The Sword of the LORD

Foundation Principles Series - Part IV “Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.   And this will we do, if God permit.”   - Hebrews 6:1-3 In the above verses, we find six concepts that St. Paul refers to as “the principles of the doctrine of Christ,” and, in chapter 5 of Hebrews, “the first principles of the oracles of God.”   We have explored the first three principles, Repentance from Dead Works , Faith Toward God , and The Doctrine of Baptisms , in earlier messages.   Now, let’s turn to the fourth principle, Laying On of Hands .    Laying On of Hands It appears that the act of laying hands on an individual as a religious rite has its roots planted solely in the Judeo-Christian tradition.   There is no known account of th

Foundation Principles Series - Part III “Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.   And this will we do, if God permit” (Hebrews 6:1-3). In the above verses, we find six concepts that St. Paul refers to as “the principles of the doctrine of Christ,” and, in chapter 5 of Hebrews he calls them, “the first principles of the oracles of God.”   We have explored the first two principles, Repentance from Dead Works and Faith Toward God, in earlier messages; now, let’s consider the third principle, “The Doctrine of Baptisms.”   You will notice that Paul uses the plural “baptisms” rather than just “baptism;” but in Ephesians 4:5 he states that there is but “one baptism.”   This is because while there is truly just one baptism, that o