Many professing Christians today believe that Christ did away with the Law. They often think that Christ kept the Law for them, and earning salvation does not come with any requirements or responsibilities beyond loving God and your neighbor. But is this the case?
Course Spotlight From The Life, Ministry, and Teachings of Jesus Christ: (Unit 2) The Galilean Ministry
Author: Mr. Kenneth Frank | Faculty in Theology, Living Education
Estimated Reading time: 6 min., 46 sec.
Early in our four Gospels, we read about a man named John, later called John the Baptist or John the Baptizer. Some may conclude from this title that John first used or even invented the practice. The Gospels name a few of the locations near the Jordan River where he baptized those who came to him for spiritual cleansing. Readers of the New Testament may conclude that water baptism was a new ceremony begun by John. However, as this Digging Deeper will disclose, total immersion water baptism long predates the ministry of John.
Within a couple of months, the Church of God will again observe the annual Passover, so now is the time to concentrate on its deep spiritual meaning. As an annual recommitment to our baptismal covenant with Christ, we reflect on our momentous, life-transforming decision to accept His sacrifice for our sins and serve Him as loyal disciples. Tracing the history of water baptism will deepen our appreciation for its spiritual significance.
Ablutions and bathing were practiced by many ancient peoples. The NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible notes that “From the OT to Greek, Hittite and Egyptian temples, ritual purity and purification were important in the ancient world. Jewish people observed various ceremonial washings, and some groups, such as the Essenes, took these practices to an extreme” (Tecarta Bible App). The Essenes were an ascetic group living near the Dead Sea during the time of John the Baptist and Jesus.
This source continues: “Many ancient cults practiced ceremonial washings, which are also common in the OT and Judaism; some Jewish sects (such as the people who produced the Dead Sea Scrolls) were particularly scrupulous about these washings, but others (such as Sadducees and Pharisees) also shared this emphasis. Whereas most of these washings were often repeated, one kind of immersion (apparently attested even by some first- and second-century Gentile writers) was employed for conversion, namely of Gentiles converting to Judaism (alongside male circumcision)” (Ibid.).
Further describing this practice, the Dictionary of the Apostolic Church, edited by James Hastings, in its article by A.J. Maclean on “Baptism of proselytes” states that “The Jews admitted ‘proselytes of righteousness,’ i.e. full proselytes, with baptism, circumcision, and sacrifice. This custom was very common in Rabbinical times, though Josephus and Philo do not mention it, and some have therefore concluded that it did not exist in the 1st cent.; but Edersheim has clearly proved from ancient evidence that it was then in use (LT [Note: T Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah (Edersheim).] ii. 746, Appendix xii.)” (e-Sword 12.2).
The NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible describes later Jewish baptisms: “Jewish initiatory baptisms involved immersion; later rabbis in fact required full-body immersions to be performed naked, to guarantee that the entire body was covered. Nevertheless, at an early stage Christians began making other arrangements where conditions were less than ideal (Didache 7.1–3)” (Tecarta Bible App).
Describing the seriousness of Jewish baptism of Gentile converts, Paul H. Wright in the Rose Then and Now Bible Map Atlas states: “A second type of immersion was required of Gentile proselytes converting to Judaism. These underwent a single initiatory rite of baptism to remove the defilement which had adhered to them, as non-Jews, from birth” (Rose Publishing, 2012, p. 164).
Various Baptisms in Biblical History
The following summarizes an article in the Archaeological Study Bible (Zondervan, 2010, p. 1328):
Ritual immersion in water was a frequently used religious symbol in ancient Judaism. It symbolized purification and the removal of sin or was sometimes employed as an initiation rite to represent a change of status or a conversion.
John’s Baptism
The Rose Then and Now Bible Map Atlas describes how John adapted this custom: “But unlike the Temple Jews, the Essenes–and John–reserved immersion for people who first repented of their sins” (Ibid., p. 163). This is why John’s baptism was described as a “baptism of repentance” by the Gospels of Mark and Luke and the Book of Acts. Unlike some Jewish ritual baptisms, John’s baptism was once for all: “John’s one-time ‘baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins’ was an initiatory rite aimed at emphasizing the need for living righteously (defined in terms of social, liturgical, acts) in a Kingdom of Heaven [Matthew’s term for the Kingdom of God] that was inclusive of anyone who submitted to its waters, regardless of gender, ethnicity, status or former life” (Ibid., p. 164). It was this particular form of baptism that gave John the distinctive nickname of “the Baptist” or “the Baptizer.”
