By Tim Stratton
Sermon Outline
Riddle me this: What’s black and white and RED all over?
I remember the first time my dad posed that question to me when I was a young child. Even as a little boy – untrained in philosophy – I knew something was amiss.
I intuitively understood that if something was literally black and white . . . like a news paper . . . then it could not be the COLOR RED all over. After all, something cannot be the colors RED and Black and White simultaneously and in the same sense. There’s a contradiction here – nothing can actually be black and white AND the color red ALL OVER.
Then my dad explained to me that there was a “play on words” going on here – a “word game!” The “read all over” doesn’t refer to a color, but refers to the fact that someone can read the entire newspaper, and thus, the black and white newspaper will be READ all over.
Now, why can’t a newspaper actually be black and white AND the COLOR RED all over? Because this statement violates the logical law of non-contradiction.
The Laws of The Logos
How many of you know about the laws of logic?
I actually discuss the laws of logic in my book (my doctoral dissertation which was published last year). The first chapter is focused on how to properly interpret The Bible. Think about it: Interpreting Scripture correctly presupposes and depends upon the laws of logic. There are three fundamental Laws of Logic that are always required in rational discussion – and in interpreting Scripture:
- The Law of Identity: Something is what it is. Things that exist have specific properties that identify them.
Let’s talk about God. Christians typically recognize God as a Maximally Great Being who possesses certain properties such as omnipotence (perfect power), omniscience (perfect knowledge), and omnibenevolence (perfect love for all people). Some theologians claim that God does not love all people and thus, based on the Law of Identity, worship a different God. I have noted that this is dangerously close to idolatry (see this short video for more).
- The Law of Excluded Middle: A well-defined proposition is either true or false. There is no middle position. For example, the proposition that “A proposition is either true or false” is either true or false.
I’ve often said that the Law of the Excluded Middle is my favorite logical law! Think about it this way: God either exists or He doesn’t (there is no middle position). Jesus either physically rose from the dead, or He didn’t.
- The Law of Non-Contradiction: When two claims contradict one another, one must be false.For example, if one person claims that God exists and another asserts that God does not exist, we can know that one of us must be correct and the other must be wrong. When two propositions contradict one another, one must be false and the other must be true; they cannot both be true and they cannot both be false.Similarly, when two contrary statements are made (not to be confused with contradictory statements) we can know that at least one of them must be false (even though both of them could be false). If Bill says that “the moon is made entirely of green cheese” and Bob says “the moon is made entirely of blue cheese,” then these contrary statements cannot both be true. Either Bill or Bob must be wrong. In fact, both Bill and Bob are wrong.Now, let’s talk about contradictions: As Wayne Grudem puts it, “Contradictions aren’t acceptable in the study of systematic theology, since there aren’t any contradictions in the Bible.”
This presupposition is supported by Scripture itself. For example, Psalm 119:160 states that the sum of your words is truth and this implies, in turn, that God’s Word, which Christians believe is true in all that it teaches, will be logical when studied in the context as a whole.
Wayne Grudem continues:
“There are many times we need to acknowledge mystery, paradox, and things we can’t fully understand. But that’s different from saying there’s a [logical] contradiction. God never asks us to believe a contradiction.”
These laws are just as necessary to keep a person grounded in rationality as the law of gravity is necessary to keep them grounded on the earth. The laws of logic are tools which help a person to objectively determine true or false propositions, inferences, and deductions.
In my book I wrote the following:
“Logical laws apply to everyone regardless of when or where he lives, that is to say, the laws of logic transcend humanity and are objectively true. In fact, truth and logic are inextricably linked—one cannot have one without the other. Thus, if Christians claim that Christianity is true, then the affirmations of Christianity must be logical.”
Now, many people these days assert that “all religions are true!” Based on the laws of logic, however (namely, the law of non-contradiction), we KNOW this cannot be true! Consider statements made from different worldviews/religions:
Mohammad VS Jesus
Love those who consider you to be an enemy VS. Kill the infidel! (Which one is it?)
Hinduism VS Islam
“There are multiple gods” VS. “Allah is the one true God.” Both cannot be true
Buddhism VS Judaism
These religions contradict each other. They are mutually exclusive. They might both be false, but they cannot both be true. (BTW: They are both false).
Atheism VS Theism
Based on the logical law of the excluded middle, God either exists or He doesn’t. Since atheism says God does not exists and Christians, Jews, and Muslims claim that God does exist, one might not know what worldview is true, but one can KNOW – with certainty – that both views cannot be true simultaneously.
These views are mutually exclusive.
Every other view VS Mere Christianity
“God raised Jesus from the dead.” If those six words comprising that one statement is true, then some flavor of Christianity is true. CS Lewis described this as “Mere Christianity.” This leads us to what has been called “the most hated words in the Bible.” This verse is contained within today’s passage of Scripture.
READ: John 14:1-14
14 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God[a]; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”
5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know[b] my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”
9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. 12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
Let’s pray . . .
“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one gets to the Father, but by me.”
In 1998 the great theologian and philosopher known as Madonna confidently declared (on MTV):
“All ways lead to God!”
Madonna, although I don’t remember her saying anything about Jesus at the time, was directly opposing Jesus. Well, based on the laws of logic, we must ask the question:
“Who is right!? Madonna or Jesus?”
If Madonna is right, then Jesus is wrong. But if Jesus is right, then Madonna is wrong.
In fact, just a couple weeks ago a survey was published showing that over 60% of self-described “born-again Christians in America between the ages of 18 and 39 do NOT believe that Jesus is the ONLY WAY to Heaven — and that Buddha and Muhammad also are valid paths to salvation, the Christian Post reported.
The Church (at large and across our nation) is in BIG TROUBLE!
Today, I’m going to give you reason to put your trust in the words of Jesus (as opposed to Madonna) and provide reasons as to WHY Jesus is THE ONLY WAY. In fact, all people should see that Jesus is the only way – the only way to eternal life in Heaven – for three reasons.
Reason #1: God raised Jesus from the dead!
God raised Jesus from the dead (thus, seemingly placing His divine stamp of approval on everything Jesus said, taught, and exemplified – and upon those Jesus chose to continue His teachings).
I don’t have time to unpack all of this right now, but based on the historical method – the same historical method that historians employ to find out facts about the past – the same historical method that historians have employed to find out facts about Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar and so many more – is the same historical method historians have employed to find out certain facts about the historical person known as Jesus of Nazareth.
If you’d like to learn more please watch four videos I recorded about the historical resurrection on my YouTube channel:
Part 1- Historical Facts: https://cutt.ly/KYPicUq
Part 2- Examining the Evidence: https://cutt.ly/0YPibBB
Part 3- Hallucinations, Aliens, and Other Silly Ideas: https://cutt.ly/FYPiQ9e
Part 4- The Good News of the Resurrection: https://cutt.ly/mYPiRH5
Historians seek independent sources, such as, eyewitness accounts, both positive and embarrassing. These sources are plentiful when it comes to the life of Jesus and his resurrection. Mike Licona states that we have as much evidence of the resurrection, if not more, than we have of Julius Caesar’s crossing the Rubicon in 49 BC.
He notes that even the harshest skeptical and atheistic historians admit several things as historical fact about Jesus. For example:
- Jesus existed.
- Jesus died by crucifixion.
- Jesus’ disciples (at least) really believed that Jesus rose from the dead, and appeared to them.
- The church persecutor, and Christian hunter, Saul was radically transformed into the Jesus preaching Paul.
- The skeptic James (the brother of Jesus) was suddenly changed into someone who was willing to die for the gospel.
- The tomb of Jesus was found empty by his women followers.
Licona makes his case even stronger by utilizing a “minimal facts” approach that does not even reference the Gospels, meaning that even if the Gospels did not exist these facts about Jesus remain:
- Paul was an eyewitness (hostile).
- Paul knew Jesus’ disciples.
- Paul taught what the disciples taught.
- They taught appearances to individuals and groups, to friend and foe alike.
- They and Paul taught (and believed) Jesus was physically raised from the dead.
Points one through four are accepted facts regarding Jesus and the fifth, although not accepted by many skeptics, remains unrefuted. So, when it comes to the historical method we need to ask the following question:
What hypothesis best accounts for all of these facts?
In Licona’s book, he demonstrates that the resurrection hypothesis accounts for all of these facts – while no other scientific hypothesis offered accounts for all of these together. The best explanation of the facts is the hypothesis which makes sense of all of them together.
The resurrection hypothesis is the only one left on the table.
For a deep dive into this study, I recommend Licona’s book: “The Resurrection of Jesus.”
Bottom line: if God raised Jesus from the dead, then some flavor of Christianity has gotta be true. And if God raised Jesus from the dead, then it seems that God has given His divine stamp of approval to the words and life of Jesus . . . and we have no reason to think He has done so for Madonna.
Thus, a rational and logical person should follow Jesus on this matter and believe what He says in John 14:6 – Jesus is the ONLY WAY and NO ONE gets to the Father except through Jesus!
So, the first reason why you should believe that Jesus is the ONLY WAY, is because we have historical evidence that Jesus was raised from the dead (that’s great reason to celebrate Easter)! This seems to be a divine stamp of approval upon the life and teachings of Jesus, and since Jesus taught that He is the ONLY WAY, we have good reason to believe Him.
But this raises the philosophical question: WHY is Jesus the only way to God? This leads us to the next point:
Reason #2: Jesus is God!
Jesus is the only way to God because He is God.
Hold up! You might be thinking: Doesn’t saying that Jesus IS God violate the logical law of identity or the law of non-contradiction? Isn’t this some kind of a logical error?
A few months ago I led a youth group to Salt Lake City and BYU was kind enough to host our group, give us guided tour of their beautiful campus, they gave each one of us a nice BYU ball cap, and then we had a time of Q&A with one of the top Mormon leaders in Salt Lake.
One thing my Mormon friend said was that our view of Christianity had to be false because it is non-sensical to say that we worship ONE person and THREE persons at the same time.
I respectfully interrupted him and said,
“That’s not an accurate description of the Trinity, sir. We worship ONE WHAT and THREE WHOS. When one distinguishes between the WHAT and the WHOS one can see that there is no logical contradiction in saying that Jesus IS God . . . He is just not God the Father. Jesus is the Second Person of the Trinity, known as “The Son.”
So, the concept of “Jesus being God” is logically coherent . . . but do we have biblical reason to think Jesus actually is the Creator of the universe? Consider what both John and Paul say about Jesus. Since we are in the Gospel of John, let’s start there and rewind to the beginning . . .
John 1: states the following:
“In the beginning was the Word (Logos), and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made…. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Now, I just mentioned Easter, but this is the message of Christmas — God “dwelt among us” (Immanuel)!
What I want you to see here is that The Bible refers to Jesus as “The Logos” and implies that not only is Jesus God, but also gives us some insight into the Trinity. From a theological perspective, this passage of scripture carries much weight.
Science Supports Scripture
Do you know that we actually have scientific evidence supporting this scripture?
