Jesus in Genesis: Abraham

Abraham. A pivotal figure in the Bible and an extraordinary man. He is “father Abraham” – father of Israel, father of circumcision, father of all who believe in Christ. He had a remarkable walk with God, full of grace, faith, promises, and revelations of God. This week I want to consider two incidents in his life that reveal Jesus in Genesis. These two chapters are long and my blog is short, so I am only going to offer a cursory look at them and would therefore urge you to read them in their entirety.

Genesis 18
1  And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; 2  And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,
This is amazing! We read, the Lord appeared unto him and that he saw three men. Did he see the Lord or did he see three men? Yes. Two of these men were angels (19:1), the other was the Lord. And the Scripture is very clear, this was Yahweh himself (whenever LORD appears in the Old Testament in all caps it is the name of God): the LORD appeared to him and ate a meal with him (1-8); the LORD spoke to him about Sarah his wife and the son she would have (9-15); the LORD told Abraham about his plans for Sodom and Gomorrah and Abraham made intercession for them (16-33). Wow!

No man hath seen God at any time - so how in the world did Abraham see Him, eat with Him, and intercede face to face with Him??? This is the Word of God, the Son of God, “a personal appearance of him who was afterwards incarnated for the salvation of mankind” (Adam Clarke). This is not merely an angel, this is Jesus, the Son of God. And Abraham saw him!

The reason for this visit was to confirm the promised of a son (9-15). This is a great story full of real human emotion: the Promised One reaffirms the promise of a son. Jesus is both the giver of the promise and the fulfillment of the promise. Amen!

16  And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way. 17  And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do?
As the two men (angels) head toward Sodom, the Lord reveals to Abraham what He plans to do to Sodom.

22  And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.
I realize that to “stand before the Lord” is often metaphorical, but the context indicates that this is physical, Abraham and Christ, the LORD, are standing together discussing the fate of Sodom.

23  And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
Abraham intercedes for Sodom (24-32). This is instructive, enlightening, powerful!

33  And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.
What a day Abraham had! He met with the LORD face to face, shared a meal with Him, had a promise reaffirmed by Him, and secured Lot’s safety through Him. And in this he encountered Christ, the Son of God.

Genesis 22
Abraham’s faith was tested when God asked him to offer his son. When Isaac asked, where is the lamb for a burnt offering? Abraham replied with a declaration of faith and a prophetic word, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering. Amen!

As Abraham stood there with Isaac on the altar, the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven … And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.
Abraham offered a ram in the stead of his son. Such a picture of Christ and his death on the cross for us. And this is really cool: “the angel of the LORD” who directed Abraham to the ram was probably Christ himself! Many times in the Old Testament “the angel of the LORD” is Christ, the Son of God. So, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world points out the type, the ram offered in the stead of his son. Amen!

14  And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.
This is all a wonderful type of Christ: his death in our stead and his resurrection from the dead. Ah, but where is the resurrection in this? Abraham said, I and the lad will go and come again. The New Testament explains, By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.

“Jehovah - jireh (Yehovah-yireh), literally interpreted in the margin, The Lord will see; that is, God will take care that every thing shall be done that is necessary for the comfort and support of them who trust in him: hence the words are usually translated, The Lord will provide. On This Mount The Lord Shall Be Seen. Abraham offered Isaac on that very mountain on which, in the fullness of time, Jesus suffered.” ~Adam Clarke

Abraham lived in the early days of the Bible and yet he enjoyed such a rich revelation of Christ: the promised seed who would bless all the families of the earth, who would be offered in our stead, who would be raised from the dead. And he saw him and supped with him! Amen and amen! This is the very One “who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man; he was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried, and the third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures”

Jesus in Genesis - The Promised Seed

I know the Old Testament can be a confusing book. It is actually 39 books, with so many stories a person can get lost. It is helpful to know that there is a theme running throughout the Old Testament. And what is this theme around which the Old Testament is centered? On the surface, the Old Testament is the story of Israel and her great king, David. But, since the Old Testament continues after the reign of David, there’s something else going on, and David is just a part of it - that greater theme is Messiah, the Promised Savior. And we find this theme running through Genesis

3:15  And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
As soon as they were discovered in sin, God promised a Savior, who would destroy the adversary and restore the presence of the Lord. This is the first promise of Messiah and it tells us the Promised Savior will be a human.

