See my posts here.

Most of my posts can be found here:

https://www.facebook.com/thinkingitthrough/

Quiz on the Trinity

http://www.challies.com/resources/take-a-test-on-the-trinity

Preconditions of intelligibility

https://drreluctant.wordpress.com/2015/08/10/the-biblical-god-the-precondition-of-intelligibility-repost/

Jesus our God!

http://triablogue.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-deity-of-christ-in-hebrews-1.html

Finding the Will of God

All of my life I have thought that to find the will of God I had to wait for some kind of feeling that told me what decisions to make. Check out this LINK to an interesting post by Wintery Knight. He also includes links to a summary of Garry Friesen's book "Decision Making and the Will of God".

Debate between Muslim and Christian on the nature of God

Debate

Videos on the gifts

Videos on the Gifts

Doctrines of Grace

Podcast about TULIP.

Is the Universe Fine Tuned?

Here is a very good introduction to the fine tuning of the universe. Now, granted it doesn't proved the God of the Bible but, from a Christian perspective, all evidence points to God.

Did Osteen get something right?

http://headhearthand.org/blog/2014/09/03/did-al-mohler-just-throw-happiness-overboard/

Guarding your heart

http://www.theblazingcenter.com/2014/09/8-questions-to-help-you-guard-your-heart.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheBlazingCenter+%28The+Blazing+Center%29

Ah hahahahahahaha Moments

I am sure many of you have see Peter Enns' series of articles called Aha Moments. It is a series of posts that are written by scholars who have had what he calls "Aha Moments" about the doctrine of Inerrantcy. Michael Kruger is doing a series on his blog Canon Fodder in response. You can find his blog here.

Stop sugar coating it!

Yes the topic of Hell is a difficult one. Actually is terrifying. But Christians, please stop saying such silly things as "God loves you too much to force you into heaven" or "The door to hell is locked from the inside" or "God is not going to force anyone into his presence." I know you want to make the topic easier to discuss and to accept. But twisting what Scripture says to make it sound more palatable is lying. God is not absent in Hell. It is a place where God is very present: in justice and judgement. When you says things like this you are being deceptive and I am glad when atheists call out Christians when they say things like this. Just tell people what Scritpure says in a windsowm and loving way and let God take care of the rest. #hell, #truth, #apologetics

Reforming Youth Ministry

I have been saying for a long time that youth ministry, the way it is run in most churches today, is ineffective and actually counterproductive.  It is leading youth away from the church. Here is a great series of Podcasts from The White Horse Inn dealing with this issue.
The series starts on May 4 and continues through the most current podcast. Enjoy!

Apologetics 101-Dr. Oliphint

Dr. Oliphint's apologetics lectures free on iTunes. A must listen.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/itunes-u/apologetics-101/id875475884?mt=10

The Great Apostasy? Did Joseph Smith need to restore the Church?

Below is a paper I wrote about the Mormon claim that just after the Apostles died, the Church apostatized and disappeared from the earth. Therefore God would need to restore it. The Mormon claim is that this is exactly what God did through Joseph Smith. This belief is essential to the very existence of the Mormon church. If the church did not disappear then there was nothing for Joseph to restore. Please leave a comment or question (or correction). Thanks.

The Great Apostasy?

Intro

During the spring of 1820 the religious climate of upstate New York was exiting. There were many different churches with differing beliefs. These differences contributed to the confusion of one 15-year-old boy named Joseph Smith Jr. He saw all of the differing denomination of his time bickering and fighting over who was right. He said to himself “What is to be done? Who of all these parties are right; or, are they all wrong together? If any one of them be right, which is it, and how shall I know?”[1] After much emotional struggle, one day while reading his bible, Smith came across a passage in the book of James that gave him hope. It read, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” (James 1:5) This passage encouraged Joseph. He understood that if he were to ask God, He would give him the wisdom to make a correct decision and thus be set free from his darkness and turmoil. Joseph retired to a grove on the Smith farm to seek God for this wisdom. During his time of pray, Joseph claims to have seen a vision of God. In this vision God informed Smith that he had been chosen to restore the true church to the Earth. He had been right about the different teaching of the sects, but it was worse than he had thought. They were all wrong! So wrong, that the truth was nowhere to be found. The church was in need of being completely restored to the Earth. The church had apostatized 1700 years earlier and Joseph would be used by God to bring the good news back to the people of the Earth.   Joseph wrote “they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.”[2] For hundreds of years, the so call Christian church had been without authority and without the truth. It was now time for God, through Joseph Smith, to restore the true Church to the earth.

