I’ve been reading the book How to Study the Bible by D. L. Moody. It’s excellent. He gives lots of ideas of how to study the Bible as well as reasons we NEED to study the Bible and not just read it. One idea is a word study and here is an excellent example of a study on the word ‘always.’ My husband will often say that those superlatives, like always and never can only be used by an omnicient God. (Good point for another day!)
“And, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matthew 28:20)
by Henry M. Morris, P.hD
A favorite old song of many senior citizens (of this writer, at least) is the sentimental “I’ll be loving you—always” ballad written long ago by Irving Berlin. The sincerity of some who sing it may be questioned, but the many “always” promises of the Bible really mean it. Consider a few of these precious promises, for example.
The apostle Paul urges believers to be “always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58). And to the same Corinthian church he later wrote: “Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:14).
Then there is that other tremendous promise in the same epistle: “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to everygood work” (2 Corinthians 9:8). [Here’s another superlative. Notice what the verse is saying. We MAY abound or succeed in EVERY good work. We may or may not; HOWEVER, God always supplies sufficent grace for us.] The greatest such promise is that in our text, when the Lord Jesus Christ Himself promised that “I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20).
These are also a number of very important exhortations in the Scriptures involving an “always” type of commitment. For example, Jesus said “that men ought always to pray, and not to faint” (Luke 18:1). That is, never give up praying just because the answer seems a long time coming. Furthermore, Paul says that we should be “giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20).
Then, we are to “rejoice in the Lord always” (Philippians 4:4). Finally, there is the command to “be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15). HMM
Days of Praise Podcast is a podcast based on the Institute for Creation Research quarterly print devotional, Days of Praise. Start your day with devotional readings written by Dr. Henry Morris, Dr. Henry Morris III, Dr. John Morris, and others to strengthen and encourage you in your Christian faith.
Beyond Common Sense 