I want to look at a text that we typically pass over without giving it much thought. It's the baptism of Jesus in Matthew. We'll focus mostly on verse 15, but let me describe the setting, and we'll read the surrounding verses, so we can consider the context properly.
This is the starting point of Jesus' public ministry. John the Baptist is baptizing "in the wilderness of Judea." This is a desert region at a low elevation south and east of Jerusalem, close to where the Jordan river flows into the Dead Sea. If you have ever visited Jericho, you know the region. These are rolling badlands, chalky, desert terrainCtotally barren except for the rocks. The only greenery is a thin strip of trees that grow on the banks of the Jordan riverCand as you travel south even that little strip of life turns to scrub brush and begins to diminish. The Jordan is mud-colored at that point. The last traces of vegetation finally disappear about two miles north of the Dead Sea. Somewhere on the riverbank in the heart of that desolate region is where John the Baptist was baptizing people.
John 1:28 says, "These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing." No one today can pinpoint precisely where that was. It's not the same Bethany where Lazarus, Mary, and Martha lived. This was a smaller town on the east bank of the Jordan River. The most likely location is about five miles north of the Dead Sea, where there was a ford in the river. There's a baptismal site and an Eastern Orthodox church there today. Other than that, it's a totally barren region today. It's five miles east-southeast from Jericho and at least two days' journey to get there from Jerusalem in Jesus' time.
But John the Baptist was drawing huge crowds to hear him preach and be baptized. Matthew 3:5-6 say, "Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins."
So this was a baptism of repentance. John himself says so in verse 11: "I baptize you with water for repentance." Verse 6: those who came were "confessing their sins," and John the Baptist required convincing evidence of genuine repentance. Matthew 3:7-12 is where we have that famous incident where a team of Pharisees came to be baptized. Remember, Jesus' complaint against the Pharisees (Matthew 23:5) was that "They do all their deeds to be seen by others." This is where the crowds were, so naturally, this was a good place for Pharisees who wanted to be seen doing penance (or whatever).
John refuses them and rebukes them (v. 7): "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" And
then he preaches a sermon full of damnation and hell fire, aimed at these phony religious virtuosos. But notice: the central point of John's sermon is that Jesus is coming. John is merely the forerunner, "the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord,' as the prophet Isaiah said" [John 1:23]. And John understands his role,
because he says in verse 11: "He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will
baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."
By the way, the fire John mentions is not a Pentecostal outpouring of strange phenomena. It's not a good thing at all. Fire is used repeatedly by John the Baptist in this immediate
context to refer to judgment. Verse 10: "Every tree therefore
that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." It's the same fire he's still speaking about in the very next verse (v. 12)Ca fire that burns up "the chaff" with flames that will never be quenched. In other words, verse 11 means
that Christ will baptize His elect with the Holy Spirit, and the rest (including any Pharisees that haven't truly repented) He will baptize with fire (v. 12): He will "gather his wheat into
the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire." He
is warning these phony Pharisees about a baptism of judgment that is coming on unrepentant people.
That's where our text comes in. Right after John rebukes the Pharisees, through the end of Matthew 3, we're given this
brief vignette about the baptism of Jesus. So let me read the text, starting in verse 13:
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be
baptized by him.
14 John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"
15 But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented.
16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him;
17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."
I love this story. It's tied forever in my mind to my first Sunday at Grace Community Church, back in 1983. Darlene and I had just moved from Chicago with two small boys and a third on the way. Our eldest was just three and a half years
old, and we came from a small church where the nursery was just one big room that housed all children up to age 4Cwith beds for the infants and toys on the floor for toddlers.
So that first Sunday we were at Grace was the first time Jeremiah had ever been to a Sunday-School class with a Bible story and lesson. And this story about Jesus' baptism was the lesson for that week.
So we picked him up after Sunday school, and he came out waving this paper he had colored, and I asked him what he learned. I really wasn't expecting a profound theological treatise. I figured he would say something like, "We should be kind to one another," or something really basic like that.
But he said, "We learned about when Jesus' was baptitized."
So I said, "Tell me about it."
And he said, "Well, John the Baptist was this guy who dressed funny and ate bugs, and he baptitized people in the desert."
And I thought, Wow! That's a lot for a three-year-old to absorb. So I said, "Yes, that's right! What else?"
Jeremiah said, "Well, Jesus came to John to be baptitized, and John the Baptist said, 'I can't baptitize you. You should baptitize me.' But Jesus said, 'Do it anyway,' and so he did."
And I just thought, Amazing! They're actually teaching these three-year-olds the Bible. And I was mentally congratulating myself that my son was such a good listener.
But then Jeremiah lowered his voice in a kind of dramatic whisper, and said, "And thenCa very strange thing
And I said, "What?"
He said, "This big duck came down . . . "
And I looked at the paper he colored. He had drawn a big duck bill on the dove.
So I had to straighten his understanding of this passage a little bit. And that had the beneficial effect of provoking me to look at the passage to try to get a clear and careful understanding of it for myself.
It's an important passage. R. C. Sproul says "there's [no] more important text in all the New Testament that defines the work of Jesus than this one."
And I have to admit that this passage had mystified me ever since I first read it as a young Christian. I found myself trying to explain something to a three-year-old that I didn't fully grasp myself. Why did Jesus insist on being baptized? Baptism wasn't required or even mentioned in Moses' law, so this is not a matter of legal obedience.
Furthermore, John's baptism signified repentance, and it was usually accompanied by a public confession of sin. Jesus had no need for such a sacrament. He was "full of grace and
truth" [John 1:14]. Hebrews 7:26 says He was "holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above
the heavens." So what's going on here, and why was getting baptized with a baptism of repentance so important to the mission of Jesus [Luke 19:10]C"to seek and to save the lost"?
Even John the Baptist was shocked and confounded when Jesus came to be baptized. John has just refused these Pharisees, demanding "fruit in keeping with repentance" (v. 8). Now He tries to refuse Jesus, but for the opposite reason.
John is not like any Baptist I ever met. He has no interest in inflated statistics or evangelistic numbers. He will baptize only those who genuinely repent and confess their sin. And here's the problem: Jesus has no need to confess sin or demonstrate repentance, and somehow John understands that. So this little drama unfolds, and it sheds great light on what Jesus was doing to insure the justification of His people, from the moment He began His public ministry.
Notice, in the span of the five verses I just read to you, three different voices speak, and each one expresses a distinctive opinion about the baptism of Jesus. Here are the three voices in this three-part drama: you have John the
Baptist in verse 14; Jesus in verse 15; and "a voice from
heaven" in verse 17 (that, of course, is God the Father). As I said, each voice expresses an opinion about what's happening. John objects to it; Jesus insists on it; and all heaven adds a blessing to it.
So let's look at those three voices one at a time, and we'll consider what each one says and what it all means. Three voices, each expressing an opinion about Jesus at his
- 1. JOHN OBJECTS TO IT
This whole event comes as a great surprise to John. Jesus shows up where he is baptizing people from "Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan." That's what it says in verse 5. Now, it wasn't an easy journey for any of these people to get where John was baptizing. But Jesus comes from further yet. Verse 13: "Jesus came from Galilee to
the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John [who is clearly caught off guard by this] would have prevented him, saying, 'I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?'"
John instantly grasps the impropriety of this situation.
How can he, a fallen man, baptize God incarnate? And clearly, John understood something of Jesus' divine perfection. "You ought to be baptizing me instead of the
other way around." This was not an artificial statement of deference or humility. He had just said (v. 11), "He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry." In Mark 1:7, John says it like this: "The strap of [His] sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie."
Did John the Baptist fully recognize Jesus' deity?
Perhaps. He was, after all, a prophet. In fact, according to Jesus, "A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet . . . Among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist" (Matthew 11:9, 11).
Now, sometimes people read a lot into the fact that Jesus and John the Baptist were related to one another, and they
were born about six months apart. Sometimes you'll hear someone speculate that they must have grown up together. They didn't. This might well have been the first time they ever met face to face.
It's true that according to Luke 1:36, Mary (the mother of Jesus) was related to Elizabeth (the mother of John the Baptist). The expression used suggests they were cousins.
That's how it is translated in the King James Version. Literally, the word means "kinswomen," but they could not have been closer kin than cousinsCor (more likely) cousins
once removed, or perhaps even second cousins. For one thing, according to Luke 1:36, they were from different generations. Elizabeth was already advanced in age when she bore John the Baptist. Even more significantly, Luke 1:5
says Elizabeth was one of "the daughters of Aaron"Cmeaning
she was from the priestly tribe. And Hebrews 7:14 says, "It is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah." So Mary and Elizabeth must have been related through their maternal lines of descent, which would mean the closest possible
relationship between Jesus and John the Baptist would be if they were second cousins.
And remember that Mary visited Elizabeth when they were both pregnant. According Luke 1:39, in order to do that, Mary had to travel "into the hill country, to a town in
Judah." The hill country is south of Jerusalem, overlooking the southern end of the Dead SeaCa desert wilderness. So
Jesus, growing up poor in Nazareth, and John the Baptist, growing up in the desert wilderness of the hill country of Judah, certainly weren't geographically close when they were children. The last verse in Luke 1 settles the issue for us.
This is the biblical description of John the Baptist's childhood: "The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel." So there's no reason to think Jesus or John the Baptist had ever even met.
That's why in John 1:31, 33 John the Baptist twice says of Jesus, "I myself did not know him." However, John, because he was a prophet, recognized Jesus as the One "who baptizes with the Holy Spirit." That's what he says in John 1:33: "I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'"
Therefore by prophetic means, John knew that Jesus was greater than him, and by a miraculous sign at Jesus' baptism, Jesus' identity was confirmed to John. He says in John 1:32:
"I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it
remained on him."
Also, Remember that even as an infant, when Mary greeted Elizabeth, According to Luke 1:41-42, "When Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry . . . " a kind of prophetic blessing
for Mary. It's as if there was hard-wired into John the Baptist the ability to recognize Jesus instantly. That makes perfect sense, given the role John the Baptist was called to.
So now, as Jesus comes for baptism, John the Baptist immediately recognizes (by some prophetic means) that this is the One for whom He has been preparing the way.
And he correctly assesses the awkwardness of the situation. John is a fallen man. Although John was filled with the Holy Spirit from infancy, and by Jesus' own testimony,
he was the greatest man ever bornChe was a sinner. Baptism
is more suited for someone like Him than for Jesus.
In fact, John freely acknowledges his own need for a baptism of repentance (v. 14). He says to Jesus: "I need to be baptized by you."
Jesus is not only more qualified to perform a baptism than John the Baptist; John the Baptist has been prophesying that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit. John wants that
baptism. John knew (and freely testified) that "[Jesus] must
increase, but [John] must decrease" [John 3:30]. So although our text says, "John would have prevented him," there is nothing in John's response that is doctrinally erroneous,
motivated by pride, sinfully presumptuous, or otherwise blameworthy. It's hard to fault John the Baptist for this. In fact, this may be the only time ever when someone tried to refuse Jesus but didn't sin in doing so.
It's tempting to compare this to John 13:8, where Peter tells Jesus, "You shall never wash my feet." But we know Peter was struggling with pride and a desire to be first. There's no hint of that in what John does here.
Theologically, John is spot on, according to everything he knew to be true at that time. John's Baptism was a public demonstration of repentance. Jesus had nothing whatsoever to repent of. If one of them should be baptizing the other, by all rights it should have been John repenting and Jesus
performing the baptism. It speaks well of John's humility and his spiritual insight that he raised this objection (v. 14): "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"
That's the first voice in this mini-drama, and it's the voice of John the Baptist. His response to the proposal that he should baptize Jesus: John objects to it. But John's objection is answered conclusively by voice number two. This is the voice of Jesus. Here's our Lord's own opinion of this event:
- 2. JESUS INSISTS ON IT
Verse 15: "But Jesus answered him." I should pause here and point out that these are the first words ever recorded out of the mouth of Jesus as an adult. Luke 2 gives that little vignette where Jesus as a child gets left behind in Jerusalem, and they find him in the Temple among the teachers. They've been anxiously looking for him, and when they find him, he
says, "Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I
must be in my Father's house?" He's about 12 years old at that point.
The biblical record on Jesus' life is totally silent for the next 17 or 18 years, and then here, in our text, we have only the second time ever that the actual words of Jesus are recorded. This is the very first statement He makes as He launches His public ministry.
Notice: He didn't scold or argue with John the BaptistCor
even suggest that John was out of line or wrong. John wasn't wrong, given the facts he was working with. And Jesus himself tacitly affirms that John's rationale is valid. But he
quietly turns to John and gives him a reason why he should "Let it be so [for] now"Cin other words, Do it just this once. "Then [John the Baptist] consented."
Why? the simple reason Jesus gives is laden with significance: "For thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Christ has work to do. It His whole life's calling to render perfect obedience to the Father. John 4:34:
"My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work." John 6:38: "I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me." John 8:29: "I always do the things that are pleasing to [the Father]." Everything Jesus ever did was in obedience to the will of His Father. John 5:30: "I seek not my own will but the will of him
who sent me." Hebrews 10:7 quotes Psalm 40 as a Messianic prophecy: "Behold, I have come to do your will, O God." So Jesus' whole life was one long work of obedience, and what we have here at His baptism is the first public act of obedience rendered to the Father. And Jesus clearly explains why He is doing this: "It is fitting . . . to fulfill all righteousness."
Now think about that statement for a moment. Why would Jesus need to do anything "to fulfill all righteousness"? He is God incarnate. He innately possesses the most perfect righteousness you could ever conceive. His righteousness is the very righteousness of GodCthe fulness of all that is truly
righteous. So there was no lack of righteousness in Jesus' character or His person; He was perfect in every way, from the very start. In and of Himself, He was fully and consummately righteous before he ever obeyed one jot or tittle of the law.
