Is History Just Bunk?...

"It may be stated categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a biblical reference."--Nelson Glueck, archaeologist
"What experience and history teach is this--that people and governments never have learned anything from history, or acted on principles deduced from it."--Georg W. F.  Hegel
"I don't know much about history, and I wouldn't give a nickel for all the history in the world."---Henry Ford 
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."--George Santayana   "A Christian with faith has nothing to fear from the facts."--Paul Johnson, historian  
"It is not now the man of faith, it is the skeptic, who has reason to fear the course of discovery."--Ibid. 

Henry Ford had no respect for the academic discipline of history and called it bunk!  History is not circular or cyclical, but we must learn the lessons again, or relearn from our mistakes the hard way.  You cannot relegate the study of history to consisting of the narrative of man's inhumanity to man, nor of the survival of the fittest; there is a divine input and factor to be reckoned with. Biblical history is linear: it has a starting point, a direction, a climax, a culmination or consummation, and a climactic ending point or conclusion.

In Stephen Hawking's book,  A Brief History of Time, he referred to time beginning at the Big Bang as it has become popularized, [posited as the corollary of space and matter] (cf. 2 Tim. 1:9; Titus 1:2; Gen. 1:1).  There was a beginning to everything that exists in time and space, except God Himself, who had no beginning and is, therefore, eternal and unbound or defined by the time/space continuum in which He created and we are imprisoned and confined so to speak.  History is important because Christianity is the only faith grounded in history and fact, and its historicity has been vouched for by over 25,000 archaeological digs and over 5000 manuscripts proving the veracity and fidelity of scriptural transmission to give us an accurate text, with much corroboration. It is deplorable that when a secular historian is a contrarian to a biblical scholar, the former is assumed the unbiased one.

Modern man tends to interpret history in the so-called uniformitarian way or denying any supernatural intervention such as the Deluge or Noah's flood.  Christianity is history and history is God's story in a manner of speaking--it has a storyteller.  If you could "dehistoricize" the Bible, it would be completely discredited, even if one legitimate, proven error was found in its portrayals of events, persons, or places.  But even secular historians will not deny that the coming of Christ changed the course of history and that He is the dominant figure in Western civilization.  I wonder if the disciples had any presentiment of the place they'd occupy in world history and of the history of the Church, as narrated so accurately and faithfully by Luke in Acts.

I heard that the present administration has no regard for history and is relatively ignorant of it; the error is that they fail to see any meaning in history or its inherent worth as an academic discipline.  We should not resort to the cynicism of Karl Marx, who said that the point is not to interpret history, but to change it!  Change isn't always good, and change for change sake is evil and one must be willing and ready to go forward, not backward and relive our errors and mistakes of the past.  What is the scope and view of history from God's eye?  It is nothing but creation, fall, redemption, judgment, and finally eternity in heaven or hell.  The Bible picks up the story as going from generation to degeneration to regeneration!

Yes, history is headed toward a climactic conclusion and resolution and it's up to us to interpret the times and act accordingly and appropriately, knowing what to do!  It used to be that secular historians and scholars would even doubt the historicity of Jesus Christ, but none would risk his reputation by alleging that stance today, because the evidence is overwhelming and the corroborating evidence so convincing and even conclusive, that secularists must realize that Christ and the Christian faith must be reckoned with and explained or accepted, because they cannot be dismissed as legend or myth--the great question of history that must be answered by all is this:  "Who is Jesus?"  He is the center point and focuses of history, the Bible being all about Him, and He will bring it to a head, and everyone's judgment of Him will be the criterion for his eternal destiny.  The Christian experience is real because it's based on verifiable, historical fact and can be tested by subjective, personal experience--as they say, the proof of the pudding is in the eating or "Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good" (cf. Psalm 34:8, ESV).

The great comfort of the faith is that we can be assured that God is in absolute, complete control and we can know that there will be a future for all believers with Him.  Josh McDowell sums it up quite well in that the resurrection is the central fact of the faith, and it's based in history as objective fact, and it is either the most wonderful event in history or it's the cruelest hoax ever perpetrated on mankind.  According to D. James Kennedy, the resurrection is arguably the best-attested fact of antiquity.  If one looks at the evidence with an open mind with no preconceived notions or bias, there are "many infallible proofs," as Luke wrote in Acts 1:3.  The downside is that there is never enough evidence for the skeptic, but ample evidence for the sincere seeker of truth. God and truth are inseparable, and that is why the Bible's veracity and fidelity are so paramount to the faith--one cannot disbelieve due to lack of evidence!

