is often applied to eternal damnation (see 2:12; Matt 10:28; 18:14; Luke 9:24; 13:2-5; John 3:16; 10:10, 28; 1 Cor 1:18-19; Jas 4:12; 2 Pet 3:9). By insisting on their freedom to eat whatever they want, the strong might cause sensitive Jewish Christians for whom Christ died to turn away from the faith.","summary_en":"14:15 The word translated ruin (Greek apollumi, “destroy”) is often applied to eternal damnation (see 2:12; Matt 10:28; 18:14; Luke 9:24; 13:2-5; John 3:16; 10:10, 28; 1 Cor 1:18-19; Jas 4:12; 2 Pet 3:9). By insisting on their freedom to eat whatever they want, the strong might cause sensitive Jewish Christians for whom Christ died to turn away from the faith.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":112657,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:15","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:15","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:15<\/strong> The word translated <em>ruin<\/em> (Greek <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">apollumi<\/span><em>,<\/em> “destroy”) is often applied to eternal damnation (see 2:12; Matt 10:28; 18:14; Luke 9:24; 13:2-5; John 3:16; 10:10, 28; 1 Cor 1:18-19; Jas 4:12; 2 Pet 3:9). By insisting on their freedom to eat whatever they want, the strong might cause sensitive Jewish Christians <em>for whom Christ died<\/em> to turn away from the faith.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:15<\/strong> The word translated <em>ruin<\/em> (Greek <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">apollumi<\/span><em>,<\/em> “destroy”) is often applied to eternal damnation (see 2:12; Matt 10:28; 18:14; Luke 9:24; 13:2-5; John 3:16; 10:10, 28; 1 Cor 1:18-19; Jas 4:12; 2 Pet 3:9). By insisting on their freedom to eat whatever they want, the strong might cause sensitive Jewish Christians <em>for whom Christ died<\/em> to turn away from the faith.<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:15 The word translated ruin (Greek apollumi, “destroy”) is often applied to eternal damnation (see 2:12; Matt 10:28; 18:14; Luke 9:24; 13:2-5; John 3:16; 10:10, 28; 1 Cor 1:18-19; Jas 4:12; 2 Pet 3:9). By insisting on their freedom to eat whatever they want, the strong might cause sensitive Jewish Christians for whom Christ died to turn away from the faith.","summary_en":"14:15 The word translated ruin (Greek apollumi, “destroy”) is often applied to eternal damnation (see 2:12; Matt 10:28; 18:14; Luke 9:24; 13:2-5; John 3:16; 10:10, 28; 1 Cor 1:18-19; Jas 4:12; 2 Pet 3:9). By insisting on their freedom to eat whatever they want, the strong might cause sensitive Jewish Christians for whom Christ died to turn away from the faith.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":140283,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:15","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:15","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:15<\/strong> The word translated <em>ruin<\/em> (Greek <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">apollumi<\/span><em>,<\/em> “destroy”) is often applied to eternal damnation (see 2:12; Matt 10:28; 18:14; Luke 9:24; 13:2-5; John 3:16; 10:10, 28; 1 Cor 1:18-19; Jas 4:12; 2 Pet 3:9). By insisting on their freedom to eat whatever they want, the strong might cause sensitive Jewish Christians <em>for whom Christ died<\/em> to turn away from the faith.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:15<\/strong> The word translated <em>ruin<\/em> (Greek <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">apollumi<\/span><em>,<\/em> “destroy”) is often applied to eternal damnation (see 2:12; Matt 10:28; 18:14; Luke 9:24; 13:2-5; John 3:16; 10:10, 28; 1 Cor 1:18-19; Jas 4:12; 2 Pet 3:9). By insisting on their freedom to eat whatever they want, the strong might cause sensitive Jewish Christians <em>for whom Christ died<\/em> to turn away from the faith.<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:15 The word translated ruin (Greek apollumi, “destroy”) is often applied to eternal damnation (see 2:12; Matt 10:28; 18:14; Luke 9:24; 13:2-5; John 3:16; 10:10, 28; 1 Cor 1:18-19; Jas 4:12; 2 Pet 3:9). By insisting on their freedom to eat whatever they want, the strong might cause sensitive Jewish Christians for whom Christ died to turn away from the faith.","summary_en":"14:15 The word translated ruin (Greek apollumi, “destroy”) is often applied to eternal damnation (see 2:12; Matt 10:28; 18:14; Luke 9:24; 13:2-5; John 3:16; 10:10, 28; 1 Cor 1:18-19; Jas 4:12; 2 Pet 3:9). By insisting on their freedom to eat whatever they want, the strong might cause sensitive Jewish Christians for whom Christ died to turn away from the faith.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":66996,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"Giving up Rights","title_en":"Giving up Rights","content_ro":"<h3>Giving Up Rights<\/h3>\n<p>Paul nowhere tells believers that they should defend their rights. On the contrary, he emphasizes that believers must always be willing to give up their rights for the sake of others. Believers are free from many of the rules that others feel bound by, but they must always be ready to give up their freedoms if their actions would cause someone else to sin (Rom 14:13-23; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 10:23-33). Defending one’s own personal rights is of little value to Paul.<\/p>\n<p>Paul, like Jesus, sees loving others as one of the most important principles in life (Rom 13:8-10; 1 Cor 13:1-13; Gal 5:6; see Matt 5:43-44; 22:36-39). Real Christian love is always sacrificial (1 Cor 13:4-7), like Christ’s own love. Believers ought never to focus on what is best for themselves, but on what is best for others (1 Cor 10:32-33). The sacrificial death of Christ for sinners is the model that reveals the nature of true love (Rom 5:6-8; 15:1-5; 1 Jn 4:9-12). The whole of a believer’s life is to be an expression of Christ’s sacrificial love. This will never be easy, for it means people must consider themselves dead to their own desires (see Mark 8:34-35).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Matt 5:38-48; 16:24-27; 22:37-39; Rom 5:6-8; 13:8-10; 14:15-22; 15:1-5; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 9:1-23; 10:23-24, 31-33; 13:4-7; Gal 5:6; Phil 2:3-4; 2 Tim 2:9-13; Heb 11:24-26; 1 Jn 4:9-12<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>Giving Up Rights<\/h3>\n<p>Paul nowhere tells believers that they should defend their rights. On the contrary, he emphasizes that believers must always be willing to give up their rights for the sake of others. Believers are free from many of the rules that others feel bound by, but they must always be ready to give up their freedoms if their actions would cause someone else to sin (Rom 14:13-23; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 10:23-33). Defending one’s own personal rights is of little value to Paul.<\/p>\n<p>Paul, like Jesus, sees loving others as one of the most important principles in life (Rom 13:8-10; 1 Cor 13:1-13; Gal 5:6; see Matt 5:43-44; 22:36-39). Real Christian love is always sacrificial (1 Cor 13:4-7), like Christ’s own love. Believers ought never to focus on what is best for themselves, but on what is best for others (1 Cor 10:32-33). The sacrificial death of Christ for sinners is the model that reveals the nature of true love (Rom 5:6-8; 15:1-5; 1 Jn 4:9-12). The whole of a believer’s life is to be an expression of Christ’s sacrificial love. This will never be easy, for it means people must consider themselves dead to their own desires (see Mark 8:34-35).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Matt 5:38-48; 16:24-27; 22:37-39; Rom 5:6-8; 13:8-10; 14:15-22; 15:1-5; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 9:1-23; 10:23-24, 31-33; 13:4-7; Gal 5:6; Phil 2:3-4; 2 Tim 2:9-13; Heb 11:24-26; 1 Jn 4:9-12<\/p>","summary_ro":"Giving Up Rights Paul nowhere tells believers that they should defend their rights. On the contrary, he emphasizes that believers must always be willing to give up their rights for the sake of others. Believers are free from many of the rules that others feel bound by, but they must always be ready to give up their freedoms if their actions would cause someone else to sin (Rom 14:13-23; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 10:23-33). Defending one’s own personal rights is of little value to Paul. Paul, like Jesus, ...","summary_en":"Giving Up Rights Paul nowhere tells believers that they should defend their rights. On the contrary, he emphasizes that believers must always be willing to give up their rights for the sake of others. Believers are free from many of the rules that others feel bound by, but they must always be ready to give up their freedoms if their actions would cause someone else to sin (Rom 14:13-23; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 10:23-33). Defending one’s own personal rights is of little value to Paul. Paul, like Jesus, ...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":94622,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"Giving up Rights","title_en":"Giving up Rights","content_ro":"<h3>Giving Up Rights<\/h3>\n<p>Paul nowhere tells believers that they should defend their rights. On the contrary, he emphasizes that believers must always be willing to give up their rights for the sake of others. Believers are free from many of the rules that others feel bound by, but they must always be ready to give up their freedoms if their actions would cause someone else to sin (Rom 14:13-23; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 10:23-33). Defending one’s own personal rights is of little value to Paul.<\/p>\n<p>Paul, like Jesus, sees loving others as one of the most important principles in life (Rom 13:8-10; 1 Cor 13:1-13; Gal 5:6; see Matt 5:43-44; 22:36-39). Real Christian love is always sacrificial (1 Cor 13:4-7), like Christ’s own love. Believers ought never to focus on what is best for themselves, but on what is best for others (1 Cor 10:32-33). The sacrificial death of Christ for sinners is the model that reveals the nature of true love (Rom 5:6-8; 15:1-5; 1 Jn 4:9-12). The whole of a believer’s life is to be an expression of Christ’s sacrificial love. This will never be easy, for it means people must consider themselves dead to their own desires (see Mark 8:34-35).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Matt 5:38-48; 16:24-27; 22:37-39; Rom 5:6-8; 13:8-10; 14:15-22; 15:1-5; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 9:1-23; 10:23-24, 31-33; 13:4-7; Gal 5:6; Phil 2:3-4; 2 Tim 2:9-13; Heb 11:24-26; 1 Jn 4:9-12<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>Giving Up Rights<\/h3>\n<p>Paul nowhere tells believers that they should defend their rights. On the contrary, he emphasizes that believers must always be willing to give up their rights for the sake of others. Believers are free from many of the rules that others feel bound by, but they must always be ready to give up their freedoms if their actions would cause someone else to sin (Rom 14:13-23; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 10:23-33). Defending one’s own personal rights is of little value to Paul.<\/p>\n<p>Paul, like Jesus, sees loving others as one of the most important principles in life (Rom 13:8-10; 1 Cor 13:1-13; Gal 5:6; see Matt 5:43-44; 22:36-39). Real Christian love is always sacrificial (1 Cor 13:4-7), like Christ’s own love. Believers ought never to focus on what is best for themselves, but on what is best for others (1 Cor 10:32-33). The sacrificial death of Christ for sinners is the model that reveals the nature of true love (Rom 5:6-8; 15:1-5; 1 Jn 4:9-12). The whole of a believer’s life is to be an expression of Christ’s sacrificial love. This will never be easy, for it means people must consider themselves dead to their own desires (see Mark 8:34-35).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Matt 5:38-48; 16:24-27; 22:37-39; Rom 5:6-8; 13:8-10; 14:15-22; 15:1-5; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 9:1-23; 10:23-24, 31-33; 13:4-7; Gal 5:6; Phil 2:3-4; 2 Tim 2:9-13; Heb 11:24-26; 1 Jn 4:9-12<\/p>","summary_ro":"Giving Up Rights Paul nowhere tells believers that they should defend their rights. On the contrary, he emphasizes that believers must always be willing to give up their rights for the sake of others. Believers are free from many of the rules that others feel bound by, but they must always be ready to give up their freedoms if their actions would cause someone else to sin (Rom 14:13-23; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 10:23-33). Defending one’s own personal rights is of little value to Paul. Paul, like Jesus, ...","summary_en":"Giving Up Rights Paul nowhere tells believers that they should defend their rights. On the contrary, he emphasizes that believers must always be willing to give up their rights for the sake of others. Believers are free from many of the rules that others feel bound by, but they must always be ready to give up their freedoms if their actions would cause someone else to sin (Rom 14:13-23; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 10:23-33). Defending one’s own personal rights is of little value to Paul. Paul, like Jesus, ...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":122248,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"Giving up Rights","title_en":"Giving up Rights","content_ro":"<h3>Giving Up Rights<\/h3>\n<p>Paul nowhere tells believers that they should defend their rights. On the contrary, he emphasizes that believers must always be willing to give up their rights for the sake of others. Believers are free from many of the rules that others feel bound by, but they must always be ready to give up their freedoms if their actions would cause someone else to sin (Rom 14:13-23; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 10:23-33). Defending one’s own personal rights is of little value to Paul.<\/p>\n<p>Paul, like Jesus, sees loving others as one of the most important principles in life (Rom 13:8-10; 1 Cor 13:1-13; Gal 5:6; see Matt 5:43-44; 22:36-39). Real Christian love is always sacrificial (1 Cor 13:4-7), like Christ’s own love. Believers ought never to focus on what is best for themselves, but on what is best for others (1 Cor 10:32-33). The sacrificial death of Christ for sinners is the model that reveals the nature of true love (Rom 5:6-8; 15:1-5; 1 Jn 4:9-12). The whole of a believer’s life is to be an expression of Christ’s sacrificial love. This will never be easy, for it means people must consider themselves dead to their own desires (see Mark 8:34-35).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Matt 5:38-48; 16:24-27; 22:37-39; Rom 5:6-8; 13:8-10; 14:15-22; 15:1-5; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 9:1-23; 10:23-24, 31-33; 13:4-7; Gal 5:6; Phil 2:3-4; 2 Tim 2:9-13; Heb 11:24-26; 1 Jn 4:9-12<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>Giving Up Rights<\/h3>\n<p>Paul nowhere tells believers that they should defend their rights. On the contrary, he emphasizes that believers must always be willing to give up their rights for the sake of others. Believers are free from many of the rules that others feel bound by, but they must always be ready to give up their freedoms if their actions would cause someone else to sin (Rom 14:13-23; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 10:23-33). Defending one’s own personal rights is of little value to Paul.<\/p>\n<p>Paul, like Jesus, sees loving others as one of the most important principles in life (Rom 13:8-10; 1 Cor 13:1-13; Gal 5:6; see Matt 5:43-44; 22:36-39). Real Christian love is always sacrificial (1 Cor 13:4-7), like Christ’s own love. Believers ought never to focus on what is best for themselves, but on what is best for others (1 Cor 10:32-33). The sacrificial death of Christ for sinners is the model that reveals the nature of true love (Rom 5:6-8; 15:1-5; 1 Jn 4:9-12). The whole of a believer’s life is to be an expression of Christ’s sacrificial love. This will never be easy, for it means people must consider themselves dead to their own desires (see Mark 8:34-35).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Matt 5:38-48; 16:24-27; 22:37-39; Rom 5:6-8; 13:8-10; 14:15-22; 15:1-5; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 9:1-23; 10:23-24, 31-33; 13:4-7; Gal 5:6; Phil 2:3-4; 2 Tim 2:9-13; Heb 11:24-26; 1 Jn 4:9-12<\/p>","summary_ro":"Giving Up Rights Paul nowhere tells believers that they should defend their rights. On the contrary, he emphasizes that believers must always be willing to give up their rights for the sake of others. Believers are free from many of the rules that others feel bound by, but they must always be ready to give up their freedoms if their actions would cause someone else to sin (Rom 14:13-23; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 10:23-33). Defending one’s own personal rights is of little value to Paul. Paul, like Jesus, ...","summary_en":"Giving Up Rights Paul nowhere tells believers that they should defend their rights. On the contrary, he emphasizes that believers must always be willing to give up their rights for the sake of others. Believers are free from many of the rules that others feel bound by, but they must always be ready to give up their freedoms if their actions would cause someone else to sin (Rom 14:13-23; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 10:23-33). Defending one’s own personal rights is of little value to Paul. Paul, like Jesus, ...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":149874,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"Giving up Rights","title_en":"Giving up Rights","content_ro":"<h3>Giving Up Rights<\/h3>\n<p>Paul nowhere tells believers that they should defend their rights. On the contrary, he emphasizes that believers must always be willing to give up their rights for the sake of others. Believers are free from many of the rules that others feel bound by, but they must always be ready to give up their freedoms if their actions would cause someone else to sin (Rom 14:13-23; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 10:23-33). Defending one’s own personal rights is of little value to Paul.<\/p>\n<p>Paul, like Jesus, sees loving others as one of the most important principles in life (Rom 13:8-10; 1 Cor 13:1-13; Gal 5:6; see Matt 5:43-44; 22:36-39). Real Christian love is always sacrificial (1 Cor 13:4-7), like Christ’s own love. Believers ought never to focus on what is best for themselves, but on what is best for others (1 Cor 10:32-33). The sacrificial death of Christ for sinners is the model that reveals the nature of true love (Rom 5:6-8; 15:1-5; 1 Jn 4:9-12). The whole of a believer’s life is to be an expression of Christ’s sacrificial love. This will never be easy, for it means people must consider themselves dead to their own desires (see Mark 8:34-35).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Matt 5:38-48; 16:24-27; 22:37-39; Rom 5:6-8; 13:8-10; 14:15-22; 15:1-5; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 9:1-23; 10:23-24, 31-33; 13:4-7; Gal 5:6; Phil 2:3-4; 2 Tim 2:9-13; Heb 11:24-26; 1 Jn 4:9-12<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>Giving Up Rights<\/h3>\n<p>Paul nowhere tells believers that they should defend their rights. On the contrary, he emphasizes that believers must always be willing to give up their rights for the sake of others. Believers are free from many of the rules that others feel bound by, but they must always be ready to give up their freedoms if their actions would cause someone else to sin (Rom 14:13-23; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 10:23-33). Defending one’s own personal rights is of little value to Paul.<\/p>\n<p>Paul, like Jesus, sees loving others as one of the most important principles in life (Rom 13:8-10; 1 Cor 13:1-13; Gal 5:6; see Matt 5:43-44; 22:36-39). Real Christian love is always sacrificial (1 Cor 13:4-7), like Christ’s own love. Believers ought never to focus on what is best for themselves, but on what is best for others (1 Cor 10:32-33). The sacrificial death of Christ for sinners is the model that reveals the nature of true love (Rom 5:6-8; 15:1-5; 1 Jn 4:9-12). The whole of a believer’s life is to be an expression of Christ’s sacrificial love. This will never be easy, for it means people must consider themselves dead to their own desires (see Mark 8:34-35).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Matt 5:38-48; 16:24-27; 22:37-39; Rom 5:6-8; 13:8-10; 14:15-22; 15:1-5; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 9:1-23; 10:23-24, 31-33; 13:4-7; Gal 5:6; Phil 2:3-4; 2 Tim 2:9-13; Heb 11:24-26; 1 Jn 4:9-12<\/p>","summary_ro":"Giving Up Rights Paul nowhere tells believers that they should defend their rights. On the contrary, he emphasizes that believers must always be willing to give up their rights for the sake of others. Believers are free from many of the rules that others feel bound by, but they must always be ready to give up their freedoms if their actions would cause someone else to sin (Rom 14:13-23; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 10:23-33). Defending one’s own personal rights is of little value to Paul. Paul, like Jesus, ...","summary_en":"Giving Up Rights Paul nowhere tells believers that they should defend their rights. On the contrary, he emphasizes that believers must always be willing to give up their rights for the sake of others. Believers are free from many of the rules that others feel bound by, but they must always be ready to give up their freedoms if their actions would cause someone else to sin (Rom 14:13-23; 1 Cor 8:1-13; 10:23-33). Defending one’s own personal rights is of little value to Paul. Paul, like Jesus, ...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false}],"17":[{"id":21931,"type":"article","type_label":"Articol","type_icon":"📖","type_color":"#d4af37","title_ro":"Kingdom of Heaven Kingdom of God","title_en":"Kingdom of Heaven Kingdom of God","content_ro":"<h3>KINGDOM OF GOD, KINGDOM OF HEAVEN<\/h3>\n<p>The sovereign rule of God, initiated by Christ’s earthly ministry and consummated when the kingdom of the world becomes the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ (Rv 11:15).<\/p>\n<p>Preview<\/p>\n<p>• Introduction<\/p>\n<p>• Old Testament Background<\/p>\n<p>• In the New Testament<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"Introduction\">Introduction<\/p>\n<p>According to the testimony of the first three Gospels, the proclamation of the kingdom of God was Jesus’ central message. Matthew summarizes the Galilean ministry with the words “Jesus traveled throughout Galilee teaching in the synagogues, preaching everywhere the Good News about the Kingdom” (Mt 4:23, <span>nlt<\/span>). The Sermon on the Mount is concerned with the righteousness that qualifies people to enter the kingdom of God (5:20). The collection of parables in Matthew 13 and Mark 4 illustrate the “mystery” of the kingdom of God (Mt 13:11; Mk 4:11). The establishment of the Lord’s Supper looks forward to the establishment of the kingdom of God (Mt 26:29; Mk 14:25).<\/p>\n<p>The NT reports two different forms of the expression: “the kingdom of God” and “the kingdom of the heavens.” The latter is found only in Matthew, but Matthew also has “the kingdom of God” four times (Mt 12:28; 19:24; 21:31, 43). “The kingdom of heaven” is a Semitic phrase that would have been meaningful to Jews but not to Greeks. The Jews, out of reverence for God, avoided uttering the divine name, and contemporary literature gives examples of substituting the word “heaven” for God (1 Macc 3:18, 50; 4:10; see Lk 15:18).<\/p>\n<p>The key to an understanding of the kingdom of God is that the basic meaning of the Greek word <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">basileia<\/span><em>,<\/em> as also of the Hebrew <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">malkut<\/span><em>,<\/em> is rule, reign, dominion. We frequently find in the OT the expression “in the year of the kingdom of . . . ,” meaning in the year of the reign of a given king (e.g., 1 Chr 26:31; 2 Chr 3:2; 15:10; Ezr 7:1; 8:1; Est 2:16; Jer 10:7; 52:31). When we read that Solomon’s kingdom was firmly established (1 Kgs 2:12), we are to understand that his authority to reign was settled. To “turn the kingdom of Saul over to [David]” (1 Chr 12:23, <span>kjv<\/span>) indicates that the authority that had been Saul’s was given to David. As a result of having received legal authority, David became king. This abstract idea of <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">malkut<\/span> is evident when it is found in parallelisms with such ideas as power, might, glory, and dominion (Dn 4:34; 7:14).<\/p>\n<p>When <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">malkut<\/span> is used of God, it almost always refers to his authority or to his rule as the heavenly King. “They will talk together about the glory of your kingdom; they will celebrate examples of your power. . . . For your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. You rule generation after generation” (Ps 145:11, 13, <span>nlt<\/span>).<\/p>\n<p>Further, if a king rules, there must be a realm or sphere over which he reigns. This is also called <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">malkut<\/span><em>.<\/em> “So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest round about” (2 Chr 20:30, <span>rsv<\/span>; see Est 3:6; Jer 10:7; Dn 9:1; 11:9).