Furthermore, as God, He is the Lawgiver. By definition, He is above the law. "The Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath" (Mark 2:28). According to Matthew 9:6, He had
"authority on earth to forgive sins." He is the rightful object of all true worship. Hebrews 1:6-8 says He is the object of angelic worship and the recipient of the very highest divine blessing. He did not need any new obedience to procure righteousness for Himself. In Hebrews 1:8, God the Father speaks to the Son, and this is what He says, "Your throne, O
God, is forever and ever, the scepter of [righteousness] is the scepter of your kingdom."
So Christ by His very character defines what righteousness is. He didn't become righteous (or somehow gain more righteousness) by becoming human. It was impossible for Him in and of Himself to be more righteous than He is innately. That's the nature of divine righteousness:
it is absolutely perfectCimpeccable. Deuteronomy 32:4: "The
Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he."
Christ, even as a man, did not need to prove anything for His own sake, or for His Father's sake. That was not the point of His obedience. This was not a test of Jesus' character. He had absolutely nothing to prove or demonstrate for His own
sake. When the voice from heaven says in verse 17, "This is
my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased," that expresses the eternal verdict of the Father with respect to the Son. It's not a statement about this one act of baptism. It's not contingent on the Son's obedience. This was the Father's
appraisal of the Son before He ever rendered one act of obedience in the execution of His earthly ministry.
So do you see how amazing this is? By His very nature Jesus is above the law, not under it. His righteousness is the impeccably perfect righteousness of the divine Godhead. His
glory, concealed under robes of human flesh, is "glory as of
the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). He is perfect in every way.
What aspect of righteousness remains to be fulfilled?
Why in the plan of God was it necessary for Jesus, the Lawgiver, "lord of the Sabbath," to be subject to the law? And why would He "who knew no sin" submit to the ritual of John's baptism? Why did Jesus insist on undergoing this ritual, which wasn't even prescribed by Moses' law, and
served only as a public testimony of repentanceCa ritual
suited only for contrite sinners? What is the point?
The answer is clear from Scripture. Galatians 4:4-5 says Jesus was "born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons." In other words, His subjection to the law was not for His own sake, but for others. His obedience to God was rendered for the
sake of His people. Romans 5:19: "For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's
obedience the many will be made righteous." He obeyed not to make Himself more righteous, but to procure a perfect human righteousness under the law for the justification of His
people. He was doing for us what Adam failed to do. His obedience counts on our behalf. His whole life of obedience was essential to make full propitiation. Hebrews 2:17: "He
had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he
might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people."
And the obedience He rendered included even the symbol of our repentance. That's why He insisted on being baptized. It was obviously not for His own sake. It cannot signify His own repentance, because He never had anything to repent
for. And in the words of John Owen, If He wasn't doing this for Himself, it must be for us, or be useless. There is no other reasonable possibility: He is doing this as a proxy for His people. He is fulfilling all righteousness for our sake, on our behalf. He is already standing in the place of sinners.
Jesus is doing this for His church. Scripture is clear: we are obliged to perfect obedience. We are in urgent need of perfect righteousness. In Matthew 5:20, Jesus Himself said,
"For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the
scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." How perfect must our righteousness be? Matthew 5:48: "You . . . must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." The idea is not that we must work harder than the Pharisees worked. The point is that no amount of human
work rendered by fallen people will ever be sufficient to please God.
The demand for Godlike perfection automatically would seem to relegate every sinner to a hopeless state of eternal doom, because considered by ourselves, outside of Christ, we are already hopelessly imperfect. But the righteousness we need is imputed to us, in the very same manner that our
sins were imputed to Christ. Second Corinthians 5:21: "For
our sake [God the Father] made [Christ] to be sin [though He] knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." We who lack righteousness are made perfectly righteous by imputation, through our union with Christ.
Romans 4:6: "God imputes righteousness apart from works."
Apart from any work or merit or legal obedience of our own, "God imputes righteousness"Ctransfers an alien righteousness to our account. That's what Paul spoke of in Philippians 3,
where he speaks of tossing a lifetime of fastidious religious work on the dung-heapCin order to "be found in [Christ], not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith."
That's the righteousness of ChristCand it is replete with all the merit we will ever needCnot merely the forgiveness of
our sins (that would give us nothing more than a clean slate). But the law of God doesn't demand either obedience or punishment; it demands both. Suffering is not righteousness;
obedience is. Deuteronomy 6:25: "It will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to do all this commandment before the LORD our God, as he has commanded us." So the righteousness of Christ includes a lifetime of meticulous
obedience to the will of GodCnot only all the demands of the
law, but even the baptism of JohnCa public symbol and expression of repentance from sin.
Reformed theologians sometimes make a distinction between the active and passive obedience of Christ. His passive obedience would be His death on the cross. That's what made atonement for our sins and purchased our forgiveness. That (of course) fulfilled the penal demands of the law. But His active obedience speaks of the fact that He also positively fulfilled all the moral, civil, and ceremonial demands of the law on our behalf. Remission of our sins bought us escape from hell; perfect obedience to all the commandments gave us title to heaven. So both the life and the death of Christ were essential to the atonement. To quote
R. C. Sproul: "Jesus not only had to die for our sins, but He had to live for our righteousness."
Here's how Wayne Grudem says it: "If Christ had only earned forgiveness of sins for us, then we would not merit heaven. Our guilt would have been removed, but we would simply be in the position of Adam and Eve before they had done anything good or bad." I don't need a clean slate. I need
a robe of perfect righteousness. And given the fact that "we
are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags" [Isaiah 64:6], no amount of virtue or work on my own can possibly add up to the righteousness God requires. That should be self-evident.
But let me add this: the distinction between Christ's active and passive obedience is merely a matter of convenience and clarity to help us understand how utterly dependant we are on the righteousness of Christ. Such a distinction is
necessary only because there are those who deny the significance of Christ's obedience "under the law." But as you think this through, don't make the mistake of carving the obedience of Christ into two parts. Scripture always treats the obedience of Christ as a seamless garmentCone whole
actCa lifelong habit of unbroken obedience to the will of the
If you don't like the terminology of "active and passive obedience," that's OK. Neither do I. The important point is that "the one man's obedience [by which] many will be made
righteous" is not merely what happened one Friday at
Calvary. The righteousness Christ sought to fulfill encompassed an entire lifetime of devotion to the will of the Father.
Plus, bear in mind that there was nothing "passive" about Jesus' death. He Himself said (John 10:18), "No one takes [my life] from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it
down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father."
But by the same token when Romans 5:19 says, "By one
Man's obedience many will be made righteous," we can't reduce the notion of His obedience to the single act of dying on a cross. Consider this: If the cross alone fulfilled all the demands of righteousness, Jesus' baptism would have been wholly unnecessary. When Jesus, with His dying breath,
said, "It is finished"CTetelestai! the finished work of
atonement He spoke of included an entire lifetime of faithful obedience as a man under the law. Listen to Philippians 2:8: "Being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming
obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." The
cross was simply the crown and culmination of a whole lifetime of humble obedience. And we see that fact clearly in this first public act of Jesus.
To quote John Owen once more: "He needed no obedience for himself . . . for us it was that He fulfilled the law in obedience to God." And He did more than fulfill the law perfectly. Christ became the archetype and the perfect paragon of every fruit of the Holy Spirit, every conceivable human virtue, every one of the beatitudes, and every expression of grace and glory that the human frame can possibly embody.
Again, the baptism of John had no warrant in Moses' law. This was in no way obligatory under the law alone. This was
a true work of supererogationCgoing beyond what the law requires. And again, as a demonstration of repentance it would have been utterly worthless if Christ were doing it for
His own sake alone. But He treated it as an absolute necessity "to fulfill all righteousness" for the sake of His church. He was already accruing a lifetime of human
righteousness to be given awayCimputedCto sinners who
had no righteousness of their own. He was doing this for sinners who have no possibility of gaining the righteousness required to stand before God.
This is the central lesson of the Law: True righteousness demands consistent perfection over one's entire life. Adam illustrates what a difficult requirement that is. He had only one command to obey, and he failed at the very first temptation. That's why there needed to be a second Adam.
Christ, representing His people in the same way Adam represented the entire race, was subject to 613 distinct positive commandments spelled out in Moses' law, plus 365
negative commandments as wellCand other duties such as
this baptism, not even prescribed in the written law. Yet in Matthew 5:17 He said, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." And He fulfilled every jot and tittle to absolute perfection. He accomplished as the head and representative of His people what Adam failed to accomplish
as the head and representative of the entire race. "As by the
one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous."
And what we see in Jesus' baptism is that He was already undoing Adam's failure at the very beginning of His public ministry; not only at the end.
Look at our text again (v. 15): "Let it be so now, for thus it
is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Why now? Remember, these are the first words ever recorded that were spoken publicly by the Lord Jesus. This is His first appearing in public. And thus He launches His public ministry with an act that is manifestly intended for the benefit of others. He is already acting as our substitute.
Many reasons are given by various theologians and Bible teachers for the baptism of Jesus. Though Jesus had no sins to confess or repent of, this was nevertheless a public repudiation of all sin. There's certainly truth in that. This was also an identification with His people and a public declaration of His intention to be their sin-bearer. He thus identifies with us through John's baptism, just as we identify with His death and resurrection through Christian baptism.
That is certainly true as well. But more significant than all of that is the reason Jesus Himself gave: "Thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness."
Christ is weaving that perfect garment of flawless human righteousness that is required for a right standing with God. First Corinthians 1:30: "Christ Jesus . . . became to us
wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption." He is our righteousness. Jeremiah 23:6: "This is His name by which He will be called: The Lord our righteousness." Isaiah 54:17: "'No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is from Me,' Says the LORD." Remember, in Philippians 3, Paul speaks of "the righteousness which is from God by faith." He says that
righteousness belongs only to those who are found in Christ. Romans 3:22 says it is "the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, [unto] all and [upon] all who believe." Second Corinthians 5:21 says believers "become the righteousness of God [in Him]"Cin Christ. The only
reasonable conclusion is that the righteousness imputed to believers is a righteousness Christ provided for themCthe righteousness of a perfect life.
So remember how this drama is playing out. First, John objects to it. Second, Jesus insists on it. Now, third,
- 3. ALL HEAVEN ADDS A BLESSING TO IT
At the end of verse 15, John the Baptist consents; Jesus is baptized; and (verse 16) as Jesus emerges from the water, a miraculous display of divine glory unfolds over Jesus. At this point a third voice is heard, and it is the voice of the Father, speaking His unqualified approval of the Son.
It intrigues me that though Jesus said John the Baptist occupied the highest position among men under the Old Covenant, we're told in John 10:41 that "John did no sign." John performed no miracles. But here the baptism of Jesus is punctuated and affirmed by several heavenly miracles. The fact that people would later say of John the Baptist that he
"performed no sign" makes clear that everyone understood these were heavenly signsCmiracles wrought by God Himself apart from any human instrumentality.
"Behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the
Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him." This was the sign John the Baptist had been told to expect, so this is first of all for his benefit. And here you have for the first time all three Persons of the Trinity manifest clearly all at once. This text is impossible for modalists and other Trinity-deniers to make good sense of. The Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, descends and comes to rest over Jesus.
"and behold [verse 17], a voice from heaven said, 'This is my
beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.'"
I said at the start that this is the Father's eternal assessment of the Son. The same voice from heaven speaks at the transfiguration of Christ (Matthew 17:5), saying, "This
is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him."
And may I say: this part of the drama, too, has great relevance to our justification. This is the very same verdict
God will render in the end as His final judgment, and it encompasses not only the Son Himself, but also all who are "in Him"Cunited with Him by faith.
As a believer in Christ, "You have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory." That's the promise of Colossians 3:4-5. His lifeCHis whole lifeCcounts as your
life, just as He in His death was a proxy for you.
That's the great truth of justification by faith. It's not merely that we are forgiven. I cringe when I hear people who should know better define justification as bare forgiveness. (You know: "To be justified means it's
'just-as-if-I'd-never-sinned.'") Justification is so much more than that. Christ not only took away our guilt; He provided us with the perfect righteousness God demands. He did far more than restore what Adam had lost; He elevated us to the
highest possible position. God has "raised us up with him and
seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus." "He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son" (Colossians 1:13). All the merit of Christ's perfect righteousness is ours, and we are one
with HimCso that when the Father says, "This is my beloved
Son, with whom I am well pleased," that verdict applies to all who believe. That is precisely what the apostle Paul has in mind in Ephesians 1:6 when he says that God "has blessed us in the Beloved."
Even at the baptism of Jesus, at the very outset of His public ministry, "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself."
Job 9:2 asks the question, "How can a man be in the right before God?" Job had no clear answer to that dilemma. You and I, from a totally different time zone, can look back on the finished work of Christ and give a definitive reply: We have a God-blessed Savior who devoted His whole life "to fulfill[ing] all righteousness" on our behalf. Isn't that an amazing truth? Don't ever lose sight of it and don't ever be tempted to let go of it or put your faith in anything less. "There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
Father we thank you for the wisdom that saw to every detail of our redemption, providing not only forgiveness but also the perfect righteousness we need for a right standing with you. May we live in a way that befits such mercy and grace, and may we learn to love righteousness and hate our own sin with an appropriate passion as well. Give us grace as you conform us to the perfect likeness of Christ.


