Search the encyclopedia
675 articles found for “two blind men”
Church Disputes
[Controversies]Church disputes are conflicts among church members over matters such as pastoral calls, finances, church discipline, and denominational affiliation. The principal issues are whether members may bring suit in civil courts and to whom property belongs when a church divides.
Revelation 2:10
[Bible Verses]Revelation 2:10 is Christ's word to the church in Smyrna: "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." The verse calls believers to remain faithful even to martyrdom under persecution. In Korean Protestant churches it is widely used to encourage church officers at their ordination and in their service, although this application has been questioned.
Proverbs 31:30
[Bible Verses]Proverbs 31:30 declares that favour and beauty are vain but that a woman who fears the LORD shall be praised. It forms the conclusion of the poem of the "virtuous woman" at the end of the Book of Proverbs. The verse is frequently cited as a model of the woman of faith, and interpreters differ on how that portrait should be understood.
Matthew 7:13–14
[Bible Verses]A saying of Jesus contrasting the wide gate that leads to destruction with the narrow gate that leads to life. It is read as a warning that the path of discipleship is not easy, and it frequently appears in discussions about the number of the saved and the exclusivity of salvation.
Genesis 9:25
[Bible Verses]Genesis 9:25 records the words Noah spoke after awaking from his drunkenness, cursing Canaan, the son of Ham, and declaring that he would be a servant to his brethren. In the modern era the verse, under the label "the curse of Ham," was used to justify the enslavement of Black Africans, and it is frequently cited as a leading example of the misuse of Scripture.
Psalm 23:1–6
[Bible Verses]A psalm of David that begins, "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want." Portraying God as a shepherd and as the host of a banquet, it confesses His lifelong care and is among the most widely known and beloved psalms in the Bible.
Hannah
[People]Hannah is a woman in the Old Testament book of 1 Samuel, the wife of Elkanah and the mother of the prophet Samuel. She is known for the prayer and vow she made at the sanctuary in Shiloh while she was childless, and for the "Song of Hannah."
Ahab and Jezebel
[People]Ahab was a king of the northern kingdom of Israel in about the ninth century BC, and Jezebel, a native of Sidon, was his queen. The books of Kings record them as the rulers who introduced Baal worship and opposed the prophet Elijah.
Luke 24:44–46
[Bible Verses]In this passage the risen Jesus explains to his disciples that the whole of the Old Testament was written concerning him and was fulfilled in his suffering and his resurrection on the third day. It is frequently cited as a basis for reading the Old Testament with Christ at the center and as a text that refers to the threefold division of the Old Testament canon.
Revelation 7:9-17
[Bible Verses]Revelation 7:9-17 is a vision of a countless multitude from every nation, clothed in white robes, praising God for salvation before his throne. Interpreters differ over the multitude's relationship to the 144,000 and over the meaning of "great tribulation." The passage is frequently read as a word of comfort at funeral services.
Romans 14:17
[Bible Verses]Romans 14:17 is the verse in which Paul tells believers who were quarreling over food that the kingdom of God consists not in eating and drinking but in righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. It is frequently cited to distinguish the essentials of the faith from nonessentials and to define the kingdom of God.
Proverbs 11:24–25
[Bible Verses]A couplet in Proverbs teaching that those who give generously end up with more, while those who hold on too tightly fall into want. It is often quoted in sermons encouraging almsgiving and offerings, and interpreters differ over whether it promises material reward or offers a general observation drawn from wisdom.
John 6:63
[Bible Verses]John 6:63 is the verse in which Jesus tells disciples who found his teaching on the bread of life hard to accept that "it is the spirit that quickeneth" and that his words "are spirit, and they are life." It is often cited in discussions of the power of the Word, and it was one of the key texts in the Eucharistic controversies of the Reformation.
John 6:35
[Bible Verses]John 6:35 records the saying in which Jesus identifies himself as "the bread of life" and declares that whoever comes to him and believes in him will never hunger or thirst. It is counted as the first of the "I am" sayings in the Gospel of John and is often cited in discussions of faith and the Eucharist.
Acts 16:30–34
[Bible Verses]In this passage the Philippian jailer asks, "What must I do to be saved?" and Paul and Silas answer, "Believe on the Lord Jesus." It is frequently cited in support of salvation by faith and of "household salvation." Because it records the baptism of an entire household, it also figures in the debate over infant baptism.
Proverbs 9:10
[Bible Verses]Proverbs 9:10 declares that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom and that the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. As a key verse that brings Proverbs 1–9 to a close, it is frequently cited in discussions of the relationship between faith and knowledge.
Proverbs 19:21
[Bible Verses]A proverb stating that although a person may make many plans in the heart, it is the counsel of the LORD that will ultimately stand. It is frequently cited in discussions of the relationship between divine providence and human planning, and is often quoted at the start of a new year or before decisions about one's future.
Garden of Eden
[Bible]The Garden of Eden is the garden in which, according to Genesis 2–3, God placed the first human being he created. It contained the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and it is the setting of the account of humanity's fall.
Samaria
[Bible]Samaria was the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel in the Old Testament; in the New Testament period, the name refers to the region lying between Judea and Galilee.
Luke 24:50–51
[Bible Verses]Luke 24:50–51 is the closing passage of the Gospel of Luke. It recounts how the risen Jesus, near Bethany, lifted up his hands and blessed his disciples, and while blessing them was parted from them and carried up into heaven. The passage is an account of the Ascension and is frequently cited in connection with the benediction in worship.