The Good Old Days

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace,   Isaiah 9:6-7a NASB…

The Messianic Telescope

“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people,” Luke 1:68 NASB Visited us – When John the Baptist is named, Zacharias regains his ability to speak. According to the text, Zacharias was “filled with the holy spirit” and prophesied. We know the Sunday School story,…

The Messianic Claim

who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord, Romans 1:4 NASB Declared – Leon Morris is recognized as one of the premier Greek scholars of the New Testament. His commentary on Romans[1] demonstrates his facility with the language…

It’s a Cosmic Affair

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16 NASB World – “God is the God of the entire cosmos; God has to do with every creature, and every creature has to do with God, whether they…

Reckless

By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, was vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory. 1 Timothy 3:16 NASB Godliness – A lot of trouble occurs when theological constructs get in the way…

Chosen to Serve

“Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations.” Isaiah 42:1 NASB Chosen one – Why does God choose? Why did He choose Israel, David, Jonah or Yeshua? Why did He choose you? The answer…

Action or Actor?

“Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations.” Isaiah 42:1 NASB Uphold – YHVH speaks about His servant. “Look at him,” He says. “He is the one I uphold.” Pay attention. YHVH is the…

Thinking about the Messiah

  “For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit, nor, on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit” (Luke 6:43 NASB). One of the chief differences between Hebrew and Greek paradigms is the idea of certainty. In the Greek world, truth assumes commitment to some specific correct answer. We might…

Whose Kingdom?

But now the Messiah has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.  For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead.  For as in Adam all die, so also in the Messiah all will be made alive. But each in his…

92 to 0

“Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” John 8:24 NASB Believe – John uses the Greek “believe” in one form or another ninety-two times in his gospel. It is never once a noun. Pisteuo is a…