Trinity Evangelical Free Church
Drag box to select area
Trinity Evangelical Free Church traces its history to December 31, 1905, when a small group of Christians met at a Berkeley home on Virginia Street and formed the Swedish Evangelical Free Church. The congregation thrived, took on the new name of Berkeley Evangelical Free Church and dedicated a new church building at 1918 Blake Street in Berkeley in 1907. It decided to move to El Cerrito in 1972 and purchased its present property on Schmidt Lane. Its pastor is Tom Johnston. It shares the church building with the El Cerrito Chinese Christian Church.
7200 Schmidt Ln, El Cerrito, CA 94530
- Accessibility Details: ramp in front of building
- Hours: By Appointment
- Hours: Worship: Sun, 10am; Bible study: Sun, 11:30am
- Accessible: yes


Those of you who have had the pleasure to spend time with PFR’s Founder and Executive Director Pastor Deo Gashagaza may have already been rendered speechless by his amazing and inspirational story. For those that haven’t had this opportunity Pastor Deo has been persuaded to put pen to paper and begin to write it, in the hope that this may one day lead to an entire book, his stories could certainly fill one...
‘I was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1963. My parents had fled there from Rwanda during the massacres of 1959. Many members of my family did not make the same choice, they stayed in Rwanda. It was their home and they did not want to leave. I first saw Rwanda, a country that I had grown up hearing about, in 1995, in the wake of the 1994 genocide. After 32 years of living as a refugee I had come ‘home’, to a country that was devastated. Personally I was going through a lot of trauma, 45 members of my family had been murdered, including my sister who had returned to Rwanda prior to the genocide. She had been killed in the southern province of Bugesera where she was living with her family. I don’t know why but I felt that this is where I needed to go, maybe in the search for answers and for closure. Whatever it was, it led me to Bugesera prison where those who had killed her would be being held. I asked to enter the prison as a Pastor to speak to the inmates about the word of God, it was something they needed to hear. They had committed the most horrendous crimes but they were still people, and I still saw them as people.
Pastor Deo telling his story for an exciting documentary
I was the first Pastor to be permitted entry. The genocide had finished not so long ago and genocide ideology was still fresh in many perpetrators minds, some justifying their actions to themselves, others to try to save themselves from punishment. When I walked in many of the prisoners took one look at me and asked ‘why is he still alive, this Tutsi?’ others said ‘we should finish him off.’ I was terrified, shaking, sure that I was going to die and asking why God had wanted me to do this, just to be killed like all the other members of my family. There were so many prisoners, and so few guards that really if they wanted to kill me they could do so easily. After much discussion the prisoners that seemed incharge decided that they would let me speak first, and kill me after. This was really my one chance, I had no other option, so I began to speak. I told them that God loved them no matter what they had done, I spoke to them about sin, confession, repentance and hope. I asked them to have faith that this was not the end of their lives, that the damage they had caused could be mended and that maybe once again they could return to their families, their villages, and live a normal life again. I did not trivialise their crimes, but I wanted them to know that with time, and with work that maybe one day they could be forgiven, if they really understood the error of their ways, and were truly and deeply sorry for what they had done. They needed to understand that we are all sinners, nobody is perfect, and whilst yes their crimes were to many, incomprehensible, if I could find it in my heart to talk to them and perhaps even one day forgive the very people that had killed my own sister, then I thought that maybe others could too.
When the moment came for me to finish I was so scared, I wanted to go on talking forever, but I knew that if I was killed then it was doing something that I believed passionately in. So I finished, and to my great surprise many prisoners began to approach me, hug me, shake my hand, some were in tears. They asked me to come back again, to tell them more stories from the Bible, to teach them to word of God. Of course I was overwhelmed with happiness and agreed to come back the following week. I had put my life in God’s hands and he had protected me, my faith was stronger than ever.’
Today Deo takes his message around the globe
If after reading this you simply think it is unbelievable then trust me I know the feeling. When Pastor Deo first told me his story I could not even respond, I had so many questions...why would you put your life at risk when you had escaped the genocide? How could you bear to be in the same room as people that had killed members of your own family? Did he really think they could be forgiven? But I knew what the answer would be to every question...everything is in God’s hands. Pastor Deo is a deeply spiritual man and he seeps kindness. Just being in his presence makes you feel good and loved, so really it should come as no surprise that he offered this incredible level of compassion to the prisoners of Bugesera. PFR today owes everything to Pastor Deo and to this first brave venture into Bugesera prison.