“And just as through a disobedient virgin man was stricken down and fell into death, so through the Virgin who was obedient to the Word of God man was reanimated and received life”  ~Irenaeus, The Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching

12:1  Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee:
2  And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3  And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
This is a signal event in the Bible, this is when salvation history kicks into gear. God calls Abram and promises him a land and to make of him a nation - that’s Israel and the “promised land”. Then He says, and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. From the beginning, the plan and the promise was “all families of the earth.”

The Promised Savior would come from the family of Abraham. But Abraham had many sons, the two most prominent being Ishmael and Isaac. And God made it clear that his choice was Isaac: And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. (17:19; see also 17:15-21, 22:18)

The promise is then renewed with Isaac:
26:24  And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake.
Isaac had two sons, Esau and Jacob. Esau was the firstborn and the one expected to receive the promise, but God chose Jacob instead.

In 28:10-15 God renewed the promise to Jacob
28:14  And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
The Promised Savior will be from Jacob, who was later named Israel - Messiah will be from Israel.

But Jacob had 12 sons! As he was dying, Jacob gathered his sons around him and prophesied over them, and in so doing he revealed which tribe the Promised Savior would be from:

49:8  Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee.
9  Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?
10  The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
11  Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:
12  His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.

The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Amen! The Promised Savior will be from the tribe of Judah.

Shiloh is the promised Savior, the Messiah, but what is Shiloh? As Adam Clarke explains:

“The duration of the power of this famous tribe is next determined: 'the scepter' or it’s civil government, was not to cease or depart from Judah until the birth or coming of Shiloh, signifying the Apostle, as Christ is styled, Hebrews 3:1 (the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus); nor was the native lawgiver, or expounder of the law, teacher, or scribe, intimating their ecclesiastical polity, to cease, until Shiloh should have a congregation of peoples, or religious followers, attached to him. And how accurately was this fulfilled in both these respects!

Here then we find the true meaning and derivation of the much disputed term Shiloh in this prophecy of Jacob, which is fortunately preserved by the Vulgate, "The sceptre shall not be taken away from Juda, nor a ruler from his thigh, till he come that is to be sent, and he shall be the expectation of nations," and also by a rabbinical comment on Deu 22:7: 'If you keep this precept, you hasten the coming of the Messiah, who is called Sent.' " (commentary on Genesis)

This theme of the promised seed runs throughout Genesis. This book is not simply interesting stories about ancient people, or even the story of the beginning of Israel. Genesis is the story of the creation of man, the fall of man into sin and death, and the promise of God to send a Savior who will restore man to the presence of the Lord. The Promised Savior will be a human, of the family of Abraham, from the nation Israel, from the tribe of Judah.

And the New Testament makes it clear that Jesus of Nazareth was born of a woman, a son of Abraham, from the tribe of Judah.

Jesus is the promised seed, the Messiah.

Amen.

It's like I grew up on another planet

Sometimes, when I talk with my grandson, it’s like I grew up on another planet. Yes, that’s how different the world was lo these many years ago!

My grandson thrives on technology: video games; satellite TV; DVR; smart phones; laptop computers; kindle; iPad; YouTube. He asked me today what my favorite move was when I was his age. And that’s how it began.

First I said that he has possibly seen more movies in his 13 years than I have in my entire life. That may be hyperbole, but not by much. Then I tried to explain.

When I was young I saw movies. At the local theater. On Saturdays. If we did our chores in the morning, my Dad would give us money and we would walk to the theater. Sometimes the whole family might go to the drive in theater. This was a treat.

