All Roads Lead To Romans

Theologians say that Romans is the high point of the Bible and all books lead toward it; while the high point of Romans is in Romans 8, and the high point of verse 8 is verse 28 or that "All things work together for good for those called according to His purpose." Romans is the "clearest gospel of all" according to theologians and its story is about the gospel as the fifth gospel and compendium of Paul's theology. This is the story of Romans simply put: the problem of sin has its solution is condemnation; the problem of salvation in justification the problem of separation is sanctification; the problem of sovereignty in dispensation; the problem of service in glorification. 

The gospel is laid out in simple terms: its power in the Holy Spirit; its purpose unto salvation; its availability to universally; its context in faith; Our righteousness is from faith to faith meaning that we progress and grow in faith. Its freedom is in Christ while its victory through the H.S. We are saved from the penalty of sin (cf. Rom. 5); from the dominion of sin (cf Rom. 6:14); from the Law (cf. Rom 7:4); from indwelling sin nature (cf. Rom. 8:2); and from ultimate judgment (cf. Rom. 8:1) and condemnation. Romans 116-17 is a high point. The gospel is the good news of Jesus; God is the source of life in Christ; the power is in the omnipotence of God; salvation is in deliverance from sin, death, judgment, despair, ourselves, and hell; everyone is affected and the scope is to all; the condition is to believe; the righteousness is the state of becoming right with God; the reward is revealed in heaven.

Note that the word faith occurs multiple times and is from the Greek pistis and can also be translated as faithfulness; we must not divorce the two! Romans 1:17 is also repeated in Hab. 2:4; Gal. 3:11; and Heb. 10:38. This verse was the wake-up call for Martin Luther and the spiritual birth certificate of the Reformation. We must note also that the Law can not condemn us (cf. Rom. 8:1,3); it cannot claim us (cf. 8:2); it cannot control us (cf. 8:4). This gospel has pardon, purpose, power, and peace as the byproducts and fruit.  

The Law laws down what a man must do, while the gospel what God has done. The purpose of the Law is to expose sin; to measure us, not to save us (cf. Rom. 3:20). The only way we can fulfill the Law is to walk in the Spirit. Love is the fulfillment. Romans 5 has five divisions: sin leading to condemnation; salvation leading to justification; leading to sanctification (we are works in progress); sovereignty leading to dispensation and God's decree; and service leading to glorification and reward. We must take note that in the gospel message, God settled the sn question once and for all with the crucifixion of Christ.

Also, in chapter 5, we see the source of justification as grace; the price as the blood of Christ; the means by faith; ad the proof by the resurrection of Christ. We were saved while we were yet enemies (v. 10, sinners v. 8); and without strength (v. 6). This is why we need forgiveness in two ways: for what we've done and for who and what we are. The problem of sins is solved by the blood and the problem of sin by the cross. 

In chapter 6 we see how we know (vv. 6-9); reckon (v. 11); and yield or commit (v. 13). We have two choices only: obedience and life or rejection and death. We become free to live in Christ, not free to sin. Sin shows our slavery, not our freedom. We become free to bear fruit. There is no good thing in us! (cf 7:17-18). The solution is complete surrender to God. He must work righteousness in us by the ministry of the Spirit: illumination; inspiration, guidance, comfort, deliverance, power, sanctification. With our position in Christ, we progress in sanctification and are works in progress. Soli Deo Gloria!

Awaiting Our Adoption From God

 Adolf Harnack wrote What Is Christianity to articulate and resolve the issue once and for all of the basis of the faith and came up with the universal fatherhood of God and the universal brotherhood of mankind as the reduction of the doctrines in its LCD or lowest common denomination as the affirmation of a creed.  This was too simplistic a breakdown of Christian theology.   This view was respected by theologians until the neo-orthodoxy of Swiss theologian Karl Barth writing Church Dogmatics, a tome in itself of four volumes and over 6 million words and considered one of the most pivotal theological achievements of the twentieth century.  

"Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us that we should be called the children of God!" (cf. 1 John 3:1).    But the Bible says that the unredeemed are the children of the devil, not of God.  We must be born again into God's family.  Reconciliation means restoration of the broken relationship between us and God as family.  God treated us as family and we ought to treat our brethren as members of our true family of God.  

