What does it mean to praise the Lord?
Psalm 117:1–2 says, “Praise the LORD, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD.” Paul quotes this verse in Romans 15:8–13. Praising the Lord is certainly something all people should do. So what exactly does it mean…
What is the meaning of Yahweh? What is the meaning of Jehovah?
Yahweh is based on the consonants YHWH, which is one of the names for God used in the Old Testament. In ancient Hebrew, the vowels were not normally written. This would not have been a problem for native speakers and readers. Jehovah is the same name based on the Latin equivalents of the Hebrew letters:…
Does God tempt us to sin?
In Genesis 22:1, the Hebrew word translated “tempted” is the word nacah, and it means “to test, try, prove, tempt, assay, put to the proof or test.” Because it has so many possible synonyms, we must look to the context and compare it to other passages. As we read the account of the event, we…
Does God hear / answer the prayers of a sinner / unbeliever?
John 9:31 declares, “We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will.” It has also been said that “the only prayer that God hears from a sinner is the prayer for salvation.” As a result, some believe that God does not hear and/or will never…
What does it mean that God is a healer?
God is ascribed many titles in Scripture, one of which is Jehovah-Rapha, meaning “the Lord our healer.” The title originates in Exodus 15:26, where God says to Israel, “If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all…
What is divine impassibility?
The idea of divine impassibility is that God does not feel pain nor does He have emotions. Divine impassibility is a difficult concept because it often means different things to different people. For this reason, some think that the term is best left unused or replaced with something else. Impassibility comes from the root word…
Does God expect us to have blind faith?
The phrase “blind faith” means different things to different people, and, sadly, many people use it as a negative, disparaging term to describe anyone who believes in God. A dictionary definition of blind faith is “belief without true understanding, perception, or discrimination.” But is this the kind of faith God desires us to have? More…
What does it mean that God provides?
There are at least 169 verses in the Bible that refer to the ways God provides for us. Philippians 4:19 puts it simply: “My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” While prosperity seekers might always be looking for money or possessions to miraculously arrive, we should…
What does it mean that God repented?
The term repent at its root means “to change one’s mind.” To repent of sin means to change your mind about sin. At one time you thought sin was good and acceptable and even fun. When you repent, you see sin as evil and harmful. Any change of mind can be described as repentance. When…
What does it mean that God is just?
When we say that God is just, we mean that He is perfectly righteous in His treatment of His creatures. God shows no partiality (Acts 10:34), He commands against the mistreatment of others (Zechariah 7:10), and He perfectly executes vengeance against the oppressors (2 Thessalonians 1:6; Romans 12:19). God is just in meting out rewards:…