b knowles: first principles of the christian faith

8/9/2019 B Knowles: First Principles of the Christian Faith

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First

Principlesof the

Christian

FaithBrian Knowles


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First Principles ofthe Christian Faith

1 Therefore, leaving the discussion of theelementaryprinciples of Christ, let us go on to

perfection, not laying again the foundation of

repentance from dead works and of faith toward

God,2

of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of

hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal

judgment. 3 And this we will do if God permits.

Hebrews 6:1-3

Brian Knowles

Typesetting and Layout by Free-to-Share Publications (rvrahipe); 2010


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First Principles of theChristian Faith Part I

REPENTANCE FROM

DEAD WORKShe original apostles of Jesus were instructed by our Lord to:

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 (Matthew 28:19-20a). They were to

teach, and they were to baptize. The content of their teaching was to

include all of the things Jesus had taught them.

The apostles went out into the then known world, a world

dominated by the Romans, and did as they were told. First they

taught the basics. They preached the Gospel (Good News) the

same message that Jesus himself had preached. They announced tothe world that God had sent a Savior, one who would deliver

mankind from itself and from the devil and all his works (I John 3:8).

They told everyone who would listen of Gods redemptive plan, and

of how they could participate in it. Then they elaborated on the

particulars. They explained that now that Jesus the Messiah

(Anointed One) had arrived, the Kingdom of God was going to

continue to expand right on up to the time when Jesus returned to

make it universal. Kingdom of God simply means the sovereign

T


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rule of God in peoples lives. It does not, as some teach, have to

involve territory.

Later, after the Church had been established, some began tolose their first love. Instead of growing in Christ, they began to

atrophy spiritually speaking. They began to lose sight of the basics.

The author of the book of Hebrews (we dont know who he or she

was) admonished the addressees of that letter by writing: In fact,

though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to

teach you the elementary truths of Gods word all over again

(Hebrews 5:12).

Ideally, mature Christians ought to be able to teach newly

minted believers the basics of the Christian faith. Sadly, they often

do not understand those themselves; let alone know how to pass

them on to others. This series of articles will re-establish these

foundational doctrines so that new Christians can easily learn them,

and so that older believers can review and reinforce them. The list of

these first principles is found in Hebrews 6:1-2: Therefore let us

leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity,

not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to

death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on

of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment...

Here we see listed six principles that are fundamental to the

teaching of Christ. Once these were established in the hearts and

minds of believers, they provided a platform for further spiritualgrowth. In this series, we will discuss them one by one, in the order

in which they appear in Hebrews. We will, in the course of this

process, focus on Jesus own teaching, for that is what he instructed

the apostles to pass on to others. In understanding Jesus doctrine,

we will examine the origins of his very Jewish approach to these

teachings.


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If we do not understand Jesus Jewishness, we will not fully

grasp the intent of his teaching. As R. Steven Notley wrote in his

Forward to Prof. David Flussers book on Jesus: Often, we

Christians read the stories and sayings of Jesus with little knowledgeof the contemporary issues, personages and nuances of language that

provide such an important element in molding our understanding of

his life and teachings (Jesus, by David Flusser, p. 9). In

approaching these fundamentals of the faith, we will not neglect to

consider Jesus Jewishness.

The Need for Repentance and Atonement

The ideas of repentance and atonement are rooted in the history of

mankind as recorded in the Bible. The story of Eden, whether you

believe it to be literally true or sacred myth, is in the Bible for a

reason: it offers an explanation for how sin entered the world. It

helps us understand why the writer of Hebrews used the term dead

works (KJV) or works that lead to death.

Works are what we do. In Old Testament times, how we

live or conduct ourselves was often described as the way we walk.

Our spiritual walk is either toward, or away from, God. When we are

operating fully within the will of God, we are said to be moving

Godward deeper into the Light (I Thessalonians 1:8 9; Ephesians

5:8).

When we sin, we step away from God and we begin movinginto darkness. When we are converted, or changed, we move from

the realm of darkness into the realm of light (I Peter 2:9b). It is ha

Satan the Adversary who presides over the darkness of this world

(Ephesians 2:2b; Acts 26:18).

Our works in other words the way we conduct ourselves

in the world can either be life-affirming, or dead. Why dead?

Dead works are sinful works, works that are done in disobedience to


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the divine will. In the Eden story, God told Adam: And the Lord

God commanded the man, You are free to eat from any tree in the

garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good

and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die (Genesis 2:16-17).

Eating of the forbidden fruit was a work or a behavior that

would lead to death. Of course we know that both Eve and Adam

in that order disobeyed God and ate of the fruit. In doing so, they

had turned their back on Gods will and walked away from it. They

had moved from light to darkness in a single act. The death they

experienced was not immediate physical death. It was the death ofthe inner man. By disobeying God, they had now qualified for his

death row and forfeited their right to eternal life. Thats why the

apostle Paul could later use the expression dead in your

transgressions to describe the pre-conversion state of the Ephesian

Christians. He wrote: As for you, you were dead in your

transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed

the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the

spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient (Ephesians

2:1-2).

Understanding the Role of Satan

Satan is a spirit, and he is at work among those who chose to live in

disobedience to God. It is sometimes said that the Adversary fulfills

three roles in the world: 1). He seduces or tempts mankind to sin; 2).He then accuses the sinner before God; and, finally; 3). He destroys

those who fail to repent. We can certainly see his role as tempter in

the story of Eden. We can view his role as accuser in the Book of

Job; and Jesus himself called Satan a murderer from the beginning

(John 8:44).

Satan preys on our weaknesses, our desires, our hopes,

wishes and dreams. According to the Apostle Peter, Satan prowls the


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earth like a roaring lion looking for prey (I Peter 5:8). In nature,

lions prey on weakness: sick animals, the young, the old, animals

trapped in water holes, mud or brambles. Satan too looks for

weakness. In Judas Iscariot, he found it in the mans desire formoney. Following the Lords last supper with his disciples, including

Judas, we read: And supper being ended, the devil having now put

into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simons son, to betray him (John

13:2). All it took was thirty pieces of silver to put Judas over the

edge.

In Genesis 4, we find the story of the murder of Abel,

Adams son, by his brother Cain. In the original account, we readnothing of the role of Satan. Yet, many centuries later, the apostle

John made it clear that Satan had been involved when he wrote: In

this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil:

whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that

loveth not his brother. For this is the message that ye heard from the

beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of

that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him?

Because his own works were evil, and his brothers righteous (I

John 3:10-12).

Murder is a devilish act. It is the devil who seduces men into

committing it. Satan first lied, then he murdered. Cain, the first

offspring of the first man, committed the first human murder. As

Jesus said, Satan is the father of murderers (John 8:44). Hatred of

mankind, or any particular class of mankind, is not of God, it is ofthe devil. John also wrote: Whosoever hateth his brother is a

murderer; and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in

him (I John 3:15). If one murders another, one forfeits his own right

to life (Genesis 9:6).

All of us, in one way or another, have been children of

darkness. We have all, wittingly or unwittingly, followed the way of


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In the New Testament, a Greek word commonly translated

sin is amartia. It means every departure from the way of

righteousness, both human and divine (A Greek-English Lexicon of

the New Testament by Bauer, Arndt & Gingrich, p. 43). StrongsConcordance, which is not authoritative for establishing word

meanings, defines amartia as missing the mark. This isnt far off

the Old Testament meaning of sin.

The discussion of the nuances of the many words translated

sin in our versions could become encyclopedic. Our purpose here

is to establish a basic working definition of sin as we understand it

in English, and go from there. To sin is to fail to live up to the divinestandard; to miss the target of ideal behavior as defined by God; to

transgress Gods Torah (Instruction). John defines sin very simply

when he writes: Sin is the transgression of the law (I John 3:4b).

