The Christian worldview, set forth in the Bible, is the culmination of biblical revelation resulting in the affirmation and defense of the proposition that the true meaning of life is not merely discovering a principle, or principles, but it ultimately is the discovery of a Person. This Person is identified as the Logos, and this Logos (the WORD) is God (John 1:1)...
Read MoreEarly two thousand years ago there took place an event that has changed the course of history; as the result of it, nations have come and gone; monarchs have soared to heights and fallen into the depths of despair and ruin; civilization has reached heights before unknown and human beings have been elevated to a sphere undreamed of by the generations of the long ago. That occasion was the birth of a child, a son, which birth took place in a humble city in Palestine called Bethlehem, the city of David the King. No event in the history of man has been so beautifully unfolded and no plan that was to affect the entire human race was ever so minutely detailed or so meticulously executed as the birth of this Son.
Read MoreWe are enjoying what is called the Christmas season. For many, it culminates in the birthday of Jesus on December 25. For others it is a time to condemn the season because it is historically inaccurate as we neither know nor have we been commanded to celebrate His birthday.
Read MoreThe word God is one of the Spirit’s designations for the divine nature. Under the figure of the synecdoche, where a part is made to stand for the whole, or the whole for a part, the word Godis used to designate each of the divine Persons constituting deity; and, while there is but one God—one divine nature—the Scriptures clearly teach that there are three distinct personalities possessing this nature. The Father is called God (John 3:16), the Son is called God (John 1:1), the Holy Spirit is called God (Acts 5:3, 4). In these instances, the word God, the name of the divine nature, is severally applied to each part, under the figure above designated, though there is but one divine nature; hence, but one God (Deuteronomy 6:4).
Read MoreThe Bible says much about the birth of Jesus. Matthew 1 and 2 contain 48 verses. Luke 1 and 2 contain 94 verses to record certain facts in connection with the birth of Jesus, our Savior.
This week the birth of Jesus is celebrated by many in the religious world with great pomp, celebration, and festivities. Pews often empty will be full. People will inconvenience themselves to attend various services.
Read MoreWhile it is well known that people question the divinity of Jesus (e.g., “Jesus Seminar Phase 3: Profiles of Jesus,” Westarinstitute.org), it may surprise some to find out that there have long been those who question whether Jesus is a historical person (VanVoorst 658-60).
A very helpful new book on the historicity of Jesus is The Case for the Christ of the New Testament: An Adversarial Dialogue Concerning the Existence of Jesus Christ, published by Warren Christian Apologetics Center (2013). The dialogue includes three participants: Roy Abraham Varghese, Dr. Robert M. Price, and Dr. Ralph Gilmore. Price argues for the position that Jesus never existed, and Varghese and Gilmore argue that Jesus did exist.
Read MoreWhen one faces the question of the historicity of Jesus Christ, he should remember that the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are all books of history. And no one has the right to dismiss these books as evidential material concerning Jesus merely on the basis that a claim of divine inspiration is made for them. Their existence as historical documents has to be faced before the issue of inspiration can be considered.
Read MoreOne of the foundational statements on the crucial doctrine of the deity of Jesus Christ is the following: “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. For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’ And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain” (2 Peter 1:16-18). The text implies that the case for the deity of Christ rests on (1) events that witness its historicity, (2) eyewitnesses that testify to its integrity, and (3) an excellence of His person and work that argues its divinity.
Read MoreRecently, someone said to me that the Warren Center’s upcoming Spring Apologetics Lectures program has great potential to challenge skeptical philosophy in its rejection of the Christian worldview and demoralization of American education and culture. I think this person is right, and I am excited to tell you why!
Read MoreA part of the apologetic armory of the Christian faith is fulfilled prophecy. One of the common methods of historical apologetics "calls attention to fulfilled prophecy. For example . . . the probability that all the biblical prophecies regarding the Messiah would be fulfilled in a single person (Jesus) without supernatural design is infmitesimally small" (Beilby 311). While there are no prophecies in the Qur'an, in the Hindu Vedas, in the sayings of Buddha, Confucius, or in the Book of Mormon, it has been estimated that "30% of the Bible consists of [predictive] prophecy of one kind or another, making it unique in religious literature" (Blanchard 408). "There is nothing in the Qur'an [or any of the other above purported revelations], by way of types and shadows, that serves as evidence of its divine origin, whereas the Bible contains large sections of typology (even entire books - cf. The Epistle to the Hebrews) that prove its divine origin" (Pugh 7).
