Anomalies in the Bible…

Dead people don’t come back to life. They just don’t. Once you die, that’s it. The circle of life goes round and round in one singular direction – like a clock. All of life is constantly moving toward the end of their time. Once the clock stops, it’s discarded, back to the earth from where it came. Nobody ever picked up a dead clock that had reversed itself and started ticking again. The same is true for a man. No one ever died to live again. Or did they?

Now, there is a distinction to be made between the four R’s of re-birth: resuscitation, revivification, reincarnation, and resurrection.

Resuscitation

Resuscitation is when a body that has been dead (or dying) for a very short time has life restored to it. This is most commonly seen in CPR (Cardiopulmonary resuscitation) when a person is undergoing cardiac arrest, and is dying or “dead” i.e. their pulse and breathing has ceased, for a few seconds or minutes. CPR alone is unlikely to restart the heart, which is why a defibrillator is necessary within 3-5 minutes in order to increase a person’s chances for survival (up to 30% from a mere 4% survival rate for only CPR). People who are resuscitated may have out-of-body experiences, or claim to have seen into heaven. These people have life restored to them only temporarily. They will die again at some point.

Revivification

Revivification is when a dead body, that may have been dead for some time, has life restored to it. In the Bible, the most famous example of this is Lazarus in John 11 (“When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” (verses 43-44)). Other examples in the Bible include Elisha and the Shunammite’s son (2 Kings 4:18-37); Jesus and a little girl (he calls her Talitha – Mark 5:22-43, Matthew 9:18-26, Luke 8:40-56); Peter and Tabitha (aka Dorcas – Acts 9:36-42); Paul and Eutychus (Acts 20:9-12); and at Jesus death, the tombs of many “broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.” (Matthew 27:52-53).

That last one honestly sounds a bit like zombies to me – though not quite so Holllywood. Zombies are probably the most widely known “example” of revivification – though revivification doesn’t turn people into mindless, brain-and-flesh-craving monsters. Still it provides a slightly workable “example” to understand dead-turned-back-to-life. In any case, any revivified bodies will return to death again – whether through natural causes like those in the Bible, or shotgun blasts like zombies. Revivified bodies don’t stay alive.

Reincarnation

Reincarnation is the idea that after death, the soul migrates to another body to live again, to die again, to migrate and be reborn again, to die again, and so on, until the soul ultimately reaches complete purification and is united with the divine reality. Pretty New Age sounding, but this stuff is classic Buddhism and Hinduism. The basic idea here is still that you live, and die, live and die, and always die. Death is not the end, and death may not have an end either. You live and die, live and die, forever pursued by death.

Resurrection

Resurrection is when a dead body is returned to physical life forever. Jesus is the first, best, and primary (in fact, at this time, the ONLY) example of this. As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:20: “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” Yet, this doesn’t mean that resurrected bodies are identical to the first bodies. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:42-44: “The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.” The resurrected bodies will never see decay, never again die, and never perish.

In fact, I’ve read one interesting comment regarding Jesus’ words in Luke 24:39: “Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” Here, Jesus uses the term “flesh and bones” rather than the more common “flesh and blood.” And besides, why was his body not still oozing blood from his wounds on the cross? And how was Thomas able to put his fingers into Jesus’ hole-y hands and side without getting some blood on him (John 20:27)? Perhaps Jesus’ perfect body literally had no blood in it. After all, we know that a creature’s life is contained within its blood, and if there is no blood, there is no life. If Jesus’ body truly had no blood in it, that would mean that something else was sustaining his resurrected life, and that would also help explain Paul’s words about new bodies in 1 Corinthians 15. God is the creator and sustainer of life. He has created the world according to certain physical laws – one of which is that life requires blood within the body. But, who is to say that God cannot rewrite the rules of his creation after resurrection? This is a great mystery.

So, is there really any evidence to support Jesus’ bodily resurrection?

So, how can Christians claim that Jesus’ resurrection was actually a true and historic event? After all, it can seem a bit far-fetched. Some have even argued that the culture at the time was too primitive and easily persuaded by stories. C.S. Lewis calls this “chronological snobbery” – or basically the idea that our culture today is far more advanced, scientific, and intelligent than any culture in the past. It would have been easy to fool “primitives” but our “modern” culture would not be so easily fooled. Except for the fact that people today are just as easily fooled – if not more so, and still believe stories over science. Consider for example how many people say they believe in ghosts, aliens, super powers, karma, or even deny the Holocaust – despite volumes of science contrary to those beliefs. People may even be easily fooled by watching the news. Consider the fact that in 2009, 11% of Americans believed Obama was a Muslim, and that number increased to 18% of Americans by 2010 – despite large amounts of evidence to refute those allegations.

What arguments are there against Jesus’ resurrection?

So, what evidence is there to refute Jesus’ resurrection? We might as well start there to see if any allegations against the resurrection hold any water. We’ll only look at two (this post is long enough already).

Argument: Jesus didn’t die on the cross, he merely “swooned.”

The first allegation is that Jesus didn’t actually die on the cross – he merely swooned. This is a belief held by Muslims and documented in the Qur’an, fourth surah, verses 157-158: “That they said (in boast) ‘We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah”; – but they did not kill him, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they did not kill him; – Nay, Allah raised him up unto Himself; and Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise…”

But consider the facts (the Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry – CARM – has references to support each of these points):

1. (First off, the Qur’an was written six centuries after Jesus lived. Compare that to the eyewitness testimony the Bible gives in its gospels).
2. Jesus endured six trials in front of various officials for at least most of the night after the Last Supper. He was beaten in many of them.
3. Jesus was scourged with a multi-thonged whip with sharp objects in the ends – a process that in and of itself could kill a man – many men had their intestines and organs falling out after such an ordeal. He was beaten and bloodied, and then…
4. A crown of thorns was pressed into his skull…
5. A purple robe to wear (sending shockwaves of additional pain through his body as it rubbed against his raw flesh when he moved)…
6. He was forced to carry his own cross (70-170 pounds) through the streets of Jerusalem to a location outside the city for his execution (this was not a quick walk to the corner market)…
7. And he was finally NAILED to the cross through his hands and feet to die.
8. All this was after he was so stressed out in the Garden of Gethsemane that he literally sweat blood: Luke 22:44 (“And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.”).
9. Then, after he “died” by a combination of asphyxiation, dehydration, and shock from all his pain, the Roman guard under him shoved a spear up into his side, through his lung and heart to be sure he was “dead” (John 19:34 “Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.”)
10. Then, after all that, IF he’d survived, his friends wrapped him in about 75 pounds of burial linens and perfumes: John 19:39: (“Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.”)
11. And then, he’d still have to survive in the cold, dark tomb for three days – without medical attention…
12. He’d need to recover enough to rip his 75 pounds of grave clothes off…
13. He’d need to stagger over to the stone door and open it (and even if someone did it for him, the whole idea is preposterous)…
14. He’d have to slip past or fight past the Roman guards that were stationed outside (who were likely very alert and had a strong motivation to not let him go – they would held directly responsible if anything “crazy” happened and would suffer severely for a neglect of their duty)…
15. And finally, he’d need to walk out of the cemetery, over dusty paths, back into the city, and present himself to his disciples on pierced feet and without dripping blood.
16. In fact, when he presents himself to Thomas, he says, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” (John 20:27). Now, if his body is a normal human body at this point, it’s probably in no condition to have other people touching it – it’s probably still oozing blood and pus and the like.

Refuted

So, yes, Jesus died. Non-Christian historians even confirm it. “The historian Tacitus said Jesus ‘suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius.’ The Jewish historian Josephus reports that Pilate ‘condemned him to be crucified.’ Lucian of Samosata, who was a Greek satirist, mentions the crucifixion, and Mara Bar-Serapion, who was a pagan, confirms Jesus was executed. Even the Jewish Talmud reports that ‘Yeshu was hanged.’” (from Lee Strobel’s The Case for the Real Jesus, page 113).