Behind the Greek word nomos, usually translated law is the

Hebrew word Torah, which means instruction or direction.

Torah, in turn, is derived from the Hebrew verb yara, meaning to

cast or throw. If, for instance, you asked a person for directions:

Tell me, which way is it to Jerusalem? and a person responded by

pointing northward, Its that way, he has given the other person

directions or instruction (Torah). To cast ones hand in a

direction is yara. To throw a spear or shoot an arrow at a target is

yara. God has given his Torah -- that is his instructions or directions

-- to mankind from the beginning. When God told Adam not to eat of

the forbidden fruit, that was Gods Torah His instruction. WhenAdam disobeyed, his missed the mark, he failed; he sinned. Torah is

the noun form ofyara. We have the written Torah and the Jewish

people have oral Torah ( Mishnah & Talmud). To walk, or live,

within the boundaries of Gods Torah is to live in the light, to walk

in righteousness, to be in The Way, to move Godward. To step

outside of that light is to move away from God, into darkness, into

sin and into the realm of the Adversary. From the time of Adam to

the present, every human being except Christ himself has sinned


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(Genesis 6:11-13; Jeremiah 17:5-9; Job 4:17-21; Romans 7:14-25).

The writers of both Testaments recognized this painful reality: God

looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there

were any that did understand, that did seek God. Every one of themis gone back; they are altogether become filthy; there is none that

doeth good, no, not one (Psalm 53:2-3).

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God

(Romans 3:23).

If we say that have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the

truth is not in usIf we say that we have not sinned, we make him aliar, and the word is not in us (I John 1:8,10).

Sin is universal. The realm of sin is the world (kosmos)

the system over which ha Satan presides. As John also wrote: He

that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the

beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he

might destroy the works of the devil (I John 3:8). What are the

works of the devil? In context, sin and its deleterious effects. We

are either children of God, or we are children of the devil. If we do

the works of the devil, we are his children. The work of the devil in

the world necessitated the coming of the Messiah, Gods Anointed

One. Jesus is the centerpiece of Gods redemptive plan. One of his

very first acts following his baptism was to defeat and disqualify

Satan as the ruler of this spiritually darkened world (Matthew 4:1-

11).

The Human Condition

The Gospel is good news in the face of all the bad news about human

nature, the human condition, mans inhumanity to man, and Satans

role in the world. The present state of mankind is the result of

concrete cause & effect factors, most of which have to do with some

form of sin. Jesus Christ is The Answer to all of the worlds ills. He


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is Gods designated Savior or Deliverer. To him has been given by

the Father all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18).

He has the power to forgive sin, and the power to judge those who

refuse to repent of it when invited to do so.

Jesus came to deliver the world of sickness, demonization,

and the effects of sin. Immediately after his triumph over the devil,

Jesus got to work. Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their

synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing

every disease and sickness among the people. News about him

spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill

with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, and demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed

them (Matthew 4:23-24).

This was Gods work through Jesus his Anointed One. The

first, most basic, and most oft-repeated part of Jesus message was,

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near (Matthew 4:17). Prior

to his death and resurrection, Jesus sent his own talmidim (disciples)

out on a trial run. They operated under his authority. A key

component in their Gospel is revealed in the statement: They went

out and preached that people should repent (Mark 6:12).

One of the Hebrew words for repentance is teshuva. It

means turning around. It is from the root shuwb, meaning turn.

The prophet Ezekiel used it when he conveyed Gods message to the

elders of Israel: This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Repent! Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices!

(Ezekiel 14:6). In adopting idolatry, they had turned away from the

Lord and stepped into the darkness. By repenting, they would turn

from idolatry, renounce it, and turn back to the Lord in humble

obedience to his Torah. This is repentance.

Another excellent passage in Ezekiel that makes clear the

meaning of repentance is found in Ezekiel 18:30-32: Therefore, O


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In Judaism, the religion of Jesus and the apostles, it was taught that

man is torn between two impulses the yetzer hara, and the yetzer

ha tob. The former is a force which drives to wickedness and as an

endowment of man which proves a formidable obstacle in the way toa righteous life. The latter is the impulse to do good. As Abraham

Cohen writes, The belief that in every human being there are two

urges one to evil and the other to goodness figures prominently

in Rabbinic ethics ( Everymans Talmud, both quotes above from

page 88).

All it takes is a single act of sin as in the case of Adam and

Eve to qualify for the death penalty. Yet most of us dont sin mostof the time. Some of us live a reasonably clean life spiritually

speaking, and others of us are utterly subverted to evil. Cohen

explains: The character of a person is determined by which of the

two impulses is dominant within him. The good impulse controls

the righteous; as it is said, My heart is wounded within me (Ps.

Cix.22). The evil impulse controls the wicked; as it is said,

Transgression speaketh to the wicked, in the midst of the heart;

there is no fear of God before his eyes (ibid. xxxvi.I). Both impulses

control average people (Ber.61b) (ibid. p. 88).

To summarize, no one is perfect. Every one of us has sinned

in some way, at some time. We have all followed the pattern of our

father, Adam. But not everyone serves evil as a way of life. The

world has seen many unquestionably evil people: Adolph Hitler,

Josef Stalin, Pol Pot, Idi Amin, Saddam Hussein, Usama Bin Ladin,Richard Ramirez, to name a few. These men served evil as a way of

life. To them, human life had no value. They could take the life of a

human being as easily as they could take that of a fly. They were

without conscience. They had no fear of the God who commands:

You shall not commit premeditated murder (Exodus 20:13). They

were, or are, controlled by the evil impulse, and that in turn is

associated with Satan. It seems that each generation of mankind

finds itself fighting an evil that arises from the sick mind of some


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tyrant, religious fanatic, or homicidal maniac. In the last century, it

was Nazism, Fascism, and Communism. In this century, it is Islamic

terrorism. Should that be defeated, newer versions of communism

are again asserting themselves. Evil is forever waiting in the wings.

On the other hand, most people are not utterly evil. Some are

basically good people. Their behavior is either morally neutral, or

constructive and helpful to mankind. They leave the world a little

better than they found it. While they are here, they are blessing to all

with whom they come in contact. Yet, they are not perfect. They are

sinners in need of redemption.

Most people are a mixture of good and evil. The average

person does some good and some evil. We all have skeletons in our

closets of which we are ashamed and embarrassed. Devout

Christians and Jews repent of these sinful acts. They cease

committing them, renounce them, and return to God in deep

humility. Where possible, they make restitution.

The Process of Conversion

The word conversion simply means change. The NIV translates

Acts 3:19 as follows: Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your

sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the

Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for

you even Jesus. Luke, who wrote the book of Acts, put it in a very

Jewish way when he said, Repent and turn As we learnedearlier, when we perform teshuva, we do an about face and turn back

to God. The KJV renders turn as be converted.

This is what our Lord called upon all of us to do: repent and

change. When we repent of dead works, we simply stop doing

them. We halt in our tracks, turn around, and start marching

Godward. We move deeper into his will instead of farther from it.

Paul explained that through conversion we experience a spiritual


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Most of us do not successfully crucify the dark deeds of the flesh in

one fell swoop. Throughout our Christian walk we continue to

struggle against the evil impulse within. Sometimes we win,

sometimes we lose. This struggle with our dark side is described inRomans 7. Paul, as a Torah-observant Jew, describes his own battle

to overcome the downside of his flesh. In the end, Paul realizes that

it is only in Christ that he will have ultimate victory over his fleshly

appetites. He writes, Who will rescue me from this body of death?

Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Romans 7:25).

