What is the Difference Between Miracles and Magic

What is the Difference Between Miracles and Magic

,

By 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:

  1. Raise the dead.[1] Pastor Joe Amaral explains that, Prior to the coming of Jesus, the Rabbis divided Miracles into two separate categories—those that anyone could perform if empowered by God and those reserved only for the Messiah.[2] Jesus Christ has power over death. Jesus raises Lazarus after being dead for four days. In fact, in the Bible, when it comes to life, we can see that God is the only one who has power over death and the power to restore life. That is because God is the author of life, Satan does not have power over God, nor does he have power over life and death. The Jews also believed that, when a person dies, the spirit stays near the body for three days, and resurrection was only possible within those three days. They believed only that the Messiah could perform a resurrection on or after the fourth day.[3] Jesus purposely waits four days to bring Lazarus back from the dead (John 11:5-6-17-43).
  2. Healing a Leper (Mark 1:40-45). Jesus is approached by a man with leprosy. This is Jesus’ first Messianic Miracle, the Law states that a person would be defiled by touching a leper. Jews believed that leprosy was a curse from God because of sin in the life of the person, or their parents.[4] The Jews also believed that the only one who could forgive sin and heal leprosy was God. Mark records Jesus stretching His hands out and touches the leper and heals him.
  3. Casting out a Demon (Matt. 12:22-23). After Jesus cast out a demon of a man who was blind and mute, people asked, “Could this be the Son of David?” or the Messiah? The Rabbis had particular methods for casting out demons by asking their name and then casting them out. The problem with the mute demon was that he could not speak so their methods would work. As a result, it was believed that only the Messiah would have the authority to cast out a mute demon.[5]  When Jesus performs this miracle, He is indeed the Messiah and has the authority to do only what God can do.
  4. Healing a man born blind (John 8:12-59 John 9:3). Jesus was asked, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents?” Jesus replied, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed.” Jews believed that only the Messiah could heal a man born blind, they believed it was a curse from God, and only God can remove that curse. Jesus proves His deity by healing a man born blind.[6]

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

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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

 

/by

Finding God’s Will for Your Life

How 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.

Subscribe on Apple Podcast: http://bit.ly/CrossExamined_Podcast Rate and review! Thanks!!!
Subscribe on Google Play: https://cutt.ly/0E2eua9
Subscribe on Spotify: http://bit.ly/CrossExaminedOfficial_Podcast
Subscribe on Stitcher: http://bit.ly/CE_Podcast_Stitcher

 

/by
Confrontando la homosexualidad en la cultura de la identidad (parte 1)

Confrontando la homosexualidad en la cultura de la identidad (parte 1)

Por 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:

“Quiero investigar el punto de vista de Dios acerca de la homosexualidad porque he visto muchas posturas diferentes en TikTok e Instagram y otras redes pero podrían ser herejías o interpretación errónea o algo más y quiero averiguarlo por mi cuenta”.

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.

TW Screenshot

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  

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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

 

/by
The Resurrection Is A Historical Fact

The Resurrection Is A Historical Fact

,

By 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:

1 Corinthians 15:12-19 — “… if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile … [and you] are to be pitied more than all men.”

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.

“This basic tenet of human existence and experience is accepted as axiomatic throughout the ancient world; once people have gone by the road of death, they do not return. When the ancient classical world spoke of (and denied) resurrection, there should be no controversy about what the word and its cognates referred to … ‘Resurrection’ was not one way of describing what death consisted of. It was a way of describing something everyone knew did not happen: the idea that death could be reversed, undone, could work backward. Not even in myth was it permitted.”

~ N. T. Wright, The Resurrection Of The Son Of God

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:

  1. Jesus of Nazareth died by crucifixion on a Roman cross.
  2. Jesus’ disciples believed that he appeared to them after he had died.
  3. Paul, the church persecutor and sworn enemy of Christianity, was suddenly changed into its greatest advocate.
  4. James, the brother of Jesus, suddenly dropped his skepticism and became the leaderof the Jerusalem church.
  5. The tomb where they buried Jesus on Friday was empty on Sunday.

