Read more about the article Worship the Father
Jesus and the Samaritan Woman at the Well, Angelika Kauffman, 1795
Who is God / Who is Jesus / Worship of Jesus

Worship the Father

Modern orthodoxy insists that Jesus must be worshiped as God.  A failure to do so will automatically disqualify you from being a Christian, so says mainstream Christianity.  One evangelist recently elaborated on this oft repeated mantra: But if people miss the reality that Jesus was more than a prophet—that He is actually part of the Trinity, and therefore God—then they're not truly Christians.  You cannot say you're a Christian and not worship Jesus. It doesn't work that way.[1] While many would agree with this evangelist's assessment, the…

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May 17, 2021
Read more about the article Why Did the Man Born Blind Worship Jesus?
Healing of Man Born Blind, Duccio di Buoninsegna, 1311
Who is Jesus / Worship of Jesus

Why Did the Man Born Blind Worship Jesus?

One of the arguments used to support the theory that Jesus is God is found in the gospel of John: John 9:35-38 (NASB) Jesus heard that they had put him out [the man who had been born blind, whom Jesus had healed], and finding him, He said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" 36 He answered, "Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?" 37 Jesus said to him, "You have both seen Him, and He is the one who is…

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March 28, 2021
Read more about the article Why Did the Disciples Worship Jesus in Matthew 14?
Christ Rescuing Peter From Drowning, Lorenzo Veneziano, c. 1370
Who is Jesus / Worship of Jesus

Why Did the Disciples Worship Jesus in Matthew 14?

After Jesus fed the 5,000, he sent the crowd away and made the disciples get in the boat and go ahead of him to Bethsaida,[1] located on the other side of the Sea of Galilee.  Jesus then went up on the mountain to pray.A storm arose on the sea, and the boat carrying the disciples was being battered by the wind and waves.  Sometime during the fourth watch,[2] Jesus came to them walking on the water:Matthew 14:26-33 (NASB) When the disciples saw Him walking on…

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February 15, 2021
Read more about the article Why Did The Magi Worship Jesus?
The Magi in the House of Herod, c. 1800s, James Tissot
Who is Jesus / Worship of Jesus

Why Did The Magi Worship Jesus?

A handful of New Testament passages regarding the worship of Jesus are used by some to support the notion that Jesus is God.  They reason that only God can receive worship, therefore, Jesus must be God.  The first of these texts is found in the gospel of Matthew: Matthew 2:1-2 and 11 (NASB) Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, 2 "Where is He who has been born…

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February 2, 2021
Read more about the article Did Micah Prophesy That Jesus Preexisted?
The Prophet Micah, Jan van Eyck, 1432 (The banner quotes the beginning of Micah 5:2)
Preexistence / Principle of Agency / Who is Jesus

Did Micah Prophesy That Jesus Preexisted?

There are a handful of passages that some point to in an effort to prove that Jesus preexisted as God in heaven.  One of those verses appears in the book of Micah:  Micah 5:2 (NASB) "But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity."Jerusalem was going to muster troops to fight Assyria, but God took…

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January 28, 2021
Read more about the article Did John the Baptist Say Jesus Preexisted?
St. John the Baptist, Mattia Preti, c. 1665
Who is Jesus / Preexistence

Did John the Baptist Say Jesus Preexisted?

John the Baptist's testimony about Jesus is sometimes used in an attempt to prove that Jesus preexisted in heaven: John 1:15, 27 and 29-30 (NASB) John *testified about Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.'" ...27  "It is He who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie."...29  The next day he *saw Jesus coming to him and…

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December 19, 2020
Read more about the article Did God Purchase the Church With His Own Blood?
Lamb of God by Francisco de Zurbaran, c.1635-1640, San Diego Museum of Art
Book of Acts / Paul's Christology and Theology

Did God Purchase the Church With His Own Blood?

An Examination of Acts 20:28When Paul was en route to Jerusalem, he stopped in the city of Miletus long enough to call for the elders in neighboring Ephesus to come to him that he might exhort them to be on guard against savage wolves:Acts 20:28-30 (NASB) "Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.  29  "I know that after my departure…

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December 7, 2020
Read more about the article Paul’s Theology in Athens
Paul in Athens, Sir James Thornhill's copy of Raphael's painting
Book of Acts / Paul's Christology and Theology

Paul’s Theology in Athens

If the doctrine of the Trinity and the deity of Christ is the bedrock of the Christian faith, as modern orthodoxy insists, then we should be able to find these foundational teachings in Scripture.  In particular, the book of Acts should include such doctrine as it records the spread of the gospel message and the growth of the Church in the first century.  This post will examine Paul's teaching in Athens, as recorded in Luke's historical account, to determine if the apostle's theology included Trinitarian…

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November 29, 2020
Read more about the article Paul’s Theology in Thessalonica
Paul Preaching to the Thessalonians, Gustave Dore, c. 1850
Book of Acts / Paul's Christology and Theology

Paul’s Theology in Thessalonica

The book of Acts provides us with important insight into what first century Christians believed and taught. In this post, we'll examine portions of Acts chapter 17 to discover what Paul taught the citizens of Thessalonica about God. More specifically, we will look to see if the apostle taught the doctrine of the Trinity or the deity of Christ, both said to be foundational to the Christian faith.Thessalonica, located in what is now Turkey, was the capital of one of four districts in Macedonia.  Paul…

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November 15, 2020
Read more about the article The Gods Have Become Like Men
Paul and Barnabas at Lystra, Johann Heiss, 1678
Book of Acts / Paul's Christology and Theology / Preexistence / Who is Jesus

The Gods Have Become Like Men

The book of Acts should play a key role in the development of our theology because it demonstrates what the early Church believed and taught.  In other words, the book of Acts offers a firsthand look at how the disciples implemented Jesus' mandate to go into all the world "teaching them all that I have commanded you."[1]  If the doctrine of the Trinity and Jesus' incarnation are foundational teachings, as modern orthodoxy claims, we should find them in abundance in the book that records the…

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October 25, 2020
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