The Word

The four gospels

 

The Gospels in the New Testament are accounts of the life, teaching, works, death and resurrection of Jesus. There are four different gospels. But none of them separately provide a complete life story. They are written by four different persons: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Among them, Matthew and John were among the 12 disciples of Jesus. While Mark and Luke did not belong to the group. Matthew was a tax collector, and John was a fisherman. (Matthew 9:9; 4:21). They both were Jews. Mark also was a Jew. He was a follower of Apostle Peter. Luke was a gentile physician or a Hellenised Jew. He was with Apostle Paul. Matthew and John gave firsthand accounts of what they saw, heard and understood directly from Jesus. Mark and Luke wrote based on testimonies of those who witnessed the life of Jesus.

 

Their targeted readers were different. Some scholars and early Christian writers (such as Irenaeus, Origen, and Jerome) suggest that Matthew wrote his gospel originally in Hebrew or Aramaic for the Jewish Christians and later translated it into Greek. But modern scholarship argues that the Gospel was written directly in Greek, possibly using earlier sources like the Gospel of Mark. His purpose was to prove that Jesus was the promised Messiah, the “Son of David”. He used the genealogy and the Old Testament prophecies for this purpose.

Apostle Paul on Marriage

Our Lord Jesus Christ and the writers of the books in the Bible have spoken a lot about marriage and family. They used the analogy of marriage for human relationships with God. In the Old Testament, the prophets often spoke in metaphors of God as a husband and Israel as an unfaithful wife (Ezekiel 16). In the New Testament, the church is depicted as the Bride of Christ. Apostle Paul and John also used this metaphor and spoke of marriage as a spiritual mystery.

Ephesians 5:31, 32  

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.

 

Revelation 19:7-8

Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure” - for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

 

Since Paul used marriage as an analogy for a relationship with God, he considered it holy and honourable.

Passover rituals

 (All bible verses quoted are from New King James Version, if not otherwise mentioned)

The Passover (Chag HaMatzot, Pesach), the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) and the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot) are three Jewish pilgrimage festivals (Shalosh R’galim). All Israelite males were required to travel to Jerusalem to attend the festivals. Usually, the whole family went together.

 

Deuteronomy 16:16 "Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Chag HaMatzot, Pesach), at the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot), and at the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot); and they shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed.

 

Exodus 23:14-17

Three times you shall keep a feast to Me in the year: You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread …. and the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors which you have sown in the field; and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you have gathered in the fruit of your labors from the field. Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord GOD.

God’s provision in creation story

 (All Bible verse quoted are from NKJV, if not otherwise mentioned).

 

Genesis 1 and 2

 

The creation story narrated in the book of Genesis is fundamental to Christian belief. It tells us that the whole universe was created by God. When God created the universe, no one witnessed it other than himself. So only God can describe how he created them. He created everything, as he has described in Genesis 1 and 2.

 

Genesis chapters 1 and 2 in the Bible are two narratives about the creation of the earth, the non-living things and living beings on it. The first narration continues to the first three verses of the second chapter. That means Genesis 1:1–2:3 is the first narration. The second narration starts only with Genesis 2:4. This is not an error by the original writer, but happened when the chapter division was done later by a redactor. Originally, no book in the Bible was written by any author with chapter or verse divisions. Chapter divisions were done in the 13th century, and verse divisions were done in the 16th century. These divisions are not fault-proof.

Christians and Sabbath

(All verses quoted in this study are taken from the New King James Version, if not otherwise mentioned.)

 

What is Sabbath

 

“Shabbat” is the original Hebrew word for the English word Sabbath. The root word is Shin-Beit-Tav which means “to cease, to end, to rest.” It is the seventh day after six days of work. Jews and some sects of Christians observe the Sabbath every week as a day of rest and worship.

 

Two themes govern the Jewish Sabbath: to remember and to observe. It is a commemoration of God’s six-day creation of the universe and their freedom from Egyptian slavery.

 

Exodus 20:8–11

"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

 

Deuteronomy 5:15 And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.

 

Sabbath is the seventh day of the week, on which the Israelites were to rest, in remembrance that God created the universe in six days and then “rested” on the seventh day. It is a remembrance of their deliverance from slavery in Egypt. Sabbath is a “sign” of the covenant between Israel and God (Exodus 31:13). There were special commands given to Israel regarding a “sacred assembly” held on the Sabbath (Leviticus 23:3). Sabbath observance was very important to the Israelites. According to the Mosaic law, anyone who dishonours the Sabbath would be put to death.

