Just share the Gospel - Apologetics

The pastor at my church's church gathering this Sunday said that many Christians are scarred to witness (testify) to their faith. 

I think a lot of this comes down to fear of not knowing what to say, to not having the right answers or the right arguments.  There can be some validity to that, but I don't think Christians need to know all the arguments against every objection to Christianity.  I'm writing this for Christians right now, by the way.

Why should a Christian be required to fully know all the ins and outs of current scientific research and theories, or the history of every religion in the world, or a great response to every objection to the Bible? 

What we are required to know is Jesus!  We need to know Jesus, which means knowing the four gospels, what Jesus taught and did.  Every Christian knows Jesus!  The good news of Jesus Christ's life, death, and resurrection has the power to save someone.  Our clever arguments do not save people, and when has a person ever become a Christian because they lost the argument.  Ultimately, it's hearing the Gospel that brings conversion. 

One might ask, is sharing the Gospel truly defending the faith?  Yea, in most cases; it is.  Romans 1:16 "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes." 

The Macho Man, Randy Savage, Stops The Rapture

Everyone knew that the rapture prediction for yesterday was wrong - at least they should have all known.  If you want to know what Jesus said about the end of of this age, I suggest reading Matthew 24.  The entire chapter is devoted to signs of the end of the age.  In verse 36 Jesus says, "No one knows about that day or hour, no even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."  So if some guy named Harold Camping comes along claiming it's the end - it's not going to happen.

Harold had some sort of formula he claims he got from Scripture to get the May 21st date.  What he didn't count on was the Macho Man, Randy Savage, dying the day before.  I'm a firm believer that a lot of the stuff we do for fun in this life, will also be done for fun in heaven, as long as its not a sin, of course.  Maybe wrestling is a sin, but I don't think so.  Randy was so excited to be heaven (I'm not sure his religious beliefs, but let's just say he was so excited to be heaven), that the first thing he wanted to do with Jesus was have a wrestling match.  "Oh, yea!"  And incidentally, the Macho Man stopped the Rapture.  No one knows the time of Christ's return and no one can predict it. 

"Oh, Yea!  Slam into a Slim Jim!"

What about the saintly people of other religions?

Christianity is certainly exclusive.  Salvation is by grace through faith in Christ.  Outside of faith in Christ, there isn't salvation.  This rubs a lot of people the wrong way, and I'll be honest, on some days when I think about people I know who are outside of the Christian faith, it upsets me quite a lot too! Click on the topic pertaining to the unevangelized in the blog topics section to some more general answers the problem of the unevangelized and the problem of hell.

Springing from the position of exclusivity comes the argument of the "saintly" people of other religions.  The Buddha had his act together and led many people away from self-centered desires and into enlightenment.  The Dali Lama...come on... that guys more peaceful than Christians who follow the Prince of Peace.  Ghandi...he led non-violent revolutionary protests in India, sparked from reading Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.  Do all the "saintly" people of the other religions in the world go to hell, just because they don't believe in Jesus Christ?

Check out the following trailer for Rob Bell's book Love Wins.  I think he's asking basically the same question about Ghandi and about Christian exclusivity?  

So what about the saintly people of other religions?

Christianity is not a religion about human works.  It's a relationship with the God who stepped down from heaven and did the works required for salvation for us, because we are incapable of doing the perfect works required of us by God.  So, our works don't save us.

These "saintly" people were good in the world's eyes, not in God's.  In God's eyes, we're all sinners deserving his wraith, unless we have faith in Christ or bore that wraith on our behalf.

Following a set of morals and ethics doesn't make a religion true.

And lastly, Bell is off in his presentation in this video.  He's casting questions and doubts trying to raise conversation centered on Christ.  If people mistakenly misinterpret the Gospel as he says, to believe that it is about God having to save us from himself, then he should supply the answer in the video instead of letting it hang as if that's the truth, or that Christians have it all wrong, because Christians don't have it wrong.  The Gospel isn't saving us from God, it's always been God saving us from ourselves, from our sinfulness, and that is through Christ, and that is how all people come to salvation.