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

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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

 

/by
PART 1: UNSPEAKABLE PAIN

Part 1: Unspeakable Pain

,

By 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:

When your children were younger, it was so much easier to involve yourself in their lives. But when they get older and leave home, it’s much more difficult to know your place. When your child pushes you away and makes their own bad decisions and then wants your help, only to disregard it again, breaks your heart. As a parent, instead of looking forward to talking with your adult children, you begin to dread the calls because you know that there will be another issue to deal with. You want to be the hero and have all the answers. But you know no matter what you say, they won’t always listen. It’s a tough place to be in because you feel disrespected, and angry—and on top of it all…you feel like you failed your child. When all I want is to have mature and healthy relationship with them. All I want is for my children to need me in their lives.

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)

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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

 

/by

Chesterton’s Gateway

About 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.

Subscribe on iTunes: http://bit.ly/CrossExamined_Podcast Rate and review! Thanks!!!
Subscribe on Google Play: https://cutt.ly/0E2eua9
Subscribe on Spotify: http://bit.ly/CrossExaminedOfficial_Podcast
Subscribe on Stitcher: http://bit.ly/CE_Podcast_Stitcher

 

/by
Biblical Judgment in a “Don’t Judge Me” World

Biblical Judgment in a “Don’t Judge Me” World

By 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

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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

 

/by
LEARN TO MAKE A MAXIMAL CASE FOR THE RESURRECTION

Learn To Make a Maximal Case For The Resurrection

,

By Erik Manning

I used to love sharing the minimal facts with unbelievers.  It’s easy to present in a few minutes and sounds rhetorically powerful. When I tell my friends that the facts I’m sharing are universally acknowledged by scholars, even those who are skeptical, it seems like I am not coming at them with something that only conservative evangelicals believe. And on the surface, taking an end-run around the Gospels seemed helpful because unbelievers tend to view them as dubious sources.

However, I ran into a couple of issues. One was practical. Let’s say I got the skeptic to hear me out. Does it really make sense to say: “OK, I granted for the sake of argument that the Gospels are a hot mess of contradictions and historical gaffes. I now wanna take that back and argue that they’re much more reliable than that. You should accept orthodox Christian doctrine” The skeptic might ask “um… if that were true, why’d you start out granting so much for the sake of argument?” This feels like bait and switch.

WHY MAXIMAL DATA?

Plus, once an objection like grief hallucinations or mass delusions came up, I’d eventually have to back up and present other facts that skeptical and liberal scholars didn’t acknowledge. Any imagined rhetorical advantage evaporated. This approach didn’t really save time. If I wanted to defend the bodily appearances, the empty tomb, or the early persecution of the Twelve, I couldn’t “do it all with Paul.” I’d have to learn to defend the reliability of the Gospels and Acts. There are no shortcuts.

The good news is that this can be both rewarding and faith-building. You won’t be lost for words when you’ll hear a scholarly critic like Bart Ehrman lay out a list of complaints about the Gospels. You’ll no longer have to console yourself with “well, I’m not sure how to answer that, but at least the core facts are true.” You can read the Gospels and not wonder “is this part really defensibly historical?” Learning this approach kills cognitive dissonance.

OBJECTIONS TO MAXIMAL DATA

The only drawback is that you’ll be told you hold fringy views. But again, saying that there is evidence that the tomb was empty or the resurrection appearances were physical is already considered fringy to the scholarly consensus anyway. And importantly, scholarly politics can’t trump the force of objective evidence. It doesn’t mean that something is weakly supported by non-question-begging evidence because it isn’t granted by skeptical and liberal scholars. Nor does it mean we’re making a “for the Bible tells me so” argument.

When the skeptic asks, “what about all the contradictions?” you can offer to revisit them later and continue to make your positive case, rather than conceding them for the sake of argument. And by the way, the robust reliability argument can also be made in a way that’s just as quick and easy to share as minimal facts. It goes like this:

  1. Either the disciples were deceivers, deceived, or they were telling the truth.
  2. They were not deceivers. (They had good reasons not to lie considering they’d be ostracized and persecuted)
  3. They were not merely mistaken or deceived. (We can tell this by the accounts they gave of seeing, touching, and talking with Jesus over a long period of time after the resurrection)
  4. Therefore, they were telling the truth.

