I believe it's time to continue the exploration of the Gospel of John. In chapter 1, we see that the Word of God had became flesh and has now come into the world. The Lord Jesus Christ calls His first disciples and they follow Him.
Now in chapter 2, we get to begin to see how Jesus' ministry starts out. The setting is a wedding in a town called Cana. Jesus, His mother, His brothers, and His disciples had all been invited to the wedding. To me it's interesting that the names of the couple who was married was not revealed in this chapter. But regardless, whoever they were, they knew who Jesus and His family and friends were.
As chapter 2 starts to move a little bit, we find that the wedding party has run out of wine during the celebration, which leads Mary to inform Jesus about the wine running out (v.3). It is obvious though that Jesus sees this as Mary requesting that Jesus get more wine for the party, and also that Jesus doesn't appreciate Mary trying to get Jesus to do a miracle (v.4).
Yet Jesus takes heed to the request and tells the servants at the party to take six stone jars and fill them with water (v. 7). Once they had done this, He then tells them to scoop the water out and serve it to the head of the party. The head of the party was amazed at the taste of the fluid (being that it was wine), and explained that he usually gets the best wine first, but this wine was the best and it was saved for last (v. 10). Once the party was over, Jesus, His family, and His disciples went to Capernaum.
In Jerusalem, Jesus finds that the temple of the Lord is being used as a market place, and He is discusted that anyone would have done so. Quickly, Jesus began to displace the market by driving people out with a whip that He had made out of some cords, threw all the money that was there on the ground, and flipped over the tables that were there (v.15). The Jews began to wonder under what authority that Jesus had done this, so they asked Him if Jesus could provide to them a miracle to confirm His authority.
Instead though, what Jesus gave them was His first prophecy. Jesus said that if you knock down the temple, in three days He will raise it up again (v.19). What the Jews didn't realize was that Jesus meant that His own body would be killed and then He would be bodily raised later on. Jesus then begins to perform miracles to different people.
I find it interesting that this chapter has two "firsts" of Jesus in it. The first one is Jesus' first miracle (turning water into wine), and the other first is Jesus' prophecy. Jesus would later on go and perform countless miracles and tell many prophecies, while also telling sermons and parables to those who would listen.
What we need to do is be Jesus' servant. Mary tried to push Her son into doing something that He didn't want to do right away, and because of that Jesus basically told Mary that it wasn't time for a miracle, almost like He's not a circus act. Then in the temple Jesus gives a prophecy about the time when He will be crucified. Wouldn't it be interesting if we could see prophecy this clearly today? But then again, prophecy usually doesn't make sense until after the fact.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Saturday, February 26, 2011
God the Father...and His Assurance in His Family
Our great God is someone who is personally active in each of our lives everyday. Not only is this true, but He lives in our lives for a very specific reason, and that reason is because God is also our Father because we love His Son Jesus Christ (John 6:27).
God the Father loves us and knows that we need His help. He gave manna in the desert for his children (John 6:31). And He has come to not only give us food, but the very thing that we need the most, salvation from our sins. He took His Son and gave Him to be a sacrifice for the whole world, so that anyone who believes in Him will be saved (John 3:16).
A natural question that can come up from time to time is, who is a part of the family of God? Do I really have to believe in Jesus or can I just accept that God is our Father? What if people do not believe in Jesus, but they do believe in God, can they be a part of the family of God? Let me ask this question first and then I will also provide Scripture as well: Why should we be a part of God's family (His sons and daughters) if we can't even accept His Son and our blameless brother Jesus? In fact, the Scriptures say that the only way we can know the Father is through accepting Jesus as the Son of God (1 John 2:23). Anyone who does deny this fact is denying this for other reasons, not righteous reasons.
So to be a part of the family of God is to accept His Son, Jesus Christ. We are adopted children of God the Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (Gal 3:26). Does this mean that we are children of Jesus in a physical way and that we may have a grandmother in Mary or on and on or something? No. It is plain from Scripture that Mary had her own children, and the Lord has received us as His children through faith. He is the Savior of all, whether it be someone who persecuted Christians like Paul, or someone who helped raise Jesus like Joseph and Mary.