Jesus is the Savior of the Buddhist, of the Hindu, of the Jew, of the Muslim, of the atheist, and etc.  To receive that salvation, a person must have faith in him. 

1 Corinthians 15 -Video For Easter

In the last post, I mentioned reading 1 Corinthians 15.  It's an early creed of the Christians. 

Here's a video featuring Dr. Gary Habermas speaking on the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Most of his affirmative case for the resurrection centers on 1 Corinthians 15.

Also, did you know that in China, the name they have for Easter is "Resurrection Day". Pretty cool, if you ask me. Maybe English speaking Christians can adopt this name and quit using Easter.

Christianity = Falsifiable

Carl Popy, one of the gents who regularly goes to UCI to hand-out coffee, sent me a text this morning that asked, "What do you think about making a sign that says Christianity = Falsifiable?"

So in case you aren't familiar with older posts, we hand out coffee at University of California Irvine and often times put signs on the front of the table to promote religious conversation that opens the door to presenting the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Usually we use "Religion is for the Weak" or a "Contradiction" sign made up of different religious symbols.  Or we just have the "Free Coffee" sign.  That works well.

I really like Carl Popy's latest idea sign idea though.  If anyone getting our free coffee handouts asks what does this mean pointing to the sign, we instantly get to speak about the Gospel and how it can be historically tested.  Jesus was a historical individual and as a historical individual the claims written about him can be tested and verified like any other person in ancient history.  In the case of Jesus, however, there are miracles attributed to him.  Divinity being attributed to him isn't very unique, because lots of ancient leaders, rulers, and emperors claimed divinity, but unlike Jesus, they didn't have the miracles attributed to them, and they definitely didn't have a resurrection from the dead to back up their claims to divinity.

Christianity is falsifiable because if the resurrection didn't happen, Christianity is not true.  If Jesus didn't rise from the dead, Christianity is a hoax.  Prove that Jesus didn't rise from the dead and you've proven that Christianity is false.  Therefore Christianity is falsifiable.  To have faith in Jesus, the Christ, a person doesn't have to have blind faith.

Since it's the day before Easter, I'd recommend reading 1 Corinthians 15.

It's Saturday.  But Sunday's coming. 

To learn more about the falsifiable nature of Christianity, read 1 Corinthians 15.  It's clearly stated in the Bible that Christianity can be false and the apostle Paul lays the heart of Christianity bear for anyone in the first century, or now, to run a stake through.  But no one has, not yet. 

Jesus' Crucifixion

This video is a doctor speaking on Jesus' crucifixion...

I think it is fitting during this week in the church's yearly calendar. 

It can't be embedded from youtube, so here is the link for it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-EVfxABSoU.

Don't talk about Christianity - Focus on Jesus!

I've heard the quote, "I don't like your Christians, but I like your Christ," attributed to Ghandi. 

I think Ghandi said this because on paper, Jesus is the greatest human being to ever walk this earth!  His moral and ethical teachings are hands down the best.  They're quoted even to this day by people who are not Christians, such classic gems as, "Love your neighbor as youself," now called the Golden Rule.  Some have even traced the freedom and equality of women in society, which women enjoy in the West, directly to Jesus' teachings and interactions with and concerning women. Parables attributed to Jesus' teachings in the Gospels can be found in non-religious literary textbooks, as well as his famous Sermon on the Mount.  He's always at or near the top of the list for most influential people in history. 

It seems that a growing number of people are taking a stance like Ghandi, liking Christ but not liking "organized religion".  They cite the crusades!  They cite fraudulent practices within the church to make a buck, they cite Roman Catholic priests who molest boys, and other horrendous acts committed by Christians who don't live up to the teachings of Christ. 

I'd like to note that these people are focusing on the ability of Christians to live up to Jesus' teachings in the law as a way of justifying faith in Christ.  Faith in Christ is not centered on the observance of the law.  In fact, in his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharasees (religious goody-goodies), you can't enter the kingdom of heaven.  Jesus in this one claim, threw everyone under the bus of condemnation who heard his sermon!  The people hearing them, knew that no one's righteousness could surpass that of the Pharasees. 

