Passage of the Day - December 31, 2012

Genesis 17:1-14

Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him,

“I am God Almighty;
Walk before Me, and be blameless.
² “I will establish My covenant between Me and you,
And I will multiply you exceedingly.”

³ Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying,

⁴ “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you,
And you will be the father of a multitude of nations.
⁵ “No longer shall your name be called Abram,
But your name shall be Abraham;
For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.

⁶ I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come forth from you. ⁷ I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you. ⁸ I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”

⁹ God said further to Abraham, “Now as for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. ¹⁰ This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised. ¹¹ And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you.
¹² And every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, a servant who is born in the house or who is bought with money from any foreigner, who is not of your descendants. ¹³ A servant who is born in your house or who is bought with your money shall surely be circumcised; thus shall My covenant be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. ¹⁴ But an uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

Here is another covenant.  This one is between God and Abraham that extends to Abraham’s descendents and those who enter his household.  This covenant between Abraham and God was God establishing His Chosen People.  Obviously, circumcision applies to infants and it was the mark of being in the covenant that God made with Abraham.  It also applied to outsiders who became part of Abraham’s household.  It is interesting that servants that were bought with a price were also circumcised as the circumcision of an adult was a much bigger deal.  You will also note that those who were not circumcised are not part of the covenant.

Again, I’m not going to over-interpret anything and allow the words and the Holy Spirit do the talking.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)

Passage of the Day - December 30, 2012

Genesis 9:8-17

⁸ Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, ⁹ “Now behold, I Myself do establish My covenant with you, and with your descendants after you; ¹⁰ and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you; of all that comes out of the ark, even every beast of the earth. ¹¹ I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall never again be cut off by the water of the flood, neither shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth.” ¹² God said, “This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all successive generations; ¹³ I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth. ¹⁴ It shall come about, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow will be seen in the cloud, ¹⁵ and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh. ¹⁶ When the bow is in the cloud, then I will look upon it, to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” ¹⁷ And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

We have seen several verses of what baptism is, but it is unclear whether or not baptism applies to children and infants, though.  We will start with a walk through passages in the Old Testament to see if we can glean anything from them regarding God, covenants, water, and infants.  I will take different passages and not try to over -interpret them.

After the Flood, God established a covenant with Noah that extends to all mankind.  This did not only apply to Noah and his children, but also yet unborn generations, and we are still under this covenant today.  You will note that this covenant was established using water (The Flood being the precursor).

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)

Passage of the Day - December 29, 2012

Romans 6:1-7

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? ² May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? ³ Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? ⁴ Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. ⁵ For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, ⁶ knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; ⁷ for he who has died is freed from sin.

This passage appears to point to two things.  First, it points to baptism by immersion as immersion best represents the likeness of being buried and subsequently being raised from the dead.  Secondly, it points to baptism being more than a mere outward sign of an inward reality.  Baptism is the joining our old self to Christ in His crucifixion and thereby making it an execution of our old self.  Without this execution, we are still slaves to sin.  Only with our new resurrected self can we ever hope to glorify and please God.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)

Passage of the Day - December 28th, 2012

Acts 2:37-42

³⁷ Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” ³⁸ Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” ⁴⁰ And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!” ⁴¹ So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. ⁴² They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

This passage sheds more light on what baptism is.  It is a washing away of sinfulness (uncleaness).  It is an avenue through which God bestows the Holy Spirit.  It is a “promise” that is handed down from generation to generation and is offered to many, whomever God calls.  It is the doorway through which we are set apart from the rest of mankind.  It is the beginning of discipleship.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)

Passage of the Day - December 27, 2012

Matthew 28:19-20

¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Matthew 10:24, 29-31, 40-42

²⁴ “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master.

²⁹ Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. ³⁰ But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹ So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.

⁴⁰ “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. ⁴¹ He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. ⁴² And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.”

Matthew 11:25-30

²⁵ At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. ²⁶ Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. ²⁷ All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.
²⁸ “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Here is another interesting conglomeration of verses.  First, we have Matthew 28:19-20 that shows that baptism is the initiation into discipleship.  This means that baptism is the beginning of discipleship, not the conclusion or something that happens along the way.

I also saw some verses in Matthew 10 and that were interesting to note.  Matthew 10 describes what it means to be a disciple including not loving others more than Chirst, not fearing, not denying Christ, etc.  But at the conclusion of Chapter 10 is verse 42.  How interesting.  Jesus is mentioning “these little ones” meaning the little babies and children present at this time of teaching.

