Long ago, the rabbis used to read Isaiah 53 in synagogues, but after the chapter caused arguments and great confusion, the rabbis decided that the simplest thing would be to just take that prophecy out of the Haftarah readings in synagogues.1 That’s why today when we read Isaiah 52, we stop …

There are two very different ways Christians have told the story of how everything ends.In the first version, the one that’s especially popular in many modern Western churches, the tale begins with Jesus returning in glory. At last, everyone sees the truth and admits He is Lord. The next scene …

When Paul wrote to believers in Rome, he began chapter 8 with one of the most profound declarations in Scripture: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1) Paul begins Romans 8:1 with the word “Therefore,” signaling that his declaration is the logical …

“Chosen” means to be set apart for a special purpose, not chosen for any inherent superiority. God elected Israel out of all nations to receive His revelation and to model a relationship with Him. As Moses told the Israelites: For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. …

At the heart of God’s relationship with Israel stands the Abrahamic covenant, described in Genesis 12, 15, and 17—the foundational promise God made to Abraham and his descendants. God pledges to make Abraham into a great nation, to give his offspring the land of Canaan as an everlasting possession, and …

Islam claims to be the final and most complete revelation from God, affirming the prophets who came before Muhammad and acknowledging the Scriptures they brought—the Torah (Tawrat), the Psalms (Zabur), and the Gospel (Injil). Yet this affirmation is only alleged, because at the same time Islam insists that Jews and …

The debate over whether Christians—or specifically Messianic believers—are “under the Law” often hinges on one of Jesus’ most quoted yet frequently misunderstood statements: Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly …

The Unbroken Promise: Why Israel Remains God’s Chosen People Few topics stir as much passion, confusion, or debate in the Christian world as the question of Israel’s ongoing chosenness. For nearly two millennia, many have asked: if the Church is now the “new Israel,” does God still have a unique …

Psalm 51:5 In the January 2006 article titled “What Is the Biblical Evidence for Original Sin?” on John Piper’s website, “desiringgod,” the article opens with the claim that “Psalm 51:5 states that we all come into the world as sinners.“ Psalm 51 is a penitential psalm expressing deep remorse and …

If the universe originates in God’s Word, what, then, is the relationship between Creator and creation? Is the world simply an emanation of the Divine, a theater for God’s self-expression? Or does creation possess a distinct existence, a true “otherness” that God lovingly sustains? Throughout history, thinkers have debated the …