(1 Corinthians 15:3-4) "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures (ESV)
In 1 Corinthians 15 the Apostle Paul presents the historical reliability of the resurrection of Jesus. We should believe the resurrection occurred because it is a historical fact, not just because he lives inside my heart. After verses (3&4), Paul lists several appearances of Jesus to various people. Jesus appeared to Cephas (that is Peter) and the Twelve (v.5), to more than 500 at one time (most still alive) (v.6), to James (brother of the Lord and leader of the Jerusalem church) and then all the apostles (v.7), and to Paul himself (v.8).
But some people say the resurrection did not happen. All the opponents of Jesus and the early church had to do to disprove the resurrection was to produce the body. But they never did because they could not. Some say the disciples were just hallucinating, but it is very unlikely that over 500 people at different times and places would have the same hallucination. Others says the disciples just made it up, but people usually do not die for something they know to be a lie. The logical conclusion is that the resurrection of Christ is a historical fact.
Christianity hinges on the resurrection of Christ. If there is no resurrection there is no Christianity. Paul states that if there
is no resurrection our faith is futile and we are still in our sins (v.7). The resurrection is proof that our sins are paid for and that Christ's sacrifice was accepted by God the Father. It is also proof that Jesus is God.
Through Jesus' death on the cross, the sins of his people are paid for. With his resurrection he is victorious over sin, death, and the devil. Those who repent and place their faith in Jesus have eternal life in heaven. Those who reject him face the wrath of God in hell for eternity.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Monday, March 18, 2013
A New Pope, A Protestant Perspective
The Catholic Church has a new Pope. He is called Pope Francis, is from Argentina and is named after Francis of Assisi. Pope Francis is said to be a simple and humble man and this is to be admired. With the recent scandals he needs to clean up and reform the Vatican and the church. Secularists and secular minded Catholics want women priests and acceptance of homosexuality. But Pope Francis is said to be traditional, conservative, and pro life. Hopefully he will stand strong on moral and social issues and not give in to secular forces. He has criticized capitalism but has stood against Liberation Theology which is Marxism with Christian language.
But most importantly the Roman Catholic Church needs to be reformed by the Bible. Oddly enough, if Pope Francis were to reform it by the Bible he would have to eliminate the office of Pope. Catholics claim Peter was the first Pope, but their is no evidence of this. The Pope is said to be the vicar of Christ (that is his representative on earth). But the Holy Spirit is the representative of Christ on earth. There are also prayers to and the veneration of Mary and the saints (this is idolatry). Veneration is said to be less than worship but is seems to get awfully close to it. Mary is also said to be without sin and is basically made to be a co-mediator with Christ. This is not what the Bible teaches (1 Timothy 2:5). There is also the Mass where the elements are believed to become the actual body and blood of Christ, this is called transubstantiation. The Mass is seen as a continual sacrifice of Christ. But once again this is not what the Bible teaches (Hebrews 10:10-12).
But the biggest problem with the Roman Catholic Church is it's doctrine of salvation. They believe salvation is accomplished by faith in Christ plus their own works. They deny that we are justified by faith alone, even though it is what the Bible plainly teaches (Romans 3:28, Galatians 2:15-21). Unfortunately, Catholics seek to earn favor with God through sacraments, rituals, and works. Roman Catholicism ends up denying that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. They end up teaching a different gospel than the one taught in Scripture (see Galatians 1:8-9).
The Catholic Church doe not believe that Scripture alone is authoritative. They see the Catholic Church itself as authoritative. There are some true Christians in the Catholic Church but Roman Catholicism is not Biblical Christianity.
But most importantly the Roman Catholic Church needs to be reformed by the Bible. Oddly enough, if Pope Francis were to reform it by the Bible he would have to eliminate the office of Pope. Catholics claim Peter was the first Pope, but their is no evidence of this. The Pope is said to be the vicar of Christ (that is his representative on earth). But the Holy Spirit is the representative of Christ on earth. There are also prayers to and the veneration of Mary and the saints (this is idolatry). Veneration is said to be less than worship but is seems to get awfully close to it. Mary is also said to be without sin and is basically made to be a co-mediator with Christ. This is not what the Bible teaches (1 Timothy 2:5). There is also the Mass where the elements are believed to become the actual body and blood of Christ, this is called transubstantiation. The Mass is seen as a continual sacrifice of Christ. But once again this is not what the Bible teaches (Hebrews 10:10-12).
But the biggest problem with the Roman Catholic Church is it's doctrine of salvation. They believe salvation is accomplished by faith in Christ plus their own works. They deny that we are justified by faith alone, even though it is what the Bible plainly teaches (Romans 3:28, Galatians 2:15-21). Unfortunately, Catholics seek to earn favor with God through sacraments, rituals, and works. Roman Catholicism ends up denying that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. They end up teaching a different gospel than the one taught in Scripture (see Galatians 1:8-9).
The Catholic Church doe not believe that Scripture alone is authoritative. They see the Catholic Church itself as authoritative. There are some true Christians in the Catholic Church but Roman Catholicism is not Biblical Christianity.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
God Is God And We Are Not
God is God and we are not sounds simple but it is actually profound. It is deep in meaning and it changes everything. It changes our life and our worldview. There are major implications for everyone. In fact this statement may be lesson number one in life. If you do not get this right, then ultimately you will not get anything else right.
But we do not want to accept that God is God and we are not. We want to be God ourselves. We want to be in control, do what we want, and live by our own will. We refuse to submit to God, his will, and his law. In modern America there seems to be a hardening of hearts and a rejection of Christ. We are too in love with ourselves and our own ideas to turn to God and his Word.