Then, at the end of the next chapter, Jesus praises God for hiding the truths of the kingdom from the “wise and intelligent” and have revealed them to “infants”.  The chapter then concludes with verses 28-30 which appear to show that we may make being a Christian far more difficult than it needs to be.

You see, to children, believing Christ, following Christ, and being known as His is far easier than all us polluted adults.  A childlike faith would really help us to realize how light our Christian burdens really are.  Our problem is that we know too much and are fully aware of what we are giving up.  Children, not as much.

One could argue that an infant is in a better position to be a disciple of Christ than a 40 year old.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)

Passage of the Day - December 24, 2012

Matthew 3:11

¹¹ “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

II Corinthians 1:21-22

²¹ Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, ²² who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.

Ephesians 1:13-14

¹³ In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, ¹⁴ who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.

Romans 8:14-17

¹⁴ For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. ¹⁵ For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” ¹⁶ The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

I Peter 2:9-10

⁹ But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; ¹⁰ for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

It is evident from these passages of Scripture that baptism is a means of grace to place God’s seal of the Holy Spirit upon us as proof that we are adopted as sons into His kingdom and are fellow heirs of our anointed King, Jesus Christ.  We have fallen into the trap of believing that baptism is somehow all about us and our proclamation that we have signed the contract to be on God’s team.  That is not how it works.  Baptism is all about God and His adoption of His chosen people.  We bring nothing to the table and the focus of baptism should never be upon the one being baptized, rather the focus should be on God and the works that God will now do through the one being baptized.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)

Passage of the Day - December 23, 2012

Genesis 38:12-26

¹² Now after a considerable time Shua’s daughter, the wife of Judah, died; and when the time of mourning was ended, Judah went up to his sheepshearers at Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. ¹³ It was told to Tamar, “Behold, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.” ¹⁴ So she removed her widow’s garments and covered herself with a veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in the gateway of Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah had grown up, and she had not been given to him as a wife. ¹⁵ When Judah saw her, he thought she was a harlot, for she had covered her face. ¹⁶ So he turned aside to her by the road, and said, “Here now, let me come in to you”; for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. And she said, “What will you give me, that you may come in to me?” ¹⁷ He said, therefore, “I will send you a young goat from the flock.” She said, moreover, “Will you give a pledge until you send it?” ¹⁸ He said, “What pledge shall I give you?” And she said, “Your seal and your cord, and your staff that is in your hand.” So he gave them to her and went in to her, and she conceived by him. ¹⁹ Then she arose and departed, and removed her veil and put on her widow’s garments.
²⁰ When Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite, to receive the pledge from the woman’s hand, he did not find her. ²¹ He asked the men of her place, saying, “Where is the temple prostitute who was by the road at Enaim?” But they said, “There has been no temple prostitute here.” ²² So he returned to Judah, and said, “I did not find her; and furthermore, the men of the place said, ‘There has been no temple prostitute here.’” ²³ Then Judah said, “Let her keep them, otherwise we will become a laughingstock. After all, I sent this young goat, but you did not find her.”
²⁴ Now it was about three months later that Judah was informed, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has played the harlot, and behold, she is also with child by harlotry.” Then Judah said, “Bring her out and let her be burned!” ²⁵ It was while she was being brought out that she sent to her father-in-law, saying, “I am with child by the man to whom these things belong.” And she said, “Please examine and see, whose signet ring and cords and staff are these?” ²⁶ Judah recognized them, and said, “She is more righteous than I, inasmuch as I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not have relations with her again.

Yes, we are still on the topic of baptism.  We have not veered off into Tangentland.  The topic of seals is extremely important in understanding the role of baptism.  As you can see in this passage, it was a form of identification and authority.  We will see how this relates to baptism tomorrow.

Please note that I am only authorized to use 15 verses at a time in any given Passage of the Day.  This explains some of the cryptic days.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)

Passage of the Day - December 22, 2012

Acts 16:14-15

¹⁴ A woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul. ¹⁵ And when she and her household had been baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.

Acts 16:31-34

³¹ They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” ³² And they spoke the word of the Lord to him together with all who were in his house. ³³ And he took them that very hour of the night and washed their wounds, and immediately he was baptized, he and all his household. ³⁴ And he brought them into his house and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, having believed in God with his whole household.

