First, we look at the general arrangement of the Old and New Testaments. Based on this, we now explain why we chose to share the Gospel of Mark, and then we will talk about the Book of Acts. At the end of this section, we shared why the Bible says that our logical deduction is the same as God’s logical deduction, and suggested a way to reach the path mentioned in the Book of Revelation, with an ear that can hear. Second, the Bible clearly states the time when the gospel of Jesus began, and as Isaiah predicted, John the Baptist was His forerunner. Third, we talked about Jesus’ baptism and temptation, citing relevant scriptures for detailed discussion, and also discussed a possible question, that is, in the matter of being tempted, it seems that the Holy Spirit and Satan are cooperating, because it was the Holy Spirit who led Jesus to be tempted by Satan. Finally, we discuss Jesus’s beginning of preaching the gospel and calling the apostles. Christians need to repent and believe and practice what the gospel says, and cite relevant detailed discussions.
1. Choose the Book of Mark based on the arrangement of the Old and New Testaments
Christians believe that both the Old and New Testaments are inspired by God, because the Triune God is not an ambiguous God, so we know that “what God tells us through the Bible is consistent”, so the Old and New Testaments must be viewed as a whole. It is also because the Bible is inspired by God that we will “not discount the words of the Bible”. Based on this, let’s look at how the Bible is arranged as a whole, and also see why we choose the Book of Mark now, and then look at the Book of Acts.
The scripture says, “For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.”(John 1:17) The Law is in the Pentateuch. If the Old and New Testaments are viewed as a whole, the corresponding part of the Pentateuch should be the four Gospels, because the four Gospels talk about grace and truth. This is what we call the general arrangement. The Old Testament is then arranged next in historical books, and the Book of Acts of the New Testament is the history of the early church. Thus, they are The corresponding part. The Book of Revelation in the New Testament obviously corresponds to the prophetic books in the Old Testament. The remaining letters in the New Testament are basically about the practice of the gospel, and therefore correspond to the remaining five books in the Old Testament, from Job to Song of Songs.
Although the New and Old Testaments are both inspired by one God and should be viewed as a whole, the era of the New Testament is what we are facing now, and the Old Testament, except for a few prophecies, is basically things that have already happened. Through the things that have happened in the New and Old Testaments, we hope to see how God works in history and some of His principles, at most only partly, because God is infinite and man is finite, and finite cannot be equal to infinite. We can only know what He wants us to know. Please note that the Old Testament of Judaism and the Old Testament of Christianity have the same chapters, but the arrangement of the chapters is very different.
Because the Bible is inspired by God, reading from the perspective of the Bible is reading from the perspective of God, but not vice versa, because the words of the Bible are finite. From God’s perspective, Paul said, “I say then, they (the Israelites) did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous.”(Romans 11:11) If we look the fact that the New Testament comes from the Old Testament and should have the same general classification. The Old Testament is mostly written in Hebrew and a few in Aramaic. No wonder the apocryphal books written by humans in Greeks are not included in the New Testament canon. Thus, there is a silence of about 400 years between the New and Old Testaments, separating the New and Old Testaments.
Although Martin Luther was willing to sacrifice his life for the Reformation, we are also happy to know that the New Testament canon is not something he can completely decide as a person. For example, he believed that the Book of Revelation should not be in the New Testament, but the Book of Revelation should be in the New Testament. ““For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.”(Isaiah 55:8-9) After what Paul experienced, it is no wonder that he suddenly exclaimed in the Book of Romans, “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to him again? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.”(Romans 11:33-36)
Because the Old and New Testaments are equally important, but we must choose the order in which to read them. In the initial order, the New Testament is the main one, and the Old Testament is the supplementary one, because the era of the New Testament is what we are facing now, and most of the Old Testament is things in the past. We have basically finished reading the Books of Revelation, Luke and John. Now we have chosen the Book of Mark to approach finishing the four Gospels. Next will be the historical book, the Book of Acts, because we can also mention many scriptures in the epistles at the same time.
The last thing we want to share in this section is that when we base on “what God tells us through the Bible is consistent” and “do not discount the words of the Bible”, we can see this verse clearly, “Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; …”(Genesis 3:22) The word “like” mentioned in this verse means that our logical deductions are the same as God’s, but our changeable personal axioms are very different from God’s unchanging axioms. God can open our eyes and change our personal axioms to guide us. We have shared this in detail in “2. The plan of salvation and logical deduction” of “1148 Punishment, Salvation, Logic, and the Truth of the Trinity – Genesis(3)14-24”. Please go to the website “https://a-christian-voice.com/” and click “Understanding of spiritual life” to find this article.
Please note that opening eyes can be a direct work of God, such as Paul’s seeing great light (see Acts 9:1-9), or it can be through what others say, such as after Paul saw the great light, God sent Ananias to tell him something (see Acts 9:10-18). So Paul has an ear that can hear, which is what is said to all the seven churches in the Book of Revelation, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”(Revelation 3:6) We must have an ear that can hear to obtain the life that can only come from God.
The Holy Spirit has absolute sovereignty. He can speak directly or indirectly. We suggest a practical method that can be practiced by having an ear that can hear. If you hear that others have different opinions from you, you should think deeply to see if they are right. If they are right, you should listen. If they are not right, you can definitely find logical errors. But because people have free will, if you can’t find the error now and don’t want to listen, you have to put it aside for now. Maybe one day you will see the truth.
