Thursday, May 21, 2020

Men and Women were Created Equal Essay examples - 751 Words

Men and Women were Created Equal Men are not superior to women, they are equal in every way. Although it is true that society has stereotyped women into traditional roles, this preconceived notion, is totally false. Action to promote the concept of equality in our society needs to be taken. Women have been fighting for equality for many decades. As a result of this battle, some amazing transformations have taken place amongst the female gender. Women have become educated and over the last few decades have started to take active roles and their rightful place in society. They have made major inroads in working opportunities, including government, science and even the military. They are reshaping world history and are very proud.†¦show more content†¦In 1982 Barbara McClintock won the Nobel Prize for her discovery of mobile genetic elements. Her discovery was that genes could jump around on chromosomes. This discovery was the basis of today’s advances in genetic enginee ring. The Nobel Prize Committee called McClintock’s work â€Å"one of the two great discoveries of our time in genetics.† The other was the earlier discovery of the double helix shape of DNA. 2 Another example of women sharing an equal role in today’s society is demonstrated in the military. Today’s women joining the Canadian Armed Forces are equally eligible with men for combat roles. Over 229,000 women serve on active duty in the military services of the Department of Defense. This monumental step allows women to become takers, as well as producers of life. Women now have equal rights and responsibilities in the defense of our country. These advances have been made, not only on the ground but in the air as well. In 1988, Deanna Brasseur became Canada’s first female fighter pilot. That same year, the defense department appointed their first female general, Sheila Hellstrom. The department also stated that women often do better at riflery than men due to the fact that they listen to instruction while men tend to think they know it all. A male veteran sergeant, proud of his work with female recruits, says that: â€Å"Today’s women won’t find anything that hard to adjust to inShow MoreRelatedEssay on Womens Role in Society in the 1800s728 Words   |  3 PagesDuring the early 1800s women were stuck in the Cult of Domesticity. Women had been issued roles as the moral keepers for societies as well as the nonworking house-wives for families. Also, women were considered unequal to their male companions legally and socially. However, women’s efforts during the 1800’s were effective in challenging traditional intellectual, social, economical, and political attitudes about a women’s place in society. The foundation of colleges for women as well as events atRead MoreThe Equal Pay Act Is An Anti Discrimination Policy1284 Words   |  6 PagesThe Equal Pay Act is an anti-discrimination policy, which was signed into law on June 10, 1963. The purpose of this policy was to stop gender based pay inequality. During World War Two, more women started to join the paid workforce, because a large amount of the men were away at war. As more and more women entered the work force, the pay differences began to rise. Women would only make fifty-nine percent of what men would make. This social issue brought the Equal Pay Act into law, it was to ensureRead MoreGender Equality And The Equal Rights1314 Words   |  6 Pagesrefers to the equal rights and opportunities presented to both genders: Men and Women. I chose this topic because I believe it is a topic that is in need of improvement in most cases including that of society and the church.They both have standard views that women and men have d ifferent parts to play in society and different roles that are associated with them; thus I want to show how such views can be both right and very wrong; the world that most people hope for is a country that has equal balance ofRead MoreAll Men Are Not Created Equal Essay1161 Words   |  5 PagesAll Men are Not Created Equal Since the beginnings of our nation’s it has been implied that all people should be viewed as equals but the question is, are all people seen as equal? Our founding fathers wrote that all men were all one of the same. Everyone is familiar with Thomas Jeffersons famous quote, We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.† The passage claims that we are all equal but where is the proof that we are? It was stated in the Declaration of RightsRead MoreEssay Seneca Falls937 Words   |  4 PagesSeneca Falls In the early 1800s, many of the women in the United States were plain and simple getting fed up with their lack of writes. Men had dominated everything in the past and they were still continuing to do so. Women were finally ready to come forward and voice their opinions about how men and women are created equal. It was now time for women to go out and become what ever they want to be and not have to worry about the fact that they are females. The Seneca Falls Convention wouldRead MoreEqual Rights for Men and Women?1266 Words   |  6 PagesEqual Rights for Men and Women? Do you believe women should have the same rights as men? - Anthony Schifano (California, USA) Lama:   I do believe that women should have the same rights as men because they make up half the society. Sure, I do believe that women should be treated equally and have same rights as men because the only difference between women and men is their sex and biological structure. Saher:   Of course; women and men are equal. Both genders are human beings who live theirRead