He did this by setting aside His prerogatives and privileges as a member of the Godhead, the Trinity, and becoming human. John describes the possibility of seeing the glory of God in Jesus (John 1:14), while Paul assures us that divine glory was joined to human particularity when Jesus took the form and nature of man- and a commoner at that.
Continue reading HOW COULD JESUS GIVE UP HIS DIVINE PRIVILEGES?
In demanding a king, Israel became like every other nation of the world. Instead of asking God for relief from counterfeit spiritual leaders, they cried, “Give us a king!” They rejected God’s rule in favor of human leadership.
Continue reading DID THE KINGS HELP OR HURT ISRAEL AS A NATION?
THE PASSOVER is the Old Testament feast that celebrates and remembers God’s liberation of Israel from Egypt. After Joseph saved Egypt from starvation (Genesis 41), the Israelites lived in Egypt as guests. Eventually, the Egyptians forgot about Joseph and enslaved the Israelites for hundreds of years (Exodus 1:6-14).
Continue reading OLD TESTAMENT ORIGIN OF THE PASSOVER
The idea of sacrifice is at the core of the Christian faith. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ is one of the central truths of the gospel. However, this important element of the Christians faith finds its origin and explanation in the sacrificial system of the Old Testament. It is true that Jesus’ sacrifice has made obsolete the Old Testament sacrificial system (Hebrews 10:1-18). However, the original readers of the letter to the Hebrews knew and understood the sacrificial system of the Old Testament. From that knowledge, they were able to more fully understand Jesus’ work on the cross.
Continue reading SACRIFICES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
In the beginning God created an ordered, harmonious universe. It was a creation where everything had its place and function. It was a beautiful, good, and blessed creation. God also made special creatures: humans. Humans represented God in his creation. In addition, God created humans as relational beings. Humans were meant to relate to God (he walked alongside them,) to creation (they were the caretakers of the garden), and to each other (God instituted marriage and family life).
Continue reading GOD LIVING WITH HIS PEOPLE
John 1:1: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The prologue of John’s Gospel (John 1:1-18), of which this verse is a part, focuses on Jesus as the eternal Son, who existed with God the Father before the creation of the World.
Continue reading NAME OF GOD (WORD)
TEACHING ABOUT GOD – The first Gospel shows God in action, taking the initiative in fulfilling the Scriptures about the coming Messiah. It teaches about the Trinity, and it contributes greatly to the Christian understanding of the deity of Christ. Jesus’ constant reference to Himself as the Son of Man plays a key role in understanding Jesus’ earthly mission.
Continue reading CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW ELEMENTS (MATTHEW)
From the delicate breeze to the terrifying hurricane, wind is a force of nature. We can’t see the wind, but we know it is there. Throughout time, humans have learned to harness the wind to fill sails and run wind turbines. We also struggle to limit the destruction caused by wind as the major cause of erosion on earth. Due to its unpredictability and raw power, wind holds both positive and negative connotations throughout the Bible. Continue reading SIGNS & SYMBOLS OF THE BIBLE (WIND)
GENESIS 1:26- And God said. Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
Continue reading WHAT’S IMPORTANT ABOUT BEING MADE IN GOD’S “IMAGE”?