Institutional priesthood was God's idea! In the Old Testament, God commanded that "the priest's office shall be theirs by perpetual statue" (Ex 29:9). "Perpetual" does not mean "until Jesus comes," but forever. Obviously,

"...[T]he apostles, in fulfillment of Christ's will, imparted to the newly baptized by the laying on of hands the gift of the Spirit that completes the grace of Baptism. For this reason in the Letter to the Hebrews the doctrine concerning Baptism and t...

Where is confession to a priest in the Bible? Everywhere! Throughout the Old Testament and into the New, God demonstrated His desire that we come to him when we fall into sin. Jesus gave the apostles power and authority over unclean spirits,

Part of the beauty of the sacraments is that God cares for and provides for us through them from birth to the last breath. Throughout the series, we are discussing the sacraments in that order: Baptism for new birth, Eucharistic nourishment,

The origin and foundation of Christian Baptism is Jesus.  Before starting his public ministry, Jesus submitted himself to the baptism given by John the Baptist in the River Jordan, shown above.  The waters did not purify him; he cleansed the waters.

Are "sacraments" biblical? Sacrament comes from the Latin for "oath" or "swear," and oath-taking is as old as Creation, as old as the Old Testament, as old as Christianity. God Himself swears an oath to you in every sacrament,

Surely He hath borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him.

Yes, friends, this last Servant Song of Isaiah extols the Suffering Servant's purifying, saving power over even infectious diseases. I'm not kidding. The Suffering Servant "sprinkles the nations" - outside the place of worship - purifying them of sickn...

The author of the Letter to the Hebrews tells us that “Whom the Lord loves he chastises” (12:6). In the third Servant Song centuries before, Isaiah prophesied that the Lord’s Servant would endure suffering without complaining.

In this second Servant Song, we see the mission of Christ expressed in vivid detail. The people of Israel had lost their way. These were the Chosen People. God had made a covenant with them. But they did not keep their part of the bargain.