You see, Christianity is not a way of life - it is life!  If someone discredits Christianity because of the sinful lives of Christians, then they don't even know what they are rejecting.  We must move beyond Christianity and focus on Christ!  Who is he?  He must share that he was more than a good man, more than a moral teacher, more than a sacrificial philanthropist of the early first century.  He claimed to be God!  A good man can't claim to be God if he's not God.  If he claims to be God and he's not God, he's a liar, not a good man!  He's a deceiver.  Or if he thinks he's God, but he's not, he must be deranged, a lunatic.  None of these fit with his character recorded within the Bible or from extra-biblical sources near the time of his life.  His disciples could have always lied in their historical accounts of him, but why would they do that?  They didn't gain anything for their efforts besides persecution and death.

In conclusion, we must focus on Christianity.  Who is Jesus, what did he claim about himself, did he back up those claims?  What if he rose from the grave as the Gospels proclaim?  What would that mean?  Does that verify his claims to divinity?  Ask questions that lead people to Jesus, to the good news.  Admit the faults of the church, admit the stain of sin within us all, admit that Jesus acknowledged that none of us could live up to the righteousness required in his teachings - that's why we need him, our Savior from sin and death!  Encourage people to look at all of Christ's message, not just his morals!  If you only accept the ethics in Christ's teachings, then you don't really like Christ!  Don't reject Christ because of Christians.  Christians are the messengers, not the message.  Don't let the messengers get in the way of the message.  Focus on Jesus!   

How was Jesus human, yet not born sinful?

Here's a question I received on Facebook: If Jesus was human , why did he not have the human nature of sin?

First, holding to Scripture as the Word of God, there is no "if" about Jesus taking on a human nature.  1 Timothy 2:5 says he was a man.  Romans 9:5 says he has an ancestry, just as any human does (except the first Adam of course).   Scripture also shows that Jesus was born as an infant, grew, was hungry, slept, was tired, drank, ate, had emotions, was thirsty, bled, and died, all of which are human characteristics.  

Scripture also affirms his divinity.  John Chapter calls Jesus God and Collegians 2:9 says that the fullness of the deity dwells in Jesus.  Jesus also identifies himself with God saying, "I and the Father are one" and "Before Abraham was I am."  He receives worship from others, forgives sin, and invites people to worship him.  

Scripture clearly shows that Jesus was both fully human and fully God.  He has two natures, yet is one person.  However, the person asking the question recognizes that Scripture teaches that every human is born with inherited sin, in other words born sinful.  Some Christians disagree with this teaching but Romans Chapter 5 clearly teaches that all inherit sin through Adam's disobedience.  David also teaches that he was sinful from the moment of conception! (Psalm 51)  Other Scriptures teach that no one is righteous, not even one, and that all fall short of the glory of God.  

So wouldn't Jesus in the incarnation taking on a full human nature also inherit original sin, or a sinful nature?

The answer to Jesus being fully human, yet being conceived without sin, lies in the virgin birth!  The virgin birth shows that Christ was truly human.  Jesus' unique conception differentiates him from the rest of us.  He did not have a human father.  He wasn't the first human to not have a human father though, neither did Adam nor Eve.  In fact, they didn't have a human mother either.  They were created directly by God, and they were created without sin!  1 Corinthians 15:47 says, "The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven."  Simply put, Jesus is fully human, but  in a similar way to Adam, Christ, is a new creation without an earthly father - He is the second Adam and was conceived and born without sin!

Also, some Christians note that Adam and Eve were created without a sinful nature, and that since Christ was conceived in a miraculous way through the work of the Holy Spirit, Christ did not inherit Adam's guilt.  The virgin conception breaks the passing of guilt and sin.   

Feel free to send other questions you might have about God, the Bible, or other religions to andy@ocapologist.com or to my Facebook profile.