Study Christ Baha Commentary

8/8/2019 Study Christ Baha Commentary

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Commentary -- Questions from a Clergyman Page 1

COMMENTARY ON SOME QUESTIONS FROM A CLERGYMAN

Q: The Bible tells us Christ--and therefore God--is the sameyesterday, today, and tomorrow. Doesnt the concept of progressive revelation mean God changes?

A Christian professes that Christ is the author, object, and completion of herfaith. A Bah' also professes this for, to a Bah', there is no point at which Christends and Bah'u'llh begins.

Though Jesus of Nazareth and Husayn-Ali-i-Nur'i were two different physicalLamps or Mirrors, the Light that shone in and through Them--the Light They shedupon mankind--is the same Light. How can I be so sure? Because I have thetestimony of Christ and of the prophets and the spiritual fruits of the life andteachings of Bah'u'llh to assure me.

God does not change. But we do. If we didn't change, grow, and mature,there would be no point in God reaching down to us through His Word. Faith isabout transformation and rebirth. As a mother, I sometimes joke about freezingmy children at a particular age and keeping them that way forever, but I knowthat's neither possible nor desirable. They must grow to adulthood, to find theirown faith and the maturity to become complete human beings. They mustchange. And as they change, I will need to change the way I relate to them andteach them. I will speak to them more clearly, explain things more directly.

This is in some ways similar to our relationship with God as individuals and as aspecies. God doesn't change, but clearly, we do and have. Which is why Healters the way He speaks to us. There are a number of indications in scripture thatthis is so. There is, of course, the very fact that Moses spoke of the appearance of another Prophet like Him who would be raised up to the Jewish people, the oneDaniel refers to as "The Prince, the Messiah." His name is not Moses, His title is notthe same as Moses. But He is a Prophet like Moses nonetheless.

Jesus not only bore a different name and station, but He also changed some of the Mosaic laws--something that outraged the Jews. Christ comments (Matt. 10:5)of Moses law of divorce: For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept.He then proceeds to give a different precept on the same subject. Did Godsfeelings about marriage change? No, but our capacity to understand them did, andso Jesus' teaching on the subject is different than Moses'.

As Jesus indicates He is authorized to teach what Moses could not, He tells Hisdisciples there is much He cannot reveal because it went even further beyondtheir ability to understand. John 16:12 tells us: I have yet many things to say unto

you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come,he will guide you into all truth... He also speaks of going away so that God willsend "another Counselor." This passage, which is in the book of John, sounds verymuch like Moses' statement that God will send "another Prophet."

The book of Hebrews supports this idea: God, who at sundry times and in

divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in theselast days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, bywhom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and theexpress image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power...Hebrews 1:1-3

"This is the Changeless Faith of God, eternal in the past, eternal in the future...."Bah'u'llah


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Bah'u'llh writes in this same vein: Jesus, Himself, declared: "I go away and come again unto you." Consider the sun. Were it to say now, "I am the sun of

yesterday," it would speak the truth. And should it, bearing the sequence of timein mind, claim to be other than that sun, it still would speak the truth. In likemanner, if it be said that all the days are but one and the same, it is correct and true. And if it be said, with respect to their particular names and designations, that

they differ, that again is true. For though they are the same, yet one dothrecognize in each a separate designation, a specific attribute, a particular character. Conceive accordingly the distinction, variation, and unity characteristicof the various Manifestations of holiness...and discover the answer to thy questionas to why that everlasting Beauty should have, at sundry times, called Himself by different names and titles.... Gleanings XIII

Even Christ's closest disciples saw, as Paul elegantly put it, through a glassdarkly. And lived in expectation of a time when he would understand all of whatthe Lord might have communicated to them had they been able to bear it.

Given the pattern of God's revelation as revealed by the Old and New Testaments alone, the prophecy in the Revelation of Saint John that speaks of Christ having "a New Name" should come as no surprise. As a Bah' I believe thatChrist has returned, in this "renewal of all things," seated upon His "gloriousthrone," and that the New Name is Bahau'llah--the Glory of God. He has a newname, a new physical vessel, but that Vessel is no more in contention with or incompetition with Jesus of Nazareth than Jesus was in competition with Moses.



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Q: If there was a set dispensation for the Faith of Christ,why do the scriptures command us to " go and makedisciples of all nations, teaching them to observe all things that Christ commanded ?" (Mt. 28:19, 20)

I believe the answer is in the passage itself, when read in its entirety beginningfrom verse 16. The author writes: Then the eleven disciples went away intoGalilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they sawhim, they worshipped him: but some doubted. And Jesus came and spake untothem, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore,and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son,and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I havecommanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.