To quickly summarize: The current scientific consensus strongly supports the theory that all nature (the stuff that scientists can test and discover) had an absolute beginning (big bang cosmology, 2nd Law of Thermodynamics, and the Borde, Guth, Vilenkin Theorem of 2003).
Everything that begins to exist has a cause, and the evidence demonstrates that the universe (all nature) began to exist. It follows that since nature began to exist, nature cannot be the cause of nature itself. Therefore, the cause of nature must be something other than nature (supernatural).
This is exactly what the first chapter of John is stating about Jesus – he is the supernatural cause of the natural universe, and he entered into his creation so that we could know him. Think about that! The Creator of the universe entered into the universe to save the people within the universe. This is what Christmas is all about. This is why we have good reason to celebrate Christmas.
To survey some of the science supporting scripture (and more), click here!
“The Logic”
Another thing to keep in mind when reading the first Chapter of John is that the Greek word for “word” – “Logos” – is used synonymously with Jesus in the text. It is interesting to note that “logos,” in Greek, means, “the principle of reason.” This is where we get the word “logic.”
The Bible is clear that Jesus is God and seems to suggest that He is the grounding of logic and reason. You see, logic is grounded in the essence of God. Therefore, when we choose to think and behave logically, we are godly (approximating to or being like God).
On a side note: it’s quite interesting to note that Critical Race Theorists reject logic and exclaim that “appealing to logic and reason is racist!” However, God commanded us to “be reasonable” in Isaiah 1:18 . . . so, I’m gonna stay reasonable and appeal to logic no matter what anyone might call me.
See, “The Great Commission Is Racist!” https://cutt.ly/IYPiwoC
Bottom line: if you were thinking that we should not place so much emphasis on logic, then – according to John – you are not putting enough emphasis on the nature of Jesus!
Jesus is “The Logic” – the only way to make sense of reality!
With that said, what does the Apostle Paul say about Jesus in Colossians 1:16 . . .
The Preeminence of Christ
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
Wow! According to Paul, if one can say that the creation of the universe “flowed” (as it were) through one person of the Trinity, it would be through the Second Person of the Trinity – Jesus Christ Himself!
The Creator of the universe, entered into the universe, to save the people within the universe. How cool is that? With that in mind, let’s talk about HOW Jesus saved the people within the universe.
This is our last point about WHY Jesus is the ONLY WAY!
Reason #3: The atonement of Jesus just makes sense.
Why did Jesus have to die? Why is the wages of sin death? Why can’t the wages of sin be five bucks or seven years of hard labor?
Why did Jesus have to die?
Before addressing that all-important question, first understand two things: 1- who we are, and 2- who God is.
According to Westminster Confession, the objective purpose of mankind is to know and enjoy God. I like to “tweak” it ever so slightly, and state: The objective purpose of mankind is to grow in our knowledge of God, to grow in love with God, and to enjoy a personal relationship with our Creator for all eternity (Hosea 6:6; Luke 10:27; Col 1:9; 1 Tim 2:4).
Or to say it this way: You were created on purpose and for the specific purpose of enjoying a true love relationship with God into the eternal future.
Scores of humanity have considered the meaning and purpose of life. The fact remains, if God does not exist, then there is no objective purpose in life (Atheism Catch-22). Christians, however, do not suffer from this sort of conundrum. In fact, we have a ready answer. We know the objective meaning and purpose of life: God created every human to know, love, and enjoy God into the eternal future. This is why God created the universe and all of its contents. This is why you exist, so that you could know him. We were created on purpose and for that exact and specific purpose.
Like Oil & Water
By definition, God is a maximally great being and necessarily perfect in every way. Moreover, God created you to enjoy a perfect, holy, and pure love relationship with him.
But we’ve got a problem — a big problem! As a result of sin, now we as humans are anything but holy and pure. Now we are guilty, alienated, and corrupt in nature. Since we are corrupt and imperfect, we are unequally yoked with a maximally great being.
Like oil and water, now, we are “unmixable” with a perfect God. He is necessary perfection and we are infection. The two simply do not mix and that is a major problem for humanity.
So, humanity needs a savior. With a savior we can be justified instead of guilty, adopted instead of alienated, and have a purified and regenerated nature instead of a corrupt nature.
We were created for one objective purpose – to be the Bride of Christ (Eph 5:25-27) in a perfect and true love marriage. We were created to love and to be loved by our Creator. However, now, because of sin, we are infected and do not mix with necessary perfection any longer (i.e., oil and water). As a result, we are necessarily separated from God.
Our hearts were created to be “pointed” to God, but now they are dysfunctional, sick, and twisted because of this separation. Our hearts are now “curved in” on themselves, they are self-centered, selfish, and sinful. We have completely “missed the mark” (the objective purpose of human existence). This is literally what the word “sin” means in the original Greek. The “mark” is God, but we are separated from him; we do not even know God exists apart from his revelation. Due to this separation, we cannot even “aim” at God and of course we will “miss the mark” and sin.
We are infected, self-centered creatures – but we are not supposed to be. God created you for a specific purpose and gave you a job description: BE HOLY! (Namely by loving God and others.) Being holy means to be God focused instead of self-focused. The problem is, all of us have “missed the mark” and have become “infection.” Therefore, we have a damaged relationship with perfection – God.
Is Restoration Possible?
The question remains: how is a broken relationship restored? Two things must occur if a damaged relationship is to be restored: 1) The offended party must choose to bear the harm. 2) The offending party must choose to confess and repent. In our relationship with God, he is the offended party as we sinned against him. We are the offending party, and are thus powerless to restore this relationship on our own. Our works are meaningless unless God, as the offended party, chooses to bear the harm. Left to our own devices, our work does not work (Isaiah 64:6).
God is life! He is the author and giver of life. He invented it and life comes from him. In the well-known Bible verse, John 14:6, Jesus claims he is “the life.” If God is life, then separation from life is death. Since sin separates us from God (like oil and water), then, consequently, sin equals death. Therefore, in every aspect that you have life, you will die if you are separated from the source of life. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).
If our relationship with God is to be restored, then God must bear the harm as the offended party. If the harm is death, then, God must die. One small problem though: it is logically impossible for a necessary being to die. God cannot die physically because he is immaterial and spirit. God cannot die spiritually because he cannot be separated from himself (although Jesus felt like it on the Cross).
You are a soul (an immaterial thinking thing) with one set of cognitive faculties. God is one soul with three sets of cognitive faculties. Just as your cognitive faculties cannot be separated from you as a spiritual substance (soul), God’s cognitive faculties (all three of them) cannot be separated from his “spiritual substance.”
If God is going to bear the harm, he has to die because the wages of sin is death. God cannot die as God. Therefore, if humans are to be saved, God had to become human so he could bear the harm and experience death. We need Christmas, we need Good Friday, and we need Easter to have a restored relationship with our Creator (Happy Holy-Days)!
Why do we need Easter (the Resurrection)? It took more than just executing Jesus, because if death was punishment, if Christ is still dead, then he is still being punished. The Resurrection is proof that God is satisfied with Jesus’ atoning work. Therefore, Christianity is true!
Remember, we were created on purpose and for the objective purpose to love God with our entire being. We see this demonstrated in multiple Bible verse such as Luke 10:27 and Matthew 22:37, we are to love God with all of our mind/soul, and body/strength.
The reason why you exist is to LOVE! You were created on purpose and for the specific purpose to love God . . . AND . . . to love our neighbors (and even those who consider you to be an enemy as our very selves!
Taken together—love God and love others—comprises the WAY of Jesus. We’re talking this morning about why we believe in the TRUTH of Jesus. But He also says that He is the WAY to live… and this is His way: “Love God and love everyone!”
The purpose of life is all about LOVE!
To do anything other than that is to miss the mark (the very definition of sin).
If we ever choose not to love God in any way that we have life, then our lives ought to be terminated because we are objectively broken. This is an appropriate outcome. If something breaks, we either throw it away, or we fix it. Now, as far as our broken relationship with God goes, we have the choice to either be “thrown away” or to be “fixed.” Because of the work of Jesus (the Atonement) all people can be “fixed” and restored — as we ought to be in an objective sense — if we choose to be.
Justice is Good
Consider the nature of God to gain understanding of these issues. Psalm 97 states, “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.” This is not referring to God’s chair; rather, this is stating the essential attributes and the essence of God. This describes who God is! In other words, if God did not exist, there would be no such thing as objective righteousness, goodness, wickedness, or justice. God is perfect love (1 John 4:8). Thus, perfect justice must be part of his essential omni-benevolent nature as well. After all, justice is good and loving.
When someone escapes justice, we intuitively know that it is a bad thing. God created the universe, and part of the fabric of His creation is a moral universe. There are also natural laws, mathematical laws, and logical laws that govern the universe. Similarly, there are moral laws that we are obligated to obey (Paul says they are “written on our hearts” in Romans 2:15).
Perfect justice demands punishment, or it is not really justice. God cannot turn a blind-eye to our sin and say, “Oh well, boys will be boys, girls will be girls, humans will be humans.” That is not justice; it is injustice and ignoring crime and ignoring evil is bad. Therefore, God cannot ignore our sin and remain worthy of worship.
If a criminal commits a crime, we know that he deserves to be punished. We also know that the punishment should be fair and that it ought to fit the crime. If a seventeen-year-old shoplifts a pack of bubblegum from the gas station, there should be an appropriate punishment – we don’t give him the death penalty! However, moral monsters like Ted Bundy, Timothy McVeigh, and Osama bin Laden deserve a much greater punishment than the bubblegum burglar.
Now think about our crimes; we might not be a Ted Bundy, or a Hitler; however, we have all committed crimes against the very essence of morality, love, goodness, and justice – God! Because of this fact, we do not “mix” or relate with God. One may object and state that they are generally a “good person.” This may be true; however, they are not perfectly good, and cannot “mix” with a necessarily perfect God. Our lives are broken and infected, and therefore, we need a savior so that we can have a relationship with our creator. This brings us to Jesus; this brings us to the cross.
Conclusion
Some have falsely accused God the Father of some form of “cosmic child abuse” because he took out his wrath on his innocent son, because we sinful humans made him so angry. This is bad theology (remember the doctrine of the Trinity). We worship one God (not three); Christians are monotheists. Jesus is God. It logically follows that Jesus *is* the offended party. Therefore, Jesus, at the cross, satisfied his own righteous wrath – his own justice (which is good), for us! This is amazing love! This is amazing grace (the Cross was enough)!
Do you see the beauty? The offended party (a sinless, holy, pure, and morally perfect God) became human to pay our gruesome debt, to bear the harm, to satisfy his morally perfect justice. Wow! Because God has chosen to bear the harm, now, we have a choice to make. We can either choose to accept God’s act of love on the cross, or we can reject God’s grace and deal with his justice (separation from God and all that is good). Do you want perfect justice or perfect love? Perfect love is Heaven and perfect justice is separation from the Creator of the universe (Hell).
Because of what Jesus has done, we can have a restored relationship with our Creator. All you have to do, as the offending party, is freely choose to confess, repent, follow, and fall in love with Jesus. This is the essence of the message of the Gospel.
