Does The Resurrection Require Extraordinary Evidence?

 

What exactly do atheists mean by saying that "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence" with regard to theism, and what are some reasonable insights of theistic philosophers or theologians in response to this statement?

Karl Broberg

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Updated September 12

De facto theologian in church

Many of them are referring to the so-called audacious claims of Christ that He is God, not believing there’s enough evidence. But this is proven fallacious reasoning because it can be demonstrated that if you won the lottery and just turned on the TV and heard your numbers, you would believe without any further confirmation, that it satisfied your requirements for assurance. If you won the lottery, you wouldn’t be skeptical until the CPA actually certified you ticket, you would celebrate before that! You would’ve trusted the TV as a reliable and credible source of news and info.

But Jesus did that to His disciples when He rose from the dead and appeared to them for 40 days to convince them that He was really risen and not some ghost or imposter. They were so convinced that they became martyrs because of it. This is important testimony in a court of law because people usually tell the truth when faced with death. If they had been consummate liars they probably wouldn’t have been willing to die for it. Most sincere or fanatical men will die for what they believe is true, but not for what they KNOW is false. The disciples had such character that we can count them as credible witnesses and the veracity of their claims.

Any such conspiracy theory will not hold water in light of the truth, because it is unlikely that all the disciples would’ve died for a lost cause. The truth would’ve leaked out before that and the movement wouldn’t have gotten off the ground. The Jewish Pharisee Caiaphas predicted that, if the movement were of God, they couldn’t stop it (they would be fighting God); if not, it would go nowhere nd not get off the ground. Jesus is known as changing the course of history and not as a liar. Actually, the disciple Thomas said that he wouldn’t believe unless he could stick his hand in Jesus side and feel for himself; this was skepticism and doubt but not unreasonable—Jesus accommodated him.

The point is not what Jesus claimed (to be God or not) according to cults or sects but according to mainline Christianity, but the point is moot because it doesn’t affect the answer.

Why Is The Bible An Authority?

 

Why is the Bible a source of authority?

Karl Broberg

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Updated August 25

Blogger/Bible teacher (10+ yrs), researcher, life coach

This may seem like circular reasoning but it isn’t: The Bible says so. It claims to be the Word of God over 2,000 times: “Thus says the LORD.,” or its equivalent. Jesus believed in it as the Word of God. He verified the authority of Scripture and called it “truth.” The final source of authority is that it claims to be the “inspired” Word of God (cf. 2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:21).

If the Bible appealed to some historian for verification or authority or to scientific advance, then historians or scientists would be the final arbiter of truth. Thus we say the Bible is “self-attesting.” The Bible unapologetically starts out “In the beginning God….” It does not offer proof but assumes its own authority.

There are several reasons we might reason it is authoritative: it has thousands of predictive prophecies that are fulfilled in great detail, not just a few lucky guesses. It is geographically, historically, and scientifically accurate with not anomalies.

The Bible isn’t a science text but it is accurate where it does make statements. In fact, in dozens of verses, it’s statements are ahead of what science could have known at the time and wasn’t common knowledge till much later. In fact, if you could dehistoricize it, you would discredit it fully and many have tried to no avail and become believers. In conclusion, the Bible is a historical document telling the story behind 10,000 events from creation to the story of the church or it is nothing; its historicity is the fulcrum to be unbalanced in order to devalue it.

What Is the Nature Of Salvation?

 

What is the nature of salvation?

Karl Broberg

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Updated Mon

Blogger/Bible teacher (10+ yrs), researcher, life coach

It is in three tenses: we are saved from the penalty of sin by the death of Christ; we are being saved from the power of sin by the living Christ; we will be saved from the presence of sin by the coming Christ. Salvation began in eternity past, is realized in time, and looks forward to completion in heaven. Salvation is completely by grace from beginning to end; we do not deserve it, cannot pay it back, and do not earn it. God initiated our salvation as the Hound of heaven; we never would have sought it on our own. The whole Trinity took part: the Father purposed it; the Son secured it; the Spirit applied it.

The nature of salvation itself is that it is more than forgiveness but also deliverance and regeneration or a new life: we are saved from sin, ourselves, hell, and God’s wrath. Our past is forgiven, our present is given meaning, and our future is secured. Salvation itself means a rescue from a threat and we are warned of the coming wrath. There are many perks such as knowing God as our Father; being a joint-heir of Christ as a child of God.