<\/p>\n<p>This same twofold use of <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">basileia<\/span> is found in the NT. In fact, <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">basileia<\/span> could be translated by the expression “kingly power” in Luke 23:42 (<span>niv<\/span> mg) and by “kingship” in John 18:36. When a nobleman went into a far country to get a “kingdom” (Luke 19:12, <span>nasb<\/span>) he went to the governing authority to get an appointment as king. When Jesus said, “My kingship is not of this world” (Jn 18:36, <span>rsv<\/span>), he did not mean to say that his rule has nothing to do with the world but rather that his kingship—his dominion—does not come from man but from God. Therefore, he rejects the use of worldly fighting to gain his ends.<\/p>\n<p>This central meaning of <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">basileia<\/span> makes it easy to understand many sayings in the Gospels. In the Lord’s Prayer the petition “Thy kingdom come” (Mt 6:10) is a prayer for God to manifest his reign so that his will may be done on earth as it is in heaven. When we read that we are to “receive the kingdom of God like a child” (Mk 10:15, <span>rsv<\/span>), we must open our hearts and lives to the rule of God.<\/p>\n<p>Also in the NT are sayings about being <em>in<\/em> the kingdom or of <em>entering<\/em> the kingdom (Mt 8:11; Mk 9:47; 10:23-25; Lk 13:28). There is no philological or theological objection to understanding “the kingdom of God” first as the divine reign or rule and second as the sphere of blessing in which that reign is experienced.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"OldTestamentBackground\">Old Testament Background<\/p>\n<p>The expression “the kingdom of God” is not found in the OT, but the idea appears throughout the prophets. God is frequently spoken of as the King, both of Israel (Ex 15:18; Nm 23:21; Dt 33:5; Is 43:15) and of all the earth (2 Kgs 19:15; Pss 29:10; 47:2; 93:1-2; 96:10; 97:1-9; 99:1-4; 145:11-13; Is 6:5; Jer 46:18). Although God is not the earthly King of Israel, other references speak of a day when God shall become King and shall rule over his people (Is 24:23; 33:22; 52:7; Ob 1:21; Zep 3:15; Zec 14:9-11).<\/p>\n<p>This brief summary of God’s kingship provides the outline for the entire OT concept. While God is King over all the earth, he is in a special way King over his people, Israel. God’s rule is therefore something realized in Israel’s history. However, it is only partially and imperfectly realized. Israel again and again rebelled against the divine sovereignty. Furthermore, Israel was constantly plagued by wars with its pagan neighbors in which it was not always victorious. Again, there are evils in nature and the physical world that often bring suffering to God’s people. Therefore, the prophets look forward to a day when God’s rule will be fully experienced, not by Israel alone, but by all the world. The main emphasis of the prophets is on hope, the establishing of God’s perfect rule in the world.<\/p>\n<p>The prophets describe the final establishment of God’s kingdom in terms of a theophany—a divine visitation (Mi 1:3-4). Zechariah foresees a “Day of the Lord” when all nations will be gathered in battle against Jerusalem, when the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations (Zec 14:3, 5). Israel will be visited by the Lord (Is 29:6) and delivered from its enemies (35:4; 59:20). God’s coming will also mean judgment (2:21; 26:21). This final coming of God will mean the salvation of the Gentiles as well as of Israel (Zec 2:10-11; cf. Is 66:18-24).<\/p>\n<p>Behind this language is a distinct theology of “the God who comes.” It is a fact widely recognized in contemporary OT theology that the God of the OT is not a nature god, like the gods of other peoples, but a God of history—a God who visits his people in history to bless or to judge them. God visited Israel in Egypt to deliver them from bondage and to constitute them as his people. The rescue from Egypt was not merely an act of deliverance; it was an act through which God made himself known and through which Israel was to know and serve him.<\/p>\n<p>Because God has visited his people again and again in their history, he must finally come to them in the future to judge wickedness and to establish his kingdom. Israel’s hope is thus rooted in history, or rather in the God who works in history. God will finally break into history in a glorious theophany to establish his rule in all the earth. The source of the kingdom is not history itself but God.<\/p>\n<p>While the prophets visualize the kingdom as coming from God, the kingdom is always on earth. The divine irruption into the natural order is not designed to accomplish its destruction but to make way for a new, perfect order arising out of the old, imperfect one. The prophets do not present a single consistent picture of the new order. Sometimes the new order is described very much in this-worldly terms. “The terraced vineyards on the hills of Israel will drip with sweet wine” (Am 9:13, <span>nlt<\/span>). On the other hand, God will create new heavens and a new earth (Is 65:17; 66:22), where there will be untroubled joy, prosperity, peace, and righteousness. The final visitation of God will mean the redemption of the world, for a redeemed earth is the scene of the kingdom of God. The prophets look forward again and again to the deliverance of creation “from the bondage to decay.” The description is often couched in simple physical terms. The wilderness will become fruitful (32:15); the desert will blossom (35:2); sorrow and sighing will flee away (v 10). The burning sands will be cooled and the dry places become springs of water (v 7); peace will return to the animal world so that all injury and destruction are done away with (11:6). All this results because the earth becomes full of the knowledge of God (v 9).<\/p>\n<p>Such language is not mere poetry but reflects a profound theology of creation. Humans as creatures were made to dwell on the earth, and the earth shares in human destiny. The main point is that creation as such is good and not a hindrance to true spirituality, as was often true in Greek thought. Redemption always includes redemption of the earth, which then becomes the blessed environment God intended it to be. Salvation does not mean deliverance from creaturehood, for this is not an evil thing but an essential and permanent element of true, human existence. Salvation does not mean escape from bodily creaturely existence, as in some Greek thought. On the contrary, ultimate redemption will mean the redemption of the whole person. The emergence of the doctrine of bodily resurrection is a reflection of this theology of creaturehood. The corollary of this is that creation in its entirety must share in the blessing of redemption.<\/p>\n<p>A distinctive element in prophetic eschatology is the tension between history and eschatology. That is, as the prophets looked into the future, they saw an immediate historical judgment as well as a more remote eschatological visitation. For Amos, the Day of the Lord is both the immediate judgment of Israel by the Assyrians and a final eschatological salvation. Joel sees an imminent historical visitation of drought and locusts, but beyond this he sees the eschatological Day of the Lord. Zephaniah sees an imminent Day of the Lord in some undesignated historical visitation (Zep 1:2-18), but beyond it he sees the salvation of the Gentiles (3:9). The same God who acts in history to bless and judge his people will act at the end of history in an eschatological act of judgment and salvation. The prophets do not sharply distinguish between these two days, for it is one and the same God who is concerned to judge and save his people.<\/p>\n<p>The eschatological hope of the prophets is always an ethical hope. That is to say, the prophets are not interested in the future for its own sake but for the impact of the future on the present. The prophetic predictions were given that, in light of future judgment and salvation, Israel might be confronted in the present by the will of God. “Prepare to meet your God as he comes in judgment, you people of Israel” (Am 4:12, <span>nlt<\/span>) might well be taken as the keynote of all the prophets.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"IntheNewTestament\">In the New Testament<\/p>\n<h5>The Synoptic Gospels<\/h5>\n<p>Jesus’ teachings about the kingdom of God embodied the same contrast between the present order and the future age as that of the prophets, and he expressed it in the idiom “this age and the age to come.” This fact is obscured in the <span>kjv<\/span>, which translates the word for “age” by “world.” These are, however, two different concepts. A rich man asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life (Mk 10:17). The context makes it clear that he was asking about eschatological life—the life of the resurrection (Dn 12:2). Jesus speaks of the difficulty of entering the kingdom of God. (The parallel passage in Matthew 19:23-24 has both “kingdom of God” and “kingdom of heaven,” proving that they are interchangeable terms.) In their reaction the disciples ask, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus’ answer contrasts the lot of his disciples “in this time” with the “age to come” (Mk 10:29-30) when they would inherit eternal life. It is clear from this passage that in some sense the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven, salvation, and eternal life all belong to the age to come. So far as this saying is concerned, God’s people will not experience eternal life until they do so in the new age.<\/p>\n<p>Matthew alone records the expression “the close of the age.” This age will be terminated by the coming of the Son of Man (Mt 24:3) and by the judgment of humanity (13:39-42). Then the righteous will be separated from the wicked (v 49). The same expression occurs in the promise of the risen Jesus assuring his disciples of his presence until the consummation of the age (28:20). It follows that if this age is to come to its consummation, it must be followed by another age—the age to come.<\/p>\n<p>The eschatological kingdom will be inaugurated by an apocalyptic event—the glorious coming of the Son of Man. This is made clear by two of the parables about the kingdom of God. In the parable of the tares, “the Son of man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and throw them into the furnace of fire” (Mt 13:41-42, <span>rsv<\/span>). The parable of the sheep and goats reflects the same eschatology. When the Son of Man comes in his glory, he will sit on his glorious throne to judge the nations, separating the sheep from the goats. The righteous—the sheep—are to “inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world”; and entrance into the kingdom is synonymous with entrance into life (25:31-46, <span>rsv<\/span>).<\/p>\n<p>The eschatological character of the kingdom of God is seen also in the other two parables of Matthew 25. “The kingdom of heaven shall be compared to ten maidens who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom” (v 1, <span>rsv<\/span>). However, five of them were foolish and did not provide an adequate supply of oil for their lamps. Thus they were late for the wedding and were excluded from the wedding feast—a symbol of the eschatological kingdom—while those properly prepared entered the kingdom. In the same way the two faithful servants who had been “faithful over a little” were granted to “enter into the joy of your master” (vv 21, 23), while the unfaithful servant was excluded from the kingdom and cast into outer darkness.<\/p>\n<p>Jesus almost never showed any interest in descriptions of the eschatological kingdom, but it is clear that its coming was constantly in his thoughts. The pure in heart will see God (Mt 5:8). The harvest will take place and the grain will be gathered into the barn (13:30, 39; Mk 4:29). Jesus frequently used the metaphor of a feast or table fellowship to describe life in the eschatological kingdom. He will drink wine again with his disciples in the kingdom of God. They will eat and drink at Jesus’ table in the kingdom (Lk 22:30). People will be gathered from all corners of the earth to sit at a table with the OT saints (Mt 8:11-12; Lk 13:29). The consummation is likened to a wedding feast (Mt 22:1-14) and a banquet (Lk 14:16-24). All of these metaphors picture the restoration of communion between God and people, a union that had been broken by sin.<\/p>\n<p>In most of the sayings cited to illustrate the future character of the kingdom, “kingdom” refers to the eschatological order—the eschaton, the age to come. However, when Jesus taught his disciples to pray “Thy kingdom come” (Mt 6:10), he was not referring to the new eschatological order; he was referring to the kingdom as God’s kingly rule, his reign. It is a prayer that God will effectively establish his sovereign rule in the world.<\/p>\n<p>In his teaching about the kingdom of God as the apocalyptic consummation, Jesus does not differ essentially from the OT prophets. The most distinctive element in Jesus’ teaching—indeed, the fact that characterizes his entire mission and message—is the fact that in some real sense of the word, the kingdom of God has come in history in an utterly unexpected way. This sets Jesus’ teaching apart from all contemporary Jewish thought.<\/p>\n<p>This is seen first of all in his repeated teaching that his mission is a fulfillment of the OT messianic prophets. Mark summarizes Jesus’ message with the words “The Kingdom of God is near! Turn from your sins and believe this Good News!” (Mk 1:15, <span>nlt<\/span>). This saying can have one of two meanings. It may refer to the imminent coming of the apocalyptic kingdom. Matthew summarizes the message of John the Baptist with nearly the same words: “Turn from your sins and turn to God, because the Kingdom of Heaven is near” (Mt 3:2, <span>nlt<\/span>). The Baptist expounds what he means by the approach of the kingdom of God: “He is ready to separate the chaff from the grain with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, storing the grain in his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire” (v 12, <span>nlt<\/span>). John proclaimed an apocalyptic act; “unquenchable fire” can mean no strictly historical event but only an apocalyptic judgment. John expected Jesus to be the one in whom the cosmic event expected by the prophets would be carried out.<\/p>\n<p>It is possible that this was also Jesus’ meaning. However, another interpretation is possible that is better supported by the actual course of his mission: “The time is fulfilled.” The messianic promises of the prophets were not only about to be fulfilled; they were actually in process of fulfillment in his mission. In Jesus, God was visiting his people. The hope of the prophets in some real sense was being realized.<\/p>\n<p>The meaning of this can be seen in Luke’s introduction of Jesus’ ministry. Luke selects an event that occurred in Nazareth later in Jesus’ ministry (Lk 4:16-21) and places it at the beginning of his Gospel in order to sound this note of fulfillment. Jesus read from Isaiah a promise that looked forward to the messianic salvation: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has appointed me to preach Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the downtrodden will be freed from their oppressors, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come” (vv 18-19, <span>nlt<\/span>). Then Jesus astonished his audience by the assertion “This Scripture has come true today before your very eyes!” (v 21, <span>nlt<\/span>).<\/p>\n<p>Here was an amazing claim. John the Baptist had announced an apocalyptic visitation of God that would mean the fulfillment of the eschatological hope and the consummation of the messianic age. Jesus proclaimed that the messianic promise was actually being fulfilled in his person. This is no apocalyptic kingdom but a present salvation. In these words Jesus did not proclaim the imminence of the apocalyptic kingdom. Rather, he boldly announced that the kingdom of God had come. The presence of the kingdom was a happening, an event, the gracious action of God. This was no new theology or new idea or new promise; it was a new event in history.<\/p>\n<p>The note of fulfillment is again sounded in Jesus’ answer to the question about fasting. “Do wedding guests fast while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. They can’t fast while they are with the groom” (Mk 2:19, <span>nlt<\/span>). The marriage feast had become a metaphor in Judaism for the messianic consummation. In these words Jesus announced the presence of the messianic time of salvation. It would be a contradiction in terms for the disciples to fast when they were enjoying the blessings of the messianic age. The time of fulfillment had come.<\/p>\n<p>A saying found in different contexts in Matthew and Luke touches this central note of the fulfillment in history of the OT hope: “Blessed are the eyes which see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it” (Lk 10:23-24, <span>rsv<\/span>; cf. Mt 13:16-17). Both Matthew and Luke associate this saying with the kingdom of God, and both agree that the hope of former generations has become an object of experience. Many prophets and kings looked forward to something, but they looked in vain, for it did not come to them. What they longed for has now come, and this can be nothing less than the promised messianic salvation.<\/p>\n<p>Fulfillment in history is again asserted in Jesus’ answer to John’s question about the one who is to come (Mt 11:2-3). “The deeds of the Christ” (Messiah) were not the deeds John had announced. Wicked rulers like Herod were not being judged in fire. Instead, Jesus was helping people, not bringing an apocalyptic kingdom. Jesus replied in words that echo the promise of the messianic salvation in Isaiah 35:5-6: “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them” (Mt 11:4-5, <span>rsv<\/span>). In these words Jesus claimed that the blessings of the messianic salvation are present. There was indeed reason for John’s perplexity, for the fulfillment was not taking place along expected lines. The apocalyptic consummation did not appear to be on the horizon. The point of Jesus’ answer was that fulfillment was taking place without the eschatological consummation. Therefore, Jesus pronounced a special blessing upon those who were not offended by the character of the messianic fulfillment (v 6). The fulfillment was indeed taking place, but not the apocalyptic consummation.<\/p>\n<p>The most unambiguous statement of the presence of the kingdom is found in the words about the binding of Satan. One of Jesus’ most characteristic acts was the exorcism of demons—deliverance from satanic power. The Pharisees admitted his power but attributed it to Satan. Jesus replied, “If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? . . . But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God is come upon you” (Mt 12:26, 28, <span>rsv<\/span>). Here the verb has the clear meaning “to come, to arrive” (cf. Rom 9:30; 2 Cor 10:14; Phil 3:16). Here is a clear affirmation that the kingdom of God has come among men.<\/p>\n<p>In explanation Jesus said, “Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house” (Mt 12:29, <span>rsv<\/span>). The strong man is Satan; this “present evil age” (Gal 1:4) is his “house”; his “goods” are demon-possessed men and women. Jesus has invaded the strong man’s house to snatch away from him men and women whom he has in his power, and this is the work of the kingdom of God. The kingly reign of God has come into history in the person of Jesus before the apocalyptic consummation when Satan will be destroyed, to render Satan a preliminary defeat. Jesus has already “bound” Satan (i.e., curbed his power). This has been accomplished by the presence of the kingdom of God in the mission of Jesus.<\/p>\n<p>A similar saying is found in Luke 10:18. Jesus had sent a band of his disciples on a preaching mission. Like Jesus, they were to proclaim the nearness of the kingdom of God (Lk 10:9). They, too, were to exorcize demons. When they returned to Jesus to report their success, Jesus said, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” (v 18, <span>rsv<\/span>). This again is metaphorical language that asserts that in the mission of Jesus’ disciples, as well as in Jesus himself, Satan has fallen from his place of power. Both “binding” and “falling” are metaphors that describe the same truth: the victory of the kingdom of God over Satan.<\/p>\n<p>Here is the element that sets Jesus apart from the OT and from all of contemporary Judaism. The prophets conceived of the kingdom being established by a heavenly supernatural being (Dn 7) or ruled by a powerful Davidic messianic king (Is 9, 11). The fulfillment of the messianic hope is everywhere in the prophets an eschatological hope. The same is true of the Jewish writers who despaired of history and cast all hope into the future.<\/p>\n<p>In contrast to all that had gone before him, Jesus proclaimed the kingdom of God as an event taking place in his own person and mission. God had again assumed the initiative; God was acting. No first-century Jew had any idea of the kingdom of God coming into history in the person of an ordinary man—a teacher who was meek and lowly.<\/p>\n<p>The presence of the kingdom is further seen in the fact that the rule of God, present in Jesus, is a gift to be received. This is also true of the kingdom in its eschatological consummation, where the kingdom is freely inherited by the righteous (Mt 25:34). In answer to the young man’s question about inheriting eternal life (Mk 10:17), Jesus spoke of entering the kingdom (vv 23-24) and receiving the gift of eternal life (v 30) as though they were synonymous. The kingdom is a gift that the Father is pleased to bestow upon the little flock of Jesus’ disciples (Lk 12:32).<\/p>\n<p>If God’s eschatological rule brings to his people the blessings of that kingdom, and if God’s kingdom is his rule invading history before the eschatological consummation, then we may expect God’s rule in the present to bring a preliminary blessing to his people. This fact is reflected in numerous sayings. The kingdom is something to be sought here and now (Mt 6:33) and to be received as children receive a gift (Mk 10:15; Lk 18:16-17). Although it is present in an unexpected form, the kingdom of God in Jesus’ person is like a hidden treasure or a pearl of great price whose possession outranks all other goods (Mt 13:44-46). The gift of the kingdom is also seen in that the deaf hear, the blind see, lepers are cleansed, and the poor have good news preached to them (11:5).<\/p>\n<h5>John’s Gospel<\/h5>\n<p>In the Gospel of John the concept of eternal life takes the place of the kingdom of God in Jesus’ teaching. The kingdom of God is mentioned twice (Jn 3:3, 5), and it is placed in connection with eternal life. The kingdom of God is here the eschatological kingdom, and eternal life is the life of the kingdom. Thus, as the kingdom of God in the synoptic Gospels is both future and present, so eternal life is both the life of the age to come (12:25) and also a present blessing (3:16, etc.).<\/p>\n<h5>Acts<\/h5>\n<p>In Acts it seems the earliest disciples generally failed to understand Jesus’ message about the kingdom of God as a present spiritual blessing. They gathered together to await the coming of the eschatological kingdom to Israel (Acts 1:6). Acts relates that the disciples continued to preach the kingdom of God, but usually it is an eschatological blessing (8:12; 14:22; 19:8; 20:25; 28:23, 31). However, the last two references make the kingdom of God synonymous with the gospel about Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n<p>One important theme in Acts is linked to that of the kingdom of God. On the Day of Pentecost, Peter announces that God has seated Jesus at his right hand in fulfillment of Psalm 110:1 (Acts 2:33-35). In the Psalms this is a prophecy of the enthronement of the Davidic king in Jerusalem. Peter asserts that this prophecy is now fulfilled in the heavenly reign of Jesus. Therefore, he has been made both Lord and Christ (Messiah). These are interchangeable terms, “Lord” meaning absolute sovereign, “Christ” meaning the messianic king.<\/p>\n<h5>Paul’s Writings<\/h5>\n<p>Paul carried further this theme of the heavenly rule of Christ, the anointed King. The kingdom is both an eschatological inheritance (1 Cor 6:9; 15:50; Gal 5:21; Eph 5:5; 1 Thes 2:12; 2 Thes 1:5; 2 Tm 4:1, 18) and a present blessing into which believers now enter (Rom 14:17; Col 1:13). The key to this is the interchangeable character of lordship and messianic kingship. Jesus is now exalted as Lord over all (Phil 2:11), and even as his lordship is invisible, it will become manifest to all at his second coming. In the same way, he has been enthroned as messianic King by virtue of his resurrection and heavenly session, and he must reign as King until he has put all his enemies under his feet (1 Cor 15:25; Eph 1:22). The last enemy to be destroyed is death.