The Old Testament. It stands as a giant, mysterious body of literature into which many Christians rarely venture. We are caught in a vicious circle: as believers we don’t read the Old Testament because we don’t understand it; but we don’t understand it because we don’t read it. However, the Old Testament is the foundation … Continue reading “JANUARY BIBLE STUDIES”
THE CROWNING OF JESUS
LUKE 24:50–53 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven (Luke 24:51). Perhaps the most glorious event in the life of Christ was His ascension into heaven. We read that Jesus took the disciples out to the Mount of Olives and blessed them, As He blessed them. He ascended … Continue reading “THE CROWNING OF JESUS”
THE GREAT COMMISSION
LUKE 24:36–49 “And repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things” (Luke 24:47–48). Luke tells us that the two people with whom Jesus spoke on the road to Emmaus rushed back to Jerusalem and found the rest of the disciples … Continue reading “THE GREAT COMMISSION”
JESUS’ NEW MESSAGE
LUKE 24:13–35 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself (Luke 24:27). I sometimes ask my students what the greatest sermon in the Bible is. Usually I am told that the Sermon on the Mount is the greatest, though some have called … Continue reading “JESUS’ NEW MESSAGE”
JESUS’ RESURRECTION
LUKE 24:1–12 “He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be … crucified and on the third day be raised again’ ” (Luke 24:6). The earliest creed of the church was very simple: “He is risen.” There is a … Continue reading “JESUS’ RESURRECTION”
A WEALTHY MAN’S TOMB
LUKE 23:50–56 Then he took [the body of Jesus] down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid (Luke 23:53). Today, Christmas, we return to our study of Luke with a passage that speaks of the death of Jesus. … Continue reading “A WEALTHY MAN’S TOMB”
THE CURSE-BEARER
GALATIANS 3:1–14 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree” (Galatians 3:13). Whenever God made a covenant with His people, He would explain the curses and blessings of the covenant. If they obeyed, they would … Continue reading “THE CURSE-BEARER”
THE NEED FOR ATONEMENT
ROMANS 3:9–20 As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10). We need atonement because we are sinners, but just how grave is our sin? The traditional Reformed doctrine of sin uses the phrase total depravity. People have a tendency to wince at this term because there is confusion between … Continue reading “THE NEED FOR ATONEMENT”
“A RANSOM FOR MANY”
MARK 10:35–45 “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). The Atonement is a multifaceted event. One of the images used in the New Testament is that of a ransom paid to redeem a captive. Redemption … Continue reading ““A RANSOM FOR MANY””
ANGER AND ATONEMENT
JOHN 3:1–21 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Before the fall man enjoyed fellowship with God, but in Adam we broke that fellowship and rebelled against God. God is the wronged party in … Continue reading “ANGER AND ATONEMENT”