Read more about the article The Son of Man
René Magritte. The Son of Man (1964).
Who is Jesus

The Son of Man

Renè Magritte's self portrait entitled, The Son of Man, is considered to be his most famous piece.  In it, the Belgian surrealist is wearing a bowler hat, and his face is partially hidden behind a bright green apple.  In simple terms, the concept behind Magritte's painting is that what is visible is simultaneously hidden.[1]Today's post has more in common with Magritte's painting than simply the title.  By examining Scripture, we will discover that Jesus' identity as the Son of Man has been partially obscured, not…

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July 29, 2019
Read more about the article Is Jesus Equal with God? An Examination of John 5:18
Proof Texts for the Deity of Christ / Principle of Agency

Is Jesus Equal with God? An Examination of John 5:18

When Jesus healed a man at the pool of Bethesda, he commanded him to, "Get up, pick up your pallet and walk."  When the self-righteous Jews found out what Jesus had done, they began persecuting him because it had occurred on the Sabbath.[1]  What infuriated them even more was Jesus' response to their aggression:John 5:17-18 (NASB)  But He answered them, "My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working." 18  For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill…

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July 20, 2019
Read more about the article The Transfiguration of Jesus
Transfiguration. Titan (c. 1560)
Proof Texts for the Deity of Christ

The Transfiguration of Jesus

The transfiguration of Jesus on Mt. Hermon[1] is considered by some Christians to be proof of his deity, despite the fact that the text does not claim as much.  If it is indeed proof, we can expect that this type of transformation would be exclusive to Jesus since fourth century Church Fathers claim he is the unique God-Man.  A proper examination of the event in question must include the revelation given just days before.  In Matthew 16, Jesus asked his disciples, "Who do people say…

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July 16, 2019
Read more about the article Jesus, the Human Agent of God
Who is Jesus / Principle of Agency

Jesus, the Human Agent of God

How could Jesus do the works of God and teach with the authority of God and yet not be God?  The answer: the principle of agency, a concept theologians and academicians understand, but one that is relatively unknown by laity. In The Principle of Agency in the Old Testament and in the New Testament, we learned that an agent is one who has been "authorized to act for or in the place of another,"[1] In Hebraic terms, the agent or the "one sent" is called the…

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July 13, 2019
Read more about the article The Principle of Agency in the New Testament
How to Read the Bible / Principle of Agency

The Principle of Agency in the New Testament

The Principle of Agency in the New Testament As we learned in The Principle of Agency in the Old Testament, an agent is one who has been "authorized to act for or in the place of another."[1] In Hebraic terms, the agent or the "one sent" is called the shaliah.[2]  Its New Testament equivalent is the term apostle or apostolos in the Greek, and it means: a messenger, one sent on a mission.[3]  Regarding agency, James McGrath, professor and New Testament scholar writes: Agency was…

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July 9, 2019
Read more about the article The Principle of Agency in the Old Testament
How to Read the Bible / Principle of Agency

The Principle of Agency in the Old Testament

The Principle of Agency in the Old TestamentThe principle of agency, also known as the law of agency, is an important precept that helps us better understand, not only Scripture as a whole, but more specifically, who Jesus is, his ministry, and his relationship to God.  Those who traverse the halls of academia have long known about this principle.  Unfortunately, those charged with instructing the Christian in the pew either do not know about it, or they have neglected to share it with those in…

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July 5, 2019