Bible-Based & Christ-Centred

Purpose of this Website
Statements of Faith (Doctrinal Statements)
Jesus is the Only Way (About Jesus Christ)
About Pastor John / Creative Common & Public Domain notice

Purpose

The purpose of this website (blog) is to help people learn more about Jesus Christ. Who He is – His identity – as ‘God in the Flesh,’ and Why He came – His mission – to atone for (by dying for) our sins.

Doctrinal Statements

This website is Bible-based and Christ-centred, and is designed to help you grow in your walk of faith with Jesus Christ. You can learn more about our statement of faith in the doctrinal statements.

Doctrinal Statements:

Bibliology

Christology

Doctrine of God

Pneumatology (Holy Spirit)

About Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to heaven.

Many are misled by false teachings, such as “many ways lead to heaven,” “God loves us all, so I will go to heaven,” and “I am a good person, doing good deeds, so I will be in heaven,” or “When I die, I will be reborn on earth.” ALL of these are false, man-made teachings!

The Holy Bible teaches us why we MUST make Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

In John 1 5: 5 Jesus makes this astonishing claim: “apart from me you can do nothing.” As true believers, we must pray earnestly and specifically.

We pray that the Lord would give all people a desire to talk about things of faith and to be willing to think critically about their own lives and worldview. We ask the Holy Spirit to help these people embrace the reality of absolute truth found only in Jesus.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to heaven, and be eternally joined with our Heavenly Father.

AMEN.

Question: “Is Jesus the only way to Heaven?”

Answer: Yes. Jesus is the only way to heaven. Such an exclusive statement may not tickle our ears, but it is true, nonetheless. The Bible teaches that there is no other way to salvation than through Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself says in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” He is not a way, as in one of many; He is the way, as in the one and only. No one, regardless of reputation, achievement, special knowledge, or personal holiness, can come to God the Father, except through Jesus.

There are several reasons that Jesus is the only way to heaven. Jesus was “chosen by God” to be the Savior (1 Peter 2:4). Jesus is the only One to have come down from heaven and returned there (John 3:13). He is the only person to have lived a perfect – sinless – human life (Hebrews 4:15).

He is the only sacrifice for sin (1 John 2:2; Hebrews 10:26). He alone fulfilled the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 5:17). He is the only man to have conquered death forever (Hebrews 2:14-15). He is the only Mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5). He is the only man whom God has “exalted to the highest place” (Philippians 2:9). In several places besides John 14:6, Jesus spoke of Himself as the only way to heaven. Also, He presented Himself as the object of faith in Matthew 7:21-27. He said His words are life (John 6:63). Jesus promised that those who believe in Him will have eternal life (John 3:14-15). He is the gate of the sheep (John 10:7); the bread of life (John 6:35); and the resurrection (John 11:25). No one else can truly claim those titles.

The apostles’ preaching focused on the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Peter, clearly proclaimed Jesus as the only way to heaven, speaking to the Sanhedrin:

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Likewise, Paul, speaking to the Antioch synagogue, singled out Jesus as the Savior: “I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin” (Acts 13:38-39). John, writing to the church in general, identifies the name of Christ as the basis of our forgiveness: “I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His name’s sake. (1 John 2:12).

No one but Jesus can forgive sin.

As such, eternal life in heaven is made possible only through Christ. Jesus prayed, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:3). To receive God’s free gift of salvation, we must look to Jesus and Jesus alone. We must trust in Jesus’ death on the cross as our payment for sin and in His resurrection. “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe” (Romans 3:22).

At one point in Jesus’ ministry, many were turning their backs on Him and leaving in hopes of finding another savior. Jesus asked the Twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” (John 6:67, ESV). Peter’s response is accurate: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God” (John 6:68-69, ESV). May we all join Peter’s faith that eternal life resides only in Jesus Christ.

Have you made a decision for Christ because of what you have read here? If so, please begin learning more about Jesus – His identity and mission – by reading the Bible Gospels (NLT, as paraphrase, and ESV or NASB are good translations). Once you have read about Jesus Christ, believe that he died for your and all of our sins, you can pray this prayer:

“Lord Jesus,

I repented my sins,

come into my heart,

wash me clean,

You are my Lord and my Savior.”

AMEN.

May God bless you and keep you.

Yours in Christ,

Pastor John

4. About Pastor John / Creative Common & Public Domain notice

Hello. My name is Pastor John. I live in Northumberland County, Ontario, Canada. My background is Reformed (originally Lutheran). I graduated from Moody Bible Institute, a Christian college in Chicago, IL., USA, with a degree in Biblical Studies.

Here you can find free notes, articles, ideas, and more, in order to help you grow in your personal relationship with Jesus Christ. AMEN.

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Pastor John, “How can I get saved,” accessed October 17, 2023, https://pastorjohn123.wordpress.com/2023/10/13/post-21/. 

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Pastor John. “How can I get saved.” Accessed October 17, 2023.

https://pastorjohn123.wordpress.com/2023/10/13/post-21/ 

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Posted on August 28, 2023 by Bible-based & Christ-centred

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Posted on August 28, 2023August 31, 2023 by Bible-based & Christ-centred

Ask Pastor John

Ask Pastor John
(Answers to Some of Your Questions)

Does God exist? If so, how do we know?

(Audio – English)
(Audio – Deutsch)

Does evil exist? What is evil? Why is there evil? The Problem of Evil

(Audio – English)
(Audio – Deutsch)

How does Evolution theory relate to Genesis?

(Audio – English)

Can I trust the Bible? Is the Bible reliable?

(Audio – English)
(Audio – Deutsch)

How did we get the Bible? How do we know the Bible is true?

(Audio – English)
(Audio – Deutsch)

How can I get saved?

(Audio – English)

How can I get started reading and studying the Bible?

(Audio – English)
(Audio – Deutsch)

What is a good Bible translation?

(Audio – English)
(Audio – Deutsch)

What are other approaches to study the Bible?

(Audio – English)
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A Guide to the Best Biblical Commentaries and Reference Works

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Posted on August 28, 2023September 5, 2023 by Bible-based & Christ-centred

Does God exist? If so, how do we know?

Often people ask, if God exists and if He does, how do we know? This is a very important question and must not be simply dismissed, or ignored. The short answer is, God not only exists, but He also is a personal God and has a name – Jesus Christ. While some people believe in many other things, but Jesus, the question then becomes one of conviction, yet possibly a fallacious one with enormous implications on life, ethics, morals and, most importantly the eternal destiny of an individual. So, while we may not be able to prove the existence of God – this need not pose a problem – if we understand that God has already proven Himself in and through the Person and identity of Jesus Christ. More specifically, Jesus, who as God in the flesh came to atone for our sins, so that through Him we do not have to suffer eternal punishment (John 14:6; 15:5). So if anyone asks, how we know this, the answer is found in the resurrection (and ascension) of Christ as the Messiah, which not only reveals the existence of God but also provides an invitation to every human being accepting Him as their personal Lord and Saviour (John 3:16-21).

Therefore, what we need to do is carefully examine the available evidence surrounding Jesus Christ, His life, death and resurrection, and come to a point where we have to make a decision, if we believe the absolute truth He offers, or (hopefully not) refuse to believe (Mark 8:27-29). In order to get a basic grasp on this, the following is a brief investigation into the internal (biblical) evidence, as well as the external (non-biblical) evidence. Hereby, we are considering a three-part line of questions: First, are there arguments for the existence of God? Second, what do we make of the historical facts of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection? Third, what does God’s existence mean for us?

The purpose of this article is to show that it is not only reasonable to acknowledge the existence of a non-created personal God, but make a decision of faith believing in Jesus Christ, since He has proven the truth about Himself. Thereby, He provides a way for us to know Him (through the Bible) and that way leaving little (if any) doubt about how we do know that God exists, is for us, loving us as individuals in a unique, personal and divine way.

In this first part, while some may hold to presuppositions against God’s existence, we can ask if there are arguments for the existence of God? To do this, we have to consider presuppositions in a bit more detail, since there are five questions here that are at times mismatched or simply not understood (1). So firstly, since something can exist, regardless if we are aware of it or know it, the question is if a thing (or person) exists or not? Secondly, if we trust that the previous question can be answered having been affirmatively validated, the question is whether or not we know it exists? Thirdly, while a person may know something, he may be unable to guide others to that specific knowledge. The question then is, if we have a basis for our knowledge? Fourthly, since most of our proposed reasons are probabilities, but not facts, the question is if a specific reason (provided it holds) does constitute a proof? Then fifthly, assuming a proof exists, is it established by a scientific method (observation, experiment or measurement), making it a scientific proof?

Thus, when it comes to God’s existence, it may be well possible to positively affirm the first four, but not the last question. The reason for this is that God cannot be proven scientifically. However, in contrast to scientific proof, philosophical proofs can provide viable proof, while not having to be scientific. From this perspective, without diminishing the value of science or research in any way, deductive arguments (2) use various premises based on different arguments, yet notably, in every such argument it can be concluded that God exists. Note here that Jesus at times also used deduction – among many other approaches – to challenge His critics, e.g. Matthew 22:23-33, as does Paul in Romans 4:1-4.

As such, philosophical proofs are not only helpful in the aforementioned deductive argument, but can also be used as part of a so-called cumulative case approach. Such a method combines the main arguments for God’s existence into an informal, so-called abductive approach. In other words, what is the best or most plausible explanation to a given problem? Within the realm of philosophy, the goal is to show that the Christian worldview provides the ‘best explanation’ of available evidence, in contrast to all other opposing worldviews (3).

Taking a cue from the aforementioned approach, we are entering the realm of metaphysics – the philosophical field of study that investigates the existence and nature of things, i.e. God, mankind, objects, etc. Hereby, what is called the ‘Design Argument’ (addressing the cosmos and intelligent design), considers the options of how existence came into being (4). The origin of existence evolves around three possibilities: One, there is no explanation for everything. Two, there is an impersonal explanation (materialism or mysticism). Three, there is a personal explanation.

The last option, Christianity, is able to explain both the uniqueness of human beings as well as the structure of the universe, because a divine mind is behind both – providing a personal starting point. Other worldviews are not able to provide a solution to the problem of the one and the many (which is the problem of establishing the one thing that lies behind all things in the universe). However, the Christian Trinity (an infinite-personal being as three-in-one) is uniquely adequate as solution. Given God’s particular unity (one God) and diversity (three Persons, a.k.a. the Godhead), this establishes the unity and diversity in creation. Hence, the Christian worldview, not only enables coherent communication between God and human beings, but is also logical in that God communicates with people on a comprehensible verbal level, since that is how we as humans communicate.

With the Bible as God’s ultimate expression to us, a feasible case can be made for the existence of an infinite-personal God. To put it differently, in and through the Person of Jesus Christ our faith in Him becomes a rational decision based on trusting an absolute reliable authority. So, we may put the initial question – if God exists – back to the critic, and ask, what evidence would you need to believe in God? This can then be followed up, regardless of the answer (if any) by asking ‘what do you mean by that, and how did you come to that conclusion?’ This can help to expose and clarify any invalid presuppositions.

Having considered presuppositional challenges, as well as a philosophical proofing method, we need to consider what we are to make of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. What exactly is it we are dealing with here? Are these historical facts, or merely man-made fiction? In order to address this, we must take a closer look at the historical person – Jesus of Nazareth.

What is unique about His life? Jesus was born, having been miraculously conceived by the Holy Spirit to a virgin woman, named Mary (Matthew 1:22-23; Luke 1:26). Likewise – in His life, Jesus’ baptism affirms His divine nature (John 1:32) when God, the Father, God, the Son (Jesus) and God, the Holy Spirit, come together as manifestation of the Trinity. Thereafter, Jesus resisted the Devil’s temptations successfully in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-14), divinely guided to defeat the enemy.

In His ministry and teaching, Jesus performed miracles, such as healing the sick (John 4:46-54), healing the blind (John 9:1-7), casting out impure spirits (Mark 5:1-20), and raising the dead (John 11:1-45), among many other works, only God Himself could accomplish. Also, His teaching was unmatched in that He did this with authority, announcing the arrival of the Kingdom of Heaven (Luke 17:20-21), pointing back to Himself as the long awaited Messiah (Luke 4:18-21).