MoreThe Battle Of The Sexes1239 Words   |  5 PagesAre you male or female? Depending on your answer which is a 50/50 question, it may determine the amount of money you earn, authority (or respect) you have and the â€Å"roles† you take on. Since the beginning of time women have voiced their dilemma in how they are not equal with their male counterparts. Many have questioned where this ideology has come from. The Battle of the Sexes is not only a board game that can be purchased, but a psychological battle that we face that in cases surpasses raceRead MoreIn 1619, The First Group Of African Slaves Was Brought1675 Words   |  7 Pagesthe first group of African slaves was brought to the New World. This was just the beginning of a vast, prevailing slave economy where slaves were brought in by the thousands, separated from their families, and forced to do their masters work unde r extremely harsh conditions; they were not given substantial victuals, had to work long hours without rest, and were treated as less than human. This cruel treatment and fickle system eventually sparked a new movement called the abolitionist movement. FightingRead MoreWomen s Rights Of Women1522 Words   |  7 PagesSince the middle of the nineteenth century, women in America have been striving to obtain rights equal to that of men. Before that time, women were viewed as physically, as well as mentally, inferior to men. Men had the upper hand, in all walks of life, including the workplace and at home. Obtaining equality among men has proven to be a difficult uphill battle for women, but, by  the mid-1800 s, women began to see the fruits of their labors. It all  began on July 19, 1848 when Elizabeth Cady StantonRead MoreDeclaration Of Independence : Slaves, Women And Native Indians1062 Words   |  5 PagesEssay: Option 1 Declaration of Independence: Slaves, Women and Native Indians On July 4,1776 Second Continental Congress adopted a statement to fight against the unfair British Monarchy and promote the People’s Law and Republicanism by forming their own country. This statement is called â€Å"Declaration of Independence†. It was originally composed by Thomas Jefferson and later updated by the Congress.The declaration explains the reasons for thirteen states to seek republicanism and be independent

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The Discrimination Of African Americans - 1837 Words

A nation with an infinitely diverse population, such as America, contains many minorities, but being a minority in A country has set backs. Being a minority comes with stereotypes and prejudice; although the majority faces prejudice too, it may not be as prevalent as prejudice towards the minority. Equality in America is on the rise, but most minorities face problems that they faced years ago. African-Americans, Latinos, Asians, Native Americans, and Cajuns have struggled in different ways while residing in the United States of America. African-American people have made many strides in American culture. They faced equality issues, enslavement, yet the culture still deals with prejudice and discrimination. African-Americans were also†¦show more content†¦Although the wealth gap between blacks and whites is still unbelievably big, African-American’s income and employment rates are steadily on the rise (Desilver) . African-American’s tend to move up in their same social class or completely move out of it. Even though African-Americans face prejudice and discrimination, they are not the only minority group to experience these issues. The Latino population in the United States of America continues to rise at a steady rate, but the minority faces extreme discrimination, for example, there are many subcultures within the Latino culture, but one may call all Latinos in America Mexicans. The United States government even created the term â€Å"Hispanic† to provide a name for a diverse population from the Spanish speaking culture (Carteret). According to the United States Department of Justice â€Å"Hispanic† is a race, but the Bureau of Census does not recognize it as a race (Carteret). Latino is how Americans from Mexico, Puerto Rico, South America, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba identify themselves.. Although the largest population of Latinos in America is the Mexican population (64.9%), there are about nine other cultures that have a distinct population in America (Motel and Patten). Puerto Ricans and Cubans make up the second and third largest Hispanic population in America. Even though all three of these countries speak Spanish, each one has its own vocabulary and accents. Puerto Ricans pride their culture in music, whereas

Exegesis Paper on Luke 1249-53 Free Essays

string(50) " is put to death and they arise as new creations\." â€Å"I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! 51 Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. 