Jesus Christ, Gods Anointed One, the Lamb of God, and the

one on whom God has conveyed all authority in heaven and onearth, is the captain of our salvation (Matthew 28:18; Hebrews

2:10). When all other efforts fail, he will see us through. One of the

most encouraging statements in the Bible was made by Paul in a

letter to the Philippian congregation: I thank my God every time I

remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with

joy because of your partnership in the Gospel from the first day until

now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you

will carry it out to completion until the day of Christ Jesus

(Philippians 1:3-6).

God is good, faithful and consistent. As he said through the

prophet Malachi: I the Lord do not change (Malachi 3:6a). He

said to the sinful people of Israel: Return to me and I will return to

you (Malachi 3:7b). We too are called to return to the Lord to

perform teshuva. No matter how far we have strayed from him, wecan always return if we are willing to give up our personal package

of works of the flesh.

If we let it, our flesh with its unbridled desires, will drag us

down, into death. This is not mere physical death, but a second

death (Revelation 21:8). It is the death of which Jesus spoke when

he said, Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill

the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and


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body in hell (Matthew 10:28). The word translated hell here is

Gehenna. It is the same place described in Revelation 21:8, just

cited.

God offers us life in Christ eternal life. God is not anxious

to destroy the work of his hands. He is not willing that any should

perish. He has made a way for us to live. That way is Jesus Christ.

John wrote: Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the

Son of Man must be lifted up that everyone who believes in him may

have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his one

and only (Greek: monogenes = only begotten." The same term as

used in Hebrews 11:17) , that whoever believes in him shall notperish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the

world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him

(John 3:14-17).

If we repent of performing the dead works of the past, God

offers us eternal life in the world to come. Jesus Christ is the key to

Gods redemptive plan for mankind. When we repent of our sinful

deeds, and turn to God, we enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ

that lasts a lifetime. Satan will continue to probe for weaknesses,

seeking to exploit them. He can only be as successful as we allow

him to be. In Christ, we can defeat him every time. We are called to

life of victories, of regular overcoming. Jesus defeated the devil, and

we are called to defeat his efforts in our lives as well. John recorded

Jesus as saying: To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit

with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with myFather on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit

says to the churches (Revelation 3:21-22).


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First Principles of theChristian Faith Part II

FAITH TOWARD

GOD

n the King James Version of Hebrews 6:1, faith toward God is

the second listed foundational principle of the Christian faith.

When we use the word faith in certain circles, it elicits some

negative imagery: blind faith, stubborn belief without

evidence, or circus tent faith healers who put on an Elmer

Gantry-like show, whipping up audience emotions to a state of

expectation. None of these things is really what is meant by faith in

-- or toward -- God.

To understand how Jesus and his apostles comprehended

faith, we must begin in the Old Testament. In later times, other

influences came into both Judaism and Christianity, changing themeaning of faith into belief. David Blumenthal explains: During

the Middle Ages, under the influence of Islam and Christianity,

Judaism came to understand faith as a matter of belief. Quickly, the

sage-rabbis distinguished between faith based on reason and faith

based on authorityThis, however, is not the deepest understanding

of faith (The Place of Faith & Grace in Judaism, p. 19).

I


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A deeper, and earlier, understanding of faith, according to

Blumenthal, is bound up with the Hebrew word, emunah (ibid.).

To grasp the implications of this word, we will examine the story of

Joshuas battle against Amalek. The account is found in Exodus 17:8 ff.

Moses and Emunah

The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim.

Moses said to Joshua, Choose some of our men and go out to fight

the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the

staff of God in my hands.

So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and

Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses

held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he

lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses

hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat

on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up one on one side, one on the

other -- so that his hands remained steady [emunah] till sunset. So

Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword (Exodus 17:8-

13 NIV).

Emunah, here translated steady, in this context means

firmness. That meaning establishes the tone for subsequent uses,

according to Blumenthal. In II Chronicles 20:20, we find this

concept described in a clear play on words: Be faithful to God and you will be firmly established. The Hebrew is: haaminu ba-

Adonaivteamnu. Note the reverberation of the word emunah in

this verse. When Moses displayed firmness in his obligation toward

God; God reciprocated by demonstrating his power on behalf of

Joshua and his soldiers.

Heschels Insight


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The late Abraham Joshua Heschel was a philosopher of Judaism

whose insights into faith and other issues have benefited many long

after his decease. He explains, eloquently, what faith is not, and what

it is, from a Jewish perspective. To have no faith is callousness, tohave undiscerning faith is superstition. The simple believeth every

word (Proverbs 14:15), frittering away his faith on things explorable

but not yet explored. By confounding ignorance with faith he is

inclined to regard as exalted whatever he fails to understand, as if

faith began where understanding ended; as if it were a supreme

virtue to be convinced without proofs, to be ready to believe (Man

is Not Alone: A Philosophy of Religion by Abraham Joshua Heschel,

p. 159).

Heschel has here penetrated to one of the great errors of a

popular Christian conception of faith: plunging recklessly ahead on

the basis of ignorance. Faith is notignorance, nor is it blind. Faith is

not superstitious naivet. It is not the exaltation of the

incomprehensible or mere belief without evidence. So what then is

faith?

We can understand something of the meaning of faith by the

example of Abraham, the Father of the Faithful. In Hebrews 11:8

ff. we read: By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he

would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though

he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in

the promised land like a stranger in a foreign countryBy faith

Abraham, even though he was past age and Sarah herself wasbarren was enabled to become a father because he considered him

faithful who had made the promise.

The key to understanding Abrahams faith does not lie in

what he did not know, but in what he did know. He knew that God

was faithful. God was the object of Abrahams faith: he

considered him faithful who had made the promise (v. 11).


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It was Abrahams recognition of Gods faithfulness that

enabled his own faithfulness to God, despite the physical evidence

that he and Sarah could not again become parents.

Heschel further defines faith as it was understood in Old

Testament times: To have faith does not mean, however, to dwell in

the shadow of old ideas conceived by prophets and sages, to live off

an inherited estate of doctrines and dogmas. In the realm of the spirit

only he who is a pioneer is able to be an heir. The wages of spiritual

plagiarism is the loss of integrity; self-aggrandizement is self-

betrayal.

Authentic faith is more than an echo of tradition. It is a

creative situation, an event. For God is not always silent, and man is

not always blind. In every mans life there are moments when there

is a lifting of the veil at the horizon of the known, opening a sight of

the eternal. Each of us has caught a glimpse of the beauty, peace and

power that flow through the souls of those who are devoted to Him.

But such experiences are rare events. To some people they are like

shooting stars, passing and unremembered. In others they kindle a

light that is never quenched. The remembrance of that experience

and the loyalty to the response of that moment are the forces that

sustain our faith. In this sense, faith is faithfulness, loyalty to an

event, loyalty to our response (Man is Not Alone, pp. 164-165).

The idea of faith as faithfulness is the deeper understanding

of emunah. It is the older and more authentic understanding offaith. In Genesis 15: 6, we are told, Abram believed the Lord, and

he credited it to him as righteousness (NIV). The Jewish

Translation renders this verse as follows: And because he put his

trust in the Lord, He reckoned it to his merit. Blumenthal translates:

And Abraham had faith in God.

Abrahams faith in God was a response to Gods faithfulness

to Abraham. Abraham was loyal to God; he trusted God to do


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whatever he said hed do, despite any evidence to the contrary, or

any lack of evidence. All the evidence he needed was Gods own

faithfulness to his human creation. Gods character, in other words,

was Abrahams evidence.

God is always the object of faith. Jesus said, simply, Have

faith in God (Mark 11:22). The writer of Hebrews said, Now faith

is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

This is what the ancients were commended for (Hebrews 11:1-2

NIV). Why can we be sure well receive what we hope for? --

Because of Gods faithfulness to us. God is reliable, predictable and

trustworthy. He will do what he says hell do, no matter the evidenceto the contrary, or the apparent lack of evidence.

