Immanuel God With Us

Posted by on Dec 19, 2009 in Godhead, Salvation

The scriptures tell us that God would come in the form of a man. The Old Testament prophet Isaiah tells us His name would be called Immanuel. Matthew writes that His name would be called Emmanuel.

Isaiah 7:14  Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Matthew 1:22-23  22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,  23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

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Healing

Posted by on Dec 17, 2009 in Gifts of the Spirit, Healing

Healing is a miracle that is seen in both the Old and the New Testaments. Healing is a restoration. God can heal any sicknesses or disease. Jesus healed many people that came to Him and we see the Apostles continuing with this Spiritual Gift. Healing is for us today.

God promised healing.

Exodus 15:26  And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.

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Speaking in Tongues

Posted by on Dec 12, 2009 in Gifts of the Spirit, Salvation

God chose tongues as the initial evidence of receiving the Holy Ghost. Speaking in tongues is God speaking through believers in a language we have not learned. The languages are real. As seen in the second chapter of Acts, sometimes people that hear others speaking in tongues will recognize the languages that are being spoken.

The idea of speaking in tongues was not a new concept to those in the upper room awaiting the gift that Jesus told them to wait for. They had read the Old Testament Prophets that had prophesied about God using tongues in the new covenant. Isaiah prophesied that God’s people would speak with tongues.

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Spirit Baptism – Baptized by Fire

Posted by on Dec 7, 2009 in Salvation

When Jesus brought us the new covenant He had a plan that would allow us to have a closer walk with God. This ‘newness of life’ is a baptism of fire that is the Spirit of God dwelling in us, giving us power and strength to live an overcoming life. Spirit baptism is not just an extra benefit- it is part of salvation. Spirit baptism is as much as part of the new birth as water baptism. Several terms in scripture refer to Spirit baptism, including filled with the Spirit, born of the Spirit, filled with the Holy Ghost, and many others. Let’s look at scripture and see what Holy Ghost baptism is all about and see who it’s for.

John the Baptist taught about Holy Spirit baptism, referring to it as a baptism of fire.

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Water Baptism – Old Testament Typology

Posted by on Dec 3, 2009 in Salvation

Water baptism in the New Testament was not a new idea to those living at the time. It was not a foreign thought. They were already familiar with the concept of water baptism. How is this true, considering that John the Baptist is the first person mentioned in scripture that performed baptisms?

Water baptism was seen in the Old Testament in typology. In fact, there are many OT typologies of baptism.

We see the account of Noah in Genesis chapters 6 – 9. God told Noah to build an ark to save Himself, his wife, and his three sons and their wives, and two of every animal (and seven each of the clean animals) in whose nostrils was the breath of life. God destroyed the earth with water in a world-wide catastrophe. Noah was saved through the flood. Peter used this as a typology of baptism.

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Water Baptism – For the Remission of Sins

Posted by on Dec 1, 2009 in Salvation

Many Churches have practiced the act of water baptism over the years. Some believe strongly that baptism is essential, while others see it as something you should do. Some believe baptism is not necessary at all, claiming that it doesn’t apply to us today. Is baptism essential? If so, how are we to be baptized? By immersion? By sprinkling? In what name? What is baptism for?

What is baptism? Water baptism is a ceremony for those that have repented of their sins. It is an immersion into water in the name of Jesus for the remission of sins. We see throughout the New Testament that we are commanded to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.

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In the Name of – a Study in Greek

Posted by on Nov 28, 2009 in Salvation

The phrase ‘in the name of’, as applied to baptism, has sparked many debates over the years. The Popular view of the baptismal formula comes from Matthew 28:19, which uses the titles Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. An argument that is used against the formula ‘in the name of Jesus’, as seen in the book of Acts, is that the phrase ‘in the name of’ means ‘by the authority of’. This study will look at the Greek words in this phrase to see what was meant when Jesus and the Apostles said “in the name of’.

One argument against baptism in the name of Jesus is that the phrase ‘in the name of Jesus’ only refers to the authority of Jesus. It is true that ‘in the name of’, and ‘in his name’, is in reference to the power and authority of Jesus (Bernard, p. 72). It is by Jesus’ authority that we use His name, because Jesus has all power.

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In the Name of Jesus

Posted by on Nov 26, 2009 in Godhead, Salvation

When God chose to manifest Himself in flesh as our savior He chose a name that would signify the essence of who He is. The name He chose would not only reveal who He was, but also what His mission on Earth was. The name Jesus means Jehovah-Savior, meaning that Jehovah is our Savior.

We are told in scripture that God would dwell with us.

Isaiah 7:14  Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Jesus is the fulfillment of this prophecy.

Matthew 1:21-23  21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.  22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,  23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

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In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost

Posted by on Nov 24, 2009 in Godhead, Salvation

Jesus gave us a command in the Great Commission to spread His gospel and to baptize. Most have misunderstood His command. Let’s examine the command of baptism in the Great Commission and compare scripture for a clearer understanding.

The command is to baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

Matthew 28:18-20  18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.  19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:  20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen

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Logos

Posted by on Nov 21, 2009 in Godhead

The New Testament describes an aspect of God known as the Word, or in Greek the Logos. Some would say that the Logos is a person within the Godhead. Others would describe the Logos as the words of God- His speech. Others, such as those in Greek thought, would describe the Logos as a creative force. Who is the Logos? What do the scriptures say?

John 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

In English, Logos is translated Word. Because of this, many Bible readers see this definition of Logos, Word, as the main aspect of Logos. Writers have described the Logos as the words of God, or His speech (Bernard, p. 60). The Logos is also described as the plan of God. The Logos is described as a play in the mind of a playwright (Bernard, p. 60). I’ve heard the description “My word’s with me”. This makes the Logos a philosophical idea. My words are not me. My plans are not me. My thoughts are not me. They come from me. I formulate them based on my own ideas and understandings, but no one can say they’ve met me just by reading my writings. I do believe these descriptions are partially describing the Logos, but as we’ll see from scripture, the Logos is much more than this.

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Let Us Make Man

Posted by on Nov 18, 2009 in Godhead

In thousands of verses in scripture, singular pronouns are used in reference to God. In four verses, a plural pronoun is used. Why? Is this a contradiction? Why would God speak in the singular so often and then suddenly speak in the plural? Let’s look at Genesis 1:26-27 and see who God is referring to when He said ‘Let Us’.

Genesis 1:26-27  26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.  27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Notice that after God said the phrases ‘Let us’, ‘our image’, and ‘our likeness’, the next verse says ‘his own image’, ‘he him’, and ‘he them’. The very next verse uses singular pronouns.

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Elohim

Posted by on Nov 16, 2009 in Godhead

We see the word Elohim in the very first verse of scripture:

Genesis 1:1  In the beginning God (Elohim) created the heaven and the earth

The Hebrew word for God, Elohim is the plural form of Eloah and it is used in the Old Testament more than any other word for God. The plural ending –im has caused many to conclude that God is a plurality of persons, or even multiple deities (polytheism – belief in more than one God). In this study we will look at the word Elohim and see how it is used in scripture and see why it is plural.

How does the Hebrew language use plural words?

In the Hebrew language, there are many words that are plural but have a singular connotation. Here are a few examples (Graves, p. 28).

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