Life’s Hard Questions

I’ve been thinking a lot about something lately.  This actually originated from an online conversation I’m having with someone I met on a website, spikedhumor.   What I’ve been doing for some time now is responding to comments posted to videos online that either misrepresent the Christian world view all together, like the “You are all going to burn…” type thing.  Or debate with people coming from an atheistic prospective. 

Through this experience I’ve started noticing very interesting trends.  First, there are very few people on these sites claiming to be Christian.  Secondly many who claim Christianity submit that the bible is wholly metaphorical, written by man for man, etc.  The most alarming claim I’m seeing over and over is that Christ was not God and did not rise from the grave.  Okay, I understand that many of you reading this right now don’t believe Christ is God, died for our sins on a cross and rose bodily from the grave.  So you might be thinking, “So what?  Why is this alarming?”  Well, firstly most of you aren’t Christian and those claims are central to the Christian faith.  You CAN NOT have Christianity without the resurrection, plain and simple.  This has been a New Age trend that is catching on.  Christians need to understand that if you’re going to claim the faith you MUST claim Jesus!  I know this seems awfully narrow-minded or bigoted but it’s true.  (I deal with that in a little bit)

In claiming Christianity there are some very central ideologies and doctrines you must also claim.  One of the biggest is the life, death and most importantly the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  For it’s in the resurrection where we see that Jesus is God.  It’s more often than not I see people pushed away from Christ because they have questions and need answers.  So often the most dedicated church attendee can’t discuss these issues because they simply don’t know how to defend what they believe.  So, in response to honest quarries they lash out in one way or another or come up with very mindless, illogical responses.  However, and this needs to be made clear, without the resurrection of Jesus Christ there is no Christianity.

Why is this important?  The New Age teachings and thoughts on Jesus misrepresent Christ and in many ways undermine His actions and teachings.  Many people have had so many different interpretations of who Jesus is, celebrities, sports stars, politian’s, even other world religions.  As a Christian it’s important to get a firm grasp on who he is and make sure that you hold true to that.  You see, if someone is claiming Christ I, as a Christians, have to hold that person to God’s standard of His word and when error surfaces that error must be called out.  This might seem harsh but it is comes from a place of love and compassion.

Jesus was God!  Jesus claimed to be God!!  The bible teaches this and the bible is God’s inspired Word which makes a claim to truth.  These are key to living a successful Christian life not only here and now but for eternity.  Now, it’s what you do with this that really matters!  Throughout the bible Jesus tells us that He is God, to say he was only a good man who told good stories is not only contrary to biblical teaching but would be completely inaccurate.  C.S. Lewis may have said it best,

            “I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.  That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher.  He would either be a lunatic, on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg, or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the son of God: or else a madman or something worse.  You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

It’s so important to look to what Jesus actually said about himself, who He said he was.  I will briefly try to explain and point to places in the bible we can look to for insight. 

Jesus claimed to be God and did so unapologetically:  Look to John 6:38 and directly there after, “For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.”  Why is this significant?  This portion of scripture separates Christ and Christianity apart from every other major world religion.  All other world religions claim that they went up to heaven, such as Muhammad, for a short time.  Christ claims to come down from heaven to be with us while at the same time telling us that He is God!  While other religions are about gaining access to heaven; ascending to heaven through good works, karma, morality or spirituality, Christianity is about Jesus descending to live with us as man.

Jesus was more than just a good man:  Mark 10:17-18, “As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him.  ‘Good teacher,’ he asked, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’  ‘Why do you call me good?’ Jesus answered. ‘No one is good except God alone.’”  Here we need to but emphasis on “No one is good except God alone.” Because Jesus is telling the man to only call him “good” if he believes Jesus is God.  Jesus is revealing that he is not just a good man but is in fact God.

Jesus refers to himself as The Son of Man:  We have way to many scriptures to look to (more than 80) for me to list but in order to understand the significance we should look to Daniel 7: 13-14, “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence.  He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”  When Jesus refers to himself as the son of man he’s citing Daniel and ultimately claiming to be God and having authority and power of everything.  The Jews of the day knew exactly what Jesus was claiming.  Hence trying to stone him, a penalty for blasphemy.  Hence Jesus’ ultimate crucifixion.

