Saturday, October 14, 2006

We are moving!


We have begun the process of moving to a new web site.


The new address is www.clydesthinking.com see you there!

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Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Bible Study Outline - Mark 1:9-11


9At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.

Mark links John's Ministry with that of Jesus by using parallel wording in verses 5 and 9.


Compare the latter half of verse 5 with the last part of verse 9.

they were baptized by him in the Jordan River Mark 1:5 (NIV)
was baptized by John in the Jordan Mark 1:9 (NIV)


1.What do they tell us about John?

He Baptized people in the Jordan river.
He Baptized Jesus in the Jordan river.

2.How are these verses alike?

They speak of John's ministry of Baptism.

3.How are they different?
The subject changes from John to Jesus


Mark changes the focus from John to Jesus.

Jesus' Baptism was the starting point of His public ministry. When the Apostles were deciding who would replace Judas, Acts 1:21-22 tells us something of the importance of Jesus Baptism

Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from John's baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection." Acts 1:21-22



The Apostle's made it a main criteria for the selection of Judas' replacement.

1.Why was it important that their selection have been with Jesus from Baptism to Resurrection?

He was to be an eyewitness.
He would have been present from the start of Jesus Minnistry to His resurrection.

Jesus knew His baptism was a part of Gods divine plan. It was to proclaim His coming to take the place of Sinners under God's judgment.

John's reaction when Jesus requested he Baptize Him was not positive. John balked at baptizing Him at first, but Jesus insisted. John of course relented as seen in Matthew 3:13-15.

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented. Matt 3:13-15 (NIV)

1.What reason does Jesus give John for His Baptism?

“To fulfill all righteousness”

2.Explain in your own words what it means “Fulfill all righteousness”?

John Calvin wrote of the meaning of the phrase Fulfill all righteousness was
“The general reason Christ received Baptism was, that He might render full obedience to the Father and the special reason was, that He might consecrate Baptism in His own body, that we might have it in common with Him.”


Jesus knew in His roll as Messiah, He must submit to all of God's requirements for Israel.

10As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.

Jesus upon leaving of the water experienced three distinct and simultaneous events that signaled the inauguration of God's Eschatological Kingdom.

The first listed of these events, the opening or rending of the Heavens was first expressed by the Prophet Isaiah as he pleads with God to come and bring the fires of judgment.

“Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down,that the mountains would tremble before you!”Isaiah 64:1 (NIV)

This concept was later expanded in Jewish tradition. The Pseudepigrapal Testaments of Levi and Judah seem to anticipate the Baptism of Jesus and speak of the Messiah King as the Star of Jacob.

pseud·e·pig·ra·pha
1.Spurious writings, especially writings falsely attributed to biblical characters or times.
2.A body of texts written between 200 B.C. and A.D. 200 and spuriously ascribed to
There is much debate as to the authenticity of these and their companion writings contained in the Testament of the Patriarchs. The Testament of the Patriarchs is said to be the last sayings of each of the 12 Patriarchs.


The Testament of Levi 18:6-8

The heavens shall be opened, And From the temple of glory shall come upon him sanctification, With the Father's voice as from Abraham to Isaac. And the glory of the Most High shall be uttered over him, And the spirit of understanding and sanctification shall rest upon him [in the water]. For he shall give the majesty of the Lord to His sons in truth for evermore; And there shall none succeed him for all generations for ever.

The Testament of Judah 24:1-3

And after these things shall a star arise to you from Jacob in peace, And a man shall arise [from my seed], like the sun of righteousness, walking with the sons of men in meekness and righteousness; And no sin shall be found in him. 2 and the heavens shall be open unto him, To pour out the spirit, (even) the blessing of the Holy Father; 3 And He shall pour out the spirit of grace upon you; And ye shall be unto Him sons in truth, And ye shall walk in His commandments first and last.

The rending or opening of the heavens is significant to second temple Judaism. It was believed that with the cessation of Old Testament prophets, god had stopped speaking directly to His people. It was believed that God spoke only in a faint echo

A long awaited return of God's spirit was signalled with the opening of the
Heavens. A period of Grace beings with Jesus that is unparalleled in its manner.

The Spirit descending was the second sign of Jesus Messiah ship. It was believed that Messiah in the Eschatological age would be endowed with Gods Spirit.

1.How does Mark describe the Spirits descent?

Mark uses a simile, “like a dove” to describe the Spirits descent.

2.How is Mark's description of the Spirits descent important?

Marks description of the Spirit descending magnifies this endowment.

The imagery of a dove is not a “special enlightenment” of Jesus or some kind of inner mystical experience but a supernatural experience.

11And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."

The third and final Eschatological sign, the divine declaration by God the Father proclaiming Jesus as the beloved son.

Old Testament imagery abounds, the humble servant of God in spite of feelings of futility is declared by which His splendor is displayed in Isaiah 49.

