The Italian Memorandum

“Come see the place where the Lord lay”

(Matt.28: 6)

The term, “tomb” (mnemeion, Matt. 27:60) can be appreciated by the Christian on several levels. Although the concepts of the Lord’s death and resurrection are not new to us, when these two fundamental themes of the gospel are viewed in relation to the tomb of Christ, we find that both are represented. In other words, the tomb goes both ways, as Paul’s speech at Antioch of Pisidia indicates – “…they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead” (Acts 13: 29, 30). The tomb (mnemion) embraces Christ’s death and resurrection—it is a virtual sanctuary for the great themes of the Gospel.

But, is a return to the tomb really necessary? We think that it is a warranted action on the part of all Christians, novices and veterans alike. We say this in lieu of the sporadic hijacking of many Judeo-Christian concepts today: success through the Proverbs of Solomon; stable family values; money-matters; and relationships in general. But, to take all of these valuable Biblical concepts and sell them without regard to the power of the Gospel is certainly a terrible blunder of omission.

So, why should you return to the tomb?

1. It is the central sanctuary of Christian faith (2Cor. 5:15; 1Thess. 4:14; etc.).
2. It points out the futility of trying to achieve the good-life, without the good news (1Cor. 15: 1-4).
3. It asserts the historical-factual nature of the Gospel (Acts 13: 29-31).
4. It reaffirms how baptism is the watery-grave—and, such it is (Rom. 6:3-5).

– Robert M. Housby

[A list of references of the causes of salvation. This list refutes and exposes those groups which subjectively select one cause over another. See Acts 20:27; Ps. 119:160. It is a given that God is the ultimate author of salvation –Tit. 2:13; 3:4; Heb. 5:9]

1. Grace (Ephesians 2:8)
“For by grace you have been saved through faith…”

2. Mercy (Titus 3:5)
“…according to his mercy he saved us”

3. The Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-2)
“Now I make known unto you, brethren, the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye received, wherein also ye stand, by which also ye are saved”

4. Jesus’ Name (Acts 4:12)
“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved”

5. Hope (Romans 8:24)
“For in this hope we were saved”

6. Preaching (1 Corinthians 1:18)
“…but to us who are being saved it [“the word of the cross”] is the power of God”

7. Confession of faith (Romans 10:10)
“…with the mouth one confesses and is saved”

8. Obedience (Hebrews 5:9)
“…he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey”

9. Love of the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:10)
“…because they refused to love the truth and so be saved”

10. Ourselves (Philippians 2:12)
“…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling”

11. Baptism (1 Peter 3:21)
“…Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you”

-Robert M. Housby

“And God said, Let there be lights
in the expanse of the heavens…”

(Genesis 1:14; Ezek. 32:7,8)

Pluto has an extremely eccentric orbit. It is sometimes closer to the sun than to its neighbor, Neptune. Discovered by Clyde Tombaugh in 1930, Pluto has most recently (2006) been re-classified based upon two fundamental pieces of information: (1) Its mass is too small to be equated with the other planets. For example, it is only 1/500 Earth’s mass; 1/20 Mercury’s mass; and, 1/300 the mass of Jupiter. (2) Its diameter is also too small. It has only 9% the diameter of Neptune; 90% the diameter of Ganymede (Ganymede is a moon of Jupiter, the largest satellite in our solar system). So, it is not surprising that the likes of Sir Patrick Moore (and others) have recently re-classified Pluto, reducing the number of Milky Way Planets from nine to eight.

What are Christians to do with this new information? First, the Lord has never said that there would be either nine or eight planets in our solar system. Secondly, we can  still appreciate the similarities which Pluto shares with other planets: (1) At least one moon (charon) (2) A thin atmosphere of CH4 Methane, and (3) A density of about 1.0 g/cm3 (Jupiter and Uranus = 1.3). Thirdly, we are once again brought face-to-face with science needing to revise its thinking. Our faith does not rest on the laurels of science. We do appreciate scientific data, but we must also realize that it is subject to revision when and where it is inaccurately being affirmed.

Jesus once said to the intellectuals of his day, “You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times” (Matt.  6:3). Thank you Pluto!

– Robert M. Housby

“…the church of the living God,
the pillar and ground of the truth”

(1 Timothy 3:16)

People in the post-modern world are becoming more and more involved in an approach to truth that resembles an old form of Christian gnostic teaching. Many today do not even think in terms of truth as an absolute body of information. Instead, truth is being perceived as relative to the receiver or worshipper. In the very same way that the United  States Constitution, for example, is being referred to as a “living document,” by post-modern revisionists, the Bible is being seen as a source of truth, but not the exclusive source of truth. A “living document,” in the minds of many today, is an assertion that it may be changeable in order to reflect the new generation’s relativistic morals.

The Nag Hammadi religious texts are an example of early Christian break-away groups. Other more recent examples of gnostic information being influential among the masses include, The Da Vinci Code. But, unfortunately, it does not stop there. Some main-line Christian groups are now alleging that the Holy Spirit is speaking directly to people apart  rom the written word of God. The results of this kind of relativistic thinking have the following consequences:

1. The Bible is being used, but marginalized (see 2 Timothy 3:16,17). Where once, men may have recorded personal thoughts in the margin of their Bibles, now the biblical text is  being relegated to a place of secondary importance.
2. The Holy Spirit is being subjected to the feelings of man, rather than man being in subjection to the Spirit of God (2 Peter 1:20,21).
3. In a word, the truth is now being seen as the people, not the word of God (John 17:17). However, 1 Timothy 3:16 would place responsibility upon the church to be the pillar and ground of the truth—that is, not the truth, but the support of the truth.

Once again, the old adage, the Bible, the whole Bible and nothing but the Bible, is in order. Not the Bible plus a creed; or, the Bible plus a catechism; or, the Bible plus a religious experience, but the Bible only.

– Robert M. Housby