The Hope That Is in You
In I Peter 3:15, the apostle gives us this exhortation:
"Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence."
That's what this blog is intended to do: give an account for the hope that is in me. I propose to accomplish this by engaging in dialogue with anyone who wants to discuss questions of faith. If you have a question or an issue, send it to me and I will attempt to comment on it to the best of my ability. I must stress, however, that I am a layman and not a Biblical expert. Presently I'm on my nineteenth time reading through the Bible and feel that every time I read a scriptural passage I get something new or different out of it. There is so much more that I need to learn. Nonetheless, all of us who follow Christ need to be able to explain, with gentleness and reverence, why we believe as we do.
I invite you to participate if you are serious about questions of faith. To join the group, click on "Join This Site" on the right-hand panel. You will need to create a Google account if you don't already have one; Google accounts are free. Other accounts that will allow you to write a question or a comment are Netlog, AIM, and Open ID. Click on the "comments" link below. Write in the box; then click "Publish."
A word or two about my faith journey: I read the Bible every day and also regularly read The Daily Bread, a publication of RBC Ministries. I have been a church elder and deacon and frequently teach Sunday school classes. My wife and I attend two churches, one in Arizona and one in Washington State.
Hi Jay:
ReplyDeleteI've a question for you. There seems to be a lot of debate regarding the reality of hell. What does the Bible have to say about it? Is hell a real place?
Darron -- Great question. Yes, hell is definitely a real place. There are numerous references to hell in the Bible, but one of the most powerful is in II Thessalonians 6-9: "God is just; He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to those of you who are troubled, and to us as well. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of His power." The thought of being separated from God is particularly terrifying to me. Unfortunately, hell is not a popular idea today, and there are many who don't believe in it, perhaps because they don't want to believe in it. We would all do well to bear in mind that we will all have eternal life; the crux of the issue is where we'll spend it.
ReplyDeleteHi, Jay,
ReplyDeleteI have a question that I am asked by my nonChristian friends. "With so many religions in the world, how can Christians believe that Jesus is the only way to God?" How would you respond?
Priscilla -- This is a terrific question; you could write a book on it, but I'll try to give my own brief take. I can think of four main things I would say about this. First: As theologian Ravi Zacharias points out, Christianity is not the only religion to claim exclusivity. Others that claim exclusivity on some issues at least are Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism. Second: There's a fairly common belief that "all religions lead to God." I believe this to be false. The major world religions contradict each other on many different points. They cannot all be right. Third: One common argument against Jesus being the only way to God is the notion that because there are many in the world who have not had the opportunity to hear the Christian gospel, it is unfair and arrogant to claim that Christ is the only way. But consider what the apostle Paul says in Acts 17:26-27: "From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us." In other words, as Zacharias notes, God is reachable by all people, no matter where they live or when they have lived or what their experience is. Fourth: Jesus said in John 14:6: "No one comes to the Father except through me." Some regard this as an outrageous pronouncement and respond with statements like "Jesus was a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God." As theologian C. S. Lewis notes in Chapter 3 of "Mere Christianity," however, "A man who was merely a man and said the sorts of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic -- on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg -- or else He would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse." Well, I've made my choice. I take Jesus at His word.
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DeleteJay, we've often heard the expressions "God's perfect will" and "God's permissive will". How can one be certain that what we have interpreted to be God's perfect will for a specific situation is actually simply His permissive will and not the best path to follow?
ReplyDeleteMariner Guy, What an excellent (and meaty) question. I've done some research, and my answer follows below. But first, just to make sure we're on the same page, here's my understanding of what the terms mean: God's perfect will is just that -- our perfect response to a question or an issue and thus the best path to follow. God's permissive will is what God allows, but it is far from the best course and often if not always constitutes sin. Some examples of His permissive will would be: (1) God's allowing Joseph's 11 brothers' to sell him into Egyptian slavery and then to sin by lying to their father that he'd been killed by a wild animal. (2) The taking of more than one wife. Many did this, including the patriarchs, but it was not God's original plan -- a perpetual union of one man and one woman while they both lived. (3) Our marrying a nonbeliever despite our knowing that we are not to be unequally yoked. An important point regarding God's permissive will is this: God sometimes uses an imperfect situation to bring about His ultimate will. As Joseph points out to his brothers in Genesis 50:20: "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." Now, as to the heart of your question: how can we know if our response to a situation is God's perfect will or just our desire to "do our own thing?" We must (1) make sure that what we're asking for or considering is not something forbidden by the Bible; and (2) make sure that what we're asking for or considering will glorify God and help us grow spiritually. This means, of course, that we must know the Word and be in the Word. It also means that we must be brutally honest with ourselves. In Psalm 143:10, David prays, "Teach me to do Your will." (teach me not just to know it but also to do it) Biblical commentator Francis Dixon says that to know and do God's perfect will there are three conditions to meet: "(A) We must have a teachable attitude. (B) We must have an intense desire to know God's will. (C) We must be willing to do His will, whatever it involves." Dixon also says that God teaches us to do His will in three ways: (a) by the teaching of His word; (b) by the promptings of the Holy Spirit; (c) By the overruling of His providence -- i.e., His opening and closing of doors, His preventing us from doing what we want or plan to do. Above all, heartfelt prayer is crucial.
