TENETSOFCHRI

STI
ANI
TY

OLDANDNEW COVENANT-BI
BLE

Thewordbi
blecomestheGreekworkbi
bli
a.Bi
bli
a i
sshor
tfor
 bi
bli
asacr
a "
hol
ybook"hence
bi
blei
sasacred/hol
ybookf
orChri
sti
ans

Thesebooksar
esacredtoChri
sti
ans,theyconsi
der
edtobetheinspi
redwordofGod.The
Bi
bleincl
udest
heOldTestament,
whichcontai
nsthesacr
edbooksoft heJews,
andthe
NewTestament,whi
chbeginswi
ththebirt
hofJesus.

Thi
rty-
ninebooksoft heOl dTestamentareacceptedaspartoftheBi
blebyChr i
sti
ansand
Jewsalike.SomeChr isti
ansconsidersever
albooksoftheOldTestament,suchasJudith,I
andIIMaccabees, andEcclesi
asticus,
tobepartoftheBibl
ealso,whereasotherChri
sti
ans,
andJews, cal
l t
hesetheOl dTestamentApocrypha.Chri
sti
ansareunit
edintheiraccept
ance
ofthetwenty-sevenbooksoft heNewTest ament;Jewsdonotconsiderthewriti
ngsofthe
NewTest amenti nspi
red.TheBibleisal
socall
ed“theBook”(biblemeans“book”

-
RELATI
ONSHI
PBETWEENOLDANDNEW TESTAMENT

Theol
dtest
amentl
aysaf
oundat
ionoft
eachi
ngandev
ent
sfoundi
nthenewt
est
ament
.

Ther elati
onshipbet weent heOl dTestamentandt heNew
Testamentr efl
ectsbot hthecont i
nuit
yanddi scont i
nuit
ybetween
theChr ist
ianandI sraeli
tefait
hs.Chr i
sti
ansbeliev eGodhadone
planforsal vati
onthatwasr evealedfi
rsttotheIsr ael
it
esandthen
toallpeopl esthroughJesusChr ist
.TheNewTest amentandOl d
Testament ,t
hen,tel
l oneongoi ngstoryofsalvation.Atthesame
ti
me, theaut horsoft heNewTest amentwer epr oposingsomething
radi
cal l
ynew: Jesus’ ful
fi
llmentoft heIsr
ael
ites’ hopeinGod’s
promi ses.

Fort heNewTest amentwr i

ters,t
heOl dTestamentwashol y
scripture.Tot el
lthestoryofJesus, thoseauthorsrel
iedlar
gel
yon
thev ocabul aryandmet hodsofr eadingscri
pturethatal
ready
existedi ntheJewi shwor l
d.Accor di
ngt oonescholarl
yesti
mate,
theNewTest amenthasmor ethan4,000referencestotheOld
Test ament ;thust hebooksoft heOldTestamenthav ebeen
i
mpor tantforChr isti
ans

Manyoft
heseref
erencesare“
accordi
ngtothescr
iptur
es”and
“
ful
fi
ll
whatscr
ipt
uresaid.
”Chr
ist
’sbir
th,
forexample,“
tookpl
acet
o
ful
fi
llwhattheLordsaidt
hroughtheprophet
:‘Behold,thevi
rgi
n
shall
bewi thchi
ldandbearason’ 
”(Matt.1:
22-23).Hesaidhislast
wordsont hecross“(
inor
dertofulf
il
lthescr
ipture)
,‘Iam t
hir
sty’”
(John19:28).

TheNewTest amentauthor s,whi l

ev alui
ngtheOldTest amentas
revelati
on, sawJesust obet hef ul
fill
mentofthatrev elati
on.For
them God’ splanofsal vati
onunf oldedwi t
htheIsraelites,t
henwas
addedt oandr edef
inedbyChr ist.Thatmeantt heNewTest ament
writersreadt heeventsoft heOl dTest amentaslookingf orwardto
Christast heMessi ahofhi speopl e.Forex ample:Int heopeningof
Genesi s,Godspokeadi v i
newor dt ocreatet
hewor ld, sointhe
openi ngoft heGospel ofJohn, God, i
nt heWordofGod, r
e-cr
eated
andr enewedt heworld.̀
SI
N

Gener
all
ysintheactoftransgressi
onagainstdiv
inelaw.Si
ncanalsobeviewasanythought
oracti
onthatendangerstheidealrel
ati
onshipbetweenanindi
vi
dualandhisorherGodor
godsoranydiver
sionfr
om t hepercei
vedidealor
derofhumanlivi
ng.
-tomissthemark

Sinisdescr ibedi ntheBibleast ransgr essionoft helawofGod( 1John3: 4)andr ebel

li
on
againstGod( Deuter
onomy9: 7;Joshua1: 18).Sinhadi tsbeginningwi thLuci f
er,probabl
yt he
mostbeaut ifulandpower fuloft heangel s.Notcont entwi thhisposi t
ion,hedesi redtobe
highert hanGod, andthatwashi sdownf all
,thebeginningofsi n(Isaiah14: 12-15).Renamed
Satan, hebr oughtsintot hehumanr acei ntheGar denofEden, wherehet empt edAdam and
Evewi tht hesameent i
cement ,“
y oushal lbel i
keGod. ”Genesis3descr ibesAdam andEv e’s
rebell
ionagai nstGodandagai nstHi scommand.Si ncet hatti
me, sinhasbeenpasseddown
throughal lthegener ati
onsofmanki ndandwe, Adam’ sdescendant s,hav einheri
tedsinfrom
him.Romans5: 12tel
lsust hatthr oughAdam si nenteredt hewor l
d,andsodeat hwas
passedont oal lmenbecause“ t
hewagesofsi nisdeat h”(Romans6: 23).

Thebasi
cdefi
nit
ionofsini
sf oundin1John3:4(KJV):“Whosoevercommitssi
ntr
ansgr
ess
al
sothel
aw: f
orsini
sthetransgressionoft
helaw.
”Sinisnotthe“tr
ansgr
essi
on”ofman-
maderel
igi
oustr
adit
ions;i
tisthetransgr
essi
onofthelaw—God’slaw!

Thel
awofGodi
sGod’
sst
andar
dofbehav
iorf
orhumanbei
ngs

Theapost
leJohnwri
tes,
“All
unri
ghteousnessissin…”(1John5:17).Essent
ial
l
y,t
hisi
s
anot
herwayofsayi
ngthatsi
nisthetransgr
essionofthelaw—forthelawnotonlydef
ines
si
n,i
tdefi
nesri
ght
eousness.

ThePsal
mistwri
tes,
“…f
orall
Yourcommandmentsareri
ght
eousness”(
Psalm 119:
172)
,
meani
ngsimplyt
hatGod’sst
andar
dsofr
ight
eousnessar
ereveal
edinHiscommandment s.
Hisstandar
dsofrighteousnessrequirethatwewor shi
pHi m andHim alone(Fi
rst
Commandment );thatwer efr
ainfrom t
heuseofi dols(SecondCommandment );thatwe
speakrever
entl
yofHi m, avoi
dingtaki
ngHi snamei nvain(Thir
dCommandment )
; t
hatwe
keepholyHisSabbath( Fourt
hCommandment )
;thatwehonorourpar ents(Fi
ft
h
Commandment );thatwer efr
ainfrom murder(Si
xthCommandment )
,adult
ery(Seventh
Commandment ),theft(
EighthCommandment ),beari
ngf al
sewitness(Nint
h
Commandment ),andcov etousness(TenthCommandment )

Whenyousi
n,y
oubreakt
helaw.Butwhatl
aw?Theapost
lePaul
wrot
e,“
Whatshal
lwesay
t
hen?I
sthel
awsin?Godf
orbi
d