Faith a two-way street

Faith as faithfulness is a two-way street. God is described in the

Bible as faithful. God always keeps his part of any agreement:

Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful

God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those

who love him and keep his commands (Deuteronomy 7:9 NIV).

Because God is faithful to us, we should be faithful to him. Faith is a

reciprocal phenomenon.

Blumenthal adds another important insight to this discussion

of faith toward God: I should note that, for God, faith as

faithfulness also has the nuance of faithfulness despite the evidence.God is faithful to the human race despite the evidence of its

sinfulness, and He is faithful to His people even though the evidence

of their waywardness is undeniable (Faith and Grace in Judaism, p.

21).

In the same chapter where the faithfulness of Abraham is

discussed, we find this statement: And without faith it is impossible

to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that


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he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him

(Hebrews 11:6). God rewards. God responds, because God is faithful

to those who seriously seek him. The word earnestly is from the

Greekekzeteo meaning to seek out or search for. Because God isinvisible, he must be sought out. Those who have diligently sought

out God have often been rewarded with a divine response. The

phenomenon of conversion itself is a supernatural act performed by a

force that originates outside of oneself. Yet, it is also an act of

yielding ones will to a higher will that of God. A converted person

is a changed person; one who is actively involved with God in a

transformation of the whole person, beginning at the level of the

mind (Romans 12:1-2). As we undergo this personal transformation,we find ourselves developing new capacities of self-control, love,

patience and other products of the indwelling Spirit of God (cf.

Galatians 5:22).

As we experience God in our lives, our faith in him grows.

This was also something the Jewish people learned long ago.

Abraham Heschel writes: Memory is a source of faith. To have faith

is to remember. Jewish faith is a recollection of that which happened

to Israel in the past. The events in which the spirit of God became a

reality stand before our eyes painted in colors that never fade. Much

of what the Bible demands can be comprised in one word:

Remember. Take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently lest

thou forget the things which thine eyes saw, and lest they depart

from they heart all the days of thy life; make them known unto thy

children and thy childrens children (Deuteronomy 4:9) (Man is NotAlone, p. 162).

When my children and grandchildren and I get together, we

often reiterate some of the incredible things God has done in our

lives over the years. We talk about the healings we have participated

in, witnessed or experienced. We tell of how God changed our lives,

converted us, prospered us, blessed us, answered prayers, saved our

bacon and protected us. The telling of these true stories builds and


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shores up our faith in God. We also talk about all of the wonderful

things God has done for his people Israel, and for the many great

characters of Biblical times. So then faith comes by hearing

(Romans 10:17a).

As Heschel writes, With sustaining vitality the past survives

in their thoughts, hearts, rituals. Recollection is a holy act: we

sanctify the present by remembering the past (ibid. p. 163).

Once we have experienced the reality of God in our personal

lives, we no longer have need of academic proofs for his existence.

Paul wrote: For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it isthe power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the

Jew first, and also to the Greek.

For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith

to faith: as it is written, the just shall live by faith (Romans 1:16-

17).

The last statement in verse 17 is a quotation from the prophet

Habakkuk. In the KJV version of that verse, it reads, the just

shall live by his faith (Habakkuk 2:4). In Romans, the KJV leaves

out the word his which should be included in the verse. This is

an important thought for Paul quotes this verse twice in his writings

(Romans 1:17 & Galatians 3:11). The writer of Hebrews also quotes

it (Hebrews 10:38).

Faith is what sustains us. It keeps us going in the face of

adversity. The Jewish translation of Habakkuk 2:4 more accurately

captures the idea of faith as faithfulness: But the righteous man is

rewarded with life for his fidelity [emunah]. Fidelity is loyalty,

faithfulness, a willingness to stick with, and believe in, God no

matter what happens around us or to us. We know that God is there

for us, no matter the evidence to the contrary. He lives in our

memories of the times when he did intervene for us. We are


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propelled ahead by our memories and our experiences with God. For

people of faith, God is no mere intellectual abstraction but a living

reality whom they have experienced. Without this kind of faith, we

simply cannot please God (Hebrews 11:6).

The world we live in is a frightening place, full of threat and

danger. Evil in our time is growing and the darkness seems to be

inexorably advancing. The hand of the Enemy is everywhere present.

Christians today live with large targets on their backs. We are under

attack by militant Muslims, the political Left, Academia, the Press &

Media, Communists and neo-communists, socialists, neo-Nazis, and

even other Christians. Yet, as Paul wrote, We live by faith, not bysight (II Corinthians 5:7). If we governed ourselves by what we see

around us, we would be filled with fear and apprehension. As

Christians, we have few friends in the world. We live in faith that

God is there for us, that He will see us through. We believe that God

is faithful to us because of His divine character because of whom

and what He is. We are faithful to God because we know He is

faithful to us. As the prophet Jeremiah wrote when Gods people

were living under divine chastisement: It is of the Lords mercies

that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They

are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness (Lamentations

3:22-23). The word translated faithfulness here is emunah =

firmness. The Jewish translation renders it grace. As in the case of

Moses and the Amalekites, the word literally means firmness,

steadfastness, fidelity (see Bauer, Arndt-Gingrich lexicon, p. 53 c).

Faithfulness emunah -- is a divine attribute.

A person who is faithful to God will be rewarded by a

manifestation of Gods faithfulness to those who show fidelity to

Him. As we read in Proverbs: A faithful man shall abound with

blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent

(Proverbs 28:20). This is a similar thought to something Jesus taught.

If we show fidelity to God, trusting him for our daily bread, we

will be blessed: But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his


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righteousness; and all these [material] things shall be added unto

you (Matthew 6:33 and verses 25-34). To place emphasis on the

things of God on the advance of His kingdom in the world is to

show fidelity to the divine agenda. Those of us who show firmnessin looking out for divine interests will experience Gods ongoing

provision. This is faith as faithfulness.

Examples of Faithfulness

Hebrews 11 is traditionally called the faith chapter, and not

without good reason. It offers us some sixteen examples of

faithfulness toward God that paid off in major spiritual dividends.Abrahams example is paramount because he became known as the

father of the faithful. The apostle Paul also wrote glowingly of

Abrahams faithfulness to God: Even as Abraham believed God,

and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Know ye therefore

that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen

through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In

thee shall nations be blessed, So then they which be of faith are

blessed with faithful Abraham (Galatians 3:6-9).

If we will be faithful to God like Abraham was faithful, we

will also be blessed as Abraham was blessed. Abraham believed

whatever God said, simply because he knew that the God who said it

was faithful. He could be relied upon, trusted and believed in.

Moses, who also was faithful to God, wrote of God: Know

therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which

keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his

commandments to a thousand generations (Deuteronomy 7:9).

To have faith in God is to tie our lives in a bundle with His

life. Abraham and Sarah connected their lives to God at every level.

Sarah, like her husband, responded to Gods faithfulness with


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faithfulness of her own: Through faith also Sara herself received

strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was

past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised

(Hebrews 11:11). God was faithful, so Sarah had faith that whateverHe promised would happen, would happen. She knew Gods

character.

In all of the examples of faith in Hebrews 11, the common

denominator is the faithfulness of God. God did what he said hed do

through the people who believed in Him. Moses was able to burn the

bridges of Egypt behind him because he tied his life up with God:

By faith he [Moses] forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of theking; for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible (Hebrews

11:22). Moses knew that God was there for him. Consequently, the

full wrath and power of the most powerful man on earth in those

days meant nothing to him. His spiritual eyes were fixed on the

invisible God who would see him and his people through all trials

and tests if they were faithful.

