What is a True Convert?

The letter of First John is a short writing but full of many characteristics we can look for in our lives that indicate whether or not we are truly saved. A true convert:

1. Admits he is a sinner (1 John 1:8). Do you try to justify your sins or do you confess them and repent?

2. Lives a life of obedience by keeping God’s commandments more often than he breaks them (1 John 2:3, 3:6, 5:2). It is a good sign if you are quick to ask God for forgiveness when you sin. But if you can sin without feeling guilty then you are in a bad place.

3. Does not harbor hate for his brother but displays forgiveness, love, and compassion (1 John 2:9, 2:11, 3:15, 4:16, 4:20). Are you harboring ill feelings for someone else even when they have truly mistreated you?

4. Does not love the world or the things of the world (1 John 2:15). Not that we can’t do activities we enjoy but that we do not love the world system that is controlled by Satan.

5. Proclaims Jesus Christ is the Son of God (1 John 4:15) who came in the flesh (1 John 4:2-3). Are you willing to defend the deity and humanity of Christ?

6. Has the hope and longing for the return of the Lord (1 John 3:2-3). Are you so wrapped up in what is going on in your life that you would rather Him not return right now? Do you not even believe He is coming back?

7. Loves the brethren and desires to serve and help them (1 John 3:14, 3:17). Do you feel compassion and want to help other believers when you see them in want and distress?

8. Loves being with and fellowshipping with other believers (1 John 1:7, 5:1-2). Are you more comfortable around worldly people or fellow Christians?

9. Rejects false teaching (1 John 2:22-23, 4:5) and listens to the teaching of Christ and His apostles (1 John 4:6).

10. Continues to abide in Christ (1 John 2:27-28).

New Testament Quotes from the Old Testament

Gen 1:27 Matt 19:4
Gen 5:2 Mark 10:6
Gen 2:2 Heb 4:4
Gen 2:7 1 Cor 15:45
Gen 2:24 Matt 19:5, Mark 10:7-8,1 Cor 6:17, Eph 5:31
Gen 5:24 Heb 11:5
Gen 12:1 Acts 7:3
Gen 12:3 Gal 3:8
Gen 12:7 Acts 7:5
Gen 13:15 Gal 3:16
Gen 14:17-20 Heb 7:1-2
Gen 15:5 Rom 4:18
Gen 15:6 Rom 4:3,9,22, Gal 3:6, James 2:23
Gen 15:13-14 Acts 7:6-7
Gen 17:5 Rom 4:17
Gen 17:7 Gal 3:16
Gen 17:8 Acts 7:5
Gen 18:10 Rom 9:9
Gen 18:14 Rom 9:9
Gen 21:10 Gal 4:30
Gen 21:22 Rom 9:7, Heb 11:18
Gen 22:16-17 Heb 6:13-14
Gen 22:18 Acts 3:15
Gen 25:23 Rom 9:12
Gen 25:23 Rom 9:12
Gen 38:8 Luke 20:28
Gen 47:31 Heb 11:21
Ex 1:8 Acts 7:18
Ex 2:14 Acts 7:27-28,38
Ex 5:2 Acts 7:30
Ex 3:5-10 Acts 7:33-34
Ex 3:6 Matt 22:32
Ex 3:15 Mark 12:26, Acts 3:13
Ex 4:16 Rom 9:17
Ex 5:18 James 2:11
Ex 12:46 John 19:36
Ex 13:2 Luke 2:23
Ex 16:18 2 Cor 8:15
Ex 19:6 1 Pet 2:9
Ex 19:12-13 Heb 12:20
Ex 20:12-16 Matt 19:18-19
Ex 20:13 Matt 5:21
Ex 20:13-17 Rom 13:2 9
Ex 20:12 Matt 15:4
Ex 20:14 Matt 5:27
Ex 20:17 Rom 7:7
Ex 21:17 Matt 15:4, Mark 7:10
Ex 21:24 Matt 5:38
Ex 22:27 Acts 23:5
Ex 24:8 Heb 9:20
Ex 25:40 Heb 8:5
Ex 32:1 Acts 7:40
Ex 32:6 1 Cor 10:17
Ex 33:19 Rom 9:15
Lev 10:9 Luke 1:15
Lev 12:8 Luke 2:24
Lev 18:5 Rom 10:5, Gal 3:12
Lev 19:2 1 Pet 1:16
Lev 19:12, 30:2 Matt 5:33
Lev 19:18 Mark 12:33
Lev 19:18 Matt 5:43,19:19,22:39
Lev 19:18 Mark 12:31, Gal 5:14, James 2:8
Lev 23:29 Acts 3:23
Lev 24:20 Matt 5:38
Lev 26:12 2 Cor 6:16
Num 16:5 2 Timothy 2:19
Num 27:17 Matt 9:36
Deut 5:16-20 Mark 10:1, Luke 18:20
Deut 24:14 Mark 10:19
Deut 5:16 Mark 7:10, Eph 6:2-3
Deut 5:17 James 2:11
Deut 4:24 Heb 12:29
Deut 4:3 Mark 12:32
Deut 6:5 Luke 10:27
Deut 6:4-5 Mark 12:29-30
Deut 6:5 Matt 22:37
Deut 6:13 Matt 4:10, Luke 4:8
Deut 6:16 Matt 4:7, Luke 4:12
Deut 8:3 Matt 4:4, Luke 4:4
Deut 9:4 Rom 10:6
Deut 30:12-14 Rom 10:6-8
Deut 9:19 Heb 12:21
Deut 17:7 1 Cor 5:13
Deut 18:15-16 Acts 7:37, 3:12
Deut 19:15 Matt 18:16,2 Co 13:1
Deut 21:23 Gal 3:13
Deut 24:1,3, Matt 5:31, Matt 19:7, Mark 10:4
Deut 25:4 1 Cor 9:9,1 Tim 5:18
Deut 25:5,7, Matt 22:24, Mark 12:19
Deut 27:26, Gal 3:10
Deut 29:3 Rom 11:8
Deut 30:12-14 Heb 13:5
Deut 32:21 Rom 10:19
Deut 32:35-36 Rom 12:19
Deut 32:43 Rom 15:10
1 Sam 12:22 Rom 11:2
1 Sam 13:14 Acts 13:22
2 Sam 7:8 2 Co 6:18
2 Sam 7:14 Heb 1:5
2 Sam 22:50 Rom 15:9
1 Ki 19:10,12 Rom 11:3
1 Ki 19:8 Rom 11:4
2 Ki 1:10,11 Luke 9:54, Rev 20:9
1 Chr 17:13 Rev 21:7
2 Chr 18:16, 30:2 Mark 6:34
Job 5:13 1 Cor 3:19
Job 16:19 Mark 11:10
Job 41:3 Rom 11:35
Ps 2:7 Acts 13:33, Heb 1:5,5:5
Ps 2:9 Rev 2:26-27
Ps 4:5 Eph 4:26
Ps 5:10 Rom 3:13
Ps 6:9 Matt 7:23
Ps 8:3 Matt 21:16
Ps 8:5-7 Heb 2:6-8, 1 Cor 15:27
Ps 10:7 Rom 3:14
Ps 14:1-3 Rom 3:10-12
Ps 16:8-11 Acts 2:25-28, 2:31,13:35
Ps 19:5 Rom 10:18
Ps 22:2 Matt 27:46, Mark 15:34
Ps 22:19 John 19:24, Matt 27:35, Mark 15:24, Luke 23:24
Ps 22:23 Heb 2:12
Ps 24:1 1 Cor 10:26
Ps 31:6 Luke 23:46
Ps 32:1-2 Rom 4:7-8
Ps 34:9 1 Pet 2:3
Ps 34:13-17 1 Pet 3:10-12
Ps 34:21 John 15:25
Ps 36:2 Rom 3:18
Ps 40:10 Heb 10:5-7
Ps 41:10 John 13:18
Ps 42:6, 11, Matt 26:38
Ps 43:5 Mark 14:34
Ps 44:23 Rom 8:36
Ps 45:7-8 Heb 1:8-9
Ps 51:6 Rom 3:4
Ps 62:13 Matt 16:27
Prov 24:12 Rom 2:6
Ps 68:19 Eph 4:8
Ps 69:10 John 2:17
Ps 69:23-24 Rom 11:9-10
Ps 69:26 Acts 1:20
Ps 78:2 Matt 13:35
Ps 78:24 John 6:31
Ps 82:6 John 10:34
Ps 86:9 Rev 15:4
Ps 91:11-12 Matt 4:6, Luke 4:10-11
Ps 94:11 1 Cor 3:20
Ps 95:7-11 Heb 3:7-11, 3:15,4:3,5,7
Ps 102:26-28 Heb 1:10-12
Ps 104:4 Heb 1:7
Ps 104:12 Matt 13:32, Mark 4:32, Luke 13:19
Ps 110:1 Matt 22:44, Mark 12:36, Luke 20:42-43, Acts 2:34-35, Heb 1:13
Ps 110:4 Heb 5:6-10, Heb 7:17,21
Ps 111:2 Rev 15:3-4
Ps 112:9 2 Cor 9:9
Ps 116:10 2 Cor 4:13
Ps 117:2 Rom 15:11
Ps 118:6 Heb 13:6
Ps 118:22-23 Matt 21:42, Mark 12:10-11, Luke 20:17
Ps 118:22 Acts 4:11, 1 Pet 2:7
Ps 118:25-26 Matt 21:9,Mark 11:9-10, John 12:13, Matt 23:39
Ps 118:26 Luke 13:35, Luke 19:38
Ps 132:11 Acts 2:30
Prov 3:11-12 Heb 12:5-6
Prov 3:34, James 4:6, 1 Pet 5:5
Prov 11:31 1 Pet 4:18
Prov 25:21-22 Rom 12:20
Prov 26:11 2 Pet 2:22
Isa 1:9 Rom 9:29
Isa 6:9-10 Matt 13:14-15, Mark 4:12, Acts 28:26-27
Isa 6:9 Luke 8:10
Isa 6:10 John 12:40
Isa 7:14 Matt 1:23
Isa 8:12-13 1 Pet 3:14-15
Isa 8:17-18 Heb 2:13
Isa 8:23-9:1 Matt 4:15-16
Isa 11:10 Rom 15:12
Isa 13:10 Matt 24:29, Mark 13:24-25
Isa 34:4 Luke 21:26
Isa 22:13 1 Cor 15:32
Isa 25:8 1 Cor 15:54, Rev 7:17
Isa 26:19 Matt 11:5
Isa 35:5-6 Luke 7:22
Isa 26:20 Heb 10:37-38
Isa 28:11-12 1 Cor 14:21
Isa 29:13 Matt 15:8-9, Mark 1:3, John 1:23
Isa 40:6-8 1 Pet 1:24-25
Isa 40:13 Rom 11:34, 1 Cor 2:16
Isa 42:1-4 Matt 12:18-21
Isa 45:23 Rom 14:11
Isa 49:6 Acts 13:47
Isa 49:8 2 Cor 6:2
Isa 52:5 Rom 2:24
Isa 52:7 Rom 10:15
Isa 52:11 2 Co 6:17
Isa 52:15 Rom 15:21
Isa 53:1 John 12:38, Rom 8:17
Isa 53:7-8 Acts 8:32-33
Isa 53:9 1 Pet 2:23
Isa 53:12 Luke 22:37
Isa 54:1 Gal 4:27
Isa 54:13 John 6:45
Isa 55:3 Acts 13:34
Isa 55:10 2 Cor 9:10
Isa 56:7 Matt 21:13
Jer 7:11 Mark 11:17, Luke 19:46
Isa 59:7-8 Rom 3:15-17
Isa 59:20-21 Rom 11:26-27
Isa 61:1-2 Luke 4:18-19
Isa 62:11 Matt 21:5
Isa 64:3 1 Cor 2:9
Isa 65:1-2 Rom 10:10-21
Isa 65:17 2 Pet 3:13
Isa 66:1-2 Acts 7:49-50
Jer 5:21 Mark 8:18
Jer 9:23 1 Cor 1:31, 2 Cor 10:17
Jer31:15 Matt 2:18
Jer 31:31-34 Heb 8:8-12
Ezk 11:20 Rev 21:7
Ezk 37:5, 10 Rev 11:11
Dan 3:6 Matt13:42, 50
Dan 7:13 Matt 24:30, 26:64, Mark 13:26,14:62, Luke 21:27,22:69
Dan 9:27 Matt 24:15
Dan 11:31 Mark 13:14
Hos 2:1, 3 Rom 9:25-28
Hos 6:6 Matt 9:13, Matt 12:7
Hos 10:8 Luke 23:30, Rev 6:16
Hos 11:1 Matt 2:15
Hos 13:14 1 Cor 15:55
Joel 3:1-5 Acts 2:17-21, Rom 10:13
Amos 5:25-27 Acts 7:42-43
Amos 9:11-12 Acts 15:16-17
Jonah 2:1 Matt 12:40
Mic 5:1 Matt 2:6
Mic 7:6 Matt 10:35-36
Hab 2:3-4 Rom 1:17, Gal 3:11
Hab 1:5 Acts 13:41
Hag 2:6, 21 Heb 12:26
Zec 8:16 Eph 4:25
Zec 9:9 John 12:15
Zec 11:12-13 Matt 27:9-10
Zec 12:10 John 19:37
Zec 13:7 Matt 26:31, Mark 14:27
Mal 1:2-3 Rom 9:13
Mal 3:1 Matt 11:10, Mark 1:2,Luke 7:27
Mal 3:23-24 Matt 17:10-11

