Tag: Baptism
-
HE CROSS BEFORE CALVARY? — EZEKIEL 9
There is a mysterious scene in Ezekiel that Christians have been reflecting on for centuries. Before judgment falls upon Jerusalem, God commands the man clothed in linen: “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem: and mark Thau upon the foreheads of the men that sigh, and mourn for all the…
-
Amen, Amen: Faith, Works, Sacraments, and the Gospel of John
Brothers and sisters in Christ, and especially my Protestant brothers and sisters, I want to begin with a simple question. If every outward action connected with salvation is dismissed as a “work,” then what do we do with the Gospel of John? When we read John carefully, we find that Jesus repeatedly presents divine grace…
-
What Began in Eden Points to Calvary
The Bride From the Side There is a mystery hidden in the opening pages of Genesis that reaches its fulfillment beneath the Cross. In the garden, Adam is cast into a deep sleep. God opens his side, and from his side comes the woman who will become his bride: “Then the Lord God cast a…
-
From the Waters of Creation to the Throne of the Cross: Baptism, the Two Thieves, and the Hidden Glory of Christ
Christian Baptism cannot be understood merely as a religious washing, a public profession of faith, or an isolated Christian ceremony. Its roots reach back through the whole history of Israel, through the waters of creation, the Flood, the Red Sea, the Jordan, the ritual purifications of the Jewish people, the preaching of John the Baptist,…