DeleteJay, I have read about the resurrection of Christ and about how Lazerus was resurrected and I was wondering, how many resurrections are there in the bible?
ReplyDeleteJim -- really neat question. Besides the resurrection of Lazarus and that of Jesus Himself, I'm aware of eight resurrections. Here they are: 1. Elijah restored to life the son of the widow at Zarephath (I Kings 17:21-24). 2. Elisha restored the Shunammite's son to life (II Kings 4:32-35). 3. An unnamed man who was being buried in Elisha's tomb came to life when his bones touched those of Elisha (II Kings 13:20-21). 4. Jesus restored to life the daughter of Jairus, the synagogue leader (Mark 5:39-40. 5. Jesus raised a widow's son from the dead in Nain (Luke 7:12-17). 6. Peter raised Tabitha from death in Joppa (Acts 9:36-43). 7. Paul raised Eutychus from death in Troas after the young man had fallen from a third-floor window (Acts 20:9-12). 8. When Jesus gave up His spirit on the cross, many holy people came out of their tombs, went to the holy city, and appeared to many people (Matthew 27:51-53). If you know of any others, please let me know. Jay
ReplyDeleteI juess I should have been more specific with the question.I used the word resurrection, not restorations or resuscitations.
DeleteJesus was buried and came out of the grave "resurrected" Lazarus came out of the grave also as did the people you mentioned in Matthew chapter 27. The others you have listed were restored to life before being buried either in the ground or a tomb. So, you have three good resurrections, there are at least 4 more. Can you find them? (hint think future)
Jay, I should have been more specific with the question, although Lazaurus was raised from the grave he died again so this one does not count in the seven. we need to find all seven that died and were resurrected and never died again, a daunting task at best but discoverable for sure.We pray that you are enjoying the AZ sun and will have a good time in Texas.
DeleteAs allways, your brother in Christ
in His service
jim
Jay, can you tell me how to prove Jesus is God?
ReplyDeleteGail, Great question; I'll give it my best shot.
DeleteFirst: I think we start with the many verses in Scripture where Jesus either identifies Himself as God or where others suggest that He is equating Himself with God. Consider these examples:
1. John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." [We understand the Word to mean Jesus.]
2. John 1:3 "All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being." [This verse tells us that Jesus Himself was the Creator.]
3. Hebrews 1:8 "But of the Son He [God] says, 'Your Throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the righteous scepter is the scepter of His kingdom.' "
[Here God addresses Jesus, His son, as "God."]
4. John 8:58 "Jesus said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.' " [Here Jesus invokes the name of Yahweh, "I AM," and applies it to Himself.]
5. Colossians 2:9 "For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form." [Here the Apostle Paul, talking of Jesus, equates Jesus with God the Father.]
6. John 10:30-33 "I and the Father are one." The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, "I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?" The Jews answered Him, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God." [Here Jesus identifies Himself with God the Father, and the Jews affirm that he is equating Himself with God."]
Second: If we present Bible verses as proof, many will say something like, "You're saying it's proven just because the Bible says so. What if we don't believe the Bible? How do we know it's accurate?" My answer would be this: It all depends on faith -- the key ingredient in our relationship to God. We need to consider Hebrews 11:1, which says, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." The writer of Hebrews says that faith is a question of assurance and conviction. If we have faith,we believe that what the Bible says is true is actually true and has happened or will happen. Thus, since the Bible says Jesus is God, I believe that He is God.
Third: Some comments by theologian C. S. Lewis are helpful in proving that Jesus is God. In Chapter 3 of "Mere Christianity," Lewis says: [Someone says] "I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God." That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic -- on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg -- or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God; or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God."
Gail, I hope these comments are helpful.