Argument: Jesus’ body was relocated and remained dead

The second allegation is that Jesus’ body was relocated and was not in fact raised from the dead. Some people say that his family moved the body to a family tomb. Others say that they moved his body to a cemetery for the condemned. Others say that they just moved it into a shallow grave and covered it over with dirt, and wild beasts were able to eat it away. Still others say that the disciples stole it and hid it, and this is the original story the Bible lays out: Matthew 28:12-15: “When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.”

The problem with each of these is that they can’t deny that Jesus’ tomb was empty. In fact, no credible source can deny the empty tomb. Additionally, if the family moved the body, shouldn’t someone have set the disciples straight when they started preaching his resurrection? Why would they let the lie continue? If anyone else had moved the body, they could have just produced the body – even decaying – to squelch the new Christian religion. And if the disciples stole the body, and started preaching the resurrection, what would they have to gain from it? All of the men were Jews, many very religious, and in the First of the ten commandments, God instructs his people, “You shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3). Why would the disciples preach Jesus as God, and risk their own damnation for breaking the first commandment if Jesus wasn’t resurrected? Why would they preach and spread a lie that would surely condemn everyone who believed it? What would be the motivation?

Additionally, some people claim that the disciples were confused about which tomb was Jesus’ and that mistake convinced them that he was resurrected. However:

1. Jesus was buried in a rich man’s tomb (Matthew 27:57-60: “As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away.)
2. A guard was posted at the tomb (Matthew 27:63-64: “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”)
3. And if Jesus was indeed a “great prophet” and “great teacher” as so many have claimed, then surely his tomb would have been enshrined, visited often, and remembered – unless it was empty. Therefore, it is impossible to say that the disciples merely got “lost along the way.”

Refuted

So,

1. If Jesus died
2. And his tomb was empty
3. And his body was nowhere to be found
4. And eyewitnesses claimed he was resurrected
5. And Christianity exploded directly out of the city that murdered Jesus (Acts 2:41) into the largest world religion today

…I’d say that presents a pretty solid case for historical fact.

Revive Us Again!

———

Sources

• CARM: Answers to objections concerning Jesus’ miracles and resurrection (Scroll 3/4 of the page down)
• Read The Case for the Real Jesus
• Watch http://www.marshillchurch.org/media/doctrine/resurrection-god-saves
• Watch http://www.marshillchurch.org/media/vintagejesus/did-jesus-rise-from-death

Prophecy is kind of a crazy thing. It’s basically divine revelation given to men (prophets) by God. The Bible has a lot of it, and yesterday I wrote up 5 prophecies Jesus made about his own resurrection.

Fulfillment of prophecy is an even crazier thing. It is basically the word-for-word fulfillment of the long past revelation from God. Many of the prophecies concerning Jesus were spoken hundreds of years before his birth. Yet, he fulfilled them perfectly.

1000 Years Before His Birth, People Were Already Talking About Jesus

Two great examples of different people also prophesying Jesus resurrection can be found in Psalm 16:10 (written about 1000 years before Jesus was born): “because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.” and Isaiah 26:19 (written 700 years before Jesus was born): “But your dead will live; their bodies will rise. You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy. Your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead.” These have their fulfillment in Luke 24:5-6: “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!”

This was the proof in the pudding for the disciples that Jesus was the Messiah, that he was God Incarnate, and that worshiping him as God was more than just OK, it was necessary. It is from this point on that the disciples began to develop the early church creeds (1 Corinthians 15:3-5: “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.”), and preach the forgiveness of sins through him (Acts 4:10-12: “then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. He is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.“)

Never Tell Jesus the Odds

But how likely is it that one man could have fulfilled so many prophecies? Peter Stoner in Science Speaks mathematically calculated the probability that Jesus could have fulfilled only EIGHT prophecies as 1 in 10^17, or 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000. He says that’s like filling the entire state of Texas two feet deep with silver dollars, marking one, and letting a blindfolded man walk among the coins, and select the marked one at random on the first try. Pretty crazy, eh?

So, for some fun, I thought I’d lay out all the Messianic prophecies from a single, prophecy-rich portion of Scripture (Isaiah 52:14-53:12 – often referred to as the “Fifth Gospel” because it’s so rich in prophecy about Jesus) and show how they are fulfilled in Jesus. This is just a handful. Enjoy.

The Gospel According to Isaiah 52:14-53:12

14 As many were astonished at you—
   his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance,
and his form beyond that of the children of mankind—

***(John 19:5: “So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!”)

15 so shall he sprinkle many nations;
   kings shall shut their mouths because of him;
for that which has not been told them they see,
   and that which they have not heard they understand.

Isaiah 53

1 Who has believed what he has heard from us?
   And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2 For he grew up before him like a young plant,
   and like a root out of dry ground;

***(Luke 9:58: “Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”)

he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
   and no beauty that we should desire him.

***(Mark 6:3: “Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.”)

3 He was despised and rejected by men;
   a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
   he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

***(John 19:5: “So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!”)

4 Surely he has borne our griefs
   and carried our sorrows;

***(Matthew 20:28: “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”)

yet we esteemed him stricken,
   smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions;
   he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
   and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
   we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
   the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
   yet he opened not his mouth;

***(Matthew 26:63: “But Jesus remained silent.”)

like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
   and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.

***(Matthew 27:12-14: “When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer. 13 Then Pilate asked him, “Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?” 14 But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor.)

8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
   and as for his generation, who considered
that he was cut off out of the land of the living,
   stricken for the transgression of my people?
9 And they made his grave with the wicked
   and with a rich man in his death,

***(Matthew 27:57-60: “57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. 58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud 60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away.”)

although he had done no violence,
   and there was no deceit in his mouth.

***(1 Peter 2:22: “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.”)

10 Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him;
   he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
   he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
   by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
   and he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
   and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,

***(Luke 23:34: “…And they cast lots to divide his garments.”)

because he poured out his soul to death
   and was numbered with the transgressors;

***(Mark 15:27: “And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left.”)

yet he bore the sin of many,
   and makes intercession for the transgressors.

***(Luke 23:34: “And Jesus said, ”Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”)

***(Matthew 27:50: “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.”)

In Christ Alone

————–

Sources:

• http://carm.org/prophecy-bible-and-jesus
• http://mb-soft.com/believe/txh/proph.htm

The week leading up to Easter Sunday is the week the Christian church considers “Holy Week” – or in Korea, “Passion Week.” It is the anniversary of the final week of Jesus’ life, beginning with Palm Sunday (April 1, 2012) when Jesus entered Jerusalem triumphantly on a donkey as crowds cheered and lay down palm leaves under the donkey’s feet; going on to the Last Supper, usually remembered on Thursday – though new evidence suggests it may have historically been Wednesday (and that would allow more time for Jesus’ multiple trials and beatings); extending through Good Friday – the anniversary of the crucifixion of Jesus; and finally culminating on Easter Sunday – the anniversary of Jesus’ bodily resurrection (he was no mere spirit when he returned – ahem, Jehovah’s Witnesses) – when after 3 days, dead (ahem, Muslims) in the tomb, he was literally re-born. His first birth was of Man (through his mother Mary – commemorated at Christmas), but his second “birth” in the form of resurrection was of God and solidified his authority as God’s Son.

Jesus (Prophet) Knew What End Was Coming

Given all that happened during that week, and Jesus’ close connection with the Father, it is probably safe to say that Jesus knew what was coming. In fact, the Last Supper seems to have been a very planned event, and not just a casual meal out with his disciples before he was arrested by force and surprise. Jesus even prophesied his own death – and means of death – two days before the Supper: “As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified” (Matthew 26:2). Jesus also correctly prophesied his betrayer: “And while they were eating, he said, ‘I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me’…Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, ‘Surely not I, Rabbi?’ Jesus answered, ‘Yes, it is you’” (Matthew 26:21, 25). And Jesus correctly prophesied Peter’s own triple-denial of his Lord: “Peter replied, ‘Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.’ ‘I tell you the truth,’ Jesus answered, ‘this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times’ (Matthew 26:33-34).

