Four Gospels

A commentary on part of the four gospels course. For whoever has taken this course I hope you will find this short Bible study edifying. For those who have not I hope you also find it useful. This courses main reference was from a book called the Unvarnished Gospels which I will not refer to. I have chosen to use a New American Standard Bible. Use whatever one you wish. The author of this course made mention of a passage in Matthew 9:14-17. For ease of instruction the words of Jesus are all in red. "The disciples of John came to Him (Jesus), asking, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?" And Jesus said to them, "The attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. But no one puts a patch of un-shrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear results. Nor do people put new wine into old wine skins; otherwise the wine skins burst, and the wine pours out and the wine skins are ruined; but they put new wine into fresh wine skins, and both are preserved." It is here that the author of the course is hoping to use this as a forum conversation starter. So I think I will try to take him up on his offer. Whoever wants to add in on the subject please feel free even if it is to tell me I don't know what I am talking about, but this is somewhat how a preacher explained this in a sermon I heard long ago and it has directed be ever since how I read my Bible. The question the 4 gospels author is asking is, does this mean you can't teach an old dog new tricks? He doesn't seem to think so but it is a good base question to start with. This parables theme seems to be saying "Out with the old and in with the new." Here is how I understand it. In Christ we are a brand new creation. The old man is buried with Christ to be raised again a new man. Every now and then the old man likes to pop up and we need to metaphorically beat him on the head to put him back in the grave. 　 Scriptural support. Romans 6:3-11 (Read the whole chapter to get a better picture.) "Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in the newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin." Philippians 3:21 "Jesus Christ…who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory…" Here we have it painted quite clearly. Our old lives are buried. This is the meaning of baptism. Our old self in a tomb and raised again in Christ. One might deduce the wine skins being spoken of in this parable would mean us. I will get back to this point later on. Now what is the wine? Acts 2:4 is the day of Pentecost when everyone in the upper room was filled with the Holy Spirit. Later on in the same chapter in vs13 when they were speaking in tongues and being full of the Holy Spirit some mocked them saying they are full of "sweet wine" or as other translations of the Bible render this "new wine." The Holy Spirit in many cases in the Bible is compared to wine. Ephesians 5:18 "Do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit…" In Numbers 6:2-3 in the case of taking a Nazirite vow it says "he shall abstain from wine and strong drink; he shall drink no vinegar, whether made from wine or strong drink, nor shall he drink any grape juice nor eat fresh or dried grapes." What is Numbers 6 saying here? It is saying if you want to live a life of not just devotion to God but separation to God your partying and carousing days are over. Nowadays unless for other purposes I wouldn't take it so far as to abstain from a little alcohol but what is being said here is don't even have a hint of worldly influence in you. Leave room for the Holy Spirit to work in you by abstaining from impurities and evil. I am not saying drinking is evil, but I sure wouldn't want to get liquored up on a Sunday morning and go to church claiming to be Spirit filled. The same goes for sexual immorality. Do not be under the influence of the world here is the message and even think you can serve God. Samson in the book of Judges could not drink alcohol or any other fermented drink because of the Holy Spirit stirring in Him. Not that he was known for obeying the rules but this one I believe he respected. But the message of this study is the wine and the wine skins. I would strongly say the Wine spoken of in Matthew 9 is the Holy Spirit that God promised through the prophet Joel in chapter 2 vs23. "So rejoice O sons of Zion, and be glad in the LORD your God; For He has given you the early rain for your vindication. And He has poured down for you the rain. The early and latter rain as before. The threshing floors will be full of grain, and the vats will overflow with the new wine and oil." Then later in in vs. 28-29 he prophesies "It will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions. Even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days." The Holy Spirit is the new wine and the oil. Read Matt 25 for how the Holy Spirit is the oil. All the virgins had lamps which is the word of God but some of them didn't have any oil. The Holy Spirit is what illuminates and brings to life. It instructs, it guides and teaches. It is our anointing. It is our promise given to us of Christ's return. 1 John 2:26-27 - The Holy Spirit is our anointing; our instructor. John 16 - He is the Spirit of truth that reveals to us what we need. By the way as a side note. If you want to read a gospel that brings to light the deity of Jesus and what we have in Him through the Holy Spirit He sends read John. Eph 1:13 - The Holy Spirit is our seal/pledge. We have all as Christians been sealed with it for the day of redemption. Let us only by the strength Jesus brings us submit to Him daily through prayer that we might not grieve the Holy Spirit of God. Jesus is the one who brings us this Holy Spirit. John 14:16-17 - "I will ask the Father and He will give you ANOTHER helper, that He may be with your forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you." 　 John 2 is the first miracle Jesus performed. The miracle at Cana. Here He took ordinary water and turned it into wine that was better than what any man could make. Even the headwaiter exclaimed "Every man serves the good wine first, and when the people have drunk freely, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now." Jesus makes the old like new again. We are the wineskin and he fills us up with the wine. But as John 2:26-27 says we cannot be filled with the wine if we are of the world or still the old man, decaying and dying. Titus 3:5 "He saved us not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit." A sign of coming out of the world and into the new family of Jesus is the taming of the tongue. James 3 says "The tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity…the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell." James is making it sound very dismal. Who can control the tongue but God? We must therefore as put so well in Romans 6:12-13 "Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God." And there you have it! I totally did not mean to write a sermon on Christian living, but if you are looking for the signs of God living in you and that you are submitting yourself to God and resisting the devil then this is part of what needs to happen. I am by no means saying this happens on our strength. I have been a Christian since I was a child. I have never known anything else. But at a point I fell away sort of. I presented by tongue and my body as instruments of unrighteousness and I had to say to God "Something just isn't working here. I need the Spirit of regeneration working in me like it did before." Then along came a change in my attitudes; desires and the strength of God came more and more into my life. We are all people in process. Only those who have died are free from sin. But we must never give up submitting to God. In Acts 10 Peter proclaimed the gospel message to the Gentiles, and as they heard this message. As this truth sank into their mind and their souls they became filled with the Holy Spirit. Then it was after this they were baptized with water. I use this verse for anyone who tells me a Christian is not spirit filled until they receive the water baptism for it was not before but after receiving the Holy Spirits baptism were the gentiles then baptised with water. And they were baptised into the name of Jesus Christ. Now assuming the reader of this is a Christian and wants to know more about the baptism of the Holy Spirit here is how I think of it as being. When you became a Christian you got a life saving drink of water. You were dying in the desert of your own sin. Along comes Jesus and says have a drink. Now that you have had a drink of water and have been partially filled you want more and more and more. You realise you cannot live the Christian life on your own power. If you are a pastor who has not received the baptism of the Holy Spirit you will one day out of humility ask God out of humility to fill your sermons and your ministry because you will finally realise you cannot do it on your own. Here comes a full blast of the Holy Spirit filling you right up. John 7:37-38 "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said 'from his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'" In vs. 39 the writer says "But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified." If you want the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Talk to a pastor about it if you want, but I say unplug your phone and your TV set. Turn off your computer and pray and ask God for it. You have a heavenly Father who will not give you a scorpion if you ask for an egg or a snake if they ask for a fish. You have a perfect heavenly Father who wants to set your life on fire with His Holy Spirit so he can live out His desires through you. Not through forcefulness but by you submitting to Him. If the reader of this is not a Christian. I am telling you there is no better life than the Christian life. If anyone disputes that I and many other spirit filled Christians have a testimony that proves otherwise. You might be putting it off for whatever reason but in this case there is no time like the present. Please share your thoughts on the forum or contact me at justpray@hotmail.ca Colin. ******************** Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free,  and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button. As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. 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The Four Gospels

