Apologetics - The Poached Egg

Midweek Apologetics Hit and Misc: Can I Get an Amen?!?

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Midweek Apologetics Hit and Misc: Can I Get an Amen?!?

What We Mean When We Say Amen – Kevin DeYoung

Faithful Thinkers: Is Consistency Important?

Tim Keller On Interpreting The Bible | The Road To Emmaus

History of the Bible: How The Bible Came To Us

Carson Weitnauer: putting atheism on the defensive | Wintery Knight

What Kind Of Historical Sources Can Be Trusted? | Think Christianly

Five Challenges For Your Secular Friends

Book Review: A Basic Guide to Interpreting the Bible by Robert H. Stein - Apologetics 315

Why Darwinism and Incivility Seem to Go Together - Evolution News & Views

The Difficulty with Genesis 1:26 Why Does God refer to himself as “us?” | conversantlife.com

Truthbomb Apologetics: Jeffrey Burton Russell on the Compatibility of Science and Christianity

What is the difference between the Mormon Jesus and the Jesus of the Bible? | CRI

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MIDWEEK RECOMMENDED APOLOGETICS RESOURCES ROUNDUP:

Thinking About Christian Apologetics: What It Is and Why We Do It

Christian Confidence: An Introduction to Defending the Faith

Reasons for Our Hope: An Introduction to Christian Apologetics

Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith

The Magic Man in the Sky: Effectively Defending the Christian Faith

A Shot of Faith (to the Head): Be a Confident Believer in an Age of Cranky Atheists

Who Made God? Searching for a Theory of Everything

 

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What Did Jesus Teach about the Bible?

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What Did Jesus Teach about the Bible?

by David Roach

It’s relatively common to encounter professed Christians who say they love the Bible but don’t think it’s entirely true. This has occurred famously in church history, as when Karl Barth wrote that “arithmetical errors, whimsies and impossibilities may have crept in” to the Bible and that the authors of Scripture were “guilty of error in their spoken and written word.” But such dismissal of the Bible occurs among believers today too, as when someone told me at a recent church function that belief in the Bible’s complete truthfulness is not regarded as a “serious academic position” at the Christian college where he works.

In response to such claims (as American theologian Carl Henry reminded us), it’s worth taking a look at what Jesus taught about the Bible. First, He said nothing could invalidate the truth of the Old Testament. Most of the time the Greek verb luo means “to free” or “to loose.” But four times in the Gospels, Jesus used it to reference the Old Testament, giving it the more technical meaning “to invalidate.” For example, He said that “whoever relaxes (or invalidates) one of the least of these commandments and teaches other to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:19). For Jesus, no one had the right to say the Old Testament was in error.

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Jesus also said Old Testament Scripture was more authoritative than any religious tradition, as when He told the Pharisees in Mark 7:9, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition.” And in the Sermon on the Mount, He elevated Scripture above Jewish traditions on matters like adultery and divorce.

But Jesus didn’t only hold up the Old Testament as truthful and authoritative; He claimed that His own teaching was as authoritative as the Old Testament…

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What Did Jesus Teach about the Bible? | The BibleMesh Blog

 

RECOMMENDED APOLOGETICS RESOURCES FOR FURTHER READING:

The Apologetics of Jesus: A Caring Approach to Dealing with Doubters

Why Trust Jesus?: An Honest Look at Doubts, Plans, Hurts, Desires, Fears, Questions, and Pleasures

 

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A Child-like Faith?

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What about having a child-like faith, you ask?  Aren't children ignorant of many things and innocent of sophisticated ways of thinking and argumentation?  Jesus just wants us to "have faith," doesn't he?  If you read Matthew 18:1-3, you'll see that Jesus isn't telling us to become like children intellectually, but rather that if we want to be "great" in the kingdom of heaven (18:1), per the disciples' question, then we have to become like children in the sense that children are dependent on others for their sustenance. "They are dependent upon others and willingly accept from them what they cannot provide for themselves." [1]  Jesus compares being like children to being like the kings of the earth (17:24-27), telling his disciples that greatness is not a social status or set of reigning powers bestowed by aristocratic means.  Rather, it means being converted (turning to God in faith for life, forgiveness and entrance into his kingdom), as opposed to seeking the so-called glorious power of kings. - Christopher Mark Van Allsburg; Chapter Director of Ratio Christi Lenoir-Rhyne University ([1] New Geneva Study Bible, Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995, p.1535. [origianl post here])

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Why did God make salvation such a narrow path?

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Why did God make salvation such a narrow path?

GotQuestions.org

Question: "Why did God make salvation such a narrow path?"

Answer: In Matthew 7:13–14, Jesus said, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." This passage causes some to question the goodness of God. After all, if He really wants to save everyone, why didn't He make it easier to be saved? Why doesn't He simply let everyone into heaven?

When we read the word narrow, we tend to associate it with prejudicial selection. It sounds as though God has rated us all on some scale of acceptability and only allows a select few to enter His presence. However, few verses earlier, Jesus had told the same audience, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." Jesus made it clear: the path to eternal life is open to everyone who asks.

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However, the gate to heaven is “narrow” in the sense of having a particular requirement for entrance—faith in Jesus Christ. Salvation is found only in the Person of Jesus Christ; He is the only way (John 14:6). The “wide” gate is non-exclusive; it allows for human effort and all other of the world’s religions.

Jesus says that narrow gate leads to a “hard” road, one that will take us through hardships and difficult decisions. Following Jesus requires crucifying our flesh (Galatians 2:20; 5:24; Romans 6:2), living by faith (Romans 1:17; 2 Corinthians 5:7; Hebrews 10:38), enduring trials with Christlike patience (James 1:2–3, 12; 1 Peter 1:6), and living a lifestyle separate from the world (James 1:27; Romans 12:1–2). When faced with the choice between a narrow, bumpy road and a wide, paved highway, most of us choose the easier road. Human nature gravitates toward comfort and pleasure. When faced with the reality of denying themselves to follow Jesus, most people turn away…

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Why did God make salvation such a narrow path?

