Questions

[FutureCarmeliteClaire]

Hi Church Scholars! I have a study copy of my Confirmation test, and there are some questions I would very much appreciate your help with.

1. What does "Sola Verbum Dei" mean? And what is the Church's stance on "Sola Verbum Dei"? (I know that is means "Only the Word of God", but no idea about the Church's stance on it...)

2. The Holy Spirit is depicted in many ways with various symbols throughout the Bible. Name at least threw ways in which it is depicted and explain the accompanying scripture passages. (I know like 2 of these, but I am missing scripture references for some...)

3. Most other Christian Churches so not practice individual reconciliation. Explain the Biblical basis for individual reconciliation and the role of the priest. (I know we we do it, but I don't know the Bible passages or anything...)

I feel kind of stupid asking all this, but it would really help me... If possible, I need the answers for these by March 23, 2012, the date of my test...

[cappie]

[quote name='FutureCarmeliteClaire' timestamp='1331690546' post='2400402']
Hi Church Scholars! I have a study copy of my Confirmation test, and there are some questions I would very much appreciate your help with.

1. What does "Sola Verbum Dei" mean? And what is the Church's stance on "Sola Verbum Dei"? (I know that is means "Only the Word of God", but no idea about the Church's stance on it...)

[b][i] I too have no idea about this[/i][/b]

[b]2. The Holy Spirit is depicted in many ways with various symbols throughout the Bible. Name at least threw ways in which it is depicted and explain the accompanying scripture passages. (I know like 2 of these, but I am missing scripture references for some...)[/b]

[i]There are a variety of descriptions or depictions of the Holy Spirit in the Scriptures, which give us a picture or illustration of His person and work. As a representation, figure or type we must be careful not to make too much of these illustrations doctrinally speaking. The reason for this is that types and figures are often susceptible to misuse due to personal bias or human opinion. So we must be careful as we examine these representations of the Holy Spirit in Scripture. So how is the Holy Spirit represented in Scripture? There are at least 8 representations of the Holy Spirit in Scripture.[/i] [i]I will offer just some:[/i]

[i]1) The Holy Spirit is represented as a Dove.[/i]

The use of the dove as a representation of the Holy Spirit occurs in the descriptions of the baptism of Christ. In fact all four Gospel accounts mention that the Holy Spirit descended upon Christ in the form of a dove or like a dove.
•Matthew 3:16, "And after being baptized, Jesus went up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, {and} coming upon Him."
•Mark 1:10, "And immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him."
•Luke 3:22, "and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodilyform like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in Thee] am well-pleased."
•John 1:32, "And John bore witness saying, "] have beheld the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him."
In each of these four accounts, it is the Holy Spirit that is descending upon Christ at His baptism and He is descending from heaven. Matthew says that He was descending "as a dove." Mark describes Him descending, "like a dove." Luke carries it a step further and explains that He descended upon Christ, "in bodily form like a dove." Lastly, John says that He descended "as a
dove."

So why is he described as descending like a dove? The gospel writers had to give some sort of physical description to what was witnessed at Christ's baptism. There was evidently something in the quality and characteristics of a dove that represented the bodily form that the Holy Spirit assumed or it represented the way He descended. It is important to note that these verses emphasize that the presence of the Holy Spirit came directly from God out of heaven. This was significant in emphasizing the Father's blessing and anointing of His Son for His public ministry. It served as an important witness to the people and emphasizes the power o f the Holy Spirit on Christ for His ministry upon the earth. Some commentators and theologians have mentioned that the characteristics of a dove include beauty, gentleness, peace, and purity and therefore represent the characteristics/attributes of the Holy Spirit as He descended upon the Son. But we probably should not make too much of that.