Amen. First of all, the verse relates that Jesus is speaking to his remaining 11 disciples

and it is them He deputizes to spread His Faith. While one may interpret this asdeputizing every Christian by proxy and in perpetuity, that understanding isneither explicit, nor even implicit in the verse. Moreover, at the end of thepassage, Jesus adds: Surely, I am with you to the very end of the world (or age) .Here He, Himself, sets a time span for the disciples mission and accords it an end.

The question is: "What does He mean: the end of the world/age?" BothChristians and Bah's would probably answer that He's speaking of His return.

The difference in the two points of view is the interpretation of what that Returnmeans and when it occurred or will occur.

It is clear to both Christians and Bah's that the Mosaic Age ended when Jesuscame, fulfilling Moses' prophecy that God will raise up unto thee a Prophet fromthe midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me. (Deuteronomy 18:15) Many of theChristians Ive discussed this with are literally of two minds about this prophecy.While they take this verse to refer to Jesus, they deny that Christ was, indeed, aProphet like Moses, notwithstanding His own words on the subject: For had yebelieved Moses, ye would have believed me; for he wrote of me. But if ye believenot his writings, how shall ye believe my words? (John 5:46, 47)

As a Bah', I believe that the prophecies referring to Christ's Return have beenfulfilled in the advent of Bah'u'llah. Among the signs of that advent, which Jesuscautioned the believers to watch for, were that the Gospel would be taught to allthe nations, even as Christ bids His disciples do in the above passage. Accordingto Christian sources, this was accomplished when the last frontiers of Africa wereopened to Christianity in the mid-1800's. This was one of the contributing factorsto the world-wide expectation during that time that Christs return was immanent.

This expectation peaked in the year 1844--the year of the Babs proclamation thatHe was the Herald of the fulfillment of these prophecies.



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Q: Most Christians believe the prophecy of the coming of the Spirit of Truth fulfilled at Pentecost when the HolySpirit was poured out upon the disciples causing eventhose of different lands to understand their words. Why

dont Bah's believe this event fulfilled that prophecy? The text of the prophecy is as follows: I have yet many things to say unto you,but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, hewill guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever heshall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shallglorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shallshew it unto you. A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while,and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father. (John 16:12-16)

There are a number of key points that bear noting in this passage. First, Christequates this Spirit of Truth with the Comforter, Counselor, or Paraclete spoken of in the book of Isaiah 9:6. The text there reads: For unto us a child is born; unto usa son is given., and the government shall be upon His shoulder. And His nameshall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Almighty God, the Everlasting Father, thePrince of Peace. This is generally taken by Christian theologians as a prophecy of Christ's second coming, and in this context refers to a Person, not a disembodiedspirit.

This Spirit of Truth is prophesied by Christ to fulfill certain tasks. He will:a. Guide the believers to all truthb. Shall speak at God's behalf c. Show them future events (prophesy)d. Glorify Christe. Show Christ's teachings to the believers, perhaps by explaining

those things He said they could not understandDoes the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost match the above points? The

text of the passage reads: And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind,

and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto themcloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gavethem utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitudecame together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. (Acts 2:2-6)

There is no personification of the Holy Spirit here, but rather a disembodiedmanifestation, the result of which is that the disciples can be heard in the variouslanguages of their listeners. I should note that if this is a manifestation of the HolySpirit, then a similar power was granted to Abdu'l-Bah during His talks in Americaand Europe.

If the Spirit of Truth is the Paraclete or Counselor spoken of also in Isaiah,then He will not be manifest until the second advent of Christ. Clearly the eventsof Pentecost did not coincide with that. The manifestation of the Holy Ghost atPentecost had nothing to do with governments or kingdoms.

I made earlier reference to a passage in the writings of the Apostle Paul inwhich he states that: For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was



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a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when Ibecame a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly;but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I amknown. (1 Corinthians 13:9-12) He says this long after the events of Pentecost.Clearly, Paul did not feel he had been shown all truth, or that he had seen thethings that were to come.

Consider too, the Revelation of Saint John the Divine: This prophetic book iscouched in metaphor and symbolism and is effectively sealed until the "time of theend." If the outpouring of the Holy Spirit had caused an unsealing of the books andan understanding of future events at that long ago Pentecost, the Revelation of Saint John would either not have been necessary or would have been stated inplain language.



