Savoring the Savior

Posts

Showing posts from December, 2018

Why the Virgin Birth Matters

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary... Since the era of the Enlightenment, there have been objections to the authenticity of Jesus' birth found in the gospel narratives of Matthew and Luke. Some scholars have suggested that early Christians borrowed mythical elements from ancient literature in an attempt to adapt the gospel to a Hellenistic (Greek) culture (1), while others have suggested that there has been an error in translating the word almah, leading to a conclusion that the original authors did not explicitly express. Many versions of the Bible render this word as virgin while critics argue that it should be translated young woman or maiden. William Beck, who has done extensive research of the word comments, I have searched exhaustively for instances in which almah might mean a non-virgin or a married woman. There

Study Guide: Galatians 5:16-26

1. Why is the Holy Spirit so vital to the life of a believer? 2. What does it mean to “walk” by the Spirit? (correlates to what word in v18) a. Exodus 31:3 b. Ephesians 5:18 3. How do these verses relate to what is said regarding the work of the flesh? a. Flesh Defined – Galatians 2:20 b. Practice – How can missing this one word change how we read this passage? c. Works Evident – Romans 1:18-22, 1 John 3:10 d. Results – Galatians 5:21, Galatians 6:8, Romans 6:23 4. Examine the Negative List a. Are there words that need to be defined or clarified? b. Is there any order, progression, or anything that stands out in this list? 5. Examine the Positive List a. Are there words that need to be defined or clarified? b. Is there any order, progression, or anything that stands out in this list? 6. Paul is addressing the Galatians who have been trick

Judge Not

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you. Matthew 7:1-6 (ESV) "Judge not" has become the mantra of our culture as it increasingly seeks to equate tolerance with acceptance . Many people attempt to use Jesus's words here as a means to prohibit someone from evaluating the choices of another. The irony is, these same people are guilty of the very thing Jesus is warning us about. It is obvious

Fully Known, Fully Loved

When we have people in our lives that are close to us, those individuals that really "get us", we treasure those relationships and consider ourselves to be very fortunate. In my own life, I think about my wife, someone who is familiar with not only my ambitions and motivations but also my fears and struggles. I think about my oldest son, who shares a common interest in music, enjoys watching constant reruns of "The Office", and has a similar sense of humor. When we say that someone "gets us", we are saying that this person is more than just an acquaintance. This is someone who knows more than a few basics facts about us. This is someone who is dear to us because they know us on a deeper, personal level. Today, as I was reading a verse that I have read so many times before, I found myself coming to a complete stop. So many times I had read this verse or heard someone teaching this passage with my eyes looking towards the future that I had missed