China has more than 13 million abortions a year

"The actual number of abortions performed is much higher, Wu said, because the figures are collected only from registered medical institutions. Many abortions are performed in unregistered clinics, according to Wu."

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/07/30/china.abortions.millions/index.html

Just 20 of the Many Flaws with Calvinism

1. Calvinists insist that faith itself is a gift from God and that if it is not a gift then it must be a meritorious work. They can never see it as a simple condition ordained by God.

2. That regeneration must precede faith in the order of salvation.

3. They claim that Calvinism is the only system that truly upholds the God’s Sovereignty.

4. Since they teach that God unconditionally chose who would be saved then He also must have chosen who would be damned. This is a necessary conclusion even though they insist otherwise.

5. Their teaching that Christ died only for the elect clearly conflicts with the plain reading of Scripture.

6. The doctrine of total depravity is pushed to the farthest extreme to the point that people no longer have free wills to make any moral or spiritual choices.

7. The doctrine of irresistible grace teaches that God forces unwilling sinners to become willing. The only possible conclusion is that we are puppets and robots.

8. If the sovereignty of God, as Calvinists teach, is true then praying for the lost is needless. Really, all praying is needless.

9. They turn conditional “if” statements into statements of fact: (Col.1:23; Heb. 3:14).

10. They push analogies farther than were intended: dead men can’t do anything including believe; a blind man can’t see no matter how much light shines to him.

11. If God draws sinners and gives them faith to believe, why do we even need to preach the gospel at all?

12. Calvinists can never have assurance of salvation right now because according to the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints one must reach the end before they can know if they truly are one of the elect.

13. The inconsistencies between the Sovereignty of God and the free will of man are punctuated to the extreme in Calvinism.

14. The Sovereignty of God in Calvinism makes God the ultimate cause of evil.

15. They invented the doctrine of Compatibilism to try and reconcile God’s determination of our actions while still holding us responsible for them.

16. How can the gospel message be a genuine invitation to the non-elect?

17. Monergism can’t explain why God sanctifies some believers better than others.

18. They use flawed reasoning such as: “if salvation is our choice then we would stick our noses up in the air and think of ourselves as smarter than others who didn’t choose.”

19. They nullify the warnings in Scripture that a true believer can fall away and perish eternally. They do this by claiming that either the warnings are only hypothetical or that they are not directed toward true believers.

20. They have to appeal to “mystery” quite often when confronted with the inconsistencies in their system. The “secret things” (Deut. 29:29) is their favorite trap door to escape.

Jesus is God

The Messiah is called God

“The LORD said to my Lord, sit at my right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool” (Psalm 110).
“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Is.9:6).
“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel” (Is.7:14).
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting” (Mic.5:2).
“‘Behold, I send My messenger, ad he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight. Behold, He is coming’ says the Lord of hosts” (Mal.3:1).

Jesus is called Jehovah

“The LORD [Jehovah] is my Shepherd; I shall not want” (Ps.23:1).
“I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11).
“Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant” (Heb.13:20).

“So I said: Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, The LORD [Jehovah] of hosts” (Is.6:5).
“These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him” (John 12:41).

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the; LORD [Jehovah]; Make straight in the desert a highway for our God” (Is.40:3).
“This is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight’” (Matt.3:3).

“And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the LORD has said, Among the remnant whom the LORD calls” (Joel 2:32).
“And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21).
“For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom.10:13).

Titles reserved for Jehovah are also applied to Christ

“And it shall come to pass in that day that the remnant of Israel, and such as have escaped of the house of Jacob, will never again depend on him who defeated them, but will depend on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth” (Is.10:20).
“But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you” (Acts 3:14).

“Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; besides Me there is no God’” (Is.44:6).
“And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, ‘Do not be afraid: I am the First and the Last’” (Rev.1:17).

“I, even I, am the LORD, and besides Me there is no savior” (Is.43:11).
“Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).

“And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn” (Zech.12:10)
“And again another Scripture says, ‘They shall look on Him whom they pierced’” (John 19:37).

“For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe” (Deut.10:17).
“These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful” (Rev.17:14).

Jesus possesses all the incommunicable aspects of God

Christ is Omnipresent
“For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them” (Matt.18:20).

Christ is Omniscient
“And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account” (Heb.4:13).
“I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works” (Rev.2:23).

Christ is Omnipotent
“Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Heb.1:3).
“Far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come” (Eph.1:21).

Christ is Immutable
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Heb.13:8).
“For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Col.2:9).

Jesus does the works of God

He is the Creator
“All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made” (John 1:3).
“For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him” (Col.1:16).
“Has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds” (Heb.1:2).

He forgives sins
“Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Mark 2:7).
“But that you may know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins – then He said to the paralytic, ‘Arise take up your bed, and go to your house’” (Matt.9:6).

He judges
“For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son” (John 5:22).
“And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead” (Acts 10:42).
“I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom” (2Tim.4:1).

Jesus receives worship as God

“The Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! For it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve’” (Matt.4:10).
“And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean’” (Matt.8:2).
“Then he said, ‘Lord, I believe! And he worshiped Him’” (John 9:38).
“That all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him” (John 5:22).
“But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: ‘Let all the angels of God worship Him’” (Heb.1:6).
“And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, ‘Do not be afraid: I am the First and the Last’” (Rev.1:17).

The Bible says Jesus is God

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).
“And Thomas answered and said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God!’” (John 20:28).
“Who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God” (Phil.2:6).
“Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).
“But to the Son He says: ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom’” (Heb.1:8).
“Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ” (2Pet.1:1).
“And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life” (1Jo.5:20).

Jesus said that He is God

“So He said to him, ‘Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments’” (Matt.19:17).
“Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM’” (John 8:58).
“I and My Father are one” (John 10:30).
“And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with you before the world was” (John 17:5).

Answers about the Sabbath Day

In its original setting and application the Sabbath command was a law intended only for the people of Israel. The Deuteronomic version of this commandment gives the deliverance of Israel from the bondage of Egypt as the primary reason for observing it. The keeping of the Sabbath is elsewhere declared to be the sign of Israel’s allegiance to God (Exod. 31:13; Neh. 9:14).

One way we can understand the law is in a two-fold summarization, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength” (Deut. 6:5). This is the first and great commandment and the second is like unto to it, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev. 19:18). Similarly, the first half of the Ten Commandments deals with how we relate to God and the second half our relationship with people. We can only have relationships in these two directions and so all the law covers these two categories. And right in the middle of these two divisions of the Decalogue is the fourth commandment of keeping the Sabbath day.

“Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations” (Exod. 31:13). The Sabbath was a ceremonial sign placed within the Ten Commandments. We don’t have a command to circumcise every man who becomes a Christian. Why then would we extricate the very complex Sabbath law which involved every seventh day and a long list of festivals?