By being children of God then, we have a great hope through our faith that the Lord Jesus Christ will never let us go. Do you have your own children? Have they ever done something wrong before? As a parent, you should look at your child with love and compassion and accept that child regardless of the wrong doing that may have been done. Jesus gives us a great example of this by telling the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15. The son never ceased being the son of the father, and when the son returned to his senses and came back to his father, his father brought him back. And so it is with God the Father. We may stray and go our own way, but the Lord has given us the assurance of our Salvation, because He bought us (1 Cor 7:23). Because of that He will never let us go and He will find a way to bring us back to Him, even when there seems to be no way. Why?
Because through our faith in Jesus Christ, we are the children of God and He will NEVER turn His children away, no matter what we have done.
God the Father loves us and knows that we need His help. He gave manna in the desert for his children (John 6:31). And He has come to not only give us food, but the very thing that we need the most, salvation from our sins. He took His Son and gave Him to be a sacrifice for the whole world, so that anyone who believes in Him will be saved (John 3:16).
A natural question that can come up from time to time is, who is a part of the family of God? Do I really have to believe in Jesus or can I just accept that God is our Father? What if people do not believe in Jesus, but they do believe in God, can they be a part of the family of God? Let me ask this question first and then I will also provide Scripture as well: Why should we be a part of God's family (His sons and daughters) if we can't even accept His Son and our blameless brother Jesus? In fact, the Scriptures say that the only way we can know the Father is through accepting Jesus as the Son of God (1 John 2:23). Anyone who does deny this fact is denying this for other reasons, not righteous reasons.
So to be a part of the family of God is to accept His Son, Jesus Christ. We are adopted children of God the Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (Gal 3:26). Does this mean that we are children of Jesus in a physical way and that we may have a grandmother in Mary or on and on or something? No. It is plain from Scripture that Mary had her own children, and the Lord has received us as His children through faith. He is the Savior of all, whether it be someone who persecuted Christians like Paul, or someone who helped raise Jesus like Joseph and Mary.
By being children of God then, we have a great hope through our faith that the Lord Jesus Christ will never let us go. Do you have your own children? Have they ever done something wrong before? As a parent, you should look at your child with love and compassion and accept that child regardless of the wrong doing that may have been done. Jesus gives us a great example of this by telling the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15. The son never ceased being the son of the father, and when the son returned to his senses and came back to his father, his father brought him back. And so it is with God the Father. We may stray and go our own way, but the Lord has given us the assurance of our Salvation, because He bought us (1 Cor 7:23). Because of that He will never let us go and He will find a way to bring us back to Him, even when there seems to be no way. Why?
Because through our faith in Jesus Christ, we are the children of God and He will NEVER turn His children away, no matter what we have done.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
The Priesthood and What It Is
There are many people today that are unaware of what the priesthood is in Christianity. Often times many people think of churches where they see "priests" do religious things in front of their church, and then they don't give it a second thought. However, others may look and think to themselves, what is the priesthood? What people are to be considered "priests"? Is the guy preaching at my church a priest?
First off, a definition of the word priest is someone who offers sacrifices for himself and others. In the Old Testament, priests would give offerings to the Lord for their people's many sins (Lev 1:9; 7:5; 12:8). But what is a priest now that Jesus has come and became our High Priest (Heb 2:17)?
According to the Apostle Peter in 1 Peter 2:5 we are all called to be a "royal priesthood" in which we are to offer spiritual sacrifices to God. Peter repeats himself a few verses later (1 Peter 2:9) but he also adds that before we knew Christ, we were nothing. Now that we know the Lord and believe in Him, we are a chosen nation, a "royal priesthood", and have received mercy which we never had before (1 Peter 2:9-10). The sacrifice that our priesthood must offer now is to be a spiritual sacrifice of proclaiming the Gospel just like Paul had to do in Romans 15:16.