God’slawreveal
ssi
n.ButwhatlawwasPaul wri
ti
ngabout?“…forIhadnotknownlust
,
exceptthel
awhadsaid,Youshall
notcovet
”(samev er
se).Thi
sistheTenthCommandment,
foundinExodus20:
17andDeuteronomy5:21.ThelawthatPaulandJohnrefer
redtowas
theTenCommandment s.Bot
hapost l
est
aughtthatwheny oubreakthem,y
ousin

Johnal sowrote,inIJohn5:17,“
Allunri
ghteousnessissin.”Si
nceGod’scommandment sare
ri
ghteousness( Psa.119:
172),t
henunr i
ghteousness—sin—mustbet heopposit
e.Iti
s
breakingGod’scommandment s.Theapost l
eJamesex pandedupont hi
s.Hetaughtthat
“whosoev ershall
keepthewhol elaw,andyetoffend[si
n]inonepoint,
heisguil
tyofall
.For
Het hatsaid,Donotcommi tadult
ery,sai
dalso,Donotki l
l.Nowifyoucommitnoadul t
ery
,
yetifyoukill
,youarebecomeat r
ansgressorofthelaw[al awbr
eaker
]”(2:
10-
11).Jameswas
refer
ringtotheTenCommandment s.

eeeeeee

PERCEPTI
ONSOFSI
N

Thedoct r
ineofsi niscent
ralt
oChrist
iani
ty,si
nceitsbasi
cmessagei saboutredempti
onin
[
1]
Chri
st. Chr ist
iansdescri
bessinasanactofof fenceagainstGodbydespisi
nghispersons
[
2]
andChristianbibli
call
aw,andbyinj
uringothers. InChri
sti
anv i
ewsiti
sanev i
lhumanact ,
whichviol
at estherati
onalnat
ureofmanaswel lasGod'snatureandhi
seternall
aw

Amongsomeschol ar
s,sini
sunder
stoodmost
lyaslegali
nfr
act
ionorcontr
actvi
olat
ionof
non-bi
ndi
ngphi
losophi
calfr
ameworksandper
spect
ivesofChri
sti
anethi
cs,andsosalvat
ion
tendstobev
iewedinlegalt
erms.
[
10]
Origi
nalsin,al
socall
edancestralsin, ist
heChrist
iandoct
rineofhumanit
y'
sstat
eofsi
n
result
ingfrom t
hefal
lofman, stemmi ngf r
om Adam'srebel
l
ioninEden,namel
ythesi
nof
disobediencei
nconsumingfrom t hetreeofknowledgeofgoodandev i
l

Sini
smentionedhundredsoft
imesintheBi
ble,
star
ti
ngwit
hthe"
ori
ginal
"si
nwhenAdam
andEveateofthetr
eeofknowledge.Oft
eni
tseemsasifsi
nissi
mplythevi
olat
ionofanyof
God'
slaws,incl
udi
ngtheTenCommandment s.
Paul,
however
,put
sthi
sinper
specti
veinRomans3:
20,
whenhesay "
s,Ther
efor
enoonewi
l
l
bedeclar
edri
ght
eousi
nHissightbyobser
vingt
hel
aw;r
ather
,thr
oughthel
awwebecome
consci
ousofsi
n.

SALVATI
ON

Salv ati
on,commonl yref err
edt oas“ bei
ngsav ed”meansdel i
veranceorr edempti
onf rom si
n
andi tsconsequences.Wear etoldinRomans5: 8thatGoddemonst ratedHislovef orus
thr
ought hedeathofHisson, becauseofoursi ns.Ephesians2: 5tell
sus“ eventhoughwe
weredeadbecauseofoursi ns,[God]gaveusl ifewhenher aisedChr i
stfrom thedead.I tis
onlybyGod’ sgracethaty ouhav ebeensav ed.”Inordertor eceivesalvati
on, wehav etobe
bornagai n.Wecommonl yheart heterms,"bornagai n"againand" sav ed"
 inChri
stian
cir
cles.Theyaretwooft hemostpopul arphrasesusedby -presentdayChr i
sti
ans,butmany
can’tpinpointt
hedefinitionwhent heyareaskedt o.Wheny ouar esav ed,orbornagai n,you
exper i
enceaspirit
ualtransf ormation,atot
alchangeofhear t
.Tobebor nagai ni
st obe
saved.

Tobetterunder
standsal
vat
iont
hroughtheactofbei
ngbornagain,
turntoJohn3:1-
21.In
thi
spassage,JesusChri
sti
stal
ki
ngt oNicodemus,
aprominentPhari
seeandmemberoft he
Sanhedri
n.TheSanhedri
nwastheruli
ngbodyoftheJews.Duri
ngthisexchange,
Nicodemus
camet oJesuswithanumberofquesti
ons.

Nicodemussay s“Rabbi ,weknowt haty ouareat eacherwhohascomef r

om God.Forno
onecoul dperformt hesignsy ouaredoi ngifGodwer enotwi thhim.”(John3: 2)Jesususes
anillustrat
ionNi codemuscaneasi l
yunder stand, oneofanewbor nbabyent eringit
slif
eto
representbegi nningnewl i
fewi t
hGod.“ VerytrulyItellyou, noonecanseet hekingdom of
Godunl esstheyar ebor nagai n.
”(John3: 3).Nicodemusi sconf usedatf ir
stbyJesus’
response, whenheusest het erm bornagai n,“Howcanamanbebor nwhenhei sold?’
Nicodemusasked.‘ Surelyhecannotent erasecondt i
mei ntohismot her ’
swombt obe
born!’”(
John3: 4).Jesuspr ovidesclarity:‘
Itel
ly outhet ruth,noonecanent ert hekingdom of
Godunl esshei sbor nofwat erandt heSpi ri
t.Fleshgi vesbi rt
ht oflesh,butt heSpiritgi
ves
birt
ht ospirit
.Youshoul dnotbesur prisedatmysay i
ng, “Youmustbebor nagai n”
(John3:5-
7).Youcanseet hrought hispassaget hatNicodemusi ssear chingforanswer s,butwhathe
reall
yneedsi sachangeofhi shear t.Thesameappl iest ous.Whenwei dent i
fyasbor nagai
n
wehav eexper i
encednewbi r
thinChr istandt hrought hispr ocessul ti
mat elybecome
chil
dr enofGod.

Anothercrucialaspectofsal
vationisGod’sgiftofgrace.Wear etol
dinEphesi ans2:8“ Fori
t
i
sbygr acey ouhav ebeensaved, thr
oughfait
h–andt hisisnotf r
om y our
selves,i
tisagi ft
fr
om God. ”GraceisGod’sloveinact i
on.Bi
bli
calschol arPaulEnnsdescr i
besgr aceas“ the
unmeritedorundeser vi
ngfavorofGodt othosewhoar eundercondemnat ion.”(
TheMoody
HandbookofTheol ogy)
.Thoughwear eundeserv i
ngofgr ace,Godlovesussomucht hatHe
cont
inuest osav eus.Weneededt oberescued.Godmadeus“ i
nHisowni mage. ”Genesi s
2:
7tellsus“ ThentheLORDGodf ormedamanf rom thedustoft hegroundandbr eathed
i
ntoHisnost ri
lsthebreathofli
fe,andthemanbecameal ivi
ngbeing.”Godener gizedthem
thr
oughHi sbreat
h.GivenmanwascreatedinGod’simage, weknowt hattheywereper f
ect.
Butthei
rdisobedi
enceshowednotonlythei
rdistr
ustofGod, butt
heirownbr okenness.We
aresimi
lar,bei
ngthatwearel
ikeGod,yetungodly,
victi
msinawor ldofsin.Wear eli
vingina
worldoflostsoul
s.ButGoddoesn’
twantthisforus.Infact
,Godrescuesusf rom oursin.

