Year: 2014

Bible Term: Faithful

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 31, 2014

To be faithful is to be dedicated and devoted to a cause, ideal, or person.

The Bible calls us to be faithful to God and faithful followers of Jesus.

To be faithful, means to be full of faith and to be trustful, not merely trustworthy.

Key verse about Faithful: So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today—to love the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul— (Deuteronomy 11:13, NIV).

A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.

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Bible Terms

Bible Term: Faith

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 31, 2014

Faith is believing in something or someone when it is illogical or in the face of overwhelming opposition. It has been said if there is not the chance to doubt, then it’s not faith.

A great definition is given in Hebrews 11:1, which says, “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Read all of Hebrews 11 for more insight about faith and a list of people who exemplify it.

Although all followers of Jesus accept and follow him by faith, greater amounts of faith are given to some people as a spiritual gift.

Faith, hope, and love are a major triad in the Bible (1 Corinthians 13:13, Colossians 1:5, 1 Thessalonians 1:3, and 1 Thessalonians 5:8).

The Amplified Bible explains faith as “that trust and confidence that spring from our belief in God.”

Key verse about Faith: “If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?” Matthew 6:30. NIV).

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Bible Terms

Bible Term: Exile

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 31, 2014

In the Bible, exile is generally used to refer to the forcible removal and relocation of a person or nation.

In the Old Testament, the nations of Israel and Judah were exiled on more than one occasion. This was part of God‘s planned punishment for their repeated disobedience and turning from him.

In many cases, the exiled people are offered a second chance to repent and return home. (2 Chronicles 6:36-39 for an example of this type of exile.)

On some occasions, exile can be voluntary, as when Mary and Joseph took the baby Jesus to Egypt to escape Herod’s wrath (Matthew 2:13-15).

Key verse about Exile: So one of the priests who had been exiled from Samaria came to live in Bethel and taught them how to worship the Lord (2 Kings 17:28, NIV).

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Bible Terms

Bible Term: Exhortation

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 31, 2014

Exhortation is a fancy word that includes the ideas of teaching, instruction, encouragement, and urging.

As followers of Jesus, this is something that we are instructed to do to each other, as Paul taught in Romans 15:14 and 1 Thessalonians 5:14.

[Read Bible verses about exhortation.]

Key verse about Exhortation: Brothers and sisters, I urge you to bear with my word of exhortation, for in fact I have written to you quite briefly, Hebrews 13:22, NIV).

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Bible Terms

Bible Term: Exalt

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 31, 2014

To glorify, praise, or honor.

In the Bible, the word exalt is often used interchangeably with bless and praise.

(See blessing.)

Key verse about Exalt: “The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him (Exodus 15:2, NIV)

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Bible Terms

Bible Term: Eternity

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 31, 2014

Time without beginning or end; forever.

Consider a timeline that goes an infinite distance into the past and an infinite distance into the future; this is a mathematical picture of eternity.

Followers of Jesus will spend a future eternity with him in heaven. Since God is bound by neither space or time — he exists outside the space-time continuum — eternity with him is not an unrealistic promise.

Key verse about Eternity: Your throne was established long ago; you are from all eternity (Psalm 93:2, NIV).

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Bible Terms

Bible Term: Eternal Life

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 31, 2014

Eternal is simply without beginning or end. Eternal life, therefore, is life without end. This does not refer to an endless physical life but instead an endless spiritual life.

Through Jesus we can experience eternal life in heaven.

Without Jesus, there will be eternal death in hell.

Refer to the entry for eternity for an expanded discussion on this.

Key evrse about Eternal Life: “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life” (Matthew 25:46, NIV).

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Bible Terms

Bible Term: Eternal Death

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 31, 2014

Eternal death, the opposite of eternal life, is an endless spiritual existence in hell.

Through Jesus we can experience eternal life in heaven.

Without Jesus, there will be eternal death in hell.

Refer to the entry for eternity for an expanded discussion on this.

Key verse about Eternal Death: “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life (John 5:24, NIV)

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Bible Terms

Bible Term: Eternal

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 31, 2014

Eternal is simply without beginning or end.

Through Jesus we can experience eternal life in heaven.

Without Jesus, there will be eternal death in hell.

Refer to the entry for eternity for an expanded discussion on this.

Key verse about Eternal: Praise be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the Lord’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king to maintain justice and righteousness” (1 Kings 10:9, NIV).

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Bible Terms

Bible Term: Eschatology

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 31, 2014

Although eschatology isn’t found in the Bible, it does refer to a biblical concept: the end of the world, sometimes called the end times. Eschatology, then is the study and theology of the end of the world as we know it.

The primary book in the Bible to addresses this is Revelation, though other books also contain passages or sections that cover this topic. The last half of Daniel is a key example.

The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke all contain an end time teaching as well (Matthew 21, Mark 13, and Luke 21).

Some people read the book of Revelation as a literal account of what will actually happen at the end of the world.

Others understand it from a figurative perspective: a great supernatural battle will occur, evil will be defeated, and those who follow Jesus will join him in a new existence (that is, heaven).

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