Truth Be Told: A Blog by Pastor Bill Alderson

Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? “If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin [ hatta’t – miss a mark or a way] is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it .”               Genesis 4:6-7 The above is the first mention of the word "sin" in Scripture, though this principle is clearly referenced in Genesis 3, which explains the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Both the Hebrew and Greek words used most often carry the same sense of missing the mark or way and contradicting God's commands. In Romans 5:12-14, Paul declares that sin entered the world through Adam, bringing with it death to all men. The first five chapters of Romans address Christ's work and His offering for sin and the believer’s position before God; chapters 6-8 define the believer’s experience, his fellowship with God thi...

Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content [ autarkes – self-sufficient, satisfied with one’s situation] in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret [ manthano – come to understand] of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.                            Philippians 4:11-13 At times Paul experienced definite financial and material needs, and at other times he had an abundance. The Stoics used autarkes, translated as content, to mean human self-reliance and fortitude, a calm acceptance of life's pressures. But Paul used it to refer to a divinely bestowed sufficiency, whatever the circumstances. He learned how to cope with both...

  What shall we say then? Gentiles who did not pursue [ dioko – to go after with the expectation of success] righteousness [ dikaiosune – conformity to God’s commands] attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith, but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law . Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone .                         R omans 9:30-32   In the above, Paul addressed how both Jews and Gentiles find righteousness: not by works, but by faith. In fact, earlier in his letter, he addressed the matter when considering Gentiles, who do not have the Law, do instinctively the things of the Law; these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness a...

Proverbs 23:7 states, For as he thinks [ saar – sets a price, values] within himself, so he is. The believer's thought life determines the quality of his relationship with God and his spiritual success in this life. Of all the things that one faces here on earth, his thoughts can make a difficult situation more manageable and a challenging situation more difficult. The basis of the believer's thought life is his perception of the role God plays in his life while still on the earth. Does he accept the sovereignty of God as not just about eternity, but includes his life on earth? Where does God's authority end and man's free will begin? Even King Nebuchadnezzar recognized (Daniel 4:35) the Lord's total control over heaven and earth, and all it contains: “All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, but He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth; and no one can ward off His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You d...