The Mosaic law of the Sabbath is a pretty complicated system. You go from the weekly Sabbath to the Passover. Following the Passover is the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Pentecost, and then the Feast of Trumpets. All of these were counted and based upon a seven day cycle. Furthermore, there were not only weekly Sabbaths but yearly Sabbaths too including sabbaths of Sabbaths. The Year of Jubilee was counted as seven Sabbaths of years; seven times seven years. Therefore, if the Sabbath is binding on believers today then we are responsible for far more than just resting once a week; we are obligated to observe it all.

What we need to understand is that the Ten Commandments as a unit was the law of the Old Covenant which passed away (2 Cor. 3:7, 13; Eph. 2:15; Col. 2:14; Heb. 8:8-13). Now this does not mean, of course, that any moral laws have passed away. Moral laws proceed from God and are timeless and universal; they existed before the Old Covenant and continue to be in force today for all people. The Ten Commandments, along with hundreds of other commandments in the Pentateuch, simply revealed to the Jews a standard of morality they had not known before even though the moral standard had always existed. Truly the Ten Commandments as a unit passed away with the Old Covenant. This means that all of the ceremonial laws, including the Sabbath, were abolished at the time of Christ’s death yet the moral aspects continue to be in force as always.

Paul informed us that Christians are not under the law but under grace (Rom. 6:14). Peter reminded us, “But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’” (1 Pet. 1:15, 16). Therefore, our moral behavior is to be based upon the holiness of God.

How did Christ treat the Sabbath day?

If you were to ask how Christ treated the Sabbath day the answer would be “Anyway He wanted!” Christ said of Himself, “For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath” (Matt. 12:8). He is in charge of the Sabbath and He can do whatever He wants. He was constantly derided by the Pharisees for breaking it.

On one occasion after healing a man on the Sabbath, the Jews sought to kill Him (John 5:1-16). But Christ’s simple response was, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working” (John 5:17). His answer made Himself equal with God and above the law of the Sabbath. And the fact that Christ could “work” on the Sabbath day thereby violating it and yet still being pure from sin proves that it was not a moral but a ceremonial law. The bottom line is that Sabbath law is not moral and there are times when reason dictates it to be set aside for man’s benefit.

One thing the Pharisees did was overemphasize ceremonial laws and traditions while minimizing moral laws. But Christ did just the opposite. He stressed the absolute standard of moral laws and at times almost disregarded the ceremonial. On one occasion after healing a man on the Sabbath, He told him to “Rise, take up your bed and walk” (John 5:8). By picking up his bed and carrying it, it is as though Christ purposely wanted this man to “work” on the Sabbath to stimulate controversy over this issue.

“Then He said to them, ‘What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.’” (Matt. 12:11, 12). Christ asked this question in the synagogue before healing the man with the withered hand. His example scenario implied that even the Jews would “work” on the Sabbath to lift their own sheep out of a pit. The conclusion is that it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.

In John chapter 7, Christ gave an example of a situation where two provisions of the Law were in conflict. All male babies were to be circumcised the eighth day after their birth. But the eighth day could fall on any day of the week including the Sabbath yet the priests still carried out the “work” of circumcising children on this day. The priests concluded that circumcision took precedence over the Sabbath day and Christ agreed with them.

The Sabbath was made for man

Christ’s statement, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27), has been interpreted several ways. One understanding of it is that it points back to the original Sabbath rest of God at the time of creation. In other words, the Sabbath was made for man at the time man was made. But the problem with this view is that the book of Genesis, which records the early history of mankind, never gives account of any man keeping the Sabbath. The Sabbath day of rest was not introduced to man until the time of Moses.

Another way this statement has been understood is that the Sabbath was not just made for the Jews but for all of mankind; it “was made for man.” Yet this is difficult to reconcile with the remaining part of what Christ said “and not man for the Sabbath.” Christ was revealing the purpose for the Sabbath not who the recipients of it are.

In most likelihood, this statement reveals the ceremonial nature of the Sabbath. Ceremonial laws are “made for man,” i.e., for man’s assistance and learning. Christ was saying that just as the law concerning the showbread (Mark 2:26) was “made for man” so also was the Sabbath. Christ and His disciples could “break” the Sabbath just as David and his men could “break” the law about showbread because both were ceremonial and not moral.

Did God make the Sabbath day to be burdensome in its requirements? No, the Sabbath day was made to serve man not to be a master over him.

What is the "rest" in Hebrews 3 and 4?

Some have used this passage to teach that the keeping of the Sabbath day is binding upon Christians today. But please notice that nowhere in the whole book of Hebrews is the Sabbath day even mentioned. What is spoken of in Hebrews 3 and 4 is the rest of salvation that belongs to the people of God. The writer refers back to the beginning and teaches that God’s rest after the six days of creation is a type of the rest we have in Christ. When we believe on Jesus Christ we “rest” from our own works as God did from His (Heb. 4:10).

The writer of Hebrews was warning his Jewish Christian readers against the possibility of apostasy in “departing from the living God” (Heb. 3:12), by falling back into the works of Judaism. He used the children of Israel as an example of this. The “gospel”—the good news about the Promised Land of rest—was preached to them yet they did not enter in because of unbelief. The gospel message of the Cross had also been preached to these Christians but they have to believe it to enter in.

He then clarifies that when Israel finally did enter the Promised Land under the leadership of Joshua (Heb. 4:8), this was not the fulfillment of the true rest. Otherwise David would not have prophesied many years later about the rest in Psalm 95. Remember, the type is when God rested from His works after creating the universe. The antitype is the rest of salvation in Christ that still belongs to the people of God.

On a different note, the Sabbath day itself was also a type of the rest of Christ. “So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.” (Col.2:16, 17). Ceremonial laws, including the Sabbath, are types of Christ. The true substance and fulfillment are found in Him.

A few points for thought

• If keeping the Sabbath is a moral law, why is it never repeated in the New Testament like the other nine of the Ten Commandments?

• Nowhere in the New Testament is there prescribed any adherence to the Sabbath. Not only this, but never does the apostle Paul or any New Testament writer chide believers for violating the Sabbath.

• Jesus equated the Sabbath with ceremonial sacrifice in Matthew 12:1-7. Therefore, He taught that it was a ceremonial law.

• Old Testament and New Testament writers consistently place the Sabbath in lists of other ceremonial laws. No moral law is grouped or listed with ceremonial laws (1 Chr. 23:31; 2 Chr. 2:4-8, 13; 31:3; Neh. 10:33; Ezek. 45:17; Hos. 2:11; Col. 2:16).

Reply to Francis Beckwith

Dr. Beckwith, you asked, “Where have I gone wrong in this reasoning?”
http://romereturn.blogspot.com/2010/01/sola-scriptura-and-canon-of-scripture.html
Well, sir, I believe you went wrong in your very first statement, “Because the list of canonical books is itself not found in Scripture…” What you’ve done is set up an artificial criteria (which you already know won’t be met) and basically said that since it isn’t met then it isn’t true. It’s not too much different, for example, than non-Trinitarians arguing that since the word “Trinity” isn’t found in Scripture then the doctrine of the Trinity must not be true.

The Jews already set the Old Testament canon before Christ came and established His church. The same 39 books we use today, no more and no less, were contained in the Jewish Tanakh, just grouped differently. The apostle Paul even said that they were “entrusted with the very words of God” (Rom. 3:2). And Christ did refer to this canon: “All things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms concerning Me” (Luke 24:44). Also, Christ and His apostles quoted from 36 of the 39 books (the exceptions being Esther, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs). The Deuterocanonical books, however, recognized by the Roman Catholic Church (Judith, Maccabees, etc.), were not written in Hebrew but in Greek. And not only were they not included in the Jewish canon but were never quoted by Christ or His apostles. Therefore, if the New Testament doesn’t recognize any of the Deuterocanonical books by quoting from them, then they must not be the word of God.

Roman Catholics also construct the same type of artificial criteria for Sola Scriptura; they say if it isn’t explicitly taught in Scripture then it isn’t true. Yet we know the Old Testament is the word of God because Christ endorsed it. And we know the New Testament is the word of God because it was written by those commissioned by Christ. Up to this point we can be confident that the Scriptures, the 66 books of the Bible, are the word of God. Oral tradition, on the other hand, is claimed to be derived from the same source—the apostles—yet clearly contradicts many times what they wrote. So, how can we accept any additional “authority” that contradicts what we already know to be God’s word? The simple fact that it contradicts the known word of God exposes that it is not the word of God. This is why we claim Sola Scriptura!

Why is Hell So Bad?

One objection unbelievers typically have about hell is that it is too severe of a punishment. Yes, they might agree that it is the right place for the “Hitlers” of the world but not for the majority of us who are pretty good people. But the reason it seems this way is because we all downplay and lightly esteem the severity of our own sins.

We wrongfully think that sin isn’t really that bad so therefore eternity in hell is an unreasonable punishment. But the fact that hell is so severe reveals just how serious our sins are in God’s sight. It is our estimation of sin that is flawed. The Bible says that our hearts are darkened (Rom. 1:21), our minds are blinded (2 Cor. 4:4), and it describes us as: “Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart” (Eph. 4:18). The truth is we don’t see sin the way God does because we are in a morally depraved condition.

The apostle Paul said that the law gave him the knowledge of sin, “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet” (Rom. 7:7). This is the Tenth Commandment and it revealed to Paul just how exceedingly sinful he really was, “that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful” (Rom. 7:13). We don’t see our sins as being that bad until they are measured against God’s standards.

We jump through a lot of hoops trying to justify our sins to ourselves. One way we do this is by appealing to the fact that everyone does the same things. But even if everyone really does sin in the same way then it doesn’t lessen its severity before God, it only shows that we are all just as guilty of sinning. We become comfortable in our sins when others around us are doing the same things. Our sins become somewhat camouflaged with everyone else’s and therefore don’t seem to be that bad.

Another way we justify our sins is by claiming that we can’t help but do it or that God made us this way. But the very fact that God holds us accountable indicates that sinning is our own choice. God is not unjust but would be if He punished us for something we had no control over. Also, the simple reason we are commanded by God to not sin reveals that we can stop doing it.

Have you ever told a lie? I have. Scripture says “all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone” (Rev. 21:8). We don’t think of lying as being all that bad yet it is enough to doom us eternally in hell. It’s not that hell is too severe of a punishment for a little lying. It’s that lying is such a severe sin before God that it deserves eternal punishment in hell. The problem is not with God’s justice, it’s with our extremely low standards and light estimation of sin.