Creation and interpretive theories

 (All verses quoted are from NKJV if not otherwise mentioned)

 

There is more than one interpretive theory about the creation story narrated in the Book of Genesis. Many of them are trying to explain the creation process, accommodating it with geological and scientific discoveries. Science claims that the universe is millions or billions of years old, while the Bible claims a younger age for the earth. So different theories are developed to incorporate scientific theories. They have the support of some Bible scholars, study Bibles, and seminaries. However, conservative theologians dismiss all these theories for a literary seven-day creation story as described in Genesis 1 and 2.

 

In this study, we will discuss four main theories: the Gap Theory, or the Ruin and Reconstruction Theory; Progressive Creationism, or Day-Age Creationism; Theistic Evolution; and Young Earth Creationism.

Gap Theory

Ruin and reconstruction theory

 

One of the most popular theories for interpreting the creation story in Genesis is known as the Gap Theory or the Ruin and Reconstruction Theory. The theory reconciles the creation story in Genesis with the long geological ages.

Old Testament - abolished or fulfilled?

The Old Testament and the Old Covenant are not the same thing. The Old Testament contains the old covenant, but the Old Testament is not only the old covenant. The Old Testament contains the creation story, the protoevangelium, or the declaration of grace in the Garden of Eden, the story of Noah and the covenant with him, promising a common grace to all humans, the election of Abraham, the covenant of grace with him, the history of Israel and the Jews, the prophecies about Israel and the Jews, and the new covenant that would be instituted by the death of Jesus and the promise of the Holy Spirit. The Old Testament contains more than one covenant. One of them is the Mosaic Covenant, which we often call the Old Covenant.

 

So, when we discuss whether the Old Covenant has passed away, we are not meaning in any way that the Old Testament is cancelled. The Old Testament as well as the New Testament are the scriptures of God. All scriptures are God’s infallible and inerrant word. So, they are the final authority on all matters that concern God’s redemptive plan and purpose. All the Old Testament scriptures are progressive divine revelations, and they are pedagogical for believers in Jesus Christ.

Old Testament and the New Testament

The Christian Bible is one book that has two parts. These two parts are called the Old Testament and the New Testament. The word "testament" comes from the Latin word "testamentum,"  which means "covenant" or "agreement." In the Bible, it refers to the covenant between God and man. The Old Testament is the first part of the Bible and is made up of 39 books. The New Testament is the second part of the Bible and is made up of 27 books. Together, these two testaments contain 66 books and are a literary unity.

 

The unity of the Bible is that it has a single storyline and a unified and cohesive plot. The whole story is about the redemption of humankind, progressively revealed through three stages: the fall, redemption, and consummation.

 

Old Testament

 

The Old Testament, which is the sacred scriptures of the Jewish faith, is traditionally divided into three different sections: the Torah, the Nevi’im, and the Ketuvim. They are the law or pentateuch, prophets, and writings.

Coram Deo

The Vulgate, also called Biblia Vulgata, or the Latin Vulgate, is a late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bible, done by St. Jerome. St. Jerome, also known as Jerome of Stridon, was an early Christian priest, confessor, theologian, translator, and historian. He was born in 347 AD and died in 419/420 at Bethlehem, Palestine.

                                                    

Pope Damasus I (Damasus of Rome, reign, from October 366 to December 11, 384) commissioned Saint Jerome to produce a standard Latin translation of the Bible. There were many different Latin versions of the Bible at that time. But Pope Damasus I wanted the church to have a standard version to promote universal doctrine.

 

St. Jerome translated the Bible into Latin between A.D. 383 and 404. He translated the gospels from Greek. He also corrected or revised some of the existing translations. He translated the Old Testament from Hebrew. In 406, he completed his translation of the Bible into Latin. Jerome’s Latin Bible is known as the Vulgate because he used the common, or vulgar, language of early mediaeval times.

 

The Latin phrase “Coram Deo” appears in Psalm 55:13 of the Vulgate. The verse is found in Psalm 56:13 in modern English translations.

