Proof For The Resurrection?

As John Stott so appropriately said, "We cannot pander to a man's intellectual arrogance, but we must cater to his intellectual integrity."

"God promised this Good News long ago through his prophets in the holy Scriptures.  The Good News is about his Son.  In his earthly life he was born into King David's family line, and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit"  (Romans 1:2-4, NLT).  

The skeptic may be surprised that there is abundant, cumulative, circumstantial, and historical evidence to support the resurrection (let it make its total impact!), unless one has already made up his mind and doesn't want to be confused with the facts.  The Pharisees had  closed their minds already:  "This impostor said He would rise again!"  Jesus even predicted the event at least five times.   This is like the eggheads on Mars Hill in Acts 17:32, ESV:  "Now when they heard of  the resurrection of the dead, some mocked..."  Whether there is a resurrection, or whether Christ rose, is a matter of faith; out of the realm of public opinion, science, or philosophy.

The event in question is more variously supported by direct and indirect evidence than any other event in antiquity.  There is so much evidence that it demands a verdict!  Too many questions can't be answered by the skeptic.  There is never enough evidence for them--they don't want to believe and think it would upset their lifestyle or security.  Seekers and believers need to study the facts as any legitimate court of law would pronounce:  Jesus did indeed rise from the dead!  The historicity is well-established both circumstantially and in documents as written evidence.  You must realize that Christianity is the only faith-based on history and facts!

I invite you to venture out of your comfort zone and pay attention to the facts of the case point by point.  You are not required to have blind faith at all (not having reasons for it), but only to make a leap of faith based on the preponderance of the evidence and where it's going.  "Taste and see that the Lord is good!"  I hope you will see that you are not committing intellectual suicide by believing--but either way you decide, it takes faith (God is only pleased with faith per Heb. 11:6, NIV, which says, "And  without faith it is impossible to please God..."), but it takes more faith to deny it than to accept it!  I personally, don't have, enough faith to deny it!  I am glad that "his cruel death was not the end of Him," as John Stott has said.  He does live in my heart but that is highly subjective and based on my personal experience, and not hard objective evidence, but only personal testimony (which is still admissible in a court of law). 

The evidence is most compelling but no one fact is conclusive--it must be taken cumulatively, and there are answers to all the skeptics' questions, except where there is a God--there's no smoking-gun evidence either for or against it, and one must decide on one's own. This is the paramount question:  Have you considered the evidence?  God is no man's' debtor and will authenticate Himself if you consider the evidence.  The evidence is most compelling but no one fact is conclusive--it must be taken cumulatively, and there are answers to all the skeptics' questions, except where there is a God--there's no smoking-gun evidence either for or against this, and one must decide on one's own.  God is no man's debtor and will authenticate Himself if you consider the evidence.  This is the paramount question:  Have you considered the evidence?  The evidence is most compelling but no one fact is conclusive--it must be taken cumulatively, and there are answers to all the skeptics' questions, except where there is a God--there's no smoking-gun evidence either for or against this, and one must personally decide on one's own. 

If someone ever challenges you to prove the resurrection, you can cite manifold evidence that is well known: like the several alleged appearances of Christ over a period of 40 days (this cannot be explained by hallucinations, which are highly subjective and individualized); the change of behavior in the apostles (who had become disbanded, demoralized, and suddenly went from being cowards to roaring lions of the faith); the undisturbed grave clothes which show the body wasn't hastily stolen and Christ must have "passed" through them as John believed the moment he saw it and put two and two together, realizing no one would steel a body naked; the guarded tomb which was as secure as they knew how, because they were aware that He claimed to rise again on the third day (who moved the stone and the sepulcher was sealed and had a guard;  the early rise of the faith; why they changed the day of worship from the Sabbath to the Lord's Day;  how they turned the world upside-down; and most vital of all: the test of the veracity of the witness is that the were all martyred except John (one usually tells the truth and confesses on his deathbed)--they were all willing to go to their deaths rather than admit a conspiracy.  Lying would not be consistent with their character and witness, nor worthy of their Lord.  This was no idle tale" told by "consummate liars and deluded madmen" but supported by "many infallible ["convincing" in NIV] proofs" according to Luke cited in Acts 1:3, KJV.  

The resurrection is the Rock of Gibraltar or the crux of Christianity:  You must disprove it to make Christianity tumble, "And if Christ be not raised, your faith is futile..." says 1 Cor. 15:17.  The event doesn't prove Christ's deity, but is consistent or congruous with it, and only what we'd expect of a supernatural person who also had a supernatural entrance into the world via a virgin birth.  If the resurrection is true, it is the "most sensational event" in history, and if it is a conspiracy of deluded followers, it is the "biggest hoax" ever perpetrated on mankind, according to apologist Josh MacDowell.  The most challenging evidence is that the body was gone and the authorities and Jews could not produce it to nip the new faith in the bud.  The Jews believed that the disciples stole the body while the guards were asleep.  [There is no precedent in jurisprudence that allows the testimony of what transpired s during one's sleep!]  In spreading this rumor it both showed their ignorance and proved the fact that the body was gone! 

Now, this is the clincher:  the evidence against the resurrection is hard to come by:  there is none!  What evidence is there that He didn't rise from the dead--did anyone see the dead body?  There are no conflicting testimonies!  Only the presupposition that one cannot rise from the dead and bias in the first place would prevent belief.  Just saying, "I don't believe one can rise from the dead (not even God?)" is not evidence per se.  Science can say that in the normal activity of man this doesn't happen, but science cannot "forbid" this miracle or any other miracle or unusual event caused by God--this would be personifying science and going beyond its turf.  This is really "scientism," not science!  This is outside the scope or parameters of the scientific method and empiricism:  science relies upon the repetition of events and laboratory conditions with controls and variables to experiment with and measure and observe results to hypothesize and theorize.  History, by its very nature, is unrepeatable and it is a matter of the reliability of the documents.  If this happened normally we'd call them "regulars!'  Don't people often say, "There's a first time for everything?"

If Christ was God, it is no surprise that He rose from the dead--anyone with His character and credentials and made the claims He did is either a lunatic, a deliberate liar (and the disciples would've figured this out), or He was who He claimed to be--the Lord--The Resurrection and the Life in the flesh!  If someone lived like Jesus did and said what He said and claimed deity, I am inclined to believe it--or who did say those things?  NO psychiatrist would label Him unstable, but His claims would not escape the attention of the authorities either.  It is obvious, for instance, that His teachings are not the rantings and ravings of a madman either!  Lord Byron said,:  "If ever a man were God or God-man, Jesus Christ was both."

