All Saints' Day and the Gospel of Christ

Today, November 1, is "All Saints' Day" or "Feast of All the Saints," a festival celebrated in many Christian churches (Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Communion, the Methodist Church, the Lutheran Church, and other Protestant churches) in honor of all the saints, known or unknown.


This celebration of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day (November 2) "stems from a belief that there is a powerful spiritual bond between those saints who are already in heaven (the 'Church triumphant'), and the ones living here on earth (the 'Church militant')."


Living in a predominantly Roman Catholic country, All Saints' Day is a national holiday in the Philippines. Traditionally many Christians here, especially those of the Roman Catholic background, flock the cemeteries and other burial places visiting their departed loved ones at their grave.


Many graveyards turn into a picnic ground during this time of the year. While the intention of this celebration might be noble, one does not see its Scriptural warrant in doing so.


I am convinced, however, that we should be thankful that our loved ones who died in faith in our Lord Jesus Christ are now enjoying the comforting presence of their Redeemer. They are with the Lord waiting for the day of His appearance to the world and for the resurrection of their bodies.


To visit them at their grave is fine. But to remind ourselves of the finished work of Christ on their and our behalf is even better. And while they are now in the presence of the Lord, we who are still here on this earth have a calling to fulfill.


We are called and commissioned to make disciples from every nation making Christ known through the preaching of the gospel as clearly as we can. We are called to proclaim the glories of God in the work of Christ in order to dispel the darkness of ignorance of the truth of the Holy Scripture and to overcome the blindness of many because of sin and Satan's dominion.


As James Jordan rightly says, "The Festival of All Saints reminds us that though Jesus has finished His work, we have not finished ours. He has struck the decisive blow, but we have the privilege of working in the mopping up operation. Thus, century by century the Christian faith has rolled back the demonic realm of ignorance, fear, and superstition."


The Reformation churches all over the world have commemorated the 501st anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. We thank God for His Word that gave light, life, and hope to many who were groping in ignorance and fear, unsure if they could be accepted by God or not by their own sacrificial works.


We thank the Lord for raising men like Luther, Zwingli, Calvin, Bucer, Bullinger, Tyndale, Cranmer, and many others before and after them, "for paving the way for a host of new translations of the Hebrew and Greek Scripture into the language of the people." Their aim in doing so was that the people could read for themselves God's word about redemption and forgiveness of sins and "for restoring the preached Word to its central place in the life of the people of God!"


God has willed that Luther, as a perceptive and sensitive soul that he was, would understand the hopelessness and helplessness of the human race before a righteous and holy God. Thus, Luther's restlessness has providentially been used by God to ignite the fire of the Reformation.


This Reformation spread and affected many parts of Europe, and even the rest of the world, that neither disease nor death, not even sword or Satan can stop the burning passion of the Reformers to proclaim the blazing sword of the Spirit that cuts the heart of sinners, on the one hand, and brings healing and comfort to their weary souls, on the other hand.


Today, while many will congregate at the burial grounds and memorial gardens all over the Philippines and enjoy the company of family members and relatives around the grave of their dead loved ones, a few of us will gather together to thank God and to remind ourselves of His work in saving His people by His grace through the finished work of Christ.


We do this to challenge ourselves to the remaining task of bringing to the nations the good news of redemption in Christ, who is the Lord and Redeemer of mankind and the only way to the Father (John 14:6).

Reformation Church History Quiz Answer Key

Here's the answer key to the Reformation Church History quiz.


Test I. Multiple Choice.

1. B

2. C

3. C

4. B

5. B


Test II. Identification.


1. Ulrich Zwingli

2. Institutes of the Christian Religion

3. John Wycliffe

4. Zacarias Ursinus and Caspar Olevianus

5. Possible answers: Thomas Cranmer, Hugh Latimer, Nicholas Ridley, John Hooper, John Rogers, John Lawrence, Robert Ferrar, John Bradford, Robert Samuel, John Philpot, and many more

6. Hugh Latimer

7. Martin Bucer

8. Sola Fide or Faith Alone

9. The Scots Confession. The six men who wrote it in four days were John Knox, John Winram, John Spottiswoode, John Willock, John Douglas, and John Row.



