God’s wisdom is infinite. Romans 11:33 exclaims, “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!” His wisdom is so far above all others that He is called, “the only wise God” (1 Tim. 1:17; Jude 25; cf. Rom. 16:27). As humans, we may acquire some of His wisdom in Christ, “In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2:3).

The Lord gives wisdom to those who heed the words that come from the mouth of God (Prov. 2:6). When Moses was giving God’s commands to Israel, he encouraged them to keep the commandments and do them, “for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people” (Deut. 4:6). One does not need to be a thoroughly trained scholar to receive wisdom from God’s word. Even the “simple” can receive wisdom from the Bible. “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple” (Psa. 19:7).

God’s wisdom stands in stark contrast to the wisdom of the world. The inspired apostle Paul wrote, “Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory” (1 Cor. 2:6-7). Instead of teaching man’s wisdom, we should teach spiritual wisdom: the words of the Holy Spirit recorded for us in the Bible (1 Cor. 2:13). As Christians, we are commanded: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him” (Col. 3:16, 17). Notice that the word of Christ is to dwell in us richly in all wisdom. Truly wisdom is submitting to the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ in all that we say and do.

To his fellow Christians at Philippi, Paul wrote, “And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ” (Phil. 1:9, 10). The word translated “judgment” here carries the idea of discernment, insight, or the capacity to understand.^[1] This is the same word translated “discern” in Hebrews 5:14 to describe those who —by repeatedly going to God’s word and using what is learned—have matured spiritually to be able to distinguish between what is right and wrong. I echo Paul’s prayer for us today: that we abound in true wisdom by regularly going to the word of God. May we all learn to approve what is excellent, embracing good choices. May we all be sincere and endeavor to a life without blame before God as we look for Christ’s return.

-Mark Day

^[1] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 29.

Some time ago I wrote a series of articles in which I discussed various resources to aid in studying our Bible’s.  I figured it was time to revisit, just briefly, some suggestions of useful Bible study tools which I utilize in my study of the Bible. I will say at the outset these are not “must haves” but they certainly can be useful aids in our study.

RELIABLE TRANSLATION. This should be apparent. Since the Bible was originally written in Hebrew (OT) and Greek (NT) our reading the Bible typically require the use of a translation. While there are no flawless translations, a reliable, sound translation is a must when studying the Bible. The accuracy of the translation and the method of translation used are especially important. There are many translations on the market today that reflect the bias of the translator(s) and this makes them as a whole not suitable for regular study use. Research Bible translations very carefully before choosing.

CONCORDANCES. Many have heard me mention these in Bible classes I have taught. One of the most useful tools the Bible student can have at their disposal is a concordance. A concordance lists words in the Bible alphabetically and gives passages where each word is used. Some concordances are brief; others are more inclusive. Take note that the concordance one uses needs to be based upon the translation of the Bible you have chosen (see above). Some uses of a concordance include: (1) finding many passages about a subject; (2) finding a particular verse if you know one or two words in it; (3) determining the meaning of a word by studying verses where it is used. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance (In Strong’s each original-language word is given an entry number in the dictionary of those original language words listed in the back of the concordance. These have become known as the “Strong’s numbers,” Cruden’s Complete Concordance, and Young’s Analytical Concordance are a few.

DICTIONARIES AND LEXICONS. I think most of us at one time or another have been engaged in reading a book or document and come across a word we have no idea what it means. So, we run and grab our trusty Webster’s dictionary or its equivalent and look up the word to find the definition. When studying the Bible this is often not the best way to find the definition of a word. Modern dictionaries give the current meaning of the English word but do not necessarily reflect the meaning of the original Hebrew or Greek word. When seeking to define Bible words, helps would include “expository dictionaries” and lexicons. Vine’s Expository Dictionary, Vincent’s Word Studies, Wuest Word Studies, & Robertson Word Pictures are particularly good. For looking up words in the New Testament – Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, and looking up Old Testament words – Brown, Driver, Briggs Hebrew Lexicon have editions that are coded to Strong’s numbering. No knowledge of the Greek or Hebrew alphabet is needed to use these.

