The Bible On Justification By Faith Alone

 (Romans 3:28)"For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law." (ESV) 

(Romans 4:2-3)"For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.  For what does the Scripture say?  Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness." (ESV) 

(Romans 4:5)"And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness," (ESV) 

(Galatians 2:16)"yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified." (ESV) 

(Galatians 3:11)"Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for The righteous shall live by faith." (ESV) 

(Romans 5:1)"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." (ESV)  

Psalm 33:12 (Short Commentary)

(Psalm 33:12)"Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage! (ESV) 

Some people might be surprised to find out that this verse is not talking about America.  It is actually talking about Old Testament Israel.

The United States is not God's chosen people.  The chosen people of God is now the church and it is composed of people from all nations.    

What Is The Didache?

The Didache (around A.D. 100-120) is also known as The Teaching Of The Twelve Apostles.  Didache is a Greek word that means "teaching." In 1873 a complete manuscript of the Didache was found.  Before this it was only known from fragments.  It is not known who wrote the Didache.  

The Didache is an early Christian handbook that deals with Christian living and Christian worship.  It refers to the two ways, the way of life and the way of death(1.1).  It even says do not murder a child by abortion (2.2).  It also seems to say that baptism should be by immersion if possible (7.1).  The Didache seems to be familiar with many New Testament books, especially the Gospel of Matthew.    

Who Are The Sons Of God In Genesis 6?

 (Genesis 6:1-2)"When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive.  And they took as their wives any they chose." (ESV) 

There are three main views regarding the identity of the sons of God in this passage.  The first view holds that the sons of God were angels.  The second view sees them as human rulers, and the third view believes them to be the righteous line of Seth.  

The view that the sons of God are angels is held by many, but angels do not marry and are not sexual(Matthew 22:30).  Also the flood was God's judgment against humans and not angels.  John Calvin called this view absurd.  

The view that the sons of God refers to human rulers has been held by some but there seems to be little evidence for it.  Also it does not seem to fit the context very well.  

The view that the sons of God refers to the godly line of Seth was held by Augustine, Martin Luther, and John Calvin.  In this view the daughters of man refers to the wicked line of Cain.  Therefore the righteous line of Seth intermarried with the ungodly line of Cain.  This resulted in great wickedness on the earth.  Genesis 4 and 5 contrast the lines of Cain and Seth.  Then Genesis 6 shows the result when the two lines intermarry.  This view best fits the context.      

LORD Or Yahweh? (ESV vs. LSB)

With the ESV (English Standard Version) and the LSB (Legacy Standard Bible) we have two of the best Bible translations.  One of the most significant differences between the ESV and LSB is how they translate the Tetragrammaton which refers to the four Hebrew letters YHWH, the personal name of God.  

The ESV usually renders YHWH as LORD.  The ESV translators point out that the pronunciation of YHWH is uncertain.  Also the Jewish people did not pronounce the personal name of God because it was considered to be so holy.  Many ancient translations into Greek, Syriac, and Aramaic also translated it as Lord.  Significantly the New Testament writers also followed the same practice by using Lord.  

The LSB translates YHWH as Yahweh.  This is the way most scholars believe it should be pronounced.  The LSB translators believe that Exodus 3:14-15 shows that God considered it important for His people to know His name, and should therefore be translated as Yahweh.  They also point out that early church figures such as Origen and Clement of Alexandria show that the covenant or personal name of God was used in the early church.  

YHWH is used over 6800 times in the Old Testament.  It is first used in Genesis 2:4.    

What Does The Word Gospel Mean?

 The word gospel literally means good news.  The good news is that Jesus Christ came to save his people from theirs sins by his life, death, and resurrection.  

The term gospel has background in the Old Testament in passages such as Isaiah 40:9 and Isaiah 52:7-10.  The word gospel was also in use in the Roman world referring to glad tidings that would lead to well being.  

The truly good news is found only in Jesus.  Salvation is by God's grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.  

(Mark 1:1)"The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." (ESV) 

(Romans 1:16)"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." (ESV)  

Proverbs 29:27 (Short Commentary)

 (Proverbs 29:27)"An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous, but one whose way is straight is an abomination to the wicked." (ESV) 

There is an antithesis between believers and unbelievers.  The lifestyle and beliefs of the wicked are detestable to the righteous.  While the lifestyle and beliefs of the righteous are detestable to the wicked.  The righteous are those who have true faith in God, and the wicked are those who are in rebellion against God.