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2 Chronicles 6:26–31
[Bible Verses]In this part of his prayer at the dedication of the temple, Solomon asks God to hear the people when they repent and pray toward the temple during disasters such as drought, famine, or pestilence. Together with God's answer in 2 Chronicles 7:14, the passage is often cited as a text on disaster and repentance.
Mammon
[Bible]Mammon is a word of Aramaic origin that Jesus used to refer to wealth. In Matthew 6 and Luke 16, it is portrayed as a master that opposes God and holds people in servitude.
Ephah
[Bible]The ephah is an Old Testament dry measure of volume used for grain and flour. It appears both in sacrificial regulations and in everyday reckonings of grain, and the prophets condemned the falsified ephah as a symbol of injustice.
Arioch
[People]Arioch appears in Daniel 2 as the captain of the guard (the chief of the officials responsible for the king's protection and for carrying out executions) under Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. During the episode of the king's dream, he brought Daniel before the king.
Hans Küng
[People]Hans Küng (1928–2021) was a Swiss Catholic priest and theologian. After he criticized the doctrine of papal infallibility, the Holy See revoked his authorization to teach as a Catholic theologian in 1979. He was widely known for his work in ecumenism and interreligious dialogue and for the Global Ethic Project.
1 Kings 1
[Bible]1 Kings 1 recounts how, with the aged David's succession still unsettled, Adonijah attempts to make himself king, and how David, at the urging of Nathan and Bathsheba, has Solomon made king instead.
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit
[Doctrine & Theology]Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the sin of reviling the Holy Spirit, which Jesus said "shall not be forgiven." Denominations and theologians differ on what exactly this sin is.
Hosea 12
[Bible]Hosea 12 is a prophecy rebuking northern Israel (Ephraim) for its deceit, its reliance on foreign alliances, and its dishonest commerce. Looking back on the life of the patriarch Jacob, it calls the people to return to God and to keep mercy and justice.
Hebrews 13
[Bible]The final chapter of Hebrews, containing practical exhortations on brotherly love, hospitality, marriage, and money; an appeal to go forth to Christ "without the camp"; a benediction; and closing greetings.
Conversion
[Christian Life]Conversion is the change by which a person turns from sin to God and comes to believe in Jesus Christ. The term is often used alongside "being born again" and "regeneration," although some denominations distinguish conversion from regeneration.
John 13:34-35
[Bible Verses]John 13:34-35 is the passage in which Jesus, at the Last Supper, gives his disciples the new commandment to "love one another." He declares that their love for one another is the mark by which others will know they are his disciples. Discussion centers on what is "new" about the commandment and whether the scope of this love is limited to the church.
Jeremiah 1:5
[Bible Verses]A verse from the call narrative of Jeremiah in which God declares that He knew Jeremiah before forming him in the womb, sanctified him before he came forth, and ordained him a prophet to the nations. It is a representative verse on vocation and divine foreknowledge and is also cited in discussions of predestination and bioethics.
Matthew 12:31–32
[Bible Verses]Matthew 12:31–32 records Jesus' warning that all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men, but that blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven, "neither in this world, neither in the world to come." What constitutes this "unforgivable sin" has long been debated.
Nicodemus
[People]Nicodemus is a Pharisee and a ruler of the Jews who appears only in the Gospel of John. He came to Jesus by night and spoke with him about being born again, and after Jesus' death he joined Joseph of Arimathea in burying him.
1 Corinthians 11:20-26
[Bible Verses]In this passage, Paul rebukes the Corinthian church because rich and poor members were divided at the Lord's Supper, and he hands on Jesus' words instituting the Supper. It is read at communion services in nearly every denomination and is a central text in debates over the meaning of the Lord's Supper.
Luke 11:20
[Bible Verses]A verse in which Jesus attributes his exorcisms (the casting out of demons) to "the finger of God" and declares that they are a sign that the kingdom of God has already come. It is frequently cited as a key text on the present reality of the kingdom of God.
Jeremiah 1:6-10
[Bible Verses]A passage in which the prophet Jeremiah hesitates at his call, protesting "I am a child," and God promises to be with him and puts His words in his mouth. It is frequently cited in sermons on calling and mission.
Galatians 3:24
[Bible Verses]Galatians 3:24 is a verse in which Paul says that the law served as a "schoolmaster" (Greek *paidagōgos*), a guardian who took charge of people and guided them until Christ came. It is frequently cited in discussions of the relationship between law and gospel and of the uses of the law.
Mark 3:28–30
[Bible Verses]Mark 3:28–30 is the passage in which Jesus warns the scribes who had said he was possessed by a demon that "blasphemy against the Holy Ghost" will never be forgiven. Interpreters frequently debate what this "unforgivable sin" is and whether a believer can commit it, and the passage is a common source of spiritual anxiety.
Parable of the Unjust Steward
[Bible]A parable of Jesus recorded in Luke 16:1-13. A steward facing dismissal reduces the debts owed to his master in order to provide for his own future, and the master commends his shrewdness. The parable teaches about the right attitude toward wealth.