To Know the Truth

The Gospel... How to become saved.

2011-06-21T22:24:00.000-07:00

If you really want to know God, you will find Him. Start with this: read through the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). These books are on the life and ministry of Jesus. Read the Psalms, they speak to God's character. Then read the book of Acts, the story of the growth of CHrist's Church. Then read Romans, the Christian's "consitution".Let me give you first some key verse on our need for Jesus.

Here is the simplicity of the gospel message:

1. We are all sinners: "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," (Rom 3:23, NIV). If you think that you are a good person. Great! But by who's standard? Yours? Your friends and family? Mine? Sure, you may be a good person according to those standards, but God's standards are the measure. Have you ever lied? Stolen something? Disobeyed your parents as a child? Used God's name as a cuss word? These four are but four of the ten commandments, GOd's standard for being good (Exodus 20). We are told that even if we break one of these moral laws we are guilty of breaking the whole law: "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it." (James 2:10, NIV)

2. Sin seperates us from God: "For the wages of sin is death," (Romans 6:23, NIV) Death is that seperation from God.

3. Sin bears consequences. The consequences of our sin is eternity in hell, a real place of eternal torment. Think of the worst possible tragidy you coul face in this life with all the horrors and nightmares that follow that situation. Hell is far worse than that. Again the wors of Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death," This death is a spiritual death and eternal torment in heaven.

4. There is a remedy for our sin. The next part of Romans 6:23 tells us, "but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." That free gift is the offer of salvation. This is how He offers you salvation: He died on the cross your place. We deserve to die for eternity for our sin, but God loves us so much that Jesus took our place on the cross. He became our scapegoat. But He didn't stay dead. He rose from the dead three days later. He conqueror sin and death. Hallelujah! Because of this He offers each one of us salvation.

5. You must choose how you respond. You can choose to reject this, or you can receive this gift of salvation. If you want to receive this gift of salvation you can pray and confess your sins to Jesus. You also need to place your faith in Him. 1John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to cleanse us from our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." That is a promise; if you confess your sins to Him we will forgive you. Romans 9:9-10 tells us, "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." There is the assurance for you. Will you delay your acceptance of Jesus' gift to you? I pray that you will not. If you want to talk furthar on this please contact me through my email at come2jesus@hotmail.ca.

Definition of Faith

2011-06-10T21:30:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure that many atheist actually understand what faith is. Faith and belief are not the same thing. Faith is putting your belief into action. Here is an example. I believed that the chair I am sitting in, as I write, will hold my weight. But that isn't faith. When I move from believing to actually sitting in my chair, then I have moved from belief to action; I now haved moved into faith. The difference between atheists and Christians when it comes to faith is Christians place their faith in God (again acting on what we believe in God), whereas atheists place their faith into nothing. Having faith in nothing is like having a 10 ton boulder over your head and expecting it to stay suspended without anything holding it. Truly a scary place to be!

Reasons for the existance of God

2011-04-11T22:27:00.000-07:00

There is no difference today and centuries gone by regarding the existance of God. I do have eight very good reasons for why God does exist and why we should follow Him.

The first reasoning is morality. There is no adequate explaination for absolute morals without refering to God. One might say, "Wait a minute there are no absolute morals." This is a lie and here is a test for this. Everyone in the world would agree that no one should ever be murdered. There should never be a cause or reason for a person to be murdered. Also everyone would agree that no one should ever be raped. Everyone would agree that their personal belongings should not be stolen by another person. We see that there are absolute morals. Since there are absolute morals they had to come from an absolute being of which humans are not. The Bible describes God as an absolute being therefore absolute morals come from God, thus showing that God does exist.

The second reasoning is through mathmatical probablity. I will use 0 for nothing and IN for infinity. Basically, the atheist is saying that 0 = IN. In other words from 0 you get 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.... Mathmatically this doesn't work because 1+1=2. 0+0 does not = 1.... So there has to be a cause for there to be 1 and on, because no number comes out of 0. Now if you have IN then you can have any number. The Bible says that God is infinite so IN represents God; therefore God exists and since God is infinite He can create all things. Mathmatically God exists and the probablity of the big bang and evolution is 0%.

The third line of reasoning is the use of history. Historical records do show that there has always be a belief in a deity and specifically the one true God, YHWH. Historical records also show that the Bible is the most realiable document available. This is because of the number of copies there are, how close they are in time to the autographs and the accuracy of those copies. The Bible has the most copies, with the oldest copies being the closest to the autographs and are the most accurate. The next closest book to this discription is the Egyptian book of the dead which doesn't even come close the number of accurate copies or even in regards to closeness of the autograph. When the Dead Sea Scrolls were found there was a copy of the book of Isaiah. The newest copies were compared to the Dead Sea copy of Isaiah and found them to be perfect matches in accuracy. This Dead Sea copy of Isaiah is only fifty years removed from the autograph. In addition to this we know that the oral tradition before the written word was carefully preserved so that there were no reconstruction of history. So it is clear that the Bible is accurate. The Bible is the inerrent Word of God and thus this again proves that God exists.

The fourth reasoning for the existance of God is miracles. I talked with several atheists and they all discount miracles. They either explain them away or just flat out don't accept them. However, they still have to accept that miracles do happen. Miracles do not have to be confirmed by the medical community, but there are records of such occurances. I know of people who had been diagnosed with cancer. When they came to the church, the church prayed for the healing of the cancer. Then next scan the person had showed that it was clear and there was no cancer to be found. I too, have experiance my own personal miracle healings. Despite the unacceptance of atheists for miracles, one truely cannot deny that they happen and in conjuntion with God speaking directly to people about these or prayers being offered up for these miracles.

The fifth reasoning is Prophecy. There are several prophecies through out the Bible and most of these prophecies have been fulfilled. There are some that are yet to be fulfilled but they have to do with the end of days. Some prophecies had to do with the coming of the Messiah which were fulfilled in Christ Jesus. Then there are other prophecies regarding earthquakes and many other such happenings. The fact that there was a great earthquake and several earthquakes of substantial size in the region is the beginning of the fulfillment of prophecies regarding there being a great increase of earthquakes. These prophecies show the truth and reliability of the Bible which also shows for God's existance because the of the Bible being God's Word.

The sixth reasoning is personal experiences. In Acts 9 we see the story of Paul's experience with meeting Jesus on his way to Damascus. There are many Christians who have stories of direct experiences with God. I have heard verifiable stories of Muslims who have seen and spoken to Jesus which cause them to believe in Jesus Christ and become His disciples. I have also had direct experiences with God. God spoke to me about lossing our daughter. Later that day my daughter passed away. God also spoke to me about how I would be leaving the ministry I was serving at. Three months later I was asked to resign. There are so many experience stories there are to many to count. A person may not accept these stories, but that doesn't make them false. Personal experience and testimony is proof that God exists.

The seventh reasoning has to do with the early Christians. For arguement let us say that the atheist is correct and that God doesn't exist. The question comes to mind, Why would the disciples of Jesus be willing to die for stomething that wasn't true? The answer is, they wouldn't. No one would be willing to die for something like the story of Jesus' resurrection if it weren't true, because they would have nothing to gain for it. But that is exactly what happened to all the apostles; they died for their teaching that Jesus existed and rose from the grave. Since they died for what they believed and taught and we eyewitnesses to the events described in the gospels, then God does exist.

