“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” (1st John 2:1-2) The ascension of Christ in Question 46 of the Heidelberg Catechism prompts the...
In this issue of Theology for Life Magazine, we’ve been considering the subject of Jesus’s High Priestly ministry and what that means for daily Christian living and ministry. We understand that we haven’t covered everything on this topic, but it is our prayer that,...
In Hebrews 2:11, the author has demonstrated that Jesus and His people belong to the same family; the implication is that Jesus has assumed our human nature. Now the author indicates that the necessity of delivering His people from their enemies—death and...
The writer of Hebrews focuses not on any earthly ministry—not on believers and not on an earthly priest—but on Jesus Christ in heaven. It is His person and work that the author of Hebrews has been expounding on since the beginning of chapter 7. It was Christ who...
Several of the earliest controversies and key battles in Church History were over Christ’s divine and human natures. One of the classic texts to explain why Jesus Christ had to become fully man, so that He might perform priestly service before God on man’s behalf,...
The Old Testament is filled with stories of men and women that God used in powerful ways. Who can forget the miraculous way God raised up the prophet Moses and used him to deliver the people from Egyptian bondage? Who can forget the great victories God brought...
There are many wonderful works Jesus did for His people. Jesus said that He came in His incarnation “[not] to be served but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Jesus gave Himself for His people. He lived the life we could not live, and He...
The book of Hebrews unfolds the gospel in at least five ways: it shows the connection between Christ’s person and His work, shows His superiority to Old Testament persons and institutions, underscores humanity’s need for redemption, warns of apostasy, and exhorts...
A crucial theological question in Christology is: could Jesus have sinned? This question is not easy to answer, and as such, it requires careful reflection, given the variety of issues involved. Historically, classical Christology has argued that our Lord Jesus...
T4L: Today we are interviewing Dr. John Frame. Thank you very much for agreeing to do this interview with Theology for Life Magazine, Dr. Frame. Can you tell us a bit about your life, marriage, and ministry? Dr. Frame: I was born in Pittsburgh in 1939, received...
It was a heartbreaking sight. The wild turkey had dashed onto the road, frantically scurrying its skinny legs in a sprint for its life as a line of cars came barreling head-on. As I drove on a narrow, two-lane country road, I had enough distance to slow down and...
Jesus has entered the heavenly sanctuary on our behalf. He has gone there as forerunner, a designation found only here in the New Testament, but which appears in a variety of athletic and military contexts of the Hellenistic world. In Hebrews, where the term is...
In Hebrews 2:14, the writer says it is “our confession” that Christians must hold fast to. The early church employed theological formulas to express the faithful’s confession like the Apostle’s Creed. These confessions remind believers that there is true content to...
Jesus Christ meets the qualifications to be the Mediator and High Priest to His people. Someone may be qualified for a position without actually having the authority to hold it. Qualification is a prerequisite, but there must be an appointment to the office if the...
The cleaning of humanity by the blood of Jesus is the turning point of human history. This is what Hebrews 9:26 means when it says that Christ “appeared once for all at the end of the ages.” That expression marks this as the decisive point of history, when God’s...