Jesus performed miracles:  John 10:36-39, “…what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’?  Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does.  But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”  Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp.”  Here we see that Jesus is pointing to the distinctness of his works.  He’s making a claim to be God and doing so unashamedly asking them to judge his works and compare them to what is consistent of God.  Jesus is reaffirming that he is God.  In the processes he is again being accused of blasphemy!!

Jesus flat out said he was God and the only God (This is central to Christianity):  First lets look at Mark 14: 61-64, “But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer.  Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?”  “I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” The high priest tore his clothes. “Why do we need any more witnesses?” he asked.  ”You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?”  Again, it is so very clear that Jesus is claiming to be God and again he is making reference to Daniel 7 in effect claiming authority and power of all!!

We can also look at John 8: 58-59,  ”I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”  At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.”  In John, Jesus claims to be telling the truth 50 times!!  There is no way around it, Jesus claimed to be God and claimed to be telling the truth.  He was either in fact God or he was a liar, leading people to their destruction!  Jesus also refers to himself as ” I am”.  “I am” comes from Moses and the burning bush as a reference to God.  Look at Exodus 3:14.  The phrase “I am” was also extremely sacred to Jews.  No one would make that claim unless they were God.  This means Jesus was in fact claiming to be God!!

Let’s also turn to John 10: 30-33, “The Father and I are one.” Once again the people picked up stones to kill him.  Jesus said, “At my Father’s direction I have done many good works. For which one are you going to stone me?” They replied, “We’re stoning you not for any good work, but for blasphemy! You, a mere man, claim to be God.”  OK, once again we see the Jews wanting to stone Jesus.  Why?  Because he is claiming to be God.  There is NO grey area!  He is either God and telling us the truth as he claims or he is a fantastic conman and leading people to hell!  This is also interesting because Jesus is making an extremely unique claim, no other world religion has been founded by someone claiming to be God!!  NONE!!

Jesus said he was sinless:  John 8:46, “Which of you can truthfully accuse me of sin?”  Jesus is speaking in front of people who knew him, had been following him for years!  Don’t you think one person would have been able to call him out were Jesus lying?  But no one could.  The only sinless being is God.  Jesus claiming to be sinless is a claim to be God!!  If you look up to John 8:42 you will also see that Jesus is emphatic about truth!

Jesus claimed to forgive sins:  This is extremely important!!  For the Christian, ultimately all sins are against God so only God can forgive us our sins.  Look to Mark 2:5, Jesus speaking, “My child, your sins are forgiven.”  In claiming to be sinless and having the authority to forgive sins Jesus was clearly claiming to be God.  Again, this is unparalleled among any founder of a world religion.  All other religious leaders agree that they are imperfect and sinful.

Jesus told people to pray to him as God:  John 14:13-14, “You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father.  Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”  Speaking to Jews, Jesus knew that all prayers should be focused on God!!  Only God is all powerful and able to answer prayers!  Only God is all knowing and able to hear prayers!  Only God is eternal so people past, present and future can pray to Him expecting Him to be there!  Jesus is claiming to be God.

Jesus promised to judge all people:  Again the Jews believe that only God can judge.  John 5: 22-24, “the Father judges no one.  Instead, he has given the Son absolute authority to judge, so that everyone will honor the Son, just as the honor the Father,  Anyone who does not honor the Son is certainly not honoring the Father who sent him.  I tell you the truth…”   Basically Jesus is saying that he is better than all who have and will come to live.  Because of this he will judge us all!!  Again a unique and very bold claim!!

Jesus said that he not only came down from heaven but he is the only way to heaven :  John 14:6, “I am THE way, THE truth, and THE life.  No one can come to the Father except through me.”  By using the word “the” Jesus is being singular and exclusive!  It’s not, live a good life or there are many roads!!  There is one way to heaven and that is through our God Jesus Christ.  It’s abundantly clear what Jesus is saying here!  You don’t have to agree, you don’t have to believe him.  But you do have to recognize that Jesus is saying he is God and will decide who goes to heaven. 

Jesus claimed supremacy and authority over ALL people, ALL political parties, ALL races, ALL genders, ALL cultures, ALL religions, ALL beliefs and ALL sexual orientations!  In claiming this Jesus puts himself in a category by himself as the ONLY God!  The question is what is your response to the claims of Jesus?  Not what is your response to a philosophers thoughts on Jesus, not to your friends thoughts.  How are you going to respond to Jesus’ claim to be God.  This, in my opinion is the most important question any of us will ever ask!