How’s that for prophetic accuracy? Here are three correct prophecies from Jesus just in the course of a few days – and two of them in the span of a single evening! I think it’s safe to say that Jesus knew what was coming.

Jesus (Son of Man) Knew His End Wasn’t His Ending

So, for a bit of fun, I thought it would be interesting to see just how well Jesus knew what was coming, how far in advance, and how many times he prophesied about it. But, rather than focusing on his death (that’s what Good Friday is for), I’ve decided to focus on his resurrection (that’s what Easter is for). So, armed with my trusty BibleGateway.com and the simple phrase “three days” here is what I’ve found for the number of different prophecies Jesus made about his own resurrection. Enjoy:

1. Matthew 12:40: “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”
2. Mark 8:31: “He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.”
3. Mark 9:31: “He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.”
4. Mark 10:33-34: “We are going up to Jerusalem,” he said, “and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise.”
5. John 2:19: “Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

Safe to say he saw it coming? With five different prophecies about the same event, definitely. But, just for a second, imagine you were one of the disciples walking with Jesus when he made these statements. None of this would have made much sense. Nothing in history could clue them in as to what was about to happen (after all, no one else had ever died and risen again – let alone predicted it of themselves), and try as he might to spell it out for them, Jesus just couldn’t get them to understand what was coming.

It wasn’t until later that the disciples remembered these things and that Jesus’ prophecies had been fulfilled. And it wasn’t until AFTER the resurrection that they started worshiping him as God. Before that, they felt just like most non-Christians these days feel about Jesus – that he was a great teacher and role model. And had he stayed dead, that’s what he would have remained, a great DEAD teacher and role model – just like Mohammed, or Buddha, or Joseph Smith – all DEAD. But Jesus is NOT dead. He rose again in three days, just as he himself prophesied on five separate occasions.

So, what’s with the “Son of Man” distinction?

But wait. Let’s back up a minute. Jesus was a man, and even referred to himself as a “Son of Man” – obviously to emphasize his humanity. So, what separates him from other “sons of men” and religious leaders like Mohammed, Buddha, or Joseph Smith?

“Son of Man” was easily Jesus’ favorite title for himself throughout Scripture. He most often referred to himself as such. In part, this was to emphasize his humanity – he was literally born of Mankind (through his mother Mary). But, additionally (and likely the reason Jesus enjoyed the term so much) it was a sneaky way of proclaiming his divinity as well. “Son of Man” is a term first found in the book of Daniel, chapter 7. Daniel 7:13-14 describes the “Son of Man” fully:

¹³ In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. ¹⁴ He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

The “Son of Man” was the one prophesied about in Daniel 7 who would have authority to judge the earth and rule in heaven forever. But most listeners would completely miss that point. Only those whose ears were opened to Daniel 7 would be able to make the connection, and even then they might miss the point. But Jesus’ fully intended to communicate about himself in this manner. Not only does “Son of Man” distinguish his humanity, it also highlights his divinity (from Daniel 7). So, every time Jesus called himself “Son of Man” he really meant two things:

1. 100% Human – Born of Mankind
2. 100% God Incarnate – Judge of Earth and Ruler of heaven (Daniel 7)

No wonder Jesus used the term so often. He made no mistake choosing that title for himself. It accurately conveyed his dual nature and blended characteristics. It accurately (indirectly) described himself as God (so never let it be said that “Jesus never claimed to be God” – the proof is clearly concealed in his favorite term for himself). I’m sure he grinned every time he used it.

 Jesus (Son of God) can’t be simply a “Great Prophet”

So here is a man the world considers a “great teacher” and other religions consider a “great prophet” – and he, through his self-prophesied resurrection, holds the keys to life and death. The funny thing about the resurrection is, without it, everyone who ever applied the label “great prophet” to Jesus would be absolutely wrong. If there is no resurrection, an event Jesus himself prophesied at least five times, then how can he be a “great prophet”? At best, he might be a mediocre prophet – “You win some, you lose some” – but most likely, he would just be ignored. No one remembers or considers “great” the prophets who failed in their prophesying. What would be the point? How could you trust anyone who made claims like Jesus did, or trust anything he said, if the claims turned out to be false?

But the resurrection is true, it did happen, and it does prove that Jesus is much MORE than a “great prophet” and a “great teacher.” It also proves that he IS the Son of God – in fact, God Incarnate, and he IS alive, and he IS in heaven, and he IS reigning, and he IS in control of even life and death.

Salvation Is Here!

Great Celebrations

St. Patrick’s Day

Today is St. Patrick’s Day. St. Patrick’s day is a holiday that is celebrated all over the world – in fact, it is probably the most widely celebrated saint’s day in the world. It is a public holiday in Ireland, North Ireland, Newfoundland, Labrador, and Montserrat. And although it is not a national holiday in other countries, it is still widely celebrated throughout the rest of the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, Argentina, Australia, and New Zealand. In fact, over 34 million Americans celebrating St. Patrick’s Day have Irish heritage, which is more than 6 times the population of the country itself. And on St. Patrick’s Day, consumption of Dublin’s own Guiness beer more than doubles – from 5.5 million pints per day, to over 13 million pints.

Truly, St. Patrick’s Day is a huge party day around the world – with at least a dozen countries participating.

Carnival

Carnival in Rio is considered the world’s biggest festival with over 2 million people per day on the streets of Rio de Janeiro. Rio’s Carnival in 2011 drew in 4.9 million people, with over 400,000 foreigners. The Carnival is a literal 6-day party filled with parades, extravagant costumes, samba, singing and dancing. It is held just before the traditional Catholic season of Lent, in which Catholics give up something as a form of penitence in preparation for Holy Week – Palm Sunday through Good Friday, and culminating in Resurrection Sunday (Easter). So, it makes a bit of human sense to indulge oneself in the carnal pleasures of life just before the penitent season of the year. In fact, the term “Carnival” make come from the late Latin expression “carne vale” which means “farewell to meat” and suggests that those were the final days to enjoy meat before the traditional fasting of Lent. So not surprisingly, beer consumption during Carnival accounts for 80% of Rio’s annual consumption. Additionally, Carnival draws in 70% of Rio’s annual tourism.

Carnival is also celebrated in slightly different ways in many other countries around the world (though Rio’s remains the largest and most famous):

• Africa (Angola, Cape Verde islands, Seychelles)
• Asia (Indonesia, India)
• Europe (Belgium, Bosnia Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Norway, England, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey)
• North America (Aruba, Antigua, Barbados, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico, Panama, Canada, United States (Louisiana – Mardi Gras))
• South America (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela)

The Greatest Celebration

Easter

And yet, none of these celebrations and parties even holds a candle to the extraordinary celebration around the world that is Easter. Around the world, approximately 2.1 billion people call themselves Christians. They make up nearly 33% of the entire world’s population, and it is the only major religion that is practiced in every country around the world.

Now, imagine if you added up the full populations of every country in the world that had a Carnival celebration in it. That number would be approximately 3 billion people, or just under 50% of the world’s population. So if every single person in every single Carnival country in the world actually celebrated Carnival, that would be something to brag about (a huge, huge party if 50% of the world joined in). But not every person does join in. And just to match Christianity’s numbers at 33% of the world’s population, at least 3/4 of all the people in all the Carnival countries would need to celebrate. But even that number is a far too generous. In actuality, just judging from Brazil’s Carnival numbers, only about 2.5% of the population actually participates in Carnival (Brazil’s population is 192,376,496 and they attracted 4,900,000 people to Carnival in 2011 – just 2.5% of their population). So, if only 2.5% of any Carnival country’s population joins in the party, that means that only about 75.5 million people celebrate any kind of Carnival any year.  That number is much smaller – only about 1.14% of the world’s population, or just under the full population of Iran. Christianity’s numbers by comparison nearly equate to the full population of China and India combined (minus the population of the U.S.).