As Jesus was sentenced to death by the Romans, His dying and death are equally exceptional (Mark 15:33; Matthew 27:51-54; Luke 23:34 and John 19:30). Thereby, having fulfilled OT Messianic prophecies (Genesis 3:15; Micah 5:2; Daniel 9:26 and Isaiah 7:14 – to mention just a few of hundreds more), the combination of what makes Jesus unparalleled in all of human history, is His resurrection (John 2:19, 21; Matthew 12:40-42; 17:9; John 20:1-31).

So, having considered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ, the focus here is on the resurrection. The historicity of this event is the key to establishing and understanding its truthfulness (5). The three aspects that have to be taken into account are Jesus’ empty tomb, His resurrection appearances and the source of His disciples’ change of behaviour from unbelief to faith.

As for the first aspect, there is viable reliability of what the Bible says about the empty tomb. By contrast, it is objectively challenging (if not futile) to deny the empty tomb on historical grounds. The second aspect cannot be easily dismissed, since Christ’s resurrection was witnessed by both believers and unbelievers (Luke 24:11; John 20:25). Lastly, the sudden change of heart, attitude and behaviour of the original disciples (eventually even willing to die for their belief) point to a sufficient justification of believing that Jesus did indeed rise from the dead.

On top of this, there is external, non-biblical evidence, confirming both the historical Person of Jesus Christ as well as His crucifixion, along with other factual details. The Roman historian Tacitus reveals these details in his writing Annals of Rome, around A.D.110. A Jewish historian, Josephus, backs up this secular testimony, as well. The combination of both the biblical and extra-biblical testimony provides equally sufficient evidence not only affirming the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, but also leaves room for belief and faith in Christ.

Having explored a rational approach – showing that we cannot prove the existence of God – yet, rule out presuppositions that need not be there, and having established historical evidence for the life, death and resurrection of Christ, this last segment invites us to consider the meaning of God’s existence for us as people (6).

The knowledge of God helps us in our understanding that human beings not only have a purpose, but also a God-given plan which is revealed to us in and through our personal relationship with Jesus Christ. This is because He speaks into our hearts as we actively engage the Bible and thereby discover God’s revealed Will (Psalm 19:1-6; Romans 1:18-20).

Furthermore, there is a responsibility that comes from the knowledge of God. What this means is, that as we enter a personal relationship with a personal God – who is divine, sovereign and absolutely holy – we are to take a position of humility. Thereby, we surrender to His Will – not our own – and ask Him to reveal His plan and purpose for out lives (Jeremiah 29:11; Matthew 28:18-20).

Lastly, knowing God exists, invites us, strengthens us and encourages us to grow in our personal relationship with Him – that is Jesus (Romans 1:18-23; John 1:9; Acts 17:27-28). This is our responsibility and calling to reverence and obedience. Our lives, worship and testimony should reflect our faith in Jesus Christ, making us effective witnesses for the Gospel.

As seen, in the aforementioned segments, there is little (if any) reason not to believe in Jesus Christ, His identity and mission. In the first part we have seen that there are arguments for the existence of God. While this does not prove God’s existence – as seen in the cumulative approach – it does point to a non-created, pre-existing God with personal attributes. This cannot be simply dismissed or ignored, and it invites us to further investigate. Likewise, when we look at the historicity of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, we have to (at the very least) reckon them as possible, and (at best) plausible facts. Furthermore, as seen in the last part, acknowledging the insights of the previous two parts in tandem, we can ask, what does God’s existence mean for us as human beings? So, like the thieves crucified with Him, will we wisely turn to Jesus while there is still time (Luke 23:39-43), or perish eternally? Our everlasting heavenly Father desires that nobody perishes, so may we heed and accept Jesus’ open invitation and gift of salvation (Matthew 11:28-30).

Notes

(1) Adapted from Peter Kreeft, “Can You Prove God Exists?,” accessed April 2, 2023,

https://www.peterkreeft.com/topics/gods-existence.htm

(2) See glossary for a definition of all terms.

(3) Adapted from Peter Kreeft, “Twenty Arguments God’s Existence,” accessed April 2, 2023, https://www.peterkreeft.com/topics-more/20_arguments-gods-existence.htm

(4) Adapted from Douglas Groothuis, “He’s Still There and Still Not Silent – Revisiting Francis Schaeffer’s Classic,” accessed April 3, 2023, https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/reviews/he-is-there-not-silent-francis-schaeffer/

(5) Adapted from William Lane Craig, “Does God Exist?,” accessed April 3, 2023, https://www.reasonablefaith.org/writings/popular-writings/existence-nature-of-god/does-god-exist

(6) Adapted from J. Hampton Keathley III, “Evidence For God’s Existence,” accessed April 3, 2023, https://bible.org/seriespage/1-evidence-gods-existence

For further reading and study

Groothuis, Douglas. Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2022.

Craig, William Lane. “Forum on the Resurrection.” Accessed April 3, 2023. https://www.reasonablefaith.org/writings/scholarly-writings/christianparticularism/forum-on-the-resurrection-with-william-lane-craig

Craig, William Lane. “The Historicity of the Empty Tomb of Jesus.” Accessed April 3, 2023. https://www.reasonablefaith.org/writings/scholarly-writings/historical-jesus/the-historicity-of-the-empty-tomb-of-jesus

Kreeft, Peter and Ronald K, Tacelli. Handbook of Christian Apologetics: Hundreds of Answers to Crucial Questions. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 1994.

Always remember, the best Bible, is an open Bible!

Amen.

Where to go from here?

Glossary

Abductive argument

An abductive reasoning method is the logical process of making observations and seeking the hypothesis that would best fit or plausibly explain those observations.

Bible (aka. Scripture)

Neither Jews nor Christians originally called their Scriptures “the Bible” (lit., “the Book”). Jews often used words signifying “the Scrolls,” and Christians did call their Scriptures “the Books” (lit., “the codices”). In the early centuries, the Christian Bible appeared almost exclusively in the form of codex fascicles, each containing either one of the larger books (e.g., Isaiah) or a collection of smaller books (Paul’s Letters), so the Scriptures physically corresponded to Lat. bibli., “the books” (cf. Jerome: bibliotheca, lit., “the library”). The term derives from bublos or bublion, loanwords from Egyptian, denoting originally the stalk and, then, the inner pitch of the papyrus plant from which scrolls were commonly made.

Cumulative case approach

Also known as “best explanation” apologetics, cumulative case apologetics involves a fairly informal, abductive reasoning approach. The goal is to establish Christianity makes better sense of the evidence, in contrast to all other competing worldviews.

Deductive argument

Deduction is a process in logic where a conclusion is based on an examination of facts. Its conclusion logically follows the premises. As an example, “All men are mortal. Caesar was a man. Therefore, Caesar was mortal.”

Design Argument

This argument, also known as teleological argument (comes from the Greek word telos, meaning “purpose, end, or goal”), makes a case for God’s existence. Everything in the universe has a purpose, and everything in it emerges as having been specifically designed to fit that purpose. God is the intelligent cause. Medieval Christian thinkers, among them Thomas Aquinas, proposed this line of reasoning.

Inductive argument

While deduction is coming to a conclusion based on facts (arguing from the general to the specific), induction is the method of deriving general principles from specific facts (arguing from the specific to the general). An inductive argument aims to remove the probability of God, not the possibility of God.

Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ (ca. 5/4 BC – AD 30/33). According to the New Testament, Jesus Christ is the incarnate Word of God, the Creator and Savior of the world, the founder of Christianity, and the sinless exemplar of its principles and practices. In Matthew 1:21 the name was divinely appointed, “for He will save His people from their sins.” Since the name was common in His lifetime, He was usually referred to in a more specific way, such as “Jesus of Nazareth” (John 1:26). “Christ,” the anointed one, is a title that acknowledged that He was the expected Messiah of Israel. In the Gospels, Jesus is usually identified as “the Christ.” After Peter’s sermon at Pentecost in Acts 2:38, He was usually referred to as “Jesus Christ.” This composite name joins the historic figure with the messianic role that prophetic expectation and early Christianity knew that He possessed.

Josephus

Josephus was a military officer and historian in Israel, fighting against the Romans. During a battle he was captured, and eventually made a Roman citizen after his Roman captors took a liking to him. In Rome, Josephus wrote books and volumes, many of which were on Jewish history.

Materialism

Materialism is a metaphysical worldview, claiming that only material things exist. It denies that anything immaterial – such as the mind – exists, and everything can be explained by means of matter, and its physical properties. As such, materialism maintains that matter is the only reality in the world.

Mysticism

In mysticism a person attempts to establish union with God apart from the Bible, as well as (ab)using Scripture, or any other nonbiblical text, in a non-Bible-based, Christ-centred way, to accomplish some form of ‘special revelation.’ Such practices are forms of divination, deny Jesus Christ as God in the flesh, reject the sufficiency of Scripture and are forms of evil (1 Samuel 15:23; Acts 19:19; Galatians 5:20). Such practices must be avoided, since they are explicitly prohibited in the Bible (Deuteronomy 18:10-11).

Tacitus

A Roman historian and rhetorician (ca. 56–118 AD) who wrote several important works related to the history of the Roman Empire.

Trinity (Godhead)

The doctrine of the Trinity, while not specifically used as term in the Bible, it originates with the church father Tertullian (155–220 AD). The word “trinity” is a term used to designate the Christian doctrine, indicating God existing as a unity of three distinct, simultaneous persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each of the persons is distinct from the other in relation, but each is identical in essence. The threefold unity forms the ‘Godhead,’ with each member of the Godhead being simultaneously equal and divine.

Worldview

A worldview a set of presuppositions, assumptions and beliefs a person utilizes in order to interpret the world around him. People have different worldviews, along with opinions about God, man, purpose, life, what is right and what is wrong. Among the common philosophical worldview questions, people ask – Where did we come from? Why are we here? Is there a God? Did we evolve or were we created? Worldviews influence what people do – and not do – as a result of their opinions. Guided by the absolute truth found only in the Bible, a Christian lives by the morals, ethics and principles found in Scripture, primarily as manifested in the life, teaching and ministry of Jesus Christ

AMEN.

Posted on August 28, 2023September 5, 2023 by Bible-based & Christ-centred

Does evil exist? What is evil? Why is there evil? The Problem of Evil

Does evil exist? What is evil? Why is there evil? The problem of evil.

People often ask about evil. Among the most common questions are: Does evil exist? What is evil? Why is there evil? Relating to the last question, people frequently ask – if God exists why then does He allow evil? This question, usually by default, is a question skeptics and critics, especially self-labelled atheists, bring as an argument against Christianity, God’s Word and God in the Bible. Why?

One of the main reasons appears to be presuppositional, including misunderstandings about evil, the nature of evil and the reality of evil. Closely linked to such viewpoints is the issue of suffering – which appears to point to the meaninglessness of believing in God, since nothing is done about this issue, and it may even be that God allows it.

Thus, in order to address these challenges, the following is a response to the so-called ‘problem of evil’ in three parts. The first part looks at the reality of evil along with several recurrent misunderstandings about it. The second part investigates the philosophical problem of evil along with inadequate attempts to resolve it. The third part, deals with the relationship between God and evil in the world, examining what the Bible reveals to us about the nature and reality of evil. Accepting the existence and reality of evil – the purpose of this article is to show that, while God may allow it (along with pain and suffering), He is never the cause of it, or to blame for it. As will be seen, God has responded and dealt with evil, in and through Jesus Christ, namely His life, death and resurrection.

In this first part, we are looking at presuppositions (1) people may have about evil – common misunderstandings – which are twofold. First, some view evil as a being. While evil is real and exists, it is neither a thing, nor is it a being. As such, it is not an entity. Rather, evil is part of a choice or interest within a person’s will. God did not create it. Second, at times, humans mix up, or fail to distinguish between moral and physical evil. Hereby, these two types of evil are part of different categories. Moral evil is that which people actively do through free will, making a person directly responsible for it. Physical evil, is the evil we suffer against our will, for which we are not directly responsible.