You see, we have THREE very good reasons to believe that Jesus is the only way to Heaven, just as He claimed to be.
- God raised Jesus from the dead (a divine “stamp of approval”).
- Jesus is the only way to God because Jesus IS God.
- The atoning life, death, and resurrection just makes sense – no other religion or worldview offers anything similar.
Have you put your trust in Jesus? Do you love Jesus?
Pray . . .
Outro: What is black and while and SHOULD be READ all over? Your Bible!
Spend time in your Bible. That’s a great way to fall in love with Jesus.
Recommended resources related to the topic:
How Can Jesus be the Only Way? (mp4 Download) by Frank Turek
Can All Religions Be True? mp3 by Frank Turek
Counter Culture Christian: Is There Truth in Religion? (DVD) by Frank Turek
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Timothy A. Stratton (PhD, North-West University) is a professor at Trinity College of the Bible and Theological Seminary. As a former youth pastor, he is now devoted to answering deep theological and philosophical questions he first encountered from inquisitive teens in his church youth group. Stratton is founder and president of FreeThinking Ministries, a web-based apologetics ministry. Stratton speaks on church and college campuses around the country and offers regular videos on FreeThinking Ministries’ YouTube channel.
Original Blog Source: https://bit.ly/3Gou2pR
3 Razones por las que los cristianos deben ser investigadores de la evidencia en lugar de adictos a la experiencia
EspañolPor Alisa Childers
Dos hombres.
Ambos crecieron en hogares cristianos en los suburbios de Estados Unidos. Ambos tienen padres evangélicos famosos. Ambos tomaron decisiones personales porCristo y se involucraron de forma activa y se volvieron reconocidos en el ministerio. Uno se alejó de su fe y se convirtió en un humanista secular. El otro se ha convertido en uno de los principales apologistas y defensores de la fe cristiana.
¿Quiénes son estos dos hombres? El primero es Bart Campolo, hijo del evangelista y escritor Tony Campolo, y el otro es Sean McDowell, hijo del evangelista y escritor Josh McDowell. ¿Por qué sus caminos, bastante similares, los llevaron a destinos tan radicalmente diferentes?
Recientemente, los dos se reunieron para tener una discusión en Premier Christian Radio titulada “Por qué Bart perdió su fe, por qué Sean mantuvo la suya”. Fue una discusión fascinante, y lo que más me llamó la atención fue la razón que cada uno dio para haberse convertido en cristiano en primer lugar. Campolo describió cómo se convirtió al cristianismo tras encontrar un grupo de jóvenes con el que conectó y asistir a uno de sus retiros:
En palabras del propio Campolo, se hizo cristiano por una experiencia trascendente… un sentimiento que resonó profundamente en su corazón.
Más adelante en la conversación, McDowell dio su razón para convertirse en cristiano. Habiendo creído en el cristianismo desde que tiene memoria, experimentó algunas dudas serias sobre su fe cuando era un estudiante universitario. Cuando compartió sus dudas con su padre, éste le animó a no creer en algo simplemente porque es lo que le han dicho. Le instó a investigar por sí mismo las pruebas de la veracidad del cristianismo y a rechazar todo lo que no fuera cierto.
Tras realizar una importante investigación de evidencias, McDowell llegó a la conclusión de que el cristianismo es verdadero… y ésta es la razón por la que él es cristiano. Su fe no se construyó sobre un “momento trascendente”, sino sobre una dolorosa búsqueda de la realidad objetiva.
El cristianismo de Campolo fue confirmado por la experiencia, mientras que el de McDowell fue confirmado por la evidencia. Aquí hay 3 razones por las que los cristianos deben ser investigadores de la evidencia, en lugar de adictos a la experiencia:
1. Se le puede convencer de abandonar una experiencia.
Al igual que Campolo, el actor Brad Pitt fue criado en un hogar cristiano por ministros cristianos evangélicos. En una entrevista con la revista GQ, recordaba haber experimentado en los conciertos de rock algunas de las mismas sensaciones que sentía en los cultos cristianos:
Pitt se preguntó si todo era una farsa manipuladora, lo que le llevó a plantearse algunas preguntas serias a una edad muy temprana.
Si la fe de una persona se basa en un sentimiento o experiencia, puede ser fácil reinterpretar esa experiencia o explicarla, especialmente cuando se enfrenta a los argumentos de un escéptico inteligente, o a la aplastante realidad del sufrimiento y el mal.
2. Tu corazón y tus sentimientos mienten.
El profeta Jeremías describió el corazón humano como “engañoso sobre todas las cosas y desesperadamente enfermo”. Proverbios 3:5-7 nos dice que no “nos apoyemos en nuestro propio entendimiento”. Jesús describió el corazón humano como lleno de pensamientos como el asesinato, el adulterio, la inmoralidad sexual, el robo, el falso testimonio y la calumnia. Proverbios 28:26 nos dice que quien confía en su propia mente es un necio.
En otras palabras, no sigas, bajo ninguna circunstancia, a tu corazón.
Esto, por supuesto, contrasta con los temas que encontramos constantemente en el entretenimiento y en las redes sociales. Sin embargo, cuando se trata de creencias espirituales, confiar en nuestros corazones y seguir nuestros sentimientos puede conducir a todo tipo de teología aberrante, elecciones pecaminosas y una distorsión de la verdadera fe cristiana.
3. Puedes recurrir a la evidencia en momentos de duda o sufrimiento.
Uno de los mayores apologistas y evangelistas de los últimos tiempos es un hombre llamado Nabeel Qureshi. Qureshi creció en un hogar musulmán, y después de años de probar las afirmaciones del cristianismo y las del islam, dejó el islam y se hizo cristiano. Pagó un alto precio por su obediencia a Cristo, dejando a su devota familia musulmana con el corazón roto y las relaciones tensas.
En la cúspide de un ministerio respetado, creciente y fructífero, Qureshi recibió la noticia de que tenía un cáncer de estómago en fase 4… a la edad de 33 años, y con un nuevo bebé a bordo. Creía que Dios le iba a sanar, que habría una intervención milagrosa y un testimonio asombroso que contar sobre el poder sanador de Dios. Poco más de un año después de recibir su diagnóstico… murió.
Qureshi documentó su trayectoria contra el cáncer en YouTube, y en uno de los primeros vídeos, expresó que estaba un poco perturbado por esta terrible noticia. Sin embargo, repasó su teología y las pruebas de su creencia en Cristo. En su lecho de muerte, con un aspecto desgastado y como una sombra de su antiguo ser, glorificó a Dios haciendo exactamente lo mismo. Expresó su asombro y decepción por no haber sido sanado, pero dio testimonio de la existencia de Dios y de la veracidad del cristianismo basándose en lo que sabía que era cierto.
Qureshi fue fiel hasta el final, a pesar de su sufrimiento y de las dudas que se deslizaron en su mente en sus últimos días. Esto se debió a que tenía una firme comprensión de la verdad a la que sometió sus sentimientos. Su fe no fue desmantelada por la duda, el sufrimiento o incluso el dolor insoportable.
A fin de cuentas, el cristianismo no siempre va a ser agradable. Pregúntale al apóstol Pablo, que fue secuestrado, golpeado, azotado, encarcelado, ridiculizado, naufragado y apedreado, antes de ser decapitado. El cristianismo no siempre se va a sentir que “funciona”.
Convertirse en un investigador de pruebas en lugar de un adicto a las experiencias llevó al ex ateo J. Warner Wallace a una conclusión inquebrantable:
En momentos de profunda duda o gran sufrimiento, es maravilloso saber que el cristianismo es verdadero, ¡lo sintamos o no!
Recursos recomendados en Español:
Robándole a Dios (tapa blanda), (Guía de estudio para el profesor) y (Guía de estudio del estudiante) por el Dr. Frank Turek
Por qué no tengo suficiente fe para ser un ateo (serie de DVD completa), (Manual de trabajo del profesor) y (Manual del estudiante) del Dr. Frank Turek
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Alisa Childers es una cantante y compositora estadounidense, más conocida por formar parte del grupo femenino de música cristiana ZOEgirl. Ha tenido una lista de los diez mejores sencillos de la radio, cuatro lanzamientos de estudio y recibió el premio Dove durante su tiempo con ZOEgirl. Años más tarde, Alisa experimentó un profundo desafío a su fe de toda la vida cuando empezó a asistir a lo que más tarde se identificaría como una iglesia cristiana progresista. Este desafío empujó a Alisa hacia la Apologética Cristiana. Actualmente se puede leer, escuchar y ver el trabajo de Alisa en línea, así como adquirir su libro recientemente publicado sobre el cristianismo progresista, titulado Another Gospel.
Blog Original: https://cutt.ly/LYaqFTi
Traducido por Jennifer Chavez
Editado por Daniela Checa Delgado
Why Grace is the True Meaning of Christmas
PodcastWhat is the true meaning of Christmas? As Christians, we know it has little to do with trees, presents, and reindeer. But what is it really about? Why is there a Christmas at all? Frank goes to an unlikely place to highlight why Christmas exists — the book of Galatians. There, the Apostle Paul fights for the truth of the gospel — the “good news”— the news that Christ has come to take our sin upon Himself and offer us forgiveness and righteousness for free. The greatest news in the history of the world is that God saves us by grace. Christianity would not be unique if it was just another works-based way to get to God. Grace sets people free from guilt, from rituals, from anxiety, and, most importantly, from our sins. Join Frank as he unpacks this from the first book of the Bible Paul ever wrote, with the most important message he ever wrote.
If you want to send us a question for the show, please email us at Hello@CrossExamined.org.
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3 Reasons Why Jesus Is The Only Way
4. Is the NT True?, Jesus ChristBy Tim Stratton
Sermon Outline
Riddle me this: What’s black and white and RED all over?
I remember the first time my dad posed that question to me when I was a young child. Even as a little boy – untrained in philosophy – I knew something was amiss.
I intuitively understood that if something was literally black and white . . . like a news paper . . . then it could not be the COLOR RED all over. After all, something cannot be the colors RED and Black and White simultaneously and in the same sense. There’s a contradiction here – nothing can actually be black and white AND the color red ALL OVER.
Then my dad explained to me that there was a “play on words” going on here – a “word game!” The “read all over” doesn’t refer to a color, but refers to the fact that someone can read the entire newspaper, and thus, the black and white newspaper will be READ all over.
Now, why can’t a newspaper actually be black and white AND the COLOR RED all over? Because this statement violates the logical law of non-contradiction.
The Laws of The Logos
How many of you know about the laws of logic?
I actually discuss the laws of logic in my book (my doctoral dissertation which was published last year). The first chapter is focused on how to properly interpret The Bible. Think about it: Interpreting Scripture correctly presupposes and depends upon the laws of logic. There are three fundamental Laws of Logic that are always required in rational discussion – and in interpreting Scripture:
Let’s talk about God. Christians typically recognize God as a Maximally Great Being who possesses certain properties such as omnipotence (perfect power), omniscience (perfect knowledge), and omnibenevolence (perfect love for all people). Some theologians claim that God does not love all people and thus, based on the Law of Identity, worship a different God. I have noted that this is dangerously close to idolatry (see this short video for more).
