Introduction

  • I Peter 4:10-11

What do we mean when we say … ?

“Lord willing”

  • James 4:13-15

“Pastor”

  • Ephesians 4:11 – Only occurrence of the term in the Bible.
  • The term refers to a shepherd or elder.
  • I Peter 5:1-2
  • Pastor and preacher are two different roles.

“Promised Land”

  • Genesis 12:7
  • Hebrews 11:9

“Lord’s Supper” / “Communion”

  • I Corinthians 11:20-26
  • I Corinthians 10:16

“The inspired writer …”

  • II Timothy 3:16
  • We usually mean that the writer was inspired by God.
  • I Thessalonians 2:13
  • I Corinthians 2:13

Jargon or insider language

“Gospel meeting”

“Go forward” and “invitation song”

  • Acts 2:37
  • James 5:16

“Local church” and “universal church”

  • Ephesians 5:23

“liberal church”

  • II Corinthians 9:13
  • If it means generous, every church should be liberal.
  • If it means loose with the scriptures, no church should be liberal.

“institutional” vs. “non-institutional”

  • How is the church’s money to be used? Institutional churches take the position that the local church’s money can be used to fund orphan’s homes and missionary societies. Non-institutional churches take the position that these institutions should not be funded with money from the church, although individuals can certainly contribute to them as they wish.

“marriage, divorce, and remarriage” and “Scriptural marriage / divorce”

A number of cultural sayings come from the Bible:

  • “wash my hands of this” – Matthew 27:21
  • “writing on the wall” – Daniel 5
  • “by the skin of your teeth” – Job 19:20
  • “apple of my eye” – Deuteronomy 32:10
  • “wolves in sheep’s clothing” – Matthew 7:15
  • “go the extra mile” – Matthew 5:41
  • “eye for an eye” – Exodus 21:24
  • “fall from grace” – Galatians 5:4
  • “forbidden fruit” – Genesis 3
  • “spare the rod, spoil the child” – Proverbs 29:15
  • “a little birdie told me” – Ecclesiastes 10:20

Some sayings sound like they’re in the Bible, but they’re not.

  • “Cleanliness is next to godliness.”
    • Ancient Babylonian or Hebrew proverb that was revived during the Victorian era.
  • “God works in mysterious ways.”
    • Not an exact quote from the Bible. Compare Isaiah 55:9.
  • “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop.”
    • Compare II Thessalonians 3:11; I Timothy 5:13.
  • “This too shall pass.”
    • From an English poem called “Deor’s Lament.”
  • “God helps those who help themselves.”
    • From Aesop’s Fables: “Hercules and the Wagoner”
  • “Good things come to those who wait.”
    • From a poem by Violet Fane in 1892. The original wording was “all things come to those who wait,” but it got changed over time.