Salvation is a done deal, a work of God on our behalf whereby He regenerates our spirits and gives us a new slate and beginning by reviving us and quickening faith within us. God’s grace is the source, Christ is the means, and faith is the channel or instrument. We are saved by grace through faith in Christ. We are thus saved by grace alone without merit nor works but through an act of faith given by God. It is given not achieved! It is, therefore, not: Jesus plus good works but good works because of Jesus, or, Jesus, therefore, good works.

Why Is There Suffering If God Loves Us? ...

 

1. We are not called to live for the “here and now.”
2. We are to grow in faith through adversity, knowing there is an Adversary.
3. Even Jesus learned obedience through suffering (cf. Heb. 5:8).
4. God tests our motives by withdrawing temporarily from us (cf. 2 Chron. 32:31).
5. God gets our attention via suffering and adversity (cf. Job 36:15).
6. Adversity, not prosperity, builds character; it either makes us bitter or better.
7. God has not promised a rose garden or a bed of roses to anyone.
8. God blesses everyone in some ways, but is not obliged to bless equally; inequity isn’t necessarily injustice (cf. Psalm 145:9).
9. God is unjust to no one; He will have mercy on whom He will (cf. Romans 9:15).
10. Man ruined his own world by introducing sin into it.
11. Jesus suffered in all ways as us yet without sin (cf. Heb. 2:18; 4:15).
12. Our faith is no Pollyanna or without problems (cf. Romans 5:5).
13. Our reward is in heaven, not on earth.
14. God is just and His justice will not sleep.
15. Justice delayed is not justice denied.
16. God will make up to us for all our suffering which isn’t worthy of our reward (cf. Romans 8:18).
17. It is an honor to suffer for the sake of the Name and counted worthy (cf. Acts 5:41).
18. Jesus doesn’t call us to suffer anything He didn’t (cf. Heb. 4:15).
19. Jesus truly understands and feels our pains (“was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief”—cf. Isaiah 53:3).
20. We can know the “fellowship of suffering” filling up Christ’s  sufferings (cf. Phil. 3:10)

Why Is There Only One Religion?

 
Scientifically, why would one religion be more right than the other?

1. The effect on the course of history and on Western Civilization itself.
2. Christianity is the “mother of modern science,” due to its worldview, with no scientific absurdities in the Bible.
3. The Bible tells us that nature is governed by laws (cf. Job 38:33); dozens of scientific facts are in the Bible which were not known by science at the time.
4. Most early modern scientists were Christians.
5. The abundant evidence of witnesses and martyrs with similar experiences.
6. The laws of evidence must be considered and evidence weighed, without bias.
7. The laws of cause and effect and noncontradiction. eliminate contradiction as acceptable.
8. Harmonizing the conflicting faiths is impossible with so many diverse and contradictory claims of who God is.
9. The subjective evidence of experiencing God; evidenced even by martyrdom.
10. The fact of the resurrection of Christ is pivotal to changing history.
11. The objective evidence of history, documents, and records; the Bible itself.
12. The fact that truth by its very nature is exclusive: Jesus said He is the Way.
13. The value of God’s challenge to “Taste and see that the LORD is good.”
14. The proof of the pudding is in the eating; put God to the test; take the leap! God invites you to Him in an open invitation.
15. God invites you by faith; science is by faith also; both involve people of faith.
16. You need not kiss your brains goodbye to understand, there are answers from the Answerer.
17. The fact that it’s not faith versus reason but faith versus faith; both sides use facts and evidence and come to different conclusions because of confirmation bias; neither is wholly impartial.
18. You cannot demonstrate or measure God by experiment or laboratory conditions but you can see His effects just like you don’t see the wind but know its effects.
19. God is not audible, visible, nor tangible, thus He is outside the parameters of science and one must have faith to find the true God; but God has revealed Himself in the person of Jesus Christ and also in the Old Testament to prophets.
20. God is a metaphysical concept and not shown, observed, or tested by the physical, which science demands, thus complicating the issue.