<\/p>\n<h5>Revelation<\/h5>\n<p>The central message of the Revelation to John is the consummation of God’s redemptive purpose, when the kingdom of this world becomes the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ (Rv 11:15). Revelation pictures the plight of a persecuted church in a hostile world, but it assures the church that Christ has already won a victory over the powers of evil (5:5), by virtue of which he can finally destroy them (19:11–20:14). Again, the last enemy to be destroyed is death (20:13-14). Revelation closes with a highly symbolic picture of the kingdom of God (chs 21–22) when God comes to dwell among his people, and “they shall see his face” (22:4). Thus the NT ends: divine order is restored to a disordered world. This is the kingdom of God.<\/p>\n<p><em>See also<\/em> Jesus Christ, Teachings of; King; Parable.<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>KINGDOM OF GOD, KINGDOM OF HEAVEN<\/h3>\n<p>The sovereign rule of God, initiated by Christ’s earthly ministry and consummated when the kingdom of the world becomes the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ (Rv 11:15).<\/p>\n<p>Preview<\/p>\n<p>• Introduction<\/p>\n<p>• Old Testament Background<\/p>\n<p>• In the New Testament<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"Introduction\">Introduction<\/p>\n<p>According to the testimony of the first three Gospels, the proclamation of the kingdom of God was Jesus’ central message. Matthew summarizes the Galilean ministry with the words “Jesus traveled throughout Galilee teaching in the synagogues, preaching everywhere the Good News about the Kingdom” (Mt 4:23, <span>nlt<\/span>). The Sermon on the Mount is concerned with the righteousness that qualifies people to enter the kingdom of God (5:20). The collection of parables in Matthew 13 and Mark 4 illustrate the “mystery” of the kingdom of God (Mt 13:11; Mk 4:11). The establishment of the Lord’s Supper looks forward to the establishment of the kingdom of God (Mt 26:29; Mk 14:25).<\/p>\n<p>The NT reports two different forms of the expression: “the kingdom of God” and “the kingdom of the heavens.” The latter is found only in Matthew, but Matthew also has “the kingdom of God” four times (Mt 12:28; 19:24; 21:31, 43). “The kingdom of heaven” is a Semitic phrase that would have been meaningful to Jews but not to Greeks. The Jews, out of reverence for God, avoided uttering the divine name, and contemporary literature gives examples of substituting the word “heaven” for God (1 Macc 3:18, 50; 4:10; see Lk 15:18).<\/p>\n<p>The key to an understanding of the kingdom of God is that the basic meaning of the Greek word <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">basileia<\/span><em>,<\/em> as also of the Hebrew <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">malkut<\/span><em>,<\/em> is rule, reign, dominion. We frequently find in the OT the expression “in the year of the kingdom of . . . ,” meaning in the year of the reign of a given king (e.g., 1 Chr 26:31; 2 Chr 3:2; 15:10; Ezr 7:1; 8:1; Est 2:16; Jer 10:7; 52:31). When we read that Solomon’s kingdom was firmly established (1 Kgs 2:12), we are to understand that his authority to reign was settled. To “turn the kingdom of Saul over to [David]” (1 Chr 12:23, <span>kjv<\/span>) indicates that the authority that had been Saul’s was given to David. As a result of having received legal authority, David became king. This abstract idea of <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">malkut<\/span> is evident when it is found in parallelisms with such ideas as power, might, glory, and dominion (Dn 4:34; 7:14).<\/p>\n<p>When <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">malkut<\/span> is used of God, it almost always refers to his authority or to his rule as the heavenly King. “They will talk together about the glory of your kingdom; they will celebrate examples of your power. . . . For your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. You rule generation after generation” (Ps 145:11, 13, <span>nlt<\/span>).<\/p>\n<p>Further, if a king rules, there must be a realm or sphere over which he reigns. This is also called <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">malkut<\/span><em>.<\/em> “So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest round about” (2 Chr 20:30, <span>rsv<\/span>; see Est 3:6; Jer 10:7; Dn 9:1; 11:9).<\/p>\n<p>This same twofold use of <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">basileia<\/span> is found in the NT. In fact, <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">basileia<\/span> could be translated by the expression “kingly power” in Luke 23:42 (<span>niv<\/span> mg) and by “kingship” in John 18:36. When a nobleman went into a far country to get a “kingdom” (Luke 19:12, <span>nasb<\/span>) he went to the governing authority to get an appointment as king. When Jesus said, “My kingship is not of this world” (Jn 18:36, <span>rsv<\/span>), he did not mean to say that his rule has nothing to do with the world but rather that his kingship—his dominion—does not come from man but from God. Therefore, he rejects the use of worldly fighting to gain his ends.<\/p>\n<p>This central meaning of <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">basileia<\/span> makes it easy to understand many sayings in the Gospels. In the Lord’s Prayer the petition “Thy kingdom come” (Mt 6:10) is a prayer for God to manifest his reign so that his will may be done on earth as it is in heaven. When we read that we are to “receive the kingdom of God like a child” (Mk 10:15, <span>rsv<\/span>), we must open our hearts and lives to the rule of God.<\/p>\n<p>Also in the NT are sayings about being <em>in<\/em> the kingdom or of <em>entering<\/em> the kingdom (Mt 8:11; Mk 9:47; 10:23-25; Lk 13:28). There is no philological or theological objection to understanding “the kingdom of God” first as the divine reign or rule and second as the sphere of blessing in which that reign is experienced.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"OldTestamentBackground\">Old Testament Background<\/p>\n<p>The expression “the kingdom of God” is not found in the OT, but the idea appears throughout the prophets. God is frequently spoken of as the King, both of Israel (Ex 15:18; Nm 23:21; Dt 33:5; Is 43:15) and of all the earth (2 Kgs 19:15; Pss 29:10; 47:2; 93:1-2; 96:10; 97:1-9; 99:1-4; 145:11-13; Is 6:5; Jer 46:18). Although God is not the earthly King of Israel, other references speak of a day when God shall become King and shall rule over his people (Is 24:23; 33:22; 52:7; Ob 1:21; Zep 3:15; Zec 14:9-11).<\/p>\n<p>This brief summary of God’s kingship provides the outline for the entire OT concept. While God is King over all the earth, he is in a special way King over his people, Israel. God’s rule is therefore something realized in Israel’s history. However, it is only partially and imperfectly realized. Israel again and again rebelled against the divine sovereignty. Furthermore, Israel was constantly plagued by wars with its pagan neighbors in which it was not always victorious. Again, there are evils in nature and the physical world that often bring suffering to God’s people. Therefore, the prophets look forward to a day when God’s rule will be fully experienced, not by Israel alone, but by all the world. The main emphasis of the prophets is on hope, the establishing of God’s perfect rule in the world.<\/p>\n<p>The prophets describe the final establishment of God’s kingdom in terms of a theophany—a divine visitation (Mi 1:3-4). Zechariah foresees a “Day of the Lord” when all nations will be gathered in battle against Jerusalem, when the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations (Zec 14:3, 5). Israel will be visited by the Lord (Is 29:6) and delivered from its enemies (35:4; 59:20). God’s coming will also mean judgment (2:21; 26:21). This final coming of God will mean the salvation of the Gentiles as well as of Israel (Zec 2:10-11; cf. Is 66:18-24).<\/p>\n<p>Behind this language is a distinct theology of “the God who comes.” It is a fact widely recognized in contemporary OT theology that the God of the OT is not a nature god, like the gods of other peoples, but a God of history—a God who visits his people in history to bless or to judge them. God visited Israel in Egypt to deliver them from bondage and to constitute them as his people. The rescue from Egypt was not merely an act of deliverance; it was an act through which God made himself known and through which Israel was to know and serve him.<\/p>\n<p>Because God has visited his people again and again in their history, he must finally come to them in the future to judge wickedness and to establish his kingdom. Israel’s hope is thus rooted in history, or rather in the God who works in history. God will finally break into history in a glorious theophany to establish his rule in all the earth. The source of the kingdom is not history itself but God.<\/p>\n<p>While the prophets visualize the kingdom as coming from God, the kingdom is always on earth. The divine irruption into the natural order is not designed to accomplish its destruction but to make way for a new, perfect order arising out of the old, imperfect one. The prophets do not present a single consistent picture of the new order. Sometimes the new order is described very much in this-worldly terms. “The terraced vineyards on the hills of Israel will drip with sweet wine” (Am 9:13, <span>nlt<\/span>). On the other hand, God will create new heavens and a new earth (Is 65:17; 66:22), where there will be untroubled joy, prosperity, peace, and righteousness. The final visitation of God will mean the redemption of the world, for a redeemed earth is the scene of the kingdom of God. The prophets look forward again and again to the deliverance of creation “from the bondage to decay.” The description is often couched in simple physical terms. The wilderness will become fruitful (32:15); the desert will blossom (35:2); sorrow and sighing will flee away (v 10). The burning sands will be cooled and the dry places become springs of water (v 7); peace will return to the animal world so that all injury and destruction are done away with (11:6). All this results because the earth becomes full of the knowledge of God (v 9).<\/p>\n<p>Such language is not mere poetry but reflects a profound theology of creation. Humans as creatures were made to dwell on the earth, and the earth shares in human destiny. The main point is that creation as such is good and not a hindrance to true spirituality, as was often true in Greek thought. Redemption always includes redemption of the earth, which then becomes the blessed environment God intended it to be. Salvation does not mean deliverance from creaturehood, for this is not an evil thing but an essential and permanent element of true, human existence. Salvation does not mean escape from bodily creaturely existence, as in some Greek thought. On the contrary, ultimate redemption will mean the redemption of the whole person. The emergence of the doctrine of bodily resurrection is a reflection of this theology of creaturehood. The corollary of this is that creation in its entirety must share in the blessing of redemption.<\/p>\n<p>A distinctive element in prophetic eschatology is the tension between history and eschatology. That is, as the prophets looked into the future, they saw an immediate historical judgment as well as a more remote eschatological visitation. For Amos, the Day of the Lord is both the immediate judgment of Israel by the Assyrians and a final eschatological salvation. Joel sees an imminent historical visitation of drought and locusts, but beyond this he sees the eschatological Day of the Lord. Zephaniah sees an imminent Day of the Lord in some undesignated historical visitation (Zep 1:2-18), but beyond it he sees the salvation of the Gentiles (3:9). The same God who acts in history to bless and judge his people will act at the end of history in an eschatological act of judgment and salvation. The prophets do not sharply distinguish between these two days, for it is one and the same God who is concerned to judge and save his people.<\/p>\n<p>The eschatological hope of the prophets is always an ethical hope. That is to say, the prophets are not interested in the future for its own sake but for the impact of the future on the present. The prophetic predictions were given that, in light of future judgment and salvation, Israel might be confronted in the present by the will of God. “Prepare to meet your God as he comes in judgment, you people of Israel” (Am 4:12, <span>nlt<\/span>) might well be taken as the keynote of all the prophets.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"IntheNewTestament\">In the New Testament<\/p>\n<h5>The Synoptic Gospels<\/h5>\n<p>Jesus’ teachings about the kingdom of God embodied the same contrast between the present order and the future age as that of the prophets, and he expressed it in the idiom “this age and the age to come.” This fact is obscured in the <span>kjv<\/span>, which translates the word for “age” by “world.” These are, however, two different concepts. A rich man asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life (Mk 10:17). The context makes it clear that he was asking about eschatological life—the life of the resurrection (Dn 12:2). Jesus speaks of the difficulty of entering the kingdom of God. (The parallel passage in Matthew 19:23-24 has both “kingdom of God” and “kingdom of heaven,” proving that they are interchangeable terms.) In their reaction the disciples ask, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus’ answer contrasts the lot of his disciples “in this time” with the “age to come” (Mk 10:29-30) when they would inherit eternal life. It is clear from this passage that in some sense the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven, salvation, and eternal life all belong to the age to come. So far as this saying is concerned, God’s people will not experience eternal life until they do so in the new age.<\/p>\n<p>Matthew alone records the expression “the close of the age.” This age will be terminated by the coming of the Son of Man (Mt 24:3) and by the judgment of humanity (13:39-42). Then the righteous will be separated from the wicked (v 49). The same expression occurs in the promise of the risen Jesus assuring his disciples of his presence until the consummation of the age (28:20). It follows that if this age is to come to its consummation, it must be followed by another age—the age to come.<\/p>\n<p>The eschatological kingdom will be inaugurated by an apocalyptic event—the glorious coming of the Son of Man. This is made clear by two of the parables about the kingdom of God. In the parable of the tares, “the Son of man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and throw them into the furnace of fire” (Mt 13:41-42, <span>rsv<\/span>). The parable of the sheep and goats reflects the same eschatology. When the Son of Man comes in his glory, he will sit on his glorious throne to judge the nations, separating the sheep from the goats. The righteous—the sheep—are to “inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world”; and entrance into the kingdom is synonymous with entrance into life (25:31-46, <span>rsv<\/span>).<\/p>\n<p>The eschatological character of the kingdom of God is seen also in the other two parables of Matthew 25. “The kingdom of heaven shall be compared to ten maidens who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom” (v 1, <span>rsv<\/span>). However, five of them were foolish and did not provide an adequate supply of oil for their lamps. Thus they were late for the wedding and were excluded from the wedding feast—a symbol of the eschatological kingdom—while those properly prepared entered the kingdom. In the same way the two faithful servants who had been “faithful over a little” were granted to “enter into the joy of your master” (vv 21, 23), while the unfaithful servant was excluded from the kingdom and cast into outer darkness.<\/p>\n<p>Jesus almost never showed any interest in descriptions of the eschatological kingdom, but it is clear that its coming was constantly in his thoughts. The pure in heart will see God (Mt 5:8). The harvest will take place and the grain will be gathered into the barn (13:30, 39; Mk 4:29). Jesus frequently used the metaphor of a feast or table fellowship to describe life in the eschatological kingdom. He will drink wine again with his disciples in the kingdom of God. They will eat and drink at Jesus’ table in the kingdom (Lk 22:30). People will be gathered from all corners of the earth to sit at a table with the OT saints (Mt 8:11-12; Lk 13:29). The consummation is likened to a wedding feast (Mt 22:1-14) and a banquet (Lk 14:16-24). All of these metaphors picture the restoration of communion between God and people, a union that had been broken by sin.<\/p>\n<p>In most of the sayings cited to illustrate the future character of the kingdom, “kingdom” refers to the eschatological order—the eschaton, the age to come. However, when Jesus taught his disciples to pray “Thy kingdom come” (Mt 6:10), he was not referring to the new eschatological order; he was referring to the kingdom as God’s kingly rule, his reign. It is a prayer that God will effectively establish his sovereign rule in the world.<\/p>\n<p>In his teaching about the kingdom of God as the apocalyptic consummation, Jesus does not differ essentially from the OT prophets. The most distinctive element in Jesus’ teaching—indeed, the fact that characterizes his entire mission and message—is the fact that in some real sense of the word, the kingdom of God has come in history in an utterly unexpected way. This sets Jesus’ teaching apart from all contemporary Jewish thought.<\/p>\n<p>This is seen first of all in his repeated teaching that his mission is a fulfillment of the OT messianic prophets. Mark summarizes Jesus’ message with the words “The Kingdom of God is near! Turn from your sins and believe this Good News!” (Mk 1:15, <span>nlt<\/span>). This saying can have one of two meanings. It may refer to the imminent coming of the apocalyptic kingdom. Matthew summarizes the message of John the Baptist with nearly the same words: “Turn from your sins and turn to God, because the Kingdom of Heaven is near” (Mt 3:2, <span>nlt<\/span>). The Baptist expounds what he means by the approach of the kingdom of God: “He is ready to separate the chaff from the grain with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, storing the grain in his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire” (v 12, <span>nlt<\/span>). John proclaimed an apocalyptic act; “unquenchable fire” can mean no strictly historical event but only an apocalyptic judgment. John expected Jesus to be the one in whom the cosmic event expected by the prophets would be carried out.<\/p>\n<p>It is possible that this was also Jesus’ meaning. However, another interpretation is possible that is better supported by the actual course of his mission: “The time is fulfilled.” The messianic promises of the prophets were not only about to be fulfilled; they were actually in process of fulfillment in his mission. In Jesus, God was visiting his people. The hope of the prophets in some real sense was being realized.<\/p>\n<p>The meaning of this can be seen in Luke’s introduction of Jesus’ ministry. Luke selects an event that occurred in Nazareth later in Jesus’ ministry (Lk 4:16-21) and places it at the beginning of his Gospel in order to sound this note of fulfillment. Jesus read from Isaiah a promise that looked forward to the messianic salvation: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has appointed me to preach Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the downtrodden will be freed from their oppressors, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come” (vv 18-19, <span>nlt<\/span>). Then Jesus astonished his audience by the assertion “This Scripture has come true today before your very eyes!” (v 21, <span>nlt<\/span>).<\/p>\n<p>Here was an amazing claim. John the Baptist had announced an apocalyptic visitation of God that would mean the fulfillment of the eschatological hope and the consummation of the messianic age. Jesus proclaimed that the messianic promise was actually being fulfilled in his person. This is no apocalyptic kingdom but a present salvation. In these words Jesus did not proclaim the imminence of the apocalyptic kingdom. Rather, he boldly announced that the kingdom of God had come. The presence of the kingdom was a happening, an event, the gracious action of God. This was no new theology or new idea or new promise; it was a new event in history.<\/p>\n<p>The note of fulfillment is again sounded in Jesus’ answer to the question about fasting. “Do wedding guests fast while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. They can’t fast while they are with the groom” (Mk 2:19, <span>nlt<\/span>). The marriage feast had become a metaphor in Judaism for the messianic consummation. In these words Jesus announced the presence of the messianic time of salvation. It would be a contradiction in terms for the disciples to fast when they were enjoying the blessings of the messianic age. The time of fulfillment had come.<\/p>\n<p>A saying found in different contexts in Matthew and Luke touches this central note of the fulfillment in history of the OT hope: “Blessed are the eyes which see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it” (Lk 10:23-24, <span>rsv<\/span>; cf. Mt 13:16-17). Both Matthew and Luke associate this saying with the kingdom of God, and both agree that the hope of former generations has become an object of experience. Many prophets and kings looked forward to something, but they looked in vain, for it did not come to them. What they longed for has now come, and this can be nothing less than the promised messianic salvation.<\/p>\n<p>Fulfillment in history is again asserted in Jesus’ answer to John’s question about the one who is to come (Mt 11:2-3). “The deeds of the Christ” (Messiah) were not the deeds John had announced. Wicked rulers like Herod were not being judged in fire. Instead, Jesus was helping people, not bringing an apocalyptic kingdom. Jesus replied in words that echo the promise of the messianic salvation in Isaiah 35:5-6: “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them” (Mt 11:4-5, <span>rsv<\/span>). In these words Jesus claimed that the blessings of the messianic salvation are present. There was indeed reason for John’s perplexity, for the fulfillment was not taking place along expected lines. The apocalyptic consummation did not appear to be on the horizon. The point of Jesus’ answer was that fulfillment was taking place without the eschatological consummation. Therefore, Jesus pronounced a special blessing upon those who were not offended by the character of the messianic fulfillment (v 6). The fulfillment was indeed taking place, but not the apocalyptic consummation.<\/p>\n<p>The most unambiguous statement of the presence of the kingdom is found in the words about the binding of Satan. One of Jesus’ most characteristic acts was the exorcism of demons—deliverance from satanic power. The Pharisees admitted his power but attributed it to Satan. Jesus replied, “If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? . . . But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God is come upon you” (Mt 12:26, 28, <span>rsv<\/span>). Here the verb has the clear meaning “to come, to arrive” (cf. Rom 9:30; 2 Cor 10:14; Phil 3:16). Here is a clear affirmation that the kingdom of God has come among men.<\/p>\n<p>In explanation Jesus said, “Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house” (Mt 12:29, <span>rsv<\/span>). The strong man is Satan; this “present evil age” (Gal 1:4) is his “house”; his “goods” are demon-possessed men and women. Jesus has invaded the strong man’s house to snatch away from him men and women whom he has in his power, and this is the work of the kingdom of God. The kingly reign of God has come into history in the person of Jesus before the apocalyptic consummation when Satan will be destroyed, to render Satan a preliminary defeat. Jesus has already “bound” Satan (i.e., curbed his power). This has been accomplished by the presence of the kingdom of God in the mission of Jesus.<\/p>\n<p>A similar saying is found in Luke 10:18. Jesus had sent a band of his disciples on a preaching mission. Like Jesus, they were to proclaim the nearness of the kingdom of God (Lk 10:9). They, too, were to exorcize demons. When they returned to Jesus to report their success, Jesus said, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” (v 18, <span>rsv<\/span>). This again is metaphorical language that asserts that in the mission of Jesus’ disciples, as well as in Jesus himself, Satan has fallen from his place of power. Both “binding” and “falling” are metaphors that describe the same truth: the victory of the kingdom of God over Satan.<\/p>\n<p>Here is the element that sets Jesus apart from the OT and from all of contemporary Judaism. The prophets conceived of the kingdom being established by a heavenly supernatural being (Dn 7) or ruled by a powerful Davidic messianic king (Is 9, 11). The fulfillment of the messianic hope is everywhere in the prophets an eschatological hope. The same is true of the Jewish writers who despaired of history and cast all hope into the future.<\/p>\n<p>In contrast to all that had gone before him, Jesus proclaimed the kingdom of God as an event taking place in his own person and mission. God had again assumed the initiative; God was acting. No first-century Jew had any idea of the kingdom of God coming into history in the person of an ordinary man—a teacher who was meek and lowly.