[i]2) The Holy Spirit is represented as Tongues of Fire.[/i]

This is noted in Acts 2:3-4, "And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance."
God's revelation of Himself by fire was not unusual and likely would have been understood by the Jews. Fire in reference to God had at least seven symbolic uses prior to the events recorded in Acts 2.
• In Exodus 3:2 fire represented the Lord's presence, "And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed." Very c1early the fire at the burning bush represented that the LORD (YHWH) was truly present in the bush before Moses.
•There are places where fire represents the Lord's approval. Leviticus 9:24 "Then fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the portions of fat on the altar; and when all the people saw {it}, they shouted and fell on their faces. The idea of approval is further confirmed by 1 Kings 18:38, "Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench." (cf. 2 Chronicles 7: 1) In each of these cases the offering that was made to the Lord was an acceptable offering. It met the Lord's approval.
•In Exodus 13:21 fire represents the Lord's guidance, "And the LORD was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might travel by d~and by night.'"
•In Zechariah 2:5,fire represents the Lord's protection, "For 1,' declares the LORD, 'will be a wall of fire around her, and I will be the glory in her midst."
•In Malachi 3:3, fire represents the Lord's discipline and testing, "And He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the LORD offerings in righteousness." (cf. 1 Peter 1 :7)
•In Jeremiah 5:14, fire represents God's Word, "Therefore, thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, Because you have spoken this word, Behold, I am making My words in your mouth fire And this people wood, and it will consume them." (cf. Jeremiah 20:9)
•In Leviticus 10:2, fire represents God's judgment, "And fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD."
The use of fire in Acts 2:3-4 is c1early a reference to the Holy Spirit as the Apostles were filled with the Spirit and empowered by Him for the work of ministry. Judging by previous usage, the appearance of the Holy Spirit as tongues of fire carried with it the thought of the Lord's presence, approval, protection, and guidance for the ministry set before them.

[i]3)The Holy Spirit is represented in Anointing with Oil.[/i]
The representation of the Holy Spirit as oil or anointing with oil is considerably more vague than others. But often the various anointing of priests and kings with oil serves as a type of the Holy Spirit in regards to the Spirit's enabling ministry.

Zechariah 4:1-14 illustrates the significance ofoil as a type; oil depicted the Holy Spirit's power in strengthening Joshua and Zerubbabel to lead the people of Israel in completing the construction of the temple around 515 BC. The constant flow of oil from the lamp stand (vs. 2) to the two leaders (vv. 3, 14) is interpreted in verse 6, "Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit."

In 1 Samuel 10: 1 Samuel anointed Saul as king ofIsrael. This anointing represented the Holy Spirit's coming upon him to lead the people of Israel as their king. (cf. 1 Samuel 10: 1-6). This is repeated in the life of David in 1 Samuel 16:13, "Then Samuel took the horn ofoil and anointed him in the midst ofhis brothers; and the Spirit ofthe LORD came mightily upon Davidfrom that day forward."
In the New Testament we see the Holy Spirit anointing Christ to preach the Good News to the poor in Luke 4:18, "THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR ... " While this is a quote of an Old Testament prophecy of Messiah and certainly speaks of Christ as the fulfillment ofthat prophecy. It also shows the Holy Spirit's involvement in anointing Christ and empowering Him for His role/ministry on the earth.

This is further illustrated by Peter's words in Acts 10:38, "{You know oj} Jesus ofNazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and {how} He went about doing good, and healing all who were oppressed by the devil; for God was with Him."
So the representation ofthe Holy Spirit as oil speaks ofHis involvement with various individuals for the purpose ofempowering them to complete their role/ministry.


[i]4) The Holy Spirit is represented as a Seal.[/i]

The Holy Spirit is identified as the seal ofthe believer in three different passages, all written by the Apostle Paul. The representation as a seal is very similar to the representation as a pledge, already mentioned.
•2 Corinthians 1 :21·22, "Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us andgave {us} the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.
•Ephesians 1: 13, "In Him, you also, after listening to the message oftruth, the gospel ofyour salvation -having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit ofpromise."
•Ephesians 4:30, "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit ofGod, by whom you were sealedfor the day ofredemption."
In Paul's day an official document would be sealed with wax. An impression would be made in the hot wax with the signet ring ofthe king or another high ranking official. The seal would signify that the document was official. The Spirit ofGod is our seal. Let's look at four things that the seal ofthe Spirit signifies.
1) Security: In ancient times the seal ofa king, prince, or noble represented security and inviolability (cf. Daniel 6:6-7). When we became a Christian, God put His Holy Spirit in us. He stamped us with His signet ring, thus declaring us secure.
2) Authenticity: In ancient times the seal signified authenticity. The seal served as the Kings authentic signature (i.e. I Kings 21:6-16). When God gave us His Holy Spirit, He declared us to be authentic children of the King.
3) Ownership: In ancient times the seal also served as a completion of a transaction noting final ownership. When the Holy Spirit seals believers, He marks them as God's divine possession and declares the transaction of salvation as official and final.
4) Authority: In ancient times the seal emphasized the absolute authority ofthe decrees represented by the seal. Those who possessed the sealed decree had the Kings delegated authority (cf. Esther 8:8-12). When Christians are sealed with the Holy Spirit, we are delegated to proclaim, teach, and defend God's Word and His Gospel with His authority!

