As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
Read the series.
In the early years of church history, there were men who denied the true humanity of Jesus. They were the Docetists, a significant branch of Gnosticism. They considered it blasphemous to imagine an infinite, holy, transcendent God contaminating Himself by assuming human flesh. This attitude reflected Greek philosophy, which held that matter is evil and that only the mind and spirit are good.
Reposted from 2011.
The Lord Jesus Christ, the second person of the triune God, who became the God-man by virtue of His virgin conception and incarnation, is the only human being in the universe who possesses a glorified body.
Consider for a moment the raising of Lazarus from the dead. This was one of the most spectacular sign miracles that the Lord Jesus performed at His first coming. Hundreds, if not thousands, of Jews were astounded by what Jesus did that day in Bethany near Jerusalem.
VOLUME I, CHAPTER 3: THE PURPOSES OF THE INCARNATION.
BY REV. G. CAMPBELL MORGAN, D. D., PASTOR OF WESTMINSTER CHAPEL, LONDON, ENGLAND.
The title of this meditation marks its limitation, and indicates its scope.
Here is no attempt at defense of the statement of the New Testament that “the Word was made flesh.” That is taken for granted as true.
“I want to argue from the accounts of Mary in the Gospels that she knew all the points the song reveals, and probably quite a bit more.” - Word by Word
“Three questions guide the investigation: 1) Does this clause belong in the Creed in the first place? 2) To what does it refer, and 3) where is it taught in Scripture?” - DBTS Blog
“Does it bother you when you’re rejected by people you care about? How much did it bother Jesus when he came to his own, and his own rejected him (Jn 1.11)? when a disciple of three years betrayed him with a kiss? when his own brothers didn’t believe in him (Jn 7.5)?” - Olinger
“He told Martha, ‘Your brother will rise again’ (11:23) but He did not say to Martha, ‘Don’t grieve.’ He is the Resurrection and the Life, but He weeps with Martha and Mary over their loss.” - Colin Smith
Sheffield Phoenix New Testament Monographs, 43, 2021, 204 pp.
By David H. Wenkel, PhD
Messianic expectations in the first century were varied, but rarely did they include a figure associated with the sunrise or the direction of the east. However, in Luke’s gospel (1:78) the prophetic song (the ‘Benedictus’) of the priest Zechariah, father of John the Baptist, includes a title for Jesus that means the “dayspring,” “dawn,” or “rising sun” (“the sunrise shall visit us from on high” ESV).
“Saint Nicholas, a historical precursor figure for Santa Claus, is said to have attended the First Council of Nicea in A.D. 325… Additional legends assert Nicholas became so enraged by the comments of Arius, who taught Jesus was not equal to God the Father, he slapped Arius across the face.” - Lifeway
“Jesus Christ is the final word by which God has revealed His redemptive purposes in the world, a revelation to which nothing can be added.” - DeYoung
Discussion