We have all sinned and rebelled against God. People do not want to be confronted with the reality of their sin. We must face the reality that God is God, we have sinned against him, and we need forgiveness. Our only hope is to turn to the Bible to find the truth. We must repent of our sins and turn to Christ alone for salvation.
The very creation itself testifies that the God of the Bible is there, this is called general revelation. The Bible itself tells us specifically what God is like, this is called special revelation. Here are some characteristics of God: the creator, supreme, sovereign, greatness, holy, infinite (unlimited), transcendent (he is above us and apart from creation), immanent (he is close to us and involved in his creation), personal, loving, and merciful. The God who is there is also Trinitarian. He is three persons of one essence (the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).
Those who reject Christ face the wrath of God for eternity in hell. Jesus paid for the sins of his people through his death on the cross . He was resurrected victorious over sin and death. We can only be saved from the coming wrath if we place our faith in Christ alone.
But we do not want to accept that God is God and we are not. We want to be God ourselves. We want to be in control, do what we want, and live by our own will. We refuse to submit to God, his will, and his law. In modern America there seems to be a hardening of hearts and a rejection of Christ. We are too in love with ourselves and our own ideas to turn to God and his Word.
We have all sinned and rebelled against God. People do not want to be confronted with the reality of their sin. We must face the reality that God is God, we have sinned against him, and we need forgiveness. Our only hope is to turn to the Bible to find the truth. We must repent of our sins and turn to Christ alone for salvation.
The very creation itself testifies that the God of the Bible is there, this is called general revelation. The Bible itself tells us specifically what God is like, this is called special revelation. Here are some characteristics of God: the creator, supreme, sovereign, greatness, holy, infinite (unlimited), transcendent (he is above us and apart from creation), immanent (he is close to us and involved in his creation), personal, loving, and merciful. The God who is there is also Trinitarian. He is three persons of one essence (the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).
Those who reject Christ face the wrath of God for eternity in hell. Jesus paid for the sins of his people through his death on the cross . He was resurrected victorious over sin and death. We can only be saved from the coming wrath if we place our faith in Christ alone.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Bill O'Reilly And The Bible
Bill O'Reilly has informed us that the Bible is an allegory (which means that it cannot be taken literally, it is just symbolic). He has told us that Adam and Eve were not real people and that the creation account is not literally true. He has also told us that that the book of Jonah does not contain literal events that actually happened. How does O'Reilly know this? He says the scientific evidence is irrefutable and that the Genesis creation account and other events in the Bible are not literally true.
Bill O'Reilly is assuming evolution is true and creationism is not. I would assume he holds to theistic evolution. After all he claims to be a Christian. But the theory of evolution and Christianity are at odds with each other and cannot be reconciled. O'Reilly and other theistic evolutionists hold inconsistent positions. Bill seems to be accepting atheistic naturalism (no God, no miracles, no spiritual world, this world is all there is). Of course naturalism is the foundation for the belief in evolution. O'Reilly seems to be compromising with the secular progressives he warns others about. The O'Reilly position is nothing more than theological liberalism, which is not Christianity at all.
Bill O'Reilly believes the creation account is not literally true but an allegory. But any straight forward reading of the text shows us that it is meant to be taken literally. The rest of the Bible assumes the literal creation account of Genesis. It is also the foundation of the rest of the Bible. When Bill assumes Adam was not a real person he puts himself in opposition to the New Testament writers and ends up denying the doctrine of original sin. It teaches us that sin entered the world through Adam. And that death came about because of sin (Romans 5:12-21, 1 Corinthians 15:21-22). On the other hand evolution holds that death came about before man ever existed. The Bible and evolution are clearly at odds with each other.
Bill also says the account of Jonah is not literally true. But Jesus himself referred to Jonah as a real person and the events in the Book of Jonah as real events (Matthew 12:38-41). So who do we go with, Bill O'Reilly or Jesus? Bill seems to assume scientists who hold to atheistic naturalism are infallible, though not all scientists hold to naturalism. He should wise up and see that the Bible is infallible because it is the literal word of God. I know Bill would call me judgemental, but I'm just looking out for him.
Bill O'Reilly is assuming evolution is true and creationism is not. I would assume he holds to theistic evolution. After all he claims to be a Christian. But the theory of evolution and Christianity are at odds with each other and cannot be reconciled. O'Reilly and other theistic evolutionists hold inconsistent positions. Bill seems to be accepting atheistic naturalism (no God, no miracles, no spiritual world, this world is all there is). Of course naturalism is the foundation for the belief in evolution. O'Reilly seems to be compromising with the secular progressives he warns others about. The O'Reilly position is nothing more than theological liberalism, which is not Christianity at all.
Bill O'Reilly believes the creation account is not literally true but an allegory. But any straight forward reading of the text shows us that it is meant to be taken literally. The rest of the Bible assumes the literal creation account of Genesis. It is also the foundation of the rest of the Bible. When Bill assumes Adam was not a real person he puts himself in opposition to the New Testament writers and ends up denying the doctrine of original sin. It teaches us that sin entered the world through Adam. And that death came about because of sin (Romans 5:12-21, 1 Corinthians 15:21-22). On the other hand evolution holds that death came about before man ever existed. The Bible and evolution are clearly at odds with each other.
Bill also says the account of Jonah is not literally true. But Jesus himself referred to Jonah as a real person and the events in the Book of Jonah as real events (Matthew 12:38-41). So who do we go with, Bill O'Reilly or Jesus? Bill seems to assume scientists who hold to atheistic naturalism are infallible, though not all scientists hold to naturalism. He should wise up and see that the Bible is infallible because it is the literal word of God. I know Bill would call me judgemental, but I'm just looking out for him.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)