Absolutely essential to the Mormon faith is the idea that the Christian church, just after the last apostle died, vanished from the face of the earth. So essential, that James E Talmage could write “If the alleged apostasy of the primitive Church was not a reality, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not the divine institution its name proclaims.”[3] If the church had not disappeared, as the LDS church teaches, then there is no need to restore it. But, according to the LDS church this is not the case. Persecution from without and heresy from within caused the church that Jesus Christ established to apostatize from the truth. Gospel principles, an LDS study manual, tells us “Through the persecution and martyrdom of Church leaders and the general wickedness of the people, the Church of Jesus Christ was taken from the earth.”[4] One modern Mormon apologist Robert Millet, in his book A Different Jesus? writes “With the death of the apostles, within approximately one hundred years of the crucifixion of Jesus, this authority, the power to act in the name of God, was lost from the earth…..Latter-day Saints teach that God’s divine authority was not to be found in the Old World by the middle of the second century A.D.[5] Kent P. Jackson in his article in the LDS official magazine Ensign states,

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has proclaimed to the world consistently since its beginning that there was an apostasy of the church founded by Jesus during his Palestinian ministry and led by his Apostles following his ascension….Latter-day Saint theology asserts that the church of the Savior and his Apostles in the Old World came to an end within a century after its formation. The doctrines which its inspired leaders taught were corrupted and changed by others not of similar inspiration, the authority to act in God’s name was taken from the earth, and none of the Christian systems that existed after those developments, though they did some good things, enjoyed divine endorsement as the Lord’s own church.[6]

Going back even further to 1831, Joseph Smith (speaking for the Lord) writing in The Doctrine and Covenants said,

And also those to whom these commandments were given, might have power to lay the foundation of this church, and to bring it forth out of obscurity and out of darkness, the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth, with which I, the Lord, am well pleased[7]

Again in Gospel Principles we read,

Because of the persecution, surviving Apostles could not meet to choose and ordain men to replace those who were dead. Eventually, local priesthood leaders were the only ones who had authority to direct the scattered branches of the church, the perfect organization of the Church no longer existed, and confusion resulted. More and more error crept into Church doctrine, and soon the destruction of the Church was complete. The period of time when the true Church no longer existed on earth is called the Great Apostasy.[8]

Though the actions of men in their heresy and persecution were some of the causes of this apostasy, this event did not come by surprise. God, knowing what his people would do, prophesied in his word this very event.

Many books of the Bible warn its readers of false teaching, apostasy, and rebellion. But the question we must ask is do these warnings necessitate a complete apostasy of the church? Or do these verses rather describe the ups and downs of God’s people. Do they describe the battle the church would fight right up to the day of the Lord’s return? We will look at some of the passages the LDS church uses to show that the Bible predicts a complete apostasy of the church.

Prophecies of the Apostasy?

Mormon Apologists argue for an apostasy from a few different angles. First, they believe the Bible prophesies a complete apostasy. Second, they see the beginnings of the apostasy in the letters of the NT. Third, they see the apostasy in church history, And lastly, they see the Bible predicting a restoration of the Gospel. This paper will only attempt to discuss some of the passages the LDS church points to to show that the Bible prophecies the total Apostasy of the Christian Church.

Amos 8:11-12

            In this passage we read, “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord GOD, when I will send a famine on the land---not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD.” According to the LDS church this passage predicts a time when there would be a complete apostasy of God’s people. The theme of God’s silence is not only found here but in other passages as well. For example, at the time the Lord called Samuel he writes, “…And word from the LORD was rare in those days, visions were infrequent” (1 Samuel 3:1).  The Lord, in Micah 3:6, pronounces a judgment of silence because the prophets were leading the people astray,

“Therefore it shall be night to you, without vision, and darkness to you, without divination. The sun shall go down on the prophets, and the day shall be black over them; the seers shall be disgraced, and the diviners put to shame; they shall all cover their lips, for there is no answer from God.”

Psalm 74:9 also speaks of God’s silence when Asaph writes “We are given no miraculous signs; no prophets are left, and none of us knows how long this will be.” God’s withholding of His word was a sign of His displeasure and many times the result of Israel’s rebellion. In the case of Amos the punishment fitted the crime. They had rejected God’s prophetic word so God would withhold that word and leave his people in silence.[9]

            But what event do these passages describe? As the context is considered and we allow Scripture to interpret Scripture we find the answer. Amos does not end his book leaving his readers in despair. Rather chapter 9:11-15 speaks of a restoration. Though God will judge His people He will not stay silent forever. He will restore David’s Kingdom and even the Gentiles will participate.

            As we look forward to the book of Acts we find the fulfillment of these passages. First, in Acts 2:30ff we find that Jesus’ resurrection fulfills God’s promise to David to seat one on his throne forever. God promised David that He would place one of his descendants on his throne and that His kingdom would be established forever (2 Samuel 7:12-13.) Peter in his sermon in Acts chapter 2 tells us that Jesus’ resurrection and ascension to the right hand of the Father was the fulfillment of this promise. So also Amos’ prophecy of the restoration of “the booth of David” was fulfilled in the Resurrection of Jesus. Second, in Acts 15:16ff James quotes from Amos 9 telling the council that God was fulfilling this prophecy as He was taking from among the Gentiles a people to fill his kingdom. If Amos chapter 9 was fulfilled by Jesus Christ then we can assign chapter 8 and the judgment of silence to sometime between the writing of Amos and the life and death of Jesus. As one can see this passage in Amos in no way predicts a total apostasy of the Christian church.

Acts 20:29-30

In this passage we read,

I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.

The LDS church sees this as another passage that warns the church of its impending total departure from the truth. Here Paul calls to himself the elders of the Churches in Ephesus He wants to meet with them one last time for he knows that he will not see them again. In his address he warns theses shepherds to be on guard against false teachings from both outside the church and from within. But does this passage teach that the church will apostatize? Of course not! A few things can be said.

            First, Paul says this in passing. It is of great concern but there are other things in this passage that are spoken of as well. If the total apostasy of the church were coming you would expect Paul to spend much more time warning and equipping them to protect the flock. Second, verse 38 tells us that the elders were greatly grieved at what Paul had told them. Were they grieved over an impending apostasy? No, but over the fact that they would not see Paul again. In verse 32 Paul commends them to God and His Word which he says, “is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” If the church was going to be removed from the earth why would Paul tell them that His word would build them up and give them and inheritance among the people if there was not going to be any inheritance? God and His Word would build up the believers and make them strong even to the final consummation and final inheritance given by God to His people. Wolves may attack the church from without and false teachers may arise from within but God’s word is able to build the church and bring it to its final inheritance because this is what God has promised to do. This passage was a warning then for the believers to be on guard as well as for us today, but it in no way predicts the total falling away of the Christian Church.

            Harold B. Lee wrote

There are some as wolves among us. By that, I mean some who profess membership in this church who are not sparing the flock. And among our own membership, men are arising speaking perverse things. Now perverse means diverting from the right or correct, and being obstinate in the wrong, willfully, in order to draw the weak and unwary members of the Church away after them.[10]

This sounds very much like Paul’s warning in Acts 20 which Mormons believe is a prediction of the apostasy. Shall we thus conclude that Lee too was predicting another Great Apostasy? Of course not! A common sense reading tells us that he was only making mention of some within the Mormon Church that were teaching false doctrine. There is no reason to conclude that a little false teaching or falling away necessitates a total apostasy.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-4

Here we read,

Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. (2Th 2:1-4)

Barry Bickmore, in his book Restoring the Ancient Church, calls this “the most specific reference to the totality of the apostasy.”[11] Let’s look at the passage to determine if it is what he claims.

            In considering this passage we must also look at the context. What other things did Paul have to say to his beloved friends in Thessalonica? Earlier in chapter one Paul encourages his readers and praises them because their “faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.” He also “boast about you in the church of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring.” Here Paul praises his readers for their “growing” and “increasing” faith and love. In fact, Paul has nothing but praise for these brothers and sisters. Why not take these passages to show that the Christian church was growing strong and bold rather than moving towards total apostasy? The Greek word here for growth, “signifies to grow luxuriantly, as a good and healthy tree planted in a good soil; and if a fruit tree, bearing an abundance of fruit to compensate the labor of the husbandman.”[12] The fact is that in the NT there is praise, encouragement, warning, rebuke and correction but we need not take each one as the only subject dealt with. The church was growing and would face persecution, growth, false doctrine and defectors but this in no way necessitates a total falling away of God’s church from the earth.

            In chapter two Paul wants to correct a misconception that the return of the Lord has already happened. Though he has praised them for their steadfast faith he wants to correct one aspect of their theology. His readers have either misunderstood something in his first letter, received another letter that is contrary to what he had taught them or they had heard a rumor that the Lord had already returned.

For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.

