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 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
Read more about the article Saul of Tarsus’ Damascus Road Christology
The Conversion of St. Paul, by Bartolome Esteban Murillo c. 17th century
Book of Acts / Paul's Christology and Theology / Who is Jesus

Saul of Tarsus’ Damascus Road Christology

One of the most dramatic events in Luke's historical account of the birth and development of the early Church is Saul of Tarsus' conversion from Christian persecutor to Christ follower.  Jesus appeared to Saul on the road to Damascus as the zealous Pharisee was en route, having been given authority by the high priest to arrest Christians and bring them back to Jerusalem to be punished.[1] How did Saul's view of Jesus change after he encountered the resurrected and exalted king?  Did he realize that not…

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October 11, 2020
Read more about the article Confidently Wrong About Jesus
Ernst Karl Georg Zimmerman, c. 19th century
Who is Jesus

Confidently Wrong About Jesus

Have you ever been so sure about something, so confident in your position on a matter that you doggedly held fast to your belief only to find out later that you were wrong? In John chapter 7, we read about two groups of people who were confident in their assertions about Jesus.  But they were wrong.  Confidently wrong.  Let's examine the passage and find out what we can learn from their error. Many people were coming to believe that Jesus was the promised Christ.  The…

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September 20, 2020
Read more about the article Jesus Christ, the Foundation and Cornerstone
Who is Jesus

Jesus Christ, the Foundation and Cornerstone

Scripture uses a variety of metaphors to illustrate spiritual truths.  For example, the Church is described as a building.  Paul used this analogy in his first letter to the church in Corinth: 1 Corinthians 3:5 and 9-11 (NASB)  What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one... 9  For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building. 10  According to the grace of God which was given to me,…

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August 25, 2020
Read more about the article Does Being King of Kings Mean Jesus is God?
Who is Jesus

Does Being King of Kings Mean Jesus is God?

The book of Revelation twice calls Jesus the king of kings and the lord of lords.  In these passages, he is depicted as the Lamb who is warred against by the beast and the kings of the earth, but who, in the end, triumphs over his enemies.[1] Revelation 17:14 (NASB) "These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and…

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August 16, 2020
Read more about the article Peter’s Christology Before Cornelius and the Gentiles
The Angel Appears to Cornelius the Centurion, by Gioacchino Pagliei, c.1875
Who is Jesus / Book of Acts / Peter's Christology

Peter’s Christology Before Cornelius and the Gentiles

Most Christians would agree that our Christology should be derived from Scripture.  However, many would be shocked to learn that modern Christianity's view of Jesus is a hybridization of Biblical and post-Biblical teachings.  This blending of New Testament Christology with fourth century philosophy is noticeable when we compare current orthodoxy with Peter's Christology. What did Peter believe and teach about the Messiah?  If the foremost of the twelve apostles, and a prominent leader in the early Church, believed Jesus to be God-incarnate, we would rightfully expect…

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July 31, 2020
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