Semi-final Exam Coverage: Module 3

God’s Loving Plan of Salvation

Because of his/her religious nature and capacity to understand, the human person did not stop searching for God. As
it being said, by natural reason man/woman can know God with certainty, on the basis of his works. But there is
another order of knowledge, which man cannot possibly arrive at by his own powers: the order of divine Revelation.
But before man/woman became conscious of the reality of God, before man/woman realized that he has desire and
capacity for God and before man/woman was able to speak about God, God already designed that He Himself will
communicate to man/woman.

A. Divine Revelation: God comes to Meet Human being

God has revealed himself and given himself to man/woman through utterly free decision. This He does by revealing
the mystery, His plan of loving goodness, formed from all eternity in Christ, for the benefit of all men/women. God has
fully revealed this plan by sending us his beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.

1. in human relations

In human relationships, revelation becomes a necessity if one desires that relationships will last. Human love
relationship moved the person to unfold himself as natural as they are towards the other. The person will search for
the person she/he loves. The person will do all good means to let the person know that she or he is loved. Friendship
and communion between persons need not to remain hidden especially when it involves both for the welfare or
danger of the other. Intimacy in relationship would only happen when people truly unveiled or disclosed their being to
the being of the other. To hide many things especially when it questions fidelity, commitment and love will be
considered betrayal to another.

2. Relationship with the Divine

The human concept of revelation helps us understand the revelation of God to the human person. The idea that God
actively tries to communicate with human beings is called Divine revelation. The word “revelation” comes from the
verb to “reveal” which is from the Latin word “revelare” meaning to lift the veil, to disclose, to uncover or “to unveil or
unfold”. It refers to the act of disclosing something; it is an instance of communicating something or oneself to others.
The Church speaks about Divine Revelation in DV, 1-26, CCC, 50-141, CFC, 62-113, NNCDP, 164-191.

This term is commonly used to refer: God’s self-disclosure or self-communication (self-revealing) to the human
race. Divine Revelation is supernatural communication from God to man/woman. God in his Divine Goodness comes
to meet man/woman who is his yearning for God. It is God showing or unveiling himself to the human person who is
searching for God. He communicated and discloses His Being, His/Her free will and his/her redemption in Christ.
This is over and above of what he/she has made known by the light of nature (creation) and reason (the speaking
voice within man/woman, or conscience).

It is God’s personal loving communication to us of who He is and His plan to save us all in His love. It is God’s
reaching out to us in friendship, so we get to know and love Him.This religious understanding of revelation is
expressed in the New National Catechetical Directory of the Philippines when it says that it is a “process by which
God personally manifests Himself and His will so that all should have an access to the Father through Jesus Christ in
the Holy Spirit” (NNCDP167). Henceforth, revelation may be defined as the communication of some truth by God to a
rational creature through means which are beyond the ordinary course of nature.
Furthermore, Revelation refers to the truths about God that God has made known to humanity. It deals with how God
has revealed himself/herself to humanity or how God made himself known. This may be defined as the
communication of some truth by God to a rational creature through means which are beyond the ordinary course of
nature.

a) Revelation as God’s self-communication.

As God’s self-communication, revelation speaks of a process by which God took the initiative to let the people know
who He is and what He does. God took the first step to unfold Himself to all humanity in all times. The God who
reveals will not wait the human person to find Him instead He let Himself and His Plan of Salvation to be known to all.
He did not choose to whom He would unfold Himself. His revelation is available for all people. However, God’s
revelation depends on the openness and the capacity of man to understand to understand this unfolding and the
acceptance to His self-communication.

God unfolded Himself to all humanity in all times. He did not choose to whom He would unfold Himself; His revelation
is available for all people. But God's revelation depends on the openness and the capacity of the human person to
understand this unfolding process and to accept His revelation.

b) Revelation as God’s Self-Disclosure

What God revealed is nothing less than Himself. Revelation is God making His being known to human beings. God
reveals Himself as personal, as possessing personal qualities, after the analogy of human personal qualities. God
does not simply reveal facts and information: that is not the major focus of revelation. It is true that God reveals
several things about Himself and His activity in the world that we could never have known but for Hi revelation.
Nevertheless, such facts and information as God reveals comes to us concomitantly with God’s self-revelation.
Principally, God reveals what kind of person he is: loving, caring, concerned and compassionate, forgiving just but
merciful, a saving God. It is these personal qualities that are important because they are the basis of the personal
relationship to which God calls each one of us.
Revelation covers all the means God has used to manifest and communicate both Himself and the eternal decrees
of His Will concerning salvation of humankind. This process is culminated in His unique, irrevocable and definitive
public relationship in and through Jesus Christ. Jesus, the Messiah was proclaimed by the apostles and
communicated in the Church’s living tradition. The primacy of Christ’s revelation is distinguished from other ways in
which God manifests Himself, for example, through natural signs in creation, or liturgical signs in creation, or liturgical
signs and ecclesial signs in Church worship and moral teachings, or through inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Divine revelation is in essence not about things or religious ideas or even commandments of God: divine revelation is
God’s disclosure of himself. The ultimate revelation of God is Jesus Christ, his Son. In the epistle to the Hebrews we
are told, "In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days he has
spoken to us by a Son whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world" (Heb 1:1-
2). Jesus Christ is the fullness of the message of the revelation from God. Once God sent his own divine Son, there
was nothing more or better that He could say.
B. God reveals His “Plan of loving goodness”
God, who "dwells in unapproachable light", wants to communicate his own divine life to the men he freely created, in
order to adopt them as his sons in his only-begotten Son. By revealing himself God wishes to make them capable of
responding to him, and of knowing him and of loving him far beyond their own natural capacity. The divine plan of
Revelation is realized simultaneously "by deeds and words which are intrinsically bound up with each other" and
shed light on each another. It involves a specific divine pedagogy: God communicates himself to man/woman
gradually. He prepares man/woman to welcome by stages the supernatural Revelation that is to culminate in the
person and mission of the incarnate Word, Jesus Christ. St. Irenaeus of Lyons repeatedly speaks of this divine
pedagogy using the image of God and man becoming accustomed to one another: The Word of God dwelt in
man/woman and became the Son of man in order to accustom man/woman to perceive God and to accustom God to
dwell in man/woman, according to the Father's pleasure.
1) God’s Plan refers to God’s Will.
In our human perception, the plan simply refers to the will, the design, the dream, the aspiration, the vision or the
desired future condition we wished to achieve. In the faith perspective, the plan of God refers to what God wanted the
human person, the world and history to be. Our Faith believes that God is the origin of what exists, the source of life
and the measure of what it should be. God’s plan of loving goodness has been designed from eternity. This is a
universal plan of Salvation realized by God in Christ. This plan is a plan of love, peace, justice and harmony. God
began to implement His design even before Jesus Christ came to launch the Kingdom of God. Christian Faith
teaches us that our God has designed His plan of loving goodness formed from all eternity in Christ for the benefit of
all humanity because God wanted us to know Who He is and What He is.

