| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"Maybe I Will" |
| Date: |
07 Aug 2007 09:43:47 PM |
| Object: |
Ancient Evidence for Jesus from Non-Christian Sources |
.. Ancient Evidence for Jesus from Non-Christian Sources
Introduction
There are a few references to Jesus in 1st-century Roman and Jewish sources. Documents indicate that within a few years of Jesus'
death, Romans were aware that someone named Chrestus (a slight misspelling of Christus) had been responsible for disturbances in the
Jewish community in Rome (Suetonius, The Life of the Deified Claudius 25.4). Twenty years later, according to Tacitus, Christians in
Rome were prominent enough to be persecuted by Nero, and it was known that they were devoted to Christus, whom Pilate had executed
(Annals 15.44). This knowledge of Jesus, however, was dependent on familiarity with early Christianity and does not provide
independent evidence about Jesus. Josephus wrote a paragraph about Jesus (The Antiquities of the Jews 18.63ff.), as he did about
Theudas, the Egyptian, and other charismatic leaders (History of the Jewish War 2.258-263; The Antiquities of the Jews 20.97-99,
167-172), but it has been heavily revised by Christian scribes, and Josephus's original remarks cannot be discerned.
http://bibleweb.info/external-references-to-jesus-01.pdf
Articles Included in this Report:
o Ancient Evidence for Jesus from Non-Christian Sources
o The Inspiration of the Bible
o No Lost Books
o Authority of the Bible
o Are the Biblical Documents Reliable?
o Did Jesus Claim to Be God?
o If Christ Has Not Been Raised: Reasoning Through the Resurrection
o Religious Stew
o Only Two Religions: Meditations on Religious Pluralism
o Is the Church Ready to Engage the World for Christ?
o The Resurrection: Fact or Fiction?
o Is Christianity Based on Fraud?
o Spotlight on the Narrow Path
o Witnessing to Liberals
o Christianity's Real Record
o Why Does God Make Atheists?
o The Historic Alliance of Christianity and Science
o General & Special Revelation - A Match Made In Heaven
o Miracles
o Additional References Taken From: "The Resurrection of Jesus",
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.. Evidence for Jesus From Non-Christian Sources
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| User: "" |
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| Title: Re: Ancient Evidence for Jesus from Non-Christian Sources |
22 Jul 2007 01:21:14 AM |
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On Jul 22, 12:05 am, "UR Welcome!" <UR Welcome!_fan_c...@yahoo.com>
wrote:
"Al Klein" <ruk...@pern.invalid> wrote in messagenews:f7e5a35822bf1ntvjao1vaflgam09jjde6@4ax.com...
. Ancient Evidence for Jesus from Non-Christian Sources
. Maranatha!
. Ancient Evidence for Jesus from Non-Christian Sources
Previously debunked.
http://tinyurl.com/2vhs39
http://tinyurl.com/3ay5hm
http://tinyurl.com/2wskdr
http://tinyurl.com/24anmt
http://home.earthlink.net/~pgwhacker/ChristianOrigins/
http://mama.indstate.edu/users/nizrael/jesusrefutation.html
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/dp5/christian.htm
http://www.jesuspuzzle.com/
Posting the same lies over and over does not work here, John.
-Panama Floyd, Atlanta.
aa#2015/KoBAAWA!
.
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| User: "UR Welcome! UR" |
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| Title: Re: Ancient Evidence for Jesus from Non-Christian Sources |
22 Jul 2007 08:11:49 AM |
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<panamfloyd@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:1185085274.892676.168130@q75g2000hsh.googlegroups.com...
"Rise Up and Walk"
Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none: but such as I have give I
thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.
Acts 3:6
As we have seen, there is considerable confusion in the minds of men and
women with respect to the message of the Gospel, and that is the tragedy
of tragedies. This is, of course, the masterpiece of the devil. As the
Bible shows us from start to finish, the devil is the great antagonist of
God. He has one ambition, one great idea, and that is to bring ruin into
God?s perfect creation. He did it at the beginning when God created the
world, and he has been most assiduous in his efforts ever since the Son of
God came into the world to bring in a new creation. Throughout the
centuries he has been busy doing everything he can to cause confusion with
regard to the Gospel.
The devil?s supreme achievement is to bring this confusion into the church
herself. It is not surprising that he confuses the world outside?we do not
expect anything better there; but it is terrible that he should succeed
with the church herself. And so, let me emphasize again, perhaps the
greatest of all needs in these days is the need to know exactly what
Christianity is and what the Christian church is. What is the message of
the Christian Gospel? That is what concerns us. In the first two chapters
of Acts, we are given an account of how the church began; and at the end
of chapter 2 we are given a detailed and positive description of the
Christian church and her life. Here we see authentic Christianity and
nothing else.
This book of Acts is a wonderful book. I have often said that it is the
most thrilling, the most exhilarating book in the world. Anatole France,
an infidel French novelist, used to say that when he felt jaded and tired
in Paris, he never went into the country to find refreshment but into the
eighteenth century. I understand that very well. I have often gone into
the eighteenth century myself?to the Evangelical Awakening, the blessing
of God in revival. But the place to go to is the book of the Acts of the
Apostles. Here is the tonic, here is the place to get refreshment, where
we feel the life of God pulsating in the early Christian church.
Here in chapter 3 we are also told about the early church but in a
different way. At the end of chapter 2 we are given a general description
of the church; here in chapter 3 it is put in the form of a picture. There
we are given an analysis; here we see the church in operation. We see what
these people were enabled to do because they were the kind of people we
have seen described in chapter 2. One of the glories of the book of Acts,
as of so much of the Bible, is that it does not confine itself to didactic
teaching. It also tells stories; it gives examples and illustrations of
all that it puts before us theoretically. It gives us the Gospel in
action, as something living and real. And that is what I am anxious to
deal with now.
There is always the danger that we should think of Christianity as
something abstract and intellectual. Though we must know the theory and
have the understanding, we must never forget that first and foremost the
Christian faith deals with life and living; it is the most revolutionary
power the world has ever known. A dead church is a contradiction in terms.
It is a dead something?call it what you like?but not a dead church. The
church is life, and it is power, and it is vigor. All of this is perfectly
illustrated and exemplified for us in this story in Acts 3. Here is the
church in action, the church facing the world. There they are, the first
Christians. They have had this tremendous experience. The Holy Spirit has
come upon them. They are filled with the Spirit, and they are rejoicing,
praying, and praising God with singleness of heart. But now they face the
world as it is?and this is the business of the church. That is why she is
here?to help the world. The Lord came from heaven to help men and women.
He came ?to seek and to save that which was lost? (Luke 19:10), and He has
left the church behind to continue the work. You remember how we made that
point at the very beginning. Luke says, ?The former treatise have I made,
O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach? (Acts 1:1),
and Jesus Christ is continuing that work. Now He is no longer here, but He
is acting through His chosen servants.
Here in Acts 3 we see a poor man who had been born lame. He was about
forty years of age, we are told in 4:22, and he had never walked in his
life. Every day he was carried to the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and
there he would sit, asking alms, which means that he was a beggar. He
would put his cap on the pavement by his side, hoping that people would
drop something in as they went into the temple to worship and to say their
prayers. We are familiar with this kind of thing. We do not see as much of
it as we used to, but throughout the centuries men of this type have
always taken up their position outside Christian churches. You are more
likely to get help from people who go to church than you are from anybody
else, and beggars have always known that. So his friends took this man and
put him there by the gate, and we see what happened to him.
What happened to him was a miracle. What is a miracle? It is necessary to
ask that question today in this age that boasts of its scientific
knowledge and refuses to believe in miracles. In a miracle the laws of
nature are not broken, but God acts above them. It is the same God who
acts in a miracle as in the ordinary natural way. God has so made the
universe that normally things happen according to what we call ?the laws
of nature,? though it would be more accurate to say, ?the laws of God in
nature.? So if you are ill, you are given treatment, and in time you
gradually get better. That is all right, but it is always God who heals.
If it is not God?s will that you should be healed, you can have the best
treatment in the world and you will not get well. God normally heals
indirectly, by means of doctors and medicine, but He sometimes heals
without them. He sometimes heals directly. God is not confined by His own
laws. He has made them, and if He chooses at times to act independently of
them, why should He not? If you make an instrument, you can use it, but
you are not bound to do so. Sometimes you can do the same thing without
it.
When a miracle takes place, I repeat, it does not mean that the laws of
nature are broken; so the scientist need not get anxious or be afraid. In
a miracle, God in His almighty power is acting in a different way?not
laying His laws aside but temporarily acting without them. That is what is
meant by a miracle.
It is vital to understand that a miracle, by definition, cannot be
explained in natural terms because believing people often talk of miracles
in a very loose way. They turn everything into a miracle. I remember
reading a book called Ten Thousand Miles of Miracles in Great Britain. The
title was already wrong, and it showed that the contents of the book were
going to be wrong. You do not get as many miracles as that. This writer
tried to say that everything that had happened to him was a miracle. I am
therefore tempted to say that nothing that happened to him was a miracle.
He may have experienced extraordinary happenings, but they were not
miracles.
Why do miracles ever take place? Why did they take place in the time when
our Lord was on earth, and also here in the book of Acts? And why have
they taken place since then? The answer is that they are meant to be
signs. The Gospel According to St John always refers to miracles as signs.
They are meant to be demonstrations, proof of almighty power. And so we
find as we read the four Gospels that when our Lord worked a miracle, the
people praised God or they were filled with fear because they sensed the
power of God. I have always felt that the trouble with people who do not
believe in miracles is really that they do not believe in God. They do not
know the all-powerful God of the Bible. Their God is someone who is
smaller than creation and confined to it. So do not ever argue with such
people about miracles; argue with them about God.
So, then, we are confronted here by a miracle. But a miracle also serves
another function. It is generally a kind of parable. It has a dual
function. It actually is a fact of history, something that has taken
place. Yes, but because it is also a sign, it is meant to teach us, to
preach to us. It is meant to convey truth to us. And that is exactly what
this particular miracle does. So while we look at this extraordinary thing
that was done here by Peter and John and know that it is a fact of
history?indeed, the subsequent record proves that abundantly?we are
interested in it primarily now as it shows us something of the nature of
the Christian church, her business, what she should do in this world and
what she can do.