COMMENTARIES. The use of commentaries is a wonderful way to learn more about the Bible. There are sets of commentaries that I would recommend such as: Gospel Advocate (NT only), Coffman (Burton) Commentaries, Dehoff (George) Commentaries, Living Word Commentaries, Truth Commentaries, just to name a few. There are many individual commentaries and studies written by brethren such as: The FourFold Gospel (J.W. McGarvey), Acts (J.W. McGarvey), Romans (R.L. Whiteside), Isaiah, Daniel, & Revelation (Homer Hailey). Remember, to judge what the writer of a commentary says in the same way you would judge what a preacher says from the pulpit, weigh everything said in light of Bible teaching. Beware of commentaries written by members of denominations because at times their denominational bias will come through.

Whether one chooses to utilize Bible study resources I have listed or the many others available is a matter of personal judgment. The important point is that we study our Bible and grow in knowledge of the Word.

-Jerry D. Sturgill

Respect is important. God emphasizes having proper respect for others throughout the Scriptures. The Lord wants His church to have a respectful attitude toward Him and one another. While Timothy was at Ephesus (1 Tim. 1:3), Paul—instructing him on the proper esteem he should have toward various people in the church—wrote, “Do not rebuke an older man, but exhort him as a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, with all purity” (1 Tim. 5:1-2).

The Greek word for “older man” is presbuteros rendered “elder” in the KJV and ASV. Paul did use this term on occasion in a technical sense of one in the office/work of an overseer (in Titus 1, compare verse 5 with verse 7). However, the context in 1 Timothy 5:1 shows Paul is using the word in a general sense of an older man as is reflected in the NKJV, NASB, and ESV. As Jackson notes, “It is clear in this case that ‘elder’ means an older man and not a bishop, as evidenced by the descriptive, ‘elder women,’ in the following verse.”[1]

A younger person is to show an older person respect. An older person may look down upon someone simply because of their youth (1 Tim. 4:12). While this is not fair, the inspired instruction to overcoming this contempt for youth is not sharply criticizing older people, but rather setting the right example. Timothy was a younger man. If he was in his teens when he joined Paul on the second missionary journey in AD 49 (Acts 16:1-3), then he would have been around thirty years of age when Paul wrote 1 Timothy in AD 64/65.  Perhaps he was a little older than this, but nonetheless he had to impart spiritual instruction to those who were older than him. Some were old enough to be his father or mother. How was he to approach this?

As Roper notes, “Just growing old does not guarantee that a person has grown spiritually. Sometimes even older people need correction. There is, however, a right way and a wrong way to correct another Christian.”[2] In correcting an older man, Timothy was not to sharply rebuke him in the sense of assaulting him or giving him a verbal pounding. The word epiplesso rendered “rebuke” here carries the sense of to “strike at” someone.^[3] It connotes a certain harshness that should not be part of Timothy’s approach. It is a different word than elegcho rendered “rebuke” in 1 Timothy 5:20, Titus 1:13, and 2:15 and “reprove” in 2 Timothy 4:2.[4] It is different from the word epitimao rendered “rebuke” in 2 Timothy 4:2 to describe preaching.[5] In correcting him, Timothy was to exhort an older man as he would a father. This appeal would include kindness and respect. This command to exhort (rather than striking at) is the operative verb in the entire sentence of 1 Timothy 5:1-2; thus, it includes not only older men, but extends to all groups mentioned—younger men, older women, and younger women.

The other members of the church were to be respected like family as well. As Jesus promised, those who follow Him receive mothers, brothers, and sisters in fellow followers (Mk. 10:29-30). We should show the care and respect we would to a beloved family member in dealing with one another for indeed we are the family of God.                                      -Mark Day

[1] Wayne Jackson. Before I Die: Paul’s Letters to Timothy and Titus. (Stockton, CA: Christian Courier, 2007), 133.

[2] David L. Roper. 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus. Truth for Today Commentary. Ed. Eddie Cloer. (Searcy, AR: Resource, 2017), 213-14.

^[3] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 377.

[4] Ibid., 315.

[5] Ibid., 384.