The final and most strongest of the arguments that the Bible is the Word of God is the testimony of Jesus Christ. Even none-Christians believe he was a good teacher. Muslims believe he was a true prophet of God as well. Jesus affirmed the Old Testament to be the Word of God and promised that the Holy Spirit would inspire the apostles in the continuation of His teaching and in the writing of what would become the New Testament (John 14:25-26 and John 16:12-13). The apostles demonstrated that they came with the authority of God through the miracles they performed as Jesus and the Prophets did before them.
Jesus claimed about the Bible:
1. Divine authority - (Mat. 4:4, 7, 10)
2. Indestructible - (Mat. 5:17-18)
3. Infallibility - (John 10:35)
4. Ultimate supremacy - (Mat. 15:3, 6)
5. Factual inerrancy - (Mat. 22:29; John 17:17)
6. Historical reliability - (Mat. 12:40, 24:37-38)
7. Scientific accuracy - (Mat. 19:4-5; John 3:12)
The authority of Jesus confirms the authority of the Bible. If he is who he said he is, then the Bible IS the Word of God! Even if Jesus was just a prophet, then the Bible still is confirmed to be the Word of God. One goes hand in hand with the other. Through the miracles that Jesus performed and through the fulfillment of prophecy regarding himself, Jesus is able to affirm the validity of the Bible.
He names Abel as the first prophet from Genesis, and Zechariah the last prophet mentioned in 2 Chronicles, the last book in the Jewish Old Testament (which contains the same books we have today although placed in a different order). In Mark 7:8-9, Jesus refers to the Old Testament as the “commands of God.” In Matthew 5:17, Jesus states that the “Law and the Prophets” referring to the Old Testament is authoritative and imperishable. Throughout His ministry, Jesus made clear His teachings, corrections, and actions were consistent with the Old Testament. Jesus even affirmed several historical several disputed stories of the Old Testament. He affirms the accounts of Adam and Eve (Mat. 19:4-5), Noah and the flood (Mat. 24:39), Jonah and the great fish (Mat. 12:40), Sodom and Gomorrah (Mat. 10:15), and many others. The book of Acts, which records the miracles of the apostles, has also proven to be a historically accurate record written by a first century eyewitness.
I have shown evidence that the Bible is the inspired Word of God through unity of the Bible, archaeology, prophecy and the testimony of Jesus Christ. All of these come together to show a continuous string of evidence that point to the central theme of the Bible, Jesus Christ, God in the flesh! Not only does it tell us who he was, but also what he came to do. Namely, to demonstrate the love of God toward mankind in the bodily form of his Son, Jesus Christ! In doing so, God provided one way, and only one way, for man to be saved.
Next......salvation, a gift from God!
1/29/2008
James
Information compiled from:
"Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics"
by: Norman L. Geisler and
"Beyond Belief to Conviction"
by: Josh McDowell
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Monday, January 28, 2008
THE BIBLE: Fact or Fiction? - Pt 4: Prophecy
One of the strongest evidence that the Bible is the inspired Word of God is its predictive prophecy. In this particular category, the Bible is unlike any other book. It offers many specific predictions, some hundreds of years in advance, that have been literally fulfilled or that point to a specific future time when they will come true. There are 1817 predictions in the Bible, 1239 in the Old Testament and 578 in the New.
If an omniscient God exists who knows the future, then predictive prophecy is possible. And if the Bible contains such predictions, then they are a sign of the Bible's divine origin. With that said, not everything called "prophecy" in the Bible is predictive. Prophets proclaimed God's Word as well as foretelling the future. Prophecy is more than a vague guess. It cannot be a mere reading of the current trends. It deals with human contingencies that are normally unpredictable. Sometimes the miraculous nature of the prophecy is based on how far in advance the prediction is made, so as to reduce the probability of guessing.
There are 191 prophecies concerning the anticipated Jewish Messiah and Savior. Each one was literally fulfilled in the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus of Nazareth. The first prediction of Messiah's birth is found in Genesis 3:15, "I will put enmity between you (the serpent) and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." Jesus was born of a woman and he delivered the "crushing" head blow to the Devil, the Serpent of old, when he died and resurrected on the third day! Isaiah 7:14 predicted the name of the Messiah. "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call his name Immanuel (God with us)". This prediction was made 700 years in advance! In Micah 5:2 the prophet proclaims, "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will rule over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times".