Bonus Questions. True or False.

1. F.

2. F. The first Reformed churches were established in the Swiss region.

Reformation Church History Quiz

This quiz is just for fun. Whosoever may take it. No googling or checking any Church History book, please.

Test I. Multiple Choice. Choose and encircle the letter of the right answer.

1. Which of the following does NOT accurately describe Martin Luther?
A. He authored the 95 Theses which expressed grave concerns about the selling of indulgences.
B. He was an English reformer whose body was exhumed and then burned for heresy.
C. He sparked the Protestant Reformation.
D. He experienced a spiritual crisis that consumed him with the fear that he could never overcome his sins.
E. He was a monk and professor of theology in Wittenberg, Germany.

2. What invention helped to spread the ideas and teachings of the Reformation?
A. The paint brush
B. The horse carriage
C. The printing press
D. The postal system
E. The internet

3. For the most part, what was the Protestant Reformation all about?
A. An attempt to overthrow the Italian pope and replace him with a Frenchman.
B. A call for Christian Europe to reclaim the Holy Lands from the Arabs.
C. An attempt to reform practices and beliefs by the Roman Catholic Church considered corrupt and unscriptural.
D. A drive to evangelize the whole European countries.
E. A campaign to make Martin Luther the head of the Protestant churches.

4. The English Reformation began in 1533 when King Henry VIII broke with the pope because...
A. The pope taxed the Church too high.
B. The pope refused to grant Henry a divorce from Catherine of Aragon.
C. The pope sided with the Irish in a revolt against England.
D. There were differences in religious interpretation of the Bible.
E. The church in England wanted independence from the medieval Catholic Church.

5. Which pope issued the papal bull "Exsurge Domine" in 1520 condemning Martin Luther of his attacks against the indulgences in his 95 Theses and threatening him of excommunication from the Roman Catholic Church?
A. Pius IX (Pio Nono)
B. Leo X
C. John Paul I
D. Alexander IV
E. Benedict XV


Test II. Identification. Write your answer on the space provided.

___________________________ 1. Who was the leader of the early 16th century Protestant Reformation movement in German-speaking Zurich, Switzerland? He was also a chaplain who accompanied the Protestant army to war. He died in a battle near Kappel in the Swiss region.

___________________________ 2. What is the title of the book that John Calvin wrote in the spring of 1536 while he was exiled in Basel, Switzerland. The book is considered as 'the greatest exposition of evangelical truth produced by the Reformation' (B. K. Kuiper, "The Church in History," p. 252).

__________________________ 3. He is considered "The Morning Star of the Reformation." He was an English priest and theologian in the 1300s known best for his role in translating the Bible from Latin into the common language. As a critic of the Catholic Church, he is usually considered an early Reformer.

__________________________ 4. Who are the principal authors of the Heidelberg Catechism which is one of the well-loved confessions of the Reformed churches?

__________________________ 5. Name at least one martyr burned at stake during the reign of Mary Tudor known as "Bloody Mary" of England.

__________________________ 6. Which English Protestant bishop said these courageous and comforting words while being burned at a stake with his fellow martyr: "This day we shall light such a candle, by God's grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out."

__________________________ 7. He was a German Protestant Reformer based in Strasbourg. His teachings are influential among the Lutherans, Calvinists, and Anglicans. He was originally a member of the Dominican Order but after meeting and being influenced by Martin Luther in 1518 he arranged for his monastic vows to be annulled. He then began to work for the Reformation, with the support of a German knight, Franz von Sickingen.

__________________________ 8. It is the Protestant doctrine that salvation is not by our good works nor by our own sacrifices, such as doing penance or buying indulgences, but by trusting the person and finished work of our only Mediator and Redeemer Jesus Christ.

__________________________ 9. This Confession of faith was written by six leaders of the Protestant Reformation in Scotland all named John. It was the first subordinate standard for the Protestant church in Scotland. Along with the Book of Discipline and the Book of Common Order, this is considered to be a formational document for the Church of Scotland during that time.


Bonus Questions: TRUE or FALSE. Write T if the statement is True and F if it's false.