It's important to interpret history in light of Scripture, because secularism sees us as progressing towards perfection and utopia, while we are really headed toward world-wide confrontation and war, culminating in one-world government by the Antichrist before Christ ushers in his reign during the Millennial Kingdom, coming after a Great Tribulation and judgment of God on the nations.  What is history then?  It's the ultimate unfolding, progressing of God's redemptive, judgmental plan for all mankind in real time.  It makes a difference what one makes of history--it's HIS STORY!

Caveat:  Secular worldviews jeopardize our future with such interpretations as seeing us heading toward and evolving into utopia and globalism; or that tomorrow belongs to Islam; or that history is the judge; or that it's a dialectic of class warfare; and even that there is no purpose or meaning to it and it's not worthy of our serious study.  We must persevere with faith in Providence, that our Forefathers adhered to and believed God is ultimately in control and good will triumph over evil in God's timetable.

In sum, the whole Christian concept and worldview of history are dependent on the veracity, reliability, credibility, fidelity, and accuracy of the Bible, which is a historical document from cover to cover. All in all, such concepts as God punishing our nation or smiling upon us with blessings, are foreign to the secular outlook on history, which removes God from the equation and reckoning, trying to declare God dead or irrelevant to history.   We can be thankful that the God of faith is the God of history, who orchestrates it, and doubting its historicity is mere hyper-criticism--it's never been proven erroneous, so why not trust it?

NOTE:  IT'S A SAD COMMENTARY ON OUR TIMES THAT SO MUCH EVIDENCE IS AVAILABLE AND THE BIBLE HAS ALWAYS PROVEN TRUE TO ITS FACTS AND HISTORICAL ACCOUNTS, YET WHEN THERE IS A DISCREPANCY WITH A SECULAR HISTORIAN, THE BIBLE IS THE ONE THAT IS QUESTIONED AND HELD UP TO SCRUTINY.  WHY IS THAT WHILE THE BIBLE HAS PROVEN SO RELIABLE IN ITS FACTS AND HISTORY, THAT SOME DOUBT ITS SPIRITUAL AND MORAL VALUES?  Soli Deo Gloria!

Seeking God's Glory

 "... [W]ithout holiness no one will see the Lord" (Heb. 12:14, NIV).
"... We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son..." (John 1:14, NIV).
"No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in the closest relationship with the Father, has made him known" (John 1:17, NIV).
"Everything comes from God alone.  Everything lives by his power, and everything is for his glory" (Romans 11:36, TLB).
"The glory of God is a human being fully alive."--Irenaeus
"My eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord..."

According to the divines who wrote The Westminster Shorter Catechism around 1646, "the chief end of man is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever" (or, as John Piper says, "... by enjoying Him forever").  We were put on this good earth to glorify God (cf. Isa. 43:7), and we bring Him the most glory while enjoying Him and doing what we were created to do, not resisting our Maker's intention or calling (cf. Isa. 45:10); for He is the Potter and we are the clay, being fashioned into vessels of honor and dishonor, but nevertheless, whether we cooperate or not, to bring Him ultimate glory--namely, the manifestation of the Shekinah, the cloud of God's glory, seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

Note that even the wrath of man brings glory to God (cf. Psalm 76:10).  Also note that God's glory is not a reflected one like the moon reflecting the sun's light, or like Moses' face reflecting God's, but is originating from itself, and a self-sufficient radiance, expressing itself.  It has to do with the transcendent majesty of God's presence. It was shown to the inner circle of disciples (John, James, and Peter) at the preview of his glory at the Transfiguration, and was hidden from the world while Christ was incarnate before His resurrection and would be restored (cf. John 17:5).

We have all fallen short of the glory of God (cf. Rom. 3:23), it's not a sin not to be as glorious as God, but not to bring Him glory as we ought, and becoming what would glorify God to the max.  We must learn to acknowledge the glory of God, as this is a pet peeve or complaint of God and shows our true nature.  The problem with man is that they've exchanged the glory of God for images or icons and idols!  We are meant, as believers united and in union with Christ, to share in God's glory, but the glory of His presence and salvation, will He give to no other to share (cf. Isa. 48:11).

We all fall short of the glory of God (cf. Rom. 3:23; 1:23) and after salvation, we regain glory step by step, as we are conformed to the image of Christ (cf. 2 Cor. 3:18).  The goal of the Christian is the Beatificfic Vision or the manifested revelation of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, seeing Him by faith in the here and now through the eyes of our spirit--in Glory, we shall see Him as He is and become like unto Him; as the disciples beseeched to see the Father and it would suffice, Jesus told them that seeing Him was the same experience--but we do see Jesus (cf. Heb. 2:9).