If we were able to go back in time and asked God, " How will we recognize your Son when he comes to Earth? How will we recognize him as the Messiah, the eternal, incarnate Son of God?"
The conversation might have gone something like this:
God - "I will cause him to be born as an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham (Gen. 22:18)."
Us - "But, Abraham's descendants are too many!"
God - "I will make him a descendant of Isaac, not Ishmael (Gen.21:12)."
Us - "That's still too many people!"
God - "Let him be born from Jacob's line, eliminating half of Isaac's lineage (Numbers 24:17)."
Us - "Still too many people!"
God - "Jacob will have twelve sons; I will bring him from the tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:10)."
Us - "You need to be more specific, we still might not recognize him."
God - "OK, look for him in the family line of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1). And from the house and lineage of Jesse's youngest son, David (Jeremiah 23:5). And then I will tell you where he will be born: Bethlehem, a tiny town in the area called Judah (Micah 5:2)."
Us - "But wait, how will we know which person born there is your Son?"
God - "A messenger will come before him and prepare the way and announce his coming (Isaiah 40:3). He will begin his ministry in Galilee (Isaiah 9:1) and will teach in parables (Psalm 78:2), performing many miracles (Isiah 35:5-6)."
Us - "OK, that might help."
God - "But wait, I'm not done yet. He will ride into the city of Jerusalem on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9) and will appear suddenly and forcefully at the temple courts and and get angry at the money changers (Psalm 69:9; Malachi 3:1). And how about this, in one day he will fulfill no less than 29 specific prophecies spoken at least 500 years earlier about him!"
Yet we must admit that Jesus was not the only Jew to be born into the tribe of Judah, in the city of Bethlehem, and buried in a rich man's tomb. Could it be that some of the details of Jesus' life just happen to coincide with all those Old Testament prophecies? Let's turn to the science of statistics and probabilities for the answer to that question. Professor Peter W. Stoner, in an analysis that was carefully reviewed and pronounced to be sound by the American Scientific Affiliation, states that the probability of just 8 out of those 29 specific prophecies being fulfilled in one person is 1 in 10 to the 17th power (that's 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000)!
Let's say for example, that if we were to take that many silver dollars and spread them across the state of Texas, they would not only cover the entire state but also form a pile of coins 2 feet deep! Then, take one more silver dollar, mark it with a big red X, toss it into the pile, and stir the whole pile really good. Then, begin walking blindfolded from one end of the state to the other, stop and reach down into the pile and pick up one silver dollar. Take your blindfold off and look at the silver dollar in your hand. What are the chances that you would pick the marked coin out of a pile of silver dollars the size of Texas? The same chance that one person could have fulfilled just 8 messianic prophecies in one lifetime! In other words, it is unimaginable and nearly unthinkable that 8 prophecies about the Messiah could have come true in one man, let alone the 60 major prophecies that were fulfilled in Jesus!
There are so many more prophecies in the Bible dealing with other people, places and events, that it would take a book to list them and explain them all! For the sake of time and space, I have limited it to the particular and specific prophecies involving Jesus birth and ministry.
1/28/2008
James
Information compiled from:
Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics
by: Norman L. Geisler
If an omniscient God exists who knows the future, then predictive prophecy is possible. And if the Bible contains such predictions, then they are a sign of the Bible's divine origin. With that said, not everything called "prophecy" in the Bible is predictive. Prophets proclaimed God's Word as well as foretelling the future. Prophecy is more than a vague guess. It cannot be a mere reading of the current trends. It deals with human contingencies that are normally unpredictable. Sometimes the miraculous nature of the prophecy is based on how far in advance the prediction is made, so as to reduce the probability of guessing.