So when considering the size and magnitude of any other celebration on earth, nothing else even comes close to Easter (except maybe Christmas – but that always plays second fiddle to Easter).

So, why such a big deal about Easter?

You thought Christmas was the biggest celebration on Earth? Well, that’s second best to be sure. But the number one most important celebration in Christianity (and judging by numbers, the world as well) is undoubtedly Easter. Without that, there’d be absolutely no Christianity. As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:17, “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.”

Got that? Futile. Might as well give up being a Christian right now if there is no resurrection. Without that, all of Jesus’ claims about himself, his deity, his ability to forgive sins and connect people to the Father, are worthless. Without the resurrection, all the faith or good deeds in the world are meaningless; all your time spent in church is meaningless; all the times you write “Christian” on a survey card because you “used to go to church with Mom and Dad once” are meaningless; all the times you pray to get out of trouble (and forget to pray when things are alright) are meaningless; anytime you sing worship songs in church or play CCM in your car, are meaningless. In fact, without the resurrection, the entire tent of Christianity collapses. The resurrection is the pillar keeping this tent up.

The resurrection is the pillar keeping this tent up.

Why is that? Because if there is no resurrection, then the entire premise of Christianity is a sham. God came to Earth to die for the sins of humanity, to restore them to a right relationship with him, so that through his Son, they might inherit eternal life. If Jesus only died, then Christianity would be like every other religion on Earth – a bunch of people following the moral teachings of a great dead prophet. His claims of deity – as the Son of God – would be baseless, and he would be a liar. And we might as well throw out the whole book if the VIP within it is a liar.

Jesus’ death is significant, but it is only half of the story. It would be like watching Empire Strikes Back without seeing Return of the Jedi (yes, I’m a geek). The good guys are defeated at the end. But where is the light at the end of the tunnel? Answer: in Jesus’ resurrection. As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:20, “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” There’s the hope.

John 3:16 is much more about Jesus’ resurrection than his death.

You know that most famous verse: John 3:16? “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Most people think that’s talking about Jesus’ death on the cross for the salvation of their sins. I don’t think so. This verse is much more about Jesus’ resurrection than his death. His death is summed up in the first half of the verse, “that he gave his only Son,” but, his resurrection is contained within the second half of the verse, “should not perish but have eternal life.” Just as Jesus himself did not perish, but was resurrected on the third day, as “the firstfruits of those who have [already died],” neither will we, if we put our faith in Jesus (“that whoever believes in him”) to forgive our sins. This is God’s great promise to us. Jesus is our example not only in his life and death, but also in his resurrection.

“Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:54b-55). There is no longer any death, nor any fear of death for the Christian, for we know that like Jesus, we will be resurrected to join him in heaven at the end of days.

Hugh Hefner on the Resurrection of Jesus Christ

But don’t just take my word for it. Let a secularist describe the situation for you as he sees it: “If one had any real evidence that, indeed, Jesus did return from the dead, then that is the beginning of a dropping of a series of dominoes that takes us to all kinds of wonderful things. It assures an afterlife and all kinds of things that we would all hope are true.” This quote is from Playboy founder Hugh Hefner (referenced in Lee Strobel’s The Case for the Real Jesus, page 105). He is not a Christian, true, but even he can recognize the significance and the power of the resurrection. How can we do any less?

Celebrate Jesus!

So, I implore you – if you are a Christian; if you’ve ever considered yourself a Christian; if you’ve ever been to a Christian church (or Catholic); if you once considered yourself a Christian but have fallen away for a time; if you’re curious about Christianity; if you’re absolutely confused about Jesus and Christianity, but find his story intriguing – then find a church this Easter and go to it. Easter is the pivotal day for Christianity (and also the reason the early church started worshiping on Sunday, rather than Saturday the Sabbath day). Without Easter, without the resurrection, we might as well all just sleep in on every Sunday. It’s THAT important. So find a church on Easter Sunday, no matter where you are in the world, go, and celebrate. Celebrate Jesus – His life, His death, His life again, His life eternal, His life abundant.

And when you celebrate, remember the 2.1 billion other people around the world joining together in the most massive annual celebration in the world.

Jesus Paid It All

I will post one of my favorite Easter songs on each of these Easter posts at the end. Enjoy!

These are some evangelism banners I made up for our church. There were a few main points I considered when making these:

• Jesus FIRST.
• Paul writes in an early creed in 1 Corinthians 15 that Christ is “of first importance.”
• Pastor John MacArthur also answers this common non-Christian question: “What does Christianity provide for me?  What does Christianity offer?” with “In a word, what Christianity offers you is Christ, Jesus Christ, that’s what Christianity offers.”
• Mars Hill church in Seattle has also made Jesus their tagline: “It’s all about Jesus” even going so far as to incorporate that phrase as a huge banner in the source code of their website.
• Pastor Mark Driscoll additionally preaches on Paul’s writing in 1 Corinthians 15 here.
• And Billy Graham’s grandson Tullian Tchividjian preached a 22-part sermon series on the topic from Colossians, and wrote a book on the same subject: “Jesus + Nothing = Everything.”
• Break through stereotypes.
• Everyone has an opinion about Jesus – whether right or wrong. Jesus is the center of history, and everyone has some sort of opinion about him – unless they’ve been living in a secluded region of the jungle for the past 2,000 years. The key then, is to break through the stereotypes, particularly those commonly associated with Christian evangelism.
• “Fire and Brimstone” hellish messages aren’t effective because they are divisive, not inviting, and people no longer fear God, death, or hell.
• “Christian Culture Warrior” messages are not effective in that they are just as divisive as “hell” messages, and they do nothing to call the culture to repent of sin. Rather, they merely show how Jesus’ followers are waging war against the very culture they are called to witness to.
• “Feel Good” Christianity messages aren’t effective because nobody “feels good” all the time. This won’t address the real needs and brokenness of hurting people – and “feel good” Christianity does nothing for people who become Christians and then endure hardships.
• Non-specific Christian messages aren’t effective because they put the focus more on man’s power to change through religious activity than on Jesus’ redemptive work on the cross. Besides, a poster like “Miracles Happen When We Pray” makes no reference about to whom we should pray.
• Excessively allusive messages are no good either because they are equally non-specific. Additionally, some of them will not draw interest or questions from passersby and require an interpreter.
• Excessively “Christianized” messages are also no good because they only cater to believers – using language that is already familiar to the church, but not to those outside the church. There is nothing in a “Christianized” message to draw the interest or attention of a non-believer.
• Introduce our church.
• We want people to come to our church to meet Jesus, although this is in and of itself a secondary concern. So long as they meet Jesus, church location doesn’t matter. But, by giving our service time and location, we can invite people to come and meet Jesus in a place that is accessible and known to them (because we’ve told them about it).

I was thinking specifically of cults when creating this poster, because cults are a huge problem in Korea (and there are some huge cults spread out all over the world). Cults generally follow a simple formula:

• Jesus + this preacher OR
• Jesus + this book OR
• Jesus + your money OR
• Jesus + good works OR
• Jesus + certain activities
• = Salvation

Additional Resources:

• Mark Driscoll – Desiring God 2008 National Conference
• Mark Driscoll – “Lord, Lord…” “I Never Knew You”
• Mars Hill Church – It’s All About Jesus sermon series
• John MacArthur (2007) – Jesus Plus Nothing Equals Everything
• Jesus + Nothing = Everything book
• Jesus + Nothing = Everything interview
• Jesus + Nothing = Everything sermon series

Christmas Sermon by Pastor Heo – 1 Timothy 1:15

This post is based upon the Christmas sermon preached by Pastor JaeBum Heo at Antioch International Christian Fellowship on Christmas Day, 2011. I’ve taken down some sermon notes and will fill in the gaps here to create a full and complete post based on those sermon notes.