I’ve often said that the Law of the Excluded Middle is my favorite logical law! Think about it this way: God either exists or He doesn’t (there is no middle position). Jesus either physically rose from the dead, or He didn’t.
This presupposition is supported by Scripture itself. For example, Psalm 119:160 states that the sum of your words is truth and this implies, in turn, that God’s Word, which Christians believe is true in all that it teaches, will be logical when studied in the context as a whole.
Wayne Grudem continues:
These laws are just as necessary to keep a person grounded in rationality as the law of gravity is necessary to keep them grounded on the earth. The laws of logic are tools which help a person to objectively determine true or false propositions, inferences, and deductions.
In my book I wrote the following:
Now, many people these days assert that “all religions are true!” Based on the laws of logic, however (namely, the law of non-contradiction), we KNOW this cannot be true! Consider statements made from different worldviews/religions:
Mohammad VS Jesus
Love those who consider you to be an enemy VS. Kill the infidel! (Which one is it?)
Hinduism VS Islam
“There are multiple gods” VS. “Allah is the one true God.” Both cannot be true
Buddhism VS Judaism
These religions contradict each other. They are mutually exclusive. They might both be false, but they cannot both be true. (BTW: They are both false).
Atheism VS Theism
Based on the logical law of the excluded middle, God either exists or He doesn’t. Since atheism says God does not exists and Christians, Jews, and Muslims claim that God does exist, one might not know what worldview is true, but one can KNOW – with certainty – that both views cannot be true simultaneously.
These views are mutually exclusive.
Every other view VS Mere Christianity
“God raised Jesus from the dead.” If those six words comprising that one statement is true, then some flavor of Christianity is true. CS Lewis described this as “Mere Christianity.” This leads us to what has been called “the most hated words in the Bible.” This verse is contained within today’s passage of Scripture.
READ: John 14:1-14
14 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God[a]; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”
5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know[b] my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”
9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. 12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
Let’s pray . . .
“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one gets to the Father, but by me.”
In 1998 the great theologian and philosopher known as Madonna confidently declared (on MTV):
“All ways lead to God!”
Madonna, although I don’t remember her saying anything about Jesus at the time, was directly opposing Jesus. Well, based on the laws of logic, we must ask the question:
“Who is right!? Madonna or Jesus?”
If Madonna is right, then Jesus is wrong. But if Jesus is right, then Madonna is wrong.
In fact, just a couple weeks ago a survey was published showing that over 60% of self-described “born-again Christians in America between the ages of 18 and 39 do NOT believe that Jesus is the ONLY WAY to Heaven — and that Buddha and Muhammad also are valid paths to salvation, the Christian Post reported.
The Church (at large and across our nation) is in BIG TROUBLE!
Today, I’m going to give you reason to put your trust in the words of Jesus (as opposed to Madonna) and provide reasons as to WHY Jesus is THE ONLY WAY. In fact, all people should see that Jesus is the only way – the only way to eternal life in Heaven – for three reasons.
Reason #1: God raised Jesus from the dead!
God raised Jesus from the dead (thus, seemingly placing His divine stamp of approval on everything Jesus said, taught, and exemplified – and upon those Jesus chose to continue His teachings).
I don’t have time to unpack all of this right now, but based on the historical method – the same historical method that historians employ to find out facts about the past – the same historical method that historians have employed to find out facts about Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar and so many more – is the same historical method historians have employed to find out certain facts about the historical person known as Jesus of Nazareth.
If you’d like to learn more please watch four videos I recorded about the historical resurrection on my YouTube channel:
Part 1- Historical Facts: https://cutt.ly/KYPicUq
Part 2- Examining the Evidence: https://cutt.ly/0YPibBB
Part 3- Hallucinations, Aliens, and Other Silly Ideas: https://cutt.ly/FYPiQ9e
Part 4- The Good News of the Resurrection: https://cutt.ly/mYPiRH5
Historians seek independent sources, such as, eyewitness accounts, both positive and embarrassing. These sources are plentiful when it comes to the life of Jesus and his resurrection. Mike Licona states that we have as much evidence of the resurrection, if not more, than we have of Julius Caesar’s crossing the Rubicon in 49 BC.
He notes that even the harshest skeptical and atheistic historians admit several things as historical fact about Jesus. For example:
Licona makes his case even stronger by utilizing a “minimal facts” approach that does not even reference the Gospels, meaning that even if the Gospels did not exist these facts about Jesus remain:
Points one through four are accepted facts regarding Jesus and the fifth, although not accepted by many skeptics, remains unrefuted. So, when it comes to the historical method we need to ask the following question:
What hypothesis best accounts for all of these facts?
In Licona’s book, he demonstrates that the resurrection hypothesis accounts for all of these facts – while no other scientific hypothesis offered accounts for all of these together. The best explanation of the facts is the hypothesis which makes sense of all of them together.
The resurrection hypothesis is the only one left on the table.
For a deep dive into this study, I recommend Licona’s book: “The Resurrection of Jesus.”
Bottom line: if God raised Jesus from the dead, then some flavor of Christianity has gotta be true. And if God raised Jesus from the dead, then it seems that God has given His divine stamp of approval to the words and life of Jesus . . . and we have no reason to think He has done so for Madonna.
Thus, a rational and logical person should follow Jesus on this matter and believe what He says in John 14:6 – Jesus is the ONLY WAY and NO ONE gets to the Father except through Jesus!
So, the first reason why you should believe that Jesus is the ONLY WAY, is because we have historical evidence that Jesus was raised from the dead (that’s great reason to celebrate Easter)! This seems to be a divine stamp of approval upon the life and teachings of Jesus, and since Jesus taught that He is the ONLY WAY, we have good reason to believe Him.
But this raises the philosophical question: WHY is Jesus the only way to God? This leads us to the next point:
Reason #2: Jesus is God!
Jesus is the only way to God because He is God.
Hold up! You might be thinking: Doesn’t saying that Jesus IS God violate the logical law of identity or the law of non-contradiction? Isn’t this some kind of a logical error?
A few months ago I led a youth group to Salt Lake City and BYU was kind enough to host our group, give us guided tour of their beautiful campus, they gave each one of us a nice BYU ball cap, and then we had a time of Q&A with one of the top Mormon leaders in Salt Lake.
One thing my Mormon friend said was that our view of Christianity had to be false because it is non-sensical to say that we worship ONE person and THREE persons at the same time.
I respectfully interrupted him and said,
So, the concept of “Jesus being God” is logically coherent . . . but do we have biblical reason to think Jesus actually is the Creator of the universe? Consider what both John and Paul say about Jesus. Since we are in the Gospel of John, let’s start there and rewind to the beginning . . .
John 1: states the following:
“In the beginning was the Word (Logos), and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made…. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Now, I just mentioned Easter, but this is the message of Christmas — God “dwelt among us” (Immanuel)!
What I want you to see here is that The Bible refers to Jesus as “The Logos” and implies that not only is Jesus God, but also gives us some insight into the Trinity. From a theological perspective, this passage of scripture carries much weight.
Science Supports Scripture
Do you know that we actually have scientific evidence supporting this scripture?
To quickly summarize: The current scientific consensus strongly supports the theory that all nature (the stuff that scientists can test and discover) had an absolute beginning (big bang cosmology, 2nd Law of Thermodynamics, and the Borde, Guth, Vilenkin Theorem of 2003).
Everything that begins to exist has a cause, and the evidence demonstrates that the universe (all nature) began to exist. It follows that since nature began to exist, nature cannot be the cause of nature itself. Therefore, the cause of nature must be something other than nature (supernatural).
This is exactly what the first chapter of John is stating about Jesus – he is the supernatural cause of the natural universe, and he entered into his creation so that we could know him. Think about that! The Creator of the universe entered into the universe to save the people within the universe. This is what Christmas is all about. This is why we have good reason to celebrate Christmas.
To survey some of the science supporting scripture (and more), click here!
“The Logic”
Another thing to keep in mind when reading the first Chapter of John is that the Greek word for “word” – “Logos” – is used synonymously with Jesus in the text. It is interesting to note that “logos,” in Greek, means, “the principle of reason.” This is where we get the word “logic.”
The Bible is clear that Jesus is God and seems to suggest that He is the grounding of logic and reason. You see, logic is grounded in the essence of God. Therefore, when we choose to think and behave logically, we are godly (approximating to or being like God).
On a side note: it’s quite interesting to note that Critical Race Theorists reject logic and exclaim that “appealing to logic and reason is racist!” However, God commanded us to “be reasonable” in Isaiah 1:18 . . . so, I’m gonna stay reasonable and appeal to logic no matter what anyone might call me.
See, “The Great Commission Is Racist!” https://cutt.ly/IYPiwoC
Bottom line: if you were thinking that we should not place so much emphasis on logic, then – according to John – you are not putting enough emphasis on the nature of Jesus!
Jesus is “The Logic” – the only way to make sense of reality!
With that said, what does the Apostle Paul say about Jesus in Colossians 1:16 . . .
The Preeminence of Christ
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
Wow! According to Paul, if one can say that the creation of the universe “flowed” (as it were) through one person of the Trinity, it would be through the Second Person of the Trinity – Jesus Christ Himself!
The Creator of the universe, entered into the universe, to save the people within the universe. How cool is that? With that in mind, let’s talk about HOW Jesus saved the people within the universe.
This is our last point about WHY Jesus is the ONLY WAY!
Reason #3: The atonement of Jesus just makes sense.
Why did Jesus have to die? Why is the wages of sin death? Why can’t the wages of sin be five bucks or seven years of hard labor?
Why did Jesus have to die?
Before addressing that all-important question, first understand two things: 1- who we are, and 2- who God is.
According to Westminster Confession, the objective purpose of mankind is to know and enjoy God. I like to “tweak” it ever so slightly, and state: The objective purpose of mankind is to grow in our knowledge of God, to grow in love with God, and to enjoy a personal relationship with our Creator for all eternity (Hosea 6:6; Luke 10:27; Col 1:9; 1 Tim 2:4).
Or to say it this way: You were created on purpose and for the specific purpose of enjoying a true love relationship with God into the eternal future.
Scores of humanity have considered the meaning and purpose of life. The fact remains, if God does not exist, then there is no objective purpose in life (Atheism Catch-22). Christians, however, do not suffer from this sort of conundrum. In fact, we have a ready answer. We know the objective meaning and purpose of life: God created every human to know, love, and enjoy God into the eternal future. This is why God created the universe and all of its contents. This is why you exist, so that you could know him. We were created on purpose and for that exact and specific purpose.
Like Oil & Water
By definition, God is a maximally great being and necessarily perfect in every way. Moreover, God created you to enjoy a perfect, holy, and pure love relationship with him.
But we’ve got a problem — a big problem! As a result of sin, now we as humans are anything but holy and pure. Now we are guilty, alienated, and corrupt in nature. Since we are corrupt and imperfect, we are unequally yoked with a maximally great being.
Like oil and water, now, we are “unmixable” with a perfect God. He is necessary perfection and we are infection. The two simply do not mix and that is a major problem for humanity.
So, humanity needs a savior. With a savior we can be justified instead of guilty, adopted instead of alienated, and have a purified and regenerated nature instead of a corrupt nature.
We were created for one objective purpose – to be the Bride of Christ (Eph 5:25-27) in a perfect and true love marriage. We were created to love and to be loved by our Creator. However, now, because of sin, we are infected and do not mix with necessary perfection any longer (i.e., oil and water). As a result, we are necessarily separated from God.
Our hearts were created to be “pointed” to God, but now they are dysfunctional, sick, and twisted because of this separation. Our hearts are now “curved in” on themselves, they are self-centered, selfish, and sinful. We have completely “missed the mark” (the objective purpose of human existence). This is literally what the word “sin” means in the original Greek. The “mark” is God, but we are separated from him; we do not even know God exists apart from his revelation. Due to this separation, we cannot even “aim” at God and of course we will “miss the mark” and sin.
We are infected, self-centered creatures – but we are not supposed to be. God created you for a specific purpose and gave you a job description: BE HOLY! (Namely by loving God and others.) Being holy means to be God focused instead of self-focused. The problem is, all of us have “missed the mark” and have become “infection.” Therefore, we have a damaged relationship with perfection – God.
Is Restoration Possible?
The question remains: how is a broken relationship restored? Two things must occur if a damaged relationship is to be restored: 1) The offended party must choose to bear the harm. 2) The offending party must choose to confess and repent. In our relationship with God, he is the offended party as we sinned against him. We are the offending party, and are thus powerless to restore this relationship on our own. Our works are meaningless unless God, as the offended party, chooses to bear the harm. Left to our own devices, our work does not work (Isaiah 64:6).
God is life! He is the author and giver of life. He invented it and life comes from him. In the well-known Bible verse, John 14:6, Jesus claims he is “the life.” If God is life, then separation from life is death. Since sin separates us from God (like oil and water), then, consequently, sin equals death. Therefore, in every aspect that you have life, you will die if you are separated from the source of life. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).
If our relationship with God is to be restored, then God must bear the harm as the offended party. If the harm is death, then, God must die. One small problem though: it is logically impossible for a necessary being to die. God cannot die physically because he is immaterial and spirit. God cannot die spiritually because he cannot be separated from himself (although Jesus felt like it on the Cross).
You are a soul (an immaterial thinking thing) with one set of cognitive faculties. God is one soul with three sets of cognitive faculties. Just as your cognitive faculties cannot be separated from you as a spiritual substance (soul), God’s cognitive faculties (all three of them) cannot be separated from his “spiritual substance.”
If God is going to bear the harm, he has to die because the wages of sin is death. God cannot die as God. Therefore, if humans are to be saved, God had to become human so he could bear the harm and experience death. We need Christmas, we need Good Friday, and we need Easter to have a restored relationship with our Creator (Happy Holy-Days)!
Why do we need Easter (the Resurrection)? It took more than just executing Jesus, because if death was punishment, if Christ is still dead, then he is still being punished. The Resurrection is proof that God is satisfied with Jesus’ atoning work. Therefore, Christianity is true!
Remember, we were created on purpose and for the objective purpose to love God with our entire being. We see this demonstrated in multiple Bible verse such as Luke 10:27 and Matthew 22:37, we are to love God with all of our mind/soul, and body/strength.
The reason why you exist is to LOVE! You were created on purpose and for the specific purpose to love God . . . AND . . . to love our neighbors (and even those who consider you to be an enemy as our very selves!
Taken together—love God and love others—comprises the WAY of Jesus. We’re talking this morning about why we believe in the TRUTH of Jesus. But He also says that He is the WAY to live… and this is His way: “Love God and love everyone!”
The purpose of life is all about LOVE!
To do anything other than that is to miss the mark (the very definition of sin).
If we ever choose not to love God in any way that we have life, then our lives ought to be terminated because we are objectively broken. This is an appropriate outcome. If something breaks, we either throw it away, or we fix it. Now, as far as our broken relationship with God goes, we have the choice to either be “thrown away” or to be “fixed.” Because of the work of Jesus (the Atonement) all people can be “fixed” and restored — as we ought to be in an objective sense — if we choose to be.
Justice is Good
Consider the nature of God to gain understanding of these issues. Psalm 97 states, “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.” This is not referring to God’s chair; rather, this is stating the essential attributes and the essence of God. This describes who God is! In other words, if God did not exist, there would be no such thing as objective righteousness, goodness, wickedness, or justice. God is perfect love (1 John 4:8). Thus, perfect justice must be part of his essential omni-benevolent nature as well. After all, justice is good and loving.
When someone escapes justice, we intuitively know that it is a bad thing. God created the universe, and part of the fabric of His creation is a moral universe. There are also natural laws, mathematical laws, and logical laws that govern the universe. Similarly, there are moral laws that we are obligated to obey (Paul says they are “written on our hearts” in Romans 2:15).
Perfect justice demands punishment, or it is not really justice. God cannot turn a blind-eye to our sin and say, “Oh well, boys will be boys, girls will be girls, humans will be humans.” That is not justice; it is injustice and ignoring crime and ignoring evil is bad. Therefore, God cannot ignore our sin and remain worthy of worship.
If a criminal commits a crime, we know that he deserves to be punished. We also know that the punishment should be fair and that it ought to fit the crime. If a seventeen-year-old shoplifts a pack of bubblegum from the gas station, there should be an appropriate punishment – we don’t give him the death penalty! However, moral monsters like Ted Bundy, Timothy McVeigh, and Osama bin Laden deserve a much greater punishment than the bubblegum burglar.
Now think about our crimes; we might not be a Ted Bundy, or a Hitler; however, we have all committed crimes against the very essence of morality, love, goodness, and justice – God! Because of this fact, we do not “mix” or relate with God. One may object and state that they are generally a “good person.” This may be true; however, they are not perfectly good, and cannot “mix” with a necessarily perfect God. Our lives are broken and infected, and therefore, we need a savior so that we can have a relationship with our creator. This brings us to Jesus; this brings us to the cross.
Conclusion
Some have falsely accused God the Father of some form of “cosmic child abuse” because he took out his wrath on his innocent son, because we sinful humans made him so angry. This is bad theology (remember the doctrine of the Trinity). We worship one God (not three); Christians are monotheists. Jesus is God. It logically follows that Jesus *is* the offended party. Therefore, Jesus, at the cross, satisfied his own righteous wrath – his own justice (which is good), for us! This is amazing love! This is amazing grace (the Cross was enough)!
Do you see the beauty? The offended party (a sinless, holy, pure, and morally perfect God) became human to pay our gruesome debt, to bear the harm, to satisfy his morally perfect justice. Wow! Because God has chosen to bear the harm, now, we have a choice to make. We can either choose to accept God’s act of love on the cross, or we can reject God’s grace and deal with his justice (separation from God and all that is good). Do you want perfect justice or perfect love? Perfect love is Heaven and perfect justice is separation from the Creator of the universe (Hell).
Because of what Jesus has done, we can have a restored relationship with our Creator. All you have to do, as the offending party, is freely choose to confess, repent, follow, and fall in love with Jesus. This is the essence of the message of the Gospel.
You see, we have THREE very good reasons to believe that Jesus is the only way to Heaven, just as He claimed to be.
Have you put your trust in Jesus? Do you love Jesus?
Pray . . .
Outro: What is black and while and SHOULD be READ all over? Your Bible!
Spend time in your Bible. That’s a great way to fall in love with Jesus.
Recommended resources related to the topic:
How Can Jesus be the Only Way? (mp4 Download) by Frank Turek
Can All Religions Be True? mp3 by Frank Turek
Counter Culture Christian: Is There Truth in Religion? (DVD) by Frank Turek
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Timothy A. Stratton (PhD, North-West University) is a professor at Trinity College of the Bible and Theological Seminary. As a former youth pastor, he is now devoted to answering deep theological and philosophical questions he first encountered from inquisitive teens in his church youth group. Stratton is founder and president of FreeThinking Ministries, a web-based apologetics ministry. Stratton speaks on church and college campuses around the country and offers regular videos on FreeThinking Ministries’ YouTube channel.
Original Blog Source: https://bit.ly/3Gou2pR
What is the Difference Between Miracles and Magic
3. Are Miracles Possible?, Theology and Christian ApologeticsBy Justin Angelos
Seven years ago, I was the manager at a Men’s tailored clothing store. Part of my job was, counting the money each morning that was put into the safe the night before. One of the ladies I use to work with was an expert in spotting counterfeit money. Due to her former work as part of her training method, she had a very high-quality counterfeit dollar bill. At first glance, I could not tell the difference between the real one and the counterfeit until she started training us on what to look for. Then, the counterfeit no longer looked like a real dollar bill. The counterfeit dollar is meant to deceive.
The difference between signs performed in witchcraft, and the signs or miracles performed by God in the Bible are, God’s signs or miracles are meant to lead people to the Truth, and the signs performed in witchcraft are meant to lead people away from the truth, they meant to deceive people and lead them away from Jesus Christ. There are four miracles that only Christ can perform:
In the Exodus story, there were magicians working for Pharaoh that were able to mimic some of the miracles that Moses was doing, but there came a point where they were unable to perform the miracles that Moses was doing.[7] “The magicians tried by their secret arts to produce gnats, but they could not. So there were gnats on man and beast. 19 Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.” (Exodus 8:18-19 The Pharaoh’s magicians were unable to summon gnats (Exodus 8:16) and turn the sky dark (Exodus 10:21-23) and they were unable to call down hail from the sky (Exodus 9:22-26) Jesus has power over nature, has he demonstrated when He calmed the storm on the sea of Galilee. (Mark 4:35-41) “The four areas we have problems with are sin, sickness, natural disasters, and death.”[8] These are the four areas Jesus demonstrated His power over.
The miracles performed by magicians or witchcraft are merely a counterfeit, meant to deceive people away from the truth. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 11:14 “And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.” Miracles performed by God, are meant to reveal the truth and show that He can right what is wrong with the world we live in. Dr. Norman Geisler mentions that “again and again it is repeated that the purpose of these signs is twofold” “By this, you will know that I am the Lord” (Exodus 7:17) and that these are my people (Exodus 3:10) The three purposes for Miracles are 1) to glorify God (Jh 2:11); 2) To accredit a certain person as the spokespeople for God (Acts 2:22), and 3) to provide evidence for belief in God (Jh 6:2,14 20:30-31).[9] Maybe at the superficial level the miracles in the Bible and the ones performed by magicians or witchcraft might look the same, but once a person takes a deeper look, you will find they are not the same. In fact, I think it is better to classify the “miracles” done by witchcraft as illusions.