The thing about adoption that makes it so compelling to believe in is that it's permanent and gives equal status as that of the natural-born and equal rights as joint heirs. Also, as a metaphor, have you ever heard of anyone becoming "unadopted?"  Adoption is a badge of honor and it costs to get adopted; God willing paid this price knowing who we are and what manner of person we'd become! Know that when we are with our church family that we are to be treated as family and can expect this in return from our brethren in Christ.  God doesn't treat us as slaves, but as children to whom He has given His will and a Great Commission as ambassadors of Christ. Therefore, we have the spirit in our souls that cries out, "Abba, Father," (cf. Gal 4:6; Rom. 8:15). The word Abba means literally father but Abbi means daddy!  

We are already officially adopted and our fate and destiny are sealed by the seal of the Holy Spirit, but it becomes finalized, completed, and actualized in glory.  What glory awaits our final adoption with all our inheritance as children of God!  We used to be the slaves of sin but now the slaves of righteousness; actually the more enslaved to righteousness we are the freer we become in Christ.  Because we were washed and sanctified and we once sold under sin and its power. 

We must never ask if we measure up or compare ourselves with others as to whether we are better or worse because God is no respecter of persons and didn't choose us because of our merit or works.  We did nothing to deserve it and nothing we can do can take it away; it's a done deal!  This grace of adoption and salvation is free but not cheap! It costs the blood of Christ to redeem us!    

The call to adoption is inclusive in that the general call of the gospel message goes out to all who will listen; however, many are called but few are chosen! Romans 8 tells us that there is an inner calling of God and whoever God calls gets justified and cannot be lost in the shuffle of the chain of redemption in Romans 8:29-30.      Soli Deo Gloria! 

Beliefs Have Consequences

Beliefs are not true by virtue of belief nor false by denial!  You can be sincerely wrong!  They are ideas about reality.  Actually, we live in a world of consequences and reaping what we sow, which is not at all unlike the karma that New Age people profess. Most people meet their comeuppance!  Job says those who sow trouble reap the same!   The love we sow in others will come back to us with eternal dividends!   In fact, all ideas have consequences and when an idea's time has come, no one can resist it! Times change and so must we adjust. We must not live in the past nor long for the olden days. When we dwell on the past or misinterpret the present, or even anticipate the future unduly we can become depressed and go into a funk, which is not good for our mental health and wellness. Common sense will tell you that to get somewhere you must first know where you want to go; if you just go nowhere, in particular, you'll end up somewhere but not necessarily a good place to be. 

We must be willing to follow directions and have faith in the one giving us sound advice and directions for life itself. Jesus was full of directions as being the Author of life itself and who knew how to navigate through it; He told us to just follow Him, the summation of Christian ethics (living the good life by fulfilling one's duty to man and God)! Some would say that their philosophy is to do as Jesus would do (WWJD), but this can lead to mysticism and we must do what Jesus commanded us to do, namely, to love one another and to obey His commandments including the Great Commission. He told us directly that the Law is summed up in the command to love our neighbor as ourselves and to love God with all that we are (heart, mind, soul, and strength).

How can we practically fulfill the command to love one another? We don't harshly judge, jump on someone's case throw the book at them, criticize, but acting in one's best interest, we set priorities, don't get nitpicky, we become good examples, we spend time with people when they seem to be a nuisance or bother on our personal time, we become servants of our fellow man and willing to pay back to society a debt of gratitude and show that God has put us on earth for a purpose. We will notice that when we have the Spirit that love overflows and we can find a love for others in our hearts, but we love only because God first loved us! Love is the overflow and byproduct of the fulfillment of the Spirit as fruit to be grown by maturity.   We must learn to invest in people as well as invest in God and realize that we will reap benefits in eternity if not in the here and now. We may not even feel a love for others, but don't go by your feelings because they can vary as a weathervane in a storm. Love is not to be reckoned only as a touchy-feely thing but an attitude and a commitment. 

