The word apate refers to deceit and deceitfulness. One of the remarkable things about Scripture’s use of this word is that the majority use concerns the deceitfulness of sin, and not deceitfulness as sin. There is of course Christ’s reference to the deceitfulness of riches in His parable. “He also that received seed among the …
Basic Deception
The word apatao means to deceive, and is used four times in the New Testament. The first is in Ephesians. “Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience” (Eph. 5:6). The kind of vanity in view here is the vanity …
Sin Alienates
The word apallotrioo refers to alienation. In conjunction with another word, it is rendered as “be alienated,” and by itself as “be alien. All of the scriptural uses are in Paul, and he uses to describe the condition of those who are strangers to God. “And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your …
The Seared Conscience
The word apalgeo is used only once in the New Testament, and it means to be past feeling. Paul uses the word to describe what happens to the consciences who walk in this world without God — “who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But ye …
Tedious Argument
The word apaideutos means unlearned, which is how it is rendered in 2 Timothy 2:23. “But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes.” In Prufrock, T.S. Eliot warns us against “tedious arguments.” The apostle Paul was aware of them also. The servant of the Lord must not get dragged into stupid …
Stupid Wrangles Sown
Anopheles means unprofitable. It is used twice in the New Testament, both times in a moral sense. The first instance is this: “But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain” (Tit. 3:9). Stupid wrangles sown produce a harvest to match. The second usage does …
Wild Disobedience
The word anupotaktos is used four times and is translated in various ways. One is as disobedient, referring to a kind of behavior Paul tells that with one of the uses of the law (that of civil restraint), it was not intended for righteous men (who are already self-governed). The law was intended for the …
Beasts and Antichrists
Scripture describes for us the sin of being antichrist, the Greek word being antichristos. There are four uses of the word in 1 John, and one in 2 John, and that’s it for the Bible. Surprising to many, the antichrist is not found in the book of Revelation at all. The recipients of John’s letter …
Back Talk
The word antilogia refers to contradiction and strife. During His earthly life, the Lord Jesus had to deal with the “contradiction of sinners” (Heb. 12:3). And when men fall into quarreling and strife, a oath can put an end to it (Heb. 6:16). Most of the time this word is found in Hebrews with the …
Not Using That Currency
The word antiloidoreo means to “revile again,” returning bile for bile, spite for spite. When someone else starts the sinning, the easiest thing in the world is to pay him back in his own coin. But this is precisely what Jesus did not do. “When he was reviled, [He] reviled not again” (1 Pet. 2:23).