52 For now on five in one house there will be divided, three against two and two against three; 53 They will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law. (Luke 12:49-53) â€Å"I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled (v49)! † As I read these words from this passage again, I can almost hear the urgency and emotion that was in Jesus’ voice when he spoke them. We will write a custom essay sample on Exegesis Paper on Luke 12:49-53 or any similar topic only for you Order Now â€Å"I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled (v49)! † This is Jesus describing his mission, his purpose for entering into our world: to cast fire on the earth. Yet it had not happened yet, for with great longing in his voice, he tells his disciples, â€Å"how I wish it were already kindled (v49)! But whatever do these strange words mean? What is this fire about which Christ speaks of? How or when did he cast this fire to the earth, if he ever did? There are occasions in the Bible when fire did fall from heaven. Fire and brimstone fell from heaven upon Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24-25) and destroyed those towns and all its inhabitants. One of the ten plagues against Egypt was fire and hail from heaven (Exodus 9:3). The prophet Elijah called down fire from heaven that incinerated soldiers sent from wicked King Ahaziah (2 Kings 1:9-17). Lightning is sometimes described as fire from heaven in the Bible (Psalm 27:9; Psalm 144:5-6). All of these fires from God, however, were destructive fires. And it is the destructive and consuming force of fire that we usually think of when we think of fire. Does it sound like Jesus to be longing and wishing for destruction? No, the fire that Jesus came to cast on the earth is none of those fires. It is not a destructive fire. It is the fire of the Holy Spirit. The Scriptures sometimes associates the Holy Spirit with fire. In the book of Revelation, the Holy Spirit is pictured as â€Å"seven lamp stands with burning flames† (Revelation 4:5). John the Baptist prophesied concerning Jesus, â€Å"I baptize you with water, but he who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire† (Luke 3:16). But do we have any Biblical evidence that Jesus ever sent the Holy Spirit from heaven in the form of fire? Yes we do and it happened on the Day of Pentecost as recorded in Acts 2. 1â€Å"When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared to them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4 All of them filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them ability (Acts 2:1-4). †Later, when Peter stood up and preached a sermon before thousands of curious onlookers, he explained to them what the tongues of fire meant, 32 â€Å"This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses. 3Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you both see and hear (Acts 2:32-33). The resurrected Jesus, ascended to the right hand of God had poured forth the Holy Spirit from heaven; he had cast the fire of the Holy Spirit to the earth. When the fire of the Spirit fell upon the apostles they were transformed; they were filled with boldness, they praised the mighty works of God in many languages, and they spoke the Word of God to the gathered people. The fire was kindled! 3000 were baptized and converted on that one day. And that kindled fire spread throughout Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). But when Jesus spoke the words of our text, the day of Pentecost was still in the distant future. Our Lord knew that before the great day of casting fire upon the earth could come, something of monumental significance had to happen first. Our Lord put it this way, â€Å"I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed (v51)! †One thing is sure. Jesus was not referring to his baptism in the Jordan by John the Baptist; that baptism had already happened. No, he was referring to another kind of baptism, a baptism that filled Jesus with distress as he thought about it; a baptism that he desperately wanted to be completed. He was talking about the baptism of his death and resurrection. For truly baptism is a death and resurrection. Listen to Paul in Romans 6 describe what happens when a Christian is baptized: 3â€Å"Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life (Romans 6:3-4). † Paul is not merely saying that baptism pictures a death and resurrection. He is saying that those who are baptized truly die with Christ, are buried with Christ, and rise again with Christ. Their sinful nature is put to death and they arise as new creations. You read "Exegesis Paper on Luke 12:49-53" in category "Papers" Jesus was our ultimate sacrifice who paid the ultimate price for our sins, but it wasn’t enough for Jesus to just die on the cross. He also had to be buried and resurrect from the dead. Through the acts of his death, burial, and resurrection, Jesus bought our salvation. He purchased salvation with his own blood and made it available to all who obey him. Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice for our sins by dying on the cross. He went to the cross perfect and sinless. He did not deserve death. He was the only person that could make atonement for our sins. In order to make atonement, the sacrifice had to be without blemish and without sin. This is why we cannot atone for our own sins. We are born into sin. Jesus was not born into sin because God was his father. We have to identify with his death by dying to sin. We die to sin, put off the old man, by repenting of our sins and turning away from sin. We can’t kill the sinful nature. What we put to death is the control the sinful nature has over us. 12 â€Å"Therefore, do not let sin exercise dominion in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. 13 No longer present your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and present your members to God as instruments of righteousness. 