Meanwhile, it's our duty to do everything to the glory of God (cf. 1 Cor. 10:31).  Abraham likewise grew in faith, giving glory to God (cf. Rom. 4:20). In fact, we are predestined "to be to the praise of His glory" (cf. Eph. 1:12, NASB).  Jesus will share His glorious nature with us as we are fit for the inhabitation of resurrection bodies in His likeness.  This is when we are glorified in Glory or the third heaven upon entrance.  We either seek God's glory or are put to shame because of our sins in neglecting it as a dereliction of duty, there's no middle ground or limbo, that would be a neutral territory--one must decide for or against the glory of God manifested and put to full display at the cross and resurrection of Christ on our behalf--viz., the gospel message.  The sad commentary on man is that Satan has blinded the eyes of them that believe not to the glory of Christ, who is the express image of God (cf. 2 Cor. 4:4).

Remember:  "The Son is the radiance of God's glory [the fullness of the Godhead; cf. Col. 2:9] and the exact representation of his being [the icon]..." (Heb. 1:3, NIV).   And so: where is the glory of God?  Just open your eyes and look, it's everywhere (where isn't it?)--God's divine imprint is in all of creation, for the "heavens declare the glory of God," (cf. Psalms 19:1).  The glory of God is so awesome, that it will be the light of the New Jerusalem.  We are to live for and recognize God's glory as Jesus did:  "I brought glory to you here on earth by doing everything you told me to do" (John 17:4, NLT).

This means that we ought to do what we are wired to do and use our gifts: opportunities; relationships; energy; resources; learned skills; talents; abilities; spiritual gifts; and even passions for the purpose God gave them to us.  John Piper said that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him!  Don't just exist but live life to the full and live for your God-given purpose in life.  Glorify God by being all you can be and what you were designed for and called to do; for the happiest people are those who do God's will cheerfully and God will smile on them as He sees Himself in us.    Soli Deo Gloria!

A Shame Unto A Man

"A person may think their own ways are right, but the LORD weighs the heart"  (Prov. 21:2, NIV).
"... The LORD does not look at the things people look at.  People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart" (1 Sam. 16:7, NIV).

Paul seemed dogmatic that it is a shame for a man to have "long hair," (this begs the question as to why it's a shame for a woman not to have hair as a covering), but what does that mean to us in our enlightened age? Note that it's not a condemnation or sin!  Are ponytails evil per se because someone deems them to be long hair?  Does the converse hold true, that it's an honor to have short or no hair?  Hair should not be the issue! But still being bald for a man is also a shame or embarrassment, but it's not sinning.  Note that what's long hair is relative and subjective too!

Actually, standards of right and wrong don't evolve with time (but styles and conventions do!), but we must understand that what was wrong then is still wrong, and God never sanctions the right to do what is wrong--neither in our eyes nor the eyes of others, but awareness of right an wrong in society's standards and norms do change with the times as to what is accepted as "normal".  When I was young The Beatles transformed the image of where hairlines were appropriate, it was now okay to have hair over the ears, and bangs were "in."  This was considered to be "long hair" by some and the phrase and song went, "Long-haired, freaky people need not apply!'  Who claims the divine right to judge the actual length at which hair is too long for a believer?  And it should not be an issue at all for the infidel!  Actually, there was a time when having hair over your ears was too long for some critics.  They told The Beatles to get haircuts, and they said, they had just got one!

What we have is a difference of opinion and a disputable matter, and Christians are not to quarrel over questionable matters, per Romans 14:1, but leave room for a person's own conscience, to decide for himself what his convictions are, as his faith is between him and God--knowing he will be judged by God (this applies to areas where the Bible is silent and gray areas).  (Note that the Bible also says women should cover their heads in worship services, and no one enforces that convention today.)  So much of our dress code is according to custom and style of the age, which does change. It used to be shocking to see a woman in a pantsuit or wear jeans!  We have no right to look down on a brother who has what we consider to be long hair,  for he is God's servant and is accountable to Him, not us.  The Bible nowhere condemns boys or children from having long hair, and also bear in mind that men of the Nazarite vow never had a razor touch their head (e.g., Samson, Samuel, and John the Baptist).

When we judge a man by appearance we are being like men who look on the outward appearance and not the heart--what really matters is where his heart is, not his looks.  Unbelievers who have long hair need Christ, not a haircut!  God doesn't hold their hair against them, but that they need to repent of sin (singular or in general), not sins (a certain one in particular) and receive Christ as Lord and Savior.  Legalists see sins, not sin.  Men are in a state of rebellion against God and long hair is only a symptom of their alienation.  Remember, we are not in Moses' seat and able to judge a man by his outward dress or looks, but leave room for God's justice.

