Jesus – Page 2 – Faith Unto Ages

Why Christ Entered the Waters: A Doctrinal Study of Revelation and Fulfillment

When our Lord traveled from Galilee to the River Jordan , His cousin St. John the Baptist was preaching the necessity of repentance. Those that accepted the message of St. John would be baptized in water while also publicly confessing their sins (Mt 3:5-6). The rite of immersion in water was something which was shared with a certain Jewish sect known as the Essenes. Though debated, some scholars believe that St. John the Baptist may have been an Essene himself with his own following, or at least influenced by them; given not only their commonality in using water, but the use of apocalyptic language.

Now, with these words in mind: the baptism by which the forerunner was administering was very limited, as it was incapable of regenerating the soul, lacking the Grace of the Holy Spirit. Hence, it was not the Christian Sacrament of Holy Baptism.

To cite the Baptist directly:

“I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

– Matthew 3:11

As we know from Divine Inspiration, Jesus was not in need of repentance, as He was without Sin (c.f. 1 Peter 2:22). This explains the objection of the Baptist: “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” (Matthew 3:14). These words alone demonstrate the sinlessness of the Lord. Yet, the Lord, in His humility, willfully condescended to the form of a sinner.

Or, to cite St. Gregory of Thaumaturgus:

“He approached him as one of the multitude, and humbled Himself among the captives though He was the Redeemer, and ranged Himself with those under judgment though He was the Judge, and joined Himself with the lost sheep though He was the Good Shepherd who on account of the straying sheep came down from heaven, and yet did not forsake His heavens, and was mingled with the tares though He was that heavenly grain that springs unsown.”

– On the Holy Theophany, or on Christ’s Baptism, Homily IV.

When Carnal Reason Ends, Divine Revelation Speaks: The Folly of Chance and the Glory of Creation Out of Nothing

Throughout time, man has vainly attempted to explain the origin of all things without accrediting creation to an Intelligent Mind. Though often believed to be only a modern phenomenon, philosophers of antiquity had a variety of opinions on this matter. An idea believed by some of those from ancient Greece was one which suggested that everything came into existence by mere chance. Addressing this error, St. Basil wrote:

“Deceived by their inherent atheism it appeared to them that nothing governed or ruled the universe, and that was all was given up to chance.”

– Basil of Caesarea, Hexaemeron, Hom. 1.1.2.

Man had invented a plurality of other ideas to explain creation as well — too many which would expand beyond this article to cover. But as most are aware, science is constantly evolving. It is almost certain that the latest recent discovery will triumph over that of what preceded them. Not ignorant to this, St. Basil adds:

“The philosophers of Greece have made much ado to explain nature, and not one of their systems has remained firm and unshaken, each being overturned by its successor.”

– Basil of Caesarea, Hexaemeron, Hom. 1.1.2.

Despite the inconsistencies of scientific hypotheses, some have proven to be in favor of what was already revealed in Scripture, which we will cover momentarily.

The Superiority of Biblical Cosmology over Pagan Creation Myths

Throughout history, man has made attempts to explain the origin of all things. This is evident when examining the various cosmological stories of antiquity, such as in the case of the ancient Egyptians and Babylonians who attributed the birth of existence to various deities. These deities had fallen human characteristics, ambitions, and interests.

To cite Holmon’s Quicksource:

“Egyptian and Babylonian (as well as the earlier Sumerian) creation myths were inherently polytheistic, with teeming masses of powerful but flawed gods competing for the spotlight… cohabitations, base motives, and warring between the chief gods led to the incidental creation of other gods as well as the earth, sky, sea, and all living things”

– Whorton, Mark S, and Hill Roberts. Holman Quicksource Guide to Understanding Creation. Nashville, Tennessee, Holman Reference, 2008, 41-42.

These deities of the said groups were not only limited, as they wrestled “with eternal matter to fashion heaven and earth” (Whorton, 37) but were unjust and grudging against the human race. For instance, the Babylonian Enuma Elish tells that the human race was created from the blood of the defeated Kingu, who was seen as being the commander of demons, from the underworld, and an enemy to “superior” deities. Consequently, a personal and loving relationship between humanity and the gods was lacking; as they were created not only as a result of conflict, but to perform difficult labors of the gods such as building, digging, etc.

On the contrary, the Holy Scriptures speak of there being One God that is completely good, just, eternal, omnipotent, sovereign, unlimited, and sacred. As such, He was not in need of any other assistance, nor in need of pre-existent matter to create; as He made all things out of nothing by His Word. The idea of a deity needing pre-existent matter was one shared with, and perhaps adopted, by Plato.