________ 1. The Diet of Worms was when Martin Luther had to eat only worms while in prison.

________ 2. The first Reformed churches were established in the Netherlands.

Repentance

"When our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, said 'repent,' he meant that the entire life of believers should be one of repentance." This is the first proposition that the 16th century Augustinian monk, Martin Luther, wrote in his 'Ninety-Five Theses' which he posted on the eve of All Saints' Day of 1521 at the door of the castle church at Wittenberg, Germany. These 95 theses set the flame of the Reformation in Europe ablaze.

Repentance is an important Christian doctrine for "God commands all people everywhere to repent" (Acts 17:30). At some point in medieval period the biblical idea of repentance was misunderstood. As Dr. Sinclair B. Ferguson rightly observes, "The gospel called not for an act of penance but for a radical change of mind-set and an equally deep transformation of life" ("Here We Stand: A Call from Confessing Evangelicals," 132). Many scholars have observed that the word "repentance" is used many times and described using different metaphors (including plowing, circumcising, turning, and returning) in the Holy Scripture.

One of the ways repentance is used in the Old Testament has the idea of returning to "the provisions and prescriptions of God's bond." Dr. Ferguson adds that "to repent" is even "used to describe the return of God's people from geographical exile (e.g., Isa. 10:21-22), and in many ways this provides us with a helpful metaphor to understand what repentance is. Just as restoration from exile means returning geographically from the far country to the sphere where God has covenanted to fulfill his promise of blessing, so repentance from sin means returning from the far country of bondage in sin and guilt to the place where God has promised to fulfill his covenanted blessings - and all based on the promise of God's free mercy and grace (cf. Deut. 30:11)....

"Biblical repentance, then, is not merely a sense of regret that leaves us where it found us; it is a radical reversal that takes us back along the road of our sinful wanderings, creating in us a completely different mind-set: We come to our senses spiritually (cf. Luke 15:17). No longer is life characterized by the demand 'give me' (Luke 15:12) but now by the request 'make me' (Luke 15:19)" ("Here We Stand," 133).

The Recovery of the Gospel

In his introduction to John Owen's "The Death of Death in the Death of Christ," Dr. J. I. Packer says, “One of the most urgent tasks facing the evangelical church today is the recovery of the Gospel.”


Dr. Packer first made this statement in 1958, but I do believe that that is still true and probably even more urgent now than before. I thank the Lord that there is an increasing interest in many churches today, especially among young people, in learning gospel truths.


There is also a growing movement within the evangelical community that aims at recovering and propagating the old gospel truth that centers on God and His redemptive work in the person and work of Christ. Books, blogs, podcasts, and internet articles about the gospel are reaching many people in our time opening their eyes and ears to the amazing grace of God in saving sinners through the finished work of Jesus Christ.


Instrumental in popularizing these gospel truths among the evangelical youth and young ministers of today are Michael Horton, the late R. C. Sproul and James Montgomery Boice, John MacArthur, John Piper, J. I. Packer, Paul Washer, Joel Beeke, Kevin DeYoung, Mark Jones, Tim Challies, and many others, including the works of Ligonier Ministries, Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, TGC, and several ministries. Through the writings and publications of these authors and gospel-centered organizations there is an ongoing revival of the truths of the gospel in the lives of many people in our generation.


It is my prayer that the Spirit of God would sustain this steady stream of gospel-centered preaching and teaching in the church of Jesus Christ all over the world. I hope that the urgent task that Dr. Packer was talking about some 60 years ago will be fulfilled in our time, that is, the recovery and the propagation of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ for the salvation of many to the glory of God.


This gospel, in one of its multi-faceted truths, tells us that the God who created the world, this sovereign and holy God has provided for us sinners a substitute sin-bearer in the person of His Son. Jesus Christ, God’s only Son is the perfect high priest who made a once-for-all sacrifice for our sin. He carried all our sin upon his shoulder and nail them at the cross canceling all our debts and reconciled us back to this holy God. He offered himself in our place at the cross to save us who deserve the wrath and just condemnation of God.


Like a precious diamond, the gospel is a many-faceted truth. It is taught and proclaimed in the pages of the Holy Scripture. It is also portrayed through various stories in the Bible, the written Word of God, of which the Parable of the Prodigal Son is one of my favorite narratives.