Will a Child Never Depart?

“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it” (Prov. 22:6). The Pastor of a church I used to attend held a very strong conviction about this verse. He believed that following it ensured one hundred percent results every time. According to him, if parents train up a child in the correct Biblical way they are guaranteed that the child will never depart from it. On the other hand it also meant that if a child reached adulthood and did depart from the way he was trained then the parents failed in their duty of training him. As you can imagine this Pastor was not popular among parents whose grown children were not serving the Lord. In fact, it was well known that several people had left the church because of this extreme teaching.

But what we need to understand is that the Proverbs are generally true statements. If parents train up a child in the way he should go then it is very likely that he will not depart from it when he gets older. This is not, however, a one hundred percent guarantee of success. We probably all know some who were raised in godly Christian homes but are not following Christ today. This is not necessarily a reproach upon their parents. Likewise there are also those who were not raised in Christian homes, such as both my wife and me, who are serving Christ today.


If all of the Proverbs are absolute laws that never fail then what about this one: “The eye that mocks his father, and scorns obedience to his mother, the ravens of the valley will pick it out, and the young eagles will eat it” (Prov. 30:17)? Will every disobedient child have his eye plucked out and eaten by birds? This Proverb, obviously, very rarely comes to pass literally. It uses colorful imagery to depict utter disdain upon a child who would dare despise his own parents.

All people have free wills and must choose for themselves if they will follow Christ once they are no longer in their parents’ homes. Though a child who has been taught about Christ all his life will tend to continue following Him, he is not guaranteed to. We are all individually held accountable before God once we reach the age of accountability.

Did Nothing Create Everything?

In order to maintain their conviction that there is no God, atheists and evolutionists must necessarily believe that nothing created or produced everything. But this is both illogical and scientifically impossible. Yet they pride themselves on being intelligent and rational.



Atheists must answer this question first

One of the main arguments the Bible uses for God’s existence is the existence of the universe itself: “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” (Rom. 1:20). The fact that the universe exists proves the existence of God. It is really that simple.

Until atheists and evolutionists can rationally and scientifically explain how nothing created everything, then anything else they propose does not even matter. Why should they talk about natural selection, fossil records, transitional forms, genetic mutations, and vestigial organs if they cannot answer this fundamental question? They are already defeated before they even start.

Really the burden of proof is not on Christians to prove God exists; the universe itself already proves this. The burden is on atheists and evolutionists to prove God does not exist. They must answer this question first. Now some claim the universe is eternal and therefore not created but science has proven this false.


Science has proven the universe is not eternal

From the popular website GotQuestions.org, here are five proofs that the universe is not eternal:

(1) The universe is running down, and something that is running down must have started at some point. The second law of thermodynamics states that the universe is running out of usable energy and if you doubt this, look in the mirror (you’re aging and running down just like everything else).

(2) The universe is expanding. This was confirmed through the Hubble telescope many years ago, and it is interesting to note that the universe is expanding from a single point, meaning the entire universe could be contracted back into a single point. Also note that the universe is not expanding into space, but space itself is expanding.

(3) The radiation echo was discovered by Bell Labs scientists in 1965. What is it? It is the heat afterglow from the Big Bang. Its discovery dealt a death blow to any theory of the universe being in a steady state because it shows instead that the universe exploded.

(4) Galaxy Seeds. If the Big Bang (first there was nothing, then BANG, something came into being) was true, then scientists believed that temperature “ripples” should exist out in space, and it would be these ripples that would be the enabler for matter to collect into galaxies. To discover whether this is true, the Cosmic Background Explorer – COBE – was launched in 1989 to find them, with the findings being released in 1992. What COBE found was perfect/precise ripples that, sure enough, enable galaxies to form. So critical and spectacular was this finding that the NASA lead for COBE, said “If you’re religious, it’s like looking at God.”

(5) Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity meant that the universe had a beginning and was not eternal as he had previously believed (Einstein was originally a pantheist). Instead of being self-existent, his theory proved that the universe is not a cause, but instead one big effect—something brought it into existence. Einstein disliked his end result so much that he introduced a “fudge factor” into his theory that allowed it to leave room for an eternal universe. But there was only one problem. His fudge factor required a division by zero in his calculations—a mathematical error any good math student knows not to make. When discovered by other mathematicians, Einstein admitted his error calling it “the greatest blunder of my life.” After his acknowledgment, and upon confirming further research that showed the universe expanding just as his theory of relativity predicted, Einstein bowed to the fact that the universe is not eternal and said that he wanted “to know how God created the world.”

http://www.gotquestions.org/universe-eternal.html

At an international gathering of scientists in Beijing, one of the most well known and intelligent astrophysicists Stephen Hawking shared this:

He described -- through his electronic speech synthesizer -- how the general theory of relativity and the discovery of the expansion of the universe provoked conceptual changes, which meant that the idea of an ever-existing, ever-lasting universe was no longer tenable.

http://english.cri.cn/2946/2006/06/19/421@104361.htm


Conclusion

When talking with atheists and evolutionists, I continue to drive home the point that until they can scientifically and logically prove that everything can come from nothing then they are defeated at the onset. I pitch camp right there. The majority of the scientific community including Einstein and Hawking believe the universe had a beginning. This means that matter somehow came from non-matter which is scientifically impossible. The only rational conclusion that can be drawn is that the natural world was caused by supernatural force, i.e. God.

Is There a Middle Ground between Calvinism and Arminianism?

Why do some Christians seem to think that finding a middle ground between Calvinism and Arminianism is a safer route than accepting one system over the other? In my estimation it is a riskier move. Here is why.

The one right view of salvation is the Biblical view. If Calvinism is the Biblical view then we need to be loyal to it or if Arminianism is the Biblical view then our loyalty should be there. Now if one of them is the correct Biblical view while the other is not yet we try to find middle ground between the two we will only end up with a confused mixture of right and wrong. Furthermore, what if it turns out that both views are actually wrong and not Scriptural? What would we accomplish by finding a happy medium between two wrong views?

Calvinism and Arminianism are diametrically opposed viewpoints of salvation. The former claims that God unconditionally chooses which individuals will be saved while the latter says that each individual autonomously chooses this for themselves. These are polar-opposites that cannot both be true at the same time. Either one is true and the other is false or possibly both are false. But we cannot seriously consider that both are false because if God doesn’t choose and we don’t choose then who does? A third viewpoint can only mean that some other being chooses who will be saved. Therefore, sound logic and reason demands that these viewpoints are the only two possible and that one is the correct Biblical view while the other is not. Since one is true and the other false, middle ground between the two will be partially false and not entirely true.

Response to an Atheist Questioning the Sufficiency of Christ's Sufferings

Here is the objection one atheist made to the sufferings of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ:

No one disputes that being crucified would be terrible; instead, what's questioned is whether crucifixion would be terrible enough for the purpose which Christians claim Jesus' crucifixion had: paying for the sins of all humanity. . . If Jesus' suffering really was sufficient to balance out the sins of all humanity, none of us individually could have owed very much. If we humans split up equally all the suffering of Jesus (which means most of us would shoulder more of the debt than we should, since most of us aren't mass murderers), what would that really amount to? A paper cut? I'd pay that. I don't need anyone to take on that debt for me. Saying that without Jesus I deserve to spend eternity in hell suffering eternal torment when in fact my actual debt is a paper cut is like forcing me into permanent slavery for a debt of a fraction of a penny -- a tactic that sounds suspiciously like the policies of some credit card companies. Hmmm... maybe Christianity is where they got the idea for their business model?
http://atheism.about.com/b/2010/05/10/did-jesus-really-suffer-enough.htm


If I was to be dragged outside, beaten, flogged, and then crucified, there would be absolutely no price paid for my sins in that. It would amount to nothing. This is because I am already a sinner and the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). Death is what I rightly deserve; it is what I have earned. Therefore my own suffering and death does not pay for anything. But Christ’s suffering and death, on the other hand, is infinitely valuable because He is God and He is perfectly sinless.

We can do nothing to pay for our sins. Not only does our own death not pay for our sins but even eternity in hell does not either. If torment in hell could pay this price then there would come a point, let’s say after a million years, that we would be released to spend the rest of eternity in heaven. But the fact that hell is eternal indicates that it is the punishment for our sins, not the satisfaction of any debt owed. Also, the very fact that Christ came to die for our sins reveals the eternality of hell because if each of us could pay for our own sins by spending a certain amount of time in hell then we could save ourselves in this manner without needing the Savior. We could each just “do our time” and then be free. In that case there would be no gospel message to preach and we would all be better off living shorter lives so that we would have fewer sins to pay for and therefore sentenced to less time. Christ’s sacrifice for our sins was absolutely necessary.

The flaw in this atheist’s reasoning is that he greatly undervalues the immense worth of Christ’s suffering and death. He equates the value with that of any other man. But though Christ is 100% human He is also 100% God and therefore far more valuable than all of humanity combined. It is because of Christ’s infinite worth that His precious shed blood could have paid for an untold number of times more than all of humanity.

The entire human race could never, as the atheist ridiculed, “split up equally all the suffering of Jesus.” And even if we could split it up then it would amount to far more than just a paper cut but eternity in hell for each; exactly what has already been ordained. Just ask yourself how much you suppose God Himself is worth. There is absolutely no way for us to even begin to comprehend this. He is obviously worth more than the combined total of all humans who have ever lived, all life that has ever existed on earth, and the entire universe itself because He is its Creator. Therefore if His worth is infinitely more than all of humanity then certainly His own death was more than sufficient to redeem them all.

Questions from Keia James Atkinson

Greetings Keia,

This is Ryan Moody. Jay and I attend the same church and he forwarded to me your e-mail of questions. I would be happy to try and answer them the best I can. I am really excited that you are genuinely searching for answers and I appreciate your pleasant demeanor that comes across in your writing.

First of all, let me tell you just a little about myself. I used to be an atheist and believed in evolution up until the age of 20 when I came to faith in Christ. I am 40 now. I am not in ministry and have never been to seminary. But for the last 20 years I have spent quite a lot of time studying the Bible, theology, and apologetics, as well as other religious beliefs.

Admittedly you have asked many of the hardest questions for Christians to answer. I certainly do not claim to have all the answers and I am also open to being corrected as well because I recognize I can be wrong about some things. The apostle Peter read Paul’s letters and said that some things were hard to understand (2 Pet. 3:15, 16). I sure feel relieved to know that even Peter who walked with Christ for over three years and was taught by Him personally still had some trouble understanding.