There is no reason a Christian cannot be a good scientist or a scientist cannot be a good Christian. The fact that false religions are not wholly wrong but have an element of truth or just enough to inoculate or immunize one from the real thing. Christianity claims to be the truth and only way to God as Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no man comes to the Father except by Me,.” One must reckon that no other religious founder made such audacious and bold claims of being God and the only truth; this must be taken into account and reckoned with.

Is God A Myth Or A Hypothesis?

 

Is God a myth or a hypothesis?

Karl Broberg

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August 30

Blogger/Bible teacher (10+ yrs), researcher, life coach

People who deny God also must deny we are in God’s image and have no inherent dignity, purpose, or meaning in life. We are thus animals in heat, seeking pleasure and avoiding pain—that’s all. If we are animals, it must be okay to act like them. Thus, atheism, or the denial of God in the equation, is a crutch to lean on for immoral living as an excuse for sin, because they have no hell to shun or Judgement Day to fear—how convenient with no restraint on evil or motive to do good.

C. S. Lewis called Christianity the myth that had become true … it’s not what we would’ve imagined. God is neither of the above—that’s a false dichotomy. God is a fact of history and has given plenty of evidence to understand that, even in science. The fact is that God invites you to find out if He is real for yourself: “Taste and see that the LORD is good.” The proof of the pudding is in the eating. People who know God love Him as the response. God is love, and if you’ve experienced love, thank God.

Jesus claimed to be God, to deny this is to call Him a liar, and He is a historical figure, not a myth or legend—even secular attestation and corroboration. So the real issue is whether He is who He claimed to be. He proved it by rising from the dead: what more proof would one want? Jesus alone should be proof of God.

God is able to convince people He exists and loves us without making it so obvious that it’s beyond a shadow of a doubt or with “smoking gun” evidence God doesn’t need to prove Himself because there is ample evidence for the willing and open-minded, those willing to do His will.

There is manifold philosophical, logical, and scientific proof, argument or evidence for God, of which I will not venture to detail here. The Bible says that “they have no excuse,” because God has made it plain unto them (cf. Romans 1:20).

Can You Believe In Science If Science Contradicts The Bible?

 

Can you believe in science if it contradicts God and scripture?

Karl Broberg

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September 9

Blogger on worldview

1. There is no final conflict—apparent difficulties have been reconciled, the Bible proving right after all.
2. Science takes things apart; religion puts them together; many questions cannot be answered by science, but need religion; i..e., the Anthropic Principle.
3. Science is the know-how, while religion is the know-why; science deals in the physical while religion the metaphysical.
4. Science without religion is lame; religion without science is blind.
5. He who thinks there is a contradiction between science and religion understands neither.
6. Christianity is considered the “mother of modern science.”
7. There are dozens of scientific facts in the Bible with no scientific anomalies or contradictions; these facts were before science knew of them and were ahead of their time.
8. Science makes the mistake of ruling out the possibility of the supernatural and believes everything can be explained with natural causes and has an explanation without God in the equation.
9. Virtually all the early modern scientists were professing Christians and founded it upon the Christian worldview that definite laws govern nature (cf. Job 38:33).
10. There is no reason a Christian cannot be a good scientist and a scientist a good Christian—both exist.

NB: Augustine said that “all truth is God’s truth,” and Aquinas added that “all truth meets at the top.” John Locke described reality as that which corresponds with the truth. There can be a contradiction between truth and the God of truth.

Can You Believe In Jesus As A Non-Christian?

 

Can you believe in Jesus as a non-Christian?

Karl Broberg

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Updated September 11

Blogger/Bible teacher (10+ yrs), researcher, life coach

You can affirm His deity, His crucifixion for sins, and His resurrection even and not be saved—that’s only knowing history. Believing mere facts concerning Jesus doesn’t make one a Christian but a transformed heart from Him does due to repentance and faith in Him. You must not just know about Him, but know Him. Having a direct, personal knowledge due to a loving, growing relationship and fellowship of walking by faith in Him.

Even the demons believe in Jesus and tremble, in the strict sense of the word—they knew who He was (the Holy One of God), but their knowledge didn’t save them. You must put your knowledge into action and practice your faith without hypocrisy. God doesn’t expect perfect faith but sincere, unfeigned faith. You must not just believe in Jesus but believe Jesus. Jesus isn’t looking for admirers or fans, but fully devoted followers and worshipers.