Both of these passages mention the baptism of an individual and their entire household.  The question

is, “Who was in a ‘household’ and what were their ages?”  The Bible appears to be silent on this, so we must look elsewhere.

Perhaps if we examine what the Bible has to teach on what baptism is and what it does, we can find our answer.  Perhaps we can also look at over-arching themes throughout Scripture, as well.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)

Passage of the Day - December 21, 2012

Luke 18:15-17

¹⁵ And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them, but when the disciples saw it, they began rebuking them. ¹⁶ But Jesus called for them, saying, “Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. ¹⁷ Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.”

This passage shows the importance babies and children are to Jesus.  Before we rebuke those who bring their babies to be baptized into Christ, we must make sure we are not violating Jesus’ command to not hinder them.

This particular passage, along with its associated passage in Matthew 19:13-15, is very haunting in this analysis of baptism.  How can I be sure that denying my own children baptism is the correct thing to do?  It’s all fun and games until it involves your own kids.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)

Passage of the Day - December 20, 2012

Luke 3:21-22

²¹ Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus was also baptized, and while He was praying, heaven was opened, ²² and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”

Luke 4:16-21

¹⁶ And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. ¹⁷ And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written,

¹⁸ “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor.
He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives,
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set free those who are oppressed,
¹⁹ To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”

²⁰ And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. ²¹ And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

I Samuel 16:13

¹³ Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah.

These three passages, linked together, show what the baptism of Jesus was really all about.  Much of what we understand about baptism really makes it difficult to understand why Jesus was baptized, other than being a model for us.  However, these verses point to an anointing.  Jesus Christ was anointed with water that with the Spirit, He would fulfill His special purpose which God has ordained for Him.  In Jewish history this was the significance of anointing kings, priests, and others for special purposes.

Let’s look at the items in the prophecy:

“The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He anointed Me”- This points to Jesus being anointed for a special purpose.  Also, notice that it was the Spirit that did the anointing, not John the Baptist.  The Spirit indwelling Christ is the actual anointing, just like the Spirt indwelt David.

“To preach the gospel to the poor.” – This points both to Jesus being a priest and to being a priest after God’s own heart, the poor.

“He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives”  - Who was the last person to do that?  Moses proclaimed the release to the captives.  Jesus is our deliverer and the next Moses.

“And recovery of sight to the blind” – Healing, as we see throughout the Old Testament, was done through the prophets.

“To set free those who are oppressed” – The only one with the power to actually set people free was the king, like King Zedekiah was supposed to do, but failed to, in Jeremiah 34.

“To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord” – This was in reference to the Jubilee.  This was every 50 year occurrence when all slaves were set free.  This ordinance was enacted by the very Word of God.

So what do we hear Jesus calling Himself?  Jesus is calling Himself the fulfillment of the prophecy of an anointed good priest, deliverer, prophetic healer, king, and the very Word of God.  Kinda bold, don’t you think?  Yet, He truly did fulfill them all.

The question is, “Now that we know this about Christ’s baptism, what does this mean for the meaning of the baptism of His followers?”

The answer to this question will continue to be forthcoming, but I hope this will help illuminate our reading of the Bible in the meantime.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)

Passage of the Day - December 19, 2012

Luke 1:39-45

³⁹ Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah, ⁴⁰ and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹ When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴² And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! ⁴³ And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me? ⁴⁴ For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. ⁴⁵ And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.”

Question:  “If infant baptism is acceptable and normal, then why was Jesus baptized as an adult?”

Answer:  “Because John the Baptist was only six months old when Jesus was born.”

I even used this question before.  I’m ashamed that I did.  Many times the thoughts that are in our head can be so easily crushed by a simple reading of God’s Word.  Sometimes one can be amazed at what the Bible really says when one views Scripture through a different doctrinal lense.  The question is, “Which lenses give us the clearest picture?”

FYI, I was in Sao Paulo, Brazil on a business trip with very limited internet access.  Thank you for your patience.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)  

Passage of the Day - December 15, 2012

Matthew 14:21

²¹ There were about five thousand men who ate, besides women and children.

Luke 9:14

¹⁴ (For there were about five thousand men.) And He said to His disciples, “Have them sit down to eat in groups of about fifty each.

Matthew 21:9

⁹ The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting,

“Hosanna to the Son of David;
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord;
Hosanna in the highest!”