The Four Gospels

By Rev. Barbara Annette Durbin

I believe that reading the Four Gospels teaches us several things.

1. It teaches us the History of Jesus.

His Birth as told by Prophesies.

His Teachings of the Gods Law from the Old Testament.

His Miracles, Healings, Releasing of Demons, Walking on water.

His Death on the Cross. Fight with Satan in the Underworld.

His Resurrection Three Days Later. And ascension into Heaven.

2. It teaches us that God Is the same today as he was yesterday and will be the same forevermore. God is the beginning and the end.

3. Jesus came not to Judge us, but to Free us of our sins and release us from the evil one. He brought us Salvation.

John 1:12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.

John 3:3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God .” 4 “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?” 5 Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. 6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. 7 So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”

4. Among His teachings of Gods Law.

Jesus came with a new Commandment – To LOVE One Another.

It is easy to love a friend. To love an enemy is of a much greater and higher love.

The Path to LOVE is Lead by:

My Father God - Jesus - the Holy Spirit

GOD is LOVE

5. God has given us Free Will.

It is up to us to decide to follow God or to follow other.

I believe that God loves us and as His child His desire is for us to chose Him.

I see the Gospels as with all of the New Testament as a Manual of how to live life.

How to treat others. How to treat oneself. How to accept God and his Laws.

Whether Man or Woman, In Gods eyes we are the same.

The Spirit is really neither.

We often seem to be looking for answers. Thing is, if more people were to look to the Bible, they will find the answers they seek.

Have Faith to that which is unseen.

My Message

In Prayer.... here are some of the things that enter my mind:

You have to let go of the past, of the pain and regret.