The eighth reasoning is eyewitnesses. The twelve disciples and the apostle Paul were eye-witnesses to what the Bible discribes about Jesus. Then there are other historical people in the Old Testament who are witness and had encounters directly with God. Two such men were Moses and Elijiah. So we accounts of eyewitnesses.

Each of these eight reasonings are overwhelming evidence for the existance of God. Anyone who does not accept these as evidence for the existance of God is like the child who covers his eyes when the parent tells him not to throw his food across the table. The child may think the parent isn't there when the truth is the parent is still there and still speaking to the child about his actions.

One Way and No Other

2010-11-07T16:20:00.000-08:00

There are many people who get offended when Christian's teach that there is only one way to heaven. Some people say that this is intolerant or even unloving. Because of this some Christian's are unwilling to share their faith. Would this be offensive...
In British Columiba there is a town named Elkford. Here is how you get to Elkford. Whether from the east or west you take Highway 3 (Crowsnest Pass) to Sparwood. When you get to Sparwood turn north on Highway 43. That is how you get to Elkford. Now Highway 43 is the only Highway going in and out of Elkford and Highway 43 ends in Elkford. Now would it be offensive to give these directions. No, absolutely not, because if you want to get to Elkford you have to follow these directions. The same is true for directions to Heaven. There is no other way than to confess your sin to Jesus and place your faith in Him. It isn't offensive, because like the Elkford illustration it is the only way.

The Law - The Direction Marker.

2010-10-26T08:57:00.000-07:00

There has been debate in the church as to whether we are under the Law or under grace. The answer is "Yes".
Galatians 3:24-25 says, "So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.". What this means is that the law points us toward Christ. The Law makes us realize that we aren't good enough to fulfill the law and that we need a Saviour. So we aren't under the supervision of the law, but under the conviction of the law. The law convicts us in this way. We realize what sin is. Have you stolen something? Have you lied about something? Answer honestly. Everyone has lied and stolen something; even a little lie and stolen something as small as a dime from their parents. This is but two commandments from God's law. You now recognize that you have broken God's law. So the point is, you need of a Savior. You deserve eternal death in hell for your sins; just like me and the rest of humankind. There is nothing you can do to free yourself of your sin. Jesus Christ took your place. Jesus died on the cross for you. Because of this He offers you forgiveness of your sin. All you need to do is confess your sin to him and place your faith in Him.
What is holding you back from receiving Jesus' free gift of salvation right now? Surely there isn't an excuse big enough to reject Jesus. Choose now to receive forgiveness for your sin, escaping eternity in hell and receiving eternal peace and joy I Heaven and a right relationship with God. Do not hesitate, choose life in Jesus now. Your eternity depends on it.

Does Science have all the answers?

2010-04-09T17:54:00.000-07:00

Often times atheists act as if science has all the answers. This bags the question: Does science really have all the answers? The simple and quick answer is no and here is why. The word science means knowledge and knowledge is what we know. Since science is what we know, then we can only say that we know based on proven fact. Now a theory is not knowledge because theory is not fact. Theory is a part of the process to discover fact. Therefore, theory is not knowledge. May times scientist and scientist-wanna-bees jump to conclusions without finishing their work or viewing all the evidence (for example see evolution). There are many things that "science" cannot and will not explain, just because it focuses on hard evidence. There are things that does not produce hard evidence because the are not things that cannot be contained or measured. Such things would include wind, emotions and God.
One truly cannot tangibly measure such things, because they are not physical. Some people will argue and say that they can measure how fast the wind is blowing and in what direction. But they cannot measure the amount of wind, rather they are measuring the effects of the wind. The same is true of emotions. One cannot tangibly measure emotions, because they are personal reactions and each person is different with how they react in any given situation.
God, also, cannot be measured because He us not physical, but Spirit as the Bible teaches. Like the wind we can see the effects of God. We see the effects of God through His creation, through changed lives and through miracles as a few examples. "Ah, but prove that God exists," some atheists say. They believe that the burden of proof is on the Christian. However the burden of proof is upon the atheist, because they claim there is no God and since the beginning of humankind there has always be the belief in God.
Then let us not for get, that since God created the universe and the Bible is His word then the scriptures are true and is more reliable than our study of science. Sometimes we need to wait for the scientist to catch up to the truth God has already given us.
So, no science doesn't have all the answers, but God does.

Is Genesis 1-11 Literal or Allegorical?

2010-04-09T16:54:00.000-07:00

The first book of the Bible is one that is debated between Theists and evolutionists. It is even discussed between Creationists and theistic evolutionists. This topic at times has been very heated. So in this post I will answer the question: Is Genesis 1-11 Literal or Allegorical.

To properly answer this question we must look to the whole context of scripture. We have firm clues throughout scripture that shows that Genesis 1-11 are literal.
First, we have the evidence of genealogies. In Matthew 1 and Luke 3 we have two complete genealogies for Christ all the way back to Adam. Now some argue that these two genealogies are two separate genealogies so which is the correct one. The answer is both. One genealogy is through Mary and the other is through Joseph; both genealogies work from Christ back to Adam.

Second, we have reference of Adam (1 Chr 1:1; Hos 6:7; Luke 3:38; Rom 5:14; 1 Cor 15:22, 45; 1 Tim 2:13-14: Jud 1:14) and Eve (1 Cor 11:3; 1 Tim 2:13) being actual people throughout scripture.

Third, we have reference to Eden (Isa 51:3; Eze 28:13; 31:9-18; 36:35; Joel 2:3) being an actual place.

Fourth, we have reference to other people mentioned in Genesis 1-11 as being literal people. Some of these people include Enoch (Heb 11:5; Jude 1:14) and Noah (Matt 24:37-38; Heb 11:7; 1 Pet 3:20; 2 Pet 2:5).

Fifth, there is continuity between Genesis 1 and 2. Some argue that Genesis 1 and 2 contradict each other. This simply is not true because Genesis 2 is not a second creation account, rather it is an extension of details to Genesis 1. Genesis 1 is chronological whereas Genesis 2 is the added details to the creation account.

Sixth, other references to Genesis 1-11 refer to some of the teachings found in these 11 chapters. The creation account is mentioned in Ex 20:11 as an actual event. Jesus (Matt 19:5; Mk 10:7) and Paul (Eph 5:31) mentions the teaching of how a man will leave father and mother to cling to his wife quoting Gen 2:24.

In closing, Genesis 1-11 is literal and true because the whole of scripture speaks to this being true, including Jesus, Paul, Moses and other Biblical people and writers.

New Podcast capability

2009-11-13T13:45:00.000-08:00

I have just added my sermonplay at the bottom of the page. I will be adding some of my sermons of the course of the next several weeks. Feel free to stop by and listen to my sermons. It is my prayer that you are blessed and encouraged to grow in your faith. If you are not a Christian, it is also my prayer that through these sermons, that you would realize your need for Jesus Christ and choose to accept Him as your Lord and Saviour.