Let us be clear. I accept the miracle exactly as it is?it literally
happened. But beyond that, we must look at its teaching. Indeed, Peter
himself, in his sermon that follows this, does explain it. But I am
anxious now to take it as a picture of what the Christian church is here
to do. So let us first of all look at this man laid there by the Beautiful
Gate of the temple as a picture of humanity in a state of sin. The Bible
itself does this. It often uses leprosy in both the Old Testament and the
New as a very good illustration of what sin is. We are all helped by
illustrations. People complain against theology and doctrine and say they
do not like too much reason in sermons but prefer illustrations and
stories. So I am doing that very thing. We have looked at the great
doctrine, and now let us just look at a picture.
Look at humanity as it is pictured here in the beggar outside the
Beautiful Gate of the temple. What are we told? What is the truth about
humanity in sin? It is essentially this: This man was born like that. He
had never been any different. The first great message of the Christian
Gospel is that every one of us is born in sin. We are not born innocent.
We are not born free from sin. ?Behold, I was shapen in iniquity,? says
David, ?and in sin did my mother conceive me? (Psa. 51:5). It is
astounding that anybody should dispute that. Look at the world. Look at
the way people behave. Look at how we ourselves have all behaved. What is
the matter with that little child? What is it in him that makes him do the
very thing you tell him not to do? Why is it that when a child first uses
his own will, he is almost invariably disobedient? There is only one
answer: We do not start with a clean slate, but we are inheritors of
something from our forebears.
This is the first great postulate of the Bible: Man and woman, created
perfect, rebelled and sinned, and all their progeny is born in sin. We see
this in the pages of the Old Testament and equally clearly in secular
history. This is the whole explanation of wars and troubles and jealousy
and envy and malice and spite and all the teeming problems that have
always crippled humanity in this world. Sin?s effect upon us is to
paralyze us. The Bible writers frequently say that sin is paralysis; it
leads to helplessness. This beggar could not walk. He could do many other
things?he could talk, he could argue about politics and about current
affairs, he could hold out his hand?but he could not walk. That was the
tragedy of his life. That was what rendered him useless.
And that beggar is a picture of the state of the whole of humanity. That
is the presupposition of the Gospel. The Son of God left heaven and came
to earth precisely because men and women are lost, paralyzed, and
helpless. As we have already seen, they are paralyzed in the matter of
knowing God. ?Canst thou by searching find out God?? (Job 11:7). People
can find many things by searching. They can now take photographs on the
surface of the moon, but they cannot find God.
They are equally paralyzed in the matter of true living. What is life? Can
men and women by nature live life in its fullness? Can they live life with
enjoyment, with vigor, feeling that nothing is lacking? That is what life
was meant to be. Adam and Eve were created perfect. In Paradise they lived
a full life with nothing detracting from it. Can we by our own efforts
find such a life? Are we really living or do we just exist?
Another form in which we see the paralysis is this?man?s total inability
to conquer the devil and temptation and sin. Is there anybody who has
never sinned? Can you meet temptation and always defeat it? Do you never
do the same thing again, though you know it is wrong? Do you never repeat
an action that always leads to misery? These questions are sufficient to
bring out the truth, are they not? We are in the grip of some dread
paralysis that holds us down and cripples us. What we want to do, we
cannot do. This is the whole trouble, epitomized once and forever in the
seventh chapter of Paul?s epistle to the Romans.
Then, beyond it all, we see our inability in our inability to die. Well,
everyone has to die, but there is a way of dying that is glorious, that is
magnificent, that is wonderful, and we cannot achieve that. Death is an
awful specter. Death to most people?to all people outside Christ?is
hateful and ugly, something that they do not like to think about, and they
object to being reminded of it. And when they approach death, they do not
know what to do. They are left helpless, paralyzed, unable to say with the
apostle Paul, ?To me to live is Christ, and to die is gain? (Phil. 1:21).
The second thing that I find in the picture of the beggar is that the
world is unable to help us. All it can do is give us alms. All the world
could do for the beggar was to give him alms, and no more. Now this is the
way to look at the message of the Gospel. The world is full of activity.
Look at it in every respect?political, social, educational, in terms of
entertainment. It is full of people exerting themselves and using their
abilities in every conceivable direction. But from the standpoint of
humanity?s real and ultimate need, all of it is nothing but the giving of
alms. It really does not touch our vital problem. It does not help us at
all.
The apostle Paul used to make this point. On one occasion we see him in
Athens, the great mecca of the philosophers, the place of wisdom above
every other place in the world. Athens?the home of philosophy, the home of
brilliance, the home of man?s flowering understanding. And here was this
little apostle, a very able man himself, a man who could have met the
philosophers on their own ground, but he did not do so. Why not? Well, in
Acts 17 we can read the sermon in which he explained it to them, and he
put the same thing in a single phrase in his epistle to the Corinthians
when he says, ?The world by wisdom knew not God? (1 Cor. 1:21). Complete
failure! All that Greece had to offer could not help anybody in the
knowledge of God and of life and of living. Indeed, significantly, at the
time of the New Testament, suicide was becoming increasingly common among
these wise philosophers.
Now all this had already been explained in the Old Testament. Have you
ever read the book of Ecclesiastes? It ought to be compulsory reading at a
time like this when men and women boast so much of their knowledge and
understanding. Here is the wise man, probably King Solomon, and he gives
us a bit of autobiography. He says in essence, ?I tried to find the
answers to the meaning of life. I tried in every possible way. I tried in
the form of wisdom?philosophy and learning. Then I tried in the form of
pleasure. I tried by building great buildings and wonderful gardens and
parks and by providing entertainment and music, but I could not find it.?
That is another great presupposition underlying the Gospel: The world at
its best and highest can do nothing but give alms.
Let me explain what I mean. What the world can do, of course, is give us
temporary relief. The world could not cure the man?s lameness, but it
could give him a little money to buy food and to get a certain amount of
pleasure. That is all the world does. With all its intellect, it cannot
solve our problems. You can ransack the libraries of the world and, apart
from this holy Book and its message and books based upon it, you will get
no help for your ultimate problem. You will get a lot of entertainment. We
have all had entertainment from books, have we not? In a sense a novel can
help you because it so grips you that you forget your problems. Or you go
to see a film or you watch television, and for a while you feel happy.
Then you wake up to the fact that you still have your problem and you are
exactly where you were.
Drink can have the same effect, as can many other pleasures. Thank God for
great music and the joy that we get from it. But the greatest music cannot
solve the problem of life and of living. Even the men who write it still
have their problems. Oh yes, these things give us alms. They assuage the
anguish for a little while. They give temporary happiness. They enable me
to forget my problem. I have something that I can get on with. But each
time the activity finishes, I need more. I have not been satisfied. I am
still paralyzed. I cannot walk. And this is all put before us in this
picture at the beginning of Acts 3. When the world has given us everything
it has to give us, the great fundamental problems are still left
completely untouched.
The third thing I see about this man is that he expects the wrong things
from the church. Peter and John were about to go into the temple when the
man asked for alms. Then we read, ?And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him
with John, said, Look on us. And he gave heed unto them, expecting to
receive something of them.? That is where he was wrong, and that is the
tragedy of this hour. The world is looking for something the church cannot
give. This is the whole reason I am preaching this entire series of
sermons. There is such a false notion about the church and her message and
her function that the world is paralyzed, and the church, too, in a sense,
is paralyzed because it encourages this wrong notion??expecting to receive
something of them.
The world is expecting all sorts of things from the church. There are some
who simply expect the church to give moral teaching, ?moral uplift,? as it
is called. In the nineteenth century Dr. Thomas Arnold, headmaster of
Rugby, a well-known boys? school, proclaimed that the business of
Christianity is to make good little gentlemen of us??morality tinged with
emotion,? was his definition. But that is not Christianity.
Then there are people who often go into great cathedrals, but what for? To
hear good music. As if it is the business of the Christian church to
provide good music! Others go to see the sculpture and the architecture,
as if that, too, is the business of the church. You see how sadly astray
we have gone.
Others go to church for philosophical teaching and learned
disquisitions?as if the church?s task were simply to entertain people?s
minds, to put up rival theories in a dispassionate manner. You must not be
passionate, we are told; you must always be detached and wise and learned
and controlled, and you must put the ideas forward and evaluate them just
a little! Is that the business of the Christian church? No! But that is
what some people expect from her.
Then others, in increasing numbers, it seems to me, are looking to the
Christian church for psychological treatment. I am not surprised. The
world is in trouble, and people are unhappy. Neuroses are on the increase,
and psychotherapy has not fulfilled its promises. I remember the beginning
of the Freudian era when we were told that all our problems would be
solved. But that has not happened, and we are having to resort to physical
means and new drugs. The situation is almost chaotic, and people,
including the medical profession, are saying, ?Can the church help us? The
government encourages cooperation between clergy and medical men
psychological treatment to make people better in their minds. There are
many who think of the church as simply a place where you go to forget your
troubles for a while. You sing hymns and choruses, and the church applies
psychological remedies and so-called ?positive thinking.? It tells you to
cheer up and assures you that things are never quite as bad as they appear
to be because there is always a silver lining to the cloud if you can only
see it. And then there are various cults that masquerade in the name of
Christianity, as though it were the business of the church just to make
people better for a while. I say that is merely giving alms.
Others expect political pronouncements and an agenda for political action
and reform. The church must always be delivering opinions on the
activities of statesmen and laying down what should be done and protesting
against this and that. Others think the church?s task is purely a matter
of social work and relief work. But that is what the world itself can do.
That is what the world is doing. That is not the business of the church. I
am not saying that these things do not come in, but I am saying they are
not primary. And that is what Peter put so clearly, once and forever, in
this resounding, memorable phrase: ?Silver and gold have I none.? In other
words, ?Do not look to me for that. That is not what we are here to
provide.
Are you looking to the church for the right thing? What do you expect from
the Christian church in this troubled state of the world? Is it any one of
the things I have been mentioning? I say, she is not here to do that. She
is not competent to do it. Who am I to give an opinion and tell the
statesmen of the world what to do? I do not even know all the facts. Like
you, I have my opinion, but I would not insult you by putting my opinions
before you. No, no, that is not my calling. That is not what I am here
for. ?Silver and gold have I none.
