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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Please explain | Matt 7:13 | Hank | 8453 | ||
Well, ezekiel, baptism is as you say, pretty important stuff, but Jesus was not referring to water baptism in his discourse with Nicodemus in the third chapter of John. He was talking about the need for cleansing, and water was commonly used in the Old Testament -- and in Jesus' time -- in just such a figurative sense as Jesus is using it here. Jesus was a Jew speaking to Nicodemus, who was a Jew par excellence, being a member of the distinguished Sanhedrin. Both Jesus and Nicodemus would obviously be quite familiar with the Jewish idiomatic sense of "water" in this context to be a reference to renewal or spiritual cleansing, especially when He used the word "water" in close juxtaposition with the word "Spirit." Here are some verses to support this exegesis: Ezek.36:24-27; Joel 20:28-29; Num.19:17-19; Is.32:15; Jer. 2:31; Ps. 51:9-10; Is. 44:3-5 and 55:1-3. --Hank | ||||||
2 | Please explain | Matt 7:13 | glory777 | 8569 | ||
Aren't we getting awfully complicated on all this? I thought water meant human birth - or being in the water before birth. Can't we just take things as they appear without getting so technical? | ||||||
3 | Please explain | Matt 7:13 | Hank | 8590 | ||
Thanks for your comment, glory777, about keeping things simple and uncomplicated. It's a worthy goal, to be sure! There's a line from the old Shaker hymn, "Simple Gifts" that goes like this: 'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free...... But the stuborn fact is that the Bible is, as most of us who have attempted to mine its riches would agree, a complex book. And oftentimes "taking things as they appear without getting so technical" is not the wisest path to take, in my view, and in the view of scholars far wiser and better equipped than I shall ever be. To take a sentence or two out of context, to fail to weigh it against other scripture, to look at the little picture and disregard the big mosaic can, and frequently does, lead us to misunderstanding and improper interpretation of a passage. A good case in point is the item of scripture being considered in this thread; namely, Jesus' dialogue with Nicodemus in John 3:1-21. The term "born of water" is seen by Sharp as water baptism; by you as human birth; by me as a Jewish idiomatic expression for cleansing. There is a possibility that all of us are wrong, but hardly one that all of us are right. I am heavily inclined to believe, based on context in conjunction with the Old Testament references I cited in my former post, that neither water baptism nor human birth is the correct exegesis. Believe me please, I was not attempting to "get technical" in an effort to confuse or confound the issue, and even less to attempt to orchestrate a vain exhibit of erudition. I know you did not intimate that, but I feel duty bound to clear away any lurking doubt by anyone who might tend to read into my motives something that simply does not exist..... To conclude, glory (and sharp also), you have given your views and I mine. The fact that we have looked at the issue from different angles has not caused any sparks to fly or voices raised. I appreciate that and thank you..... It is my deep conviction that the sacred Scriptures richly deserve our best thought and most strenuous efforts. The Bible is made, as it were, from small pieces of cloth that are woven tightly together to form a pattern, not unlike the quilts my mother used to make. Each piece of cloth fits exactly into the overall pattern and each piece is absolutely vital to the perfection of the whole. When we tend to examine a fragment, a small piece of cloth, without connecting it to the overall pattern, we can easily enough lose our perspective. That is why I feel very strongly about this thing called context -- context and perspective, two invaluable tools for unlocking the keys to God's treasures. Closely allied to this, of course, is inductive-type study, comparing Scripture with Scripture, seeing the parts in their proper relationship to the whole. --Hank | ||||||