And TV. There were three channels that were not broadcasting 24 hours a day. At midnight they would “sign off” and show a test pattern until 5 am, at which time the broadcast day would begin with the national anthem. And that was when we had a TV. There were many years when we didn’t even own a TV. And when we did get one, my Dad put it outside. He wouldn’t have one in the house. When we got it we were only allowed so many hours per week and had a sign in sheet to verify.

No videos either. Well, there weren’t any video playing devices for that matter!

As I was telling him some of this, he asked incredulously, “What did you do?”

We played outside. There was nothing to do inside, so we went outside. Besides, our house wasn’t very big. My grandson lives in a house that may be larger than any I ever saw growing up. For that matter, I now live in a house bigger than I ever had in my entire life. In my family, there were 10 of us (8 children) living in a three bedroom house. Alone time? The only chance for that was outside.

I walked to school and from 9th grade on I had to hitchhike to get to school. When we weren’t in school we roamed. We’d leave in the morning and come back for lunch, then wander around in the afternoon and return for supper. After supper we’d play hide and seek until my parents called us home. We played football in the street. We explored the creek. We’d run up to the school grounds and play football there, or baseball. And got into all kinds of trouble. My mother never knew where I was. I am not saying she was a bad mother. Nobody knew where there kids were. I remember the TV campaign that sought to change that, “It’s 10 O’Clock. Do you know where you kids are?” You should’ve seen Halloween – the streets were full of children wandering around begging candy - no parents anywhere to be seen.

What was my mother doing while we were out roaming? Somebody had to be at the house when the police came looking for me! Actually, she was keeping house and taking care of my younger brothers and sisters. But even when they were young and somewhat yard bound, they wandered largely unsupervised. It’s just the way it was in those days.

When I got older I added surfing to my outside activities. And when I was old enough to drive, I asked to borrow the car to go surfing, but I don’t recall telling her where I was going.

My mother ran a pretty regulated home – we ate lunch at noon and supper at 6. Like clockwork. I remember my Dad laying down the law, “I don't care where you are or what you're doing, I want everybody home a half hour before dinner.” That’s all he said, half hour. We all knew that meant 5:30.

As I got older I added reading to my activities list. My Dad had built a book case that took up an entire wall. So cool. Reading was important in our family. I’ve had a library card as long as I can remember. We had a two-volume dictionary. My brother and I would play a game, each would take one volume and take turns randomly looking up a word and asking the other if he knew what it meant. High tech!

That’s what I did when I was young. Electronics and technology? I didn’t have time for them! I did get into a lot of trouble when I was young. Some of it pretty serious. I probably wasn’t the kid you wanted living next door, when I was growing up on that other planet.

Jesus in Genesis

A couple of weeks ago I asked my pastor about his plans for Advent. He said he was still working on it. When I got off the phone I asked myself, “What would I do?” My first thought was, Jesus in Genesis. I often used that theme, “Jesus in…” a particular book or section of the Old Testament but I never got around to Genesis. One of the recurring themes in my teaching was this, The Old Testament is a Jesus book, and I was always eager to point out the prophecies and types of Christ in the Old Testament.

I won’t have the opportunity to preach this Advent season so I thought I would use my blog to point to Jesus in Genesis. This is a long book and Jesus’ shadow and footprint are all over it. For this first week of Advent I will consider Genesis 1-8

1:1  In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
The Bible opens with a bang and Jesus is right in the thick of it! Right at the beginning of the Bible we find the Word, the Son of God, Christ, Jesus, who in the proper time came to the world to bring salvation. How can I say the Son of God is in verse 1 when the verse clearly says, God created?

First, the word for God is Elohim. It is a plural word. So from the very beginning of the Bible there is this idea of plurality in God. It runs throughout the Old Testament and is fully revealed in the New Testament.