It is a matter of philosophy and history, not science or opinion: "For nothing is impossible with God [and one must decide whether he admits to there being a God in the first place] (cf. Luke 1:37, NIV)."  In order to be the judge and jury, in this case, you must weigh the evidence pro and con and go in the direction the evidence is leading:  Where does the preponderance of the evidence point to?  You don't need to know all the answers to decide, juries rarely have all the evidence or facts, but only sufficient evidence to render a verdict up or down.  To the hardened skeptic, there is never enough evidence, but to the willing believer who wants to believe and is willing to do God 's will there is ample evidence;  one cannot say he has an excuse due to lack of evidence.  He may have reason to doubt, but no excuse!  The skeptic has more questions to answer than the believer!

It is not a matter of the intellect because it is a moral matter and only those willing to obey God can believe (John 7:17, NIV, says, "If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God...").  It doesn't take brains to figure it out, because a child can believe; the heart of the matter is that it's a matter of the heart.  Your conclusion shows more what kind of person you are, not what kind of person Christ is. 

Let me conclude:  It is not a matter of the intellect because it is a moral matter and only those willing to obey God can believe (cf. John 7:1 says, "If any man wills to do His will, he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God...").  It doesn't take brains to figure it out, because a child can believe.  The big question is where one's heart is and if it's in the right place.  You cannot disprove the resurrection by merely citing people fact that people don't normally rise from the dead; Jesus is not your typical person, but the Son of God with all the necessary credentials and witnesses. Every theory posited to explain it away has been proved beyond credence and unacceptable, because God can raise the dead: for with God, all things are possible, by definition (cf. Matt. 19:26; Luke 1:37; Gen. 18:14).  

Note and remember this point in fact:  science can not make value judgments or judgments of historical nature, because they are not observable, measurable, nor repeatable--have you ever seen five pounds of love or three feet of faith?    Soli Deo Gloria!

Spiritual Downward Spiral

   "'I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, For My anger has turned away from him"  (Hosea 14:4, NKJV).
"... Your sins have been your downfall"  (Hosea 14:1, NIV).  
"'... But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it" (Gen. 4:7, NKJV). 
"Indeed, the LORD will give justice to his people, and he will change his mind about his servants, when he sees their strength is gone"  (Deut. 32:36, NLT).

Christians don't turn on God and rebel suddenly, but slowly drift:  "So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it," (cf. Heb. 2:1, NLT)> 

Some believers don't march forward in their faith, nor even tread water, but go back as so-called backsliders. A walk with the Lord implies you are going forward and going someplace!  God can heal this phenomenon as He promises above in Hosea 14:4.  What happens to initiate such spiritual degeneration or descent?  Instead of progressing from degeneration to regeneration, some lose spiritual ground or territory by conceding it to Satan and giving him the opportunity and open the door to his mischief, and degenerate again, even becoming worse than they were at the beginning before they learn their lesson.  Like Jesus told of the unclean spirit that returned with seven other spirits eviler than itself!   One might ask himself:  how low can I go?

It all begins with a "disconnect" from God, whereby we aren't abiding in the Word and become spiritually slack and our laxity affects every area of our walk as we try to go it alone apart from the body that we are members one of another. There is always the danger of spiritual complacency, getting cocky spiritually, and thinking one has "arrived," and Satan may then catch him on a spiritual high, so to speak.  Everyone is vulnerable to the wiles of Satan and we must not be ignorant of them, for he specializes in mind-games and psychological warfare, and plays with our ego and pride.

When the Word has lost its pizzazz or we get so-called Bible fatigue, we must heed the spiritual wakeup call and seek the presence of the Lord and not become derelict of our spiritual calling to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him--discipleship can be demanding and we must not become lax!  This comes with the territory and we signed up for it.  This is why repentance and submission to God's will are not one-time spiritual events, but progressive as we go from faith to faith and grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ as Lord.

Faith does seem to begin by waning or deteriorating and this will happen if it isn't fed by the Word of God. Growth needs nourishment!  What happens next is a doubting of God's goodness like Job and the believer asks why and when no answer is forthcoming he loses faith or breaks faith with God (however God is always faithful to us), but he never loses faith entirely or goes into utter despair--there's always a seed or minutiae of faith hanging on for life support.  

If the backslider persists in his rebellion he may become defiant and get angry at God and even throw a temper tantrum or have a fit to take it out on God Himself--when he should be angry at himself!  The reason he cannot recover so easily is that he may have spiritual inertia and cannot make the first move--God must make the overture and He will!  This is because of man's natural inclination to sloth or acedia and he is slack spiritually when he is estranged from God or out of fellowship--it takes a work of grace to restore him.

But backsliders have a tendency to commit spiritual suicide and sabotage their own spiritual health by having an aversion to the Word of God and balking at learning the things of God in depth, therefore they are wholly unprepared for the schemes of Satan.  The milk of the Word will not be sufficient to feed a seasoned believer through this so-called Anfectung (Martin Luther penned this word--German for "attack").   And he may find himself using yesterday's day-old food and leftovers for tomorrows meal, so to speak, and not realize he needs the unadulterated Word from the Lord to feed his soul, giving daily and timely growth and nourishment meant for that day (our daily bread)/   If he has not developed good devotion habits he may starve himself spiritually and die of spiritual malnutrition, as it were.  This is where the body of Christ comes in and acts like an organism, not an organization, to bring healing to those who confess (cf. James 5:16).    Soli Deo Gloria!

Authentic Worship

"Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name: worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness"  (Psalm 29:2, NIV).
"Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, LORD," (cf. Psalm 89:15, NIV). 
"But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of thy Israel" (Psalm 22:3, KJV).

God desires those who worship to do so in spirit and in truth (cf. John 4:24), and this implicates our whole being and that we do it in the right spirit, or filled with the Spirit, and in truth or not hypocritical, phony, or mere lip service--but also consistent with sound doctrine--God is the God of Truth!   We are to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and this means everything that we are--our whole being!  It doesn't mean you be something you're not, but to be what God made you and do what you were designed to do. 

There's no "one-size-fits-all" way to worship:  some are traditionalists, seeking liturgy and ritual; some are musical; some caregiving; some activists; some contemplative; and some are even intellectual.  We are not all hard-wired the same, but we are all meant, designed, and made for worship.  Dostoevsky said, "Man cannot live without worshiping something."  That is, if we don't worship God, we will worship something; i.e., we will worship!  We've been called Homo religiosus, or the religious man or being.  We all have a spark of the divine in us and have been called Homo divinus (penned by John Stott) to point that out.