There! That’s not so hard now, is it? You could make that argument on an elevator. You just need to be prepared to back it up with additional evidence. So with this in mind, I’m going to tell you about 3 modern books you can pick up for around $50 total. And then I’m going to give you three older, public domain books that you can get off the Google Play store that won’t cost you a dime.

Resource #1: The Case For Jesus – Brant Pitre

This book helps answer a whole host of questions: Were the four Gospels really anonymous? Aren’t they written far too late to be considered reliable? Aren’t the Gospels folklore? What about the lost Gospels, like the Gospel of Judas or the Gospel of Peter? Is Jesus only divine in the Gospel of John and not the Synoptics?

Pitre offers some neglected evidence from the early church fathers and ancient manuscripts to demonstrate that the Gospels are not anonymous, as skeptics like to assert. Furthermore, he puts Jesus of Nazareth’s divine claims in an ancient Jewish context in a way that blew my mind. You won’t look at the phrases Son of Man and Kingdom of God in the same way.

Resource #2: Can We Trust the Gospels? – Peter J. Williams

This is a super accessible book and only 140 pages. The whole thing is great, but chapter 3 is worth the price of the book alone. Skeptics often claim that the Gospels were written decades later by people unfamiliar with 1st-century Palestine. If that’s true, we’d expect to find all kinds of errors regarding Palestinian geography, names, and customs, but Williams demonstrates time and time again that the Gospel writers get these details right, including many difficult types of details. Based on the data, Williams concludes that “The resulting Gospels are not what we would expect from people who made up stories at a geographical distance.” This serves as evidence that the evangelists were well-informed, consistently trustworthy, and close up to the facts.

Resource #3: Hidden in Plain View – Lydia McGrew

Having been largely neglected for over a century, Lydia McGrew revives an argument for the reliability of the NT called undesigned coincidences. In a nutshell, an undesigned coincidence is an apparently casual, yet puzzle-like fit between two or more texts, and its best explanation is that the authors knew the truth about the events they describe or allude to. These connections are among passages in the Gospels, as well as between Acts and Paul’s epistles. These lend credence to the idea that these documents were written by eyewitnesses who knew what they were talking about.  This is relevant to developing a case for the resurrection. For if the gospels can be shown to be rooted in credible eyewitness testimony, you have to take seriously the reported nature and variety of the post-resurrection encounters with the risen Jesus as coming from the original eyewitnesses.

Seeing examples of this in action is the easiest way to understand it. You can find plenty of interviews and lectures on YouTube where Dr. McGrew shares this argument.

I’d also highly recommend her other two books if you are interested in learning more about the Gospels’ reliability. Those are The Eye of the Beholder (which is a defense of John’s Gospel) and The Mirror and the Mask, which argues against claims made by evangelical scholars that the Gospel authors felt free to present events in one way even though they knew that the reality was different. These are a little more technical than her first book, and a great place to start if you want to go deeper into the issues.

FREE RESOURCES

  1. Now, for the free resources: JJ Blunt’s book Undesigned Coincidencesand William Paley’s Horae Paulinaeare the non-updated versions of Lydia McGrew’s Hidden in Plain View. I still recommend you get Lydia’s book, because she picks the “best of” these undesigned coincidences, and she has discovered several more that are not in these older books. If you’re on a budget, these are great additions to your library. And if you’re not on a budget, get them anyway. Both of these books are still worth reading even after reading Hidden in Plain View.

Finally, get A View of the Evidences of Christianity by William Paley. I cannot recommend this book enough. Paley debunks Hume’s anti-miracle argument. He examines all the evidence that the original witnesses of Christianity were willing to undergo labors, dangers, and suffering in order to spread the gospel of the resurrection.

