May 28, 2014

Introducing Jesus

Jesus – Sermon on the Mount

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).

“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

The gospel of John was written to teach people about Jesus. The first chapter introduces Jesus to us. We learn of Him through the various words and phrases used to describe the Lord, some of which are found in the verses above. The opening chapter of John is a good place to go to learn, be reminded, or teach others about Jesus. Let us briefly consider some of the ways in which Jesus is described in these verses.
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April 2, 2013

Are We Truly Disciples of Christ?

John 8:31

Many people claim to be disciples of Christ, but are they truly His disciples? Are we? This is a legitimate and important question. Notice what Jesus said:

“So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, ‘If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free’” (John 8:31-32).

When Jesus said, “then you are truly disciples of Mine,” He implied that some are not truly His disciples. So the question under consideration is vitally important: Are we truly disciples of Christ? We must be sure we can correctly answer this question for ourselves. We must also be prepared to try and help others to be able to correctly answer this question for themselves. The context of the above passage shows us what it means to be disciples of Christ.
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April 6, 2009

Book Review: The Man of Galilee

man-of-galileeIn The Man of Galilee, Atticus Haygood sets out to show the reader that Jesus is the Son of God. He directs his writing toward the skeptic, and presents arguments that can be used to show the deity of Christ to someone before they believe that the Bible is the word of God.

Haygood addresses the claims that Jesus was an invention of the gospel writers and that Jesus was just a man. He makes his case by considering who the gospel writers were, and Jesus’ words, plans, worldview, and life to show that Jesus could be none other than the Christ, the Son of God. Overall, the material in the book was rather good.

However, there were a couple issues I had with the book. The first is the lack of Scripture citations. Granted, the author wrote this for the benefit of those who would not even acknowledge the Bible as God’s word. But even when one quotes a regular piece of literature or reference material, a citation is given. There is little to none of this in this book. So one who wants to verify that the quotations do in fact come from the Bible, or wishes to study them further, needs to have a concordance to find the verses Haygood cites.
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April 1, 2009

What Must One Believe to Be Saved?

Standing by a Mountain Lake

“He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned” (Mark 16:16).

Brethren have debated the meaning of this verse with those in denominations for years. The disagreement is over baptism. Brethren teach that Jesus’ words indicate that one must be baptized (in addition to believing) to be saved. Those in denominations teach that since baptism is not mentioned in the second clause, then one must only believe to be saved.

It is clear that belief is essential for salvation. If one does not believe, he will be condemned. But what exactly is it that one must believe to be saved? I would suggest that once we find the answer to this in the Bible, it will also settle the debate on baptism. So what does the Bible teach that one must believe to be saved?
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January 13, 2009

The Deity of Christ in Hebrews 1

Hebrews

Jesus is the Son of God (Matthew 3:17). While He was on the earth “all the fullness of Deity [dwelt] in bodily form” (Colossians 2:9). Yet there are some who reject the Deity of Christ, claiming that He surrendered His Deity when He came to earth.

The Hebrew writer appealed to his audience to not go back to the Old Law. He made several points about why the new way with Christ was better than the old way. He began the book by talking about Christ. In the first chapter alone, there are several statements that show us that Jesus is God:
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January 1, 2009

How Jesus Became Like Us

Jesus Knocking

Jesus came to earth in order to save man from sin (Matthew 1:21; Luke 19:10). This was God’s plan from the beginning (Ephesians 3:11) and was put in motion shortly after sin entered the world (Genesis 3:15). In order to save us, Jesus first had to be made like us.

“Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people” (Hebrews 2:17).

How was Jesus made like us? Completely? Or was there some sense in which He already like us?
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August 1, 2008

No One Is Good Except God Alone

Jesus and the Rich Young Ruler

Luke recorded the occasion when a rich young ruler came to Jesus with a question: “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 18:18).

When we talk about this passage, we often begin with Jesus instructing this man to keep the commandments contained in the Law of Moses (Luke 18:20). The man responded that he had done this from his youth (Luke 18:21). So Jesus told him what else he needed to do to inherit eternal life: “Sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor…and come, follow Me” (Luke 18:22). This man was unwilling to do this and departed (Luke 18:23).
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