Worship (meaning worth-ship or ascribing worth that's due) isn't always corporate or in the church assembly--though this is highly rewarding and encouraging.  We offer ourselves to God or consecrate ourselves in surrender.  The believer must learn to live his life as a sacrifice to God and as a service to Him in offering himself.  God doesn't want our achievements--He wants us!   We don't want to just go through the motions, or get into a rut, but seek meaning and purpose in our worship.  We don't just go to church to worship--we go to work!  For example, A man laying bricks was asked what he was doing and he responded that he was building a chapel!  The condition of our soul and spirit is what is our aim, not just where we are. 

We are to keep the channel open and the link connected to God as we continually practice the presence of God in our daily chores and activities. Martin Luther proclaimed manual labor as dignified and to the glory of God.   All that we do is to be to God's glory (cf. 1 Cor. 10:31).  Living our lives in God's will is our sacrifice to Him, and this is our yoke, not the Law, as in the old covenant--this is real spirituality.  God wants our obedience in life and this is more important than being religious or having religiosity:  "To obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams" (cf. 1 Sam. 15:22).

The reason we meet together for corporate worship though is that we all have different gifts and need mutual edification.  Like it says in 1 Cor. 14:26 (NIV) that when we meet together "everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation." The gifts are given for the benefit of the body as a whole, not just for our personal growth.  The point of corporate worship is that the singing of hymns and spiritual songs is not the only form of worship:  We worship in giving of our monetary blessings; we worship in the Lord's Supper as a memorial to Him that contemplate; we worship by heeding the preaching of the Word, and we worship by our fellowship with our brethren. 

By way of analogy, our entire lives are to be an act of giving or of worship and thanksgiving as we render to God His due and live according to His will and walk with Him in the Spirit.  Worship is sacrifice among other criteria:  There are two sacrifices that the Bible stresses, besides the ones given in the Mosaic Law:  The sacrifice of praise (cf. Heb. 13:15); and the sacrifice of thanksgiving (cf. Ps. 50:23).

In summation, Psalm 100:1, 3, 4 (KJV, boldface mine)  portrays the right mental attitude or formula for opening the door to the throne room of God into His dimension for spiritual worship as follows:  "MAKE a joyful noise ...  Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with thanksgiving, know ye that the LORD he is God ... Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful  unto him and bless his name." [Note that we worship in making noise (i.e., audible attention-getting devices), serving (missions, ministry), coming (approaching in prayer--corporate and private, and fellowship--corporate and one-on-one) to Him, offering praise, being thankful (in everything), and in giving blessings (to God and others).]   Soli Deo Gloria!

Divide And Conquer

"But avoid foolish disputes ... for they are unprofitable and useless"  (Titus 3:9, NKJV).
"And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all..." (2 Tim. 2:24, NKJV).


The devil's chief strategy is to divide (or sever from Christ) and conquer (or overcome), while one of the most detestable sins, according to Proverbs 6:19, is to "sow discord among brethren."  Note that Satan doesn't conquer first, but attacks us when we are alone and vulnerable, knowing our weaknesses.  We are not called to build walls within the church (they may not be necessarily wrong, but they may just be unnecessary), or even in the community, but to make bridges that people may be invited and feel welcome to come to Christ through His body the church--being seeker-sensitive has its merits, as long as sound doctrine isn't compromised.

It is so easy and tempting sometimes to be judgmental, contentious, argumentative, and divisive and use our so-called knowledge as "ammunition" to go on the offense against our brethren, attacking their inner convictions.  Arguments often generate more heat than light and must be restrained.  We are called to be one in the Spirit in the church body (Eph. 4:3, NIV, says, "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace"), and we are exhorted to find commonality, not give place to the devil, as we give him an opportunity to divide us by opening the door.

Opinions are what you hold, while convictions hold you!  We must realize that we can "quench the Spirit," by being too opinionated and insisting on talking politics in mixed company because most Americans hold to their political views just as firmly as their faith--discretion is the key, as well as common sense and sensitivity.  The American axiom "Don't discuss religion or politics" is sometimes good advice. as we realize there are a time and manner for every purpose under heaven (cf. Eccl. 3:1). We are called to avoid "ungodly controversies," but there are some godly controversies that are worth showing our Christian colors for, and standing up for what we believe in: these are the nonnegotiable or nonessential doctrines of our faith and we must never give the devil an opportunity to take any ground here.

We must never compromise with the devil, but make sure we know what we believe and can be dogmatic about.   As an example, never compromise about the deity of Christ!  But many times some insensitive person may decide that a party is the time and place to vent his feelings on the president and unknowingly causes division and kills the party spirit by his callous remarks--we are to be sensitive and be led by the Spirit.

It is a sad commentary on our society that we have a political atmosphere that is polarizing and has even succeeded in separating families and brothers, like no time since the Civil War, when brother often fought against brother in some border states.  As Christians, we must be tolerant of others and not because we deem all faiths and political persuasions to be equally valid and that no one can be right as a consequence, but we must learn to get along and to keep the peace as much as possible, remembering that "blessed are the peacemakers," if there is discord that we get drawn into as either part of the solution or part of the problem.

The key to patience with others and keeping the peace as much as possible in order to understand where they are coming from (to walk a mile in their moccasins) before judging them, which we should not do according to political stance--we have to agree to disagree sometimes and realize that there are gray areas and we cannot be dogmatic on all politics!  Showing a lack of patience is a sign of insecurity and of not knowing that knowledge can make one arrogant, while love is what edifies one (cf. 1 Cor. 8:1).  Finally, we are to note the divisive brother who brings the church into disharmony and disunity, and warn him and then avoid or shun him, that he may learn his lesson--for instance, a church is not the place to have a political showdown or debate!     Soli Deo Gloria! 

A Genuine Abundant Life In Christ

Christ promised a "more abundant life" or "life to the full [the max]" in John 10:10, but few believers achieve it or find this new life in Christ; they live defeated lives battling Satan and enslaved to sin and self, even their pet sin (cf. Psalm 18:23; 19:12-13), and haven't had victory over the sin which easily entangles them (cf. Heb. 12:1), so as to move on to inner fulfillment and meaning as a believer doing God's will--as we're wired to do.  Being set free is the most rewarding experience as a believer and we gain power over our sin.

