Theological term
Veracity
2 sermons · All terms
God in a Feed Trough
Luke 2:1–14 presents the incarnation of the Son of God not as myth or legend but as a historically verifiable, prophetically grounded event. The sermon traces four features of the nativity narrative: its veracity, its condescension, its proclamation, and the angels' hymn of praise. The central burden is that 'God in a feed trough' — the Word made flesh, born in Bethlehem, lying in a manger — is not a sentimental image at which thought terminates, but the inaugurating moment of the redemptive mission that ends at the cross and empty tomb, and therefore the proper object of unceasing wonder, proclamation, and praise.
The Implications of the Empty Tomb
Paul's argument in 1 Corinthians 15:12–19 exposes the logical consequences of denying the bodily resurrection of Christ: apostolic preaching collapses into myth, Christian faith becomes an empty sentiment fixed on no real object, the apostles are liars, sin remains unatoned, and believers are the most pitiable of all creatures. The sermon surveys ancient and modern attacks on the resurrection — the stolen-body theory, the swoon theory, Gnosticism, Sadducean theology, Hymenaeanism, and contemporary archaeological sensationalism — before working through Paul's five implications positively. The central application is that because Christ is truly risen, justification is secured, the apostolic witness is vindicated, and the Christian hope extends beyond this age into a bodily resurrection that far surpasses any 'best life now.'