Now, if we have a priesthood then our Lord must have left some people to be above the priesthood, He must have left us some high priests that can shepherd the flock and make sure that we are keeping to sound doctrine. However, the Scriptures only give us one sure high priest in the New Testament, and that high priest is Jesus Christ Himself (Heb 4:14). There is no need for a super priest or a high priest then, because we are all called to be a royal (or special) priesthood and we are all called to follow our Great High Priest.
If this is so however, how can we know who is a priest and how can we trust the man preaching in church on Sunday? If I have the same right to the priesthood as the man preaching, what makes him better or more of a priest then myself? The quick answer is nothing.
Yet the Scriptures do not leave out what a church preacher should be. In Paul's first letter to Timothy he instructs us that an overseer (some translations read bishop) much be a respectable member of society who if faithful to his wife and is able to teach in the first place (1 Tim 3:2). An overseer must not be a drunk, violent, argumentative, or money hungry (1 Tim 3:3). He must be able to run his own particular family in a respectful manner, in which his own children grow up to be responsible (1 Tim 3:4). The reason that he must be able to run his own family in the first place is because if he can't even do that, then he cannot run God's church (1 Tim 3:5). As an overseer, he should have been a Christian for a long time, because if he wasn't, it is possible for him to come under temptation and lose sight of the Gospel (1 Tim 3:6). Finally, an overseer (preacher, pastor, minister, bishop, etc) must have a good reputation with outsiders of the Christian faith in order that he may show the light of the Gospel (1 Tim 3:7).
So, now that you know what a preacher should be like at church, make sure that the pastor at your own church is like what is mentioned by Paul. If he is everything that has been listed here, then you will have very little doubt that you are in God's church. If there is something missing from the pastor, then you need to evaluate what is missing. Is he a drunk? That's not good. Does he have a wife? If not, is this his own choice or is he following some one's false idea that he shouldn't have a wife. Can he be seen by the outside community as someone worthy of respect?
Our God wants us to be active and vigilant. Do not fall into a daily grind, and just blindly agree with someone. Always compare the church with the Scriptures so that you and others around you may not fall into the devils trap, which at times can be VERY clever (Gal 1:8-9).
First off, a definition of the word priest is someone who offers sacrifices for himself and others. In the Old Testament, priests would give offerings to the Lord for their people's many sins (Lev 1:9; 7:5; 12:8). But what is a priest now that Jesus has come and became our High Priest (Heb 2:17)?
According to the Apostle Peter in 1 Peter 2:5 we are all called to be a "royal priesthood" in which we are to offer spiritual sacrifices to God. Peter repeats himself a few verses later (1 Peter 2:9) but he also adds that before we knew Christ, we were nothing. Now that we know the Lord and believe in Him, we are a chosen nation, a "royal priesthood", and have received mercy which we never had before (1 Peter 2:9-10). The sacrifice that our priesthood must offer now is to be a spiritual sacrifice of proclaiming the Gospel just like Paul had to do in Romans 15:16.
Now, if we have a priesthood then our Lord must have left some people to be above the priesthood, He must have left us some high priests that can shepherd the flock and make sure that we are keeping to sound doctrine. However, the Scriptures only give us one sure high priest in the New Testament, and that high priest is Jesus Christ Himself (Heb 4:14). There is no need for a super priest or a high priest then, because we are all called to be a royal (or special) priesthood and we are all called to follow our Great High Priest.
If this is so however, how can we know who is a priest and how can we trust the man preaching in church on Sunday? If I have the same right to the priesthood as the man preaching, what makes him better or more of a priest then myself? The quick answer is nothing.
