Tag Archives: Hope

Betrayed into the Hands of Men

Posted on by
Reply
Engraving by Boetius Adams Bolswert at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art
And they were all amazed at the majesty of God. But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, He said to His disciples, “Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men.” (Luke 9:43–44; NKJV)

Luke chapter 9 is a major turning point in Luke’s Gospel. It is situated in the central portion of Luke’s narrative, which focuses on the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. Jesus, after disclosing core truths of the Kingdom and demonstrating His Kingdom authority (ch. 8), delegates His message and authority to the Twelve and reveals to them His identity as the Christ (9:1–36). He then begins teaching them about true discipleship, including His mission to serve the world by securing salvation through His death (9:37–62).

Continue reading →

You Are My Beloved Son

Posted on by
1
Painting by Pietro Perugino on Wikimedia Commons
When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:21–22; NKJV)

One of the many puzzling events during Jesus’ earthly ministry was His baptism by John in the Jordan. In my last post, we saw that John’s baptism signified the person’s renouncing their sin and turning toward God to receive God’s forgiveness of their sin. This raises the question, why did Jesus get baptized? Did He, too, need forgiveness for His sins?

Continue reading →

Bible Word Study on ‘Hope’

Posted on by
2
Photo by Carl Hunley, Jr. on Unsplash

Hope is an important idea in the Bible. David’s hope in God was cause for gladness and rejoicing (Ps 16:8–11). Matthew points to Jesus as the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy concerning the Gentile’s hope (Matt 12:21). And Paul’s hope in God included resurrection to eternal life (Acts 24:15). The goal of this study is to better understand the overall sense of hope in the Bible as a basis for future studies.

Continue reading →

Why Read the Bible?

Posted on by
Reply
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
We have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:19–21; NKJV)

For nearly 2000 years, the Bible has been a source of comfort, wisdom, and hope for Christians around the world. But the modern West has grown increasingly opposed to the Bible, seeing it as outdated and irrelevant for modern life. Is the Bible relevant? Does it have any value today? Let’s take a look.

Continue reading →