How To Study the Bible, PT3 - Tools

2009-01-06T10:23:00.000-08:00

This post host some good and vital tools for studying the Bible. If you have any questions regarding these tools feel free to contact me. I have or do use all these tools in by personal Bible studies and sermon preparation.

Tools:
1. Study Bibles: NET Translation (http://www.bible.org/netbible/index.htm)

2. Concordances: Englishman’s Greek Concordance of the New Testament; Englishman’s Greek Concordance of the Old Testament; Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance; The Greek-English Concordance to the New Testament (John R. Kohlenberger III, Edward W. Goodrick and James A. Swanson) (Goodrick / Kohlenberger Numbering); Note: Be sure to have a concordance which fits with your translation.

3. Bible Dictionaries: Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary; The Anchor Bible Dictionary

4. Handbooks: Hayford’s Bible Handbook

5. Encyclopedia: The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

6. Word Study: Theological Dictionary of the New Testament; Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament

7. Lexicons: Bauer Lexicon (Greek),

8. Commentaries: Word Biblical Commentary Series; New International Commentary on the New Testament Series; Old International Commentary on the New Testament Series; NIV Application Commentary Series.

9. Computer Programs: Esword; Libronix Digital Library; Logos Bible Software; Bibleworks 7.0

10. Internet Resources: www.ntgateway.com; www.bible.net; www.blueletterbible.com; www.biblegateway.com

How To Study the Bible, PT2 - Bible Translations

2009-01-06T10:16:00.000-08:00

Versions of the Bible:
It is important to note the type of translation to use when reading and studying the Bible. Literal translations are word for word. That is, word of the original language for word of translated language.
The dynamic equivalence are thought for thought translations. This means that the translators have already preformed some of the hermeneutical process. However, it is still prudent when using these translations to do the proper discipline of study.
Paraphrases is a different “kettle of fish”. They are a person’s commentary with scripture or scripture written in the author’s own words. These should only be used as supplemental and not treated as God’s Holy Word.

THE CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH VERSION (CEV)Reading Level: Grade 5.6
The Contemporary English Version (New Testament, 1991, full Bible, 1995) "was begun in 1984 by the American Bible Society. The mandate for the ABS translation team was to craft a translation that was biblically accurate, reader friendly, and understandable— even for first-time Bible readers. Among special concerns were ease of reading without sounding 'childish,' comprehensibility when read aloud, modern formatting, quality of style, and literary value. An international, interdenominational group of over 100, including translators, English language experts, and biblical authorities [comprised] the CEV translation team" (Thomas Nelson brochure). In general, it employs natural and uncomplicated English.
GOD'S WORD
In 1936, Dr. William F. Beck "started the task of diligently searching and studying the best available manuscripts of the Old and New Testaments in the original languages. ... Once he accurately comprehended the text, he made every effort to express its meaning in a way that communicated God's thoughts in an unambiguous and easy-to-understand form.
"Beck's aim was accuracy of meaning and the absolutely clear expression of that meaning for all the English readers of his day. ... But language tends to change even within the lifetime of translators. ... It has now been over 50 years since Beck began his ... work. ... But already in 1978 the question had arisen: should Beck's translation just remain a pioneer effort or is it worthy of an updated revision? A team of Bible scholars and pastors felt that the above-mentioned translation was worth the hours of time needed to revise it in order to produce a superior product. Thorough revision/translation work began in 1982" (from the Preface to God's Word to the Nations: New Testament). The first edition appeared in 1988, with minor revisions in 1989 and 1990. "God's Word" has yet to receive broad recognition or be widely distributed.

THE KING JAMES VERSION (KJV)Reading Level: Grade 12
This, the most famous of English versions, is named after King James I of England who initiated the work. It is basically a revision of previous translations: Tyndale's, Coverdale's, the Great Bible and the Geneva Bible. Over fifty scholars worked on the project, which started in 1607. It was finished in 1611.
"The King James Version, known in England as the Authorized Version because it was authorized by the king, has become an enduring monument of English prose because of its gracious style, majestic language, and poetic rhythms. No other book has had such a tremendous influence on English literature." (Comfort, pp. 48-49)
However, the KJV translators had access to only a few ancient manuscripts. Since their day many older manuscripts have been discovered, resulting in a more reliable Greek and Hebrew text. In addition, many words in the KJV are now obscure; others cannot be traced back to the most reliable manuscripts. While IBS is glad to provide the historic KJV, we feel the NIV/TNIV is both more accurate and more readable for today's audience.

THE LIVING BIBLE (LB)Reading Level: Grade 8.3
"In 1962 Kenneth Taylor published a paraphrase of the New Testament Epistles. ... The entire Living Bible was published in 1971. .. Using the American Standard Version as his working text, Taylor rephrased the Bible into modern speech—such that anyone, even a child, could understand the message of the original writers. In the preface to The Living Bible Taylor explains his view of paraphrasing:
'... to say as exactly as possible what the writers of the Scriptures meant, and to say it simply, expanding where necessary for a clear understanding by the modern reader.'

THE MESSAGE (TM)Reading Level: Grade 8.5
The Message, published in 1993 by NavPress, is a free, highly colloquial and interpretive translation/paraphrase of the New Testament by Eugene H. Peterson. An earlier form of the book of Galatians appeared in 1988 under the title Traveling Light.
"This version of the New Testament in a contemporary idiom keeps the language of the Message current and fresh and understandable in the same language in which we do our shopping, talk with our friends, worry about world affairs, and teach our children their table manners. The goal is not to render a word-for-word conversion of Greek into English, but rather to convert the tone, the rhythm, the events, the ideas, into the way we actually think and speak" (from the Introduction).

THE NEW AMERICAN BIBLE (NAB)Reading Level: Grade 6.6
"The first American Catholic Bible to be translated from the original languages is The New American Bible (not to be confused with the New American Standard Bible). Although this translation was first published in 1970, it was updated in 1991. The New American Bible has short introductions to each book of the Bible and very few marginal notes. Kubo and Specht provide this description of the translation:
'The translation ... is simple, clear, and straightforward and reads very smoothly. It is good American English, not as pungent and colorful as the N.E.B. [New English Bible]. Its translations are not striking but neither are they clumsy. They seem to be more conservative in the sense that they tend not to stray from the original' [p. 165, Kubo and Specht, So Many Versions?). "
(Comfort, p. 82-82)

THE NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE (NASB)Reading Level: Grade 11
"The Lockman Foundation, a nonprofit Christian corporation committed to evangelism ... organized a team of thirty-two scholars to prepare a new revision [of the American Standard Version of 1901]. These scholars ... strove to produce a literal translation ... in the belief that such a translation 'brings the contemporary reader as close as possible to the actual wording and grammatical structure of the original writers' "' [from the preface].
"After the New American Standard Bible was published (in 1963 for the New Testament and 1971 for the entire Bible), it received a mixed response. Some critics applauded its literal accuracy, while other sharply criticized its language for hardly being contemporary or modern.
"On the whole, the New American Standard Bible became respected as a good study Bible that accurately reflects the wording of the original languages yet is not a good translation for Bible reading" (Comfort, pp. 77-78).