Yet the Scriptures do not leave out what a church preacher should be. In Paul's first letter to Timothy he instructs us that an overseer (some translations read bishop) much be a respectable member of society who if faithful to his wife and is able to teach in the first place (1 Tim 3:2). An overseer must not be a drunk, violent, argumentative, or money hungry (1 Tim 3:3). He must be able to run his own particular family in a respectful manner, in which his own children grow up to be responsible (1 Tim 3:4). The reason that he must be able to run his own family in the first place is because if he can't even do that, then he cannot run God's church (1 Tim 3:5). As an overseer, he should have been a Christian for a long time, because if he wasn't, it is possible for him to come under temptation and lose sight of the Gospel (1 Tim 3:6). Finally, an overseer (preacher, pastor, minister, bishop, etc) must have a good reputation with outsiders of the Christian faith in order that he may show the light of the Gospel (1 Tim 3:7).
So, now that you know what a preacher should be like at church, make sure that the pastor at your own church is like what is mentioned by Paul. If he is everything that has been listed here, then you will have very little doubt that you are in God's church. If there is something missing from the pastor, then you need to evaluate what is missing. Is he a drunk? That's not good. Does he have a wife? If not, is this his own choice or is he following some one's false idea that he shouldn't have a wife. Can he be seen by the outside community as someone worthy of respect?
Our God wants us to be active and vigilant. Do not fall into a daily grind, and just blindly agree with someone. Always compare the church with the Scriptures so that you and others around you may not fall into the devils trap, which at times can be VERY clever (Gal 1:8-9).
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Ethanol (E85) and other alternative fuels
*Disclaimer* Make sure that you're vehicle is capable of running alternative fuels before using such fuels
E85
For the past 10 years or so, there has been more and more talk about using ethanol as a fuel for our modern day vehicles. Many people have different opinions about ethanol and many people don't really know what it is completely. In order to help people understand ethanol better I decided that it would be a good idea to make a post about alternative fuels. My background and a small passion of mine happens to be a part of the automotive industry and I have been trained as an alternative fuels technician.
That brings me to the first question, what is ethanol? Well, to put it in scientific terms, ethanol is ethyl alcohol which is a renewable alcohol and is drinkable. In fact pure ethanol is moonshine or 200 proof alcohol. If you know anything about alcoholic drinks at all, 200 proof alcohol would pack a punch and would not be good to ingest all by itself, but nevertheless you "can" drink it. Which brings us to E85.
E85 is 85% ethanol (thus the 85 part of E85) and 15% gasoline. Now why would they mix gasoline into the fuel, especially if this fuel is going to replace gasoline some day? I'll get to the second part of that question in a moment, but the first part of the question "why mix gasoline into it" is because it will still have many of the properties of gasoline, yet people will not be able to ingest it. The next thing to know about E85 is it's octane rating (resistance to detonation or pre-ignition). Some people have given it as high of an octane rating as 105-110 or as low as 94-96, I have unfortunately never seen a conclusive test about this, but either way the octane rating is higher then any other gasoline choice that you have at the pump.
Now onto some of the positive and negative factors of E85.
E85 does not have the energy potential that gasoline does. This is going to sound like it contradicts one of E85's good points but I want to throw this in here to explain it a little bit. In fact, E85 produces a little over 70% of energy that a similar gallon of gasoline would produce.
However, that does not mean that your vehicle will produce 70% of the hp that it makes on gasoline. This is the confusing part but let me explain. Being that E85 has a higher octane rating then pump gasoline that means that E85 is more resistant to "knock" or detonation. Because of this, a vehicle can have it's timing adjusted or be given a higher compression ratio if the vehicle is run solely on E85, and by doing so the vehicle could have even more power then it would have on gasoline. Think of it as a cheap race fuel due to the alcohol in E85. Cool, huh?
Also, a negative is the price of E85. Well, not so much the price, but that at least in the United States, the price of E85 is due in part because of subsidies. Some argue that if it were not for such subsidies then E85 could be just as expensive as regular unleaded gasoline, if not more. Thus making it not as worthwhile to go with E85 if your vehicle is a flex fuel vehicle and can be run on either E85 or unleaded regular.