Nothing is determined by frail feelings in God's kingdom--not right nor wrong, and not love either!  The true measure is obedience and faithfulness. Mothe now Saint Teresa said that we are called to faithfulness, not success!  Some people determine right and wrong by what feels right at the moment!  No one will be rewarded in heaven for their wonderful feeling they managed to conjure up, but only for their faithfulness. But God wants our hearts, not our achievements! That is to say that He wants all of us and full devotion. 

It was said of King Amaziah that he served the LORD, but not with a perfect heart (cf. 2 Chron. 25:2). We are to love the LORD our God with all our hearts as a command but the heart does more than feel in the Bible: it thinks and wills. It has volition and intellect as well as being the seat of emotions. The reason says this is so we can have a heart to love God, a mind to know Him, and a will to obey Him. Luke 10:27 says to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and our neighbor as ourselves--this sums up the whole Law of Moses. 

The Bible is our instruction manual, user guide, or even owners manual if you will. Breaking faith with the instructions breaks faith with God, for He is a stickler for instructions and orders to be complied with by the letter. Jesus told us to abide in Him and to keep His Word. We are to grow in faith by hearing of the Word in preaching at church. To God, there's your way and His way, and we must forget about our best instincts and take it by faith that the Father knows best. We can do no better abiding in Jesus than by cherishing His Word and reading the Bible regularly and faithfully till it becomes a part of our souls. The worst insult one can get is for someone to say that he has not the love of the Father in him, for God is love and he who loves knows God. Soli Deo Gloria!

Rendering To Caesar And To God Their Due

 It was Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German playwright, who quipped:  "To rule is easy, to govern difficult."  Also, don't forget Plutarch, Italian poet, who said wisely, "Who shall govern the governor?"  It was Rev. Samuel Rutherford who said that the law is the king, not the king who is the law, writing Lex Rex, or the law is the king translated, setting up the rule of law in Western Europe and restraining the so-called divine right of kings like King John who had to submit to the nobles at Runnymede and sign the Magna Charta.  The Bible has always been considered the basis of  Common Law in the UK.  Note that in democracies we have the right to express ourselves, protest, and do whatever opposition requires in the spirit of the Reformation: I dissent, I disagree, I protest!  That refers to civil disobedience delineated by Henry David  Thoreau but articulated in the Bible as well in Acts 5:29 when the apostles said, "We ought to obey God rather than men."  

Yes, we have the right to oppose the government when it is immoral and goes against the Bible's orders or guidelines.  Even St. Augustine of Hippo said that an unjust law is no law at all.  And Isaiah said, "Woe is the one who decrees unrighteous decrees" (cf. Isa. 10:1).  This all goes to show that Christians ought not to stand on the sidelines but show their Christian colors and dare to be Daniels who stood alone in his defiance of the king's decree. 

Now, Christians have dual citizenship and must be loyal, patriotic, and good upright citizens where possible but there comes a time to take a stand and be ready to be counted besides going to the polls. We respect our leaders and obey them but that doesn't mean we have to like them--we are still obliged to pray for their enlightenment and to be good leaders as well as safety.  But it can go too far when we focus on hero worship and idolize our leaders even like seeing them with charisma such as Hitler mesmerizing his crowds of adoring fanatic followers. This type of devotion or loyalty to a man and not the truth and God is akin to idolatry and no man owes any other man what is due to God alone!  We depend upon God and seek His guidance, not the government's.  This is especially bad when a leader demands personal loyalty and agreement. 

We are here not just to earn a buck and make a living but to make a difference (especially eternally for God and His kingdom). That's why we say in America:  In God we trust!  Jesus did say to render to Caesar that which is Caesar's and that means his taxes, prayer support, obedience, and proper respect so as not to bad mouth or spread disinformation or even misinformation--no conspiracy theories or fabrications; all amounting to good citizenship.    We owe God all that we are: our time, talents, energy, relationships, opportunities, money, etc.  But note that the government is obliged to be sure that employers don't exploit workers but give them their due wages.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Worshiping the Real Jesus

Note that 2 John 9 says that we must remain in the doctrine of Christ to have the Father.  Paul warns against "another Jesus, another gospel, another spirit." (Cf. 2 Cor. 11:4)  Test the spirits!

