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Christmas: When God’s Promise Entered Human History

Christmas is more than the celebration of a birth; it is the moment when God’s promises became history. The story of Jesus’ birth is recorded in the Gospels—four accounts of His life and work. Two of them, Matthew and Luke, describe His birth in detail. Matthew, a former tax collector, and Luke, a physician, carefully examined the Old Testament prophecies and connected them with real events, places, and people surrounding Jesus’ birth. Their conclusion is unmistakable: Jesus came as the fulfillment of God’s promises to humanity. Matthew repeatedly emphasizes that these events “were fulfilled,” showing that God’s plan reached completion in Jesus. Luke, however, uses the word “will” again and again in his opening chapters. This “will” does not express uncertainty. In the language of Scripture, when God says something “will” happen, it is already decided. Luke presents God as the Author of history—what God declares, He accomplishes. Christmas announces that the long silence is over and G...
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Luke 1-2: “He Will”: The Grammar of Hope in Luke’s Christmas Story

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One striking feature of Luke’s Christmas narrative (Luke 1–2) is the repeated use of the word “will.” Again and again, angels speak in the future tense: He will be great… You will conceive… You will find a baby… This is more than a stylistic choice. In Luke’s Gospel, “will” becomes the language of divine certainty and hope . In biblical storytelling, especially in prophetic speech, “will” does not express mere possibility. It declares what God has already determined . When the angel tells Mary, “He will reign over the house of Jacob forever,” the future is spoken as settled reality. Luke wants his readers to know that the birth of Jesus is not accidental or reactive—it is the unfolding of God’s long-promised plan. At the same time, “will” echoes God’s covenant faithfulness . The promises made to Abraham and David are no longer distant hopes; they are moving toward fulfillment. Luke’s narrative assures us that God remembers His word, even after centuries of silence. What He promise...
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Matthew 8 : Authority That Demands Allegiance: Discipleship in the Midst of Power

Matthew carefully structures his Gospel to show that Jesus’ authority is not only something to be admired but something that demands a response. After the Sermon on the Mount, the crowds are astonished because Jesus teaches with authority unlike the scribes (Matt. 7:28–29). Chapter 8 then demonstrates that this authority is not confined to words alone—it is powerfully expressed in action. Jesus heals the leper with a touch, restores the centurion’s servant with a word spoken at a distance, and lifts Peter’s mother-in-law from illness instantly. Disease submits to Him. Soon after, the wind and the waves obey His rebuke, revealing authority over creation itself. Even the demons recognize His identity and tremble before His command. Matthew leaves little doubt: Jesus exercises authority over the physical, natural, and spiritual realms. Strikingly, in the middle of these displays of power, Matthew inserts a brief but challenging conversation about discipleship (Matt. 8:18–22). This place...
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The Messiah Promised: Hope Woven Through the Old Testament

From the opening pages of Scripture, the Bible tells a story of longing—humanity’s longing for redemption and God’s promise to provide it. The Old Testament is not merely a collection of laws, poems, and historical accounts; it is a carefully woven tapestry pointing toward the coming of the Messiah. The first glimpse of this hope appears in Genesis 3:15, where God promises that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent’s head. As the story unfolds, the promise narrows. The Messiah would come through Abraham, bringing blessing to all nations (Genesis 12:3), from the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10), and from the royal line of David (2 Samuel 7:12–16). The prophets add striking detail: He would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2) and uniquely conceived (Isaiah 7:14). Yet the Messiah’s mission was not only royal but redemptive. Isaiah presents a Servant who is gentle and Spirit-anointed (Isaiah 42:1; 61:1), yet also rejected, pierced, and crushed for the sins of others (Isaiah 53). The P...
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Matthew 4 The Temptations of Jesus and the Pattern of All Sin

Matthew 4 records the temptations of Jesus in the wilderness, and these are not random or isolated tests. They closely mirror the threefold description of sin found in 1 John 2:16 : the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life . Together, these passages reveal both how temptation works and how it can be overcome. The first temptation comes when Jesus is physically exhausted and hungry. Satan urges Him to turn stones into bread (Matt 4:3). This appeal to bodily appetite corresponds to the lust of the flesh —the desire for immediate physical satisfaction. Hunger itself is not sinful, but the temptation lies in meeting a legitimate need in a way that bypasses trust in God. Jesus responds with Scripture, affirming that life is sustained not by bread alone, but by obedience to God’s word. The second temptation shifts from need to desire. Jesus is shown all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor and is offered authority without the suffering of the cross (Matt 4...
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Matthew 3:16 The Holy Spirit: In the Gospels and for Christians Today

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Matthew 3: 16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw   the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. From the opening chapters of the Gospels to the life of the Church today, the Holy Spirit is not a silent observer but the active presence of God at work. The story of Jesus Christ is, at every crucial point, a Spirit-saturated story—and that same Spirit continues to shape Christian faith and life today. The Gospels introduce Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit. He is conceived by the Spirit, announced by Spirit-filled voices, and publicly anointed at His baptism when the Spirit descends upon Him. Jesus’ ministry unfolds under the Spirit’s leading and power: He preaches good news, heals the sick, casts out demons, and proclaims the Kingdom of God “by the Spirit of God.” Even the cross and resurrection are not moments of divine absence. Scripture testifies that Christ o...
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Matthew 1-2 When Prophecy Meets Probability: Can Mathematics Engage the Birth of Jesus?

 Every Christmas season, we hear familiar phrases: “born in Bethlehem,” “of the house of David,” “before the Temple fell.” These are not just poetic lines from the Gospels; they are claims of prophetic fulfilment . But can such claims be examined rationally—perhaps even mathematically? While the Bible was never written as a statistical document, thinkers like Peter Stoner have shown that probability can still ask meaningful questions . Not to prove faith, but to test coincidence. Our discussion distinguished between two kinds of prophetic fulfilment. First are externally constrained prophecies —events shaped by geography, history, and lineage. Being born in a tiny village like Bethlehem, living before the destruction of Jerusalem’s Second Temple, or belonging to the Davidic line were not choices a child could engineer. These factors sharply narrow the field. Even when assigned very generous probabilities, their combined likelihood is striking—on the order of one in millions . S...
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