I also really appreciate what you said at the end of your e-mail: “I would think that any individual who believes faith has any value would want to make sure they have placed their faith in the right religion. Faith without any critical thought is blindness, and belief without skepticism is gullibility.” Those are my thoughts exactly. One thing about Christianity is that it welcomes investigation and criticism. This cannot always be said about other religions. Muslims, for example, are threatened with death for even questioning the authority of the Koran and Jehovah’s Witnesses are strictly limited to reading only literature printed by the Watchtower Society. But if a religion really is true then there should be no worries about scrutiny.


This is Keia, the guy you spoke with in your truck yesterday. I had a couple more questions for you, and was wondering if you could provide answers. If you feel that I am in any way attacking your belief system, know that these are very real questions that I have always had, but have never been answered with any satisfaction.

1. The whole issue of the perfect god wasn't really addressed in the car. To reiterate, my question is as follows:
- You believe that God is perfectly good, omnipotent, and omniscient, but evil exists in the world. Therefore, one of the following statements must be true:
- God is both omnipotent and all knowing, and the fact that he does not prevent extreme evil like purposeless suffering (like the rape and torture of women and children in Darfur) makes him incredibly cruel.
- God is benevolent and all-knowing, he cannot prevent evil from occurring, making him not omnipotent.
- God is benevolent and omnipotent, but does not know when evil will occur, making him not omniscient.

My point is that the traditional Christian view of God seems to be at odds with reality. If it is not, please explain why. If you are unable to provide a logical non-faith based -answer, that is fine, however it makes having a logical conversation regarding the very nature of God impossible.

The statement, I believe, that is closest to correct is the first one. But the conclusion is not necessarily true; that it “makes him incredibly cruel.” First let’s remember that God Himself came into this evil world through the virgin birth and became a man. He never sinned yet arguably suffered as much or more than any man ever has. Therefore, nobody can say that God does not identify with our sufferings but in fact even literally shared in them. And if anyone should have been exempt from suffering it would be Him.

Now if people have free wills—as you bring up in your next question—why should God be blamed for the sinful acts people freely choose to do? Well, as you said above, since He knew they would do it and could have stopped them then it makes Him cruel. But if He prevented every crime and sinful act then where is our free will? If He controlled us to the point of not ever being able to do wrong then we have no free will. And if we cannot sin by our own free wills then how will God hold us accountable and judge us? It is not Him who is incredibly cruel it is those in Darfur who are committing heinous acts. But their day will come when they are judged by Him.

Also, if we believe God is ultimately responsible for all the horrible crimes committed in the world then why do we punish the criminals who committed them? Some criminals go as far as trying to blame their crimes on God by claiming that He told them to do it. Even then we do not really believe God is responsible because we still punish the criminal and we feel no remorse for doing it. We know we are responsible for our own actions, not God. But if God really is to blame then we should unlock all the prisons and let the criminals free to do as they please. This reasoning does not make sense to me.

2. The idea of omniscience and free-will wasn't completely addressed either. If God knows the future - which omniscience requires - that would mean there is only one future to know. This means that the path we walk is well worn, and the destination effectively determined at the beginning of time. This means that accepting Christ as our savior is not a choice, but an act that God knew would occur prior to us even being created. This would mean that God would also know who will not accept him, and is - by your own admission - destined to spend eternity in hell. If you believe humans to have free will, then God cannot be omniscient. If He is, then all we have is the illusion of free will. If there is a way to preserve God's omniscience and free-will, please tell me how.
3. The issue of an eternal hell seems to be at odds with the nature of God. If we accept the above ideas, that God knows who is going to end up in heaven, and who ends up in hell at the time of their creation, then God would have created a conscious being for the sole purpose of torturing them for all eternity - an act that seems to be incredibly cruel. If God is benevolent, why would he do this?

Many Christians hold to a theological belief system called Calvinism (I am not one of them). They believe, much as you described above, that before God created the world, He chose exactly which individuals would be saved and passed over everyone else. But it has become my conclusion that this causes logical problems that just cannot be sufficiently overcome when trying to reconcile the Sovereignty of God with the free will of man. Ultimately Calvinists end up with, just like you said, “the illusion of free will.”

Knowing our individual destinies at the time He created us does not make God the determiner of our destinies. Why not? Because He not only created us with free wills but also provided salvation for all and gave all the opportunity to repent and believe. Yes, He knew ahead of time exactly who would perish but He also knew they would of their own free will reject the salvation He provided for them. Their destiny is the result of their own choice, not anything God forced upon them even though He knew ahead of time what they would choose. Does God knowing ahead of time what someone would choose make Him guilty of their choice just because He is the One who created them with the free will to choose?

Now if the doctrine of Calvinism were true then I would agree with you wholeheartedly. God choosing exactly which individuals would be saved and providing salvation only for them, all the while knowing that everyone else was created to spend eternity in hell with no possibility of escape would make Him incredibly cruel.

An individual spending eternity being tortured does not make the rest of us better people, because we cannot see their punishment. You talked in the truck about a parent disciplining a child, or putting someone in prison, but those situations are different in a few ways.
I. Discipline exists to make that child behave better. In other words, you don't punish them for the mere sake of punishment, rather, you punish them so what they do in the future changes. Eternal punishment does not provide this opportunity.
II. Prison is similar, except for those who end up with life sentences or the death penalty. Their behavior doesn't have the opportunity to change after their punishment; however, their punishment provides deterrence for the rest of society. Because some individuals are executed for their crimes, the rest of society is discouraged from committing them. This is probably why you believe in an eternal hell - some people have to go to hell so a far greater number are motivated to turn to Christ. The primary difference is that we can see an individual be executed, or a person sentenced to life. We can observe how miserable they are with our five senses. This cannot be said for the punishment of hell. While you certainly can have faith that hell exists, there is no way to "prove" it, and so the result is that no real deterrence is created.

I agree that criminal punishment is a deterrent for the rest of society because we can see the results. But maybe you do not realize that the government and the criminal justice system were ordained by God (Rom. 13:1-5). So then they are serving the purpose He intended. If the fear of hell is sufficient deterrent for a peaceful society then why did God establish government? Before the great flood, there was no government and evil was rampant, “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen. 6:5). The fact is, many people do not believe in hell or ultimate accountability before God which is why government is needed for civilization. The apostle Paul quoted from Psalm 36:1, “There is no fear of God before their eyes” (Rom. 3:18). People who do not believe in God do not fear Him or any punishment beyond this life.

But hell is still necessary for a few reasons. First of all, God is just and must ultimately judge sin. Punishment in this life alone is not adequate. Was hanging Saddam Hussein sufficient punishment for all the atrocities he committed? Secondly, many criminals are never caught or brought to justice in this life. Hitler committed suicide. Is it not incredibly unfair for his victims to never be vindicated? And lastly, hell really is a great deterrent not just for those who believe it exists but also for those who fear it might. We all know we will die some day and we do not know what is on the other side until we cross over. People fear death because it is unknown so people invent religions to try and answer that question thus relieving their fears. But there are only two ways we can truly know what is on the other side of death: either to die and experience it ourselves or for God to reveal it to us before we die. Christ, who is God, did just that. He spoke more about hell than about heaven. But, as you are probably objecting, this does not prove hell exists just because Christ taught it. Well, it does if it can be proven that Christ really is God (which I will address later). If He is God then everything He taught is the truth. And it would also follow that Christianity is not just another invented religion by mankind but the very revelation of God Himself to mankind.

Due to the above statements, it would seem that using eternal hell as punishment for worldly sins is, at the very least, quite harsh. It also would seem that the Christian God, if we believe in an eternal hell, is unbelievable sadistic. Why create not only life, but a life that is conscious of its own being, only to torture it for eternity? If the angry, vindictive, and capricious God of the old testament changed into a loving God after the life of Christ, why would he continue to issue punishments to his own creations that do nothing but inflict intense pain?

What seems even harsher is how sinful people today treat with contempt the Holy Son of God even though He suffered horrible shame and pain for them. God demonstrated His tremendous love for us even while we were His enemies. After being beaten, spat upon, flogged, ridiculed, humiliated, and nailed to a cross, He still showed His love by praying for His executioners while He hung there dying for their sins. And today, it is only by God’s grace that any of us draw our next breath. We are living on common grace He has given us to come to repentance. It seems that for any of us to spurn the love He showed and is still showing deserve eternity in hell. Christ said, “He makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matt. 5:45). We take for granted all of the natural blessings around us that keep us alive every day—the food this earth produces and the good things we enjoy. We feel like God owes us beautiful days and fun times. We enjoy sinning in the comforts He provides yet we rarely give Him a second thought. And we keep thinking of Him only as “the angry, vindictive, and capricious God.” Yes, He will judge our sin and He will be “the angry, vindictive, and capricious God” if we are among those who stand before His judgment seat having “trampled the Son of God underfoot” (Heb. 10:29). But today is the day of salvation for all who will receive His mercy and grace. The day will come when there will be no more grace or second chance.

Let me draw an analogy to the Christian idea of God's judgment to a more tangible situation; suppose you lived in a society in which everyone, at the age of retirement, is whisked away in the night and never seen again. There is no evidence of where they have gone, or what has occurred. This is a normal scenario that occurs thousands of times each night in this society. Then, a "prophet" of sorts proclaims that someone from the government came to him and explained the whole process of what happens. He states that you are taken before a judge who, after reviewing your life's work, decides you will either spend the rest of your days in a paradise, or the rest of your days being tortured by sadists. He then provides the list of rules that the judge uses in deciding which place you go to. He has absolutely no proof that this is correct, and additionally, he is neither the first, nor the last person to provide a theory on what happens when you are taken. Tell me: what would make you follow his rules over the rules others have proposed? Has he given you any reason to believe him over any others? Would you have any reason to believe him, or would you consider him delusional?

Most would say a society like this is cruel, or scary, or inherently unfair. The fact of the matter is, this situation is far more more just, and more forgiving, of those who do not believe this "prophet's "story than Christians believe their God is. One can, by chance or internal moral compass, end up following the rules and precepts laid out by this "prophet" - but one cannot come to hold the belief that Christ is the son of God and the savior of mankind by any humanist moralistic principle, or through random chance - aside from the random chance one will be birthed to a particular set of parents in a particular region. Once again, this makes God seem to be quite a bit less than perfectly good.

