Biblical Studies

"Whoever has seen me has seen the Father." (John 14:9 ESV) "...that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ." (1 John 1:3 ESV)  "You believe in Christ, and in the truth of his saying: 'He that hath seen Me, has seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, show us the Father?' You yourself kneel down before Him, saying, 'My Lord and my God,' and what is the Incarnation of the Word other than that God became man? And what profit can this be to you, unless you feel that, in Christ, God has come close to you in a human way?  "Until the birth in Bethlehem, God spoke to you in human words , but in Christ God appears in human nature . He reveals himself to you as the Son of Man. A human heart here speaks in human language and in human motions. As the Apostle John declares, 'In Jesus we have seen and heard not onl...

  “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life - the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us - that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you…”  (1 John 1:1-3a ESV) Recently, in my favorite used bookstore I found a copy of John Stott's commentary on the epistles of John. Here are some excerpts of his commentary on verses 1-3 of the first chapter...  “The Eternal entered time and was manifested to men. The Word became flesh and thus presented Himself to the three higher senses of men (hearing, sight and touch). The four relative clauses proceed from the most abstract to the most material aspect of divine revelation' (Westcott). To have heard was not enough; men 'heard' God's voice in the Old Testament. To have se...

  We plan to meet for spring classes beginning on Thursday, January 19, 2023, at Blacksburg Christian Fellowship. See the class listing on the Spring 2023 page, and register, if you will, by clicking the menu button in the upper left-hand corner of the home page. Thanks!

"In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer. So they reward me evil for good, and hatred for my love." (Psalm 109:4-5 ESV)  David's Psalm 109 is a prayer for relief against those who attack the innocent. It is at once both a reflection of his own experience as king of Israel, but also, ultimately, of the Lord Jesus, the completely righteous King. He did no wrong, he prayed for his adversaries, and was condemned without just cause. It is written, "Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.' And they cast lots to divide his garments." (Luke 23:34 ESV) And "...the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: 'They hated me without a cause.'" (John 15:25 ESV)  In some measure all followers of Christ share in this condemnation from the world: "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you." (Jn 15:18) Daily, we hear Christ's name used as a swear word...