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17 results for “Apostolic authority”
Clear searchWhat Jesus promised the apostles about Israel's future
…d with a promise larger than personal reward. He spoke of His own glorious throne, twelve apostolic thrones, and the twelve tribes of Israel: "Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye a…
Read article →What Christ’s promise establishes—and what claims about infallible teaching still need to prove
…ine what Jesus promises, to whom He promises it, and what the passage actually says about authority. What Is Being Claimed? We should begin by representing the position fairly. Roman Catholic teaching does not claim that every pope is always right, that bishops never make mistake…
Read article →An unrequited love for the historic Church
…de because I love much of what I find within her, yet cannot call every later development apostolic. There is a particular accusation made against evangelical Christianity that I feel more deeply than might be expected. We are told that we are rootless individualists: Christians…
Read article →Signs, expectancy, and the event the Church is told to await
…Church's immediate expectation would properly be the sign, not Christ. That would affect apostolic exhortations. John warns believers to abide in Christ so that they will not be ashamed "before him at his coming" (1 John 2:28). James says, "the coming of the Lord draweth nigh" a…
Read article →Irenaeus of Lyons · Early Christian theology and polemic · c. 180–190
…t simply be dismissed as a recent invention. Read Irenaeus as an early witness, not as an authority on every matter. His closeness to the second century makes his testimony historically valuable, but antiquity does not make every interpretation correct. When he speaks of the cath…
View recommendation →Divine judgement, the character of God, and the promise of escape
…they unfold within a heavenly proceeding governed by the Lamb. The Lamb opens the seals. Authority is given to the riders. Heaven sends trumpet and bowl judgements. By the sixth seal the earth-dwellers recognise "the wrath of the Lamb" and announce that "the great day of his wra…
Read article →Fulfilment in Christ, the inclusion of the Gentiles, and Israel's future mercy
…irit had not taught Peter that Israel's prophetic hope was meaningless. They gave him the authority to call Israel to its Messiah. Gentile inclusion fulfils prophecy without excluding Israel Acts 15 is rightly central to this discussion. Gentiles were entering the people of God w…
Read article →History, heresy, and the temptation of private Christianity
…s have been called Gnostic for stressing personal conversion, assurance of salvation, the authority of Scripture, heavenly hope, doctrinal precision, non-sacramental worship, premillennialism, or distrust of corrupt institutions. If all these things are Gnostic, then parts of the…
Read article →A history of interpretation, polemic, and forgotten tension
…excusing indefensible words nor forcing every ancient writer into a modern category. The apostolic starting point was Jewish The earliest Church did not think of Christianity as a Gentile religion which had displaced Israel. Jesus and the apostles were Jewish. The first believer…
Read article →Why the distinction matters when we speak about Jesus
…did both. The Son slept according to the limitations of His humanity and exercised divine authority over creation. The Gospel does not alternate between two Christs. It reveals the one Christ in the truth of both His natures. How Could Jesus Grow in Wisdom? Luke writes that “Jesu…
Read article →Sources behind Qur’anic narratives
…l evidence. The clay birds appear within an imaginative collection written well after the apostolic period. That collection contains many episodes which neither Christians nor Muslims would readily accept as reliable history. The Qur’an then selects one of its most memorable mira…
Read article →Which Gospel does the Qur'an affirm?
…some people distorted, concealed or fabricated religious claims is not evidence that the apostolic Gospel was universally replaced. Who were the People of the Gospel? The Qur'an does not address an imaginary community. By the seventh century, Christians had lived for centuries t…
Read article →Israel's Messiah, Israel's Scriptures, and a gospel for the world
…y—but not sufficient. He did not merely repeat the interpretations around Him. He claimed authority over the sabbath, forgave sins, identified Himself with Daniel's Son of man, accepted messianic titles, and placed allegiance to Himself at the centre of faithfulness to Israel's G…
Read article →Christianity, Islam and the verdict of the evidence
…repares His disciples for His death. The passion narratives identify the place, political authority, religious controversy, public procession, witnesses, execution method, burial and empty tomb. Paul preserves an early summary of the apostolic proclamation: “For I delivered unto…
Read article →Four popular claims tested in context
…ical respects. Moses and Muhammad married, had children, led communities, exercised civil authority and brought comprehensive laws. Jesus did not marry, govern an earthly state or lead an army. Secondly, "their brethren" is said to include the Ishmaelites, who were related to Isr…
Read article →The wicked husbandmen, the fruit-bearing nation, and what Jesus said afterwards
…21:45 Jesus is confronting Israel's blind and unfaithful leaders. They occupy the seat of authority, possess the Scriptures, and exercise stewardship among God's covenant people, yet reject the prophets and are preparing to kill God's Son. Their own answer condemns them: wicked h…
Read article →A sign of Israel's renewal, not Israel's disappearance
…han a dismissal. Jesus deliberately chose twelve, gathered them around Himself, gave them authority, and made them foundational to the Church. It is reasonable to see in them a reconstitution of God's people around Messiah. Israel's identity cannot be defined apart from Jesus, an…
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