Welcome to the Bible!

How We Got the Bible

The Bible is a collection of 66 ancient books authored by about 40 different people over nearly a 1000-year period. The first 39 books of the Bible are the Old Testament, and the last 27 books are the New Testament. Within each testament, the books are further grouped together depending on genre.

The books of the Bible were not chosen at the same time by one person or group. Various individuals, ranging from kings to prophets, wrote the Old Testament books, then Hebrew scribes agreed on the current list of Old Testament books over many centuries. Apostles of Jesus Christ, and other early Christian leaders, wrote the New Testament books nearly 400 years after the last Old Testament book, with the New Testament being completed by the second century. The early Christians were able to determine which books were inspired based on different criteria such as moral soundness, acceptance from other churches, and the absence of obvious false teachings. Books written by one of Jesus’ Apostles, or someone closely associated with an Apostle, were held in more reverence than spurious writings from random strangers.

The books of the Bible are all consistent with each other and work together to tell a larger, complete message from God. This harmonious meshing of the scriptures indicates the books belong together in the Bible and were divinely inspired. For example, the Old Testament books contain prophecies and foreshadows fulfilled in the New Testament while the New Testament books contain references from Old Testament Books. There are over 60,000 such cross references in the Bible.

See this website for a great diagram about these cross references:

The Bible has Remained Unchanged Over the Ages

Scholars during Bible times did not have access to printers. The only way to get a copy of a writing was to hand copy word for word. Jewish Old Testament scribes observed extremely strict and precise procedures when they were copying, such as counting the number of words and lines in the newly copied text to ensure it was exact to the original. If a scholar made a mistake, his work was often destroyed then the scribe had to start over again. New Testament scholars also followed strict procedures to ensure they wrote perfect copies of New Testament writings. Even though none of the original writings for the books in the Bible exist today, archeologists have recovered thousands of meticulously copied manuscripts of the Old & New Testaments, which had circulated throughout the ancient world in mass numbers. There are more than 20,000 manuscripts from the New Testament, many of which date within 200 years of the original writings. Additionally, numerous assorted writings of the early Christians include references from New Testament books, which help confirm the original New Testament wording and what the early Church considered to be inspired. For example, the letter of Clement, which dates about 100ad, quotes from the gospels, Acts, and several of Paul's letters. Using available manuscripts, Bible scholars apply Textual Criticism techniques to analyze the manuscripts and accurately determine what the originals said.

Manuscripts of the books in the Bible vary in their ages yet remain consistent in what they say, which is evidence the books in the Bible remained unchanged from their original writings. For example, until the 1940’s, much of the Old Testament was translated from a manuscript called the Masoretic Text, written around 700ad, and a Greek version of the Old Testament called “The Septuagint”, written around 300bc. In the 1940s, archeologists recovered a large collection of Old Testament scrolls, later called the Dead Sea Scrolls, hidden in a cave system. These scrolls were nearly 1000 years older than the Masoretic Text. Even with this large age difference, a comparison between the Dead Sea Scrolls and the other manuscripts showed remarkable and nearly identical wording.

The Bible is Historically Accurate

The Bible frequently mentions people, places and events which are consistent with historical and archeological facts. The Bible gives historical information of nations such as the Egyptian, Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, Greek, and Roman Empires. The Bible gives accurate geography of ancient cities and landmarks such as Mesopotamia, Jerusalem, Nineveh, and the Euphrates River. The Bible discusses historical people such as King David, Nebuchadnezzar, and Caesar.

Bible History After New Testament Times

The Old Testament books were originally written in ancient Hebrew (except for parts of Ezra & Daniel, which contain Aramaic). By the 2nd century BC, the Old Testament was translated from its original Hebrew to Greek, which was the common language of the time. The New Testament books were originally written in ancient Greek because Greek had become the common language in New Testament times. In 382AD, Pope Damascus, leader of the Catholic Church, commissioned a scholar named Saint Jerome to make a Latin Vulgate “Common Version” of the Bible because Latin had become the common language. The Latin Vulgate became the primary Bible version for nearly 1000 years. In 1546 the Catholic Church declared the Latin Vulgate to be the official and best version of the Bible.

In the 1400s, Johannes Gutenberg perfected printing press technology, which was revolutionary and allowed for books to be mass produced and affordable for the common person. One of the first mass-copied books was the Latin Bible, which previously was only owned by scholars and the wealthy, who could afford hand copied scriptures.

In England, by the 1500s, the common person spoke English and not Latin. A scholar named William Tyndale decided to spend his life translating the Bible into English. Tyndale’s work was considered an act of heresy, so he was a constant fugitive. In 1536, because of his work, Tyndale was strangled to death and his body burned at the stake.

By 1611, England’s King James commissioned a group of 47 scholars to make an official English version of the Bible. The finished work was called the King James Version (also known as the “Authorized Version”) and is still one of the most popular versions of the Bible today. Thanks to printing press technology and the scholarly work of individuals like Jerome, Tyndale and King James’ scholars, the Bible became affordable and available to the average person.

Bible Versions Today

Because most people cannot read ancient Hebrew, Aramaic & Greek, scholars have translated the scriptures from the original languages to modern languages. Today there are hundreds of Bible versions, with some of the most popular being the King James, New King James, English Standard, and New International versions. Translations vary based on the change of languages over time and the translation methods used by scholars. Translations vary from literal, word for word translations such as the New American Standard, English Standard and King James versions, to paraphrased versions like the Message Bible.

The Bible and Science

The Bible Account of Creation

According to the Bible, in Genesis chapters 1-8, about 6000 years ago, a spiritual almighty God took 6 literal days to create the universe, Earth and all life. About 1500 years later, because people became very corrupt, God destroyed the world with a massive, worldwide and Earth shaping flood. The water for this flood came from heavy rainfall and Earth's surface breaking apart to release underground water. The only survivors were a man named Noah, his immediate family and two of every kind of animal. God had given Noah warning of the flood and told him to build an enormous ark in which he, his family and the animals could wait out the flood. After the flood, the survivors repopulated the Earth and history continued until today.

The Bible account about the origin of the universe does not conflict with science & logic. If evaluated objectively, the Biblical 6-day creation, and the worldwide flood which took place afterwards, is both reasonable & consistent scientific observation.

It is Logical to Believe God Exists

• The Law of Cause-and-Effect states that every effect has a cause, and every cause creates an equal effect.
• The Law of Conservation of Energy states that energy cannot be created or destroyed. Energy only gets transformed or transferred into something else.
• The 2nd Law of Thermodynamics states that entropy (randomness and disorder of energy) increases in a closed system. In other words, heat transfers from a hot object to a colder object until both are the same temperature. For example: Stars cannot burn forever because they will eventually use up their energy.

Something outside the natural universe caused the universe to exist. The universe had a starting point and will not continue forever because usable energy is less available over time and there is no natural way for energy to be created out of nothing. It is therefore rational to believe in a supernatural creator.

Earth Appears to be Fine Tuned for Life

The Earth has many characteristics which make it suitable for life to exist:

• The sun is the right size and type of star to give optimal light for life.
• Earth orbits at an optimal distance from the sun, which keeps Earth from excessive cold or hot temperatures.
• The moon is the right size and distance from Earth to create tides large enough to prevent water stagnation but not large enough to destroy everything with tidal waves.
• Earth rotates in 24-hour days, which evenly distributes sunlight to the entire earth.
• Earth orbits the sun on a tilted axis, which allows for seasons.
• Earth has a magnetic field which deflects destructive cosmic radiation.
• Earth’s size provides enough gravity to keep everything in place, without having excessive, crushing gravity.
• Abundant water supply to sustain life.
• And many more..
• See this article for more information on this subject: https://answersingenesis.org/astronomy/extrasolar-planets/just-right-for-life/

Since it is rational to believe a supernatural being exists, it would also be rational to conclude that a creative being intentionally designed the earth to support life.