Open your heart to new beginnings.

Have Faith, Hope & Believe.

Be slow to anger and slow to speak.

Forgive as you would want to be forgiven.

Do unto others, as you'd have them do unto you.

Have Compassion.

SHOW Love.

At this moment; I need to add...

Make each day, each moment count.

Walk in LOVE... it is key.

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The Life of St. Paul

The Life of St. Paul Final Essay

Rev. Lucinda Parker

Sometimes despite all warnings and danger signs, we as humans forge ahead anyway. Taking this class for me was akin to seeing a “bridge out ahead” sign, and gunning my car in the vain hope of jumping across the creek unscathed.

The description warned me of Christian ahead, including the five lessons on worship, prayer and the Christian Way. I proceeded anyway, believing that I would actually learn more about St. Paul and broaden my horizons. Having slogged through 20 lessons of fundamental, Bible thumping Christian thought, I am truly happy to have completed this class. There were weeks I dreaded opening the lesson. The good thing is that I did read every lesson. I did have mental arguments with the author on every lesson.

And while my understanding of St. Paul and his life didn’t advance very far beyond where it was to start with, I understand all the reasons I am not Christian and why I have to sometimes work on my tolerance of those who are fundamentalists. The author added a good dose of anti-pagan language and more than a little glorification of a man. There was very little research about Paul presented that wasn’t simply Bible statements, written by who knows who.

For years, I attended a Unitarian Universalist church named St. Paul’s UU. The St. Paul they taught about was a very different individual than the one presented in this class. Perhaps he was really in the middle of the two teachings.

Compared to the other classes I have taken at the Seminary, this is one I would suggest only to Christians, and explain that it is entirely Bible based as not all Christians follow the Bible as absolute fact. There is little value in the class to those of other philosophies or religions.

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The Gospel of Thomas

Max Goelling

The Four Gospels Course
A Brief Exposition

INTRODUCTION

It was during one of my research inquiries into the authorship issues of the New Testament that I encountered a reference to some writings of which I had not heard. According to the story, a young Arab lad in the Upper Nile region of Egypt accidentally unearthed these writings during a fertilizer dig in 1945. After a series of political and archeological adventures, Biblical scholars were finally able to critically examine these documents and what they found was truly amazing.

One the principal reasons for the excitement among the scholars was the percentage of agreement that this “lost Gospel” shared with both the synoptic writings and with John. This led to the positing of 2 rather obvious questions: why were these writings not included in the canon and, secondly, what criteria were used to exclude them?

History

Although the Coptic translation of the Gospel of Thomas is the only complete version that we have, it is not the only direct witness to this interesting text. The story actually begins in a small town in Egypt, Oxyrhynchus, where a team of British archaeologists uncovered a great mass of papyrus fragments in the late 1800’s. Based on several other significant discoveries, this “trash dump” must have served as some type of refuse depository for many ancient writings. and its products have given us a unique insight into the Greco-Roman time period.

The first actual publication of a gospel fragment occurred in 1897. This was a small leaf (5 2/3 X 3 ½ inches) of papyrus codex. The Greek writing thereon spoke of certain sayings of Jesus, but as it, as well as all of the other finds, was only a fragment, little historical significance could be attached to it.

Once the Coptic translation of the full Gospel was published in the 1950’s, Biblical scholars such as Henri-Charles Puech, were able to establish the link between these two discoveries. Puech was able to match several of the “sayings” from the Oxyrhynchus fragments to sections of the Coptic version. But the real significance of these findings lies in the dates attributed to their authorship.

Dr. Bruce Metzger, one of the leading Biblical scholars in the world, who translated the Gospel of Thomas into English, believes the text to have been written c. 140 C.E. If he and other Biblical historians are correct, then the drafting of this document occurred within one hundred years of Jesus’ death. In and of itself, this is of no great significance, other than the fact that all of the other gospels were written well after this, and that this helps establish Metzger’s claim that Thomas may have been one of the critical sources for the both the synoptics and John.

One of the critical elements of this argument is the similarity of the text references between Thomas and the other gospel writers. Best estimates calculate that at least fifty-seven percent of the Gospel of Thomas is included in the other gospels. Of the 114 sayings in Thomas, there are 47 parallels to Mark, 17 to Matthew, 4 to Luke and 5 to John. This places the Gospel of Thomas well into the realm of being an “authoritative source.” Some scholars have even suggested that it may be the infamous “Q” source itself although Metzger disagrees. In his analysis of Thomas, he cites numerous perspectives espoused by the Thomas sayings that are entirely inconsistent with the canonical gospels. One example is the reference in #77: “Split the wood; I am there. Lift up a stone and you will find me there.” Metzger feels that this type of pantheistic allusion is inconsistent with the language of Jesus and therefore rejects it as being inauthentic. But Metzger’s biggest contribution to our understanding of this Gospel lies in his analysis of why it was not included in the canon.