In one controversial book written in history, the author explains the gospel by saying, “[T]he Gospel is a doctrine revealed from heaven by the Son of God, immediately after the fall of mankind into sin and death; and afterwards it was manifested more clearly and fully to the patriarchs and prophets, to the evangelists and apostles, and by them it was spread abroad to others. In this gospel, freedom from sin, from the curse of the law, from the wrath of God, death, and hell, is freely promised for Christ’s sake to all who truly believe on his name” (Edward Fisher, “The Marrow of Modern Divinity,” 208).

Top 12 Influential Books in My Life and Ministry

Photo courtesy of Jill Savage at www.jillsavage.org

In no particular order, here are the list of books and their authors that have influenced me the most in my Christian life and ministry:

1. Basic Christianity by John R. W. Stott. "Basic Christianity" is the first book on basic theology that I've read. It has increased my knowledge of my sinfulness and misery through Stott's clear exposition of the Ten Commandments. I was convicted of my sin. Stott also emphasizes in this book the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ at the Cross and how that sacrifice provided for me the assurance that all my sins are forgiven in Him. So I was also comforted and delighted to know that I don't need to add anything to Christ’s atoning sacrifice to save myself.


2. Knowing God by J. I. Packer. This book has been my favorite ever since I was introduced to it back in 1990s. It has deepened my knowledge of and devotion to God. Packer's scholarly yet pastoral exposition of God's sovereign grace in the salvation of mankind through Jesus Christ has left me dumbfounded. Through Packer’s various expositions I was able to understand the gospel better and became more grateful to God. I make it a habit to read this classic every year, or at least a few chapters of the book.


3. Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin. I've learned deeply about the Christian faith and the Christian life by reading Calvin.


4. Revelation: A Commentary by Gregory K. Beale. I've studied the book of Revelation and led Bible studies of it several times already. Beale's book has influenced a lot of my understanding of it.

5. Trusting God: Even When Life Hurts and The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges. I've benefited a lot from Jerry Bridges's writings and these books have greatly influenced me in terms of understanding God's sovereignty and providence and holiness in the Christian life.


6. The Holy Spirit and The Christian Life: A Doctrinal Introduction by Sinclair B. Ferguson. Ferguson’s book on the Holy Spirit is one of the best books on the subject. It was one of the required readings in seminary. His book on the Christian life is really a Biblical-theological introductory reading on the doctrine of salvation.

7. The Confessions by St. Augustine. One of the Christian classics one can't afford not to read.


8. Calvin's Doctrine of the Christian Life by Ronald S. Wallace. One the best and most helpful books I've read and reviewed during my seminary days.


9. The Heidelberg Catechism and its commentary by Zacarias Ursinus. Although not a book but a catechism, the Heidelberg Catechism is my favorite Reformation document and one that has helped me better understand the gospel of Christ and the Christian life.


10. The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict by Ken Sande. This book was first recommended by my New Testament and Ethics professor. I've read it after seminary but the benefit I'm getting from it is just amazing.


11. The Holiness of God and Chosen by God by R. C. Sproul. These two books were instrumental in helping me understand Reformed Theology when I was being introduced to it. I still read these books every now and then.


12. The Book of Pastoral Rule by Gregory the Great. The book is a classic on pastoral theology. It contains ancient godly wisdom from someone who served God and the church of Jesus Christ with great zeal and knowledge. Every pastor will surely benefit in reading this book of practical wisdom of an ancient pastor.


There are other books that have strengthened me in the Christian faith one way or the other but I think these books are among the top twelve.

A Reflection on the Parable of the Good Samaritan

One of the things I value the most in this life is the Holy Scripture, the Bible. It wasn't that way in the beginning. I grew up where the Bible is only read in church every Sunday.

I wasn't able to own a complete Old and New Testament Bible until I was in college. I used to have a Gideons New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs when I was in high school. I was so happy for the Gideons International to give me that booklet for free.

Through it I was able to read my favorite verse early in life, John 3:16. It was written in many languages in that New Testament. One of my favorite Gospel stories to read (actually it's a parable) was the Parable of the Good Samaritan. I've heard it read once in church and it was taught in class by our catechist.