It is Logical to Conclude Life Required an Intelligent Designer

The Law of Biogenesis says life only comes from pre-existing life, and never from non-living material. Spontaneous Generation was an old belief that living things spontaneously emerged from nonliving material. People used to think flies came directly from rotting meat and rats spontaneously emerged from garbage. This was widely believed for about 2000 years until it was disproven in the mid-1800s by scientists like Louis Pasteur.

All complex machines, such as cars and airplanes, required a designer to create. All information, like books and computer code, had an author who wrote them. All living things, from birds to a single cell, are infinitely more complex than any machine. Living things also contain immense amounts DNA information, which dictates how they look and operate. Because it is impossible for natural forces acting on nonliving material to create life or write DNA code, it is therefore logical to conclude that living things had an intelligent designer.

The Geology of Earth Indicates a Large Water Event Happened

If the massive, worldwide flood of Genesis chapters 6-8 happened, there would be evidence of it. Earth is covered with geologic evidence which indicates a large-scale water event, such as Noah’s flood, once drastically shaped the Earth.

• Sedimentary rock layers are deposited by water movement. There exist vast layers of sedimentary rock, spanning uninterrupted for hundreds of miles, which is evidence that a massive water event once deposited the sediment. For example, some of the layers seen in the Grand Canyon spread continuously for hundreds of miles across the United States. For more information about these layers see: https://answersingenesis.org/geology/rock-layers/transcontinental-rock-layers/
• Many exposed rock formations, such as the walls of the Grand Canyon, show a series of sedimentary rock layers neatly stacked on top of each other. The defined layering is evidence that the entire formation was deposited quickly by a large water event. Additionally, many rock formations contain multiple sedimentary rock layers which are tightly bent without fracturing, indicating they were initially laid down as layers of mud, bent while still pliable then later hardened to rock. An example of this is the “East Kaibab Monocline” at the Grand Canyon. For more information on these formations see: https://answersingenesis.org/geology/rock-layers/rock-layers-folded-not-fractured/
• Fossils are created when an organism is buried quickly with muddy sediment, which later hardens into rock and preserves the organism. The Earth contains billions of fossilized animals, with over 200,000,000 fossilized plants and animals making up the known fossil record. Many fossils are highly detailed, including entire dinosaurs, dinosaur tracks, jellyfish and even fish in the process of eating or giving birth. In many areas throughout the world, millions of fossils can also be found in massive fossil graveyards. Billions of fossils all over the world are evidence of a large scale, water-related, catastrophe which buried them. For more information about fossils from a Creation Science perspective see: https://answersingenesis.org/fossils/how-are-fossils-formed/how-fast-fossils-rock-layers/

• Poly-strata fossils are fossils, mostly of trees, which intersect multiple layers of rock because they were buried by sediment rapidly. These fossils demonstrate that thick layers of sediment can form quickly from a catastrophic event, such as a flood. For more information on these fossils see: https://creation.com/joggins-polystrate-fossils
• Nearly every kind of organism in existence today can be found in the fossil record, demonstrating that what is alive today was alive when fossils formed. An example of such a "living fossil" is the Coelacanth, a large boney fish thought to have gone extinct 65 million years ago until living Coelacanth were discovered in 1938. For more information about these fossils see: https://answersingenesis.org/fossils/living-fossils/living-fossils-here-there-and-everywhere/

The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens provided a small-scale experiment which demonstrated that geologic formations, previously thought to require millions of years to form, could quickly form by a catastrophic event. The eruption left behind 25 feet of finely layered sediment and carved multiple canyons, such as the 100 ft deep Loowit Canyon and the 600ft deep Step Canyon. One day, 2 years after the eruption, a mudflow burst through a debris dam and carved the 140ft deep, 150 ft wide “Little Grand Canyon”. Mt. St. Helens helps verify the theory that Noah’s Flood could have been responsible for shaping Earth’s geology, such as the Grand Canyon being carved from massive water runoff. For more information about Mt. St. Helens see: https://answersingenesis.org/geology/mount-st-helens/mount-st-helens-in-washington-state/

Earth’s geology, which was shaped by large-scale water catastrophe, is consistent with the Bible’s account of Noah’s flood.

Summary & Key Points from the Old Testament

Genesis Chapter 1 talks about how God spent 6, literal, 24hr days to create everything. Genesis 1:2 says the Spirit of God was moving over the waters, which means God is an eternal spiritual being and not physical. In verse 26-27, during the 6th day of creation, God said “Let us make man in our image”. Being made in God’s image makes people unique from all other living things in that they are spiritual beings like God, having a spirit which will live forever.

In Genesis Chapter 2, after the 6 days of creation, God spent a 7th day resting from his work. In Genesis 2:8-9, God created a bountiful garden called Eden for Adam to live. Also present in the Garden of Eden was the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. In verses 16-17, God told Adam he could eat from any tree in the garden, but he was forbidden to eat from the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, or else he would surely die. In verses 21-25, God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep then God took one of Adam’s ribs and made the first woman out of it. The woman was named Eve, and she became Adam’s wife.

In Genesis Chapter 3, a serpent approached Eve and convinced her to disobey God’s instruction and eat from the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Eve also gave the tree’s fruit to Adam, which he also ate. Upon eating the fruit, both become ashamed because they were naked then they made crude clothing out of leaves and tried to hide from God. God, knowing what happened, confronted Adam and Eve about disobeying of his command. Adam blamed Eve for giving him the fruit, then Eve blamed the serpent for deceiving her. God cursed the serpent to crawling on its belly for the rest of its life, Eve with pain during childbirth and Adam with the need to labor in the field for food instead of eating from the garden. In verse 22, God said “the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil” then God drove Adam and Eve out of Eden and blocked them from the garden.

Genesis chapters 4-5 list about 1500 years of generations, which pass after the 6-day creation. In Genesis chapters 6-8, “God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Because of the extreme evil of mankind, God decided to destroy the entire earth with a massive flood. God warned a righteous man named Noah about the flood and instructed him to build an enormous boat in which he, his immediate family and two of every kind of animal were to enter when the flood began. When the flood began, they all entered the ark and stayed in it for about a year until the flood waters lowered. Noah, his family, and the animals exited the ark and began repopulating the Earth.

Many generations after Noah’s Flood, in Genesis 12:1-9, God spoke to a righteous and faithful man named Abraham, instructing him to leave his home and travel to the land of Canaan. God promised to give Abraham’s descendants the land and make them into a great nation. In verse 3, God also told Abraham that through him “shall all the families of the earth be blessed”.

In Genesis 14:17-24, Abraham met a mysterious person named Melchizedek, who was a priest of God and King of Salem. Melchizedek blessed Abraham, who then gave him a tithe.

In Genesis 15:1-6, God promised Abraham a son and that Abraham’s descendants would be like the stars of the sky in number. Despite Abraham being over 75 years old, Abraham believed God’s promise. Because of Abraham’s faith, God considered him to be righteous.

In Genesis 17:1-14, God again appeared to Abraham to reaffirm his promises and direct Abraham to begin keeping the covenant of circumcision (the removal of the flesh of foreskin from male genitals). Abraham, the men of his household and every male baby at 8 days old was to be circumcised. This ritual was to be performed for all of Abraham’s descendants. Any male who was not circumcised was to be removed from Abraham’s household.

In Genesis 21:1-8, when Abraham was 100 years old, his wife Sarah gave birth to Abraham’s son, who was then named Isaac and circumcised at 8 days old.