If the Word is faithfully taught, the person in question will someday see the light and his eyes will be opened, and he will not dress or wear his hair to please the girls or the culture, but God.  In other words, the cure or panacea is to preach the Word and let it do its transforming work in all of us as works-in-progress.  As an application, whenever men act or appear effeminate in anything they are an abomination unto God and as men grow in the Lord they do become more manly and conformed to the image of Christ.  We need not get caught up in machismo or thinking that Christianity is all about how much a man we are, a true man is a gentleman for number one, and all men are manly in some way or manifestation--we have no right to compare ourselves in this manner and should be the man or woman God made us be.  The heart of the matter is that it's a matter of the heart!  What the Bible does adumbrate is that when we lose our godliness, we also lose our manliness, and a true man is a gentleman, not a strongman or bully.

In the final analysis, if a brother's only apparent or visible flaw lies in his hairline, I wouldn't press him on it, but give him the benefit of the doubt.  All in all, hair is not the measure of a man, though it's given as glory to a woman.  Caveat:  We have no business looking down on our brother; it's wrong to label our brethren, such as referring to one as being the long-haired one or in need of spiritual guidance by virtue of the fact.  In sum, let's not be like a Supreme Court jurist of Christianity over our brethren and merely utter superficially, when we get our eyes off Jesus:  "I may not be able to define long hair, but I sure know it when I see it!"     Soli Deo Gloria!

Of Give-And-Take

"But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this?  For everything comes from You, and we have given You only what comes from Your own hand" (2 Chron. 29:14, HCSB).  
"... Freely you have received, freely give" (Matt. 10:8, NKJV).
"...' I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go'" (Isaiah 48:17, NKJV).
"And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth..." (Deut. 8:18, NKJV).  
"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matt. 6:21, NIV).

We are all recipients of a multitude of blessings, even unawares, and owe it all to our Lord, who has freely given us all things to be used for His glory and are really just loaned to us--we must be good stewards of them.  "THE earth is the LORD'S and the fullness thereof;.." says Psalm 24:1, KJV.  Yes, God owns the cattle on a thousand hills says Psalm 50:10.  We are not to become materialists thinking that our life consists in the abundance of our possessions.  Actually, the less we own the more we realize what God has blessed us with.  A. W. (Aiden Wilson) Tozer wrote a germane book on the subject called The Pursuit of God, and one chapter is called "The  Blessedness of Possessing Nothing." Abraham had to come to the point of giving up Isaac before he could possess him.  Christians likewise have nothing, yet possess all, as Paul says.   Some people have to be stripped of their paraphernalia and personal belongings before they realize it all belongs to God, and we must be thankful--even for small things.

Concerning the things of the world, and we ought not to love the things of the world, we should echo Paul, who said that none of these things move him (cf. Acts 20:24).  We are all rich!  Real riches consist in the abundance of our blessings of all manner, not just our material possessions; actually, riches are better measured by the fewness of our wants, not the abundance of our material goods--the man who dies with the most toys doesn't win, but he missed the boat!  The idea is to get focused and to realize what God wants to bless you with and go for it from there.  The person who covets everything cannot find happiness in belongings, and we ought to be possessors of our possessions, and not let them control us as slaves.  Money is a cruel taskmaster, for people who have a lot of it still want more, and you cannot serve God and mammon, according to our Lord.  Just ask a millionaire how much money would make him happy and content; he'll tell you that it's just a little more!  Paul urges us to be content with what we have and learn to be thankful in all circumstances. 

God does promise to take care of our physical needs but not necessarily our felt needs or wants; however, some people are twice blessed because God blesses all in some ways and is good to all according to Psalm 145:9.  Jesus did indeed say that it's more blessed to give than to receive (cf. Acts 20:35), and people who realize this are fulfilled givers, and grace-giving is done sacrificially and with purpose and faithfulness.  Paul added that God loves a cheerful giver in 2 Cor. 9:7.  If we give out of the wrong spirit, it cannot be blessed, knowing even that it's not the amount per se, but the motive and faith, knowing that God multiplies the gift exponentially and uses it for His work.  It is indeed a privilege and pleasure to know that we can contribute to God's work in the kingdom.  In God's economy, it is in giving that we receive!

God blesses us in like manner as we bless others, so be sure not to cheat God!   God gives freely to us and we are to freely give in return, and this is the grace of giving and taking--sometimes it can be humbling to receive as well, but it's always an honor to be the giver, for God is the Giver of all blessings (cf. James 1:17), for God "gives generously to all without finding fault" (cf. James 1:5, NIV), and He has no hands to give other than ours.

