No one really knows when the church began observing Advent, but there is no record of it occurring prior to the end of the 4^th century. In the west it began on the Sunday nearest to St. Andrews Day (November 30) and always included four Sundays. In the east it began earlier in November and included the idea of fasting and prayer, though in modern times it has not had that connotation. Read the rest of this entry →

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men.”-John 1:1-4 Read the rest of this entry →

When we consider the term “eternal generation,” we need to make a distinction between the way we organize ideas in systematic theology and the way they developed historically.  The term and the thinking behind it come from the fourth century, but theologically it applies to the person of Christ from eternity past. Read the rest of this entry →

The word “Messiah” is one of those religious words which we connect to Jesus, but far too many of us don’t really know why.  In order to have a good grasp on what this important word means we must try and understand what it meant to the Jews. Read the rest of this entry →

John 3:16 in the King James Version begins with the words, “for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.” But what does the word “begotten”‘ mean?  Is it another word for birth or being born?  Was John saying Jesus was God’s firstborn son?  If so, then where was Jesus before he was born? Before he was conceived by Mary? Read the rest of this entry →