Jesus as revealed in Revelation 1:12-17 in the vision that John the Elder saw is the true Jesus as He really is.  Reigning over everything and mighty to judge and oversee all the earth.  The description is in imagery,  figures of speech cryptic language, and symbolism and hard to decipher but scholars have decoded it and made its lessons clear.  Jesus is glorified now and forevermore. We are to put Him in our boxes of convenience and limit His sovereignty, power,r and glory.

Know this:  a different Jesus is going to come the second time in the consummation of history than from the first advent. He came first as Savior and now as King of kings and Lord of lords with a name that no one knows but himself and as called "the Word of God." The point of His two advents is that the Jews never anticipated this and was looking for a deliverer from Rome, as was the conventional wisdom and talk of the day.  They failed to receive the First Advent of Christ.  The Jews were subject to Rome and saw the Messiah figure as another Moses or King David that would liberate them militarily and restore old glory days. 

Worship isn't about us, but to focus our minds on Christ in the spirit and being filled with the Spirit of the Father seeks such to worship Him in spirit and in truth, implying that truth is important. "Perfect love casts out fear" and we are to be in love with our Lord and do it in this spirit, not out of a sense of duty or in a perfunctory manner, merely memorizing the Dance of the Pious.  All of us are equal at the foot of Jesus and He is no respecter of persons and we all may have different gifts, but the same Spirit.  

Real worship is for what He has done (especially for us) and for who He is (we must worship Him as God in the flesh, not some demigod, surrogate of God, or any kind of lesser deity not to be equal to the Father).   We can reevaluate our conception of Him during our worship and actually encounter God.  Worship can reinforce our faith in God and in knowing Him for who He is and what He has done and even will do in the future.  "But we do see Jesus," (cf. Heb. 2:9). 

We will surely see Him in a new light every time and benefit from the encounters of other saints. We must anticipate the beatific vision in heaven seeing Him the way He is in glory  We should never take our experience in worship for granted but as a blessing that God has shared with us and expects us to share.  Worship can become a medication to service and orientation to God's will and plan for our lives.  Worship restores us in the image of God for this is what we are made for: to worship God, and if we don't we will find someone else to worship, for we are hard-wired to do it.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Having Lordship Issues With Jesus

Be careful when you question authority: here's why as follows.  We must surrender the ownership of our lives to Jesus to be one of His. This entails handing over the helm of our life to His sole lordship and control as the rightful owner of it. Jesus said that all authority had been given Him and this means His lordship.  Many mistakenly believe they can accept Jesus as Savior but not as Lord of all.  Even though no one is without sin and we are all works in progress, we must give Christ the sole proprietorship of our destiny. Some of us may have lordship issues such as a distaste of taking orders or not submitting to legitimate authority, even the government.

In salvation, we trust Him as Savior but also submit to Him as Lord.  These two go together and cannot be divorced. We have taken a loyalty oath as it were and given Christ authority to do with us as He pleases and are we called according to His purpose, not ours. Not doing so is called easy-believism (or cheap grace) and that is counter to the correct doctrine of lordship salvation. It is not biblical to "accept Jesus," but we receive Him for who He is:  Lord of all.  If not we have rejected Christ and not given Him His rightful domain of authority. This is who He is and the Father has made this Jesus, who was crucified at the hand of sinners, both Lord and Christ.

He rules our lives regardless of whether we consent: His sovereignty is always at work and Providence is in control of all world events as He orchestrates history according to His will and purpose. God has no Plan B and will achieve His will with or without us.  We can do nothing to interfere with or frustrate God's will. God's will is sure to happen.  In application, our Number One loyalty is to our Lord and Savior not to the state, our party, our church, or even our family, but to Jesus alone: Jesus is Lord and He has entered the door of our heart and taken over in every room because we have given Him the passkey. All of our pursuits are to the glory of God and we ought not to find ourselves fighting God's will rather than submitting and trusting.  We must not lean unto our own understanding but trust in the Lord working everything out for the good.

Knowing Him as Lord assures us of divine guidance and blessing on our lives and we can bear much fruit.  Receiving Him as Lord is measured in our obedience and our faithfulness, not our success, which is up to God and in His control.  We all have a calling and can only fulfill it by obeying our Lord.  God will fulfill His purpose for us and call us to His will and glory.   Our calling is to bring glory to God in whatever we do. When we have completed our calling and God's purpose is fulfilled, we are called home.  Our goal should be to complete our mission and to someday announce, "Mission accomplished."