Salvation

Salvation is that thing that Christians are constantly talking about. And anyone who’s ever spent time in a church has probably heard the term. Basically, salvation is deliverance from sin and its consequences (sin, of course, being wrongs a person has committed in their lives). The consequence of sin is death (Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death…”). And while all men die physically, this is only part of sin’s consequence. Spiritual death; separation from God; life eternal apart from heaven – these are the true consequences of sin. Therefore, for the Christian, salvation exempts them from these consequences. It brings spiritual life, union with God, and life eternal in heaven.

This is the basic gospel of salvation that is preached by Christians. But what exactly is salvation? Besides its obvious promises and effects, we can see 4 more principles of salvation as a union with God.

First, salvation is a spiritual union. 1 Corinthians 6:17 says, “But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit.”

Second, salvation is a vital union – indicating that it is a matter of death or life. This is apparent in the doctrine of salvation which says that salvation grants spiritual life everlasting, in heaven, with God the Father – and those without salvation will spend an eternity condemned and exiled from the presence of God, in hell. Colossians 3:3-4 says, “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”

Third, salvation is a complete and perfect union with Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:27 says, “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” There is no part of the body that is unnecessary, and the body of Christ is not incomplete. The church, as Christ’s body, is already whole, and each member has a unique purpose.

Fourth, salvation is an inscrutable, mysterious union. Ephesians 5:32 says, “This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.” Paul here relates the marriage union between man and woman with that of Christ and the church. We cannot precisely describe this kind of union with our human language. It is a profound, mysterious union, but a strong and lasting union nonetheless.

So, if this is salvation, there is only one question to ask: Do I have salvation or don’t I?

And if the answer is “yes, I have salvation,” then there are two more questions to ask:

1. Why am I still here? (Because if we are saved from sin and death and sin’s consequences, shouldn’t God take us to heaven immediately after we receive salvation?)
2. What am I to do? (If God has given me salvation – His purpose for fallen humanity, then what is my further purpose for remaining here?)

Christians constantly proclaim that salvation is a free gift: Jesus invites us freely to receive his sacrifice on the cross for no payment of our own. But few remind us that afterward, Jesus asks us to pay all. Matthew 10: “37 Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.”

So, how do you feel? Cheated? Like you bought salvation on credit? Like your whole life is an installment plan to repay the gift of salvation?

Do you want to “Return to Sender”?

Mission

The answer to the above two questions is MISSION. We are still here for mission. What we are to do, is mission. After Salvation, there is always Mission. Immediately. For ALL who are saved.

Salvation and Mission go hand-in-hand all the time. They are quite literally inseparable. If you are saved, you are given mission.

Let’s look in the Bible at some examples. All the time, Salvation is immediately followed by Mission.

Salvation: 2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
Mission: 2 Corinthians 5:18: “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:”

Salvation: Ephesians 2:8,9: “ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Mission: Ephesians 2:10: “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Salvation: Philippians 2:12: “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,”
Mission: Philippians 2:13: “for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.”

Without salvation, mission is not and cannot be given, for the two go hand-in-hand. Salvation comes first, but mission immediately follows.

So, before completely understanding mission, we should first understand what is NOT your mission.

1. Your job (doctor, pastor, lawyer, teacher) is not your mission – this is a mission FIELD, and a mission TOOL, but not the mission itself.
2. Meeting your own earthly needs is not your mission – these are essential and necessary parts of life, but not your mission, for those without salvation need these things as well.
3. Doing good works is not your mission – this is not mission, though they are good and blessed things, even the lost can (and do) do these things.

So what is mission?

1. Mission is given by God to the saved, not to the lost.
2. Mission is something only the saved can do, unsaved cannot do it. (Although some other religions may go on “missions” and claim to have “mission”, these are really just man-made (and man-appointed, all through an application process), and not God-given upon receipt of salvation (witness where you are, as you are, all the time). These kinds of missions also tend to be more like initiation into adulthood (“Leave As a Boy Come Home a Man”) rather than ongoing, lifelong witness to preach Christ’s salvation.

We all have same salvation – Ephesians 4:4-6: “4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” Also we have the same mission (fundamentally) – Matthew 28:19-20: “19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Mission is no less valuable than life and salvation – but it is given only after salvation.

In this world, what is so valuable that you must risk and invest your whole life? What is more valuable than life itself? It is Mission. Because Mission SAVES OTHER LIVES. To win persons to Christ, we must evangelize, preach the gospel, that there is “good news of great joy to all men,” forever.

Acts 20:24 gives the clearest verse about Mission to those who are saved: “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task (mission)…” (same word in Greek) “…Jesus Christ has given me, the task of testifying to God’s grace.”

This is the MOST IMPORTANT THING. Because saving others is something we cannot do after death.

 This is a common argument that is made for the existence of God – the fact that the world, creation itself, obviously attests to the existence of God, and has done so since the beginning of time.

Recently, I watched a debate between Christian apologist William Lane Craig and Richard Dawkin’s book The God Delusion (Dawkin’s chair was empty, for various reasons). Craig has also debated famed atheist Christopher Hitchens on the existence of God (a debate in which Hitchens yielded his entire closing speech), as well as many other atheists and agnostics on the existence of God.

Craig is a much better apologist than I, well-learned, and incredibly logical, so I’ll summarize two of his major arguments for God’s existence here. In the verse above, these are also referred to as “his eternal power and divine nature.”

1. Eternal Power: The Kalam Cosmological Argument
2. Divine Nature: The Fine-Tuning Argument

Eternal Power: The Kalam Cosmological Argument

A basic kalam argument looks like this:

• If A is true, then B is true.
• A is true.
• Therefore, B is true.

The kalam cosmological argument goes like this:

• Whatever begins to exist requires a cause.
• The universe began to exist.
• Therefore, the universe requires a cause.

The first premise is a fundamental law of nature (The Law of the Conservation of Mass) which states that – “matter can neither be created nor destroyed.” As well, there is the First Law of Thermodynamics that has to do with energy. It states that – “energy can neither be created nor destroyed.” To deny this premise is to deny fundamental natural laws.

The second premise is obviously true as well. To deny it is to deny reality, existence, and modern cosmology (a branch of astronomy that is concerned with the “study of the largest-scale structures and dynamics of the universe and is concerned with fundamental questions about its formation and evolution” (Wikipedia). In fact, it is modern cosmology that has allowed scientists to establish the Big Bang Theory as the leading cosmological model for the beginning of the universe.

There is a vast body of research to support the Big Bang Theory, and it is accepted by the majority of scientists as the most accurate and comprehensive explanation for the beginning of the universe. So what exactly happened at the Big Bang? The theory states that at one point in history, the universe was extremely hot and dense, and expanded incredibly rapidly (like an explosion), until it came to cool and rest as the universe we know today. At that point, subatomic particles and the basic building blocks of matter were formed.

Three significant things were sparked into being at the Big Bang:

1. Space
2. Time
3. Matter

Before the Big Bang none of these existed.

But did God truly create time and space (and matter)?

And that leads us to the next portion of the kalam cosmological argument. If the first true premises are true (and to insist they are false is delusional), then we must agree that the third premise must also be true: the universe must have a cause.

Now, while most scientists will agree that the Big Bang caused the formation of the universe, what caused the Big Bang? Was it just a random accident? But that’s impossible, because it denies the Law of the Conservation of Mass as well as the First Law of Thermodynamics. And even in scientific experiments in quantum mechanics where virtual particles come into being in a vacuum, something must spark the vacuum to cause the “bang.” As WinteryKnight writes:

The vacuum is sparked by a scientist. The particles exist for a period of time inversely proportional to their mass. But in the case of the big bang, there is no vacuum – there’s nothing. There is no scientist – there’s nothing. And the universe is far too massive to last 14 billion years as a virtual particle.

Therefore, there must have been a spark, a cause, behind the Big Bang. And because the Big Bang created space, time, and matter, we can infer three things about the spark of the Big Bang:

1. The spark is not bound by space – because it created it – so, it is not physical, because physical things exist in space.
2. The spark is not bound by time – because it created it – so, it is not temporal, but eternal, outside the confines of time.
3. The spark is not bound by matter – because it created it – so, it is not material and has no mass.

This argument is the one Christians often find the most appealing and easily resonate with. It goes like this:

• The fine-tuning of the universe to support life is either due to law, chance, or design.
• It is not due to law or chance.
• Therefore, the fine-tuning is due to design.

WinteryKnight has done a wonderful write-up of the fine-tuning argument from both William Lane Craig and Dr. Walter L. Bradley (Distinguished Professor of Engineering at Baylor University), and as this post is already quite long, I won’t spend a great deal of time getting in depth on this argument here. Rather, please check out WinteryKnight’s posts for more details.

However, WinteryKnight does have a very well-written argument for the reality of fine-tuning that I’ll quote here:

Is the fine-tuning real?

Yes, it’s real and it is conceded by the top-rank of atheist physicists. Let me give you a citation from the best one of all, Martin Rees. Martin Rees is an atheist and a qualified astronomer. He wrote a book called “Just Six Numbers: The Deep Forces That Shape The Universe”, (Basic Books: 2001). In it, he discusses 6 numbers that need to be fine-tuned in order to have a life-permitting universe.

Rees writes here:

These six numbers constitute a ‘recipe’ for a universe. Moreover, the outcome is sensitive to their values: if any one of them were to be ‘untuned’, there would be no stars and no life. Is this tuning just a brute fact, a coincidence? Or is it the providence of a benign Creator?

There are some atheists who deny the fine-tuning, but these atheists are in firm opposition to the progress of science. The more science has progressed, the more constants, ratios and quantities we have discovered that need to be fine-tuned. Science is going in a theistic direction.

Basically, adjusting any of the constants or numbers that hold our world and universe together by even so little as 2% would create a universe in which life would be an impossibility.

So, as the verse from Romans points out, “they [atheists and all people] are without excuse…For [God's] invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.”

—————————————————-

But Can I support the Big Bang Theory as a Christian?

When I was in high school, my youth pastor used to say, “Sure, I believe in the Big Bang: God spoke – BANG! Earth was created.” At the time, I thought he was absolutely joking and calling into question the science behind the theory. But now, I think there may have been some scientific truth to what he said as well.

One of the biggest problems I had with the Big Bang Theory when I first heard about it in school decades ago was this:How can science explain (or expect me to believe) that a Big Bang occurred at all? I’m no idiot, and I remembered my fifth grade teacher explain the Law of the Conservation of Mass. I knew that if matter and energy could neither be created nor destroyed, then nothing could ever have caused the Big Bang. And yet, on the other hand, I called myself a Christian and believed that God created the universe out of nothing.

So, on the one hand, I adamantly refused to believe in the leading scientific theory for the creation of the universe. Yet, on the other hand, I went straight to the Bible and read it as plain literal text and believed wholeheartedly that when God spoke, everything came into being in an instant (or in the six days of creation as recorded in Genesis).

But, I’m not convinced that the six days of creation took place over six 24-hour periods of time as we know it. Even Augustine and Thomas Aquinas thought that the first two chapters of Genesis were written for the understanding of the people of the time, and may not have been written in a completely plain literal sense. Besides, check out these two verses (one from the Old Testament, and one from the New Testament) that declare how time is just a relative thing to God:

Psalm 90:4
For a thousand years in your sight
are but as yesterday when it is past,
or as a watch in the night.

2 Peter 3:8
But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.

Now, granted, these verses do not specifically address the Genesis creation account, and so cannot truly be used in defense of a lengthy (thousands of years) creation period. But the point to be made is clear: God is not bound by time and space (or matter). If he were, he could not have been able to create time and space (and matter).

Science and Christianity are NOT mutually exclusive

This, I’m afraid, may be partly what is wrong with Christian belief sometimes. We believe the Bible is the Word of God – so we believe that everything recorded within it is true. However, at times when science raises new evidence that is not written about literally in the Bible, we have a tendency to turn it aside as scientific folly (as I once did with the Big Bang).

Christians often tend to regard only ONE as truth and turn aside from the other. Either the Bible is true, wholly true, and never false, or science is. But both cannot be. Now, while there may be scientific theories and principles that have been overturned over the centuries, the Bible has never been disproven by science. In fact, the complete opposite is true. The more science discovers about the universe, the more it supports Christianity. And the more I learn about science, the more my own faith is strengthened because scientific evidence backs up what I’ve already believed.

As Christians, we need to spend less time running from new scientific theories and discoveries, and more time actually studying them, giving thought to them, and learning how they fit into the grand universe that God has created. If we do believe that God has created the universe, and if we do believe that the Bible is God’s infallible, complete, and true Word, then any true scientific discovery cannot hinder our faith, but only reinforce or deepen our understanding of what we already believe.

Atheism is the thinking man’s religious skepticism, without a doubt. It is an incredibly complicated series of beliefs (or rather, un-beliefs) that would be far to complex to fully detail in a single post. But technically, at its most basic, atheism is a singular belief surrounded by numerous, complicated pathways and reasoning to arrive at that singular belief. At its most basic, atheism is “a” (without) “theos” (god), and practitioners of this anti-religion firmly hold to the belief that there is no God (or gods, as they like to say).

Atheism, Agnosticism, and Anti-theism

Atheism is not the same thing as agnosticism which holds that even IF there is a God (or gods), the truth about such a claim is completely unknowable. Therefore, while agnostics might not declare outright that “God is a myth,” they are generally tend to be anti-religious as they commonly agree with Thomas Henry Huxley’s statement: “do not pretend conclusions are certain that are not demonstrated or demonstrable.”

Atheism is also not the same thing as antitheism which stands in direct opposition to God and all religions. One of the front-men for the antitheist movement is Christopher Hitchens who has declared:

“I’m not even an atheist so much as I am an antitheist; I not only maintain that all religions are versions of the same untruth, but I hold that the influence of churches, and the effect of religious belief, is positively harmful.”
and that a person “could be an atheist and wish that belief in god were correct,” but that “an antitheist, a term I’m trying to get into circulation, is someone who is relieved that there’s no evidence for such an assertion.”

As you can see, there are different levels, categories, and variations of disbelief in God (there are 6 main categories of agnosticism alone). But the simplest differentiation that can be made (hopefully without oversimplifying anything) is as follows:

1. Atheists: “God cannot be proven to exist, therefore does not exist.”
2. Agnostics: “God cannot be proven to exist, therefore his existence is completely unknowable.”
3. Antitheists: “God cannot be proven to exist, therefore anything regarding God – religions, churches, and so on -are harmful to society at large.”

Is belief in God a choice we make?

Many who fit into one of these classifications also fit into another because there are really only two options when it comes to the existence of God: either he truly exists, or he doesn’t. But it is precisely this issue and the question of belief in God’s existence that lies at the heart of the atheist / Christian debate. And the main question is: Is belief in God a choice?

Is disbelief a choice of will, or the only logical conclusion that is left given a lack of evidence? Christians generally tend to argue that disbelief is a choice of the will – an arrogant, stubborn will. Atheists tend to argue that disbelief is the only available option – because belief in the impossible is just that, impossible.

Here is a very interesting (atheist) article about the nature of beliefs and choices. It provides some good insight into how atheists think about belief vs. choice: http://atheism.about.com/od/philosophyepistemology/a/BeliefChoice.htm

The first page is the most interesting for me, though there are good points throughout (though he mainly seems to be rehashing and detailing many of the arguments he makes on the first page). Here are some quotes:

I try to explain to [evangelicals] that I do not in fact “choose” atheism. Instead, atheism is the only possible position given my present state of knowledge. I can no more “choose” to just believe in the existence of a god than I can choose to believe that this computer doesn’t exist. Belief requires good reasons, and although people may differ on what constitutes “good reasons,” it is those reasons which cause belief, not choice.
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If a belief is impossible, then the opposite is not something we simply choose: it is the only option, something we are forced to accept.
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The beliefs people tend to be “proudest” of are those which they also say no one can deny. If no one can deny something, then it isn’t a choice to believe it.

Dear Atheist, you may be right when you assert that belief isn’t a choice.

Based on these quotes, I can get a much better understanding of the argument that belief isn’t a choice – and I might even be inclined to agree with that.

Basically, it does seem that Christians and atheists sit on opposite sides of the fence – not necessarily by choice – but perhaps by how they view the world and the evidence within existence that they have been exposed to.

Atheists may argue AGAINST the existence of God based on moral, ethical, and historical evidences – “Why would a just God allow such suffering / killing in His name / unbelievers – without evidence enough to believe – to perish in hell?” And the evidence they possess may be sufficient for them to disbelieve in God, not necessarily by “choice” but because it is the only logical conclusion they can reach based on their own observations and understanding.

Christians may argue FOR the existence of God based on personal experience, evidence in creation, and historical proofs, “If there is no God, why does all creation fit so perfectly together / there are no living “missing links” / prophecies within the Bible have been fulfilled with 100% accuracy – according to the knowledge and evidence available to us / I – or my friends or historical figures – have personal experiences detailing the providence of God (due to “amazing coincidences” that have occurred) / Jesus’ resurrection is, according to Dr. Simon Greenleaf Law professor at Harvard University, “the best explanation for the events that took place immediately after his crucifixion” (He was an atheist: http://y-jesus.com/blog/simon-greenleaf-resurrection)?”

Here is another interesting quote from the atheist article that helps:

Instead of focusing on the actual beliefs, which are not themselves choices, it can be more important and more productive to focus instead on how a person has arrived at their beliefs because that is the result of willful choices. As a matter of fact, it is my experience that it is the method of belief formation which ultimately separates theists and atheists more than the details of a person’s theism.

Finding and accepting truth that only fits your own world view

And that all reminds me of something that Jon Stewart has pointed out numerous times on his show – that people (he targets Fox News) choose news clips, stories, and opinions that support their general narrative about how the world works. Therefore, atheists may study many negative “proofs” and evidence against the existence of God and further solidify their belief that there isn’t one – because all their evidence stands against it. And Christians may study numerous books, “proofs” and evidences FOR God’s existence and hand in the world, and further solidify their belief that there IS a God – because all their evidence stands FOR it.

However, atheists may not all study the same Christian “proof” texts – or with the same logical “eyes” that they study atheist “proofs” with. And Christians aren’t likely to study atheist “proofs” with open eyes. Basically, neither group is likely to seriously study the other group’s views, and if they do, they will approach everything with skepticism.

So then, both groups may not necessarily “choose” to believe anything – but just accept the the logical conclusion that their own experiences and evidence forces them into. For atheists, belief in God may be impossible, so they are “forced” into unbelief. But for Christians, disbelief in God may be equally impossible, so they are “forced” into belief. In either case, “choice” can be argued to be absent from the equation.

So what does the Bible say on this fact that belief is NOT a choice?

Actually, the first verse above from 2 Thessalonians – in context – is talking about the Man of Lawlessness at the end of the age and before Jesus’ Second Coming. However, I do think that it provides a sufficient thought to add to this discussion.

Originally, I found the verse on an atheist page titled “An Atheist’s Favorite Bible Verses.” The page author wrote: “God forces people to believe in lies and then condemns them for it.” So, are these accusations true? Would God force people to believe in lies and then condemn them? Does God actually send a “powerful delusion” to people? And if so, what kind of a God is that?

God sends delusion in response to human decision

Actually, in this verse, God is not the instigator. He only sends delusion as a result of former action. This is clearly evidenced by the first part of verse 11: “For this reason…” There are three causes that produce the effect of God’s deliverance of delusion:

1. Verse 10: They refused to love the truth
2. Verse 12: [They have] not believed the truth
3. Verse 12: [They have] delighted in wickedness

John Calvin, in his commentary on these verses writes:

Lest the wicked should complain that they perish innocently, “Sans cause et estans innocens;” — “Without cause, and being innocent.” and that they have been appointed to death rather from cruelty on the part of God, than from any fault on their part, Paul shews on what good grounds it is that so severe vengeance from God is to come upon them — because they have not received in the temper of mind with which they ought the truth which was presented to them, nay more, of their own accord refused salvation.
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In short, Paul declares that Antichrist will be the minister of God’s righteous vengeance against those who, being called to salvation, have rejected the gospel, and have preferred to apply their mind to impiety and errors.
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For though the domination of Antichrist has been cruel, none have perished but those who were deserving of it, nay more, did of their own accord choose death. (Proverbs 8:36)

And about the delusion that God sends:

The working of delusion. He means that errors will not merely have a place, but the wicked will be blinded, so that they will rush forward to ruin without consideration. For as God enlightens us inwardly by his Spirit, that his doctrine may be efficacious in us, and opens our eyes and hearts, that it may make its way thither, so by a righteous judgment he delivers over to a reprobate mind (Romans 1:28) those whom he has appointed to destruction, that with closed eyes and a senseless mind, they may, as if bewitched, deliver themselves over to Satan and his ministers to be deceived.

James Burton Coffman’s commentary adds this as well:

Populations who will not accept God’s morality, but who love evil, will be quite easily deceived by Satan; God himself will even send hardening and blindness to those who have preferred evil, in order to hasten their destruction. The judicial hardening that God inflicts upon those who love wickedness is an extensive New Testament subject.

Belief is not a choice, but rather the result of past choices

Even atheists can (and do) agree that while belief is not a choice, it does come about as a result of past choices. I’ll point you again to the earlier atheist quote:

Instead of focusing on the actual beliefs, which are not themselves choices, it can be more important and more productive to focus instead on how a person has arrived at their beliefs because that is the result of willful choices.

So then, who is deluded?

Richard Dawkins wrote the famous The God Delusion (which this artwork is partially based on) in which he “contends that a supernatural creator almost certainly does not exist and that belief in a personal god qualifies as a delusion, which he defines as a persistent false belief held in the face of strong contradictory evidence.” He would say (and most atheists would agree) that Christians are deluded into believing that there is a God.

But on the other hand, as we’ve previously seen, the Bible says that God sends delusion to those who have already made a choice to deny the truth (namely, of his existence). So a Christian could argue that atheists are the ones who are truly deluded.

Still, atheists’ disbelief in God’s existence may not (currently) be entirely their fault. Previously, they rejected the truth about God, and as a result, God has fed them a powerful delusion that blinds them and hardens their hearts to such a degree that they literally could not believe in God even if they wanted to. As an atheist friend of mine put it: “If someone held a gun up to my head right now, I couldn’t choose to believe in [God].”

God hides and reveals Himself of His own will

And finally, we come full-circle to the main question of this article: Is belief in God a choice? The answer is a resounding “No.” Those who don’t believe in God, can’t, because God Himself blocks their understanding of Him due to their past choices regarding His truth. And what of those who do believe? Ephesians 2:8-9 declares that even faith in Him is a gift from Him: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God —  9 not by works, so that no one can boast.” But that is a discussion for another time.

Last week, another bunch of “Christians” came up to me wanting to discuss the Bible. It’s actually amazing how many of these evangelists are specifically targeting English-speakers in Korea. Even most of the door-to-door evangelists bring along at least one English-speaker “just in case.” After letting them know that, “Yes, I too, am Christian” and telling them which church I go to (one of the largest in the city – and well-known around the world) – they continued to ask me to “discuss the Bible with them.” Obviously, this usually happens when the evangelists want to point out “faults” with traditional Christianity and convert me to their brand of it (i.e. a cult). So, unable to pretend any longer, I just asked them straight up, “Which Christian denomination are you?” To which they replied, “Jehovah’s Witnesses.”

