Lessons from Matthew 3
All four gospels introduce Jesus’ ministry with the work of John the Baptist (cf. Mark 1:4; Luke 3:2–3; John 1:6–7). He is mentioned as baptizing in a wide area that included “the wilderness of Judea” (Matt 3:1), “all the region around the Jordan” (Luke 3:3), and “Bethabara beyond the Jordan” (John 1:28). His wide and…
Read MoreOur Father
Is it true that the word abba in the New Testament means "Daddy"? The term abba, used in the New Testament three times (Mark 14:36; Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:6), does not mean Daddy. Abba is a transliteration of the Aramaic term abba, meaning “the father.”
Read MoreThe Mystery of Godliness
What is "the mystery of godlienss" (1 Tim. 3:16)? The passage you are quoting from is commonly considered to be a brief Christian hymn about Christ: His incarnation, ascension, proclamation of Him, and the reaction to Him on earth and in heaven.
Read MoreLessons from Matthew 4
Matthew 4 begins with Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness for forty days. As in Mark and Luke, it occurs immediately after Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist and prior to His ministry in Galilee.
Read MoreThe Love Chapter’s Big Tree
What is the relationship between faith, hope, and love in 1 Corinthians 13:13? Paul wrote, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor. 13:13, NIV). This triad of Christian virtues is mentioned often in the New Testament demonstrating its importance for the Christian life (e.g.,…
Read MoreLessons from Matthew 5
The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5–7 is the first of Jesus’ five major discourses recorded by Matthew, each of which unfolds different facets of the kingdom of heaven. The first and last discourses act as bookends, describing the kingdom in its present and future dimensions respectively. The Sermon describes in far-reaching yet practical…
Read MoreThe Reliable Gospel Record
Is the phrase “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” a later addition to Matthew 28:19?
Read MoreThe Law of the Spirit of Life
What is “the law of the Spirit of life” spoken about by Paul in Romans 8:2?
Read MoreLessons from Matthew 8
Matthew 8 begins a two-chapter sequence of miracle stories in groups of three, organized topically rather than chronologically. In the first group, Jesus cleanses a leper, heals the servant of a centurion, and banishes the fever of Peter’s mother-in-law, followed by a brief summary of further healings that evening (Matt 8:1–17; cf. Mark 1:32–34).
Read MoreLessons from Matthew 10
As we saw earlier, Matthew 9 concludes with Jesus preaching to large crowds and instructing the disciples to pray earnestly for more laborers to be sent out to gather in the harvest (Matt 9:35–38).
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