Are there any differences in the analogy outlined above other than the ones I have pointed out, and if so, what are they?

No, I would not believe this “prophet” because he has not given any proof. You mention several times in your e-mail about needing proof and I am so glad you are asking for it. Because I will demonstrate in my closing remarks that Christianity is the only religion that truly has it. You asked: “Has he given you any reason to believe him over any others?” Yes, Christ has.

You said that this “prophet” then “provides the list of rules that the judge uses in deciding which place you go to.” This statement indicates to me that you might not fully understand Christianity because you imply it is a religion of works. All other religions are; they give a list of rules for people to work for and try to earn their way to heaven. A man once asked Paul, “What must I do to be saved?” His reply was, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household” (Acts 16:30, 31). Salvation does not come by keeping a list of rules but by having our sins forgiven. But God’s forgiveness is not Him simply sweeping our sins under the rug so to speak. The penalty for sin had to be paid in order for us to be forgiven. This, of course, was accomplished on the Cross. Therefore, salvation can only come through Christ because His death is the only sacrifice whereby our sins can be forgiven, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). As you asked further, “Tell me: what would make you follow his rules over the rules others have proposed?” Christians do not follow a set of rules for salvation, we follow Christ: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). Taking Christ out of Christianity thereby dwindling it down to a set of rules makes it indistinguishable from all other religions and powerless to save.

Lastly it sounds like you object that some people can never come to the knowledge of Christ because they are limited by the circumstances in which they were born: “aside from the random chance one will be birthed to a particular set of parents in a particular region.” But Scripture declares that God has revealed Himself to everyone through creation (Rom. 1:19, 20) and their own consciences (Rom. 2:15). Therefore none of us is without excuse because we can seek after God and find Him (Acts 17:27). Every man has been given light (John 1:9). Even those who have never heard the gospel will still perish (Rom. 2:12), and those who have heard the gospel but do not believe will be judged by God even more severely (Matt. 11:20-24).

4. Here is the story of Jesus in the Quran - just to back up what I told you in the truck - including his return at Armageddon. This is pulled directly from the Quranic, so you can simply look it if you don't believe me. Muslims believe that Christ was a prophet of Allah - same diety you call "God" and the Jews call Yahweh - (just like they believe that Moses, Abraham, etc were prophets), but believe that Mohamed was the most recent prophet. From a historical perspective, the rejection of Mohamed by Christians shares a lot of similarity to the rejection of Christ by the Jews. Any religion will be unlikely to accept major changes to their scripture - especially from individuals who hold no power in that religion - even if those changes actually come from God. This is not for spiritual reasons, rather, it is because changes to the religion would substantially alter the power structure that exists. Spiritual men with power are men first and spiritual second, and some men crave power more than they crave food.

The laity rejects the prophet for the same reason that they reject other gods and other religions: the fact that there is no unambiguous visible proof. An individual's faith blinds them to the flaws in their own belief system, but the flaws in the beliefs of others remain plain as day. This is due to confirmation bias, a cognitive phenomenon in humans; individuals, when faced with information, have a tendency to ignore information that contradicts views they hold (especially views by which they define themselves in large part), and religion is no exception. Anyway, here is the passage.

Surah Ali Imran, Yusufali Translation, Ayat 45-59
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[45] Behold! the angels said: "O Mary! Allah giveth thee glad tidings of a Word from Him: his name will be Christ Jesus, the son of Mary, held in honour in this world and the Hereafter and of (the company of) those nearest to Allah;

[46] He shall speak to the people in childhood and in maturity. And he shall be (of the company) of the righteous.

[47] She said: "O my Lord! How shall I have a son when no man hath touched me?" He said: "Even so: Allah createth what He willeth: When He hath decreed a plan, He but saith to it, 'Be,' and it is!

[48] "And Allah will teach him the Book and Wisdom, the Law and the Gospel,

[49] "And (appoint him) a messenger to the Children of Israel, (with this message): "'I have come to you, with a Sign from your Lord, in that I make for you out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, and breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by Allah's leave: And I heal those born blind, and the lepers, and I quicken the dead, by Allah's leave; and I declare to you what ye eat, and what ye store in your houses. Surely therein is a Sign for you if ye did believe;

[50] "'(I have come to you), to attest the Law which was before me. And to make lawful to you part of what was (Before) forbidden to you; I have come to you with a Sign from your Lord. So fear Allah, and obey me.

[51] "'It is Allah Who is my Lord and your Lord; then worship Him. This is a Way that is straight.'"

[52] When Jesus found Unbelief on their part He said: "Who will be My helpers to (the work of) Allah?" Said the disciples: "We are Allah's helpers: We believe in Allah, and do thou bear witness that we are Muslims.

[53] "Our Lord! we believe in what Thou hast revealed, and we follow the Messenger; then write us down among those who bear witness."

[54] And (the unbelievers) plotted and planned, and Allah too planned, and the best of planners is Allah.

[55] Behold! Allah said: "O Jesus! I will take thee and raise thee to Myself and clear thee (of the falsehoods) of those who blaspheme; I will make those who follow thee superior to those who reject faith, to the Day of Resurrection: Then shall ye all return unto me, and I will judge between you of the matters wherein ye dispute.

[56] "As to those who reject faith, I will punish them with terrible agony in this world and in the Hereafter, nor will they have anyone to help."

[57] "As to those who believe and work righteousness, Allah will pay them (in full) their reward; but Allah loveth not those who do wrong."

[58] "This is what we rehearse unto thee of the Signs and the Message of Wisdom."

[59] The similitude of Jesus before Allah is as that of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him: "Be". And he was.

You said: “the rejection of Mohamed by Christians shares a lot of similarity to the rejection of Christ by the Jews. Any religion will be unlikely to accept major changes to their scripture” Christ was progressively revealed from the time of Moses writing Genesis to the culmination of John writing Revelation. The earliest prophecy about Christ was at the very beginning, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” (Gen. 3:15). And the New Testament does not contradict the Old Testament or make any changes to its message; rather, it is the fulfillment of it. Christ said, “all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me” (Luke 24:44). Christ is the theme of the entire Old and New Testaments.

Christians believe the Old Testament is the word of God because Christ endorsed it and also that the New Testament is the word of God because it was written by those commissioned by Christ. Up to this point we can be confident that the Scriptures, the 66 books of the Bible, are the word of God. The Koran, on the other hand, contains conflicting information about the central theme of the Bible; Christ Himself. So, how can Christians accept any additional “authority” that contradicts what we already know to be God’s word? The simple fact that the Koran contradicts the known word of God exposes that it is not the word of God. Any additional “revelation” should compliment what we already have, not contradict it. If the Bible and the Koran contradict on essential doctrines then they cannot both be true which leaves us with only three options: 1) the Bible is true and the Koran is false; 2) the Koran is true and the Bible is false; 3) they are both false.

Let’s examine two major doctrines of the Koran about Christ. And remember, we are not examining a peripheral issue here. We are talking about Christ who is the very heart of Scripture. The last verse you quoted above claims that Christ is just a created being like Adam but the Bible declares He is the very Creator God Himself (John 1:1-3; Heb. 1:1-2). How can He be the Creator and yet also be created? This is a clear contradiction. The Koran also says that Jesus Christ was not crucified (Sura 4:157), while the Bible is replete with testimony that He was. Based on these two irreconcilable contradictions, the Bible and the Koran cannot both be the word of God. Either only one is or neither is. And these are only two of many blatant contradictions.

Muslims claim the reason for the contradictions is because the Bible has been corrupted. Now Christians do not claim that the Bible we use today is perfect. We recognize that minor copying mistakes have been made throughout the centuries and only the originals are truly without error. But at last count that I am aware of, there are 5,664 Greek, 8,000-10,000 Latin Vulgate, plus another 8,000 Ethiopic, Slavic, and Armenian manuscripts in existence showing only minor variations. More importantly, any differences between them do not affect any essential doctrines. In other words, all of the thousands of manuscripts we have today agree on the fundamentals about Christ that He is God and that He did die on the Cross. So then, how did every one of these thousands of Greek and various translated manuscripts from all over the ancient world get corrupted so thoroughly yet uniformly on essential doctrines?

5. Something you said in the truck has stuck with me, and that was that the laws of man ought to be dictated by the laws of God. Even if we throw out the rules set out by the Old Testament, we face a few problems.
I. This idea is the same one propagated by Muslims who want to make others adhere to the rule of Sharia, a system most Christians find abhorrent. How can you justify Christian religious law, but condemn Muslim religious law? Even if your belief is "correct", there is no way to demonstrate that in the physical world. All you are left with is your faith that it is the correct belief system, and the faith of one man in religion is worth no more than that of another man.

The reason I personally would not want to live under Muslim law is because it forces people to convert to their religion and threatens death for apostasy from it. It is not that I necessarily want to live under Christian religious law but that I want to live under a government where I am free to worship as I choose. For example, I lived comfortably for two years in communist Vietnam and was never pressured to convert to Buddhism. Other than an obviously lower standard of living, I found day to day living in Vietnam to be not much different than here in America. The Koran, on the other hand, teaches Muslims to fight against those who do not believe in Allah, even against Christians “the People of the Book” (Surah 9:29). Why would I want to live under a political religious system that is entirely violent against my own faith?

II. From a particularly American perspective, theocratic rule would be especially disgusting to the founding fathers of our country. John Adams once said, "I shall have liberty to think for myself without molesting others or being molested myself" in 1756, while Jefferson stated "Christianity neither is, nor ever was a part of the common law," (1814) and "In every country and in every age, the priest has been hostile to liberty. He is always in alliance with the despot, abetting his abuses in return for protection to his own" (1814). The reason why there is a separation of church and state is because something like, for example, prayer in school, creates an implied approval of one religion while ignoring others, and this is effectively an establishment of religion - a violation of the first amendment. Certainly some of the laws of man coincide with the rules in the Bible, but the ones that do exist for reasons other than "because God decreed it". This will be brought up a little later, and will be gone into more in-depth.