The role of the Holy Spirit as our seal provides us with much security and assurance. God will certainly fulfill His promises to His children, whom He has sealed with the Holy Spirit.


[i]5) The Holy Spirit is represented as Water.[/i]

Water is used in Scripture for various representations:
• In Genesis 7-9 it is used to represent God's judgment as illustrated in the flood.
•In Ephesians 5:26, it signifies the Word ofGod. Paul says, "that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing ofwater with the word:'
•In Psalm 69:2, 14-15, it is used poetically of distress and tribulation, "1 have sunk in deep mire, and there is no foothold; 1have come into deep waters, and aflood overflows me... Deliver me from the mire, and do not let me sink; May 1 be delivered from my foes, andfrom the deep waters. May theflood ofwater not oveiflow me, And may the deep not swallow me up, And may the pit not shut its mouth on me."
• But for our purposes here, it is also used to represent the Holy Spirit. We see this primarily in John 7:37-39:
"Now on the last day, the great {day} ofthejeast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "Ifany man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being shall flow rivers ofliving water. But this He spoke ofthe Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet {given,} because Jesus was not yet glor ified. "
"During the final ritual at the Feast of Tabernacles the priest brought water from the pool of Siloam and poured it in the funnel beside the altar, amid the singing ofworshipers. This event was ajoyous one, in anticipation of Messiah's glorious reign (cf. Zechariah 14:16-21)."
It was likely during or just after this ceremony that Christ spoke the words ofJohn 7:37-39. It is against this background ofthe water ceremony that we should understand the invitation ofChrist. It is against this background ofthe water ceremony that we see Christ standing and saying, "I fany man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink."
Christ, in John 7:37, was changing the focus ofthe feast from liquid water that would provide life for their crops to the "living water" that would provide life for their thirsty souls.
This certainly was made very clear to the Samaritan woman after Jesus had asked her for a drink in John 4:9-14:
"(9) The Samaritan woman therefore said to Him, 'How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since 1am a Samaritan woman?' ... (10) Jesus answered and said to her, 'lfyou knew the gift ofGod, and who it is who says to you, "Give Me a drink, "you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water. I (11) She said to Him, 'Sir, You have nothing to draw with and
the well is deep; where then do You get that living water? (12) You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank ofit himself, and his sons, and his cattle?' (13) Jesus answered and said to her, 'Everyone who drinks ofthis water shall thirst again; (14) but whoever drinks ofthe water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well ofwater springing up to eternal life.'"
What was this life giving water? What was this water that would spring up to eternal life? What was this water that would result in the flowing of rivers ofliving water?
Jesus makes it quite clear in John 7:39, "But this He spoke ofthe Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet {given,} because Jesus was not yet glorified." So the water that Jesus had to give was the Holy Spirit. Several points are noteworthy:
•Water as an emblem for the Holy Spirit signifies eternal life (John 7:39 and John 4:14).
•Water also signifies a reception of the Holy Spirit (John 7:39; cf. Ezekiel 36:25-27; Isaiah 32:15; 44:3-4).
•Water as an emblem of the Holy Spirit also anticipates future millennial blessings (John7:37-39 compared with Joel 2:28-32; Isaiah 12:3).

[i]6) The Holy Spirit is represented as Wind.[/i]

Wind is a most natural representation of the Holy Spirit since the word "spirit" [PNEUMA] may be translated wind as well as spirit. English words like pneumatic or pneumonia derive their meaning from the word PNEUMA.