THE NEW INTERNATIONAL READER'S VERSION (NIrV)Reading Level: Grade 3.5
The New International Reader's Version (NIrV, 1996) "is a new Bible version developed to enable early readers to understand God's message. Begun in 1992 and co-sponsored by the International Bible Society and Zondervan Publishing House, the New International Reader's Version is a simplification of the New International Version (NIV), today's most popular translation of the Bible. " (from the NIrV "Sample Booklet").
The NIrV was designed to make the Bible clear and understandable to early readers, and can be read by a typical fourth grader. For this reason, it is also of value to the millions for whom English is a second language. It intends to be distinguished by five fundamental characteristics—readability, understandability, compatibility with the NIV, reliability and trustworthiness. It serves as a natural stepping-stone to the NIV when the time is right.

THE NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV)
Reading Level: Grade 7.8
"The New International Version is a completely new rendering of the original languages done by an international group of more than a hundred scholars. These scholars worked many years and in several committees to produce an excellent thought-for-thought translation in contemporary English for private and public use. ...
"The translators of the New International Version sought to make a version that was midway between a literal rendering (as in the New American Standard Bible) and a free paraphrase (as in The Living Bible). Their goal was to convey in English the thought of the original writers. ... The New Testament of the New International Version was published in 1973, and the entire Bible, in 1978. This version has been phenomenally successful. Millions and millions of readers have adopted the New International Version as their 'Bible.' Since 1987 it has outsold the King James Version, the best-seller for centuries—a remarkable indication of its popularity and acceptance in the Christian community. The New International Version, sponsored by the [International] Bible Society, ... has become a standard version used for private reading and pulpit reading in many English-speaking countries" (Comfort, pp. 79-81).

THE JERUSALEM BIBLE (JB)
"The first complete Catholic Bible to be translated from the original languages is The Jerusalem Bible, published in England in 1966. ...This Bible, which includes the Apocrypha and Deuterocanonical books, contains many study helps—such as introductions to each book of the Bible, extensive notes on various passages, and maps. The study helps are an intricate part of the whole translation because it is the belief of Roman Catholic leadership that laypeople should be given interpretive helps in their reading of the sacred text. The study helps in The Jerusalem Bible were translated from the French, whereas the Bible text itself was translated from the original languages. ... The translation of the text ... is considerably freer than other translations, such as the Revised Standard Version, because the translators sought to capture the meaning of the original writings in a 'vigorous, contemporary literary style'" [from the preface] (Comfort, pp. 81-82).

THE NEW KING JAMES VERSION (NKJV)
Reading Level: Grade 8.5
The New King James Version (1982) is a revision of the King James Version, called for primarily due to the same reasons given for the New Revised Standard Version. It retains the elegant literary style of the KJV, but is easier to read.

THE NEW LIVING TRANSLATION (NLT)Reading Level: Grade 6.3
The New Living Translation (Tyndale, 1996, 2004) is a "thorough revision" of The Living Bible. "More than ninety scholars from various theological backgrounds and denominations [were involved] ... with the goal that it be exegetically accurate and idiomatically powerful.
"Most significantly, the New Living Translation is not a paraphrase but a translation. Every verse has been carefully compared to the most reliable editions of the Hebrew and Greek texts in an effort to make a translation that accurately conveys the meaning of the original texts" (from the Preface to the review copy of Romans).

THE NEW REVISED STANDARD VERSION (NRSV)Reading Level: Grade 8.1 (but Zondervan says it's actually 10.)
"The New Revised Standard Version [was] published in 1990. ... In the preface to this revision, Bruce Metzger, chair-person of the revision committee, wrote:
'The New Revised Standard Version of the Bible is an authorized revision of the Revised Standard Version, published in 1952, which is a revision of the American Standard Version, published in 1901. ... The need for issuing a revision of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible arises from three circumstances: (a) the acquisition of still older biblical manuscripts, (b) further investigation of linguistic features of the text, and (c) changes in preferred English usage' (Comfort, p. 85).

THE REVISED ENGLISH BIBLE (REB)
" (1989) ... is a radical revision of the New English Bible" (Comfort, p. 85).

THE REVISED STANDARD VERSION (RSV)
Reading Level: 12
"The organization that held the copyright to the American Standard Version ... authorized a new revision in 1937. "The New Testament was published in 1946; and the entire Bible with the Old Testament, in 1952.
"The principles of the revision were specified in the preface to the Revised Standard Version: 'The Revised Standard Version is not a new translation in the language of today. It is not a paraphrase which aims at striking idioms. It is a revision which seeks to preserve all that is best in the English Bible as it has been known and used throughout the years.
"This revision was well received by many Protestant Churches and soon became their 'standard' text. ... Evangelical and fundamental Christians, however, did not receive the Revised Standard Version very well—primarily because of one verse, Isaiah 7:14...." (Comfort, pp. 66-67). The RSV has now been replaced by the NRSV.
Comfort, Philip W., The Complete Guide to Bible Versions. Wheaton: Tyndale, 1991. Kubo and Specht, So Many Versions? Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1983.
NEW ENGLISH VERSION (NET)
Reading Level: NA
The NET was commissioned to be offered for free by way of the internet. The commissioner wanted to make available and good translation that anyone could access. The NET Bible can be found online at www.bible.org. The website contains great resources for Bible study which are easy to use along with the NET translation. Today, the NET is available in print.

ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION (ESV)
Reading Level: 10
The ESV is a new literal translation that is highly acclaimed by top scholars. This translation brings a solid word for word translation which is imperative for Bible Study.

AMPLIFIED VERSION (AMP)
Reading Level: 8
The AMP is a great word for word translation. The AMP includes words in brackets which are other words which could be used. This greatly helps biblical understanding.

How To Study the Bible, PT1

2008-11-27T14:22:00.000-08:00

The average Christian along with most non-Christians do not know how to properly study the Word of God. So over the next couple of posts I want to give some notes on how to properly study the Bible. Before I start, I want to recommend a great resource called, "Herman Who?" by Todd Friel. This DVD goes through this process of Biblical interpretation.

Now before we look at who to study the Bible we must first answer two questions:

Why Should We Study God’s Word?
To keep our ways pure and to be in right relationship with God.

9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.
10 With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! 11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. 12 Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes! 13 With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth.
14 In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. 15 I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. 16 I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word. (Psalm 119:9-16, ESV)

Why should we learn how to study the Bible.
To properly use the scriptures.

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15, ESV)

What is Hermeneutics?
The Science and art of Biblical interpretation

Hermeneutical Rules:
Now here are the hermeneutical rules we use for proper Biblical study. These same rules can be used for any type of liturature because they are rules which help to properly understand any writing.

1. A text cannot mean what it never meant to its author or his or her readers.
2. Whenever we share comparable particulars (i.e. similar specific life situations) with the first-century setting, God’s Word to us is the same as His Word to them.
3. One should first distinguish between the central core of the message of the Bible and what is dependant upon or peripheral to it.
4. One should be prepared to distinguish between what the New Testament itself sees as inherently moral and what is not.
5. One must make special note of items where the New Testament itself has a uniform and consistent witness and where it reflects differences.
6. It is important to be able to distinguish within the New Testament itself between principle and specific application.
7. Determine the cultural options open to any New Testament writer.
8. One must alert to possible cultural differences between the first-century and the current time that are sometimes not immediately obvious.