But there is no separation of church and state under Muslim law. Is it not the very type of system you are arguing against? Personally, I believe it is the parents’ responsibility to teach their children to pray, not the schools’. Children are there to learn reading, writing, and arithmetic. Only so long as children have the freedom to pray at school of their own initiative and are not forbidden then I am content. On the other hand, I think schools should not be teaching evolution because it is not science but a belief. Evolution is a theory that can never be proven by scientific methods because science can only work with the present. It simply has to be believed blindly. As a matter of fact, if science has proven anything in recent years it is that evolution absolutely could not have happened. Therefore evolution is no different than a religious belief that leads children into atheism and creates in school exactly what you said you do not want to happen: “an implied approval of one religion while ignoring others, and this is effectively an establishment of religion - a violation of the first amendment.”

III. The Bible cannot provide answers for every moral or ethical question asked,
especially when it comes to law. Besides the issue of whether or not using the Bible to direct legislation is moral, it is incredibly impractical. For example, does the Bible provide any ideas about tax law? Or legal driving age? Or the age of consent for marriage? Even if we are the accept that the Bible provides consistent, broad, moral principles, the idea that it can be used as a guide for the minutiae of everyday like just isn't realistic.

You are absolutely right. The Bible cannot and does not provide answers for every single moral or ethical question there is. It does not claim to do that. The Bible is the final court of appeal for truth but does not contain all possible truth that can be known because God also reveals Himself through other means which include the creation and our consciences (I touched on that earlier). But, as I also pointed out before, God established governments and they are responsible for deciding tax laws, driving age, etc.

6. You said that when Jesus arrived, the New Covenant replaced the Old Covenant.

I would clarify this a little by saying, I believe, the Old Covenant was phased-out over a 40 year period starting with the ministry of John the Baptist around 30 A.D. until the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D. “In that he says, ‘A new covenant,’ He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away” (Heb. 8:13). It did not vanish away in one moment; it was phased-out over a period of time.

Deuteronomy 4:2 contradicts this, stating: "You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of Jehovah your God which I command you." So it would seem that Deuteronomy is stating, point blank, that the word of God should never be "replaced", and that all the rules from the old testament should be followed by anyone who worships God.

We need to examine the context this verse is contained in: “Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I teach you to observe, that you may live, and go in and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers is giving you. You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you” (Deut. 4:1, 2). God is speaking to Israel and telling them not to add to or take away from His commandments. But God Himself can change any commandments He wants as long as it is not a moral commandment emanating from His own nature. Not all of the commandments in the Law of Moses are moral expressions of the nature of God Himself (e.g., keeping the Sabbath). Therefore, He can change non-moral laws and further define the moral ones.

Moreover, in Luke 8:31, Christ states "My mother and my brothers are these that here the word of God and do it." During the life of Christ, the "word of God" was not the New Testament (because it hadn't been written yet), but the Old Testament.

Actually the Scripture reference is Luke 8:21. And Christ was not referring to the Old Testament in this verse but to His own teaching in verses 5-18 which got interrupted by His family asking for him outside the crowd. He was calling His own teaching the “word of God” which “these” (the crowd) were hearing. During Christ’s life, He was and still is the living Word of God (John 1:1). Therefore, the word of God in His days on earth was not limited to the Old Testament but was also His own word.

In Matthew 5:18-19, Christs says “For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass the law until all is accomplished. Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven", in Matthew 5:17 ""Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest part or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place," and in Luke 16:17 he says "It is easier for Heaven and Earth to pass away than for the smallest part of the letter of the law to become invalid." It would thus seem that, as a follower of Christ, you are bound to follow the rules set forth in the Old Testament and the New Testament.

At this point Christ had just entered His ministry so it was important for Him to state why He came. As a teacher opposing the traditions imposed by the Scribes and Pharisees, He might have been mistakenly charged with trying to destroy the very law God gave to Israel. But He came to fulfill this law and the prophets. As for the law, it contained many sacrifices which were “shadows” of the coming Messiah (Heb. 10:1). These were fulfilled in His sacrifice on the Cross. As for the prophets, they contained many predictions (Psalm 22; Isa. 53) about His coming death which He also fulfilled. He is the whole purpose of the Old Testament.

Christ did not abolish the law when He came but did when He fulfilled it in His death. What else could Paul have meant in Ephesians 2:13-16: “Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments”? And what did he mean when he said, “Having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross” (Col. 2:14)? Both verses are speaking of His crucifixion. When He was nailed to the cross, the law itself was nailed to the cross because He was the fulfillment of it. He lived a sinless life under the Law of Moses and then died in our place to redeem us from our sins. Paul, speaking of the Ten Commandments written on stones said that it was “passing away” (2 Cor. 3:7, 11). Hebrews 8:8-13 tells us that the New Covenant law would be written on our hearts as opposed to being written on stone tablets. The law was like a tutor to teach us about Christ but now that He has come we are no longer under the tutor (Gal. 3:23-25).

“Until heaven and earth pass away” does not mean that as long as heaven and earth are still here then all the Law of Moses is still binding on us. It means that the law will not be destroyed until it is all fulfilled even if it takes until the passing away of heaven and earth. But since it was fulfilled by Christ then it did pass away. This is further clarified by Luke 16:17, “It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away” not that heaven and earth must pass away first. But let’s also not overlook the prior verse, “The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it” (Luke 16:16). It is obvious that a change began at the time of John the Baptist.

Now to be sure, no moral law of the Old Covenant was abolished by His death but ceremonial laws only. This is evident from what Paul said about the law, “He has taken it out of the way” (Col. 2:14), “So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ” (Col. 2:16, 17). Ceremonial laws such as keeping a kosher diet, festival days, and the Sabbath were types that found their fulfillment in Christ. All of these laws were abolished. Moral laws, on the other hand, expressed in nine of the Ten Commandments (the Sabbath being the exception) were not abolished because they are expressions of God’s own nature. Murder and adultery, for example, have always been sin because they are moral in nature. Cain lived before the Law of Moses and was a murderer (1 John 3:12-15). Before Moses received the law, he even committed murder himself and fled from Pharaoh in fear of punishment (Ex. 2:11-15). Joseph lived before the law yet knew that adultery was wicked (Gen. 39:7-9). Moral laws were binding on everyone before the Law of Moses was given, while the Law was in force, and still today around 2000 years after the law. The Law of Moses did not create moral standards that never existed before. It simply defined what had always been true. Therefore the abolishment of that Law did not change what is truly moral and what is not.

So, to be a good Christian, in addition to being opposed to homosexuality and abortion, one must adhere to the following rules set forth:
I. Deuteronomy 23:1 - a man with missing or damaged genitals cannot enter religious congregations
II. Leviticus 19:19 - wearing clothing made of more than one fiber is an abomination

These two laws are clearly non-moral or ceremonial in nature which means they were only part of the Old Covenant law that passed away.

III. 2 Chronicles 16:12 - a story is told that seems to discourage going to a doctor when ill, and instead just pray

This verse is not any kind of rule or commandment binding on anyone. It simply recounts an event that happened. Now Scripture always encourages prayer but I have never read where it discouraged going to a doctor. In fact Christ said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick” (Matt. 9:12). The verse says, “Asa became diseased in his feet, and his malady was severe; yet in his disease he did not seek the Lord, but the physicians” (2 Chron. 16:12). It sounds like he is saying that the Lord would have healed him if he had sought Him. But instead of seeking help from God also, he relied only on the doctors. Doctors can only do so much and in his case it was not enough so he died.

IV. 1 Kings 13:1 - God commands the ritual sacrifice of pagans

This was not a ritual sacrifice. It was a prophecy that was fulfilled in 2 Kings 23:15-20, executing the divine judgment of God on the non-Levitical priesthood established by Jeroboam in 1 Kings 12:31-32. God punished with death those who were violating the order of the priesthood He had prescribed.

V. Deuteronomy 13:13 - more burning of all non-believers

This was not a burning of any persons but the city in which they lived. If one of the cities in the land God gave to Israel turned away from God to serve other gods then Israel was commanded to kill them. But this was the case only for cities in their own land. What we need to recognize is that God is the Creator of life and therefore has the prerogative to take that life whenever He so chooses. It is murder for us to take the life of another person but not for Him because He is God. Now He can also delegate that authority in certain circumstances such as this and also for governments to enforce capital punishment.

As long as we are talking about God killing people; what about the flood? Considering it occurred about 1650 years after Adam was created and people were living to be over 900 years old, some have estimated that the population would have well exceeded the population of 6 billion today. This is very possible especially when each couple was probably having numerous children over a span of hundreds of years. Yet God killed earth’s entire population except for eight people in the Ark.

VI. Deuteronomy 20:10 - when you take over a town, you should rape the women, murder everyone, and pillage whats left

In this passage God was instructing His people what to do when going to battle against their enemies. They were to first offer peace to any city they came to. If the city not only refused the offer of peace but also made war against Israel then they were to kill every male but save the women and children. And nothing is said here about raping any women.

VII. Deuteronomy 22:28 - if a man rapes a woman who is not engaged to be married, he must pay her father 50 pieces of silver and marry her

It is questionable if this is talking about rape. It says “and they are found out” as though it is not him being caught raping her but rather that what was done mutually was discovered later. The two were simply commanded to get married since they already had sexual relations.

VIII. Deuteronomy 22:23 - if a married woman is raped, she is to be stoned

This is not talking about rape. Deut. 22:25-27 speaks of an actual rape where he “forces her” and she “cried out, but there was no one to save her” because she was out in the countryside. In that case the criminal is the only one who dies. But Deut. 22:23-24 is talking about a man lying with a virgin who is engaged and she did not cry for help even though she was in the city where others could have saved her. It was obviously mutual consent. There is nowhere in Scripture where rape is commanded or where a rape victim is ordered to be put to death.

IX. Leviticus 25:44 - slavery is completely okay, "However, you may purchase male or female slaves from among the foreigners who live among you. You may also purchase the children of such resident foreigners, including those who have been born in your land. You may treat them as your property, passing them on to your children as a permanent inheritance."

We tend to associate slavery with kidnapping and abuse because of the ungodly slave trade in early American history. But Scripture condemns kidnapping, “He who kidnaps a man and sells him, or if he is found in his hand, shall surely be put to death” (Exod. 21:16). We are told that the poor often sold themselves into slavery to opt for a better life (Lev. 25:39, 47), or they were sold into slavery to satisfy a debt they could not pay (Matt. 18:25). Yet they could always be redeemed or released during the year of Jubilee (Lev. 25:47-55).