The rest of Genesis finishes with Abraham having other children and living to 175 years old. Isaac grew up, married Rebekah, and became the father of Jacob and Esau. Jacob’s name was later changed to Israel, and he became the father of 12 sons named Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph & Benjamin. Joseph was Jacob’s favorite son, so the other sons became jealous of him and sold him as a slave, while telling Jacob that Joseph was killed by a wild animal. Joseph was taken as a slave to Egypt where God gave him the ability to interpret dreams. He was able to interpret a dream that the Pharaoh had, which was a warning about a coming famine, then Pharaoh promoted Joseph to second in charge of all Egypt. When the famine happened, Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt in search of food. They thought Joseph was dead, so they were surprised to find him second in charge of Egypt. Joseph invited his brothers and aged father to move to Egypt because of the famine.

Exodus Chapters 1 & 2 start several generations after Joseph’s time. The descendants of Jacob’s 12 sons grew into the Israelite nation, with 12 tribes named after the sons of Jacob. To control the Israelites, the Egyptians forced them into slavery and Pharaoh ordered every newborn male to be killed. One of the newborn males, Moses, survived the massacre by being sent down a river in a basket. The basket was found by Pharaoh’s daughter, who felt compassion for Moses and adopted him. Moses then grew up in Pharaoh’s household and became Egyptian royalty.

In Exodus Chapters 3 & 4, Moses killed an Egyptian who was beating a Jewish slave, so Moses became a fugitive and fled Egypt into a desert. In the desert Moses met a man named Jethro, married his daughter Zipporah, and became a shepherd. One day, as Moses was shepherding Jethro’s sheep, he came across a burning bush. God spoke to Moses through the bush and commissioned him to return to Egypt and lead the Israelites out of slavery.

Exodus Chapters 5-12 describe Pharaoh’s refusal to let the Jews go free, with God sending a series of 10 plagues over Egypt as punishment. The last plague was when God sent an angel to kill the firstborn of every Egyptian household. In Exodus 12:1-11, during the night of the last plague, God instructed the Jews to kill lambs, spread the blood on their doorways, and stay inside all night. They were also to eat a meal of lamb, unleavened bread, and bitter herbs. When the destroying angel came, he would see the blood on the doorway and pass over that house. This “The Passover Meal” was to be celebrated by the Jews every year in remembrance of this event.

After the last plague claimed Pharaoh’s son, Pharaoh chased the Israelite's away. After the Israelites left, Pharaoh changed his mind and sent his armies out to recapture them. Moses led the Israelites through Egypt to the Red Sea, with the Egyptians close behind. God told Moses to raise up his staff then the Red Sea was split in half, allowing the Israelites to pass through on dry ground. The Egyptian army chased the Jews through the opening, but God closed the water on them and drowned the Egyptians. When the Jews reached the other side, they had then officially crossed from the slavery of Egypt into freedom.

In Exodus 19, Moses led the Israelites through the desert to Mt. Sinai. At Mt. Sinai, God gave the Israelites their religion, called the Law of Moses (also called the Old Testament). The details of the Law are explained through the rest of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers & Deuteronomy. Some of the key aspects of the Law were:

• Numerous laws regulating the lives of the Jewish people. Some laws, such as the 10 Commandments, guided the morality of the Jews, while other Laws gave guidance for other aspects of life, ceremonies, and civil procedures.
• Specific instructions about building a tabernacle. The tabernacle was a large tent with two main rooms in which sacrifices were offered and sacred items kept. The back room, called the Holy of Holies, was where the Spirit of God would dwell, and it was off limits to everyone except the High Priest.

• The Old Testament Levitical Priesthood, which consisted of priests who served in the tabernacle and offered various sacrifices. There was also a High Priesthood of the Order of Aaron, who was the only priest allowed to serve in the Holy of Holies. The priests had to descend from the tribe of Levi, but the High Priest had to also be a direct descendant of Aaron, the first high priest.
• The priests had a series of sacrifices to make at the tabernacle, which often involved killing animals. One primary sacrifice happened on the Day of Atonement, in which the High Priest sacrificed a goat, brought the blood into the Holy of Holies, and offered it to atone (cover up but not remove) for his own sins and the sins of the people (Leviticus 16).

After receiving the Old Covenant, in Numbers 13-14, the Israelites crossed the desert to the border of the promised land. God commanded Moses to send spies into the land to survey it. The spies returned and told of the bountiful land they had explored but they, except Joshua and Caleb, insisted that the Jews were too weak to conquer it. The Jews became angry with Moses and God, arguing that they were better off returning to Egypt. Because of their lack of faith in God’s ability to protect the Jews, God sentenced them to 40 years of wandering in the desert. After 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, the next generation of Jews grew up and the previous generation died in the desert. The Jews returned to the land of Canaan where they began a large military campaign to push out the pagan nations living in the land God had promised to them. The book of Joshua describes this military campaign.

After conquering and settling the promised land, Israel went about 300 years without an earthly king, because God was their king. Instead of a king, God periodically sent Israel Judges as leadership when Israel came into times of trouble. Some of the Judges included Ehud, Deborah, Gideon, and Samson. The period of the Judges is described in the book of Judges.

After conquering the land God gave them and settling in, Israel went about 300 years without having an earthly king because God was their king. Instead of a king, God gave Israel Judges to be their leadership when the nation came into times of trouble. Some of the famous Judges included Ehud, Deborah, Gideon, and Samson. This period of the Judges is described in the book of Judges.

1st and 2nd Samuel happen after the period of the Judges. The Israelites rejected God as their King, demanding that God give them an earthly king. God instructed a priest named Samuel to pour oil over the head of a man named Saul to anoint him as the first King of Israel. King Saul ruled for a short period of time before he became corrupt and was replaced by King David.

1st Kings and 1st Chronicles describe King David’s reign, which was followed by his son Solomon. Solomon built a magnificent stone temple in Israel's capitol of Jerusalem to replace the tent tabernacle. After Solomon died, his son Rehoboam became king. Rehoboam was an evil king who mistreated many of the tribes of Israel. Because of his poor rulership, a man named Jeroboam led a rebellion against Rehoboam, which caused 10 of the 12 tribes to split from Israel and make Jeroboam their King. From this time Israel was split between the 10 northern tribes, called “Israel”, and the other two tribes of Benjamin and Judah, called “Judah”. To prevent the 10 tribes from returning to the temple in Jerusalem and rejoining Judah, Jeroboam also made up his own pagan religion for the 10 tribes to follow. The books of 1&2 Kings and 1&2 Chronicles continue to tell the stories of the many kings that ruled over the coming generations. Most of these kings were very evil and led the nation into a long period of disobedience to God.

As the Israelites continued through many generations of disobedience, God sent numerous prophets to the people as his spokesmen, commanding the people to repent and return to obeying their God. Simultaneously, God also used the prophets to speak about a coming savior king, the Messiah. Examples of such Messianic prophecy include Isaiah 42:1-4 & Isaiah 61:1-3. The Old Testament contains the writings of many of these prophets including Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Jeremiah.

Because of the Israelite's continued disobedience, God punished them by having the Babylonian Empire invade and conquer Israel. By about 587BC, Babylon had destroyed Jerusalem and the temple. During this time many Jews were killed, and survivors were taken back to Babylon as captives. After 70 years of captivity, the Persians, under King Cyrus, conquered Babylon and allowed the Israelites to go free in 538BC. The Jews then rebuilt Jerusalem and a new temple. Isaiah prophesied about this return nearly 200 years earlier in Isaiah 44:28-45:1.

The last Old Testament book written was Malachi, at around 450BC. Afterwards, about 450 years passed until the Messiah arrived and New Testament books began to be written. During this inter testament period, Persia was invaded by Alexander the Great in 334BC and conquered within a few years. After the death of Alexander, Greece was split by Alexander’s generals into four smaller Greek kingdoms (Egypt, Syria, Macedonia, and Thrace). Over the next couple hundred years the Greek kingdoms fought with one another. As the Greek kingdoms warred with each other, the Roman Empire grew and eventually attacked the Greek kingdoms. Roman rule over the Greek territories was established on 146BC, with the Roman destruction of Corinth. By the time of Jesus Christ, Rome had become the largest empire in the world and ruled over Israel.