According to the LDS church this “rebellion” or “apostasy” (NASB) speaks of a “total” apostasy of the Christians church. Is this necessary or even the correct interpretation? Not at all! First, there is no indication that this “apostasy” would be total. Paul is warning a church who would itself be an exception to this falling away. Second, the Mormon position is that the “son of perdition” is the same person as the antichrist. And “he who now restrains” this antichrist is the Apostles. Once the Apostles all died, the “son of perdition” would be revealed and set himself up as God in the church (temple) and thus completely destroy the church. The problem with this interpretation is that if this is a person, and it happened in the past then the thing that would destroy him is the second coming of Christ not the restoration of the Church through Joseph Smith. Even if one interprets this as a false church system it is the second coming of Christ that destroys this system not the restoration of the Church.

            Paul goes on in chapter 2 by making a distinction between his readers, the church, and those he has just described as falling away. In verse thirteen he calls his readers “chosen” from the beginning for salvation and chapter three verse three says, “But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.” This passage was not just for the Thessalonians but for the whole church throughout the ages. He contrasts those who would fall away and those who would be protected by God Himself. Again, the Church would face persecution and false teaching until the Lord’s return but would never suffer complete extinction. Sometimes it would even seem like the wolves outnumbered the sheep but the flame of the Church would never be extinguished.

            These are only a few of the passages Mormons use in their apologetic to defend their belief in the total apostasy of the Christian church and the need for Joseph Smith to restore the true church to the Earth. There are other passages but the result it the same: Scripture does not predict a complete apostasy of the Christian church. In fact God has promised to preserve His church until the second coming of Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Preservation of the Church

            Unlike the Mormons, we do not need to read Bible with the presupposition of a total apostasy; we can let it speak for itself. The whole of God’s Word must be taken into consideration. We must let Scripture interpret Scripture. Passages such as Matthew 16:17-18, Matthew 28:20, Romans 11:5, Ephesians 2:20 and Jude 1:3 are but a few that give us complete confidence that, contrary to Mormon claims “The Christian church in its entirety will never perish.[13]

Matthew 16:17-18

            Jesus speaking to Peter says,

Blessed are you Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

The identity of the “rock” in this passage will not be discussed here but assumed to be the confession of Peter that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God.” What Jesus says about the “church” is important here in our discussion of the preservation of the church.

            First, Jesus says that “He” will be the one who build his church not Peter, not the Apostles, not man. He is the architect and would bring to completion his church. It is not man, by his choices, who builds or destroys the church. Jesus will always have a people for himself.

Second, Jesus says He “will” build His church. There is no hint here of Jesus’ plan to build the church being thwarted. What He seeks to do will be accomplished.

            Third, it is not just the kingdoms of this world that the church will penetrate but the very stronghold of evil, hell. Barry Bickmore, an LDS apologist, believes that this passage speaks of Jesus’ releasing of Spirits form the Spirit World (Hades) rather than the survival of the earthly church.[14] While it may apply to this as well, it does not nullify the fact that the church will be built on earth. Hades, here translated hell, means the place of the dead. Jesus would conquer death and the Church would be the instrument that God uses to bring people on earth from death to life in Jesus Christ.  What can stop the Lord drawing His people to Himself? R.B. Kuiper makes an excellent point on this passage when he quotes Geerhardus Vos as saying, “Probably…the correct rendering is ‘the gates of Hades shall not surpass it.’ The gates of Hades seem to have been a figure for the highest conceivable strength, because no one can break through them.” The church will be completely unstoppable![15]

Matthew 28:20

            In this passage we have recorded some of Jesus’ very last words to His disciples. Jesus says, after given his disciples the great commission to go into the world, spreading the Gospel and building the church, “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Though Jesus here is speaking to His disciples at the time, he is also speaking to every disciple of His throughout history. Even though Jesus was leaving them physically he would continue to be with them spiritually for He would send the Holy Spirit, called in Philippians 1:19 the “Spirit of Jesus Christ.” How could Jesus be with His people if there was not one to be found on Earth? The fact is that Jesus would direct and guide the church from the time of His ascension until His Second Coming.

 Romans 11:5

            In 1 Kings 19:18 Elijah thought he was the only believer left in all of Israel. God shares with him something he could not see with his eyes when He says, “Yet I will leave 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him.” Though it seemed to Elijah that he was all alone, God had preserved a remnant for Himself. Here in Romans 11 Paul quotes this passage as an example of how God continues to preserve a remnant. Immediately after quoting 1 Kings, speaking of his present day says, “So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace.” Though this passage speaks specifically of Israel they are kept as a remnant of the Church. Paul is using it as an example of how God works. God always has a people, the church, even when it seems like there is none left. God is sovereign and will preserve His church throughout time until the consummation of His kingdom.