Omitted From the Canon

The fact that the Gospel was omitted from the official canon has been a subject of intense debate for some time. One of the primary arguments for its exclusion relates to the purported date of it authorship. The dating of gospel writings has always been a major issue for the historical critics. Depending on whose version we choose to accept, the standard scholarly dating, (even in the most liberal circles,) usually places the writing of Mark in the 70’s, Matthew and Luke in the 80’s and John in the 90’s. Most scholars would agree that these dates still place the writings within the lifetimes of various eyewitnesses who could have corrected any discrepancies in the teachings that formed the basis for these documents. Craig Blomberg, a well-respected authority on the biographies of Jesus, actually believes that the gospels may have been written even earlier.

To validate this point, he utilizes the book of Acts in that it is left unfinished with Paul still under house arrest in Rome. As we have definitive evidence for the dates of this imprisonment, his theory is that Acts could not have been written any later than A.D. 62. Accepting that Acts is a two-part work, we can move backward from there to its first part (Luke), which must have been written prior to A.D. 62. As we know that the author of Luke incorporated parts of Mark, then Mark must have been written prior to A.D. 62 as well. Allowing for a year or so between the writings, this presumes that Mark was written around A.D. 60 or perhaps even the late 50’s. If Jesus was crucified in A.D. 30 or perhaps 33 A.D., then the gap between His death and the first gospel writings was only thirty years or so. It is clear that the dates of authorship were critical to the canonical councils during their deliberations. So what of the Gospel of Thomas?

Some scholars have dated the original Greek version from which the Nag Hammadi Coptic document was translated as early as the second half of the first century, placing it within a few decades of the crucifixion. If this analysis is accepted, then the writing of Thomas would have preceded the New Testament gospels. This lends a great deal of creditability to Thomas, as it places the writings much closer to the time that Jesus actually spoke the words. When the Jesus seminar debated the reliability of various historical sources, they determined that of the nine New Testament parables, which are thought to be stories actually told by Jesus, the Thomas version was closest to the original in six cases. This is a level of accuracy unparalleled by any other historical writings. So why exclude it from the canon?

According to Metzger, it would be incorrect to say that the Gospel of Thomas was excluded by “some fiat on the part of the council.” He feels that although the text appears to have been written around A.D. 140, it is the character of the writings themselves that present a sufficient case for its exclusion. Metzger elaborates further on both the criteria and the process utilized by these canonical synods and councils, which he feels, provide us with a consistent and accurate portrayal of the life and teachings of Jesus. Based on my reading of some of Blomberg’s methods, it appears that he is one of the most comprehensive, and yet faithful, of the Biblical scholars.

As for the criteria themselves, Metzger explains that the early church had three basic requirements for including writings into the canonic:

The criterion of apostolic authority-was it either written by an apostle or by someone who was an eyewitness to the events described?

The criterion of conformity-was the document congruent with the basic Christian tradition and was it consistent with what the church considered to be normative?

Did the document have continuous acceptance and usage by the church?

Each of these criterion were weighted differently depending on the composition of the group, the relevant cultural perspectives of the period and the specific aspects of the documents being examined. The remarkable fact is that even with all of the conflict and disharmony involved in the process of canonization, and we must remember that these efforts began as early as the Fifth century, that an amazing degree of unanimity regarding the greater part of the New Testament was the result.

When one examines the Gospel of Thomas in this light, we find some rather interesting inconsistencies, which appear to be totally in conflict with the accepted writings of the synoptics. For example, the last verse comes form Simon Peter who says, “Let Mary go away form us, because women are not worthy of life.” Then Jesus said, “Look, I shall lead her so that I can make her male in order that she also may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every woman who makes herself male will enter the kingdom of heaven.” According to Metzger, the character and wording of this saying is entirely inconsistent with the portrayal of Jesus in the canonical gospels. Whether this sheds any light on the authenticity of this saying is unclear. Members of the Jesus seminar offered another perspective when they discussed the Petrine tradition being traditionally unkind to women, i.e. Peter 3:1-6, where the women are certainly seen as subordinates in role. When Jesus speaks of the female-male conversion, this appears to be a metaphor for the higher and lower aspects of human nature. Mary, then, must undergo a spiritual transformation from her earthly, material, passionate nature (which the evangelist equates with the female) to a heavenly, spiritual, intellectual nature (which the same evangelist equates with the male). As much of this Gospel had distinctive parallels to the Gnostic tradition (another topic in which I found enough material for another paper) this transformation appears to allude to some type of ritualistic act or perhaps an ascetic lifestyle.