The explanation for these two types of evil requires us to point out their origin and their solution. With this, sin originates in human free will (as the Bible reveals in Genesis 3, while not answering how it came about). Physical evil, then, originates essentially in its type, and is manifested in the relationship between people and nature. For example, we can get hurt by hitting our foot against a stone, contract a disease, or drown in water. In short, as Scripture reveals, the cause of pain and suffering can be traced to sin. Notably, only the Bible reveals this and clears up misconceptions about the essence of evil. This essence is grounded in the relationship between sin and evil, ever since the fall of man. Effectively, evil is the absence of good.

Having considered common presuppositions and misconceptions about evil, along with clarifying the true nature of evil, this second part addresses the problem of evil, also referred to as the ‘philosophical problem of evil.’ Given the existence and amount of evil, critics often challenge Christianity and its worldview on seemingly rational grounds (2). Does God allow evil, and if so, why? As such, the ‘philosophical problem of evil’ can be formulated as follows:

a) According to the Bible, God is all-good and all-powerful.

b) If God were all-good, He would not want any evil.

c) If God were all-powerful, he would be capable to prevent evil.

d) Evil exists.

e) Thus, God is either: I) all-powerful, yet not all-good, II) all-good, but not all-powerful, or III) does not exist.

This traditional line of reasoning, has been used by critics to maintain the impossibility of God’s existence. Yet, this position has been set aside by most critics, due to the fact that any believer can legitimately claim that for evil to take place, God does have an adequate reason for allowing it. As a result, critics have shifted to the so-called ‘inductive’ or ‘probabilistic problem of evil’ (3). In this way, critics claim the amount of seemingly pointless evils (such as suffering children) weighs against God’s existence. This can be formulated as follows:

a) If God exists, there would be no pointless evil.

b) Pointless evil likely exists.

c) Thus, it is likely – or conceivable – God does not exist.

At the center of this line of reasoning, a critic acknowledges the logical possibility of God and evil co-existing, yet this person claims it is highly improbable. Before providing a Christian response here (which is in part three of this article) we must consider two inadequate attempts to resolve this particular problem – namely, pantheism and atheism.

Pantheism is essentially inadequate as resolution, since while Buddhism (advocating karma) and Hinduism (advocating reincarnation) insist that good and evil are illusionary – that is, not real – both deliver moral judgements and call for moral stipulations. Both belief systems are logically inconsistent, and necessarily false, since they reject the existence of objective evil.

By contrast atheists often call upon the problem of evil to back their man-made belief system. Since it fails to provide an adequate explanation for the existence of evil, and offers no hope to resolve the problem, this system is not viable. A variation, that is so-called ‘atheistic moral realism’ fails, too, since it bases moral law existing outside of a personal and moral being. Its formulation is not only incomprehensible, but the problem lies in the fact that the nature of moral obligations or moral duty is incompatible with this variation.

The Christian worldview provides an adequate – but not fully revealed – solution to the problem of evil. In this third part, we are looking at the relationship between God and evil in the world, considering what Scripture reveals to us about evil (4). In contrast to all other belief systems and their texts, only the Bible deals with and reveals what we need to know about evil, its nature and God’s solution. Looking at selected Scripture passages, we understand that God – in His providential activity – may (indirectly) use evil done by people or fallen spiritual beings to accomplish His divine purposes. Yet, He never is the cause of evil, directly does anything evil, nor is He ever to blame for evil.

To illustrate, God uses all things to fulfill His purpose, including evil (Genesis 50:20; Romans 8:28; Proverbs 16:4) with Pharaoh (Romans 9:14-24) as illustration, how God is not only glorified when He punishes evil, but also uses it for the good of His people.

Likewise, God as revealed in the Bible, cannot be blamed for evil and never does evil. This is seen in God’s predestination of the cross of Christ – placing the moral responsibility on the perpetrators (Luke 22:22; Mark 14:21; Matthew 26:24). We are warned never to blame God for the evils we commit, and must never blame Him for having given in to our own temptation (James 1:13-14; Isaiah 45:7). People make choices through their free will, yet this does not contradict God’s holiness.

Furthermore, God does blame and judge moral creatures, when they commit evil. This is found throughout Scripture, based on God’s righteousness, as seen in Isaiah 66:3-4; Ecclesiastes 7:29; Romans 9:19-20. What we discover here, is that whenever people willingly do evil, they realize that God rightfully blames them for it.

Also, the Bible informs us that we should never engage in evil, since it always harms us and other people. Only Scripture provides an accurate assessment of the reality of evil, and it is never an illusion. People have no right to do evil and should oppose it. This can be seen in Matthew 6:13; James 5:19-20; Romans 3:8 and 1 Peter 2:11. As such, believers never fight evil with evil.

Nevertheless, we cannot fully understand the depth and scope of God’s relationship with evil, since we are limited and God is not. Part of this means that the Bible at times does not specifically tell us how God uses evil for his providential plan. This is the case as seen in Job, Jonah and our Lord Jesus Christ, since there are aspects of theodicy at work here. However, God will always hold us accountable for any and every evil we do.

In short, understanding the nature of evil, and how God has revealed Himself in the Bible in His relationship to evil, both His divine nature and sovereignty help us respond to the problem of evil. So going back to the line of arguments found in the second part, we need not deny the first premise a) of the philosophical problem, without having to affirm the other premises b) and c) enabling us to refute the (sub-)conclusions in e), granted that d) is true. Similarly, the ‘probabilistic problem of evil’ can be refuted based on the faulty premise a). God (can) exist, since evil is never pointless or gratuitous – serving divine purpose (which is at times hidden from people) as well as God-ordained purposes.

He is not the author of evil, since it stands in absolute contrast to God’s moral Will. Nevertheless, since God is simultaneously perfectly good and sovereign over everything, He has a final purpose for evil in His providence. In a world stained by sin, God’s ultimate love for mankind is revealed and made possible in the most extreme manifestation of evil. This is by allowing Jesus Christ to be sacrificed on the cross to redeem fallen mankind. Christ’s atoning death reveals the mystery and beauty of God’s divine plan of salvation.

In summary, we have seen that there are presuppositions surrounding the nature of evil, which often result in confusing physical with moral evil. The former is of a different nature and has at its origin, human beings sinning as a result of free will. The latter has at its origin the relationship between human beings and nature. In the second part we see that the philosophical problem of evil is inadequately addressed – let alone, acknowledged in all other man-made belief systems, which offer no solution whatsoever. As such, only the Christian world view provides a coherent and feasible response to the problem of evil while admittedly, not without challenges. However, a closer look at the relationship between God and evil, as seen in the last part, reveals that God in His providential activity in the world (as revealed in the Bible), evil is never done by God, but by human beings or demonic beings who willingly do it.

So while God may allow evil, pain and suffering – He is never the cause, and not to blame for it. Therefore, God is not responsible for sin, yet we do know through Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the cross, that God has eliminated both evil and sin- in the eternal state – to be fully finalized at the second coming of Jesus. Thus, as believers in Jesus Christ, we want to point others to the absolute truth and freedom we find in Christ (John 14:6; 15:5).

Hereby, when practically witnessing to others, helping to answer the question why God would allow suffering and pain, we have to carefully listen to people, in order to respond appropriately to each individual. Note though, that some people may use suffering as a cop-out in order to avoid God, while another person may be angry at God, and yet another person may be desperately seeking hope and comfort. The Bible is real and truthful, since it does not deny evil, but invites us to seek and call out to God, just as Jesus did on the cross (Matthew 27:46). In pointing people to the cross, Jesus Christ overcame evil once and for all (Acts 4:28). Therefore, we can tell people who are suffering, that Christ suffers with us and for us. We are not alone (Luke 13:1-5). Thank you, Jesus.

Notes

(1) Adapted from Kreeft Peter and Ronald K Tacelli. Pocket Handbook of Christian Apologetics (Abridged and revised ed.) Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2003.

(2) Adapted from Douglas Groothuis. “Adressing the Problem of Evil.” In Christian Research Journal, volume 32, number 4 (2009). https://www.equip.org/PDF/JAEE324.pdf 

(3) Adapted from William Lane Craig. “The Problem of Evil.” Accessed April 10, 2023.

https://www.reasonablefaith.org/writings/popular-writings/existence-nature-of-god/the-problem-of-evil

(4) Adapted from Grudem, Wayne A. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2000. (p.322-331).

Always remember, the best Bible, is an open Bible!

Amen.

Where to go from here?

Glossary

Atheism

(‘atheistic moral realism’)

ATHEISM (ἄθεος, atheos; “without God”). Includes philosophical systems that deny the existence of god(s). Though atheism was rare in the ancient Near East, some Hellenistic schools of philosophy promoted versions of the idea. In modern terms, it involves complete denial of the existence of God. The term occurs only once in the New Testament (as a form of atheos), in Ephesians 2:12. Here, Paul speaks of being “without God (ἄθεοι, atheoi) in the world,” referring to alienation from Christ.

Atheistic moral realism claims roughly that there are various concrete possible worlds and that the actual world is completely godless. Hereby, there are many ways to be a modal realist, such as a person who believes there is no god, a God, or several gods, and simultaneously believe moral truths do not exist.

Atonement

The means of reconciliation between God and people. This emerges in the Old Testament as part of the sacrificial system and is reframed exclusively around the person and work of Jesus Christ in the New Testament.

Bible (aka. Scripture)

Buddhism

(Karma)

Buddhism is a religion of eastern and central Asia growing out of the teaching of Gautama Buddha maintaining that suffering is inherent in life and that one can be liberated from it by mental and moral self-purification. Karma is a prominent teaching in many Eastern religions (such as Hinduism and Buddhism) that is deeply rooted in the eastern idea of a potentially endless cycle of rebirths or reincarnations. Although Buddhist schools of thought all accept converging central points, they disagree over how to precisely interpret them. They also split over issues such as the nature of “nirvana” and what role Buddha himself now plays after his physical death.

Christianity

The beliefs, practices, and socio-cultural expressions of the Jesus community and the wider Christian religion and culture. The key phenomenon of Christianity emerged from the early beginnings of the Jesus movement to the subsequent formation of Eastern and Western Christendom and its broader impacts on society and culture. Key characteristics and defining features of Christianity from the first century to the early third century, include the teaching and healing activity of Jesus Christ, the significance of his death and resurrection, the parting of ways with Judaism, and some distinctively Christian beliefs and practices.

Evil

(Moral evil vs. Physical evil)

Evil is moral deficiency in a person. The tendency of people to do what is contrary to the will of God, including the actions themselves. Moral evils are those that are brought about by the free choice of human beings, while those natural states or processes of the physical world which commonly cause pain and suffering, together with the pain and suffering they cause, are physical evils.

Free Will

Philosophical and theological idea which posits that humans have the capacity to choose between different courses of action.

Hinduism

(Reincarnation)

Hinduism is the dominant religion of India that emphasizes dharma with its resulting ritual and social observances and often mystical contemplation and ascetic practices. Hereby, reincarnation is the belief that, after physical death, a person’s soul or spirit goes on to be reborn in another body.

Jesus Christ

Pantheism

The belief that all things are part of a single divine reality. There is no distinction between deity and reality.

Problem of Evil

(Philosophical Problem of evil)

(Probabilistic (‘inductive’) Problem of evil)

The problem of evil centers on the question: how can God be there, Who is all good and all-knowing and all powerful, while at the same time evil exists? The philosophical argument from evil focuses on the fact that the world appears to contain states of affairs that are bad, or undesirable, or that should have been prevented by any being that could have done so. The question here is how the existence of such states of affairs lines up with the existence of God. The probabilistic or inductive problem of evil attempts to show that the existence of evil, although logically consistent with the existence of God, lowers or counts against the probability of the truth of theism.

Providence

Providence (πρόνοια, pronoia) is God’s plan and interaction with His creation. Usually discussed in association with sovereignty, foreknowledge, predestination, free will, and evil. God’s interaction with the world and people, often involving divine care, direction, or intervention.

Salvation

Deliverance from the power and effects of sin.

Sovereignty

Sovereignty Of God, his absolute right to do all things according to his own good pleasure. Divine sovereignty refers to God’s all-encompassing rule over the entire universe.

Theodicy

From the Greek words θεός and δικέ, translating to “divine justice.” The attempt to defend God’s omnipotence and goodness in the face of the problem of evil in the world.