4 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law, but under grace (Romans 6:12-14). † Christians are not under the control of sin. We must live an overcoming life and not allow sin to work in our lives. â€Å"When then are we to say? Should we continue in sin, in order that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it? (Romans 6:1-2). †When Jesus died on the cross, He, who had no sin, paid the death penalty for our sins. Through baptism we are united, or joined with Christ in paying the death penalty for sin. We are baptized into His death, into the death penalty for sin. We, who are unable to return from death because we have sin, are joined to Christ and since Christ is sinless and was victorious over death, we, now being united with Him through baptism, are made victorious being united with Christ in His resurrection. Now if God allows us to participate in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, an event which occurred 2000 years ago, through baptism, it can truly be said we are saved through faith and God’s grace! Baptism can be likened to the Israelites coming up out of the land of slavery, passing through the Red Sea and entering the Promised Land. Baptism can be likened to passing through the flood of Noah. Baptism is about leaving our old sinful, worldly ways behind and taking upon our shoulders the yoke of Christ. It is about lifestyle change and dying to ourselves and doing God’s will instead of ours. Our reason and purpose for living changes after baptism. Afterward is a new way of life. Baptism is about heart, faith, total commitment, surrender, self-denial, death, resurrection, repentance, and seeking God’s mercy through Jesus Christ and the work He did on that cross on that day of infamy 2000 years ago. That is what Jesus meant by his baptism: His death and resurrection which atoned for the sins of the whole world, by which God offers forgiveness and eternal life to all who believe and are baptized, â€Å"he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world, 1 John 2:2). But once Jesus underwent his â€Å"baptism,† then he could, and did, cast fire on the earth, that is, gave the Spirit to his church. From that day until this the fire of the Spirit has fallen on the Church, and through it, has set the unbelieving world ablaze; this raging fire has spread, bringing not destruction, but salvation to an uncountable number. There is great debate as to what this â€Å"fire† is that Jesus wants to pour upon the earth, but it is more than likely that Jesus is speaking about the coming of the kingdom of God and of the terrible judgment that faces humanity in that day. The coming day of the kingdom is not prefigured by â€Å"peace† on earth, but rather by â€Å"fire†. There is ultimately the fire of the great judicial inquest, but in the meantime, the Day of Judgment is prefigured in the fire of Jesus â€Å"baptism†, (v50), and in the fire of â€Å"division†, (v51). Jesus knows well enough now that the coming kingdom of God is realized through tribulation, and for Jesus, this means suffering and death. Jesus must himself face the wrath of God and so he sets his eyes turned toward Calvary and with determination, presses onward toward the end. Jesus’ â€Å"baptism† (the word is being used figuratively here) is his suffering and death on the cross, his atoning sacrifice for sin on behalf of those who have put their trust in him for salvation. In verse 51. Jesus aligns himself with the Old Testament prophets when he reminds his listeners that the coming day of the Lord is not a day of peace, but rather, is a day of judgment, a day of apocalyptic tribulation, a day when the saved are separated from those doomed to destruction. In the present moment, this coming day is prefigured in social division, (v52-53). We know that Jesus makes much of the sign of â€Å"love†, the love of the brotherhood, but what we have here is another sign of the kingdom, the sign of division. Jesus now explains what he means by â€Å"division† and then, in (v53), supports his words by quoting Micah 7:6. â€Å"Division† was one of the commonly expected signs of the coming messianic kingdom, and so now, with the coming of Jesus the messiah, families can expect that household members will â€Å"turn against one another†. Some members of the family will stand with Jesus and others will stand against him. His coming would inevitably mean division;in other words, it did. That was one of the great reasons why the Romans hated Christianity because it tore families in two. Over and over again a man had to decide whether he loved better his friends and kin or Christ. The essence of Christianity is that loyalty to Christ has to take precedence over the dearest loyalty to Christ has to take precedence over the dearest loyalty of this earth. In other words a man must be prepared to count all things but loss for the excellence of Jesus Christ. In this Luke passage, we see Jesus pressing on toward Jerusalem and the cross, or as he calls it, his baptism. For Jesus, the cross was ever before his eyes. How different from Jewish idea of God’s King! Jesus came, not with avenging armies and flying banners, but to give his life a ransom for many. In his death, Jesus’ draws us close to the â€Å"fire† of the great judicial inquest. For the present, â€Å"division† prefigures that terrible day, a division realized through the preaching of the gospel. Some accept the Spirit-inspired message, but many reject it. None-the-less, through the proclamation of the gospel the kingdom of God finds its consummation. How to cite Exegesis Paper on Luke 12:49-53, Papers

Exegesis Paper on Luke 1249-53 Free Essays

