Life of Christ

By Al Felder John wrote, “And we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). That statement reaches to the heart of who Jesus is and why He came. It tells us that the incarnation was not only about God coming near, but about God making His glory known in the Son. But what should we see when we behold His glory? That is an important question, because many people think of glory only in terms of visible brightness, ove

By Al Felder Few truths in Scripture are more sobering and more hope-filled than the return of Jesus Christ. The same Lord who came in humility, lived among men, died for sin, rose in victory, and ascended into heaven will come again. That promise is not a side note in the Christian faith. It is one of the great anchors of the believer’s hope. For the world, the return of Christ will mean judgment, exposure, and the end of false security. But for believers, it means something

By Al Felder Grace is one of the most cherished words in Scripture, but it is also one of the most misunderstood. Many people think of grace only as pardon. They think of it as God overlooking guilt and giving salvation to those who do not deserve it. That is certainly part of grace, and a precious part of it. But grace does more than forgive. Grace teaches. Grace trains. Grace reshapes the daily life of the believer. If grace is understood only as comfort for the conscience,

By Al Felder It is one thing to speak about the Word becoming flesh in Jesus Christ. It is another thing to ask what that truth should produce in those who follow Him. The incarnation is not only something to admire. It is something meant to transform. The Word came into the world in visible form, full of grace and truth. Now those who belong to Christ are called to live in such a way that His character is seen in them. This does not mean that believers become divine, nor doe

By Al Felder Many people often think about the birth of Christ, the ministry of Christ, the cross of Christ, and the resurrection of Christ. All of those deserve deep attention. But another question matters greatly and is sometimes overlooked: What is Jesus doing now in heaven? The answer is not that He has simply finished His work and withdrawn into inactivity. The risen Christ is not absent in the sense of being uninvolved. He is alive, exalted, reigning, interceding, and s

By Al Felder The empty tomb is one of the simplest facts in the gospel record, yet it carries some of the deepest meaning in all of Scripture. The stone was rolled away. The grave clothes were left behind. The body of Jesus was not there. That is not a small detail in the Christian message. It is one of the great declarations of heaven. Many people speak of the empty tomb as a moving symbol of hope, and it certainly is that. But it is more than a symbol. It proves something.

By Al Felder If Jesus died and remained in the grave, then the cross would be only a tragic ending. It might stir emotion. It might inspire sympathy. It might even leave behind the memory of a righteous sufferer. But it would not save. It would not conquer death. It would not secure hope. The resurrection is what changes everything. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is not an added detail to the gospel. It is at the very center of it. It is the Father’s public declaration that

By Al Felder When John the Baptist saw Jesus and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29), he was not using a random religious image. He was identifying Jesus with one of the deepest themes running through all of Scripture. From the earliest sacrifices to the Passover in Egypt to the offerings under the law of Moses, the lamb was associated with innocence, sacrifice, blood, and deliverance. So when John called Jesus “the Lamb of God,” h

By Al Felder Few scenes in Scripture are more solemn, more powerful, or more revealing than the cross of Jesus Christ. At Calvary, we do not simply see a good man suffering unjustly. We see the heart of the gospel. We see the holiness of God, the seriousness of sin, the love of Christ, and the only hope for guilty man all brought together in one place. Many people speak of the cross only in terms of love, and certainly it does reveal love beyond measure. But the cross does mo

By Al Felder Many people are drawn to the miracles of Jesus, and rightly so. The blind receive sight. Lepers are cleansed. Storms are stilled. Demons flee. The dead are raised. These works are powerful, moving, and unforgettable. But if we stop at amazement, we miss their deeper meaning. The miracles of Christ were never mere displays of power meant to leave men impressed. They were signs. They revealed who He is, what kind of authority He possesses, and what the Father was m

By Al Felder One of the most remarkable statements Jesus ever made is found in John 14:9: “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” Those words are not poetic exaggeration. They are a direct declaration about who Jesus is and why He came. He did not come merely to speak about God from a distance. He came to reveal the Father perfectly. That matters because men often misjudge God. Some picture Him as distant and unreachable. Others imagine Him as only severe, with no tendernes

By Al Felder Some doctrines in Scripture are so central that if they are removed, the whole structure of the gospel begins to collapse. The incarnation is one of them. When John wrote, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14), he was not giving a minor detail of Christian belief. He was declaring one of the greatest truths ever revealed. The eternal Word entered the world as man. But why does that matter so much? For many, the incarnation is familiar enough

By Al Felder Few statements about Christ are as profound as Paul’s words in Philippians 2:7: “but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.” Many readers have paused over that language and wondered what it means. What does it mean that Jesus “emptied Himself”? Did He stop being God? Did He give up His divine nature? Did He somehow become less than He was before? Scripture does not teach that Christ ceased to be divine.

By Al Felder For many people, the story of Jesus begins in Bethlehem. It begins with the manger, the shepherds, the angels, and the child born to Mary. That is where His earthly life began, but it is not where His existence began. Scripture teaches plainly that Jesus did not begin at Bethlehem. He was alive before the manger, before Mary, before Abraham, before David, and even before the world itself. That truth matters far more than some realize. If Jesus began only as a man

By Al Felder Few truths in Scripture are more profound than John’s statement: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). In that single verse, the Holy Spirit pulls back the curtain on one of the greatest wonders ever revealed. The eternal Word did not remain distant. He entered the world He made. He took on flesh. He lived among men. He did not come merely to impress the world with power, but to reveal the Father, redeem sinners, and bring grace and truth in

“Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.” — Matthew 4:1 Tempted Like Us After forty days of fasting, Jesus faced Satan’s three “ifs”—temptations designed to strike at His hunger, His trust in God, and His mission. These same tactics are still used against us today. The devil wants to make us doubt God, distort His Word, and compromise our faith. But just as Jesus resisted, we too can overcome by clinging to God’s Word. The Temptati

“And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the Sabbath day; that they might accuse him.” — Mark 3:2 Always Watching for Faults Throughout His ministry, Jesus was constantly under scrutiny. The Pharisees watched Him closely, not to learn or follow, but to accuse and destroy. They found fault with His words (Mark 2:6–7), His fellowship with sinners (Mark 2:16), His disciples’ practices (Mark 2:18, 24), and even His acts of compassion (Mark 3:1–6). No matter what Jesus