Second, the Gospel according to John begins, In the beginning was the Word… John’s “in the beginning” is the same as Genesis and explains this plurality: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. Amen!

This first chapter describes God’s creative activity. Ten times we read, And God said. Hebrews 11:3 tells us, Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. Framed by Christ, who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. (Colossians 1:15-17). Our Savior is the Creator of the world!

1:26  And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
1:27  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Who is this “us”? Some people say he is speaking to angels; others say it is the plural of majesty, a royal we. No. It is the Father speaking to the Son. "It was not angels, therefore, who made us, nor who formed us, neither had angels power to make an image of God, nor any one else, except the Word of the Lord, nor any Power remotely distant from the Father of all things. For God did not stand in need of these [beings], in order to the accomplishing of what He had Himself determined with Himself beforehand should be done…. For with Him were always present the Word and Wisdom, the Son and the Spirit, by whom and in whom, freely and spontaneously, He made all things, to whom also He speaks, saying, "Let Us make man after Our image and likeness” Irenaeus

And concerning this “image” Irenaeus said . . . “For in times long past, it was said that man was created after the image of God, but it was not [actually] shown; for the Word was as yet invisible, after whose image man was created... When, however, the Word of God became flesh, He showed forth the image truly, since He became Himself what was His image…”

There are two other “us” passages in Genesis: 3:22, 11:7 These are also references of the Father speaking with the Son.

3:8  And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
Isn’t this a beautiful description, they heard the voice of the Lord God walking? This is clearly the Word, a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ (called Christophany). Why is it clear that this is the Son? In John 1:18 we are told, No man hath seen God at any time. Yet the Old Testament has many accounts of people seeing God. How can we explain this? No man has ever seen the Father, all such appearances have been the Son, Christ, Jesus. Despite the beauty of the word picture, this is a sad verse: Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God. Say what you will about the pleasures of sin, the effect of sin is you hide yourself from the presence of the Lord, who is light and life. We need redemption. We need a Savior.

3:15  And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Amen. This is known as the Protevangelium, the first gospel or promise of redemption. As soon as they were discovered in sin, God promised a Savior, who would destroy our adversary and restore the presence of the Lord.

Chapters 6-8 The Flood. This foreshadowed salvation through Christ: by entering the ark we are saved from the judgment of God, and when we pass through the waters (of baptism) we begin a new life (1 Peter 3:21)

Next week I plan to trace the promise of a Savior through Genesis.

This was very interesting

And when she was baptized, and her household (Acts 16:15)

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about whole house baptism in the New Testament. I determined to study the word house (οικος) in the Old Testament (especially the Septuagint) to see how it is used and to answer the question, Does the use of house (οικος) include children? I finished and boy did I learn a lot!

It occurs quite often and is used in a variety of ways. The meaning of the word house (οικος) is a building and this is the primary use. I noticed a trend as I went through every occurrence of this word in the Old Testament - from 1 Chronicles on it is primarily used to refer to the temple, the house of God. The house of God is a very important concept in the Old Testament. House (οικος) is also used idiomatically. One of the most interesting is “house of bondage”, referring to Israel’s time in Egypt.

Let’s get back to my question, Does the use of house (οικος) include children? The simple answer is, Yes. “House” is similar to “family” - sometimes it obviously includes children, but not always. This is interesting. Many times it is used to refer to the adults only, and often to adult males only. But, it is routinely used to refer to the entire family, men, women, and children.

Ezekiel 34.30 Thus shall they know that I the LORD their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord GOD. This is a particularly tender passage and clearly refers to men, women, and children.

Psalm 114:1 When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language… Again, clearly men, women, children

House of Israel occurs frequently, but there are other times house includes children

Genesis 12:17 And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife.

