Pictured to the left is a copy of a version of the Holy Bible, known as the NEW AMERICAN BIBLE REVISED EDITION ( NABRE ); being entitled: THE NEW CATHOLIC ANSWER BIBLE. Luke 23:26-49 read as follows:
"26 As they led him away they took hold of a certain Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country; and after laying the cross on him, they made him carry it behind Jesus. 27 A large crowd of people followed Jesus, including many women who mourned and lamented him. 28 Jesus turned to them and said, 'Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep instead for yourselves and for your children, 29 for indeed, the days are coming when people will say, '"Blessed are the barren, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed."' 30 At that time people will say to the mountains, '"Fall upon us!"' and to the hills, '"Cover us!"' 31 for if these things are done when the wood is green what will happen when it is dry?' 32 Now two others, both criminals, were led away with him to be executed. 33 When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him and the criminals there, one on his right, the other on his left. 34 [Then Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.'] They divided his garments by casting lots. 35 The people stood by and watched; the rulers, meanwhile, sneered at him and said, 'He saved others, let him save himself if he is the chosen one, the Messiah of God.' 36 Even the soldiers jeered at him. As they approached to offer him wine 37 they called out, 'If you are King of the Jews, save yourself.' 38 Above him there was an inscription that read, 'This is the King of the Jews.' 39 Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, 'Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us.' 40 The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, 'Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? 41 And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.' 42 Then he said, 'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.' 43 He replied to him, 'Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.' 44 It was now about noon and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon 45 because of an eclipse of the sun. Then the veil of the temple was torn down the middle. 46 Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Father, into your hands I commend my spirit'; and when he had said this he breathed his last. 47 The centurion who witnessed what had happened glorified God and said, 'This man was innocent beyond doubt.' 48 When all the people who had gathered for this spectacle saw what had happened, they returned home beating their breasts; 49 but all his acquaintances stood at a distance, including the women who had followed him from Galilee and saw these events."
The apostle Paul ( see Romans 1:1 ) wrote the following in ( 6:3, 4 ): "3 Or are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life."
Paul ( see Galatians 1:1 ) wrote the following in ( 2:19, 20 ): "19 For through the law I died to the law, that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ; 20 yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me; insofar as I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who has loved me and given himself up for me." If you, the reader, will notice, when one is baptized into Christ Jesus' death, he or she has been figuratively crucified with Him, being "buried with him" ( as we read in verse four, above ): the sacred text of the Catholic Bible teaches that baptism is by immersion in water ( see also Acts 8:26-40 ( especially verses 36-39, for example ), for example ). In Acts 2:38, we see that when one is baptized, he or she does so in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of his or her sins.
In verse thirty-three ( above ), pictured for us there is the scene of two criminals being crucified with Jesus. However, to only one of the criminals did Jesus say that he would be with Him in Paradise ( as we read in verse forty-three ). An implication, here, is that it is possible for one to be crucified with Christ through baptism, and still not be saved ( cf. Mark 16:16, for example ): the criminal who reviled Jesus was not with Him in Paradise. In verses thirty-nine through forty-two, the reality is revealed to us concerning the fact that it matters to Jesus what our attitude is toward Him ( see John 14:15, for example ), and what we believe about Him ( see John 8:24, for example ), especially at the point of baptism.
As a case in point, Paul ( see 2 Corinthians 1:1; 10:1; 13:10, for example ) wrote the following in ( 4:13 ): "13 Since, then, we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, 'I believed, therefore I spoke,' we too believe and therefore speak." Thus, we speak based on what we believe. With this observation in mind, if one is raised from the watery grave of baptism saying that he or she is a Baptist, for example, then that one is not saved: such a statement indicates the belief that baptism and salvation are in the name of John Smyth, for example, rather than in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean ( see Acts 4:5-12 ( especially verses 10-12, for example ), for example ). Clearly, denominational baptisms will not save anyone.
To be sure, Paul ( see Ephesians 1:1 ) affirmed the following in ( 4:5 ): "5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism." Therefore, there is only one baptism, in the name of Jesus Christ, by immersion in water, for the remission of one's past sins ( see Romans 3:21-31 ( especially verse 25, for example ), for example; KJV, for example ), and not many different denominational versions of it. Please study the Holy Bible ( which is God's word - see Psalm 119:65-73, 142, 151, John 17:1, 3, 17, and 2 Timothy 2:15; 3:16, 17, for example ).
If you have any questions about the Holy Bible, you can contact me by e-mail at:
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<Russell E. Willis>.
NOTE: There is a footnote associated with verse thirty-four ( above ), which reads as follows: "[Then Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.']: this portion of Luke 23:34 does not occur in the oldest papyrus manuscript of Luke and in other early Greek manuscripts and ancient versions of wide geographical distribution." [ See THE NEW AMERICAN BIBLE REVISED EDITION, FIRESIDE CATHOLIC PUBLISHING, WICHITA, KANSAS, COPYRIGHT, 2011, 2006, 1987, 1981, BY DEVORE & SONS, INC., WICHITA, KANSAS 67201, p. 139 NT. ] This explains the use of square brackets in the sacred text above. The use of this portion of text is not questioned in the KING JAMES VERSION ( KJV ) of the Holy Bible, for example. Finally, in Antioch, the disciples were first called Christians ( see Acts 11:26 ), not Catholics: this is what the sacred text of the Catholic Bible teaches. There is no such thing as a denominational Christian.