Just as the suffering servant in Isaiah 49:3, Jesus would face opposition and seeming defeat. Jesus will reveal the will of God and provide the means for salvation Isaiah 49:6.

He said to me, "You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor." Isaiah 49:3

he says: "It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth." Isaiah 49:6 (NIV)

1.What wonderful truths are stated about Jesus in verse 3 and 6?

Jesus is identified as the “Son of God”, echoing the enthronement of a King of Israel in psalm 2:7

"I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD:He said to Me, 'You are My Son,Today I have begotten You. Psalm 2:7 (ESV)

1.How does the enthronement of the King of Israel foreshadow the divine proclamation?

The King of Israel was called “God's son” and as does the divine proclamation expresses the Father's love and unity with the subject.

The divine declaration is unique is its scope. No prophet ever heard words such as these.

Consider God's utterances to the following Children of God.

"But you, O Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham my friend, Isaiah 41:8 (NIV)

God called Abraham His Friend.

And Moses the servant of the LORD died there in Moab, as the LORD had said. Duet 34:5 (NIV)

Moses His Servant.

He sent Moses his servant, and Aaron, whom he had chosen. Psalm 105:26 (NIV)

Aaron a chosen one.

1.Take a minute now and ask yourselves by what name would God call me?




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Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Salvation - Comparing Islam and Christianity


The doctrine of Salvation or Soteriology is our focus for this comparative study. More specifically how Muslims (followers of Islam) and Christians (followers of Christianity), view Salvation and its inherent requirements.

The word Salvation can have many different definitions to various people and religions.

The definition for salvation we will be using comes from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition ;

1.Preservation or deliverance from destruction, difficulty, or evil.
2.Deliverance from the power or penalty of sin; redemption.

In plain English, we will define salvation as what it takes to get into Heaven or Paradise.

We will investigate the following questions.

1.What do the religions of Islam and Christianity teach in regards to salvation?
2.How is salvation gained by an individual?

The Koranic quotations are taken from by Abdullah Yusufali's translation titled The Meanings Of The Holy Qu'ran unless otherwise noted.

The Biblical texts will be from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, again unless noted otherwise.

By examining what both the Qu'ran and the Bible have to say on the topic of salvation we find that both use the word Grace to describe a mechanism of God's gift of Salvation.

Qu'ran Surah 8:29

O ye who believe! if ye fear Allah, He will grant you a criterion (to judge between right and wrong), remove from you (all) evil (that may afflict) you, and forgive you: for Allah is the Lord of grace unbounded.


Bible Deuteronomy 7:9

Know that Yahweh your God is God, the faithful God who keeps His gracious covenant loyalty for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commands.

Grace shall be defined as the following:

1.a special favor
2.the prerogative of mercy exercised (as by a chief executive) or granted in the form of equitable relief

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.

Grace is a therefore receiving something we did not deserve or earn through our own actions.

Islam and Christianity diverge however on our need for salvation based on their understanding of Sin.

Christianity teaches that all men and women are born in a fallen state and thus have no hope of the righteousness demanded by God. The Doctrine of Original Sin states that Adam by his conscious description to disobey God ushered death into the world.

Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all men, because all sinned. Romans 5:12


[The effects of this first sin were] (1) "shame, a sense of degradation and pollution; (2) dread of the displeasure of God, or a sense of guilt, and the consequent desire to hide from his presence. These effects were unavoidable. They prove the loss not only of innocence but of original righteousness, and, with it, of the favour and fellowship of God. The state therefore to which Adam was reduced by his disobedience, so far as his subjective condition is concerned, was analogous to that of the fallen angels. He was entirely and absolutely ruined" (Hodge's Theology).



For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23


Men and women don't just have a sin nature, they are conceived with a sin nature!


Indeed, I was guilty [when I] was born; I was sinful when my mother conceived me. Psalm 51:5


Thus the Biblical understanding of Sin, and our need for Salvation is one of desperation. Salvation is a condition that man can not resolve on his own. As evidenced by Jesus' reply to his astonished Disciples after His rebuke of the rich young man as recorded in all three Synoptic Gospels.

Those who heard this asked, "Who then can be saved?" Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God." Luke 18:26-27


The Qu'ran like the Bible, states that Adam sinned by disobeying God and eating the forbidden fruit. Adam and Eve admitted there sin and begged forgiveness. Allah forgave them, but also punished them with a mortal existence on Earth.

They said: "Our Lord! We have wronged our own souls: If thou forgive us not and bestow not upon us Thy Mercy, we shall certainly be lost."
((Allah)) said: "Get ye down. With enmity between yourselves. On earth will be your dwelling-place and your means of livelihood,- for a time."
He said: "Therein shall ye live, and therein shall ye die; but from it shall ye be taken out (at last)." Surah 7:23-25


Islamic Theologians teach that the nature of man is basically good, but prone to following this own will and not the will of Allah.