Worldview

A worldview is a set of propositions, assumptions and beliefs a person uses when relating to and interpreting the world around him.

For further reading and study

Groothuis, Douglas. Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2022.

Kreeft Peter and Ronald K Tacelli. Pocket Handbook of Christian Apologetics (Abridged and revised ed.)Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2003.

Craig, William Lane. “The Problem of Suffering and Evil.” Accessed April 10, 2023. https://www.reasonablefaith.org/videos/video-lectures/the-problem-of-suffering-and-evil-aalborg-university

AMEN.

Posted on August 28, 2023September 5, 2023 by Bible-based & Christ-centred

How does Evolution theory relate to Genesis?

How does evolution and evolution theory relate to Genesis in the Bible?

Over the last century there has been debate about how evolution and its theories relate to the creation account in the Bible. While much of the discussion centers on science and scientific discoveries, it should be noted that not everything pertaining to such findings should be dismissed. However, from a biblical viewpoint, different parts of evolution can be dismissed as mere speculation, due to inherent logical flaws that cannot be explained and are void of evidence. At times, Christians may be quick to concede Scriptural truth, in order to accommodate biological processes that have no basis in reality. This need not be so. Hence, in the following, we are briefly considering what evolution is as a biological process, theory, and philosophical worldview. Thereby, we will briefly explore how (and if) non-negotiable aspects related to the aforementioned threefold pointers – pose a reasonable challenge to the Bible.

First off, we need to briefly distinguish what evolution and evolution theory argue. Evolution is basically seen as a developmental process from one form into another. Evolution theory is grounded in biological assumptions stating that all lifeforms have developed from less complex forms in a gradual series of steps. Hereby, the single common ancestry, supposedly occurred through an unguided natural process, or temporal processes, often called ‘natural selection.’ Charles Darwin, alongside Alfred Wallace, refined this theory, which has become synonymous with the term ‘Darwinism.’ As man-made worldview, it is atheistic in nature, and appeals to random chance as its cause. The two pillars or paradigms on which this hypothesis rests are the single ancestry theory (the idea that man came from the ape or something else) and the other is the mechanism that attempts to explain this evolutionary process. In essence, while there are genetic aspects in the latter part that could be feasible, especially with the composition of DNA structures, the former part has been refuted, even by science itself. Therefore, there is no adequate theory that would explain the origin of life on earth. The proposed mechanisms to bolster common ancestry as explanations on the basis of natural selection and random mutations fail, since they are rationally inadequate.

So what this means is that not only are there self-refuting attributes resulting from within lacking scientific cohesion, but also implications for holding to an evolution philosophy or worldview, that merely appeals to random chance, in trying to explain the origin of life. As such, randomness does not only fail to explain this origin, but also provides no plausible basis that can explain the relationship between the origin of life and the beginning of the universe, especially, how human life fits in. Therefore, the believer, by no means, should have to concede biblical truth, in order to accommodate evolution theory, or compromise core orthodox Christian truth.

Hence, moving toward the unique worldview of the Bible, we find a cohesive, consistent view, that not only provides a plausible explanation for the creation of the universe, but also points to an uncreated personal triune God, who existed before anything else came into being, as viable. Upon reading and thinking about the Genesis account (Genesis 1), we can easily understand that the creation time period for each “day,” may have been much longer than a literal 24-hour period (2 Peter 3:8). Similarly, there is no need to view Adam and Eve not as real human beings, as our human ancestors, created by God. These are real people and real events. The Bible, and its monotheistic Judeo-Christian worldview, along with its beauty, grace and divine love, point to an all-powerful, all-knowing and all-loving God. He reveals Himself in the God-man, Jesus Christ, who dies on our behalf on the cross – having atoned for our sins, offering the free gift of salvation. In that way, we may share eternal life in and through Him, as we repent and accept Him as our personal Lord and Savior (Acts 4:12). When it comes to beginning to understand the magnitude of Christ, we may do well to grant Him the reverence He is due, providing absolute truth (John 14:6; 15:5) and accepting our own limitations in understanding, be it the creation of the universe, earth, and mankind, acknowledging His sovereignty (Isaiah 55:8-9).

In short, the fact that the Bible mentions Jesus Christ as creator of the universe and mankind (Colossians 1:16; John 1:1-5) is an invitation to anyone to come to Him freely in repentance and reverence, as well as awe. So why not give thanks to the creator of all things, and how He has revealed all we need to know in the Bible, about who He is and why He came – along with finding the answers to who we are, where we came from, why we are here, and where we are going?

Always remember, the best Bible, is an open Bible!

Amen.

Where to go from here?

Bible References

Genesis 1

2 Peter 3:8

Acts 4:12

John 14:6; 15:5

Isaiah 55:8-9

Colossians 1:16

John 1:1-5

For further reading and study

Groothuis, Douglas R. Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith (Second ed.) Downers Grove, Illinois: IVP Academic, 2022.

(See Chapter 14; Origins, Design and Darwinism, p.267-296).

Wayne, Luke. “Essentials of Creation: What must we believe about the beginning?”

William Lane Craig On Evolution – YouTube Video

William Lane Craig – “Must a Darwinian Be a Non-Christian?”

https://www.reasonablefaith.org/question-answer/does-god-have-a-specific-marriage-partner-for-you/must-a-darwinian-be-a-non-christian

Amen.

Posted on August 28, 2023September 5, 2023 by Bible-based & Christ-centred

Can I trust the Bible? Is the Bible reliable?

Some people ask, if they can trust the Bible and if it is reliable. These are two valid questions, and the short answer to both is yes. On this note, there are many false perceptions, common misperceptions and outright falsehoods that some people claim about the Bible (aka. Scripture). Nevertheless, while these perceptions exist, unfortunately, many people do not bother to examine the Bible to see, if what they hear or think is actually true. It is one thing to make an allegation, it is another to personally examine and verify the truth about a claim that is made.

The following is a short overview (1) addressing several common issues people need to consider, if they are serious about exploring the accuracy of Scripture. Among these issues are, if the Bible is reliable, which Bible interpretation is correct, how we know it is the same today as when it was composed, how the canon of the biblical books was established, responding to apparent contradictions and errors, answering claims of incompatibility from critics about ethics and science, challenges and misconceptions about the gospels.

Considering the central challenge, namely the reliability of the Bible, the following is segmented into six parts. These parts address the reliability of biblical texts, the uniqueness of the Bible, the canon of the Bible, apparent errors, ethical and scientific challenges and lastly the absolute truth found in the gospel. The purpose of this line of evidence is to show, not only the accuracy and reliability of the Bible, but also providing and invitation to trust the text. That way, to move beyond skepticism and begin a personal journey with God’s Word, learning more about Jesus Christ, Who is “God’s Word.”

To start off, we are considering the reliability of the biblical texts, that is the documents comprising the body of the Bible. Here there are three elements of evidence to consider: First, to look at the validity of the biblical manuscripts. Second, to carefully evaluate the claims of the biblical authors. Third, to look at external confirmation of the biblical material.

To validate the first element, we have to look at the biblical records. That way, we must consider the amount, quality and time frame of the manuscripts in their transmission of the Old Testament (OT) and New Testament (NT) texts, taken together as a combined line of evidence.

While the amount of old Hebrew manuscripts is comparatively small, the OT is enriched by the Septuagint, the Samaritan Pentateuch, the Targums, the Talmud, as well as the Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS) (2). As for NT manuscripts, the total amount is unmatched in the literature of ancient texts. To put it into perspective, the standard number of copies about authors such as Aristotle, Plato, or Julius Caesar is somewhere on the scale from one to twenty. The NT manuscripts exceed 5,000 Greek, 8,000 Latin and 10,000+ NT passages, which amounts to a unique and astonishing quantity.

Next, the quality of the OT and NT manuscripts, while different in scope, is just as unsurpassed as the aforementioned amount of evidence. The Jewish scribes who made new copies took meticulous care in their work, given their godly reverence, which resulted in a high quality of the Hebrew Bible, unmatched in ancient history. Thereby, the first Masoretic OT texts, were confirmed and validated by the DSS, despite small variations in style and expression. The quality of the NT manuscripts is even better, due to the sheer amount available. While there are variant readings – predominantly caused by scribal errors, these are fractional, discernable and have no impact on NT theological doctrine, making the NT close to one hundred percent pure. The uncertain faction can and has been detected using textual criticism.

In addition to amount and quality, the developmental time frame of OT and NT manuscripts provides another strong link in the line of evidence, attesting to the reliability of the Bible. As for the former, the DSS discovery significantly reduced the commonly held time frame of the OT books to the earliest copies available. Moreover, the time frame for the NT manuscripts is unprecedented in that the earliest papyrus can be dated to the early second century AD, less than a decade or two after the Gospel of John was written. The time frame for the majority of NT texts does not exceed two hundred years, whereas the period between authorship and copies of other ancient authors exceeds one thousand years. Therefore, amount, quality and time frame of the OT and NT substantiates and confirms reliability of the Bible. See comparison chart between NT and other ancient writings. (3)

AUTHOR	DATE	EARLIEST	TIME SPAN	NUMBER	ACCURACY
Homer	ca. 850 B.C.	?	?	643	95%
Herodotus	ca. 450 B.C.	ca. A.D. 900	About 1,350	8	not enough copies
Euripedes	ca. 440 B.C.	ca. A.D. 1100	About 1,500	9	not enough copies
Thucydides	ca. 420 B.C.	ca. A.D. 900	About 1,300 years	8	not enough copies
Plato	ca. 380 B.C.	ca. A.D. 900	About 1,300 years	7	reconstruct
Aristotle	ca. 350 B.C.	ca. A.D. 1100	About 1,400 years	5	reconstruct
Caesar	ca. 60 B.C.	ca. A.D. 900	About 950 years	10	reconstruct
Catullus	ca. 50 B.C.	ca. A.D. 1500	About 1,600 years	3	?
the Livy	ca. 10 B.C.	?	?	20	original
Tacitus	ca. A.D. 100	ca. A.D. 1100	About 1,000 years	20	original
New Testament	ca. A.D. 60	ca. A.D. 130	About 100 years	14,000	99.5%

Evaluating the claims of the biblical authors is equally important to determine the reliability of the biblical text. Since various authors state they are first-hand eyewitnesses to the events in the NT, their truth claims must be examined. This is especially important, since some people say that these accounts are mere fabrications. Along this line, so-called ‘scholars’ of higher criticism and form criticism allege that the life of Jesus Christ and his teachings were distorted by the early church. Two of the eyewitness writers, John and Peter, were thoroughly familiar with the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is revealed in their writings showing a high level of authenticity and firm commitment to the truth. As such, John writes in his Gospel, “And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe” (John 19:35; see 21:24). In his first letter (epistle), John wrote, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life . . . that which we have seen and heard we declare to you” (1 John 1:1,3). Peter unequivocally underscores this: “For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty” (2 Pet. 1:16; also see Acts 2:22; 1 Pet. 5:1).

Since most of the NT was completed before AD 70, and fully complete before the second century, this short time span does not allow for falsification or myths about Christ, given also the large number of eyewitnesses alive, when the circulation of the NT texts started. On top of this, notably, a non-eyewitness to Christ, Luke, wrote a two-part account (Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts), which not only emphasizes historical accuracy and a high level of detail, but does not contradict any of the first-hand eyewitness accounts in any way. Rather, his rendition supports them, adding unique details furthering the authenticity of the other NT writings.

External confirmation of the biblical material bolsters the case for reliability, simply because Scripture directly mentions and relates to historical events and people. This fact cannot and must not be overlooked or casually dismissed. Josephus, a Jewish historian makes precise reference to Jesus Christ, John the Baptist and James in The Antiquities of the Jews, along with distinct details of the religious rulers at the time. Additional writers such as Tacitus, Pliny the Younger and Lucian refer to Christ in their works, independent of one another. The OT and NT reference a vast number of events, people and places over a large time span, and archeology confirms hundreds of accounts found in the Bible.

