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Український Католицький Собор Святого Івана Хрестителя

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What is Christianity?

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1. Fulfillment: Christianity is the fulfillment and completion of the Old Testament.

– Jeremiah 31/31: Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt.

– Matthew 5/17: (Jesus said): Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

– Luke 10/23-24: Then turning to the disciples He said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”

– Luke 24/13-28: That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, …. and He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

– Acts 2/36: (Peter said): “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ (Christos = the Anointed One = the Promised Messiah), this Jesus whom you crucified.”

– Acts 3/25-26: (Peter said): “You are the sons of the prophets, and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham: And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.”

– Acts 10/42-43: And He (Jesus) commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that He is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To Him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.

– Romans 1/1-4: Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which He promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning His Son, Who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, ….

2. Saviour: Christianity is the fulfillment of God’s promise, made in the Old Testament, of a Saviour.

– Micah 5/2: But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.

– Isaiah 62/10-11: Go through, go through the gates; prepare the way for the people; build up, build up the highway, clear it of stones; lift up a signal over the peoples. Behold the Lord has proclaimed to the end of the earth: Say to the daughter of Zion, “Behold, your salvation comes; behold his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.”

– Psalm 130/7-8: For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with Him is plentiful redemption. And He will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

– Matthew 1/21-23, Luke 2/29-32: She (Mary) will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.

– Matthew 8/16-17: That evening they brought Him many who were oppressed by demons. and He cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: 53/4: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”

– Luke 24/44-47: Then He said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled” Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”

– John 3/17: For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.

– Acts 3/17-26): (Peter said) “And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He thus fulfilled. …. (26) God, having raised up his servant, sent Him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.”

3. Virgin birth: Christianity is the belief in the virgin birth of Jesus Christ.

– Matthew 1/18-22: …. But as he (Joseph) considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for He will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

– Isaiah. 7/14: Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel (God is with us).

– Luke 1/34-35: And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy – the Son of God.

4. Salvation: Christianity is the salvation (redemption) of mankind through the sacrificial death on the Cross of Jesus Christ.

Exodus 12/3: Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household. (6-7): You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill the lambs at twilight. Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. (11-13): It is the Lord’s Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike every firstborn in the land of Egypt, …. The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.

– Isaiah 53/3-5, 7: He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; …. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. (7): He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter.

– John 1/29: The next day, he (John the Baptist) saw Jesus coming towards him, and said, “Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

– John 3/13-16: (Jesus said) No one has ascended into heaven except He who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man must be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.

– Matthew 16/21, 17/22-23, 20/17-19: From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.

– Luke 18/31-34: And taking the twelve, He said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. For He will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. And after flogging Him they will kill Him, and on the third day He will rise.” But they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.

– John12/23-24: And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”

– John 12/30-32: Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

– Romans 1/16: For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

– Romans 3/23-25: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.

– Romans 5/1: Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

– Romans 5/8: For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person, …. But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

– 1Corinthians 1/17-19: For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, (Is. 29/14) “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”

– 1Corinthians 1/21-25: For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach (crucifixion) to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

– 1Peter,2/24: He (Christ) Himself bore our sins in his body on the tree (cross), that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

– 1John 2/ 1-2: But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

-1John 4/9-10: In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

– 1Timothy,2/3-6: This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God an men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, ….

5. Revelation: Christianity is based on God’s revelation through His Incarnate Son, Jesus (the Christ) of Nazareth.

– Hebrews. 1/1-3: Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed the heir of all things, through whom also He created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of his power.

– Romans 16/25-26: Now to Him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith ….

– Galatians 1/11-12: For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

– 2Peter 1/19-21: And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

6. Human-Divine Nature: Christianity is the belief in the Incarnate Second Person of the Holy Trinity in the human nature of Jesus of Nazareth – Jesus having both a Human and a Divine nature.

Human: Mark 13/32: But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

Human: Matthew 26/36-39, Luke 22/39-44: Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and He said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” And taking with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, He began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then He said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here and watch with me.” And going a little farther He fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will but as You will.”

Human: Matthew 27/46: And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Divine: Matthew 4/23-24, Luke 6/18-19: And He went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought Him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, epileptics, and paralytics, and He healed them.

Divine: Matthew 9/1-7: …. 6: “But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” – He then said to the paralytic – “Rise, pick up your bed and go home” And he rose and went home.