The real issue here appears to be the value that Peter’s question has for the future role of women in the development of Christianity, which may have been in direct opposition to their place in the community. This is especially true of the leadership roles that women would occupy in years to come. The key element here is that these were not issues related to the ministry of Jesus, but rather to the Christian movement itself.

Authorship

The divergence in perspective between the “sayings” of Thomas and the message in the canonical Gospels only addresses the third, and perhaps most vague, of the three criteria listed above. The first issue that is typically addressed is that of authorship.

Any inquiry of this nature must necessarily discuss the pervasive “Q” source. Most Biblical historians indicate that both Matthew and Luke used a similar source when they wrote their gospels. The scholars felt that as the authors of these 2 gospels had never met, and yet used identical quotes of Jesus, there must be a common source document that they had both read. Over time, this mysterious source became known as “the lost Gospel Q.” Prior to the discovery of the Gospel of Thomas, no other documents, or even fragments, had provided any collaborative information for the Q theory, but as at least a third of the sayings in Thomas are strikingly similar to the Q information, the scholars felt as if they had finally found an additional source to provide support for Q.

Regardless of the similarities among the documents, the question of the author of the Gospel of Thomas was still an unknown. Though the book is usually attributed to the “doubting Thomas” of the New Testament, this is only a supposition based on fragmentary evidence. The Gospel itself opens with the line, “These are the secret words that the living Jesus spoke and Didymus Judas Thomas wrote down.” Of course, the last line of the text is, “The Gospel according to Thomas.” Scholars have told us that the name “Thomas” is the Semitic term for “twin” and that “Didymos” has the same meaning in Greek. In this case, only Judas would be an actual name. Some scholars believe that the author could have been Jesus’ brother. As it stands, the true authorship of the document is still unknown.

The Text of the Gospel

Many Biblical scholars feel that Thomas represents one of the many independent schools of Christianity that developed early in the history of the religion. The text itself portrays Jesus as far more of a social radical, telling his listeners to reject society’s phony piety and the hollow values of the business world. He often sounds like more of a Zen master when he speaks of the “kingdom of God” being right here, right now. This is far more consistent with the image of Jesus as sage, teacher and personifier of wisdom-more consistent with a portrait of a “humble man with a powerful message.”

The text of the Gospel itself is comprised of 114 “sayings” which are consistent with the manner in which a teacher of oral tradition would structure the key elements of his material. We find each of the classic parables but also sense a consistency of construction among the remaining sayings. Many readers, scholars and students (myself included) feel that the pattern and flow of the text adds credibility to the reliability of the document.

Summary

I am certainly in no position to question either Biblical scholars or members of the canonical councils and synods as to the authenticity of this work. To me, the only value that any scriptural text has is whether or not it provides the reader with insight and clarity into the will of God and His desires for the relationship between Himself and mankind. Having studied the historical evidence, the scholarly interpretations and the other four gospels, it is my opinion that the Gospel of Thomas can provide us with not only corroborative evidence for evaluating the canonical Gospels, but also with a perspective that speaks much more directly to the relationships among God’s people.

Depending on one’s perspective on the ministry of Jesus, this Gospel provides its readers with insights into the desires of God the Father for how our relationship should be based on how we treat each other. Although there is much to be said about the Gnostic flavor of this Gospel, especially in its deprecation of the Earthly world (21:6, 27:1, 56:1) and the escapist tone of the deliverance message (50), there is much to be said of its reflection of the classic Jewish wisdom tradition `ala Psalms and Proverbs.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my work on this project and, as always, appreciated the benefit of being able to view the “big questions” from another perspective. Although I do not believe that the Gospel of Thomas will be accepted into the conventional canon anytime soon, I do feel that it should be valued for what it provides: an additional look at the character, wisdom, and most importantly, the message of Jesus Christ.

SELECTED LIST OF WORKS CONSULTED

Dart, John. Unearthing the Lost Words of Jesus. Berkely, CA: Ulysses Press, 1998.

Elliott, J. K., ed. The Apocryphal New Testament. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1993.

Funk, Robert, Hoover Roy and The Jesus Seminar. The Five Gospels. New York, NY: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1993.

Metzger, Bruce M. and Murphy, Roland E., ed. The New Oxford Annotated Bible. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994.

Metzger, Bruce M. The Canon of the New Testament. New York: Oxford University Press, 1983.

Oxford University Press. The Gospel of Thomas. New York, NY: 1993.

Strobel, Lee. The Case for Christ. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing, 1998.

