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The Need for Atonement
In other religions, such as Islam and Judaism, God simply waves sin away, not requiring payment for transgressions in order to forgive. This idea betrays a view of a Creator who is not really all that holy, who ultimately is ...Read More
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The Voice in the Wilderness
As important as he was in God’s plan of salvation, John the Baptist was called not to exalt himself but to point to the Savior. That is our task today. As many have said, we are just “poor beggars ...Read More
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The Consolation of Israel
Only when we have seen the Messiah—when we have acknowledged Jesus for who He is and bowed in worship—will we be ready to meet our Creator. There is only one way to stand before God unafraid, and that ...Read More
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The Advent of Christ
Today, we expect the second advent of Christ to judge the living and the dead (Acts 1:11; 2 Tim. 4:1). Sometimes we are tempted to be discouraged, to doubt that He is coming back, because it has been ...Read More
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The Glory of Christmas
The shepherds were eager to see the Savior of the world, and we should be eager to see Him as well. This involves not only coming to Him in our conversions but also seeking His face each and every day ...Read More
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The Messiah’s Mother
As followers of Christ, we must contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 3). Yet in so doing, we must be careful about going to the opposite extreme, for we often commit other errors when we ...Read More
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Christmas in Time and Space
The Bible insists that the Son of God entered history at a specific point and remains united to a human nature in the person of Jesus Christ forever. This is radically different from the Hindu concept of incarnation, which says ...Read More
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God Will Swallow up Death Forever
Paul tells us that “the last enemy to be destroyed is death” (1 Cor. 15:26) because he recognizes that death continues to plague creation even though Christ dealt it a mortal blow by His own death and resurrection. Death ...Read More
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A Shoot from Jesse’s Stump
One of the things that makes Jesus the Messiah greater than even David himself is His righteousness in judging the poor and deciding with equity for “the meek of the earth” (Isa. 11:4). Christ is the incomparably noble and ...Read More
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A Child is Born
Some have argued that today’s passage predicts the birth of King Hezekiah, but given the failures of even righteous Hezekiah (Isa. 39), it is clear that these verses must refer ultimately to the Son of David, who is also ...Read More
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A Blessedness No One has Imagined
Scholars have long debated whether the original Hebrew of today’s passage is better translated “virgin” or “young woman.” This is a worthy debate, but if we are not careful, we could miss this key point: just as the son ...Read More
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The Holiness of Christ
When we trust in Jesus, we are His holy people by God’s decree, and, over time, we become holy in our experience as we put sin to death and grow in likeness to Christ. In Jesus, we have a ...Read More
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Israel, the Son of God
New Testament fulfillment language does not always mean a prophet directly saw an aspect of Jesus’ ministry. When the Apostles say Christ fulfilled a prophecy, they sometimes mean that He is the true realization of a particular old covenant theme ...Read More
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The Christ of the Prophets
Although Jesus fulfills many individual prophecies of the old covenant, we also follow Him because He fulfills the broad hopes revealed in the Old Testament prophetic literature. He is the One who, by His death, resurrection, and return, brings about ...Read More
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The Wrath of God’s Son
Getting angry without sinning is hard for us to do as fallen creatures, but Jesus’ example shows us that it is possible. We should feel a righteous anger when we see the worship of God defiled, and it should motivate ...Read More