The Process
Now here is how we do the process of Hermeneutics

1. Literary context - Context, Context, Context… Context is everything!
The intended meaning of any passage is the meaning that is consistent with the sense of the literary context in which it occurs.
2. Context provides flow-of-thought
3. Context provides accurate meaning of words
4. Context Delineates correct relationships among units
5. Circles of context
6. Immediate context
a. Book context
b. Author’s corpus of writings context
c. The pertinent testament context
d. The Bible context
e. Historical-cultural background
7. Explore the general background of the book
8. Examine the Historical-Cultural Factors of a specific passage
9. Word Meanings: What did the word mean then and in that culture
10. Do a word study
a. Select word(s) that require detailed analysis
b. Determine the Range of meaning for the word
c. Select the meaning that best fits the context
11. Grammatical relationships: To understand the meaning of any statement one must understand how words, phrases, sentences and paragraph units interact. Note: This is used when looking at the original language.
12. Natural division(s)

Other Considerations
There are a few other things to consider when interpreting the Bible

Literary genre:
Remember, this does not necessitate the degree of literal or allegory reading, but is important to consider.

1. Prose
2. Narrative
3. Poetry
4. Law
5. Prophesy
6. Wisdom

Interpretive Styles
This is one area that one must be very careful when interpreting the scripture. There has been many times where people have considered parts of text as figurative when it was literal. One such example is Genesis 1-11. Theistic evolutionists love to treat this passage as figurative, but they make a grave error; it is literal.

1. Literal
2. Figurative/Symbolic

Simplified Steps
1. Read the context
2. Check another version
3. Word Study
4. Seek commentaries and other tools
5. Check original language
6. Seek help from spiritual leader (i.e. Pastor, Bible College Professor, Experts)

Next post will deal with translations of the Bible.

Questions, Questions, Questions.

2008-10-03T07:59:00.000-07:00

If you have a question about the Bible, Christianity and God I invite you to ask your questions in the comment sections of the post you are wanting understanding in. If you have a question to which I have not yet posted on please ask your questions in the comment section of this post. I welcome all questions and will do my best to answer any question which seek to understand and know God.

What does the Church believe?

2008-10-01T11:40:00.000-07:00

This question can be both simple and complicated all at the same time. It all depends upon the tradition of the church/denomination. To keep to the simply side one could ask the question what is essential for the church to believe to be considered a Christian church. One could even ask the same question of the individual believer: What is essential for a Christian to believe? First off we must be careful to not miss use the scriptures because if we do miss use the scriptures we are in danger of making up our own god which becomes idolatry thus breaking the first commandment to not have any other god before Him (Ex 20:3). So what are the essentials the Christian believes?

1. God has disclosed Himself through the written Word, the Bible (Jn1:1; 2 Tim 3:16; Rev 1:19).

2. The Scriptures were fully inspired and originated by God, hence being named, “The Word of God” (2 Pet 1:19-21).

3. The Scriptures are inerrant (without error) and believe the whole of Scripture (2 Sam 22:31; Pr 30:5).

4. God exists and existed before all of creation (Gen 1:1; Jn 1:1; Col 1:15-17; Rev 21:6).

5. God is eternal; without beginning or end (Gen 1:1; Gen 21:33; Duet 33:27; Jer 10:10; Is 9:6; Col 1:17; Rev 1:8; 22:13).

6. God is independent from all things and His creation is totally dependent upon Him (Jn 5:26; At 17:28; Col 1:17).

7. God is all powerful (2 Cor 4:7; Ps 21:13; 66:7; 106:8; 147:5; Rev 19:1).

8. God is always the same; He never changes; He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow (Heb 6:17-18; 13:8).

9. Lying is the only impossibility for God (Heb 6:18).

10. Believe in the unity of the trinity in God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit (Gen 1:26; Mt 11:27; 28:19; Col 1:15; Jn 10:30; 14:26; RM 15:6; 1 Cor 2:10; 1 Pet 1:2).

11. God is not the author of sin, rather He created the possibility of sin to occur (Gen 3:1; Jos 24:15; Job 1:22; Ps 40:8; Mt 26:39; Jam 1:13-14).

12. Heaven and Hell do exist; Heaven is the eternal home of those who confess their sins and place their faith in Jesus Christ. Hell is the eternal home for all those who reject Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior (Rev 20:14-15; Rev 21:2).

13. All of human-kind are born into sin (Rom 3:10-12, 23; 5:12; Jn 2:5-7).

14. The ultimate consequence for sin is death and this final death is eternity in Hell (Eze 3:18; Matt 5:30; Rom 3:23).

15. In order for humans to escape the penalty of sin, sin must then be paid for and cleansed by blood (Heb 9:22). The penalty was paid for by the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ through His death on the cross and His blood cleanses the sin of all who believe in Him. This is the only way to salvation and eternity in Heaven (Rom 6:4,23; Phil 2: 8; Heb 10:12,14).

These are essential to what the Church/Christian believes. There are several other things that the church/Christians believe that are not dependant upon salvation but are still important discussions. The key is within these non-essential conversations each Christian must realize that we must be seeking what God means and not what we believe. If our theology is wrong God may use other Christians to correct our theology. We must seek to be in complete agreement with the truth of God’s word and allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us in all truth.

The Marks of a Christian

2008-08-27T10:16:00.000-07:00

What should a Christian look like?

The Beginning
The first part of the answer to this question is what has a person done to warrant the title “Christian.” The person will have first realized that they have broken God’s law, the ten commandments and confess their sin to God, asking for forgiveness and placing their faith in Him. 1 John 1:9 states, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9, ESV) There is a second part which is attached to salvation, that being baptism. Now baptism does not save, but it is the first act of obedience a person is called to once they have become a Christian and is a part of becoming saved from sin and eternity in hell. Jesus said, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mk 16:16, ESV) Every Christian is expected to be baptized. It is a symbol of submitting to God. Then there is a third part, once a person is a Christian, having been baptized, the person is sealed with the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul writes, “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,” (Eph 1:13, ESV) These three speak to salvation and sealed in Christ.

Fruit of the Spirit
The next part of what a Christian looks like deals with character. Paul writes about the fruit of the Spirit. If a Christian is truly growing in their faith these characteristics should be evident in their lives. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Gal 5:22-23, ESV) This fruit is in them because they submit themselves to the Holy Spirit who instils this fruit into their lives. The Christian truly cannot do any good without the Holy Spirit’s guidance and power.

How a Christian Acts
This section deals with the actions of the Christian. First the Christian no longer sins intentionally. The Apostle Paul writes, “And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” (Gal 5:24, ESV) In addition to this the Christian is obedient to God. The Christian obeys the Ten commandments as well as the new Commandments Jesus Christ has given. Jesus commands are these: “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mk 12:30-31, ESV) Another command Jesus gave all disciples before He ascended into heaven is, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Mt 28:19-20, ESV) For more on what Jesus has commanded the Christian read the New Testament.