Wilkins, Michael and Moreland, J.P., eds. “Craig Blomberg on “Where Do We Start Studying Jesus?” Jesus Under Fire, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995.

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The Four Gospels

Rev. Terri M. Zastovnik

I chose to explore The Four Gospels as my first choice in the variety of classes that I will choose from as I pursue the completion of my Doctorate. The material was well presented and the study guide was carefully written to enable the reader a better understanding of the Greek text. As I read each page I found myself often referring back to the NIV in a comparative effort. I spent much time exploring other translations using The Interlineal Bible, The King James Version and several Christian research based websites. I found that the Four Gospels were written with the same information to the reader but with different wording. As an example, I prefer the NIV Student Bible which was given to me over 20 years ago. I have purchased versions of other bibles but am always drawn back to my tattered bible simply because I am better able to understand the meaning of the text. I also decided to explore the different religions and their ideas on the Four Gospels. Most were the same or similar. 

After reading each book of the Four Gospels, I came to the conclusion that although very similar I preferred the writings of Matthew. Matthew tells the story from the time of Jesus birth walking us in detail through his life to the time of his death and resurrection. Although not the first book written in the New Testament, it has been regarded as the most important. Matthew makes his intentions clear from the first sentence as he connects Jesus’ birth with the Old Testament as “the awaited Messiah.”

In the extensive material Matthew provided 5 great sermons of Jesus, each ending with the words, “When Jesus finished saying these things” thus corresponding in a similar way to the divisions found in the Old Testament. To summarize, the five sermons were divided as follows: 

The Sermon on the Mount – Here Jesus uses The Beatitudes as a code of ethics for his disciples and a standard of conduct for believers.

The Missionary Instructions - Here Jesus instructed His 12 disciples to go out to the lost sheep of Israel cleansing and healing them while preaching this message, “The Kingdom of Heaven is near.”

The Parables of the Kingdom – Here Jesus taught His disciples and followers how to testify about Him. He used the parables in a way that they could understand. The parables were meant to keep those who would persecute Him unable to understand what he was revealing.

Church Order – Here he taught the disciples how to have a relationship between one another and how also relate to others. It was here that Jesus explained to His disciples that by living according to the laws of the bible we can have an assurance of Heaven.

The Eschatological Sermon (The end times and Christ’s return) – Here Jesus taught of what will happen in the end times and of the things that will happen when He returns. Jesus warned his followers about the imposters of Christ and how they would try to mislead their beliefs. He also taught of a hope of a future with Him in the Kingdom of Heaven for those who followed Him.

I found that The Gospel of Matthew holds many characteristics; the one I mentioned above as he ended each of the five sermons with “When Jesus finished saying these things, “and three others I found to be interesting.

First, Matthew pays a high regard to the teachings of the Old Testament as a way of filling God’s prophecies. Jesus came not to change the laws but rather to interpret those laws in a way that would bring an understanding of their original purpose.

Second, in studying the gospel I found that this gospel is the only gospel that makes mention of the church. One of the important issues in the early history of the church was the attitude that Christians should take towards the laws that are recorded in the Old Testament. I can put my own personal history in my growth and spiritual walk in perspective with this attitude. As a young girl brought up in the Catholic Church I knew mainly the teachings of the Old Testament. When I received Christ later in my life I was introduced to the New Testament. It was then that I began to understand God’s purpose for my life as I began my walk with Christ.

And third, Matthew places a major emphasis on the teachings of Jesus. As I studied it I saw Jesus teaching people, both through spoken word and by example, as in the parables. It is my personal belief that Matthew wrote this book to show the readers that Jesus taught people how to live their every day life in a wise and Godly way. He showed this by teaching others how to live, think, pray and treat others in the act of love and kindness as Christ loved others.

To summarize the areas in the Gospel of Matthew that made the most impact, I begin with The Sermon on the Mount. I have always found favor in this part of Matthew’s gospel because it has taught me how Jesus wants me to live. In my opinion it is Jesus’ message to others of God’s expectations in regards to how we live.

The profound impact of the Sermon on the Mount for me are “The Beatitudes”, or as translated, “the blessings.” Here Jesus lays out the foundations of the character traits of all Christians. We are all meant to conform to its pattern and rise to its standard. Jesus gave us the Beatitudes (blessings) to manifest all at the same time. It is my strong belief that we cannot be one without the other. Jesus showed us here how we are to live, how our character should be in the sight of God. We achieve these characteristics and learn to live as we are ought as a result of grace. I have studied The Beatitudes many times turning back to them countless times as I take a strong look at my life and how I am living. I ask myself, “Am I living the life that Christ taught me to live?” “Am I at peace with myself?” “Am I truly blessed?” 