The abundant life is not about having more material goods, or even achieving the so-called American dream, or necessarily anything money could buy--Paul had it all (this life) and look at how he suffered!  Jesus made the promise that if we "seek first his kingdom and righteousness," that "all these things shall be added unto [us]" (cf. Matt. 6:33).  But what did he mean?  Jesus never promised to meet our so-called felt-needs or wants, but only our needs (cf. Phil. 4:19) as God sees them to do His bidding and will--for we shall never lack God's resources to do God's will (cf. 2 Cor. 9:8)!

Dismiss the materialistic Christian who believes that the man who dies with the most toys wins! Jesus advised against storing up "treasures in this world" (cf. Matt. 6:19)!  Material blessings are not evil per se, if they are God's will, though; however, A. W. Tozer wrote a book about the "blessedness of possessing nothing."  Actually, Corrie ten Boom also found out we are richer when we hang on to things "loosely" and realize God is the owner, and we are only stewards of everything as a gift on loan from God (we are actually on borrowed time too!)--Psalm 31:15 (NIV)  says, "My times are in your hands...."

There is a greater gratitude in the fewness of possessions (whereof we are now content to have little or much per Phil. 4:13; cf. Psalm 84:11), and a joy in giving, for it's "more blessed to give than to receive" (cf. Acts 20:35).  God just wants us to cultivate a debt of gratitude and to be thankful in all circumstances, though not for evil itself, the opportunities it brings and that God trusts us with the trial to overcome it--for all faith must be tested as if by fire.

Now, what is the abundant life?  It is the appreciation of life and the little things as the gift from God, and all it entails.  You find new fondness and excitement in the mundane, and also the fortitude to endure trials and the endurance and ambition to work hard and not be lazy because you have a purpose in what you're doing.  When you look at the sunset, or the wonder of the stars at night, or the beauty of a rose, will you scorn their Creator?  Creation is filled with things to put us in awe and have to reverence God for His wonders and mysteries.

The believer who has an abundant life will find joy in the little things, like a portrait of a dear one, a piece of art on a canvas, or even in nature, such as the beauty of a tree, that only God can make.  Everything seems to have meaning and gives the opportunity for serving God and finding joy and delight.  Remember how Paul rejoiced even while in prison (cf. Phil. 4:4, says to "rejoice in the Lord always")--the fruit is that you want to share it!

This joy is an inner sense that no one can take away, and doesn't depend upon happenings, like happiness does, but is Christ-centered and has purpose.  Christians who have a purpose and know-how God uses them and offer themselves to God are the most joyful ones--for a believer that isn't a servant is a contradiction in terms--even Christ came to serve (cf. Mark 10:45). We ought always to be abounding in the work of the Lord and to aim to please Him, our Master. If we are willing to do His will, He will show us what it is and give us the opportunity to do it and we will find purpose.  Second Peter 1:10 (NIV) says that we ought to "make [our] calling and election sure" and this is the first step to finding purpose as a believer (everything to live on--nothing to live for!).  NB:  Christians are spiritually alive as well!

The key is that we are meant to find joy worshiping, and even in the little things--that money can't buy, especially relationships, i.e.,  fellowship (we use things and relate to and love people, not vice versa).  We see God at work in the world and what man can to do with God's will and a purpose, so he's a man on a mission!  Beware: "prosperity theology," or false teachers who tell you to cash in on Christ now, and if you don't have the so-called American dream or material prosperity and success, that you are missing out and are sub-par--who have missed the boat and the cut spiritually, and fall short.  Many things, such as appreciation of fine art; music; peace of mind; knowing forgiveness; having purpose, drive, fulfillment, and meaning in life--these cannot have a price tag on them and are priceless!

The conclusion of the matter is that to be a "vessel of honor" and be used by God for His glory is the greatest joy one can experience, and this is not something experienced apart from the abundant life in Christ.  There is comfort and joy knowing that Christ will never leave us nor forsake us (cf. Matt. 28:20; Heb. 13:5) and anoints us for His work.  Let us have this simple prayer:  Lord, melt me; mold me; fill me, and use me! There's a caveat to all believers:  Do you appreciate the things God does give you, before asking for more, and are you a good steward of God's resources--relationships, time, talents, spiritual gifts, opportunities, energy, and money?

Here's the ultimate question:  Are you hard to please?  And so, in short, the abundant life to be experienced is the exchanged, surrendered, and yielded life (cf. Gal. 2:20) with Christ living through us as we yield to His promptings and will--the more enslaved to Christ, the more joy and freedom in Christ!  The platitude is still valid: It's not how much of the Spirit you have, but how much of you He has!   Soli Deo Gloria! 

A Profile Of Jesus

"If God were a man, we would expect His personality to be true humanity.  Only God could tell us what true man should be like. Certainly there are forerunners of piety in the Old Testament models.  Foremost must be a complete consciousness, coupled with complete dedication and consecration of life to God.  Then, ranked below this, are the other virtues, graces and attributes that characterize perfect humanity.  Intelligence must not stifle piety, and prayer must not be a substitute for work, and zeal must not be irrational fanaticism, and reserve must not become stolidity."--Bernard Ramm   


"In Christ we have the perfect blend of personality traits, because as God incarnate, he is perfect humanity." --Paul Little, Know Why You Believe, John Schaff describes Him as follows:


"Jesus' zeal never degenerated into passion, nor his constancy into obstinacy, or his benevolence into weakness, nor his tenderness into sentimentality.  His unworldliness was free from indifference and unsociability or undue familiarity; His self-denial from moroseness; His temperance form austerity.  Hie combined childlike innocence with manly strength, absorbing devotion to God with untiring interest in the welfare of man, tender love to the sinner with uncompromising severity against sin, commanding dignity with winning humility, fearless courage with wise caution, unyielding firmness with sweet gentleness!" 


He washed the disciples' feet, yet claimed to be the Judge of the world.  Though He claimed deity, He never showed aloofness or arrogance, but was humble and came to serve, not to be served (cf. Mark 10:45).    Scholar John Schaff again portrays Christ:


"This Jesus of Nazareth without money and arms, conquered more millions than Alexander, Caesar, Muhammad and Napoleon; without science and learning, he shed more light on matters human and divine than all philosophers and scholars combined; without the eloquence of schools, he spoke such words of life as were never spoken before or since and produced effects which lie beyond the reach of orator or poet; without writing a single line, he set more pens in motion and furnished themes for more sermons, orations, discussions, learned volumes, works of art and songs of praise than the whole army of great men of ancient and modern times."


His personality shows no sign of mental aberration, chemical imbalance, or illness, according to Dr. Gary R. Collins, a clinical psychologist and chair of the psychology division at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, who says there are a "variety of proofs.  Among them are these: His teaching was impeccably moral and consistent with His claims; He demonstrated the gamut of human emotions;  He was "never paranoid"; "He understood human nature"; "He never demonstrated inappropriate emotions"; He had meaningful, "healthy," multiple, "close personal relationships"; No one could accuse Him or convince Him of sin! He was the Exemplar without a flaw;  "He spoke clearly, powerfully, and eloquently;" His fame and claims didn't go to His head and give Him a "bloated ego;" His sermons were not the rantings and ravings of a madman; He was a mystery--if He were a deceiver, liar, lunatic, or deceived Himself, the disciples would've figured it out by living with Him three years in close contact; and finally, He challenged His enemies to convince Him of sin (cf. John 8:46).


He was the most outstanding personality of all time:  not to be surpassed or improved upon by either predecessor nor disciple; the greatest leader in history; He did the most good for mankind; He was the greatest teacher; He lived the holiest life; He was the best example for mankind; He was the greatest moral teacher, guide, and incentive to morality; He had the biggest impact on history.  And His cruel death was not the end of Him.  Calling Him the greatest man who ever lived doesn't do Him justice or saying Jesus the Great!   You don't compare Him, you contrast Him!  He is simply God's last word to man and all we need to know of God!


C. S. Lewis, in Mere Christianity, writes:  "A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher.  He would either be a lunatic--on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg--or else he would be the Devil of Hell.  You must make your choice.  Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse."  He goes on:  "The discrepancy between the depth and sanity of His moral teaching and a diagnosis of rampant megalomania" are patently incompatible.    


No one can peg Jesus, put Him in a box, nor adequately describe Him nor figure Him out (cf. 2 Cor. 9:15), but whatever is perfect is what He demonstrated, and what He lived out was perfection personified.  He cannot be improved upon!  He demands worship, not admiration, discipleship, not study!   Soli Deo Gloria! 

Faith Is A Gift From The Benefactor

"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him..." (John 6:44, ESV).
"And he said, 'This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father'" (John 6:65, ESV). "For who sees anything different in you?  What do you have that you didn't receive..." (1 Cor. 4:7, ESV).

One of the most overlooked and misunderstood heresies of the church, as embraced by the Papists, is that faith is a work--some Catholics realize it's a gift, but's it's generally not accepted and are downplayed.  The Romanists officially teach faith as a meritorious work, not a gift at all; for they don't believe grace is sufficient to save us, but merit must be added (they teach that grace is necessary, but not sufficient!).  The Bible makes it clear, by any careful perusal of the pertinent verses, that faith is a gift we have no right to boast of (cf. Eph. 2:9), as if it were, meritorious, but Catholics add merit to grace and works to faith, and we're not saved by works (cf. Tit. 3:5; Eph. 2:9).

Examples of it being a gift in Scripture are manifold: God "opened" Lydia's heart to believe in Acts 16:14; Paul saw "those who had come to believe through grace" (Acts 18:27, CEV), by which we can infer it's a gift and we are "enabled;"  "... everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name" (Acts 10:43, CEV). That means it's something we receive, which Peter reiterates in as this:  "... To those who received a faith equal to ours..." (2 Pet. 1:1, ESV);   Acts 11:18, CEV, says that "God has enabled Gentiles to change their hearts and lives so that they might have new life"; finally, it is written, "For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but suffer for his sake"  (Phil. 1:29, ESV). Without God's work, no one would believe!  But we must take the leap!

Faith must be seen as the flip-side of repentance (cf. Acts 20:21; 26:20; Luke 24:47), but not its equivalent--both are necessary (either believing repentance or penitent faith, if you will).  It makes sense that faith is a gift as the famous verse of Eph. 2:8 says if you realize the antecedent of "gift" is faith, so both salvation and faith are a gift!  It's a gift, which means God decides who receives it by election, according to His good pleasure (cf. Eph. 1:5) and will:  "... Everyone who was appointed [or elected] for eternal life believed" (Acts 13:48, CEV).

Faith is the instrumental means of righteousness, not righteousness itself--it cannot be both!  Abraham believed God and it was reckoned unto (not as) righteousness (cf. Rom. 4:3).  Faith is not the destination, but the door to eternal life--a hurdle to get through and pass with flying colors as we receive the gift of eternal life, that cannot be forfeited, but our state of grace is permanent.  Note: "... how God had opened a door of faith for the Gentiles" in Acts 14:27, CEV.  Jesus is the enabler, and opens our hearts by melting them and turning them from stubborn "hearts of stone into hearts of flesh" (cf. Ezek. 36:26) that can respond to the gospel message: "God has exalted Jesus to his right side as our Leader and Savior so that he could enable Israel to change its heart and life and to find forgiveness for sins," (Acts 5:31, CEV).

The point is that we cannot believe on our own: "For without Me you can do nothing" (cf. John 15:5)--not even believe!  No one can come to the Father without being drawn or wooed (cf. John 6:44, 65 quoted above).  We do not have the so-called willpower (cf. Rom. 9:16) to come to God on our own, but must be enabled or empowered.  What God does by grace is quicken faith within us or kindle faith so that we can come to the Father through the Son. God opens our eyes to see!   Romans 12:3 says we all (as Christians) have received a measure of saving faith!  We don't believe because we are wiser, smarter, more educated, or more sophisticated--we're all in the same boat as God has leveled the playing field and made us all incapable of faith apart from a work of grace in our hearts.

We must also realize what faith isn't:  It's not acquiescence or agreement to a dogma, like the Papists  teach; it's not temporal faith, like believing God for a healing or material blessing; it's not gullibility either; and it's not faith in the church or any other misdirected zeal and fanaticism--because it's the object that's crucial and it must be "Christ alone" or as the Reformers taught: soli Christo!  God owes no one salvation and has mercy on whom He will; if we believed of our own initiative (and God always takes the initiative and makes the overture), we have reason to believe we deserve salvation, and it wouldn't be grace but justice to save us!

Who's saved then?  The elect whom He chose from the beginning:  "... The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened" (Rom. 11:7, ESV); We didn't choose Him, He chose us (cf. Jn. 15:16); Scripture says, "For many are called, but few are chosen" (Matt. 22:14, ESV).

