Baptized for the Dead

The Schoolmaster Many Christians do not understand the role of the law. They read texts like Galatians 2:16 that says: 16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. Galatians 2:16 And then just a few verses later the apostle Paul says: 19 For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. Galatians 2:19 If we are not justified by the works of the law and if we are dead to the law then what is the role of the law in the Christian’s life? Today I’d like to answer these questions with God’s word. But in order to understand the Bible we need to know how to study the Bible. The bible tells us in 2 Timothy 2:15: 15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly di...

The bible says: “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:9 There is always more that we can learn. We can never exhaust our study of the word of God. We will be studying the science of salvation for eternity. Ellen White says: This is the treasure that is found in the Scriptures. The Bible is God’s great lesson book, His great educator. The foundation of all true science is contained in the Bible. Every branch of knowledge may be found by searching the word of God. And above all else it contains the science of all sciences, the science of salvation. The Bible is the mine of the unsearchable riches of Christ.{COL 107.3} Today I want to take a look at the foundation stone of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the Rock of our salvation. Turn with me to 1 Peter 2:4-6: 4 Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious,  5 you also, ...

Denying the Power Thereof We live in age of disbelief. For many God has been reduced to a God of the gaps: filling in what science has not yet explained. And for Christians who claim to believe in Jesus belief has become shallow, self-serving and devoid of the power of God. Please pray with me. The aging Paul warns Timothy of the condition of the church at the end of the world. Please turn with me to 2 Timothy 3:1. Paul says: 1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 Timothy 3:1: Perilous means to be full of danger and risk. Why are the last days so perilous? Paul begins to explain saying: 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 2 Timothy 3:2-4...

There are many bible believing Christians that have a high view of scripture that have come to believe that Jesus did not die on Friday and also was not raised on Sunday morning. There are a few texts that they use to support this belief but the most often cited text is Matthew 12:40. The reason for this is that Matthew 12:40 clearly uses the phrase three days and three nights. If this time period began on Friday there is no way that a person could logically come to the conclusion that there are three days and three nights between Friday afternoon and Sunday morning. When we take the phrase three days and three nights in Matthew 12:40 at face value we are presented with a challenge to the traditional understanding of the Friday crucifixion. How do Christians reconcile this phrase and other phrases in Matthew 12:40 that seem to indicate a different time period between Jesus' death and resurrection? To answer this question we must first look at the the different types of texts in th...