There are 191 prophecies concerning the anticipated Jewish Messiah and Savior. Each one was literally fulfilled in the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus of Nazareth. The first prediction of Messiah's birth is found in Genesis 3:15, "I will put enmity between you (the serpent) and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." Jesus was born of a woman and he delivered the "crushing" head blow to the Devil, the Serpent of old, when he died and resurrected on the third day! Isaiah 7:14 predicted the name of the Messiah. "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call his name Immanuel (God with us)". This prediction was made 700 years in advance! In Micah 5:2 the prophet proclaims, "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will rule over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times".
If we were able to go back in time and asked God, " How will we recognize your Son when he comes to Earth? How will we recognize him as the Messiah, the eternal, incarnate Son of God?"
The conversation might have gone something like this:
God - "I will cause him to be born as an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham (Gen. 22:18)."
Us - "But, Abraham's descendants are too many!"
God - "I will make him a descendant of Isaac, not Ishmael (Gen.21:12)."
Us - "That's still too many people!"
God - "Let him be born from Jacob's line, eliminating half of Isaac's lineage (Numbers 24:17)."
Us - "Still too many people!"
God - "Jacob will have twelve sons; I will bring him from the tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:10)."
Us - "You need to be more specific, we still might not recognize him."
God - "OK, look for him in the family line of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1). And from the house and lineage of Jesse's youngest son, David (Jeremiah 23:5). And then I will tell you where he will be born: Bethlehem, a tiny town in the area called Judah (Micah 5:2)."
Us - "But wait, how will we know which person born there is your Son?"
God - "A messenger will come before him and prepare the way and announce his coming (Isaiah 40:3). He will begin his ministry in Galilee (Isaiah 9:1) and will teach in parables (Psalm 78:2), performing many miracles (Isiah 35:5-6)."
Us - "OK, that might help."
God - "But wait, I'm not done yet. He will ride into the city of Jerusalem on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9) and will appear suddenly and forcefully at the temple courts and and get angry at the money changers (Psalm 69:9; Malachi 3:1). And how about this, in one day he will fulfill no less than 29 specific prophecies spoken at least 500 years earlier about him!"
Yet we must admit that Jesus was not the only Jew to be born into the tribe of Judah, in the city of Bethlehem, and buried in a rich man's tomb. Could it be that some of the details of Jesus' life just happen to coincide with all those Old Testament prophecies? Let's turn to the science of statistics and probabilities for the answer to that question. Professor Peter W. Stoner, in an analysis that was carefully reviewed and pronounced to be sound by the American Scientific Affiliation, states that the probability of just 8 out of those 29 specific prophecies being fulfilled in one person is 1 in 10 to the 17th power (that's 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000)!
Let's say for example, that if we were to take that many silver dollars and spread them across the state of Texas, they would not only cover the entire state but also form a pile of coins 2 feet deep! Then, take one more silver dollar, mark it with a big red X, toss it into the pile, and stir the whole pile really good. Then, begin walking blindfolded from one end of the state to the other, stop and reach down into the pile and pick up one silver dollar. Take your blindfold off and look at the silver dollar in your hand. What are the chances that you would pick the marked coin out of a pile of silver dollars the size of Texas? The same chance that one person could have fulfilled just 8 messianic prophecies in one lifetime! In other words, it is unimaginable and nearly unthinkable that 8 prophecies about the Messiah could have come true in one man, let alone the 60 major prophecies that were fulfilled in Jesus!
There are so many more prophecies in the Bible dealing with other people, places and events, that it would take a book to list them and explain them all! For the sake of time and space, I have limited it to the particular and specific prophecies involving Jesus birth and ministry.
1/28/2008
James
Information compiled from:
Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics
by: Norman L. Geisler
Sunday, January 27, 2008
THE BIBLE: Fact or Fiction? - Pt 3: Archaeology and the Bible - New Testament
Archaeology has also shown the New Testament to be historically exact and true! It was once thought that the Luke, the writer of the most historically detailed Gospel (the Gospel of Luke) and of the book of Acts, had made up all the stories and accounts from his imagination, because he gave odd titles to authorities and mentioned governors that no one knew. Evidence now points in the other direction. In all, Luke names 32 countries, 54 cities, and 9 islands without error!
