Read more about the article The Servant Song of Isaiah 49
Isaiah the Prophet

The Servant Song of Isaiah 49

There are four passages in Isaiah that are referred to as the Servant Songs because, in them, the Messiah is referred to as God's servant.[1]  The most familiar one is found in Isaiah 53, where the prophet writes of the future Messiah's persecution and suffering, tragic end, and ultimate triumph.  But few are familiar with the Servant Song of Isaiah 49, which details the Messiah's commission from God.  While an examination of both chapters reveals a decidedly human messiah, chapter 49 demonstrates how the coming…

0 Comments
Read more about the article The Rock That Followed Them Was Christ
Moses and water from a rock

The Rock That Followed Them Was Christ

There are a handful of verses that are used by some to try and prove the preexistence of Jesus, which, according to modern orthodoxy, equates with Jesus being God.  One of those verses is found in Paul's first letter to the church in Corinth: 1 Corinthians 10:1-5 (NASB) For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; 2  and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the…

4 Comments
Read more about the article Behold My Servant: The Christ of Isaiah 42
Prophet Isaiah by Bartolomeo Gennari, 17th century

Behold My Servant: The Christ of Isaiah 42

Isaiah has been called the most significant prophet of the Old Testament.  His writings are ”quoted more than twice as much as any other major prophet and more than all of the minor prophets combined."[1]  His extensive work is referenced directly or indirectly in 235 out of the 260 chapters in the New Testament.[2]  More specifically, this "evangelical prophet," as he is sometimes called, foretold more about the coming Messiah than any other Old Testament writer.   It is vital, therefore, that we ask who did…

0 Comments
Read more about the article Worship the Father
Jesus and the Samaritan Woman at the Well, Angelika Kauffman, 1795

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…

2 Comments
Read more about the article Why Did the Man Born Blind Worship Jesus?
Healing of Man Born Blind, Duccio di Buoninsegna, 1311

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…

12 Comments
Read more about the article Why Did the Disciples Worship Jesus in Matthew 14?
Christ Rescuing Peter From Drowning, Lorenzo Veneziano, c. 1370

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…

6 Comments
Read more about the article Why Did The Magi Worship Jesus?
The Magi in the House of Herod, c. 1800s, James Tissot

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 King…

10 Comments
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)

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…

2 Comments
Read more about the article Did John the Baptist Say Jesus Preexisted?
St. John the Baptist, Mattia Preti, c. 1665

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…

2 Comments
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

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…

6 Comments