By the Numbers

Monday, September 26, 2011

Faith, Reason & Revelation

                                                Faith, Reason & Revelation
 #Epistemology                                                                                                                            #Knowledge
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Thinking people can’t avoid the question of the relationship between faith and reason. Great minds such as St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas and others have grappled with this through the centuries. Let me be candid. I’m not a philosopher, theologian, or logician, so you don’t have to believe all I say. But I’ll give you the best I can, and pray we come to the truth. Examine carefully the steps of my thinking.
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The Question of Faith and Reason.
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Throughout life, we reach conclusions we believe true and call natural human knowledge. Faith and reason are foundational and inseparably joined to form our conclusions. We think and act by faith that our senses give us accurate information and that we exist, that a world outside of us exists, that other persons and minds we can rightly correspond with exists, and that we may discover many things exist that we don’t know how they exist. But we just don’t believe anything—we must first think it’s worth believing or has some basis in reason and fact. Certainly I can't claim the world doesn't exist unless I exist to make the claim.
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In youth, we accepted a particular religion largely on the authority of our parents, or religious teachers, and identified with it. But in growing older, teachers and friends may present hostile ideas, cause us painful doubts, and to forsake our once held beliefs. How can we know with certainty what to believe? With approximated seven billion people on the earth, and a multitude of different religions, how can we know the religion our parents or teachers taught us just happened to be the right one? Good honest question!
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The Question of God.
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The teachings of the Christian faith require supernatural or spiritual knowledge. Supernatural knowledge is not based upon physical things we see every day and can examine firsthand. They are not a visible tangible part of our everyday world, but our limited senses may not tell us everything that exists. Unique events may occur at times and places unknown to us. Honesty compels us to admit these statements are true. This opens the door to consider the Christian faith based upon supernatural or spiritual knowledge that a real God exists who can act in our real world. Although, there’s no rule God must appear or act in obedience to our whims or desires. 
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The origin of Christian faith is based upon a personal ethical triune Creator God. Unless we can give evidence to show no such Creator exists, it’s an open question. But then we must give evidence to show one could or likely does exist.
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Common sense and science point us to the biblical God. Common sense tells us if nothing exists, it means no existence of any kind—no matter, no power or force, no consciousness or life, no mind or will. Yet, we know all these things presently exist. Science tells us the universe began to be or came into existence. If it didn’t exist, it couldn’t cause itself—that would be an impossible contradiction. Thus, the universe is the effect of a preceding existing cause that explains and sustains all present dependent existence. What might that cause be like?
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That cause must be spiritual or nonmaterial since it is the cause of this material dependent universe. That cause must be self-existent, eternal, and unchangeable or else it would have ceased to exist. That cause must be one infinite power everywhere present to uphold every particle comprising this expanding universe. Also, that cause must be a mind and will since mindless force can’t plan or produce anything. So we conclude the cause of the universe is one infinite self-existent, eternal, unchangeable, all-powerful mind or person who willed to create this universe. This corresponds with what we read in Genesis 1:1; Exodus 3:14; Col 1:16-17 and the further teaching of the Creator God of the Bible. Super important at this point is this: The biblical God is what makes everything a rational, dependable, and moral universe and everything we know and do possible.
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There are some unworthy human ideas about God. Atheists say no god of any kind exists. Atheism destroys the basis for human dignity, ethics, eternal existence, and is a claim to exhaustive knowledge atheists don’t have. Deists say God is the Creator who forsook his creation to run on its own steam. Their God forsook us, is irrelevant and unworthy of our worship. Pantheists or monist religions claim the universe is god. But that leads to a mass of contradictions, they can’t live as though the world is illusion, can’t give proof of reincarnation, it destroys human dignity and ethics, and it ends in human extinction. Polytheists believe in limited local tribal gods that evolved somehow out of nature that fight and destroy themselves and really care nothing for their worshippers. It too is conflicting ideas and makes nature itself supreme. The intellectual’s evolving process god is not sovereign and depends on the world, thus is untrustworthy and irrelevant to human needs. All this is further explained in my other articles, especially worldviews.