Faith in God is a powerful thing. It can transform the world.

The writer of Hebrews said that there were people prophets who

through faith, subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness,

obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the

violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were

made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the

aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again, and others

were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain abetter resurrection. And others had trial of cruel mockings and

scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were

stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the

sword; they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being

destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:)

they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of

the earth (Hebrews 11:33-38).


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Because of their faith in God, all these received a good

report. They were assured of a place in the world to come. Their

faith in God gave them the capacity to endure otherwise unbearable

suffering for His sake. They knew that on the other side of the pain,God was waiting for them. Their hope, their future, their very

existences were tied up with their faithful Creator.

Their fear of man dissipated, and their reverence for and awe

of God increased (cf. Matthew 10:28; Acts 5:29; II Timothy 1:7 &

Hebrews 13:6).

These deeds of faith are not limited to Biblical times. Today,the Church is experiencing many of the same kinds of things the

heroes of faith of Biblical days experienced. Because of their faith in

God, even newborn baby Christians have been willing to lay their

lives on the line for Christ. Some have died, some have seen

miracles, but the same God is doing the same things for those who

have faith in Him that he did in Biblical times.

Justification by Faith?

The apostle Paul wrote to the Romans, Therefore being justified by

faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ

(Romans 5:1). What does it mean to be justified by faith?

To fully grasp the implications of Pauls theology on this

issue, we must first clear the decks of a major misunderstanding onthe part of us Christians. Prof. Marvin Wilson explains the nature of

this error: There is a common belief in todays Church that Judaism

whether in Pauls day or our own teaches salvation by works of

the Law, whereas Christianity is a religion of grace. Such an

understanding of Judaism is in reality far more a caricature or

misrepresentation than the truth. Indeed, as one Christian scholar

explains, to the extent that we propagate this view in our preaching


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and our teaching, we are guilty of bearing false witness (Our

Father Abraham, by Marvin Wilson, pp. 20-21).

The Christian scholar to whom Wilson refers is Carl D.Evans writing in The Churchs False Witness Against the Jews

(Christian Century, May 5, 1982, p. 531).

Wilson also cites a well-known Jewish scholar, Pinchas

Lapide, who wrote, The rabbinate has never considered the Torah

as a way of salvation to God[we Jews] regard salvation as Gods

exclusive prerogative, so we Jews are the advocates of pure grace.

(Wilson, p. 21).

Lapide wrote that all masters of the Talmud taught that

salvation can be attained only through Gods gracious love.

When the apostle Paul wrote to Titus that it was Not by

works of righteousness that we have done, but according to his

mercy he saved us (Titus 3:5), he was not stating something new

but something that was as old as Judaism.

When Paul also wrote, For by grace are ye saved through

faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God: Not of works

lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9), he was stating what

had long been taught in Judaism.

When Paul wrote the Romans: But he is a Jew, which is oneinwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not

in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God (Romans 2:29),

he was repeating something that Moses had written more than a

millennium earlier: Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart,

and be no more stiffnecked (Deuteronomy 10:16).

Centuries later, Jeremiah echoed the same thought:

Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, and take away the foreskins of


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your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem

(Jeremiah 4:4).

Summing it up, Wilson writes, It is important for todaysChristian community to understand, however, that Judaism does not

teach that participation in the olam ha-ba, the coming world, is

achieved by works, but through the gratuitous mercy of God

(Wilson, p. 21).

Luther & Romans

Much of the confusion in the Church about the roles of law, faith,works and grace can be laid at the feet of Martin Luther and his

commentary on Romans. Dan Gruber writes: Martin Luthers

Commentary on Romans is considered one of the most influential

books of all time. It formed a major part of the foundation on which

the Reformation was builtConcerning the scriptures in Romans

that speak of a continuing role for the Jewish people in Gods plan of

redemption for the world, Luther responds basically in two ways: He

says nothing at all, or he greatly distorts the text, sometimes

maintaining that it means the opposite of what it says (The Church

and the Jews The Biblical Relationship, by Dan Gruber, p. 282).

A fuller discussion of Luthers commentary on Romans, and

its impact on Protestant theology, is found in Chapter 41 of Grubers

book. As I write, I have before me a copy of Luthers commentary,

and I concur with Grubers remarks.

Writes Wilson, The Protestant tradition, especially

Lutheranism, has tended to see the leitmotif for Pauls understanding

of the gospel in the emphasis on justification by faith as opposed to

works of the Law. Though this theme is certainly important to Paul,

we are in essential agreement with Davies, who finds the locus of

Paul elsewhere, namely, his subordination of the Law to Christ as in

Himself a New Torah new not in the sense that He contravened the


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old but that He revealed its true character, or put it in a new light

(Wilson, pp. 28-29).

Jesus and Paul were not antinomian that is, they were notagainst the Torah. At the same time, they did not espouse the notion

that no works were necessary because we are saved by grace

through faith Christians are called to perform good works not

to earn salvation by doing them, but because that is the way Gods

people are called to live. In fact, right after explaining that

justification is not achieved by works, Paul writes, For we are his

workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God

hath before ordained that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10).

Christians should perform good works just as Jesus

performed good works. In fact, we should perform the same works

that he performed. Yet there is no work we can perform that can save

us. We must have faith in the fact that only God, in his grace, and out

of his mercy, can justify us, save us and grant us eternal life.

Faith in the New Testament

In the three instances in the New Testament where Paul and the

writer of Hebrews quote Habakkuk 2:4 the just shall live by his

faith [emunah = faithfulness] the word his is omitted, and the

Greek word used is pisteoos. It is frompistis which basically means

faith, trust. It is used in various ways in the New Testament;

therefore meaning must be determined by context and usage.

In Romans 3:3, it is used of the faithfulness or reliability of

God: For what if some did not believe? Shall their unbelief make

the faith [faithfulness] of God without effect? Paul is here speaking

of the unbelieving Israelites of the Exodus who were skeptical about

Gods ability, or willingness, to deliver them through all of the trials

of the Exodus. God did not waver; he was firm in his commitment to


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them and he faithfully carried out what he said he would do for them,

despite their doubt.

The wordpistis can also mean trust, confidence or faith. Itis the word used in the famous verse quoted earlier: And Jesus

answering saith unto them, Have faith in God (Mark 11:22). Jesus

is teaching us to place our trust and confidence in God, but it can

also have the meaning of being faithful to God that is, loyal and

steadfast, for that meaning is part of the baggage carried by the word.

We are called to be firmly confident in God. If we stick with him,

God will come through for us.

So our basic working definition of faith is faithfulness

toward God. This is the older, Hebraic understanding. This meaning

is confirmed for the Greek word pistis in theBauer-Arndt-Gingrich

Greek-English Lexicon (BAG), p. 662: 1. that which causes trust

and faith a.faithfulness, reliability. It is used of the faithfulness of

God, as we saw above (Romans 3:3). In Titus 2:10, in reference to

slaves, the word is translated fully trusted (NIV) or fidelity

(ENT). Moffat reads, faithful. The Amplified version says, truly

loyal and entirely reliable. Faithfulness (pistis) is listed as one of

the fruits or products of the indwelling Holy Spirit in Galatians 5:22.

God wants his children to be loyal to him, to stick with him

like glue, to express absolute fidelity, reliability, trustworthiness,

firmness, faithfulness and unflinching adherence to him, for he

demonstrates all of these things to his children. If we are faithful toGod, then Gods faithfulness to us will be richly manifested.

Unwavering Faithfulness

God does not seek in his children a wishy-washy kind of

faithfulness. As Moses assistants firmly held up Moses hands

during the battle with Amalek, we too must maintain a firm

faithfulness to God. Jesus half-brother, James, speaks of this kind of


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unwavering firmness in his letter: If any of you lacks wisdom, he

should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault,

and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe, and

not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blownand tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive

anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all

he does (James 1:5-8).