So what can the church do? Peter tells us: ?Silver and gold have I none;
but??thank God for this blessed but??such as I have give I thee.? There is
a story of one of the popes of Rome in the twelfth century showing, I
think it was Thomas Aquinas, around St. Peter?s and the Vatican. As they
walked around, the Pope pointed to the gold, the silver, the ornate
buildings, and the magnificence of it all and said, ?You see, Thomas, the
church can no longer say, ?Silver and gold have I none.? ?
?I do see,? said Thomas, ?but I see something further. She also cannot
say, ?Rise up and walk.
But that is the church?s commission. ?Such as I have give I thee: In the
name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.
The church is not here to talk politics, to play music, to give
philosophical discourses, to produce art, or to provide social
amelioration or psychological treatment. God forbid that anybody should be
depending on my little ministry. Do you simply go to church to get
temporary relief, to forget your troubles and feel happier for a moment?
God have mercy upon you if you do! No; the business of the church is to
deal with the real problem of men and women?not to give alms, but to offer
a cure for the paralysis. This is the unique message of the church, and
this is what differentiates it from every other institution under the sun.
The church is an expert on the soul. It is not a cultural center or a
psychological clinic or a social agency. No; her calling, her commission,
is to deal with the souls of men and women. This is what causes their
paralysis. Their trouble is not in the mind, nor in the heart, nor
anywhere else primarily, but in the soul?that is, in the essence of their
being, the center of their life.
The trouble of men and women is their sinfulness. It is not lack of
knowledge?they have plenty of knowledge. They know theoretically that war
is madness, but that does not prevent their fighting. They know perfectly
well that to drink too much alcohol is sheer lunacy, but they do it. Their
trouble is this paralysis of the soul, that twist, the fatal thing that
holds them down, that sends them astray. It is their estrangement from
God. The violation of the law of God known in their own being?that is the
trouble.
The problem of the world today is the direct, immediate, central problem
that men and women do not know God and do not know how to live and do not
know how to die. And this central problem leads to all the misery, the
unhappiness, the failure, the shame, the remorse, the agony, the
bitterness, and the heartbreak of life. This is the problem. What is the
value to you of scientific knowledge if it does not help you live? What is
the point of being thrilled by great music if it still leaves you a slave
to sin? What is the value of admiring art and showing your great cultural
understanding if you cannot control your temper? The problem of the world
is the problem of the souls of men and women, fallen, with the image of
God defaced almost out of recognition. Human beings are almost worse than
animals because the possibility of greatness is there in them. It is this
contradiction, this paradox, that marks humanity; greatness and smallness,
achievement and failure?here is the essential problem.
And the church is here to tell you what you need to know above everything
else?namely, how your soul can be redeemed and be put right with God; how
you can be set upon your feet; how the paralysis can be cured. The church
does not give you alms; it gives you a cure?a radical, complete cure.
So how does the church do this? This is what I want to leave in your mind.
Peter said, ?Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee,?
and then ?In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.? Here
is the message: ?Jesus Christ of Nazareth.? Our message is not culled from
the philosophers or from human wisdom. Peter talked of ?Jesus Christ of
Nazareth? (v. 6). ?Jesus??the babe born in Bethlehem, the man who lived
and worked in Nazareth; ?Christ??the Messiah, the promised Deliverer,
indeed God in the flesh, proved by the Resurrection, proved by the descent
of the Holy Spirit; ?Jesus Christ??God the Son come in the flesh. All the
great apostolic teaching is summarized in these two words.
And this is ?Jesus Christ of Nazareth.? ?Can there any good thing come out
of Nazareth?? asked Nathanael (John 1:46). The world had rejected Him; it
had despised Him. It had said, ?Is it possible that the Savior of the
world can be just a carpenter, especially one who comes out of a place
called Nazareth?? Peter rammed this home to them: ?Nazareth.? The one
despised is the Lord of glory and the Savior of the world. He is the one,
and all is found in him. ?Apart from Him, we are nothing and nobody,? said
Peter in effect. ?But in Him we are tremendous. We are His agents. We are,
as it were, almost His limbs. We are the body through which He is now
acting.
"In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth" He is God, the Son, the eternal
Son. He came into the world. He lived; He died; He rose again. What for?
To bring redemption; to deal with the fundamental problem of the human
soul, lost and estranged from God. That was what Peter said to this man.
He said in essence, ?Listen, I am here to put you in touch with this Jesus
Christ of Nazareth.? And thank God, that is still our message. The Christ
of God?Jesus of Nazareth?is alive. He is in the heavens, seated at the
right hand of God, saying to men and women in this world, ?All power is
given unto me in heaven and in earth? (Matt. 28:18). He says to us,
?Whatever your needs are, I am able, I am willing.? He can give all that
we need and infinitely more. He came into this world to deal with our
radical problem, the paralysis of our souls. Like Peter, I cannot save
you, but He can. He is filled with pity joined with power and is looking
down upon you. He knows all about your paralysis. That is why He came into
this world, and He is using me to tell you that He can do this for you.
Furthermore, what He does for us entirely transcends all our expectations.
We come, and we expect alms. This poor fellow, even when Peter and John
had spoken to him, looked at them expecting to receive something. And what
a surprise he got! He thought he was going to have some unusual pres-ent
perhaps. But what he got was something he had never imagined because he
had lost hope. Everybody loses hope. He had been put down at the Beautiful
Gate of the temple, and the world could do nothing. Who were these two
men? They did not look like anything special. But in a few moments, look
at him?walking, leaping, praising God, rushing into the temple, and
causing one of the greatest sensations that had perhaps ever been known in
Jerusalem.
What does this mean for us? What we get in Christ is not merely temporary
relief but a cure. Well, a cure for what? Here is my problem?we have
already seen it?my guilt, my past sins rising before me, especially on my
deathbed. How can I meet God? I cannot. I am helpless. I am paralyzed. But
by dying on the cross Christ has dealt with it. God gives absolute
forgiveness. If you believe on God?s Son and His purpose in coming into
this world, God assures you that He will never look at your sins again. He
has punished them in Christ. He has borne them away once and forever.
But he does not stop at forgiveness. We need life, and He gives us life
that is life indeed?life and life more abundantly. This is a Gospel that
offers regeneration, a new birth, a new start, a new beginning. It is a
Gospel that tells you that the Holy Spirit will take up His residence in
you and give you power and strength and might. As Peter took hold of that
man?s hand and lifted him up, Christ was lifting him through Peter. And so
we are told, ?Immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And
he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple,
walking, and leaping, and praising God.? That is exactly what Christianity
does. It is not merely a hard task and a painful duty performed in the
hope that God will forgive us. No, no?it is the knowledge of sins
forgiven??walking? leaping ? praising God.? For the first time in his life
this beggar was able to walk. The paralysis was gone. He was able to live
a full life. That is the promise and the offer of the Gospel.
Notice also the word ?immediately???and immediately his feet and ankle
bones received strength.? That is a vital part of the message. The message
of the Gospel does not tell you, ?Start doing this and that. Read your
Bible and pray. Stop doing this and stop doing that. Come to church. Then
after a while you will gradually make yourself a Christian.? No, no
"immediately", now, at once, without a second?s delay. It is not something
you have to do?it is Christ who does it: ?In the name of Jesus Christ of
Nazareth rise up and walk.? That is a picture of justification by faith
only.
If you tarry till you?re better
You will never come at all.
Joseph Hart
Just as I am, without one plea.
Charlotte Elliott
That is the invitation. It is all of grace. It is the gift of God, the
action of the risen Christ, and He has all power. He is a miracle-worker.
He will give you His own life, and He will do it now. He postulates
nothing in you except that you see your need. He does not ask you to
produce any works. He does not ask you to produce anything that can in any
way recommend you to Him. He says, ?They that are whole have no need of
the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous,
but sinners to repentance? (Mark 2:17). Are you paralyzed? Are you
hopeless? He is life. He is power. He can give you everything that you
need, and He will give it to you at once.
There is only one condition. We read, ?Peter, fastening his eyes upon him
with John, said, Look on us.? This is, again, most important. This poor
man had become so hopeless that he did not even look at the people who
gave alms to him. Perhaps he had become a little cynical. So he put the
cap there, and though these kind people dropped something in, he did not
even trouble to look at them and to thank them. It had become a habit to
receive alms in that way. So Peter said to him, ?Look on us,? and he
looked at them. In effect Peter was saying to that man, ?My dear man, look
at us. We are not ordinary men. We are not like most people who pass by
you into the temple and have dropped something into your cap. Look at us.
We are the apostles of Christ. We are new men in Christ Jesus; we are
filled with the Holy Spirit. We are not just men?we are agents of the
divine and the eternal. Concentrate on what I am saying.
If you would know the benefits of Christian salvation, you must pay
attention. If you listen to this Gospel with your own ideas in your mind,
half listening and half not, half arguing against it, you will remain
paralyzed. You must give yourself utterly and absolutely to this. As long
as you think you can do anything, you will remain paralyzed. ?Look on us,?
said Peter. We must give undivided attention to the message of the
Christian church and forget everything else. We need to become desperate.
We must abandon everything and listen to this blessed knowledge, as the
beggar did. ?He gave heed unto them.? This might be translated, ?He
directed and held his mind toward them.? He was wrong and muddled still,
but at any rate he did pay undivided attention to these extraordinary men.
And then came the liberating word. It is always like this. It happened to
the great St. Augustine himself. For all his great knowledge of philosophy
and his brilliant intellect, there was a moral sore, a failure, an
unhappiness, and he was at the end of his tether. But the voice came:
?Rise and read!? And he did. He gave undivided attention, and the
liberating word came to him. Spiritually, Augustine rose up and walked and
continued to go on walking and leaping and praising God.
Now I am a very unworthy man. I have only one reason for being a preacher:
It is because God has called me. I am the purveyor of His message. I have
nothing else. It is His power, His command; and through me He is saying to
you in your utter helplessness and your misery and hopelessness, perhaps
your cynicism, perhaps your final despair, ?In the name of Jesus Christ of
Nazareth rise up and walk.
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31).
Amen.
Lloyd-Jones, D. M. (2000). Authentic Christianity (1st U.S. ed.) (210).
Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books.
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| User: "Rev. Karl E. Taylor" |
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| Title: Re: Ancient Evidence for Jesus from Non-Christian Sources |
22 Jul 2007 12:10:46 PM |
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UR Welcome! wrote:
<panamfloyd@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:1185085274.892676.168130@q75g2000hsh.googlegroups.com...
"Rise Up and Walk"
Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none: but such as I have give I
thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.
Acts 3:6
And since the town of Nazareth did not exist in the first century, the
verse is a lie, just like Jesus Christ is a lie.
http://www.jesusneverexisted.com/nazareth.html
Start reading bub, you have much to learn.
- --
There are none more ignorant and useless,
than they that seek answers on their knees,
with their eyes closed.
____________________________________________________________________
Rev. Karl E. Taylor http://www.secularity.com/ktayloraz
A.A #1143 http://azhotops.blogspot.com/
Apostle of Dr. Lao EAC: Virgin Conversion Unit Director
____________________________________________________________________
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| User: "UR Welcome! UR" |
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| Title: Re: Ancient Evidence for Jesus from Non-Christian Sources |
22 Jul 2007 12:22:56 PM |
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"Rev. Karl E. Taylor" <ktayloraz@getnet.net> wrote in message news:qlfcn4-cmt1.ln1@dhcpdns2.ddsoho.com...
"Rise Up and Walk"
Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none: but such as I have give I
thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.
Acts 3:6
.. The Fall and God's Plan of Redemption
Let's start at the beginning of the "Fall of Man" in the garden.
(Genesis 3:15 NASB)
15 And I will put ?a?enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her seed;
?b?He shall ?1?bruise you on the head,
And you shall bruise him on the heel."
[1]
3:15 But verse 15 switches to the Devil himself. This verse is known as
the protevangelium, meaning "The First Gospel." It predicts the perpetual
hostility between Satan and the woman (representing all mankind), and
between Satan's seed (his agents) and her Seed (the Messiah). The woman's
Seed would crush the Devil's head, a mortal wound spelling utter defeat.
This wound was administered at Calvary when the Savior decisively
triumphed over the Devil. Satan, in turn, would bruise the Messiah's heel.
The heel wound here speaks of suffering and even of physical death, but
not of ultimate defeat. So Christ suffered on the cross, and even died,
but He arose from the dead, victorious over sin, hell, and Satan. The fact
that He is called the woman's Seed may contain a suggestion of His virgin
birth. Note the kindness of God in promising the Messiah before
pronouncing sentence in the following verses.
[2]
"And I will put enmity between thee [that is, Satan] and the woman, and
between thy seed and her seed; it [that is, Christ] shall bruise thy head,
and thou shalt bruise his heel." This is a tremendous statement that is
given to us here. The most prominent thought is not the ultimate victory
that would come, but the long-continued struggle.
This verse reveals the fact that now there is to be a long struggle
between good and evil. This is exactly what you will find in the rest of
the Scriptures.
The Lord Jesus made this statement in His day concerning this struggle:
"Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.
He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because
there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own:
for he is a liar, and the father of it" (John 8:44). "The devil" is Satan.
The Lord Jesus Christ made the distinction between children of God and
children of Satan. John again mentions this conflict in 1 John 3:10: "In
this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil:
whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth
not his brother." Thus we have brought before us the fact that here is a
conflict, here is a struggle, and here are two seeds in the world. There
will be the final victory-but the long-continued struggle is important to
note. Every man must face temptation and must win his battle. Before
Christ came, the victory was through obedience in faith. After Christ
came, we are to identify ourselves with Christ through faith. What does it
mean to be saved? It means to be in Christ.
Man was one of three orders of creation: angels, man, and animals. Animals
were given no choice, but man and angels were given a choice. Here you
have, if you please, man's choice. He has made a decision, and he is held
responsible for the decision that he has made.
Notice that it says "her seed." It does not say the man's seed. Here is at
least the suggestion of the virgin birth of Christ. When God went into
that garden looking for man, He said, "Where art thou?" Any anthology of
religion tells the story of man's search for God. My friend, that is not
the way God tells it. Let's tell it like it is: Salvation is God's search
for man. Man ran away from Him, and God called to him, "Where art thou?"
Dr. W. H. Griffith Thomas in his book, Genesis, A Devotional Commentary,
makes the comment that "it is the call of Divine justice, which cannot
overlook sin. It is the call of Divine sorrow, which grieves over the
sinner. It is the call of Divine love, which offers redemption for sin."
We have all of that in the verse before us-the promise of the coming of
the Savior.
God's search for man is pictured all the way through Scripture. Paul
wrote, ". there is none that seeketh after God" (Rom. 3:11). The Lord
Jesus said, "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you ." (John 15:16).
And we can say with John, "We love him, because he first loved us" (1 John
4:19). God seeks out man, and He offers man salvation, but there is going
to be a long struggle that will take place.
[3]
.. The Effects of the Fall
We do not know how long it was before Adam exercised his will contrary to
the will of God, thus breaking, immediately and completely, the fellowship
which had existed between Adam and God.
.. Sin severed the creature from fellowship with the Creator!
And the effects of Adam's sin are far-reaching. In the first chapter of
the book of Romans, the Apostle Paul shows the effects of Adam's sin.
First of all, the apostle shows that the intellect of man was darkened by
the fall, so that man in his intellect could not know God. Romans 1:19-20
states, "That which may be known of God is manifest in them [that is,
among them]; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of
him [that is, about God] from the creation of the world are clearly seen,
being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and
Godhead; so that they are without excuse." From these verses we learn that
creation is a revelation of the wisdom of God, and that nature is an open
book in which all men may see two things: God's eternal power, and His
Godhood or deity. But even though men were able, through that revelation,
to know something of God, how did they respond? "When they knew God, they
glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their
imaginations [that is, their thought processes], and their foolish heart
[that is, their seat of perception], was darkened" (Rom. 1:21). In
Ephesians 4:17 the same truth is affirmed: "This I say therefore, and
testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk,
in the vanity [or, emptiness] of their mind, having the understanding
darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that
is in them, because of the blindness of their heart." There, the apostle
affirms again what he taught in Romans 1, that the heart of the natural
man is darkened because of sin. The apostle did not say that the mind is
blindfolded, but rather, blinded. If one has been blindfolded, all he
needs to do is to remove the blindfold and he will see. But Paul says that
men have been blinded by sin. They no longer have the capacity to see. The
first great result then of Adam's sin is that man's intellect was
darkened.
Not only was man's intellect darkened but his emotional capacity was
degraded. "God . gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their
own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: who changed
the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more
than the Creator, who is blessed for ever, Amen. For this cause, God gave
them up to vile affections" (Rom. 1:24-26a). In Ephesians 4:19 we read:
"Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to
work all uncleanness with greediness." It is not that man lost his
emotional capacity, but his emotional capacity was so perverted and
prostituted that it cannot be directed Godward. Thus the natural man
cannot experience fellowship between his heart and the heart of God.
Romans 1 closes by showing us another result of Adam's fall: the will of
man was deadened Godward. In verse 32 we learn that men, "knowing the
judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death,
not only do the same [notice it, do the same], but have pleasure in them
that do them." In Romans 7:18 Paul says, "I know that in me (that is, in
my flesh) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how
to perform that which is good I find not." Natural man is marked by the
deadness of his will toward God. In Romans 8:7, the apostle says, "The
carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of
God, neither indeed can be." In Galatians 5:17 the apostle again adds his
testimony, "The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against
the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot
do the things that ye would." When you put these passages together, you
find that Paul consistently teaches that while a man still has a will, and
can choose, his will is a will that is enslaved to sin, a will that cannot
and will not exercise itself Godward, a will that wills only that which is
iniquitous.
Because of the fall of Adam, man has been brought under judgment and under
a curse, but he still continues to be a man. He did not lose his
personality; he has not been degraded to the level of an animal. But it is
impossible for man to exercise his God-given capacities Godward. The
unsaved man has an intellect, but it has been darkened and he cannot know
God; he has an emotional capacity, but it has been degraded, and he cannot
love God; he has a will that has been deadened toward God and he cannot
and will not obey God. Even though God created us for fellowship with
Himself, so that He might be glorified through our fellowship with Him,
that purpose is unattainable in the natural man. Man still bears the image
of God and possesses the component parts of personality, yet he has been
so bound and enslaved that he cannot exercise these parts of His
personality Godward to the glory of God.
[4]
.. Effects on the serpent 3:14-15
God's judgment on each trespasser (the snake, the woman, and the man)
involved both a life function and a relationship.197 In each case the
punishment corresponded to the nature of the crime.
"Curses are uttered against the serpent and the ground, but not against
the man and woman, implying that the blessing has not been utterly lost.
It is not until human murder, a transgression against the imago Dei, that
a person (Cain) receives the divine curse . . ."198
1. The snake had been crafty (Heb. 'arum), but now it was cursed (Heb.
'arur). It had to move on its belly (v. 14). Some commentators take this
literally and conclude that the snake had legs before God cursed it.199
Others take it figuratively as a reference to the resultant despised
condition of the snake.200
2. It would eat dust (v. 14). Since snakes do not literally feed on dust,
many interpreters take this statement figuratively. Eating dust is an
expression used in other ancient Near Eastern writings to describe the
lowest of all forms of life. In the Bible it also describes total defeat
(cf. Ps. 72:9; Isa. 49:23; 65:25; Mic. 7:17).201
However, God revealed later through Isaiah that serpents will eat dust
during the Millennium (Isa. 65:25). Presently snakes eat plants and
animals. Perhaps God will yet fulfill this part of what He predicted here
in Genesis concerning snakes in the millennial kingdom. This is a literal
interpretation. If this is correct, then perhaps we should also take the
former part of the curse literally, namely, that snakes did not travel on
their bellies before the Fall. Alternatively Isaiah may have meant that
serpents will continue to suffer the curse pronounced on them here even
after God lifts the curse on creation generally in the Millennium.
3. There would be antagonism between the serpent and human beings (v.
15a). This obviously exists between snakes and people, but God's intention
in this verse seems to include the person behind the snake (Satan) as well
as, and even more than, the snake itself.
4. Man would eventually destroy the serpent, though the serpent would
wound man (v. 15b). This is a prophecy of the victory of the ultimate
"Seed" of the woman (Messiah) over Satan (cf. Rev. 19:1-5; Gal. 3:16, 19;
Heb. 2:14; 1 John 3:8).202 Most interpreters have recognized this verse as
the first biblical promise of the provision of salvation (the
protoevangelium or "first gospel").203 The rest of the book, in fact the
whole Old Testament, proceeds to point ahead to that seed.
"The snake, for the author, is representative of someone or something
else. The snake is represented by his 'seed.' When that 'seed' is crushed,
the head of the snake is crushed. Consequently more is at stake in this
brief passage than the reader is at first aware of. A program is set
forth. A plot is established that will take the author far beyond this or
that snake and his 'seed.' It is what the snake and His 'seed' represent
that lies at the center of the author's focus. With that 'one' lies the
'enmity' that must be crushed."204
"The text in context provides an outline that is correct and clear in
pattern but not complete in all details. Numerous questions are left
unanswered. When Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, the
details of the climax were filled in and specified, but the text does not
demand to be reinterpreted. Nor does it demand interpretation in a way not
suggested in context."205
Another dispensationalist has also warned against reading this verse in
the light of later revelation.
"We should be careful not to attribute to the understanding of the
recipients of the text a concept that only emerges later. An example here
is Genesis 3:15, what some call the 'first hint of the Gospel,' the
protoevangelium. This understanding argues that God predicts that Eve's
seed, Jesus, will crush the Serpent, Satan. Now in the context of the
development of the theme of Adam's seed in the Bible, this meaning does
eventually emerge from the text and is a legitimate reading of the
passage. However, it is too specific for the original audience of Genesis.
First of all, the early Jewish readers of the text could never have known
that Messiah's name would be Jesus. What is more, in the context of the
Pentateuch, the coming of a regal figure for the nation of Israel is at
best only alluded to as a minor point (Gen. 49:10). Third, the specific
identification of the serpent with Satan is not transparent within the
Pentateuch. All these connections emerge only later in the Scripture.
"So what did the text originally mean? It simply pointed to the
introduction of chaos into the creation as a result of sin. Nature would
now be in conflict with man. A snake, now limited by God's curse to crawl
on the ground, would nip at man's heel. Meanwhile, as man attempted to
defend himself, he would seek to crush the head of the serpent. Of course,
this emphasis fits with the message of Genesis, explaining why God raised
up Israel-a nation of grace and promise-through whom He would bless all
nations. Such a message also prepares for the New Testament point of the
reversal of Adam's work in the second Adam, Jesus Christ."206
God cursed all animals and the whole creation because of the Fall (Rom.
8:20), but He made the snake the most despicable of all the animals for
its part in the Fall.
"Words possess power. God's words of blessing and of curse are most
powerful. They determine our lives."207
[5]
3:15 After cursing the physical serpent, God turned to the spiritual
serpent, the lying seducer, Satan, and cursed him. bruise your head .
bruise His heel. This "first gospel" is prophetic of the struggle and its
outcome between "your seed" (Satan and unbelievers, who are called the
Devil's children in John 8:44) and her seed (Christ, a descendant of Eve,
and those in Him), which began in the garden. In the midst of the curse
passage, a message of hope shone forth-the woman's offspring called "He"
is Christ, who will one day defeat the Serpent. Satan could only "bruise"
Christ's heel (cause Him to suffer), while Christ will bruise Satan's head
(destroy him with a fatal blow). Paul, in a passage strongly reminiscent
of Gen. 3, encouraged the believers in Rome, "And the God of peace will
crush Satan under your feet shortly" (Rom. 16:20). Believers should
recognize that they participate in the crushing of Satan because, along
with their Savior and because of His finished work on the cross, they also
are of the woman's seed. For more on the destruction of Satan, see Heb.
2:14,15; Rev. 20:10.
[6]
One of the practical outcomes of the Fall was that women and snakes would
become enemies. So, too, when people base their relationship on sin, they
inevitably become enemies. How many times have we seen people who want
nothing to do with each other and won't even acknowledge each other
because their relationship was built on sin?
Not only is there the practical outcome of enmity, but there is a
prophetic message as well because within this verse lies the Proto
Evangelicum-the first mention of the Gospel. The term "her seed" is an
apparent impossibility unless One would come from the woman in a way that
would be supernatural. And who would that One be? Of course, it's
Jesus-the Promised Seed of Galatians 4:4. Christ would come and we are
told here that He would bruise, or literally crush the head of the
serpent. But the serpent would bruise the heel of the Promised Seed. And
therein we see a picture of the Cross, where Christ was bruised for our
iniquities (Isaiah 53), and where He cleansed our sin with His own blood,
[7]
.. God's Curses (3:14-19)
The picture seems bleak indeed, but can we find clues that God has plans
for redeeming man from his hopeless, fallen state? Even in His curses God
holds out hope to the human race which had obliged Him to doom it. Let us
consider the curses and trace this hope.
A. Satan (vv.14-15)
Exegesis
v 14 the serpent = the references given under '?exposition' identify
the serpent as Satan.
more than all cattle . field = (lit.) from all beasts and from all living
things of the field.
belly = this Hebrew word is used twice only in the Old Testament and both
times for reptiles (Lev 11:42).
eat dust = a figure of speech for humiliation, as in Ps 72:9; Isa 49:23.
Isaiah 65:25 prophesies that in the Millennium serpents will eat dust. If
one takes that literally (the same as a lion eating straw) then it clearly
means that this does not happen before the Millennium! For a prophecy on
the millennial period we also can read Mic 7:17 (incidentally, '?like a
serpent' can also be translated '?like the Serpent').
Exposition
We need to realize immediately that God was not cursing snakes, but Satan.
The language is obviously figurative as snakes do not eat dust (v.14), but
insects, eggs, small mammals, etc.-certainly not dust like an earthworm!
Now, if this one aspect is clearly figurative, the rest are very probably
likewise. We have the benefit of Rom 16:20 and Rev 12:9; 20:2 to
positively identify the serpent as Satan, proving therefore that this
passage employs figurative language. Let us examine God's curses:
a) Satan will be inferior to the animals. It seems that animals simply
live and die on this earth. They have pleasure and enjoy life. Satan, from
this sin on, gets no enjoyment out of life, and knows he will suffer
eternal death. He surely would wish to have just simply been a serpent, to
bask in the sun and enjoy a brief life without the fearsome prospect of
his lost eternity.
b) On your belly shall you go. Leviticus 11:42 helps us understand
this figure, for it teaches that anything which goes on its belly is an
abomination. Satan became an abomination for the rest of his life. This
may mean he could have repented to that point and been somehow restored in
God's plan, but after testing God in this manner his position was utterly
irreversible and hopeless, so he became an eternal abomination.
c) And dust shall you eat. This is a common figure of speech for being
humiliated (e.g. Ps 72:9; Isa 49:23); he who through pride had elevated
himself, was consigned to eternal humiliation!
d) The enmity between Satan and man is permanent and everywhere
visible, for no man likes evil when he is its victim. No matter how much
man may like to sin and thus be evil, he does not relish being the victim
of evil. This enmity is permanent and inescapable, rooted in the very
nature of sin itself.
e) Consider the close of v.15, for it prophesies, right at the very
outset of human existence, the coming Messiah. Satan would bruise His heel
on the cross, but on that same cross He crushed Satan's head. A serpent's
power (venom) is in its head, and Satan's power is in sin. On the cross
Christ broke his power by conquering sin for all the seed of Adam who
believe in Him! The final curse is prophetic and marks the end of Satan.
This is the proto-evangel, the first gospel; it promises a Messiah from
the seed of the woman (and notably Christ was born of a virgin) who will
crush (i.e., kill) Satan, but only after Satan has bruised Him on the
heel. The bruising happened on the cross, the crushing began at Jesus'
resurrection, and will be completed at the last judgment. Note, too, the
phrase '?seed of the woman'; normally mankind is referred to as the seed
of Adam, but this would not be strictly true of Christ, for no man's seed
was involved in His conception.
B. The Woman (v.16)
Exegesis
v 16 multiply = this is a somber play on words (see Gen 1:28). In
woman fulfilling her commission from God (multiply, fill the earth) her
pain is a multiple multiplicity!
sorrow = (lit.) pain and toil; i.e., a hurtful labor.
conception = note that God's curse includes a multiplication of the
woman's conception. Apparently it was not His original design for a woman
to conceive as frequently as she is now capable.
husband = (lit.) your man.
rule = the Hebrew word means, '?rule, have dominion, reign'; it can also
mean '?represent' but is distinct from the word used in 1:28 which is a
harsher word having its emphasis on domination.
Exposition
The curse on Eve, and all women thereafter, was threefold:
a) Pain in childbirth. In God's original plan, woman, it seems, would
have given birth to her children painlessly, and certainly without any
fear of death. We need to remember that for almost all history, women,
worldwide, have feared childbirth because of the risks it involves. This
is still true in all primitive cultures where the peri-natal death rate of
mothers makes a significant contribution to female death statistics. Our
present medical technology dulls our sensitivity to this, yet I suppose
every thinking mother has experienced those fears, even among us. So not
only was childbirth made a painful process, but it became a risky process
as a result of the curse sin brought. Exegesis suggests, too, that the
woman's pain in conception was multiplied, thus suggesting that women are
now prone to conceive more frequently than would have been the case before
the fall.
b) The woman's desire and pleasure in her husband would, in God's
curse, always be under tension because of the contingency of pregnancy and
the risks and pain this involved.
c) Woman would be under the authority of her husband, her head. The
irony of this is that she had enticed him to sin, so would now be under a
sinful authority instead of the godly authority God had intended for her;
she was thus responsible for her sinful head. Some eminent theologians
question whether a woman is to subject herself to an ungodly man, and
suggest this may not be God's will. However, we cannot get away from the
fact that God placed Eve under the authority of a sinful man. By Eve's
sin, she placed women under the rule (which should be benevolent) of their
husbands. The word translated '?husband' is actually '?man'; if it is used
in its primary sense, it would place a woman under her man's authority,
firstly her father, then her husband, and, by extension, to any man who
would be her guardian (e.g., a brother in the event of the father's
death).
In this present day the first two curses seem to have been mitigated by
medical technology. One wonders how long God will permit woman to escape
this curse, particularly as this technology is so extensively abused
simply to permit human beings to indulge themselves in sexual sin.
The third curse was not confined to Eve and clearly extends to all women,
for it is the basis of several New Testament passages (e.g., Eph 5:22-24;
Col 3:18; I Cor 14:34-35; Tit 2:5; I Pet 3:1), making it clear biblical
teaching until eternity. Questioning this doctrine is as futile as
questioning the doctrine of original sin; both arose at the same time, out
of the same circumstance; both were decreed by God. In order to understand
man's position to his wife (and it is only fair that this be discussed at
the same time as the wife's position) we need do no more than look at our
past studies. Man was created by God to administer this earth, a stage on
which the battle is being fought to determine whether God or Satan has the
authority to rule. God delegated authority to Adam, Eve was created from
Adam thus establishing her dependence on him; to mankind (male and female)
was delegated authority over all animals and the earth. The different
Hebrew words for rule over a wife ('?mashal') and rule over animals
('?radah') are significant ('?mashal' can also mean '?represent' and is
distinct from, and less harsh than, '?radah' which emphasizes domination).
Man's representation of, and his rule over his wife, are supposed to be
benevolent; obviously, too, it is to be real. The New Testament expounds
man's responsibility towards his wife. One cannot take rights without
concomitant responsibilities, and men should remember this. Note, however,
by the very nature of this curse, those responsibilities are the man's,
but his responsibilities are not his wife's privileges, for then it would
not be a curse! She is placed under him for better or for worse. Blame it
all on Eve!
This narrative is a picture of dereliction of authority: God delegated
authority to Satan who abused it; God delegated authority to Adam who
neglected it (he should have seen to it that Eve did not sin-that is why
the fall is called Adam's sin); and Eve ignored her husband's authority
(3:3). Now, Adam's authority was a responsibility he was to exercise under
God, therefore the authority that a man has over his wife is not a right
but a responsibility, a responsibility which must be exercised in
recognition that it is delegated by God and exercised before God. (This,
too, is clear New Testament teaching; e.g., Eph 5:25-33; Col 3:19; I Cor
14:35-38; I Pet 3:7; I Cor 7:3, ff.)
[8]
Genesis 3.15.
I will put enmity between you and the woman: enmity means "hostility,
hatred, to be enemies." spcl says "I will make you and the woman to be
enemies." In languages that do not use the term "enemies" in the sense of
"enemies of each other," it will be necessary to say something like "You
will be the woman's enemy, and the woman will be your enemy." It may also
be possible to use other verbs to express the idea of enmity; for example,
"You and the woman will hate each other and be against each other."
And between your [the snake's] seed and her seed: seed refers to
descendants, offspring. This hostility is not just between the snake and
the woman in the garden, but applies to all snakes and all human beings
not yet born. Accordingly tev makes this clear with "will always be
enemies." Seed in both occurrences is singular grammatically in Hebrew.
However, in both cases the sense is collective. In those languages that
have a collective term for descendants, translators are advised to use the
collective term. If there is no collective, a plural form must be used;
for example, one translation has "All her descendants and all your
descendants will always be bad friends."
Her seed has inspired a long history of interpretation. The expression has
been taken to refer to the Jewish community under the reign of the
Messiah, to Christ, to Mary the mother of Jesus, to victory over the
devil, and so forth.
He shall bruise your head: he translates the Hebrew third person singular
masculine pronoun. However, the reference is to the seed of the woman,
that is, "her descendants," which is also masculine singular in Hebrew.
tev has "Her offspring." Some translations keep the singular pronoun he,
some use a collective term such as "offspring," while others use a plural
such as "they" or "her descendants." Translators are advised to use a
pronoun or other term that is in accord with the term chosen to translate
seed.
The Vulgate translated the Hebrew masculine pronoun here by a pronoun
meaning "she," and so the reference has been traditionally to Mary.
Consequently this verse has been taken to be the earliest hint of the
gospel and the promise of Christ's victory over Satan. There are, however,
two important points in the text that should warn the translator to avoid
this interpretation:
(1) The text speaks of the descendants of both the snake and
the woman. Their meanings should both be kept parallel.
(2) The context is that of a curse or punishment, and there is no
suggestion of a promise or prophecy in it.
Bruise your head . bruise his heel: the word bruise refers to causing a
surface injury in which the skin or flesh is not broken, usually when
struck by a blunt instrument. This sense is hardly appropriate for the
second clause, where it is applied to the snake attacking the person. Some
translations use the same verb for both occurrences; for example, "They
shall strike . and you shall strike" (Mft, njv, neb/reb). tev has terms
that are more natural in English, "crush" and "bite," and this is
recommended as a model for translators to follow. Note that tev second
edition, used in this Handbook, says "her offspring's heel" and places
"their" in the footnote. This contrasts with tev first edition, which
places "their" in the text and "his" in the footnote.
[9]
.. =/=/=/=/=/=/=/=/=/=/=/=
(Matthew 1:20 NASB)
20 But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord
appeared to him in a dream, saying, "?a?Joseph, son of David, do not
be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for ?1?the Child who has been
?2?conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
[10]
1:20 While this gentle and deliberate man was mapping his strategy to
protect Mary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. The
salutation, "Joseph, son of David," was doubtless designed to stir up the
con sciousness of his royal pedigree and to prepare him for the unusual
advent of Israel's Messiah-King. He should have no misgivings about
marrying Mary. Any suspicions concerning her purity were groundless. Her
pregnancy was a miracle of the Holy Spirit.
[11]
The next pericope relates the birth of Jesus Christ (1:18-25). Before Mary
and Joseph consummated their marriage, "she was found to be with child
through the Holy Spirit" (v. 18). We are told that this happened, not
precisely how; clinical detail is conspicuously absent. Why did God ordain
such a conception? The Savior must be both human and divine. Verse 18
calls Mary his mother; but nowhere in Matthew is Joseph called his father.
The connection between the virginal conception and Jesus' identification
as "the Son of God" (11:25-27; 16:16) should not be overlooked. The
Savior's coming, like the salvation he accomplishes, takes place
exclusively by the divine initiative. The Spirit that would empower Jesus
for service (12:28) is active from the moment of conception to protect him
from the threat of evil and the pollution of sin.
.. The Redeemer (Jesus Christ)
(Job 25:19 NASB)
25 "As for me, I know that ?a?my ?1?Redeemer lives,
And ?2?at the last He will take His stand on the ?3?earth.
[12]
19:25-27 In a rare burst of light, he believes that there is a Redeemer
who will one day vindicate him and then restore him, even though death and
decay intervene, prophecy of (Genesis 3:15),
This verse is known as the protevangelium, meaning "The First Gospel.",
by which the Redeemer, (Jesus Christ), through His substitutional
provision in the form of propituation will offer all mankind a blood cure
for him being sin positive, since the curse of the "Fall of Man" in the
garden.
The great English preacher, Spurgeon, whose own style is not unlike that
of the Book of Job, makes a fine application of verse 25:
The marrow of Job's comfort lies in that little word "My"-"My Redeemer,"
and in the fact that the Redeemer lives. Oh! to get hold of a living
Christ. We must get a property in Him before we can enjoy Him ... So a
Redeemer who does not redeem me, an avenger who will never stand up for my
blood, of what avail were such? Rest not content until by faith you can
say, "Yes, I cast myself upon my living Lord; and He is mine." It may be
you hold Him with a feeble hand; you half think it presumption to say, "He
lives as my Redeemer;" yet, remember if you have but faith as a grain of
mustard seed, that little faith entitles you to say it. But there is also
another word here, expressive of Job's strong confidence, "I know." To
say, "I hope so, I trust so," is comfortable; and there are thousands in
the fold of Jesus who hardly ever get much further. But to reach the
essence of consolation you must say, "I know."? 18
The fact that Job has faith to see God in his flesh after his skin is
destroyed, strongly suggests the physical resurrection, a doctrine not
widely taught in the OT, but accepted as standard in the time of our Lord
by ?OT?-believing Jews.
[13]
When Job became ill and was in the shock of all his troubles, he said he
wanted to die. He was not speaking of annihilation. He was speaking of the
death which would get him away from his troubles. I think that is obvious.
He knew he would be raised again. He knew that in his flesh he would see
God. He knew that even if the worms destroyed his body after death, yet in
his flesh he would see God. He believed in the resurrection of the dead.
Friends, these bodies of ours are going to return to the dust. The bodies
of the dead in Christ will be put to sleep, but the spirit will go to be
with Christ immediately. How wonderful this is!
Job again cries out to his friends, having made this great statement.
[14]
At the point of Job's greatest despair, his faith appeared at its highest
as he confidently affirmed that God was his Redeemer. He wanted that
confidence in the record for all to know (vv. 23, 24). Job wished that the
activities of his life were put into words and "inscribed in granite," so
all would know that he had not sinned to the magnitude of his suffering.
God granted his prayer. God was his Redeemer (cf. Ex. 6:6, Ps. 19:14;
72:14; Is. 43:14; 47:4; 49:26; Jer. 50:34), who would vindicate him in
that last day of judgment on the earth when justice was finally done (cf.
Jer. 12:1-3; John 5:25, 29; Rev. 20:11-15).
[15]
Applying Isaiah 7:14, Matthew declares Jesus to be "Immanuel-which means,
'God with us'" (1:22-23). There was a fulfillment of this prophecy in
Isaiah's own day (probably in the birth of his son; see Isa. 8:1-18), as a
sign both of judgment (for King Ahaz had refused to trust Yahweh) and of
grace (Yahweh would be with his people even amidst disaster). Applied to
that time, the Hebrew noun ?almaÆ (Isa. 7:14) means a young woman (rsv;
the Hebrew for virgin is beátuÆ); and the name Immanuel signals God's
presence without identifying the being of the child. With Jesus' coming
(Matt. 1:22a), the cup partially filled in Isaiah's day is filled to
overflowing (see Isa. 8:8; 9:1-7). Under the impact of what happened in
this child's conception, Matthew (following the LXX) uses the Greek word
parthenos (virgin) rather than neanis (young girl) in rendering Isaiah
7:14. Furthermore, "Immanuel" now bears a deeper meaning than was possible
in Isaiah's day. For Jesus does more than testify to God's presence; he
himself is God-now come personally to be with his people forever (cf.
Matt. 28:20).
