Dr Paul Allen

The Gospel of Mark is understood by some as having a low Christology . This is understandable, to some extent, in light of the very human aspects of Jesus in the Gospel:  He displays a range of emotions (Mark 1:41; 8:12; 3:5; 6:6);  He doesn’t know everything God the Father knows (Mark 13:32; Edwards 2002, 13);  He is occasionally unable to perform miracles (6:5);  His question to the rich man—“Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone” (Mk. 10:18)—could be interpreted as a direct denial of divinity. Mark’s use of the Old Testament, however, reveals a Christology that is “enigmatic and paradoxical” (Strauss 2014, 734), full of the reality of Jesus’ humanity and yet pointing to his divinity. Jesus is the Davidic Messiah , and yet a suffering servant. He is the Danielic Son of Man who, at his lowest point, claims the highest authority (Mark 14:62). More than that, whether by direct quotation or by allusion, Jesus is revealed as the God ...

When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the whole city stirred with one question: “Who is this?” (Matt. 21:10). That same question reverberates through the Gospel of Mark—and still echoes in our culture today. Mark doesn’t merely offer theological claims about Jesus; he constructs a narrative arc that progressively unveils His identity in dramatic, revelatory moments. Here are seven powerful ways Mark’s Gospel reveals who Jesus truly is: Mark Opens with a Bold Declaration: Jesus Is the Son of God Mark wastes no time: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1). From the first verse, we’re told that Jesus is not just a man — He is the divine Son, the visible Yahweh revealing the invisible God. At His baptism, the heavens rip open and the Father declares, “You are my beloved Son” (Mark 1:11). This is more than a title; it’s a declaration of identity and purpose. Jesus isn’t merely bringing good news — He is the good news. Even Demons Recognise His Auth...

Philip Ryken The Bible describes the exodus in careful detail. Nevertheless, it has often been challenged on historical grounds. One standard objection concerning information given in Exodus 12 is the size of the Exodus. It deserves a response. The text says, “The people of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children. A mixed multitude also went up with them, and very much livestock, both flocks and herds” (vv. 37–38). This account gives the kind of who, what, when, where, and how information that a good historian is careful to include. But what about “How many?” Can we really believe that God brought so many Israelites out of Egypt? That’s a good question. There are three common answers to choose from. Answer #1: Inflated Statistics If there were 600,000 men, then there were perhaps 2 million Israelites in all, and this number presents difficulties. If there were so many Israelites, why aren’t they mentioned in the annal...

This is a tenfold summary of key biblical Christology. 1. The person or subject of the incarnation is the eternal, divine Son. John 1:14 states this well: “The Word became flesh.” In other words, it was not the divine nature but the divine Son from eternity (John 1:1) who became incarnate. The Son, who has always been in eternal relationship with the Father and the Spirit, and who shares the same, identical divine nature with them, freely chose to humble himself by assuming a human nature to redeem his people (Phil. 2:6–8) and to reverse all that Adam did by ushering in a new creation (Col. 1:18–20). 2. As the divine Son, the second person of the triune Godhead, he is the exact image and correspondence of the Father and is thus truly God. Along with the Father and Spirit, the Son fully and equally shares the one divine nature. As the image and exact correspondence of the Father (Col. 1:15; Heb. 1:3), the Son is truly God. All of God’s perfections and attributes are his since our Lord i...

Mark Ward (author of Authorized: The Use and Misuse of the King James Bible) explores the origin of the word “Lord” in the English language—a word that, of course, shows up countless times in our English Bibles. Word histories are history, and they can come with all the drama that human life does. They can even point us to the love and plan of God. The origin of the word “Lord” Think, for example, of the clash of Christianity and Anglo-Saxon culture that had to happen to give us the simple word “Lord.” In English-speaking Christianity, “Lord” is the very name of God (“I am the Lord, that is my name,” Isa 42:8). Lord today is wholly unremarkable, utterly traditional.  But when Christianity came to the Germanic tribes living on the island of Britain 1,400 years ago, they had no tradition of Christian words. Somebody had to look at the words available and pick some that kind of fit. Anglo-Saxon Christians of the period used several words to name the biblical God, including one that or...

The idea that Jesus never claimed to be God would be laughable if it weren’t so tragic. The entire Bible is filled with clues as well as clear declarations of the divinity of Christ.  But perhaps my favourite go-to section of the Bible to show this is John 8, 9 and 10. In chapter 8 Jesus proclaims Himself to be the I am of the old testament. (John 8:58) In chapter 10 Jesus declares Himself as one with the Father. (John 10:30). But it is in chapter 9 that we see Jesus do something that only God can do. In chapter 9 we see Jesus heal a man who was blind from birth. But he heals him in a way that the man has never seen Jesus. He goes to wash at the pool of Siloam and comes back seeing.  Instead of giving him a chance to rejoice, he is immediately met with scepticism. Once Everyone including the Pharisees realizes that he was actually born blind they cast him out since it is quite obvious that he sees that Jesus is special and the Pharisees hate Christ and want to kill him. What f...

What kind of God does the prophet proclaim in Isaiah 42:18– 43:21? What must God be like if He promises to restore and renew despite the abject failure of His people? What kind of God is our covenant Lord? The answer is that He is like no other! I, I am the LORD, and besides me there is no savior. ( Isa. 43:11) In a series of statements that open chapter 43, a sixfold depiction of God’s glory emerges. First, God is the Creator. Using two distinct words, both found in the carefully constructed narrative of creation in Genesis 1 and 2, Isaiah describes God as having “created” and “formed” Jacob/ Israel : But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel. (Isa. 43:1) The first word, “created” (bara), usually refers to the creation of something new. It does not necessarily imply that the creative result was ex nihilo, out of nothing. Genesis 2:7 tells us that man was not created (bara) ex nihilo but from “the dust of the earth.” The second word, “f...

At the name of Jesus every knee will bow, . . . and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father . – Philippians   2:10 –11 – The wonderful hymn of Christ ’s humiliation and exaltation reaches its climax in these verses. Paul has said that the Father exalted Jesus and bestowed on Him  the name . He’s said it was the name which is above  every  name. And here he says that  at  that name—which is better rendered:  in honor  of that name—every knee is going to bow. So what’s the name? Jesus has a lot of names. Is it: Son of Man? Son of God ? The Alpha and Omega? The First and the Last? The Faithful and True? The Beloved Son in whom the Father is well-pleased? Is it Christ? The Messiah? Is it the long-awaited prophet? Is it our Great High Priest? Is it the King of kings? Finally, the almost unbearable suspense is broken, and the Apostle Paul tells us that every knee will bow and every tongue wil...