I was fascinated by the Samaritan's exemplary act of mercy on a stranger who was robbed and left half-dead by the bandits. I didn't understand why the two religious men would pass the dying man by and would not take care of him or help him.

I understand now. But back then, I was provoked to anger by the indifference of the priest and the Levite. I was in awe, however, of the Samaritan's good and tender heart. He was my hero, a good example to follow.

I wasn't a believer then when I first heard and read this story. I got converted later in life. But this story and the message it conveys became more meaningful to me as I grow in my knowledge of the Bible's overall message.

From the vantage point of redemptive history, I see more and more the resemblance of God's work of rescuing helpless and dying men through the work of Christ in this parable. I am seeing more and more Christ in the Good Samaritan who rescued not just a needy stranger but really an enemy.

The Samaritans had nothing to do with the Jews at that time (cf. John 4:9). And so for a Samaritan to have pity on, to rescue, and to take care of an enemy is mind-boggling. It was an extraordinary, out-of-this-world act.

Reflecting on this story, I realize that its message is no different from the storyline of the whole Bible. It's a story of rescuing someone from sure death. It's a story of saving an enemy from danger. It's a story of salvation and redemption.

The Parable of the Good Samaritan is a story within a larger story. It's the story of God rescuing and delivering fallen men, in fact enemies, from sin and death, through the person of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

A Testimony of My Conversion and Call to the Ministry

Shared at the Gideons International Mindanao Camp Gathering in Tagum City on September 23, 2016

Good evening, friends. At the outset, I'd like to thank the organizer for giving me this opportunity to share with you my experience with the ministry of the Gideons International. I'd like to begin by saying that I have believed in God and was taught about Jesus since I was a child. I owned a blue New Testament given by the Gideons International representatives when I was in high school. From that New Testament I learned about the life and ministry of Jesus. Through it also I was able to read the books of Psalms and Proverbs.

Early in my life, I have desired to serve God in full-time ministry as a priest in the Roman Catholic Church. Yet I grew up a disobedient child. The concept of the fear of the Lord was unknown to me. I may have looked nice outwardly but deep within I was miserable. My conscience would always bother me and condemn me and I was so uncertainty of my future.

It wasn't very obvious to others but I was very afraid to die. Although I knew that Jesus Christ saves, still I did not have the faith to trust Him fully. So I tried hard doing nice things, like being respectful to my parents, doing the dishes and other house chores, and many other kind deeds. I was made to believe that in doing good works I can sort of earn my way to heaven.

But it did not help me at all and I was quite frustrated. There was something that I was looking for that I haven't found and tasted during those years.

It was the French physicist and philosopher Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) who spoke of people's need for God when he said, "There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man, which only God can fill through his Son Jesus Christ." About 1200 years before Pascal, Augustine (354-430) also wrote, “You have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”

Those quotes from Pascal and Augustine are true in my life. There was a vacuum in me that needs to be filled and there was some kind of restlessness that I didn't know how to put to rest. I thank God that in Christ he fills my emptiness and enables me to rest and to live in peace.

It was in February 1986 when I came to meet a Baptist minister from Bacolod City. He shared to me what I called "a strange teaching about God." We were roommates at a secondary school press conference in Iloilo province.

One night he saw me reading my blue Gideons New Testament. It has been my habit to read my New Testament before I sleep at night. He then asked me if I was a Christian. I was a Roman Catholic at that time. He then asked me if I could spare a few minutes to talk with me about some important things. I said "Yes" out of respect.

Using a Bible tract, he then started to explain to me the holiness of God, the sinfulness of man, and the death of Christ in a way that I did not see in my upbringing. Gradually I was beginning to understand the gospel, the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ.

At first I was so skeptical at what he was telling me. But later, I was moved to believe that Christ indeed saves, as the Bible says, and by believing in Him, I can be assured of my salvation.

Knowing this gracious saving act of God in Christ toward sinners like me, I was led to confess and repent from my sins. I then began to experience that sense of joy and peace deep within. The things that Augustine and Pascal were talking about became real to me. That peace within that wasn't there before started to overwhelm me.