Tobesav ed,orbor nagainistoacceptt heplanofsal

vati
onthatJesusoffersus.Inordert
o
understandsalv ati
on,it
’simperati
vethaty ouunder
standthedeathandresur r
ecti
onof
Chri
stwhi chpoi ntstooursalvati
on.ThesonofGodwasmadehuman, anddur ingHis
eart
hlylif
e,heliv edaper f
ectli
fe,anddiednotbecauseHewant edtobutbecausewe
neededsal vati
on.Hewasmadet odieforus.Amazingly
,GodraisedHimf rom thedeadint
o
newlife,andpr omi sestoresurr
ectuswhenJesuscomesagai n.Thesalvationweneedi s

Jesus,
andcanonl
ybeaccessedt
hroughHi
m.

Whati
ssal
vat
ion?
Salvati
onisaboutbeingdeli
veredf rom t
hatwhi chcani nj
ureordest r
oy.When
someonei sindangerandget srescued, orissuff
eringandget srel
ief,i
tissaidt hat
hehasbeensav ed.ButChri
sti
ansal vati
oni saboutfarmor e.Iti
svi
ct oryinJesus,
spir
itualwel
lness,andthegi
ftofet ernall
ife.ThePhili
ppianjail
erwhocamet ot he
Paul wanti
ngtoknowhowt oreceivesalv ati
onwasaski ngabouthiset ernaldestiny
(Acts16:30-
31).Paulacquai
ntedt hemanwi t
heternalsalv
ation.

Onemi ghtaskwhatspecifi
cal
lyarewesav edfrom?Pr imari
ly,wear esavedfr
om the
wrathofGodagainstsinthatwil
lsur
elyfalluponsi nnersunlesstheyaresavedfrom
t
hatwr at
h.Wear esinner
sbynatureandbychoi ce—becauseoft hesininher
it
ed
fr
om Adam andsinwecommi tbecauseofourf allennat ur
e,theconsequenceof
whichisspir
it
ualdeath(Romans6:23).Specifi
call
y ,sal
vati
oni sbeingsavedfrom
God'swrathconcerni
ngsin(Romans5: 9;1Thessal onians5:9).

Butwecannotsav eoursel
ves.OnlyGodwhocr eat
edmanki ndcansav erebell
i
ous,
sinfulmanki nd,andHehaspr ovidedthewayofsal v at
ion.Wear esav edonl ybyf ai
th
throughJesusbecauseofGod' samazi nggr aceandpower( Ephesians2: 8;2
Timot hy1:9; Ti
tus3:5).Godsavesusbypr ov i
dingtheonlymeansofsal vati
on,the
deat hofHisonl ybegot t
enSon, Jesus,onthecr ossandHi sr esurr
ectionf r
om the
dead( Romans5: 10).BecauseHedi edf orusandl i
vesagai n,socanwedi e
phy si
call
y,thenl i
veeternall
ywithHim.Wedonotdeser vesalvati
on.Sal v
ationis
God' sgif
t(Ephesi ans2:5,8)whichcomest ousonl ythought heLordJesusChr ist
(Acts4:12).

Werecei
vesalv
ati
onbythegi
ftoff
ait
himpartedtousasagift(
Ephesi
ans2:8-
9),
by
hear
ingt
he"goodnews"oft
hegospelofsal
vati
on(Ephesi
ans1:
13)andbel
ievi
ngit.
Butsalvat
ionismoret hansayi
ng"Ibel
ieve.
"Salvati
onr equir
esr epentance,and
repent
ancegoesbey ondsay i
ng,"I
'
m sorr
y."Repentancei nv
olvesa180- degreetur
n
awayfrom sin;t
hatis, togointheopposi
tedirecti
on,toforgettheat t
racti
onsofthe
worldandf ol
lowthet eachi
ngsofJesustheSav ior(Mat t
hew6: 24).

Sal
vati
oni sdef i
nedasbeingdeli
ver
ed,byGod'sgrace,f
rom si
nandi t
sconsequence
ofeter
nal punishmentandbeingrai
sedtonewnessofl i
feinChri
stJesus(Romans
6:
4).Salv
at i
oncomest othosewhor epentand,byfai
th,
recei
veJesusaloneas
per
sonal SaviorandLord(John1:12

THEHOLYSPI
RIT

Pneumat
ology
:

TheHol ySpiri
Intheear
li
estScri
ptures,t
heSpir
itdoesnotclearl
yemer
geasadi st
inct
personali
ty.TheHebrewwor dfor"spi
ri
t"(r
uah 
[;Wr]
)canalsomeanwind,breat
h,orli
fe-
for
ce.Mostcommonl ydesignatedas"ofGod"or"oft
heLord, "t
heSpi
ri
tappear
sasGod' s
agentofcreationt

Thet erm pneumatologycomesf rom t

woGr eekwords,namely,
 pneuma  meani ng“wi nd,”
“breath,
”or“spir
it
”(usedoftheHol ySpir
it
)and l
ogos 
meani ng“wor d,
”“matter,”or“thing.”
Asi ti
susedi nChristi
ansystematict
heology,“
pneum atol
ogy”referstothest udyoft he
bibli
caldoctri
neoft heHolySpir
it
.Generall
ythi
sincl
udessucht opicsastheper sonalityof
theSpi r
it
,thedeit
yoft heSpir
it
,andthewor koftheSpi
ritt
hroughoutScr i
pture.

TheHol ySpiritisamemberoft heTr ini

tyandassuchi saper son.TheSpi ri
thasat tri
but es
thatonl yaper soncoul dhav e.Hehasi ntell
igence( 1Cor2: 10-13) , feeli
ngs( Eph4: 30), anda
wi l
l(1Cor12: 11; Acts16:6-12) .Hepr ays(Rom 8: 26).Hedoesmi racl es( Acts8:39) .Hecan
bel i
edt o( Acts5: 3).Hecanbei nsulted( Heb10: 29).Het eachesanddi rects(John
14:26;  
Acts8: 29; Rom 8:14).Let ’slookatt wooft heseexampl es.I n 1Cor12: 11 
Paul
descr ibestheHol y’
sSpi r
it
’sr oleindi stri
but i
ngspi r
itualgif
ts:“ Itisoneandt hesameSpi ri
t,
distri
but i
ngashedeci destoeachper son, whopr oducesal ltheset hings”(1Cor12: 11) .Here
theHol ySpiri
ti sseen“ deciding”whatgi ftst ogifttoeachper son.I not herwor ds, theHol y
Spirithasawi ll,whichisonechar acteri
sticofaper son.In Acts5: 3 theHol ySpi r
iti sdir ectl
y
equat edwi thGod.Her ei
nt heear l
yf ormat i
onoft hechur chPet eri sr ebukingt woi ndi viduals
whost atethatt heyhadgi venmor et hant heyact ual l
yhad:“ ButPet ersai d,‘
Anani as, whyhas
Satanf i
ll
edy ourhear ttolietot heHol ySpi ri
tandkeepbackf ory our selfpartoft hepr oceeds
from t hesaleoft heland?Bef oreitwassol d, diditnotbel ongt oy ou?Andwheni twassol d,
wast hemoneynotaty ourdi sposal ?Howhav eyout houghtupt hisdeedi nyourhear t?You
hav enotl i
edt opeopl ebutto  God! ’
”(Acts5: 3-4).Not i
cetwoaspect saboutt hesev erses.
Thef i
rstisthatt heHol ySpiritisliedt o.Thismeanst hattheHol ySpi ri
tisper sonal .You
cannotl
i
etoat
abl
eortoelect
ri
cit
ybecauseiti
snotaper
son.Thesecondaspecti
sthat
l
yingtot
heHol
ySpi
ri
tisequat
edwi t
hly
ingtoGod.Thi
smeansthattheHol
ySpiri
tisGod.

THEFUNCTI
ONSOFTHEHOLYSPI
RIT

Whati
sther
oleoft
heHol
ySpi
ri
tinourl
i
vest
oday
?

Subscr
ibet
oour
 Quest
ionoft
heWeek:

Quest
ion:"
Whati
sther
oleoft
heHol
ySpi
ri
tinourl
ivest
oday
?"