For friendship no dating
Romans 13:8-14 calls us to love others, to work for their souls' good rather than looking to please ourselves.
More specifically, verse 10 reminds us that "[l]ove does no harm to its neighbor." Romans 14:1-15:7 offers a discourse on favoring weaker brothers and sisters above ourselves, valuing and encouraging that which is good in the souls of others.
So is the trend toward intimate friendships between single men and women a good thing? If you haven't read my previous articles on biblical dating, you'll be helped in thinking through this issue by reading "Biblical Dating: How It's Different From Modern Dating." Based on some of the principles found there, let me offer a couple of practical reasons why I believe such friendships to be generally unwise, and then I'll suggest a positive role for friendship among singles in the Christian community.
In this series of articles, I've raised several biblical principles regarding the way we should treat our brothers and sisters in Christ.
As I've discussed before, a broad (but sound) implication of this passage is that "defrauding" could include inappropriate emotional — as well as physical — intimacy.You probably won’t remember the moment you ‘decided’ to become friends, because it didn’t involve a conscious choice at all. Perhaps you find yourself living in a new city, miles away from your old gang, and suddenly your diary looks frighteningly empty every weekend, and you realise that you’re going to have to take decisive action if you don’t want to drown in all that blank space.Or maybe you end up in random conversation at a party with a woman you’ve never met before, a woman who seems kind and cool and wise and funny, and is wearing great shoes, and you walk away thinking in a small, playground voice: “But one way of securing a new pal might be the concept of 'friend dating'.Basically, the question seems to be how exactly single Christians should relate to members of the opposite sex in that large and awkward zone between "we've never met" and a deliberate dating or courting relationship. I won't repeat the full history lesson here, as several Boundless authors have already discussed it (Joshua Rogers most recently, in his excellent piece "Your Friendgirl Deserves Better").Essentially, the historical reality is that until 30 or 40 years ago, long, intimate friendships between men and women in which each served as the other's emotional confidante, relationship adviser and "best buddy" were far less common than they are today.
He’s merely accepting friendship, in lieu of dating you, because it beats the alternative. Having no girl friends, and, therefore, no one to confide in.


Together we learn better.
Before worship, join us for Sabbath School from 10 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. This is a time to join the church body in Bible study and ask questions. See our current Sabbath School Guide online. NOTE: there are multiple Sabbath School classes running concurrently each Sabbath:
- Kindergarten (Kindergarten Room)
- Primary / Juniors (Upstairs Room)
- Youth / Young Adults (Library)
- Adult (Sanctuary)
- Adult (Friendship Room)
- Adult (Upper Grade Classroom)
“Sabbath School is one of the most important parts of Sabbath. It gives us the opportunity for fellowship, mission understanding, outreach and one of the greatest parts, Bible study and discussion. What a privilege to be able to study our Bible and the Adult Bible Study Guide in a small group setting and make the wonderful biblical instructions practical for our spiritual experience the next week. No one should miss Sabbath School!”
What is Sabbath School?
Sabbath School is a function of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and some other sabbatarian denominations, usually comprising a song service and Bible study lesson on the Sabbath (Saturday). Sabbath School at Bay Knoll Church is held at 10 a.m., before church service on Saturday mornings. We hope you can join us to study the Bible and grow in faith and understanding.
Online Study Guides


June 11, 2016
The Heart of the Heroes is made up of Christian youth who are former foster children that have been adopted and biological children of foster families. The band, along with their parents, share a passion for youth in foster care. They started this ministry to recruit foster families and bring foster care awareness. Through their music and stories they speak to those who are called to help through fostering or those called to help with the many other need of foster children. Their passion shows in their singing and speaking. The message is powerful and leaves many in tears.


Thomas Jefferson--- "Paul was the first corrupter of the doctrines of Jesus"
The brilliant theologian Ernest Renan, in his book Saint Paul, wrote:
"True Christianity, which will last forever, comes from the gospel words of Christ not from the epistles of Paul. The writings of Paul have been a danger and a hidden rock. the causes of the principal defects of Christian theology."
In the book Christ or Paul?, the Rev. V.A. Holmes-Gore wrote:
"Let the reader contrast the true Christian standard with that of Paul and he will see the terrible betrayal of all that the Master taught....For the surest way to betray a great Teacher is to misrepresent his message....That is what Paul and his followers did, and because the Church has followed Paul in his error it has failed lamentably to redeem the world....The teachings given by the blessed Master Christ, which the disciples John and Peter and James, the brother of the Master, tried in vain to defend and preserve intact were as utterly opposed to the Pauline Gospel as the light is opposed to the darkness."
Albert Schweitzer in his The Quest for the Historical Jesus and his Mysticism of Paul he writes:
"Paul....did not desire to know Christ....Paul shows us with what complete indifference the earthly life of Jesus was regarded....What is the significance for our faith and for our religious life, the fact that the Gospel of Paul is different from the Gospel of Jesus?....The attitude which Paul himself takes up towards the Gospel of Jesus is that he does not repeat it in the words of Jesus, and does not appeal to its authority....The fateful thing is that the Greek, the Catholic, and the Protestant theologies all contain the Gospel of Paul in a form which does not continue the Gospel of Jesus, but displaces it."
William Wrede, in his book Paul, informs us:
"The oblivious contradictions in the three accounts given by Paul in regard to his conversion are enough to arouse distrust....The moral majesty of Jesus, his purity and piety, his ministry among his people, his manner as a prophet, the whole concrete ethical-religious content of his earthly life, signifies for Paul's Christology nothing whatever....The name 'disciple of Jesus' has little applicability to Paul....Jesus or Paul: this alternative characterizes, at least in part, the religious and theological warfare of the present day"
George Bernard Shaw in his Androcles and the Lion, wrote:
"There is not one word of Pauline Christianity in the characteristic utterances of Jesus....There has really never been a more monstrous imposition perpetrated than the imposition of Paul's soul upon the soul of Jesus....It is now easy to understand how the Christianity of Jesus....was suppressed by the police and the Church, while Paulinism overran the whole western civilized world, which was at that time the Roman Empire, and was adopted by it as its official faith."
In one of the best books on early Christianity, Those Incredible Christians, Dr. High Schonfield reports:
"It was not only the teaching and activities of Paul which made him obnoxious to the Christian leaders: but their awareness that he set his revelations above their authority and claimed an intimacy with the mind of Jesus, greater than that of those who had companied with him on earth and had been chosen by him....It was an abomination, especially as his ideas were so contrary to what they knew of Jesus, that he should pose as the embodiment of the Messiah 's will....Paul was seen as the demon-driven enemy of the Messiah....For the legitimate Church, Paul was a dangerous and disruptive influence, bent on enlisting a large following among the Gentiles in order to provide himself with a numerical superiority with the support of which he could set at defiance the Elders at Jerusalem. Paul had been the enemy from the beginning. and because he failed in his former open hostility he had craftily insinuated himself into the fold to destroy it from within."