Summary & Key Points from the New Testament

The books of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John each tell the story of Jesus Christ from a different perspective. The following summary will use passages from each of the four Gospels.

In Matthew Chapter 1, a virgin named Mary was engaged to a man named Joseph. Even though she was a virgin, God chose Mary to become pregnant with a child. Initially Joseph thought Mary cheated on him, but God told him in a dream that the child was of the Holy Spirit and would be named Jesus. Joseph stayed with Mary then Mary later gave birth to the child. Jesus’ birth from a virgin was prophesied in Isaiah 7:14. Jesus was also born in a town called Bethlehem, which was fulfillment of prophecy in Micah 5:2.

In Matthew Chapter 2, King Herod heard a rumor that a king was born in Bethlehem. Fearing opposition for his throne, he had every male baby in Bethlehem killed. God warned Joseph about Herod’s attempt to kill Jesus, so Joseph took his family into Egypt and returned to Israel after Herod died, settling in a town called Nazareth.

Matthew Chapter 3 introduces John the Baptist, who was a prophet sent by God to warn the people to turn from their sins because the Messiah was nearby. John baptized listeners in the Jordan river to have their sins forgiven, giving him the name “John the Baptist”. Jesus, at the age of 30, approached John the Baptist to be immersed by him. John, knowing that Jesus was the Messiah, refused to baptize Jesus and thought Jesus should be the one baptizing him. Jesus convinced John to baptize him then, when Jesus was coming up out of the water, the Holy Spirit came in the form of a dove and rested on Jesus then a voice out of heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased”.

In Matthew Chapter 4, Jesus went into a desert and fasted for 40 days. The devil tried to tempt Jesus into sinning but Jesus rebuked Satan with memorized scripture. Jesus returned from the desert and began his ministry in a region called Galilee, which fulfilled a prophecy in Isaiah 9:1-2. Jesus travelled the region preaching about the coming kingdom of God and performing miraculous healings of sick people to prove he was the Messiah. In Luke 5:17-32, Jesus forgave the sins of a paralyzed man. When challenged about his authority to forgive sins, Jesus healed the man so he could walk. Matthew 8:1-17 gives another example of Jesus’ performance of numerous miracles, which fulfilled prophecy in Iasiah 53:4.

In Luke 6:12-19, Jesus chose 12 men to be his Apostles. While Jesus had crowds of followers, these 12 men became Jesus’ closest followers.

In Matthew 16:13-28, Jesus asked the Apostle Peter about who people said he was. Peter said the people thought Jesus was a prophet then Jesus asked Peter about who he thought he was. Peter responded, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God”. Jesus blessed Peter for his answer then began telling his followers that he was going to be crucified and that anyone who wanted to follow him had to be prepared to lose their own lives.

In Matthew 17:1-9, Jesus took Apostles Peter, James & John up a mountain and was transformed into great light and spoke with Moses and the prophet Elias in front of the Apostles. The Apostles were in fear then a voice stated, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased”.

Jesus’ ministry and teaching upset many Jews, so he was constantly questioned and critiqued by them. On one occasion, in John 10:22-42, the Jews approached him to ask if he was the Christ. Jesus said that his miraculous works, done in the Father’s name, spoke for themselves then Jesus made the comment “I and my Father are one”. The Jews picked up stones to kill Jesus because his comment meant that he was equal with God. Again, Jesus told the Jews that his miraculous works gave testimony of him. The Jews tried to seize Jesus, but he managed to escape them.

In Matthew Chapter 26, because of Jesus’ radical teachings and popularity, the Jews became jealous and conspired to have him arrested. They paid the Apostle Judas to betray him at an opportunistic time when Jesus’ crowds were not around. After Jesus was praying at nighttime, Judas led the Jews to arrest Jesus. Jesus was then questioned by the Jews until they could make up a reason to have him executed.

In Matthew 27:1-31, the Jews led Jesus to the Roman governor Pontius Pilate. Pilate thought Jesus was innocent, but the Jews pressured Pilate to sentence Jesus to death by crucifixion. During this trial, Jesus was brutally tortured and mocked by Roman soldiers.

Matthew 27:32-66 & John Chapter 19 describe the crucifixion, death, and burial of Jesus. Jesus was brought to Golgotha where he was crucified with two other criminals. The Romans and Jews watched and yelled insults at Jesus as he was hanging on the cross. After about six hours Jesus said, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”, then he died. A Roman guard pierced Jesus’ side with a spear to make sure he was dead, which caused blood and water to pour out. Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for permission to take Jesus’ body then he wrapped it in a cloth and placed it in a tomb, sealing it by rolling a large stone over the entrance.

Matthew 28:1-20 & John 20 describes the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. After Jesus has been dead for three days, three women came to visit the tomb and discovered that an angel arrived to roll the stone away. The women went into the tomb and discovered that Jesus was no longer there. Jesus later began showing himself to his followers on many occasions. He proved he was really raised from the dead, and not just a ghost, by eating with the disciples and allowing them to feel his wounds.

The Messiah's crucifixion, burial and resurrection marked the fulfillment of several prophecies.

• Isaiah 52:13-53:12 A prophecy of his suffering and dying for the sins of the people.
• Psalm 22 A prophecy of his Crucifixion.
• Numbers 21:4-9 & John 3:14 The bronze serpent, raised by Moses to save the people, was symbolic of Jesus being raised up (when crucified) to save people from their sins.
• Psalm 16:8-11 A prophecy about his resurrection

There are numerous other prophecies about the Messiah that were fulfilled by Jesus, which proves Jesus was the Messiah.

After Jesus' resurrection from the dead, he stayed on Earth for 40 days visiting and teaching his disciples. In Acts 1:1-9, Jesus gave final orders to his Apostles then he ascended to heaven where he was seated at the right hand of God (Ephesians 1:18-23, Hebrews 1).

In Acts 2:1-13, 10 days after Jesus’ ascension into heaven, the Apostles were in one place during the day of Pentecost. Suddenly, a sound like a mighty rushing wind filled the house, tongues like fire appeared over the Apostles’ heads and the Apostles began to speak in other languages. This event drew the attention of a huge crowd which gathered around the Apostles. In Acts 2:14-36, Peter told the crowd that what happened was a fulfillment of prophecy in Joel 2:28-32. Peter then preached the first Gospel message about Jesus to the crowd. In Acts 2:37-47, Peter’s message convicted the crowd, who then asked Peter about what to do next. Peter told them to repent and be baptized in Jesus’ name for the forgiveness of sins and to receive the Holy Spirit. 3000 people responded to Peter’s message and became the first people to convert to Christianity, marking the beginning of the Church.

After Acts 2, Christianity spread around Israel for nearly a decade. During this time only the Jews were converting to Christianity and the Church was not preaching to outsiders and pagans. The Church at the time were of Jewish background and believed that all outsiders (called “Gentiles”, because they were uncircumcised) were unclean and not to be associated with. Since God’s plan was to bring salvation to all the world, he needed to communicate to the newly formed Church that salvation was also available to the Gentiles.

In Acts 10:1-11:18, God gave a vision to a Roman Centurion, named Cornelius, instructing him to send messengers to the Apostle Peter, so Peter could preach a message to Cornelius. At the same time, Peter saw a vision directing him to eat unclean animals, which he interpreted as instruction to go with Cornelius’ servants. Peter arrived and preached the Gospel to Cornelius’ household. As Peter preached, the household was baptized with the Holy Spirit. Peter, and 6 Jews that came with him, were amazed, and concluded that God had accepted the Gentiles. Peter then commanded that all of Cornelius’ household be baptized in Jesus’ name. When Peter returned to Jerusalem, the other Apostles challenged him for entering the house of a gentile. Peter explained what happened then the Apostles concluded that God had declared that all nations were acceptable to him. Christianity then began spreading around the whole world. The Apostles also travelled the world, preaching the Gospel and performing many miracles (Acts 14:1-18).

