Articles | a New Testament church

April 10, 2022December 25, 2024

Isaac And Jacob See The LORD | Finding Jesus In The Old Testament

Finding Jesus in the Old Testament #3

The Hebrew word har (ra’ah), rendered “appeared,” means to gaze upon, show or behold. As we noted last week, the LORD appeared to Abraham—that is, he had seen the LORD. And yet, since “…no one has seen God (the Father) at any time…” (John 1:18; 1 John 4:12; cf. John 6:46), we must conclude that it was not the Father, but the Son who spoke to and appeared to him. So it was with Isaac.

April 3, 2022December 25, 2024

The God Who Sees & Provides | Finding Jesus In The Old Testament

Finding Jesus in the Old Testament #2

At the beginning of Genesis 12, God calls Abram to depart from his father’s house and to go to a land which God would show to him. In verse 1, it simply says, “…the LORD had said…” However, when we get to verse 7, it is no longer just a matter of hearing a voice from heaven, but “…the LORD appeared to Abram…”

March 27, 2022December 23, 2024

Who Is The God That Is Seen? | Finding Jesus In The Old Testament

Finding Jesus in the Old Testament #1

At the beginning of John’s unique gospel account, he makes the monumental statement, “No one has seen God at any time” (John 1:18). Later, in the first epistle by the same writer, he repeats verbatim, “No one has seen God at any time” (1 John 4;12).

March 20, 2022December 23, 2024

Revelation: The Promise of Victory in Christ – Bible Overview

The book of Revelation, a book filled with figures and imagery, was written by the apostle John to the seven churches of Asia (1:4). These early Christians saw the things in the book play out in their time, as evidenced by the fulfillment timestamps found in the book itself (1:1, 3; 22:6, 10). By no means was everything in the book fulfilled in the first and second centuries AD (ie. final judgment, casting of Satan & his hosts into hell; glorification of God’s people in heaven), but in our approach to the book we cannot ignore the original recipients or the timestamps provided.

March 6, 2022December 23, 2024

In Memory of John Hains: A Life Devoted to Christ

JOHN HAINS (1958-2022)

In 2 Samuel 1, David wrote “the Song of the Bow,” a lamentation for Saul and his son Jonathan who died in battle against the Philistines. David mourned the loss of these two great heroes of Israel. Saul and Jonathan were very different men, one a valiant and powerful king, yet unfaithful to the Lord; the other, David’s best friend, a kindred spirit, and most importantly, a faithful man of God. David eulogized these two important figures with the phrase, “How the mighty have fallen” (2 Samuel 1:19, 25, 27).

February 6, 2022December 23, 2024

Jude: Contending Earnestly for the Faith – Bible Overview

The author of the book of Jude identifies himself as “…a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James…” (1:1). Mentioning James in this way infers that he was widely known to the brethren. There are four men named James in the New Testament, but only one James whom we know had a brother named Judas (a.k.a. Jude). Jesus’ brother James was a prominent man in the church at Jerusalem (Acts 12:17; 16:13; 21:18; 1 Corinthians 15:7; Galatians 1:19; 2:9, 12). Jude is likely the Lord’s brother, though it seems perhaps our of humility, he identified himself as the brother of James and the Lord’s bondservant.

January 16, 2022December 23, 2024

1, 2 & 3 John: You Can Know That You Have Eternal Life – Bible Overview

These three epistles are all associated with the apostle John, brother of James, and son of Zebedee, who was in Jesus’ inner circle of friends. Though he is not named specifically in the books, the internal evidence logically leads to John being the writer.

January 9, 2022December 23, 2024

1 & 2 Peter: Living With Service And Fellowship In The Faith – Bible Overview

Prior to being a disciple of Christ, Peter was a fisherman working on the Sea of Galilee working with James and John, the sons of Zebedee (Luke 5:10). Peter and his brother were originally form Bethsaida (John 1:44), but they eventually moved to Capernaum along with Peter’s wife and mother-in-law (Luke 4:31, 38).

January 2, 2022December 23, 2024

James: A Guide To Practical Christianity – Bible Overview

James identifies himself as “a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ” (James 1:1). There are three men named James in the New Testament:

December 26, 2021December 23, 2024

Hebrews: the Gospel is BETTER than the Law – Bible Overview

As per the name, the book of Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians. In his commentary, Robert Milligan summarized the purpose of the book in this way: