The fourth of the ten commandments relates to the Sabbath. God’s people in the Old Testament were required to set aside this one day to honor God as a reminder that every day they were to live in such a way to honor God. I don’t want to talk about Sabbath issues, but want to point out something about the relationship between the Sabbath and Jesus.
Exodus 20:8-11 is the commandment for Sabbath keeping. It is fairly lengthy in comparison to some of the explanations of the other nine commandments. The scripture explains to us the importance and source of the Sabbath. To summarize: the Sabbath is rooted in God’s creation. He created and order this world and the seventh day represents the completion of God’s creation. The Sabbath is created by God for man. The Sabbath is for man to honor God. The Sabbath is not as much about a day as it is about God.
The Sabbath became a huge issue for the Israelites.
Hold that thought: now let me take it another direction.
Who is Jesus? That is really the pivotal issue that differentiates true Christianity from various other religions, doctrines, and systems.
Biblical Christianity is clear that Jesus is THE ETERNAL GOD.
Not everyone holds to that. In fact, other religions all say something about Jesus but stop way short of affirming He is THE ETERNAL GOD.
Islam – Jesus is a prophet
Judaism – Jesus is a good teacher
Mormon Theology – Jesus is divine, a god, but not THE ETERNAL GOD.
Jehovah’s Witnesses – say something very similar to Mormon theology.
Atheism – Jesus was a great man.
How do we determine the answer to the question, who is Jesus? The best approach is to look at what Jesus claimed about himself. Did Jesus claim to be THE ETERNAL GOD?
Now, fast forward to the New Testament and Jesus. The religious leaders hated Jesus. One of the constant confrontations that occur is caused by things that Jesus does on the Sabbath.
One of these incidents occurs in Matthew 12:1-8. Jesus and his disciples did something on the Sabbath and the Pharisees throw a hissy fit. How could Jesus do such a thing? Jesus gives a clear argument and concludes with this statement, Matthew 12:8 For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”
The disciples and Pharisees would understand this statement as shockingly clear. Jesus is claiming to be the creator of the Sabbath, the owner of the Sabbath, the One to whom worship is due on the Sabbath. It is not just a claim to divinity, it is a claim to be THE ETERNAL GOD. The 4th commandment is based on THE ETERNAL GOD’S creation of the world. Jesus says, I am He. Jesus never claims to be a separate God. This is an admission that He is the God of the Old Testament. And, He is the God of the New Testament and the God that has always existed. Wow!
How do the Pharisees understand and respond to Jesus? They want to kill him. They don’t want to kill him because he claims to be a good teacher or prophet, or just a divine person. But, because He claimed that He is THE ETERNAL GOD.
Here is what that means for you: You cannot accept Jesus as just a good teacher. You must accept and live your life in such a way that recognizes and honors the truth that Jesus is THE ETERNAL GOD.
Showing posts with label apologetics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label apologetics. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Resurrection Apology
Easter 2007 - Christ Is Risen!
The following is an exerpt from Josh McDowell's book The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict (pages 208-209)
Wilbur M Smith, noted scholar and teacher says, "No weapon has ever been forged, and ...none ever will be, to destroy rational confidence in the historical records of this epochal and predicted event. The resurrection of Christ is the very citadel of the Christian faith. This is the doctrine that turned the world upside down in the first century, that lifted Christianity preeminently above Judaism and the pagan religions of the Mediterranean world. If this goes, so must almost everything else that is vital and unique in the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ: 'If Christ be not risen, then your faith vain'" (1 Cor. 15:17)
Peter Kreeft and Ronald K. Tacelli describe the incredible impact of the resurrection:
The resurrection is of crucial practical importance because it completes our salvation. Jesus came to save us from sin and its consequences, death.(Rom. 6:23) The resurrection also sharply distinguishes Jesus from all other religious founders. The bones of Abraham and Muhammed and Buddha and Confucious and Lao-Tzu and Zoroaster are still here on earth. Jesus' tomb is empty.
The existential consequences of the resurrection are incomparable. It is the concrete, factual, empirical proof that: life has hope and meaning, "love is stronger than death"; goodness and power are ultimately allies, not enemies; life wins in the end; God has touched us right here where we are and has defeated our last enemy; we are not cosmic orphans, as our modern secular worldview would make us. And these existential consequences of the resurrection can be seen by comparing the disciples before and after. Before, they ran away, denied their Master and huddled behind locked doors in fear and confusion. After, they were transformed from scared rabbits into confident saints, world-changing missionaries, courageous martyrs and joy-filled ambassadors for Christ.
Wilbur Smith says,
But when He said that He himself would rise again from the dead, the third day after He was crucified, He said something that only a fool would dare say, if he expected longer the devotion of any disciples--unless He was sure He was going to rise. No founder of any world religion known to men ever dared say a thing like that.
As G. B. Hardy has said, "Here is the complete record:
Confucious' tomb: occupied
Buddha's tomb: occupied
Mohammed's tomb: occupied
Jesus' tomb: EMPTY
The verdict is in. The decision is clear. The evidence speaks for itself. It says very clearly:
CHRIST IS RISEN INDEED!
The following is an exerpt from Josh McDowell's book The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict (pages 208-209)
Wilbur M Smith, noted scholar and teacher says, "No weapon has ever been forged, and ...none ever will be, to destroy rational confidence in the historical records of this epochal and predicted event. The resurrection of Christ is the very citadel of the Christian faith. This is the doctrine that turned the world upside down in the first century, that lifted Christianity preeminently above Judaism and the pagan religions of the Mediterranean world. If this goes, so must almost everything else that is vital and unique in the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ: 'If Christ be not risen, then your faith vain'" (1 Cor. 15:17)
Peter Kreeft and Ronald K. Tacelli describe the incredible impact of the resurrection:
The resurrection is of crucial practical importance because it completes our salvation. Jesus came to save us from sin and its consequences, death.(Rom. 6:23) The resurrection also sharply distinguishes Jesus from all other religious founders. The bones of Abraham and Muhammed and Buddha and Confucious and Lao-Tzu and Zoroaster are still here on earth. Jesus' tomb is empty.
The existential consequences of the resurrection are incomparable. It is the concrete, factual, empirical proof that: life has hope and meaning, "love is stronger than death"; goodness and power are ultimately allies, not enemies; life wins in the end; God has touched us right here where we are and has defeated our last enemy; we are not cosmic orphans, as our modern secular worldview would make us. And these existential consequences of the resurrection can be seen by comparing the disciples before and after. Before, they ran away, denied their Master and huddled behind locked doors in fear and confusion. After, they were transformed from scared rabbits into confident saints, world-changing missionaries, courageous martyrs and joy-filled ambassadors for Christ.
Wilbur Smith says,
But when He said that He himself would rise again from the dead, the third day after He was crucified, He said something that only a fool would dare say, if he expected longer the devotion of any disciples--unless He was sure He was going to rise. No founder of any world religion known to men ever dared say a thing like that.
As G. B. Hardy has said, "Here is the complete record:
Confucious' tomb: occupied
Buddha's tomb: occupied
Mohammed's tomb: occupied
Jesus' tomb: EMPTY
The verdict is in. The decision is clear. The evidence speaks for itself. It says very clearly:
CHRIST IS RISEN INDEED!
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Found: The Body of Jesus?
(Ossuary - ancient casket found in Jerusalem)
James Cameron and the Discovery Channel are airing a documentary that claims to have found the family caskets of Jesus Christ, his wife, mother, and brothers. Basing their thesis on archaology, statistics, and even DNA evidence, makes this claim truly eye-catching. It caught mine. But, could it be true?
First, if it is true the results are catastrophic! The promos by the Discover Channel have this subtitle, “The One Revelation That Could Change Everything”. If the bones in that casket are those of the one and only Jesus Christ, Christianity is destroyed. If Christ is not risen then our faith is in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:14 “And if Christ has not been raised then our preaching is in vain and so is your faith.”
Be reassured, weigh the evidence, and bolster your faith. Let me give some reasons why to believe the Resurrection.
This is not new. These ossuaries were actually discovered in 1980 and they are real. They do seem to be from the general time period of the New Testament. But, every year from the time of Christ’s resurrection there have been detractors that have attempted to undercut the foundation of Christianity. Attacks on the veracity of the Christian message are as old as the days are long.
Recently, the last several years, almost every major television conglomerate has featured some sensational show attacking the credibility of Christianity. And they always run these shows in the spring before Easter. Why? That’s when they will make the most money.
So, it is no surprise that a documentary is coming out a few weeks before Easter attacking the claims of Christianity. And, look who the director of the project is – James Cameron of the “Titanic” fame. To me that is a serious credibility hit. How am I supposed to take any argument serious when the motivating factor is the proverbial “bottom line”. Scientists may be quoted, archaeology shown, the word “DNA” used, but the underlying purpose is clearly money. That factor alone casts an unrecoverable pall over the credibility of the claims. Have you seen the commercials on the Discovery Channel? Those weren’t free. This is a build up of sensationalism to make a buck.
There are other factors that call me to question the thesis of this show. God gave us a brain, intellect, and logic which He encourages us to use. Christianity does not rest on “blind”, “check-your-brain-at-the-door”, faith. There are clear paths of evidence that facilitate our faith in the Biblical truths.