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Q: Wasn't the message the disciples delivered to theiraudiences about the blood atonement and theresurrection?

The passage cited above tells us exactly what the disciples taught: i.e. toobserve all things that Christ commanded . It is clear from the Gospel record thatthis was not an incomprehensible doctrine, but simply that the new believers mustlove God, believe in the One He sent, and observe His commandments--a gospelso simple a child could understand it.

The record of the missionary work of the early disciples bears this out. In Acts16:30-32 we are told that when asked how he might be saved, the disciples toldthe centurion that he must Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ . The verse continues,

And they spake unto him the word of the Lord. Again and again, the scripture tellsus how Christ's disciples taught. Naturally, they told of Jesus' sacrifice andresurrection. They did this, according to Peter that your faith and hope might bein God. But note what the salvation of the individual is linked to: Seeing ye have

purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart, fervently; being bornagain...by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. ...The word of theLord endureth forever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto

you... As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may growthereby . (1 Peter 1:19-25 & 2:1-3)

The believer has purified his soul in obeying the truth. Further, he is bornagain...by the word of God. Then Peter gives a metaphor for the word--it is as milkto a newborn babe. This is important: a newborn cannot live without its mothersmilk. This metaphor tells us that the human soul cannot be born again without theword of God and cannot live without it.



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Q: If the agent of our salvation is not the blood of Christ,what is it?

As I read the above passage, it says that the word of God is the instrument of our rebirth and that obedience to it purifies our souls. How important is the wordof God? So important that Christ, Himself, is referred to as the Word made flesh .

He is the personification of Gods will and commandment.It is obedience to the Word that Peter stresses. This is a simple truth. In the

passage in I Peter, cited above, the disciples are faithfully conveying the teachingof their Lord as He has given it to them. We can know this by comparing it to thedirect teaching of Christ, which is stated most clearly and explicitly in John 15:1-17:

...ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you . Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it

abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are thebranches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit:for without me ye can do nothing.

If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; soshall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you:continue ye in my love.

If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spokenunto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. ...These things I command you, that ye love one another."

One of the first things Christ Jesus affirms in this passage is that: ... ye areclean through the word which I have spoken unto you . Even though He is

preparing His disciples for His leave taking and absence, He does not speak tothem of His sacrifice, His resurrection, or His blood. He doesn't remind them aboutbaptism or lecture about the fine points of the Trinity. He speaks instead aboutwhat they must do to be His friends and to abide in His love.

His logic is clear: God wishes them to bear fruit. They can only do this if theyremain connected to Him. Christ then lays out clearly and unambiguously whatthey must do if they are to remain connected to the True Vine. There are a lot of "ifs" in that passage: If they would stay connected to the True Vine, they mustabide in His love. If they are to abide in His love and to be His friends, they mustkeep His commandments. And if they do not do these things, they will be cut off.

Christ then singles out one commandment that will assure a connection to the True Vine: that you love one another as I have loved you . He is so adamant aboutthis that He states it twice in the same short passage. Adding: Ye are my friends,

if ye do whatsoever I command you. Please note: He singles out no other commandment in this way. The Apostle Paul speaks to this theme in his first letter to the Corinthians:Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I

am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have allfaith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And



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though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to beburned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Corinthians I 13:1-3 (Notethat more recent translations use love in place of charity.)

"If," Christ says. These blessings are conditional. If we follow Hiscommandment to love one another, then we are connected to Him. But, what if we do not follow this simple commandment? About this, also, He is very clear--the

individual is cut off, as a dead branch, and no longer receives sustenance from theVine. (or as Bah'u'llh puts it: Love Me that I may love thee. If thou lovest Me not,My love can in no wise reach thee. -- Arabic Hidden Words vs.5)

In this verse, Christ clearly speaks of love for our fellow man not as a result of being connected to Him, but as a condition for maintaining that connection. I seein it a simple, elegant statement of the eternal covenant between God andmankind: God offers spiritual life, asking in return only our love and obedience.

This to me, is the heart of the Gospel--the heart of the Faith of God. The verse cited from I Peter also affirms the explicit statements of Christ about

the power of His word: the words that I speak to you, they are spirit, and they arelife (John 6:63) and: heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not

pass away . (Mt. 24:35) Moreover, Christ says: He that rejects Me and does not receive My words has him who judges him: the word which I have spoken, that shall judge him in the last day . (John 12:48) I take this as a statement that weare not judged by our belief in a collection of mysteries, miracles, and doctrines,but simply by how steadfastly we adhere to the covenant inherent in the words:Whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life... (John5:24) and If anyone keeps My word, he will never see death. (John 8:51)



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Q: How can you tell someone is saved? And if our workscontribute to our salvation, how can we know howmany commandments must be obeyed in order to besaved?

