Question: “How is the church the Body of Christ?”

Answer: The phrase “the Body of Christ” is a common New Testament metaphor for the Church (all those who are truly saved). The Church is called “one body in Christ” in Romans 12:5, “one body” in 1 Corinthians 10:17, “the body of Christ” in 1 Corinthians 12:27 and Ephesians 4:12, and “the body” in Hebrews 13:3. The Church is clearly equated with “the body” of Christ in Ephesians 5:23 and Colossians 1:24. When Christ entered our world, He took on a physical body “prepared” for Him (Hebrews 10:5; Philippians 2:7). Through His physical body, Jesus demonstrated the love of God clearly, …

Read more

“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Psalm 22:1

We here behold the Saviour in the depth of his sorrows. No other place so well shows the griefs of Christ as Calvary, and no other moment at Calvary is so full of agony as that in which his cry rends the air–“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” At this moment physical weakness was united with acute mental torture from the shame and ignominy through which he had to pass; and to make his grief culminate with emphasis, he suffered spiritual agony surpassing all expression, resulting from the departure of his Father’s presence. This was the black …

Read more

Question 37: Who was Melchizedek? Was he really the preincarnate Messiah?

Answer: Melchizedek was a believing Jebusite during the days of Abraham, and he happened to be both king and priest of Jerusalem. Because he was both king and priest, he became a type of the Messiah. However, he was not the preincarnate Messiah since theophanies merely appeared and gave their message and then disappeared and did not hold any type of permanent office like being priest and king. Furthermore, Hebrews 7:3 specifies that he was but made like unto the Son of God (emphasis added), meaning he was not the Son of God. Furthermore, Hebrews 5:1 clearly specifies that only …

Read more

Why Didn’t Mary Know Who Jesus Was from the Beginning?

From our perspective 2000 years after the events of the gospel accounts, we may find Mary’s lack of understanding about Jesus to be puzzling. After all, she had been given an angelic announcement of His birth—not to mention the miraculous conception of a child to a virgin. Yet, when the shepherds told her what the angels said (Luke 2:8-20), she pondered this announcement as if not completely understanding. Years later, Jesus stayed behind at the Temple in Jerusalem to listen to and speak with the teachers (Luke 2:41-52). His parents, however, did not understand His desire to be in His …

Read more