Covenant theology

The past, present, and future events in the redemptive history of humans are a progressive story of God’s covenants with humans. Covenants found both in the Old Testament and New Testament unlock the meaning and significance of the death of Christ. The person and work of Christ were the fulfilment of all Biblical covenants. Jesus expounded his death in covenantal terms and fulfillments. His blood inaugurated the New Covenant. Without his bloodshed, there would have been no New Covenant.

Characteristics of covenant theology

1.     Covenant Theology is also called federal theology. The Latin word “foedus” means covenant. Covenant theology is not a systematic set of doctrines. In that sense, it is not a theology. It is a framework for biblical interpretation. Covenant theology brings together all covenants in the scripture, into a coherent account. It explains the significance of the scriptural covenants in redemptive history.

2.     Covenant theology explains the relationship between God and humanity in terms of divinely initiated covenants. It explains almost all themes and issues related to human redemptive history. Covenants expound on unity and progress, as well as the temporary discontinuity in the process of fulfilling the promise. It reveals the final fulfilment of redemption and salvation.

Jesus and Nicodemus - John 3:1-21

The Gospel According to John is the fourth gospel narrative in the New Testament. The authorship is ascribed to St. John, the disciple of Jesus, but it is often disputed. The teachings and testimonies of John are evident in the gospel. The date and place of composition of the gospel are also not certain. It might have been written at Ephesus in Asia Minor about 90-100 AD.

 

Though no audience is mentioned in the gospel, John might have in mind Christians of Hellenistic background. Readers include both Jewish and Gentile Christians living in a Greco-Roman world. For his Greek readers, John frequently explains Jewish customs and Palestinian geography. The mention of "logos" is a reference to the Greek philosophical concept about the ultimate reality, which is God. At the same time, John’s Jesus is the Jewish Messiah, the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies. The seven "I AM" statements have direct relation to Exodus 3:14.

What are the "other gods"?

Before starting this study on "What are the other gods?", we should understand three invariable universal spiritual principles.

 

The first one is that truth is one, eternal, and unchanging. That means there is only one truth. It does not have more than one explanation. The truth is always unadulterated. It is always perfect and complete and does not change according to any circumstances. The truth is always the truth. Truth is truth in this world, in the other world, and in the world to come. So, no one can explain or illustrate the truth in different ways. The truth is never personal or subjective. It is always objective. It is the same everywhere and for everyone.

 

The second principle is the fact that the only written book to understand God is the Bible. The primary intention of the Bible is not to explain to us who God is. God is a spiritual personality who is inexplicable. The Bible is a record of human history, predestined by God. It is not the story of God. The beginning or end of God is not narrated in the Bible. All the thoughts, intentions, words, and actions of God are not recorded in the Bible. The Bible is all about humans.

Hell: five questions and answers

1.    Why has God created hell?

 

The Bible makes it clear that God is an omnibenevolent Being as well as a righteous judge. God is not "all good" and He is not "only good". His nature also includes justice.

 

In his conversation with God concerning the impending judgement of Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham pleaded for the righteous nature of God.

 

Genesis 18:25 "Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (NKJV)

 

David also spoke about the righteousness of God in his Psalms.

 

Psalm 9:8 He shall judge the world in righteousness, And He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness. (NKJV)

 

To execute His justice, God created a separate realm for those who violate His laws. This realm is hell.

Hell: annihilation or eternal punishment

Annihilation

 

There are different theories among Christian theologians about the period of punishment in hell. Some people believe hell is a kind of purgatory that cleanses people of their sins before they go to heaven. Others align with annihilationism, in which, after a period, the souls in hell perish into nonexistence. The traditionalists believe that those who are in hell experience torment for eternity.

 

The annihilationists and the traditionalists differ about the immortality of the human soul. Annihilationists do not believe in the immortality of unrighteous humans. So, they believe that the souls of the impenitent sinners will cease to exist in the lake of fire, or that they will be annihilated forever.

 

Traditionally, Christians believe that all people, whether saved or lost, will exist eternally because the human soul is immortal. The soul is spiritual and thus has the quality of immortality. And so, the souls of the wicked will suffer in hell eternally.

Is hell real?

As I was typing this sentence to prepare this study, "While the damned endure hell endlessly, believers enjoy the endless perfection of Christ forever", MS Word gave me a warning, "This language may be offensive to your reader". And I fear that they are right about it. Though hell is just as real as heaven, all those who believe in the existence of heaven do not believe in the existence of hell. But the Bible clearly and explicitly teaches that hell is a real place to where the unbelieving wicked are sent after the final judgement.