Today, Christians also request baptism, after they have repented of their sins, to receive forgiveness. Jesus came to John for baptism, not for spiritual cleansing of sin, but to fulfill all righteousness (Matthew 3:15). John knew his baptism was limited when he told his followers, when Jesus came for baptism, that Jesus’ followers would receive the “baptism of the Spirit” from Jesus as well (Mark 1:8). In the Old Testament, water is often associated with the Spirit (Isaiah 44:3; Ezekiel 36:25-27; Joel 2:28-29). Today, Christians receive this baptism of the Spirit with the laying on of hands by the ministry following water baptism. This distinguishes Christian baptism from John’s baptism. Baptism is indeed a symbolic act – there is no magic worked by getting wet. Yet that does not mean it is unimportant. It is a commanded observance that represents being crucified with Christ, buried with Him in baptism, and rising to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:3-6).
John’s baptism was preparatory to Christian baptism – a stepping stone that focused more attention on Jesus’ Spirit baptism than his own. John knew he prepared the way for the coming of the Lord and that his ministry would diminish as Jesus’ ministry ascended (John 1:15, 26-30; Acts 19:4). Additionally, he recognized his place in God’s preparation for the coming of the Messiah (John 1:23). His baptism of repentance prepared many people for Jesus’ baptism of the Spirit, including some of John’s disciples who left him to follow Jesus instead. It was a vital link in the chain of God’s plan. As we prepare for this year’s Passover service, let us reflect on this baptism history to better appreciate our place in that chain.
Kenneth Frank was born and raised in New Jersey, USA, and attended Ambassador College, graduating in 1973. He served in the Canadian ministry from 1973-1999, after which he returned to the USA to pastor churches in Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina for 15 years. Having earned a BA degree from Ambassador College he later earned a MA degree from Grand Canyon University before being assigned to the Charlotte office to teach at Living University, now Living Education. Currently, he teaches the Survey of the Bible course to the on-campus students and writes the Digging Deeper column for our online Bible study program. He is married, has four children, and seven grandchildren.
Author: Juliette McNair | Student, Living Education 2021
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 15 seconds.
“How many of you have heard the phrase, An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure?” Mr. Mike DeSimone joined the students in the Living-Ed classroom and gave an interactive Assembly. He said that this saying doesn’t only apply to preventing future disasters. “I want to talk about the actions we take now and the impact they have on the future.”
Using the newly-installed whiteboard on the wall behind him, Mr. DeSimone drew a diagram of a lever with a tiny weight on one side, labeled “Now,” and a large weight leveraged on the other side, labeled “Future.” Small actions today, with just an ounce of energy, can accomplish things worth a pound of energy later in life.
Luke 2:41-52 gives the account of Christ lingering in Jerusalem and His parents returning to find Him. They found him asking questions and listening to the teachers in the temple. He told His parents, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” Mr. DeSimone explained that, at twelve years old, “He was preparing Himself to begin the very Church of God and train the apostles to continue the Church and preach the Gospel for the next thousands of years.”
Ezra was given the opportunity to lead his people back to Jerusalem. But only after he “had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the LORD” [Ezra 7:10]. Ezra prepared himself but didn’t necessarily know that he would be called to lead the return. Mr. DeSimone stated, “What you do now may even provide opportunities in the future that will not be there if you don’t prepare.”
Mr. DeSimone used the example of the cost to fix an issue with an iPhone. During the assembling stage—Stage 1—it might cost one hundred dollars. At Stage 2, when it is a finished product, that same issue costs 1,000 dollars to fix. And at Stage 3, when it’s shipped, the cost is 10,000 dollars. “This is the value of fixing a problem early… If this was life pain, issues, or troubles, how much would you rather spend taking care of that?”
Mr. DeSimone covered five areas of preparation by posing questions and discussing various answers. “What can you do now to prepare for your future spiritually?” One student answered, “Fasting.” Through the right actions, like fasting, the right trajectory is set. He asked, “What are some ways you can prepare for a family?” A student raised his hand and replied, “For men, learning leadership.” Next was, “How can you prepare to be loyal to the Work and the Church?” Someone volunteered, “By learning how to explain the truth to non-Church members.” One answer to, “How can you prepare for your future career or life-work?” was, “By staying educated in your career.” Mr. DeSimone nodded, “Whatever you’re doing, you need to continually educate yourself—relentlessly.” Finally, Mr. DeSimone asked, “How can you prepare for your future financially?” One young lady raised her hand and said that you must, as she learned from Mr. Jerry Ruddlesden’s Christian Finance course, live below your means.
“Everything we do now is leverage for the future—every life-choice and every habit… The way you spend your time now influences the way, when opportunities come, you are prepared.”