As a test of your loyalty to Christ's lordship: whom do you love?  whom do you not love? who are your enemies?  what are your priorities? where is your true loyalty? to whom do you submit?  whom do you obey? whom do you refuse to obey?  whom do you trust? whom do you know and trust?  whom do you respect? whom do you listen to?  whom do you love? what are your habits?  what are your addictions? how do you spend your money?  who are your heroes?  what are your past-times?  who are your friends?  who are your enemies?  who are your associates?  who influences you?  What are your plans? what are your dreams? what are your ambitions?  what are your goals?  All these questions impact your lordship issues. 

In summation, I must ask you:  Do you own Him as Lord; do not only confess Him,  but follow Him as a true professor in word and deed, not just for show in name only as a nominal Christian.    Soli Deo Gloria! 

The Heart Of Worship

"... [Shout] unto God with the voice of triumph" (Psalm 47:1, KJV).
"I WAS glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD" (Psalm 122:1, KJV).
"Blessed is the people who know the joyful sound..." (Psalm 89:15, KJV).
"Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with song of praise" (Psalm 95:2, ESV).
"Blessed are the people who know the festal shout [call to worship]" (Psalm 89:15, ESV).

The heart of the matter of worship is that it's a matter of the heart; it reflects the condition of your heart and the extent of its surrender and offering to God, not how much of the Spirit you have, but how much of you the Spirit has. When someone says that he didn't get much out of worship, it only reveals his ignorance of its purpose--to glorify, extol, and lift up the Lord--that your motives are wrong and your worship for the wrong reason. The reason we worship is that we are designed for it and it is only natural--we are called homo divinus, or homo religiosus, meaning we are fulfilled and meant for worship as religious beings--much more, we will worship someone or something, if not God for we are hard-wired for it; however, God is the only one worthy of our worship. "Worthy are you ... to receive glory..." (Rev. 4:11, ESV). That’s because worship is from the contraction worth-ship.

Worship is about having an encounter with the God who is there; in fact, Christianity is not about believing in God, but the God who is in there. Francis Schaeffer says, "He is there, and He is not silent." Indeed, God melts us, molds, fills us, and then uses us in worship as we recharge our spiritual batteries and get our checkup in the corporate worship experience of the local body of believers that we congregate and assemble with regularly. There is no one-size-fits-all for worship and that's probably why there are so many worship experiences; some are demonstrative, some stoical, but God sees the heart, while man looks on the outward appearance (cf. 1 Sam. 16:7; 1 Chron. 28:9) or “Your name is on their lips, but you are far from their hearts,” (cf. Jer. 12:2, NLT). Posture and gestures can be important, but mere lip service is vain and fruitless. We don't want to be like Israel: "... 'Is the LORD among us or not?'" (Ex. 17:7, ESV).

Worship is what church is all about, even in our giving we are doing it. And going to church should not be considered something on our to-do list or something we do perfunctorily, but something we gladly and willing do; you could say we "get to" worship God, not that we have to. Some say that they can worship God in the cornfield, so why attend church? Worship is more than music (Jubal invented in in Gen. 4), and some think they only go to church to hear a sermon, but we must realize that there is a purpose for each part of the service in our worship experience. They haven't discovered the power of corporate worship and that whenever two or three are gathered together in His name, Jesus promises to be present. Hebrews 10:25 exhorts us not to forsake the assembling together of ourselves--this is a command--God gives no advice, suggestions, or hints except in 1 Cor. 14:26 describing the gathering of believers.

Worship is important to us because we learn to connect with God and it changes us, not God--God invites us to join Him in His joy and gladness (cf. Neh. 8:10). The call to worship is to focus on who God is and what He has done as we thank Him for His actions, and praise Him for His being. We have the right attitude when we are in awe and humble ourselves before Him in Spirit and in truth. Remember, worship is about God, it's not about you! We learn to seek the presence of the Lord and His face and to be used by God in our surrender to bring Him joy, focusing on His presence on face.