2) Our basic catechesis speaks of how beautiful is the Plan of God.

Firstly, God willed that all people should have an equal access of God through the blessings of Life. God wanted that
all people experienced His loving presence in the works of His hands most particularly the whole earth and the
resources He provided for all the inhabitants of the earth. The earth and everything in it is owned by God, His is the
seas and all that dwell in it and His is the heavens. To have an access of our God is to share the works of His hands
in the resources of the earth and all goodness of life (namely, land, food, health, shelter, etc.). To have equal access
of God’s presence is what we called justice. Everyone must know and believe that God is the source of everything in
this life and all these are intended for all people and not only for the chosen few. This is what God wanted that all
people must know and accept so that they would praise and glorify His name forever.

Secondly, God willed that all people should live in harmony and peace with one another and with the rest of all
Creation. It is God's will that all people will live in harmony, unity and solidarity with one another and with the rest of
God's Creation. This design of peace and harmony are only possible when all people experienced God’s presence in
the resources of the earth and goodness of life on earth. People are happy when everything will be shared equally.
Each creation must be treated with dignity, respect, freedom and justice.

It is a beautiful plan for all humanity, world and history unveiled to us by our God the Father who is the Creator God,
God the Son who is the Redeeming God and God the Holy Spirit who is a Sanctifying God. This Trinitarian God
has Trinitarian Plan but all ONE in the plan of LOVE.

3) The Concept of Salvation

a) Meaning of Salvation

Salvation comes to us from the Latin “salus”, which means “sound or safe.” Salus is a translation of the Greek word
“Salve” which means a kind of a cream or lotion used to heal wounds. Salvation became in use generally as a
release from harm, ruin, difficulty, danger, loss or other crippling circumstances. It is synonymous with liberation,
deliverance and redemption. The study of salvation is called soteriology. Salvation in a religious sense indicates an
ultimate safety from evil.

The understanding of Salvation would have great repercussion with the Religious practices and spirituality of the
person. Salvation today is understood in different models. In this topic we refer the two predominant views of
Salvation today, the Greco-Roman Christianity and the Biblical Religion understanding of Salvation.

a.1) The understanding of Salvation according to the Greco-Roman Christianity.

This is the common understanding of Salvation which is prevalent and typical perception of Salvation in the Christian
world and one that served as the underpinning of much of our Christian practices and spirituality today: Salvation is
understood as “salvation of the soul from sin so that after death the soul may go to heaven.” This understanding of
Salvation is correct and Biblical. In a certain context of the historical perspective; that is, the perspective of the
Greco-Roman Christianity that began to develop only after the second generations of Christians had passed away.
This Greco-Roman-Christianity, in its self-understanding and practice, adopted the categories provided by the Neo-
platonic–Aristotelian philosophy as its framework. But this understanding of Salvation is incomplete and
inadequate. This is because it viewed salvation as salvation only of the soul from sin for spiritual grace and for
heaven. This is a concept of salvation of the hereafter as “Beatific Vision” or seeing God face to face meeting in
heaven and only the soul can enjoy it. This also viewed salvation in this life as acquiring sanctifying grace for the
soul. Such concept of understanding of salvation is more Grecian than Biblical.

a.2) The understanding of Salvation according to the Biblical Religion.

This is the Biblical understanding of Salvation which invites us to go back to its foundation: The Bible, the source of
Faith. The concept of Salvation that grew in the experiences and spirituality of the Biblical people is considered as
the most complete and most adequate understanding. This understanding which shaped in the Biblical tradition gave
us a picture of what we called as Total Salvation or Integral Salvation. Total or Integral Salvation is the salvation of
the total person, total human being, all humanity (not only soul), world and history from all forms of human evils (such
as disease, poverty, hunger, injustice etc. including sin) for a transformed universe (not only heaven) in the end time.
The Total Salvation does not only concern with what is metaphysical (soul) from sin but also with what is concrete in
reality and history of the life of person and the world.

Positively, Integral or Total Salvation means LIFE, PEACE, HEALTH, JOY, JUSTICE, and THE SPIRIT OF GOD
ALL IN ALL. Further, this Integral or Total Salvation in the Bible views salvation as an experience today (A
PRESENT REALITY) and an experience in the future (FUTURE REALITY). The salvation in the present reality refers
to the life -giving blessings such as health, food, land, justice, rain, bread, forgiveness of sin, God’s spirit in the
hearts. The salvation in its future reality refers to the experience in the life hereafter. It would mean fullness of life,
destruction of all evils in this present world, transformed universe for the new person living in a new history. This
means God will be all in all.

b) Development of the Concept of Salvation in the History

Biblical people slowly developed the understanding Total or Integral Salvation as God of History unfolds Himself in
their life experiences.

b.1) Salvation for the Hebrews or Israelites (roughly around 2000-586 BCE)

The most fundamental insight of the Israelite Faith is that God works in the events of Israel’s history as SAVING
GOD. Their religious and national literature that we call the Old Testament is basically a record of Yahweh’s saving
actions or Yahweh’s deeds of salvation. (cf. Deut. 6:21-23; Deut. 26:5-9; Joshua 24:2-13; Psalm 136). And such
salvation was bestowing of the blessings that affect the totality of the life of an Israelite and of the Israelite nation. In
Leviticus 26:3-13, Deut. 28:2-1, God promised concrete blessings of the concrete persons. Thus salvation for the
Hebrews or the Israelites was the SAVING DEEDS OF YAHWEH IN THE LIFE-HISTORY OF THE ISRAELITE
PEOPLE as experienced in the form of having Land, Food during famine, children, liberation from slavery,
abundance, peace, covenant as Yahweh’s people, oil, rains, fruit, grapes, wine, bread and security. The saving
events or actions of God in the past and present are concrete experiences of Salvation.