The Christian’s Power
One cannot forget that the Christian’s power is not his/her own, it comes from Jesus Christ. But Jesus did say, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” (Jn 14:12-14, ESV)

Other Signs that may follow the Christian
There are some other signs that may follow the Christian. Again, let us not forget that the Christian’s power comes form Jesus. Here are Jesus’ words, “And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mk 16:17-18, ESV)

This is a simplified look at what a Christian looks like.

Next post: What does the Christian church believe?

Are You A Good Person?

2008-07-28T10:48:00.000-07:00

Why would we need forgiveness of Sin if I am a good person?

We need forgiveness of sin because we are all under the law, God’s law. What is God’s Law? The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20).

1. You shall have no other gods before me. (Idolatry)
2. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them. (Idolatry)
3. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. (Blasphemy)
4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. (Day of Rest and worship of God)
5. Honour your father and your mother (Obedience)
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour. (Lying)
10. You shall not covet your neighbour’s house; you shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbour’s.

You believe you have kept these commandments? Do you believe yourself to be a good person? Let’s test whether you are a good person and kept the Ten Commandments.

1. Have you ever told a lie? Be honest!
What would you be called for telling a lie?... A Liar.
2. Have you ever stolen something? Be honest and remember, you just admitted to being a liar.
What would you be called for stealing?... A Thief.
3. Jesus says: “everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matt 5:28, English Standard Version) Have you ever looked at another person with lust?
4. Have you ever liked something someone owned and wanted it?
5. Have you ever used the Lord’s name in vain?
When you do this you are using God’s name to express disgust. You have blasphemed the God who created you.
6. The scriptures say: “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.” (1 John 3:15, ESV) Have you ever hated another person?
7. Have you ever disobeyed your parents?

Your answer for all of them most likely was a yes. Here is the thing, the scriptures say, “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.” (James 2:10) If you are guilty of breaking one law it is as if you broke all of the law. And on judgement day you will have to face God.

Will you be guilty or innocent of breaking God’s law? No excuses now. Excuses are not arguments for innocence. Remember God is a just God and justice will be done. The scriptures say, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Rom 3:23, ESV) Not some of sinned, ALL have sinned.

Were would you go: Heaven or hell? Jesus said: “The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Mt 13:41-42, ESV) Let us use civil law as an example here. A man is found guilty of murdering another man. What must happen for justice to happen. He must be punished for his actions. The judge would not be just if he just let the guilty go free. The law would not be satisfied. No, the judge would pronounce judgement. Then the Law would be satisfied and justice proclaimed.

Does this concern you? It should!

This is why we need forgiveness for our sins.

What must I do to receive forgiveness of my sins? I’m glad you asked.

Now here is where God’s love and grace comes into play. Rom 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 6:23, ESV) There is a gift that Jesus offers freely; the gift of salvation. All you need to accept this gift. What is this gift of salvation. Let us go back to our court room scene. Now suppose a man comes into the court room and says “I will take this criminal’s place in jail.” The criminal is set free because the law is satisfied. The man has paid the criminals fine and is set free. This is what Jesus did by dying on the cross for our sins. You see, we deserve death for our sins, but Jesus died for our sins, in our place. He paid our fine.

What must we do to accept this free gift? The scriptures say: “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” (Rom 10:9-10, ESV) First, we must confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. Secondly you must confess your sins to God. The scriptures say: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9, ESV)

Here is a sample prayer you may pray (Remember to mean this from your heart): “Lord Jesus, I believe that you are Lord and I believe in my heart that God the Father raised You from the dead so that my sins may be cleansed. I confess that I am a sinner and am in need of your grace to save me. Please forgive me my sins and take control of my life. Amen!

That’s it, welcome to the family of God. There are a few very important things you must to do grow in Christian maturity. First, sin no more. You are free from sin and so you need no longer sin. Second, go and get baptised. Baptism is our first act of obedience to God and shows that we are submitting ourselves to His Lordship. Third, find a church that preaches the Bible. Not one that talks about the Bible, but actually preaches from the Bible and explains what it means. Fourthly, find another Christian who is mature in their faith and encourage and disciple you in your new found faith. Fifthly, tell people who are not Christians what Jesus has done for you. You may even want to use this blog enter as example for how to share your new found faith and the gospel.

If you have made a decision to accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour I encourage you to click onto my profile and email me to share with me the good news of your decision and so I can pray for you and encourage you. Blessings.

Next Post: The Marks of a Christian.

Is Sin Real?

2008-04-01T13:03:00.000-07:00

What does it mean to sin? And is it real?

Sin is real, because it is God how invented the word and who determines what sin is. To help to understand what the word sin means we must go to the original Hebrew. The Hebrew word for sin is chata' (ajx) which means “to miss the mark”. Sin isn’t about breaking rules; it is about missing a standard that is set so as to have an open relationship free from actions and said words which builds walls between two people or beings. It is not only possible to sin against God but also against other people. However, to sin against God has the greatest of consequences. We should not sin against each other as it causes fractures between each other, but just as in human relationships sinning against God causes the greatest rift of all. Missing God’s mark separates us from God. It is what keeps us from having true fellowship with Him. The Bible talks frequently about how we must not sin against God. Here are some verses which speak to not sinning against God:

If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? 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

Then the LORD said, "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous – Gen 18:20

Reuben replied, "Didn't I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn't listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood." – Gen 42:22

maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation." – Ex 34:7

He who loves a quarrel loves sin; he who builds a high gate invites destruction. – Prov 17:19

When the wicked thrive, so does sin, but the righteous will see their downfall. – Prov 19:16

“All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” - Rom 3:23

Here are some of the consequences of sin:

maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation." – Ex 34:7

“For the wages of sin is death…” - Rom 6:23

You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, - Ex 20:5

Sacrifice a bull each day as a sin offering to make atonement. Purify the altar by making atonement for it, and anoint it to consecrate it. - Ex 29:36

When they become aware of the sin they committed, the assembly must bring a young bull as a sin offering and present it before the Tent of Meeting. – Lev 4:14

Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people. – Prov 14:34

Because of your wrath there is no health in my body; my bones have no soundness because of my sin. – Psa 38:3

If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; - Psa 66:18

Here are some passages on if we repent of our sin:

Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD "— and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah – Psa 32:5

If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. - 1 John 1:9

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life.” - Rom 6:23

So sin is very real. Because of it's grave consequences it is something that we need to be freedfrom; it is something for which we need a Saviour.

Next post: Why do we need forgiveness of sin?

The Truth of the Bible

2007-04-13T20:58:00.000-07:00

Since I have looked at the historical accuracy of the Bible I now turn to the truth recorded in the bible. It is accepted by all true Christians that the Bible is God's inspired Word. True, the Bible was written by human hands, but the Christian believes that these words were given directly by God to the human author. The Christian also believes the the autographs (origional writting) is inerrent (without error). The apostle Paul writes:

"16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking,
correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be
thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2Tim 3:16-17

It is vital for the Christian to understand the importance of God's Word. Here it the importance of accepting all of the Bible as God's Word as a Christian.