Greek Ieµsou (v. 21) corresponds to the Hebrew yeáhoÆsû, which means
Yahweh is salvation. Joshua served Yahweh's saving purpose, but Mary's
child is the Savior himself.
He is named Jesus, "because he will save his people from their sins" (v.
21). They are his people, and he alone has the authority to forgive their
sins (9:1-8). Precluding the idea that "the Son of David" (v. 1) was to be
a political or social Messiah, verse 21 defines his mission as
fundamentally spiritual in character. In the phrase they will call him
Immanuel (v. 23), "they" refers to the people whom Jesus saves. "God is
with us!" exclaim his redeemed people.
[16]
.. ==//==
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
a Rev 12:17
b Rom 16:20
1 Or crush
[1]New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Ge 3:15). LaHabra, CA:
The Lockman Foundation.
[2]MacDonald, W., & Farstad, A. (1997, c1995). Believer's Bible Commentary
: Old and New Testaments (Ge 3:15). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[3]McGee, J. V. (1997, c1981). Thru the Bible commentary. Based on the
Thru the Bible radio program. (electronic ed.) (1:ix-27). Nashville:
Thomas Nelson.
[4]Pentecost, J. D. (2001). Designed to be like Him : Understanding God's
plan for fellowship, conduct, conflict, and maturity. Originally
published: [Chicago, Ill.] : Moody, 1966.; Includes index. (28). Grand
Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications.
197 197. J. T. Walsh, "Genesis 2:4b-3:24: A Synchronic Approach," Journal
of Biblical Literature 96 (1977):168.
198 198. Mathews, p. 243.
199 199. E.g., Josephus, 1:1:50.
200 200. E.g., Leupold, Exposition of Genesis, 1:162; Kidner, p. 70;
Mathews, p. 244.
201 201. Sailhamer, "Genesis," p. 55.
202 202. See idem, "The Messiah and the Hebrew Bible," Journal of the
Evangelical Theological Society 44:1 (March 2001):5-23.
203 203. See John C. Jeske, "The Gospel Adam and Eve Heard: Genesis 3:15"
Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly 81:3 (Summer 1984):182-84; and Walter C.
Kaiser Jr., "The Promise Theme and the Theology of Rest," Bibliotheca
Sacra 130:518 (April-June 1973):135-50.
204 204. Sailhamer, "Genesis," p. 55. See also Mathews, pp. 246-48.
205 205. Elliott E. Johnson, "Premillennialism Introduced: Hermeneutics,"
in A Case for Premillennialism: A New Consensus, p. 22.
206 206. Darrell L. Bock, "Interpreting the Bible-How Texts Speak to Us,"
in Progressive Dispensationalism, p. 81. Cf. Wenham, pp. 80-81.
207 207. Pamela J. Scalise, "The Significance of Curses and Blessings,"
Biblical Illustrator 13:1 (Fall 1986):59.
[5]Tom Constable. (2003; 2003). Tom Constable's Expository Notes on the
Bible (Ge 3:9-14). Galaxie Software.
[6]MacArthur, J. J. (1997, c1997). The MacArthur Study Bible (electronic
ed.) (Ge 3:15). Nashville: Word Pub.
[7]Courson, J. (2005). Jon Courson's application commentary : Volume one :
Genesis-Job (12). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
lit. literally
[8]Mills, M. (1999). Genesis : A study guide to the book of Genesis (Ge
3:14). Dallas: 3E Ministries.
spcl Spanish common language version
tev Today's English Version
Mft Moffatt
njv New Jewish Version
neb/reb Agreement, NEB and REB
[9]Reyburn, W. D., & Fry, E. M. (1997). A handbook on Genesis. UBS
handbook series (91). New York: United Bible Societies.
a Luke 2:4
1 Lit that which
2 Lit begotten
[10]New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Mt 1:20). LaHabra,
CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[11]MacDonald, W., & Farstad, A. (1997, c1995). Believer's Bible
Commentary : Old and New Testaments (Mt 1:20). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
a Job 16:19; Ps 78:35; Prov 23:11; Is 43:14; Jer 50:34
1 Or Vindicator, defender; lit kinsman
2 Or as the Last
3 Lit dust
[12]New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Job 19:25). LaHabra,
CA: The Lockman Foundation.
? 18 (19:25-27) Spurgeon, Morning and Evening, Devotion for April 21,
Morning.
OT Old Testament
[13]MacDonald, W., & Farstad, A. (1997, c1995). Believer's Bible
Commentary : Old and New Testaments (Job 19:25). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[14]McGee, J. V. (1997, c1981). Thru the Bible commentary. Based on the
Thru the Bible radio program. (electronic ed.) (2:622). Nashville: Thomas
Nelson.
[15]MacArthur, J. J. (1997, c1997). The MacArthur Study Bible (electronic
ed.) (Job 19:23). Nashville: Word Pub.
rsv Revised Standard Version
[16]Elwell, W. A. (1996, c1989). Vol. 3: Evangelical commentary on the
Bible. Baker reference library (Mt 1:18). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book
House.
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| User: "Rev. Karl E. Taylor" |
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| Title: Re: Ancient Evidence for Jesus from Non-Christian Sources |
22 Jul 2007 01:27:31 PM |
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UR Welcome! wrote:
"Rev. Karl E. Taylor" <ktayloraz@getnet.net> wrote in message news:qlfcn4-cmt1.ln1@dhcpdns2.ddsoho.com...
"Rise Up and Walk"
Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none: but such as I have give I
thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.
Acts 3:6
. The Fall and God's Plan of Redemption
Let's start at the beginning of the "Fall of Man" in the garden.
No garden, no Adam, no serpent, to tree, no fall.
You do understand what the word "mythology" means, right?
If not, I'd suggest you grab a dictionary and look it up. Understanding
what that word means would go a long way in your development from child
to adult.
- --
There are none more ignorant and useless,
than they that seek answers on their knees,
with their eyes closed.
____________________________________________________________________
Rev. Karl E. Taylor http://www.secularity.com/ktayloraz
A.A #1143 http://azhotops.blogspot.com/
Apostle of Dr. Lao EAC: Virgin Conversion Unit Director
____________________________________________________________________
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| Title: Re: Ancient Evidence for Jesus from Non-Christian Sources |
22 Jul 2007 02:06:14 PM |
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"Rev. Karl E. Taylor" <ktayloraz@getnet.net> wrote in message news:o5kcn4-m4u1.ln1@dhcpdns2.ddsoho.com...
"Rise Up and Walk"
Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none: but such as I have give I
thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.
Acts 3:6
. The Fall and God's Plan of Redemption
Let's start at the beginning of the "Fall of Man" in the garden.
http://bibleweb.info/public-the-fall-of-man-and-gods-plan-of-redemption.pdf
I.
40 Objections - Part 1/4
I am not a sinner.
Are you saying you are perfect? If you are, then you're the first perfect
person I've ever met. Are you saying you've never broken the Law of God?
Have you ever lied, cheated, or stolen? If you have, then you are a
sinner whether you think so or not. The laws of God have punishments (a
law without a punishment is only a slogan). As a sinner, you are
separated from God (Isaiah 59:2). However, God loves you enough not to
want you to be separated from Him. He sent Jesus (1 John 4:10) to pay for
your sins on the cross. So, the only way to have your sins forgiven is to
put your trust in Jesus and the sacrifice He made. The Bible says that
everyone has sinned (Rom. 5:12). That means you, too.
What is sin?
Sin is doing what is wrong, as well as not doing what is right. It is
breaking the Law of God (1 John 3:4). In other words, it is doing what is
against God's will. If He says "Do not lie," and you lie, then you have
sinned. If He says "Do not steal," and you steal, then you have sinned.
And, according to God, sin separates you from Him (Isaiah 59:2). Sin is
an offense to God's character. Because God cannot lie, it is wrong for
you to lie. Because God cannot steal, it is wrong for you to steal. Right
and wrong, then, is a manifestation of the character of God. God is holy;
He cannot sin. Sin offends Him personally because they are His laws of
right and wrong you are breaking. If you have offended Him, then you must
find a way to "unoffend" Him. The problem is that you can't, but He can
and has, by offering His Son, Jesus Christ, on the cross as a sacrifice
for sin.
I am too big of a sinner.
Nobody is too big of a sinner. The love of God and the sacrifice of Jesus
are capable of cleansing the worst of all sin. Even Hitler could have
been saved if he would have turned to Christ. You have sinned the same as
anyone else. It is just that your sins are yours. They aren't too big for
God to wipe away. Sin has no power over God, only over you. Let me ask
you something. Do you think murder and adultery are serious sins? Yes?
Well, David, a man in the Bible who was called by God "a man after His
own heart" (Acts 13:22), was a murderer and an adulterer. He even tried
to hide his sin from everyone. But God knew his sins and exposed them.
David repented and threw himself on the mercy of the Lord. God forgave
him and loved him. God loves you, and He will forgive you if you put your
trust in Jesus, and ask Him to forgive you of your sins (Rom. 10:9-10).
What is salvation?
Salvation is the forgiveness of sins. It is only accomplished through
faith in Jesus as Savior. He died on the cross for sins. If you want
salvation, you need to trust in what Jesus did on the cross. Only then
can you have eternal life and be with God. Salvation is saving a person
from damnation. Damnation is judgment upon the sinner. This judgment
consists of God condemning the sinner to eternal punishment in hell. This
is the destination of all who reject God's provision for the forgiveness
of sins. If you want salvation, then you need to recognize that you are a
sinner and ask Jesus to forgive you. He will.
What do I do to get saved?
Salvation is a free gift of God (Rom. 6:23). Jesus bore sin in His body
(1 Pet. 2:24), and paid the penalty for breaking the Law of God, which is
spiritual death (eternal separation from God). If you want salvation, you
need to admit that you are a sinner and that you want Jesus to forgive
you of your sins. You must acknowledge that there is nothing you can do
to earn forgiveness. Pray and ask Him to forgive you. You need to trust
in Jesus. Seek Him; He will save you. Repentance is part of salvation.
Once saved, you should stop doing those things that are displeasing to
God. He will live in you and give you the ability and desire to resist
sin (1 Cor. 10:13). When you are saved, expect to change -- for the
better.
Is baptism necessary for salvation?