In short, taking together the validity of the biblical manuscripts, the claims of the biblical authors combined with the external evidence, provides for a good case that can be made for the reliability of the biblical records. As seen, no other book of ancient times can hold up to the historicity, accuracy and consistency of the Bible. Despite man-made philosophical speculation and unfounded opposition by critics, Scripture is not only historically trustworthy, but also points directly to Jesus Christ. With the evidence supporting the reliability of the gospel testimonies about Jesus, a further sound case can be made for His resurrection. Accordingly, the resurrection verifies Christ’s claims about Himself as divine – Jesus is God. Hence, His declaration about Scripture is not only true, but also provides full authority of the Word of God. Hereby, the NT affirms Christ’s resurrection and His divine authority.

Having explored the Bible’s reliability, this second part investigates what makes the Bible unique. We are considering its exceptional creation, continuation over time and its pronouncements.

The Bible stands out, given how it came into being. Over forty different authors, encompassing a time span of roundabout 1,500 to 1,800 years, wrote in a diversity of literary forms (prophecies, narrative history, poetry, biography and more), many of them found only in Scripture. As such, the Bible has to be seen as a unique composition, revealing to us one cohesive, self-consistent and ongoing message of redemption, with Jesus Christ, His person, identity and work, as its main themes.

Likewise, the Bible’s continuation over time attests to its reliability. It has been preserved over time – facing criticism and persecution – an yet, it has been copied and distributed like no other book in human history. Its consistent prominence over time has led to being translated into thousands of languages, and remains available today, despite many systematic attempts to eradicate it.

Lastly, the Bible stands out in what it pronounces. Its contents, coherence and accurate detail are unsurpassed in its prophetic nature. It reveals God’s divine plan for all mankind, and encompasses both the earthly and spiritual realm in a way that sets it apart from writings of other man-made belief systems and religions. Over 300 Messianic prophecies have been actualized in the person and life of Christ. Also, general (non-messianic) prophecy has been fulfilled, with some (such as the Second Coming) still to take place. All of this reinforces the supernatural source of the Bible. Consider this list of OT predictions and NT fulfillments about Christ’s life, revealing how meticulously His incarnation was prophesied. (4)

1. He was born of a woman (Gen. 3:15; Gal. 4:4).

2. Born of a virgin (Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:18-25).

3. A descendant of Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3; 22:18; Matt. 1:1; Gal. 3:16).

4. From the tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:10; Luke 3:23,33).

5. Of the house of David (2 Sam. 7:12; Jer. 23:5; Matt. 1:1; Luke 1:32).

6. Born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2; Matt. 2:1; Luke 2:4-7).

7. His way prepared by a forerunner (Isa. 40:3-5; Mal. 3:1; Matt. 3:1-3; Luke 3:3-6).

8. Anointed by the Holy Spirit (Isa. 11:2; Matt. 3:16-17).

9. His preaching ministry (Isa. 61:1-3; Luke 4:17-21).

10. Speaking in parables (Ps. 78:2-4; Matt. 13:34-35).

11. Healing ministry (Isa. 35:5-6; Matt. 9:35).

12. A prophet (Deut. 18:18; John 6:14; Acts 3:20-22).

13. A priest (Ps. 110:4; Heb. 5:5-6).

14. Time of His appearance and death (Dan. 9:24-27: Luke 19:44).

15. Triumphal entry (Zech. 9:9; John 12:12-16).

16. Betrayal price (Zech. 11:12-13; Matt. 26:15; 27:7-10).

17. Abandoned by His disciples (Zech. 13:6-7; Matt. 26:31; Mark 14:50).

18. Silent before His accusers (Isa. 53:7; Matt. 27:12-14).

19. Beaten and spat upon (Isa. 50:6; Matt. 26:67).

20. Mocked (Ps. 22:7-8; Luke 23:35).

21. Hands and feet pierced (Ps. 22:16; John 19:16-18).

22. Crucified with transgressors (Isa. 53:12; Mark 15:27-28).

23. Lots cast for His garments (Ps. 22:18; John 19:23-24).

24. Cry from the cross (Ps 22:1; Matt. 27:46).

25. No bones broken (Ps. 24:20; John 19:31-36).

26. Pierced in His side (Zech. 12:10; John 19:34,37).

27. Buried with the rich (Isa. 53:9; Matt. 27:57-60).

28. Resurrection and exaltation (Ps. 16:10; Isa. 52:13; 53:10-12; Acts 2:25-32).

29. Ascension into heaven (Ps. 68:18; Acts 1:9; Eph. 4:8).

30. Seated at the right hand of God (Ps. 110:1; Heb. 1:3).

In short, taken together, the distinctive attributes, establish a solid case for the divine inspiration of Scripture, especially in light of aforementioned reliability of the biblical text. The message of redemption gives people encouragement, purpose and hope, to everyone who welcomes Jesus Christ into their hearts. This is an absolutely unique personal relationship with the One and Only living God, nobody should miss.

But how do we have assurance that the people who decided what to include in the Bible were correct and made the right choices? This third part, briefly explores and addresses the issue surrounding the biblical canon. Many who raise objections on this basis may have a wrong idea about the essence of canonicity. The meaning of the word ‘canon’ is simply – having a rule or guideline. These rules and guidelines acknowledge the standards of divine inspiration. By means of these standards – with canonicity determined by inspiration – the early church rejected texts that were not inspired, but included those which were. In that way, the church identified the books of the Bible comprising the canon, but did not exert influence on this selection. The so-called Apocryphal books were not viewed as canonical by the early Christian church or by the Jews. Among the latter, neither Josephus nor Philo quoted from them, just as Jesus or any other NT author never quoted from them. Hence, the thirty-nine OT and twenty-seven NT books passed verification of apostolic origin, doctrine and first century date.

At other times, some people may claim that the Bible is full of errors and contradictions. In this fourth part, we are looking at apparent claims made about the Bible in this way. So-called ‘contradictions’ are often claimed to exist when more than one biblical author writes about one and the same event. However, a closer look shows us, that alleged discrepancies, are nothing more than that, since the narrated accounts can be consistently harmonized.

As for alleged errors in the Bible, these can be grouped into three categories – biblical sources, biblical text and biblical interpretation. The first category relates to incomplete biblical and non-biblical sources, which may appear to be in error. Discoveries in archeology however, have validated biblical statements and revealed biblical sufficiency.

Some errors, have entered the biblical text over time, through scribal transmission. Yet, these have been identified as such, and offset in our Bible today, pointing to our earliest manuscripts as reliable evidence. The case for most of these scribal errors is because of similar numerical notations, given the fact that both Greek and Hebrew letters also have a numerical value. Here, the more concerning issue is that some people try to read meaning into the numbers and falsely attribute some mystical significance. This is not only wrong, fruitless and pointless, but actually prohibited (Deuteronomy 18:9-14). The Bible is not about numbers, it is about Jesus Christ.

Finally, the last category, biblical interpretation can lead to the appearance of error. This is often caused by different translations of the Bible. Considering extra biblical data alongside false biblical interpretation often aggravates this apparent error. However, the best remedy here is to understand that the original languages of the Bible (Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic) have been directly translated into English. Comparing multiple translations usually helps in getting a hold on this and gaining a better grasp on what a text means.

In short, most apparent errors and contradictions, as manifested in these three categories, are nothing more than an appearance. Most can be and have been resolved. With a small amount of challenges surrounding biblical discrepancies remaining, these have been offset by consistent historical and archeological evidence. There are unanswered difficulties the Bible contains, yet, this does not impact the testimony of Jesus, God the Son, who confirms all of Scripture as God’s inerrant Word, along with His own identity prior and after His resurrection. Examples can be found in His seven “I Am” statements in the Gospel of John and the road to Emmaus in Luke 24:25-27.

In this fifth segment, we are looking at ethical and scientific challenges by which some people attempt to undermine the Bible. The former mostly includes issues of slavery and genocide. The issue of genocide is challenging, as seen in the destruction of Canaan. However, while the conquest is unique in the Bible, God did have a divine plan and purpose here. The Canaanites were fully aware of the true and living God, yet (with the exception of Rahab, a Canaanite woman in Jericho, recorded in Joshua 2:1-24; Joshua 6:17, 22-23) saw the other Canaanites unrepentant and unregenerate hearts along with their rejection of Him. In that way, the Canaanites rebelled against and rejected God’s forgiveness, leading to divine judgement.

The issue of slavery as we understand it today is very different from the form of slavery permitted in Scripture. At the time, slaves were supposed to be treated with respect, human dignity and had access to join Israelite worship. The slave system then was culturally specific and the social values were different from today. It should be mentioned that present-day society has diluted as well as misrepresented the holiness of God, and, sin itself is no longer seen as such by many.

Misrepresenting the issues of ‘genocide’ and slavery, taking them out of context and misappropriating these biblical events, is often done to justify and continue living in sin along with even denying the existence of God. Jesus Christ came to mend and transform every single human relationship along with establishing Christian values as a basis for a personal relationship with Himself.

Closely linked to the denial of God and shift to living in unrepentant sin, is the issue of so-called ‘unscientific’ aspects of the Bible. Here the most common issue raised is that of evolution. Critics allege the Bible is wrong in its record of the creation account. Thereby, foremost non-theistic evolution theory is mentioned. However, this model has its own scientific problems, logical deficiencies and can be dismissed as mere speculation, since it provides no coherent functional mechanism that explains (let alone provides any evidence) for the coming into being of the first living cell – that is the beginning of life – the complexity of the human brain along with the relationship between mankind and the cosmos. The burden of proof rests solely on the adherents of non-theistic evolution, and while many of its claims have already been refuted by science itself, new scientific discoveries may bring this man-made theory and linked philosophy to its end.

In brief, while the ethical challenges should not be simply dismissed, the Bible clearly reveals a divine plan, purpose and timing for God’s revelation of Himself in and through these events. Critics who want to dismiss the Bible, based on ethics, often overlook that by doing so, they have to resort to some other reference point – such as random chance, or something else. Unfortunately, ethically speaking, the absence of a Biblical reference point never works out, since no moral or ethical standards can be established.

Similarly, people who use evolution as an approach to attack or undermine Scripture, often disregard the fact that they are not dealing with a scientific textbook. While there are misunderstandings about how the Bible can be scientifically valid (not even to mention its record of miracles), when it deals with questions of science the Bible has proven itself trustworthy. The Bible often describes aspects of nature by means of how things appear to the eye. Considering the cohesiveness and precision established in the biblical worldview, along with Jesus Christ, this provides a better, if not most plausible explanation for the beginning of the universe, life and mankind.

The previous fivefold considerations, lead us to the last part, namely the absolute truth we find in the gospel(s). While the records of miracles in both OT and NT are astonishing, nothing compares to the identity and mission of Jesus Christ. While some people, for whatever reason, may simply ignore or dismiss the Bible altogether, there is no good reason to do so. Why? This is because of the ‘good news,’ found here, only here and nowhere else. The word gospel comes from the English rendering of Latin (Evangelium) and Greek (Evangelion), which means “good news.”

The gospel accounts (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) two of them eyewitnesses – are all biographical, but more importantly, four unique perspectives portraying the life and work of the God-man, Jesus Christ. Faith in and allegiance to Him are the way to eternal life, since salvation is found in Christ alone. The gospel accounts complement each other in that each contains similar, as well as unique details of the Messiah, that provide a composite picture, engaging any serious reader with the distinctive claims, attributes and credentials of Jesus. Among the major themes is the contrast between belief and unbelief, culminating in the crucifixion and resurrection. Decisively, the gospel accounts reveal that as he rose and ascended, Jesus inaugurated God’s rule in this time – to be fully consummated at His Second Coming.

In sum, considering all six aspects, returning back in answering the two questions, if the Bible is reliable and if it can be trusted – as these considerations interlock and reveal – the answer to both is yes and yes. The complimentary chain of reliability, uniqueness, canon, apparent errors, ethical and scientific challenges and the gospel, point directly to Jesus Christ. No one else fits in here, and it is one thing to dismiss the Bible without having explored aforementioned aspects, and quite another to actually examine the Bible personally. This is an invitation to open, read and explore Scripture to learn about ‘God in the flesh,’ Jesus Christ, to whom all of the Biblical texts point. The Bible, therefore manifests the heart and mind of God along with His love for mankind, revealed in divine complexity – yet simple enough – for anyone to grasp. Only in the Bible is absolute truth revealed (John 14:6; 15:5) – Jesus Christ is LORD.

