1 Timothy 1:12-14 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, 13 even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; 14 and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus.       If ...

Matthew 2:9-12 After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treas...

Matthew 2:3-8 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet: 6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; For...

Matthew 2:7, 9 Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared… and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was.Although the word for “star” (Gr. aster; Heb. kokab) in Scripture can be any shining point of light in the night sky, an actual star in the heavens is an enormous m...

Matthew 2:1b-2 Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, 2 “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”The magi “from the east” (lit. “from the rising”) appear to be a remnant of God-fearing Gentiles influenced by the prophecies of Daniel, dating back to the sixth century BC. As they came into town, they were “saying,” Where...

Matthew 2:1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem…Sometime after the events of Luke 2:21-38, after Mary completed her purification rites related to childbirth, she and Joseph settled in Bethlehem before “magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem.” Though legends of their identity abound, the Bible does not even reveal ho...

Luke 2:15-20 When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. 17 When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been...

Luke 2:8-14 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for...

Luke 2:7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, since there was no room for them in the inn.In v. 7, without any fanfare, Luke calls Jesus Mary’s “firstborn” (Gr. prototokos). This implies other children born later to Joseph and Mary (8:19-21; cf. Matt. 13:55-56). If Jesus was Mary’s “only” son, as Roman Catholicism espouses, Luke would ha...

Luke 2:4-7 Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, 5 in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. 6 While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in ...

Luke 2:1-3 Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. 2 This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city.Caesar Augustus is just one of many historical figures Luke references in his narrative. Born Gaius Octavius but later given the...

Luke 1:36-38 “And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, the bond-slave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.            Now although Mary asked for no sign to confirm God’s mira...

Luke 1:34-35 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.”            It is obvious that Mary understood Gabriel to mean that she would have a child as a virgin, for it would not have co...

Luke 1:30-33 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no e...

Luke 1:28 [Gabriel] said to [Mary], “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”            The Latin Vulgate reads, “Hail Mary, full of grace” and is used by Roman Catholics to prove that Mary was immaculately conceived—that she was born without original sin. In 1854 Pope Pius IX said, “The Most Holy Virgin Mary was in the first moment of her conception, by a unique gift of grace and privilege...