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Islam claims the angel Gabriel spoke God or Allah's  message to Muhammad. But the prophet could give no evidence this claim was true and anybody could make a similar claim. In fact, the Mormon Joseph Smith Jr. did. Further, Muhammad came centuries after Christianity was established and made false statements about the persons, events and teachings of the Bible. We know it's true because our manuscripts today agree with the ancient ones discovered to be thousands of years ago before Muhammad's time. That's why both Jews and Christians rejected him as a false prophet. See my article: What Did Muhammad Say About Jesus?
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The Question of Which Revelation.
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There are good reasons to think Christian faith is of God. If a Creator God exists, he is in control and nothing he desires is impossible. But how can we know such a God can act in our world? Just the subjective claim that God spoke to me or to someone is not convincing. That claim can be explained by imagination, hallucination, drugs, a blow to the head, or something I ate. The claimer may even be telling a lie. Some kind of objective, visual sensual events attracting attention and that are unknown or beyond normal human experience are imperative. Moreover, if such events really occurred at one time, the mere passing of time cannot undermine their reality. A Creator can act in our world when and how He desires.
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Three lines of evidence demonstrate the Creator acting in our world. First, miracles. Consider God parting the Red Sea with walls of water on each side, Jesus walking on the sea, immediate healing of blindness, lameness and all kinds of diseases, stilling a storm, restoring a man’s cut off ear, raising the dead, being transformed into light, ascending into the sky. If someone claims to be from God and could perform such extraordinary actions, we have certain reason to believe it’s true and of God. It’s true especially when Jesus did such things repeatedly for more than three years before skeptical astonished disciples and hostile critics.  Moreover, Jesus’ disciples who witnessed these things underwent inhuman tortures and gave their life’s blood for what they knew to be true. What world religion can claim such things of their founder? NONE!
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Another line of evidence is fulfilled predictions in accord with certain objective criteria. A prophet of God must say things in accord with the teaching of God already known and be recognized by other established prophets. He must predict specific details that can’t be attributed to guess or in line with present trends or be artificially fulfilled. He must make short-term predictions fulfilled in his time so people will believe long-term predictions will be fulfilled. Biblical prophets made hundreds of such prophecies about individuals, surrounding nations, and about a coming Messiah.
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Consider just some predictions made centuries before of the coming Messiah--his virgin birth (Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:23), miracles (Isa. 35:5-6; Matt. 11:4-6), rejection (Ps.69:8; John. 1:11) death for sinners (Isa. 53:6-7; Jn. 1:29), resurrection (Ps. 16:10; Mark 16:6-7; Acts 16:35), and ascension (Ps. 68:18; Eph. 4:8). The chances against these predictions being fulfilled is in the trillions and simply impossible. They have to be given the prophets by an all-knowing God. And no future prophetic fulfillments are found among world religions.
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A third reason the Christian faith is of God is that the things said of Jesus could only be true of God. Jesus lived without sin, forgave sin--will judge the world of sin. Jesus was with the Father before creation, addressed by the Father from Heaven, is one with the Father, and to accept him is to receive the Father. Jesus who was attended by angels and commanded demons will return in glory. At his trial, the only charge against him was that he said he was God. It’s clear that the man Jesus, who walked among us 2,000 years ago and said he was God, actually was and is God. Now, whatever God says is final authority, and we will be judged accordingly. Nothing like this is claimed of other world religion founders.
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There are reasons to think non-Christian religions and philosophies are not of God. As both men and women are created in God’s image, and both contain the same genes, both deserve the same respectful treatment not shown in world religions. As we all descended from human parents, we are on the same plane so that class distinctions, or castes between peoples is seriously wrong. Moreover, we have the same freedoms and rights without discrimination. It’s clear to everyone that men and women are designed for each other and for family living. Jesus said God intended a one-flesh union so many spouses shows the hardness of our hearts and indifference to the needs of singles. The Lord Jesus who died to save us, in utter fairness and complete knowledge will one day judge our every action and abuse. Unlike other religions, biblical Christianity is not a blind leap into the dark, but a step of faith into the light.