The question is really, how does one know whose belief is sincere and correct?I am content to understand that ultimately, God alone, knows the answer for eachand any of us. Whether a man or woman professes to be a Bah' and expresses abelief in the word of God and makes sincere efforts to obey His commandmentsand love His creatures or professes to be a Christian, accepts Jesus as Lord andSavior, and believes in the Trinity, and the grace of God, and Christs bloodatonement for our sins, God alone knows whether these professions are correctand sincere enough to warrant salvation. All any believer can know, in either case,is that they have faith and are making a sincere effort to be and do what Godwould have them be and do. And, of course, they can know whether or not theytruly love God. The rest is dependent on the grace of a God Who, Bah'u'llah tellsus, is more friend to us than we are to ourselves.

Q: Doesnt this focus on the Word of God mean Bah'sarent looking to the Person of Christ?

The singular thing that gives us the capacity to make the effort active faithtakes is, itself, the purifying Word of God. In other words, it is the grace of Godthat gives us the capacity to be receptive to His Word.

Bah'u'llh, in His writings, notes that: The vitality of men's belief in God isdying out in every land; nothing short of His wholesome medicine can ever restoreit...the corrosion of ungodliness is eating into the vitals of human society . We arein need of a change of heart, one sufficient to cause us to beat our swords intoplowshares and begin living up to Christ's commandment to love one another. TheWord of God alone , Bah'u'llh affirms, can claim the distinction of being endowed

with the capacity required for so great and far-reaching a change . (GleaningsXCIX)So, in answer to the question above, a Bah' would say: if we were not looking

to the Person of Christ, His word would mean nothing to us. While we mightaccord Him the respect due a wise human being, we would not take His word asthe word of God, Himself. But we do. It is precisely because we look to the DivinePerson of Christ Jesus, that we place such importance on what He chooses to tellus about God, Himself, His mission, and our relationship with the Divine. Bah'sconsider the word of Christ to be the living, creative Word of God--the cause of Creation, the impetus behind millennia of evolution. Further, we consider Christ

Jesus, Himself, to be the creative Word of God made flesh.



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Q: How do you respond to the accusation that Bah'u'llhis a false prophet?

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, howmuch more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do yeeven so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. Enter ye in at the strait gate:for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way,which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Beware of false prophets ,which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Yeshall know them by their fruits . Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt treebringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither cana corrupt tree bring forth good fruit . Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall knowthem. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." Matthew 7:11-21

Note that this passage, which is part of the Sermon on the Mount, is self-referencing. The fruits Jesus specifies will serve as a hallmark of a true or falseprophet are referenced earlier in the verse. In view of this, what sort of fruitswould a true prophet be expected to show ? The Apostle Paul sheds some light onthis in his dissertation on love in Corinthians:

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, Iam become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of

prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have allfaith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

This dissertation places love above faith and above all miracles, and love is,according the Bah' scriptures, the secret of God's most great dispensation. Loveand unity are the core of Bah'u'llh's teachings. Further, His life and teachings

reflect the fruits of the spirit as illustrated in the Gospel. Jesus states that goodfruit cannot come from a bad tree and also that Satan will not oppose himself: And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then hiskingdom stand? Jesus asks. Then reiterates that a tree is known by its fruit.

We are enjoyed to test the spirits whether they be of God. (I John :1-3 ) Thecriteria is simple--a spirit that confesses Christ came in the flesh is of God.Bah'u'llh not only testifies to the truth of Christ, but glorifies Him.

A final criteria is given in the Book of Deuteronomy, which states that a trueprophet is known by his prophecies. If they come to pass, he is to be trustedbecause God only grants this ability to true prophets.



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Q: Doesnt the Bible teach a physical Resurrection? The Apostle Paul deals with this subject at length in I Corinthians, Chapter 15.

In fact, many theologians use this letter as the foundation of the doctrine thatwithout physical resurrection, a Christians faith is in vain:

Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among

you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preachingvain, and your faith is also vain. I Corinthians 15:12-14

But please note--Pauls teaching here must be understood in light of whatfollows in this same letter. And what follows is a very succinct description of whatresurrection means in this context. In I Corinthians I 15:35-55, Paul writes:

But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body dothey come? Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:

And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but baregrain... There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of thecelestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for onestar differeth from another star in glory.