b.2) Salvation according to the Prophets (roughly around 750-400 BCE)

All the prophets, of course, shared the basic and traditional insights regarding salvation. They believed in God’s
salvific actions that bring blessings to Israel in the totality of their needs. Now many of the prophets carried this
further and spoke about a future Saving Action of God, or rather, the Saving Actions of God in the Future which
would bring to Israel this final and definitive Salvation. In speaking about this final and definitive salvation, these
prophets wanted to bring the idea of total salvation. An example of them was Prophet Isaiah (Deutero-Isaiah, Is. 40-
55). He announced that these Saving Actions of God would bring about another liberating Exodus for the exiled Jews
in Babylon. Prophet Jeremiah, in his part, announced that these Saving Actions of God will bring back home the
scattered sons of Israel (see Jeremiah 31:10-13). And Ezekiel added: “Yahweh will cleanse his people; he will give
them a new heart and will put in them a new spirit” (Ez. 36:25 ff.) Salvation for these people is security in the land,
coming back from dispersion, abundance, peace, new heart; you shall be my people, clean water, fruit, grapes, wine,
grains, new paradise. (cf. Is. 2:4, Is, 11:6-9; Am. 9:13-15, Jer. 31:11-14, Ez. 36:22-32). This shaped up the hope for
the final and definitive Salvation which would come very soon, “in their midst”. For the prophets, then, SALVATION IS
FINAL SAVING DEEDS OF YAHWEH IN THE LIFE-HISTORY OF THE ISRAELITES PEOPLE.

b.3) Salvation according to the Jewish Apocalyptic writers (200 BCE-200 CE)

It is among the Jewish Apocalyptic writers that we see clearly the meaning of total salvation. They, too, announced
the future exercise of God’s final Saving Action. For many of them, this action would bring the end of time, the end of
history and the beginning of a transformed universe, a new heaven and new earth where there would be no more
mourning nor tears nor pain nor death–because all things will have been made anew. (Cf. Rev. 21:1-5). It was the
apocalyptic writers who really spoke about a salvation that is really final and really total.

b.4) Salvation according to Jesus (4BCE-30 CE)

It was in Jesus that the full-grown understanding of Salvation had made its full shape. Salvation for Jesus was total
salvation (Mt. 11:4-5, Mt. 4:23-24; Luke 4:17-21; Acts 10:38). It is a Salvation of the Total Person and humanity,
whole world and total history. It is a salvation that is experienced today in this life, in the future, and in the life-here-
after. It was in Jesus that salvation is concretely experienced in His words and actions, both an experience today and
an experience in the future. (This is to be treated exhaustively in ReEd 102)

b.5) Salvation for the Early Church (30 – 100 CE)

The Early Christians spoke also of the total salvation just as their Master spoke about it. Early Christian community
embraced the perception of Jesus about Salvation as the Salvation today and in the future. Salvation in this life is in
the form of concrete blessings in the life of the person. Salvation in the future will be the experience of the fullness of
life.

A.4. Salvation in the mind of the Church

The mind of Jesus must be the mind of the Church as People of God. Surely, Jesus’ thought centered on the
Salvation of humanity, world and history so is the thought of the Church. In the mind of the Church, the doctrine of
salvation in Christ is the central doctrine of Christianity, the heart of our Christian faith.” We call Christ Himself our
“Savior” and in our Symbol of Faith we confess our belief in “One Lord Jesus Christ… Who for us men and for our
salvation came down from the heavens and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man,
and was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried…”. By these words the Church teaches
that the salvation of the human race is achieved by the Son of God, Lord Jesus Christ, Who said about Himself, “the
Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28,
Mark 10:45) From the beginning, the Church’s teaching has been that the nature of man was profoundly corrupted as
a result of the fall. Adam and Eve sinned by violating God’s order and breaking their connection with God – Who
alone is Life.