Biblical Salvation & The New Creation

The Problem of Sin

Verses describing what sin is:

• James 2:10-13 A person disobeys a command of God. A person who disobeys even one commandment is just as guilty as one who breaks all the commandments.
• 1 John 5:17, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, Romans 1:18-2:16 All unrighteousness and evil is sin.
• James 4:17 Someone neglects to do something they should do, often called a sin of omission.
• Romans 14:13-23 Someone does something not from faith. In other words, someone does something they think is sinful even though it is technically not a sin.
• Mark 9:42, 1 Corinthians 8:7-13 Someone causes or pressures another person to sin.
• Matthew 5:27-28 The Bible teaches sin can be internal, even if a person does not physically do something, such as hate and lust.

Sin leads to all the evil in the world, such as crime, famine, and wars. In addition to the real-world effects of sin, Sin causes a person to lose their relationship with God and spiritually die (see Isaiah 59:1-4 and James 1:13-15). If an individual dies while in this state, the punishment for their sin is eternal separation from God and condemnation to a spiritual place called Hell. Hell is described in the Bible as “a lake of Fire", “darkness”, and “a place where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Revelation 21:8, Matthew 13:47-50, Mark 9:42-48, 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10). This punishment, for even one sin, is extreme because the almighty God dwells in heaven were nothing short of absolute perfection can enter. Because even one sin means a person is no longer completely innocent and perfect, that person is no longer qualified to enter heaven and stand God’s presence (Romans 3:23 & Isaiah 6:1-11).

Sin is a real problem with real consequences, but many try to fix their sin problem by themselves in ways like the following:

• Doing enough good things to “balance out” sins so God will overlook sin and focus on the good deeds. The major flaw in this approach is that one sin can still make a person imperfect in God’s presence.
• Self-punishment to make up for sin. Self-punishment will never be an adequate replacement for the true consequences of sin.
• Living a legalistic lifestyle to keep from committing more sin. Law keeping does nothing for previous sin and only focuses on what not to do in the future.

It is not possible for a person to fix their own sin. Once sin is committed, the consequences are irreversible by that person. The solution to fixing the sin problem is to turn to someone else who can fix the problem for them.

The Solution to Sin

The good news is that God has provided a solution to sin: Faith Jesus Christ “For the wages of sin is death; but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Faith is a common subject in the bible, but it is often misunderstood.

• Hebrews 11 In Verse 1, faith is biblically defined as believing what God says about things unseen or unfulfilled. All of Hebrews Chapter 11 is devoted to giving example after example of faithful people who believed God and lived their lives accordingly.
• James 2:14-26 Simple belief is not biblical faith. True faith will be followed up with actions. When Abraham was tested and told to sacrifice his son Isaac, his actions proved he was faithful. Noah also demonstrated his faith when he believed God’s warning about the flood and followed through with building the ark.
• Romans 3:9-31 Salvation cannot be obtained by living according to the Law, but by faith in Christ Jesus.
• Romans 4 Abraham was not justified by his works, but by his faith. Because of Abraham’s faith, he was considered righteous even before he was circumcised (some Jews thought circumcision was required to be saved). Similarly, a person is justified not by his works, but by his faith in Jesus.

The Steps to Salvation in the New Testament

The question about the Biblical plan of salvation is highly debated in the religious world. Simply reading through Acts, to learn what was practiced, sheds light on the question about what someone must do to be saved.

• Acts 2:14-42 Peter preached the first gospel message to a large crowd. The crowd was moved by the sermon and asked what they should do. Peter’s response was that they should repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ to receive the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
• Acts 3:1-26 Peter healed a disabled man, which drew a large crowd together. Peter preached the gospel message then urged the listeners to repent and convert to receive the forgiveness of sins and times of refreshing from the Lord.
• Acts 8:26-40 Philip came across a man in a chariot, who was reading the prophet Isaiah. Philip asked him if he understood what he was reading. The man wanted Philip to explain the passage to him, so Philip got on the chariot and preached the gospel to him. They later came to some water then the man asked Philip to be baptized. Philip told him he could if he believed. The man replied, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God”, then both went into the water where Philip baptized him.
• Acts 10:34-48 Peter preached the Gospel to the household of Cornelius. The household was baptized with the Holy Spirit then Peter commanded that they get baptized with water in the name of the Lord.
• Acts 16:13-15 A woman named Lydia heard Paul preaching then she and her household got baptized.
• Acts 16:25-34 Paul and Silas were in jail when an earthquake opened all the doors and loosened the chains. The jail keeper nearly killed himself because he thought all the prisoners escaped but Paul stopped him. The jail keeper then asked Paul what he must do to be saved. Paul said he had to believe in Jesus Christ then Paul preached the gospel to the jail keeper and his household. The jail keeper and his household were also baptized.
• Acts 18:24-19:8 A jew named Apollos travelled to Ephesus preaching about Jesus, but he didn’t have a full understanding about the gospel and was only baptized with John’s Baptism. Aquila and Priscilla took Apollos aside and explained to him the gospel more perfectly, then Apollos moved on to Achaia. Later, Paul came to Ephesus and found some believers. He asked them if they received the Holy Spirit, but they didn’t know what that was, and they were only baptized with John’s Baptism (they were most likely taught by Apollos). Paul told the men that they should believe in Jesus then they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
• Acts 22:1-16 Paul retold the story about his conversion to a crowd (Paul’s conversion happened in Acts 9). He talked about how he was on his way to Damascus to persecute Christians when he saw a bright light and spoke with Jesus. The light blinded Paul and he went to Damascus where a Christian named Ananias came to him and told him to get up and be baptized to wash away his sins.

By putting all these conversion accounts together, it can be determined that a person must:

• Believe in Jesus Christ. They must have a conviction that he is the Son of God who came to earth as a man, was crucified, buried, raised from the dead 3 days later and ascended to heaven (John 3:16, 1 Corinthians 15:1-8)
• Repent of sins. Repentance is turning away from the wrong direction to the right one. With salvation, true repentance is complete when a person commits to turn away from their sinful life and gets baptized (Jonah 3, Matthew 12:41, 2 Corinthians 7:9-11).
• Confess faith in Christ. A public affirmation about the newfound belief must be made. For example, in Acts 8:37, the Ethiopian told Philip “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God” (Romans 10:5-17).
• Be Baptized in the name of Jesus Christ to receive the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Keeping the Faith

Becoming a Christian is not a casual decision, it must include a lifelong conviction to follow Christ as Lord and King, even if it means persecution and death. If the Christian fails to set the mind on Spiritual things and abide in Christ, he risks falling back into the entanglement of sin, becoming unfruitful and ultimately falling away from his salvation. Many verses in the New Testament give encouragement for Christians to keep their faith:

• Matthew 6:24 Serving God is an exclusive decision and requires total devotion. Jesus said a person cannot serve God and another master, like wealth.
• Matthew 10:34-39 Following Christ is controversial. Jesus said he would cause disruption on earth and among family. Whoever wishes to follow Christ must put him above all other things, including family.
• Matthew 16:24-26 Jesus said a person who follows him must be willing to “take up his cross and follow me”. The person who wishes to follow Christ must be willing to follow in Christ’s suffering, even to the point of crucifixion.
• Mark 4:1-20 Jesus uses a parable about seeds and ground to make a comparison to those who receive the word of God but either lose their faith or keep it depending on the kind of person they are.
• John 15:1-11 Jesus makes a comparison between branches that do not abide in the vine and are cut off to how those who do not abide in him will be cut off.
• Hebrews 3:7-19 Christians are encouraged to not be like the Israelites in the desert who wanted to turn away from the promised land and go back into Egypt.
• Hebrews 6:1-8 Those who fall away cannot be renewed again to repentance because they have been hardened by sin. They are like earth that absorbs rain but never produces anything and is then burned with fire.
• Hebrews 10:26-39 Those who continue sinning willfully no longer have sacrifice for sins because they blatantly disregard the sacrifice of Christ. God does not have pleasure in those who draw back into sin.
• 2 Peter 2:20-22 Those who have escaped the corruption of the world by becoming Christians but then return to the world are in a worse place than before.
• Galatians 5:1-6 Those who try to be justified by the Old Testament Law have fallen from grace.

