The Apostles of the New Testament: A Summary By Bobby Freddy
(2-minute read). There are about 25 apostles explicitly mentioned in the New Testament. They are in 4 groups. 1) APOSTLE OF GOD Jesus Christ, the Apostle and high priest of our confession” (Hebrews 3:1). 2) APOSTLES OF JESUS (Called the 12) The twelve apostles stand apart from the rest of the apostles since they will judge the twelve tribes of Israel: And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have [...]
Who do you say I am? Jesus through the eyes of the Gospel of Matthew by Pastor Rudolph P. Boshoff
(2 Minute Read). Biblical Scholar Bart D. Ehrman describes the Gospel of Matthew as; “one of the most highly treasured accounts of Jesus' life among the early Christians. This may explain why it was given pride of place as the first Gospel in the New Testament canon.”[1] Central to all the Gospels is the recorded life and memories of Jesus as the coming Jewish Messiah (Matthew), the Saviour of the World (Luke), Son of God [...]
Whatever became of Sin? By Pastor Rudolph Boshoff
(5-minute read) Is there still something called sin? Norman Geisler in his preface on his book Ethics laments that; “Someone has said that we live in a strange world where the relativity of Einstein is considered absolute, and the absolutes of the Bible are considered relative.”[1] Everybody remembers the famous book written by Dr. Karl Menninger, “Whatever became of Sin,” in the early ’70s where he asks this very question: “The very word’ sin,’ which [...]
The Fading Isa of the Quran by Pastor Rudolph Boshoff
(15-minute read). There are 36 references to Jesus in the Quran, compared with 69 for Abraham and 136 for Moses. The references to Jesus can be grouped under six main headings: Christ’s Birth; Christ’s Mission; Christ’s Miracles; Christ’s identity; Christ’s Prophethood; Christ’s future predictions. Because we are pressed for time, we will look at: Christ’s Virgin Birth. Christ’s exclusive sinlessness and then; Christ’s titles: Messiah/ Son of God/ Word of God. I have left the Prophethood [...]
Evaluation of Dr Sayyed’s presentation, “Is the Bible God’s Word?” (Part 4) by Pastor Rudolph Boshoff
(5minute read). In the last few weeks, I have tried to show that Dr. Sayyed's objections to the authenticity of the Bible is not sincere and lacks any objectivity. Dr. Sayyed is merely trying to embarrass and twist the Biblical stories to fit his motives. He picks up the story of David at his old age and writes: "David sleeping with a girl to warm him (1 Kings 1:1-4).Is this doctrine? It cannot be a [...]
How the Prophet Jesus (Isa) differentiates Yahweh and Allah by Pastor Rudolph Boshoff
The person of Jesus Christ has a very central role in both Christianity and in Islam. Houlden (2005:404) writes that in Islam Jesus is a servant (‘abd) of God, a prophet (nabi), a sign (aya), an example (mathal), a witness (shahid), and a mercy (rahma) to all humanity. Jesus is eminent (wajih) and even brought near to God (min al-muqarrabin) and seen as one of the upright (min al-salihin) and he is blessed (Mubarak). The [...]
Jesus the revealed Word: An Exegesis of John 1:1, 18 by Pastor Rudolph Boshoff
(3minute read) In this article, I would like to share a short synopsis on the First Chapter of John with a specific emphasis on verse 1 and 18. I believe that a concise reading of these passages will allow for us to see the clear intent of John the Beloved Disciple and his indication that Jesus was the expected fulfilled promise of the Messiah to come and the Lord ascended to His throne. John clearly [...]
Jesus the ascended Lord: An exegesis of Mark 14:62-64 by Pastor Rudolph Boshoff
(2 Minute read) I have selected the Gospel of Mark 14:62-64 since it is the climax of the book where we finally have Christ accounting for who He is. It is also one of the first texts in the New Testament that emphatically situates the person of Jesus Christ in a place of clear pre-eminence and Old Testament fulfillment. It reads as follows: "And Jesus said, “I am, and you shall see the Son of [...]
Evaluation of Dr Sayyed’s presentation, “Is the Bible God’s Word?” (Part 3) by Pastor Rudolph Boshoff.
5 minute read: In my previous article, I have shown that the central didactic of Dr. Sayyed is seemingly lacking in both fairness and objective scholarship. Dr. Sayyed seems to ask questions around inspiration and infallibility of the Judeo-Christian Scriptures that seem to conflict with his own presumed worldview. Here is part 3 looking at his suggested claims: Dr. Sayyed mentions, "Scribes changed as they pleased." He then quotes Dr. Bruce Metzger, quoting Church Father [...]
10 Most influential [Un]Christian Books and what they say about the current Church by Pastor Rudolph Boshoff
[5minute read] There are quite a few books in the last few years that have made a lasting impact on the perception of readers looking for an alternative explanation to the constitutes of Christianity. Here, I am trying to show that the very central issues discussed reveals the desired intention to succumb to some liberal ideas shedding the dogmatic constitutes of the past. In no way do I think any of these ideas have any [...]