References:
[1] Joe Amaral, Understanding Jesus (New York, NY: Faith Words Publishing, 2011), 7, 35, 43, 111,123
[2] Joe Amaral, p.7
[3] Joe Amaral, Understanding Jesus P.35
[4] Joe Amaral, Understanding Jesus P. 43
[5] Joe Amaral, Understanding Jesus. P. 111
[6] Joe Amaral, Understanding Jesus, p. 126
[7]Frank Turek, Nov 4th, 2019 Cross Examined.org https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVxvwbTcx54
[8] Frank Turek, Nov 4th, 2019 Cross Examined.org https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVxvwbTcx54
[9] Norman Geisler, Systematic Theology in one volume (Bloomington, Minnesota: Bethany Publishers, 2002), 34
Recommended resources related to the topic:
Miracles: The Evidence by Frank Turek DVD and Mp4
Two Miracles You Take With You Everywhere You Go by Frank Turek DVD, Mp3 and Mp4
Counter Culture Christian: Is There Truth in Religion? (DVD) by Frank Turek
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As the newest member of Bellator Christi, Seattle native, Justin Angelos, brings a passion for evangelism and discipleship along with theology and apologetics. He has studied at Biola University and Liberty University. Justin focuses on providing help for those who suffer from emotional and anxiety issues.
Original Blog Source: https://bit.ly/2ZNIqIC
Finding God’s Will for Your Life
PodcastHow do you find God’s will for your life? God sends you hints and nudges so you know what school to go to, what job to take, and who to marry. After all, God’s sheep “hear his voice”, we are “led by the Spirit”, and God gives us “peace” when we discover his will through “a still, small voice”.
That’s the traditional Christian view. But is that view biblical? Sorry, but the answer is no!
Greg Koukl, president of Stand to Reason and CIA instructor, joins Frank to show us why this view is wrong, and to offer us the true biblical view of finding God’s will for your life. Along the way, Greg addresses all the scriptures typically used to defend the traditional view and shows why they don’t work.
While some people may be upset because they think the true biblical view takes God away from them, the biblical view is actually liberating and will help you become a more mature disciple of Christ. This podcast is certainly one of the most practical and important we’ve done recently, so please don’t miss it!
For much more on this topic, be sure to read Greg’s three-part series called Does God Whisper?
If you want to send us a question for the show, please email us at Hello@CrossExamined.org.
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Confrontando la homosexualidad en la cultura de la identidad (parte 1)
EspañolPor Josh Klein
Lil Nas X
¿Conoces el nombre? Desconozco el porqué lo sabrías, pero Lil Nas X se ha convertido en un pequeño ícono cultural en recientes años. Escribió una exitosa canción country/hip-hop en 2019 llamada “Old Town Road” con la estrella del country Billy Ray Cyrus. El éxito de este éxito impulsó a Lil Nas X a la fama moderna. La canción, y su remix, ganó catorce premios desde los Grammys hasta los “Kids’ Choice Awards”[1].
Como resultado, Lil Nas X estuvo de gira por el país cantando para niños de primaria y fueron citadas sus palabras cuando dijo que los pequeños eran su “audiencia coro”[2] a inicios del 2021.
¿Por qué estoy escribiendo acerca de Lil Nas X en un sitio web Cristiano?
Bueno, este hombre que compite por la atención de ojos y oídos de los niños hace poco sacó un nuevo video musical que es todo menos “apto para los niños”. En su canción Montero, se puede ver a Lil Nas X coqueteando con el Diablo, el Diablo lame su ombligo, baila en un tubo que desciende al infierno, y le hace un baile erótico a Satán sobre su regazo en el inframundo. Al final del video, Lil Nas x le rompe el cuello a Satanás y le quita la corona, declarándose como el rey del infierno (lo cual sabemos que es inexacto, teológicamente hablando… Satanás no gobierna el infierno -lee Rescuing Hell [Salvando el infierno]).
Para capitalizar el éxito viral del video, Lil Nas X se asoció con una empresa de mercadeo llamada MSCHF (un juego de letras para escribir engaño -en inglés-) para sacar a la venta unos tenis con la etiqueta de Nike (Nike ya demandó a MSCHF por infracción a los derechos de autor) dedicados a Satanás[3].
Lil Nas X también resulta ser un hombre gay . Lo cual no sería relevante en la lista de problemas con las maniobras publicitarias antes mencionadas, pero como Lil Nas X utilizó su educación como catalizador para el lanzamiento de la nueva canción y el vídeo, es pertinente para la conversación[4].
Aunque este artículo no es acerca de Lil Nas X, o los tenis de Satanás, o la cada vez mayor carga de los dogmas de la izquierda sobre nuestros niños.
Quería analizar la cuestión central en torno a la canción de Lil Nas X, y una cuestión central que se da en los círculos evangélicos desde hace más de una década.
Homosexualidad.
Hace algunas semanas, recibí un texto de una persona joven con preocupación sobre este tema:
En el libro de Sean y Josh McDowell The Beauty of Intolerance[5] (La belleza de la Intolerancia), ambos intentan derribar el problema de la Verdad y del Amor y usan de ejemplo el argumento de la familia acerca de la sexualidad como motor para la discusión. Si no has leído el libro, es una buena lectura y va al grano de la cultura actual de una nueva tolerancia que busca complicidad, en lugar de aceptación, a la narrativa de valores morales subjetivos.
Pero el argumento sobre la homosexualidad dentro de la Iglesia se remonta a décadas, así que ¿Qué es lo nuevo? La novedad del problema proviene de la pobre aproximación al problema de la homosexualidad en las décadas de 1970 a 1990 por parte de la iglesia evangélica conservadora. Se hablaba poco de la homosexualidad y a menudo se consideraba una cuestión política más que de pecado. Resalto algo de esto en un artículo anterior en el sitio web Free Thinking Ministry’s[6] (belleza de artículo) así que no voy a entrar en toda la historia aquí.
Sin embargo, creo que es más importante notar que el argumento que los cristianos no atendieron durante ese tiempo fue si la homosexualidad era o no algo de elección o genético.
El argumento decía que si era algo de elección, podríamos corregir la homosexualidad; pero si era genético, entonces no podríamos. Este argumento también implicaba que la inclinación natural podría ser un comportamiento establecido por Dios.
Recuerdo haber crecido en los años 90 escuchando a muchos evangélicos hablar como si fuera absolutamente imperativo que nunca se encontrara un “gen gay”. . Casi como si el descubrimiento científico pudiese hacer temblar miles de años de ortodoxia en el tema.
Pero en el caso bíblico contra el comportamiento homosexual no es genético.
Es espiritual y bíblico.
La genética fue afectada por la caída tanto como nuestro estado espiritual, y lo sabemos. Cuando decimos algo como “al final, ya no habrá más enfermedad o muerte” no solamente nos estamos refiriendo a la Escritura (Ap. 21:4 LBLA) pero estamos afirmando que hay un componente físico en la naturaleza caída del hombre. En otras palabras: Nuestro ADN, disposiciones físicas, e inclinaciones naturales están tan caídas como nuestra alma.
Quiero ser claro, no estoy diciendo que la homosexualidad sea una enfermedad, al menos no una enfermedad mental. Pero, como otros “pecados de disposición” es una enfermedad del alma.
La homosexualidad es consecuencia de la caída[7] tanto como lo es mentir, engañar, o la promiscuidad heterosexual. Si es o no natural no tiene relevancia dentro del tema teológico. Hay muchos comportamientos naturales que estamos llamados a frenar como cristianos. Codicia, lujuria, avaricia, y orgullo son algunas de las muchas inclinaciones naturales con las que los seres humanos nacen con las cuales debemos lidiar con tiempo extra en el proceso de santificación cristiano.
La homosexualidad está dentro de muchos de esos pecados de inclinación natural. La Iglesia argumenta contra la genética cuando no tiene necesidad de hacerlo, ya que argumentar contra la genética está permitiendo que la narrativa de la identidad socave la naturaleza del problema.
Y ahora tenemos un problema más grande.
Ya no estamos hablando de la actividad, estamos hablándole a lapersona, en sus mentes les estamos pidiendo que no sean ellos mismos. Les estamos diciendo que dejen ir, no solo la inclinación natural humana sino toda su identidad de pertenencia.
En cierto sentido, les estamos diciendo que se llamen malvados.
Pero ningún cristiano que se precie de serlo afirmaría que ser gay condena a una persona al infierno. No, nosotros no somos pecadores porque pecamos, nosotros pecamos porque somos constituídos pecadores, y por ello, ya estamos condenados (Juan 3:17), En un sentido, no es el pecado lo que nos hace malos, es la maldad de nuestro corazón la que nos hace pecar. Dios nos rescató de nuestra consumada disposición moribunda. Todos somos básicamente malos y todos necesitamos una nueva identidad para superar esta maldad.
Sin embargo, se puede ver por qué alguien que se identifica como homosexual encontraría difícil seguir a un Dios que le dice pecado a lo que ellos consideran como la definición de su naturaleza distintiva. Si una persona es básicamente buena, entonces el centro de su identidad también es básicamente bueno.
Pero la doctrina ortodoxa cristiana enseña, de manera correcta y lógica, que todos somos básicamente malos y con la necesidad de ser salvos. Nuestra identidad es entonces el pecado y necesitamos un cambio de identidad ¡para ser buenos! todos nosotros.
La teología ortodoxa, le grita a la comunidad LGTBQ+, que Dios cometió un error cuando los creó. Y como Lil Nas X, ellos o se odian a sí mismos o se rebelan contra la fe en general.
Traducción:
“Tweet Montero @LilNasX
pasé toda mi adolescencia odiándome por toda la mierda que ustedes predicaban que me pasaría porque era gay. así que espero que ustedes estén enojados, permanezcan enojados, y sientan la misma ira que nos enseñaron a tener contra nosotros mismos. 1:09 PM – Mar 27,2021″
El resultado de predicar cambio de comportamiento en vez de transformación de la identidad es el autodesprecio y angustia, no una convicción.
El resultado natural de esto, entonces, es aprovecharse de los ofendidos; y el movimiento teológico liberal buscó hacer justamente eso. Ellos buscaron facilitar un punto teológico para que llegaran los heridos homosexuales al cuerpo de Cristo.
Dios es amor, por ello, Él no desearía que nadie se odiara a sí mismo por su identidad. Así que, debemos mejorar nuestra hamartiología (el estudio del pecado) para permitir un comportamiento que fue entendido como pecaminoso a lo largo de la historia de la Iglesia porque Dios no comete errores.
Es cierto que Dios no comete errores, pero no es cierto que Su creación en este momento está perfeccionada. Así que, somos intrínsecamente defectuosos y pecaminosos. Si no fuese así, ¿Por qué necesitaríamos un salvador?
El error de los teólogos liberales es asumir que es aceptable otra identidad además de la de “hijos de Dios”[8].
Soy un hombre al que le atrae el sexo opuesto, pero mi identidad no está en función de la atracción.
Mi identidad es pecador o santo. Bendito sea Dios que me invitó a Su familia, puedo decir que soy un hijo de Dios y como resultado le atraen las mujeres. Sin embargo, el resultado de esta inclinación natural de atracción debe estar acotada de manera que refleje el diseño de Dios.
Una mujer para toda la vida.