Read MoreThe following study will briefly discuss the recent papyrus fragment, titled by Dr. Karen L. King as, “The Gospel of Jesus’ Wife.” Truth? No. Sensationalism? Yes. Wishful thinking? Yes. Falsehood? Yes.
Read More“What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” (Matthew 27:22). Though this is the question that was asked by Pilate almost two thousand years ago, yet I consider it the supreme religious question of our own age.
Shall we believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God? or shall we, like those of His own day, cry out with violence: “Let Him be crucified!” To fail to answer, is but to answer.
Read MoreJesus Christ is unique. The word “begotten” (monogenes) in John 3:16 also means unique—the only one of its kind. First, Jesus is described in the Scriptures as unique. He is the Son of God (Matthew 16:16). He is the Son of man (Matthew 16:13, 27, 28). He is the King of Israel (John 1:49). He is the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last (Revelation 22:13). He is the Amen, the faithful and true witness (Revelation 3:14). He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah (Revelation 5:5). He is the Lamb who takes away our sins (John 1:29). He is the prophet like Moses (Acts 3:22-23). He is the King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16). He is the good shepherd (John 10:11). He is the chief shepherd (1 Peter 5:4). He is the light of the world (John 8:12). He is the heir of all things (Hebrews 1:2).
Read MoreFrom April 1 to April 22, 1923, twenty-three sermons were delivered by the inimitable N.B. Hardeman at the famed Ryman Auditorium, home of the Grand Ole Opry, in Tennessee's capital city of Nashville. The second of these sermons included an examination of the period between the Old and New Testaments in which Hardeman surveyed the reign of the infamous Herod the Great who occupied the throne when the angel of the Lord announced on that starlit night, that a Savior, Christ the Lord, has been born (Luke 2:8, 11).
Read MoreTwo thousand years ago, a baby, whose name was Jesus, was born in Bethlehem of Judea. The world has never been the same. Times change. Habits change. Nations forget their history. They never forget Jesus of Nazareth.
Jesus really was born, lived, died, resurrected and ascended. These are historical facts. However, there is a sense in which we need to be careful as we speak of Jesus Christ as an "historical person." You see, the Person who was (is) Jesus, not only lived as an historical Person, but He has always existed.
Two thousand years ago a baby was born in Bethlehem of Judea. He was named Jesus. Since His birth, His name has filled twenty-one centuries of human history. E M. Blaiklock, who held the Chair of Classics at the University of Auckland and taught Latin, Greek, and Ancient History for more than four decades, wrote, “Times change. Habits change. Nations and men disastrously forget their history. They never forget Jesus of Nazareth” (8).
Read MoreWilbur M. Smith authored a classic study on the person and work of Jesus Christ titled, The Supernaturalness of Christ. In the Preface to the book, Smith says,
This volume is an attempt to set forth the basic facts involved in the birth, the Transfiguration, the miraculous acts, and the Resurrection, of Jesus Christ, that people may have an opportunity to individually come to definite conclusions as to whether Christ was or was not a truly supernatural person, the Son sent by the Father to be the Saviour of the world. (xv-xvi)
Nowhere in history are attacks upon the identity and work of a person and a religion more prevalent than over the identity and work of Jesus of Nazareth and Christianity.
The Bible gives us the only significant and trustworthy information about Jesus of Nazareth and His work. The significance of this information is apparent because of the inspiration of the Bible (1 Corinthians 2:1-16; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21); thereby, giving the Bible inerrancy and trustworthiness
Christianity is a religion based on facts. This is a hard pill to swallow in our present generation. Postmodern religion is less concerned about knowledge and facts and more concerned with faith and what is believed. In spite of this current philosophy, the Bible clearly shows us that the two go hand-in-hand. Faith and belief must be founded upon facts and knowledge. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1; cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:21; John 8:32; et. al.).
Read MoreDear Joe:
I cannot tell you how shocked I was to learn about your terrible loss. In one breathtaking, heartbreaking instant he left us, without warning or farewell. In one mind numbing moment he vanished from our midst. In a trance, we lowered his beloved body. . . . In total wonderment, we heard friends and family discuss him in the past tense. In a haze of horror, our thoughts came to grips with our feelings: We will never see him again in this world, his smile will never cheer our spirits one last time, his tenderness will never again touch our souls. . . .