In Acts 19:22, Erastus is named as a Corinthian who becomes a co-worker of Paul. An inscription was found near the theater while excavating Corinth which reads, "Erastus in return for his aedelship laid the pavement at his own expense." Luke included the detail that a prominent and welathy citizen of Corinth had been converted and had given his life to the ministry.
Another person named was Lysanias, Tetrarch of Abilene. Lysanias was unkown to modern historians until an inscription was found recording the temple dedication which mentions the name, the title, and is in the right place. The inscription is dated between A.D. 14 and 29, easily compatible with the beginnings of John's ministry, which Luke dates by Lysanias regn (Luke 3:1).
Still another is Gallio, Proconsul of Achaia. This title, found in Acts 18:12-17, was thought to be impossible. But an inscription at Delphi notes this exact title for the man and dates him to the time at which Paul was in Corinth (A.D. 51). In addition to these, Luke gives correct titles for the following officials: in Cyprus, proconsul; in Thessalonica, politarchs; in Ephesus, temple wardens; and in Malta, the first man of the island. And this is just between the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts!
The dating of the New Testament is a significant issue in determining its historical accuracy. It all depends on whether they were written during the lifetime of eyewitnesses and contemporaries to the events described. If this is true, then any eyewitness could have come forward and denied any of the writings of the New Testament. But none did! Why? Because they knew it all that was written was true and could not be denied or challenged! Critics have claimed that the writers created the events, rather than simply reporting them. They claim that the New Testament, especially the Gospels, contain mythology. In order for a legend or myth to begin to take effect, there has to be a significant amount of time passed. None of this is possible with the New Testament. The New Testament books appeared withing the lifetime of witnesses and contemporaries. Luke was written by about 60, only 27 years after Jesus' death, before Acts in 60-62. First Corinthians was written by 55-56, only 22 or 23 years after Jesus' death. It is generally believed that the entire New Testament was probably written sometime around 45 A.D. and completed before 70 A.D.
There are many more examples of the historicity and accuracy of the New Testament available, but for the sake of time and space, I will stop here for now.
To be continued.....
1/27/2008
James
Information compiled from:
Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics
by: Norman L. Geisler
In Acts 19:22, Erastus is named as a Corinthian who becomes a co-worker of Paul. An inscription was found near the theater while excavating Corinth which reads, "Erastus in return for his aedelship laid the pavement at his own expense." Luke included the detail that a prominent and welathy citizen of Corinth had been converted and had given his life to the ministry.
Another person named was Lysanias, Tetrarch of Abilene. Lysanias was unkown to modern historians until an inscription was found recording the temple dedication which mentions the name, the title, and is in the right place. The inscription is dated between A.D. 14 and 29, easily compatible with the beginnings of John's ministry, which Luke dates by Lysanias regn (Luke 3:1).
Still another is Gallio, Proconsul of Achaia. This title, found in Acts 18:12-17, was thought to be impossible. But an inscription at Delphi notes this exact title for the man and dates him to the time at which Paul was in Corinth (A.D. 51). In addition to these, Luke gives correct titles for the following officials: in Cyprus, proconsul; in Thessalonica, politarchs; in Ephesus, temple wardens; and in Malta, the first man of the island. And this is just between the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts!
The dating of the New Testament is a significant issue in determining its historical accuracy. It all depends on whether they were written during the lifetime of eyewitnesses and contemporaries to the events described. If this is true, then any eyewitness could have come forward and denied any of the writings of the New Testament. But none did! Why? Because they knew it all that was written was true and could not be denied or challenged! Critics have claimed that the writers created the events, rather than simply reporting them. They claim that the New Testament, especially the Gospels, contain mythology. In order for a legend or myth to begin to take effect, there has to be a significant amount of time passed. None of this is possible with the New Testament. The New Testament books appeared withing the lifetime of witnesses and contemporaries. Luke was written by about 60, only 27 years after Jesus' death, before Acts in 60-62. First Corinthians was written by 55-56, only 22 or 23 years after Jesus' death. It is generally believed that the entire New Testament was probably written sometime around 45 A.D. and completed before 70 A.D.