We live in a world torn by oppression, hatred, stress and societal demands but I can honestly go to bed each night knowing that I may be in this world but I am not of it. I have a peace that is so wonderful and unexplainable. The Beatitudes are the standards that I daily chose to live by thanks to the awesome and precious grace of God.

My life has been totally affected and changed due impart to the great writings of Matthew through the descriptive teachings, sayings and parables of Jesus Christ. The Beatitudes presented the standards for how we are to live. Jesus laid this foundation for us and then went on to show us how. 

Jesus chose 12 ordinary people who were despised by many. Some were tax collectors, but they all were sinners. They were lost and empty seeking fulfillment. They were just 12 ordinary people like you and I, all who fell short of the grace of God. Through the teachings and sayings of Jesus the disciples listened, learned and followed Him. They became extraordinary people in the sight of God as they chose to live their lives as Christ taught. They brought many to salvation. Their empty lives suddenly became filled with faith, love, joy, peace and hope, abundantly. 

In finality, Jesus has a perfect way for us to live. I do not believe that we are here by accident. God desires a relationship with us. He uniquely designed each of us to be used in the Kingdom of Heaven. Through the teachings of Christ as written in the Good News of Matthew he has brought not only my life but the lives of many under conviction. He called us not only to be separate from the world but to love the world and those that are in it. 

Jesus changed many hardened hearts. He taught life lessons. Our lives are filled with daily life lessons. The Gospel of Matthew is a tool for each of us on how to handle these “life lessons”. With the teachings and sayings of Christ hidden in our hearts and minds we can all live the life that God called us to live according to His word. 

Thank you for affording me the opportunity of taking this seminary course. It has greatly affected my life as it allowed me to take a spiritual inventory of how I live my life daily for Christ.

********************

Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free,  and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button.

As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.

Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

The Four Gospels

Rev. Terri M Zastovnik

I chose to explore The Four Gospels as my first choice in the variety of classes that I will choose from as I pursue the completion of my Doctorate. The material was well presented and the study guide was carefully written to enable the reader a better understanding of the Greek text. As I read each page I found myself often referring back to the NIV in a comparative effort. I spent much time exploring other translations using The Interlineal Bible, The King James Version and several Christian research based websites. I found that the Four Gospels were written with the same information to the reader but with different wording. As an example, I prefer the NIV Student Bible which was given to me over 20 years ago. I have purchased versions of other bibles but am always drawn back to my tattered bible simply because I am better able to understand the meaning of the text. I also decided to explore the different religions and their ideas on the Four Gospels. Most were the same or similar. 

After reading each book of the Four Gospels, I came to the conclusion that although very similar I preferred the writings of Matthew. Matthew tells the story from the time of Jesus birth walking us in detail through his life to the time of his death and resurrection. Although not the first book written in the New Testament, it has been regarded as the most important. Matthew makes his intentions clear from the first sentence as he connects Jesus’ birth with the Old Testament as “the awaited Messiah.”

In the extensive material Matthew provided 5 great sermons of Jesus, each ending with the words, “When Jesus finished saying these things” thus corresponding in a similar way to the divisions found in the Old Testament. To summarize, the five sermons were divided as follows: 

The Sermon on the Mount – Here Jesus uses The Beatitudes as a code of ethics for his disciples and a standard of conduct for believers.

The Missionary Instructions - Here Jesus instructed His 12 disciples to go out to the lost sheep of Israel cleansing and healing them while preaching this message, “The Kingdom of Heaven is near.”

The Parables of the Kingdom – Here Jesus taught His disciples and followers how to testify about Him. He used the parables in a way that they could understand. The parables were meant to keep those who would persecute Him unable to understand what he was revealing.

Church Order – Here he taught the disciples how to have a relationship between one another and how also relate to others. It was here that Jesus explained to His disciples that by living according to the laws of the bible we can have an assurance of Heaven.

The Eschatological Sermon (The end times and Christ’s return) – Here Jesus taught of what will happen in the end times and of the things that will happen when He returns. Jesus warned his followers about the imposters of Christ and how they would try to mislead their beliefs. He also taught of a hope of a future with Him in the Kingdom of Heaven for those who followed Him.

I found that The Gospel of Matthew holds many characteristics; the one I mentioned above as he ended each of the five sermons with “When Jesus finished saying these things, “and three others I found to be interesting.

First, Matthew pays a high regard to the teachings of the Old Testament as a way of filling God’s prophecies. Jesus came not to change the laws but rather to interpret those laws in a way that would bring an understanding of their original purpose. 

