Category Archives: Jesus Christ

How God became Jesus

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In his recent book, How Jesus Became God, Bart Ehrman argues that belief in the divinity of Jesus developed gradually over several centuries, and was not believed or taught by the first apostles.

At the same time that Ehrman’s book was published, a multi-author response also came out.  The authors are Michael F. Bird, Craig A. Evans, Simon J. Gathercole, Charles E. Hill, and Chris Tilling, and the title is, How God Became Jesus: The real origins of belief in Jesus’ divine nature: A response to Bart Ehrman.…

‘Father, forgive them’

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A summary of ch. 30 of John Flavel’s The Fountain of Life

In Lk 23:34, says Flavel, we find the best of mercies desired for the worst of sinners.

Peter (Acts 3:17) and Paul (1 Cor 2:8) also stress the ignorance of those who crucified the Lord Jesus.  These people may have known many things, but they did not know that this was the Son of God, the Saviour of the world.  This was because

  • though they had the Scriptures, they misunderstood them: they could not believe that the Messiah would arise out of Galilee (Jn 7:52), or that he would die (Jn 12:34; cf.
…

‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit’

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What is implied here?

1. That the soul outlives the body. The house in which it dwelt falls into ruins, and it seeks a new home with God.

2. That the soul’s true rest is in God. During this earthly pilgrimage, we long to be with God, Psa 73:25.

3. That the soul is of great value. We commit our dead bodies to our friends; let our living souls be kept safe by God.

4. That a great change comes upon us at death.…

The logic of penal substitution

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There are three principal ways in which Christ’s death has been understood in the church:-

First, there is the type of account which sees the cross as having its effects purely on us: it reveals God’s love to us; it tells us how much God hates sin; it sets us a supreme example of godliness; it blazes a trail to God, which we may now follow.  The cross motivates us to seek God and it opens up the flow of divine life.  …

The Cross in Galatians

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Under the heading of ‘The Pervasive Influence of the Cross’, John Stott has identified the following affirmations in the letter to the Galatians:-

1. The cross and salvation, Gal 1:3-5
2. The cross and experience, Gal 2:19-21
3. The cross and preaching, Gal 3:1-3
4. The cross and substitution, Gal 3:10-14
5. The cross and persecution, Gal 5:11; 6:12
6. The cross and holiness, Gal 5:24
7. The cross and boasting, Gal 6:14.…

The uniqueness of Jesus Christ

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Only he:-

  1. was foretold in detail centuries before he came, Lk 24:27
  2. declared that he came from outside the world, Jn 6:38
  3. was without flaw of character, Heb 4:15
  4. claimed that he was God, Jn 8:58
  5. died for the sins of the world, 1 Pet 3:18
  6. rose from the grave
…

The deity of Christ

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‘As a matter of methodology it is a great mistake to confine our response to [an] attack on the deity of Christ to those parts of the New Testament which specifically describe Christ as God. There is no doubt, as we shall see, that the New Testament does very often describe Christ as God. But the proof of His deity is much wider than that. We simply must not allow Jehovah’s Witnesses to limit the debate to the narrow question, Does the Bible call Jesus God?…

Preaching Christ

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We do so when we:-

  1. represent him as a living person as distinct from an historical character.
  2. remind the hearers that he is present in the gathering.
  3. represent ourselves as his ambassadors bringing a message from him.
  4. press his claim upon the hearers.
  5. tell of his finished work and testify that his blood cleanses from all sin.
  6. preach Christ as a present deliverer from the power of sin.
  7. warn sinners that to reject him is to perish.
…

Jn 16:5-15 – ‘It is for your good that I am going’ – sermon notes

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It is a horrible thought to try to imagine life without someone you dearly love.

The disciples were having to get used to the prospect of life without Jesus.

There they are, sitting around the table sharing one last meal with Jesus. They listen with increasing alarm as he tells them that he must leave them. On top of that, he warns them that they can expect to be treated with terrible hostility after his departure.…