We must accept the Word... no questions asked. Sometimes we use our heads to much and don't let the Holy Spirit lead us. I have had discussions with some people as of late who do not believe what the Bible says AND they claim to be Christians. They don't believe Genesis is literal, they don't believe any of the miraulous accounts of scripture; they don't believe the Bible to be historical, rather they believe it is a book of lessons on Christian living. How can a person not believe the contents and historicity of the Bible and truely be a Christian. Oh, these people say that they believe and have confessed that Jesus Christ is Lord; to which I can't say anything one way or the other. What it comes down to is the Fear of the Lord, a lack thereof. When we Fear God we respect Him and what He says in His Word. This means we believe everything in Scripture to be true, including historically, from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21. Now some of these people I mentioned will say, "Oh that's how you interprete scripture and that interpreatation is wrong." They use the excuse
that "this passage was written to this person or that people group and thus does
not apply to 'me'." This is a lack of the Fear of the Lord. When we Fear God we
believe and obey His WORD. So it is imparative for Christians to believe the Bible
and obey it. To do otherwise does not show Fear for the Lord and that we truely don't believe the Bible.

One other note: It is the Holy Spirit who opens our spiritual eyes in order to understand what God is saying in His word as well and being able to believe the Word.

If you are unable to believe that God and/or the Bible are real and true, pray and ask the Holy Spirit to open your spiritual eyes to see the wonderful and glorious truth of God. If you wish here is a sample prayer:

"Holy Spirit, I admit that I doubt and am without belief in You, God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. I ask that you open my spiritual eyes and help me to believe and know the truth about you and lay aside all lies that have been spoken or thought of in my past. God help my unbelief. Amen!"

From this point on I will be discussing the truth in God's word, from Genesis to Revelation and any topic that may come up along that way that relates to truth, the Bible and God. Next post will be starting with Genesis and the the question: Is sin real?

The Resurrection – A Historical Event

2007-03-24T23:11:00.000-07:00

Josh McDowell in his book “The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict” wrote:

"After more than seven hundred hours of studying this subject and thoroughly
investigating its foundation, I have come to the conclusion that the
resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the most wicked, vicious, heartless
hoaxes ever foisted upon the minds of men, OR it is the most fantastic fact of
history.” (p203)

The majority of this article is based on McDowell’s work in the above mentioned book.

There is no doubt that Jesus prophesying (Matt 16:21; 17:9, 22-23; 20:18-19; 26:32; Mk 9:10; Lk 9:22-27; Jn 2:18-22) that after being dead three days He would raise again is centrally important to what Christianity is built on.

Ignatius, who was a pupil of the apostle John wrote:

“He was crucified and died under Pontius Pilate. He really, and not merely
in appearance, was crucified, and died, in the sight of beings in heaven, and on
earth, and under the earth.
He also rose again in three days…”

Joshephus, the Jewish historian, states in Antiquities, 18.3.3

“And when Pilate had condemned him to the cross, upon his impeachment by the
principal man among us, those who had loved him from the first did not forsake
him, for he appeared to them alive on the third day…”

McDowell states,

“When an event takes place in history and there are enough people alive who were
eye-witnesses of it or had participated in the event, and when the information
is published, one is able to verify the validity of an historical event.”
(p215)

Jesus was scourged with a flagrum which had pieces of bone and metal would lacerate the human flesh. Jesus took a brutal beating and from this beaten He would have been looked like he was butchered. He also had thorns forced on his head, causing blood to flow on his face. He then had to carry his cross through Jerusalem and up a hill. Before Jesus was nailed on the cross He had suffered more than most prisoners would have faced. At this point Jesus was is poor shape. Then He was nailed on the cross. There is no humanly possible way that Jesus could have survived what he went through. Mel Gibson does a great job with the movie “The Passion of the Christ” in depicting what Jesus went through leading up to and including the crucifixion.

There is no doubt that Jesus was dead when He was taken off the cross. The Romans were very effective in their caring out of beatings and executions. The Roman soldiers had to make sure their prisoners were dead upon execution because if they weren’t it would mean that the soldier would be put to death. Also Pilate would have required certification of Christ’s death. So there was no mistakes made by the Roman executioners.

Regarding Jesus burial, there would have been no way that Jesus body could have been moved by the disciples or anyone else. The religious leaders had guards placed to guard the tomb because of Jesus’ prophecies of a resurrection. There was also a stone which we sealed in front of the tomb. There is no way that anyone could have over taken the guards as it would have meant the loss of their lives had they let someone take Jesus’ body away, not to mention that the disciples would have not been psychologically capable of devising and carrying out a plan to move Jesus’ body because of the grief they would have felt seeing Jesus crucified.

In addition, the fact that the eleven disciples and the apostle Paul died as martyrs would seem to be enough to believe that Jesus did raise from the dead. Why else would twelve men be willing to die for what they believe? Either these twelve men were telling the truth that Jesus rose from the dead, or they died for a lie.

McDowell gives this verdict to this topic:

“The established psychological fact of changed lives, then, is a credible reason
for believing in the resurrection. It is subjective evidence bearing
witness to the objective fact that Jesus Christ arose on the third day.
For only a risen Christ could have such transforming power in a person’s life.”
(p253)

The following was posted as part of my Jesus as God. It does add to the discussion on this topic, due to the recent talk about the “bones of Jesus” being found. For the record, it is not possible to find the bones of Jesus since He rose again and assended to Heaven.

It is interesting, last night a story was broken that someone had “found
the bones of Jesus Christ.” They mention that they are using DNA evidence to
connect Jesus with the other remains found. It may be true that this body is
connected biologically to these other bodies, but DNA evidence cannot prove that
these bones are Jesus, because we don’t have a DNA sample from Jesus. In
addition to this there is confusion as to if the box that held these bones names
Jesus or someone else. On top of this Jesus was a common name when Christ walked the earth. Then the final nail in the coffin of this discussion is that Jesus,
after raising from the dead, ascended into heaven. Eye witnesses have recorded
this in the Bible. Some people will argue that there was a conspiracy and Jesus
didn’t raise from the dead. However, the eleven remaining disciples all died for
this truth. One has to think, would these men and others have died for this
cause had it been a conspiracy or hoax? I’m pretty sure that had it not been the
truth, these men would not have died for it. Thus it is clear that Jesus really
did raise from the dead and did ascend into heaven. There is no sense looking
for the “bones” of Jesus because you won’t find them. Jesus is not dead, He is a
live in heaven and He is God.

Jesus as God

2007-02-27T10:54:00.000-08:00

The question of whether Jesus is God or not is one that cannot be proven based on history. However, this can be proven based on prophecy in the Bible and Jesus fulfillment of those prophecies and the eye witness of people seeing Jesus doing miraculous things that can only be done through God’s power. Every single prophecy made about Jesus in the Old Testament was fulfilled in Jesus and the majority of the prophecies concerning Jesus were things that would have been beyond control of anyone or a group of people to forcibly control. As for the miraculous some of these miraculous things include raising people from the dead and the forgiving of sins. Forgiving of sins can only be done, undoubtedly, by God.
Now frequently people outside (and at times inside) of the Christian church have stated that Jesus never claimed to be God. This simply is not true. Jesus does claim to be God. In Mark 14 we see Jesus confirm that He is God:

“And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, "Have you no answer
to make? What is it that these men testify against you?" But he remained
silent and made no answer. Again the high priest asked him, "Are you the Christ,
the Son of the Blessed?" And Jesus said, "I am, and you will see the Son
of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of
heaven." And the high priest tore his garments and said, "What further
witnesses do we need? You have heard his blasphemy. What is your
decision?" And they all condemned him as deserving death.”