This claim often leads to the Christian as being narrow-minded as I said at the start or this.  It’s not the Christian who is narrow but Christ.  Jesus taught us that the road is narrow that leads to his kingdom.  He also teaches us that there will be many false interpretations of his words.  We have to watch out for this and stay on the narrow path.  Pastor Mark Driscoll has been a great resource for me and said it best,

You can not say that Jesus was a good person because if he isn’t God this is a cruel thing.  People who are sick asking Jesus for healing through prayer.  Every night parents tucking in their kids and asking for Jesus to guard and protect and give them good dreams.  People on their death bed asking, praying for Jesus to take them into His kingdom.  If Jesus is just a dead conman, he’s not a good man.  He’s a bad man!  And if all the billions of people are praying to him and he’s not God, we are wasting our time.  We are wasting our breath and wasting our hope.  And Jesus pulled the biggest con on the whole world!

I hope this doesn’t offend anyone and what’s more I hope this causes just one of you to get out a bible and look between it’s covers.  Read about Jesus and find out who he claimed he was.  From there it’s up to you what you choose to do with that information.  You don’t have to turn off your brain to find Him, in fact it is much better to ask Him into your lives through intelligent questioning.  Anyway, thanks for reading and I’d love to hear your thoughts.

So, I’ve finally finished my essays for grad school!!  I’m applying to get my Masters of Christian Apologetics and ultimately hope to get my MA in Philosophy of Religion from Talbot!  We’ll see!!!  I should hear in the next few weeks if I get in or not!  In the mean time I’ve been going to classes to obtain my Certificate of Apologetics and love every second of it.  The teachers or the absolute best in their field.  Moorland, Graig, Habermas, etc.   What a great experience indeed!!!  With that though I thought I would post my two essays so here they are.

Explain in your own words: 1) The Scriptural basis for you salvation; and 2) Briefly describe your conversion experience.

The first time I truly started to read the Bible I can remember how awestruck I was.  Amazed that Scripture has the ability to effect our mind, heart and soul simultaneously.  From that day and each since I have been on fire for the Word.  It’s as though with each rising sun I am reenergized, yearning and seeking to find the answers to life’s most important questions.  Questions that can only be found in God, Jesus and ultimately the Cross.  It’s in the Word of God where I find the most meaningful words my eyes have ever glided over.  For me, there is one piece of scripture more than any other that explains my salvation, Philippians 2:5-11.

         “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”(NLT)        

         Paul’s letter shows us the true beauty of our Savior while at the same time revealing His divinity and humanity.  It’s here I first found one of the answers to my many “why” questions.  Why should I worship Jesus Christ and make Him the center of all I do?  One of the most amazing things we must understand is that Jesus was and always will be God.  He was God his entire life, from birth to death, yet He chose not to appeal to His deity while on Earth as man.  The scriptures say, “He made himself nothing” meaning the creator of heaven and Earth chose to humble Himself, to the extent of dieing a criminal’s death upon a Roman cross.  Jesus chose to feel heartache, temptation, hunger.  He chose to do this in order that we can be sure that God knows our troubles, our trials and tribulations.  He knows because he has personally felt them.  He did this out of love for His most prized creation.  He did this so that I, that we, can spend eternity with Him despite our deceitful hearts.

         Going further Paul tells us that no matter what we think of Jesus today, whether we praise or scorn him, in the end every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is the Christ, God, our one and only Savior.  At this time Christ will reveal His divine nature for all to see, believer and nonbeliever the same.  What’s even more powerful is that in writing “in heaven and on earth and under the earth” we see that even the enemy and all with him will bow as well.

         Now, with that I feel I must introduce myself and express to you that I haven’t always been like this.  I didn’t always accept salvation through Christ.  In fact I would say I’m a little bit late, but if you asked Him I think He would say that I raised my hands and called out right on time.  I was an atheist until June 18th, 2006 and the light began to shine.  I became aware of what that feeling was deep within me.  I had been running from Him through our country and in my mind.  I was trying to zig and zag, foolishly thinking I could lose Him in the streets of DC.  He assuredly wouldn’t follow me to Montana, Wyoming, Vegas, Chicago, Detroit or the Dakotas.  With out a doubt I’d lose Him among the steal and concrete giants of New York City.  Maybe He wouldn’t see me board that plane bound for LA?  I would debate against Him, claiming His son to be a thief, His Word to be false and for the simpleton.  But you see, His gaze was fixed and His heart set.  He knew me better than I knew myself.  He still does.  He was next to me on every deal.  He cried with me for my friends lost to eternity.  His protection is the only reason I’m here today!  He came from heaven’s golden palaces to the dark, dank Hollywood bars for me.  What was dismissed as “the booze” were in fact His gentle whispers of love and acceptance in my ear.

