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I agree. I think regarding Jesus Messiah as King is appropriate. And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth." Matthew 28:18

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 1 Timothy 1:12-14 I think Paul commented on his own life to make the point that we ALL have sinned. And by being upfront in admitting to the earlier false beliefs and wrong actions of his own past, Paul neutralizes having the sins of his past being used against him. But Paul also uses his own life to bring glory to God for His grace and mercy. As others have commented, Paul was appealing to those who were engaging in false teaching: I acted wrongly, but God's grace redeemed me and God's grace can redeem you, too. Hank - good point!

Well said!

The Magi were scholars who evidently studied astronomy, but I think it may be very inappropriate to call them astrologers. Doesn't that give credibility to astrology? There is a huge difference between interpreting a sign in the heavens and believing that the stars and planets affect our lives on earth. Here is a brief quote from www.bethlehemstar.net: Astrology holds that stars exert forces on men. Astrology is "...form of divination based on the theory that the movement of the celestial bodies

Was the star of Bethlehem a miraculous, supernatural event or a natural, yet remarkable celestial event, perhaps planned at the very beginning of Creation? Since God's Son arrived as a baby in a manger, the star being a miraculous, supernatural event seems out of place to me. However, the idea that God planned and arranged certain heavenly bodies far in advance as a sign and a guide to the Magi completely amazes me! At the same time, I think it is significant that the Magi not only recognized, but also followed the sign given by God. How is it that these foreign Magi from a far away land were the only ones (as far as we know) who correctly interpreted this astronomical sign in the heavens, visible in the skies for all the world to see? The Magi were seekers, and when they found something, they acted and followed up on it. May we be as diligent in seeking and recognizing what God tells us, and as faithful in following where He leads us. P.S. I found some very intriguing material about the Star of Bethlehem at www.bethlehemstar.net which I think is well worth checking out.

The announcement of the Messiah's birth to shepherds (of all people!) is a way for God to say to us with absolute clarity

Although the historical references to Caesar Augustus and Quirinius can be helpful in debunking modern "Jesus myth" proponents, I really don't think there was much doubt about Jesus' existence at the time Luke wrote his gospel account (probably before the destruction of the Jewish temple around 70 AD). Yet today these references do provide us with information regarding the actual year of Jesus' birth (prior to the death of Herod the Great in 4 B.C. versus the presumed date of 1 A.D.). I think Luke was simply using a common method in ancient times of dating an event based on who was ruling (e.g. "In the year King Uzziah died

I think the real question is about exalting Mary as 'Mother of God' rather than her being "blessed among women." In the following passage Elizabeth calls Mary "the mother of my Lord," not mother of God or mother of my God. I have to wonder what Elizabeth or Mary herself would say about the concept of a created human being ever being considered the Mother of Eternal God! "In a loud voice she exclaimed: 'Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!'" (Luke 1:42-43) Nowhere in Scripture is Mary called 'Mother of God,' nowhere in Scripture is Mary exalted as such and nowhere in Scripture does Mary make that claim. To the contrary, Mary's response is: "My spirit rejoices in God my Savior." (Luke 1:47) There is no question that Mary was both highly favored and blessed as she was the mother of Jesus Messiah, the Son of God. However, I think the title 'Mother of God' is both non-scriptural and a point of confusion. Jesus is God's Son and Mary his earthly mother, but calling Mary 'Mother of God' incorrectly implies more than that.

Both Mary and Zechariah were presented with news that they were about to experience a miracle birth, and in Mary's case was probably totally unexpected. A big difference I see between the two is that I imagine Zechariah had spent most of his life wanting and praying for a son. Yet when he was told it was going to happen, he responded not with joy, but with skepticism. Mary's response is remarkable and on a personal level we ought to emulate her courage and her complete trust and surrender. At the same time, I think we should remember Zechariah: each of us needs to guard against becoming jaded as we go through disappointments in our life. I see Zechariah as symbolic of the bulk of the Jewish people, waiting and hoping for the Messiah yet not ready at His coming. May we, the Body of Christ, watch and be ready for His return as He instructed. (Luke 21:34-36) Why was Mary rewarded and Zechariah disciplined? Hard to say, although it was not God, but Gabriel who disciplined Zechariah. Maybe Zechariah had to be prevented from speaking any more words of unbelief. Maybe we can't imagine just how offensive our unbelief is. The angel answered, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time." (Luke 1:19-20)

Yes, we have quite a few enemies, but if God is for us - what does it matter? God will prevail! The evidence for this is that God held nothing back to save us, not even His one and only Son, and having God for us makes me feel invincible.

"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28 (NASB) As pickledilly wrote, verse 28 is saying "that in all things God works all for the good." To me it is more a statement of fact than a promise: Primarily, God's plan and purpose will not be denied; His goodness will prevail.Secondly, those who align themselves with God and His purpose benefit from His plan moving forward (while those "not with the plan" will not necessarily benefit - and definitely not those who oppose God).I agree with the comment by masika "that God works in "Everything", not just isolated incidents for our good." God is working on a much larger scale than causing everything to work together for your sake or mine; He causes all things to work together for His purpose. Here is my way of putting it: The water of this mighty river will eventually reach the ocean, and if your boat is in this river with the same purpose you are carried along, too. You certainly benefit if your boat is in the river, but the river does not exist for your benefit. Nothing can stop this river from flowing. It will go over or around any obstacle, and any deliberate attempt to block it will eventually be washed away. How does this verse give me hope? That the "river of God" will prevail and reach the ocean, and that it is taking me along!

Hopelessness is not as black and white as one might think, in my opinion. There is a difference between experiencing hopelessness and being without Hope. We have no difficulty understanding why a person without Hope, without purpose, without God or a future with Him would be depressed, lack joy, be downcast, etc. Yet an unbeliever may not exhibit the characteristics of hopelessness described in this topic thread. Such a person might blissfully climb a ladder of "success" for a lifetime until they reach the top only to discover that their ladder was leaning against the wrong building. Some who are Hope-less do not behave that way until they recognize their true situation. On the other hand, what about this person? "I am bowed down and brought very low; all day long I go about mourning." "I am worn out from groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears. My eyes grow weak with sorrow

Where do we Christians get such a defeatist attitude towards sin? As nes said, our defeatist attitude towards sin is something we get from the people around us, and as RickJW said, "Many people believe that for man to sin is inevitable." This defeatist attitude that sin is inevitable is a deception, we are surrounded by it, and we know were it comes from

I am overwhelmed by the first question: In what ways was suffering Jesus' lot in life? Isaiah 53 He was despised and rejected by men... Jesus understands our sufferings because he endured it all himself