There are many more examples of the historicity and accuracy of the New Testament available, but for the sake of time and space, I will stop here for now.
To be continued.....
1/27/2008
James
Information compiled from:
Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics
by: Norman L. Geisler
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Kid Humor 1
A little girl was talking to her teacher about whales. The teacher said
it was physically impossible for a whale to swallow a human because
even though it was a very large mammal its throat was very small.
The little girl stated that Jonah was swallowed by a whale.
Irritated, the teacher reiterated that a whale could not swallow a human; it was physically impossible.
The little girl said, 'When I get to heaven I will ask Jonah'.
The teacher then asked, 'What if Jonah went to hell?'
The little girl replied, 'Then you ask him'.
************************************************************************************
it was physically impossible for a whale to swallow a human because
even though it was a very large mammal its throat was very small.
The little girl stated that Jonah was swallowed by a whale.
Irritated, the teacher reiterated that a whale could not swallow a human; it was physically impossible.
The little girl said, 'When I get to heaven I will ask Jonah'.
The teacher then asked, 'What if Jonah went to hell?'
The little girl replied, 'Then you ask him'.
************************************************************************************
The children were lined up in the cafeteria of a Catholic elementary
school for lunch. At the head of the table was a large pile of apples.
The nun made a note, and posted on the apple tray:
‘Take only ONE God is watching.'
Moving further along the lunch line, at the other end of the table was a
large pile of chocolate chip cookies. A child had written a note,
'Take all you want. God is watching the apples.'
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
THE BIBLE: Fact or Fiction? - Pt 2: Archaeology and the Bible – Old Testament
We have looked at unity of the Bible as one of the evidences for divine inspiration. Another line of evidence can be found in archaeology. Although it doesn’t prove inspiration directly, it does, however prove its historical reliability.
Archaeology has verified numerous ancient sites, civilizations, and biblical characters whose existence was questioned by the academic world and often dismissed as myths. Biblical archaeology has silenced many critics as new discoveries supported the facts of the Bible.
Here are a few examples. In the Old Testament, the Bible records that the Hittites were a powerful force in the Middle East from 1750 B.C until 1200 B.C. (Genesis 15:20, 2 Samuel 11, and 1 Kings 10:29). Before the late 19th century, nothing was known of the Hittites outside the Bible mentioning it, and many critics alleged that they were made up by the biblical authors.
However, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, archaeologists in
Another example is
As to the destruction of the two, evidence points to earthquake activity, and that the various layers of the earth were disrupted and hurled high into the air. To this day, bitumen is plentiful in that region, and an accurate description would be that brimstone (bituminous pitch) was hurled down on those two cities. There is also evidence that the layers of sedimentary rock have been molded together by intense heat. Evidence of such burning has been found on the top of Jebel Usdum (
Still another historical confirmation has been regarding the captivity. Records found in Babylon’s famous hanging gardens have shown that Jehoiachin and his five sons were being given a monthly ration and place to live and were being treated well (2 Kings 25:27-30). The name Belshazzar was put in question, because there was not only no mention of him, but was not on the list of Babylonian kings; however, Nabodonius left a record that he appointed his son, Belshazzar (Daniel 5), to reign for a few years in his absence. Nabodonius was still king, but Balshazzar ruled and it was against him that the writing on the wall by the hand of God was intended for!
In 1 Samuel chapter 31, it narrates the death of Saul, the first king of
The site of Solomon’s temple has not been excavated, because it is near the Muslim holy place, The Dome of the Rock. The only piece of evidence from the temple itself is a small ornament, a pomegranate that sat at the end of a rod bearing the inscription, “Belonging to the
During an excavation of
In every period of Old Testament history, we find that there is strong evidence from archaeology that the Bible speaks the truth!
Next we will tackle archaeological evidence for the New Testament.
James
1/23/2008
Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics
by: Norman L. Geisler
Stressful Moments, Spiritual Battles
These last couple of days at work have been kind of strange. They have been very stressful! Not to say that every day isn't, but somehow things have come upon me in a very sudden way. Allow me to explain.