Notes

(1) Adapted from Kenneth Boa, “Bible Companion Handbook,” accessed March 7, 2023, https://bible.org/series/bible-companion-handbook

(2) See glossary for a definition of all terms.

(3) Comparison between NT and other ancient writings, adapted from (1).

(4) List of OT predictions and NT fulfillments about Christ’s life, revealing how meticulously His incarnation was prophesied, adapted from (1).

Always remember, the best Bible, is an open Bible!

Amen.

Where to go from here?

Glossary

Apocryphal Books

A collection of books included in the Old Testament of ancient Christian Bibles in Greek or Latin but not included in the Masoretic Text of the Hebrew Bible. At some point, confusion was caused when the Apocryphal books were added to the Septuagint, despite not being identified as canonical by the Jews or the early Christian church. During the Counter-Reformation, at the Council of Trent in 1546, the Roman Catholic Church assigned the Apocrypha full canonical status. These books were written more than 200 years after the time of the last OT prophet, Malachi. Unlike the books of the OT, they do not claim to have the prophetic hallmark, and do not reveal the authority and power of God. They contain doctrinal errors, unbiblical morality, historical inaccuracy, and were not originally received by the people of God.

Aramaic Language

Likely the spoken language of Jesus and his disciples. Aramaic was the common language of much of the ancient Near East.

Bible (aka. Scripture)

Old Testament Books (39 total)

Genesis

Exodus

Leviticus

Numbers

Deuteronomy

Joshua

Judges

Ruth

1 Samuel

2 Samuel

1 Kings

2 Kings

1 Chronicles

2 Chronicles

Ezra

Nehemiah

Esther

Job

Psalms

Proverbs

Ecclesiastes

Song of Solomon

Isaiah

Jeremiah

Lamentations

Ezekiel

Daniel

Hosea

Joel

Amos

Obadiah

Jonah

Micah

Nahum

Habakkuk

Zephaniah

Haggai

Zechariah

Malachi

New Testament Books (27 total)

Matthew

Mark

Luke

John

Acts

Romans

1 Corinthians

2 Corinthians

Galatians

Ephesians

Philippians

Colossians

1 Thessalonians

2 Thessalonians

1 Timothy

2 Timothy

Titus

Philemon

Hebrews

James

1 Peter

2 Peter

1 John

2 John

3 John

Jude

Revelation

Canon

A collection of religious writings considered authoritative.

Canonization

The historical, theological, liturgical, and textual dimensions of the process of canonization are studied only in retrospect. A central question about canonicity is whether a canon or the notion of canonicity comes first; scholars often focus on this question when exploring the relationship of theology and hermeneutics to the formation of a collection of sacred texts. Canonicity is firmly rooted in the recognition of the usage and authority of the texts.

Crucifixion

The practice of executing certain criminals by staking their hands and feet to a cross as punishment for their crimes, used in the execution of Jesus Christ.

Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS)

Scrolls found among the 11 caves of Qumran by the Dead Sea that are not copies of biblical books. These scrolls date approximately to 250 BCE–CE 50.

Early Church Fathers

Ancient and influential Christian writers who lived during the centuries following the apostles, and whose writings are regarded as formative for the doctrine of the Church.

Epistle (Letter)

Written communication or a letter. Any of the letters to the early Christians that are part of the New Testament.

Evolution (Theory)

Evolution in its contemporary meaning in biology typically refers to the changes in the proportions of biological types in a population over time. The theory of evolution is a shortened form of the term “theory of evolution by natural selection,” which was proposed by Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace in the nineteenth century. This theory is incompatible with the Bible and with the beliefs of a Christian that are based on the Bible.

Form Criticism

A method of biblical criticism that seeks to classify units of biblical text according to genre and analyze the pre-literary stages of the text.

Gospel(s)

The message of Christ, the kingdom of God and salvation. A gospel is an announcement of good news. In particular, the gospel is the announcement that Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection have brought about salvation for Israel and the world. When the word Gospel is capitalized, it may refer to one of the four NT narrative accounts of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection – these are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. All others are false. There are false gospels today, just as there were false gospels in NT times.

Greek Language

Examines the origins of Greek and its usage in the ancient world, with particular attention to implications for the New Testament, composed in the first century AD, and the Septuagint (LXX), the Greek translation of the Old Testament, which dates from the first quarter of the third century BC.

Hebrew Language

A Semitic language spoken by the Hebrew people from the late second millennium BC until the second century AD. The written language of the standard edition of the Old Testament, which was preserved by the Masoretes.

Hebrew Bible (aka. Tanakh)

The Hebrew name for the Hebrew Bible. The term is an acronym for the three major divisions of the Hebrew Bible: the Torah, the Nebiim, and the Kethuvim.

Higher Criticism

A term applied to a type of biblical studies that emerged in mostly German academic circles in the late eighteenth century, blossomed in English-speaking academies during the nineteenth, and faded out in the early twentieth.

Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit, also called Paraclete or Holy Ghost, in Christian belief, the third person of the Trinity. As Trinity, in Christian doctrine, the unity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three persons in one Godhead. The doctrine of the Trinity is considered to be one of the central Christian affirmations about God. An essential summary ought to include at least that the Spirit is the transcendent, omnipresent spiritual and localizable presence of God’s personality and power, living in and divinely empowering all of God’s true people in diverse and incomplete ways that foreshadow their complete, future renewal at the end of the age.

Incarnation

The doctrine expressed in the Nicene Creed and the Definition of Chalcedon: that Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten before all the ages and of one substance with the Father, was made flesh through the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary, making Him truly God and truly human, possessing two natures, which are not confused, changed, divided, or separated. Although the term “incarnation” does not appear in the Bible, Christian tradition has long held that Jesus is God incarnate.

Inerrancy

Meaning “without error.” Typically used to describe Scripture as without error. The Bible is inspired and inerrant. The former term means that God moved through the writers to communicate to us the words which God wanted us to hear. The latter means that all that is written in the inspired documents is without error. Inspiration and inerrancy apply to the original writings, not to the copies. Thus, it is the original writings that are without error. Inspiration comes from God and when He inspired the Bible, it was perfect. Our copies of the original documents are not perfect, due to identifiable scribal error, but they are very close to being so.

Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ (ca. 5/4 BC – AD 30/33). According to the New Testament, Jesus Christ is the incarnate Word of God, the Creator and Savior of the world, the founder of Christianity, and the sinless exemplar of its principles and practices. In Matthew 1:21 the name was divinely appointed, “for He will save His people from their sins.” Since the name was common in His lifetime, He was usually referred to in a more specific way, such as “Jesus of Nazareth” (John 1:26; Schaeder, “Nazarēnos, Nazōraios,” 874–79). “Christ,” the anointed one, is a title that acknowledged that He was the expected Messiah of Israel. In the Gospels, Jesus is usually identified as “the Christ.” After Peter’s sermon at Pentecost in Acts 2:38, He was usually referred to as “Jesus Christ.” This composite name joins the historic figure with the messianic role that prophetic expectation and early Christianity knew that He possessed.

John the Baptist

Son of Zechariah and Elizabeth. Relative of Jesus Christ. Baptized people for repentance of their sins. Beheaded by Herod Antipas at the request of his stepdaughter/niece.

Josephus

King James Bible (aka. Authorized Version)

An English translation of the Bible sponsored by James I of England. Published in two separate editions in 1611.

Koine Greek

The “common” Greek language that developed and flourished between 300 B.C.E. and 300 C.E. (the time of the Roman Empire), and from which Modern Greek descended.

Lucian

Lucian of Antioch was a Christian presbyter, theologian, and martyr. He was noted for both his scholarship and ascetic piety.

Masoretic Texts

The traditional Hebrew text behind most modern translations of the Old Testament.

Miracle

An event that defies common expectations of behavior and subsequently is attributed to a superhuman agent; an occurrence that demonstrates God’s involvement in the course of human affairs.

New Testament

A canon of distinctly Christian Scripture, recognized as authoritative. (Also see ‘Bible’)

Old Testament

A canon of Scriptures, recognized as authoritative, that comprises the first part of the Christian Bible and that includes the Hebrew Bible. (Also see ‘Bible’)

Origen

Origen was a scholar and early Christian theologian. He did not stick to one area of theology, but rather branched out, writing things that later became controversial among Christian theologians.

Papyrus

A plant used for the production of papyri, an ancient writing material.

Philo

Born in Alexandria around 20 BCE and lived until CE 50. Author and philosopher. Known for his allegorical hermeneutic. Contemporary of Jesus and Josephus.

Pliny the Younger

Roman governor in the province of Bithynia-Pontus during the reign of Trajan. He shared his name with his uncle, Pliny the Elder.

Prophecies (General & Messianic)

A prophecy is an oral, divine message mediated through an individual that is directed at a person or people group and intended to elicit a specific response. General prophecy is often an eschatological prophecy, meaning prophecies about end-time events, that have not yet occurred. Messianic Prophecy may be defined to be all prophecy that refers, whether more or less distinctly, to the coming of Christ, to his work of salvation, or to the growth and consummation of his kingdom.

Pseudepigrapha

In biblical literature, a work affecting biblical style and usually spuriously attributing authorship to some biblical character. Pseudepigrapha are not included in any canon.

Qumran

A site with ruins located near the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea, nearest the caves that yielded the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Repentance

The practice of asking another for forgiveness and ceasing some sinful behavior.

Resurrection

From the Latin resurrectio, meaning “rising again.” A return to life after having died. Mainly refers to the resurrection of Christ—the central event of the Christian faith. Also refers to the Christian doctrine of corporate resurrection, which is connected to the judgment of both the living and the dead. The resurrection of Jesus was the most important event in Christian culture and theology. It provided the grounds for their faith and belief.

Rufinus

Rufinus, (born c. 345, Concordia, near Aquileia, Italy—died 410/411, Sicily, possibly at Messina), Roman priest, writer, theologian, and translator of Greek theological works into Latin at a time when knowledge of Greek was declining in the West.

Samaritan Pentateuch

A version of the Pentateuch preserved by the Samaritan community primarily in the Paleo-Hebrew script. The text contains a number of textual variants, some reflecting incidental and ideological alterations, and others a possible original text.

Second Coming

Second Coming, also called Second Advent or Parousia, in Christianity, the future return of Christ in glory, when it is understood that he will set up his kingdom, judge his enemies, and reward the faithful, living and dead.

Septuagint (LXX)

The translation of the Old Testament into Greek; read in the early church and often quoted by the New Testament writers. The Septuagint often is represented as Roman numerals: “LXX” equivalent of the number 70.

Sin

Actions that violate the law or moral standard of God.

Tacitus

A Roman historian and rhetorician (ca. 56–118 AD) who wrote several important works related to the history of the Roman Empire.

Talmud

A collection of rabbinic Jewish texts that record the oral tradition of the early rabbis. The Talmud is primary source for the study of Judaism from the first century ad up to the date of its final redaction, as late as the seventh century. The Talmud is likewise relevant to the study of Judaism in Jesus’ and the apostles’ lifetimes.

Tanakh

The Hebrew name for the Hebrew Bible. The term is an acronym for the three major divisions of the Hebrew Bible: the Torah, the Nebiim, and the Kethubim.

Targum

Aramaic word meaning “translation.” Technically, this designation can refer to translation into any language. However, in rabbinic literature, the word is used to speak of the practice of translating the biblical Hebrew text into the vernacular Aramaic within Jewish synagogues.

Textual Criticism

Textual Criticism of the Hebrew Bible, History of Text. A historical study of the development of the Hebrew Bible.

Torah

The first of three divisions of the Hebrew Scriptures comprising the first five books considered as a unit; often includes the content of the books as well.

Unicals

A handwriting used especially in Greek and Latin manuscripts of the fourth to the eighth centuries A.D. and made with somewhat rounded separated majuscules but having cursive forms for some letters.

Unregenerate

An unregenerate person is not renewed in heart and mind or reborn in spirit, unrepentant and an unregenerate sinner – also refusing to believe in the existence of God. Regeneration by contrast, is the act of God, whereby He renews the spiritual condition of a sinner. It is a spiritual change brought about by the work of the Holy Spirit, so that the person then possesses new life, namely eternal life. Regeneration is a change in our moral and spiritual nature where justification is a change in our relationship with God.