Now, usually, from the moment I hear the name of a cult, I just turn off my ears, and push them away as quickly as I can – even if I come off as rude. After all, I know my God, and know they are trying to sell me on a false one. No sense hearing them out any longer. But this time, as the evangelist partner reached into his bag for one of their Watchtower Magazines and asked me to read it, I accepted. I guess I just wanted to know what, exactly, they write about, and what exactly they believe that differs from traditional Christianity. I opened the Magazine with complete skepticism, and wasn’t disappointed. I quickly found some things within that are contrary to traditional Christian doctrine – as well as one thing they strongly believe that is contrary to history books and encyclopedias.

The following is a breakdown of what Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that is divergent from Christianity. Each point has an appropriate graphical representation in today’s art.

The Trinity? No, no, no. There are only TWO “people.”

Jehovah’s Witnesses deny the Trinity. In fact, they deny there are even three persons at all – they believe there are only two. The Holy Spirit, according to Jehovah’s witnesses is only God the Father’s “active force” (lightning bolt) – through which he creates and works. In fact, according to Jehovah’s witnesses, Jesus was God the Father’s first creation, and it was after his creation that God the Father created the rest of humanity through Jesus (Colossians 1:16). Therefore, as Jesus is a created being, he has a beginning, and cannot be eternal. He is not equal to God, and in fact, he never claimed to be God or equal to God in the Bible – or so they believe. (Although there are plenty of verses that disprove that notion.) Therefore, according to Jehovah’s Witnesses, Jesus is #2 to God. God the Father, is #1, the one and only, who answers only to the names “Jehovah” and sometimes “YHWH” as he did in the Hebrew Old Testament. In fact, it is because of this belief that they have produced their own translation of the Bible – called the “New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures.”

The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures

In order to justify some of their beliefs (i.e. the non-deity of Christ; God only answers to “Jehovah”; and so on), a new translation of the Bible was required. “The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures” is the name of the Jehovah’s Witnesses Bible. It was published in 1961 and is the first original translation of the ancient Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic texts of the Bible. The translators claimed to have “a better understanding of the original intentions” of the original authors and justify their changes in the Bible in that way. In fact, many of the changes are in place to remove Jesus’ deity. Check out some of the examples below:

The Non-Deity of Christ

John 8:58

NIV:  “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”
NWT: Jesus said to them: “Most truly I say to YOU, Before Abraham came into existence, I have been.”

John 1:1

NIV: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
NWT: In [the] beginning the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god.

In the first verse in the NIV, Jesus calls himself God by using the name that God used for himself in Exodus 3:14. But, the NWT removes Christ’s deity by only saying that he was in existence – following their theology that he is a created being, created before Abraham.

In the second verse in the NIV, Jesus is the Word, and the Word IS God. However, in the NWT, it says just that the Word was “a god” because they believe that only God the Father is God, although there may be other gods (Jesus is one).  In fact, they even believe that Jesus was created as Michael the Archangel at creation, and became the Messiah at his baptism. But, Jesus is not Michael, and God and Jesus ARE ONE as it says in John 17.

Cross and Resurrection? The text doesn’t literally say that…

Two more things Jehovah’s witnesses deny about Jesus are the cross and his bodily resurrection. Because the Bible – in the original Greek – never literally uses the word “cross” to tell of Jesus’ death (the Greek word “stauros” literally translates to “stake” or “tree”), the JW’s believe that Jesus was crucified on a post, with arms raised above his head and a single nail driven through them. However, the Bible clearly states that Jesus had “nailS“ driven through his hands and not just “nail.”

Additionally, JW’s don’t believe in Jesus’ bodily resurrection from the dead. The resurrection, they say, was only a “spiritual” resurrection, and didn’t include his original body. However, the Bible clearly shows people touching and interacting with Jesus’ post-resurrection body – so it can’t have been just a spirit – if they truly take the Bible as literally as they indicate they do from their cross denial. But as for taking the Bible literally, here’s a great clip from Mark Driscoll about the difference between Plain Literal language and Figurative Literal language in the Bible. It would be well worth a listen for people who like to take the Bible literally.

The Bible PLUS [_____]

Still, it is a bit odd that the JW’s claim to take the Bible so literally, yet also believe it is insufficient in and of itself. They may not come out and say so directly, but a publication of The Watchtower Magazine on February 15, 1981 says this: “We all need help to understand the Bible, and we cannot find the Scriptural guidance we need outside the ‘faithful and discreet slave’ organization.” That “faithful and discreet slave” organization as it turns out is the JW’s own Watchtower organization.

According to the Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry (CARM):

They say that they read and study their Bibles and only use the Watchtower literature as a guide to understanding God’s word. But it is this very admission which condemns them because their doctrines are not found in the Bible. The proof is found, believe it or not, in the Watchtower’s own writings. Consider this quote from The Watchtower magazine, August 15, 1981 that says:

“From time to time, there have arisen from among the ranks of Jehovah’s people those, who, like the original Satan, have adopted an independent, faultfinding attitude…They say that it is sufficient to read the Bible exclusively, either alone or in small groups at home. But, strangely, through such ‘Bible reading,’ they have reverted right back to the apostate doctrines that commentaries by Christendom’s clergy were teaching 100 years ago…”

Basically, the Bible PLUS anything = nothing. The Bible IS sufficient on its own because it is the only true Word of God. That’s not to say that other books are worthless, but just that when they become a crutch on which people lean in order to understand anything of the Bible, then they are worthless.

And speaking of 100 years ago…

There’s another interesting bit of information about JW’s that won’t come out right away, but that they believe occurred nearly 100 years ago. In 1914, according to their mathematical calculations, Jesus invisibly returned to Earth, and began his invisible reign – but most humans just aren’t aware of it.

CARM reports this:

An absolutely critical date for the Jehovah’s Witnesses is 1914 AD.  It is the date when, according to the Jehovah’s Witnesses, the time of the Gentiles ended (Watchtower, 5/1/93, page 11) and “Jesus-the heavenly warrior Michael-became King of God’s heavenly Kingdom,” (Watchtower 11/1/93, page 23).  To arrive at this date, the Witnesses take the account in Daniel 4 and apply a 360 day year for each of the seven “times” for a total of 2520 years.  They add this date to 607 B.C., their date for the fall of Jerusalem under Nebuchadnezzar, and arrive at 1914 A.D., the date when Jesus supposedly returned invisibly in the heavens (The Truth Shall Make You Free, p. 300), the “appointed time of the nations” ended (The Time is at Hand, page 79), and the beginning of the end of the world commenced (Watchtower 11/15/50, page 438).

But the question is, “How did they determine that 607 B.C. is the date that Jerusalem fell when most historians and scholars agree it was 586 or 587 B.C.?” That’s simple. It’s based on another mathematical calculation using the Jewish Exile in Babylon. The Persian King Cyrus released the Jews to return to their homes from Exile in about 537 B.C. And according to a prophecy in Jeremiah 29, the Lord said there would be a period of 70 years in exile. So simply take 537 B.C. and go back the full 70 years to arrive at the critical date of 607 B.C. Simple, literal, perfect – but not historically accurate.

Think you’re going to heaven? Think again.

The final thing I’ll highlight that JW’s believe that differs from Christianity is that only 144,000 people will go to heaven. This is a number that is referred to in Revelation 7 and 14. The JW’s believe that those “anointed” ones will rule Earth together with Jesus from heaven. So what happens to the other JW’s? They’ll enjoy a paradise on Earth like the Garden of Eden (which was God’s original plan in the first place). And how do you know if you’re one of the anointed? You just do. You just feel it, deep down, in your gut, you just know. There is no official selection or voting to be an “anointed” – you just know it.

Resources

For further research on Jehovah’s Witnesses, I encourage you to check out the plethora of information on CARM’s site: http://carm.org/

Also, the BBC Religions site has some great info: http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/witnesses/