Their reasoning must have been, "This is the precious gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! No amount of effort or expense would be wasted. Let's make it beautiful."
And beautiful falls short in describing these manuscripts! They dyed the finest parchment purple and carefully sewed them together into quires of four sheets which, when folded, made sixteen pages. Several of these quires they tied together to form a codex, the ancient equivalent of a book. Scribes then copied the words of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, using gold and silver ink.
In one particularly beautiful manuscript, the words of Jesus and angels appear in crimson or gold; words quoted from the Old Testament and quotations of the disciples are blue; the words of the Pharisees, of Judas Iscariot, and of the devil are black; and all the other words are vermillion. This masterpiece resides in the National Library of Paris.
We find the beauty and craftsmanship of such manuscripts impressive, but these products of parchment and pen are not nearly as beautiful witnesses to the gospel as the epistles Paul describes in Second Corinthians chapter 3, verse 3: "You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts."
When people see what we do, can they discern the gold and silver letters of the imperishable gospel imprinted on our hearts? Can they see the calligraphy of the Holy Spirit in the attitudes we display: our love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control? Can they recognize the divine hand as it transforms us into the image of Jesus Christ? We can make it so by God's grace.
Our place is not in a museum or a national library, but in the houses and on the streets of town, instantly available to anyone who wants to stop and read. No amount of effort or expense is wasted to make our lives beautiful to those who would read Christ in us. God has made us His workmanship, His masterpiece (Eph. 2:10).
Copyright ©2005 Steve Singleton, All rights reserved.
Steve Singleton has written and edited several books and numerous articles on subjects of interest to Bible students. He has taught Greek, Bible, and religious studies courses Bible college, university, and adult education programs. He has taught seminars and workshops in 11 states and the Caribbean.
Go to his DeeperStudy.org for Bible study resources, no matter what your level of expertise. Explore "The Shallows," plumb "The Depths," or use the well-organized "Study Links" for original sources in English translation. Sign up for Steve's free "DeeperStudy Newsletter."
Murders are so frequent in our country that a single... Read More
The graven image exclusion as told in the Bible certainly... Read More
At the heart of Christianity is a cross; and one... Read More
The Catholic Church is kind of like a forest sometimes.... Read More
A young man who was attending my Coffee Bar Bible... Read More
That is the popular and, thank God (if you'll pardon... Read More
Tao exists before Heaven and Earth. It will still exist... Read More
Finding Christian singles online.One of the many types of singles... Read More
William Jennings Bryan said: "Christians desire that their children shall... Read More
For it is written in Proverbs 1:7 it says The... Read More
Do you sometimes wonder how did Jesus make a Public... Read More
Why are conservative Christians so concerned about displaying the Ten... Read More
Here are a few pomes, that I hope, may encourage... Read More
Christians with chronic illness need to know there is a... Read More
Revelation 8:8-8:9What will you be doing? How many people have... Read More
These 7 judgments will more than likely occur during the... Read More
In a time when public scrutiny is becoming tighter and... Read More
"Your focus determines your reality", this famous line was spoken... Read More
I think most people who will read this will not... Read More
You are now inside one of the top theological schools... Read More
Clue Number 1: You Have TalentYou were born with at... Read More
How does a Christian really handle negative feelings and emotions... Read More
Can you imagine Biblical "End-Times" prophecies happening in your lifetime?... Read More
A young bible college student once wrote and told me... Read More
This article was in response to an email about someone... Read More
Thumbing through Isaiah recently I was startled to find this:... Read More
In this first verse, God says He will allow all... Read More
This Article is the result of another hard night of... Read More
In part 1 of this series of end time articles,... Read More
We all must know that the Catholic Church has used... Read More
Biblically speaking, holding philosophical beliefs that contain internally self-refuting contradictions... Read More
Upon the death of the Pope, a monumental sequence of... Read More
We met at a Saturday afternoon fund-raising and promotional rally... Read More
Exposing Hidden SinFor nothing is secret that shall not be... Read More
PART 1: Another Gospel?The influence of the occult upon our... Read More
Some people may ask how do we serve God and... Read More
Now that I am saved, what do I do next?... Read More
I remember hearing a minister years ago as he quoted... Read More
In the mid 90's, a Presbyterian minister named Steve Brown... Read More
Again, let's call attention to our text: "Let her be... Read More
During World War II the government realized that the majority... Read More
One cannot begin to appreciate the early struggles of Christianity... Read More
All of the various denominations of professing Christians may be... Read More
I was meditating the other day and contemplating the thousands... Read More
I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me,... Read More
Clue Number 1: You Have TalentYou were born with at... Read More
Ignatius Loyola ? Luciferian or Heliopolitan:I kid you not! Lucifer... Read More
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected to the papal throne on... Read More
(Channelled)Roy? this week you learned something about yourself. You learned... Read More
The first thing I would like to do is give... Read More
In the children's section of any bookstore, books on the... Read More
As an ancient African-American gospel song laments, life is filled... Read More
Last time I wrote a message on Islam, a Catholic... Read More
This, in my opinion, is the #1 "secret" for getting... Read More
Revelation 20:1-20:10Politics and Christianity - there has been many an... Read More
There is a greater sin than not obeying Jesus; it... Read More
In classrooms throughout the country, Judeo-Christian beliefs are often cast... Read More
The second chapter of John's Gospel offers a most interesting... Read More
The first issue we must recognize is the way God... Read More
The power of the Holy Spirit is so profound it... Read More
Some may ask what is a calling and what shall... Read More
And God hath set some in the church, first apostles,... Read More
The American theologian Horace Bushnell also played a vital role... Read More
America is dividing again. Jewish Americans are finding it hard... Read More
Their reasoning must have been, "This is the precious gospel... Read More
I'm really excited. I just got a bigger soapbox, and... Read More
Religion |