Qu'ran Surah 12:53

"Nor do I absolve my own self (of blame): the (human) soul is certainly prone to evil, unless my Lord do bestow His Mercy: but surely my Lord is Oft- forgiving, Most Merciful."


M.S. Laher in A Living Faith Published by I.M.S states “regarding the Islamic understanding of the nature of man As made by God, man is innocent, pure, true and free. He is not sinful by nature. He is born free from any so called "Original Sin," By nature he inclines to do righteous deeds. He is given true understanding about his own position in the universe and about God's goodness, wisdom and power. That is man's true self - just as it is the nature of the lamb to be gentle and of the horse to be swift.

But man is caught in the web of customs, superstitions, selfish desires and false teachings. These make him unclean, false, slavish, greedy, lustful and selfish. It is these that make him have strong desires for things that are wrong and forbidden. Man is diverted from the love of his fellowman, and the pure worship of the One True God. The problem is to cure this crookedness and to restore human nature to what it should be under the Will of God.”

The Christian view of Sin is that due to Adam's sin all men are born with the propensity to sin.

The Islamic view of Adam's sin is of a personal nature, what Adam did is not applicable to anyone but Adam. That our sin is personal and men have the ability to not sin and thus follow Allah's will.

The first step, which until now had been unspoken and that is Faith. What are the requirements of “Faith”?

The Muslim to be must first express his faith in Allah and his prophet Muhammad. The convert needs to make a declaration, known as la-shahaadatain. This declaration of faith has two parts one swearing fealty to Allah and the acknowledges his messenger Muhammad.
The Arabic transliteration is as follows;

1.Ash-hadu alla ilaaha illallah
2.Wa ash-hadu anna Muhammad-ar-rasool ullaah

The English translation would be :

1.I bear witness and attest that there is no god worthy of worship but the One God Allah
2.I bear witness and attest that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah
For the Muslim this is the required first step.

The Christian is called to an expression of faith in a similar fashion; Romans 10:9 states
“If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

John 1:12 further states
“but to all who did receive Him, He gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in His name,”

Paraphrasing the two verses they say, believing and confessing that Jesus is Lord and Saviour makes you a child of God. The words used are far less important than the sentiment expressed.

The Bible teaches that Christians are saved out of the loving kindness of God's good grace, nothing else is required.

But God, who is abundant in mercy, because of His great love that He had for us, made us alive with the Messiah even though we were dead in trespasses. By grace you are saved! Ephesians 2:4-5


The Qu'ran actually has three additional criteria that must be met, these are

1.deeds
2.leading each other to the truth
3.leading each other to patience.

All of these are expressed in the 103:1-3. We will discuss only one of these requirements for brevity's sake and that will be deeds.

Qu'ran Surah 103:1-3

By (the Token of) Time (through the ages), Verily Man is in loss, Except such as have Faith, and do righteous deeds, and (join together) in the mutual teaching of Truth, and of Patience and Constancy.

At puberty a ledger of good and bad deeds starts accumulating. This ledger of deeds is used by God to judge the persons fate. Islam teaches that our good deeds can position us to receive mercy, and thus admission to Paradise. The Muslim can never know which side of the scale is holding the heavier balance. That of his good deeds possibly leading to Paradise or that of his evil deeds pointing to Hell.

Qu'ran Surah 23:101-103

Then when the Trumpet is blown, there will be no more relationships between them that Day, nor will one ask after another! Then those whose balance (of good deeds) is heavy,- they will attain salvation: But those whose balance is light, will be those who have lost their souls, in Hell will they abide.

With no assurance they have done enough good to earn their way into Paradise,outside of martyrdom, Islamic concept of grace is more a reward than a gift.

The Christian can take solace in the words of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as recorded in John 5:24

"I assure you: Anyone who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment, but has passed from death to life.


The Greek word translated as “has” is echo (ekh'-o) and means to have, to own and to possess. Christ tells us we can be assured we are His. In Christianity the Child of God HAS everlasting life.

To summarize the questions we set out to answer;

1.What do the religions of Islam and Christianity teach in regards to salvation?

The Muslims need for a Saviour is non-existent due to the ability of each individual to choose to not sin. Islam teaches that humans are generally good by nature. Thus Salvation is a foreign concept in Islamic teachings.
The Christian teaching of Sin and are the need for an unblemished, right before God sacrifice, dictate the need for a Savior.

2.How is salvation gained by an individual?

The Muslim must have faith in Allah, do more good than bad, teach each other truth and patience.
The Christian must make Jesus Christ Lord of their lives.


I hope I have answered the questions set forth earlier in this study. If you have any questions or need further explanation, please feel free to write me at clydesblogs@gmail.com or visit my Web Log at
http://uhho-clydes-thinking-again.blogspot.com/

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