string(50) " is put to death and they arise as new creations\." â€Å"I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! 51 Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. 52 For now on five in one house there will be divided, three against two and two against three; 53 They will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law. (Luke 12:49-53) â€Å"I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled (v49)! † As I read these words from this passage again, I can almost hear the urgency and emotion that was in Jesus’ voice when he spoke them. We will write a custom essay sample on Exegesis Paper on Luke 12:49-53 or any similar topic only for you Order Now â€Å"I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled (v49)! † This is Jesus describing his mission, his purpose for entering into our world: to cast fire on the earth. Yet it had not happened yet, for with great longing in his voice, he tells his disciples, â€Å"how I wish it were already kindled (v49)! But whatever do these strange words mean? What is this fire about which Christ speaks of? How or when did he cast this fire to the earth, if he ever did? There are occasions in the Bible when fire did fall from heaven. Fire and brimstone fell from heaven upon Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24-25) and destroyed those towns and all its inhabitants. One of the ten plagues against Egypt was fire and hail from heaven (Exodus 9:3). The prophet Elijah called down fire from heaven that incinerated soldiers sent from wicked King Ahaziah (2 Kings 1:9-17). Lightning is sometimes described as fire from heaven in the Bible (Psalm 27:9; Psalm 144:5-6). All of these fires from God, however, were destructive fires. And it is the destructive and consuming force of fire that we usually think of when we think of fire. Does it sound like Jesus to be longing and wishing for destruction? No, the fire that Jesus came to cast on the earth is none of those fires. It is not a destructive fire. It is the fire of the Holy Spirit. The Scriptures sometimes associates the Holy Spirit with fire. In the book of Revelation, the Holy Spirit is pictured as â€Å"seven lamp stands with burning flames† (Revelation 4:5). John the Baptist prophesied concerning Jesus, â€Å"I baptize you with water, but he who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire† (Luke 3:16). But do we have any Biblical evidence that Jesus ever sent the Holy Spirit from heaven in the form of fire? Yes we do and it happened on the Day of Pentecost as recorded in Acts 2. 1â€Å"When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared to them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4 All of them filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them ability (Acts 2:1-4). †Later, when Peter stood up and preached a sermon before thousands of curious onlookers, he explained to them what the tongues of fire meant, 32 â€Å"This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses. 3Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you both see and hear (Acts 2:32-33). The resurrected Jesus, ascended to the right hand of God had poured forth the Holy Spirit from heaven; he had cast the fire of the Holy Spirit to the earth. When the fire of the Spirit fell upon the apostles they were transformed; they were filled with boldness, they praised the mighty works of God in many languages, and they spoke the Word of God to the gathered people. The fire was kindled! 3000 were baptized and converted on that one day. And that kindled fire spread throughout Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). But when Jesus spoke the words of our text, the day of Pentecost was still in the distant future. Our Lord knew that before the great day of casting fire upon the earth could come, something of monumental significance had to happen first. Our Lord put it this way, â€Å"I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed (v51)! †One thing is sure. Jesus was not referring to his baptism in the Jordan by John the Baptist; that baptism had already happened. No, he was referring to another kind of baptism, a baptism that filled Jesus with distress as he thought about it; a baptism that he desperately wanted to be completed. He was talking about the baptism of his death and resurrection. For truly baptism is a death and resurrection. Listen to Paul in Romans 6 describe what happens when a Christian is baptized: 3â€Å"Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life (Romans 6:3-4). † Paul is not merely saying that baptism pictures a death and resurrection. He is saying that those who are baptized truly die with Christ, are buried with Christ, and rise again with Christ. Their sinful nature is put to death and they arise as new creations. You read "Exegesis Paper on Luke 12:49-53" in category "Papers" Jesus was our ultimate sacrifice who paid the ultimate price for our sins, but it wasn’t enough for Jesus to just die on the cross. He also had to be buried and resurrect from the dead. Through the acts of his death, burial, and resurrection, Jesus bought our salvation. He purchased salvation with his own blood and made it available to all who obey him. Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice for our sins by dying on the cross. He went to the cross perfect and sinless. He did not deserve death. He was the only person that could make atonement for our sins. In order to make atonement, the sacrifice had to be without blemish and without sin. This is why we cannot atone for our own sins. We are born into sin. Jesus was not born into sin because God was his father. We have to identify with his death by dying to sin. We die to sin, put off the old man, by repenting of our sins and turning away from sin. We can’t kill the sinful nature. What we put to death is the control the sinful nature has over us. 12 â€Å"Therefore, do not let sin exercise dominion in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. 13 No longer present your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and present your members to God as instruments of righteousness. 