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Won’t you trust in the Lord Jesus Christ to be your Savior and life Guide? Christian teaching is supported by reasonable evidence, but we come to Christian faith only when the person of God’s Spirit convicts, convinces, and converts our sinful rebellious heart.
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Objections generally boil down to two. Either in pride we give some intellectual excuse that Christianity doesn’t make sense, as I want it to make sense. Or, more likely, I just don’t want anyone including God telling me what to do. Reasonable arguments can clear away the cobwebs, but God doesn’t force us to believe. One must willingly respond to the person of the Holy Spirit who convicts, convinces, and converts us of our sin and need of the Savior (Matt. 16:16-17; Jn. 16:8-10). We can understand intellectually, but reject God’s truth spiritually and experientially (John 1:12-13; 1 Cor. 2:14). ,Consistent habitual sinful living is the proof we’re not in Christ (1 John. 3:4-6).
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We must come to understand that our Maker and Judge is a Holy Moral Lawgiver, who despises sin and desires we live a consistent holy life. “You shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matt. 5:48). Joining a church, or attending church, serving in a church office, being baptized, burning candles, carrying a cross, knelling before an altar, shaking a pastor’s hand, giving money, saying a prayer, confessing to a priest, or any other good deeds are not what saves us. If our good deeds save us, then Jesus' death on the cross to pay for our sins would be useless, even stupid (Rom. 11:6; Gal. 2:16).
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The Scripture says, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved." (Acts 16:31). He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him (Jn. 3:36). For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works (Eph. 2:8-10).
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Won’t you enter into a love-trust relationship with the One who died to save you and which issues in a life of obedience. Salvation of us sinners must be received by faith as God’s gift. Pray, Lord I’m an unworthy sinner deserving eternal separation from you in the eternal Hell of wrath, despair, darkness, tears, and torments. But right now and from this day on I trust you to make me a clean child of God to live a consistent life before you that brings you the glory. Amen (So be it).
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Now you can render the greatest service to your Lord & for others by linking & sharing these articles with friends & relations. Your efforts may be the reason you will see them in Heaven one day & have a better world here. God bless.
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Let me recommend some books. For everybody, I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, by Norman L. Geisler & Frank Turek, Understanding the Times, by David A. Noebel. For pastors, The Fundamentals For The Twenty- Century-First Century, by Mal Couch. The Popular Enclopedia of Apologetics, by Ed Hindson & Ergun Caner. See my other article on epistemology: Jesus, Faith, & Knowledge.
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Tuesday, September 13, 2011

How Jesus Gave Human Life Value

How Jesus Gave Human Life Value

Few people realize that Jesus has transformed human life in every area His influence is felt. Jesus brought the West out of barbarianism. But, it’s not mentioned in revised history. It’s attacked by the liberal media, and scoffed at by atheists and skeptics. It’s not valued in cold backslidden churches, and hardly known or realized even by true believing Christians. Let’s look at the many areas where Jesus has lifted humanity out of barbarianism giving human life value.
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Jesus saved the life of children. Jesus said whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me (Matt. 18:5). 
Child sacrifice was common in the ancient world. We read in the Bible of the Baal and Ashtoreth worshippers who practiced child sacrificed. Archaeologists digging up a cemetery a few feet from their temple uncovered jars containing remains of infants. Human life was cheap in the East as in classical Greece, Rome, Europe, India, Japan and China so that abortion, infanticide, abandonment, and exposure were commonplace.
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Infirm and unwanted babies would be taken to the forest or the mountainside to be eaten by wild animals, or starved, or picked up by strange people who crept around at night for whatever suited their desires. Then as now, it was more often the human life of female babies considered inferior. Of course, many children were born since men of all ages slept with their slaves. And due to famine, illness, and exposure, only about half of the many children born lived past the age of eight. In ancient Rome, a father held absolute authority over his children. He could kill them, sell them as slaves, marry them off, divorce them, or confiscate their property. It was indeed dangerous to be born in ancient times. Human life was so cheap in the ancient world.