I have worked for the Chicago Public Schools for the last 19 years. Over the years I have seen many things in regard to children behavior and how the age of innocence has taken a dive on a yearly basis.
For the last 11 years I have been involved with Special Education children. There are a diversity of needs that you could never imagine! Stories I don't have the time to tell you about and that most people probably wouldn't believe, except for those that are in the system.
On Tuesday one of the students tried to make me look bad with my coworkers and lied about something I had not allowed her to do. It wasn't such a big deal at the time because most of the teachers knew that this was something she did on a regular basis. So I didn't have anything to worry about in this case. Of course, I wasn't the only victim. She also lied about another coworker and when the dust cleared, the truth was known.
Then today, one of my boys went to a session with the school's social worker and complained that we didn't want to help him with his work and that I was always hitting him on the head! Of course that was a downright lie! Again, due to the reputation of this young boy, the social worker knew that he was fabricating this in order to make others feel sorry for him and in this way get out of the responsibility of doing his work. The possible problem here is that he could tell the same story to his mom or someone else, and then things can get complicated if he can get others to believe him. We are talking about 9 and 10 year olds here! Its amazing how deceitful some of these children can be at such a young age! And the fact that they know how to use it to their advantage! This is the generation that is currently being brought up! I shudder at the thought!
It seems to me that ever since I started this Blog, a new spiritual battle has begun! I know that our adversary, the Devil, is not too happy about this and will try anything to keep me off track . This can be very discouraging and stressful, but I know that God is very real and He will give me the strength to overcome any and all obstacles that might present themselves! I may be down at times, but I'm not out! We may fall down from time to time, but we get up! And not by our own strength, but through the strength of the Holy Spirit!
I ask only that you help me by keeping me in your prayers!
To God be the Glory, Honor and Praise Forever!! Amen!!
James
1/23/2008
I have worked for the Chicago Public Schools for the last 19 years. Over the years I have seen many things in regard to children behavior and how the age of innocence has taken a dive on a yearly basis.
For the last 11 years I have been involved with Special Education children. There are a diversity of needs that you could never imagine! Stories I don't have the time to tell you about and that most people probably wouldn't believe, except for those that are in the system.
On Tuesday one of the students tried to make me look bad with my coworkers and lied about something I had not allowed her to do. It wasn't such a big deal at the time because most of the teachers knew that this was something she did on a regular basis. So I didn't have anything to worry about in this case. Of course, I wasn't the only victim. She also lied about another coworker and when the dust cleared, the truth was known.
Then today, one of my boys went to a session with the school's social worker and complained that we didn't want to help him with his work and that I was always hitting him on the head! Of course that was a downright lie! Again, due to the reputation of this young boy, the social worker knew that he was fabricating this in order to make others feel sorry for him and in this way get out of the responsibility of doing his work. The possible problem here is that he could tell the same story to his mom or someone else, and then things can get complicated if he can get others to believe him. We are talking about 9 and 10 year olds here! Its amazing how deceitful some of these children can be at such a young age! And the fact that they know how to use it to their advantage! This is the generation that is currently being brought up! I shudder at the thought!
It seems to me that ever since I started this Blog, a new spiritual battle has begun! I know that our adversary, the Devil, is not too happy about this and will try anything to keep me off track . This can be very discouraging and stressful, but I know that God is very real and He will give me the strength to overcome any and all obstacles that might present themselves! I may be down at times, but I'm not out! We may fall down from time to time, but we get up! And not by our own strength, but through the strength of the Holy Spirit!
I ask only that you help me by keeping me in your prayers!
To God be the Glory, Honor and Praise Forever!! Amen!!
James
1/23/2008
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Poem - A Stubborn Kind Of Love
A Stubborn Kind of Love
His stubborn Love, it clings to me!
I am in wonder of it all,
for choosing me for all to see!
The Master calls, I run to see,
what is His will for you and me.
Grace and mercy all around,
His stubborn Love yet still abounds!
What can I do, what can I say?
I’m just an old cracked jar of clay!
But even though I may be old,
His stubborn Love will make me new!
I don’t know why He wants to try,
to pour his Love in my cracked jar!