In summation, we don't achieve faith (conjuring it up or working ourselves into it by convincing ourselves), but we receive our faith as a gift of regeneration--any other interpretation leads to denial of the doctrine of total depravity which tells us that our wills are also wicked and stubborn and need conversion; God does a work of grace sufficient to transform our lives.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Commonality And Contrast In Religion

All religions teach basically the same thing in application, though their philosophies or worldviews may differ; however, Christianity is by definition, not a religion. Christianity is strictly a faith, seeing that is the virtue central to its plan of salvation, and that it holds to a body of faith.  Religions all instruct man to ingratiate himself with God or some deity or higher power and to gain this approbation by a system of good works, thus meriting salvation--they all stress salvation in their own way.  One must realize that all religions have an element of truth to them and just enough to inoculate a sincere person to the real thing!  Sincerity isn't everything though a requisite; however, there are many who are sincerely wrong.

We don't need to delineate all religions to see how they are all mutually contradictory and don't teach the same concept of God, salvation, or even make the same diagnosis of man's problem and the ultimate cure.  Dr. Karl Menninger, the psychiatrist who wrote Whatever Became of Sin?--yes, I read it and it's a good read and even a must-read for theologians and/or scholars--and this book shows Christianity's diagnosis of our dilemma as rooted in sin or rebellion against God, it's our Declaration of Independence from God, doing our own thing and going our own way--defined as "refusing the love of another [i.e., God]." This is a word psychiatrists are starting to use again in their quest for us being responsible and accountable for our choices--no sin means no ultimate accountability.

All religions have some noble goal to accomplish but they are optimistic about man's nature (i.e., he is basically or inherently good), and don't realize we cannot please God--all our good deeds are as filthy rags!  For instance, in Islam, they deny the Fall of man.  The point to note in a works religion, and all religion seeks to do some work for salvation, as man is incurably addicted to gaining God's approbation by good behavior, is that you can never know for sure whether you are "in" or not, in other words, of being saved and secure in it.  In contrast, only Christianity offers a full and complete assurance of one's destiny to heave, and even power over sin in the here and now. The only way you can be sure of your salvation or place in heaven is for it to be a gift, not something to be earned or deserved--not by merit, but grace alone.  If we had to do anything, we'd fail!  In the Bible, people would ask the question, "What must I do to be saved?" (Cf. Acts 16:30; John 6:28).  This shows his orientation towards works and that he doesn't realize it's a gift to be received.

Creeds don't save!  Faith doesn't save!  Christ alone saves and it's the object of the faith that matters, not the amount of faith.  Meager faith in Christ saves, while a lot of faith in the Pope or the Church will not!  We must turn our creeds into deeds though!  Christianity is not only concerned with orthodoxy or right belief, but orthopraxy or right behavior, and we are not saved by good behavior, but unto good behavior (cf. Eph. 2:10).  Not by works, nor without them!  The Reformers formula was "by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone."  We will not be rewarded according to the amount of faith we have (cf. Rom. 2:6; Psa. 62:12), but the quality of our works and whether they stand the test of fire--some will be saved as if by fire (cf. 1 Cor. 3:10).

All religions teach the same applications in principle (Christianity is superior though, for instance, of all 52 known virtues, they are all depicted in Scripture, but no other religion comes close to covering all these bases).  Christianity must be admired even on the basis of its superior morals and virtues.  When they say that all religions teach the same thing--and George Lucas has come to the conclusion that all religions are true--they are basically referring to the application, not the philosophy or worldview.  For instance, they all teach the betterment of mankind, the value of virtue, and the necessity of good works, though Christianity raises the bar!  The Golden Rule, as an example, is the highest code of honor and ethics one can attain, compared to the Brazen, Silver, and Iron Rules are known in this rat-race and the dog-eat-dog world of the law of the jungle.

People are more interested in what the religion does for you, not it's doctrines, though they are also important--teaching without application leaves one cold.  They said of Jonathan Edwards, probably the clearest-thinking of all American theologians, that his doctrine was all application, and his application was all doctrine.  The end result of the validity of a religion is its effect on the convert and what it can do for him.  We stress what Christ has done for us, not what we do for God!  The conversion experience is a miracle of transformation of the soul and only is apparent in the Christian faith, whereby the person becomes a new creature in Christ (cf. 2 Cor. 5:17) and gets a new lease on life and a new start.

The contrasts are manifold:  religion says "do"--Christianity says "done"; Religion reaches out to God--Christianity is God reaching out to us; religion is all works based; Christianity is all grace-based and its a gift that cannot be earned, deserved, or paid back; Religion gives no assurance; Christianity gives full assurance; Religion teaches you to lift yourself up by your own bootstraps; Christianity says that God can transform your life in His control; Religion says works are in order to gain the approbation of God; Christianity says we work out of gratitude to please God and are therefore a "therefore," not an "in-order-to." Man tends to ingratiate himself fourfold:  morality, good works, philosophy, and ritual or religion!  Religion itself is all a "do-it-yourself" proposition! You can distinguish the person of religion simply by asking him if he's saved!  The religious person doesn't know!  You can be very religious and not be saved, or even have a formal religion!

God is not so concerned that we get all our doctrines straightened out or nitpick and split hairs on them, as He is that we love and serve Him.  What matters most is whether our hearts are in the right place.  Don't be content just to be doctrinally correct!  We cannot avoid doctrine and must not reject it, but it's not everything--God wants us to learn to love, serve, obey, and know Him as the ultimate goal.  Most important thing about knowing God is just knowing Jesus--what a concept--everything we need to know about Him is expressed in Jesus for us to see--if you've seen Jesus, you've seen the Father! In the final analysis, a person's eternal fate or destiny will be decided at Judgment Day by his view of Jesus and what he did with Him at the final audit of his life and work.  How did he treat Jesus?

Instead of learning all the minutiae of the different religions we need to see the Big Picture and how unique our faith is so that we can readily tell the counterfeit--the Secret Service studies the real thing so they can recognize counterfeit bills!   We believe uniquely in a personal God we can know, and that especially loves is and even is love and that's His essence and defining trait.  We believe sin is the problem but God has solved the sin question by the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.  We believe our salvation is complete, sure, knowable, and eternal in Christ and available to all who will believe.  We believe God's final word to man is in Christ and God became a man in the incarnation of Jesus to make Himself known.  We believe in the infallibility, inerrancy, perspicuity or clarity, sufficiency, reliability, accuracy, simplicity, authenticity, necessity, fidelity, integrity, inspiration, and authority of the Word--the battle cry of the Reformation was sola Scriptura, or by Scripture alone (as the sole rule of faith and authority).