Then in John 10:25-33:

Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in
my Father's name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are
not part of my flock. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they
follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no
one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me,
is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.
Joh 10:30 I and the Father are one." The Jews picked up stones
again to stone him. Jesus answered them, "I have shown you many good works
from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?" The Jews
answered him, "It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for
blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God."

So it is clear that Jesus did claim to be and is God.

It is interesting, last night a story was broken that someone had “found the bones of Jesus Christ.” They mention that they are using DNA evidence to connect Jesus with the other remains found. It may be true that this body is connected biologically to these other bodies, but DNA evidence cannot prove that these bones are Jesus, because we don’t have a DNA sample from Jesus. In addition to this there is confusion as to if the box that held these bones names Jesus or someone else. On top of this Jesus was a common name when Christ walked the earth. Then the final nail in the coffin of this discussion is that Jesus, after raising from the dead, ascended into heaven. Eye witnesses have recorded this in the Bible. Some people will argue that there was a conspiracy and Jesus didn’t raise from the dead. However, the eleven remaining disciples all died for this truth. One has to think, would these men and others have died for this cause had it been a conspiracy or hoax? I’m pretty sure that had it not been the truth, these men would not have died for it. Thus it is clear that Jesus really did raise from the dead and did ascend into heaven. There is no sense looking for the “bones” of Jesus because you won’t find them. Jesus is not dead, He is a live in heaven and He is God.

Jesus Christ As A Historical Figure

2007-02-18T16:41:00.000-08:00

Bertrand Russell once wrote, “Historically it is quite doubtful whether Christ ever existed at all, and if He did we do not know anything about Him.” Anyone who makes such a statement hasn’t done their homework. There is ample proof for the existence of Jesus Christ both in and outside of scripture. F.F. Bruce states,

“Some writers may toy with the fancy of a ‘Christ-myth,’ but they do not do
so on the ground of historical evidence. The historicity of Christ is as
axiomatic for an unbiased historian as the historicity of Julius Caesar.
It is not historians who propagate the ‘Christ-myth’ theories.”

We have secular historians such as Cornelius Tacitus, Lecian of Samosata, Suetonius, Pliny the Younger, Thallus, Phegon, and Mara Bar-Serapion. The Babylonian Talmud refers to Jesus Christ when we read these words, “On the eve of Passover they hanged Yeshu (Greek name for Jesus).” Then we have the editions of Jewish historians, such as Jospheus & Philo, who mention Jesus Christ.

There is also the writings of early church fathers who were at least two persons away from knowing Jesus Christ Himself. These writes include Clement of Rome, Ignatius, Quadratus, Justin Martyr and others.There is no doubt that history proves that Jesus Christ did exist. Next I will turn to the discussion of Jesus being God and Savior of the world.

The Bible as Historically Accurate

2006-11-25T10:59:00.000-08:00

There is just to much on this subject for this blog to do this subject justice, however I will give a brief overview. For more information I encourage all readers to read Josh McDowell's "The New Evidence that Demands a Verdict."

The following is copied from a comment on my last entry:

As for accuracy of the record there are numerous books which confirm the
historicity of the Bible. Among these sources are Josephus and Philo. Not to
mention that process of copying the Bible was done so meticulously and
preciously. The Dead Sea Scrolls are proof of this. To date we have numerous
manuscripts for the bible, more than any book written in history. Here is a
listing of manuscripts of the biblical texts we possess:
New Testament:
Uncials 307
Minuscules 2,860
Lectionaries 2,410
Papri 109
In Other Languages: Latin Vulgate 10,000 +
Ethiopic 2,000 +
Slavic 4,101
Armenian 2,587
Syriac Pashetta 350 +
Bohairic 100
Arabic 75
Old Latin 50
Anglo Saxon 7
Gothic 6
Sogdian 3
Old Syriac 2
Persian 2
Frankish 1
Total – 24,970+

Old Testament: (I do not have to totals for most of these)
Dead Sea Scrolls 223
Manuscripts of various books
Septuagint
Hexapla
Aramaic Targums
Mishnah
Midrash
Masoretic Text

Interesting to note that Archeology often uses the bible for digs and every
time a dig is done they find the exact place they were looking for. This too
proves that the Bible is historically accurate.

There is no other book in the world of significant age that can boast about how close it is to it's autographs (Orignal writing). Even the fact that we have the Dead Sea scrolls shows how accurate the scriptures have been preserved. There is no other writing that can claim as solidly accurate like the Bible can.

The note on archeologies use of the Bible is also a highly important for the accuracy of the Bible. Everytime the Bible has been used for a historic dig archeologists have found the places described in the Bible.

A couple of books which also would help to understand this topic more are Lee Stobel's Case for Christ and Case for Faith. Stobel points out through his books that the Bible also holds up to the Journalists testing for accuracy of a source.

Another point is that there are several sources outside of the Bible which confirm what the Bible claims. Roman archives atest to Jesus and His crucificion. Historians Josephus and Philo confirm the turth of both Old and New Testaments. Historical writings of nations who have encountered the nation of Israel. The Ebla tablets even confirm the Genesis account of Creation and the flood including acutual names recorded in Genesis.

With all the evidence, both Biblical and secular, it is simple to see that the Bible is trustworthy because of historical accuracy.

The Uniqueness of the Bible

2006-09-13T15:19:00.000-07:00

Josh McDowell in His book "The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict" he talks about how the bible is unique. There are several ways that the Bible is unique; I breifly look at a few of these.

Unique In Its Continuity
1) Written over a fifteen-hundred-year span.
2) Written by more than forty authors including kings, military leaders, peasants, philosophers, fisherman, tax collectors, poets, musicians, statesmen, scholars and shepherds.
3) Written in different places including wilderness, dungeon, palaces, prisons and traveling.
4) Written at different times (war & peace)
5) Written in different moods
6) Written on three different continents: Asia, Africa & Europe
7) Written in three languages: Hebrew, Aramaic & Greek
8) Written in a variety of literary styles

Unique In Its Circulation
Has sold more copies than any other book in the world.

Unique In Its Translation
It has been translated into 2,200 languages; more than any other book.

Unique In Its Survival
It has with stood time and the tests of time. Throughout time it has been carefully copied and translated. It is accurate to it's manuscripts and autographs. It has survived the pursecution of both Jews and Christians. It has withstood criticism. No one has been able to prove the Bible wrong.

Unique In Its Teaching
It contains prophecy, history, law & characters.

Welcome All!

2006-09-13T14:21:00.000-07:00

Greetings and welcome to my new blog. I started this blog because of conversation I have been having with another blogger about who God is and is the Bible truth. This blog is for anyone who has questions and are honestly seeking truth about God, the Bible and Christianity. If you have any question feel free to ask in the comments in the latest entry. I will do my best to help you know the truth.

"If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." - John 8:32 ESV