The Great Commission, given by Jesus just before He ascended into Heaven, is this: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:18b-20, NIV). Following Jesus’ command and example, we seek to reach the city of Austin, the nation, and the world with the Gospel.
Jesus [said], “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matthew 22:37-39, NIV).
A thousand thanks for your generous contributions to our Mission Possible drives across the past years. Serving Mission Possible is a great way to make a real difference in the lives of people right here in Austin. As you know, this has been a difficult time for the homeless and lower-income families in Austin. We hold drives for socks, diapers, food, and other provisions to support Mission Possible throughout the year. Contact Garland at [email protected] for more information!
Church Under the Bridge (CUB), coordinated through our ministry partner Mission Possible, is a combined effort of the body of Christ throughout the Austin area. At CUB, those who attend will have the opportunity to be a part of worship, which includes live music, prayer, fellowship and a down-to-earth Gospel message. While many of those who attend are homeless, Church Under the Bridge is a place for all to come and worship God.
Several Sundays per year, we have the opportunity to join together with other churches at CUB to serve the community there. Our regular services still meet, so that all members can attend whichever place they choose. Watch for the newsletter to get more details on upcoming events!
Austin Disaster Relief Network (ADRN) is comprised of nearly 200 Greater Austin churches and thousands of trained volunteers bringing hope into crisis. ADRN’s network enables and empowers church members to organize, prepare, mobilize, and respond quickly in the event of disaster, great or small. 5twelve is one of the many churches involved in ADRN efforts. Want to be the hands and feet of Jesus when disaster strikes? Contact Kirsten at [email protected] for more information.
Texas Reach Out is a non-profit ministry that provides housing and spiritual development for Christian men and women reintegrating into society after exiting the criminal justice system. They are committed to walking alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ as they work to rebuild their lives with Christ.
5twelve City Church partners with Texas Reach Out in a variety of ways - providing supplies, Christmas gifts, welcome packets, and discipleship. This is a growing and thriving part of the 5twelve outreach efforts!
If you’d like to join our outreach planning team or have a serving or outreach suggestion, contact us using the link below. All outreach opportunities are open to all; if an official signup is required for a given opportunity, we’ll post a link here! Other outreach-related inquiries should be directed to Garland at [email protected].


Sabbath Grace Fellowships Community Assistance Program is an outreach ministry whose purpose is to serve local communities providing individuals and medical offices with complementary discount prescription drug cards, we envision a world where prescription medications are more affordable so that everyone has access to the medications they need.
Sabbath Grace Fellowship was created in the summer of 2004 by a passionate group of people who after much prayer and spiritual reflection were convicted that God wanted us to create a safe place to grow, especially for folks in the Orlando area who had been wounded by previous religious experiences.
We're a nondenominational Christian community that really values your spiritual journey. We're here not to judge but to encourage and support. Like heaven, we're a delightful mix of ethnic and religious backgrounds. We don't pretend we're perfect but find strength in embracing and learning from our brokenness.We have no agenda except to experience the life, love and grace of Jesus while being immersed in a loving, safe community.
When a person chooses to journey with Christ, he becomes part of a large body of travelers. Each one has come from a different place, and is on a slightly different journey. But all are walking together in the same light toward the same place, learning to know, love and trust the same Savior and are reflecting His light to those who do not yet know Him.
Sabbath Grace Fellowship's original theme song, "We've Only Just Begun," was part of the memories of the day AND continues to be the positive attitude of leaders and members of SGF. Yes, we've only just begun to see what God has in store for our ministry.


Where’s the garden of Eden?
The Garden of Eden, often referred to as the paradise where the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, lived in harmony with nature and God, has fascinated humanity for centuries. The quest to locate this mythical garden has led to numerous theories and speculations. In this article, we’ll explore the various proposed locations while shedding light on the ambiguity that surrounds this timeless enigma. Garden mentor insights will also be highlighted as we delve into this captivating journey of discovery.
A Tapestry of Theories
Southern Mesopotamia, Near the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers: One prevalent theory places the Garden of Eden at the head of the Persian Gulf, in southern Mesopotamia, where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers meet the sea. This location aligns with the description in Genesis, which mentions these rivers as part of the garden’s landscape.
The Armenian Highlands: Some believe the garden could have been situated in the Armenian Highlands, a region marked by stunning landscapes and fertile valleys.
Tabriz, Iran: Another theory points to the vicinity of Tabriz in Iran as the possible location of Eden. This theory suggests that the garden’s beauty and abundance may be found nestled in the heart of Iran.
Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Ranges: The Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon mountain ranges also enter the debate. Their lush greenery and breathtaking vistas have led some to speculate that the garden could have thrived amidst these peaks.
Kalahari Desert, Botswana: An unexpected theory takes us to the Kalahari Desert in Botswana, where some researchers propose the Garden of Eden may have flourished in a vastly different environment than previously imagined.
Meeting of Tigris and Euphrates Rivers (Iraq/Iran): Another intriguing possibility places the garden in an area near the Persian Gulf, where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers merge. This location provides the essential rivers mentioned in the Genesis account.
The Unknowable Mystery
Despite these compelling theories, the exact location of the Garden of Eden remains an elusive mystery. Genesis 2:10-14 describes four rivers, including the Tigris and Euphrates, yet the evolving geography of the millennia has obscured the names and courses of these waterways. Consequently, pinpointing Eden’s precise location has proven to be a challenge.
Is the Garden of Eden a real place?
The Garden of Eden is a real place according to the Bible.
Where is the Garden of Eden located?
It is located in the land of Eden, which was watered by four rivers: the Pishon, the Gihon, the Tigris, and the Euphrates. The exact location of the Garden of Eden is unknown, but some scholars believe that it may have been located in Mesopotamia, present-day Iraq.
What is the Garden of Eden like?
The Garden of Eden is described as a paradise, a place of perfect beauty and abundance. It was home to all kinds of trees and plants, as well as animals. Adam and Eve were created by God to live in the Garden of Eden, and they were given the freedom to eat anything they wanted except the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Why were Adam and Eve expelled from the Garden of Eden?
When Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate the fruit of the forbidden tree, they were expelled from the Garden of Eden. The Garden of Eden story is a reminder of the consequences of sin and the importance of obeying God. It is also a story of hope, as it points to the promise of redemption and eternal life.


Sunday, July 20, 2014
Posted by nuthinbutgospel at 4:35 PM
The Bishop's Choir - Trenton, NJ
The visionary of the music ministry of Grace Cathedral Fellowship Ministries, Inc., Trenton, New Jersey was birthed by the Minister of Music, Jeanne Wilcox-Rawls, the Bishop's daughter. The Mass Choir and the Gospel Chorus came together to form "The Bishop's Choir" in honor of our pastor and founder, Bishop Jerome S. Wilcox. The name of this choir was derived by First Lady, Mae E. Wilcox, who suggested the choir be called "The Bishop's Choir", as they would minister primarily on pastoral Sundays.
The main focus of this church choir is to minister in song to lost soul as the Church's motto so poignantly states..."Christ our message...Souls our mission." Undoubtedly, "The Bishop's Choir" is one of the most "anointed" and "prolific" church choirs in the greater Trenton and Surrounding areas, whose songs are not only lyrical, soul stirring, energetic and diverse but life changing and evangelistic.
1. Pain To Praise*
2. Lord I Love You*
3. Lord I Love You (Reprise)
4. All I Can Give You Is Praise*
5. Praise The Name of Jesus
6. The Great I Am featuring Lorraine Stancil*
7. Stand Fast
8. Be Steadfast
9. When You Praise
10. He Will Answer Prayer*
11. Hand of the Lord


To lead a bible study is my pleasure. God has given me this opportunity to serve Him through this ministry. My group is currently going through the book of colossians. This book is not difficult to read but to understand the meaning of the words require experiences and spiritual insight. I am always trying to listen to a good lectures from one of my favorite pastor, Rev. O. before the bible study started. Isn’t his name interesting? Well, it is a plain translation from mandarin chinese. The first chapter emphasizes the supremacy of God, which it also gives accurate identification of Christ Jesus. People usually confuse about Christ, doubt about Christ, but He is a true God. He lived on earth and He also lives forever.
Please refer to this webpage to listen to the message that entices me. If you are a Christ Followers, I am sure you may find it interesting.