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When the Son of God took on the nature and body of a human child, he established human dignity created in God’s image. So, Christian believers in Rome saved many of the castaway babies to bring them up in the Christian faith. Abortion and abandonment disappeared in the early Church. Christians began foundling homes and orphanages to save children. When Jesus said God was our Father that radically altered the attitudes fathers should have toward their children. Based on the teachings of Jesus and the Bible, it laid the foundation and brought about our laws of child protection in the West we today call normal and natural. The church fought and overcame abortion repeatedly to save human life but it always returns when Christian influence wanes.
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The only choice today’s Planned Parenthood gives pregnant girls is killing their baby on Wednesday or on Friday, and of cutting their helpless screaming infant in pieces, burning them with acid, or sticking a stake in the back of their head. Who knows but that that murdered human life might have become a genius making great contributions to our world. And the girls experience trauma, guilt and regret the rest of their lives.
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Jesus elevated the position of women. The men who caught the woman in the act of adultery were shamed and walked away unable to caste a stone at her. Jesus asked her where her accusers were. When she replied there were none, Jesus said, “neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more” (John 8:9-11). The woman of Samaria said to Jesus, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans (John 4:9). Since the woman was caught in the act of adultery, so was the man. But nothing was done about him. Why? If the woman deserved stoning, so did the man according to Jewish law and being guilty of the same sin. Isn’t this an unfair double standard? Also, notice that Jesus didn’t treat the Samaritan woman with contempt as his fellow Jews, but with respect even though a sinner. Jesus is to be the Christian’s example.
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Women have always been abused throughout the world. And it can’t be blamed on Eve’s sin. Since Adam was to be head of the family and God specifically warned him about eating the forbidden fruit, he should have stopped Eve from eating. Moreover, the husband being bigger and stronger and the wife being helpless in pregnancy, shows he is to protect and provide for his family and she is to nurture it. Except for gender, both receive genes from both parents so neither is inferior to the other but made for essential rolls that happen to be different. Men abusers are without excuse.
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Aristotle thought a woman’s status somewhere between a free man and a slave. Plato believed cowardly men would be reincarnated as a woman. In ancient times, women were the property of their husbands. The Quran of Islam says women can be denied sex, beaten, and divorced, but wives can’t divorce husbands. Some Muslim countries degrade women requiring them to wear a black gown with only their eyes showing. Often they aren’t permitted to drive a vehicle or go to school. In Christ all persons are to be shown respect and the dividing wall is broken down (Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:11; Eph. 2;14). Jesus elevates human life everywhere his teachings are believed and practiced.
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Modern missionaries were shocked and horrified by the treatment of women in Eastern countries. In India, Hindus practiced suttee that meant that a wife was to be burned to death on her husband’s funeral pyre. Young girls could be killed or made temple prostitutes. In Africa, the chieftain’s wives and concubines (sex slaves) were killed when he died. Men may even use a woman hitched with an ox to plow a field. It’s hard to understand why modern feminists berate Christianity when historically it freed and ennobled womanhood.
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Jesus’ influence overtime eradicates slavery. Slavery came about through people captured in wars, inheritance, or voluntarily submission to pay a dept. Slavery was common in all the ancient world but Jews gave them rights, had humane laws, and freed them if injured and in the year of Jubilee. It’s estimated a third to half of the Roman Empire was slaves and the slave owner could kill his slave at whim. Slaves had no dignity and no rights in society or the state. They could be beaten, sold, or murdered. If their master was murdered, all his slaves were put to death maybe fed to alligators.
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Aristotle referred to slaves as a “living tool.” Female slaves were given for nightly convenience of guests. People of the same race enslaved each other and the gods had no pity on them. Gladiators were slaves who hacked themselves to pieces in the coliseum until the fifth century monk Telemachus jumped into the arena pleading for them to stop. He was stoned for interfering with the crowd’s amusement but the emperor then put a stop to it and made him a Christian martyr. Muslims still take slaves in Africa today.
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Skeptics of Christianity criticize it for not abolishing slavery. Biblical Christianity laid the basis of abolishing slavery but it was slow to take root in our depraved prideful hearts. Plantation owners in the southern states of America argued that slavery existed in Bible times so it was justified. But the real reason was that slaves make their owners rich. Had the civil war not occurred, slavery might have died out. Many Christians and ministers helped runaway slaves escape through the underground railroad. Had the apostles told Christian slave owners to free their slaves, the Roman Caesars would have crucified both the Christians and the slaves just as the Spartacus slave rebellion was crushed and thousands of slaves crucified. Those skeptics seem to ignore all this and give Jesus no credit for giving dignity to human life.
