The ascension of Jesus is one Biblical truth I struggle to understand. How was it better that he leave us? Jesus said in John 16:7, “I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away.” How is that true? I want Jesus physically with me. I don’t say this in a flippant or irreverent way – I truly mean this – I would love to eat a delicious meal with Jesus and talk long into the evening, listening, questioning, and learning. I want to see his facial expressions and hear his...
Tag - Christology
I playfully tell people that I grew up in a “confused Mennonite home.” My father was a pastor in the Mennonite church and, unlike the vast majority of Mennonites, was committed to the doctrines of grace or what are often called the five points of Calvinism. My parents loved the ministry of R. C. Sproul and Ligonier and would attend Reformed conferences with joy and much agreement. Espousing, adoring, and preaching the doctrines of God’s sovereign grace in a Mennonite context came at a...
Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God. He is the only beloved begotten Son of God. God has only one natural beloved Son, and this makes Jesus Christ eternally and uniquely loved. But the only Begotten is not the only beloved. The creeds and Reformed confessions are extremely helpful in understanding what the Bible teaches about only beloved begotten Son of God. The Apostles’ Creed calls Jesus Christ God’s “only begotten Son.” The Nicene Creed says more: the only...