Index Fixed

I’ve finally gotten the features in the right column operating again. There’s the familiar list of recent comments as well a replacement of the old Index.

I now call it a “Table of Contents,” which is closer to right. It’s really a classification of the substantive posts by category.

If you recall an old series or post, you can look for it by searching through the categories and subcategories. Click on a category, and a list of all the posts in that category will appear in the main window. The list may be so long that there are several pages of results. Continue reading

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John’s Gospel: The Baptism of Jesus, Part 3

David

Now, I’m sure it seems I’ve gone far afield of the question about Jesus’ receipt of the Spirit. But you can’t interpret these passages in a vacuum. Long before you bring your own questions to them, you have to ask: what questions did Matthew and John intend to answer? What is the point they were trying make?

And they were placing Jesus in historical context. They were explaining how he fulfills the promises made by God to the Jews, and they were showing what his ministry was going to be about. Continue reading

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John’s Gospel: The Baptism of Jesus, Part 2

The Synoptics

We should also consider the way the Synoptics relate the event —

(Mar 1:9-11 ESV)  9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.  10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.  11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

“Well pleased” is likely taken from a psalm of David found in 2 Samuel — Continue reading

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Law: So You Want to Start a Church? Part 2

What do incorporation and filing for a 501(c)(3) ruling involve?

To incorporate and obtain an IRS ruling of 501(c)(3) status is a substantial piece of work. Here are the steps:

1. Prepare articles of incorporation under the best available authorizing statute in your state.

2. Record the articles with the secretary of state (or, in Alabama, probate judge). There will be modest filing fees, typically less than $100.

3. Elect officers. In a typical Church of Christ, this would be the elders. If you have no elders, than you have to name someone with authority to sign for the church — maybe the chairman of the men’s business meeting. But someone has to have authority to act for the church. Continue reading

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John’s Gospel: The Baptism of Jesus, Part 1

I get emails —

I have a question relative to John 1:16 and divinity of Jesus.

“Fullness” would refer to the complete divinity of Jesus — that is, the fact that he is fully God. Therefore, to be in right relationship with Jesus — in grace — qualifies one for grace from God the Father as well.

In our recent Sunday school class, we are studying the Holy Spirit and the teacher made a comment I’m struggling to grasp.

He said Jesus left His divinity in heaven when He came to earth to be as a man and that His divine powers were received from the Holy Spirit upon being baptized by John the Baptist, and that these gifts of the Holy Spirit for Jesus were the same as those given the Apostles, including raising the dead and forgiving sins.

My research so far has found support both for and against this position.

I have tremendous respect for your knowledge and opinion and I would really like to hear your understanding on this question. Continue reading

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Comments Fixed!

At long last, the comment feature of the blog has been restored.

Unfortunately, most comments submitted while the site was broken are lost forever. Please re-submit them!

The site has been certified malware free by Sucuri. I’m in the process of adding back the features I disabled in an effort to trace the origin of the comments problem.

Have a great Thanksgiving, everyone!

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Law: So You Want to Start a Church? Part 1

I get this question quite a lot, and so I thought I’d answer in a post, as there are probably a lot of people who could benefit from the answer.

I’m planning to start a new church. How do I get 501(c)(3) status? Should I incorporate?

What if we don’t incorporate?

Like most states (but probably not all states), Alabama has evolved an approach to churches designed to avoid First Amendment issues. Alabama treats unincorporated churches as having two existences, a secular existence and a spiritual existence. Continue reading

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Roll Tide!!

Alabama Fans on the Strip Nov. 18, 2012I spent yesterday convalescing from my hip treatment on Thursday. And what better way to convalesce than watching college football?

Well, as you can imagine, things got pretty exciting here in the Guin household. Kansas State lost badly to unranked Baylor, and Oregon lost to Stanford in overtime — moving Alabama all the way from 4th to 2nd in the polls — perfectly positioned to play Notre Dame in the BCS Championship, to be held in the Orange Bowl in January. Continue reading

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John’s Gospel: Chapter 1:17-31 (John’s testimony)

(John 1:17-18 ESV) 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

In typically Hebraic style, verses 17 and 18 are parallels. To make the Father known is the same as bringing grace and truth. The Law of Moses, therefore, does not reveal God in the same way that Jesus does. Continue reading

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Comments, Bursitis, Etc.

For some reason, the commenting part of my site is down. If you enter a comment, it appears to be accepted, but for some unknown reason, disappears into the Internet ether. My webhosting service is working on the problem.

I think it has something to do with Texas A&M’s defeat of Alabama. Obviously, the laws of nature are somewhat askew. I mean, Johnny Football clearly is not constrained by the laws of physics. We live in very strange times. Continue reading

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