Perhaps a leaky vessel is His choice,
the more it spills, the more He pours!
One thing I’ve learned and this I know,
His stubborn Love never lets go!
JBL
11/30/2007
THE BIBLE: Fact or Fiction? Pt 1: Unity of the Bible
If we are to answer the question, "Can you know God?", then we must examine the book that proclaims to be the written Word of God, the Bible. The Bible is the most awesome book that mankind has ever known or come across! The Bible is a collection of 66 books that were written over a span of 1500 years by more than 40 men from every walk of life, at different places, under various circumstances, and addressing a multitude of issues! Even with such diversity, the Bible has a continuous unity and continuity in its message! No other book can claim this uniqueness!
Authors include an adopted Egyptian noble (Moses), a shepherd (David), a Babylonian official (Daniel), a tax collector (Matthew), a doctor (Luke), a philosopher/rabbi (Paul), and a fisherman (Peter), to name a few. Many of the Biblical authors did not even exist in the same lifetime! The Bible includes poetry, history, government records, prophecy, dialogue, parables, sermons, letters, and religious instructions. It was written in 3 languages. The Old Testament was written mostly in Hebrew and some Aramaic (part of Daniel), and the New Testament in Greek. The oldest of the Old Testament books was written somewhere around 1400 B.C., while the youngest of the New Testament books around 95 A.D., or perhaps earlier. There are over 5,300 Greek copies of the New Testament manuscripts alone! Copies of the Old Testament Hebrew manuscripts throughout the world are estimated to run into the tens of thousands!
Despite the wide gap of centuries between books and variety of authors, the Bible consistently carries a central theme throughout its pages. It tell of a God who wants His creation to know Him and that He was even willing to send His own Son to come and live among us, even dying for all mankind in order to save us from eternal separation! It is a message of love such as we could never know! Someone once said that God would rather die so we could live with Him, than live without us!
The unity of the Bible is one of the arguments that point to its divine inspiration. There are others I would like to use: Manuscript evidence, archaeology, prophecy, and the most compelling of all, the testimony of Jesus Christ!
1/22/2008
James
Information compiled from:
Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics
by: Norman L. Geisler
Authors include an adopted Egyptian noble (Moses), a shepherd (David), a Babylonian official (Daniel), a tax collector (Matthew), a doctor (Luke), a philosopher/rabbi (Paul), and a fisherman (Peter), to name a few. Many of the Biblical authors did not even exist in the same lifetime! The Bible includes poetry, history, government records, prophecy, dialogue, parables, sermons, letters, and religious instructions. It was written in 3 languages. The Old Testament was written mostly in Hebrew and some Aramaic (part of Daniel), and the New Testament in Greek. The oldest of the Old Testament books was written somewhere around 1400 B.C., while the youngest of the New Testament books around 95 A.D., or perhaps earlier. There are over 5,300 Greek copies of the New Testament manuscripts alone! Copies of the Old Testament Hebrew manuscripts throughout the world are estimated to run into the tens of thousands!
Despite the wide gap of centuries between books and variety of authors, the Bible consistently carries a central theme throughout its pages. It tell of a God who wants His creation to know Him and that He was even willing to send His own Son to come and live among us, even dying for all mankind in order to save us from eternal separation! It is a message of love such as we could never know! Someone once said that God would rather die so we could live with Him, than live without us!
The unity of the Bible is one of the arguments that point to its divine inspiration. There are others I would like to use: Manuscript evidence, archaeology, prophecy, and the most compelling of all, the testimony of Jesus Christ!
1/22/2008
James
Information compiled from:
Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics
by: Norman L. Geisler
Monday, January 21, 2008
An Introduction
In this day and age, many people have claimed that they have come to know God. Some have done this through some type of mystical experience, others by simply looking "within themselves", still others say that God is in all things or that all things are God. How is it possible to have a variety of claims to the same thing when each is totally different and opposite from the other? That, my friends, is the question I wish to address!