He goes into great detail regarding the authorship and early use of the Gospels, which includes the unanimous testimony of the early church and even some heretics. Paley takes us into the unity of the character of Christ in all four Gospels. This answers some of the “why’s John’s Jesus so different?” objections. Paley also demonstrates 41 instances where the Gospel writers make incidental allusions to history that can be confirmed outside the NT, even down to minor details. These illustrate the evangelists’ familiarity with the setting and their accuracy in recounting details. He discusses alleged discrepancies in the Gospels, prophecy, and so much more. I can’t do this book justice in a short video. Just get it. Sure, his style of writing is from the 18th-century  and his arguments could use a little updating. However, this book has mostly stood the test of time and should not be forgotten.

Just search the Google Play store for these three public domain books and you can find free versions. There are many other books I could recommend, but these are meant to get you started. I just want to assure you that this isn’t a very difficult method to learn. It took time to learn the minimal facts approach, and you can take the time to learn this. There may be extra details, but we’ve seen that extra details are needed anyway to make a strong case. We can all find less time for Twitter, Instagram, or reading the latest political news, or binge-watching Netflix. You just have to set priorities.

Skeptics have poked apart the minimalist approaches to the resurrection for far too long. We need an army of Christian apologists who can make a more robust case. You can do this.

Recommended resources for this topic:

Early Evidence for the Resurrection by Dr. Gary Habermas (DVD), (Mp3) and (Mp4)

The New Testament: Too Embarrassing to Be False by Frank Turek (DVD, Mp3, and Mp4)

The Footsteps of the Apostle Paul (mp4 Download), (DVD) by Dr. Frank Turek 

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Erik is a Reasonable Faith Chapter Director located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He’s a former freelance baseball writer and the co-owner of a vintage and handmade decor business with his wife, Dawn. He is passionate about the intersection of apologetics and evangelism.

Original Blog Source: https://bit.ly/30z17Qb

 

/by

Eternal Hell for Temporal Sins?

How is it just for God to punish people for eternity when they’ve only committed temporal sins? Isn’t that overkill? Is Hell just temporary? Is it loving for God to “send” people to Hell? Frank answers those questions and others on this sensitive topic.

Plus, he dives into some of the objections leveled at the evidence that authenticates both the New Testament and the recently found burial box of the High Priest Caiaphas. Yes, we’ve actually discovered the grave and bones of the man who sentenced Jesus to die! But is the box real or a fake? Find out in this week’s episode of the ‘I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be An Atheist’ Podcast.

If you want to send us a question for the show, please email us at Hello@CrossExamined.org.

Subscribe on iTunes: http://bit.ly/CrossExamined_Podcast Rate and review! Thanks!!!
Subscribe on Google Play: https://cutt.ly/0E2eua9
Subscribe on Spotify: http://bit.ly/CrossExaminedOfficial_Podcast
Subscribe on Stitcher: http://bit.ly/CE_Podcast_Stitcher

 

/by
El impacto de la Omnipresencia Divina en la vida del creyente y más allá

El impacto de la Omnipresencia Divina en la vida del creyente y más allá

Por Brian Chilton

Mientras que Dios utilizó la apologética para devolverme la fe, Dios utiliza la teología para humillarme, asombrarme y reconfortarme ante su asombrosa presencia. La teología es una de mis pasiones. Mi currículum muestra cuánto amo la teología. Como mencioné en un post anterior, me di cuenta de que las escuelas que contratan profesores desean que los solicitantes posean 18 horas de estudio de posgrado en el campo elegido. Con la curiosidad de saber qué horas tenía, empecé a investigar cuántas horas poseía en diferentes campos. Me di cuenta de que cuando termine mi doctorado, tendré 30 horas de estudio teológico. Supongo que se me puede llamar un superdotado. Desde luego, no digo esto para parecer fanfarrón. Simplemente lo menciono para señalar el gran impacto que la teología ha tenido en mi vida.

