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Tackling Tradition 82: Acts 19:1 - 7

Those who make much of New Testament baptism have been known to assert that one must be baptized in the name of Christ in order to have received the Holy Spirit.       Some go so far to say that one must be baptized in order to do so.   One of their major prooftexts is Acts 19: 1 - 7. 19 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spiritwhen you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?” “John’s baptism,” they replied. 4 Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.”5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophe...
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Romans 1 & Sola Scriptura

Objection - The Bible doesn’t teach Sola Scriptura. The Church is necessary to make Scripture intelligible for the student/reader.   By way of reply… It isn’t infrequent for Roman Catholics & Orthodox apologists to raise this objection.    When you think about what they are saying, the sound very like Village Atheists who argue that human minds are required for numbers to exist & math to be intelligible.     It’s the same reasoning process:    suppress God’s image, ability, & authority, then look to one or more created (human) images for use as a sufficient epistemic warrant for faith & practice.  The Protestant reply historically runs through 2 Timothy 3:16 - 17 & its declarations on the sufficiency & utility of Scripture.      That move is a valid one, but I think that it can be made stronger when part of a two-pronged approach that includes what Paul says about Scripture’s sufficiency & utility in...
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Tackling Tradition 26: Reevaluating Peter’s Betrayal

Did Peter really betray Yeshua in the Gospel accounts or did he merely give the appearance of betraying Him?     Thesis: Peter’s betrayal of Christ was done to protect himself & His followers. He did  not  abandon Yeshua as if he had lost faith in Him or because he was afraid for his own well being.    Rather, the Gospels are subtly informing us that he was executing an agreed upon plan to hide both himself & any number of Yeshua’s followers.   31  Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’  32  But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.”  33  Peter answered him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.”  34  Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.”  35  Pete...
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Tackling Tradition 25: Reevaluating Nicodemus & Christ

If  you’re like me, you’ve probably heard or been otherwise taught that Nicodemus’ dialogue with Yeshua in John 3 looks something like this:       Nicodemus comes to Jesus representing all of the Sanhedrin or just part of it, & he begins a conversation with Him by first confessing that the people whom he represents believe Yeshua to be a teacher sent from God having heard &/or witnessed the signs that He (Yeshua) had done.     Thus begins an ironic conversation in which Yeshua is the teacher & Nicodemus is the student who (up to this moment) was a slave to Ecclesiastical Tradition & needed to be taught that we are not justified by way of works righteousness.     Rather, we are justified via the grace of God that leads to regeneration & faith.     In truth, that’s not at all what was happening. Nicodemus is not the student.    Rather, he is the priestly teacher who is there examining a rising Hebrew Prophet w...
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Who is Joseph of Arimathea?

Joseph of Arimathea is most certainly the apostle, Thaddeus.   How do I know this?  Answer: via the meaning of a number of names in the New Testament.  Thaddeus  - Gift of God: This name calls attention to  Isaiah 22 .   Joseph is the steward within the House of Judah who uses the key of David as a civic leader & is associated with a tomb.   He is  Shebna , via being a lawyer & member of the Sanhedrin, whom Yeshua reminded had both built the tombs of the prophets & agreed with their persecution (even murder) by their forefathers. He is also  Eliakim , a faithful steward whom God raises up & entrusts with the Key of David, a civic key.    The key itself denotes empowered civic/civil authority to judge & rule Israel (Isaiah 22). Justus  - Just/Upright:  This name calls attention to his work as a lawyer & his recognition by the people as a prophetic ecclesiastical authority. Judas  - Praised/Let H...
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Tackling Tradition 24: It’s A Trap!!!

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Some people think that Galatians 2 chronicles a schism between Peter & Paul that exceeded particular practices & indicated a doctrinal schism within the ranks of the Apostles early on.    Let’s look at Galatians 2:11 - 14.  But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.  12  For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party.  13  And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.  14  But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”  ( Galatians 2:11–14 , ESV) Let’s break this down:  But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to hi...
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