Christianity alone postulates that God is a person we can know and is personal, has personality, and wants to get personal and go one-on-one with us as individuals He loves.  Our faith alone satisfies the deepest desire of man to have a meaningful relationship with our Creator, that just believing He exists or knowing about Him doesn't fulfill.  Contrary to popular opinion, the Golden Rule is not the essence of Christianity, but it's a faith that must be lived out and practiced by demonstrating it to the world by good works (as Paul would say, "I'll show you my works by my faith," and James would say the flip side, "I'll show you my faith by my good works").

The faith you have is the faith you show--is it any wonder that Mahatma Gandhi said that he'd become a Christian if he ever met one!  Even he admired the high ethics of Christianity, but Christians are not perfect, just forgiven works in progress, with perfection as the standard, but direction as the test!  In our faith alone, eternal life is equated with knowing God in Jesus' high priestly intercession in John 17:3!  Thus we can have a growing and living relationship with God as our Father, who loves us personally.

One must note the foundations of Christianity are based on fact and history, not fable, tradition, myth, or legend, no other religion can uniquely claim this; and as proof of Scripture's authority and of God's approval, Scripture alone has thousands of fulfilled prophecies--not just a few lucky guesses or self-fulfilling prophecies either.  Finally, with all due respect to world religions, Jesus alone claimed deity and no other founder did--not Buddha, not Confucius, not Muhammad, no one!  This is what turns people off to our faith: its exclusiveness and positing absolute truth that can be known through Christ as the personification of Truth with a capital T--i.e., truth is not relative, but knowable and fixed for eternity; we are accountable for it--willful ignorance is no excuse!  At Judgment Day one's fate will be determined by his answer to Christ's query to his disciples in Matt. 16:15, saying:  "Who do you say that I am?"  and He answered it in John 8:24 as, "Unless you believe that I Am ["He" is not in Greek manuscripts, stating His deity as the Great I Am], you will die in your sins." It doesn't matter what you think of these other false prophets, gurus, false teachers, the Pope, and even angels of light like Moroni, but it does matter what you make of Christ--whose Son is He?

One doesn't even have to believe in the Bible to get saved (as Paul found out on his missionary journeys to the Greeks), despite the fact that it's the only Holy Scriptures that claim God as the Author, saying over 2,000 times, "Thus saith the LORD," in the Old Testament alone!  The very existence and continuity of the Bible is a miracle in itself due to all the systematic attempts to destroy it throughout history, and it's fidelity and integrity are firmly established and plain to see.

To make things clear by contrast:  Religion lays down what man must do; Christianity lays down what God has done; religion is the best man can do; Christianity is the best God can do; religion is knowing a creed or the rules; Christianity is knowing a person; religion is a code of conduct, self-reformation,  a philosophy, or a catalog of rules; Christianity is a relationship, a renewal, and more abundant life!  Jesus said, "It is finished!" "Paid in full!" "Tetelestai!" This was stating that He had completed the work of our salvation on the cross and it's a "done deal" that only needs to be applied to believers who will receive it by faith as a gift in grace, undeserved, unmerited, and unearned.  You can be very religious without being a Christian and vice versa: you can be a Christian without being very religious! The ultimate question to ponder is whether one knows God, not has an opinion about some concept of God.

In sum, let me cite an old anecdote:  One preacher was interrupted by a man who said that he "tried religion for five years and it didn't work for [him]!"  The preacher countered that he "tried it for fifteen years and it didn't work, either!"  The man asked him to explain why he was a preacher then:  Then he "tried Jesus," was his telltale confession!   Soli Deo Gloria!

The Limits Of Our Freedom

"So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy"  (Rom. 9:16, ESV).
"So, if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed"  (John 8:36, ESV).
"The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually"  (Gen. 6:5, ESV).
"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?  ["who can know it?" KJV]"  (Jer. 17:9, ESV).


We don't need free will to be saved--we need our wills made or set free!   Actually, our freedom is a curse because we are only capable of sinning apart from being saved (as Augustine phrase puts it, "Non posse non peccare," or, in English, the double negative, "unable not to sin"), whereby we gain the power not to sin by grace--but when we do sin, it's because we choose to do so without compulsion or impulsion--all lost people can do is sin and cannot please God and they sin because they want to sin!  We are not automatons though, nor dumb beasts who have no understanding!  Job 18:3, NLT, says, "Do you think we are mere animals? Do you think we are stupid?"

Our freedom of the will is very limited and actually has very little to do with our salvation (genes, lineage, parentage, upbringing, experience, national origin, not to mention friends, all influence and affect our wills to make them limited in total freedom and not unmoved or uncaused like God's will, which is what makes Him totally free and the one and only Great I AM).  Actually, Martin Luther wrote an entire book on this subject, The Bondage of the Will, or, De Servo Arbitrio, as written in Latin.   Remember Paul's words to the Philippians in verse 2:13, ESV, italics added, saying, "For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure."

Our wills are part of our heart and soul and are depraved just like our minds and emotions--totally, though not utterly as much as possible. However, after the Fall, man has not lost the faculty of choice completely, just the ability to choose God and please God--his motives are wrong and basically selfish and for the applause of others. To be specific:  Have you ever convinced a girl to go out with you or convinced your wife to do something that she was ill-disposed to do?  God can likewise work on our minds, wills, and emotions to change us and give us a new heart after His will.  She maintained her freedom of choice and didn't do anything she didn't want to, but just had a change of heart caused by you. Note that God is the initiator and sole primary cause of our salvation: "Salvation is of the LORD," per Jonah 2:9; Heb. 10:38; Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11.  That's what repentance is:  a totally and radicalized change of heart from the inside out.  We make a complete turnaround after God works repentance in our hearts by grace and transforms us (repentance is granted according to Acts 5:31; 11:18; and 2 Tim. 2:25).

Only man has been given a choice to obey or disobey God, animals do not have this liberty of will.  Augustine said in a maxim that we are "free, but not freed"; meaning we have an independent will, but no liberty to exercise it-we do have a will of our own.  Why then is our will in bondage and the slave of sin and must be set free just like the rest of our soul?  We are not born free, but slaves to sin, and our whole heart is desperately wicked and deceitful according to Jer. 17:9!  God is the only Being that is totally free and can do His will without intervention or interference.  He is the unmoved mover and uncaused cause, meaning no one or nothing can influence Him or change Him and He alone is the sole primary cause of the cosmos and is the initiator of all events per Eph. 1:11---all things that perspire are orchestrated by Him through Providence.