<\/p>\n<p>The presence of the kingdom is further seen in the fact that the rule of God, present in Jesus, is a gift to be received. This is also true of the kingdom in its eschatological consummation, where the kingdom is freely inherited by the righteous (Mt 25:34). In answer to the young man’s question about inheriting eternal life (Mk 10:17), Jesus spoke of entering the kingdom (vv 23-24) and receiving the gift of eternal life (v 30) as though they were synonymous. The kingdom is a gift that the Father is pleased to bestow upon the little flock of Jesus’ disciples (Lk 12:32).<\/p>\n<p>If God’s eschatological rule brings to his people the blessings of that kingdom, and if God’s kingdom is his rule invading history before the eschatological consummation, then we may expect God’s rule in the present to bring a preliminary blessing to his people. This fact is reflected in numerous sayings. The kingdom is something to be sought here and now (Mt 6:33) and to be received as children receive a gift (Mk 10:15; Lk 18:16-17). Although it is present in an unexpected form, the kingdom of God in Jesus’ person is like a hidden treasure or a pearl of great price whose possession outranks all other goods (Mt 13:44-46). The gift of the kingdom is also seen in that the deaf hear, the blind see, lepers are cleansed, and the poor have good news preached to them (11:5).<\/p>\n<h5>John’s Gospel<\/h5>\n<p>In the Gospel of John the concept of eternal life takes the place of the kingdom of God in Jesus’ teaching. The kingdom of God is mentioned twice (Jn 3:3, 5), and it is placed in connection with eternal life. The kingdom of God is here the eschatological kingdom, and eternal life is the life of the kingdom. Thus, as the kingdom of God in the synoptic Gospels is both future and present, so eternal life is both the life of the age to come (12:25) and also a present blessing (3:16, etc.).<\/p>\n<h5>Acts<\/h5>\n<p>In Acts it seems the earliest disciples generally failed to understand Jesus’ message about the kingdom of God as a present spiritual blessing. They gathered together to await the coming of the eschatological kingdom to Israel (Acts 1:6). Acts relates that the disciples continued to preach the kingdom of God, but usually it is an eschatological blessing (8:12; 14:22; 19:8; 20:25; 28:23, 31). However, the last two references make the kingdom of God synonymous with the gospel about Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n<p>One important theme in Acts is linked to that of the kingdom of God. On the Day of Pentecost, Peter announces that God has seated Jesus at his right hand in fulfillment of Psalm 110:1 (Acts 2:33-35). In the Psalms this is a prophecy of the enthronement of the Davidic king in Jerusalem. Peter asserts that this prophecy is now fulfilled in the heavenly reign of Jesus. Therefore, he has been made both Lord and Christ (Messiah). These are interchangeable terms, “Lord” meaning absolute sovereign, “Christ” meaning the messianic king.<\/p>\n<h5>Paul’s Writings<\/h5>\n<p>Paul carried further this theme of the heavenly rule of Christ, the anointed King. The kingdom is both an eschatological inheritance (1 Cor 6:9; 15:50; Gal 5:21; Eph 5:5; 1 Thes 2:12; 2 Thes 1:5; 2 Tm 4:1, 18) and a present blessing into which believers now enter (Rom 14:17; Col 1:13). The key to this is the interchangeable character of lordship and messianic kingship. Jesus is now exalted as Lord over all (Phil 2:11), and even as his lordship is invisible, it will become manifest to all at his second coming. In the same way, he has been enthroned as messianic King by virtue of his resurrection and heavenly session, and he must reign as King until he has put all his enemies under his feet (1 Cor 15:25; Eph 1:22). The last enemy to be destroyed is death.<\/p>\n<h5>Revelation<\/h5>\n<p>The central message of the Revelation to John is the consummation of God’s redemptive purpose, when the kingdom of this world becomes the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ (Rv 11:15). Revelation pictures the plight of a persecuted church in a hostile world, but it assures the church that Christ has already won a victory over the powers of evil (5:5), by virtue of which he can finally destroy them (19:11–20:14). Again, the last enemy to be destroyed is death (20:13-14). Revelation closes with a highly symbolic picture of the kingdom of God (chs 21–22) when God comes to dwell among his people, and “they shall see his face” (22:4). Thus the NT ends: divine order is restored to a disordered world. This is the kingdom of God.<\/p>\n<p><em>See also<\/em> Jesus Christ, Teachings of; King; Parable.<\/p>","summary_ro":"KINGDOM OF GOD, KINGDOM OF HEAVEN The sovereign rule of God, initiated by Christ’s earthly ministry and consummated when the kingdom of the world becomes the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ (Rv 11:15). Preview • Introduction • Old Testament Background • In the New Testament Introduction According to the testimony of the first three Gospels, the proclamation of the kingdom of God was Jesus’ central message. Matthew summarizes the Galilean ministry with the words “Jesus traveled throughou...","summary_en":"KINGDOM OF GOD, KINGDOM OF HEAVEN The sovereign rule of God, initiated by Christ’s earthly ministry and consummated when the kingdom of the world becomes the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ (Rv 11:15). Preview • Introduction • Old Testament Background • In the New Testament Introduction According to the testimony of the first three Gospels, the proclamation of the kingdom of God was Jesus’ central message. Matthew summarizes the Galilean ministry with the words “Jesus traveled throughou...","source":"Articles\/K.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":66768,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"The Old Realm and the New","title_en":"The Old Realm and the New","content_ro":"<h3>The Old Realm and the New<\/h3>\n<p>Jews in Paul’s day perceived a contrast between the “present evil age” and a “glorious age to come.” Throughout Romans 5–8, Paul uses these contrasting realms to conceptualize our experience of salvation. The old realm is ruled by death (5:12-21), sin (ch 6), the law (ch 7), and sinful nature (8:1-11). The new realm is characterized by life (ch 5), righteous living (ch 6), grace (ch 6), and the Holy Spirit (ch 8). People’s destinies are directly impacted by the realm to which they belong.<\/p>\n<p>Each realm is headed by a man who represents its constituents. The old realm of sin and death is headed by Adam, the first man, while the new realm of forgiveness and life is headed by Christ. By nature, all human beings are in the old realm of sin and death and are represented by Adam, the first man—whose sin and death control the destiny of all people (5:12, 18-19). Those who put their faith in God through Christ are transferred by faith into the new realm of life. God appointed Jesus Christ as a “second Adam” (see 5:14). By obeying God and fulfilling God’s will, Jesus won a decisive victory over the realm of sin that Adam had inaugurated (5:18-19). By receiving God’s gift of grace (5:17), people accept Jesus as their head and look forward to eternal life.<\/p>\n<p>Those who are in the new realm are identified with Christ and enjoy the benefits of union with him. They have “died with Christ,” they have been “buried with Christ,” and their present new life with Christ is an anticipation of the day when they will “live with him” forever (6:3-11).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Pss 2:1-10; 110:2; 145:13; Dan 2:31-45; 7:1-28; Matt 3:2; 6:10; 7:13; 8:11-12; 12:25-28; 13:44-52; 20:25-28; John 18:36; Rom 5:12–8:39; 14:17; 1 Cor 6:9-11; 15:20-28; Gal 5:16-26; Eph 1:3, 20; 2:6; 5:1-20; Col 1:13-14; Heb 6:4-5; 12:18-29; Rev 11:15; 12:10<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>The Old Realm and the New<\/h3>\n<p>Jews in Paul’s day perceived a contrast between the “present evil age” and a “glorious age to come.” Throughout Romans 5–8, Paul uses these contrasting realms to conceptualize our experience of salvation. The old realm is ruled by death (5:12-21), sin (ch 6), the law (ch 7), and sinful nature (8:1-11). The new realm is characterized by life (ch 5), righteous living (ch 6), grace (ch 6), and the Holy Spirit (ch 8). People’s destinies are directly impacted by the realm to which they belong.<\/p>\n<p>Each realm is headed by a man who represents its constituents. The old realm of sin and death is headed by Adam, the first man, while the new realm of forgiveness and life is headed by Christ. By nature, all human beings are in the old realm of sin and death and are represented by Adam, the first man—whose sin and death control the destiny of all people (5:12, 18-19). Those who put their faith in God through Christ are transferred by faith into the new realm of life. God appointed Jesus Christ as a “second Adam” (see 5:14). By obeying God and fulfilling God’s will, Jesus won a decisive victory over the realm of sin that Adam had inaugurated (5:18-19). By receiving God’s gift of grace (5:17), people accept Jesus as their head and look forward to eternal life.<\/p>\n<p>Those who are in the new realm are identified with Christ and enjoy the benefits of union with him. They have “died with Christ,” they have been “buried with Christ,” and their present new life with Christ is an anticipation of the day when they will “live with him” forever (6:3-11).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Pss 2:1-10; 110:2; 145:13; Dan 2:31-45; 7:1-28; Matt 3:2; 6:10; 7:13; 8:11-12; 12:25-28; 13:44-52; 20:25-28; John 18:36; Rom 5:12–8:39; 14:17; 1 Cor 6:9-11; 15:20-28; Gal 5:16-26; Eph 1:3, 20; 2:6; 5:1-20; Col 1:13-14; Heb 6:4-5; 12:18-29; Rev 11:15; 12:10<\/p>","summary_ro":"The Old Realm and the New Jews in Paul’s day perceived a contrast between the “present evil age” and a “glorious age to come.” Throughout Romans 5–8, Paul uses these contrasting realms to conceptualize our experience of salvation. The old realm is ruled by death (5:12-21), sin (ch 6), the law (ch 7), and sinful nature (8:1-11). The new realm is characterized by life (ch 5), righteous living (ch 6), grace (ch 6), and the Holy Spirit (ch 8). People’s destinies are directly impacted by the realm...","summary_en":"The Old Realm and the New Jews in Paul’s day perceived a contrast between the “present evil age” and a “glorious age to come.” Throughout Romans 5–8, Paul uses these contrasting realms to conceptualize our experience of salvation. The old realm is ruled by death (5:12-21), sin (ch 6), the law (ch 7), and sinful nature (8:1-11). The new realm is characterized by life (ch 5), righteous living (ch 6), grace (ch 6), and the Holy Spirit (ch 8). People’s destinies are directly impacted by the realm...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":94394,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"The Old Realm and the New","title_en":"The Old Realm and the New","content_ro":"<h3>The Old Realm and the New<\/h3>\n<p>Jews in Paul’s day perceived a contrast between the “present evil age” and a “glorious age to come.” Throughout Romans 5–8, Paul uses these contrasting realms to conceptualize our experience of salvation. The old realm is ruled by death (5:12-21), sin (ch 6), the law (ch 7), and sinful nature (8:1-11). The new realm is characterized by life (ch 5), righteous living (ch 6), grace (ch 6), and the Holy Spirit (ch 8). People’s destinies are directly impacted by the realm to which they belong.<\/p>\n<p>Each realm is headed by a man who represents its constituents. The old realm of sin and death is headed by Adam, the first man, while the new realm of forgiveness and life is headed by Christ. By nature, all human beings are in the old realm of sin and death and are represented by Adam, the first man—whose sin and death control the destiny of all people (5:12, 18-19). Those who put their faith in God through Christ are transferred by faith into the new realm of life. God appointed Jesus Christ as a “second Adam” (see 5:14). By obeying God and fulfilling God’s will, Jesus won a decisive victory over the realm of sin that Adam had inaugurated (5:18-19). By receiving God’s gift of grace (5:17), people accept Jesus as their head and look forward to eternal life.<\/p>\n<p>Those who are in the new realm are identified with Christ and enjoy the benefits of union with him. They have “died with Christ,” they have been “buried with Christ,” and their present new life with Christ is an anticipation of the day when they will “live with him” forever (6:3-11).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Pss 2:1-10; 110:2; 145:13; Dan 2:31-45; 7:1-28; Matt 3:2; 6:10; 7:13; 8:11-12; 12:25-28; 13:44-52; 20:25-28; John 18:36; Rom 5:12–8:39; 14:17; 1 Cor 6:9-11; 15:20-28; Gal 5:16-26; Eph 1:3, 20; 2:6; 5:1-20; Col 1:13-14; Heb 6:4-5; 12:18-29; Rev 11:15; 12:10<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>The Old Realm and the New<\/h3>\n<p>Jews in Paul’s day perceived a contrast between the “present evil age” and a “glorious age to come.” Throughout Romans 5–8, Paul uses these contrasting realms to conceptualize our experience of salvation. The old realm is ruled by death (5:12-21), sin (ch 6), the law (ch 7), and sinful nature (8:1-11). The new realm is characterized by life (ch 5), righteous living (ch 6), grace (ch 6), and the Holy Spirit (ch 8). People’s destinies are directly impacted by the realm to which they belong.<\/p>\n<p>Each realm is headed by a man who represents its constituents. The old realm of sin and death is headed by Adam, the first man, while the new realm of forgiveness and life is headed by Christ. By nature, all human beings are in the old realm of sin and death and are represented by Adam, the first man—whose sin and death control the destiny of all people (5:12, 18-19). Those who put their faith in God through Christ are transferred by faith into the new realm of life. God appointed Jesus Christ as a “second Adam” (see 5:14). By obeying God and fulfilling God’s will, Jesus won a decisive victory over the realm of sin that Adam had inaugurated (5:18-19). By receiving God’s gift of grace (5:17), people accept Jesus as their head and look forward to eternal life.<\/p>\n<p>Those who are in the new realm are identified with Christ and enjoy the benefits of union with him. They have “died with Christ,” they have been “buried with Christ,” and their present new life with Christ is an anticipation of the day when they will “live with him” forever (6:3-11).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Pss 2:1-10; 110:2; 145:13; Dan 2:31-45; 7:1-28; Matt 3:2; 6:10; 7:13; 8:11-12; 12:25-28; 13:44-52; 20:25-28; John 18:36; Rom 5:12–8:39; 14:17; 1 Cor 6:9-11; 15:20-28; Gal 5:16-26; Eph 1:3, 20; 2:6; 5:1-20; Col 1:13-14; Heb 6:4-5; 12:18-29; Rev 11:15; 12:10<\/p>","summary_ro":"The Old Realm and the New Jews in Paul’s day perceived a contrast between the “present evil age” and a “glorious age to come.” Throughout Romans 5–8, Paul uses these contrasting realms to conceptualize our experience of salvation. The old realm is ruled by death (5:12-21), sin (ch 6), the law (ch 7), and sinful nature (8:1-11). The new realm is characterized by life (ch 5), righteous living (ch 6), grace (ch 6), and the Holy Spirit (ch 8). People’s destinies are directly impacted by the realm...","summary_en":"The Old Realm and the New Jews in Paul’s day perceived a contrast between the “present evil age” and a “glorious age to come.” Throughout Romans 5–8, Paul uses these contrasting realms to conceptualize our experience of salvation. The old realm is ruled by death (5:12-21), sin (ch 6), the law (ch 7), and sinful nature (8:1-11). The new realm is characterized by life (ch 5), righteous living (ch 6), grace (ch 6), and the Holy Spirit (ch 8). People’s destinies are directly impacted by the realm...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":122020,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"The Old Realm and the New","title_en":"The Old Realm and the New","content_ro":"<h3>The Old Realm and the New<\/h3>\n<p>Jews in Paul’s day perceived a contrast between the “present evil age” and a “glorious age to come.” Throughout Romans 5–8, Paul uses these contrasting realms to conceptualize our experience of salvation. The old realm is ruled by death (5:12-21), sin (ch 6), the law (ch 7), and sinful nature (8:1-11). The new realm is characterized by life (ch 5), righteous living (ch 6), grace (ch 6), and the Holy Spirit (ch 8). People’s destinies are directly impacted by the realm to which they belong.<\/p>\n<p>Each realm is headed by a man who represents its constituents. The old realm of sin and death is headed by Adam, the first man, while the new realm of forgiveness and life is headed by Christ. By nature, all human beings are in the old realm of sin and death and are represented by Adam, the first man—whose sin and death control the destiny of all people (5:12, 18-19). Those who put their faith in God through Christ are transferred by faith into the new realm of life. God appointed Jesus Christ as a “second Adam” (see 5:14). By obeying God and fulfilling God’s will, Jesus won a decisive victory over the realm of sin that Adam had inaugurated (5:18-19). By receiving God’s gift of grace (5:17), people accept Jesus as their head and look forward to eternal life.<\/p>\n<p>Those who are in the new realm are identified with Christ and enjoy the benefits of union with him. They have “died with Christ,” they have been “buried with Christ,” and their present new life with Christ is an anticipation of the day when they will “live with him” forever (6:3-11).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Pss 2:1-10; 110:2; 145:13; Dan 2:31-45; 7:1-28; Matt 3:2; 6:10; 7:13; 8:11-12; 12:25-28; 13:44-52; 20:25-28; John 18:36; Rom 5:12–8:39; 14:17; 1 Cor 6:9-11; 15:20-28; Gal 5:16-26; Eph 1:3, 20; 2:6; 5:1-20; Col 1:13-14; Heb 6:4-5; 12:18-29; Rev 11:15; 12:10<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>The Old Realm and the New<\/h3>\n<p>Jews in Paul’s day perceived a contrast between the “present evil age” and a “glorious age to come.” Throughout Romans 5–8, Paul uses these contrasting realms to conceptualize our experience of salvation. The old realm is ruled by death (5:12-21), sin (ch 6), the law (ch 7), and sinful nature (8:1-11). The new realm is characterized by life (ch 5), righteous living (ch 6), grace (ch 6), and the Holy Spirit (ch 8). People’s destinies are directly impacted by the realm to which they belong.<\/p>\n<p>Each realm is headed by a man who represents its constituents. The old realm of sin and death is headed by Adam, the first man, while the new realm of forgiveness and life is headed by Christ. By nature, all human beings are in the old realm of sin and death and are represented by Adam, the first man—whose sin and death control the destiny of all people (5:12, 18-19). Those who put their faith in God through Christ are transferred by faith into the new realm of life. God appointed Jesus Christ as a “second Adam” (see 5:14). By obeying God and fulfilling God’s will, Jesus won a decisive victory over the realm of sin that Adam had inaugurated (5:18-19). By receiving God’s gift of grace (5:17), people accept Jesus as their head and look forward to eternal life.<\/p>\n<p>Those who are in the new realm are identified with Christ and enjoy the benefits of union with him. They have “died with Christ,” they have been “buried with Christ,” and their present new life with Christ is an anticipation of the day when they will “live with him” forever (6:3-11).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Pss 2:1-10; 110:2; 145:13; Dan 2:31-45; 7:1-28; Matt 3:2; 6:10; 7:13; 8:11-12; 12:25-28; 13:44-52; 20:25-28; John 18:36; Rom 5:12–8:39; 14:17; 1 Cor 6:9-11; 15:20-28; Gal 5:16-26; Eph 1:3, 20; 2:6; 5:1-20; Col 1:13-14; Heb 6:4-5; 12:18-29; Rev 11:15; 12:10<\/p>","summary_ro":"The Old Realm and the New Jews in Paul’s day perceived a contrast between the “present evil age” and a “glorious age to come.” Throughout Romans 5–8, Paul uses these contrasting realms to conceptualize our experience of salvation. The old realm is ruled by death (5:12-21), sin (ch 6), the law (ch 7), and sinful nature (8:1-11). The new realm is characterized by life (ch 5), righteous living (ch 6), grace (ch 6), and the Holy Spirit (ch 8). People’s destinies are directly impacted by the realm...","summary_en":"The Old Realm and the New Jews in Paul’s day perceived a contrast between the “present evil age” and a “glorious age to come.” Throughout Romans 5–8, Paul uses these contrasting realms to conceptualize our experience of salvation. The old realm is ruled by death (5:12-21), sin (ch 6), the law (ch 7), and sinful nature (8:1-11). The new realm is characterized by life (ch 5), righteous living (ch 6), grace (ch 6), and the Holy Spirit (ch 8). People’s destinies are directly impacted by the realm...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":149646,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"The Old Realm and the New","title_en":"The Old Realm and the New","content_ro":"<h3>The Old Realm and the New<\/h3>\n<p>Jews in Paul’s day perceived a contrast between the “present evil age” and a “glorious age to come.” Throughout Romans 5–8, Paul uses these contrasting realms to conceptualize our experience of salvation. The old realm is ruled by death (5:12-21), sin (ch 6), the law (ch 7), and sinful nature (8:1-11). The new realm is characterized by life (ch 5), righteous living (ch 6), grace (ch 6), and the Holy Spirit (ch 8). People’s destinies are directly impacted by the realm to which they belong.<\/p>\n<p>Each realm is headed by a man who represents its constituents. The old realm of sin and death is headed by Adam, the first man, while the new realm of forgiveness and life is headed by Christ. By nature, all human beings are in the old realm of sin and death and are represented by Adam, the first man—whose sin and death control the destiny of all people (5:12, 18-19). Those who put their faith in God through Christ are transferred by faith into the new realm of life. God appointed Jesus Christ as a “second Adam” (see 5:14). By obeying God and fulfilling God’s will, Jesus won a decisive victory over the realm of sin that Adam had inaugurated (5:18-19). By receiving God’s gift of grace (5:17), people accept Jesus as their head and look forward to eternal life.<\/p>\n<p>Those who are in the new realm are identified with Christ and enjoy the benefits of union with him. They have “died with Christ,” they have been “buried with Christ,” and their present new life with Christ is an anticipation of the day when they will “live with him” forever (6:3-11).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Pss 2:1-10; 110:2; 145:13; Dan 2:31-45; 7:1-28; Matt 3:2; 6:10; 7:13; 8:11-12; 12:25-28; 13:44-52; 20:25-28; John 18:36; Rom 5:12–8:39; 14:17; 1 Cor 6:9-11; 15:20-28; Gal 5:16-26; Eph 1:3, 20; 2:6; 5:1-20; Col 1:13-14; Heb 6:4-5; 12:18-29; Rev 11:15; 12:10<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>The Old Realm and the New<\/h3>\n<p>Jews in Paul’s day perceived a contrast between the “present evil age” and a “glorious age to come.” Throughout Romans 5–8, Paul uses these contrasting realms to conceptualize our experience of salvation. The old realm is ruled by death (5:12-21), sin (ch 6), the law (ch 7), and sinful nature (8:1-11). The new realm is characterized by life (ch 5), righteous living (ch 6), grace (ch 6), and the Holy Spirit (ch 8). People’s destinies are directly impacted by the realm to which they belong.<\/p>\n<p>Each realm is headed by a man who represents its constituents. The old realm of sin and death is headed by Adam, the first man, while the new realm of forgiveness and life is headed by Christ. By nature, all human beings are in the old realm of sin and death and are represented by Adam, the first man—whose sin and death control the destiny of all people (5:12, 18-19). Those who put their faith in God through Christ are transferred by faith into the new realm of life. God appointed Jesus Christ as a “second Adam” (see 5:14). By obeying God and fulfilling God’s will, Jesus won a decisive victory over the realm of sin that Adam had inaugurated (5:18-19). By receiving God’s gift of grace (5:17), people accept Jesus as their head and look forward to eternal life.<\/p>\n<p>Those who are in the new realm are identified with Christ and enjoy the benefits of union with him. They have “died with Christ,” they have been “buried with Christ,” and their present new life with Christ is an anticipation of the day when they will “live with him” forever (6:3-11).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Pss 2:1-10; 110:2; 145:13; Dan 2:31-45; 7:1-28; Matt 3:2; 6:10; 7:13; 8:11-12; 12:25-28; 13:44-52; 20:25-28; John 18:36; Rom 5:12–8:39; 14:17; 1 Cor 6:9-11; 15:20-28; Gal 5:16-26; Eph 1:3, 20; 2:6; 5:1-20; Col 1:13-14; Heb 6:4-5; 12:18-29; Rev 11:15; 12:10<\/p>","summary_ro":"The Old Realm and the New Jews in Paul’s day perceived a contrast between the “present evil age” and a “glorious age to come.” Throughout Romans 5–8, Paul uses these contrasting realms to conceptualize our experience of salvation. The old realm is ruled by death (5:12-21), sin (ch 6), the law (ch 7), and sinful nature (8:1-11). The new realm is characterized by life (ch 5), righteous living (ch 6), grace (ch 6), and the Holy Spirit (ch 8). People’s destinies are directly impacted by the realm...","summary_en":"The Old Realm and the New Jews in Paul’s day perceived a contrast between the “present evil age” and a “glorious age to come.” Throughout Romans 5–8, Paul uses these contrasting realms to conceptualize our experience of salvation. The old realm is ruled by death (5:12-21), sin (ch 6), the law (ch 7), and sinful nature (8:1-11). The new realm is characterized by life (ch 5), righteous living (ch 6), grace (ch 6), and the Holy Spirit (ch 8). People’s destinies are directly impacted by the realm...