Matthew 21:12-17

¹² And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves.¹³ And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer’; but you are making it a robbers’ den.”

¹⁴ And the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. ¹⁵ But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that He had done, and the children who were shouting in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they became indignant ¹⁶ and said to Him, “Do You hear what these children are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies You have prepared praise for Yourself’?” ¹⁷ And He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and spent the night there.

Luke 19:45-48

⁴⁵ Jesus entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling, ⁴⁶ saying to them, “It is written, ‘And My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a robbers’ den.”

⁴⁷ And He was teaching daily in the temple; but the chief priests and the scribes and the leading men among the people were trying to destroy Him, ⁴⁸ and they could not find anything that they might do, for all the people were hanging on to every word He said.

***

Wait, wait, wait!  I thought I was supposed to write about baptism.  What is this?  What an odd conglomeration of verses!  What do these verses have to do with baptism?  Surprisingly, a lot.

We must start analyzing the issue of believers-only-baptism vs. infant baptism by knocking down the myths and/or weak arguments.  The largest argument against infant baptism is that there is no mention of children being baptized in the Bible.  This is true; there are no specific references to children or infants being baptized.  However, there were “entire households” mentioned, but many argue that we have no idea what was included in these “entire households”.

But, what does that have to do with the verses above?

We know that the Book of Acts was written by Luke, the same author as the Book of Luke.  Did you notice anything about the passages above?  Did you notice how Matthew adds the detail of children and Luke leaves that detail out?  This neither proves nor disproves anything about baptism, but it does expose how the fact that there is no mention of infant baptism mentioned in the Bible (with Acts having the most accounts) is very shaky ground for restricting infants from being baptized.  If the author shows a pattern for leaving that detail out in other writings, then we have no real way of knowing if children were included in “entire households” or not.  Therefore, we will need to examine the issue in other ways. 

I have not come to a complete conclusion on the matter, and I hope this series will help in that regard.  I also hope that you sharing in this adventure will be as eye-popping as it has been for me so far.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)  

Passage of the Day - December 14, 2012

Matthew 2:1-2

2 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, 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.”

Revelation 19:11-16

¹¹ And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. ¹² His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. ¹³ He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. ¹⁴ And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. ¹⁵ From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. ¹⁶ And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

One of the primary problems in Israel’s history is that they wanted to be ruled by a king.  God gave the nation of Israel His Law, but they would not obey it.  They rebelled against the word and will of God.  God sent them judges who God used to bail Israel out of the heaps of trouble they would get themselves into.  However, they eventually wanted to be like other nations and be ruled by a king.  God warned them against that, but the Israelites insisted.  God’s law wasn’t good enough.  God granted the people what they lusted for (always the most terrible judgment); He gave them a king.  As we know, Israel’s history of kings is abysmal at best.

Jesus Christ, the anointed King of the Jews and the King of Kings and Lord of Lords is different.  He is not merely King; He is the Word of God.  He is the embodiment of God’s original intent.

This now concludes the discussion of how viewing Jesus as the Word of God brings to new life various passages of the Bible.  Tomorrow we will begin an investigation on baptism.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)  

Passage of the Day - December 13, 2012

Hebrews 5:1-10

5 For every high priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of men in things pertaining to God, in order to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins; ² he can deal gently with the ignorant and misguided, since he himself also is beset with weakness; ³ and because of it he is obligated to offer sacrifices for sins, as for the people, so also for himself. ⁴ And no one takes the honor to himself, but receives it when he is called by God, even as Aaron was.

⁵ So also Christ did not glorify Himself so as to become a high priest, but He who said to Him,

“You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You”;

⁶ just as He says also in another passage,

“You are a priest forever
According to the order of Melchizedek.”

⁷ In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety. ⁸ Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. ⁹ And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation, ¹⁰ being designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

We have been examining different passages through the lens of Jesus being the Word/Message of God.  This perspective has made the Book of Hebrews much easier to understand.

Here we see that according to the Law, the high priest would offer sacrifices on behalf of the people and himself for their sins.  It was a shadow of things to come.  Jesus Christ has not only become the eternal High Priest; He is the eternal Sacrifice.

Since Christ is our eternal Sacrifice, we know that all our sins will forever be paid for.  Since Christ is our eternal High Priest, we know that we always have a mediator between us and God.  This is why Jesus could accurately say “No one comes to the Father except through Me”.