Barnes says,

As in the time of Elijah, when all appeared to be dark, and all the nation, except one, seemed to have become apostate, yet there was a considerable number of the true friends of God; so in the time of Paul, though the nation had rejected their Messiah, though, as a consequence, they were to be rejected as a people: and though they were eminently wicked and corrupt, yet it did not follow that all were cast off, or that any were excluded on whom God had purposed to bestow salvation.[16]

Ephesians 2:19-20

            Paul writes to the church in Ephesus and says,

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.

The Church of Jesus Christ is built upon the doctrines taught by both the prophets of the Old Testament and the apostles of the New Testament. It is built upon the truth that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus Christ is the cornerstone that holds it all together. That foundation is unshakable, impenetrable and immoveable. Though earthly foundations crumble this foundation can not. The church is built on this foundation. Paul says that the church, being in Christ, “grows into a holy temple in the Lord.” This speaks of progress, and that progress happens because they are on the immovable foundation of Christ. Paul tells us that the church will continually increase as history progresses towards Christ’s second coming. If the church completely apostatized it would have ceased to grow.  Though small at is beginning, the church that the Lord established would grow, sometimes slow, until the Lord returned. Adam Clark commenting on this passage says that the church “is continually increasing, as new converts from Judaism or heathenism flock into it. It is not a finished building, but will continue to increase, and be more and more perfect, till the day of judgment”.[17] God is the builder of both the foundation and the building making it an unstoppable fortress.

Jude 1:3

Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.”

Jude here wants his readers to defend their faith against the heresy of their day. God has delivered His word to the church by revelation and we are to defend it. This truth is not negotiable. It can not be changed. As Matthew Henry says of the faith, “to which nothing can be added, from which nothing may be detracted, in which nothing more nor less should be altered.” [18] The truth of the Gospel had been given and that was all they needed. They were to accept it as the final word and defend it against any contrary teaching. Albert Barnes in his Notes on the Bible says the delivery of God’s revelation “was done once in the sense that it is not to be done again, and, therefore, in the sense that it was then complete, and that nothing was to be added to it.”[19] If God’s revelation was delivered once and fully in Jesus Christ Himself, there is no reason to believe that Joseph Smith restored something that was in no need of being restored.

Conclusion

            The idea of a total apostasy is found nowhere in Scripture. The Mormon must come to the Bible looking for proof texts to demonstrate a doctrine they already believe. These presuppositions blur their reading of Scripture. Granted, there are passages that warn of a falling away but, as was shown, there is no reason to believe they spoke of a total apostasy of the church. Rather, God tells us in His word that the church will grow, persevere and flourish, sometimes even because of the persecution and false teaching the LDS church believes caused the apostasy.

            The LDS doctrine of “The Great Apostasy” is absolutely essential to the very existence of their church. If the Christian church did not fall away then there was nothing for Joseph Smith nor anyone else to restore. If that is the case we need go no further. We do not even need to discuss Mormon doctrine, for the LDS church has already crumbled at its foundation. Joseph Smith was either deceived, a deceiver, or both. It is because of that fact that my heart breaks for the Mormon people. They are in need of being love by the Christian church and to be told the glorious truth that God has preserved His church and that he calls them to repent and believe that they might be apart of the body of Christ.

---

[1] Joseph Smith History (Utah: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1981), 1:10.

[2] Joseph Smith History, History of the Church, volume 1 Chapter 1:19 page 49.

[3] James E. Talmage, The Great Apostasy [Electronic Edition] (Utah: The Deseret News, 1909), n.p.

[4] Gospel Principles (Utah: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1978), 101.

[5] Robert L. Millet, A different Jesus? (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2005), 39-40.

[6] Kent P. Jackson, “Early Signs of the Apostasy,” Ensign, Dec. 1984, 8.

[7] The Doctrine and Covenants (Utah: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1981), 1:30.

[8] Gospel Principles pg. 105.

[9] David Allan Hubbard, Joel and Amos, (Illinois: Inter-Varsity Press, 1989), 224.

[10] The Life and Teachings of Jesus and His Apostles (Utah: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1978), 308.

[11] Barry R. Bickmore, “Restoring the Ancient Church” (accessed 29 November 2006) Available from http://www.fairlds.org/Restoring_the_Ancient_Church/

[12] Adam Clark, Commentary on the Bible, [Electronic Edition], Available at http://www.e-sword.net/

[13] R. B. Kuiper, The Glorious Body of Christ, (Pennsylvania: Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2001), 87.

