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The Golden Mean
The Temple of Apollo at Delphi contained the inscription: “Nothing In Excess”
This is what Greek philosophers referred to as “The Golden Mean” – the virtuous
middle between two extremes. Aristotle gave as an example, “Courage is the
mean between cowardice and recklessness.”
More importantly to us, this avoidance of extremes is also a biblical principle,
found in both the Old and New Testaments. For example, Prov 30:8-9:
Give me neither poverty nor riches . . . lest I be full and deny Thee
and say, “Who is the Lord?” or lest I be in want and steal. -
In The Beginning . . .
In his book, “12 Choices: Life-Changing Decisions You Must Make,” Wilson
Adams makes an observation about how the book of Genesis begins:
Isn’t it interesting how the Bible begins? One might expect Scripture to
lead off with a detailed explanation about God, His nature, and a
definitive apologetic as to why you should believe in Him. It doesn’t.
The Bible begins with an assumption: assuming that rational people will
grasp the obvious: a Supreme Being superior to man did all this!
Brother Adams’ point becomes all the more relevant when we compare the
opening words… -
FAITH UNTO THE SAVING OF THE SOUL
(Jim McDonald)The writer of Hebrews admonished his readers: “For ye have need of patience in that, having done the will of God you may receive the promises. For in yet a very little while he that cometh will come and shall not tarry. But my righteous one shall live by faith and if he shrink back my soul hath no please in him. But we are not of them that shrink back unto perdition; but of…
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Do Not Be Deceived
Those who are in Christ Jesus have been saved by grace through faith to the glory
of God. We didn’t earn or merit anything (Ephesians 2:8-9). Our redemption is a
gift through the incredible sacrifice of Christ (Romans 5:15; 6:23). What’s more, if
we sin, Christ continues to advocate for us before the Father (1 John 2:1). In light
of this incredible gift we can develop a dangerous attitude if we are not careful.
Consider the following passages:
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom
of God? Do not be deceived. Neither… -
The (other) Ethiopian Eunuch
There are two Ethiopian eunuchs mentioned in Scripture. One is the more
famous one from Acts 8, who was converted by the apostle Phillip whilst
returning home from worshipping in Jerusalem. The other Ethiopian eunuch is
from much earlier in the Bible, and unlike the one in Acts 8, he is named in the
text. Known as Ebed-Melech, he was a servant in the court of King Zedekiah, the
final king of the southern Kingdom of Judah, and all descriptions of him come
from the book of Jeremiah.
As a side note, some translations may indicate that…