When he wrote this, James may have had one of Davids

Psalms in mind in which he writes, Teach me your way, O Lord,

and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may

fear your name (Psalm 86:11). God seeks in us an undividedheart that is, absolute loyalty that is not split by loyalty to anyone

or anything else. In ancient Israel, for example, there were times

when the people worshiped Yahweh while at the same time serving

pagan idols. Through the prophet Ezekiel, God addressed this split

loyalty: They will return to it[the land of Israel] and remove all its

vile images and detestable idols. I will give them an undivided heart

and put a new spirit into them (Ezekiel 11:18).

God seeks in his children undivided loyalty and faithfulness.

Our hearts and minds must be single, not split. God is not willing to

share his rightful glory with others; either we are wholly committed

to God, or we are not.

To doubt God is to waver in faith. To worship God and idols

is to divide faith. God wants from us faith that is unwavering andundivided. Consider I Kings 18 in this regard. In Elijahs day, some

of the people worshiped Baal, while at the same time claiming to

worship Yahweh. Elijah confronted them on their double-

mindedness: How long will you waver between two opinions? If the

Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him (I Kings

18:21). Study the whole chapter to understand the context and

circumstances of Elijahs question. Throughout Israels history, the

problem of double-mindedness was acute. Their worship of Yahweh


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was often split. They were not utterly faithful to him. They tried to

have it both ways: Even while these people were worshiping the

Lord, they were serving their idols. To this day their children and

grandchildren continue to do as their fathers did (II Kings 17:41).

God seeks our undivided attention. He wants us to worship

him and him alone. He desires a firm, unwavering, constant devotion

to him that he might fully bless us. He desires emunah: faithfulness,

fidelity, firmness, loyalty and unswerving devotion. Wherever the

New Testament writers quote the Old Testament (TaNaKh), and the

OT uses the word emunah that is what is meant by it.

Other Meanings ofPistis

The Greek word pistis is used in two other fundamental ways in the

New Testament. It can mean trust, confidence, faith (BAG, p. 662,

meaning No. 2). It is the word used in Mark 11:22, referenced

earlier, showing that God is the only legitimate object of faith:

Have faith in God

Speaking of Jesus Christ, the apostle Peter writes: Through

him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified

him, and so your faith [pistis] and hope are in God (I Peter 1:21).

Here the word means trust and confidence. It is in this sense that

Paul seems to use the word in Romans:

But now righteousness from God, apart from law, has beenmade known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This

righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all

who believefaith in his bloodfaith in Jesusjustified by faith

(Romans 3:21-28, excerpts).

To be justified means to be declared innocent. If we rely on

our own ability to rigorously obey those parts of Torah (Gods

instruction or direction) that apply to us as a means of becoming


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justified, were doomed. Later law-keeping cannot erase the penalty

for earlier law-breaking. All of us have sinned, no exceptions:

Romans 3:23; I John 1:8 &10; Proverbs 20:9 etc. The wages of those

sins is eternal death: Romans 6:23; Revelation 21:8. Before Christcame into our lives, we were dead intransgressions and sins

(Ephesians 2:1).

Now, in the wake of sin and death, we can no longer rely

upon our own efforts to save ourselves. As Paul writes: Therefore

no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the

law (Romans 3:20). To be justified that is declared righteous

we must rely not upon ourselves but upon Jesus Christ. Our trust,our confidence, and our faith must reside in what God, in Christ, has

done for us by way of redemption. The righteous status that we now

enjoy came not through our own efforts, but, This righteousness

from God comes through faith in [trust or confidence in] Jesus

Christ (Romans 3:22). Righteousness is a covenantal term.

Gods righteousness is based upon his faithfulness to the covenants

he makes with man.

Of course the redemptive work of God in Christ in which we

now have confidence does not relieve us of our obligation to keep

those aspects ofTorah that legitimately apply to us. As Paul writes,

Do we, then, nullify the law (Torah) by this faith? Not at all! Rather

we uphold the law (Torah) (Romans 3:31).

[Note: The Hebrew word Torah which means instruction,or direction from God, is usually translated with the Greek word

nomos in the New Testament.Nomos is not an exact equivalent, but

when we know the Hebrew word behind the Greek word, we gain a

better idea of the intent.]

A Third Basic Meaning


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were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed

in two; they were put to death with the sword. They went about in

sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated the

world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts andmountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.

These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them

received what had been promised. God had planned something

better for us so that only together with us would they be made

perfect (Hebrews 11:32-40).

It is little wonder then that the same author writes: Withoutfaith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).


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First Principles of theChristian Faith Part III

THE DOCTRINE OF

BAPTISMS

he King James translation of Hebrews 6:2 describes the the

doctrine of baptisms as one of the elementary teachings

about Christ (Hebrews 6:1). The word doctrine is here

translated from the Greek didache, meaning simply

instruction or what is taught (BAG*). Note another

point: the word baptisms is plural.

In order to understand what was taught among the original

believing community about baptisms, we must first consider the

origins of baptism. The ritual was not new to the Christian church.

Its origins stretch deep into history.

The Origins of Baptism

The rite of baptism was not invented by Christians. Its beginnings

are of much greater antiquity. Ritual immersion was well known

from early times in Judaism. Our English word baptize comes

from the Greek baptizo (pronounced bap-tid-zo) which means to

dip or to immerse (BAG*). In non-Christian usage, it was

T


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commonly understood to mean plunge, sink, drench or overwhelm

(ibid. BAG). Of all these words, the most appropriate is immerse.

In Biblical times, baptism was a rite in both Judaism andearly Christianity, but it was not designated a sacrament until post-

New Testament times.

[Note: The word sacrament is not found in the Bible. It is

derived from the Latin word sacramentum, which originally denoted

a sum of money deposited by two parties in a lawsuit. After the

decision of the court, the winners money was returned, while that of

the loser was forfeited as a sort of offering to the gods. The transitionto the Christian use of the term is probably to be sought (1) in its

military use to denote the oath by which a soldier solemnly pledges

obedience to his commander; and (2) in the Vulgates use of it to

translate the Greek word for mystery. The sacraments were regarded

as both pledges of obedience and mysteries -- Manual of Christian

Doctrine by Louis Berkhof, pp. 310-311].

Ablutions in Israel

The real origin of the Christian rite of baptism is to be found in the

ritual purification rites of ancient Israel. Washings and ablutions

were very much a part of Israels relationship with God. It is in the

Oral Law of the Jews (Mishnah, Sotah, ix. 15) that we find the basis

for the well-known proverb, Cleanliness is next to godliness.

When God commanded the people of Israel to appear before

him at Sinai, he said to Moses: Go to the people and consecrate

them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes and be

ready by the third day (Exodus 19:10). God did not want his

people appearing before him caked in sweat and dust from the desert

floor. When we approach the holiness of God, we must be clean

inside and out.


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As Israelite practice became formalized, it took on three

forms: 1) The washing of hands, 2) The washing of hands and feet

and 3) Immersion of the whole body in water. Technically, the ritual

washing of hands is not specifically commanded in the Bible. It wasbased on deductive thinking drawing from passages of Scripture like

Psalm 26:6. Once it was established, an elaborate set of support

rituals grew up around hand-washing. Those who wish to research

hand washing ritual further may consult the rabbinical code Shulhan

Aruk, Orah Hayyim, pp. 117-165.

Hand and foot washing were only required for priests. The

rule is found in Exodus 30:19 & 40:30. This practice was continueduntil the destruction of the Temple by the Romans in 70 CE.

