Why Tithing Is not a Big Deal
By Bill Fiess Recently, a friend from Zambia (a young student studying to be a pastor) asked me about tithing. In the Zambian churches, tithing is considered by many to be a condition for keeping your salvation. He stated (in an email): Some do question someone’s salvation if they can’t give the tithe. I can […]
Watch for His Soon Return: The Forgotten Commandment
By Bill Fiess Many examples show how failing to obey a general’s command led to ultimate defeat. In 1968, American troops in Vietnam were ordered to search for Viet Cong insurgents in the village of My Lai. However, some soldiers misinterpreted the command and engaged in a brutal massacre of unarmed civilians, including women, children, […]
Will You Weep at the Bema?
By Bill Fiess Recently, my 102-year-old father died and left an inheritance to each of his four children. My parents were not extremely rich, but they were both college-educated professionals, and they left us a very nice inheritance. I would have been extremely disappointed if I had not been included in my father’s will. I […]
Obtaining God’s Approval
By Bill Fiess There is a word in the NT that all believers need to be aware of. In Greek, it is the word dokimos. A NT Greek dictionary will tell us that the word means either “approved” or “tested.” These two ideas go together. Something can be put to the test to see if […]
Those Who Are Counted Worthy (Luke 20:35)
William Fiess Richlands, VA I. INTRODUCTION In Luke 20:34-38, the Lord responds to a question by the Sadducees regarding the resurrection of the dead. The Sadducees denied the bodily resurrection and gave an example of how absurd it is to believe in it. Jesus answers them: The sons of this age marry and are given […]
The Greatest of These
By Bill Fiess and Pam Esteven In a recent study, I noted that some form of the Greek word family agapaō (verb, noun, participle, adjective) occurs in every single book of the NT. As many Grace in Focus readers know, agapaō and its various forms denote love in the highest sense of the word, both […]
Lamad in Psalm 119
By Bill Fiess The Hebrew root LMD (teach) is found 94 times in the OT. But there is no chapter in the Bible that contains as many occurrences (13) of this verb as Psalm 119 (vv 7, 12, 26, 64, 66, 68, 71, 73, 99, 108, 124, 135, 171). Listed below are a few representative […]
Watching Until He Comes
By Bill Fiess This morning I was really struck by the presence of a single Greek participle elthōn (= coming or when He comes) in connection with Jesus Christ’s imminent return: Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes [elthōn], will find so doing (Matt 24:46). Watch therefore, for you do not know […]
“We May Have Confidence” (1 John 2:28)
By Bill Fiess and Ken Yates At the end of 1 John 2, the Apostle writes about the day when Jesus Christ returns (“He appears.”). John writes: And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming (1 John 2:28). This […]
The Good Fight
By Bill Fiess In 1 Tim 6:12 Paul writes, “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” Why does Paul call it the good fight of the faith? And to what is he referring […]