Answer: 
Ofallt hegift
sgiventomankindbyGod, thereisnonegr eatert hanthepresenceof
theHolySpir
it.TheSpi ri
thasmanyfuncti
ons,roles,andacti
vi
ties.First, Hedoesawor kin
theheart
sofal lpeopleev er
ywher
e.Jesustol
dt hediscipl
esthatHewoul dsendtheSpir
it
i
ntothewor l
dt o“ convi
cttheworl
dofguil
tinregar dtosinandrighteousnessandj udgment”
(John16:7-
11) .Everyonehasa“Godconsciousness,”whetherornott heyadmi tit
.TheSpiri
t
appli
esthetruthsofGodt omindsofment oconv i
ncethem byf airandsuf fi
ci
entarguments
thatt
heyaresi nners.Respondi
ngtothatconvi
ctionbr i
ngsment osalv ation.

Oncewear esavedandbelongt oGod, theSpi ritt

akesupr esi
dencei nourhear tsforev er,
seali
nguswi ththeconfi
rmi ng,certi
fyi
ng, andassur ingpledgeofouret ernalstateasHi s
chil
dren.Jesussai dHewoul dsendt heSpi ri
ttoust obeourHel per,Comf ort
er,andGui de.
“AndIwi llasktheFather,
andhewi l
lgivey ouanot herCounsel ortobewi thyouf orever”
(John14: 16).TheGreekwor dt
r ansl
atedher e“ Counselor”means“ onewhoi scal l
ed
alongside”andhast heideaofsomeonewhoencour agesandexhor ts.TheHol ySpi r
itt akes
upper manentr esi
denceint hehear t
sofbel i
ev ers(Romans8: 9; 
1Cor i
nthians6:19-20, 12:13).
Jesusgav etheSpiri
tasa“ compensat ion”f orHi sabsence,toper f
ormt hefunctionst owar d
uswhi chHewoul dhavedonei fHehadr emai nedper sonal
lywi t
hus.

Amongt
hosef
unct
ionsi
sthatofr
eveal
eroft
rut
h.TheSpi
ri
t’
spr
esencewi
thi
nusenabl
esus
tounder standandi nter
pretGod’ sWor d.Jesust oldHi sdisciplest hat“ whenHe, t
heSpi ri
tof
Truth, comes, Hewi llgui
dey oui ntoal ltr
uth”(John16: 13).Her ev ealstoourmi ndst he
whol ecounselofGodasi trelatest owor shi
p,doct r
ine,andChr istianlivi
ng.Hei sthe
ult
imat egui de,goingbefor e,leadi ngt heway ,r
emov i
ngobst ructions, openi
ngt he
under standi ng,andmaki ngal lthingspl ainandcl ear.Heleadsi nt hewayweshoul dgoi nall
spir
itualt hings.Wi thoutsuchagui de,wewoul dbeaptt of allintoer ror.Acrucialpar tofthe
tr
uthHer ev eal
sist hatJesusi swhoHesai dHei s(John15: 26; 1Cor i
nthi
ans12: 3).The
Spir
itconv incesusofChr ist’sdei tyandi ncarnation,Hisbei ngt heMessi ah,Hissuf feri
ngand
death, Hisr esurrectionandascensi on,Hisexaltati
onatt her ighthandofGod, andHi srole
asthej udgeofal l
.Hegi vesgl or ytoChr i
stinallthi
ngs( John16: 14) .

AnotheroneoftheHolySpirit
’sr
olesi st
hatofgift
-gi
ver.
 Fi
rstCorint
hians12 
descri
besthe
spir
it
ualgi
ftsgiv
entobelieversi
nor derthatwemayf uncti
onast hebodyofChr i
stoneart
h.
Allt
hesegif
ts,bothgr
eatandsmal l
,aregivenbytheSpiri
tsot hatwemaybeHi s
ambassadorstotheworld,showingf ort
hHi sgr
aceandgl ori
fyi
ngHim.

TheSpi ri
talsofuncti
onsasfrui
t-
produceri nourlives.WhenHei ndwellsus,
Hebeginsthe
workofhar v
estingHisfr
uiti
nourlives—love,joy,peace,
pati
ence,kindness,
goodness,
fai
thfulness,gentl
enessandself
-control(Gal
at i
ans5:22-23)
.Thesear enotworksofour
fl
esh, whichisincapabl
eofproducingsuchf ruit
,buttheyareproductsoftheSpir
it
’s
presencei nourliv
es.

Theknowl edget hattheHolySpir

itofGodhast akenupresi
denceinourli
ves,t
hatHe
per
formsal lthesemi racul
ousfuncti
ons,thatHedwell
swi t
husf or
ever
,andthatHewill
neverleav
eorf orsakeusiscauseforgreatjoyandcomfort.ThankGodforthi
spreci
ous
gi
ft
—t heHol ySpiritandHisworkinourliv
es!

Bbbbbbbbbbbbbb

Amongt hereli
gious-mindedpeopl e,
today,thechurchismanythings.The
word"church"convey svari
ousmeani ngsandi ssubjecttomanyusages.
Thewor d"eccl
esiology"isfrom t
heGr eek"eccl
esia"andtheword"logy"
which,whencombi ned, denotesastudyoft he"eccl
esia"ort
heteachings,
doctr
ines,
andsci enceaboutt hechurch. 

By"thechurch"wemeant hatgroup,gatheri
ng,
orcongregationofsaved
peoplewhohav ebeencalledbyGodt hr
oughthegospel,outof
darknessintotheli
ght-intoChrist.Wemeanal lChr
ist
ians,sai
nts,
in
theirspi
ri
tualr
elati
onshipwithGod, whohavebeengat heredfr
om
 amongt hewor l
dunt oChr ist. 
Wemeanpeopl e, whot hrought heirown
personal faithandobedi encet oChr i
st ,belongt oChr ist; 
whoar ej oined
toChr i
st, r
egar dlessoft hei rgeogr aphi cal sit
uat i
onupont hi
sear th, and
bysobei ng,const i
tute" thebr ot her hood. "By" thechur ch"wemeanany
partorpor ti
onoft hisbr other hoodl ivingi ncl oseorr el ati
v eproximi tyto
others.By" thechur ch"wemeant ousei tasi tisf oundi nAct s9:31: "
So
thechur cht hroughoutal lJudeaandGal i
leeandSamar i
ahadpeace,
beingedi fi
ed, andwal kingi nthef earoft heLor dandi nt hecomf or tof
theHol ySpi rit
,wasmul tiplied."(ASV. )Weshal luset heex pressionas
foundi nGal .1: 13andAct s8: 3wher ewel ear nt hatPaul said,"I
persecuted t hechur ch  ofGod. ..
"andwher eLuker ecor ds, "
Saul laid
wastet ot hechur ch, ent eringi ntoev er yhouse, anddr aggi ng menand
women, commi ttedt hem t opr ison. " Bysuchusagesoft hewor d
"church" nouni versal inst ituti
on  orl ocal or gani zati
on  is
under consider at i
onwhat soev er,but , rather,acl assofpeopl e; t
hat
parti
cularclassofpeopl ewhohasbeent rulygat heredunt oChr istand
clai
m Hi m ast heirLor d, Ki ng, Mast er,andSav iour.
 
 TheGener
alMeani
ngof
 Ekkl
esi
a. 
 WhenJesusut
ter
edt
hesewor
dsHedi
d
notdosoinEngli
sh,buti
nthecommonl anguageofmuchoftheMedi
ter
ranean
worl
doftheFir
stCentury
,koi
  ne 
(or“
common” )Gr
eek.
  
OurEngl
i
shwordin
tr
ansl
atedfr
om theGreekwor ekkl
d  esi
a.
A.
  
Lit
er al meani ng.  Ekkl esia literallymeant“ cal l
ed-out,”yett owhatext ent
thissenseappl iedi ni tsgener al usagei suncl ear .
  