A positive though related to this negative is that maybe it's still worth the price of E85 even if it ends up being the same price or a little more then regular unleaded gasoline. If say the octane rating is 96, one would expect that the price of such a fuel would be at least 30 cents a gallon more then regular unleaded. So maybe the whole price thing isn't as bad as one would think.
Lastly, E85 cannot replace gasoline as a fuel for automobiles (told you I would come back to this). It's impossible for this to happen because in the United States we cannot produce enough corn to produce that much fuel and in Brazil they are in a similar position with sugar cane (although better then the US). Because of this we will still need gasoline not only to run vehicles that are not "flex fuel" vehicles but also to mix into the ethanol to begin with.
This however, is also not a complete negative. The reason is because E85 was never meant to replace gasoline at all, it was meant to slow down the demand of foreign oil. Many people make bold claims stating that E85 is not the answer and such, but if they sat down and thought about it, what else do we have that's available? We have to start somewhere.
In truth, the Earth was made by the Lord and we should take care of it (see Gen 1:3, Ps 24:1). If we get in a rut and keep using gasoline as our primary (and almost only) fuel source, then we will continue to pollute the Earth. But if we start to wing ourselves off of gasoline and foreign oil, we can be better stewards of the gift of the world given to us by the Lord (see Gen 1:29) and we should use other fuels such as E85 when possible.
There are many more things that could be said about E85, but I believe that this is a good start and I think I will continue later with a different alternative fuel.
E85
For the past 10 years or so, there has been more and more talk about using ethanol as a fuel for our modern day vehicles. Many people have different opinions about ethanol and many people don't really know what it is completely. In order to help people understand ethanol better I decided that it would be a good idea to make a post about alternative fuels. My background and a small passion of mine happens to be a part of the automotive industry and I have been trained as an alternative fuels technician.
That brings me to the first question, what is ethanol? Well, to put it in scientific terms, ethanol is ethyl alcohol which is a renewable alcohol and is drinkable. In fact pure ethanol is moonshine or 200 proof alcohol. If you know anything about alcoholic drinks at all, 200 proof alcohol would pack a punch and would not be good to ingest all by itself, but nevertheless you "can" drink it. Which brings us to E85.
E85 is 85% ethanol (thus the 85 part of E85) and 15% gasoline. Now why would they mix gasoline into the fuel, especially if this fuel is going to replace gasoline some day? I'll get to the second part of that question in a moment, but the first part of the question "why mix gasoline into it" is because it will still have many of the properties of gasoline, yet people will not be able to ingest it. The next thing to know about E85 is it's octane rating (resistance to detonation or pre-ignition). Some people have given it as high of an octane rating as 105-110 or as low as 94-96, I have unfortunately never seen a conclusive test about this, but either way the octane rating is higher then any other gasoline choice that you have at the pump.
Now onto some of the positive and negative factors of E85.
E85 does not have the energy potential that gasoline does. This is going to sound like it contradicts one of E85's good points but I want to throw this in here to explain it a little bit. In fact, E85 produces a little over 70% of energy that a similar gallon of gasoline would produce.
However, that does not mean that your vehicle will produce 70% of the hp that it makes on gasoline. This is the confusing part but let me explain. Being that E85 has a higher octane rating then pump gasoline that means that E85 is more resistant to "knock" or detonation. Because of this, a vehicle can have it's timing adjusted or be given a higher compression ratio if the vehicle is run solely on E85, and by doing so the vehicle could have even more power then it would have on gasoline. Think of it as a cheap race fuel due to the alcohol in E85. Cool, huh?
Also, a negative is the price of E85. Well, not so much the price, but that at least in the United States, the price of E85 is due in part because of subsidies. Some argue that if it were not for such subsidies then E85 could be just as expensive as regular unleaded gasoline, if not more. Thus making it not as worthwhile to go with E85 if your vehicle is a flex fuel vehicle and can be run on either E85 or unleaded regular.
