Category: Christ

This article is an examination of Peter’s words in 1 Peter 2:4-8. What is the meaning of Christ being the cornerstone? What does it mean to reject Him? How does rejecting Him affect one, if it does at all?

You should be ambushed by the amount and quality of the evidence that Jesus is the unique Son of God. There have been defendants carted off to the death chamber on much less convincing proof. The case for Christ is conclusive.

Are you swimming upstream against a strong current of evidence? You need to go in the same direction that the torrent of facts is flowing. That is reasonable, rational, and logical.

There is not a single explanation that fits the evidence of history nearly as well as the conclusion that Jesus was who He claimed to be: the one and only Son of God.

The Christian’s belief that Jesus is the Son of God is not based upon feelings, traditions, or cultural beliefs. It is based upon evidence that is recorded in the Word of God.

John 4:25-26 At the end of Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman in John 4, the woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is…

Jesus is our Lord and Savior. He has established His own covenant, and has revealed to man what true worship under that covenant will be. It is left for us to search out His will, and submit to it fully. Only then will our worship of Him be, “in spirit, and in truth.”

(John 4:1-15)

After Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus (John 3), He left Judea, and traveled through Samaria on His way back to Galilee. Many took a circuitous route between the two regions to avoid the Samaritans, who were despised by the Jews. However, Jesus determined to cross through Samaria, and immediately struck up a conversation with a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well in the city of Sychar.

Jesus’ disciples had departed into the city to buy food, and upon their return (vs. 27) marveled that he had talked with the woman. Jesus’ actions, and the content of the conversation itself, made clear that His purpose in coming to earth was to save all men, not just the Jews.

The beginning of the conversation supplies for us a wonderful application regarding the work of evangelism. Jesus used a mundane request, “Give Me a drink,” (vs. 7), to introduce Himself to the woman as the Messiah. But first, he had to deal with the woman’s perception of Jews. She wondered why he was talking with her, because, as she said, “Jews have no dealings with Samaritans” (vs. 9). Instead of directly answering the question, which was most probably an expression of her animosity, He intimated that He was the Messiah. He said, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water” (vs. 10).

The phrase “gift of God” is a bit obscure, as it could refer to the giving of Jesus himself (cf. John 3:16), or perhaps the gift of salvation. The phrase “living water” was likewise obscure, at least to the woman, as she made the same mistake as Nicodemus, assuming that Jesus was talking about the physical rather than the spiritual. However, Jesus’ manner obviously disarmed and intrigued her, and allowed Jesus an opportunity to teach her important truths relative to her redemption.

Jesus’ words caused her to first ask, “Are you greater than our father Jacob?” (vs. 12), then to proclaim, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.” (vs. 19). Finally, after their conversation was finished, she showed her growing faith by asking her countrymen, “Could this be the Christ?” (vs. 29). To the honest of heart, the words and works of Jesus clearly showed Him to be someone special, (cf. John 3:3), for He “taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes” (Mark 1:22).

The woman was first confused, as she thought Jesus was referring to the water in the well. The well was deep, and Jesus had no container to use to draw the water. Even after further clarification, she still thought Jesus was referring to actual water, perhaps from another location, that would forever slake her physical need (vs. 15).

Jesus, of course, was referring to the spiritual rather than physical. As Dan King puts it in his commentary on John,

It is easy for us to see in these words an allusion to the quenching of the spiritual thirst wrought by the gospel in the hearts of men. But this was a truth which the Samaritan woman could not yet hope to grasp. Her thoughts are upon physical needs and the relief which He might give her from the daily toil associated with visiting the well and drawing water from its depths. (pg. 76-77)

We should not be too harsh in our estimation of this woman, as she has many companions. Nicodemus was already mentioned, asking, “How can a man be born when he is old?” (John 3:4). The multitude in John 6 misunderstood Jesus’ reference to the bread of God, saying, “Lord, give us this bread always” (vs. 34). Even his own disciples often misunderstood His spiritual references to his death, resurrection and reign as the Christ.

Of greater importance is the promise itself, “whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (vs. 14).

What Christ offers us sustains us for an eternity. While we will always get thirsty again, no matter how much we may drink, this spiritual water supplied by Christ quenches our spiritual needs forever. We have a better understanding of Jesus’ words than did the woman at the well, but our request should be the same, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst…” (vs. 15).

The image of Christ that lingers should never be one that looks the other way at sin and error, but which confronts it, sometimes mildly and sometimes boldly, as the occasion requires (Jude 22, First Thessalonians 5:14). To follow his example, we must first examine ourselves (Matthew 7:1-5). Only then do we truly honor the babe in the manger who became the savior on the cross by upholding all the truth all of his life.

What Exactly IS the Mission of Christ and His Church? This seems like such an obvious question, yet there is so much confusion about such…

In purposefully enduring the most painful death possible, Jesus proved God’s love for us, gave us a perfect example, defeated Satan, left a means by which all men would be drawn to Him, and exposed the true nature of sin

Just about everyone accepts that faith saves, but an important question often remains unasked. What, or who is it I must believe in? Now the simple answer is, you must believe in Jesus. John stated in his gospel, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (3:16).

When Jesus identified Himself as the risen Lord, Paul realized that he had got it wrong all along. The claims that Jesus was the Christ were true. Paul knew it for a certainty. When he heard the voice from heaven, he asked, “Who are you, Lord?”, and the voice responded, “I am Jesus.” Was Jesus resurrected from the dead? The unimpeachable hostile witness says, “Yes, I saw Him!” That testimony is good enough for a court of law. Is it good enough for you?

In this video, Stan Cox explains from the scriptures exactly what it is that we must believe in when we say that we are saved by Faith.

Is Jesus the Messiah? The eyewitnesses say, Yes, He Is! And God Himself testified that He is the One promised, by raising Him from the dead. Praise God, we have a Savior… His name is Jesus.

Whether it is described as coming to the light or faith, a man must respond to God’s gift of grace. God sent His Son to die for all men, but not all are saved. It is required that we love the light. We must believe in Jesus Christ. As He said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). “You Must Be Born Again”

In John 2:1-11, the apostle records Jesus’ miracle at the wedding feast in Cana. There are many important things to note regarding this event, where our Lord first “manifested His glory” (cf. vs. 11), but we are here most interested in the words spoken on this occasion. Specifically, we wish to examine Jesus’ words to His mother, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come” (vs. 4).

The gospel of John records several short conversations Jesus had as He began to attract disciples at the beginning His ministry. These conversations are contained in verse 35-51 of John 1.

In banishing the devil, Jesus stated His allegiance to His Father in Heaven. His kingdom was to be spiritual, not material. Where the Devil had only the temporal to offer, Jesus’ had received the promise of the eternal kingdom from His Father (cf. Acts 5:31). “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.” So, Satan left Jesus for a season, having failed to shake His faithful devotion to His Father’s cause.

Stan argues that the Apostle Paul, as an initially hostile witness, has testimony concerning the resurrected Lord that is unimpeachable.