We cannot come to the Father unless we are called and drawn or wooed by the Holy Spirit (cf. John 6:44, 65).  Matt. 22:14, ESV, says, "For many are called, but few are chosen." This doesn't mean permission to come, but ability--in a state of sin and rebellion and even stubbornness of heart we don't want to come on our own, but must be enticed; what it does mean is that don't have the ability to come to the Father in our state of sin!  We are not unmoved movers (even if we are movers and shakers!), nor uncaused causes, like our God and our faith must be quickened within us by an act of grace (cf. Acts 18:27).

Since our freedom can be changed and is changeable, in a state of flux, it is limited and influenced by God, therefore, not totally free--we don't negotiate our salvation from a point of neutrality but are biased and all our inclinations to good and to love God have left us in the Fall of Adam, with whom we are in solidarity with at birth. God desires all the glory for our salvation and doesn't' want us to have reason to boast as if we willed ourselves into the kingdom (cf. Rom. 9:16).

We must realize that our complete heart (intellect, volition, emotion) is depraved and in need of salvation.  God transforms each of them and gives us the heart to love God (will to obey and mind to know) at salvation.  The Bible speaks quite often about the stubbornness of man's heart and that he is in a state of rebellion--and condemns it in 1 Sam. 15:23, NLT:  "Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols...." Those who claim to have come to God of their own free will probably leave Him of their own free will and all alone too.

None of our freedoms are unlimited; no government allows absolute free speech or right to bear arms--only in restrictions of liberty is their freedom for all protected from the tyranny of the majority. Even God is not free to sin and we won't be either in glory!  In the final analysis, you must decide if you want your will to be saved (which is part of your heart), or you want to remain independent of God (for sin is merely man's declaration of independence from God) and be a spiritual lone ranger or lone wolf.

Salvation is a miracle of transformation of the heart to a new person, and the will is included; God metaphorically takes our "heat of stone" or stubbornness and gives us a "heart of flesh" (cf. Ezek. 36:26) or one inclined to do His will--a litmus test for believers is that we yearn for God's will, for we have denied, relinquished, surrendered, and substituted themselves for Christ, as He lives through us (cf. Gal. 2:20)!   We become "new creations" in Christ (cf. 2 Cor. 5:17)!

We are empowered to live life by the Spirit as our enabler.  God indeed makes the unwilling willing and has the omnipotence to change us from the inside out, not by force though, which would be coercion or determinism or the use of outside forces as though we're puppets on a string or programmed to respond a certain way by an impersonal fate--we never do anything we don't want to do, but God makes us willing--what a concept!

A few words to the wise concerning God's providence over all should suffice:  Our destiny is ultimately in God's hands (Psalm 31:15, HCSB, says, "The course of my life ["of my future" or "of my times" in other versions] is in your power...").  Note that the only will that is free is one that is uncaused and unmoved like God's!  We cannot thwart God's will! As it is written in Job 42:2, ESV, "'I know that you can do all things and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted."

God's sovereignty is not limited by man's freedom either; it's absolute and total, including every spin of the dice (cf. Prov. 16:33), every ruler (cf. Prov. 21:1), and every molecule being micromanaged and ruled with no room for, and nothing to, chance or happenstance ("... [W]ho works all things according to the counsel of his will" Eph. 1:11, ESV, italics mine).

I do like to ascribe full and complete, absolute sovereignty to God, for what kind of God isn't in control of everything?  This is God's prerogative and right; he's no ruler like the "do-nothing" sovereign of GB--he rules and doesn't just reign (cf. Psalm 22:28)!  Let me close with this caveat from Paul in Romans 9:16, ESV,  "You will say to me then, 'Why does he still find fault?  For who can resist his will?'"  Soli Deo Gloria!

Deferring To Tradition

"... So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God"  (Matt. 15:6, ESV). 
"So don't let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths"  (Col. 2:16, NLT).

The Pharisees were bound by traditions which were merely the rules of men and they manipulated them to avoid doing God's will and obeying His commands.  Even today Catholics defer to tradition and break with Protestants on this issue.  Ever since the Counter-Reformation, at the Council of Trent (1545-63), the Romanists have deemed and valued tradition of equal status and authority with Scripture as the rule of faith--Protestants take issue with this and "dissent, disagree, protest," as they would say.  Traditions are not wrong or evil per se, but only when they controvert or invalidate Scripture.  There's nothing wrong with celebrating Christmas as a tradition, for instance!  We only defer to tradition when it's concordant with Scripture and/or not against sound doctrine.  We need to beware of adding to the Word or subtracting from it!

People basically have four reasons why they act when they don't have faith:  culture (everyone's doing it!); tradition (we've always done it!); reason (it sounds logical and right!); and emotion (it feels right and appropriate!).  Old traditions die hard and it's difficult to even start new ones.  But remember this lesson:  traditions must bow to conviction!  Protestants adhere to the conviction that Scripture alone is the rule of faith, and have made this their rallying cry since the Reformation (sola Scriptura).

We don't give any man authority if it isn't in harmony with the Word--we're all subject to God's Word:  ".... [For] you have exalted above all things your name and your word" (Psalm 138:2, ESV).  It is wrong to base far-fetched teaching on some obscure passage with some private interpretation though, for "no Scripture is of any private interpretation" (cf. 2 Pet. 1:20).  Hebrews 13:9, ESV, says, "Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings...." We must interpret Scripture with Scripture and with the whole analogy of the Word.  The Bible is its own Supreme Court!  We also must observe all inferential and sound reading interpretation rules:  narratives in light of didactive or teaching passages; obscure in light of the clear.  We must interpret it as written:  poetry as poetry; proverbs as proverbs; and narrative or history as such.

And we are not bound to observe all the traditions or commands of Scripture ("We are not under the law, but under grace" according to Romans 6:14; for instance, the Sabbath day observance laws have been rescinded and not applicable for Christians, but were meant for Israel (cf. Ezek. 20:12, 20).  Don't let anyone judge you by your own tradition of a holy day:  Col. 2:16 says this quite plainly.  Each believer should be convinced in his own mind (cf. Rom. 14: 5).  Family traditions are not necessarily forbidden--all tradition doesn't have to be religious!   Soli Deo Gloria!