Miscellaneous Verses and Thoughts About Baptism

Because baptism is one of the most controversial topics in the Bible, it’s important to consider a few extra facts and verses about baptism:

• The word "baptize" comes from the Greek word "baptizo", which means “immerse”. Biblical references to Christian baptism in Jesus’ name describe it as full water immersion, with Acts 10:47-48 specifically connecting water to baptism.
• Matthew 3 & Luke 3:1-8 show that John the Baptist practiced full water immersion for repentance and to have forgiveness of sins.
• Mark 16:16 says that he who believes and is baptized shall be saved. It should be read as a two-part conditional statement for salvation, but some argue that baptism is not important because the second part to the verse only mentions belief. The verse only mentions belief because belief in Christ is necessary for salvation and no baptism would be valid without it.
• 1 Corinthians 1:10-17 can be misinterpreted as Paul saying he did not baptize because baptism was not important. A closer reading of the passage shows Paul was addressing a division in the church where people thought they were special based on who baptized them. Paul wanted to prevent people from claiming fame for being baptized by him and would have had other people do the baptizing.
• 1 Corinthians 12:13 is a reference to the Holy Spirit’s work during baptism for people to enter the body of Christ.
• Ephesians 4:4-6 says there was only one baptism. The Church practiced one water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ, and not various other baptisms.
• Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus gave the great commission, which included baptizing in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. This is the only baptism verse that names the three. In the rest of the New Testament, baptism was done in Jesus’ name (remember that Jesus is the Father, Son & Holy Spirit).
• Hebrews 10:22 does not specifically use the word “baptism” but it still makes a connection between cleansing from an evil conscience and being washed with pure water.
• 1 Peter 3:21 directly says baptism saves by the resurrection of Christ. It then says that baptism doesn’t save in the sense that water washes off dirt, but in the sense that baptism is an appeal to God for clean conscience. Baptism is the point in which the person is asking God for salvation.
• Titus 3:5 makes a statement about regenerative washing and renewing of the Holy Spirit.
• Ephesians 5:26 Christ cleansed the Church with a washing of water by the word of God.
• John 3:1-8 Jesus told Nicodemus that one has to be born again to see the Kingdom of God. He then clarified that a person must be born of water and the Spirit to enter the Kingdom of God.
• Many argue that the thief on the cross, in Luke 23:39-43, was forgiven of his sins after only believing in Jesus and without being baptized. Because of this argument, many today believe they also only need to believe in Jesus to be saved, with baptism being unnecessary. At first glance this argument seems valid, but it is very weak. While Jesus was on earth, he frequently healed and forgave sins as he saw fit. The thief was forgiven after personally speaking to and being told by Jesus that he would be forgiven, which is not something anyone alive today can claim. Additionally, the thief was forgiven prior to Jesus’ crucifixion, burial, resurrection, and ascension to heaven. New Testament Christianity did not begin until after Jesus ascended into heaven, with the first Christian converts being made in Acts 2. Also, according to Hebrews 9:15-18, the New Testament did not come into effect until after Christ’s death. Today, anyone who wants to become a Christian must now follow the pattern of salvation followed by the New Testament Church in the scriptures.

A New Creation

“Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 7:17). When someone becomes a Christian, they do not just have their sins forgiven, they are born as new creations. Here are a few of the many verses in the New Testament which describe the new creation:

• Romans 6 In baptism, the old, sinful man is crucified with Christ and a new man is raised up with him in newness of life. A person enters into Christ by being baptized into Christ, which is consistent with Romans 8:1. Baptism is also when that person contacts Christ’s cleansing blood, shed during crucifixion (John 19:34, Hebrews 9:14). Galatians 2:20 & 6:14 both use similar statements about being “crucified with Christ”.
• Romans 7:1-6 Uses a metaphor about a woman being an adulteress if she marries another man while her first husband is still alive. If her husband is dead, then the woman is free from him and able to marry another man. The analogy is used to describe Christians, who were “married to the Law”, are free from the Old Testament Law because they are dead to it by the body of Christ. Christians instead are now bound to a new “husband”, Jesus Christ.
• Colossians 2:9-14 Describes a spiritual circumcision of Christ, made without hands, in which the sinful, fleshly body is removed. The circumcision of Christ happens when a person is buried with Christ in baptism and risen with Christ through faith in the working of God. Old Testament circumcision, which removed physical foreskin flesh, was a foreshadow of the true circumcision in baptism (also see Romans 2:28-29).
• Galatians 3:26-29 Christians are children of God through faith in Christ and those who have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. This passage teaches that baptism and faith work together and are not exclusive.
• Ephesians 2:1-10 Christians were once dead in sins but have now been made alive with Christ and raised to sit with him in heaven.
• 2 Peter 1:1-11 God’s divine power has given the Christian everything pertaining to life and godliness, including being a partaker of the divine nature.
• Colossians 3:1-17 Because Christians have been raised with Christ, they should seek the things above, where Christ is. Christians should put off all sinful behavior and instead put on godly character.
• Ephesians 6:10-17 Christians are spiritual warriors with spiritual weapons and armor.
• Galatians 5:16-26 Christians are encouraged to walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh. The works of the flesh are in opposition to the works of the Spirit.
• Romans 12:1-2 Christians are to be transformed by fixing the mind on spiritual things instead of conforming to the world.
• Romans 8 This chapter goes in depth about living by the Spirit in contrast with living according to the flesh.
• Matthew 5:48 & 1 Peter 1:15-16 God commands Christians to be perfect and holy.

The Indwelling Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is simply the spirit of Christ. He indwells every Christian starting at their immersions into Christ. Here are some verses which elaborate more about God’s Spirit:

• John 4:1-14 Jesus told the woman at the well that he had living water which would prevent thirst and turn into a well of water springing up to everlasting life within the person who drinks of it. Jesus’ comment in John 7:37-39 shows that he was referring to the Holy Spirit. Old Testament passages such as Isaiah 35 & Ezekiel 47:1-12 are subtle, prophetic references to the Holy Spirit.
• Romans 5:1-5 The Holy Spirit was given to Christians.
• Acts 5:29-32 The Holy Spirit is given to those who obey God. God does not randomly force his Spirit onto a disobedient or unknowing person.
• Galatians 4:6 Because Christians are sons of God, God has given them the Spirit of his Son.
• 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 & 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Christians are temples of God because the Spirit of God dwells in them.
• Ephesians 1:13-14 People who become Christians are sealed with the Holy Spirit.
• Acts 2:38 The Holy Spirit is received in Baptism.
• Acts 18:23-19:7 The group of believers told Paul that they did not know what the Holy Spirit was, and they only had John’s baptism. Paul told them to believe in Jesus then they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, implying that the Holy Spirit is given in baptism.
• John 4:15-26 The Samaritan woman questioned Jesus about the proper place to worship God. Jesus said that a time was coming when the true worshippers of God will worship in spirit and truth. Christians are always in the spirit and truth because the Holy Spirit dwells within them, making them temples of God and always in a state of worship.

Jesus the High Priest

The Old Testament tabernacle, high priesthood, and sacrificial system foreshadow Jesus and his work. Hebrews chapters 4-10 describe Jesus and his role of High Priest for Christians by comparing him to the Old Testament system.