Ang dating daan rites of baptism dating websites with herpes
How Did Animals Spread All Over the World from Where the Ark Landed? Why Don’t We Find Human & Dinosaur Fossils Together? But nowhere do we see “IGLESIA NI YHWH AT NI YHWSA HMSYH” even in the Hebrew! This is why in their Articles of faith, they call the Father "THE" almighty God, but the Son “A mighty God” only..“We believe in the almighty God, the Father, the Creator of the universe, in Christ Jesus, the Father’s begotten son, a true and Mighty God, the only savior of mankind and the only way to the Kingdom of God in heaven (Acts ; I Cor. ” According to the Bible, Christ's subservient position was not due to Him being any less God than His Father, but was due to His willful submission in becoming our Sacrifice, when he “made Himself of no reputation” (Eph.2:7). This contradicts many Scriptures, and makes Christ a liar when he granted salvation to the thief on the cross (Lk.)! But as persecutions began, some were called “ana-baptists” because they had rebaptized their converts. Soriano; their church name; Christ is not a personal saviour; ADD salvation resembles the Mormon Gospel; Their baptism is like that of Roman Catholics; Their salvation is like the INC; They are part of the Jerusalem church. Soriano, Christ has a lower rank than His Father, and therefore is a lesser God. for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready...” (Eph.4:4-6, Heb.,1st Thes.-17, Eph., Rev.19:6-7) According to Bro. Soriano, if a person calls upon Christ but has no church in his area, or gets into a fatal accident and dies before he can join, he is not saved and will go to hell.In 2008, in true necromantic fashion, his dead body was dug up and made into a shrine inside a glass coffin.His body was partially reconstructed with a life-like silicone mask and preserved in a large, temperature-controlled glass reliquary so the faithful could view it.24 hours a day, seven days per week, Now The End Begins keeps you informed of what's happening around the world as it relates to the end times and Bible prophecy.Eliseo Soriano, called by members of his church “Brother Eli,” was a disciple of the late Nicolas Perez, the founder and presiding minister of “Church of God in Christ Jesus, the Pillar and Ground of the Truth,” another religious organization that separated from the “Church of God,” founded by Felix Manalo.Soriano goes by the title of “Overall Servant”; he also refers to himself as “Wise One,” “Walking Bible,” “Modern Jeremiah,” “Appointed One,” and “He Who Holds the Key.” Soriano has lived in exile from the Philippines since 2005 due to legal challenges, including charges of slander and an accusation of homosexual rape. But this does not mean that a Corporal is any less human than the General. But the Bible teaches that we are not to receive a different gospel (Gal.1:8-9). Soriano; their church name; Their Trinity is a different Trinity; Christ is not a personal saviour; ADD salvation resembles the Mormon Gospel; Their salvation is like the INC; They are part of the Jerusalem church. Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” According to the Bible, the “washing” refers to “baptism.” Therefore, being “born again” commences with being born of water and of the spirit. Man must be immersed into the water, and having imbibed with the words and teachings of God, he will be washed clean from his sinfulness.
Overshadowing its charitable work, however, is the organization’s false doctrine.Eli Soriano boldly proclaims himself “the most sensible preacher of all time.” Soriano makes use of television, radio, and social media programs utilizing a question-and-answer method to propagate his teachings.His method of biblical interpretation is extremely literalistic, but he does not utilize sound hermeneutical principles.– – – I was there (INC) for three years but I didn’t get baptized. There was a part of the teachings where I wasn’t convinced. Perhaps another reason why I didn’t get baptized there was for me to have a chance to think that there is a true church outside them.
We were actually looking for him and was wondering why he didn’t accompany us anymore. I had affiliated myself with the INC, and I had heard about Bro.


Church of God by Faith Benefit Services
Committed to empowering those who serve by providing benefit services that honor the mission and values of the Church of God by Faith.
Pastors and Ministers Retreat
"And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat" (Mark 6:31 ESV)
An annual Pastor’s Retreat was first envisioned by the late Bishop James E. McKnight, Sr. and coordinated by Pastor James McKnight, Jr. The purpose of this retreat from its inception has been to rejuvenate our pastors and ministers providing an opportunity to rest in a relaxing environment and to enrich them with information to better serve the church.
Aflac is a Fortune 500 company, providing financial protection to more than 50 million people worldwide. When a policyholder or insured gets sick or hurt, Aflac pays cash benefits promptly, for eligible claims, directly to the insured (unless assigned otherwise). Aflac voluntary insurance policies have given policyholders the opportunity to focus on recovery, not financial stress. This is an opportunity for COGBF clergy and staff to choose and apply for the benefits that are best for them at a special rate. Some of the covered benefits available include: Accident Insurance - Cancer/Specified Disease Insurance - Critical Illness Insurance - Dental Insurance - Hospital Indemnity Insurance - Life Insurance - Vision Insurance.
COGBF Financial Solutions
COGBF Financial Solutions is a CHURCH EXTENSION FUND that offers and sells notes primarily to provide funding for loans to various affiliated churches of the denominations. Join hundreds of other COGBF investors who are using their savings and retirement assets to fund ministry and change lives. The purchase of COGBF Financial Solutions’ securities is subject to risks, which are described in our Offering Circular. This is not an offer to sell you our securities and we are not soliciting you to buy our securities. We will offer and sell our securities only in states where authorized. This offering is made solely by the offering circular.


Br Desmond McGuire OFM
Desmond was born on the 13th September 1921 to John and Robina (Kelt) McGuire. He was baptised John at the Sacred Heart Church, Bridgeton, Glasgow, on the 18th September. He was confirmed at St Francis' Church in the Gorbals, on the 30th May 1929. He had an older sister, Mary, who survives him. John was educated at St Francis' School and at St Aloysius' Jesuit School, before going to the Franciscan Junior Seminary, St Bernardine's, Buckingham.
John entered the Franciscan Novitiate at Chilworth in September 1940, and was given the name Desmond. He made his profession there on the 5th September 1941. In his later years he said he would have liked to retire to Chilworth, but that was not to be. Desmond made his Solemn Profession at East Bergholt on the 5th September 1944 and was ordained Priest there on the 13th March 1948 by Bishop Leo Parker. His first appointment after Ordination was to Glasgow for a few months.
In 1949 he went to India as a Missionary and ministered in the outlying villages and communities. He returned to the UK in 1959, and had to be treated for chronic amoebic dysentery which he had contracted in 1952. On medical advice he did not return to India. In 1981 Desmond expressed a wish to go to minister in South Africa, but his request was not granted, mainly because of the need of personnel in the Province.
After his years in India, Desmond's appointments were: Shelfield (Aldridge), Stratford (London), Edinburgh (and a few months in Liverpool), Ascot and Ipswich. He was then appointed to Edinburgh - at St Francis' - and then as Guardian and Parish Priest at St Patrick's. In 1996 he was appointed to Craigmillar (Edinburgh).
Earlier this year Desmond requested to go to Nazareth House at Bonnyrigg, and from there was taken to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary where he died in the early hours of Friday 24th June 2016.