[14] Bickmore, Ancient Church, n.p., Available from  http://www.fairlds.org/Mormonism_201/m20106.html

[15] R. B. Kuiper, The Glorious Body of Christ, 87

[16] Albert Barnes, Notes on the Bible [Electronic Edition] , Available at http://www.e-sword.net/

[17] Adam Clark, Commentary on the Bible, [Electronic Edition], Available at http://www.e-sword.net/

[18] Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible, [Electronic Edition], Available at http://www.e-sword.net/

[19] Albert Barnes, Notes on the Bible [Electronic Edition] , Available at http://www.e-sword.net/

How Jesus Became God. A review of Bart Ehrman's new book

If I don't forget, I will be posting links to Michael Kruger's critique of Bart Ehrman's new book How Jesus Became God. It is very relevant since we are going to see Bart on TV for interviews and hear people start quoting him as gospel truth. I would also like to turn you on to Michael's excellent blog Canon Fodder. 

Part 1
Part 2
Full Review at Reformation 21 HERE

Moral Absolutes and God

http://str.typepad.com/weblog/2014/05/how-do-moral-absolutes-prove-that-god-exists.html

Offensive Apologetics (Part 2)

Offensive Apologetics (Part 1)

Lord's Day 18

Lord’s Day 18

49.    What benefit do we receive from Christ’s ascension into heaven?

First, that He is our Advocate in the presence of His Father in heaven.1 Second, that we have our flesh in heaven as a sure pledge, that He as the Head, will also take us, His members, up to Himself.2 Third, that He sends us His Spirit as an earnest,3 by whose power we seek those things which are above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God, and not things on the earth.4

[1] 1 Jn. 2:1; Rom. 8:34. [2] Jn. 14:2; 20:17; Eph. 2:6. [3] Jn. 14:16; Acts 2:33; 2 Cor. 5:5. [4] Col. 3:1; *Jn. 14:3; *Heb. 9:24.

50.    Why is it added: “And sits at the right hand of God”?

Because Christ ascended into heaven for this end, that He might there appear as the Head of His Church,1 by whom the Father governs all things.2

[1] Eph. 1:20–23; Col. 1:18. [2] Jn. 5:22; *1 Pet. 3:22; *Ps. 110:1.

Bart Ehrman's Worldview Crumbles at its Foundation.

Great introductory article by Michael Kruger on Bart Ehrman's new book How Jesus Became God. Watch for more posts on his blog on this subject and his upcoming formal review of Ehrman's book at Reformation 21.

http://michaeljkruger.com/bart-ehrmans-worldview-problem/

Recomended Readings of Van Til

Though Van Til can be difficult to understand sometimes (Which is why I believe so many people misunderstand him), the writings of Frame, Pratt, Bahnsen, Oliphint and others, who have taken Van Til and made him easier to understand, have been life changing for me. His thought has truly helped me think biblically.

Here is a link to an article over at The Gospel Coalition with some recommended readings. I would suggest reading some things by these authors as well.

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2012/05/02/the-most-boring-important-thinker-you-should-read/?comments#comments

Lord's Day 17

Heidelberg Catechism

Lord’s Day 17

45.    What benefit do we receive from the “resurrection” of Christ?

First, by His resurrection He has overcome death, that He might make us partakers of the righteousness which He has obtained for us by His death.1 Second, by His power we are also now raised up to a new life.2 Third, the resurrection of Christ is to us a sure pledge of our blessed resurrection.3

[1] 1 Cor. 15:15,17, 54–55. Rom. 4:25; 1 Pet. 1:3–4, 21. [2] Rom. 6:4; Col. 3:1–4; Eph. 2:5. [3] 1 Cor. 15:12; Rom. 8:11; *1 Cor. 15:20–21.

46.    What do you understand by the words “He ascended into heaven”?

That Christ, in the sight of His disciples, was taken up from the earth into heaven,1 and continues there in our behalf ²until He shall come again to judge the living and the dead.3

[1] Acts 1:9; Matt. 26:64; Mk. 16:19; Lk. 24:51. [2] Heb. 4:14; 7:24–25; 9:11; Rom. 8:34. Eph. 4:10. [3] Acts 1:11; Matt. 24:30; *Acts 3:20–21.

47.    But is not Christ with us even unto the end of the world, as He has promised?¹

Christ is true man and true God. According to His human nature He is now not on earth,2 but according to His Godhead, majesty, grace, and Spirit, He is at no time absent from us.3

[1] Matt. 28:20. [2] Matt. 26:11; Jn. 16:28; 17:11. [3] Jn. 14:17–18; 16:13; Eph. 4:8; Matt. 18:20; *Heb. 8:4.

48.    But are not, in this way, the two natures in Christ separated from one another, if the manhood is not wherever the Godhead is?