Ritual immersion of the whole body is found frequently in

the Old Testament (The TaNaKh). We read the following in the

Jewish Encyclopedia: The washing of the whole body is the form of

Ablution most frequently ordained in Scripture, and for the greatest

number of causes. According to rabbinical interpretation, this is only

valid when performed by immersion, either in a natural fountain or

stream or in a properly constructed mikweh, or ritual bath,

containing at least forty seahs (about one hundred and twenty

gallons) of water (Jewish Encyclopedia.com, article Ablution).

Examples of whole body immersion requirements are found

in the following passages: Leviticus 22:4-6; Leviticus 14:8-9;

Leviticus 15:5-11; Leviticus 16:23-28; Leviticus 15: 16-25 and otherverses.

The same source tells us that, A Gentile wishing to become

a proselyte must also immerse his whole body. This ceremony is, no

doubt, historically allied to Baptism, which is thought by modern

authorities to have originated among the Essenes, who were very

scrupulous respecting ablutions and in the observance of the rules of

purity (ibid.).


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A gentile who became a Jew was, during the second Temple

period, required to perform three things upon conversion: 1) Ritual

immersion, 2). Circumcision (males only), and 3). Offer a sacrifice.

These rites became an issue for the early Church which found a needto set forth a ruling on it; more on that later.

The Mikveh

The Mikveh ritual immersion bath was invented to accommodate

the requirements of ceremonial immersion. As we have seen, it was

designed to contain at least 120 gallons of very pure water. The word

mikveh means a gathering of waters. It has its source in theaccount of the third day of creation where God calls the gathered

waters [mikveh] seas (Genesis 1:10). Because of this reference to

the oceans, the ocean itself is considered a legitimate mikveh.

The Essenes practiced daily immersion.

Ritual immersion baths mikvaot were found in some

Jewish homes, and in synagogues of the second Temple period.

Many very large mikvaothave been found at the Temple site itself.

Herods temple contained a large number of such baths constructed

primarily for priestly use. In fact, 48 mikvaothave been found near

the monumental staircase that leads into the larger Temple complex.

For Jews, there were multiple occasions for which ritual

immersion was called. Converting proselytes (as we saw earlier) hadto be immersed. Menstruous women were required to undergo

immersion following their period. Various bodily emissions required

it. Even pots and pans manufactured by non-Jews had to be

immersed before usage. Jews were also immersed just prior to the

observance of Yom Kippur (Atonement) as a sign of repentance and

purity.


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In the construction of synagogues, the building of the mikveh

was more important than the synagogue itself. Attention had to be

paid to exacting requirements.Mikvaothad staircases leading down

into the water with a divider to separate those going down from thosecoming up. As we have already learned, 120 gallons of water were

needed to ensure complete submergence. (If you wish to study

Jewish ritual immersion in greater detail, please consult the tractate

Mikwaoth in theMishnah (Oral Law of the Jews).

Mikveh Requirements

The water in a mikveh could not be mixed with any other kind ofliquid. It had to be living water, not manually drawn water. Natural

springs, rivers or oceans were all considered legitimate mikvaot.

The water channeled to the ritual immersion bath must not be passed

through anything unclean. It could not be taken from a vessel or

receptacle in which it had been standing. Typically, the water used in

a mikveh was taken from a river or a spring. In some cases, rain

water was channeled directly into the ritual immersion bath.

Those being immersed often went down into the water naked,

but never in the presence of the opposite gender. Prof. Marvin

Wilson describes the process for proselytes: In proselyte baptism,

The candidate, fully naked, immersed himself in the waters,

symbolically cleansing himself from the antecedent defilement. His

past behind him, he emerged to take his stand with the people of

Israel. (Our Father Abraham, p. 22.) Self-immersion was the mostcommon form, though officiating priests or priestesses were allowed

to touch the baptized person to ensure that all went under, or to

stabilize the person. The candidate walked down into the water and

squatted down with arms stretched straight out before him or her.

Total immersion was then accomplished.

An interesting observation about ritual immersion is found in

theJewish Encyclopedia: The baptismal water (Mikveh) in rabbinic


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literature was referred to as the womb of the world, and as a convert

came out of the water it was considered a new birth separating him

from the pagan world. As the convert came out of these waters his

status was changed and he was referred to as a little child just bornor a child of one day (Yeb. 22a; 48b; 97b). We see the New

Testament using similar Jewish terms as born anew, new

creation, and born from above

These terms were not new with Jesus. They were common in

2nd

Temple Judaism and reflected Jewish ritual immersion practice.

The Significance of Jesus Baptism

We have seen that the rite of Christian baptism had its roots in long-

standing Jewish practice. Jesus himself was baptized in the Jordan

River by John the Baptist. All three synoptic Gospels (Matthew,

Mark & Luke) include an account of the event. As we have already

seen, a free-flowing river like the Jordan met the requirements for a

mikveh.

Each account of Jesus baptism includes a detail not

contained by the other two. Lukes account (the translation) uses the

passive voice: Jesus was baptized (Luke 3:21); it says nothing

about John the Baptist in this context. We also learn from Luke that

Jesus was praying during his baptism (same verse). The next verse

tells us that the Holy Spirit took on the bodily form of a dove as it

came down upon Jesus (verse 22). The arrival of the Holy Spirit wasfollowed by the voice of God from heaven saying, You are My

beloved Son, in You I am well pleased (verse 22b).

Marks account adds the detail that it was John who baptized

Jesus (Mark 1:9).

Matthews report tells that Jesus experienced baptism to

fulfill all righteousness (Matthew 3:15b). What does this mean? We


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know that Jesus was not a sinner and that John baptized for

repentance (verse 11). What need of baptism did Jesus have? There

was nothing in his life of which he needed to repent (Hebrews 4:15).

What does it mean to fulfill all righteousness? Dr. Brad

Young, a noted Hebrew roots scholar, comments: He [Jesus]

explains that he must fulfill all righteousness. In his identity with the

total human need, he submitted to baptism in order to affirm the

process of redemption which was in action as a result of Johns

prophetic career. Lukes portrayal drives home the message. Jesus is

with all the people, thus demonstrating his total identification with

all humanity. (Jesus the Jewish Theologian, p. 17)

What is important about the descent of the Holy Spirit upon

Jesus is not so much the symbolism itself, but the fact of Jesus

empowerment to carry out his Messianic role in the divine plan.

Again, Dr. Young explains: Perhaps this is the point at the baptism

of Jesus. The phenomenon of the Spirits descent is of greater import

than supposed symbolism. It is so tangible and real in the dimension

of human experience that a dove descends upon him. The Spirit

empowerment for service is of prime significance at the baptism of

Jesus. Although sometimes the dove is thought to symbolize the

Holy Spirit or the people of Israel, it actually opens a vista into the

supernatural realmGod has empowered Jesus for service (ibid. p.

20).

According to Dr. Young, the heavenly voice is alluding totwo important Messianic passages in the TaNaKh (Old Testament):

Psalm 2:7 & Isaiah 42:1. The NIV translation of the former passage

reads as follows: He said to me, You are my Son, today I have

become your Father. Dr. Young suggests that a better rendering of

that verse would read: I have brought thee forth. God is presenting

and empowering His Anointed One before the world. This is clearer

in the NIV rendering of Isaiah 42:1: Here is my servant, whom I

uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him


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and he will bring justice to the nations. The word chosen in

Hebrew is bachiri synonymous with beloved.

Johns Prophecy

John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus. He knew who Jesus was

and he understood his mission at least in part. Matthews account

sheds light on what John knew: In those days John the Baptist came

preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, Repent, for the

kingdom of heaven is at hand! (Matthew 3:1-2). When he said at

hand, he meant just that. The Kingdom of God (Heaven) was not

merely some promise to be fulfilled millennia down the line withJesus it would become a present reality. The Greek word here is in

the perfect meaning: it has drawn near but it has not necessarily

arrived (Linguistic Key to the Greek New Testamentby Reinecker.