B. Stages of God’s Revelation (Here you may present the History of Salvation)

The CCC, 56 – 60 tells us that in the beginning God makes himself known. “God, who creates and conserves all
things by his Word, provides men with constant evidence of himself in created realities. And furthermore, wishing to
open up the way to heavenly salvation - he manifested himself to our first parents from the very beginning." 6 He
invited them to intimate communion with himself and clothed them with resplendent grace and justice. This revelation
was not broken off by our first parents' sin. "After the fall, [God] buoyed them up with the hope of salvation, by
promising redemption; and he has never ceased to show his solicitude for the human race. For he wishes to give
eternal life to all those who seek salvation by patience in well-doing. “Even when he disobeyed you and lost your
friendship you did not abandon him to the power of death. . Again and again you offered a covenant to man.
a. The Covenant with Noah
After the unity of the human race was shattered by sin God at once sought to save humanity part by part. The
covenant with Noah after the flood gives expression to the principle of the divine economy toward the "nations", in
other words, towards men grouped "in their lands, each with [its] own language, by their families, in their nations”.
This state of division into many nations is at once cosmic, social and religious. It is intended to limit the pride of fallen
humanity united only in its perverse ambition to forge its own unity as at Babel. But, because of sin, both polytheism
and the idolatry of the nation and of its rulers constantly threaten this provisional economy with the perversion of
paganism.
The covenant with Noah remains in force during the times of the Gentiles, until the universal proclamation of the
Gospel.13 The Bible venerates several great figures among the Gentiles: Abel the just, the king-priest Melchizedek - a
figure of Christ - and the upright "Noah, Daniel, and Job". 14Scripture thus expresses the heights of sanctity that can
be reached by those who live according to the covenant of Noah, waiting for Christ to "gather into one the children of
God who are scattered abroad
b. God chooses Abraham
In order to gather together scattered humanity God calls Abram from his country, his kindred and his father's
house, and makes him Abraham, that is, "the father of a multitude of nations". "In you all the nations of the earth shall
be blessed. “The people descended from Abraham would be the trustee of the promise made to the patriarchs, the
chosen people, called to prepare for that day when God would gather all his children into the unity of the
Church. They would be the root from which the Gentiles would be grafted, once they came to believe. The patriarchs,
prophets and certain other Old Testament figures have been and always will be honored as saints in all the Church's
liturgical traditions.
c. God forms his people Israel
After the patriarchs, God formed Israel as his people by freeing them from slavery in Egypt. He established with them
the covenant at Mount Sinai and, through Moses, gave them his law so that they would recognize him and serve him
as the one living and true God, the provident Father and just judge, and so that they would look for the promised
Savior.Israel is the priestly people of God, "called by the name of the LORD", and "the first to hear the word of
God",21 the people of "elder brethren" in the faith of Abraham.
Through the prophets, God forms his people in the hope of salvation, in the expectation of a new and everlasting
Covenant intended for all, to be written on their hearts. The prophets proclaim a radical redemption of the People of
God, purification from all their infidelities, a salvation which will include all the nations.Above all, the poor and humble
of the Lord will bear this hope. Such holy women as Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Judith and
Esther kept alive the hope of Israel's salvation. The purest figure among them is Mary.
Israel is the priestly people of God, "called by the name of the LORD", and "the first to hear the word of God", the
people of "elder brethren" in the faith of Abraham. Through the prophets, God forms his people in the hope of
salvation, in the expectation of a new and everlasting Covenant intended for all, to be written on their hearts. The
prophets proclaim a radical redemption of the People of God, purification from all their infidelities, a salvation which
will include all the nations. Above all, the poor and humble of the Lord will bear this hope. Such holy women as
Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Judith and Esther kept alive the hope of Israel's salvation. The
purest figure among them is Mary.
C. Jesus Christ is the Fullness of God’s Revelation
The Second Vatican Council, in its Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation Dei Verbum, says that the intimate
truth of the revelation of God shines for us "in Christ, who is both the mediator and the fullness of all revelation"(DV,
2). The Old Testament tells us how God, after the creation, despite original sin. Despite man’s arrogance in wanting
to take the place of the creator. Something completely new happens, however, with the incarnation. The search for
the face of God undergoes an unthinkable change, because now this face can be seen: that of Jesus, the Son of God
who became man. In Him the path of God's revelation finds fulfillment, which began with the call of Abraham; He is
the fullness of this revelation because he is the Son of God, he is both "the mediator and fullness of all revelation"
(DV2), and in Him the content of Revelation and the Revealer coincide. Jesus
Jesus Christ is the fullness of God’s revelation because through Him God has communicated to humanity the totality
of truths of Himself. He chose to reveal to man through Jesus Christ. He preached the kingdom of God, worked
miracles, changed the divine law, and claimed to be decisive for human salvation — all with a personal authority that
put him on a par with God. The ministry of Jesus initiated the disclosure of God as the Trinity of Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit. The chapter ends by distinguishing revelation as past (the foundational revelation completed with Jesus
and the apostolic generation), as present (dependent revelation that draws on the apostolic witness), and as future
(the self-disclosure of God that will be completed at the end of human history). "In many and various ways God spoke
of old to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son." 26 Christ, the Son of God
made man, is the Father's one, perfect and unsurpassable Word. In him he has said everything; there will be no
other word than this one. St. John of the Cross, among others, commented strikingly on Hebrews 1:1-2: In giving us
his Son, his only Word (for he possesses no other), he spoke everything to us at once in this sole Word - and he has
no more to say. . . because what he spoke before to the prophets in parts, he has now spoken all at once by giving
us the All Who is His Son. Any person questioning God or desiring some vision or revelation would be guilty not only
of foolish behavior but also of offending him, by not fixing his eyes entirely upon Christ and by living with the desire
for some other novelty.
God never stops revealing even men disobeyed Him. He never abandons us. God revealed from the very beginning.
Despite the initiative of God to reveal Himself, human being failed. History unveiled the never ending initiative of God
to unveil Himself so that He will be known.
1. What does it mean God speaks?
God "desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth": that is, of Christ Jesus. Christ must be
proclaimed to all nations and individuals, so that this revelation may reach to the ends of the earth: God graciously
arranged that the things he had once revealed for the salvation of all peoples should remain in their entirety,
throughout the ages, and be transmitted to all generations.
God has often revealed Himself to men through means beyond the ordinary course of nature. This is supernatural,
or Divine Revelation, as opposed to the natural revelation of Himself that God makes in the external world, and the
revelation He makes through our natural reason and conscience. Some revealed truths are beyond the power of the
human understanding; we could never, by our own abilities, have known such truths if God had not revealed them.
For instance, could we by ourselves have known about the Blessed Trinity, had God not revealed it?
2. God reveals through words and actions.

How may Divine Revelation be classified? -- Divine Revelation may be classified into pre-Christian and Christian
revelation.

A. Pre-Christian revelation may be divided into:

a. primitive revelation, made to Adam and Eve;

b. patriarchal revelation, made to the patriarchs; and
c. Mosaic revelation, made to Moses and the prophets.

God spoke to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Paradise. He spoke to Abraham, to Noah, sending Noah to preach to
sinful men before the Flood. He sent Moses to the Israelites when Pharaoh oppressed them. The patriarchs and
prophets were called messengers of God, and often received from Him extraordinary powers, of miracles and
prophecy, in order that they might be believed
.
B. Christian revelation contains the truths revealed to us by Jesus Christ, either directly or through His
Apostles.

