We have all experienced the letdown of someone failing to keep a promise they have made to us. Just the same, we have likely failed to uphold a promise we made to someone. I would assume that it is never our intent to let someone down, but it still happens. I remember as a child hearing people say things like, “I swear on my mother’s grave.” Or even, “I swear to God.”  I say that not to condone it but only to point out this kind of reasoning. Somehow, by calling to a higher authority, it is like our words are supposed to carry more weight.             The Hebrew writer wrote, “For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all disputes” (Heb. 6:16 NKJV). The oath given is like a final confirmation that what has been promised will be delivered. Knowing the nature of man, God puts Himself on the stand (Heb. 6:13) as evidence for the great hope and confidence we have in Jesus Christ (Heb. 6:17-18). God made the oath for our sake. He doesn’t have anything to prove; His word is strong enough. He is inviting us to check His track record so that we can rest assured He upholds His promises. It is the sureness of His promises that emboldens us and gives us confidence to turn to the God of refuge (Heb. 6:18), who will not disappoint.             Just as sure as God upheld His …

Being the Christmas season, it is not uncommon to see signs in people’s yards proclaiming that “Jesus is the reason for the season.” To the majority of the religious world, Christmas is recognized as being the birth of Christ. Come springtime, the majority of the religious world recognizes Easter as being Christ’s resurrection. With so much religious focus around these holidays, we may begin to wonder, “What should I be doing,” or “How should I be celebrating?”             The history of Christmas and Easter as religious holidays does not find its origin in Scripture but in later history. Christmas was not recognized as a religious celebration of Christ’s birth until the 3rd century.[1] Concerning Easter, there was no celebrated holiday of Jesus’ resurrection until sometime in the 2nd century.[2] When we look to God’s inspired word, what we find is that there is record of Christ’s miraculous birth (Matt. 1:18ff; Lk. 2:1ff, NKJV), but there is no record of a commemoration or holiday stemming from His birth. We also learn from Scripture that Jesus did rise from the dead (Matt. 28:6; Mk. 16:6; Lk. 24:6; Jn. 20:1ff; 1 Cor. 15). Within His resurrection, we do find that God has given command concerning a celebration of Jesus’ resurrection. This celebration, while it is a joyous thing, is at the same time a commemoration wherein we are to keep the body and blood of our Lord in mind (Matt. 26:26-29; 1 Cor. 11:23-26). Jesus’ resurrection is to be observed not every spring, …

            In the context of Isaiah chapter 7, the mention of a child born of a virgin provided two things. One, it should have provided Ahaz with a means to trust in God. In a short time, the two kings Ahaz feared would be gone. In the time that a woman could conceive and give birth to a son, and that son could grow to a knowledgeable age, the kings would be gone. The second points toward the virgin birth of the Son of God. This one was likely not understood by Ahaz, and many scholars suggest it might not have been fully understood by Isaiah at the time it was proclaimed. However, there does not seem to be enough evidence to prove that Isaiah did not know the meaning of what he was saying. Either way, the Holy Spirit led him to utter the words that pointed to the birth of the Messiah.                 In the Garden of Eden, Eve was deceived by the serpent and partook of the forbidden fruit; likewise, Adam partook of that which was forbidden. After these events, judgment came by God on Adam, Eve, and the serpent (devil). In Gen.3:14 (NKJV), a curse is placed directly on the serpent, “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly, you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life.” In the following verse, there is a connection …

            Paul proclaims in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek” (NKJV). The good news about Jesus was nothing to be ashamed of for Paul because of his understanding that the gospel is God’s power to save man. It is this same powerful gospel that Paul calls his own in both Romans 2:16 and 2 Timothy 2:8. We often think of the gospel as being Christ’s or God’s, but how often do we think of the gospel as being our own?             The gospel being our own does not change the truth contained in the gospel. The gospel truth “that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead” remains the same (2 Tim. 2:8; cf. Rom. 1:1-4). The gospel is the good news about Jesus and the power of God, but the gospel will become our own when we, like Paul, are willing to live it, own it, and suffer for it. Paul was willing to suffer for the gospel because of the hope that it brings (2 Tim. 2:9-10). Paul knew that through his suffering for the gospel of Jesus it would be his own gospel. Just as Jesus was risen from the dead so too would Paul be risen from the dead. Just as Jesus received His reward from the Father, so too would Paul receive His …

Sadly, we do not always learn from our past mistakes (or at least not well enough to make lasting changes). This is a problem that is presented in the book of Malachi. The burden Malachi had to bear was witnessing God’s people turning back to their foolish ways after being released from captivity. The prophet intended to correct abuses that had arisen among the returned Jews. He also warned the Jews of a coming day of judgment (Mal. 4:1-3 NKJV) and promised the coming of a messenger who would prepare the way for the Messiah (Mal. 3:1). Through the prophet, God addressed several sins but one in particular stands out in the opening verses. God reveals that He has loved His people, yet they respond, “In what way have You loved us” (Mal. 1:2)? Only through pride and arrogance can one conclude that God does not love His people. The book of Malachi, like other Scriptures, can lead us to a better understanding of who God is. In 1 John 4:8 and 4:16, the text reads, “God is love.” God loves His people – even those who do not deserve His love (Mal. 1:2). God did not begin loving His people during New Testament times, He has always loved His people. Today, we have the means to know God’s love even better than the people to whom Malachi wrote (Jn. 3:16; Rom. 5:8, 9). Yet, this does not give an excuse for their disbelief. God is our Father (Mal. 1:6). …