         I’ve been changed, transformed.  Coming from an atheistic world view I fought my way to Christ.  But with every rejection He grew more persistent, not ever turning His back.  With every truth learned I was propelled, not to the finish but to the beginning.  June 18th, 2006 was when I realized I was walking with God.

         For me I have always needed proof.  I subscribe to a thought process based in evidence.  I need facts before I could believe anything.  Trust and faith had always been earned not given.  This is one of the major reason I would defend my atheistic stance on God.  I had never seen any proof of Him.  Never seen any books that could argue for His existence.  In college I was taught God was outdated.  If you wanted to believe in something, call it nature or subscribe to an Eastern religion.  Eastern religions in college were tolerated in the classroom, out of bounds for debate.  I was told and have been for as long as I can remember that what ever I do spiritually, stay away from Christianity.   God is okay but Jesus, well Jesus is not to be brought up.  And when given the opportunity to defend their faith the Christians in my class either shied away, and I can’t blame them, or they simply said they believe because it’s true and true because the Bible says so.  This argument did nothing for me.  Then a pastor gave me Ravi Zacharias’ “Can man Live Without God”.  It’s not so much that this book answered all my questions but, for the first time, introduced me to answers appealing to my intellect and showed me that there is a base in evidence for Christianity.  I thought that if what’s been written in this book are true, it is by far the most incredible thing I’ve ever read.   From there I was able to get closer to the answers of the questions I so needed.  The questions of meaning and purpose.  The “whys” of life!

         After reading “Can Man Live Without God?” a few times over I moved to another book, and then another, and then another.  You see my belief in Christ Jesus and Christian world view has provided me an intellectual lens thru which I can see culture and society in a much brighter light than ever before.  The Christian world view I now hold hasn’t limited my experiences but broadened them.  It hasn’t placed filters over my eyes but removed them.  And there’s still more.  It wasn’t until I had read maybe five books addressing the proof of God’s existence that I took a serous look at the Bible.  My mind had been spoken to and now it was my heart’s turn.

         The Bible has changed my life in every area.  Through careful reading and then study of what I’m reading I’ve seen not only the beauty of the Bible as a text but become aware of it’s relevance and application to every day life.  The Bible blows me away every time I look between the covers!

         It was in the direct encounter with the Word of God where I’ve found salvation.  Not in the buying and selling of drugs.  Not in the bottom of a bottle.  It was in the person and work of Jesus Christ where I have found forgiveness and only by His broad strokes could my shame be washed away.  I have found meaning and been given purpose through the reading of the Bible along with a multitude of other works.  Understand that, although all my questions haven’t been answered, there is enough evidence for Christ and Christianity that I could believe.  And so on bent knees a prayed to Lord Jesus to come into my life even though I wasn’t completely sure.  I prayed for Jesus to always be with me and guide me day by day.  Although I’m learning more every day and by no means an expert on anything, I have to say that that was by far the greatest decision I have ever made.

         You see, I saw the sin in my life.  I saw God’s justice.  And I saw the need for Jesus Christ.  Through my childhood years, through college and continually through the early stages of adulthood the fundamental question was always one of purpose.  The answers aren’t found on the pages of philosophy.  They aren’t found in the halls of education, politics or in the boardroom.  You see, it’s that eternal acceptance of God, that sturdy, unchangeable relationship where it is not so much that we receive Him but we trust Him and He receives us.

Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and natures night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

-Charles Wesley – “And Can It Be That I Should Gain”

Would you characterize yourself as displaying aspects of mature Christianity?

         Many assume that once one accepts Christ as Lord and Savior their work is done.  So often, as a Christian, it’s easy to let our faith-light dwindle.  Maybe sit back and coast through the weeks, attending church services but simply going through the motions, receiving the Word but not doing anything with it.  Acting like a sponge, remaining an infant in faith.  However, we are called to do more than this (Luke 6:43-45).  As a Christian one of my goals everyday is to grow in Christ.  I am looking to mature in my walk through living as the Bible calls me to, being obedient to God’s callings, prayer and worship and spreading the Good News.