You will be known by your works or fruit and judged by them, not your confession or creed “I’m of Apollos, I’m of Paul, I’m of Peter, I’m of Christ,” sort of sectarianism). Creeds don’t save, Jesus does. We’re not asking faith in a creed but in a Person. Faith doesn’t save, Jesus does. Faith must have the right object to be valid. You can have misdirected faith that cannot save. Jesus expects us to put all our faith in Him, and not to add Him to our life as in Jesus plus TM or Jesus plus yoga and so forth; we must believe in Jesus alone and trust only in Him for our salvation. Jesus is the only Savior. He demands a substituted, exchanged, relinquished, inhabited, and surrendered life.

The only test of our faith is obedience and Jesus said if we love Him we will obey His commands. “He became the author of salvation unto all of them who obey Him,” (cf. Heb. 5:9). Faith must be accompanied by repentance, that’s why theologians refer to penitent faith or believing repentance—they go hand in hand. (cf. Acts 20:21; Heb. 6:1).

How Is A Person Saved By Grace?

 

How is a person saved by grace?

Karl Broberg

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September 6

Blogger/Bible teacher (10+ yrs), researcher, life coach

The main text is Eph. 2:8–9, “For by grace are you saved through faith, and that [faith is the antecedent] is not of yourselves, it [faith]is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.” Faith is the instrumental means by which God chooses to save us [through faith]. Thus we are not saved because we are “better” than others in any way. The thing about faith is that it’s inherently without merit and anyone can exercise it!

The only way to be saved by grace is not by works and the only way that can be is by some gift that is not merited. We receive the gift from God. Grace means God’s riches at Christ’s expense. God gives us a choice to receive it freely and not by compulsion or coercion. God saves us by not giving us (mercy) what we deserve and giving us what we don’t deserve (grace)!

God has given us faith to exercise towards Christ and receive this gift. Faith is God’s gift but our work. “This is the work of God that you believe….” (cf. John 6:29. “It has been granted unto you to believe,” (cf. Phil. 1:29). “We believe through grace,” (cf. Acts 18:27). ‘We have obtained like faith…” (cf. 2 Pet. 1:1). God gives us faith, but expects us to use it; He doesn’t believe for us! Note that as many as rely on the Law are under a curse! (cf. Gal. 3:10). We must not depend on our own righteousness which is also the gift of God (cf. Isaiah 45:24).

If faith were a work, then we would be saved by works and Titus 3:5 says we are not saved by works of righteousness. But “It is the gift of God, not of works…” (cf. Eph. 2:8–9). When you give someone a gift and they refuse it, they can only blame themselves.

God’s gift is also unconditional, He doesn’t save us because we will become good people or do something to deserve it. Grace means ultimately that we cannot pay it back even in all eternity, we do not deserve it no matter how good we are, and we cannot earn it by good behavior or works of merit. God’s gift is unmerited because we did nothing; we do not even know why God chose us for salvation. In sum, salvation is given and a given for those with faith, but not achieved!

What Does It Mean That Jesus Is The Word Of God?

What does it mean that Jesus is the Word of God?

1. God’s final word to man in Jesus as well as the Bible itself, pointing to Him.
2. God’s expression of Himself to us; logos strictly speaking is “thought expressed.”
3. God’s logic at work as the guiding principle and/or power in the cosmos., without which nothing can be known in reality.
4. God’s channel of communication power; how we can come to a knowledge of God; God still speaks to us through His Son.
5. God’s revelation to man in Jesus; all we can know of the Father.
6. God’s language and message to man revealed in Scripture.
7. God’s imprint or sign of Himself as we see Him at work; no Logos means no cosmos—only chaos.
8. Jesus is the wisdom or plan of God revealed.
9. Jesus is the idea of God—it came from Him!
10. Jesus is the mind or brains of God expressed in Scripture (the mind of Christ).

Jesus taught as one who had authority, not as the scribes (cf. Mark 1:22).

NB: The Greek philosopher Heraclitus called the Logos the power that holds all things together: “All things happen through this Word [Logos].” The word itself can be translated: mind, reason, thought, wisdom, intelligence, idea, law, order, purpose, or design.