He aceptado esta limitación gozosamente, porque no es ninguna limitación, sino que es realización de la libertad basada en la divinidad a través de Cristo. Y creo, firmemente, que aquellos que son homosexuales pueden experimentar esta misma contraintuitiva libertad. Más sobre esto en las próximas semanas.
Responder satisfactoriamente a la homosexualidad en este aspecto debiera ser simple. Puedes ser un hombre o una mujer que se siente atracción al mismo sexo (independientemente si es una elección o una inclinación genética) pero si eres un hijo de Dios (creyente de Jesús como tu Salvador) entonces la inclinación de la atracción debe ser frenada para que refleje el diseño de Dios.
Lo cual, desafortunadamente para la persona con naturales inclinaciones homosexuales, sería una negación de sí mismo al actuar en esa atracción.
Mi corazón se duele por esa persona de manera muy sincera y mi empatía se extiende hacia ellos de más maneras de las que se pueden imaginar. Pero la verdad es la verdad, y el pecado es el pecado. No hay tal cosa como la compasión basada una mentira, estar de acuerdo con la mentira y dejarla continuar no es compasivo ni misericordioso. La verdadera compasión es cariñosa, pero firme, confronta el pecado y la falsedad en el nombre de Cristo y ofrece libertad en Su nombre.
De la misma manera que cualquier hombre heterosexual lucha con la pornografía puede atestiguar, esta autonegación del placer sexual está más allá de lo difícil y no debe pasarse nada por alto. Pero no negamos el placer sexual como forma de castigarnos, lo hacemos para glorificar a Dios. Los límites no están para evitar ir al infierno, están puestos para glorificar el cielo. Cuando cometemos el error de establecer los límites alrededor del pecado para evitar el pecado en lugar de glorificar a Dios nos ponemos a nosotros mismos, y a otros, enfrente de un fracaso monumental.
Y es cuando hacemos esto qué somos tentados a ser empáticos con una batalla que no se puede ganar. Tengo empatía por aquellos que luchan por evitar el pecado. Sé lo difícil que es, pero una empatía errónea puede guiar por caminos teológicos peligrosos y de esto estaremos hablando la siguiente semana. ¿Cómo mostrar empatía manteniéndonos firmes en la verdad? Porque eso es verdadera misericordia y compasión. Y esa es la misión del cristiano.
Referencias
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_awards_and_nominations_received_by_Lil_Nas_X
[2] https://www.gpb.org/news/2021/01/06/lil-nas-x-says-children-are-his-core-audience-right-now-and-thats-ok
[3] https://satan.shoes/
[4] https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/lil-nas-x-s-satan-shoes-trolled-some-christians-montero-ncna1262495
[5] https://www.amazon.com/Beauty-Intolerance-Setting-Generation-Truth-ebook/dp/B015F06DMS
[6] https://freethinkingministries.com/cuties-the-natural-progression-of-love-is-love/
[7] https://biblia.com/bible/esv/romans/1/26-27
[8] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+3%3A1&version=NASB1995
Recursos recomendados en Español:
Robándole a Dios (tapa blanda), (Guía de estudio para el profesor) y (Guía de estudio del estudiante) por el Dr. Frank Turek
Por qué no tengo suficiente fe para ser un ateo (serie de DVD completa), (Manual de trabajo del profesor) y (Manual del estudiante) del Dr. Frank Turek
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Josh Klein es Pastor en Omaha, Nebraska con doce años de experiencia en el ministerio. Se graduó con una MDiv (Maestría en Divinidad) en 2016 del Seminario Siux Falls y usa su tiempo libre para leer y confrontar problemáticas culturales y teológicas del presente y del pasado. Lleva casado 12 años con Sharalee Klein y tienen tres hijos.
Blog Original: https://cutt.ly/lYpElf8
Traducido por Gustavo Camarillo
Editado por Yatniel Vega García
The Resurrection Is A Historical Fact
4. Is the NT True?, Theology and Christian ApologeticsBy Bob Perry
Jesus of Nazareth died on a Roman cross, then resurrected from the dead three days later. It’s not just a fairy tale. Christians believe that the Resurrection is a historical fact. It’s what sets Christianity apart from every other world religion. It is the foundation of the Christian faith. If it’s not true the New Testament is fiction, Jesus is a fraud, and Christianity is a false religion. Anyone would be a fool to believe in it. This isn’t just my opinion. It’s the Apostle Paul’s:
None of us wants to be foolish or pitied for our faith. And no one wants to follow, or encourage others to follow, a false religion. So what reasons do we have to believe this story? It turns out there are several.
Impact Events
Just outside the cockpit door of every commercial airliner, there is a telephone handset that allows the flight attendants to talk to the pilots. And inside the cockpit of every commercial airliner is a “Door Unlock” switch on the center console that allows the pilots to open the cockpit door without getting out of their seats.
If a flight attendant had knocked on my cockpit door at 8:45AM on September 11, 2001, and asked me if she could come up front, I would have unlocked the door while I was still on the phone with her. I wouldn’t have hesitated for a second. But by 9:15AM that same morning, the passengers of United Flight 93 had already figured out that was a bad idea. They were storming the cockpit of their Boeing 757 over southern Pennsylvania for that very reason.
What changed during those thirty minutes?
We all know what changed. The collective mindset of the entire world changed. It’s called an “Impact Event” — an incident so shocking it has the power to change not just what we think, but the way we think … about everything.
Resurrection – The Cultural Backdrop
In the first century A.D., there were several different kinds of beliefs about life-after-death in the Egyptian and Greco-Roman worlds that surrounded Israel. The Egyptians mummified people with their stuff so they could use it in the afterlife. The Greeks and Romans believed in various forms of an underworld destination. But no one anywhere believed in the idea of a bodily resurrection occurring after a person died.
The Jews weren’t any different. Their views varied by theological sub-group. The Essenes’ views were similar to their neighboring pagan cultures. They believed in a single-stage disembodied immortality — a “soul” that continued on into an “afterlife.” Their view didn’t include any kind of bodily resurrection. The Sadducees did not believe in any kind of life-after-death at all. The Pharisees did believe in one form of a “resurrection.” But theirs was a group event that they thought would occur for all God’s people. The righteous would rise bodily together at the end of time.
Not Even In Myth
In other words, there were plenty of different ideas about what happened to people after they died. But the Jews and their pagan contemporaries agreed about one thing — that the idea of a bodily resurrection was complete rubbish.
The New Paradigm
Then, suddenly, everything changed. Despite every commonly-held belief to the contrary, one group of people began believing in a bodily resurrection. They were the first-generation Christians. For some reason, a large group of these people turned on a dime. They started saying that a person could be resurrected. In fact, they claimed that someone had done just that. And they described a resurrected person as having some kind of weirdly transformed physical body. These Christians started using the term “resurrection” in ways they had never used the term before. They talked about it in the present tense.
The New Church
The idea of a resurrection had been a tangential doctrinal variant for the Jews. But, for some of them, it morphed overnight into the central tenet of their faith. Opinions about life after death had been all over the map. But suddenly Christians were remarkably unanimous about one thing: The Resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth.
And that changed everything else.
Their Jewish religious and Temple worship rites weren’t exempt. They went from practicing animal sacrifice to preaching on Christ’s sacrifice. They claimed that the binding Law of Moses had been fulfilled. That baptism and communion had replaced circumcision as the symbol of their faith. They even changed their weekly day of worship from Saturday to Sunday.
It was like the world had experienced some kind of cataclysmic Impact Event.
Because it had.
The Resurrection is History
These rapid, sweeping changes in thinking and habits are documented history. And that is what makes Christianity so unique. It’s not just a “faith system” or a list of rules for healthy living. And it’s not a self-help program based on having a friendly relationship with God. Christianity is based on an epic story. But the story is true. It’s historically verifiable. And the central event in the story is the Resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth.
The truth of Christianity lives or dies (pun intended) on the Resurrection. If you want to falsify the Christian story, just prove that Jesus never rose from the dead. That is the point the Apostle Paul was making in 1 Corinthians 15. If the Resurrection of Jesus was not an actual, historical event, you can dismiss us Christians as fools.
But if it was, you should bend your knee to the risen Messiah.
As I’ve discussed many times, the definition of truth is “correspondence to reality.” Does what we believe about something match the way the world really is? If it does, that belief is true. And that means that if we believe the Resurrection is true we should have solid historical evidence for it from the real world. Is there any?
You bet there is.
Evidence Please
The evidence doesn’t depend on your religious point of view. It’s the same kind of evidence mainstream historians use to evaluate any kind of historic event. You take the evidence you have and look for an explanation that takes all of it into account.
The first bit of evidence is the New Testament itself. If you evaluate it in the same way you would evaluate any set of ancient documents, the conclusion is simple. The New Testament documents are historically reliable. This really isn’t even debatable. The evidence is overwhelming. But think about the origins of these documents. Who wrote them, and why?
The answer to both those questions is so obvious it blows my mind that I, as a confessing Christian, missed it for decades.
The New Testament was written by people whose lives were turned upside down by the Resurrection of Christ. Their writings weren’t just fanciful musings. The authors wrote down what they saw. And they wrote those things down because of the Resurrection,
The Resurrection came first. It’s why we have a New Testament.
So, we have highly reliable historical documents. And those documents record an Impact Event unlike any other. Billions of people have died throughout history. But the world has only reset its entire calendar system in honor of one life. That’s the ultimate kind of Impact Event. And it’s powerful evidence for the historicity of the Resurrection of Jesus.
The Minimal Facts Approach
The New Testament writers experienced the Impact Event and wrote about what they saw. But they weren’t the only ones. Other historians witnessed the effects of the Resurrection too. And their accounts corroborate the New Testament authors’ stories. For that reason, there are several elements of the story that even its critics admit are undeniable. These are mainstream historians who overwhelmingly agree to the veracity of five facts tied to the Resurrection. Dr. Gary Habermas, a world-class PhD Bible scholar, calls these the “Minimal Facts.” And he has popularized an argument based on them.
Here are the five central elements of the Resurrection account that even Christianity’s opponents admit are historically accurate:
Since there is overwhelming agreement to these, Habermas’ “Minimal Facts Approach” simply says that the conclusion we draw about the Resurrection must be based on an “inference to the best explanation” for all these facts.
I’m not going to get into the details of each right now, but here’s the point: The only all-encompassing explanation for all five of these facts is that that Resurrection actually occurred.
A Reason To Believe
The New Testament writers penned their manuscripts for a reason. They believed that something cataclysmic had happened. And it doesn’t make sense to say they conspired to concoct the story. Every single one of them went to his grave without recanting the story they shared. Most of them were executed for that very reason. It strains credulity to say they were willing to suffer and die in defense of a story they knew they had made up.
Taking all this into account, it is perfectly reasonable to say the Resurrection is a historical fact. If you can say that about any historical event, you can say it about this one.
And yes, that means a miracle occurred. So, those who deny that miracles are possible can’t just dismiss the Resurrection as being “religious.” Of course it’s religious. But it’s also historical. The evidence is clear. They can doubt all historical claims. Or they can be reasonable and rethink the presuppositions that led them to reject miracles in the first place.
