Matthew

God’s justice is usually defined in legal terms in the sense of an appropriate punishment that fits the crime. We associate God’s justice with words like wrath, hell, and judgment. How does this description fit with Matthew 12, which describes Jesus as the very embodiment of God’s justice? “Here is my servant whom …

How we understand hell is one of the most important subjects of all in terms of our picture of God. Is hell a place of literal burning fire? For those suffering in hell, how long does it last? Any human subjected to a lake of fire would be instantly consumed. Does this mean …

The Lord’s Prayer has been said and repeated so many times that the significance is easily lost. This short prayer has a depth of meaning that explains both the primary purpose and the complexity of prayer. Many times the Bible says that prayer makes a difference. Jesus said that “if you ask for anything in my name, I will …

The Sermon on the Mount was Jesus’ first major sermon in which he outlined the nature of his kingdom. This sermon was, in some ways, like a major presidential speech with a large crowd that came to hear about “the Kingdom” that Jesus was talking about. The word “radical” is probably overused, but in this case it understates …

Part 1 Bible study for the Loma Linda University School of Allied and Public Health, January 5, 2009.

Part 1 And now we arrive at the most spectacular single event in universal history as we witness the Creator of the Universe transport himself into the womb of one of his sinful creatures. This single event speaks louder about who God is than any other claim or “key text” …

Why did God choose to come to earth as a baby? Why did he spend his first night lying in a feeding trough? Why grow up in the worthless town of Nazareth? What does all of this say about God? Matthew, chapters 5-7, is the sermon in which Jesus announces …