Our Lord commanded His Apostles to teach all these truths to the end of time. "Go, therefore, and make disciples of
all nations." Why should we believe in Divine Revelation? -- We should believe in Divine Revelation because
God, Who is its Author, cannot deceive nor be deceived. No reasonable man can believe in any truth until he is sure
it is revealed by God. We know that God is the Author of Revelation because He has proved it by external acts,
especially by miracles and prophecies. The writers who made Divine Revelation known worked under direct
inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Who is, therefore its Author. Miracles are extraordinary works perceptible to the senses,
that cannot be accomplished by the mere powers of nature. They are brought about by the action of a higher power.
The coming to life of a dead man is a miracle. So is the instantaneous cure of a man blind or paralytic from birth. Our
Lord and the Apostles worked many miracles. Some extraordinary works never before heard of or known but
invented are not miracles. They are mere discoveries of previously unknown processes or combinations.
 An example is the radio. And so were the first telegraph, telephone, wireless, phonograph, etc. All of these are very
wonderful. Even today people in general do not understand them fully. But they are not miracles, because they are
produced by the forces of nature as harnessed through the ingenuity of man. Prophecies are predictions of future
events that could not have been known by natural means. For the confirmation of the faith, or for the benefit of men,
God raised up prophets. Generally speaking, the gift of prophecy is a sure sign that the possessor is a messenger of
God.
The prophets told about the coming of the Messias. Their prophecies were fulfilled when Christ came on earth. The
Major Prophets were Isaias, Jeremias, Ezechiel, and Daniel. They are distinguished from the twelve minor prophets,
because of the greater volume of their prophecies. Forecasting the weather correctly is not prophecy. It is the result
of a scientific knowledge of natural facts.
1. God’s Word must be transmitted.
How has Divine Revelation come down to us? -- Divine Revelation has come down to us through Holy Scripture,
written down under divine inspiration, and through Tradition, handed down orally from Apostolic times.
From Adam and Eve, at different times, God inspired men to write down His revelations. These passed from
generation to generation as sacred books. For pre-Christian revelation, there were forty-five of these sacred books,
composing the Old Testament. They were jealously guarded by the Israelites, the Chosen People, whom God
Himself had chosen to keep His truths intact for the instruction of future generations.
Finally our Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, came to earth to reveal Divine truths to men. After His death, His
Apostles and disciples wrote about Him and His teachings. There are twenty-seven of these books, composing the
New Testament. With the forty-five books of the Old Testament they were scattered in different parts of the world,
until the Church gathered them together into one Book, Holy Scripture, or the Bible.
The deposit of faith which Jesus Christ entrusted to the Church is made up of two parts: Holy Scripture, and Divine
Tradition, this latter being composed of the truths passed down by word of mouth, and not written down till after the
death of Christ's Apostles and disciples, principally by the Fathers of the Church. Divine Revelation was completed at
the death of the last of the Apostles. Since that time no new revelation has been made for the instruction of the whole
of mankind. Whenever the Church decides a point of faith, it does so according to Scripture or Tradition. It simply
finds out what has been revealed from the beginning.
C. The Apostolic Tradition and the Sacred Scripture
"Christ the Lord, in whom the entire Revelation of the highest God is summed up, commanded the apostles to preach
the Gospel, which had been promised beforehand by the prophets, and which he fulfilled in his own person and
promulgated with his own lips. In preaching the Gospel, they were to communicate the gifts of God to all men. This
Gospel was to be the source of all saving truth and moral discipline."
1) Apostolic preaching
In keeping with the Lord's command, the Gospel was handed on in two ways:
a. orally by the apostles who handed on, by the spoken word of their preaching, by the example they gave, by
the institutions they established, what they themselves had received - whether from the lips of Christ, from
his way of life and his works, or whether they had learned it at the prompting of the Holy Spirit";
b. in writing "by those apostles and other men associated with the apostles who, under the inspiration of the
same Holy Spirit, committed the message of salvation to writing".

2) Apostolic Succession

"In order that the full and living Gospel might always be preserved in the Church the apostles left bishops as their
successors. They gave them their own position of teaching authority."35 Indeed, "the apostolic preaching, which is
expressed in a special way in the inspired books, was to be preserved in a continuous line of succession until the
end of time."
This living transmission, accomplished in the Holy Spirit, is called Tradition, since it is distinct from Sacred Scripture,
though closely connected to it. Through Tradition, "the Church, in her doctrine, life and worship, perpetuates and
transmits to every generation all that she herself is, all that she believes."37 "The sayings of the holy Fathers are a
witness to the life-giving presence of this Tradition, showing how its riches are poured out in the practice and life
of the Church, in her belief and her prayer."38
The Father's self-communication made through his Word in the Holy Spirit, remains present and active in the Church:
"God, who spoke in the past, continues to converse with the Spouse of his beloved Son. And the Holy Spirit, through
whom the living voice of the Gospel rings out in the Church - and through her in the world - leads believers to the full
truth, and makes the Word of Christ dwell in them in all its richness."
3) The Relationship between Tradition and Sacred Scripture
One common source. . ."Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, then, are bound closely together, and
communicate one with the other. For both of them, flowing out from the same divine well-spring, come together in
some fashion to form one thing, and move towards the same goal." 40 Each of them makes present and fruitful in the
Church the mystery of Christ, who promised to remain with his own "always, to the close of the age".
a. Two distinct modes of transmission

1. "Sacred Scripture is the speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit."
2. "And [Holy] Tradition transmits in its entirety the Word of God which has been entrusted to the apostles by
Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit. It transmits it to the successors of the apostles so that, enlightened by the
Spirit of truth, they may faithfully preserve, expound and spread it abroad by their preaching."
As a result the Church, to whom the transmission and interpretation of Revelation is entrusted, "does not derive her
certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone. Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and
honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence."

B.4 Apostolic Tradition and ecclesial traditions

The Tradition here in question comes from the apostles and hands on what they received from Jesus' teaching and
example and what they learned from the Holy Spirit. The first generation of Christians did not yet have a written New
Testament, and the New Testament itself demonstrates the process of living Tradition.
Tradition is to be distinguished from the various theological, disciplinary, liturgical or devotional traditions, born in the
local churches over time. These are the particular forms, adapted to different places and times, in which the great
Tradition is expressed. In the light of Tradition, these traditions can be retained, modified or even abandoned under
the guidance of the Church's Magisterium.
D. The Interpretation of the Heritage of Faith