Aunque he dedicado gran parte de mi tiempo a los estudios teológicos, me siguen pareciendo ciertas las palabras del Dr. Daniel Mitchell, profesor de teología de la Universidad Liberty: “Cuanto más estudiamos a Dios, más grande se vuelve”. Le pregunté qué quería decir con esa afirmación en una clase que tuve con él. Mitchell señaló que no quería decir que hiciéramos a Dios más grande en nuestra imaginación, sino que empezamos a comprender cuan grande es realmente Dios cuanto más lo estudiamos. Cuando comprendemos la grandeza de Dios, nuestras preocupaciones tienden a desvanecerse en los cálidos y fuertes brazos de Dios.

Un atributo divino que proporciona tanto asombro como serenidad es la omnipresencia divina de Dios. La palabra omnus significa “todo”. Todos entendemos lo que significa el término presencia. Así, Dios tiene la capacidad de estar en todos los lugares y en todo momento. No hay un lugar donde no se encuentre la presencia de Dios. La Escritura indica la naturaleza omnipresente de Dios en muchos lugares, pero se encuentra más explícitamente en el Salmo 139. David escribe mientras habla con Dios,

“¿A dónde me iré de tu Espíritu? ¿Y a dónde huiré de tu presencia? Si subiere a los cielos, allí estás tú; Y si en el Seol hiciere mi estrado, he aquí, allí tú estás. Si tomare las alas del alba y habitare en el extremo del mar, Aun allí me guiará tu mano, Y me asirá tu diestra. Si dijere: Ciertamente las tinieblas me encubrirán; Aun la noche resplandecerá alrededor de mí. Aun las tinieblas no encubren de ti, Y la noche resplandece como el día; Lo mismo te son las tinieblas que la luz.” Salmo 139:7-12 (RVR60)

A partir del texto que nos ocupa, se demuestra que Dios está presente en todos los lugares en el mismo momento. Wayne Grudem define la omnipresencia de Dios de la siguiente manera: “Dios no tiene tamaño ni dimensiones espaciales y está presente en cada punto del espacio con todo su ser, aunque Dios actúa de forma diferente en diferentes lugares” (Grudem, Teología Sistemática, 178). La omnipresencia divina impacta al creyente de múltiples maneras, pero por razones de espacio, me concentraré sólo en cinco.

  1. Dios está contigo cuando nadie más puede estarlo. A menudo, las personas se sienten solas. Los viudos que han perdido a sus cónyuges pueden sentir una abrumadora sensación de pérdida. Cuando mi esposa se fue en un viaje de negocios, me sentí abrumado por la sensación de soledad que me invadió, aunque fuera por un tiempo. Las personas que tienen que vivir en residencias asistidas o en centros de cuidados pueden sentir que son las personas más solitarias de la tierra. Sin embargo, cuando entendemos la naturaleza omnipresente de Dios, comprendemos que ninguno de nosotros está realmente solo. Dios promete que estará contigo ahora y por toda la eternidad. Jesús dice: “he aquí yo estoy con vosotros todos los días, hasta el fin del mundo.” (Mateo 28:20, RVR60). Dios le prometió a Abraham que estaría con él, diciendo: “He aquí, yo estoy contigo, y te guardaré por dondequiera que fueres” (Gn. 28:15, RVR60). La presencia de Dios nos acompaña a donde vayamos. Esto sólo es posible gracias a la naturaleza omnipresente de Dios.
  2. Dios está con tus seres queridos cuando tú no puedes. La naturaleza omnipresente de Dios sostiene que Dios puede proteger a tus seres queridos desde lejos. Israel (es decir, Jacob) le dijo a su hijo José que sabía que Dios cuidaría de él aunque estuviera a punto de morir (Gn. 48:21). Considera también al centurión romano. Tuvo fe en que Jesús podía sanar a su siervo incluso cuando Jesús no estaba presente (Mateo 8:5-14). El centurión tenía fe en el poder omnipresente de Dios para sanar. Tal vez ésta fue una de las cosas que sorprendió a Jesús por la profundidad de la fe del centurión. Incluso cuando no estás presente con tus familiares, Dios sí lo está. Dios puede ayudar a los que sufren en zonas lejanas mucho más de lo que tú o yo podríamos.
  3. Dios está con tus seres queridos que ya han fallecido. Dios es el Dios de Abraham, Isaac y Jacob (Éxodo 3:6). Jesús utiliza este argumento para defender la realidad de la vida después de la muerte (Mateo 22:32). Jesús comprendió que Abraham, Isaac y Jacob seguían vivos bajo la vigilancia espiritual de Dios. Algunos de sus seres queridos pueden haber muerto. Sin embargo, con Dios, la muerte ha muerto. Para los que murieron en Cristo, viven en la eternidad. Esto indica que Dios está con nuestros seres queridos en la eternidad. Si captamos esta realidad, incluso el miedo a la muerte muere en el amor omnipresente de Dios.
  4. Dios está trabajando en la creación incluso cuando no puedes verlo. Dios está más allá de la esfera de la creación, pero siempre está trabajando en la creación (Sal. 147:4). Dios es quien estableció el sol, la luna, las estrellas, las galaxias e incluso el propio universo (Jer. 31:35). La naturaleza omnipresente de Dios indica que está en todos los lugares y en todo momento en el universo e incluso más allá del universo. Él no depende del universo, mas el universo depende de Dios. No hay un cambio molecular en los confines del universo que coja a Dios desprevenido. Dios sabe cuándo, si, cómo y dónde la estrella Betelgeuse explotará en una supernova o se transformará en una estrella de neutrones.
  5. La presencia de Dios está con el creyente de forma personal. Aunque Dios está en todas partes, se relaciona personalmente con los que reciben a Cristo (Juan 5:38; 8:31; 15:4-9). Considere lo siguiente: El Dios de toda la creación -el trascendente, magnífico, santo, justo, amoroso y omnipresente Creador de todas las cosas- desea tener una relación contigo. Oh, esto es tan profundo y a la vez tan difícil de entender. ¿Por qué Dios desearía amar a alguien como nosotros? Yo no lo sé. Pero Dios lo hace.

