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When it comes to events that change the course of human history, we often think of various wars, natural disasters, famines, and plagues. Certainly, these are major events in and of themselves, but what if I told you that there was a single event experienced by one ancient Mesopotamian man that overshadowed all of these? In the next few blogs, we will be talking about that very event: the day when God appeared to a man named Abraham and promised him a land, a seed, and a blessing for all the nations.

As we continue our study of the biblical covenants, a couple of key themes begin to stand out: man’s inability and unwillingness to obey the word of God, and God’s faithfulness in keeping His covenant promises in spite of our sinfulness. Just as Adam and Noah were undeserving of God’s mercy and grace, we will find that theme once again played out in the life of a pagan from ancient Mesopotamia called Abram, whose name would be later changed to Abraham.

Previously, we introduced the Noahic Covenant: where we find it in Scripture and its historical context. To sum it all up, God caused a global flood to occur in the days of Noah to judge the world for its wickedness and wipe everyone out except for Noah and his wife, and Noah’s sons and their wives…8 people in total. God saved the animals by bringing two of each kind into the ark. Then, God made a covenant with Noah and all of creation, promising that He would never again destroy the earth with water. God also chose the sign of the covenant to be the rainbow. Why a rainbow? Thomas Schreiner has a good explanation for this in his book Covenant and God’s Purpose for the World, where he wrote, “The sign of the covenant is that God has withdrawn his bow. He has put his weapons of war down and will not wipe out the human race again.”

Among all the books that have ever been written, none have been more under attack than the Bible. Yet, it is the best-selling book of all time, as it is by far the most revered book in all the world! It is amazing how even just the extreme polarization of the Bible is in and of itself a testimony of its truthfulness and divine authorship. Entire church splits and denominations have arisen because of how differently people interpret it, and the passages about the Noahic Covenant that we’ll be examining today are no exception.

If there is anything that every person on the face of the earth can agree on, it is that this present world is full of sorrow, death, and suffering. But that’s about the extent of where we all agree. For the world, it is merely a matter of bad karma or Darwinian evolution running its natural course over millions of years. But, for the Christian, it is a temporary setback that will one day be brought to an end when God restores all of creation. As the apostle Paul wrote, “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God” (Romans 8:20-21). Death and suffering are commonly thought of as a normal part of creation and life itself, but that’s not how it was originally supposed to be. In the beginning, when God created all things, He said it was “very good” (Genesis 1:31). In other words, creation was perfect, and there was absolutely no death nor suffering

From the covenant God made at the time of creation to the new covenant established by God through the person and work of Jesus Christ, the Bible is full of covenantal language that describes the nature of God’s relationship with His people. The purpose of this series is to explore each of the covenants God established with mankind at significant turning points in redemptive history, how they were fulfilled in Christ, and what they mean for believers today. A study of the covenants helps us better understand how the Bible is one cohesive message about God’s eternal plan to save a people for Himself, so that He would be our God and we would be His people. It reminds us of God’s unchanging faithfulness in keeping His promises, despite our failures and shortcomings. Next time, we will lay the groundwork by defining what a covenant is, some common examples that constitute as such, and why it matters.

The virgin birth of Jesus is as astounding as it is mysterious. Many people throughout the years have gone to great lengths to try and disprove and deny the legitimacy of Christ being born to a virgin mother. I can’t say I blame them! For a child to be born you need a father (a man) and a mother (a woman). Saying a child can be born to a woman who has never known a man is quite simply impossible based on human means. But, that is exactly what God declared would happen and needed to happen. If Christ wasn’t born of a virgin, then He wouldn’t be the Messiah. And, as we’ll discover, He also would not be mankind’s new representative.ch post will appear on all pages listing multiple posts.

Christmas is a time of year unlike any other. In fact, even the world recognizes this reality and sings Christmas carols such as, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”. So, what makes Christmas so special in comparison to all the other holidays?

Ask the average history student what influences led to the American Revolution, and you will likely get a plethora of answers such as “taxation without representation”, the French and Indian War, and the Enlightenment. And, they would be absolutely correct: all of those were important factors leading up to the American Revolution. But this is about the extent of what you would hear in most history classes, with little to no mention of how the Reformation, the Puritans, and the Great Awakening greatly impacted the spiritual mindsets and attitudes of the Founding Fathers.

October 31, 1517, will forever be remembered in church history as the day when an Augustinian monk by the name of Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses on the door of All Saints Church in Wittenberg, sparking the beginning of the Protestant Reformation.