1) The heritage of faith entrusted to the whole of the Church

The apostles entrusted the "Sacred deposit" of the faith (the depositum fidei),45 contained in Sacred Scripture and
Tradition, to the whole of the Church. "By adhering to [this heritage] the entire holy people, united to its pastors,
remains always faithful to the teaching of the apostles, to the brotherhood, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
So, in maintaining, practicing and professing the faith that has been handed on, there should be a remarkable
harmony between the bishops and the faithful."
2) The Magisterium of the Church
"The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether in its written form or in the form of
Tradition, has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone. Its authority in this matter is exercised
in the name of Jesus Christ."47This means that the task of interpretation has been entrusted to the bishops in
communion with the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome.
"Yet this Magisterium is not superior to the Word of God, but is its servant. It teaches only what has been handed on
to it. At the divine command and with the help of the Holy Spirit, it listens to this devotedly, guards it with dedication
and expounds it faithfully. All that it proposes for belief as being divinely revealed is drawn from this single deposit of
faith."
Mindful of Christ's words to his apostles: "He who hears you, hears me",49 the faithful receive with docility the
teachings and directives that their pastors give them in different forms.
3) The dogmas of the faith
The Church's Magisterium exercises the authority it holds from Christ to the fullest extent when it defines dogmas,
that is, when it proposes, in a form obliging the Christian people to an irrevocable adherence of faith, truths contained
in divine Revelation or also when it proposes, in a definitive way, truths having a necessary connection with these.
There is an organic connection between our spiritual life and the dogmas. Dogmas are lights along the path of faith;
they illuminate it and make it secure. Conversely, if our life is upright, our intellect and heart will be open to welcome
the light shed by the dogmas of faith.
The mutual connections between dogmas, and their coherence, can be found in the whole of the Revelation of the
mystery of Christ.51 "In Catholic doctrine there exist an order or hierarchy of truths, since they vary in their relation to
the foundation of the Christian faith."
Sensus Fidei and the Dogmas of Faith
a. The supernatural sense of faith
All the faithful share in understanding and handing on revealed truth. They have received the anointing of the Holy
Spirit, who instructs them and guides them into all truth. "The whole body of the faithful. . . cannot err in matters of
belief. This characteristic is shown in the supernatural appreciation of faith (sensusfidei) on the part of the whole
people, when, from the bishops to the last of the faithful, they manifest a universal consent in matters of faith and
morals." "By this appreciation of the faith, aroused and sustained by the Spirit of truth, the People of God, guided by
the sacred teaching authority (Magisterium),. . . receives. . . the faith, once for all delivered to the saints. . . The
People unfailingly adhere to this faith, penetrates it more deeply with right judgment, and applies it more fully in daily
life."
b.Growth in understanding the faith
Thanks to the assistance of the Holy Spirit, the understanding of both the realities and the words of the heritage of
faith is able to grow in the life of the Church:
1. - "through the contemplation and study of believers who ponder these things in their hearts"; it is in
particular
2. -"theological research [which] deepens knowledge of revealed truth".
3. - "from the intimate sense of spiritual realities which [believers] experience", the sacred Scriptures "grow
with the one who reads them."
4. - "from the preaching of those who have received, along with their right of succession in the episcopate, the
sure charism of truth".

Jesus Christ: Mediator and Fullness of God’s Revelation

A. What is a Mediator?

A mediator is one who brings estranged parties to an amicable agreement. A Mediator is a person who attempts to
make people involved in a conflict come to an agreement; a go-between or one that mediates, especially one that
reconciles differences between disputants. A mediator is a middleman, a go-between; one who comes in between
two parties who otherwise could not commune with each other. Effective mediators have a combination of specific
qualities, characteristics, acquired knowledge and specialist skills. As a mediator one is working with the 3P’s: people
(supporting people), process (controlling the process) and problem (solving the problem).

In New Testament theology, the term invariably implies that the estranged beings are God and man, and it is
appropriated to Christ, the One Mediator. When special friends of God — angels, saints, holy men — plead our
cause before God, they mediate "with Christ"; their mediation is only secondary and is better called intercession.
Moses, however, is the proper mediator of the Old Testament (Galatians 3:19-20).

1. The Root of the Biblical Concept of Mediator

Each period of redemptive history had mediators of the covenant to represent that one true Mediator who alone could
establish connection between a fallen race and its offended Creator. The human mediators were mere administrators
of the covenant. Take the case of Moses. God’s voice was very terrible, and the people could not bear it; so Moses
came in and spoke on the behalf of God. The presence of Yahweh upon the mountain was so glorious that men
could not climb the hill, and endure that great sight, so Moses went up for men to God. He was a mediator, speaking
for the Lord, and making intercession for the people.
2. The desire for God

In creating man in his own image, God himself has inscribed upon his heart the desire to see Him. Even if this desire
is often ignored, God never ceases to draw man to himself because only in God will he find and live the fullness of
truth and happiness for which he never stops searching. By nature, man is capable of God and by vocation, man is a
religious being, capable of entering into communion with God. This intimate and spirited bond with God confers on
man his fundamental dignity. To desire to see the face of God also implies that even though we cannot imagine what
God looks like (and to make pictures or images of God was absolutely prohibited in the Old Testament), there is a
call to relationship. We cannot make God an object, but we can believe in Him and love Him because He is calling
us to do just that. He comes near to us so that we might come to Him.

A. The Human Need for a Mediator

God, infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in
his own blessed life. In the fullness of time, God the Father sent his Son as the Redeemer and Savior of mankind,
fallen into sin, thus calling all into his Church and, through the work of the Holy Spirit, making them adopted children
and heirs of his eternal happiness. “You are great, O Lord, and greatly to be praised [...] You have made us for
yourself and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” (Saint Augustine)

While Human Person desires for God, he experienced two strong opposing currents within as he/she exists, namely:
1. the need for relatedness with Godwhich person believes will fulfill and complete his being as human. This
need is clearly articulated by St. Augustine especially during and after his conversion, “You have created us
O Lord, and we will be restless until we find rest in you.” This shows the human’s inner longing for God
because the being of human person is created by God and therefore it is for God.

2. the realization that human person is unworthy to relate with God.

While human feels the need for relatedness with God, on the contrary, he also feels unworthy to this
relatedness because of his sinfulness against Him. Human being realizes that God is Holy, absolutely Good,
Blameless, Clean, Undefiled. Humans find themselves SINFUL, unworthy to relate to God.