Genesis 46:31 And Joseph said unto his brethren, and unto his father's house, I will go up, and shew Pharaoh, and say unto him, My brethren, and my father's house, which were in the land of Canaan, are come unto me;

Then there are times when there is emphasis added to make it clear that everyone is included

Joshua 2:13 and save alive the house of my father, my mother, and my brethren, and all my house, and all that they have, and ye shall rescue my soul from death. (Septuagint)
This is Rahab asking the spies to deliver her entire family.

1 Samuel 1:21 And the man Elkanah, and all his house, went up to offer unto the LORD the yearly sacrifice, and his vow. Elkanah had two wives, one had no children (yet) and one had children.

Then there are some really wonderful passages dealing with atonement

Exodus 12:3 Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:
When they put the blood on the door posts and lintel, everyone in the house was covered. Amen!

Leviticus 16:6 And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house.

Leviticus 16:17 And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel.

Isn’t this amazing? Aaron offered a sacrifice and made atonement for himself, for his house, and for all the congregation of Israel!

I also learned that house is generational. That is, I am part of my father’s house, along with my brothers and sisters, but they are not part of my house. My house is my wife and children. My father’s house is his wife and children (me). It always looks forward, never backward.

This brings us back to the New Testament. Paul wrote, And I baptized also the household (οικος) of Stephanas . . . Does this (and other occasions of whole house baptism) ipso facto mean children were included? As I learned from the use of house (οικος) in the Old Testament, the answer is, No, it does not necessarily mean children were included. But, it does not necessarily exclude children, either.

Ha! I seem to have gone nowhere! Well, that’s not completely true. My study did not settle the matter, but it did open the door a little. Baptism is primarily a response to the gospel, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins…” this is me coming into covenant with God. But there is a powerful truth I learned from the Old Testament, when Israel entered into covenant with God, the children were included: Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house. Is this not what Paul meant when he told the jailer, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house?

I am still persuaded that believer’s baptism should be primary, but I’m beginning to think that including the children of said believers may have a more biblical foundation than I previously thought.

Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: 

for of such is the kingdom of heaven

pass the time of your sojourning here in fear

And since ye call on the Father, who judgeth without respect of persons, according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear  1 Peter 1:17 

So says St. Peter: Ye have through faith hereunto attained, that ye are the children of God, and He is your Father. And ye have obtained an incorruptible inheritance in heaven, (as has been already said.) Thus nothing more now remains, except that the veil be taken away, and that be uncovered which is now concealed, for which ye are still to wait until ye shall behold it. Though ye are now arrived at that state in which ye may joyfully call God your Father, yet is He so righteous that he will reward every man according to his works, and respect not persons. Wherefore thou art not to imagine, although thou hast that great name so that thou art called a Christian or a child of God, that He will therefore continue thine if thou livest without fear, and thinkest that it is enough that thou dost glory in such a name. The world indeed judges by the person, since it does not punish all alike, and respects those who are friendly, rich, reputable, learned, wise, and powerful. But God regards nothing of this kind; it is all alike to him, be the person as great as he may. Thus in Egypt he struck the son of King Pharaoh dead, as well as the son of the poor miller.

Therefore the Apostle would have us expect such judgment from God, and stand in fear, so that we do not glory in our title that we are Christian, and thereupon become negligent, as though he would for this reason pass us over more readily than others. For in this the Jews were formerly deceived, who boasted that they were Abraham's seed and God's people. Scripture makes no difference in respect to the flesh, but in respect to the spirit. It is true that Christ was to be born of Abraham's seed and that a holy people should spring from him, but it does not therefore follow that all who are born of Abraham are the children of God. He also promised that the Gentiles should be saved, but he has not said that he would save all the Gentiles.