Can we know God and does God want to be known? Is God real or is it a figment of mankind's imagination? First of all, I wish to make it clear that I'm not claiming to have ALL the answers to everything. No one on this earth does, but I can point you to the one who IS the ANSWER! And His name is JESUS! Through Jesus Christ we are able to have many of our questions answered, not only logically, but historically as well.
Yes, I am a Christian. A follower of Jesus Christ! He is my Lord and Savior for most of my life. I came to know about Jesus at the young age of 5. I grew up in a Spanish Pentecostal church in Chicago, Illinois. As I began to learn about the Bible and this Jesus who came to earth to die for the sins of mankind, many questions began to come to my young mind. Unfortunately, the church I grew up in was unable to answer these questions. It wasn't because they didn't want to, but rather because they themselves didn't know the answers! Through the years I did learn some things, but for the most part, many of the questions were still unanswered. Slowly, but surely, I began to find those answers through a series of events and by looking in the right places. Looking back now I realize that God was leading me, like a trail of bread crumbs, to find those answers.
I didn't realize that I had in my possession a book that contained the answers I was seeking! That book was the Bible! The Word of God Himself! As I began to read and look for the answers, some things did become clear, but still other things brought about new questions. If God is real, then why does certain things happen to people? If God is real, then why can't I see Him? If God is real, how can I find Him? If God is real, how can I know Him? Is the Bible real also or is it just another book filled with stories? Did the events written in the Bible actually happen? These are some of the questions that I had for many years and I will attempt to answer them for you in this blog.
If you have never given a second thought to becoming a Christian, then I hope to give you something to make an educated choice, one way or the other. You are not obligated to become a Christian, or anything else, for that matter. God does not want to twist your arm or force you to make any choice that you are not willing to make! He wants you to come to Him and accept Him willingly and of your own choice!
If you are a Christian already, but perhaps you are also searching for some more answers, then I hope to provide that for you also. And in so doing, we can all grow together in the power of His awesome love and grace! I hope you will find this blog helpful and useful in some way. I will be providing some articles and links to help you find your way in your personal journey to finding and knowing the one and true God!
1/21/2008
James
Can we know God and does God want to be known? Is God real or is it a figment of mankind's imagination? First of all, I wish to make it clear that I'm not claiming to have ALL the answers to everything. No one on this earth does, but I can point you to the one who IS the ANSWER! And His name is JESUS! Through Jesus Christ we are able to have many of our questions answered, not only logically, but historically as well.
Yes, I am a Christian. A follower of Jesus Christ! He is my Lord and Savior for most of my life. I came to know about Jesus at the young age of 5. I grew up in a Spanish Pentecostal church in Chicago, Illinois. As I began to learn about the Bible and this Jesus who came to earth to die for the sins of mankind, many questions began to come to my young mind. Unfortunately, the church I grew up in was unable to answer these questions. It wasn't because they didn't want to, but rather because they themselves didn't know the answers! Through the years I did learn some things, but for the most part, many of the questions were still unanswered. Slowly, but surely, I began to find those answers through a series of events and by looking in the right places. Looking back now I realize that God was leading me, like a trail of bread crumbs, to find those answers.
I didn't realize that I had in my possession a book that contained the answers I was seeking! That book was the Bible! The Word of God Himself! As I began to read and look for the answers, some things did become clear, but still other things brought about new questions. If God is real, then why does certain things happen to people? If God is real, then why can't I see Him? If God is real, how can I find Him? If God is real, how can I know Him? Is the Bible real also or is it just another book filled with stories? Did the events written in the Bible actually happen? These are some of the questions that I had for many years and I will attempt to answer them for you in this blog.
If you have never given a second thought to becoming a Christian, then I hope to give you something to make an educated choice, one way or the other. You are not obligated to become a Christian, or anything else, for that matter. God does not want to twist your arm or force you to make any choice that you are not willing to make! He wants you to come to Him and accept Him willingly and of your own choice!
If you are a Christian already, but perhaps you are also searching for some more answers, then I hope to provide that for you also. And in so doing, we can all grow together in the power of His awesome love and grace! I hope you will find this blog helpful and useful in some way. I will be providing some articles and links to help you find your way in your personal journey to finding and knowing the one and true God!
1/21/2008
James
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