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false}],"19":[{"id":29376,"type":"article","type_label":"Articol","type_icon":"📖","type_color":"#d4af37","title_ro":"Peace","title_en":"Peace","content_ro":"<h3>PEACE<\/h3>\n<p>Total well-being, prosperity, and security associated with God’s presence among his people. Linked in the OT with the covenant, the presence of peace was conditional, based on Israel’s obedience. In the prophetic writings, true peace is part of the end-time hope of God’s salvation. In the NT, this longed-for peace is understood as having come in Christ and can be experienced by the believers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"IntheOldTestament\">In the Old Testament<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Shalom<\/span><em>,<\/em> the most prominent OT term for “peace,” held a wide range of connotations (wholeness, health, security, well-being, and salvation) and could apply to an equally wide range of contexts: the state of the individual (Ps 37:37; Prv 3:2; Is 32:17), the relationship of person to person (Gn 34:21; Jos 9:15) or nation to nation (e.g., absence of conflict—Dt 2:26; Jos 10:21; 1 Kgs 5:12; Ps 122:6-7), and the relationship of God and people (Ps 85:8; Jer 16:5).<\/p>\n<p>The presence of <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">shalom<\/span> in any of these contexts was not considered ultimately as the outcome of human endeavor but as a gift or blessing of God (Lv 26:6; 1 Kgs 2:33; Jb 25:2; Pss 29:11; 85:8; Is 45:7). It is not surprising, therefore, to find “peace” tied closely to the OT notion of covenant. <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Shalom<\/span> was the desired state of harmony and communion between the two covenant partners—God and his people (Nm 6:26; cf. Is 54:10). Its presence signified God’s blessing in the covenant relationship (Mal 2:5; cf. Nm 25:12), and its absence signified the breakdown of that relationship due to Israel’s disobedience and unrighteousness (Jer 16:5, 10-13; cf. Ps 85:9-11; Is 32:17).<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Shalom<\/span> becomes a pivotal term in the prophetic writings. It was the “false” prophets who, forgetting the conditions for national well-being within the covenant relationship, assumed God’s loyalty to Israel (Ps 89) would guarantee political peace forever (Jer 6:14; 8:15; Ez 13:10, 16; Mi 3:5). Against such popular but false security, the preexilic prophets proclaimed the coming judgment precisely as a loss of this <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">shalom<\/span> due to Israel’s persistent disobedience and unrighteousness (Is 48:18; Jer 14:13-16; 16:5, 10-13; 28; Mi 3:4, 9-12).<\/p>\n<p>The prophets did, however, point beyond the crises of exile and subsequent setbacks to a time when <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">shalom<\/span><em>,<\/em> characterized by prosperity and well-being (Is 45:7; Ez 34:25-26), absence of conflict (Is 2:2-4; 32:15-20; Ez 34:28-31), right relations (Is 11:1-5; Mi 4:1-4; Zec 8:9-13), restoration of harmony in nature (Is 11:6-9; Ez 47:1-12), and salvation (Is 52:7; 60:17; Ez 34:30-31; 37:26-28) would again return. Often this eschatological (or end-time) expectation of peace in the OT was associated with a messianic figure, as in Isaiah 9:6, where the future Messiah is termed the “Prince of Peace.” Moreover, his reign would be one of “peace” not only for Israel but throughout the whole earth (Zec 9:9-10). The OT ends with this hope of peace still unrealized in its full sense.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"IntheNewTestament\">In the New Testament<\/p>\n<p>The Greek term for “peace” used predominantly in the NT is <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">eirene<\/span><em>,<\/em> a word expanded from its classical Greek connotation of “rest” to include the various connotations of <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">shalom<\/span> discussed above. As with <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">shalom<\/span><em>,<\/em> <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">eirene<\/span> could be used as a greeting or farewell (as in “peace be with you”—Lk 10:5; Gal 6:16; Jas 2:16; cf. Jn 20:19), or could signify the cessation of conflict (national—Lk 14:32; Acts 12:20; or interpersonal—Rom 14:19; Eph 4:3), or the presence of domestic tranquillity (cf. 1 Cor 7:15).<\/p>\n<p>The chief issue concerns how Jesus incorporated the OT hope for the eschatological peace of God into his ministry. In the “benedictus” of Zechariah (Lk 1:67-79), the coming of Jesus as the Messiah is expected to “guide our feet into the way of peace” (v 79). So also the angelic testimony to the shepherds proclaims Jesus as the bringer of God’s peace to people (2:14). That is, Jesus as the Messiah would usher in God’s reign of peace. Jesus’ self-understanding as expressed in the fourth Gospel corresponds to this association. This long-expected peace of God is Jesus’ farewell gift to the disciples (Jn 14:27); it is given to them when he breathed his Spirit into them (20:19-22).<\/p>\n<p>The nature of this gift of peace brought by Jesus may be easier to explain by stating what it is not. It is not an end to tension or the absence of warfare. It is not domestic tranquillity nor anything like the worldly estimation of peace (Lk 12:51-53; Jn 14:27; 16:32-33). Its presence may, on the contrary, actually disturb existing relations, being a dividing “sword” in familial relations (Mt 10:34-37). Jesus’ gift of peace is, in reality, the character and mood of the new covenant of his blood that reconciles God to people (Rom 5:1; Col 1:20) and forms the basis of subsequent reconciliation between divergent people (Eph 2:14-22).<\/p>\n<p>The early church understood “peace” to be the final, end-time salvation of God given already through Jesus Christ (cf. Phil 4:7-9). This understanding of “peace” altered the content of the common greeting “go in peace” as it was taken up in the Christian community. In Paul’s common “grace and peace” greeting (1 Cor 1:3; 2 Cor 1:2; Gal 1:3; Eph 1:2, etc.; cf. also 1 Pt 1:2; 2 Jn 1:3; Jude 1:2; Rv 1:4), it is no longer a mere wish for peace that Paul extends to his readers but is a reminder of the messianic gifts available in the present time through Christ to the man of faith. In accord with this, Jesus is described as “peace” itself (Eph 2:14), while God, too, because of his act of reconciliation through Christ, is known as a “God of peace” (Phil 4:9; Col 3:15).<\/p>\n<p>This gift of peace or reconciliation with God, made available through Christ, places an ethical demand on the Christian; it calls for the exercises of “peace” (as reconciliation between persons) within the church. Peace, as a fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22), is to be the goal of the Christian’s dealings with others (Rom 12:18; 14:19; Heb 12:14).<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>PEACE<\/h3>\n<p>Total well-being, prosperity, and security associated with God’s presence among his people. Linked in the OT with the covenant, the presence of peace was conditional, based on Israel’s obedience. In the prophetic writings, true peace is part of the end-time hope of God’s salvation. In the NT, this longed-for peace is understood as having come in Christ and can be experienced by the believers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"IntheOldTestament\">In the Old Testament<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Shalom<\/span><em>,<\/em> the most prominent OT term for “peace,” held a wide range of connotations (wholeness, health, security, well-being, and salvation) and could apply to an equally wide range of contexts: the state of the individual (Ps 37:37; Prv 3:2; Is 32:17), the relationship of person to person (Gn 34:21; Jos 9:15) or nation to nation (e.g., absence of conflict—Dt 2:26; Jos 10:21; 1 Kgs 5:12; Ps 122:6-7), and the relationship of God and people (Ps 85:8; Jer 16:5).<\/p>\n<p>The presence of <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">shalom<\/span> in any of these contexts was not considered ultimately as the outcome of human endeavor but as a gift or blessing of God (Lv 26:6; 1 Kgs 2:33; Jb 25:2; Pss 29:11; 85:8; Is 45:7). It is not surprising, therefore, to find “peace” tied closely to the OT notion of covenant. <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Shalom<\/span> was the desired state of harmony and communion between the two covenant partners—God and his people (Nm 6:26; cf. Is 54:10). Its presence signified God’s blessing in the covenant relationship (Mal 2:5; cf. Nm 25:12), and its absence signified the breakdown of that relationship due to Israel’s disobedience and unrighteousness (Jer 16:5, 10-13; cf. Ps 85:9-11; Is 32:17).<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Shalom<\/span> becomes a pivotal term in the prophetic writings. It was the “false” prophets who, forgetting the conditions for national well-being within the covenant relationship, assumed God’s loyalty to Israel (Ps 89) would guarantee political peace forever (Jer 6:14; 8:15; Ez 13:10, 16; Mi 3:5). Against such popular but false security, the preexilic prophets proclaimed the coming judgment precisely as a loss of this <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">shalom<\/span> due to Israel’s persistent disobedience and unrighteousness (Is 48:18; Jer 14:13-16; 16:5, 10-13; 28; Mi 3:4, 9-12).<\/p>\n<p>The prophets did, however, point beyond the crises of exile and subsequent setbacks to a time when <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">shalom<\/span><em>,<\/em> characterized by prosperity and well-being (Is 45:7; Ez 34:25-26), absence of conflict (Is 2:2-4; 32:15-20; Ez 34:28-31), right relations (Is 11:1-5; Mi 4:1-4; Zec 8:9-13), restoration of harmony in nature (Is 11:6-9; Ez 47:1-12), and salvation (Is 52:7; 60:17; Ez 34:30-31; 37:26-28) would again return. Often this eschatological (or end-time) expectation of peace in the OT was associated with a messianic figure, as in Isaiah 9:6, where the future Messiah is termed the “Prince of Peace.” Moreover, his reign would be one of “peace” not only for Israel but throughout the whole earth (Zec 9:9-10). The OT ends with this hope of peace still unrealized in its full sense.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"IntheNewTestament\">In the New Testament<\/p>\n<p>The Greek term for “peace” used predominantly in the NT is <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">eirene<\/span><em>,<\/em> a word expanded from its classical Greek connotation of “rest” to include the various connotations of <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">shalom<\/span> discussed above. As with <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">shalom<\/span><em>,<\/em> <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">eirene<\/span> could be used as a greeting or farewell (as in “peace be with you”—Lk 10:5; Gal 6:16; Jas 2:16; cf. Jn 20:19), or could signify the cessation of conflict (national—Lk 14:32; Acts 12:20; or interpersonal—Rom 14:19; Eph 4:3), or the presence of domestic tranquillity (cf. 1 Cor 7:15).<\/p>\n<p>The chief issue concerns how Jesus incorporated the OT hope for the eschatological peace of God into his ministry. In the “benedictus” of Zechariah (Lk 1:67-79), the coming of Jesus as the Messiah is expected to “guide our feet into the way of peace” (v 79). So also the angelic testimony to the shepherds proclaims Jesus as the bringer of God’s peace to people (2:14). That is, Jesus as the Messiah would usher in God’s reign of peace. Jesus’ self-understanding as expressed in the fourth Gospel corresponds to this association. This long-expected peace of God is Jesus’ farewell gift to the disciples (Jn 14:27); it is given to them when he breathed his Spirit into them (20:19-22).<\/p>\n<p>The nature of this gift of peace brought by Jesus may be easier to explain by stating what it is not. It is not an end to tension or the absence of warfare. It is not domestic tranquillity nor anything like the worldly estimation of peace (Lk 12:51-53; Jn 14:27; 16:32-33). Its presence may, on the contrary, actually disturb existing relations, being a dividing “sword” in familial relations (Mt 10:34-37). Jesus’ gift of peace is, in reality, the character and mood of the new covenant of his blood that reconciles God to people (Rom 5:1; Col 1:20) and forms the basis of subsequent reconciliation between divergent people (Eph 2:14-22).<\/p>\n<p>The early church understood “peace” to be the final, end-time salvation of God given already through Jesus Christ (cf. Phil 4:7-9). This understanding of “peace” altered the content of the common greeting “go in peace” as it was taken up in the Christian community. In Paul’s common “grace and peace” greeting (1 Cor 1:3; 2 Cor 1:2; Gal 1:3; Eph 1:2, etc.; cf. also 1 Pt 1:2; 2 Jn 1:3; Jude 1:2; Rv 1:4), it is no longer a mere wish for peace that Paul extends to his readers but is a reminder of the messianic gifts available in the present time through Christ to the man of faith. In accord with this, Jesus is described as “peace” itself (Eph 2:14), while God, too, because of his act of reconciliation through Christ, is known as a “God of peace” (Phil 4:9; Col 3:15).<\/p>\n<p>This gift of peace or reconciliation with God, made available through Christ, places an ethical demand on the Christian; it calls for the exercises of “peace” (as reconciliation between persons) within the church. Peace, as a fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22), is to be the goal of the Christian’s dealings with others (Rom 12:18; 14:19; Heb 12:14).<\/p>","summary_ro":"PEACE Total well-being, prosperity, and security associated with God’s presence among his people. Linked in the OT with the covenant, the presence of peace was conditional, based on Israel’s obedience. In the prophetic writings, true peace is part of the end-time hope of God’s salvation. In the NT, this longed-for peace is understood as having come in Christ and can be experienced by the believers. In the Old Testament Shalom, the most prominent OT term for “peace,” held a wide range of conno...","summary_en":"PEACE Total well-being, prosperity, and security associated with God’s presence among his people. Linked in the OT with the covenant, the presence of peace was conditional, based on Israel’s obedience. In the prophetic writings, true peace is part of the end-time hope of God’s salvation. In the NT, this longed-for peace is understood as having come in Christ and can be experienced by the believers. In the Old Testament Shalom, the most prominent OT term for “peace,” held a wide range of conno...","source":"Articles\/P.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false}],"20":[{"id":7478,"type":"article","type_label":"Articol","type_icon":"📖","type_color":"#d4af37","title_ro":"Conscience","title_en":"Conscience","content_ro":"<h3>CONSCIENCE<\/h3>\n<p>Self-awareness that judges whether or not an act one has carried out or plans to carry out is in harmony with one’s moral standards. The conscience also functions to make a person aware of actions taken that were wrong.<\/p>\n\n<p>Both the English word “conscience” and the Greek word translated as “conscience” in the NT literally mean “to be with knowledge.” In the OT, Adam and Eve hid themselves from God in shame because their consciences passed moral judgment on their disobedience (Gn 3:8-10). All human beings normally have the power of moral judgment: “The spirit of man is the lamp of the <span>Lord<\/span>, searching all his innermost parts” (Prv 20:27, <span>rsv<\/span>). Conscience, then, is a gift of God to provide light in matters of good and evil.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"IntheNewTestament\">In the New Testament<\/p>\n<p>The word “conscience” is found 32 times in the NT (see <span>kjv<\/span>), especially in the writings of the apostle Paul. Conscience, in Paul’s writings, is regarded as passing judgment not only on conduct that has already taken place but also on what ought to be done in the future. The behavior of people who are without God’s law shows that the law’s requirement is “written on their hearts” (Rom 2:14-15). Paul’s statement that every person should “be subject to the higher authorities” to avoid God’s judgment and “for the sake of conscience” presupposes that conscience can establish obedience as a moral requirement (13:5).<\/p>\n<p>To approve, or pronounce “not guilty,” is a function of conscience just as important as self-condemnation. Paul said, “I am not aware [using the same root word from which ‘conscience’ is derived] of anything against myself” (1 Cor 4:4, <span>rsv<\/span>). Yet conscience is neither a final court of appeal nor an all-sufficient guide: Paul went on to say, “I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me.” In another passage Paul called on his conscience to verify his truthfulness, linking the verdict of conscience with the Holy Spirit (Rom 9:1; cf. 2 Cor 1:12) without developing the nature of that relationship.<\/p>\n<p>Justifying his ministry to the Corinthians, Paul asked them to judge his conduct in the light of their own consciences (2 Cor 4:1-2). Insisting that God knew the motivation behind his conduct (that is, the “fear of the Lord”), he hoped that the Corinthians’ conscience would also recognize it (5:11). When Paul wrote to Timothy, he linked a good conscience with sincere faith (1 Tm 1:5); when people depart from the faith, their consciences can become “seared” or rendered insensitive by their persistence in evil (4:2).<\/p>\n<p>Answering a question about meats offered to idols, Paul spoke of the conscience as exercising judgment on prospective as well as on past behavior (1 Cor 8-10). Some had a conscience that was “weak” due to ignorance (1 Cor 8:7); they failed to understand that everything is clean (Rom 14:20).<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>CONSCIENCE<\/h3>\n<p>Self-awareness that judges whether or not an act one has carried out or plans to carry out is in harmony with one’s moral standards. The conscience also functions to make a person aware of actions taken that were wrong.<\/p>\n\n<p>Both the English word “conscience” and the Greek word translated as “conscience” in the NT literally mean “to be with knowledge.” In the OT, Adam and Eve hid themselves from God in shame because their consciences passed moral judgment on their disobedience (Gn 3:8-10). All human beings normally have the power of moral judgment: “The spirit of man is the lamp of the <span>Lord<\/span>, searching all his innermost parts” (Prv 20:27, <span>rsv<\/span>). Conscience, then, is a gift of God to provide light in matters of good and evil.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"IntheNewTestament\">In the New Testament<\/p>\n<p>The word “conscience” is found 32 times in the NT (see <span>kjv<\/span>), especially in the writings of the apostle Paul. Conscience, in Paul’s writings, is regarded as passing judgment not only on conduct that has already taken place but also on what ought to be done in the future. The behavior of people who are without God’s law shows that the law’s requirement is “written on their hearts” (Rom 2:14-15). Paul’s statement that every person should “be subject to the higher authorities” to avoid God’s judgment and “for the sake of conscience” presupposes that conscience can establish obedience as a moral requirement (13:5).<\/p>\n<p>To approve, or pronounce “not guilty,” is a function of conscience just as important as self-condemnation. Paul said, “I am not aware [using the same root word from which ‘conscience’ is derived] of anything against myself” (1 Cor 4:4, <span>rsv<\/span>). Yet conscience is neither a final court of appeal nor an all-sufficient guide: Paul went on to say, “I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me.” In another passage Paul called on his conscience to verify his truthfulness, linking the verdict of conscience with the Holy Spirit (Rom 9:1; cf. 2 Cor 1:12) without developing the nature of that relationship.<\/p>\n<p>Justifying his ministry to the Corinthians, Paul asked them to judge his conduct in the light of their own consciences (2 Cor 4:1-2). Insisting that God knew the motivation behind his conduct (that is, the “fear of the Lord”), he hoped that the Corinthians’ conscience would also recognize it (5:11). When Paul wrote to Timothy, he linked a good conscience with sincere faith (1 Tm 1:5); when people depart from the faith, their consciences can become “seared” or rendered insensitive by their persistence in evil (4:2).<\/p>\n<p>Answering a question about meats offered to idols, Paul spoke of the conscience as exercising judgment on prospective as well as on past behavior (1 Cor 8-10). Some had a conscience that was “weak” due to ignorance (1 Cor 8:7); they failed to understand that everything is clean (Rom 14:20).<\/p>","summary_ro":"CONSCIENCE Self-awareness that judges whether or not an act one has carried out or plans to carry out is in harmony with one’s moral standards. The conscience also functions to make a person aware of actions taken that were wrong. Both the English word “conscience” and the Greek word translated as “conscience” in the NT literally mean “to be with knowledge.” In the OT, Adam and Eve hid themselves from God in shame because their consciences passed moral judgment on their disobedience (Gn 3:8-1...","summary_en":"CONSCIENCE Self-awareness that judges whether or not an act one has carried out or plans to carry out is in harmony with one’s moral standards. The conscience also functions to make a person aware of actions taken that were wrong. Both the English word “conscience” and the Greek word translated as “conscience” in the NT literally mean “to be with knowledge.” In the OT, Adam and Eve hid themselves from God in shame because their consciences passed moral judgment on their disobedience (Gn 3:8-1...","source":"Articles\/C.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":9619,"type":"article","type_label":"Articol","type_icon":"📖","type_color":"#d4af37","title_ro":"Laws*, Dietary","title_en":"Laws*, Dietary","content_ro":"<h3>DIETARY LAWS*<\/h3>\n<p>Regulations of food preparation and consumption provided by God for his people in OT times. The dietary laws formed part of broader regulations on “cleanness” that were designed to maintain Israel’s status as a holy people.<\/p>\n<p>Preview<\/p>\n<p>• Holiness and Dietary Law<\/p>\n<p>• Before Moses<\/p>\n<p>• The Mosaic Law<\/p>\n<p>• After Moses<\/p>\n<p>• Symbolism<\/p>\n<p>• Reactions from the Church<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"HolinessandDietaryLaw\">Holiness and Dietary Law<\/p>\n<p>Biblical laws concerning diet and cleanness were based on the idea of holiness. The underlying meaning of the Hebrew word for “holiness” is difficult to ascertain but most probably was “to cut,” or “to be separate,” or “to set apart.” The Lord told Israel, “You shall be holy to me; for I the <span>Lord<\/span> am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine” (Lv 20:26, <span>rsv<\/span>). God is the supreme example of holiness; he is the one uniquely separate in his character and being (Is 6:3). But God wanted his covenant people to be holy, too. One of the ways that God made the Israelites different from the other peoples of the world was by giving them dietary laws: “I am the <span>Lord<\/span> your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy” (Lv 11:44, <span>niv<\/span>). Keeping the dietary laws did not automatically make the people “holy” (i.e., separated to God); rather, it was one of the ways OT believers could show their gratitude to God for his deliverance.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"BeforeMoses\">Before Moses<\/p>\n<p>From the Creation, God approved all varieties of fruit and vegetables as legitimate, clean food (Gn 1:29). After the fall of humanity, God distinguished between clean and unclean animals. At the time of Noah, God directed that additional specimens of clean animals be taken aboard the ark (7:2; 8:20). After the Flood, God prohibited the eating of blood because blood represented life (9:4). To commemorate the patriarch Jacob’s wrestling with the Angel of the Lord, Jacob’s descendants refrained from eating a certain hip muscle (32:32), though that was not a command from God.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"TheMosaicLaw\">The Mosaic Law<\/p>\n<p>The primary revelation of the Lord’s dietary standards for Israel was given through Moses. Dietary laws are found among the ceremonial regulations received at Mt Sinai (Lv 11). Moses repeated many of those laws 39 years later, shortly before the people entered the Promised Land (Dt 14:3-21). The dietary laws concerned only animal products, except for the prohibition of wine to certain people (Lv 10:9; Nm 6:3-4; cf. Jgs 13:14; Jer 35:6).