Unrepentance

An unrepentant person shows no regret for one’s wrongdoings.

Vulgate

The Latin translation of the Bible that Jerome produced in CE 383–405 or that was at least initiated by him, with the Old Testament and Gospels certainly being translated by him.

For further reading and study

Wegner, Paul D. The Journey from Texts to Translations: The Origin and Development

of the Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 1999.

Fee, Gordon D. and Mark L Strauss. How to Choose a Translation for All Its Worth: A

Guide to Understanding and Using Bible Versions. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2007.

Norton, David. The King James Bible: A Short History from Tyndale to Today.

Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011.

Klein, William W. Craig L. Blomberg and Robert L Hubbard. Introduction to Biblical

Interpretation. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2017.

Boa, Kenneth. “Bible Companion Handbook.” Accessed March 7, 2023.

https://bible.org/series/bible-companion-handbook

Amen.

Posted on August 28, 2023September 5, 2023 by Bible-based & Christ-centred

How did we get the Bible? How do we know the Bible is true?

How did we get the Bible?

People often ask how we got the Bible. This question is valid and not simple to answer. A short answer is not sufficient, yet one thing that can be said is that it involved several processes. Hereby, under the guidance of God Himself – thousands of people over a long period of time – under many difficult situations and persecution (often risking and losing their life) were divinely guided to bring us God’s Word. Among these stages leading to the formation of the Bible, are a few thoughts on what we mean by the word ‘Bible,’ its transmission, writing and editing, copying, canonization and translation. It is these processes we want to consider here, and see how it all fits together.

So, let us begin by looking at what we mean, when we talk about the Bible. The Bible contains 66 books (see glossary for a complete list and order of the books) and is also referred to as ‘Scripture’ which is a collection of these books. The word “Bible” is derived from Greek ta biblia (meaning “the books”) and has been used ever since the fifth century A.D. Today, the Bible is comprised of 39 Old Testament (OT) books, and 27 New Testament (NT) books. It is the transmission of the OT, followed by the transmission of the NT, we are now turning to next.

Considering the transmission of the OT, we have to consider the original composition of the Jewish Bible (Tanakh), containing 24 books, which are the same as the 39 books we have in the Protestant OT canon. Three parts make up the Hebrew Bible, namely the Torah (Pentateuch), Nevi’im (Prophets) and Kethubim (Writings). It groups these writings differently than the Christian OT canon – which segments the writings into four parts: Pentateuch, History, Poetry and Wisdom, and Prophets for a total of 39 books.

The OT is comprised of Hebrew and Aramaic language, the latter found in Daniel 2:4-7 and Ezra 4:8-6:18. In the third century B.C. Jewish people in the Roman Empire used the Septuagint (LXX) which is a Greek rendering of the OT. The transmission of the OT made use of papyrus or animal skins, with the latter lasting longer and was preferred by people in synagogues copying the Torah. Along with strict rules, the Torah was copied one-by-one from manuscript to another scroll, without paragraphs, sections or title pages. Worn out scrolls were hidden in a special place called a genizah which led to archeological discoveries, such as the Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS) at Qumran in 1947. These are the earliest available Hebrew texts and made possible comparisons between other surviving codices, the Masoretic texts. With the book order of the Septuagint differing from the Hebrew Bible, the first English Bibles derived their arrangement from the Latin Vulgate, providing the titles of the OT books.

The canon of the OT (the book collection considered authoritative by the church) began as part of their self-authenticating nature, recognized by the Israelite nation as having divine authority. Early church fathers, such as Origen and Athanasius got their cue from predecessors, such as Philo and Josephus about 90-100 A.D. There are many unknowns here, yet among the criteria for authenticity are the absence of contradictions, having been written by a person recognized as having divine authority, such as a prophet, originating from divine inspiration and accepted by Jewish people as authoritative source. Note here that OT extracanonical books are grouped into three types – lost OT books, apocryphal and pseudepigraphal books. It was the early church fathers, Irenaeus, Jerome and Rufinus who distinguished between apocryphal and canonical books. While these three groups are not part of the biblical canon, they are still of value for study and research.

Moving from the OT to the NT, we encounter a different transmission process, along with writing, editing, copying, canonization and translation. The NT writers composed their texts in the most readily available language at the time of the Roman Empire, namely Koine Greek (everyday Greek). The writers of the NT wrote their texts sometime between the middle and end of the first century A.D., using scrolls and codices (folded sheets of papyrus stitched together). The earliest NT texts are referred to as unicals (using Greek capital letters without any punctuation).

Other surviving NT texts are cursives (using simplified and joined lettering, as faster way of writing) and lectionaries (sectionally divided texts for worship readings) comprising a number of about 13,000 manuscripts. The five major codices of the NT are the Codex Sinaitcus, Vaticinus, Alexandrinus, Bezae and Codex Ephraemi. As the printing press came into being, a full Hebrew Bible (printed in Italy in 1488) and a Greek NT (printed in Spain in 1514) are among the first precursors to our Bible today.

The canonization of the NT is much more challenging to grasp than the OT, due to a lack of available evidence. However, God divinely guided the NT authors and also aided the early church to authenticate these writings as authoritative. He did this through the Person of the Holy Spirit. As such, it is possible that a NT canon was formed within the early second century, yet a later canon would have been finalized in the fourth century, having resolved issues of what books to include. So somewhere thereabouts the authoritative 27 books were canonized – we find in the NT today – revealing to us the life of Jesus Christ and mission of the church as determined by God and His self-authenticating divine nature.

In line with the canon and its translations into Latin by Jerome (somewhere between 383-405) is the so-called Latin Vulgate, with later translations into English completed by John Wycliffe (1380) and William Tyndale (1526) are among the first partial versions. A first complete English translation, called the Authorized Version of 1611 (a.k.a. the King James Version) remains the best scholarly translation to date. All subsequent versions are effectively based on this version, despite some attempts to re-translate the Bible from other sources.

With the development of textual criticism – which is an approach of identifying the precise form of the original texts, the aforementioned canon has been validated and confirmed. What is more, despite the fact that Scripture only provides us with very little, if any, information about the authors of the books, textual criticism and hermeneutics (the science of interpretation of the Bible) affirms it cohesiveness and authenticity. Both OT and NT authors wrote for specific purposes for specific audiences, and it is primarily the NT gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) that we learn about the life and mission of Jesus. The NT books (a.k.a. letters) along with, the Acts of the Apostles, compliment and complete all we need to know about Christ – which is His identity (‘God in the flesh’) and His mission (to atone for our sins on the cross) providing eternal salvation for every person who places their faith in Him.

Summing up, looking at all the meticulous details, as well as everything and everyone involved in the process of providing us with the Bible, we cannot, but thank God Himself for giving us His Word, looking after us and loving us so much, that He makes all this possible. In fact, not only has He given us His Word, but given us Himself in and through Jesus Christ, who invites us to come to Him freely with a repentant, surrendered, humble and obedient heart (Matthew 11:28-30). Thank you Jesus!

Always remember, the best Bible, is an open Bible!

Amen.

Where to go from here?

Glossary

Acts of the Apostles

The story of the early church, as Jesus’ disciples carry the gospel to different parts of the world, especially Asia Minor, Greece, and Rome. Acts was likely written by Luke, author of Luke’s Gospel.

Apocalyptic Literature

A genre of biblical writing that reveals God’s actions and coming judgment in symbolic language. The transition from prophecy and apocalyptic is characterized by an increased use of symbolism and an increased use of heavenly mediators explaining the vision.

Apocryphal Books

Aramaic Language

Likely the spoken language of Jesus and his disciples. Aramaic was the common language of much of the ancient Near East.

Athanasius

Athansius was exiled five times for proclaiming Christ’s divinity. He also listed the 27 books he believed should constitute the New Testament, which is the list used to this day.

Bible (aka. Scripture)

Old Testament Books (39 total)

Genesis

Exodus

Leviticus

Numbers

Deuteronomy

Joshua

Judges

Ruth

1 Samuel

2 Samuel

1 Kings

2 Kings

1 Chronicles

2 Chronicles

Ezra

Nehemiah

Esther

Job

Psalms

Proverbs

Ecclesiastes

Song of Solomon

Isaiah

Jeremiah

Lamentations

Ezekiel

Daniel

Hosea

Joel

Amos

Obadiah

Jonah

Micah

Nahum

Habakkuk

Zephaniah

Haggai

Zechariah

Malachi

New Testament Books (27 total)

Matthew

Mark

Luke

John

Acts

Romans

1 Corinthians

2 Corinthians

Galatians

Ephesians

Philippians

Colossians

1 Thessalonians

2 Thessalonians

1 Timothy

2 Timothy

Titus

Philemon

Hebrews

James

1 Peter

2 Peter

1 John

2 John

3 John

Jude

Revelation

Canon

A collection of religious writings considered authoritative.

Canonization

Codex (Codices)

A codex is a literary format consisting of one or more groupings of sheets sewn together and bound. Introduced in the first century AD. An precursor to the modern book. Codices, are a grouping of common and historically important Hebrew Bible manuscripts and fragments.

Crucifixion

The practice of executing certain criminals by staking their hands and feet to a cross as punishment for their crimes, used in the execution of Jesus Christ.

Dead Sea Scrolls

Scrolls found among the 11 caves of Qumran by the Dead Sea that are not copies of biblical books. These scrolls date approximately to 250 BCE–CE 50.

Early Church Fathers

Ancient and influential Christian writers who lived during the centuries following the apostles, and whose writings are regarded as formative for the doctrine of the Church.

Epistle (Letter)

Written communication or a letter. Any of the letters to the early Christians that are part of the New Testament.

Evolution (Theory)

Form Criticism

A method of biblical criticism that seeks to classify units of biblical text according to genre and analyze the pre-literary stages of the text.

Genizah

Genizah, also spelled geniza (Hebrew: “hiding place”), plural genizot, genizoth, or genizahs, in Judaism, a repository for timeworn sacred manuscripts and ritual objects, generally located in the attic or cellar of a synagogue. Cairo Genizah is the name given to a large collection of manuscript fragments that were recovered in the 1890s from a storeroom for unused manuscripts in the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Cairo, Egypt. The documents date from the late ninth century AD into the 19th century.

Gospel(s)

Greek Language

Hebrew Language

Hebrew Bible (aka. Tanakh)

The Hebrew name for the Hebrew Bible. The term is an acronym for the three major divisions of the Hebrew Bible: the Torah, the Nebiim, and the Kethuvim.

Hermeneutics

The art or science of interpretation, and, in its application to the Word of God, that branch of theological science which lays down the principles for a correct interpretation of Holy Scriptures.

Higher Criticism

Holy Spirit

Incarnation

Inerrancy

Irenaeus

Irenaeus, (2nd century AD – c. 202) was Bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul, then a part of the Roman Empire. He was an early church father and apologist, and his writings were formative in the early development of Christian theology.

Jerome

Jerome was a priest, theologian, and historian. His best known achievement is his translation from the Bible into Latin, and commentaries on the Gospel of the Hebrews, but his list of writings is extensive.

Jesus Christ

John the Baptist

Son of Zechariah and Elizabeth. Relative of Jesus Christ. Baptized people for repentance of their sins. Beheaded by Herod Antipas at the request of his stepdaughter/niece.

John Wycliffe

John Wycliffe was one of the first units of papal authority to influence a secular power. The Lollard movement, which was lead by Wycliffe, took place before the Protestant Reformation. He translated the Bible into the vernacular English, a translation now known as Wycliffe’s Bible.

Josephus

Kethuvim (aka. Hagiographa)

The early Christian name for the “Writings” (the Kethubim) that comprise the third division of the Hebrew Bible.

King James Bible (aka. Authorized Version)

An English translation of the Bible sponsored by James I of England. Published in two separate editions in 1611.

Koine Greek

The “common” Greek language that developed and flourished between 300 B.C.E. and 300 C.E. (the time of the Roman Empire), and from which Modern Greek descended.

Lectionary

A calendar cycle of Scripture readings for church worship services. Often accompanied by homiletical discussions. Instead of a continuous biblical text, these important witnesses contain long Scripture excerpts couched in liturgical documents.