• Hebrews 4:14-5:10 Jesus is the great High Priest and has passed into the heavens. Even though he is greatly exalted, he still knows what it is like to be human because he lived on earth and was tempted in every way. While Jesus had no sin, every Old Testament High Priest had sin and had to offer animal sacrifices for his own sins. Jesus was declared by God to be the High Priest of the Order of Melchizedek.
• Hebrews 6:19-20 In the Old Testament tabernacle, a large veil separated the Holy Place and Holy of Holies. Only the High Priest could go past the veil into the Holy of Holies to offer an atoning sacrifice for sins. Jesus has entered through the veil in heaven as a High Priest of the order of Melchizedek.
• Hebrews 7:1-12 Reintroduces Melchizedek, who was briefly mentioned in Genesis 14:17-24 & Psalm 110:4. Melchizedek was King of Salem and Priest of God. He had no parents, no genealogy, and no beginning or ending to his life. The priesthood of Melchizedek is greater than the Old Testament Levitical Priesthood because all the Old Testament priests were descendants of Abraham whom Melchizedek blessed and received tithes from. God planned for a priest to arise after the Order of Melchizedek while the Levitical Priesthood was insufficient to bring about perfection. Switching the priesthood also required changing of the Old Testament law to a new law.
• Hebrews 7:13-28 Under the Old Testament, only those descended from the tribe of Levi could be a priest. Jesus was descended from the tribe of Judah so he could not be an Old Testament priest. God declared Jesus, who had an indestructible life like Melchizedek, as High Priest of the order of Melchizedek. The Old Testament made nothing perfect and now has been made void. Jesus’ High Priesthood is superior to the Old Testament High Priesthood because Jesus lives forever, had no sin, and only needed to offer up his own blood once to cleanse all sin. The Old Testament priests died of old age, sinned, and had to continuously offer animal sacrifices.
• Hebrews 8:1-6 Christians have a High Priest who is seated at the right hand of God and ministers in a heavenly tabernacle. While on earth, Jesus was not a priest because the Levitical priesthood was in effect and only functioned as a representation of Jesus’ heavenly priesthood.
• Hebrews 8:7-13 References Jeremiah 31:31-34, which is a prophecy about God establishing a new covenant to replace the obsolete old covenant.
• Hebrews 9:1-15 Summarizes the layout of the Old Testament Tabernacle and the offering of animal sacrifices by the priests. Jesus Christ, the superior High Priest, has entered a heavenly tabernacle to offer his blood within the heavenly Holy of Holies.
• Hebrews 9:16-28 A testament (also known as a will or covenant) is in effect when a death happens. The Old Testament was made active when Moses sprinkled animal blood on the book of the Law, the tabernacle and all the people at Mt. Sinai. The New Testament went into effect when Christ died on the cross, shed his blood, then later raised from the dead and ascended to heaven where he offered his blood in the heavenly Holy Place. Christ only had to do this one time because his blood was sufficient to cleanse all sin.
• Hebrews 10:1-18 The Old Testament was merely a shadow of the New Testament. The sacrifices of the Old Testament were not able to remove sin and make the people perfect. The blood of Christ was perfect and was able to be offered one time to permanently remove sin. Because Christ only had to offer his blood one time in the heavenly tabernacle, he has now taken his seat at the right hand of God.

The New Testament Church

What is the Church?

The New Testament uses the term “Church” (from the Greek word “ekklesia”, which means “a called-out assembly”) to refer to all Christians worldwide, or any group of Christians, such as in 1 Corinthians 1:1-3 & Acts 9:31. Any Christian is simultaneously a part of the Church.

The Church in the New Testament consisted of numerous communities of Christians scattered throughout the world. These communities organically formed as Christians travelled the world and spread the good news about Jesus Christ. While there are Biblical examples of churches networking with other churches, such as Romans 15:24-28 & 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, each church was its own, independent, local community. Many congregations were often led by elders, who, in accordance with 1 Timothy 3:1-8 & Titus 1:5-9, offered fatherly service and guidance to local Christians.

Even though the Church is scattered throughout the world, Jesus’ desire for the Church was that it be unified as one organization (John 17:20-23, 1 Corinthians 1:10-17, Ephesians 4:1-6). This unity is possible because Christians worldwide have the same Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Head and King of the Church (Ephesians 1:22, Colossians 1:15-18), and follow the same scriptures. The Church in the first century was instructed by the Apostles, who had received teaching & authority directly from Jesus, and from the Old Testament Scripture (see Acts 15 as an example). While the Apostles were alive, they wrote writings of instruction to the Church. After they passed away, many of their writings were later included in the New Testament. Today the Church can now receive complete, divinely authoritative, instruction from the completed Bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Because divine instruction only comes from scripture alone, false teachers, visionaries and leaders are prevented from claiming divine authority over the Church (Romans 16:17-18, 2 Timothy 4: 1-4, 2 Peter 2:1-2).

Local Churches met weekly on the Lord’s Day (Sunday- the day of the week that Jesus rose from the dead). Central to this meeting was partaking of the Lord’s Supper (also known as “Communion”), in accordance with Acts 20:7, Matthew 26:26-29, 1 Corinthians 10:16-21, & 1 Corinthians 11:18-34. In addition to the Lord’s Supper, the Church would receive teaching, fellowship with one another, and devote themselves to prayer as described in Acts 2:42. Hebrews 10:23-25, 1 Thessalonians 5:11 & Philippians 2:1-4 encourage Christians to not neglect the assembly but instead encourage each other and be concerned for the wellbeing of others in the Church.

The ultimate mission of the Church was to be God’s messenger to the world, seeking and saving the lost by educating them about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and urging fellow Christians to remain faithful to Jesus. Along with this mission, the Church was to be engaged in good works and service to others (Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 8:1-4, 1 Thessalonians 1:8-10, Titus 3).

Metaphors of the Church

The Bible describes the Church in various ways to help Christians get a better appreciation for it:

• Ephesians 5:22-33 The Church is Jesus’s bride and is to subject itself to Christ as a wife to a husband. Christ loves the Church and gave up himself for it.
• Ephesians 2:19 & 1 Timothy 3:15 The Church is the household of God.
• 1 Corinthians 6:14-7:1 & 1 Peter 2:1-10 The Church is the temple of God.
• Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 & Ephesians 4:1-16 The Church is the body of Christ. Every person has a role to play in the Church and no member of the Church is without significance to the rest of the Church.

The Church was Prophesied in the Old Testament

The Old Testament makes numerous prophecies about the Church. The prophecies typically describe a coming kingdom of God, or a mountain of God, in which all people gather to learn God’s ways and live in peace. Examples of such prophecy include:

• Isaiah 2:1-5
• Isaiah 55:5
• Daniel 7:13-14
• Hosea 1:10
• Joel 2:28-32
• Zechariah 2:10-11
• Micah 4:1-3
• Amos 9:11
• Isaiah 11

The New Testament sheds light on the meaning of such prophecy:

• Matthew 3:1-4, Mark 1:14-15 These verses, and numerous others, show that John the Baptist and Jesus preached that the kingdom which was soon to come. In Acts 8:12 & Acts 28:30-31, the Apostles preached about the kingdom of God.
• John 18:33-37 Pilate asked Jesus if he was a King. Jesus said he was a King, but his kingdom was not physical. Numerous verses in the Bible reference Jesus as King, which implies his kingdom is present and spiritual.
• Colossians 1:13 Paul refers to the Church in Colossae as being delivered from darkness and already transferred into the kingdom of God’s son.
• 1 Peter 2:1-10 Jesus is the cornerstone laid on Mount Zion, as prophesied in Isaiah 28:16. Christians are stones being built on the cornerstone, into a spiritual house. Peter refers to Christians as a holy priesthood.
• Acts 15:13-21 James quotes from Amos 9:11 and says that the prophecy was in reference to the Church.
• Hebrews 12:18-24 Christians have come to the true mountain of God.
• Romans 15:8-12 Paul quotes from many places in the Old Testament, including Isaiah 11:12, to show that God wanted the Gentiles to praise him and be a part of his Church.