<\/p>\n<p>Five categories of living things were regulated for food. To be edible an animal had to have cloven (divided) hooves and had to chew its cud. According to Leviticus, that requirement ruled out camels, horses, rabbits, and pigs (Lv 11:2-8). Sea life had to have fins and scales (vv 9-12). Birds were edible if they were not predatory (vv 13-19); Moses went on to list 20 species specifically prohibited because they were birds of prey or scavengers. Winged insects were forbidden (vv 22-23) except for certain types of locusts and grasshoppers (food commonly eaten by desert nomads). Finally, “the animals that move about on the ground,” including reptiles and rodents (vv 29-31, <span>niv<\/span>), were ruled out.<\/p>\n<p>Further prohibitions were made about food that otherwise would have been considered clean. For example, nothing found already dead (Dt 14:21) or that had been torn by beasts (Lv 17:15) was to be eaten. Food could become defiled by contact with some other thing that was unclean, like a dead mouse that happened to fall into a food container (11:32-34). A young goat was not to be boiled in its mother’s milk (Ex 23:19; 34:26; Dt 14:21). When clean animals were slaughtered, their blood was to be drained out (Lv 17:14). All pieces of fat (3:16; 7:23), especially a sheep’s fat tail (Ex 29:22; Lv 3:9), were restricted for use in sacrifices to the Lord. Through Moses the Lord reiterated the prohibition against eating blood (Lv 17:10; 19:26; Dt 12:16; 15:23).<\/p>\n<p>Several reasons, stated in or inferred from Scripture, account for the dietary laws and apply to the Bible’s cleanness regulations in general. Some seem to be natural reasons; others may be symbolic or relational.<\/p>\n<h5>Hygiene<\/h5>\n<p>Some dietary laws, such as those against eating vermin or decomposing flesh, circumvented obvious health hazards and were given for the people’s protection. But hygiene alone cannot account for all the regulations; in fact, some foods that might have been acceptable from a hygienic viewpoint, such as rabbit or clams, were excluded.<\/p>\n<h5>Aversion<\/h5>\n<p>Worms and snakes are generally considered loathsome, whatever their actual food value. Such animals were not <em>kosher<\/em> (proper).<\/p>\n<h5>Relationship to Pagan Practice<\/h5>\n<p>Boiling a young goat in its mother’s milk has now been documented as a pagan rite among Moses’ contemporaries, the Canaanites. God’s people were not to imitate the practices of the peoples around them (Dt 18:9).<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"AfterMoses\">After Moses<\/p>\n<p>The dietary laws given at Mt Sinai continued to be recognized throughout Israel’s history. Before the birth of Samson, the child’s mother was warned, “Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean” (Jgs 13:4, <span>niv<\/span>). During the Philistine wars of the next century (c. 1041 <span>BC<\/span>), King Saul’s soldiers sinned by disregarding requirements about the proper draining of blood from animals (1 Sm 14:32-34).<\/p>\n<p>Later, when the Israelites were exiled in heathen lands, they were faced with situations in which the selection of food and its preparation could render it unclean (Ez 4:12-14). Daniel’s refusal to be defiled by pagan delicacies at Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylonian court (605 <span>BC<\/span>) illustrated his loyalty to God (Dn 1:8).<\/p>\n<p>From the prophet Isaiah’s day (740 <span>BC<\/span>) onward, the most abhorrent food to the Israelites was the meat of swine (Is 65:4; 66:3, 17). In the Maccabean period the “abomination of desolation,” which the Jewish hero Judas Maccabeus and his followers resisted to the death, included sacrifices of pigs on the temple altar in Jerusalem by the pagan ruler Antiochus Epiphanes (1 Macc 1:54, 62-63; 2 Macc 6:5; 7:1).<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"Symbolism\">Symbolism<\/p>\n<p>Certain food products were ruled out because of something they symbolized. God said not to eat blood: “Be sure that you do not eat the blood; for the blood is the life, and you shall not eat the life with the flesh” (Dt 12:23, <span>rsv<\/span>). Blood had a ritual function. It was used to make atonement on God’s altar and therefore was not to be eaten (Lv 17:11-12). The NT writers recognized the sacrificial blood of the OT as a “type” or foreshadowing of the blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross as a sacrifice for sin (Heb 10:1, 4, 12; 1 Pt 1:18-19). A symbolic regard for maternal life may explain why one who came upon a bird’s nest was allowed to take the eggs or the young but had to leave the mother bird unharmed (Dt 22:6-7). The need to preserve a fragile desert ecosystem may also have been a factor.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"ReactionsfromtheChurch\">Reactions from the Church<\/p>\n<p>At first the early church, with its Jewish background, found it difficult to break away from Hebrew dietary traditions. The apostle Peter was given a vision, repeated three times, about no longer calling either non-Jewish food or the non-Jews who ate it “unclean” (Acts 10:9-16; 11:1-10). Later, a council at Jerusalem officially decided not to retain Moses’ ceremonialism in the church, except that gentile Christians should abstain “from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood” (Acts 15:20, <span>niv<\/span>) in order not to offend Jewish Christians. That was an application of the NT teaching of consideration for those with sensitive consciences. “Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. . . . But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin” (Rom 14:20, 23, <span>niv<\/span>).<\/p>\n<p>Jewish dietary laws also have relevance to Christians because of certain OT promises. God promised, first to Abraham and, by reiteration or allusion, throughout the OT, that the Gentiles would be included in his covenant. By preserving the health of the Hebrew people, God was ensuring their continuation as a nation. According to the NT, the salvation of both Jews and Gentiles was achieved by Christ, a Jew. The nation through which Christ came was protected in order that God’s promise could be fulfilled. Thus, the dietary laws need not be seen as burdensome restrictions of the law; they were part of God’s way of working out his redemptive plan.<\/p>\n<p><em>See also<\/em> Cleanness and Uncleanness, Regulations Concerning; Leviticus, Book of.<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>DIETARY LAWS*<\/h3>\n<p>Regulations of food preparation and consumption provided by God for his people in OT times. The dietary laws formed part of broader regulations on “cleanness” that were designed to maintain Israel’s status as a holy people.<\/p>\n<p>Preview<\/p>\n<p>• Holiness and Dietary Law<\/p>\n<p>• Before Moses<\/p>\n<p>• The Mosaic Law<\/p>\n<p>• After Moses<\/p>\n<p>• Symbolism<\/p>\n<p>• Reactions from the Church<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"HolinessandDietaryLaw\">Holiness and Dietary Law<\/p>\n<p>Biblical laws concerning diet and cleanness were based on the idea of holiness. The underlying meaning of the Hebrew word for “holiness” is difficult to ascertain but most probably was “to cut,” or “to be separate,” or “to set apart.” The Lord told Israel, “You shall be holy to me; for I the <span>Lord<\/span> am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine” (Lv 20:26, <span>rsv<\/span>). God is the supreme example of holiness; he is the one uniquely separate in his character and being (Is 6:3). But God wanted his covenant people to be holy, too. One of the ways that God made the Israelites different from the other peoples of the world was by giving them dietary laws: “I am the <span>Lord<\/span> your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy” (Lv 11:44, <span>niv<\/span>). Keeping the dietary laws did not automatically make the people “holy” (i.e., separated to God); rather, it was one of the ways OT believers could show their gratitude to God for his deliverance.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"BeforeMoses\">Before Moses<\/p>\n<p>From the Creation, God approved all varieties of fruit and vegetables as legitimate, clean food (Gn 1:29). After the fall of humanity, God distinguished between clean and unclean animals. At the time of Noah, God directed that additional specimens of clean animals be taken aboard the ark (7:2; 8:20). After the Flood, God prohibited the eating of blood because blood represented life (9:4). To commemorate the patriarch Jacob’s wrestling with the Angel of the Lord, Jacob’s descendants refrained from eating a certain hip muscle (32:32), though that was not a command from God.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"TheMosaicLaw\">The Mosaic Law<\/p>\n<p>The primary revelation of the Lord’s dietary standards for Israel was given through Moses. Dietary laws are found among the ceremonial regulations received at Mt Sinai (Lv 11). Moses repeated many of those laws 39 years later, shortly before the people entered the Promised Land (Dt 14:3-21). The dietary laws concerned only animal products, except for the prohibition of wine to certain people (Lv 10:9; Nm 6:3-4; cf. Jgs 13:14; Jer 35:6).<\/p>\n<p>Five categories of living things were regulated for food. To be edible an animal had to have cloven (divided) hooves and had to chew its cud. According to Leviticus, that requirement ruled out camels, horses, rabbits, and pigs (Lv 11:2-8). Sea life had to have fins and scales (vv 9-12). Birds were edible if they were not predatory (vv 13-19); Moses went on to list 20 species specifically prohibited because they were birds of prey or scavengers. Winged insects were forbidden (vv 22-23) except for certain types of locusts and grasshoppers (food commonly eaten by desert nomads). Finally, “the animals that move about on the ground,” including reptiles and rodents (vv 29-31, <span>niv<\/span>), were ruled out.<\/p>\n<p>Further prohibitions were made about food that otherwise would have been considered clean. For example, nothing found already dead (Dt 14:21) or that had been torn by beasts (Lv 17:15) was to be eaten. Food could become defiled by contact with some other thing that was unclean, like a dead mouse that happened to fall into a food container (11:32-34). A young goat was not to be boiled in its mother’s milk (Ex 23:19; 34:26; Dt 14:21). When clean animals were slaughtered, their blood was to be drained out (Lv 17:14). All pieces of fat (3:16; 7:23), especially a sheep’s fat tail (Ex 29:22; Lv 3:9), were restricted for use in sacrifices to the Lord. Through Moses the Lord reiterated the prohibition against eating blood (Lv 17:10; 19:26; Dt 12:16; 15:23).<\/p>\n<p>Several reasons, stated in or inferred from Scripture, account for the dietary laws and apply to the Bible’s cleanness regulations in general. Some seem to be natural reasons; others may be symbolic or relational.<\/p>\n<h5>Hygiene<\/h5>\n<p>Some dietary laws, such as those against eating vermin or decomposing flesh, circumvented obvious health hazards and were given for the people’s protection. But hygiene alone cannot account for all the regulations; in fact, some foods that might have been acceptable from a hygienic viewpoint, such as rabbit or clams, were excluded.<\/p>\n<h5>Aversion<\/h5>\n<p>Worms and snakes are generally considered loathsome, whatever their actual food value. Such animals were not <em>kosher<\/em> (proper).<\/p>\n<h5>Relationship to Pagan Practice<\/h5>\n<p>Boiling a young goat in its mother’s milk has now been documented as a pagan rite among Moses’ contemporaries, the Canaanites. God’s people were not to imitate the practices of the peoples around them (Dt 18:9).<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"AfterMoses\">After Moses<\/p>\n<p>The dietary laws given at Mt Sinai continued to be recognized throughout Israel’s history. Before the birth of Samson, the child’s mother was warned, “Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean” (Jgs 13:4, <span>niv<\/span>). During the Philistine wars of the next century (c. 1041 <span>BC<\/span>), King Saul’s soldiers sinned by disregarding requirements about the proper draining of blood from animals (1 Sm 14:32-34).<\/p>\n<p>Later, when the Israelites were exiled in heathen lands, they were faced with situations in which the selection of food and its preparation could render it unclean (Ez 4:12-14). Daniel’s refusal to be defiled by pagan delicacies at Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylonian court (605 <span>BC<\/span>) illustrated his loyalty to God (Dn 1:8).<\/p>\n<p>From the prophet Isaiah’s day (740 <span>BC<\/span>) onward, the most abhorrent food to the Israelites was the meat of swine (Is 65:4; 66:3, 17). In the Maccabean period the “abomination of desolation,” which the Jewish hero Judas Maccabeus and his followers resisted to the death, included sacrifices of pigs on the temple altar in Jerusalem by the pagan ruler Antiochus Epiphanes (1 Macc 1:54, 62-63; 2 Macc 6:5; 7:1).<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"Symbolism\">Symbolism<\/p>\n<p>Certain food products were ruled out because of something they symbolized. God said not to eat blood: “Be sure that you do not eat the blood; for the blood is the life, and you shall not eat the life with the flesh” (Dt 12:23, <span>rsv<\/span>). Blood had a ritual function. It was used to make atonement on God’s altar and therefore was not to be eaten (Lv 17:11-12). The NT writers recognized the sacrificial blood of the OT as a “type” or foreshadowing of the blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross as a sacrifice for sin (Heb 10:1, 4, 12; 1 Pt 1:18-19). A symbolic regard for maternal life may explain why one who came upon a bird’s nest was allowed to take the eggs or the young but had to leave the mother bird unharmed (Dt 22:6-7). The need to preserve a fragile desert ecosystem may also have been a factor.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"ReactionsfromtheChurch\">Reactions from the Church<\/p>\n<p>At first the early church, with its Jewish background, found it difficult to break away from Hebrew dietary traditions. The apostle Peter was given a vision, repeated three times, about no longer calling either non-Jewish food or the non-Jews who ate it “unclean” (Acts 10:9-16; 11:1-10). Later, a council at Jerusalem officially decided not to retain Moses’ ceremonialism in the church, except that gentile Christians should abstain “from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood” (Acts 15:20, <span>niv<\/span>) in order not to offend Jewish Christians. That was an application of the NT teaching of consideration for those with sensitive consciences. “Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. . . . But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin” (Rom 14:20, 23, <span>niv<\/span>).<\/p>\n<p>Jewish dietary laws also have relevance to Christians because of certain OT promises. God promised, first to Abraham and, by reiteration or allusion, throughout the OT, that the Gentiles would be included in his covenant. By preserving the health of the Hebrew people, God was ensuring their continuation as a nation. According to the NT, the salvation of both Jews and Gentiles was achieved by Christ, a Jew. The nation through which Christ came was protected in order that God’s promise could be fulfilled. Thus, the dietary laws need not be seen as burdensome restrictions of the law; they were part of God’s way of working out his redemptive plan.<\/p>\n<p><em>See also<\/em> Cleanness and Uncleanness, Regulations Concerning; Leviticus, Book of.<\/p>","summary_ro":"DIETARY LAWS* Regulations of food preparation and consumption provided by God for his people in OT times. The dietary laws formed part of broader regulations on “cleanness” that were designed to maintain Israel’s status as a holy people. Preview • Holiness and Dietary Law • Before Moses • The Mosaic Law • After Moses • Symbolism • Reactions from the Church Holiness and Dietary Law Biblical laws concerning diet and cleanness were based on the idea of holiness. The underlying meaning of the Heb...","summary_en":"DIETARY LAWS* Regulations of food preparation and consumption provided by God for his people in OT times. The dietary laws formed part of broader regulations on “cleanness” that were designed to maintain Israel’s status as a holy people. Preview • Holiness and Dietary Law • Before Moses • The Mosaic Law • After Moses • Symbolism • Reactions from the Church Holiness and Dietary Law Biblical laws concerning diet and cleanness were based on the idea of holiness. The underlying meaning of the Heb...","source":"Articles\/D.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":28145,"type":"article","type_label":"Articol","type_icon":"📖","type_color":"#d4af37","title_ro":"Offense Offend","title_en":"Offense Offend","content_ro":"<h3>OFFEND, OFFENSE<\/h3>\n<p>Words used two ways in the Bible: doing what is wrong oneself, or causing someone else to do wrong or to stumble.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"DoingWrong\">Doing Wrong<\/p>\n<p>In both the Hebrew of the OT and the Greek of the NT there are several words for sin or wrongdoing having a variety of different translations. With the word “offend” or “offense,” the emphasis is on the sin being against a person or against the law, an offense against either God or man.<\/p>\n<p>Sin is fundamentally an offense against God. For example, the people of Edom had grievously offended in taking vengeance on Judah, and so the hand of the Lord was against them in judgment (Ez 25:12-13). Israel commited an offense in their worship of Baal (Hos 13:1). The breaking of God’s law is spoken of as an “offense committed” (Dt 19:15; cf. 22:26; 25:2). In the NT, James (Jas 2:10; 3:2) speaks of offenses against God and against his law.<\/p>\n<p>There are many passages in the Bible addressing one man’s offense against another: for example, Abraham’s against Abimelech (Gn 20:9), or Pharaoh’s chief butler and chief baker against their master (40:1). Sometimes it is an alleged offense and no actual wrong has been done (e.g., Gn 31:36; 2 Kgs 18:14; Jer 37:18). Paul, in his defense before the Roman governor Festus, said, “Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I offended at all” (Acts 25:8, <span>rsv<\/span>).<\/p>\n<p>Finally, the Bible speaks about dealing with real offenses against God and people. Offenses should be acknowledged and confessed (Hos 5:15). One’s proper resolution before God is “I will not offend any more” (Jb 34:31, <span>rsv<\/span>). One needs to make amends for offenses (Eccl 10:4) and to forgive the offenses of others (Prv 17:9; 19:11). Jesus Christ died for our offenses (Rom 4:25; 5:15-21), so that in turning to him there is forgiveness for all sins.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"CausingAnothertoSin\">Causing Another to Sin<\/p>\n<p>The noun “offense” and the verb “offend” are also used in reference to a person being caused to stumble or to do what is wrong. There are three ways in which this may happen:<\/p>\n<p>1. There may be something in the individual that causes him or her to stumble. Jesus expressed the seriousness of this, and though speaking metaphorically, he indicated the strenuous steps of prevention (Mt 5:29-30; 18:8-9).<\/p>\n<li>2. There may be something in a person that causes offense to others. Jesus said, “Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!” (Mt 18:7, <span>kjv<\/span>). There are, in fact, many NT passages that insist that one should live so as not to cause others to stumble (Rom 14:13). The apostle Paul says, “Don’t tear apart the work of God over what you eat. Remember, there is nothing wrong with these things in themselves. But it is wrong to eat anything if it makes another person stumble. Don’t eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another Christian to stumble” (Rom 14:20-21, <span>nlt<\/span>; cf. 1 Cor 10:32; 2 Cor 6:3).<\/li>\n<li>3. However, people may be offended at the truth through no fault of the person who presents it. Isaiah speaks of God as “a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall” (Is 8:14) in that people would not always accept his demands and the way of faith in him. The NT takes these same words and applies them to the offense of the gospel of Christ (Rom 9:32-33; 1 Pt 2:8). In the time of his ministry there were those who were offended at Jesus—at his lowly birth (Mt 13:57), at what he said and did (15:12), or because of the cost of following him (13:21). Even disciples were capable of being offended and turning aside (Jn 6:61). In the end all were offended and fled from him (Mt 26:31, 56). Finally, the apostle Paul spoke of the offense in the preaching of the cross of Christ. He could have chosen to preach a popular message and avoided persecution, a “message that doesn’t offend anyone” (Gal 5:11). He chose rather to preach the cross even though it was a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles (1 Cor 1:23).<\/li>\n<p><em>See also<\/em> Sin.<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>OFFEND, OFFENSE<\/h3>\n<p>Words used two ways in the Bible: doing what is wrong oneself, or causing someone else to do wrong or to stumble.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"DoingWrong\">Doing Wrong<\/p>\n<p>In both the Hebrew of the OT and the Greek of the NT there are several words for sin or wrongdoing having a variety of different translations. With the word “offend” or “offense,” the emphasis is on the sin being against a person or against the law, an offense against either God or man.<\/p>\n<p>Sin is fundamentally an offense against God. For example, the people of Edom had grievously offended in taking vengeance on Judah, and so the hand of the Lord was against them in judgment (Ez 25:12-13). Israel commited an offense in their worship of Baal (Hos 13:1). The breaking of God’s law is spoken of as an “offense committed” (Dt 19:15; cf. 22:26; 25:2). In the NT, James (Jas 2:10; 3:2) speaks of offenses against God and against his law.<\/p>\n<p>There are many passages in the Bible addressing one man’s offense against another: for example, Abraham’s against Abimelech (Gn 20:9), or Pharaoh’s chief butler and chief baker against their master (40:1). Sometimes it is an alleged offense and no actual wrong has been done (e.g., Gn 31:36; 2 Kgs 18:14; Jer 37:18). Paul, in his defense before the Roman governor Festus, said, “Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I offended at all” (Acts 25:8, <span>rsv<\/span>).<\/p>\n<p>Finally, the Bible speaks about dealing with real offenses against God and people. Offenses should be acknowledged and confessed (Hos 5:15). One’s proper resolution before God is “I will not offend any more” (Jb 34:31, <span>rsv<\/span>). One needs to make amends for offenses (Eccl 10:4) and to forgive the offenses of others (Prv 17:9; 19:11). Jesus Christ died for our offenses (Rom 4:25; 5:15-21), so that in turning to him there is forgiveness for all sins.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"CausingAnothertoSin\">Causing Another to Sin<\/p>\n<p>The noun “offense” and the verb “offend” are also used in reference to a person being caused to stumble or to do what is wrong. There are three ways in which this may happen:<\/p>\n<p>1. There may be something in the individual that causes him or her to stumble. Jesus expressed the seriousness of this, and though speaking metaphorically, he indicated the strenuous steps of prevention (Mt 5:29-30; 18:8-9).<\/p>\n<li>2. There may be something in a person that causes offense to others. Jesus said, “Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!” (Mt 18:7, <span>kjv<\/span>). There are, in fact, many NT passages that insist that one should live so as not to cause others to stumble (Rom 14:13). The apostle Paul says, “Don’t tear apart the work of God over what you eat. Remember, there is nothing wrong with these things in themselves. But it is wrong to eat anything if it makes another person stumble. Don’t eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another Christian to stumble” (Rom 14:20-21, <span>nlt<\/span>; cf. 1 Cor 10:32; 2 Cor 6:3).<\/li>\n<li>3. However, people may be offended at the truth through no fault of the person who presents it. Isaiah speaks of God as “a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall” (Is 8:14) in that people would not always accept his demands and the way of faith in him. The NT takes these same words and applies them to the offense of the gospel of Christ (Rom 9:32-33; 1 Pt 2:8). In the time of his ministry there were those who were offended at Jesus—at his lowly birth (Mt 13:57), at what he said and did (15:12), or because of the cost of following him (13:21). Even disciples were capable of being offended and turning aside (Jn 6:61). In the end all were offended and fled from him (Mt 26:31, 56). Finally, the apostle Paul spoke of the offense in the preaching of the cross of Christ. He could have chosen to preach a popular message and avoided persecution, a “message that doesn’t offend anyone” (Gal 5:11). He chose rather to preach the cross even though it was a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles (1 Cor 1:23).<\/li>\n<p><em>See also<\/em> Sin.