Lost OT Books

This is a collection of New Testament Apocrypha, including many works which were admired and read by the early Christians, but which were later excluded from the canonical Bible.

Lucian

Lucian of Antioch was a Christian presbyter, theologian, and martyr. He was noted for both his scholarship and ascetic piety.

Masoretic Texts

The traditional Hebrew text behind most modern translations of the Old Testament.

Miracle

An event that defies common expectations of behavior and subsequently is attributed to a superhuman agent; an occurrence that demonstrates God’s involvement in the course of human affairs.

Nevi’im

Nevi’im is the second major division of the Hebrew Bible (the Tanakh), lying between the Torah (instruction) and Ketuvim (writings).

New Testament

A canon of distinctly Christian Scripture, recognized as authoritative. (Also see ‘Bible)

Old Testament

A canon of Scriptures, recognized as authoritative, that comprises the first part of the Christian Bible and that includes the Hebrew Bible. (Also see ‘Bible)

Origen

Origen was a scholar and early Christian theologian. He did not stick to one area of theology, but rather branched out, writing things that later became controversial among Christian theologians.

Papyrus

A plant used for the production of papyri, an ancient writing material.

Philo

Born in Alexandria around 20 BCE and lived until CE 50. Author and philosopher. Known for his allegorical hermeneutic. Contemporary of Jesus and Josephus.

Pliny the Younger

Roman governor in the province of Bithynia-Pontus during the reign of Trajan. He shared his name with his uncle, Pliny the Elder.

Prophecies (General & Messianic)

Pseudepigrapha

In biblical literature, a work affecting biblical style and usually spuriously attributing authorship to some biblical character. Pseudepigrapha are not included in any canon.

Qumran

A site with ruins located near the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea, nearest the caves that yielded the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Repentance

The practice of asking another for forgiveness and ceasing some sinful behavior.

Resurrection

Rufinus

Samaritan Pentateuch

Second Coming

Septuagint (LXX)

Sin

Actions that violate the law or moral standard of God.

Tacitus

A Roman historian and rhetorician (ca. 56–118 AD) who wrote several important works related to the history of the Roman Empire.

Talmud

Tanakh

The Hebrew name for the Hebrew Bible. The term is an acronym for the three major divisions of the Hebrew Bible: the Torah, the Nebiim, and the Kethubim.

Targum

Textual Criticism

Textual Criticism of the Hebrew Bible, History of Text. A historical study of the development of the Hebrew Bible.

Torah

The first of three divisions of the Hebrew Scriptures comprising the first five books considered as a unit; often includes the content of the books as well.

Unicals

A handwriting used especially in Greek and Latin manuscripts of the fourth to the eighth centuries A.D. and made with somewhat rounded separated majuscules but having cursive forms for some letters.

Unregenerate

Unrepentance

An unrepentant person shows no regret for one’s wrongdoings.

Vulgate (aka. Latin Vulgate)

The Latin translation of the Bible that Jerome produced in CE 383–405 or that was at least initiated by him, with the Old Testament and Gospels certainly being translated by him.

William Tyndale

William Tyndale, an English Scholar, was a leading figure in the Protestent Reformation. He is known for his translation of the Bible into English. Tyndale was eventually arrested and jailed, being burned at the stake for heresy.

For further reading and study

Wegner, Paul D. The Journey from Texts to Translations: The Origin and Development of the Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 1999.

Fee, Gordon D. and Mark L Strauss. How to Choose a Translation for All Its Worth: A Guide to Understanding and Using Bible Versions. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2007.

Norton, David. The King James Bible: A Short History from Tyndale to Today. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011.

Klein, William W. Craig L. Blomberg and Robert L Hubbard. Introduction to Biblical Interpretation. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2017.

Boa, Kenneth. “Bible Companion Handbook.” Accessed March 7, 2023. https://bible.org/series/bible-companion-handbook

Amen.

Posted on August 28, 2023September 5, 2023 by Bible-based & Christ-centred

How can I get saved?

How can I get saved? What is salvation? Is there anything I can do to be saved? These are some of the questions people have, and often turn to various sources, in order to find an answer. Frequently, the Bible is not the first source people consult or even consider. The reasons for this may be many, yet none of them is profitable. Responding to and building on the first three questions the goal of this article is to explore what the Bible has to say and to help anyone who has struggled along the way to get the answers needed.

So, how can I get saved? It all begins with Jesus Christ. More specifically, with an understanding of who He is (His identity) and why He came (His mission). This is where the Bible comes in. Here we can learn about what we need to know about Him. With a good Bible translation – such as the NLT, ESV, NIV or NASB – we can find out what we are looking for. Here, a good starting point is the Gospel of John (aka. The Book of John). John was a friend and follower of Jesus and records for us the events, encounters and relationships with Jesus, revealing His mission and identity. In this way, we are able to get a factual account of Jesus’ story, his life as teacher, miracle worker, prophet, his death on a cross and resurrection from the grave. Reading and understanding all about Jesus is essential, especially, the meaning of his crucifixion. This is the starting point in response to the initial questions set forth. So moving on the next question, what is salvation? – we must keep in mind that we cannot do this on our own, only Jesus can.

This part addresses the second question – what is salvation? Again, it all begins with Jesus. Why? Because Jesus is absolutely unique. As we find out in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus was born of a virgin named Mary (Luke 1:35; Luke 2:7) conceived by the Holy Spirit, not of a man. Reading along the Gospel of John, we discover that Jesus Christ is also unique, due to His membership in the divine Trinity (John 1:1; John 1:29-34). In this latter segment we find out about the foundation of Jesus’ identity and mission. He has two natures united in a single person for all eternity. Thereby, He is both fully God and fully human. The Trinity shows us that there is one God, existing as three eternal persons – the Father, Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit. This is important to understand, since God is a God of divine love who welcomes us individually as people to enter into a personal relationship with Him. Jesus existed with the Father and the Holy Spirit, before the universe and mankind. The Bible tells us in the creation account (which we find in the OT, the Old Testament – as it precedes the NT, the New Testament, containing the Gospels) that God created human beings (Genesis 1:26; Genesis 3:22). However, when our human ancestors, Adam and Eve, rebelled against God by sinning – having been tempted by the devil – they lost their favorable standing with God (Genesis 3). This fall was a real event, resulting in the fallen state of the human race, and all people ever since are born spiritually dead, having inherited a sin nature.

So, people have been separated from God since then, yet God had a rescue plan in place. This rescue plan, required God to step in Himself out of love for people. In Jesus Christ (aka. “Jesus of Nazareth”) God Himself, the Creator of everything entered human history to rescue mankind. Jesus, thus is ‘God in the Flesh’ with a sinless nature, so that having this absolutely unique attribute, He is the only One able to save us. As ‘God-man,’ then, Jesus became and remains the single and only substitute who died for our sins (past, present and future). Hence, when Jesus died on the cross, having spoken His last words “It is finished” (John 19:30), He accomplished what we cannot do on our own. His resurrection confirmed that Holy God’s wrath had been satisfied in Jesus Christ (aka. ‘propitiation’). Salvation must be understood in the context of Jesus’ fully completed work on the cross. This work, we call ‘atonement,’ enables us as believers to have a restored fellowship with God. As such, Jesus redeemed us (freeing believers from sin) reaching its full expression at His Second Coming along with judgment day. Also, along with propitiation, Jesus reconciled us (Jesus bringing God and humanity together), resulting in salvation.

In short, through His death and resurrection, His ascension and later releasing the Person of the Holy Spirit, Jesus – and Jesus only – makes salvation possible, providing hope for fallen humanity. By His incarnation and divine nature Christ was and is the mediator between God and fallen humankind. He had to be both God and human to redeem His people. Jesus did it. This brings us to the last common question, if there is anything that a person can do to be saved?

So finally, people often ask: “Is there anything I can do to be saved?” No, there is not. Why not? Because Jesus did it all. He was the only One, who could accomplish this, since He was sinless (1 Peter 2:22). Other than Him, we are all born with a sin nature and are likewise (by default) eternally separated from God. There is nothing ‘good’ about us, nothing at all, that gives us anything to ‘make us right’ with perfectly Holy God. Apart from what Jesus did, left to our own ability, or doing any kind of ‘good deeds,’ there is nothing other than Jesus’ work on the cross that saves us (Ephesians 2:8-9). Left to our own devices, without Christ, we cannot get God to do anything or earn our salvation (Romans 3:20).

Thereby, understanding this, Jesus’ identity and completed mission on the cross on our behalf, all that remains for us is repenting of our sin. Repentance is agreeing with God, turning from sin and asking Jesus to help us. This is a change of heart, being genuinely sorry for our sin(s), renouncing of it, and a true commitment to leave it behind, walking in obedience to Christ. Repentance and faith (in Christ) must come together, as part of a single one-time conversion (through faith alone in Christ alone).

Jesus, as we see in the Bible, invites us to freely come to Him in repentance (Matthew 11:28-29). As you read on in John’s Gospel, He is interested only in one thing, and that is a repentant heart. Some encouraging examples of this, are found in Jesus’ conversations with Nicodemus, a Pharisee (John 3:1-21), an unnamed Samaritan woman (John 4:1-42) and the healing of a man born blind (John 9:1-41). Once a person repents, he or she is saved eternally, sealed by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13), having entered a personal relationship with Jesus Christ (John 6:27). This relationship can only be established by God and is the work of the Holy Spirit. There is no mechanism, or ritual to invoke or impart the Holy Spirit (John 3:8). Salvation cannot be lost – once saved, always saved. Anything else is false, and not in the Bible. This is God’s amazing grace and love for all people. However, the Bible also tells us that not all will accept Christ’s free gift of salvation (John 17:9; Romans 9:27; Romans 11:7). This is a harsh reality, yet important to grasp. There are people who will deny Jesus as God in the Flesh and die in sin (John 3:16-21). Entering a personal relationship may also cause others to turn away from a believer in Christ (Luke 12:51-53; John 15:18-27) and there will be people who claim to be believers, but in reality are not (Matthew 7:21-23) – yet, they can be identified for what they are by their actions, not by what they say (Matthew 7:17).

Nevertheless, as we read about the Holy Spirit in John chapter 14, 15 and 16, as believers, we can ask Him to help us with whatever we are dealing with, and claim our identity in Christ (John 14:6; John 15:5). If we do sin, which we do at times, we are convicted by the Holy Spirit, who invites us to immediately confess our sin to Him, and He will help us (1 John 1:9). As true followers, we may have to surrender our lifestyles to Him, yet, with Jesus on our side, there is nothing He cannot handle. That is true freedom in Christ (John 8:36; Psalm 9:10). The truth is that God desires a personal relationship with Him more than we do (2 Peter 3:9) and there is nothing more desirable anyone can ask for, being eternally connected to Jesus Christ (Romans 8:38-39) both here and now, as well as for eternity.

To sum it up, it all begins with Jesus, learning about Him, His identity and mission, understanding the significance of His work on the cross – enabling salvation as a free gift, for every repentant person. This is a matter of the heart. A lifelong and eternal relationship with Jesus Christ is available to all, who freely decide to come to Him.

If you have read about and understand the free gift of salvation that Jesus offers, based on who He is and what He did, knowing and heartfully embracing that He is the only way to eternal life (John 14:6) you can turn to Him right now, not on the basis of anything else, but His fully finished work on the cross, by believing in Him (Hebrews 11:6) you can pray as follows:

“Lord Jesus,

I repented my sins,

come into my heart,

wash me clean,

for You are my Lord,

and You are my Savior.

Thank you, Jesus.

In Your Holy Name I pray.

Amen.

And always remember, the best Bible is an open Bible!

Amen.

May God bless you and keep you.

Yours in Christ,

Pastor John

Always remember, the best Bible, is an open Bible!

Amen.

Bible-Based & Christ-Centred

All about Jesus Christ and the Bible

Table of Contents

Introduction

– – –

Ask Pastor John

Does God exist? If so, how do we know?

Does evil exist? What is evil? Why is there evil? The Problem of Evil

How does Evolution theory relate to Genesis?

Can I trust the Bible? Is the Bible reliable?

How did we get the Bible? How do we know the Bible is true?

How can I get saved?