Here is a short summary of some of the “Minimal Facts” about the resurrection:
… and there is plenty of evidence to support each one of these facts:
Recommended resources related to the topic:
Early Evidence for the Resurrection by Dr. Gary Habermas (DVD), (Mp3) and (Mp4)
Cold Case Resurrection Set by J. Warner Wallace (books)
The Footsteps of the Apostle Paul (mp4 Download), (DVD) by Dr. Frank Turek
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Bob Perry is a Christian apologetics writer, teacher, and speaker who blogs about Christianity and the culture at truehorizon.org. He is a Contributing Writer for the Christian Research Journal and has also been published in Touchstone, and Salvo. Bob is a professional aviator with 37 years of military and commercial flying experience. He has a B.S., Aerospace Engineering from the U. S. Naval Academy, and an M.A., Christian Apologetics from Biola University. He has been married to his high school sweetheart since 1985. They have five grown sons
Original Blog Source: https://bit.ly/3Cp1iuE
Part 1: Unspeakable Pain
Apologetics for Parents, Culture CrossExaminedBy Jason Jimenez
This article is adapted from Jason’s book Abandoned Faith.
Many millennials have said that although they were raised in a Christian home, Christianity was never at the core of everything they did. I remember one college student tell me, “I think the only reason my parents go to church is to feel better about themselves.” Another said, “The only time we learned about the Bible was when we went to church.”
Millennials are saying the gospel was not at the center of their home. Millennials may have received a degree of faith from mom or dad, but it wasn’t enough for them to see the value and importance faith has in their own lives.
This is a painful reality for parents. Painful because their millennials are right. Faith went as far as going to church. Sure, you throw in a few extra-church activities, a few family devotions, and lectures about doing the right thing. But the truth is, many parents feel they failed in leading their children spiritually.
Furthermore, parents have become so overly protective that we have neglected the protection of God over our children. We love our children, but God loves them so much more. We know our children better than anyone, yet God knew them before they were born.
Too often we pick on the millennial for being lazy or too dependent on mom or dad. In reality, the actual problem is often mom and dad. The fear-driven parenting creates an unhealthy level of dependency. Out of fear, mom and dad never adjusted their level of attachment in their kid’s lives as they got older.
The church pews are filled with parents experiencing deep pain. Pain over the fact that their child is no longer living for Christ. Pain over the fact that they may be to blame.
Many parents will tell you they are hurting. Hurting over the bad choices their adult children are making. Hurting over the lost intimacy they once had with their son or daughter.
Often times we are so worried about the spiritual state of millennials that we have neglected to care for the condition of parents. The amount of pain experienced by parents is overwhelming. They are getting hammered. Take this email I received from a mother about her son:
What a moving email. The heart of this mother captures what many more parents feel. If we are going to win millennials back to Christ—we first need to win parents back to hope and healing.
Stay tuned for part 2 to see how parents can overcome this painful reality.
Recommended resources for the topic:
Counter Culture Christian: Is There Truth in Religion? (DVD) by Frank Turek
Is Morality Absolute or Relative? by Dr. Frank Turek DVD, Mp3 and Mp4
Letters to a Young Progressive by Mike Adams (Book)
Intellectual Predators: How Professors Prey on Christian Students (DVD) (mp3) (mp4 Download)
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Jason Jimenez is President of STAND STRONG Ministries and author of Challenging Conversations: A Practical Guide to Discuss Controversial Topics in the church. For more info, check out www.standstrongministries.org
Original Blog Source: https://bit.ly/2YZNfOu
Chesterton’s Gateway
PodcastAbout a century ago the editor of the London Times asked his readers to write in to answer the question, “What’s wrong with the world?” G.K. Chesterton wrote back two words: “I am.” Chesterton was a Christian writer, poet, illustrator, and debater who went on to write more than 80 books and thousands of essays. One of his books had a profound impact on C.S. Lewis. You’ve probably heard several of Chesterton’s quotes even if you don’t recognize the name.
Ethan Nicolle, who is also one of the brilliant minds behind the Babylon Bee, has made it easy to read 14 of Chesterton’s best essays in his new book called Chesterton’s Gateway. He joins Frank on this podcast to share some of the best insights and humor from Chesterton on issues such as wonder, progressivism, religious freedom, and our inane tendency to abandon traditional morality for new fads, among other topics. As you’ll see, Chesterton was well ahead of his time predicting much of what has happened in the world and our modern culture even though he died over 85 years ago. We think you’ll enjoy this one!
Get the book here: https://amzn.to/3pGXvon
If you want to send us a question for the show, please email us at Hello@CrossExamined.org.
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Biblical Judgment in a “Don’t Judge Me” World
Theology and Christian ApologeticsBy Alisa Childers
“YOU SHOULDN’T JUDGE.”
Once upon a couple of years ago, there was a wildly popular book written by a self-professed Christian author. It was released by a Christian publishing house and marketed on Christian platforms and websites. It was a fairy tale come true. Crushing it at the top of The New York Times Best Seller list and winning the hearts and minds of millions of women, it was featured in countless small group Bible studies and conferences nationwide.
The only problem is that the core message of the book is the exact opposite of the biblical Gospel. So, I decided to write a little review of it and post it on my blog. I didn’t anticipate this “little review” going viral, nor did I predict the boatloads of hate mail that would sail into my inbox in the following weeks.
Some of the emails cannot be repeated in polite company. But the bulk of the pushback can be distilled down to three fateful words: “You. Shouldn’t. Judge.”
The message I received loud and clear was that it was wrong of me to criticize unbiblical ideas in a popular book. After all, Jesus would never be such a “McJudgypants.” With love redefined to mean the affirmation of a desire or an idea, it’s easy to see how “judging” has become the unforgivable sin in our culture.
But Christians live by a different standard than the world. When someone says, “You shouldn’t judge,” they are actually contradicting real love, the Bible, and plain common sense. So, the next time someone pulls out this particular conversation-stopper, remember these three things:
SAYING “DON’T JUDGE” IS NOT BIBLICAL.
It seems like everyone’s favorite Bible verse (at least when they’re trying to keep someone from telling them they’re wrong) is Matthew 7:1. The words, “Judge not, that you be not judged,” come from the lips of Jesus himself.
Mic drop. End of conversation—right?
Well, that only works if you scribble out the next six verses, along with some other things Jesus said, and a good portion of the New Testament. In fact, just after saying, “Judge not,” Jesus lets his audience know that when they judge, they should be very careful to make sure their judgment isn’t hypocritical. “First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye,” Jesus instructs in verse five. In other words, don’t point out a sin in your sister’s life before you confront the bigger sin in your own.
But the whole point is to help your sister take the speck out of her eye, which requires you to judge that it’s there. So, Jesus isn’t saying that it’s always wrong to judge. In fact, verse six tells us to “not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs.” How can one identify “dogs” and “pigs” unless they first judge correctly?
JUDGE THE FRUIT
If there is still any confusion, just a few verses later, Jesus tells us to recognize wolves, or false teachers, by their fruit. Again, this requires us to judge whether or not these teachers are speaking truth or deception. Then, in John 7:24, Jesus couldn’t say it more plainly. He directs his listeners to “not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”
Later, in Matthew 18:15–16, Jesus gives instructions about how to confront a fellow believer if they’ve sinned against you. (Don’t forget to take the log out of your own eye first!) The apostle Paul echoes this sentiment in Galatians 6:1, by telling Christians how to handle a brother who is caught in a sin. He writes, “You who are spiritual”—think log-less in the eye—“should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.”
In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul tells the believers in Corinth that it’s actually their job to judge other believers. He writes, “What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside.”
Telling someone they shouldn’t judge is not biblical. In fact, Scripture actually commands us to judge, but to do it carefully, rightly, humbly, and without hypocrisy.
SAYING “DON’T JUDGE” IS NOT LOGICAL.
Imagine you are home alone and your doorbell rings. You peek through the window and observe a very large man with a gun in his hand, wearing an orange jumpsuit. He’s sweating and looking around nervously. Be honest. Are you going to open the door for him? My guess is … probably not. But wait. Why are you being so judgmental? Maybe he’s not an escaped convict but simply enjoys wearing orange jumpsuits and carrying his weapon while out for a jog. Who are you to judge?
Obviously, this is an extreme example. No one would open the door for that guy. But this goes to show that literally everyone judges. We all make judgments about people every single day. It would be beyond illogical, and sometimes unsafe, to not judge.
Plus, to even tell someone they shouldn’t judge is to judge that they are judging, which is considered judgmental, which requires making a judgment about all the judging. You get the point. But that whole logical mess can be avoided by simply taking Jesus’ advice to “judge with right judgment.”
SAYING “DON’T JUDGE” IS NOT LOVING.
When I was younger, I was trapped in a toxic cycle brought on by an eating disorder. One of my good friends, an eternal people-pleaser, worked up every last bit of courage she could muster to confront me. To put it lightly, it didn’t go well. I not-so-politely invited her to stop “judging” me and back all the way off.
Nevertheless, she persisted. Her determination to make sure I was not only helped but held accountable literally changed my life. I ended up confessing my secret and getting counseling as my healing began. To this day my eyes mist with tears when I think about how much she loved me to do such a difficult thing.
According to the Bible, love is patient and kind. It’s not arrogant or rude. 1 Corinthians 13:6 goes on to tell us that “love does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.” My friend couldn’t rejoice at my wrongdoing. Had she simply ignored the “speck in my eye,” and chosen to not judge, my life could have gone down a very different path.
She judged me because she loved me. And it quite possibly saved my life. Judging with right judgment is not only biblical and logical, but it’s also the most loving thing you can do.
COURAGEOUS JUDGMENT
Culture will always have its slogans, mantras, and catch-phrases. But haven’t Christians always been countercultural? Sometimes Jesus calls us to judge each other. As difficult as it may seem, obeying his commands will keep you from being tossed about by the whims of a fickle culture. After all, that culture won’t be there for you when your life (or the lives of the people you love) falls apart from following its advice. Jesus will.
And that’s something you can rightly judge to be true.
Recommended resources related to the topic:
How to Interpret Your Bible by Dr. Frank Turek DVD Complete Series, INSTRUCTOR Study Guide, and STUDENT Study Guide
Was Jesus Intolerant? (DVD) and (Mp4 Download) by Dr. Frank Turek
Is Morality Absolute or Relative? by Dr. Frank Turek DVD, Mp3 and Mp4
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Alisa Childers is an American singer and songwriter, best known for being in the all-female Christian music group ZOEgirl. She has had a string of top ten radio singles, four studio releases, and received the Dove Award during her time with ZOEgirl. In later years, Alisa found her life-long faith deeply challenged when she started attending what would later identify as a Progressive Christian church. This challenge pushed Alisa toward Christian Apologetics. Today you can read, listen and watch Alisa’s work online as well as purchase her recently published book on Progressive Christianity titled Another Gospel.
Original Blog Source: https://bit.ly/3I7p96j