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The Bible argues against slavery and for human freedom. All persons are created in God’s image, descended from the same parents, have the same blood, thus have the same rights to dignity, respect, and fair treatment (Gen. 1:27; Acts 17:26). God’s apostle Paul told Philemon to treat his runaway now Christian slave Onesimus as a beloved brother (Phil. 15-16). In Christ, masters are to treat slaves, as they would want the Lord to treat them. We’re to show no difference among peoples (Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:8-10; Eph. 6:5-9). All this was unthinkable in the ancient world. The great evangelical statesman, William Wilberforce, fought in the English parliament to free the slaves and on his deathbed-received word the bill was passed and 700,000 British Empire slaves were freed.
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The Christian biblical faith alone frees us from slavery to every sin. It gives us motives and power to live Godly lives in this wicked world. Jesus’ teaching eliminates barbarianism and establishes human dignity, rights, and ethical standards. Human babies were dumped outside ancient city walls so the poorest people could find something to cook for food. Aztecs and others killed thousands of their enemies as offerings to their gods. People too believed that killing their enemies gave them their enemy’s strength. Where the gospel has not penetrated and leaders know nothing of God’s love and grace, they may take their own lives rather than face the shame and disgrace of failure. Pontius Pilate, the Emperors Nero and Hadrian, the Stoic philosopher Seneca and others did this. The ancient Stoic philosophy was that suicide was a person’s choice. The Japanese thought it an honor to show how a Samurai could die with a sword in his belly.
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Human life had little value until the Bible and the Lord Jesus Christ came to dwell in human hearts and lives. Few persons today realize conditions prevalent in ancient times. They have little or no idea of the impact Jesus and the Bible have had on the western world. In ancient cultures, it was common to have human sacrifice, cannibalism, head hunting, suicide. If we human beings are of little worth, what could be wrong with such things? If cows or pigs are worth more to you than babies or women, or slaves, why be concerned with what happens to them? If killing another person brings you his power, then that’s to your advantage. If we are all just another kind of animal that returns to the dirt, why care? If gaining power and control is your only concern, then why not lie, steal, or murder to gain it? And, if evolution is true, then your murderer is the fittest. With Christian influence waning in the West, we are once again returning to this way of thinking and acting which will have disastrous consequences.  Tyranny and slavery will be the result. Our lives will mean nothing.
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Jesus and the Bible lifted us out of this to a higher plane but that has not been passed on to following generations. We have succumbed to evolutionary naturalism. The Bible warns, “He who sins against me (God) wrongs his own soul’; All those who hate me love death” (Prov. 8:36).
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The Christian worldview teaches we are created in the mental moral immortal image of God. We will answer to God for how we obeyed his moral law. This gives us all dignity, rights and a moral standard to uphold. We cannot long enjoy the fruits of Christianity by cutting ourselves off from their roots in Jesus and the Bible. Thinking ourselves wise in rejecting Jesus and God’s Word, we are descending into darkness. The value of human life will diminish, and all the evils of pre-Christian influence will return.
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There is still time if we will turn to real faith in the Lord and forsake our sin. Commitment of life to the Savior of sinners will restore our Godly heritage, human value, and avert disaster. Won’t you make an honest commitment to trust in the Savior, have Him for your life Guide, and tell others about His deliverance from sin and Hell?
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These researched books further substantiate other articles showing the benefits of Jesus & the Bible.
Dr. D. James Kennedy & Jerry Newcombe. What if Jesus Had Never Been Born?
Dr. D. James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe. What if the Bible Had Never Been Written?
Jerry Newcombe. The Book That Made America.
Earle E. Cairns. Christianity In The United States.
John W. Whitehead. The Stealing Of America.
Erwin W. Lutzer. When A Nation Forgets God.
Newt Gingrich. Rediscovering God in America.
Mike Huckabee. Do the Right Thing.
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