Advent of the Messiah
Christmas is traditionally a celebration of the first coming of Jesus the Messiah, when he came as a baby in Bethlehem. This coming was to deal with our sin, and it led to the the Messiah’s death on the cross as the perfect sacrifice for our sins. It is good, however, not to ignore the promise of his second coming. The second coming of the Messiah will be very different than the first. It will not be to deal with sin (Heb 9:28), but to rule the world in righteousness. This second......
Born in Bethlehem
Jesus fulfilled many prophecies during his lifetime, and some have accused him of doing so in order to try and appear as the Messiah even when he was not. However, several of the prophecies he fulfilled were fulfilled at his birth, something he could not have manipulated were he not the true Messiah. These include his lineage (a descendant of David, 2 Sam 7:12-16), the time of his birth (prior to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in AD 70, Dan 9:26), and the place of his birth (in Bethlehem, Micah......
To Him Who is Able to Establish You
Paul ends his book to the Romans with a doxology, calling for the glorification of the one “who is able to establish you” (Rom 16:25). The verb “to establish” (Gk. sterizo, στηρίζω) conveys the idea of causing something to be inwardly firm or strengthened. In fact, Paul used the same word in Romans 1:11, where he stated that the goal of his writing to the Romans was to strengthen them— “so that you may be established.” This idea is reminiscent of the psalmist’s description of the one who delights and meditates on......
I, Tertius
There are several places in Paul’s letters where his use of a secretary or amanuensis is clear. In Romans 16:22, the amanuensis pens his own line, “I, Tertius, who write this letter, greet you in the Lord.” An even more interesting case is where Paul himself borrowed the pen and wrote a few lines. This is evident in Galatians 6:11 where he wrote, ” See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand.” Paul implied that the Galatians could distinguish between his handwriting (with large letters) and......
Erastus the City Treasurer Greets You
Paul wrote the letter to the Romans from the city of Corinth. In his final greetings at the end of the book, he sends greetings from “Erastus the city treasurer” (Rom 16:23). An Latin inscription was found at Corinth during excavations in 1929 that mentions Erastus. The inscription was located along the pavement near the theater, and reads, “Erastus in return for his aedileship paved it at his own expense” (the Latin text is ERASTVS. PRO. AED. S. P. STRAVIT, which is abbreviated from ERASTUS PRO AEDILITATE SUA PECUNIA STRAVIT). John McRay......