 

RECOMMENDED APOLOGETICS RESOURCES FOR FURTHER READING:

Jesus Among Other Gods: The Absolute Claims of the Christian Message

Is Jesus the Only Savior?

 

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Was the Mosaic Law Meant to Be Permanent?

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Was the Mosaic Law Meant to Be Permanent?

by Bill Pratt

No, it wasn’t.  Not only does the New Testament book of Hebrews make clear that it was temporary, but the Old Testament itself promises a new covenant in Jer. 31 and Ezek. 36.  Should we completely ignore the Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament where the Law is found, as hopelessly irrelevant for Christians today?

Not exactly.  The Torah does contain timeless commands that reflect God’s nature, but it also contains temporary laws that are directed at a deeply sinful people living in a flawed culture during a specific period of time in history.

Philosopher Paul Copan describes the situation in his book Is God a Moral Monster? :

When we journey back over the millennia into the ancient Near East, we enter a world that is foreign to us in many ways.  Life in the ancient Near East wouldn’t just be alien to us – with all of its strange ways and assumptions.  We would see a culture whose social structures were badly damaged by the fall.  Within this context, God raised up a covenant nation and gave the people laws to live by; he helped to create a culture for them.  In doing so, he adapted his ideals to a people whose attitudes and actions were influenced by deeply flawed structures.

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At the beginning of the Torah, God lays down the ideals for mankind in Gen. 1 and 2.  According to Copan, those first two chapters “make clear that all humans are God’s image-bearers; they have dignity, worth, and moral responsibility.  And God’s ideal for marriage is a one-flesh monogamous union between husband and wife.”  But the subsequent historical narrative, as recorded in the remainder of Genesis, and then Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, is characterized by humanity’s precipitous fall into moral degeneracy…

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Was the Mosaic Law Meant to Be Permanent? | Tough Questions Answered

 

RECOMMENDED APOLOGETICS RESOURCES FOR FURTHER READING:

Is God a Moral Monster?: Making Sense of the Old Testament God

Contending with Christianity's Critics: Answering New Atheists and Other Objectors

 

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Weekend Apologetics Hit and Misc: A Pebble in the Shoe

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Weekend Apologetics Hit and Misc: A Pebble in the Shoe

Put a Pebble in His Shoe – Justin Taylor

5 Tools Needed to Reach Today’s Teens – The Gospel Coalition Blog

Danger and Staying Safe: Cave Diving and Apologetics

Working together in ministry - No solo acts

Should Christians Work on Sundays? A Bible Study

Those Who Deny Objective Moral Values | Reasonable Faith

12 Historical Facts - Gary Habermas

Stand to Reason Blog: A Quick Summary of the Bible (Video)

God, Science, and Reason: Finding the Light of God Amidst the Darkness of Atheism and Dogmatism

California Apologist Travels to Help Hurting Soldiers Stationed Far from Home

‘Fal$e Teacher$’ rapper answers critics with ‘positive’ theology

Truthbomb Apologetics: Greg Koukl on "Unbelievable Belief"

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WEEKEND RECOMMENDED APOLOGETICS RESOURCES ROUNDUP:

Saving Leonardo: A Call to Resist the Secular Assault on Mind, Morals, and Meaning

A Shot of Faith (to the Head): Be a Confident Believer in an Age of Cranky Atheists

The Magic Man in the Sky: Effectively Defending the Christian Faith

On Guard: Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision

Reasonable Faith (3rd Edition): Christian Truth and Apologetics

How to Be a Christian in a Brave New World

Issues Facing Christians Today

 

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Why Christians may eat shellfish but may not have sex outside marriage

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Why Christians may eat shellfish but may not have sex outside marriage

by Dr. Peter Saunders

An argument frequently advanced by those attempting to defend homosexual practice is that Christians ‘cherry pick’ the commands in the Bible – that is, they chose to emphasise some commands while ignoring others.

The Old Testament may forbid homosexual acts (Leviticus 18:2; 20:13) but it also forbids eating seafood without fins and scales (Leviticus 11:9-12; Deuteronomy 14:9, 10).

So how can Christians then justify upholding laws on sexual morality whilst at the same time ignoring the food laws from the very same books of the Bible? Why may they eat shellfish but not be allowed to have sex outside marriage? Isn’t this inconsistent and hypocritical?

Didn’t Jesus himself say that ‘anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven’? (Matthew 5:19)

The answer to this question lies in an understanding of biblical covenants.

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A covenant is a binding solemn agreement made between two parties. It generally leaves each with obligations. But it holds only between the parties involved.

There are a number of biblical covenants: Noahic, Abrahamic, Sinaitic (Old), Davidic and New.

Under the Noahic covenant, which God made with all living human beings (Genesis 9:8-17), people were able to eat anything:

‘Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything’ (Genesis 9:3).

But under the Sinaitic (Old) Covenant, which God made with the nation of Israel, people were able to eat certain foods, but not others. These are listed in detail in Leviticus 11:1-47 and Deuteronomy 14:1-21).

However these laws were applicable only to the nation of Israel and were intended to set them apart from other races.

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Christian Medical Comment: Why Christians may eat shellfish but may not have sex outside marriage

 

RECOMMENDED APOLOGETICS RESOURCES FOR FURTHER READING:

Saving Leonardo: A Call to Resist the Secular Assault on Mind, Morals, and Meaning

Issues Facing Christians Today

 

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