It appears that there were three tests as to whether a book was viewed as authoritative and therefore included in the biblical canon. With so many people thinking the Gospel of Thomas should be in the Bible, let’s look at the facts.

“Cornelius said, ‘Four days ago at this hour, I was praying at the ninth hour in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing.’” The challenge here is that it was only three days earlier that Cornelius had his vision. So is this an error?

Romans 12:9 and the following verses give us an interesting challenge as to what it means and how to translate it. Specifically, where did all the indicative verbs go, and what is the relationship of 12:9a to the following verses?

We live in such a culture of un-grace, one without natural affection. Whether it is rancid politics or gossipy and critical people in the church, it seems there is little affection between people. Does that sound too harsh? Then I encourage you to just listen to conversations around you and decide for yourself. Are the people, are you and I, speaking with affection for others?

Greek has a wonderful ability to state a prohibition with different nuances. Unfortunately, these nuances are often lost in translation.