Not at all, for since the Godhead is incomprehensible and everywhere present,1 it must follow that the same is not limited with the human nature He assumed, and yet remains personally united to it.2

[1] Acts 7:49; Jer. 23:24. [2] Col. 2:9; Jn. 3:13; 11:15; Matt. 28:6; *Jn. 1:48.

Atheists Being Questioned About Their Beliefs

This is both funny and sad. Belief in evolution is just one way for mankind to suppress the truth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiJdfCiWo4I&feature=youtu.be

Presuppositional Apologetics Series

Presuppositional Apologetics Series -Stephen Bratton http://trueforms.wordpress.com/2014/04/09/presuppositional-apologetics-series-stephen-bratton/

Don't miss this

Don't miss this Sacramento Apologetics Youth Conference!

http://www.sacramentoapologetics.com/

The Forgotten Trinity

http://vimeo.com/14101081

The cross is not enough.

http://www.thirstytheologian.com/2014/03/20/the_cross_is_not_enough_1.php

Devastating Arguments Against Christianity

http://wellspentjourney.wordpress.com/2013/10/01/devastating-arguments-against-christianity-courtesy-of-the-internet/

Sad Life of Layne Staley

I was reading an article on the lead singer of one of my all time favorite bands, Alice in Chains: Layne Staley. It was really sad to read about how his parents’ divorce affected him. He said, “My world became a nightmare, there were just shadows around me. I got a call saying that my dad had died, but my family always knew he was around doing all kinds of drugs. Since that call I always was wondering, ‘Where is my dad?’ I felt so sad for him and I missed him. He dropped out of my life for 15 years.” He believed their divorce and his father’s drug use were partially responsible for his own drug problem. He also said that he was convinced that if he became a celebrity his dad would return. That last sentence really hit me. I can imagine a young child believing he was the reason for his father leaving and that he needed to become someone famous, someone seen as important and successful, to get his dad to love him again. When he died, this 6’1” singer weight 86 pounds and had no real relation with his father he so desperately wanted. The answer to his loneliness, ironically, he sang about in some of his songs, though clearly what he had heard was a false representation of Christianity. His answer could only found in Jesus Christ. The one about whom he sang "deny your maker." So heartbreaking.

Why Argue Presuppositionally?

"Why Argue Presuppositionally? | Shotgun Barrel Straight" http://feedly.com/k/1bauxRf

Review of "Man of Steel."

"Superman: Man of Steel Review (Spoiler Free)" http://feedly.com/k/12uMurv

Awesome Collection of Presuppositional Apologetic Debates.

"Ultimate Collection of Free Presuppositional Apologetics Debates (audio and written) | True Forms" http://feedly.com/k/12uKVdc

Where Bell has gone.

"A Review of "What We Talk about When We Talk About God"" http://feedly.com/k/12ecDHo

Is What Gosnell Did Really Bad?

Honestly, what is wrong with what Kermit Gosnell has done? This should be an open and shut case. Does the location of the baby when it is killed really make a difference as to whether it is murder or just an abortion? The morality of the action is the same whether the baby’s spine is cut in the womb or on the operating table. It makes no difference. The abortion is carried out because the baby is unwanted. In the Gosnell’s case, even though the baby is now on the other side of the birth canal, it is still unwanted. So, why is it wrong to terminate its life? As a matter of fact, why is it wrong to kill a 5 year old child when they are older if they become unwanted? What about an elderly lady who has become a burden to their family and no longer wanted? Does age and location matter? If not, why? This is the logic of the pro-choice position carried out to its logical conclusion. Amazingly, some of them are willing to be consistent and go this far (See video of Alisa LaPolt Snow, a Planned Parenthood lobbyist.) Most are not and I believe this is why the media is so unwilling to cover the Gosnell trial. (SNOPES had to put up a page ensuring people that is was not an Urban Legend but real) They do not want people to see the reality of abortion and the logical outworking of their position and possibly move more and more people to the pro-life position. Planned Parenthood tried to get Crisis Pregnancy Centers disqualified from using an ultrasound, supposedly because they were not qualified to use such a sophisticated machine. Why in the world would they do that? Wouldn't they want people see? Or could it be because they do not want people to see what they were actually having removed from the mother’s womb. It would demonstrate that it is not just a clump of tissue as they were told but a baby with fingers and toes. Fingers that would never have the opportunity to touch their mommy’s lips or point at the moon. Toes that would never get tickled or run into a daddy’s arms. (That was a tough sentence to type!)