P. 6).

The Kingdom of God was imminent because Jesus was about

to commence his ministry. He had spent 30 years of his life

preparing for it. Now it was time. God in Christ was now setting in

motion the centerpiece of his redemptive plan.

John then quoted a Messianic passage from the book of

Isaiah: For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias,

saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the

way of the Lord, make his paths straight (Matthew 3:3 KJV; Isaiah

40:3). This is an unfortunate translation. It obscures the meaning ofIsaiahs original statement. In the KJV of Isaiah, we read the

following: The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare

ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our

God. The word Lord here is YHVHand our God isElohim. The

Lord whose way John is preparing is YHVH, and he is to come

through or from the desert.


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Holy Spirit. On the day of Pentecost that was the birthday of the

Church, the apostle Peter said to the men of Israel (Acts 2:22):

Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus

Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of theHoly Spirit (Acts 2:38).

The Rite of Christian Baptism

In the centuries since that first day of Pentecost for the Church, many

changes have been made to what was once a simple rite practiced

within Judaism. (It must be remembered that the first manifestation

of the Church took place entirely within Judaism. There, it wasknown as the sect of the Nazarene (cf. Acts 24:5). It was a

movement centered on Jesus and it was part and parcel with the

Jewish world.)

Scholars of the Jerusalem School believe the events of that

Pentecost day took place within the Temple itself (Luke 24:53) that

is the house spoken of in Acts 2:2. It is significant that the birth of

the Church occurred on the same day Jewish tradition teaches the

Torah was given on Mt. Sinai. A sound like a rushing mighty wind

filled the Temple. Some have suggested that it may have been the

sound of a shofar the rams horn used in many Jewish ceremonies;

however, there is no way to prove this.

Immediately following this sound, Then there appeared to

them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.Andthey were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with

other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:3-4).

The Spirit descending upon Jesus had manifested a dove-like

appearance. For the disciples, it was cloven tongues of fire. The

Holy Spirit then empowered those gathered in the Temple to speak

in languages they had not learned: And they were all filled with the


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Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave

them utterance (Acts 2:4).

The people who were gathered were all Jews. Many hadcome in from various parts of the Diaspora. A wide variety of

regional languages was represented. Remarkably, the assembled

Jews heard people from other parts of the world speaking in their

languages (Acts 2:5-6). Perhaps the significance of this is to show

that the Spirit would give them the wherewithal to carry out the

commission theyd been given: And He opened their

understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. Then He

said to them, Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for theChrist to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that

repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to

all nations, beginning at Jerusalem (Luke 24:46-47).

Jesus said that it is necessary that his redemptive story be

told in all nations. It was to start at Jerusalem, and thats exactly

where it did start. God showed that the Holy Spirit could provide the

first apostles with anything they needed to get the job done

including the gift of foreign languages if necessary. (I did hear of

one man in our time to whom was given the ability to speak

Portuguese by the Holy Spirit in order to go to the people of Brazil.

He had never been exposed to that language in his life. It is rare to

see this happen in our day.)

Baptism into the Body

The Church is not primarily an institution or an organization. It is the

Body of Christ that is, it his instrumentation in the world. The

apostle Paul explained this to the Corinthians when he wrote: The

body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its

parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we are

all baptized [immersed] by one Spirit into one body whether Jews


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or Greeks, slave or free and we were all given the one Spirit to

drink (I Corinthians 12:12-13).

The Church has organizations, but it isnt an organization.The organizations that it has are tools, not ends in themselves. The

Body of Christ is the spiritual entity into which we are all immersed

by the action of the Holy Spirit. At the same time, we drink of the

Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 12:13b).

It is the Holy Spirit, not organizational affiliation, or belief

systems, that makes one a part of the Church.

Water Baptism

Christian water baptism has its origins in Jewish ritual immersion. It

is done once, at conversion (Acts 2:38), not thrice daily or weekly.

To be baptized means to be immersed in water, not merely sprinkled

with it. The significance of full immersion is explained in Pauls

letter to the Romans: What shall we say, then? Shall we go on

sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin;

how can we live in it any longer? Or dont you know that all of us

who were baptized into Christ were baptized into his death? We

were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order

that, just as Christ was raised from the deadthrough the glory of the

Father, we too may live a new life (Romans 6:1-4).

Christian baptism represents a burial of the old sinful self the person you used to be. When we rise from the baptismal waters,

we are born anew. We begin a new life in Christ. In the past, we

were dead in our sins, but now we are alive again because of what

Christ did in our lives. When we come up out of the baptismal

waters, we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to walk in newness of

life.


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In baptism then, we have died to sin, and have been

resurrected to a new, moral life.

In Galatians 3:26-29, Paul connects baptism with faith andsonship. He writes, You are all sons of God through faith in Christ

Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed

yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor

free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you

belong to Christ, then you are Abrahams seed, and heirs according

to the promise.

As baptized Christians, our union with Christ overcomes allhuman divisions including race, class and gender. Each of us is a

new person in Christ. Spiritually, we are all on a par as children of

God. We are equally eligible to co-inherit the promises made to

Abraham and his progeny.

Paul expanded on his understanding of the meaning of

baptism in his letter to the Colossians, For in Christ all the fullness

of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in

Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. In him you

are also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature [body of

the sins of the flesh Greek], not with a circumcision done by the

hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been

buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in

the power of God, who raised him from the dead (Colossians 2:9-

12).

Paul then adds one more clarification, When you were dead

in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature [Greek:

of your flesh], God made you alive with Christ (verse 13).

Summing Up


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Baptism means immersion in most cases. A possible exception

would be Luke 11:38 where the term is used of hand-washing, yet,

even that passage could refer to the immersion of the hands in water

to cleanse them.

Christian baptism retained the sense of ritual purification

found in Jewish practice (I Peter 3:21). It also depicts our adoption

as Gods children. When we receive the Holy Spirit at baptism, we

gain the right to call God Abba or Father (Galatians 4:6;

Romans 8:15-17).

In Judaism, circumcision for males symbolized entry into thefold. For Christians, baptism has the same effect it is the formal

entrance rite into the covenantal community (Colossians 2:11-12). In

baptism, we Christians symbolically die to our sins and close the

door on our past lives. We are buried in baptism with Christ, and we

rise from that watery grave in purity to share the new life brought

about by Jesus resurrection (Romans 6:1-4). Baptism is, in effect, a

new birth (John 3:4-5) to a new life in Christ.


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First Principles of theChristian Faith Part IV

LAYING ON OF

HANDS

he practice of laying on of hands has an antiquitous history.

In Moses day, Israel offered animal sacrifices to God in the

tabernacle. God himself instructed Moses in the correct

procedures. He said, Bring the bull to the front of the Tent

of Meeting, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on

its head. Slaughter it in the Lords presence at the entrance to the

Tent of Meeting... (Exodus 29:10-11 NIV).

Laying hands on the sacrificial animals head symbolically

transferred the deeds and their effects of the one offering the

sacrifice to the animal. The animals death represented the death of

the individual. The priest would lean his hands on the animals head,between the horns. Similar instructions were given for sacrificing

rams (verse 15).

In Leviticus 3:2, 8 & 12, we find similar instructions

concerning the sacrifice of goats. The sacrifice of animals was for

the atonement of sins: After the Levites lay their hands on the heads

of the bulls, use the one for a sin offering to the Lord and the other

for a burnt offering to make atonement for the Levites (Numbers

T


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8:12). Study also Leviticus 16:20-22 to see how the sins of the sins

of t

b knowles: first principles of the christian faith

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