 

In theology, the doctrine of hell relates to personal eschatology. Eschatology is about the end-times as described in the Old Testament as well as the New Testament. The Book of Daniel, some parts of Isiah, Ezekiel, Zachariah, and Revelation are considered eschatological writings. They describe in prophetic language the end of the world and human beings.

Is the Old Testament God cruel?

 (All Bible verses used in this study is taken from New King James Version, if not mentioned otherwise)

 

Is the God of the Bible cruel, brutal, and even evil? Though this question is against the God revealed both in the Old Testament and the New Testament, critics cite incidents in the Old Testament more often than the New. This short study attempts to present some arguments in defence of the Biblical God.

 

Before we delve into the topic, we should understand some facts about the Bible. The Bible is not a book dictated by God or handed over to humans directly or through angels. Bible is a collection of 66 books, written by 40 human authors. The authors of all books are not known to us today. They lived in three continents and wrote in three different languages, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Koine Greek (common Greek). It was compiled (completed the canon of Scripture) over the span of 1500 years.

Asbury Revival 2023

Asbury University is a small Christian private university, affiliated with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. John Wesley is the founder of the Methodist Church. The Holiness movement emerged chiefly within 19th-century Methodism. The Asbury University is situated in Wilmore, Kentucky, USA. A regular Wednesday worship service, conducted in the University chapel continued for nearly two weeks. This is known as the Asbury Revival 2023.

The revival has captured the attention of all Christians in USA and other nations. In Christianity, the term “spiritual revival” means a powerful move of the Holy Spirit among the people. It is a thirst for God and His presence. Revival is a reconnection with the divine after a period of spiritual drought. The result is purification of souls and empowerment of people to live a holy life. Revival always promotes evangelical movements and church planting.

The Problem of evil

 Defining evil

 

Evil is “a term used to describe something that brings about harmful, painful, and unpleasant effects” (https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/evil). All “harmful, painful, and unpleasant effects” are simply not good. So throughout this study, evil is defined as force or action opposed to good.

  

Human beings from the ancient time are puzzled by the existence of evil in this world. Humans will always struggle with the problem of evil. We were trying to live good, propagate good, punish evil and eradicate evil. But still evil exists and is increasing in proportion. The Religious sects, political ideologies and World Wars have unleashed the horror of evil on innocent humans. In spite of all human efforts to eliminate or at least weaken the horrors of evil, various atrocities and horrors, such as genocides, terrorist attacks, tortures and mass murders continue to happen in this world.

One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church

 The Nicene Creed

The Nicene Creed proclaimed that the Christian Church is “one, holy, catholic and apostolic”. Since then, these are known as the four signs of the Church. To understand what these signs denote, we must know what the Nicene Creed is and its importance in the Church.

The early Church remained small and was persecuted to the beginning of the 4 century. In AD 312 Constantine I, the Western Roman Emperor proclaimed his conversion to Christianity. In AD 313, Constantine, jointly with Licinius of the Eastern Roman Empire made a proclamation of religious toleration for Christianity within the whole Empire. The proclamation is known as the Edict of Milan. Constantine made the declaration in February 313 and Licinius in June of the same year. But later doubting that Licinius failed purposely in executing the declaration, Constantine attacked the Eastern Empire and attached it to the Western empire. Thus the Roman Empire once again become one.

Holy Spirit on all flesh

Born again and baptism of the Spirit

 Born again and baptism of the Holy Spirit are two different experiences. We are ‘born again’ to receive salvation in Christ. It is a spiritual experience of total transformation like a rebirth by the Spirit.

1 Corinthians 12: 3 says: “no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.” That means the born again experience and salvation is a work of the Holy Spirit that happens in a human being. That also means that all born again believers have the Spirit in a measure.

But the baptism of the Holy Spirit is a different experience. It happens to those who believe in Jesus Christ and are saved by faith. It refers primarily to the out pouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost on the apostles and many others who were gathered in the Upper Room. The Book of Acts goes on to narrate more incidents of the baptism of the Spirit on believers. So baptism of the Holy Spirit is what happened on the day of Pentecost, the early church and to the church today.