I am certain, most of you reading this would not carry the position this far and know that it is wrong to kill an innocent human being. The fact is that human being are crated in the image of God and ALL are worthy of life. Being unwanted has nothing to do with the child but with the attitude of the mother. And the location of the child, whether in the womb or out, does not matter. Abortion is the dismembering of a child and is no different than what Gosnell is on trial for. If the pro-choice position is correct then Gosnell is innocent. If the pro-life position is correct Gosnell is a murderer and abortion is murder. If he is found guilty of murder then abortion is murder. I hope this case causes our country to wake up and fight for the right of the child in the womb and stop the legal killing of the innocent. Yes, what Gosnell did was bad. As a matter of fact it was evil. If you agree then you are pro-life or just inconsistently pro-choice.

You are fearfully and wonderfully made.

"From Conception To Birth – Amazing Images Using The Latest Technology" http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheBlazingCenter/~3/wWYA1fMBVSw/from-conception-to-birth-amazing-images-using-the-latest-technology.html

Sin, hell and eternity.

"How Can an Infinite Hell Be Just When Our Sins Are Finite?" http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LigonierMinistriesBlog/~3/mAoBx8t4J2k/

Rewards in heaven for your good works.

Why Do (Modern) Christians Rarely Talk about Rewards in Heaven? [feedly]

Theology Matters. Practical application for everyday life.

I have mentioned this before but I will say it again: Theology matters. What you believe matters because it will determine how you live. When our life does not match what we say we believe (Let me tell you a little secret (I am whispering) , a good portion of our lives don't) we show we don't really believe what we say we do or at least it has not sunk in all the way yet. I am thinking about this because of something I heard today. I was in Walmart today (Check out one of those "Walmart People" videos and you might see me) and I overheard two people arguing one isle over. Apparently  a gentleman had left his cart in the middle of the isle and a lady proceeded to move it to the side. It was not that big of a deal but it seemed the way she did it prompted the argument. The man was apologetic but that didn't seem to satisfy the lady. I guess leaving your cart in the middle of the isle is a Mortal Sin. He got a little heated and a little louder. She then starts repeating loudly "I don't receive it, in Jesus name, I don't receive it." At that point I started to cringe. You know what I am talking about right?  Those times when you hears someone (Maybe a professional athlete) quoting Scripture, and you just know it is going to be so far out of context it is not even in the same Universe (No I don't believe in a multiverse. Just a little hyperbole to make the point.) But I digress. What in the world does "I don't receive it, in Jesus name" mean. I did a quick bible search and didn't find anything. I am being facetious here of course. It seems that this woman thought that reciting this phrase was going to do something. She seemed to think that her words had some kind of power. 
That Jesus' name was some kind of magic word. It didn't seem to work too well for her because they both proceeded to tell each other to go "Blank" themselves.

     Why do I mention this? Because this woman has been taught silly theology at her church. And because it is silly, it causes her to act silly and say silly things. Now I don't mean to act like I have it all together. I might have skipped the "Jesus name" stuff and went right to cursing. Or maybe I would have remembered that Jesus died for me. That Jesus had suffered wrong too. That a little delay from a basket in my way was ordained by God for His good pleasure. That God placed that cart in my way so that I would talk with this person. That "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." (Proverbs 15:1) That Jesus, when he was reviled "he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges." (1 Peter 2:23) That Jesus had, not just a stranger in his way but one of His best friends: Peter. So much so that He said to him "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man." Ouch! Peter wanted to protect Jesus from dying, a seemingly noble thing, yet Jesus thought it the work of the devil.

     "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good." Why can't I get that to sink into my head. It does not say "The good things" or "The things that you like." It rather says "All things." If I could truly grasp this I might not have been frustrated today in traffic or when I am interrupted by my children when writing this blog. The answer is not to try to use Jesus' name as some kind of magical word but rather to meditate upon the person and work of the person whose name this is. To show the love of Christ towards those we come in contact with. Realize that we are not here for our happiness but for God's glory and to be used by him to further His kingdom. So yes, that person you just flipped off in your heart was put there for a reason. We are on a mission from God. What an amazing truth. We, wretched pukes like us, are ambassadors for the God of the universe. May we remember our mission. Oh Lord may we bring You glory and may we be used by You to bring the Gospel to those we come into contact with. May we be a light that shines is a dark world. Manifest in us the fruit of the Spirit, that we might bring You glory and be used by You to bring them into the kingdom. May the amazing truth of the Gospel stagger us and take our breath away.

An open letter to the church from a lesbian.

An Open Letter to the Church from a Lesbian [feedly]

The greatest slaughter in human history........happening today!

The Greatest Slaughter in Human History [feedly]

Relativism

Relativism’s Attack on Morality [feedly]

Clash of Worldviews.

Naturalism, Worldviews, and Epistemology [feedly]