No. Faith in Jesus is sufficient for salvation. You don't have to do
anything. Christ has done it all. However, baptism is very important and
all believers should be baptized. If you refuse baptism after salvation,
I would doubt your conversion. There are Christian denominations that
believe baptism is necessary for salvation. The arguments used, on the
surface, seem to be powerful. However, upon examination, baptism is found
to occur after conversion, and is not in any way a cause or part of it.
Take, for example, Acts 10:44-47. While Peter was witnessing, the Holy
Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message...and they
were hearing them speaking in tongues and exalting God. Then Peter
answered, "Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized
who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?" This passage
shows that baptism happens after salvation. How do we know they were
saved? They were speaking in tongues -- which is a gift from God to
believers (1 Cor. 14)and they were exalting God. Non-believers do not
exalt God. Also, Peter said they had received the Holy Spirit. That is
only for Christians, and it happened before baptism. (Note: speaking in
tongues is simply a sign of salvation. It is not necessary that a
Christian speak in tongues as a proof of salvation. Not all speak in
tongues (1 Cor. 12:30). Another set of verses applicable to this issue is
1 Cor. 1:17. Paul says, "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to
preach the gospel..." The gospel is what saves, and it is explained in 1
Cor. 15:1-4. Baptism is not part of the gospel; it is something that the
believer does after salvation. Baptism is only a symbol of that which
saves, and symbols don't save.
I am already good enough.
How good do you have to be to get to Heaven? God is holy, and requires
holiness. Holiness is purity. Even though you may think you are good
enough, even one sin disqualifies you from being in the presence of God.
You could never be good enough. That is why you need Jesus. The Bible
says that there is none good enough. "There is none who does good, there
is not even one," (Rom. 3:12). Goodness is measured by God's standard -
not yours. To say that you are good enough means that Christ did not have
to die. But He did die to save sinners. The Bible says if righteousness
can come by good deeds, then Christ didn't need to die (Gal. 2:21); but
He did, so being good isn't enough.
II.
40 Objections - Part 2/4
I am doing the best I can, and I'm sincere.
Even if you could do far better than you are doing now, you still can't
do well enough, because you don't please God by being good (Gal. 2:21),
but by accepting Jesus (John 1:12). Sincerity is not the way to heaven.
What if you are sincerely wrong? (Remember John 14;6?) If you are relying
on your sincerity, then you are saying because you are sincere, you are
therefore good enough, on your own, to be with God. Don't you see, to
appeal to your sincerity is to appeal to pride, because you are appealing
to something that is in you and not God, for your reason to go to heaven?
I am sorry, sincerity is not enough. You must have faith, in Jesus. How
long have you been doing your best? Has it worked so far? Has it given
you eternal life?
I am skeptical.
Are you honestly looking for answers? If you are, I would be very willing
to talk with you more about Jesus, the Bible, or whatever else you want
to talk about. What are you skeptical about? Perhaps we can talk about
some of the things that you feel keep you from a saving knowledge of
Jesus.
I tried Christianity once.
The Bible says that once you are saved, you are never the same again; you
are a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17). If you have gone back to your old ways,
then most probably you were never saved. If, however, you were saved,
then God won't let you stay in rebellion for long. He will deal with you
in whatever way is necessary to bring you back into fellowship with Him.
Did you become a Christian by going to church or by asking Jesus to
forgive you of your sins? The latter makes you a Christian, the former
doesn't.
I knew some Christians once and they wronged me.
Christians aren't perfect. They make mistakes like anyone else. I hope
you can find it in your heart to forgive them. I think that is what they
would do for you. Maybe they didn't know they wronged you. Was it
something really bad or was it just a mistake? Have you gone to them and
spoken to them about it? Maybe if you were to forgive them, you would
begin to understand the forgiveness God has for you. We all need to be
forgiven, don't you agree?
I'll take my chances.
With what, eternity? Eternity is a long time to be wrong. Why would you
want to gamble with something as important as your eternal destiny? It
takes only a moment to trust Christ for your salvation. There will be an
eternity of pain and regret if you don't. You don't take chances with
guns do you? You don't take chances and run red lights do you? Why would
you take a chance on something that is far more important than these?
Don't take a chance on something eternal. It isn't worth it. Jesus said
He was the only way to God. He forgave sins, walked on water, calmed a
storm with a command, raised people from the dead, and rose from the dead
Himself. No one else in all of history has done that. If He can do all
that, don't you think you should listen to Him?
I am not that bad of a person.
Whether or not you feel you are bad or good is not the real issue. The
Bible says that all have sinned (Rom. 3:23). If all have sinned, good or
bad, then all will suffer the judgment of God. God does not require
someone to be pretty good; He requires that he not sin at all. But He
knows that you cannot be sinless. That is why He gave His only begotten
Son, that whosoever would believe in Him would not perish but have
everlasting life (John 3:16). The Bible says that our good works are
filthy rags before God (Isaiah 64:6). It isn't saying that we might not
try to be good. It is saying that whatever good we do, it is not good
enough. It also says that there is none who does good (Rom. 3:12). The
standard God seeks is perfection. We cannot please God on our own. That
is why Jesus died on behalf of sinners. If you want to be good enough,
then you must let God see you through the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
That is the only goodness that counts to God.
I am too old or too young.
You are never too old to trust in Jesus as your Savior. As long as you
are alive, you can call on Him to forgive you of your sins. He is as
close as the call of your heart. (Granted there may be some who are too
young to understand the Gospel message, but here we will address those
who simply use that as an excuse.) Youth is a blessing from God. Don't
use it as an excuse to stay away from Him. If you can understand what sin
is, and your need for deliverance from it, then you are not too young to
receive Jesus as your Savior. He saves everyone, young and old.
I can't believe in a God who would send people to Hell.
Hell was originally created for Satan and his angels. In the future it
will contain those who join Satan in rejecting God. If you reject God's
provision for the forgiveness of your sins, then you will join the Devil
who rejected God from the beginning. Is that what you want? Could you
believe in a God who would become a human, suffer at the hands of humans,
and be killed by them, all so that His death could be the payment for
their sins? That is extremely loving. God is saving people who deserve to
go to Hell - and we all deserve that. Remember that the same God that
sends people to Hell also died for them. If they reject what God has
provided, then what is God left to do? He would have to judge them.
Whether you believe in something or not does not change the fact of its
existence. Jesus spoke often of Hell (Matt. 25:41-46; Mark 9:47-48; Luke
16:19-31), and warned us so we would not go there. Would you say Jesus
didn't know what He was talking about? Are you implying that it is unjust
for God to send people to hell? If so, then you accuse God of injustice.
Sin is wrong and it must be punished. What would you have God do to those
who oppose Him and do evil? Do you want Him to ignore that which is
wrong? Do you want Him to turn His head and not be holy and righteous?
I will worry about it in the next life.
That you may very well do, forever. Eternity is a long time to be wrong,
especially about Jesus. God has warned us in the Bible that it is
appointed for men to die once, then judgment (Heb. 9:27). After death,
you will be judged. Do you want to face eternity without the sacrifice of
Jesus Christ accounted to you? God hates sin and you have sinned. God
will punish sinners if they reject Jesus. However, He loves you. That is
why He sent His Son to die for sins. If you want eternal life, then you
need to worry about it now. Eternity is a long time to be wrong,
especially about Jesus. There is no next life. Reincarnation isn't true.
The Bible says after death you face God (Heb. 9:27).
I don't want to give up what I like doing.
Are you saying you must stop doing what you're doing now, if you become a
Christian? That means you know it is wrong. Let me ask you something. If
you were to become a Christian, and God was to live in your heart, and
you looked back upon your life, would you say to yourself now, "I did a
lot of things I wish I hadn't done?" Probably so. The Bible speaks
about just such a thing. In Rom. 6:21 it says, "What benefit were you
then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed, for the
outcome of those things is death" (NASB). What you are saying is that God
will require you to give up certain things that you like to do. Since God
only wants what is good and right, and you say you don't want to give up
what you are doing, then you are saying you want what is wrong. Will you
let your pleasures get in the way of salvation? Is your life of sin worth
an eternity of pain? Jesus said, "What will it profit a man if he gains
the whole world but loses his soul?" (Mark 8:36).
III.
40 Objections - Part 3/4
Christianity is boring.
Then you haven't experienced it. No one who is a Christian will ever say
that it is boring. How do you know? Have you tried it? There are millions
of Christians who have a lot of fun being Christian. We just do it with a
lot less sin, and therefore, a lot less problems. Maybe it's only your
problems that keep you from getting bored. What do you think we do all
day, sit around fireplaces and read Bibles? We ski, swim, play sports,
read, have friends and problems like anybody else. Christianity is not
boring. It is an adventure.
I am an atheist. I don't believe in God.
An atheist is defined in two senses: Someone who says he believes there
is no God, and someone who simply lacks belief in God. An atheist cannot
say he knows there is no God, because he would have to know all things in
order to know if there is or isn't a God. If he says he believes there
is no God, ask him why he believes that way, and begin there. If he says
he lacks belief in God, then ask what he does believe in, and start
there. I always get around to the question of, "How did we get here?"
Since creation and evolution are the only options, I have something
further to work with. Evolution has a lot of problems with it. It seems
to me that it takes a lot of faith to believe that you developed out of
ocean slime, simply by chance. At least as a Christian I have the
evidence of the resurrection of Christ from eyewitnesses as recorded by
them in the Gospels. Evolution or not, Jesus rose from the dead, said He
was God, and forgave sins. I'll put my faith in Him instead of evolution.
An agnostic says he doesn't know if there is or isn't a God. (Usually
after saying this I challenge them to explain the prophecies of the Old
Testament fulfilled in the New. I state how the Bible is unique that way,
and that only God can make prophecies that are 100% accurate. Then I ask
him to explain how that could be done if there is no God.) If there is no
God as you say, then in the end I lose nothing. But if there is a God
like I say, in the end you lose everything. Why don't you believe in God?
Is there any reason for you to intelligently reject His existence? Or, do
you simply desire not to believe in Him? The Bible doesn't attempt to
prove that God exists. It simply speaks as though He does. Maybe I can't
prove to you there is a God, but I can introduce Him to you through His
Son Jesus Christ, and you can judge for yourself if the Words of Christ
in the Bible convince you of His existence. (Note: We exist. How did we
get here? An atheist's only option would be to say evolution. I | | | | | | |