Let’s give an example that can be listened to. First, don’t lie and acknowledge Satan as your father, because the Bible clearly says, “…the devil (Satan) …speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”(John 8:44) Then, you really need to use this fact to discern. For example, there is such a teaching that no matter whether you feel right or wrong, you must apologize first, especially when you are moved. If after you apologize, the Spirit does not make you realize where you are wrong, then you know that the inspiration is not from the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit will not ask you to lie and acknowledge Satan as your father. No wonder Peter would say, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”(1 Peter 5:8)
When we see this verse, “not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; …”(Hebrews 10:25) Really don’t take it as a Law to keep. Didn’t the Laodicean church in the Book of Revelation stop meeting? No. But they locked Jesus out without knowing it. Don’t fall into the situation of the Laodicean church. Have an ear that can hear. We don’t know when the Holy Spirit will speak to us through the mouths of brothers and sisters, so be happy and attend the weekly meetings as much as possible.
2. The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You, Who will prepare Your way;
The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight.’” John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea was going out to him, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist, and his diet was locusts and wild honey. And he was preaching, and saying, “After me One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to stoop down and untie the thong of His sandals. I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.””(Mark 1:1-8)
It was clearly stated at the beginning that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and this status cannot be changed, that is, He is God by nature. In other words, when He became flesh, He was a 100% complete man. Doesn’t the Scripture make this very clear? “and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.”(John 5:27) But His position has not changed. He is still 100% complete God. It’s just that He has not used His divinity. But we know that “…He gives the Spirit without measure.”(John 3:34)
The beginning of Jesus’ Gospel had John the Baptist as His forerunner, as prophesied by Isaiah, and we know that John the Baptist also fits the prophecy of Malachi, ““Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD.”(Malachi 4:5) As said, “It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”(Luke 1:17) Please note that the father here is plural, and it does not refer to God the Father. Some people misinterpret the Bible here and extend the wrong idea.
What John the Baptist could do was the baptism of repentance with water. Those who were willing to repent went to the Jordan River to be baptized. From his clothes and food, it can be seen that he was different from ordinary people. But we should not only look at the appearance, but also at the heart. Jesus said it very clearly, “For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”(Matthew 11:18-19) To be baptized by the Holy Spirit, we must wait until Jesus comes, so he knew very clearly, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”(John 3:30) He humbly told this fact. Speaking of facts, Paul is a very humble person, so he knows this fact, “If anyone supposes that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know.”(1 Corinthians 8:2) But if a person knows this fact, it does not mean that this person is humble. Don’t draw equal signs when reading the Bible, so as not to create a God that is not mentioned in the Bible, to the extent that you don’t even know it.
In “1010 The life of John the Baptist”, we briefly described his life. If you are interested, you can go to the website ” https://a-christian-voice.com/ ” and click “Understanding of Spiritual Life” to find this article.
3. Jesus’ Baptism and Temptation
“In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him; and a voice came out of the heavens: “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.” Immediately the Spirit impelled Him to go out into the wilderness. And He was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan; and He was with the wild beasts, and the angels were ministering to Him.”(Mark 1:9-13)
Some people may think of this question when seeing these verses: Isn’t this a collaboration between the Holy Spirit and Satan? No. Hebrews says very clearly, “For we do not have a high priest (Jesus) who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.”(Hebrews 4:15) So Jesus would be tempted in all kinds of ways throughout His life. Temptations always have a beginning. After Jesus was baptized, “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness.”(Luke 4:1) Being filled with the Holy Spirit is of course the best time to start, especially since the Holy Spirit knows that after this temptation, “…Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about Him spread through all the surrounding district.”(Luke 4:14)
The first half of these verses is the exhortation of the Lord. “John (the Baptist) testified saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him. I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.”(John 1:32-34)
In the Book of Matthew, it is recorded in more detail, “Then Jesus arrived from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John, to be baptized by him. But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” But Jesus answering said to him, “Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he permitted Him. After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.””(Matthew 3:13-17)
The Spirit of God is the Holy Spirit, and that voice comes from God the Father, so in the matter of baptism, all three persons of the Trinity are involved. It is also clearly stated here that Jesus should not be baptized for repentance. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit (see Matthew 1:18), and obeyed God all His life (see John 14:31), and was sinless (see Hebrews 4:15). He was baptized only to set an example for us to fulfill all righteousness.
The record of His forty days of temptation in the wilderness is very detailed in the Books of Matthew and Luke. Here it is only added, “…He was with the wild beasts, and the angels were ministering to Him.”(Mark 1:13). Regarding His temptation, we have explained it quite clearly in “1046 The genealogy and the temptations of Jesus, and controversial issues – The image of Jesus”. In “1. An illustration why God inspired us with obvious contradictions” of “1111 The True Meaning of Biblical Inerrancy”, we discussed why God would inspire obvious contradictions through this temptation. Those who are interested can find these articles according to the previous methods.
4. Jesus began to preach the Gospel and call apostles
“Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” As He was going along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. Going on a little farther, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were also in the boat mending the nets. Immediately He called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went away to follow Him.”(Mark 1:14-20)
It clearly states when He preached the Gospel. To enter the Kingdom of God, the first step is to follow the preaching of John the Baptist which is the same as He preached. “Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.””(Matthew 3:1-2) Then comes the more important second step, believing in the Gospel and practicing it. True faith will definitely lead to practice.
Then it says that He called Peter, Andrew, James, and John. This is the same as the record in Matthew 4:18-22, which is also Peter’s first calling. In “1049 Fishers of men, healings of the leper and the paralyzed man, and one way of Bible writing style – The image of Jesus (4)”, we discussed these scriptures and Peter’s second call. Please find this article according to the method described above. Thank you.
(Verses refer to those in NASB95 unless otherwise specified.)
(You can get all articles in “https://a-christian-voice.com/” under “On spiritual understanding about life.”)
aChristianVoice 一個基督徒的聲音 