We need to be reminded of the Spirit on a regular basis to keep in touch and not lose track of our fellowship--it's easy to drift off and backslide without regular fellowship and corporate worship--none of us is a rock or an island that needs nobody else--we all need each other for expression and mutual ministry Remember, worship is active and not passive, not something we listen to, but take part in and put all that we are able into it. Some have a form of godliness in so-called will worship, but deny the power thereof (cf. 2 Tim. 3:5).

Church, then is not a place for the goody-goodies to gather or those who think that it's a crutch for weak people or losers--indeed, no perfect people need apply, as God calls not the righteous, but sinners to repentance and church should be viewed as a hospital for sinners, not a hotel for saints. They say that it's filled with hypocrites too, but we should tell them to join in because they'd feel right at home! We don't abandon church or Christ as believers, but we can drift away slowly and should know the warning signs, like our worship becoming routine and perfunctory and hypocritical. The church is our lifeblood and the means of our renewal because the body needs each member and we are all in it together to glorify God and fulfill the Great Commission. The church is not meant to be a comfortable place for sinners to feel at home, but where the gospel is preached and people are enjoined to come to a decision, and making no decision is making a "No!" decision.

We must realize that "God inhabits the praises of His people" (cf. Psalm 22:3) and that we enter His gates with thanksgiving, His courts with joy (cf. Psalm 100:3) and that we should bless Him with all that is within us--all our being (cf. Psalm 103:1)--and be ourselves, not hypocritical. God thrives on worship and "The Lord takes pleasure in His people" (cf. Psalm 149:4a, CEV). We must worship God "in Spirit and in truth" (cf. John 4:24). The essence of worship is bringing joy and pleasure to God, and whenever we feel this joy in the Spirit, no matter what our endeavor--even working--it is worship and brings glory to God. "... [W]hatever you do, do to the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31, ESV). When God smiles on you, or you feel His pleasure, you're worshiping.

You can go to church to worship God or you can go to the factory to worship Him, for authentic worship is the offering of ourselves (as a living sacrifice (cf. Rom. 12:1.) The way we are in our daily lives is worship or sacrifice--we live and breathe worship! We must see the whole world as His temple and fertile territory for worship. Wherever we sense awe, love, respect, and fear we have the right attitude to come before His presence in thanksgiving for what He's done and praise for who He is, and put ourselves in the frame of mind to worship. Our life is an offering to God as we present ourselves to Him in devotion and live to His glory as vessels of honor! Let all that is within us praise the Lord!

Just like prayer, worship should change us, not God, and one should say that they realize we have been in the presence of God or have been with the Lord, as your "cup overflows." Finally, we must realize our need for worship and that it is a litmus test of our spiritual growth and condition, and we cannot thrive or grow without it having its rightful place.

Surely the fear of the LORD is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!’” (cf. Gen. 28:16). Or worst-case scenario: As Abraham said, “Surely the fear of the LORD is not in this place.” (cf. Gen. 20:11). Worship is the serious business of God and heaven. Soli Deo Gloria!

Jesus, Who Is Called The Christ

"What's in a name?  Would Jesus by any other name, still be Jesus?" "His name shall be called Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins,"  (cf. Matt. 1:21). "A rose by any other name is still a rose"

Today we refer to a common man as the average Joe, even in WWII they referred to GI's as GI Joe's. We might  even compliment someone and say, "He's no ordinary Joe!"  Jesus wasn't a distinguished name back in the day and someone needed special epithets to go by.  In comparison, Jesus was a common name in NT times and they would call Jesus:  Jesus of Nazareth; Jesus, the Son of David; Jesus, who is called the Christ; Jesus called the Prophet (cf. Deut. 18:18); or even the Jesus, the Teacher of Israel.  They had found out that this Jesus is different and stands out from the crowd.  His disciples called Him Lord and Rabbi. 