Consequently, these experiences (need for relatedness and feeling of unworthiness) created a DILEMMA in human
being. This was a problem besetting people for the time of the realization. How was it solved? It was noted by many
theologians that humanity explored different solutions presented by different groups and/or individuals to solve the
dilemma. While there is no one or single solution which totally solved the dilemma, they have found out striking
observation, with all the solutions being presented, there is a common element being mentioned….and that is on the
idea of a MEDIATOR, who will do the duty or obligation for God in behalf of the people in the community.

We fallen humans need a mediator between ourselves and God. We need not only an intercessor, but also one to
represent us judicially before the Judge of all men. As we have already demonstrated, the human race became
corrupt with the guilt of Adam and all are born with sin-bound souls. This moral offense separates all people from
God and requires reconciliation on the grounds of the atonement of the promised Messiah under the Covenant of
Grace.

B. Jesus Christ - "Mediator and fullness of all Revelation

The full and definitive stage of God’s revelation is accomplished in the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ, the mediator
and fullness of Revelation. He, being the only-begotten Son of God made man, is the perfect and definitive Word of
the Father. In the sending of the Son and the gift of the Spirit, Revelation is now fully complete, although the faith of
the Church must gradually grasp its full significance over the course of centuries. Jesus Christ is revealed in
Scripture as that Mediator between God and man.

a. Christ: Life and Ministry

The total life story of Jesus unfolded the perfect work of a mediator and a fullness of all revelation. The life and
Ministry of Jesus is considered as the key event that unlocked the mystery of His Birth, Death, Resurrection and His
coming again. The work of Christ as Mediator is divided into the three offices attributed to him: Prophet, Priest and
King. While many previous assertions had alluded to the offices of Christ, Vatican II appears to be the most emphatic
council to distinguish these three offices particularly (GS). The offices of Christ ground its bases upon the term
“Christ” which is from the New Testament Greek term christos which means “anointed”. It translates the Hebrew
word Mashiakh or “Messiah”, which also means one who is “anointed” or “set aside for special office”. In the revealed
order of God’s law, prophets, priests and kings were all anointed to office. Sometimes it was done by ceremonies
common to contemporary culture. At other times they were set aside by simple declaration by one in authority to
appoint them to their office.

Jesus as a mediator, exercised His role to humanity, world and history in a special office of being:

1. Jesus as Prophet

The work of a prophet is to proclaim God’s truth. He is not primarily one who predicts future events as the word is
commonly used today. He is first of all one who declares (as superintendent by the Holy Spirit) what God has made
known to him by special revelation. In His life and Ministry, Jesus not only announced the Good News of Salvation
but also denounced the Evils of idolatry and injustices. He stood squarely for the Will of His Father … for life, for the
human being, for the poor and oppressed and for justice and liberation. His life and Ministry confronted Law,
Tradition and authorities which became destructive to the Plan of the Father for Salvation. The divine mediator, Jesus
Christ, is not only an administrator but the author of and a party to the covenant.

2. Jesus as Priest

The work of priest is that of establishing reconciliation between God and fallen man by way of atonement. Before the
fall there was no need for a priest since reconciliation was not necessary. Adam was created in true holiness and
was not separated from God by any offenses which would require atonement. Expiation was a meaningless concept
relating to man’s standing before a Holy God but when humans broke the relationship with God, the need to have
somebody to stand on behalf of them in front of God. Earthly priesthoods were mere shadows of that of the Messiah
(Hebrews 8:1-6). Jesus served a greater more perfect temple as the great high priest (Hebrews 9:11-12). And the
sacrifice he brought was not of animals but his own perfect blood offered once for all to secure an eternal
redemption. He made the payment of sin in full, once for all and intercedes for us before the Father (Romans 8:34).
Jesus is a priest par excellence.

3. Jesus as King

The Gospels record the many teachings of Jesus about the establishment of His kingdom. Mark 1 says, “(14) And
after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, (15) and saying, “The
time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” The kingdom was the
predominant theme in the teachings of Christ. His coming was announced as the presence of God’s Kingdom by
John the Baptist. The sermons of Jesus, his warnings to the Jews, his parables, and his commissioning of his
followers all centered on the kingdom message. Even his post resurrection ministry to his followers was of things
concerning the Kingdom of God. Acts 1:3 “To these He also presented Himself alive, after His suffering, by many
convincing proofs, appearing to them over {a period of} forty days, and speaking of the things concerning the
kingdom of God.”

The kingship of Christ is specially manifested in his headship over the Church where we seek his leading by his word
and spirit under the direction of the officers of the church which his word establishes. (Ephesians 4:15, Colossians
1:18, 2:19) The dominion of Jesus assures us that this world is not operating on its own. God is not just a remote
observer or detached power. He lovingly and sovereignly rules over all things, moving them toward his decreed ends,
and specially operates as Head of his Church and Lord of his people.
b. The Paschal Mystery: A Quick Look

The Paschal Mystery is from the Hebrew root “Pasch” which means “Passover” in reference to the Passover
experience from being Hebrew slaves to a community of Yahweh where there is freedom. The Paschal Mystery is
basically the process of dying and rising, from death to a new life. Jesus Christ's passion, death, Resurrection, and
Ascension are the ultimate event of dying and rising, from death to a new life. We learn from our Lord Jesus Christ
that new life can come from death, that we can find meaning in tough times, that there really is light in the darkness.

1. The Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus

Rooted from this Passover experience of the Israelites, Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection is termed by the
Church as Paschal Mystery. The suffering and death of Jesus were the end result of His conflictive ministry of
proclamation of the Reign-Kingdom of God. But as a sure tenet of our Faith the Paschal Mystery of Jesus is for the
forgiveness of our sins. Christ died for the sins of the world. By His passion, He defeated suffering and by His Death,
He conquered death forever. The claw of death has no power to keep the most innocent and just man as victim of
our sinfulness. The Father has to vindicate His Own Beloved Son and raise Him up to join Him in His nature as God.
For this we joyfully wait for the great event of our redemption, our victory over evil when Jesus comes again in His
glory.