Itwasapol i
tical term
whi chappl iedt oanassembl yofci tizens“ called-out”forapar ti
cul ar
pur pose.   I
nChr ist,theNewTest amentt eachest hatthosewhof ollow
Chr istar e“ call
ed- out ”byt hegospel (2Thess.2: 13-14) . 
 
B.
  
GreekUsage.   
TheNewTest amentshowsushowt heGr eeksusedt his
term, inonepassagewher ei tisusedt hr eet imesi nway swhi chdonot
refert oChr ist’
s ekkl esi a.  
(Act s19: 32-41) .  
Her eweseea  formal and
an inf or mal  appl i
cat ionoft hist erm.   
First,themobt hatwasangr yi s
descr ibedasaconf used“ assembl y( ekkl esia)”(19:32) .Thecl erkoft he
citycal msdownt her iotousmoodandsay st heirchar gesmustbehear din
a“ l
awf ul assembl y(ekkl esi a)”( 19:39) .
  Thent hemob, or“ assembl y”i s
dismi ssed( 19:41) . 
 
1.  
  
  
  
 Weseef r om t his( bef or elookingatal latitsappl i
cat i
ont oChr i
st’
s
chur ch), t
hatan  ekkl esia isagr ouporassembl yofpeopl e. 
2.  
  
  
  
 Soanyr ef erencet oa“ chur ch”mustbeunder st oodt ober ef err
ing
topeopl e—notapl ace, abui lding, acat hedral,oral itt
lecount ry
chapel .
  
(Not e: Thisi sanEngl i
shappl icationoft hewor d
“chur ch”—notabi bl ical application) .
C.
  
Useoft het ermi nt heGr eekOl dTest ament .  
Theuseoft histermt oappl y
topeopl eisconf irmedi nt hewayt hist erm wasusedi nt heGr eekOl d
Test amentmadebef or et het imeofJesus.  
 It
 used ekkl esia inref erencet o
the“ congr egat i
onoft heLor d”i nthewi lder ness( Deut .9:7- 10),andt o
reli
gi ousassembl i
esoft hepeopl eofI sr ael duringtheper i
odoft heki ngs
 (2Chr on.30: 1-5) .
1. 
  
  
  
 TheLawofMosessetl
  awsconcer ningconductandadmi ttance
int ot he“ assembl y( ekkl esi a)oft heLor d”( Deut .23: 1- 3) .
2. 
  
  
  
 Thi
  sshowst hatamongt heGr eek- speaki ngJewsofNew
Test amentt i
mest he“ chur ch”or ekkl
  esi a wasunder st oodt obean
assembl yofpeopl ei nacov enantr elat ionshi pwi thGod, and
assembl iesoft hesepeopl eassembl edf orr eli
gi ousornat i
onal
pur poses.
I
I.
  
TheLor d’sChur ch.   Jesusdoesnotuseawor di nMat thew16: 18whi chhad
noconcept ual backgr ound.   Heusedawor dwhi cht heGr eek- speaki ngJews
woul dhav eunder st oodi nappl i
cat iont oI srael andGod’ sr elationshi pt o
I
sr ael.  Jesuswasdecl ar i
ngt hatHewoul dest abl ishanewcov enantassembl y,
withi tsownt er msandr egul ationsdi ctat i
ngi tsconductandr elat i
onshi pt oGod
throughHi m.   Int heNewTest amentweseet hiswor dusedi natl eastt hr ee
disti
nctsenses( al lofwhi chappl yt ot hisnewr elat ionshi p) .
A. 
  
  
 I
 tsUni ver sal Sense.   TheHebr ewwr iterspeaksofcomi ngt o“ thegener al
assembl yandchur choft hef irstbor nwhoar er egi steredi nheav en”( Heb
12:18- 24) .  
Thesear et hepeopl eofal lraces, tongues, nat i
onal it
ies, living
anddeadwhoar ei nf el lowshi pwi thGodi nChr ist.
1. 
  
  
  
 Ov
  ert hisassembl y ,this“ chur ch, ”Chr isti st heonl yhead( Col .
1: 18) .  Ther ei snoappoi nt edhumanl eader shipov ert hechur chi n
itsuni ver sal sense.   
Theonl yheadquar tersi sheav eni tself.  
The
onl ygui debooki sScr iptur e. 
2. 
  
  
  
 I
 ti st ot hiscongr egat i
on, tot his“ chur ch,”t hatGodaddsaper son
uponhi sorherobedi encet ot hegospel (Act s2: 47KJV, NKJV) .
B. 
  
  
 I
 tsLocal Sense.   Paul addr essed1and2Cor int hians“ tot hechur chof
Godwhi chi satCor int h”( 1Cor .1: 2; 2Cor .1: 1) . 
 Johni scommandedt o
wr i
tesev enepi stlest ochur chesi nAsi a,incl udi ng“ thechur chi nSmy r
na”
(Rev .2: 8) ,“t hechur chi nPer gamos”( 2:12) , “thechur chi nSar di s”( 3:1) ,etc.
Nowt hosei neachoft hesechur chesmaywel l hav ebeenapar toft he
chur chuni v er sal ly,butonl yGodcanknowt hi sf orsur e.  Eachoft hese
chur cheshaddi fferentpr obl emsanddegr eesoff aithful ness.Thesewer e
l
ocal assembl iesofChr istians, butt hechur chi nCor i
nt hwasnott he
chur chi nSmy rna, norwast hechur chi nSar dist hechur chi nPer gamos.
1. 
  
  
  
 Nowweknowt
  hatt he“ chur ch”i sChr ist’s“ body ”( Eph.1: 22- 23)
andweknowt hatt her ei sonl y“ onebody ”( Eph.4: 4).Chr istdi dnot
bui ldHi s“ chur ches”andy et ekkl
  esi a isusedofdi ffer ent
assembl ies.I nf actPaul addr essedGal at i
anst o“ t hechur chesof
Gal at i
a”( Gal .1: 2) .
2. 
  
  
  
 I
 ti sev identt hatt het er m“ chur ch( ekkl esi a)”isbei ngusedi nt hese
ref er encest ospeakofl ocal assembl iesofChr istiansi naspeci fi
c
pl ace.  
3. 
  
  
  
 Wenot
  edoft heuni v ersal senset hatGod“ adds”onet ot he
chur ch—wedon’ taddour sel ves, yetwecani dent ifyour sel veswi th
af aithf ul chur ch.   I
nt hisi tisourr esponsi bili
tyt oconsi derwhet her
agr oupi ssound.   
Int hisi ti st her esponsi bilityofacongr egat i
ont o
consi deri fonewhoseekst oi dent ifywi ththem i sf aithf ul. 
 Butt his
concer nsonl ywhatwecanobser ve.   Goddet ermi neswhoi sapar t
oft heLor d’schur chi nauni ver sal sense.
4. 
  
  
  
 I
 nt hisl ocal sense, i
ti scl eart hatt her ear et obeappoi ntedhuman
 leader sov erl ocal chur ches.   Paul tol dTi tusi nCr et et o“ appoi nt
elder si nev er yci ty ”( Titus1: 5) .Paul tol dt heel der soft hechur chi n
Ephesust o“ shepher dt hechur chofGod” —“ amongwhi cht heHol y
Spi ri
thasmadey ouov er seer s”( Act s20: 28) .Theel der sofEphesus
hadnol eader shi pov erCor i
nt h.  Theel der si nt heci tiesi nCr et ehad
nol eader shi pov erEphesus, butt heywer eal lChr i
st i
ans, ser ving
Chr istast heHead.  
 Yet , ther ei sat hi rdsense…
C.
 