<\/p>","summary_ro":"OFFEND, OFFENSE Words used two ways in the Bible: doing what is wrong oneself, or causing someone else to do wrong or to stumble. Doing Wrong In both the Hebrew of the OT and the Greek of the NT there are several words for sin or wrongdoing having a variety of different translations. With the word “offend” or “offense,” the emphasis is on the sin being against a person or against the law, an offense against either God or man. Sin is fundamentally an offense against God. For example, the peopl...","summary_en":"OFFEND, OFFENSE Words used two ways in the Bible: doing what is wrong oneself, or causing someone else to do wrong or to stumble. Doing Wrong In both the Hebrew of the OT and the Greek of the NT there are several words for sin or wrongdoing having a variety of different translations. With the word “offend” or “offense,” the emphasis is on the sin being against a person or against the law, an offense against either God or man. Sin is fundamentally an offense against God. For example, the peopl...","source":"Articles\/O.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":57406,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:20","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:20","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:20<\/strong> <em>The work of God<\/em> refers both to the spiritual life of other Christians (14:15) and to the Christian community itself (14:19). The strong, with their dogged insistence on doing whatever they want, create division and disrupt God’s intention to build a healthy and united community of believers.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:20<\/strong> <em>The work of God<\/em> refers both to the spiritual life of other Christians (14:15) and to the Christian community itself (14:19). The strong, with their dogged insistence on doing whatever they want, create division and disrupt God’s intention to build a healthy and united community of believers.<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:20 The work of God refers both to the spiritual life of other Christians (14:15) and to the Christian community itself (14:19). The strong, with their dogged insistence on doing whatever they want, create division and disrupt God’s intention to build a healthy and united community of believers.","summary_en":"14:20 The work of God refers both to the spiritual life of other Christians (14:15) and to the Christian community itself (14:19). The strong, with their dogged insistence on doing whatever they want, create division and disrupt God’s intention to build a healthy and united community of believers.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":85032,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:20","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:20","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:20<\/strong> <em>The work of God<\/em> refers both to the spiritual life of other Christians (14:15) and to the Christian community itself (14:19). The strong, with their dogged insistence on doing whatever they want, create division and disrupt God’s intention to build a healthy and united community of believers.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:20<\/strong> <em>The work of God<\/em> refers both to the spiritual life of other Christians (14:15) and to the Christian community itself (14:19). The strong, with their dogged insistence on doing whatever they want, create division and disrupt God’s intention to build a healthy and united community of believers.<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:20 The work of God refers both to the spiritual life of other Christians (14:15) and to the Christian community itself (14:19). The strong, with their dogged insistence on doing whatever they want, create division and disrupt God’s intention to build a healthy and united community of believers.","summary_en":"14:20 The work of God refers both to the spiritual life of other Christians (14:15) and to the Christian community itself (14:19). The strong, with their dogged insistence on doing whatever they want, create division and disrupt God’s intention to build a healthy and united community of believers.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":112658,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:20","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:20","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:20<\/strong> <em>The work of God<\/em> refers both to the spiritual life of other Christians (14:15) and to the Christian community itself (14:19). The strong, with their dogged insistence on doing whatever they want, create division and disrupt God’s intention to build a healthy and united community of believers.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:20<\/strong> <em>The work of God<\/em> refers both to the spiritual life of other Christians (14:15) and to the Christian community itself (14:19). The strong, with their dogged insistence on doing whatever they want, create division and disrupt God’s intention to build a healthy and united community of believers.<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:20 The work of God refers both to the spiritual life of other Christians (14:15) and to the Christian community itself (14:19). The strong, with their dogged insistence on doing whatever they want, create division and disrupt God’s intention to build a healthy and united community of believers.","summary_en":"14:20 The work of God refers both to the spiritual life of other Christians (14:15) and to the Christian community itself (14:19). The strong, with their dogged insistence on doing whatever they want, create division and disrupt God’s intention to build a healthy and united community of believers.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":140284,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:20","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:20","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:20<\/strong> <em>The work of God<\/em> refers both to the spiritual life of other Christians (14:15) and to the Christian community itself (14:19). The strong, with their dogged insistence on doing whatever they want, create division and disrupt God’s intention to build a healthy and united community of believers.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:20<\/strong> <em>The work of God<\/em> refers both to the spiritual life of other Christians (14:15) and to the Christian community itself (14:19). The strong, with their dogged insistence on doing whatever they want, create division and disrupt God’s intention to build a healthy and united community of believers.<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:20 The work of God refers both to the spiritual life of other Christians (14:15) and to the Christian community itself (14:19). The strong, with their dogged insistence on doing whatever they want, create division and disrupt God’s intention to build a healthy and united community of believers.","summary_en":"14:20 The work of God refers both to the spiritual life of other Christians (14:15) and to the Christian community itself (14:19). The strong, with their dogged insistence on doing whatever they want, create division and disrupt God’s intention to build a healthy and united community of believers.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":65180,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"The Stone the Builders Rejected","title_en":"The Stone the Builders Rejected","content_ro":"<h3>The Stone the Builders Rejected<\/h3>\n<p>Jesus continually offended the Jewish leaders and those who followed them. Though he was born in David’s line, his mother’s reputation was tainted (Matt 1:18-25). Jesus himself was from Nazareth (Matt 2:23), a very unprestigious place (see Matt 13:53-58). His ministry was in Galilee, a backwater distant from official Judaism (see Matt 4:12-16). His closest associate was the inexplicable John, who baptized people and prophetically castigated the political leaders (Matt 11:2-19; 14:3-12). Jesus was evasive in his dialogues (e.g., Matt 13:10-15; 17:24-27; 19:3-12; 21:23-27), he refused to produce signs proving his messianic claims (12:38-42; 16:1-4), and he was accompanied by outcasts of society (9:9-13; 11:16-19). He offended Jewish sensibilities, disregarded Jewish traditions (5:17-20; 9:14-17; 12:1-14; 15:1-20; 21:12-13), and purposefully avoided recognition (8:4; 12:15-21). His revelations were reserved for the unlikely (11:25-27; 13:16-17; 16:13-20), and he often spoke of his own humiliating death (16:21; 17:22-23; 20:18-19; 26:2). Jesus did not come with the flash and spark of someone in need of attention, nor did he make his status and calling glowingly obvious. Instead, he chose the path of humility, privacy, and revelation recognized by faith.<\/p>\n<p>In the end, Jesus was vindicated: He won arguments (Luke 20:20-40), exorcized demons (Matt 8:28-34), healed wondrously (Matt 9:1-8), raised people from the dead (Matt 9:18-26), and ultimately rose from the dead himself (Matt 28:1-10). His divisive but effective ministry inaugurated God’s Kingdom (Matt 11:2-6).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Isa 3:8; 8:14-15; 28:12-13; 59:9-10; Jer 13:16; 20:11; 31:7-9; 50:31-32; Hos 4:4-6; 5:5; 14:9; Mal 2:7-9; Matt 11:5-6; 13:54-58; 17:27; 21:42-46; Mark 6:3; Luke 20:17-19; John 6:60-69; Rom 9:30-33; 11:7-12; 14:12-13, 20-21; 1 Cor 1:21-23; 8:9-13; 10:31–11:1; 2 Cor 6:3; Gal 5:11; 1 Pet 2:5-8; 1 Jn 2:10<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>The Stone the Builders Rejected<\/h3>\n<p>Jesus continually offended the Jewish leaders and those who followed them. Though he was born in David’s line, his mother’s reputation was tainted (Matt 1:18-25). Jesus himself was from Nazareth (Matt 2:23), a very unprestigious place (see Matt 13:53-58). His ministry was in Galilee, a backwater distant from official Judaism (see Matt 4:12-16). His closest associate was the inexplicable John, who baptized people and prophetically castigated the political leaders (Matt 11:2-19; 14:3-12). Jesus was evasive in his dialogues (e.g., Matt 13:10-15; 17:24-27; 19:3-12; 21:23-27), he refused to produce signs proving his messianic claims (12:38-42; 16:1-4), and he was accompanied by outcasts of society (9:9-13; 11:16-19). He offended Jewish sensibilities, disregarded Jewish traditions (5:17-20; 9:14-17; 12:1-14; 15:1-20; 21:12-13), and purposefully avoided recognition (8:4; 12:15-21). His revelations were reserved for the unlikely (11:25-27; 13:16-17; 16:13-20), and he often spoke of his own humiliating death (16:21; 17:22-23; 20:18-19; 26:2). Jesus did not come with the flash and spark of someone in need of attention, nor did he make his status and calling glowingly obvious. Instead, he chose the path of humility, privacy, and revelation recognized by faith.<\/p>\n<p>In the end, Jesus was vindicated: He won arguments (Luke 20:20-40), exorcized demons (Matt 8:28-34), healed wondrously (Matt 9:1-8), raised people from the dead (Matt 9:18-26), and ultimately rose from the dead himself (Matt 28:1-10). His divisive but effective ministry inaugurated God’s Kingdom (Matt 11:2-6).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Isa 3:8; 8:14-15; 28:12-13; 59:9-10; Jer 13:16; 20:11; 31:7-9; 50:31-32; Hos 4:4-6; 5:5; 14:9; Mal 2:7-9; Matt 11:5-6; 13:54-58; 17:27; 21:42-46; Mark 6:3; Luke 20:17-19; John 6:60-69; Rom 9:30-33; 11:7-12; 14:12-13, 20-21; 1 Cor 1:21-23; 8:9-13; 10:31–11:1; 2 Cor 6:3; Gal 5:11; 1 Pet 2:5-8; 1 Jn 2:10<\/p>","summary_ro":"The Stone the Builders Rejected Jesus continually offended the Jewish leaders and those who followed them. Though he was born in David’s line, his mother’s reputation was tainted (Matt 1:18-25). Jesus himself was from Nazareth (Matt 2:23), a very unprestigious place (see Matt 13:53-58). His ministry was in Galilee, a backwater distant from official Judaism (see Matt 4:12-16). His closest associate was the inexplicable John, who baptized people and prophetically castigated the political leader...","summary_en":"The Stone the Builders Rejected Jesus continually offended the Jewish leaders and those who followed them. Though he was born in David’s line, his mother’s reputation was tainted (Matt 1:18-25). Jesus himself was from Nazareth (Matt 2:23), a very unprestigious place (see Matt 13:53-58). His ministry was in Galilee, a backwater distant from official Judaism (see Matt 4:12-16). His closest associate was the inexplicable John, who baptized people and prophetically castigated the political leader...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":92806,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"The Stone the Builders Rejected","title_en":"The Stone the Builders Rejected","content_ro":"<h3>The Stone the Builders Rejected<\/h3>\n<p>Jesus continually offended the Jewish leaders and those who followed them. Though he was born in David’s line, his mother’s reputation was tainted (Matt 1:18-25). Jesus himself was from Nazareth (Matt 2:23), a very unprestigious place (see Matt 13:53-58). His ministry was in Galilee, a backwater distant from official Judaism (see Matt 4:12-16). His closest associate was the inexplicable John, who baptized people and prophetically castigated the political leaders (Matt 11:2-19; 14:3-12). Jesus was evasive in his dialogues (e.g., Matt 13:10-15; 17:24-27; 19:3-12; 21:23-27), he refused to produce signs proving his messianic claims (12:38-42; 16:1-4), and he was accompanied by outcasts of society (9:9-13; 11:16-19). He offended Jewish sensibilities, disregarded Jewish traditions (5:17-20; 9:14-17; 12:1-14; 15:1-20; 21:12-13), and purposefully avoided recognition (8:4; 12:15-21). His revelations were reserved for the unlikely (11:25-27; 13:16-17; 16:13-20), and he often spoke of his own humiliating death (16:21; 17:22-23; 20:18-19; 26:2). Jesus did not come with the flash and spark of someone in need of attention, nor did he make his status and calling glowingly obvious. Instead, he chose the path of humility, privacy, and revelation recognized by faith.<\/p>\n<p>In the end, Jesus was vindicated: He won arguments (Luke 20:20-40), exorcized demons (Matt 8:28-34), healed wondrously (Matt 9:1-8), raised people from the dead (Matt 9:18-26), and ultimately rose from the dead himself (Matt 28:1-10). His divisive but effective ministry inaugurated God’s Kingdom (Matt 11:2-6).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Isa 3:8; 8:14-15; 28:12-13; 59:9-10; Jer 13:16; 20:11; 31:7-9; 50:31-32; Hos 4:4-6; 5:5; 14:9; Mal 2:7-9; Matt 11:5-6; 13:54-58; 17:27; 21:42-46; Mark 6:3; Luke 20:17-19; John 6:60-69; Rom 9:30-33; 11:7-12; 14:12-13, 20-21; 1 Cor 1:21-23; 8:9-13; 10:31–11:1; 2 Cor 6:3; Gal 5:11; 1 Pet 2:5-8; 1 Jn 2:10<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>The Stone the Builders Rejected<\/h3>\n<p>Jesus continually offended the Jewish leaders and those who followed them. Though he was born in David’s line, his mother’s reputation was tainted (Matt 1:18-25). Jesus himself was from Nazareth (Matt 2:23), a very unprestigious place (see Matt 13:53-58). His ministry was in Galilee, a backwater distant from official Judaism (see Matt 4:12-16). His closest associate was the inexplicable John, who baptized people and prophetically castigated the political leaders (Matt 11:2-19; 14:3-12). Jesus was evasive in his dialogues (e.g., Matt 13:10-15; 17:24-27; 19:3-12; 21:23-27), he refused to produce signs proving his messianic claims (12:38-42; 16:1-4), and he was accompanied by outcasts of society (9:9-13; 11:16-19). He offended Jewish sensibilities, disregarded Jewish traditions (5:17-20; 9:14-17; 12:1-14; 15:1-20; 21:12-13), and purposefully avoided recognition (8:4; 12:15-21). His revelations were reserved for the unlikely (11:25-27; 13:16-17; 16:13-20), and he often spoke of his own humiliating death (16:21; 17:22-23; 20:18-19; 26:2). Jesus did not come with the flash and spark of someone in need of attention, nor did he make his status and calling glowingly obvious. Instead, he chose the path of humility, privacy, and revelation recognized by faith.<\/p>\n<p>In the end, Jesus was vindicated: He won arguments (Luke 20:20-40), exorcized demons (Matt 8:28-34), healed wondrously (Matt 9:1-8), raised people from the dead (Matt 9:18-26), and ultimately rose from the dead himself (Matt 28:1-10). His divisive but effective ministry inaugurated God’s Kingdom (Matt 11:2-6).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Isa 3:8; 8:14-15; 28:12-13; 59:9-10; Jer 13:16; 20:11; 31:7-9; 50:31-32; Hos 4:4-6; 5:5; 14:9; Mal 2:7-9; Matt 11:5-6; 13:54-58; 17:27; 21:42-46; Mark 6:3; Luke 20:17-19; John 6:60-69; Rom 9:30-33; 11:7-12; 14:12-13, 20-21; 1 Cor 1:21-23; 8:9-13; 10:31–11:1; 2 Cor 6:3; Gal 5:11; 1 Pet 2:5-8; 1 Jn 2:10<\/p>","summary_ro":"The Stone the Builders Rejected Jesus continually offended the Jewish leaders and those who followed them. Though he was born in David’s line, his mother’s reputation was tainted (Matt 1:18-25). Jesus himself was from Nazareth (Matt 2:23), a very unprestigious place (see Matt 13:53-58). His ministry was in Galilee, a backwater distant from official Judaism (see Matt 4:12-16). His closest associate was the inexplicable John, who baptized people and prophetically castigated the political leader...","summary_en":"The Stone the Builders Rejected Jesus continually offended the Jewish leaders and those who followed them. Though he was born in David’s line, his mother’s reputation was tainted (Matt 1:18-25). Jesus himself was from Nazareth (Matt 2:23), a very unprestigious place (see Matt 13:53-58). His ministry was in Galilee, a backwater distant from official Judaism (see Matt 4:12-16). His closest associate was the inexplicable John, who baptized people and prophetically castigated the political leader...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":120432,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"The Stone the Builders Rejected","title_en":"The Stone the Builders Rejected","content_ro":"<h3>The Stone the Builders Rejected<\/h3>\n<p>Jesus continually offended the Jewish leaders and those who followed them. Though he was born in David’s line, his mother’s reputation was tainted (Matt 1:18-25). Jesus himself was from Nazareth (Matt 2:23), a very unprestigious place (see Matt 13:53-58). His ministry was in Galilee, a backwater distant from official Judaism (see Matt 4:12-16). His closest associate was the inexplicable John, who baptized people and prophetically castigated the political leaders (Matt 11:2-19; 14:3-12). Jesus was evasive in his dialogues (e.g., Matt 13:10-15; 17:24-27; 19:3-12; 21:23-27), he refused to produce signs proving his messianic claims (12:38-42; 16:1-4), and he was accompanied by outcasts of society (9:9-13; 11:16-19). He offended Jewish sensibilities, disregarded Jewish traditions (5:17-20; 9:14-17; 12:1-14; 15:1-20; 21:12-13), and purposefully avoided recognition (8:4; 12:15-21). His revelations were reserved for the unlikely (11:25-27; 13:16-17; 16:13-20), and he often spoke of his own humiliating death (16:21; 17:22-23; 20:18-19; 26:2). Jesus did not come with the flash and spark of someone in need of attention, nor did he make his status and calling glowingly obvious. Instead, he chose the path of humility, privacy, and revelation recognized by faith.<\/p>\n<p>In the end, Jesus was vindicated: He won arguments (Luke 20:20-40), exorcized demons (Matt 8:28-34), healed wondrously (Matt 9:1-8), raised people from the dead (Matt 9:18-26), and ultimately rose from the dead himself (Matt 28:1-10). His divisive but effective ministry inaugurated God’s Kingdom (Matt 11:2-6).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Isa 3:8; 8:14-15; 28:12-13; 59:9-10; Jer 13:16; 20:11; 31:7-9; 50:31-32; Hos 4:4-6; 5:5; 14:9; Mal 2:7-9; Matt 11:5-6; 13:54-58; 17:27; 21:42-46; Mark 6:3; Luke 20:17-19; John 6:60-69; Rom 9:30-33; 11:7-12; 14:12-13, 20-21; 1 Cor 1:21-23; 8:9-13; 10:31–11:1; 2 Cor 6:3; Gal 5:11; 1 Pet 2:5-8; 1 Jn 2:10<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>The Stone the Builders Rejected<\/h3>\n<p>Jesus continually offended the Jewish leaders and those who followed them. Though he was born in David’s line, his mother’s reputation was tainted (Matt 1:18-25). Jesus himself was from Nazareth (Matt 2:23), a very unprestigious place (see Matt 13:53-58). His ministry was in Galilee, a backwater distant from official Judaism (see Matt 4:12-16). His closest associate was the inexplicable John, who baptized people and prophetically castigated the political leaders (Matt 11:2-19; 14:3-12). Jesus was evasive in his dialogues (e.g., Matt 13:10-15; 17:24-27; 19:3-12; 21:23-27), he refused to produce signs proving his messianic claims (12:38-42; 16:1-4), and he was accompanied by outcasts of society (9:9-13; 11:16-19). He offended Jewish sensibilities, disregarded Jewish traditions (5:17-20; 9:14-17; 12:1-14; 15:1-20; 21:12-13), and purposefully avoided recognition (8:4; 12:15-21). His revelations were reserved for the unlikely (11:25-27; 13:16-17; 16:13-20), and he often spoke of his own humiliating death (16:21; 17:22-23; 20:18-19; 26:2). Jesus did not come with the flash and spark of someone in need of attention, nor did he make his status and calling glowingly obvious. Instead, he chose the path of humility, privacy, and revelation recognized by faith.<\/p>\n<p>In the end, Jesus was vindicated: He won arguments (Luke 20:20-40), exorcized demons (Matt 8:28-34), healed wondrously (Matt 9:1-8), raised people from the dead (Matt 9:18-26), and ultimately rose from the dead himself (Matt 28:1-10). His divisive but effective ministry inaugurated God’s Kingdom (Matt 11:2-6).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Isa 3:8; 8:14-15; 28:12-13; 59:9-10; Jer 13:16; 20:11; 31:7-9; 50:31-32; Hos 4:4-6; 5:5; 14:9; Mal 2:7-9; Matt 11:5-6; 13:54-58; 17:27; 21:42-46; Mark 6:3; Luke 20:17-19; John 6:60-69; Rom 9:30-33; 11:7-12; 14:12-13, 20-21; 1 Cor 1:21-23; 8:9-13; 10:31–11:1; 2 Cor 6:3; Gal 5:11; 1 Pet 2:5-8; 1 Jn 2:10<\/p>","summary_ro":"The Stone the Builders Rejected Jesus continually offended the Jewish leaders and those who followed them. Though he was born in David’s line, his mother’s reputation was tainted (Matt 1:18-25). Jesus himself was from Nazareth (Matt 2:23), a very unprestigious place (see Matt 13:53-58). His ministry was in Galilee, a backwater distant from official Judaism (see Matt 4:12-16). His closest associate was the inexplicable John, who baptized people and prophetically castigated the political leader...","summary_en":"The Stone the Builders Rejected Jesus continually offended the Jewish leaders and those who followed them. Though he was born in David’s line, his mother’s reputation was tainted (Matt 1:18-25). Jesus himself was from Nazareth (Matt 2:23), a very unprestigious place (see Matt 13:53-58). His ministry was in Galilee, a backwater distant from official Judaism (see Matt 4:12-16). His closest associate was the inexplicable John, who baptized people and prophetically castigated the political leader...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":148058,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"The Stone the Builders Rejected","title_en":"The Stone the Builders Rejected","content_ro":"<h3>The Stone the Builders Rejected<\/h3>\n<p>Jesus continually offended the Jewish leaders and those who followed them. Though he was born in David’s line, his mother’s reputation was tainted (Matt 1:18-25). Jesus himself was from Nazareth (Matt 2:23), a very unprestigious place (see Matt 13:53-58). His ministry was in Galilee, a backwater distant from official Judaism (see Matt 4:12-16). His closest associate was the inexplicable John, who baptized people and prophetically castigated the political leaders (Matt 11:2-19; 14:3-12). Jesus was evasive in his dialogues (e.g., Matt 13:10-15; 17:24-27; 19:3-12; 21:23-27), he refused to produce signs proving his messianic claims (12:38-42; 16:1-4), and he was accompanied by outcasts of society (9:9-13; 11:16-19). He offended Jewish sensibilities, disregarded Jewish traditions (5:17-20; 9:14-17; 12:1-14; 15:1-20; 21:12-13), and purposefully avoided recognition (8:4; 12:15-21). His revelations were reserved for the unlikely (11:25-27; 13:16-17; 16:13-20), and he often spoke of his own humiliating death (16:21; 17:22-23; 20:18-19; 26:2). Jesus did not come with the flash and spark of someone in need of attention, nor did he make his status and calling glowingly obvious. Instead, he chose the path of humility, privacy, and revelation recognized by faith.<\/p>\n<p>In the end, Jesus was vindicated: He won arguments (Luke 20:20-40), exorcized demons (Matt 8:28-34), healed wondrously (Matt 9:1-8), raised people from the dead (Matt 9:18-26), and ultimately rose from the dead himself (Matt 28:1-10). His divisive but effective ministry inaugurated God’s Kingdom (Matt 11:2-6).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Isa 3:8; 8:14-15; 28:12-13; 59:9-10; Jer 13:16; 20:11; 31:7-9; 50:31-32; Hos 4:4-6; 5:5; 14:9; Mal 2:7-9; Matt 11:5-6; 13:54-58; 17:27; 21:42-46; Mark 6:3; Luke 20:17-19; John 6:60-69; Rom 9:30-33; 11:7-12; 14:12-13, 20-21; 1 Cor 1:21-23; 8:9-13; 10:31–11:1; 2 Cor 6:3; Gal 5:11; 1 Pet 2:5-8; 1 Jn 2:10<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>The Stone the Builders Rejected<\/h3>\n<p>Jesus continually offended the Jewish leaders and those who followed them. Though he was born in David’s line, his mother’s reputation was tainted (Matt 1:18-25). Jesus himself was from Nazareth (Matt 2:23), a very unprestigious place (see Matt 13:53-58). His ministry was in Galilee, a backwater distant from official Judaism (see Matt 4:12-16). His closest associate was the inexplicable John, who baptized people and prophetically castigated the political leaders (Matt 11:2-19; 14:3-12). Jesus was evasive in his dialogues (e.g., Matt 13:10-15; 17:24-27; 19:3-12; 21:23-27), he refused to produce signs proving his messianic claims (12:38-42; 16:1-4), and he was accompanied by outcasts of society (9:9-13; 11:16-19). He offended Jewish sensibilities, disregarded Jewish traditions (5:17-20; 9:14-17; 12:1-14; 15:1-20; 21:12-13), and purposefully avoided recognition (8:4; 12:15-21). His revelations were reserved for the unlikely (11:25-27; 13:16-17; 16:13-20), and he often spoke of his own humiliating death (16:21; 17:22-23; 20:18-19; 26:2). Jesus did not come with the flash and spark of someone in need of attention, nor did he make his status and calling glowingly obvious. Instead, he chose the path of humility, privacy, and revelation recognized by faith.