A positive though related to this negative is that maybe it's still worth the price of E85 even if it ends up being the same price or a little more then regular unleaded gasoline. If say the octane rating is 96, one would expect that the price of such a fuel would be at least 30 cents a gallon more then regular unleaded. So maybe the whole price thing isn't as bad as one would think.
Lastly, E85 cannot replace gasoline as a fuel for automobiles (told you I would come back to this). It's impossible for this to happen because in the United States we cannot produce enough corn to produce that much fuel and in Brazil they are in a similar position with sugar cane (although better then the US). Because of this we will still need gasoline not only to run vehicles that are not "flex fuel" vehicles but also to mix into the ethanol to begin with.
This however, is also not a complete negative. The reason is because E85 was never meant to replace gasoline at all, it was meant to slow down the demand of foreign oil. Many people make bold claims stating that E85 is not the answer and such, but if they sat down and thought about it, what else do we have that's available? We have to start somewhere.
In truth, the Earth was made by the Lord and we should take care of it (see Gen 1:3, Ps 24:1). If we get in a rut and keep using gasoline as our primary (and almost only) fuel source, then we will continue to pollute the Earth. But if we start to wing ourselves off of gasoline and foreign oil, we can be better stewards of the gift of the world given to us by the Lord (see Gen 1:29) and we should use other fuels such as E85 when possible.
There are many more things that could be said about E85, but I believe that this is a good start and I think I will continue later with a different alternative fuel.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
The Christmas Story
In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David.
Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”
Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”
Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”
The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she’s now in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.”
Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her. (Luke 1:26-38; NLT)
This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.
As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:
“Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel,
which means ‘God is with us.’”
When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus. (Matthew 1:18-25, NLT)
Significance and Meaning
I realize that Christmas has come and gone by now, but I still thought it was necessary to bring this to every one's attention again. The real reason that we have life again is because our God loved us enough to send His son for us (John 3:16). If it were not for a Savior being born we wouldn't have any eternal life because of our condemnation already before God (John 3:18). Praise God for His glorious Son!
The reason that I chose to display the Christmas story through the NLT version is because I believe that the NLT does a good job in making the reading enjoyable. It is not the most word for word translation of the Bible, but in this situation that would only have made the Christmas story difficult to read and meditate on. Ancient Koine Greek does not always translate well into modern English and therefore we need to have the Word presented to us in ways that we can understand easily. This is also not a watered down translation where it's a complete paraphrase of the original text either, but somewhere in the middle with the NLT tipping slightly to the paraphrase side.
Anyways, to go back on topic, please remember that the reason that we have a new life is through Jesus Christ and His work on the cross. If He had never given Himself as the once for all sacrifice, we would not be here to give others any good news.
Praise God for His Son! Praise God for the Christmas season! Praise God for the New Year!
In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David.
Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”
Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”
Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”
The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she’s now in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.”
Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her. (Luke 1:26-38; NLT)
This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.
As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:
“Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel,
which means ‘God is with us.’”
When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus. (Matthew 1:18-25, NLT)
Significance and Meaning
I realize that Christmas has come and gone by now, but I still thought it was necessary to bring this to every one's attention again. The real reason that we have life again is because our God loved us enough to send His son for us (John 3:16). If it were not for a Savior being born we wouldn't have any eternal life because of our condemnation already before God (John 3:18). Praise God for His glorious Son!
The reason that I chose to display the Christmas story through the NLT version is because I believe that the NLT does a good job in making the reading enjoyable. It is not the most word for word translation of the Bible, but in this situation that would only have made the Christmas story difficult to read and meditate on. Ancient Koine Greek does not always translate well into modern English and therefore we need to have the Word presented to us in ways that we can understand easily. This is also not a watered down translation where it's a complete paraphrase of the original text either, but somewhere in the middle with the NLT tipping slightly to the paraphrase side.
Anyways, to go back on topic, please remember that the reason that we have a new life is through Jesus Christ and His work on the cross. If He had never given Himself as the once for all sacrifice, we would not be here to give others any good news.
Praise God for His Son! Praise God for the Christmas season! Praise God for the New Year!
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