Fulfillment State, process, or act by which a situation comes to a complete end, whether ultimately good or bad. While fulfillment may be extended over an indefinite period of time, there are several occasions in Scripture in which a specific situation is being described, such as gestation and birth ( Gen 25:25 ; Job 39:1-2 ; Luke 1:57 ; 2:6 ), or the […]

Fruit of the Spirit The fruit of the Spirit is the result of the Holy Spirit’s presence and working in the lives of maturing believers and is itemized in Galatians 5:22-23. In the context of these verses, the singular fruit of the Spirit is contrasted with the plural works of the flesh ( 5:19-21 ). Neither listing […]

Foreknowledge In his omniscience God knows what the future holds both for individuals and for nations. He knows and sees everything in advance and his will is carried out in accord with his plans and purposes. In the Old Testament God’s foreknowledge is usually represented by the verb yada [[;d”y], which is the normal verb for “know.” […]

Freedom [N] [E] The theme of freedom rings loudly in one of the most crucial sections of Scripture, namely the narrative of the exodus. Already when establishing his covenant with Abraham, God had predicted the bondage and suffering of the Hebrews in a foreign land ( Gen 15:13 ). That long period of Egyptian slavery became a powerful symbol […]

Fellowship [N] [E] To appreciate the full meaning of the word-group in the New Testament that conveys the nature and reality of Christian fellowship (i.e., the noun koinonia [koinwniva], the verb, koinonein [koinwnevw], and the noun koinonos [koinwnov”]) as used in the New Testament, it is necessary to be aware of two fundamental points. First, the fact and experience of Christian fellowship only […]