In Daniel 2:1-35, King Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, saw a vision of a great statue. The dream troubled the king, so he looked for someone to interpret it. The prophet Daniel was able to interpret the dream for Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 2:36-45.

Daniel was written around 540BC, during the Babylonian Empire. The prophecy of Daniel 2 would be fulfilled as history continued after Daniel’s time. The Babylon empire (head of gold), lasted until the Persian Empire (chest and arms of silver) conquered it around 536BC. The Persian Empire existed until the Greeks (torso of bronze), led by Alexander the Great, defeated it around 331BC. The Greeks ruled until about 200BC when the Roman Empire (legs of iron) conquered them. The Roman Empire became so large that it relied on local rulers to govern parts of it (feet mixed with iron and clay). God set up his kingdom (the stone which struck the statue) during the days of the Roman Empire. The kingdom is one that spread throughout the world and will never be destroyed. Jesus arrived during the Roman Empire and established the Church, which has grown worldwide and will last forever.

The Church After New Testament Times

Christianity quickly faced heavy persecution from Roman Emperors and many Christians were tortured and murdered for their faith. The Church described in the New Testament existed for a couple centuries after Christ before disappearing from recorded history, largely because of numerous false doctrines which gradually made their way into the Church. By the early fourth century, Roman Emperors, such as Constantine, began legalizing and using Christianity to unify the Roman Empire. These efforts led to Roman Catholicism, which was a government religion that combined aspects of Christianity with numerous pagan doctrines. The Catholic Church was highly politicized, vigorously persecuting all opposition, and became the dominant religious institution for hundreds of years.

By the 1500s, many people began challenging Catholic authority in what would be called The Reformation Movement. In 1517, a monk named Martin Luther nailed his famous “95 Theses” to the door of a Catholic Church in Wittenburg, Germany. The “95 Theses” critiqued many doctrines of the Catholic Church and argued for reform. Though violently opposed by the Catholic Church, the movement spread and led to the development of numerous new groups who sought a more scripturally based faith. With the discovery of North America, many people from these groups travelled across the Atlantic in pursuit of religious freedom. Even with the the intention to be more scriptural, many groups still fell short of restoring the ancient biblical church because they developed various creeds and non-biblical teachings instead of exclusively following the bible only. Many of these groups formed denominations that still exist today such as the Baptists, Methodists, Lutherans, etc. In addition to the older denominations, there are thousands of newer ones that have been started.

The Lord's Second Coming

The following passages describe the Lord’s Second Coming:

• Acts 17:30-31 God calls everyone to repent because there is a day when the world will be judged by Christ.
• Acts 1:9-11 Jesus’ Apostles watched him ascend into the clouds then two men in white told them Jesus would come back through the clouds in the same way he went up.
• Revelation 1:7 When Jesus returns, everyone will see him.
• 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10 Jesus will return with clouds, glorious light, fire, and with his angels. Jesus’ Second Coming is an event that will be extremely obvious to everybody and completely unmistakable. When he returns, it will be to glorify his saints and bring in everlasting vengeance and destruction to those who do not know God or obey his Gospel.

• James 5:7-11 Christians are encouraged to be patient for the Lord’s return. Jesus is like a farmer who wants to harvest the crops but is still waiting for the crop to be ready. Jesus is described as a judge standing right at the door and those who endure persecution will be rewarded.
• 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3 Jesus will return randomly like a thief in the night, when people least expect it.
• 2 Peter 3 There will be many doubters and haters of God, but the Lord will come randomly like a thief in the night. The earth and heavens are reserved for destruction by fire in which everything will melt with intense heat. Christians are encouraged to remain faithful, blameless, and wait patiently for the Lord’s return.
• John 5:25-29 The dead will hear the voice of Jesus upon his arrival and raise from the dead. Those that did good will live a resurrected life while those who did evil will be resurrected to damnation.
• Philippians 3:20-21 & 1 John 3:1-3 When the Lord returns, Christian’s will have their physical bodies transformed into a glorious body that matches Christ’s glorious body.
• 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 The Lord will return with a shout, the voice of the Archangel and trumpet of God. Christians who have died in the past will rise then they and the Christians who are currently alive will be taken up into the clouds to meet Christ and be with him forever.
• 1 Corinthians 15:50-58 Physical bodies cannot live in a spiritual world. When the final trumpet sounds and the Lord returns, the physical bodies of Christians will be instantly transformed into spiritual glorified bodies that can live in heaven forever.
• Matthew 13:24-43 Jesus tells a parable about a farmer who plants a field and an enemy who later plants weeds in the field. When the crop grew, the weeds also grew but the farmer insisted on letting both grow until the harvest. At harvest the weeds get thrown into the fire while the crops get stored in the barn. Jesus later explains the parable as being about the world (the field), the good (wheat) and the evil (weeds). At the judgment, the evil get burned up while the good shine in the kingdom of God.
• Revelation 20:10-15 The Devil will be cast into a lake of fire forever. The Lord will sit on a great white heavenly throne and judge people from a book of life. Those whose names are not found in the book of life will also be cast into the lake of fire for all eternity.
• 2 Peter 2:4 & Jude 1:6 Both verses say the angels that rebelled against God are currently held in “chains of darkness” and are awaiting judgment.

How to Baptize Someone

In reading this study, you, or someone else, might be convicted to follow the gospel and be baptized. Before someone gets baptized, it’s important to discuss what they believe and make sure they have the proper understanding about the gospel of Jesus Christ. Some questions to ask to determine where someone stands in their understanding and conviction are:

• Is the Bible the inspired word of God?
• Who is Jesus and what did he do?
• What does someone have to do to be saved?
• What happens in Baptism and what do you get?
• Are you saved before Baptism?
• Are you committing to repent from your old life and make Christ your King?

The person should be able to explain correct answers to these questions and affirm that they have convicting beliefs. Otherwise, they may need to continue studying the scripture to build conviction or they may need to determine if they feel that Christianity is something they want to commit to. If the proper understanding and conviction is there, the actual baptism process is very simple:

• Locate enough water to completely immerse someone and bring the person to it.
• Say something such as “First Name Last Name, I immerse you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins and to receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit”.
• Put the person completely under water then raise them back out of it.

Biblically, there isn’t an exact “script” that has to be said before baptizing someone. The person should make their confession of faith like the Ethiopian Eunuch did in Acts 8:37 and like Romans 10:8-17 says. Phrases like “in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and to receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit”, “Baptized in the name of the Lord”, and “Baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus” are all used in the scriptures. When something is done “in the name of” it means that thing is being done under the authority of the name being named. In other words, that name’s power is being invoked when something is being done in it. With baptism, baptizing in Jesus’ name is invoking his power and authority over that baptism. For this reason, it does not matter who does the baptizing because it is not their authority that is being used in baptism.

Many people have been given unbiblical baptisms in the past and later wonder if they should be re-baptized the right way. These are some scenarios where getting re-baptized the right way might apply:

• The person was baptized as a child. Children are innocent from sin and don’t need to be baptized. They also lack the maturity to understand the gospel and make the adult decision of convert to Christianity.
• The person did not have a biblical understanding about the gospel and baptism. Such baptisms are not valid because the person being baptized really does not know what is happening.
• The person had a biblical understanding about the gospel and baptism, but the person was baptized without believing the gospel or with wrong motives, such as impressing someone or getting something in return.
• The Baptism was not done the right way. For example, it was not a full water immersion or done in Jesus Christ’s name.

It’s up to the individual to be introspective about their previous baptism to determine if it was valid or not. If there is a reasonable doubt about the validity of a previous Baptism, there is no harm in just assuming it was not legitimate and getting baptized again.