Divine:Matthew 11/27, Luke 10/22: All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.

Divine: Matthew 17/1-8, Mark 9/2-8, 9/28-36: And after six days Jesus took with Him Peter and James, and John his brother and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with Him. ….

Divine: Matthew 24/29-31, Mark 13/24-27, Luke 21/25-28: Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other..

Divine: John 5/19-23: So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what He sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all that He himself is doing. And greater works than these will He show Him. So that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom He will The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.

Divine: John 8/57-58: So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”

Exodus 3/13-14: But Moses said to God, “If I come to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you’, and they ask me ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”.

Divine: John 10/27-30: (Jesus said) “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

Deuteronomy 32/39: See now that I, even I am he; there is no god besides me.

Isaiah 43/13: Also henceforth I am he; there is none who can deliver from my hand; I work, and who can turn it back?”

Divine: John 10/37-38: (Jesus said) “If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”

Divine: Hebrews 1/1-3: Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son Whom He appointed the heir of all things, through whom also He created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of his power.

Divine: Colossians 1/15-20: He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church. (Human) He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent. For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Divine: Colossians 2/9-10: For in Him (Christ) the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in Him, who is the head of all rule and authority.

7. Trinity: Christianity is the revelation of the Trinitarian nature of the One God.

– Matthew 3/16-17, Mk. 1/9-11, Luke3/21-22: And when Jesus was baptized, immediately He went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on Him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

– Matthew 17/1-8: (Transfiguration) …. (5) He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my Beloved Son; with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.”

– Luke 12/11-12: (Jesus said) “And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

– John 14/16-17: (Jesus said): And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him for He dwells with you and will be in you. (14/25-26): “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. but the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”

– Acts 1/4-5: While staying with them He (Jesus) ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, He said, “you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

– Acts 2/1-4 (Pentecost): When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were siting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

– Acts 2/38: And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

– Acts 7/55: But he (Stephen), full of the Holy Spirit gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.

– Acts 10/44-46: While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the Word. And the believers from among the circumcised (Jews) who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles.

– Ephesians 1/13-14: In Him (Christ) you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, Who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

8. Knowing God: Christianity is seeing and knowing God through the person of His Incarnate Son, Jesus of Nazareth.

– Matthew 11/27: All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.

– John 1/18: No one has ever seen God; the only One, who is God, Who is at the Father’s side, He (Jesus) has made Him known.

– John 14/8-10: Phillip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.”

– Colossians 1/15, 19: He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. …. (19) for in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, ….

– Hebrews 1/1-3: Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed the heir of all things, through whom also He created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of his power.

9. Access to God: Christianity leads people to God through Christ

– Jn. 14/6-7: Jesus said to him: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also.”

10. Resurrection: Christianity is the belief in the Resurrection of Jesus.

– Matthew 28/1-6, Luke. 24/1-12, Jn. 20/1-29: Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, as He said. Come, see the place where He lay.

– Luke 24/13-35: That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, …. And they said to Him “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, …. Some women in our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that He was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but Him they did not see.”

– Luke 24/36-40: …. (38) And He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have. And when He had said this, He showed them his hands and his feet.

– Acts 10/40-41: (Peter said) …. But God raised Him (Jesus) on the third day and made Him to appear, not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead.

– 1Corinthians 15/3-4: For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, ….

– Ephesians 1/19-20: …. and what is the immeasurable greatness of His (God’s) power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at his right hand in the heavenly places, ….

11. Ascension: Christianity is the belief in the bodily ascension of Jesus into heaven.

– Mark 16/19-20: So then the Lord Jesus, after He had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the massage by accompanying signs.

– Luke 24/50-53: Then He led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands He blessed them. While He blessed them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God.

– Acts 1/9-11: And when He had said these things, as they were looking on, He was lifted up, and a cloud took Him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as He went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven.”

– Ephesians 1/19-20: …. and what is the immeasurable greatness of His (God’s) power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at his right hand in the heavenly places, ….

12. Forgiveness: Christianity is the assurance of God’s forgiveness of our sins.

– Matthew 9/2: And when Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.”

– Luke 7/44-50: …. (47) “Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven – for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” And He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” Then those who were at table with Him began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” And He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you, go in peace.”

– Luke 23/39-43: …. (42) And he (the thief) said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And He (Jesus) said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.

– John 8/3-11: …. (10) Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you, go, and from now on sin no more.”

