Kevin Davis

Jesus Was (And Is) a Real Human Being

Theological disputes are not something unique to our time, or even the time of our ancient relatives.

Reaching all the way back to the first century we can find disagreements about important theological matters.

Jesus had his arguments with the Pharisees and Sadducees, not to mention those with the religious leaders of his day. Paul had to deal with controversies with church members as they were still learning what it meant to live in this new kingdom with its new covenant. And John felt pushback from those who insisted that although Jesus may have been God (there were definitely some who thought he wasn’t), he surely wasn’t a human being.

Live for Your Reward

Just before talking about the common practices of giving, praying, and fasting, Jesus gives his hearers this warning: “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven” (Mt 6:1, NIV).

There are at least two things to make note of with that statement.

Did Jesus Only Teach in Parables?

I was listening to a podcast on Jesus’s parables and, as the host introduced the episode by giving a quick rundown of what was going to be discussed—as all good hosts do—he said something that caught my ear. While setting up the importance of Jesus’s parables he referenced a place in Mark’s gospel where the evangelist writes about Jesus’s teaching style and this host said, “It even says specifically that when Jesus taught the masses…he taught exclusively in parables.”

Hide the Word in Your Heart

In the longest chapter of one of the longest books of the Bible, the psalmist wrote, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Ps 119:11, NIV).

All 176 verses of this psalm are dedicated to the written revelation of God, because of its supreme value. In particular, this psalmist at the time valued it for how it might help keep him from sin.

Who Wrote What Letters to Whom in the New Testament?

  • From: Paul

    To: All in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people.

  • From: Paul and Sosthenes

    To: The church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours.

  • From: Paul and Timothy

    To: The church of God in Corinth, together with all his holy people throughout Achaia.

  • From: Paul and all the brothers and sisters with him

    To: The churches in Galatia.

  • From: Paul

    To: God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus.

  • From: Paul and Timothy

    To: All God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons.

  • From: Paul and Timothy

    To: God's holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ.

  • From: Paul, Silas, and Timothy

    To: The church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

  • From: Paul, Silas, and Timothy

    To: The church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

  • From: Paul

    To: Timothy, my true son in the faith.

  • From: Paul

    To: Timothy, my dear son.

  • From: Paul

    To: Titus, my true son in our common faith.

  • From: Paul and Timothy

    To: Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker—also to Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier—and to the church that meets in your homes.

  • From: Unknown (possibly Paul, Luke, or Apollos)

    To: Unknown (probably Christians who had recently came out of the Old Covenant system that was previously established).

  • From: James

    To: The twelve tribes scattered among the nations.

  • From: Peter

    To: God's elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bythinia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood.

  • From: Peter

    To: Those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have receieved faith as precious as ours.

  • From: Unknown (probably John—the disciple whom Jesus loved)

    To: Unknown (probably Christian’s under John’s care).

  • From: The elder (probably John, the disciple whom Jesus loved)

    To: The lady chosen by God and to her children whom I love in the truth (probably the local church and the members of that church).

  • From: Unknown (probably John, the disciple whom Jesus loved)

    To: My dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth.

  • From: Jude

    To: Those who have been called, who are loved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ.

Who Will Save Us?

The movie, Sully, is about the real life event of when Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger safely landed a commercial aircraft on the Hudson River after losing both engines from a bird strike shortly after takeoff. Throughout the movie the NTSB (the National Transportation Safety Board) had been investigating the water landing to determine if Sully had actually made a mistake by going for the Hudson when he could have—and should have—headed for a nearby airport.

What Must I Do to Be Saved?

Podcasts are the best.

I especially like listening to The Rewatchables, which is a podcast where a group of 2-4 people discuss their favorite “rewatchable” movies.

During the last episode I listened to they were talking about Ghost. (A movie I haven’t seen before… I know, I know, I should make it a point to watch it.) Since the movie is about someone’s loved one being killed and then returning as a ghost it didn’t take long for the conversation to come to a discussion about the afterlife.