We learned yesterday that Jesus is the eternal Prophet and the eternal Prophecy.  That means we should listen to Him for what He says is what God says.  Today we learn that Jesus is the eternal High Priest.  That means we should communicate with God through Him.  We should honor Christ’s position as High Priest.  We also learn that Jesus is the eternal Sacrifice.  This means when we partake of His body and blood, we do so with the knowledge that it was our sins the His body had to be offered and His blood had to be spilt.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)  

Passage of the Day - December 12, 2012

Matthew 21:33-46

³³ “Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard and put a wall around it and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and rented it out to vine-growers and went on a journey. ³⁴ When the harvest time approached, he sent his slaves to the vine-growers to receive his produce. ³⁵ The vine-growers took his slaves and beat one, and killed another, and stoned a third. ³⁶ Again he sent another group of slaves larger than the first; and they did the same thing to them. ³⁷ But afterward he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ ³⁸ But when the vine-growers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’ ³⁹ They took him, and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. ⁴⁰ Therefore when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine-growers?” ⁴¹ They said to Him, “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, and will rent out the vineyard to other vine-growers who will pay him the proceeds at the proper seasons.”
⁴² Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures,

‘The stone which the builders rejected,
This became the chief corner stone;
This came about from the Lord,
And it is marvelous in our eyes’?

⁴³ Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it. ⁴⁴ And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.”

⁴⁵ When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they understood that He was speaking about them. ⁴⁶ When they sought to seize Him, they feared the people, because they considered Him to be a prophet.

Over and over God sent prophets to Israel to warn them of their unfruitfulness and the damage they were inflicting upon themselves.  They wouldn’t listen.  They would ignore and then eventually beat and/or kill them.  God provided them His very Son.  They still would not listen and even killed Him.  The difference was that God’s Son was not only a Prophet, but He was the actual Prophecy.  He was, and is, what Scripture is all about.  This is what makes Jesus Christ greater than Mohammed.  Mohammed is said to be the great prophet of Islam, but Jesus Christ is the Prophecy.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)  

Passage of the Day - December 11, 2012

John 19:31-37

³¹ Then the Jews, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. ³² So the soldiers came, and broke the legs of the first man and of the other who was crucified with Him; ³³ but coming to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.
³⁴ But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. ³⁵ And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe. ³⁶ For these things came to pass to fulfill the Scripture, “Not a bone of Him shall be broken.” ³⁷ And again another Scripture says, “They shall look on Him whom they pierced.”

What is the significance of Christ’s legs not being broken?  Have you ever wondered about that?  Sure, it keeps with the ordinances concerning the Passover lamb, but what was the significance of the lamb’s bones not being broken.  I would argue that everything in the Old Testament was a foretaste of the New.  Jesus Christ was pierced, scourged, nailed, hung on a cross, spat upon, and placed in a tomb to rot, but Jesus Christ was never broken.  Let me say that again.  The Word of God was pierced, scourged, nailed, hung on a cross, spat upon, and placed in a tomb to rot, but the Word of God was never broken.  The significance of no bone of Jesus being broken is that God’s Word was never broken.  God’s Word can never be broken because God is true.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)  

Passage of the Day - December 10, 2012

John 10:24-38

²⁴ The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” ²⁵ Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me. ²⁶ But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. ²⁷ My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; ²⁸ and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. ²⁹ My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. ³⁰ I and the Father are one.”
³¹ The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him. ³² Jesus answered them, “I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?” ³³ The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.” ³⁴ Jesus answered them, “Has it not been written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? ³⁵ If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), ³⁶ do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? ³⁷ If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; ³⁸ but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.”

In verse 29 we see that Jesus calls the Father greater than all.  In verse 36 we see that Jesus was sanctified (set apart, declared holy) and sent by the Father to do the works of the Father.  In this 15 verse passage, Jesus refers to the Father nine times.  The Message of God always points back to God.

We can get tripped up with passages like these when we use terms like “co-equal”.  This passage clearly teaches a subservient nature to the relationship between the Father and the Son just as the message of any person is subservient to the author of the message.  We have also seen that the message of the person is, in effect, the person.  Unless this concept is understood, it is very difficult to marry this passage to the doctrine of the Trinity.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (http://www.lockman.org/)