The nobleman’s servants, in Christ’s parable (Luke 19:11-17), didn’t know what their reward was. But when they realized that their small minas could bring entire cities as rewards, they must have thought, as Mr. DeSimone interpreted, “I should’ve put in more—all I needed to do was do it right then.” The minas represent “all the things we have control over now.” Our actions now determine our future. Mr. DeSimone concluded, “As much as you prepare yourself now for the future, you will reap greater rewards.”
Martin Luther removed books from the Old Testament, and fought to strip away sections of the New Testament as well. Luther’s words denigrating James’ epistle are well-known.
Course Spotlight From The General Epistles: (Part 1) The Letters of James and Peter
Author: Juliette McNair | Student, Living Education 2021
Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes, 16 seconds.
Modern science claims matter and energy are the two fundamental elements of life. “But,” Mr. Richard Ames said, “there’s another factor: intelligence.” Mr. Ames played the documentary Unlocking the Mystery of Life for his Assembly. In this documentary, scientists argue that intelligent design is undeniably present in nature. Mr. Ames asked the students to consider this question as they watched the video: “Why should intelligence be a foundational element of science?”
“If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed, which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down.”
– Charles Darwin
Irreducible complexity is the idea that a biological system could not have evolved through tiny, incremental developments because the system itself cannot be any less complex to operate. This concept is clearly seen in the functioning of the tail-like organ called a flagellum on a bacterium. Flagella can spin at speeds up to 100,000 rpm. Just like an outboard motor on a boat, these natural propellors have gears, a stator, rotor, u-joint, driveshaft, and propellor—in total, they have 40 different parts. Evolution must explain how this system can be built gradually when the system only works when each part is functioning. The biologist Jonathan Wells explains that natural selection “selects only for a functional advantage… so if you had a bacterium with a tail that didn’t function as a flagellum, chances are natural selection would eliminate it. The only way you can select for a flagellum is if you have… all the pieces of the motor in place to begin with.”
The video introduced Dr. Dean Kenyon, who wanted to answer the question: “How did life begin in the first place?” He theorized that amino acids assembled themselves into proteins millions of years ago through chemical attraction. A student challenged him on how amino acids could assemble without instructions from DNA. DNA regulates the sequences and shapes amino acids need to form to create proteins. Dr. Kenyon found he couldn’t explain how amino acids had formed proteins without any instruction from pre-existing DNA. Furthermore, natural selection, by definition, needs existing organisms to operate. The issue of the origin of DNA is a major challenge to evolutionary theory.
“Science ought to be a search for the truth about the world… when we come to a puzzle in nature, we ought to bring to that puzzle every possible cause that might explain it. One of the problems I have with evolutionary theory is that it artificially rules out a kind of cause even before the evidence has a chance to speak, and the cause that’s ruled out is intelligence.”
– Paul Nelson
When archeologists discover ruins or when tourists see Mount Rushmore, they assume an intelligent mind was responsible. William Dembski wondered why. He established two reliable criteria for determining whether something was designed or not: small probability and specification. It’s highly improbable erosion carved faces into Mount Rushmore. The specific patterns of the faces are also recognizable. This speaks to design. From computer software to words scratched in the sand on the beach, people take intelligent design for granted all the time—without needing to be present when it was done. Scientists even monitor outer space for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence. If a highly improbable, specifically patterned signal was intercepted from space, researchers would declare extraterrestrial intelligence existed. Yet, the microscopic world of a single cell exhibits these same signs of intelligence and the possibility of intelligent design is rejected out of hand.
Mr. Ames stopped the documentary when the assembly time ran out. He encouraged the students to finish the documentary in their own time. The visible world may consist of matter and energy, but every component—from Mount Rushmore to bacteria flagella to the genetic code in living cells—reflects intelligence in its functioning and origin. The documentary Mr. Ames played proved that intelligence is as elemental to science as DNA is to the natural world.
This post is part of our new series of student-written content for LivingEd-Charlotte. These summaries cover topics originally presented by our faculty and guest speakers in our weekly Forum and Assembly. For more Assembly-related content check out our Second Thoughts posts.
Some religions teach that Jesus Christ is a created being. Some even say that He was the brother of Lucifer, or that He was the archangel Michael. Is Jesus Christ a created being, or is He eternal?
Course Spotlight from The Life Ministry and Teachings of Jesus Christ: (Unit 1) The Early Life of Christ
Author: Juliette McNair | Student, Living Education Charlotte 2021
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 16 seconds.
Dr. Richard Franz, the area pastor of the Illinois and Missouri congregations, said, “While trust in God is our ultimate duty, it doesn’t rule out our responsibility to work hard and prepare diligently.” In his assembly, he reminded the students of the importance of what they do today to prepare for tomorrow.
“If we’re waiting for the absolute perfect conditions to do something in life, it will never happen.”