Today, if we know someone is a genuine article and true blue, we call them the real McCoy.  This may be a warning not to mess with Him or to insult Him because He stands out from the crowd.  People might even say, "Which Jesus are you talking about?" Today, we distinguish Jesus as the Son of God and most cultures don't even call their children by that name out of respect or reverence.  Pontius Pilate offered the crowd:  "Whom do you prefer?  Jesus, who is called Barabbas (son of a father--your everyday, common man) or Jesus who is called the Christ (and believed Himself the Son of the Father)? It was clear to Pilate that the people rejected the summation of Jesus revealed as the one and only Son of God. The true Jesus isn't one of our fancy or agenda, but the one in truth.

Jesus is different things to different people and. even in context to their cultures, they may interpret Jesus to identify with their nation or people group.  They may enlist Him for their political cause and agenda, thus putting Him in a box or make Him one-dimensional.  Every religion has some concept of Jesus, and they are all good, though not accurate.  You can use the same vocabulary and a different dictionary like cults do to gain recognition and acceptance. You must get your Christology or doctrine of Christ correct to be a believer (cf. 2 John 9).  It's not as easy as in the game show, To Tell the Truth, when the host would say, "Will the real so and so [Jesus] stand up?"  We must do our homework, especially to read the Bible and to a Bible-teaching church to hear the truth and receive faith: "Faith comes by hearing and by hearing of the Word of God," (cf. Romans 10:17).

Among five religious faiths:  Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses deny the deity of Christ but think He's just "a god," not God Almighty Himself. Muslims believe that He was a great prophet but the records concerning Him have become corrupted (but they have no evidence to support this claim!). In Unitarianism, they believe Jesus is no more divine than we can be or attain to become.  Hindus see Him as some enlightened guru!  There is not one faith in the world that portrays Jesus as a bad guy, by the way, and many, even Islam, that He is sinless or faultless; they all have something good to say concerning Him. Most just see Him as a misunderstood man by His followers like the Jews, who believe He was mistakenly deified.  . 

Secularists see a great moral teacher and example or even some ground-breaking philosopher, radical reformer, or leader,  They may even believe that the disciples wrongly interpreted Jesus' intentions and deified Him unintentionally.  Secularists may see Jesus, not as a way to heaven, but as a path of ethics through earth and this life.  They may see Him as a historical figure and not doubt His impact on civilization and history, but always fail to acknowledge Him for who He is and claimed to be, even denying He claimed to be God..

In pop culture, He may seem to be enlisted for a political cause such as when some Christians even hijack the faith and claim He's one of us and even a Republican, the anointed one from God come to save our society and reclaim it for God.  Just like people say, "My party, right or wrong!" now they are saying, "My Jesus, right or wrong!" Truth must be paramount.  We must acknowledge Jesus for who He is and not who we want Him to be to suit our fancy.

Finally, there's the Jesus of the atheists who deny any deity or deification but even see Him as a charlatan and legend, some even deny His historicity without any evidence to support such a claim; they go so far as to be on the warpath against Him and to hate Him and His followers. What's wrong with all these false concepts of Jesus  They all put Jesus into their box for their convenience and suitability so that He can come to the aid of their agenda. They want to eradicate Christ from the open marketplace of ideas and public square of debate, even to the point of becoming anti-theists out to destroy Christians with a vengeance, eradicating His influence.

On the TV show, To Tell The Truth, they scrutinize a contestant to see who is lying and who is the genuine real McCoy telling the truth and who are the consummate liars and counterfeits.  Likewise, the only evidence and way to scrutinize the real Jesus is to search the Scriptures and to believe the testimony of the Evangelists who witnessed the glory of the Lord; that's because "Faith comes by the hearing and the hearing of the Word of God," (cf. Romans 10:17).

We can solve all these issues by knowing the real Jesus, and we shall be able to detect the counterfeit by knowing the real Jesus, the real McCoy, so to speak.  We must recognize imposters, frauds, and charlatans, but Jesus is for real and knowing Him protects us from error.   We must beware of another Jesus, another gospel, and another spirit, and test all things according to the Word of truth.  In the final analysis, we must come to grips with what kind of Jesus we are presenting to the world: what is the gospel according to you?

In sum, it doesn't really matter what your name is because that can be misleading in our culture but what kind of reputation and legacy you have and leave behind.   Amen!  (Someday, we will bow before the name which is above every name: the name of Jesus)  Soli Deo Gloria! 

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

·

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.