13. Reconciliation/Justification/Redemption: Christianity is the gift of reconciliation (peace) with God.

– Matthew 9/13, Luke 5/32: Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.

– John 14/27: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. not as the world gives do I give to you.

– Romans 3/22-24: For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus

– Romans 6/22-23: But now, you have been set free from sin, you have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

– 2 Corinthians 5/18-19: All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

– Ephesians 2/8-9: For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

– Galatians 2/16: …. Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

– Galatians 3/24-26: …. the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.

– Ephesians 1/7-8: In Him (Christ) we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which He lavished upon us in all wisdom and insight ….

– Philippians 3/8-9: …. in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith ….

– Colossians 1/19-22: For in Him (Christ) all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, He has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before Him ….

– 1Timothy 2/3-6: This is good and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

14. Resurrection of the dead: Christianity is the promise of the resurrection of the dead.

– Matthew 22/29-33: But Jesus answered them (Sadducees), “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He not God of the dead, but of the living.”

– 1Corinthians 15/12-14: Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.

– 1Corinthians 15/35-44: But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And what you sow is not the body that is to be, …. So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. …. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. …. The first man (Adam) was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man (Christ) is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.

– 1Corinthians 15/50-52: I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, …. but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.

– 1Thessalonians, 4/13-14: But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep.

15. Eternal Life: Christianity is the promise of eternal life with God in the Kingdom of Heaven.

– John 5/24: (Jesus said to them) “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.”

-John 6/40: “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life, and I will raise Him up on the last day.”(44): “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.”

-John 10/27-28: (Jesus said) “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.”

– John 11/25-26: Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.”

– John 14/1-3: (Jesus said) “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”

– John 17/3: (Jesus said) “And this is eternal life, hat they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”

– Romans 2/6-7: He (God) will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, He will give eternal life; ….

– 2Corinthians 5/1: For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

– Titus 3/5-7 :…. He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration (Baptism) and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

– 1John 5/11, 13: And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. …. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.

16. Kingdom of Heaven: Christianity is the proclamation of the Kingdom of Heaven.

– Matthew 4/17: From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

– Matthew 13/24-30: The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. (36-43)

– Matthew 13/31-32, Mark 4/30-32, Luke 13/18-19: The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.

– Matthew 13/33, Luke 13/20-21: The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.

– Matthew 13/44: The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

– Matthew 13/45-46: Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

– Matthew 13/47-50: Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. ….

-Matthew 22/1-14, Luke. 14/15-24: The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. …. Then he said to his servants, …. ‘Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.

– Luke 17/20-21: Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”

– Isaiah 25/6: On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.

– Luke 22/28-29: (Jesus said) “You are those who have stayed with me in my trials, and I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

17. Mystery: The growth of the Kingdom of God is independent of human effort.

Mark 4/26-29: And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.

18. God’s Love: Christianity is the revelation of God’s love through His Incarnate Son, Jesus of Nazareth.

– John 17/26: (Jesus prayed) “I have made known to them your Name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in hem, and I in them.”

– John 3/16-17: (Jesus said) For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.”

– Romans 5/8: …. But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

– Ephesians 2/4-7: But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved – and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

– Titus 3/4-7: But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration (Baptism) and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

-1 John 4/8-10: …. God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

19. Loving Father: Christianity is the revelation of God as a loving, caring Father.

– Matthew 6/8-9: …. For your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, ….

– Matthew 7/11: If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

– Matthew 23/9: And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.

– 1 Corinthians, 1/3: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

20. God’s Help: Christianity is the promise of God’s help.

– Matthew 11/28-30: Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest in your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

21. Continuation of Christ’s mission: Christianity is the continuation of Christ’s work.

– John 14/12-14: (Jesus said): “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.”

– John 15/5: (Jesus said): “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. (8): By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples”.

22. Eucharist: Christianity offers the Life-giving presence of Jesus, God’s Incarnate Son in the Holy Eucharist.

– Matthew 26/26-28, Mark 14/22-25, Luke 22/14-20: Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat, this is my body.” And He took a cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

– John 6/51-56: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh. …. “Truly, truly I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.”

– 1Corinthians11/23-29: For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when He was betrayed took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also He took the cup, after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. Whoever, therefore, eats the bread and drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord.