Three passages stand out however as using wind as a symbol of the work of the Holy Spirit.
• In John 3:8, wind is used as an illustration of the work ofthe Spirit in the new birth, "The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound ofit, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born ofthe Spirit."
In this passage the immaterial character ofthe Spirit as invisible yet sovereignly accomplishing His divine work is presented. "Jesus' point was that just as the wind cannot be controlled or understood by human beings but its effect can be witnessed, so also it is with the Holy Spirit. He cannot be controlled or understood, but the proof ofHis work is apparent."
• In Acts 2:1-2, wind is a symbol for the coming ofthe Spirit, "And when the day ofPentecost had come, they were all together in one place. Andsuddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent, rushing wind, and itfilled the whole house where they were sitting."
While the wind is not explicitly connected with the Spirit, the outer phenomena were clearly intended to imply the work of the Spirit which was accomplished. Just as the wind "filled all the house where they were sitting, so they were all filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4). This speaks of the mighty power ofthe Spirit and God's sovereignty in the coming ofthe Spirit.
• In 2 Peter 1:21 wind seems to be used as a symbol for the Spirit in connection with the Holy Spirit's involvement in the writing of Scripture, ''for no prophecy was ever made by an act ofhuman will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God."
While the word wind does not appear in the verse, the imagery is that ofa ship being driven by the wind. The writers of Scripture were carried by or borne along by the Holy Spirit. The motive power and direction of the human writers of Scripture was the Spirit ofGod so that the prophecy was of God.

3. [b]Most other Christian Churches so not practice individual reconciliation. Explain the Biblical basis for individual reconciliation and the role of the priest. (I know we we do it, but I don't know the Bible passages or anything...)[/b]


First, let’s look at the Sacrament of Reconciliation from a Biblical standpoint:[list]
[*]Jesus commanded it! John 20:21-23 reads:
”Jesus said to them again ‘Peace be with you. As the Father sends me I send you.’ And he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.’
[/list]
[indent=1]This was Pentecost, the birth of our Church. Over 2000 years, Jesus’ command has been passed and obeyed; our Bishops are the inheritors of their authority. At Ordination, priests get their ability to perform the Sacraments from their Bishop. Therefore we must forgive sin.[/indent][list]
[*]There is no such thing as a private sin. Whether we have committed the sin by ourselves or with other people, a sin always has effects throughout the entire community of the faith. Let me explain it on two levels:
[list=1]
[*]If one of us sins it changes the way we interact with other people... maybe because of the shame or guilt of the sin or maybe because of fear of being found, but no matter what, sin affects our behavior.
[*]St. Paul's analogy of the Body of Christ (Romans 12:3-8) states that all believers in Christ are united. This means that if one of us sins we damage the Body that all of us belong to. Therefore, reconciliation must be done through a representative of the Body, and for us as Catholics that representative is a priest.
[/list]
[/list]

Now let’s look at the Sacrament of Reconciliation from a more personal and practical perspective: that whole "I can just have a personal relationship with God and He will forgive my sins." I just don't think it works real well. Let me explain...[list]
[*]There's just too many "saved" people walking around feeling guilty all the time. I also think that there are people who don't want to be humbled before God by telling Him that we are so sorry for our sins and that we will do anything to get right Him again...including telling another person the sins we have committed (look at James 5:16). Telling others our sin makes us vulnerable because it shows that we are not perfect.
[*]A popular trend with our Protestant brothers and sisters is having an [i]accountability partner[/i]. Your accountability partner is a friend that you can trust and confide in, sharing those times when sinned and then giving advice and support. If nothing else, having an accountability partner is convicting because you know that you'll have to tell a friend when you've sinned, and thus you try to avoid sin to save the embarrassment. Having an "accountability partner" sounds a lot like going to Reconciliation to me.
[*]Priests hear Confessions all the time, and are trained in counseling and resolving those who struggle with sin. A priest can give insightful advice that a peer accountability partner may not be able to.
[*]We long for human interaction, especially when it comes to forgiveness. For example, if your friends talk behind your back, and you forgive them, isn't so much more meaningful and authentic to tell them you forgive them? Or if you done something bad to others: doesn't it feel so much better to go up to them and ask for forgiveness...to look in their eyes and tell them you’ve done wrong? There is real closure in asking and giving forgiveness. That human intimacy in forgiveness is such a beautiful gift from God. Why would we rob ourselves of that feeling when asking God for forgiveness?
[/list]




I feel kind of stupid asking all this, but it would really help me... If possible, I need the answers for these by March 23, 2012, the date of my test...
[/quote]

Edited March 15, 2012 by cappie