<\/p>\n<p>In the end, Jesus was vindicated: He won arguments (Luke 20:20-40), exorcized demons (Matt 8:28-34), healed wondrously (Matt 9:1-8), raised people from the dead (Matt 9:18-26), and ultimately rose from the dead himself (Matt 28:1-10). His divisive but effective ministry inaugurated God’s Kingdom (Matt 11:2-6).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Isa 3:8; 8:14-15; 28:12-13; 59:9-10; Jer 13:16; 20:11; 31:7-9; 50:31-32; Hos 4:4-6; 5:5; 14:9; Mal 2:7-9; Matt 11:5-6; 13:54-58; 17:27; 21:42-46; Mark 6:3; Luke 20:17-19; John 6:60-69; Rom 9:30-33; 11:7-12; 14:12-13, 20-21; 1 Cor 1:21-23; 8:9-13; 10:31–11:1; 2 Cor 6:3; Gal 5:11; 1 Pet 2:5-8; 1 Jn 2:10<\/p>","summary_ro":"The Stone the Builders Rejected Jesus continually offended the Jewish leaders and those who followed them. Though he was born in David’s line, his mother’s reputation was tainted (Matt 1:18-25). Jesus himself was from Nazareth (Matt 2:23), a very unprestigious place (see Matt 13:53-58). His ministry was in Galilee, a backwater distant from official Judaism (see Matt 4:12-16). His closest associate was the inexplicable John, who baptized people and prophetically castigated the political leader...","summary_en":"The Stone the Builders Rejected Jesus continually offended the Jewish leaders and those who followed them. Though he was born in David’s line, his mother’s reputation was tainted (Matt 1:18-25). Jesus himself was from Nazareth (Matt 2:23), a very unprestigious place (see Matt 13:53-58). His ministry was in Galilee, a backwater distant from official Judaism (see Matt 4:12-16). His closest associate was the inexplicable John, who baptized people and prophetically castigated the political leader...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false}],"21":[{"id":57407,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:21","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:21","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:21<\/strong> <em>or drink wine:<\/em> Jews sometimes abstained from wine to avoid the appearance of ritual contamination, since wine was used in pagan religious celebrations (see Dan 1:3-16).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:21<\/strong> <em>or drink wine:<\/em> Jews sometimes abstained from wine to avoid the appearance of ritual contamination, since wine was used in pagan religious celebrations (see Dan 1:3-16).<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:21 or drink wine: Jews sometimes abstained from wine to avoid the appearance of ritual contamination, since wine was used in pagan religious celebrations (see Dan 1:3-16).","summary_en":"14:21 or drink wine: Jews sometimes abstained from wine to avoid the appearance of ritual contamination, since wine was used in pagan religious celebrations (see Dan 1:3-16).","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":85033,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:21","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:21","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:21<\/strong> <em>or drink wine:<\/em> Jews sometimes abstained from wine to avoid the appearance of ritual contamination, since wine was used in pagan religious celebrations (see Dan 1:3-16).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:21<\/strong> <em>or drink wine:<\/em> Jews sometimes abstained from wine to avoid the appearance of ritual contamination, since wine was used in pagan religious celebrations (see Dan 1:3-16).<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:21 or drink wine: Jews sometimes abstained from wine to avoid the appearance of ritual contamination, since wine was used in pagan religious celebrations (see Dan 1:3-16).","summary_en":"14:21 or drink wine: Jews sometimes abstained from wine to avoid the appearance of ritual contamination, since wine was used in pagan religious celebrations (see Dan 1:3-16).","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":112659,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:21","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:21","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:21<\/strong> <em>or drink wine:<\/em> Jews sometimes abstained from wine to avoid the appearance of ritual contamination, since wine was used in pagan religious celebrations (see Dan 1:3-16).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:21<\/strong> <em>or drink wine:<\/em> Jews sometimes abstained from wine to avoid the appearance of ritual contamination, since wine was used in pagan religious celebrations (see Dan 1:3-16).<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:21 or drink wine: Jews sometimes abstained from wine to avoid the appearance of ritual contamination, since wine was used in pagan religious celebrations (see Dan 1:3-16).","summary_en":"14:21 or drink wine: Jews sometimes abstained from wine to avoid the appearance of ritual contamination, since wine was used in pagan religious celebrations (see Dan 1:3-16).","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":140285,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:21","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:21","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:21<\/strong> <em>or drink wine:<\/em> Jews sometimes abstained from wine to avoid the appearance of ritual contamination, since wine was used in pagan religious celebrations (see Dan 1:3-16).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:21<\/strong> <em>or drink wine:<\/em> Jews sometimes abstained from wine to avoid the appearance of ritual contamination, since wine was used in pagan religious celebrations (see Dan 1:3-16).<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:21 or drink wine: Jews sometimes abstained from wine to avoid the appearance of ritual contamination, since wine was used in pagan religious celebrations (see Dan 1:3-16).","summary_en":"14:21 or drink wine: Jews sometimes abstained from wine to avoid the appearance of ritual contamination, since wine was used in pagan religious celebrations (see Dan 1:3-16).","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false}],"22":[{"id":57408,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:22","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:22","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:22<\/strong> <em>keep it between yourself and God:<\/em> Paul did not contest the freedom of the strong believers, but he instructed them to limit the expression of their freedom out of love for fellow believers so that the whole Christian community could be built up. • <em>Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty:<\/em> Guilt could come from harming the faith of the weak believers. Christian freedom is only worthwhile when it can be lived out without bringing such guilt.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:22<\/strong> <em>keep it between yourself and God:<\/em> Paul did not contest the freedom of the strong believers, but he instructed them to limit the expression of their freedom out of love for fellow believers so that the whole Christian community could be built up. • <em>Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty:<\/em> Guilt could come from harming the faith of the weak believers. Christian freedom is only worthwhile when it can be lived out without bringing such guilt.<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:22 keep it between yourself and God: Paul did not contest the freedom of the strong believers, but he instructed them to limit the expression of their freedom out of love for fellow believers so that the whole Christian community could be built up. • Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty: Guilt could come from harming the faith of the weak believers. Christian freedom is only worthwhile when it can be lived out without bringing such guilt.","summary_en":"14:22 keep it between yourself and God: Paul did not contest the freedom of the strong believers, but he instructed them to limit the expression of their freedom out of love for fellow believers so that the whole Christian community could be built up. • Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty: Guilt could come from harming the faith of the weak believers. Christian freedom is only worthwhile when it can be lived out without bringing such guilt.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":85034,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:22","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:22","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:22<\/strong> <em>keep it between yourself and God:<\/em> Paul did not contest the freedom of the strong believers, but he instructed them to limit the expression of their freedom out of love for fellow believers so that the whole Christian community could be built up. • <em>Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty:<\/em> Guilt could come from harming the faith of the weak believers. Christian freedom is only worthwhile when it can be lived out without bringing such guilt.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:22<\/strong> <em>keep it between yourself and God:<\/em> Paul did not contest the freedom of the strong believers, but he instructed them to limit the expression of their freedom out of love for fellow believers so that the whole Christian community could be built up. • <em>Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty:<\/em> Guilt could come from harming the faith of the weak believers. Christian freedom is only worthwhile when it can be lived out without bringing such guilt.<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:22 keep it between yourself and God: Paul did not contest the freedom of the strong believers, but he instructed them to limit the expression of their freedom out of love for fellow believers so that the whole Christian community could be built up. • Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty: Guilt could come from harming the faith of the weak believers. Christian freedom is only worthwhile when it can be lived out without bringing such guilt.","summary_en":"14:22 keep it between yourself and God: Paul did not contest the freedom of the strong believers, but he instructed them to limit the expression of their freedom out of love for fellow believers so that the whole Christian community could be built up. • Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty: Guilt could come from harming the faith of the weak believers. Christian freedom is only worthwhile when it can be lived out without bringing such guilt.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":112660,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:22","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:22","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:22<\/strong> <em>keep it between yourself and God:<\/em> Paul did not contest the freedom of the strong believers, but he instructed them to limit the expression of their freedom out of love for fellow believers so that the whole Christian community could be built up. • <em>Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty:<\/em> Guilt could come from harming the faith of the weak believers. Christian freedom is only worthwhile when it can be lived out without bringing such guilt.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:22<\/strong> <em>keep it between yourself and God:<\/em> Paul did not contest the freedom of the strong believers, but he instructed them to limit the expression of their freedom out of love for fellow believers so that the whole Christian community could be built up. • <em>Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty:<\/em> Guilt could come from harming the faith of the weak believers. Christian freedom is only worthwhile when it can be lived out without bringing such guilt.<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:22 keep it between yourself and God: Paul did not contest the freedom of the strong believers, but he instructed them to limit the expression of their freedom out of love for fellow believers so that the whole Christian community could be built up. • Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty: Guilt could come from harming the faith of the weak believers. Christian freedom is only worthwhile when it can be lived out without bringing such guilt.","summary_en":"14:22 keep it between yourself and God: Paul did not contest the freedom of the strong believers, but he instructed them to limit the expression of their freedom out of love for fellow believers so that the whole Christian community could be built up. • Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty: Guilt could come from harming the faith of the weak believers. Christian freedom is only worthwhile when it can be lived out without bringing such guilt.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":140286,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:22","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:22","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:22<\/strong> <em>keep it between yourself and God:<\/em> Paul did not contest the freedom of the strong believers, but he instructed them to limit the expression of their freedom out of love for fellow believers so that the whole Christian community could be built up. • <em>Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty:<\/em> Guilt could come from harming the faith of the weak believers. Christian freedom is only worthwhile when it can be lived out without bringing such guilt.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:22<\/strong> <em>keep it between yourself and God:<\/em> Paul did not contest the freedom of the strong believers, but he instructed them to limit the expression of their freedom out of love for fellow believers so that the whole Christian community could be built up. • <em>Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty:<\/em> Guilt could come from harming the faith of the weak believers. Christian freedom is only worthwhile when it can be lived out without bringing such guilt.<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:22 keep it between yourself and God: Paul did not contest the freedom of the strong believers, but he instructed them to limit the expression of their freedom out of love for fellow believers so that the whole Christian community could be built up. • Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty: Guilt could come from harming the faith of the weak believers. Christian freedom is only worthwhile when it can be lived out without bringing such guilt.","summary_en":"14:22 keep it between yourself and God: Paul did not contest the freedom of the strong believers, but he instructed them to limit the expression of their freedom out of love for fellow believers so that the whole Christian community could be built up. • Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty: Guilt could come from harming the faith of the weak believers. Christian freedom is only worthwhile when it can be lived out without bringing such guilt.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false}],"23":[{"id":57409,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:23","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:23","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:23<\/strong> <em>If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning:<\/em> God’s word defines sin for us, yet sin also involves violating our conscience. The weak Christians in Rome did not yet believe in their own hearts that they could eat meat, drink wine, or ignore Jewish holy days; their consciences were still weak. They should not violate their consciences on these matters. Nor should the strong, by the power of their example or by their scorn, force weak Christians to do so.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:23<\/strong> <em>If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning:<\/em> God’s word defines sin for us, yet sin also involves violating our conscience. The weak Christians in Rome did not yet believe in their own hearts that they could eat meat, drink wine, or ignore Jewish holy days; their consciences were still weak. They should not violate their consciences on these matters. Nor should the strong, by the power of their example or by their scorn, force weak Christians to do so.<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:23 If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning: God’s word defines sin for us, yet sin also involves violating our conscience. The weak Christians in Rome did not yet believe in their own hearts that they could eat meat, drink wine, or ignore Jewish holy days; their consciences were still weak. They should not violate their consciences on these matters. Nor should the strong, by the power of their example or by their scorn, force weak Christians to do so.","summary_en":"14:23 If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning: God’s word defines sin for us, yet sin also involves violating our conscience. The weak Christians in Rome did not yet believe in their own hearts that they could eat meat, drink wine, or ignore Jewish holy days; their consciences were still weak. They should not violate their consciences on these matters. Nor should the strong, by the power of their example or by their scorn, force weak Christians to do so.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":85035,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:23","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:23","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:23<\/strong> <em>If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning:<\/em> God’s word defines sin for us, yet sin also involves violating our conscience. The weak Christians in Rome did not yet believe in their own hearts that they could eat meat, drink wine, or ignore Jewish holy days; their consciences were still weak. They should not violate their consciences on these matters. Nor should the strong, by the power of their example or by their scorn, force weak Christians to do so.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:23<\/strong> <em>If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning:<\/em> God’s word defines sin for us, yet sin also involves violating our conscience. The weak Christians in Rome did not yet believe in their own hearts that they could eat meat, drink wine, or ignore Jewish holy days; their consciences were still weak. They should not violate their consciences on these matters. Nor should the strong, by the power of their example or by their scorn, force weak Christians to do so.<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:23 If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning: God’s word defines sin for us, yet sin also involves violating our conscience. The weak Christians in Rome did not yet believe in their own hearts that they could eat meat, drink wine, or ignore Jewish holy days; their consciences were still weak. They should not violate their consciences on these matters. Nor should the strong, by the power of their example or by their scorn, force weak Christians to do so.","summary_en":"14:23 If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning: God’s word defines sin for us, yet sin also involves violating our conscience. The weak Christians in Rome did not yet believe in their own hearts that they could eat meat, drink wine, or ignore Jewish holy days; their consciences were still weak. They should not violate their consciences on these matters. Nor should the strong, by the power of their example or by their scorn, force weak Christians to do so.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":112661,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:23","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:23","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:23<\/strong> <em>If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning:<\/em> God’s word defines sin for us, yet sin also involves violating our conscience. The weak Christians in Rome did not yet believe in their own hearts that they could eat meat, drink wine, or ignore Jewish holy days; their consciences were still weak. They should not violate their consciences on these matters. Nor should the strong, by the power of their example or by their scorn, force weak Christians to do so.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:23<\/strong> <em>If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning:<\/em> God’s word defines sin for us, yet sin also involves violating our conscience. The weak Christians in Rome did not yet believe in their own hearts that they could eat meat, drink wine, or ignore Jewish holy days; their consciences were still weak. They should not violate their consciences on these matters. Nor should the strong, by the power of their example or by their scorn, force weak Christians to do so.<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:23 If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning: God’s word defines sin for us, yet sin also involves violating our conscience. The weak Christians in Rome did not yet believe in their own hearts that they could eat meat, drink wine, or ignore Jewish holy days; their consciences were still weak. They should not violate their consciences on these matters. Nor should the strong, by the power of their example or by their scorn, force weak Christians to do so.","summary_en":"14:23 If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning: God’s word defines sin for us, yet sin also involves violating our conscience. The weak Christians in Rome did not yet believe in their own hearts that they could eat meat, drink wine, or ignore Jewish holy days; their consciences were still weak. They should not violate their consciences on these matters. Nor should the strong, by the power of their example or by their scorn, force weak Christians to do so.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":140287,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Romani 14:23","title_en":"Study Note: Romani 14:23","content_ro":"<p><strong>14:23<\/strong> <em>If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning:<\/em> God’s word defines sin for us, yet sin also involves violating our conscience. The weak Christians in Rome did not yet believe in their own hearts that they could eat meat, drink wine, or ignore Jewish holy days; their consciences were still weak. They should not violate their consciences on these matters. Nor should the strong, by the power of their example or by their scorn, force weak Christians to do so.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>14:23<\/strong> <em>If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning:<\/em> God’s word defines sin for us, yet sin also involves violating our conscience. The weak Christians in Rome did not yet believe in their own hearts that they could eat meat, drink wine, or ignore Jewish holy days; their consciences were still weak. They should not violate their consciences on these matters. Nor should the strong, by the power of their example or by their scorn, force weak Christians to do so.<\/p>","summary_ro":"14:23 If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning: God’s word defines sin for us, yet sin also involves violating our conscience. The weak Christians in Rome did not yet believe in their own hearts that they could eat meat, drink wine, or ignore Jewish holy days; their consciences were still weak. They should not violate their consciences on these matters. Nor should the strong, by the power of their example or by their scorn, force weak Christians to do so.","summary_en":"14:23 If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning: God’s word defines sin for us, yet sin also involves violating our conscience. The weak Christians in Rome did not yet believe in their own hearts that they could eat meat, drink wine, or ignore Jewish holy days; their consciences were still weak. They should not violate their consciences on these matters. Nor should the strong, by the power of their example or by their scorn, force weak Christians to do so.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false}]},"labels":{"article":"Articol","map":"Hartă","chart":"Diagramă","textbox":"Notă explicativă","picture":"Imagine","profile":"Profil","study_note":"Notă de studiu","theme_note":"Temă biblică"},"icons":{"article":"📖","map":"🗺️","chart":"📊","textbox":"💡","picture":"🖼️","profile":"👤","study_note":"📝","theme_note":"🎯"},"typeColors":{"article":"#d4af37","map":"#2d7d46","chart":"#3b82f6","textbox":"#8b5cf6","picture":"#ec4899","profile":"#f59e0b","study_note":"#06b6d4","theme_note":"#ef4444"}}
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