23. Baptism: Baptism is a commitment to Christ and to a Christian way of living.

– Mt. 28/18-19: And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”

– Mark. 16/15-16: (Jesus said to the apostles): ‘Go into all he world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”

– Acts 2/38: And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

– Ephesians 4/4-6: There is one body and one Spirit – just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call – one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

– Colossians 2/12: …. having been buried with Him (Christ) in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised Him from the dead.

– Titus 3/4-6: But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration (baptism) and renewal of the Holy Spirit, ….

24. Community: Christianity is God’s community.

– Matthew 16/15-18: He (Jesus) said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church (Greek: ekklesia) and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Note: ‘Community’, or ‘assembly’ is the correct translation of the Greek word ‘ekklesia’. The word ‘church’ derives from the Greek word ‘kyriake’ which means ‘the Lord’s House’.

– Jn. 17/11: (Jesus prayed) And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. (17/20-21): I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

– Acts 2/44-46: And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, ….

– Acts 9/13-16: But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man (Saul/Paul), how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”

-Ephesians 2/13-22: But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off (pagans) have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that He might create in Himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. …. (18-19) For through Him (Christ) we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, ….

25. Personal Invitation: Christianity includes personal invitations to individuals for a specific ministry or mission.

– Matthew 4/18-22, Mark 1/16-20, Luke 5/1-11: While walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And He said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. And going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and He called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed Him.

– Matthew 9/9, Mark 2/13-14, Luke 27-28: As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man called Mathew sitting at the tax booth, and He said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed Him.

– Matthew 9/37: Then He said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.

– Matthew 10/1-4, Mark 3/13, Luke 9/1-2: And He called to Him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him.

– Matthew 10/5-15, Mk. 6/7-13: These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And proclaim as you go saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ ….

– (Parable) Luke 14/16-24: …. But He said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. ….

– John 1/43: The next day, Jesus decided to to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me”.

– John 6/56-69: (Jesus said) ‘Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him. …. (60) When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” …. (66) After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with Him. So Jesus said to the Twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy one of God.”

– Acts 9/13-16: But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”

-1Corinthians 1/26-29: For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.

– Galatians 1/15-16: But when He (God) who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal His Son to me, in order that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, ….

26. The Great Commission: Christian ministers have a clear mandate.

– Matthew. 28/16-20, Mk. 16/15-16: Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw Him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

– Mark 16/15: And He (Jesus) said to them (apostles), “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.”

-John 15/16: (Jesus said) “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name He may give it to you.”

27. Universal: Christianity is a religion given for all the peoples of the earth.

– Matthew 28/16-20, Mk. 16/15-16: Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw Him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, ….

– Acts 3/25: (Peter said): “You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’”

– Acts 10/44-46: While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the Word. And the believers from among the circumcised (Jews) who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles.

– Acts 13/46-47: And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold we are turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us saying, ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth’.

– Acts 15/6-11: The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter (circumcision for Gentile converts). And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as He did to us, and He made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. …. But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”

– Ephesians 2/13-16: But now in Christ Jesus you (Gentiles) who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, Who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility ….

– Ephesians 3/6-7: This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

28. Marriage: Christianity professes the sanctity and permanence of marriage.

– Mark 10/2-10, Luke 16/18: The Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” He answered them, …. From the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” And in the house the disciples asked Him again about this matter. And He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”

– Ephesians 5/31: Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.

– Hebrews 13/4: Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.

29. Reward: Christianity is the promise of reward for faithfulness.

– Matthew 10/40-42: Whoever receives you receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent me. …. And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because He is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.

– Mark 10/28-31, Luke 18/28-30: Peter began to say to Him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

– Romans 2/6-7: He (God) will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, He will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.

30. Persecution: Christianity is a religion destined to experience persecution.

– Matthew 10/16-23, Mark 13/9-13, Luke 21/12-19: (Jesus said) “Behold I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. …. Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved”.

-John 15/18-20: (Jesus said) “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.

– John 16/1-3: (Jesus said) “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me.”

Acts 8/1: And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.

– Acts 9/13-16: But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man (Saul/Paul), how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.”

– Acts 12/1-3: About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. He killed James the brother of John with the sword, and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also.

– Acts 13/50: But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district.

– Acts 14/19, 21-22: But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him of the city, supposing that he was dead. …. When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.

– Acts 20/29-30: (Paul said): “I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.

31. Scandal: Scandal (causing someone to lose faith) will earn a severe punishment.

Mark 9/42-48, Luke 17/1-2: “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.