4 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law, but under grace (Romans 6:12-14). † Christians are not under the control of sin. We must live an overcoming life and not allow sin to work in our lives. â€Å"When then are we to say? Should we continue in sin, in order that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it? (Romans 6:1-2). †When Jesus died on the cross, He, who had no sin, paid the death penalty for our sins. Through baptism we are united, or joined with Christ in paying the death penalty for sin. We are baptized into His death, into the death penalty for sin. We, who are unable to return from death because we have sin, are joined to Christ and since Christ is sinless and was victorious over death, we, now being united with Him through baptism, are made victorious being united with Christ in His resurrection. Now if God allows us to participate in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, an event which occurred 2000 years ago, through baptism, it can truly be said we are saved through faith and God’s grace! Baptism can be likened to the Israelites coming up out of the land of slavery, passing through the Red Sea and entering the Promised Land. Baptism can be likened to passing through the flood of Noah. Baptism is about leaving our old sinful, worldly ways behind and taking upon our shoulders the yoke of Christ. It is about lifestyle change and dying to ourselves and doing God’s will instead of ours. Our reason and purpose for living changes after baptism. Afterward is a new way of life. Baptism is about heart, faith, total commitment, surrender, self-denial, death, resurrection, repentance, and seeking God’s mercy through Jesus Christ and the work He did on that cross on that day of infamy 2000 years ago. That is what Jesus meant by his baptism: His death and resurrection which atoned for the sins of the whole world, by which God offers forgiveness and eternal life to all who believe and are baptized, â€Å"he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world, 1 John 2:2). But once Jesus underwent his â€Å"baptism,† then he could, and did, cast fire on the earth, that is, gave the Spirit to his church. From that day until this the fire of the Spirit has fallen on the Church, and through it, has set the unbelieving world ablaze; this raging fire has spread, bringing not destruction, but salvation to an uncountable number. There is great debate as to what this â€Å"fire† is that Jesus wants to pour upon the earth, but it is more than likely that Jesus is speaking about the coming of the kingdom of God and of the terrible judgment that faces humanity in that day. The coming day of the kingdom is not prefigured by â€Å"peace† on earth, but rather by â€Å"fire†. There is ultimately the fire of the great judicial inquest, but in the meantime, the Day of Judgment is prefigured in the fire of Jesus â€Å"baptism†, (v50), and in the fire of â€Å"division†, (v51). Jesus knows well enough now that the coming kingdom of God is realized through tribulation, and for Jesus, this means suffering and death. Jesus must himself face the wrath of God and so he sets his eyes turned toward Calvary and with determination, presses onward toward the end. Jesus’ â€Å"baptism† (the word is being used figuratively here) is his suffering and death on the cross, his atoning sacrifice for sin on behalf of those who have put their trust in him for salvation. In verse 51. Jesus aligns himself with the Old Testament prophets when he reminds his listeners that the coming day of the Lord is not a day of peace, but rather, is a day of judgment, a day of apocalyptic tribulation, a day when the saved are separated from those doomed to destruction. In the present moment, this coming day is prefigured in social division, (v52-53). We know that Jesus makes much of the sign of â€Å"love†, the love of the brotherhood, but what we have here is another sign of the kingdom, the sign of division. Jesus now explains what he means by â€Å"division† and then, in (v53), supports his words by quoting Micah 7:6. â€Å"Division† was one of the commonly expected signs of the coming messianic kingdom, and so now, with the coming of Jesus the messiah, families can expect that household members will â€Å"turn against one another†. Some members of the family will stand with Jesus and others will stand against him. His coming would inevitably mean division;in other words, it did. That was one of the great reasons why the Romans hated Christianity because it tore families in two. Over and over again a man had to decide whether he loved better his friends and kin or Christ. The essence of Christianity is that loyalty to Christ has to take precedence over the dearest loyalty to Christ has to take precedence over the dearest loyalty of this earth. In other words a man must be prepared to count all things but loss for the excellence of Jesus Christ. In this Luke passage, we see Jesus pressing on toward Jerusalem and the cross, or as he calls it, his baptism. For Jesus, the cross was ever before his eyes. How different from Jewish idea of God’s King! Jesus came, not with avenging armies and flying banners, but to give his life a ransom for many. In his death, Jesus’ draws us close to the â€Å"fire† of the great judicial inquest. For the present, â€Å"division† prefigures that terrible day, a division realized through the preaching of the gospel. Some accept the Spirit-inspired message, but many reject it. None-the-less, through the proclamation of the gospel the kingdom of God finds its consummation. How to cite Exegesis Paper on Luke 12:49-53, Papers