2. The Ascension - His Irreversible Entry into Glory (659-661)

Christ's body was glorified at the very moment of the Resurrection (as shown by the new powers he enjoyed). Yet, for
forty days he appeared to his disciples while his glory remained veiled under the appearance of an ordinary
humanity. 3. In his final apparition, Jesus "was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God" (Mk
16:19). His Ascension is the irreversible entry of his humanity into divine glory. After his Ascension, Jesus did appear
to Paul "as to one untimely born" (Gal 1:16).
Jesus spoke to Mary Magdalene of another stage of his glory: "I have not yet ascended to the Father" (Jn 20:17).
Therefore, Christ's glory shown to the disciples is quite different from the glory of Christ exalted at God's right hand.
The Ascension is an historical event marking a transition from risen glory to exalted glory.
3. His Descending and Ascending (662-663)
The two events (Christ's coming down from heaven and his ascending up to heaven) are closely linked. Jesus said,
"No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man" (Jn 3:13). Human nature
does not have "access to the Father's house." Only Christ can give us such access and give us confidence that we
will be with him. Jesus said he would "be lifted up from the earth" (Jn 12:32). This mystery (begun with the cross) is
completed by the Ascension when Jesus entered "into heaven itself." In heaven, Jesus "makes intercession" for
"those who draw near to God through him" (Heb 7:25).
4. Seated in Glory (664)
Now seated at the Father's right hand means that Jesus Christ has the glory of his divinity which he had before all
ages. Because his flesh is glorified, he now is seated bodily. This "being seated" signifies the inauguration of the
Messianic kingdom. "His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away" (Dan 7:14). After the
Ascension, the apostles became witnesses that Christ's kingdom "will have no end" (Nicene Creed).
C. Christ: Fullness of All Revelation

1. God has said everything in his Word

In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to
us by a Son." 26 Christ, the Son of God made man, is the Father's one, perfect and unsurpassable Word. In him he
has said everything; there will be no other word than this one. St. John of the Cross, among others, commented
strikingly on Hebrews 1:1-2:
“In giving us his Son, his only Word (for he possesses no other), he spoke everything to us at once in this sole Word
- and he has no more to say. . . because what he spoke before to the prophets in parts, he has now spoken all at
once by giving us the All Who is His Son. Any person questioning God or desiring some vision or revelation would be
guilty not only of foolish behavior but also of offending him, by not fixing his eyes entirely upon Christ and by living
with the desire for some other novelty.

2. There will be no further Revelation

The Christian economy, therefore, since it is the new and definitive Covenant, will never pass away; and no new
public revelation is to be expected before the glorious manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ." 28 Yet even if
Revelation is already complete, it has not been made completely explicit; it remains for Christian faith gradually to
grasp its full significance over the course of the centuries.

Throughout the ages, there have been so-called "private" revelations, some of which have been recognized by the
authority of the Church. They do not belong, however, to the deposit of faith. It is not their role to improve or complete
Christ's definitive Revelation, but to help live more fully by it in a certain period of history. Guided by the Magisterium
of the Church, the sensusfidelium knows how to discern and welcome in these revelations whatever constitutes an
authentic call of Christ or his saints to the Church.

Christian faith cannot accept “revelations" that claim to surpass or correct the Revelation of which Christ is the
fulfillment, as is the case in certain non-Christian religions and also in certain recent sects which themselves on such.

E. Christ – The Unique Word of Sacred Scripture

1. Bible as the Word of God
In order to reveal himself to men, in the condescension of his goodness God speaks to them in human words:
"Indeed the words of God, expressed in the words of men, are in every way like human language, just as the Word of
the eternal Father, when he took on himself the flesh of human weakness, became like men." Through all the words
of Sacred Scripture, God speaks only one single Word, his one Utterance in whom he expresses himself completely:
You recall that one and the same Word of God extends throughout Scripture, that it is one and the same Utterance
that resounds in the mouths of all the sacred writers, since he who was in the beginning God with God has no need
of separate syllables; for he is not subject to time. For this reason, the Church has always venerated the Scriptures
as she venerates the Lord's Body. She never ceases to present to the faithful the bread of life, taken from the one
table of God's Word and Christ's Body.
In Sacred Scripture, the Church constantly finds her nourishment and her strength, for she welcomes it not as a
human word, "but as what it really is, the word of God". "In the sacred books, the Father who is in heaven comes
lovingly to meet his children, and talks with them."Read the Scripture within "the living Tradition of the whole Church".
According to a saying of the Fathers, Sacred Scripture is written principally in the Church's heart rather than in
documents and records, for the Church carries in her Tradition the living memorial of God's Word, and it is the Holy
Spirit who gives her the spiritual interpretation of the Scripture (". . . according to the spiritual meaning which the
Spirit grants to the Church"). Be attentive to the analogy of faith. By "analogy of faith" we mean the coherence of the
truths of faith among themselves and within the whole plan of Revelation.
2. Christ: The Central Figure of the Sacred Scripture
In order to reveal himself to men, in the condescension of his goodness, God speaks to them in human words:
"Indeed the words of God, expressed in the words of men, are in every way like human language, just as the Word of
the eternal Father, when he took on himself the flesh of human weakness, became like men." Through all the words
of Sacred Scripture, God speaks only one single Word, his one Utterance in whom he expresses himself completely.
Christianity believes that Jesus Christ is the central figure of the entire Bible. The Old and New Testaments are
divinely inspired records that reveal the mission of Jesus as Messiah, Son of God, Redeemer, and eternal King. The
Bible contains history, doctrinal teachings, and prophecy of future events, with Jesus Christ as the main subject in
every category.
The historical Jesus is the Jesus of the Bible: the Only Begotten Son of God in the flesh, born of the Virgin Mary in
Bethlehem, baptized by John the Baptist. He proclaimed the kingdom of God or Salvation in words and deeds
(miracles and parables), and "went about doing well" (Acts 10:38). He chose twelve apostles, organized a community
of Disciples, gathered many followers, and was rejected by the Jewish rulers.
"Therefore, the study of the Sacred Scripture should be the very soul of theology, the ministry of the Word, too -
pastoral preaching, catechesis and all forms of Christian instruction, among which the liturgical homily should hold
pride of place - is healthily nourished and thrives in holiness through the Word of Scripture." The Church "forcefully
and specifically exhorts all the Christian faithful... to learn the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ, by frequent
reading of the divine Scriptures. Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.