My contact with this Baptist minister was short. When I returned home after the conference, I started reading some of the Bible tracts that he gave me. I also continued reading my blue Gideons New Testament. When I entered college in 1987, one of my older brothers, who was a new believer, was instrumental in my conversion and in my new found love for the Word of God.

Since then, God has used several people to help me grow in the Christian faith. And in the providence of God, I became a youth-worker serving the Lord among high school and college students. I would say that it was one of the most difficult yet faith-building experiences in life.

While I was serving as a youth-worker I was greatly influenced by the writings of John Stott and J. I. Packer. I especially like John Stott’s book Basic Christianity, which helped me in understanding the Ten Commandments. I was convicted of my sins while reading it.

However, I was also comforted knowing that Jesus paid for all my sins when He died at the cross. Stott also has emphasized in that book the atoning sacrifice of Christ at the cross and how that sacrifice satisfied the righteous requirement of God for our sin. I am so thankful that Christ did everything to secure my salvation.

The peace that I have been longing for has come as a result of the knowledge of God’s saving grace in Christ. My reading of the Bible became very meaningful. One time, I was reading Isaiah 53 where it says, "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him and by his wounds we are healed."

Isaiah was talking about the servant of the Lord who died and was condemned instead of God's people. Suddenly my eyes were opened to the truth that God will not take my sins against me anymore all because His servant has taken my place and paid for the penalty of my sins. That’s really amazing! That’s grace! It gripped me from the inside out.

God did many wonderful things to me since then. One of the amazing things that He did in my life was to call me to serve Him in the ministry of the gospel. He called me to become a preacher of His Word. I am now pastoring a church in Davao City.

I thank God for the privilege He has given me to serve Him as a pastor-preacher. Please pray for me that I might remain faithful in teaching and preaching the Word of God, which I first read in my blue Gideons New Testament. I don't have that Gideons New Testament anymore. I gave it to someone already. I now have the gold Gideons Bible. And I am willing to give this to anybody who needs guidance from the Lord and knowledge of the great salvation that He offers through our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you very much for the opportunity you have given me to share my story about how I came to know the Lord and how God used the ministry of the Gideons International to impress upon me His precious Word, the Bible.

The Sign of Christian Baptism

Not too many of us make much of our baptism in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Some even make it optional in the Christian life. Not so with the Lord Jesus. It was not an option for Christ for He Himself has commanded that those who would believe and become His disciples are to be baptized as a sign of belonging to and being united with Him.

Baptism, as a form of ceremonial washing, "is a sign from God," says J. I. Packer, "that signifies inward cleansing and remission of sins (Acts 22:16; 1 Cor. 6:11; Eph. 5:25-27), Spirit-wrought regeneration and new life (Titus 3:5), and the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit as God's seal testifying and guaranteeing that one will be kept safe in Christ forever (1 Cor. 12:13; Eph. 1:13-14)."

Dr. Packer adds that baptism "carries these meanings because first and fundamentally it signifies union with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection (Rom. 6:3-7; Col. 2:11-12); and this union with Christ is the source of every element in our salvation (1 John 5:11-12). Receiving the sign in faith assures the persons baptized that God's gift of new life in Christ is freely given to them. At the same time, it commits them to live henceforth in a new way as committed disciples of Jesus" (Concise Theology, 212).

Thus being baptized in the name of the triune God we are both privileged and duty-bound to serve and love this God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. But our Christian baptism means more than that. In baptism we are not just telling God to serve him all our lives. God is, at the same time, signifying His covenant promises to us and to our children to be our God, sealing upon us His claim of ownership. For in baptism God owns us. We belong to him. We are identified with Him and He identifies with us. He is saying to us, "I am your God; you are my people."


Therefore serving God, loving him, denying ourselves, and forsaking our sin are ways to value and to live consistently with our Christian baptism. To live as if we are "the master of our fate" and "the captain of our soul" is denying and devaluing our baptism in the name of our triune God. 

Remember what the apostle Paul said: "You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body" (1 Cor. 6:19b, 20). The apostle Paul also added: "For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God...Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry...Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive...And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" (Col. 3:3, 5, 12-13, 17).


