No Mercy

In Romans 1, Paul gives a list of sins, as is common with him, but in this list it is striking that the characteristic note is that of venom. Among other things, he chastizes, “maliciousness,” “envy,” murder,” “malignity,” “whispering” (v. 29), “backbiting” (v. 30), being “without natural affection,” “implacable,” and “unmerciful” (v. 31). This last …

False Doctrine Digs Tunnels

The word anatrepo is used in the New Testament twice. It is translated once as “overthrow” (2 Tim. 2:18), and another time as “subvert” (Tit.1:11). In the first instance, the canker from Hymenaeus and Philetus said that resurrection was already past, and this was sufficient to overthrow the faith of some. In the second instance, …

The Sin of Soul Subversion

We now come to the sin of subversion. The edict from the Jerusalem council, seeking to reassure the Gentile Christians, said that certain men who claimed to be representing the thought of the church leaders were actually just troubling people and subverting (anaskeuadzo) souls (Acts 15:24). The way they were doing this was through insisting …