  
  
 TheChur
  chAssembl ed.   Thi st hi rdsensei ssomet imeseasyt omi ss.  
 I
n
Mat t
hew18: 17i nst ruct ionsar egi venr egar dingt reat mentofan
unr epent antsi nner( Mat t.18: 15- 17) .  
Af tersev er al stepsar epur suedt he
commandi sgi v ent o“ tell i
tt ot hechur ch”i nt hehopest hatt hesi nner
mi ght“ heart hechur ch. ”Wheni st hi sev enpossi ble?   Wecannot“ tel lthe
chur ch”i ni tsuni versal sense.Ev eni nal ocal sensewecanonl ydot his
when“ thechur ch”i sact ual lyassembl ed.Thi si st al kingaboutanact ual
assembl yofal ocal chur ch.  
 Let ’snot essomef ur therexampl esoft his…
1. 
  
  
  
 I
 n1Cor inthians11Paul r ebukest heCor int hiansf orbei ngdi v ided
(1Cor .11: 17- 18) .  Thi si sv eryi nter est ing.   AsChr istianst he
Cor inthi answer eapar toft heLor d’ schur chwhent heyobey edt he
gospel .  I
nal ocal sense, theywer emember soft hechur chi n
Cor inthf rom t het imet heyi dent ifiedwi tht hesai ntst her e.Yet , Paul
speaksofcomi ngt oget her“ asachur ch”orl i
t.“ int hechur ch. ”  
This
isnott al kingaboutbei ng“ i
n”t hepl aceoft hei rassembl y ,rat heri tis
tal kingaboutwhatt heydi dt oget her ,wi t
ht hechur chassembl ed.  
2. 
  
  
  
 Thi
  ssamesensei sf oundi n1Cor int hiansr egar dingwomen( 1
Cor .14: 34- 35) .Thi sdoesnotmeant hatawomanmustbesi lent
from t hemomentshei saddedt oChr ist’schur chuni v ersal ly. Nori s
itspeaki ngofbei ngsi lentwhi l
ei dent ifiedwi t
hal ocal chur ch.   
Itis
tal kingaboutr egul at i
onst hatper taint ot hel ocal chur chwhen
assembl ed“ asachur ch. ”
a. 
  
  
  
  
 Rememberwesawi nt heGr eekOTt hatt heLawdi ctat ed
rul esandr est rictionsr egar dingbehav iorandadmi ttancet o
theassembl y.  
1Cor .14: 34i sj ustl iket hoset ypesof
laws.   Wenot et hati tact ual l
yappeal st ot hel aw, bywayof
compar ison.   
Why ?  Wher ei st hi sor di nance?   
Thi si san
exampl eoft hebi ndi ngnat ur eofscr iptur al silence.   
Thel aw
nev ergr ant st oawomant her ight( nori st her eexampl e)ofa
womanaddr essi ng“ theassembl y”( Gr .
 ekkl esi a)ofI srael . 
b. 
  
  
  
 Whendoest
  hisappl y?  Act s18: 26showst hatt hi si snot
pr ohi bitinganydi scussi onsbet weenmenandwomen.  
 Asa
resul tBi blecl assest hatdonotconst itutet hechur ch
assembl edasachur char enott hecont exther e.  
 Thi si s
tal kingaboutt hechur chassembl ed.  
c. 
  
  
  
  
 Wheni st hechur chassembl ed?   
Notj ustdur ingwor shi p
(that ’snott hecont extspeci fied)r at hert hi sr est riction
appl ies“ int hechur ch”( i.e.i nt heassembl y) .
  Whenwe
assembl et oget herasachur chandourassembl ybegi nst hi
s
appl ies.  Not e: Thoseofuswhomakeannouncement sneed
tobecar eful her e.  Howof tendosi tuat i
onsar isewhenwe
mayhav ef ailedt oaskawomanaboutamat terandask
them f rom t hepul pi t
?   
Wear easki nghert ov iolat e1Cor .
 14:34.  
Wear e“ int hechur ch”( i
.e.“ i
ntheassembl y.”).
3.
 
  
  
  
 Thi
  ssenseof  ekkl esi a inr eferencet oanact ual assembl yi s
compar abletohowwespeakoft heUSCongr ess.  
 Arepr esent ative
maybesai dtobe“ incongr ess”assoonasheorshei sel ect ed,but
ther ear edifferentr ul esandr estrictionswhi chappl ywhencongr ess
isi nsessi on.Theser ul esr egulat ebehav iorwhen“ in
congr ess.” 
 Ekklesi a f unct ionsi nasi mi larway .
  Note: 
Inmoder n
Heb.achur chi scal leda  knesset  thisist hesamewor dt heyuset o
ref ertot heirpar l
iament aryassembl y.
4.
 
  
  
  
 Thi
  ssenseofwhatChr i
stiansdo“ asachur ch”i satt hehear tof
issuesofscr i
ptur al aut hor i
ty.  
Ther emaybemanyf reedomsand
responsi bi
li
t i
eswehav easi ndividual swhi chwedonothav ewhen
wef unct i
on“ asachur ch. ”
a. 
  
Parent scandi sci pli
nechi ldren( Eph.6: 4; Heb.12: 3-11) . 
 I
s
thechur chgi v ent hisdut y ?  
Ar eel derstospankt hechi l
dren
ofmember s?   No.   
Thati sani ndividual responsi bi
lit
y .
b. 
 Asindi vidual swear et odogoodt oall peopl easwehav e
oppor t
uni ty( Gal .6:10) . 
 
“ Asachur ch”theonl yexampl esof
theuseoft hecol lect i
onconcer nmat ters“ forthesai nts”(1
Cor.16:1) .
c. 
  
Indivi
dual sar ef reet oest ablishandoper at
eor gani zations
forbusinessorgoodwor ks, butt hatdoesn’ tgrantt her ight
tothechur ch, “asachur ch”t odot hesame.
Concl
usi
on.
 
 Therei
smuchmor ewhichtheNewTest amentt
eachesusaboutt heLord’
schur
ch
thatwehav
enotbeenabl et
oconsiderthi
smorni
ng.Howev er
,Lordwill
i
ngthiswi
ll
all
owustounderst
andthebibl
ical
concepttowhi
challothert
eachingson
t chur
he  ch 
whichChri
st“pur
chasedwithHisownblood”areappl
ied. 

CKMHURI

AChur
ch

Iti
sar eli
giousorganisat
ionthatisthoroughlyinsti
tut
ionali
sed,wel
l
accepted,welli
ntegratedintothesocialorderofsociety.TheRoman
catholi
c,suchprotestantChurchesast heUni t
edMet hodist,
theNati
onal
andt heOrthodoxChur ch,theLatterDaySai nt
s,theLutheran,theBret
hren
i
nChr i
st,
TheAngl i
canet careallchurchesinthet r
uesense.

WhenRomespl i
tint
otwoempi r
esafterAD395.Therewasonebr anchi
n
theeastandanotherinthewest
.Graduall
yChristi
ani
tydevel
opedthe
branchesto.I
ntheEasternEmpir
eitwast heOrthodoxChurch.I
nthe
westernempirei
tbecamet heRomanCat holi
c.

JESUS’
LIFE
BI
RTH

THEBI
RTHNARRATI
VESI
NGOSPELS

Herear
esomemaj ordi
ff
erencesinthet
wonar
rat
ives’
stor
yli
nes;
thei
rtheol
ogi
cal
commonal
i
tieswi
l
lbediscussedlater
:

Di
ff
erentPl
aces

I
nLuke’snarrati
ve,MaryandJosephareGali
leanswhot rav
eltoBet
hlehem ofJudah
becauseofaRomancensus.Thenewbor nJesusisplacedinamanger .Theyreturnhometo
Nazarethaf
terwards,
seeminglyst
oppingattheTempleinJerusal
em ont heirway.In
Matthew,JosephandMar yareint
roducedasnativ
esofBet hl
ehem,wheret heyresi
deina
house.Aft
erfleei
ngtoEgypttoescapethemur der
ousdesignsofHerodt heGreat,they
rel
ocatetoGalil
ee.