No wonder Dr. Packer could say, "Baptism signifies a watershed point in a human life because it signifies a new-creational ingrafting into Christ's risen life" (Concise Theology, 213).

Ambrose, the Godly Bishop of Milan

Many of us know quite well St. Augustine (A.D. 354-430), the famous Latin Church Father and bishop of Hippo. Augustine penned one of the most quoted sayings in the history of Christianity which in Latin goes, “Fecisti nos ad te, Domine, et inquietum est cor nostrum donec requiescat in te” (“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you” [The Confessions 1.1].). But the Lord used the sermons of Ambrose to quiet the restless heart of Augustine.

Ambrose of Milan (A.D. 338-397) was born in a powerful Roman Christian family. It was told that the bishop of Rome and many church dignitaries visited his parents' home when he was a child. He served as a public servant, a governor in northern Italy at that, before he became a bishop.

Two significant events in Ambrose's life are worth mentioning here. The first one is the circumstance that catapulted him to the office of bishop. One account says that "even as governor he had ecclesiastical problems to deal with. Orthodox Christians and Arians were practically at war at the time. Ambrose was no friend of the Arians, but he was so well regarded that both sides supported him. When the bishop of Milan (an Arian) died, Ambrose attended the meeting to elect a replacement, hoping that his presence would preempt violence between the parties. Much to his surprise, both sides shouted their wish for him to be their replacement.

"Ambrose really didn't want to be an ecclesiastical leader; he was doing quite well as a political one. And he hadn't even been baptized yet! But the people wrote to Emperor Valentian, asking for his seal on their verdict. Ambrose was placed under arrest until he agreed to serve" (131 Christians Everyone Should Know, 81).

The other event in Ambrose's life that's fascinating is his courage in confronting Emperor Theodosius and his atrocious order to kill 7,000 people in Thessalonica in A.D. 390. The emperor was exacting vengeance against the people for the death of his governor who did not yield to the people's demand to free a certain charioteer whom the people loved.

"Ambrose was horrified. He wrote an angry letter to Theodosius demanding his repentance. 'I exhort, I beg, I entreat, I admonish you, because it is grief to me that the perishing of so many innocent is no grief to you,' he wrote. 'And now I call on you to repent.' He forbade the emperor to attend worship until he prostrated himself at the altar.

"Theodosius obeyed, marking the first time church triumphed over state" (131 Christians Everyone Should Know, 81-82).

Later in Ambrose's ministry, one "skeptical professor of rhetoric had gone to Milan in 384 to hear the bishop's famous allegorical preaching. By the time he left four years later, he had been baptized by Ambrose and given a philosophical basis he would use to transform Christian theology" (131 Christians Everyone Should Know, 82). This professor of rhetoric was Augustine. He was greatly influenced by this eloquent preacher and godly bishop of Milan.

Just how much influence did Ambrose have on Augustine? Here's the latter's account in his book, The Confessions:

"So I came to Milan and to Bishop Ambrose, who was known throughout the world as one of the best men. He was a devout worshiper of you, lord, and at that time his energetic preaching provided your people with choicest wheat and the joy of oil and the sober intoxication of wine. Unknowingly I was led by you to him, so that through him I might be led, knowingly, to you.

"This man of God welcomed me with fatherly kindness and showed the charitable concern for my pilgrimage that befitted a bishop. I began to feel affection for him, not at first as a teacher of truth, for that I had given up hope of finding in your Church, but simply as a man who was kind to me. With professional interest I listened to him conducting disputes before the people, but my intention was not the right one: I was assessing his eloquence to see whether it matched with which rumor credited him was really there, or something more, or less. I hung keenly upon his words, but cared little for their content, and indeed despised it, as I stood there delighting in the sweetness of his discourse. Though more learned than that of Faustus it was less light-hearted and beguiling; but such criticism concerns the style only, for with regard to the content there was no comparison. While Faustus would wander off into Manichean whimsy, this man was teaching about salvation in a thoroughly salutary way. But salvation is far from sinners, and a sinner I was at that time. Yet little by little, without knowing it, I was drawing near" (The Confessions [Maria Boulding, OSB, trans.] 5.13).