         For me, and I assume many Christians, once committed to Christ my life didn’t get easier.  My problems were not simply washed away.  Through trying to live from a Biblical prospective God points out the areas of my life which need to be changed.  Some of those changes are very difficult but they must come so that I can mature in my walk.  Every area of my life is effected from what movies and television shows I watch to how I speak, do my job and who I choose to spend my time with.  Because I’m growing in my faith I can no longer go to places I would have before I was saved.  I can’t go out with some friends anymore because of the activities transpiring.  Some friends had to be let go.  My work is no longer secular.  One of the main ways to know if I am maturing as a Christian is by how I live day to day and the fruit my life bares.  I ask myself, “Am I adhering to God’s Word?”  A natural byproduct of the way we live is the fruit of our actions.  Jesus is abundantly clear on this in John 15:5, “I am the vine, you are the branches, He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit.”  Jesus also distinguishes that there is good fruit and bad fruit, that fruit is determined by what is sown.  See Luke 6:43-45.  In everything I do I am trying to please God.  As a result I am seeing the most beautiful fruit being harvested.  I’m married to the most amazing women in Christ.  I am being relied upon more and more in my vocation.  I’m no longer fighting various addictions.  These results are directly related to my maturing process.

         As a maturing Christian I am trying to be obedient to God’s calling in my life.  For me, this has been the most difficult growing pain, hearing God and then following through.  Maybe that’s why Philippians 2:5-8 has meant so much to me.  Jesus has humbled me more than I could have ever imagined.  He was not only crucified for my sins but chose not to use His awesome power in the process.  I am learning to relinquish control to God.  More and more I am relying on God to tell me what to do in every decision.  As a man of many talents and even more dreams and aspirations it’s been difficult not to follow my own wants and desires but hear God’s plan, listen to it and then realize it.  One major way I have been able to hear God is through prayer.  This is very important, for me prayer is becoming central to my life.  It’s in prayer where I have found a lasting, sturdy relationship with Jesus.  This is not to be overlooked.  Prayer for me has been essential in my maturity as a Christian.  To strengthen this I have also committed myself to reading Scripture everyday.  I have found such power in combining prayer with Scripture.  Meeting God daily I have been able to find more meaning and purpose than ever before.

         We often forget that we are not on this journey simply for our own fulfillment.  We are called to help Jesus make a difference in this world and not just consume.  “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”(1 Peter 4:10)  As Jesus came with the purpose and meaning to serve, we too must realize our calling and use our gifts to glorify His name.  I have found that God has given me wonderful gifts.  He didn’t just give them to me for my own amusement.  He didn’t give them to me so I can boast.  He didn’t give them to me to be ignored either.  The further I get in my walk with Christ and the more mature I become the more clear it is that these gifts have purpose.  That purpose is to serve my King and help others in His name.  I have become involved in numerous small groups.  Including a men’s group which we entitled “King David and His Mighty Men”.  Led by one of my mentors we looked at scripture differently than I ever had and applied it to every day life.  My wife and I help with our church when every opportunity arises, we greet and I serve as an usher.  One of my favorite opportunities I had to lend a hand was a neighborhood clean-up in Los Angeles.  I, along with hundreds of others cleaned the alleyways behind residences, we mowed overgrown lawns and picked up trash one Saturday morning.  In the process we had the opportunity to meet new people, pray for them and exemplify what Christ does when you trust in Him.  Maybe the biggest and most exciting event I had the pleasure to participate in was “Bloktober ‘08”.  This halloween past the church I attend sponsored a completely free event for anyone who wanted to come.  My wife and I took the lead and headed up the food services.  We fed well over 700 people that night, most of which were nonbelievers.  This event provided us a chance to trust God and in His name provide a fun, safe alternative to the normal halloween events in Studio City.

         Everyone is called to minister to people.  Everyone is called to share their story and gifts with the world.  This is where I’ve found my calling.  The further I go with Christ the clearer it is becoming that I am hear to speak about God’s grace, to share the Good News and to evangelize.  I have learned that we are to inherit God’s kingdom therefore we are all responsible to develop habits that prepare us.  With all this it’s so important to mention although my faith has matured greatly compared to two or three years ago I still have a long way to go.  This is not a sprint but a marathon and I look forward to every day.  Learning God’s call for me and my family and what’s more hearing that call and acting.