Escribo esto sin saber a qué se enfrenta usted, el lector, al leer esta entrada. Pero la faceta asombrosa de este atributo divino es que no importa dónde estés, Dios está ahí contigo. Pablo dijo a los atenienses en el Areópago que Dios había establecido a partir de un hombre cada persona, nación y lengua. Dios estableció las fronteras y determinó los tiempos y las estaciones. Dios hizo esto, dice Pablo, “para que busquen a Dios, si en alguna manera, palpando, puedan hallarle, aunque ciertamente no está lejos de cada uno de nosotros.” (Hechos 17:27, RVR60). Sorprendentemente, Dios ha bendecido al Ministerio Bellator Christi para que lleguen a casi todas las naciones de nuestra querida Tierra. No importa dónde estés leyendo esto, Dios está cerca de ti. Dios está dispuesto a recibir tu adoración. Dios está dispuesto a perdonarte por el sacrificio que Jesús hizo en tu nombre. Por su naturaleza omnipresente, Dios puede llenarte con el Espíritu de Dios. Dios está contigo. Dios está siempre cerca de ti. ¿Qué puede ser mejor que eso?

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

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Brian G. Chilton es el fundador de BellatorChristi.com, el presentador de The Bellator Christi Podcast, y el autor del Layman’s Manual on Christian Apologetics. Recibió su Maestría en Divinidad en Teología de la Universidad Liberty (con alta distinción), su Licenciatura en Ciencias en Estudios Religiosos y Filosofía de la Universidad Gardner-Webb (con honores), y recibió la certificación en Apologética Cristiana de la Universidad Biola. Brian está inscrito en el programa de doctorado en Teología y Apologética de la Universidad Liberty y es miembro de la Sociedad Teológica Evangélica y de la Sociedad Filosófica Evangélica. Brian ha estado en el ministerio durante casi 20 años y sirve como el Pastor Principal de la Iglesia Bautista de Westfield en el noroeste de Carolina del Norte.

Blog Original: https://cutt.ly/pTZkIRJ 

Traducido por Yatniel Vega García 

Editado por Daniela Checa Delgado

 

/by