; 15:02 - Does the Old Testament predict that the Messiah will be divine? Thus, the cycle of readings was reduced to a one-year cycle. Though I suppose I negate some of the “officialness” of the Customary by using it with the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter’s Ordo instead of it’s own lectionary. Another great volume for you to check out, if you haven’t already, is The Ignatius Study Bible. The Catholic Study Bible: The New American Bible; Third Edition. Get it as soon as Fri, Sep 11. I often wonder what’ll be completed first: A) The completely revised NAB, whatever they plan on calling it (estimate: 2025) St. John’s Gospel: A Bible Study Guide and Commentary (C) by Stephen Ray, Ignatius Press, 2002. Probably after the ultimate NAB and LOTH 2.0, though, due to its late start. The problem could have been solved with a new three-volume edition format: One volume for the day hours (morning, mid-day, evening, and night prayer) for the complete Church year, and two volumes for the Office of Readings (one for the first year of the two-year cycle, plus for the complete calendar of saints’ feasts, and the other for the second year), but Rome couldn’t “think outside the box.”. I think all biblical scholars have their left wing agendas n politics trying to discredit and disprove the Catholic Church teachings, Bible and the New Testament or something like that. Paperback $11.95 $ 11. Some comments: You and many others express great disdain about the “Psalm Prayer.” The Psalm Prayer is optional so if you care not to read it feel free to do so. Do you know where you can find the ordo for the readings? A few commenters mentioned this in a post on the ICSB Isaiah volume. It lacks the Divine Office, which is still unapproved, but is available for all Christians, in the ordinariate or not. I understand the reasons for it I don’t have problems with it but I think they re wrong. https://www.ignatius.com/St-Gregorys-Prayer-Book-P3228.aspx. It was suggested again to include the Missale Parvum pro Sacerdotalibus Itinerariis (Small Missal for Traveling Priests, a collection of selected Latin Masses – including the readings and responsorial psalms – for the various seasons of the Church year – including Ordinary Time – as well as for the various categories of Saints) as an appendix to the altar Missal not for traveling but visiting priests competent not in English but in Latin. I confess that I’ve been dreading the new LOTH translation. It is completely possibleto publish the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible in a single volume. Another great volume for you to check out, if you haven’t already, is The Ignatius Study Bible. Are they both good or not? I’ve never heard of it before. "The Holy bible is considered as an encounter with God and an interaction with Him in a spirit of worship and piety" From An Introduction to the Coptic Church . You left out choice E) The completed Word on Fire Bible. That’s funny because I clearly Remember receiving a newsletter from Scott Hahn and the St Paul Center sometime last year saying the final books were competed and would be released Sometime Q4 2020. I like the psalm prayers and love the intercessions of the current LOTH. Don’t forget the UK’s version! If you want to understand what the Church teaches in a deeper and more meaningful way, then The Didache Bible is a one stop shop. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2018. I would be interested to know more about the history. Do u read it? Questions Covered: 01:48 - Which chapter of the book of Revelation do you think we are currently experiencing? Seth, What abt the Sacra Pagina Books? Thanks for your suggestion. Old Testament Year: Bergsma, John and Brant Pitre. I’m gonna have to go with A or B, at least the USCCB is serious about their projects. I was watching a Scott Hahn video (see below) the other night, and in the opening minutes he mentioned that the ICSB Old Testament would be finished the next … Several commenters mentioned this in a post on the ICSB Isaiah Volume. Like the Divine Worship Missal, it’s a variant crafted from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer and other liturgical texts from the English tradition. I’ve been thinking about buying them both. http://prayer.covert.org/, I use the provisional print copy here: Devin, [Other study Bibles may be approved by request.] There’s an unofficial 1928-based version for Americans online at prayer.covert.org, and then a sort-of-official-but-temporary 1662-based office published by the Australian ordinariate which can be found at ordinariate.org.au. A Catholic Introduction to the Old Testament. The Ignatius Study Bible. Father Timothy Gallagher has written two excellent books about the LOH. — Roy E. Gane, Ph.D., Professor of Hebrew Bible, Andrews University Sale: Get Deal I write regularly on my blog, CatholicBibleStudent.com, and occasionally at CatholicExchange.com. 4.8 out ... by Curtis Mitch and Scott Hahn | Jul 15, 2020. Oh good Marc. http://www.walsinghampublishing.com/, Also Ignatius Press published a fantastic devotional for the ordinariates called St. Gregory’s Prayer Book. 5.0 out of 5 stars 10. The Gospels are not part of the LOH because they are part of the Liturgy of the Word in the Mass which is a different liturgy. If only the LOTH included the full psalter, maybe then I’d consider it. Never thought to ask any of my formators, spiritual directors, or any of my diocesan priests that…. Ignatius Catholic Study Bible. Have you considered the New Collegeville Bible Commentary? I appreciate this comment a lot. The larger ... Quickview. This Bible is another … You can pray it online here: Another suggestion at first “shot down” (because there was no counterpart in the Latin liturgical books) but later accepted was that of the Book of the Chair, the collection of the opening rites and prayers and of the concluding rites (Communion verses and Post-Communion prayers) for use at the celebrant’s chair, because it was difficult for young altar servers to hold the 12-15 pound complete altar Missal. by Curtis Mitch and Scott Hahn | Jun 1, 2010. I really just want people to read, study and pray the Bible, regardless of whatever translation or language they are reading it in. Ignatius Catholic Study Bible Ignatius Catholic Study Bible by Scott Hahn. It’s available in print, ebooks (Kindle and Nook) and also on Logos Bible Software. The only Catholic Study Bible based on the Revised Standard Version 2nd Catholic Edition, the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament brings together all of the books of the New Testament and the penetrating study tools developed by renowned Bible teachers Dr. Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch. So both ISB And CCSS looks good and are interesting to me. On February 11, 2020By Lee (@disciple96)In Bible study, Ignatius Catholic Study Bible NT, Ignatius Catholic Study Bible OT, Study Bibles. 3. Practicum Year: I am glad I put money down on the NABRE NT! Is it fine to use its collects? At any time you can purchase the full New Testament Audio and the full Ignatius Catholic Study Bible (New Testament and an ever-expanding list of Old Testament books), annotated by Dr. Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch. Last year, rumors were spreading in the Catholic Bible world that the remaining Old Testament volumes of the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible (ICSB) would be released in 2020. A few commenters mentioned this in a post on the ICSB Isaiah volume. I have also contributed to the Augustine Institute’s Bible in a Year and to the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible. I understand it’s the provisional version used in the CSP Ordinariate here in the U.S. As a seminarian I really hope it’s B. http://www.walsinghampublishing.com/. The only Catholic Study Bible based on the Revised Standard Version 2nd Catholic Edition, the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament brings together all of the books of the New Testament and the penetrating study tools developed by renowned Bible teachers Dr. Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch. Learn how your comment data is processed. I thought I was the only person in the world who doesn’t mind the intercessions. The only thing I really want out of the re-translated LOTH is better intercessions (or none at all), better hymns, and no Psalm prayers. Plus, the Customary has an imprimatur so it’s technically more “official” than the website, though in practice I’ve noticed the two are VERY similar. I’ll look it up. These helpful study notes provide rich historical, cultural, geographical, and theological information pertinent to the Old Testament books—information that bridges the distance between the biblical world and our own. June 8, 2020 Gregory J. Sullivan The Dispatch 23 Print ... the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible ... several Old Testament volumes are planned. Following their policy that “if it ain’t in the Latin, then it ain’t in the English!”, When the Latin edition of Liturgia Horarum (Liturgy of the Hours) was published, following the custom of the preconciliar Breviarium Romanum (Roman Breviary), it was published in four volumes for the four seasons of the year and thus could not accomodate the two-year cycle of Scripture readings for the Office of Readings as outlined in the introductory General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours (along with the appropriate second readings). Bible Reviews, Bible Study, Translations, and more. Rome kiboshed that suggestion, because it was not in the Latin Missale Romanum! The Ignatius Study Bible. The …, Using the Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSVCE, 2nd), the volumes of the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible series listed below lead readers through an in-depth study of the books of the …, The only Catholic Study Bible based on the Revised Standard Version 2nd Catholic Edition, the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament brings together all of the books of the New Testament and the …, professional development course offerings sociology, Aprenda a Criar Jogos com Construct 2 - 10 Cursos em 1, Save Up To 40% Off, native american higher education scholarship, definition of constructivism learning theory. First, the Similarities So that would mean a complete ICSB:OT would be at most 2150 pages or so. This was followed in the case of the new altar Missal (formerly the Sacramentary). I am curious about the Ordinariate Divine Office, how does it differ from the LOTH? http://bookofhours.org/. The Customary of Our Lady of Walsingham! If you are looking for resources with less historical-critical commentary than both the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible and the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture series are what you would like. I don’t understand the reason why they’re planning to jettison the psalm prayers from the upcoming LOTH. Ignatius Press has released my new book Upon this Rock: St. Peter and the Primacy of Rome in the Scriptures and Early Church.See the book, read reviews and excerpts or purchase it by clicking on the title above or call Ignatius Press at 1-800-651-1531 or on their website www.ignatius.com.This is a list of the books that I used in my research. I would suspect the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic (and the resulting shelter-in-place/shutdown) has delayed the release of the complete Ignatius Catholic Study Bible (and a lot of other books) by at least several months (if not more). One commenter referred to a video by Scott Yes, these files are free to download and use for your Bible study. The Topical Essays explore the major themes of Isaiah, often relating them to the teachings of the Church. What abt the Paulist Biblical Commentary? The two aren’t even remotely similar – the Ordinariate office (or offices, if each ordinariate publishes their own) will be a slightly modified office taken from various Anglican Books of Common Prayer (mainly 1662 and 1928, I believe). He was very excited about it. I found the following update on the final completion of the, The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible also includes Topical Essays, Word Studies, and Charts. I don’t have any problems about historical-criticism but sometimes it’s useful and sometimes it’s not good. I’m with Marc too. Exodus: Ignatius Catholic Study Bible. 95. Also, something that’s confused me for a while is why there are no Gospel readings in the LOTH? Search. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible also includes Topical Essays, Word Studies, and Charts. The only Catholic Study Bible based on the Revised Standard Version 2nd Catholic Edition, the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament brings together all of the books of the New Testament and the penetrating study tools developed by renowned Bible teachers … This Bible is another RSV-CE translation and the notes and commentary are superb. The only Catholic Study Bible based on the Revised Standard Version 2nd Catholic Edition, the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament brings together all of the books of the New Testament and the penetrating study tools developed by renowned Bible teachers Dr. Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch. It’s a bit frustrating that the publication of the Old Testament keeps getting pushed back with no end in sight. Despite their not being in the Latin version, I think they are helpful. A few commenters mentioned this in a post on the ICSB Isaiah volume. How do Catholics interpret Sacred Scripture? They’re being removed because they aren’t part of the Latin editio typica, and as such never belonged in the LOTH in the first place. But it would actually be fewer pages. Gospel readings are used often in Vigils for Sundays and Solemnities in the LH. 3. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible also includes Topical Essays, Word Studies, and Charts. I know that when a new edition of the LOH comes out I will have problems with it; however, over time I will and must get over it, as the LOH is the universal prayer of the church and I do desire to be in prayer communion with that church. I’m loving it so far, though the lectionary in the book itself is actually kinda screwy, I couldn’t make heads or tails of it, didn’t seem to match the LOTH readings, or the Ordo for the Ordinariate in the US or even in the UK. Update on Ignatius Catholic Study Bible Progress, Concluding Thoughts on the Word on Fire Gospels, Coming Soon: Catholic Reader’s Bible from Sophia Institute Press, https://www.ignatius.com/St-Gregorys-Prayer-Book-P3228.aspx, https://catholicexchange.com/how-to-pray-a-psalm, First Look: Large Print New Catholic Bible (NCB) — Guest Post by Leighton. One Catholic translation project which finished relatively recently was the Revised New Jerusalem Version of the bible (2019). The Paulist Commentary includes a decent amount of historical-criticism. The notes present a refreshingly fair and unique balance of traditional-orthodox and modern-critical viewpoints. Evidently, Rome allowed the Psalm prayers to be included. These books are well worth reading as the insights will increase the value to all who pray the LOH. Hello everyone, hope you all good. So I just printed out the free copy of the Ordo from the Ordinariate fof the Chair of St. Peter and followed their reading plan instead. ; 20:46 - Who are the people that put the Bible together? Exodus: Ignatius Catholic Study Bible. I’ll take my time n research more again before I decide to buy any study books. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Their New Testament was such an excellent work, reading it through was a huge part of what led me to return to the Church after being away since secondary school. Last year, rumors were spreading in the Catholic Bible world that the remaining Old Testament volumes of the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible (ICSB) would be released in 2020. Description. It’s a very big commentary and quite new (2017). The Study Bible allows you access to the complete RSV-CE New Testament Study Bible and Web Version. This edition does not contain study questions, or the concordance.. Ignatius Press Study Bible Years in the making, this is the only Catholic Study Bible based on the Revised Standard Version 2nd Catholic Edition. Oh well…, The American version that you read online is available in print: You can buy individual volumes or get a one-volume edition. Thanks for your recommendation. Roman missal. I have some guardedly* good news about the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible to share with you. Last year, rumors were spreading in the Catholic Bible world that the remaining Old Testament volumes of the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible (ICSB) would be released in 2020. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible [RSV2CE] The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible is based on the RSV translation with notes written by renowned Bible scholar Scott Hahn and his student Curtis Mitch. But I actually like the Psalm prayers, and I enjoy the simplicity of the intercessions and concluding prayers. The only Catholic Study Bible based on the Revised Standard Version 2nd Catholic Edition, the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament brings together all of the books of the New Testament and the penetrating study tools developed by renowned Bible teachers Dr. Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch. Did Scott Hahn hire George RR Martin to ghostwrite the footnotes for him? ignatius catholic study bible new testament Nov 16, 2020 Posted By Paulo Coelho Publishing TEXT ID 243b700d Online PDF Ebook Epub Library kostenloser versand fur alle bucher mit versand und verkauf duch amazon while not quite as extensive as the esv study bible it … Your email address will not be published. I like the Customary over the website because it’s a physical book, I tried using the prayer.covert.org site, and it really is a great site, but it only seems to work well on an actual computer or laptop, it never seemed to play well with my mobile devices. I find the new collects in the English translation of the Mass to be difficult to follow, despite my best efforts to concentrate. While I would love A and C to come out sooner rather then later, B is what matters most to me right now. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible includes superb notes, essays, and commentary, as well as, a doctrinal index. http://prayer.covert.org/ Thanks. Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) ... › ignatius catholic study bible … I am looking forward to the new hymns, which are expected to be translations from the Latin hymns in the Editio Typica (if I understand correctly). I just checked, and the current volumes of the ICSB Old Testament total 616 pages, and cover roughly 29% of the Old Testament. Last year, rumors were spreading in the Catholic Bible world that the remaining Old Testament volumes of the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible (ICSB) would be released in 2020. The other resources I would recommend are A Catholic Introduction to the Old Testament and any of the Bible studies by Jeff Cavins or Mitch Pacwa. I’d like a reworking of some of the readings in the Office of Readings as well, but those other three are more important. I have an O.F. I’ve never read the Sacra Pagina series. C) The completed Ignatius Study Bible (“next year” for the last decade) I wish I had retained that so I could quote it. I personally hope it’s D, since that’s what I’d use, but B would definitely be much more useful for the majority of Catholics. I’ve been looking for some Catholic biblical scholarship books. I appreciate your ardor for the Liturgy of the Hours and wish you well and pray that the Holy Spirit remains close to you in your seminary journey of discernment. Stage Design - A Discussion between Industry Professionals. The American edition is the only one I’m aware of to feature them, and I have no idea how they got there in the first place. Ignatius responded with a brief statement that they authorized to be shared on the blog: No, it is not correct – we hope to have it out sometime next year, but because there is still a lot to do, there is no way to give a date yet. There is leeway for local bishops’ conferences to approve hymns for the LOTH. HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE Letters indicate persuasion of the author: (C) stands for Catholic, (O) for Eastern Orthodox; (S) for Secular, (J) for Jewish, and (P) for Protestant.This list updated 9/2/2011. $37.99 ebook and $56.77 hardcover (Amazon). In 2015, I wrote a book on the tough parts of the Bible called Light on the Dark Passages of Scripture. Get Free Ignatius Old Testament Study Bible now and use Ignatius Old Testament Study Bible immediately to get % off or $ off or free shipping. I’ve been using this one for about the past two weeks now, switched over from the LOTH. Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament. B) The re-translated LOTH (estimate: 2022) I just need some advices and your opinions before I buy that either books. Is it good? I would love to start praying the Anglican office! However, to some readers it may provide great insight when trying to discern the deep meaning of the Psalm. However, if you take a look at the antiphons for the canticles for Sundays, you will see that the canticles for Evening Prayer I, Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer II refer to the Sunday Gospels for Cycle A,B,C respectively. Hah, good catch. I’ve seen some samples of ignatius Study Bible n Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture on google books. This next volume in the popular Ignatius Catholic Study Bible series leads readers through a penetrating study of the Old Testament book of Isaiah, using the biblical text itself and the Church’s own guidelines for understanding the Bible. I would be deeply saddened if the prayers in the LOTH became more difficult to pray from the heart. One of the commenters referred to a video of Scott Hahn, which indicated a publication date of late 2020 or 2021. Keep praying the LOH as deeply as possible as they are and don’t “fight it.” If you have any “anger” toward the editorial content it will only be a distraction to potentially deep prayer. In fact, my own writing has appeared and will continue to appear along with the RSV-2CE in publications like the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible and the Augustine Institute’s Bible-in-a-Year. These helpful study notes provide rich historical, cultural, geographical, and theological information pertinent to the Old Testament book—information that bridges the distance between the biblical world and our own. With the might of WoF behind, assuming they stay popular, I’m sure it’ll be completed before the ICSB and Ordinariate office. Large format, featuring large text size and additional margin space for personal annotations! A reader recently emailed Ignatius Press for clarification. CopticChurch.net now offers the entire searchable Arabic Bible online with diacritics for the first time on the internet. So I’ve been looking at Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament and The Catholic Commentary On Sacred Scripture New Testament Set on the web. The first section of this book is a step-by-step instruction on how to study a book of the Bible. I think it’s good. Update on Ignatius Catholic Study Bible Progress Last year, rumors were spreading in the Catholic Bible world that the remaining Old Testament volumes of the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible (ICSB) would be released in 2020. D) The Ordinariate Divine Office (“awaiting approval from Rome” for almost a decade). https://smile.amazon.com/Customary-Lady-Walsingham-Andrew-Burnham/dp/184825122X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2OEC1U2P57TQC&dchild=1&keywords=customary+of+our+lady+of+walsingham&qid=1593724166&sprefix=Customary+of+%2Caps%2C255&sr=8-1. It’s not too technical like the New Jerome Bible Commentary and it’s great for the general Bible reader who wants more than footnotes and introductions found in many study bibles. 20 years and counting on the ICSB. Thank you for sharing this link. Find out here, with Jimmy Akin. ; 07:02 - What is a good resource for studying the Bible? That is all. — Richard E. Averbeck, Ph.D., Professor of Old Testament, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School "This clear and remarkably thorough resource introduces the books belonging to the Roman Catholic canon of the Old Testament with insight and interpretive balance." A few commenters mentioned this in a post on the ICSB … 2 People Used. Recently a number of popular Bibles have been published — including the Didache Bible, the Ignatius Study Bible, the Word on Fire Bible, and the Great Adventure Catholic Bible. Ignatius catholic study bible old testament pdf Last year, there were rumors in the Catholic biblical world that the remaining volumes of the Old Testament from the Bible of Ignatius (ICSB) would be released in 2020. Also, where can you find the appropriate collects? This volume presents the written Word of God in a highly readable, accurate … Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016 (the 2011 second edition is also approved). To my surprise, most of them are based on higher criticism, historical-critical method, biblical criticism etc. I’ve always wanted to study the Bible and the New Testament. Read https://catholicexchange.com/how-to-pray-a-psalm, an article written by Father Gallagher which comes from one of his books, to see his viewpoint on many things, including the Psalm Prayer. One of the commenters referred to a video of Scott Hahn, which indicated a publication date of late 2020 or 2021. It’s probably handier to use as a book than trying to use it on Kindle or Nook since it’s so big with 37 volumes.


