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God before ages becomes an infant!

...power of death is broken, paradise is unlocked, the curse is taken away, sin is removed from us, error driven out, truth has been brought back, the speech of kindliness diffused, and spreads on every side, a heavenly way of life has been ‘in planted on the earth, angels communicate with men without fear, and men now hold speech with angels.Why is this? Because God is now on earth, and man in heaven; on every side all things commingle. He became Flesh. He did not become God. He was God. Wherefore He became flesh, so that He Whom heaven did not contain, a manger would this day receive. He was placed in a manger, so that He, by whom all things arc nourished, may...

Lent Day 39: Leo the Great: Sermon XLIX (On Lent XI)

...mourn his death as the disciples did, before we realise the reality of the resurrection which comes in a few short days. “Who is there who would not wish for additions to his virtue, or removal of his vice?” Leo asks rhetorically, referring to the benefits of the Lenten fast and discipline. “Blessed, therefore, is the mind that passes the time of its pilgrimage in chaste sobriety, and loiters not in the things through which it has to walk”. Leo refers this back to what Paul taught in 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 as a way of living in such a way that we don't get too caught up in this life and this world that we forget about the divine promise and the life we...

How many apostles are there in the New Testament?

...either in death or at The Resurrection, which makes complete sense if these five major roles are to “to equip the saints” and for “building up the body of Christ”. So if these five gifts are for the continued benefit of the whole Church body, then it makes sense that we should see others who possess them, and the apostolic gift is often the most controversial one (along with prophet). So let's see how many apostles there were in the pages of the New Testament: Acts 1:13 When they arrived, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying: Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon th...

The Historic Practice of Abortion and How Ancient Christians Responded

...life and death of an unborn child, and not merely a religious or political talking point. Neither should it be viewed as an abstract “right” or “healthcare” in which women are given the OK to put an end to the life forming within them, as though it were nothing but a nondescript, featureless “clump of cells”. The foetus quickly develops from any kind of plain cells into something more human within weeks of conception. The brain is beginning to grow at only 16 days and develops more between 6–7 weeks onward when the heart kicks into action too. I am not so rigid to say there are no exceptions or cases where it truly would fall under the “healthc...

The Gospel of Jeffrey Dahmer

...geoned to death by another inmate November of that same year. But the point remains, which is the heart of the Gospel: God’s grace and mercy are far bigger than we can ever comprehend, as much as we might not like it, God can save whomever HE wills, not whoever WE prefer. Like the thief on the cross, who also faced the consequences of his crimes yet cried out to Jesus in his final moments, anyone can be saved, no matter their past. This is the Gospel in its simplest terms. Don’t get me wrong, Jeffrey Dahmer will face the judgement of God, just as we all will, for “it is appointed for mortals to die once, and after that the judgement” (Heb 9:27). Looki...

The Deity of Christ in the Gospel of Matthew - Part 2

...the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and how he accomplished his task of securing salvation for his people as predicted (Matthew 1:21). The gospel was written after his ascension. Matthew has one final question to ask. Having come closer to us than ever before and fulfilling his purpose, especially after predicting the destruction of the second temple, has Jesus left us? This is answered with a resounding “no!”; Jesus promised before ascending to heaven that he would always be with his people, even to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:20); “…behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Just as Solomon realised, the presence of God is not...