So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised inincorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is anatural body, and there is a spiritual body.

And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adamwas made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of theearth, earthly: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earth, such arethey also that are earthly: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that areheavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthly, we shall also bear theimage of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be

changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for thetrumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall bechanged. ...then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death isswallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory ?

In the dissertation above, Paul provides a foil for the argument that theresurrection is a physical occurrence. He makes it clear that the "body"resurrected is not the physical body that is "sown and that what is natural (i.e.the physical body) is followed by what is spiritual (which he calls the spiritualbody). It is also clear that this spiritual body is nothing like what we know as abody. He uses the metaphor of grain to tell his audience that the body that shallbe is as different from the natural body as mature grain is from bare seed.

He also uses the moon and sun as metaphors to explain these differences.

Since one would assume Paul chose his metaphors for their value in helping uscomprehend an important concept, I think its worth considering them. A moon isessentially dead, inert rock that casts no radiance of its own, but can only reflectwhat is shone on it--an apt metaphor when applied to the human condition. A sunis made of a different substance altogether and possesses its own radiance. Soalso is the resurrection of the dead, Paul says. It is sown a natural body; it israised a spiritual body.



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Christs resurrection, of course, is the prototype of the resurrection of thehuman soul. His victory over death illustrates the potential of the believer: But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ'sat his coming. (I Corinthians 15:23). It follows that if Christs resurrection is aspiritual one, then so must ours be. And this is exactly the point that Paul makewhen he compares and contrasts the first Adam (a living soul) with the last

Adam (Christ), whom he says is a quickening spirit.Further, Paul states unequivocally that Flesh and blood cannot inherit thekingdom of God . Here he is quoting the words of Jesus to Nicodemus. Recall thecontext for these words originally: Jesus is telling Nicodemus he must be reborn --not of flesh, but of the spirit.

I think this sheds a light on the mystery Paul speaks of in the verses above--that all shall not sleep (that is, die) but shall be changed. If the change is thespiritual transformation of rebirth, this makes perfect sense, since it is somethingthat happens to those who are physically alive, but spiritually dead. It is worthnoting in this context, that when the Gospel writers speak of death it is notusually physical death they mean.

Please note: Paul does not preach a physical resurrection here, either for Jesusor for us, yet this spiritual resurrection is what he calls upon the believers to have

faith in. And he still concludes: Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where isthy sting? O grave, where is thy victory ?



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Q: Do Bah's accept Church doctrine as set in the ChurchCouncils?

When we consider the "church fathers" and the series of councils that shapedcurrent Christian doctrine, I believe we must look carefully at the pages of historyto see how closely these divines adhered to the covenant Christ established withHis disciples to love one another. The formal doctrine of the Trinity, to cite justone example, was forged in the fires of hatred and intolerance. Havingestablished that Christ had both a human and divine nature, the detail of whetherHe possessed one will or two was enough to cause untold grief and suffering byChristians at the hands of Christians.

My personal belief, based on my reading of scripture and history, is that by thetime the disunity and institutionalized hatred between Christian "factions" hadcome to this pass, a major branch of Christianity was already severed from the

True Vine. (Refer back to Christs words in John Chapter 15 to recall what thismeans.)

There is a point beyond which most Protestants cease to accept the word of the leaders of the Catholic or Orthodox Churches as being doctrinally correct. Idon't know what criteria these organizations use to determine where thathistorical cut-off point is--mine is the clear evidence that the Covenant with Christ,as outlined in the book of John, was broken. Christians had replaced unfeigned love of the brethren with concern over the interpretation of doctrine (Should across have one bar, two, or three? Was Christ of one will, or essence, or energywith the Father? Was it faith, or grace, or works or all three that saved a person?)and had substituted forms of worship such as the Eucharist and baptism forcharity.

If, as Christ says, His words are the criteria by which the believer and in abroader context, the body of believers is judged, then to which words does Herefer if not the ones in His final message to His beloved disciples? Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. ...These things I command you, that

ye love one another. (John 15:16,17)


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half title Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary: … Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary Third, we want the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series to be known for the inclusion

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half page Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary: Mark ... · (Jas 3:1). Second, the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series has pastors in view. While we hope others will read

Baha Machaley Volume(2)

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Master Abdul-Baha.

Martin Luther’s Commentary on Galatians 3:13: Christ, The ... · Martin Luther’s Commentary on Galatians 3:13: Christ, The Greatest Of Sinners? Galatians 3:13. Christ redeemed