The Christian population of Bethlehem has declined precipitously over the past 25 years, so much so that, once a majority, Christians now make up only 15 percent of the city’s population. Responding to claims that this decline is somehow the result of the security barrier that cordons off Bethlehem and much of the West Bank from the rest of Israel, Robert Nicholson argues that the truth is very different:
It is no coincidence that Bethlehem was mostly Christian until the 1990s. Until then, Bethlehem was ruled directly by Israel through a military administration. Although they were not full citizens of Israel, Palestinian Christians (and Muslims) could travel freely inside the country, visit the beach, and shop in Jewish neighborhoods. That all changed in the mid-1990s when Israel agreed to let the PLO rule parts of the West Bank and Gaza under . . . the Oslo Accords. . . .
The Palestinian Authority (PA) . . . is, by its own constitution, an Islamic state [based on] the principles of sharia law. Christians living under the PA are “accorded sanctity and respect,” but . . . are relegated to the status of second-class citizens. . . . Discrimination against Christians under the Palestinian Authority isn’t just legal—it’s also social. Living as a Christian, one is constantly reminded that he or she is not a member of the majority culture. . . .
I’ve spoken to numerous Palestinian Christians who describe how Muslim terrorists would commandeer Christian homes and use them to direct sniper fire at Israeli soldiers. Others speak of systematic discrimination in hiring, housing, and education. Of course, all of these conversations take place in private meetings and hushed tones. Christians in Bethlehem rarely interact with Muslims beyond the marketplace and are, in fact, very much afraid.
Read more on Providence: https://providencemag.com/2016/03/why-are-palestinian-christians-fleeing/


Sale on canvas prints! Use code ABCXYZ at checkout for a special discount!
This gallery is made up of designs that follow the themes of the church year. The first half of the church year covers our Lord's life, death and resurrection. And the second half begins with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the first Christians and upon us, the most recently called.
1 - 21 of 21 church year i wall art for sale
Results: 21Filters (1)
Weekender Tote Bags
Portable Batteries Chargers