Di
ff
erentPeopl
e

TheEvangel
i
stLukerepeatedl
ycomparesJesuswithJohntheBapti
zer,whoisnot
menti
onedatalli
nMatthew’sinf
ancyaccount
.InMatt
hew’snarr
ati
ve,Jesus’
bir
this
det
ectedbyfor
eignpr
iests,t
hemagi;i
nLukeitisl
owlyJewishshepher
dswhof ir
stl
ear
nthe
news.

Di
ff
erentAt
ti
tudes

I
nMat t
hew’snar
rati
ve,Ki
ngHer odinJer
usalem huntsthr
oughoutther
egionfortheinf
ant
Jesustokil
lhim.InLuke’
snarrati
ve,t
hechil
di spubl
icl
yprocl
aimedintheveryheartof
Jerusal
em bySimeonandAnna.Lukepor tr
ay sJesus’f
amilyobser
vant
lygoingtoJerusal
em,
butinMatthewtheyavoidthecity
.

Di
ff
erentFeat
ures

I
nMat t
hew’snarrat
ivet
hespotli
ghtshi
nesonJoseph.Iti
shewhor ecei
vesdivi
neguidance
i
naseriesofdreams.InLuke’
saccountiti
sMarywhoshines,
port
rayedast heonewho
hear
sandkeepsGod’ sword.Luke’
snarr
ati
vei
ncludesanumberofunique“songs”or
“cant
icl
es,”whereasMatthewof fer
saseriesofdist
incti
ve“ f
ulfi
l
lmentpassages”t hatrelat
e
JesustoI sr
ael
’shist
ory
.Mat t
hewst ar
tshisi
nfancynar r
ati
vewi t
hageneal ogyofJesus
from Abraham downtoJosephandMar y.Luke’sgenealogyispr esent
edatt hebeginningof
Jesus’publi
cmi ni
str
yandr unsbackwardfrom Josepht oAdam.Hav i
ngbeeni nt
roducedt o
thedist
incti
veaspectsoftheirnarr
ati
ves,
pleasecontinuewi t
hthesepar atecomment aries
onMat thewandLuket oexploretherel
igi
ousmessagest hateachconv eys.

Kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk

TheBi rthofJesusThesecondt opi cwewi l

llookati st hebi rthofJesus:whenwasJesus
bor n?Wher ewasJesusbor n?Underwhatci rcumst anceswasJesusbor n?Mostofusar e
fami li
arwi ththest or i
esaboutJesus’ birt
h, andbecomer eacquai ntedwi tht hem ev ery earin
ther un- upt oChr istmas.Howev er ,manyoft hecommonl yhel dbel iefsaboutt hebi rt
hof
Jesusar enotev i
dencedbyt hesour ceswehav eav ai l
abl etous.So, whatcanweact ually
sayaboutt hebi rthofJesus, andhowdoest hisdi fferf rom t hecommonl yhel dbel iefs?Our
mai nsour cesf ort hebi rthofJesusar eMat thew’ sgospelandLuke’ sgospel–nei therMar k
norJohnnoranyot hersour cesi nsi deorout sideoft heNewTest amentgi veusanydet ai
ls
abouthi sbi rth.Fi rst,itwoul dbehel pf ulify our eadt hroughMat thew1: 18- 2:23andLuke2: 1-
20.WhenwasJesusbor n?Mostpeopl e,unsur prisingly, beli
ev et hatJesuswasbor ni n1A. D.
(Act ually,al otofpeopl et hinkJesuswasbor nin0B. C.,butt her ei snosuchy ear :af ter1B. C.
comes1A. D.!)Thi scomesf rom aRomanmonkcal l
edDi ony siust heSmal lwhot riedt odat e
thebi rthofJesusandcl aimedt hatJesuswasbor ni nthey earwenowcal l1A. D.,buthow
accur at eist his?Mat t.2:1t el lsust hatJesuswasbor nint her eignofHer odt heGr eatand
Luke1: 5ment ionsHer od’ sr eignj ustbef or et hebi rt
hnar rative.Schol arsgener allyagr eet hat
Her oddi edi n4B. C. ,j
ustasJosephuswr itesi nAnt i
qui ti
esoft heJews17. 6. 4andsomany
dat et hebi rthofJesusaccor dingl y, t
oar ound4B. C.Howev er ,Lukewr i
test hatJesuswas
bor nar oundt het i
meoft hecensusofQui ri
ni uswhi cht ookpl acear ound6/ 7A. D.( Josephus,
Ant iquities,17. 355) .Fur ther mor e, t
her ei snoev i
denceav ail
abl et oust hatsubst ant i
ates
Luke’ scl aimt hatonehadt or etur nt oone’ spl aceofbi r
thi nor dert ot akepar ti nt hecensus,
andt her eisal sonoev i
denceofawor ld-wi decensust aki ngpl acei nt hisper i
od.How, then,
arewet or econci l
et heset wof act s?Manyschol ar ssi mpl ybel iev et hatLukemadeaner r
or
i
nr ef erringt ot hecensusandasser tt hatJesuswasbor nunderHer od, l
ikel yar ound4B. C.It
seemsl ikelythatLukehasi ncl udedt hecensusi nor dert opr ov ideanar rativ er easonf or
Mar yandJosepht ot rav elt oBet hlehem.Assuch, weseem t ohav ewar rantt odi sr egard
Luke’ si nclusionoft hecensusi nhi saccountofJesus’ bi rt
handi nst eaddat et hebi r
thof
Jesust o4B. C.,orj ustear lier, undert her eignofHer odt hegr eat .Wher ewasJesusbor n?
Manypeopl ebel i
ev et hatJesuswasbor ni nBet hlehem, sowhyt hendowecal lJesus, Jesus
ofNazar eth?Thi si sbecauset hisi swher eJesusgr ewupandf r
om wher ehebeganhi s
mi nistryasanadul t
.Bot hMat thewandLukeagr eet hatshor tlyaf terbei ngbor ni n
Bet hlehem, Jesus, Mar yandJosephl ef ttogoandl iveinNazar et h( Mat t.2:23; Luke2: 39-40) ,
butwher easLukewr i
test hatMar yandJosephor iginallyl i
vedi nNazar ethandt rav ell
edt o
Bet hlehem i nor dert obecount edi nt hecensus, Mat thewgi v esusnoi ndicat iont hatt he
fami lywer eor iginallyf rom Nazar et h.Whi lstourt womosti mpor tantsour cesont hei ssue
claimt hatJesuswasbor ni nBet hlehem, mostschol ar sdonotbel i
ev ethist obehi stori
cal l
y
accur at e.Themaj orit
yofschol arst hink( toputi tsi mpl y)t hatsi ncebot hMat thewand
Luke’ saccountcont radicteachot her ,andsocannotbot hbet rue, thatnei t
heroft hem
accur atel
ypr esent shi storicalf act .Unf ortunat ely,wesi mpl ydonothav eenoughi nformat ion
toei therr uleoutorconf ir
m Jesus’ birt hinBet hlehem.Underwhatci rcumst anceswasJesus
bor n?Fi nal l
y, wewi lllookatt heci r
cumst ancessur roundi ngJesus’ bir t
h.Someoft hiswe
hav eal readyl ookedat :wehav edi scussedourr easonsf ordi sregar di ngLuke’ sclaimt hat
Mar yandJosephl ef tforBet hlehem i nor dert obecount edi nacensus, butwhatel secanwe
sayaboutt heev ent ssur roundi ngJesus’ bir
th?Unf ortunat ely,fort hemostpar t,wehav e
mor et osayaboutwhatdi dnothappen, thanaboutwhatdi d.Let’sl ookatt hemost
i
mpor tantev ent s.Fi rst ,wear eal lawar eofi deat hatt hreewi semen( orMagi )visiti
ngt he
babyJesus.Thi sev enti sonl yrepor tedbyMat t
hewwhodoesnott ellushowmanyMagi
visitedt hef ami l
y:ithasbeenassumedt hatt herewer et hr eeMagit ocor respondwi tht he
numberofgi fts, butsi ncet heGr eeki si nt hepl ural,wecanonl ybesur ethatt herewasmor e
thanoneMagi .Mat thew’ sasser tiont hatHer odt heGr eatat tempt edt okillallthef irst-
bor n
sonsi nBet hlehem i sal sohi ghlydubi ous.Schol arshav el ongnot edMat t
hew’ suseofJewi sh
cultur eandr ef erenci ngt heOl dTest amenti nhi sgospel .Assuch, Her od’spl ottoki llthef ir
st
-bor nsonsofBet hl
ehem i sof tenseenasadi rectr eferencet otheMosesst or y,
wher ein
Phar aohsentsol dier st oki llallthef ir
stbor nsonsoft heJewsi nor dert ot r
yandpr ev enta
sav iouremer gingt of reet hem f rom capt ivit
y( Exod.2: 1-10) .Addi tional ly,noot hersour cewe
hav emakesanyr efer encet osuchapl otbei ngunder taken.Thi spar toft hebi rthnar r
at iv
e,
ther efore, doesnotseem t obehi storical .Unf or t
unat ely,t herei slittleel sethatwecan
concl usivelysay , onewayort heot her .Mat t
hewandLukear eouronl ysour cesof
i
nf or mat i
onaboutJesus’ birth,andduet ot hef actt hatt heycont radi cti npl aces, andt hey
bot hseem t ohav eov er t
lyt heol ogicalagendasatt i
mes, schol arsar eof tenv eryr eluctantt o
asser tthatt henar rat i
v esar ehi st orical .