The lives of those God has called now are not dress-rehearsals. True Christians cannot afford to kill time. Solomon wrote, “He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap” (Ecclesiastes 11:4). Dr. Franz explained that while a farmer cannot control the weather, the longer he takes to do his planting, the longer the harvest is put off.
“There are two necessary ingredients to making each day a masterpiece: Decisions and discipline.” Discipline without good decisions results in constant but aimless movement, while decisions without discipline are not sustained. Theodore Hesburgh said, “Don’t make decisions because they are easy… cheap… [or] popular; you make them because they’re right.” Then after a decision, discipline must be exercised. Dr. Franz held up a “Wash Away Your Sins” bar of soap as a prop—change does not come after one washing. Decisions and discipline are required for success. But how can these principles be applied daily? The students were given eight keys to making today matter.
First, take responsibility for your attitude. If you are wronged, “gird up the loins of your mind” (1 Peter 1:13) and move forward. When you are not treated with a good attitude, instead of denying any fault, Dr. Franz advised, examine yourselves to see if you in any way caused that wrong attitude.
“With all things equal—or sometimes unequal—attitude wins.”
Repent of your bad attitude. Paul said, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances” (Philippians 4:11). Decide to change. We can’t change everything, but we can change our attitude.
The third key was: “Find something positive in everything.” Dr. Franz pointed out that one can grumble as much on the inside, without saying a word, as verbally out loud. God also teaches Christians how to think, not complaining, but dwelling on true, noble, and admirable things (Philippians 4:8).
Fourth: Project your future. Like pole-vaulters who envision every moment of their race and jump before they compete, envision and conduct yourself like the person you want to become. The students were encouraged, “Transformation takes time. That’s why today matters.”
Don’t be a walking Brillo pad.
Fifth: Place a high value on people. It isn’t possible to dislike people and maintain a good attitude simultaneously. Christians should not be “like walking Brillo pads, scouring everyone they touch.” Rather, “value others above yourself” (Philippians 2:3).
“Remove negative phrases from your vocabulary.” Negative vocabulary about yourself, others, and your situation reinforce bad behavior. “It lets us off the hook.” Instead, think “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).
Seventh: Develop a strong attitude of gratitude. Dr. Franz explained that gratitude is not a matter of sophistication but perspective. He quoted Zig Ziglar, the famous motivational speaker, “The more you are grateful for what you have the more you will have to be grateful for.” That doesn’t mean you get more—it means you see more of what you already have.
Finally, “If you want to change tomorrow, you’ve got to start today.” Time is the most precious resource. While time can’t be changed or controlled, Dr. Franz said, “You can change your priorities.”
“Start today, because today matters.”
Trust in God is fundamental, but Christians also have the responsibility to “keep our powder dry” daily with discipline and decisiveness. Dr. Franz dared the students to not get distracted by things out of their control but to take ownership over the changes they can make in their lives now—today.
This post is part of our new series of student-written content for LivingEd-Charlotte. These summaries cover topics originally presented by our faculty and guest speakers in our weekly Forum and Assembly. For more Assembly-related content check out our Second Thoughts posts.
In some of our online courses, we have a “Student Thoughts” section where we ask a question to see what the students think. In Unit 4 of the Life Ministry and Teachings of Jesus Christ course, we asked the questions:
How do we abide in Christ? (John 15:4) How do we allow God’s word to abide in us? (John 15:7) What does that look like in a practical sense?
Read some of the responses:
“For us to abide in Christ, we must be full of His words, they must be part of our thoughts, actions and motives. [We must] Be sensitive to the leading of the Spirit, for this is from Christ and lights our way, giving us understanding and repentance when we err. Stay close to the truth and be courageous!”
— VC
“It is the Holy Spirit that helps us abide in Christ. As we have seen in the lesson, the Holy Spirit connects our minds to God. It imparts both understanding and strength hence keeping Gods truth flowing in hearts. For a tree to bear fruits, adequate water has to flow through, bringing in the right minerals. A good fruit is not formed by itself. We need Gods Holy Spirit so as to bring forth good fruits.”
— LK
“The A.S.K. formula from Matthew 7:7 is helpful. ‘Ask’ – start by having a prayerful attitude. Don’t approach life with an attitude of: ‘Here’s how I think about it.’ Go to the Father, humbly in prayer, asking to guide your approach to anything you face. ‘Seek’ – search God’s word for the answer. Know that God has revealed the truth to us through the pages of the Bible. The basic principles concerning all the fundamental things we face in life is contained in there somewhere … find it! ‘Knock’ – go forward in faith with what you have been guided to do through prayer and Bible study.”
— TW