We are never to look down on the less fortunate or those "down on their luck" as they say; for God is the maker of the poor as well as the rich, and to despise the poor is to insult God.  The wisest people are those who have experienced hardship and have roots not too be envied, and come from humble backgrounds.  These people hopefully will never forget that God is the one who makes one rich (cf. Deut. 8:18).  God teaches us to profit and shows us the way, when we are blessed (cf. Isaiah 48:17, NKJV).  Always aware that prosperity isn't a sure sign of God's favor.  When one is rich it doesn't mean he can waste money or show no respect for it, but must always remember the value of a dollar.

I do not believe in prosperity theology, or that we must cash in our spiritual lottery ticket after salvation, and God will always prosper His children in a material way.  But whatever task we are called to do, He will bless and make sure we have the means to do it and we will be successful in that venture in His name.   Money is only one measure of prosperity or success, and shouldn't be the litmus test of a person's faith or walk with God. If you love money, you'll never have enough.   Because he who is faithful in little, will be faithful in much, and to whom much is given, much is expected, as Jesus said.  In God's economy, it is the poor who are rich in faith (cf. James 2:5), because wealth can be anesthetizing and bring on more angst about financial woes, exigencies, or expectancies--since wealth makes one tend to feel independent of God and even oblivious.  Wealth per se doesn't bring happiness, for you can have everything to live on, and nothing to live for!  We must not strive to become rich, but let God bless us in our service to Him--do that in life that you feel you can best serve God faithfully, not that which brings in the most income. 

Paul did learn the lesson of being content both in need and in plenty!  God wants to bless us but sometimes our hands are already full of the world's goods, and we have no place for His provision and abundance.  God is good to all in some ways, and to some in all ways, but no one can say God is not good or that they haven't been blessed.  Give what you are blessed with, for instance, some people have time to spare and can volunteer or donate time as a commodity or venture for God's work.  We are never happier than when we are doing God's work with a smile. 

One of God's attributes is His generosity, and we are to mimic that and become channels or conduits of His blessings and provision.  We are to render to God that which is God's, according to Jesus, and this doesn't mean that only spiritual things belong to Him, but everything is His and we have it on loan as stewards who will be evaluated for our faithfulness when we are called to account and evaluated.  The greatest gifts are God's Son, His Word in the form of the Scriptures, the Comforter, and of course, eternal life:  we are to appropriate these as blessings and pass them on. 

God gives us more insights when we pass on those given to us because this is good stewardship of the mysteries of God.  Remember the principle:  Give and it shall be given to you!  This is the key to opening up the doors of heaven's bounty. It's best to be focused on the spiritual (cf. Col. 3:1) because we ought not to lay up treasures on earth, for where our treasure is, our heart will be also (cf. Matt. 6:19-20).  We don't want to become slaves to materialism and equate happiness with it, for our joy should be in the Lord and doing His will--as it is written:  "Rejoice in the Lord."  

The chief virtue of receiving God's bounty is to give thanks! It's a reward in itself, bearing the gift of God.   It is important to know that the Lord doesn't give like the world gives (cf. John 14:27), for "the gifts [referring to spiritual gifts] and callings of God are without repentance," according to Rom. 11:29.  Job noted that the Lord gives and takes away (cf. Job 1:21), "...[S]hall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?" (Job 2:10, ESV), but God is no man's debtor and His tests and pruning are for our good.  Paul noted in 1 Tim. 6:17, NKJV, that "[God] gives us richly all things to enjoy," including "our daily bread." 

Paul exhorts us who give in Rom. 12:8, NKJV, to give "with liberality."  I would be remiss not to mention the main thing:  To give of ourselves to the Lord; for we are God's and His desire is for us.  There is a direct correlation between the two:  receiving with thanksgiving puts us in the spirit to give as unto the Lord and to give gracefully because we know what Thanksgiving is from experience and want to pass it on--grateful people are those inspired to become givers and a blessing to others.  If you are not thankful, try the grace of giving and receiving thanks, till you feel compelled to give and become grace-oriented, and if you are thankful, express it in giving too--you'll find a grateful heart and the gift of giving as the result.  And in conclusion focus on this:  Ask and it shall be given unto thee," so also on the flip side "give to him that asks" in return.  (Cf. Matt. 5:42).  

Only Christianity shows us how much God loves and it's sacrificial, costing Him His Son; we too can show our love sacrificially, for we can give without love, but not love without giving, says Rick Warren.  Fellowship is mutuality, which is defined as the art of give-and-take!  Soli Deo Gloria!