Here is one of the biggest evidentiary facts that compels me to reject the claims of this documentary. I believe in the “secret-to-big-to-keep” theory. When Jesus Christ of Nazareth was killed on the cross and buried in the tomb there were huge numbers of people that were vehemently opposed to Him and his message. They knew of His claim that He would rise from the dead. The easiest and most logical way for them to entirely discredit Jesus Christ and the Christians would be a casket with the body of Christ inside. An actual dead body would have been a secret to big to hide.
By there own testimony, the scholars in this documentary note that the ossuaries they found were in the grave of a middle class family. It was not hidden or in some secret location, but in Jerusalem. If the Pharisees of Jesus day had access to the actual casket of Jesus they would have exploited that to entirely destroy Christianity. Yet, what has stood the test of time? The Resurrected Christ.
We could go on and on giving credible evidence on the truth claims of Christianity. You can read books on the subject that giving compelling and ample reason to truly believe. But, the final goal is that – belief. Not just intellectual assent, but a sold-out, surrendered, obedient, trusting – belief. Be encouraged that the One who conquered sin and death through the Resurrection lives today and indwells the hearts of those who believe.
James Cameron and the Discovery Channel are airing a documentary that claims to have found the family caskets of Jesus Christ, his wife, mother, and brothers. Basing their thesis on archaology, statistics, and even DNA evidence, makes this claim truly eye-catching. It caught mine. But, could it be true?
First, if it is true the results are catastrophic! The promos by the Discover Channel have this subtitle, “The One Revelation That Could Change Everything”. If the bones in that casket are those of the one and only Jesus Christ, Christianity is destroyed. If Christ is not risen then our faith is in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:14 “And if Christ has not been raised then our preaching is in vain and so is your faith.”
Be reassured, weigh the evidence, and bolster your faith. Let me give some reasons why to believe the Resurrection.
This is not new. These ossuaries were actually discovered in 1980 and they are real. They do seem to be from the general time period of the New Testament. But, every year from the time of Christ’s resurrection there have been detractors that have attempted to undercut the foundation of Christianity. Attacks on the veracity of the Christian message are as old as the days are long.
Recently, the last several years, almost every major television conglomerate has featured some sensational show attacking the credibility of Christianity. And they always run these shows in the spring before Easter. Why? That’s when they will make the most money.
So, it is no surprise that a documentary is coming out a few weeks before Easter attacking the claims of Christianity. And, look who the director of the project is – James Cameron of the “Titanic” fame. To me that is a serious credibility hit. How am I supposed to take any argument serious when the motivating factor is the proverbial “bottom line”. Scientists may be quoted, archaeology shown, the word “DNA” used, but the underlying purpose is clearly money. That factor alone casts an unrecoverable pall over the credibility of the claims. Have you seen the commercials on the Discovery Channel? Those weren’t free. This is a build up of sensationalism to make a buck.
There are other factors that call me to question the thesis of this show. God gave us a brain, intellect, and logic which He encourages us to use. Christianity does not rest on “blind”, “check-your-brain-at-the-door”, faith. There are clear paths of evidence that facilitate our faith in the Biblical truths.
Here is one of the biggest evidentiary facts that compels me to reject the claims of this documentary. I believe in the “secret-to-big-to-keep” theory. When Jesus Christ of Nazareth was killed on the cross and buried in the tomb there were huge numbers of people that were vehemently opposed to Him and his message. They knew of His claim that He would rise from the dead. The easiest and most logical way for them to entirely discredit Jesus Christ and the Christians would be a casket with the body of Christ inside. An actual dead body would have been a secret to big to hide.
By there own testimony, the scholars in this documentary note that the ossuaries they found were in the grave of a middle class family. It was not hidden or in some secret location, but in Jerusalem. If the Pharisees of Jesus day had access to the actual casket of Jesus they would have exploited that to entirely destroy Christianity. Yet, what has stood the test of time? The Resurrected Christ.
We could go on and on giving credible evidence on the truth claims of Christianity. You can read books on the subject that giving compelling and ample reason to truly believe. But, the final goal is that – belief. Not just intellectual assent, but a sold-out, surrendered, obedient, trusting – belief. Be encouraged that the One who conquered sin and death through the Resurrection lives today and indwells the hearts of those who believe.
Christian resources on the subject of the Resurrection
The Bible
Evidence That Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell
The Case For Christ by Lee Strobel
Who Moved The Stone by Frank Morrison
The Battle For The Resurrection by Norman Geisler
The Case For Christ by Lee Strobel
Who Moved The Stone by Frank Morrison
The Battle For The Resurrection by Norman Geisler
I have been used for many years to study the histories of other times, and to examine and weigh the evidence of those who have written about them, and I know of no one fact in the history of mankind which is provided by better and fuller evidence of every sort, to the understanding of a fair inquirer, than they great sign which God hath given us that Christ died and rose again from the dead.
Thomas Arnold, Oxford University
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