BAPTI
SM

Backgr
oundofNewTest
amentBapt
ism

Scholarsareunsureoft heexactor i
ginofbapt ism.Undeniabl
ysomef orm ofi
mmer si
onwas
requiredofprosely
testoJudaism. 27Mor eover,somehav evi
ewedQumr anasapossi bl
e
sit
ef orJohntheBapt i
sttohav eacqui r
edhi sbapt i
smalpract
ice.Hi
scallt
obapti
sm
i
ncludedacal lforrel
i
giouspur i
tyandr epentanceaswel l
asaconcernwi t
htheeschaton
(l
astday s)
,nottoment i
onhi sgeogr aphicalproximityt
oQumr an.Despi
tethesi
milari
ti
es,
thereareimportantdif
ferences.
InJewishpr oselyt
ebapt i
sm t hecandidatedippedhimsel fintothewater,whereasinthe
exampl esofJohn’ sbaptism (andsubsequent l
y,Christi
an)thev er
bisal mosti
nv ar
iabl
y
passi
ve, i
ndicati
nganactper formedont hecandi date.Thismaybet hereasonwhyJohn
recei
vedt hename“ thebapt i
zer.
”28Mor eover,bapti
sm inJudai sm wasofsecondar y
i
mpor tance, whi
leinJohn’ sbaptism t
heemphasi sisont heredempt i
vewor koftheMessi ah
andhowt heconv ertrel
atestoHi m.29Aseconddi sti
nctionisthatatQumr anthewashi ngs
wereregul arl
yrepeated,maki ngthem unli
keJohn’ sandChr i
sti
anbaptism,whichwas
recei
vedbutonce, thought hefi
rstceremonyofpur i
fi
cationatQumr andi dadmitoneintot he
communi t
y .
30

Thereisnocer taint
y,then,t
hatbapti
sm,asseenint
heNewTest ament,camef rom Qumr an
orlargerJudaism sincetheearl
iestr
efer
encest
oprosely
tebaptism wi
thinJudai sm belong
tothelatterhalfofthefir
stcentur
y31andarenotwel
l-
defined.I
tmightbesaf ertosayt hat
Judaism andChr ist
ianit
yborrowedfrom t
hesamesource,theLevi
ti
calcleansingsoft heOld
Testament .32

NewTest
amentBapt
ism:
Compar
isonofJohn’
sandChr
ist
ianBapt
ism

John’sbapti
sm andChr i
sti
anbapti
sm havemuchincommon.I nfact
,Jesus’bapti
sm may
bev i
ewedasacompl ementandfulf
il
lmentofJohntheBapti
st’
swor k.Johndeclaredtothe
crowdsthathebaptizedinwater
,buttheMessiahtocomewoul dbaptizethepeopleinthe
HolySpir
itandi
nf i
re(Mar t
.3:
11),
whichwasf ul
fi
ll
edinActs2:1-4andActs10:44-48(cf.
Acts1:5and11:16).

Second,John’sbaptism andChri
sti
anbapti
sm aresimil
arbecausetheyarebothbapti
sms
ofrepentance.Johndemandedt hatbapt
ism beaccompaniedbysincererepent
ance,whi
ch
i
trepresented(Matt.3:
7-9).Thepeopl
ewereconfessingthei
rsi
nsast heywerebeing
bapti
zed( Matt3:6)
.

Last
,John’sbapt
ism andChr
ist
ianbapt
ism bot
hfocusont
heMessi
ah.John’
spoi
ntedt
o
theMessiah,
w

howast
ocome,
wher
easChr
ist
ianbapt
ism poi
ntsbackt
otheMessi
ah,
whodi
dcome.

NewTest
amentBapt
ism:
TheMeani
ngofChr
ist
ianBapt
ism i
nthePr
imi
ti
veChur
ch
Bapt ism wasani ntegral partoftheov erallexperienceofbecomi ngaChr ist
iani ntheearli
est
periodsoft hechur ch.Itwasassoci atedwi thbeinguni tedwi thChrist(Rom.6: 4-5)and
puttingonChr ist(Gal.3:27) .Eventhef orgi
v enessofsi nsisconnect edtobapt ism becauseit
servesast heext ernalstat ementoft hatinternal event.Itisev enli
kel ythatbapt i
sm served
analogousl yinbecomi ngamemberoft heNewCov enantcommuni tyasacount erparttothe
OldTest amentpr acticeofci r
cumcision( Col.2:11-12) .Thet erm“ bapt i
sm”seemedt obe
usedasashor tformf ort hegospel, i
nwhi chf ai
thandr epentancewer eexpect ed(Mat t
.
28:19) .Atthel east,i
twasnotanci l
larytot hegospel ,
butav eryreal partofit.Thereisli
ttl
e
quest ionthatbapt ism wasnotopt ional foronewhonamedt henameofJesusChr ist
,andi t
wasv irt
uall
yt hef i
rstthingaChr i
sti
andi daf terrespondi ngi
nf ait
ht ot hegospel (Acts2:38;
8:34-38; 10:45-48;16:31- 34).

Withalli
tsimport
ance,however,
baptism wasnev erabsolut
elynecessaryforapersont
o
becomej ust
ifi
edbeforeGod.TheNewTest amentinsi
stsonlyontheinternalwor
kof
repent
ance/fai
th(e.
g.John3:15,36;
5: 24;
Acts2:21;10:43;15:
9),t
hisrequisi
tegi
veninthe
NewTest amentatleast60ti
meswi t
hnoment ionofbaptism.

Bapt
ism nowaday
s

Baptism isanecessaryiniti
ati
onri
teforChr i
stianstodayasmuchasi twasinthefir
st
century;thebibl
i
caltextneversaysitwil
lloseit si
mpor t
anceoverti
me.Bapt i
sm ismuchl i
ke
cir
cumci sion,
whichnev ersavedanyoneint heOl dTestamentti
mes; nonet
heless,i
twasnot
opti
onal foronewhowant edtobeapar toft hecovenantwithAbraham andapar tofthe
Isr
aelit
ecommuni t
y.

For
msofBapt
ism

Passi
onoft
heChr
ist

ons t
Passi hesuf
fer
inganddeat
hofJesus