{"id":21089,"date":"2009-11-22T22:20:00","date_gmt":"2009-11-23T04:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=21089"},"modified":"2020-03-25T22:29:05","modified_gmt":"2020-03-26T03:29:05","slug":"why-not-make-a-point-about-the-folded-napkin-even-if-it-wasnt-a-tradition-at-that-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-not-make-a-point-about-the-folded-napkin-even-if-it-wasnt-a-tradition-at-that-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Why not make a point about the folded napkin, even if it wasn’t a tradition at that time?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t

Question:<\/h2>\n

I am surprised by your criticism of the folded napkin of Jesus<\/a>. \u00a0I read through the article several times and I do not see any contradiction with the resurrection of Jesus when one highlighted the significance of the folded napkin. Any exegesis being done on any events or occurrences recorded in the Bible should be viewed as an attempt to enrich our knowledge and is most welcome. \u00a0The attempt did not detract people from believing that Jesus really had resurrected and I do agree with you that the folded napkin meant that Jesus was really resurrected but Jesus would not have folded it neatly if it did not any have theological meaning.<\/p>\n

I am not surprised by the Jew’s traditions and even in modern days, when you attend an official dinner function, there are certain table manners that you have to observe. \u00a0Hence, if the Jews had such a tradition, why not we make use of it to understand the Bible better.<\/p>\n

This is my personal view.<\/p>\n\t

Answer:<\/h2>\n

The simple problem with the email is that it makes a point, not on what the Scriptures say, but upon an imagined<\/strong>\u00a0tradition that did not exist in Jesus’ day. Yes,\u00a0today<\/em>\u00a0we have a tradition of using table napkins, but that doesn’t mean all people in all ages had the same traditions. The error is called an anachronism — assigning a modern practice to an ancient time. So why should I praise a note that makes a point based on a lie?<\/p>\n

Nor does something that was not practiced at in Jesus’ day make the point present in the passage clearer. As I pointed out, it distracts from the real point of the folded napkin by assigning a meaning that wasn’t given or intended. My duty as a preacher is to make the truth of God’s Word clear. “If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen<\/em>” (I Peter 4:11). Therefore, I must stick with the text not some imaginative point by an uninspired man.<\/p>\n\t

Question:<\/h2>\n

Thanks for your clarification on the Folded Napkin of Jesus. By the way, what is your opinion on the phrase which had been widely accepted as a truth: “Once Saved Always Saved.” I was disturbed by this phrase by the fact that there is the word “apostasy” in the Bible (Hebrews 6).<\/p>\n\t

Answer:<\/h2>\n

As you noted, the concept, along with the other four points of John Calvin’s teachings, is wrong. See: “Once Saved, Always Saved<\/a>.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Question: I am surprised by your criticism of the folded napkin of Jesus. \u00a0I read through the article several times and I do not see any contradiction with the resurrection of Jesus when one highlighted the significance of the folded napkin. Any exegesis being done on any events or occurrences recorded in the Bible should…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[20],"tags":[664,441],"class_list":["post-21089","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-resurrection","tag-truth"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":17129,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/did-the-folded-napkin-in-john-207-mean-jesus-was-coming-back\/","url_meta":{"origin":21089,"position":0},"title":"Did the folded napkin in John 20:7 mean Jesus was coming back?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 30, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I received the following in regard to John 20:7. Is this true? Why did Jesus fold the napkin? This is one I can honestly say I have never seen circulating in the e-mails. Why did Jesus fold the linen burial cloth after His resurrection? I never noticed this....... John\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":68438,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/put-jesus-on-trial\/","url_meta":{"origin":21089,"position":1},"title":"Put Jesus on Trial","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 19, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Perry Hall When talking with atheists, I like to tell them to put Jesus on trial. How do we do this? Practical: Examine Jesus's Teachings: What do you think of Jesus's teachings? Are Jesus's teachings indicative of a wise man, a conniver, or a lunatic? How do Jesus's teachings\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8844,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/my-girlfriend-and-i-mutually-masturbated-what-is-the-chance-that-she-is-pregnant\/","url_meta":{"origin":21089,"position":2},"title":"My girlfriend and I mutually masturbated. What is the chance that she is pregnant?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 28, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hi. I am worried that my girlfriend will get pregnant. We regret that we did mutual masturbation and somehow we ended up with her panties off and I ejaculated on her napkin. I am not sure that my sperm was completely absorbed by the napkin or leaked down to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":20610,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-there-any-evidence-of-the-rapture-being-written-or-spoken-of-prior-to-1909-and-scofield\/","url_meta":{"origin":21089,"position":3},"title":"Is there any evidence of the rapture being written or spoken of prior to 1909 and Scofield?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 23, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Is there any evidence of the rapture being written or spoken of prior to 1909 and Scofield? Answer: It depends on which version of premillennialism you have in mind. At its root, premillennialism holds to the idea that Jesus reigns over an earthly kingdom. Such an idea originated among\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":90670,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-firstborn-from-the-dead\/","url_meta":{"origin":21089,"position":4},"title":"The Firstborn from the Dead","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 22, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Terry Wane Benton John's readers were facing trials, persecutions, and possibly death. John knew that Christians needed to know Jesus as \"the Firstborn from the dead.\"(Rev.1:5). This is not saying that Jesus was the first person to ever be raised from the dead, but that He is the firstborn\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":17189,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-resurrection-of-jesus\/","url_meta":{"origin":21089,"position":5},"title":"The Resurrection of Jesus (Hamilton)","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 31, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Acts 13:16-41 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Central to every Christian\u2019s belief in his salvation is the resurrection of Jesus - I Corinthians 15:12-19 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0If Jesus was not raised, . . . \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Then every preacher has been teaching falsehoods \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a02.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Our faith in the Bible would be useless \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a03.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Our hope\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21089","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21089"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21089\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21089"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21089"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21089"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}