But here now a question arises: When we say that God saves us alone by faith, without regard to works, why does St. Peter say that He judges not according to the person, but according to works? Answer. What we have taught as to faith alone justifying before God, is true beyond doubt, since it is so clear from Scripture that it cannot be denied. That which the Apostle here says, that God judges according to the works, is also true; but we must certainly hold, therefore, that where there is no faith, there can be no good work; and on the other hand, that there is no faith where there are no good works. Therefore join together faith and good works, since it is in both that the sum of the whole christian life consists. As you now live, so will it be with you, for thereafter God will judge you. Therefore, although God judges us according to our works, still it remains true that works are only the fruits of faith, by which we perceive when there is faith or unbelief; therefore God will sentence you from your works and convict you, either that you have or have not believed. So it is that no one can convict and judge a liar, except from his words. Yet it is evident that he is not made a liar by the word, but became a liar before he spoke the lie, for the lie must come from the heart into the mouth. Therefore, understand this passage thus, in the plainest way: that works are fruits and signs of faith, and that God judges men according to such fruits which must certainly follow it, so that it shall be openly seen whether there is faith or unbelief in the heart. God will not judge by this whether you are called a Christian, or have been baptized, but will ask you, "Art thou a Christian? then tell me where are the fruits by which you can evidence your faith."

Therefore St. Peter goes on to say: Since ye have such a Father, who judges not after the person, pass the time of your pilgrimage in fear; that is, stand in fear before the Father, not of pain and punishment,--as the Christless, and even the devil, is afraid,--but lest He forsake you and withdraw His hand; just as a dutiful child is afraid lest he provoke his father, and do something that might not please him. Such a fear would God have within us, that we guard ourselves against sin, and serve our neighbor, while we live here upon the earth.

A Christian, if he truly believes, possesses all the good things of God, and is God's child, as we have heard. But the time which he yet lives is only a pilgrimage: for the spirit is already in heaven by faith, through which he becomes Lord over all things. But to this end God permits him yet to live in the flesh, and his body to remain on earth, that he may help others and bring them also to heaven. Therefore we are to use all things on earth as a guest, who goes on wearily and arrives at an inn where he must tarry over night, and can receive nothing from it but food and lodging; yet does not say that the property of the inn is his. So must we also proceed in regard to our temporal possessions, as though they were not ours, and we enjoyed only so much of them as is needful to sustain the body, and with the rest we are to help our neighbor. Thus the christian life is only a night's sojourning; for we have here no abiding city, but must find it, where our Father is, in heaven. Therefore we should not here live in wantonness, but stand in fear, says St. Peter.


The Epistles Of  St. Peter And St. Jude Preached And Explained
By Martin Luther.
Wittemberg, 1523-4.
Translated By E. H. Gillett.

Whole House Baptism

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to teach in the morning Bible study (read Sunday school). We were in Acts chapter 16 and I covered Timothy and Lydia. When we got to Lydia I had to say something about a whole house being baptized, since Luke said that's what happened. And just a little bit later on in Chapter 16 there is the matter of the Philippian jailer and his whole house being baptized. So we took a look at it and I said it looks like there is at least the possibility that their children were included. I mean little ones.

I still have a lot of questions about this matter of whole house baptism, but I am being persuaded that what is meant by whole house baptism is just that, the adults believed and they were baptized, as was everyone else in the house. I wasn't dogmatic but I did present it as a possibility. We are a church that practices believers baptism so I knew this would be different and something to think about. But I figured our goal is to teach, believe, and practice what the Bible says.

This morning the pastor was still in chapter 16 and he took up the matter of the Philippian jailer and his whole house being baptized. I determined not to say anything more, but I felt like there was some "correction" being presented, emphasizing that only professing believers are in view in this case of the Philippian jailer's house being baptized. On the way home, Mary and I talked about this and she brought up something very interesting: in Egypt, when the Israelites applied the blood to their door post and lintel, everyone in the house was covered by the blood, even the littlest ones. Very interesting.

I have read comments on Acts 16 that said house or household occurs frequently in the Old Testament and nearly always includes children and gives us the framework for understanding its usage in the New Testament. You know what this means, don't you? I need to go through the Old Testament and look at this matter of "house" and see just what it says. I think I'm going to be busy!