If a particular government and its society allow it and there is no immorality involved (kidnapping or abuse) then is it immoral for one human to own another? I think the burden of proof is on those who say it is. The unethical treatment or abuse of any human being is definitely immoral but whether or not it is wrong for one human to own another is debatable.

And to be frank it goes on and on and on. However, lets go with what you said in the car, that we should throw out the Old Testament and only follow the rules laid out in the New Testament.

New Testament Only

I. Christ states that all disobedient children should be stoned to death. Mark.7:9-13 "Whoever curses father or mother shall die"

Moral laws are universal and timeless; they are true for all people at all times. But the punishment for breaking those laws is not always the same at all times. Just because God prescribed certain punishments under Old Covenant law does not mean the same punishments are still binding today. Israel lived under a unique theocratic government in which God gave them specific punishments for specific crimes. But governments we live under today, which are also established by God, are permitted to set their own punishments. It is morally wrong for a child to curse his father or mother but the punishment for doing so is not the same today.

After Christ rose from the dead, He commissioned us, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen” (Matt. 28:19, 20). What Christ requires of His disciples under the New Covenant is to obey whatever He commanded us, not necessarily whatever was commanded to Israel under the Old Covenant. Paul said that he was “not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ” (1 Cor. 9:21). The duty of Christians is to obey the law of Christ which is whatever He has commanded us. So when we read the four gospels we need to take into account who He was speaking to. In the verse you quoted above He was clearly addressing the Jewish Pharisees and Scribes (Mark 7:1, 5), not His disciples.

II. In Matthew 5:27, Christ states that adultery should be punished by death, and lustful thoughts should be punished by gouging your eye out.

The Sermon on the Mount recorded in Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7 is clearly Christ’s commandments to His disciples (Matt. 5:1, 2). And multiple times He quoted the Old Covenant law then followed it with: “But I say to you.” He was commanding His law over and above the former. The Law of Moses only defined sin to a certain extent but Christ was now revealing the depths of it more fully. And He did not reiterate the death penalty for adultery in this sermon. He simply repeated the moral law of the Old Covenant and then defined it further to be not just the act but the very lust of it in the heart.

Also, Christ was not saying that the punishment for lustful thoughts is gouging out the eye but rather being cast into hell. Eternity in hell is the punishment for adultery. Now the part about gouging out your eye and cutting off your hand was a hyperbolic statement for effect much the same way as Matt. 7:1-5. Certainly He did not mean that anyone has a literal wooden beam in their eye that needs to be removed.

III. In Peter 2:18, he states that all slaves should "be subject to their masters with all fear" - so it would seem that the New Covenant is okay with slavery as well.

The early church lived under the Roman Empire where it is estimated that the slave population far outnumbered the free. It touched almost every facet of life. But the New Testament gave strong warning for masters’ ethical treatment of their slaves (Eph. 6:9; Col. 4:1).

So it would seem that there are a lot of rules that modern Christians don't adhere to because it would be immoral to do so. This begs the question, why would these rules have been moral then, and immoral now? Was it ever really okay to stone women for the crime of being raped, or children for the crime of disobedience?

There are no rules that were moral then but immoral now. Moral laws are timeless and universal. Before the Law of Moses people were accountable for the moral law inscribed on their consciences. Those living under the Law had greater accountability because the moral law was clearly written and given to them directly from God. It would also follow that Christians today have even greater accountability because we have been given greater revelation. Christians now live under the law of Christ which is an even higher standard than the Law of Moses. It is not that morality has changed but that it is more fully defined and demanded of us. And to answer you again, it was never the case that women were stoned for being raped.

7. Finally, how are we to use the Bible as complete moral compass when, within the book itself, there seem to be contradictions in the rules? For example, one of the ten commandments is "Thou shalt not kill," without any qualifications, while God commands his subjects to kill repeatedly throughout the Bible (such as the killing of rape victims and children). Since the Bible is, at times, internally inconsistent, how are we to use it as a reliable method to decided moral issues?

The commandment to not kill is referring to murder which is always immoral for all people at all times. But God has the prerogative to take any life whenever He wills because He is the giver of life. It is not murder for Him to kill. And He also has chosen to delegate that authority at certain times such as with capital punishment and when He commanded Israel to kill. There were actually 16 different crimes enforced by the death penalty under the Old Covenant. But once again, there never was a commandment to kill rape victims.

The Bible is a very big book—a compilation of 66 books by over 40 writers spanning a period of around 1500 years—so we would expect there to be some apparent contradictions. In fact it is absolutely amazing that there are relatively few. As long as we are honestly trying to understand its intended meaning and allowing it to harmonize with itself then its internal consistency testifies to its divine origin.

Anyway, I know this is a really long email, but I would love your thoughts on these issues. I hope you come up with better answers than I could, and I trust your faith to guide you. If you cannot provide answers, thats fine as well. That said, I would think that any individual who believes faith has any value would want to make sure they have placed their faith in the right religion. Faith without any critical thought is blindness, and belief without skepticism is gullibility.

Thanks,

Keia James Atkinson



I would like to conclude these questions and answers with objective proof for the Christian faith. At one point you seemed to extend a challenge: “While you certainly can have faith that hell exists, there is no way to "prove" it.” Actually, I believe it can be proven. If it can be shown beyond reasonable doubt that Christ resurrected from the dead then the existence of hell is also proven. The historical event of the resurrection establishes the fact that Christ is the very God who created everything; including heaven and hell. His resurrection proves the following:
1 ) He is God because only God can do what no man has ever done; gotten the victory over death.
2) His death on the Cross paid in full for our sins. The penalty for sin is death but Christ never sinned. So why did He die? He died to pay the penalty for our sins and His resurrection proclaims that God accepted His sacrifice as payment in full.
3) He is the only way of salvation. Man cannot save himself. Only God can save us and He did so through His Son’s death for our sins. Therefore there cannot be other ways to God because He only provided one way through His Son.
4) All other religions are false. Obviously if God saves people only through Christ then no other religion saves.
5) Every claim He made about Himself is true. All of His claims are proven because He is God.
6 ) Everything He taught is the truth. If Christ is God then we need to listen to what He said and, more importantly, obey Him.
7) The Bible is the word of God. Christ validated the Old Testament by quoting from it as authority. He also commissioned His disciples to write the 27 books of the New Testament.
8) There is a heaven and a hell. Christ knows about these two places because He is God and He told us they exist.
9)There is objective, universal standard of morality.
10) He will judge the world.

The entire Christian faith stands or falls on the resurrection (1 Cor. 15:14, 17). If it did not happen then Christianity is a sham. If it happened then everything above and more is settled. The question now is how do we prove the resurrection?

Let’s suppose a man is standing trial for committing a crime and two people testify that they saw him do it. Would that be enough evidence to convict him? It probably would be. But what if there were five people who testified rather than two? Then it would be a closed case. The point is that just a few people giving eyewitness testimony about an event can convict someone beyond reasonable doubt. Multiple eyewitness testimony is solid evidence.

The apostle Paul wrote that after Christ’s resurrection, He appeared to not just five, or even fifty, but to over five hundred people at the same time (1 Cor. 15:6). How much more evidence do we need? But how can we know this really happened? Mainly, the credibility of not just Paul but all the apostles was on the line because they were in agreement and fellowship with each other. Paul said that James, Peter and John gave him and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship (Gal. 2:9). Also, Peter read Paul’s letters and endorsed them (2 Pet. 3:15, 16). Therefore, this claim was verified by all the apostles after he wrote it. And if anything the apostles wrote was ever proven false then the whole New Testament must be discarded. Because if it was known that they lied even once then how could we ever trust them on anything else? When someone is a proven liar, even when they really do tell the truth they still cannot be trusted because their credibility has been damaged. Defense attorneys use this tactic in court quite frequently. They try to undermine the credibility of witnesses by making personal attacks on their character.

Also, this claim involved so many people—over five hundred—that if false it could have been easily exposed as such. Yet Paul even challenged the Corinthians to investigate the truthfulness of the claim by stating: “most of whom are still living” (1 Cor. 15:6). In effect he was saying that if they did not believe him then it would not be difficult to track down some of those five hundred and hear it from them firsthand because most of them were still alive when he wrote the letter. He was not the least bit worried about his claim being scrutinized.

What gives substance to the Christian faith is that it is established on public events that happened in real history. Other religions have to be followed blindly because they consist mainly of “wise” sayings and commandments of men with no proof they came from God. Only Christianity is grounded in historical events, political figures, geography, archaeology, nations, and people groups that can either be verified as accurate or proven false. Whereas Christianity does not shrink from allowing itself to be examined, other religions do. Christianity is proven objectively by the eyewitness testimony of the resurrection of Christ. The following Scriptures reveal how crucial the Apostles’ eyewitness testimony was for the resurrection to be established as an historical event: Luke 24:46-49; Acts 1:8; 1:21-22; 2:32; 3:15; 4:33; 5:30-32; 10:39-41; 13:31; 26:16.

Furthermore, numerous fulfilled prophecies about the life and death of Christ are also solid evidence for the Christian faith. The 1947 discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in Qumram, Israel was a manuscript find that included every book of the Old Testament except Esther. The documents, along with the prophecies contained in them, pre-date Christ therefore verifying they were actual predictions that were not written after the fact. What’s more is there is a miniscule difference between those manuscripts and the Old Testament we read today attesting that the text has not been corrupted.

Salvation comes by believing in Christ’s resurrection (Rom. 10:9), because to believe this one event is to believe everything else about Him. Does Christ require us to believe He was resurrected even though we never have the privilege of seeing Him with our own eyes? Just listen to what He said to His disciple Thomas after His resurrection: “‘Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29). We have no excuse for not believing even though we do not see simply because we have solid evidence from the eyewitnesses who did see Him. This is more than sufficient evidence to believe and to dismiss this proof is to reject Christ and perish.

So, what will you do at this point? Will you continue seeking answers to more questions before you will believe? That is certainly your prerogative but let me please remind you that none of us has a guarantee of living to see tomorrow. Do not wait until it is too late. I plead for you to repent of your sins and believe on Him who loved you and died for you.


Thank you.


Ryan Moody