Second, in studying the gospel I found that this gospel is the only gospel that makes mention of the church. One of the important issues in the early history of the church was the attitude that Christians should take towards the laws that are recorded in the Old Testament. I can put my own personal history in my growth and spiritual walk in perspective with this attitude. As a young girl brought up in the Catholic Church I knew mainly the teachings of the Old Testament. When I received Christ later in my life I was introduced to the New Testament. It was then that I began to understand God’s purpose for my life as I began my walk with Christ.

And third, Matthew places a major emphasis on the teachings of Jesus. As I studied it I saw Jesus teaching people, both through spoken word and by example, as in the parables. It is my personal belief that Matthew wrote this book to show the readers that Jesus taught people how to live their every day life in a wise and Godly way. He showed this by teaching others how to live, think, pray and treat others in the act of love and kindness as Christ loved others.

To summarize the areas in the Gospel of Matthew that made the most impact, I begin with The Sermon on the Mount. I have always found favor in this part of Matthew’s gospel because it has taught me how Jesus wants me to live. In my opinion it is Jesus’ message to others of God’s expectations in regards to how we live.

The profound impact of the Sermon on the Mount for me are “The Beatitudes”, or as translated, “the blessings.” Here Jesus lays out the foundations of the character traits of all Christians. We are all meant to conform to its pattern and rise to its standard. Jesus gave us the Beatitudes (blessings) to manifest all at the same time. It is my strong belief that we cannot be one without the other. Jesus showed us here how we are to live, how our character should be in the sight of God. We achieve these characteristics and learn to live as we are ought as a result of grace. I have studied The Beatitudes many times turning back to them countless times as I take a strong look at my life and how I am living. I ask myself, “Am I living the life that Christ taught me to live?” “Am I at peace with myself?” “Am I truly blessed?” 

 

We live in a world torn by oppression, hatred, stress and societal demands but I can honestly go to bed each night knowing that I may be in this world but I am not of it. I have a peace that is so wonderful and unexplainable. The Beatitudes are the standards that I daily chose to live by thanks to the awesome and precious grace of God.

My life has been totally affected and changed due impart to the great writings of Matthew through the descriptive teachings, sayings and parables of Jesus Christ. The Beatitudes presented the standards for how we are to live. Jesus laid this foundation for us and then went on to show us how. 

Jesus chose 12 ordinary people who were despised by many. Some were tax collectors, but they all were sinners. They were lost and empty seeking fulfillment. They were just 12 ordinary people like you and I, all who fell short of the grace of God. Through the teachings and sayings of Jesus the disciples listened, learned and followed Him. They became extraordinary people in the sight of God as they chose to live their lives as Christ taught. They brought many to salvation. Their empty lives suddenly became filled with faith, love, joy, peace and hope, abundantly. 

In finality, Jesus has a perfect way for us to live. I do not believe that we are here by accident. God desires a relationship with us. He uniquely designed each of us to be used in the Kingdom of Heaven. Through the teachings of Christ as written in the Good News of Matthew he has brought not only my life but the lives of many under conviction. He called us not only to be separate from the world but to love the world and those that are in it. 

Jesus changed many hardened hearts. He taught life lessons. Our lives are filled with daily life lessons. The Gospel of Matthew is a tool for each of us on how to handle these “life lessons”. With the teachings and sayings of Christ hidden in our hearts and minds we can all live the life that God called us to live according to His word. 

Thank you for affording me the opportunity of taking this seminary course. It has greatly affected my life as it allowed me to take a spiritual inventory of how I live my life daily for Christ.

********************

Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free,  and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button.

As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.

Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Life of St. Paul

Greeting all who took my study,

I just wanted to say as the contributing author of this course that I feel compelled to myself turn in an essay about its overall attributes. First off, one should know that this whole project was founded upon finding some of my father’s unfinished Christian studies which I found in the attic of the house in which I now reside. Basically the outline of St. Paul’s life and the study chapter outline for a 10 lesson plan.

I took the next several years researching, drawing mainly from Dallas Seminary study bibles, and both new international and King James Version additions, my conclusions on the life of this, the greatest Apostle.

When I submitted it to Rev. Long, she revamped it into 15 lessons and asked if I could complete five more. I was able to do this with the help of my sister, Rev. Luci Moline, though I do feel the last five lessons are a bit weaker then they should be. Maybe if I had more time and focus. Originally, as well, I almost made this lesson plan available to that Monastery website thing that came about after the whole ULC changeover, but was guided correctly through their website by a special guest sermon by Rev. Amy, who has been so helpful in making this study available, I owe her much thanks and I hope you received some enlightenment from it.

I also encourage all feedback both positive and negative you may have or suggestions on how you felt it could have been made better.

Thank you,

Rev. Walter Moline

********************

Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free,  and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button.

As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.

Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar