The DaVinci Code

As a layman, I have been defending the reliability of the Bible for quite some time. In order to do that, you actually have to read authors who study and produce books in the field of apologetics. An understanding of church history and how the Bible is tramsmitted to us is required. Even more importantly, Jesus must be believed when He speaks, especially to the issue of the nature of Scripture.

In this age of conspiracy theories and postmodernism, it seems Rush is right again. It is not the nature of the evidence, it is the seriousness of the charge. If a lie is repeated enough, people will start believing it.

For instance, I often hear how the Council of Nicea forced the Deity of Christ to be believed. Supposedly the Council also determined which books to include in the Bible. Now to us who know even a little about Church History just think to ourselves, "Why would anyone believe such nonsense?" The reason is simple. People have no idea of what the truth is.

If you would like to begin learning why the DaVinci code is based on a bunch of nonsense, James White spoke at a conference on this very subject. If you have a real audio player, Click Here!

For the Website go to http://www.gracereformedbaptist.org/index.php

Liberals, Judges and Losers

On the Four O' Clock news/commentary 1310AM, ABC News decided to report their commentary on Arlen Specter's claim that the judicial nominee problem is the result of both parties. The commentor thought that both parties should nominate judges that are "middle of the road."

The commentor then went on to explain how the democrats have been blocking Bush's nominations. Then he tried to say that the republicans also tried to block Clinton's nominations as well, two Hispanic Americans. The commentor warned that republicans might be in the minority some day, therefore they should allow liberal judges to be nominated too (judges they think are moderate).

Let's get back to reality here. The Democrats are losers. Only the losers could say such ridiculous things. Why in the world should the President nominate Supreme Court Justices who differ from his view. Did Thomas Jefferson do that when he sought to reshape the Federalist Court that Adams formed?

Liberals have had their day in court for far too long. Judicial activism is the tool by which Leftists are bringing this coutry to their political viewpoint. If they can't get their ideas recognized in the public sphere, if they can't get legislators to pass their legislation, then take it to court. Get your judges appointed and take your case before him or her. Therefore they don't need the Constitution or any other "normal means" of making laws.

Bush is President. Therefore Bush should be allowed to appoint his judges. When Hilary is President, she may appoint her judges. Untill then, LOSERS SHUTUP.

How Do We Give?

A friend of mine asked me about tithing. He believed that God wants us to give whatever we feel. Perhaps $20 a month or $10 in the offering plate on occasion. It is as if the Bible doesn't speak to the issue of money. Just give whatever the "spirit" leads you to.

There are all kinds of extremes to the issue of giving. Some say we should give in order to be blessed by God financially. The charlatans of TBN are a great example. Benny Hinn will not release his financial information. Why? They teach that the more we give to them, the more we will be financially blessed. So making false teachers wealthy demands that God reward us.

There are those who demand "triple tithing". Imagine that God demands we give 30% of our income before we are even able to give an offering is simply not taught anywhere in Scripture.

The Scriptural teaching is quite simple. Everything belongs to God. We are stewards. God therefore has setup a system by which we give back to God a tithe or 10%. This 10% keeps God's people in a state of humility. We as God's people are recognizing that our money is not ours, but God's. God teaches that the tithe is His and to take from it is to rob from God. To give beyond that amount is when we begin to "offer" to God.

There is a strange twist to this though. Even though God considers the tithe His, when we give it to Him, the Bible teaches that He will bless us. Imagine that. Before we even are able to "offer" to God an offering, God desires to bless His people for giving to Him what He considers already His!

Does this mean we will be rich in this life by giving to God? Perhaps not in the way we expect, for Jesus teaches also to store up treasures in heaven and not on earth. The real question is, "What do we desire to receive from God?" I believe Jesus should be our desire. He is our reward.

One day Jesus will return to reward His people. "Even so, come Lord Jesus, come!"

Vapor In The Wind

A fairly new song is in the Christian contemporary market. The song writer composes several verses from the Bible about how man is "vapor in the wind" or grass that is here today and gone tomorrow.

Yesterday only demonstrated that to my extended family. My EMT pager alarmed about 8:30 am. The call was about a woman who was not breathing. While I was doing CPR a relative asked me, "Will she be alright?" To be honest here, I have never performed CPR on a person that had survived (hopefully that it is not because of my ability to do CPR). I simply could not give an answer. The relative that was asking me was a sister of the person that had died. The relative was the wife of grandpa.

The panic of death comes so quickly. No matter how hard we try, we are never prepared for it. It just doesn't seem right. To the shagrin of those who are naturalists, I don't think death is natural. It violates our intuitions. It shakes us to the core. There is something inside us that says "this can't be" and yet it is.

Sin has brought death to men. Our rebellion has brought death to men. Adam and Eve have brought death to men. There is no escaping it. We are slaves of it. It looms over our heads as Romans one tells us, "The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness."

I am not sure how to prepare myself for the mysteries of God's Sovereign decree. I only know that I am a man. I experience life's challenges that God gives me. I prepare my children in the grace and admonition of the Lord. I love my wife and provide for her. In the end, God will judge my life. What little I do here, carries great weight in the judgment. For it is there, my true character will be revealed. It is there the whole world will see if my faith was a true saving faith or a faith without works.

The older I get, the more aware I am of my mortality, the more aware I become that I am here today and gone tomorrow. I am but a vapor in the wind.

Is The Biblical Text Reliable?

Every once in a while I am asked about a Bible translation. Sometimes people wonder about "problems" with the text of Scripture. Not only have the two mormon missionaries asked me this, but also some people from my own church. There are many today who attack the reliabilityof the Bible including Muslim apologists. Since there are no real experts in my church, I rely on those who are experts and God fearing men who respect the full inspiration of Scripture.

James White presents an excellent example of a conflation to a passage. In his blog today (click here; 02/16/2005 Islamic Apologetics and New Testament Transmission (#16)) he answers Islamic charges that the Bible is not trustworthy. It is a short but educational read. For a fuller understanding of how the Bible comes down to us from the Apostles, please read The King James Only Controversy.

You can only gain from learning more about the evidence for the Scripture's reliability and trustworthiness. This is not a suggestion by the way, it is a command by Peter speaking by the Spirit of God. I am not saying we need to be experts, but we should be familiar with the truth and be able "to give to every man an answer."

Can Christians Stand Up In Academics Too?

Years ago, when the internet was "new" and the baud rate was 1200-2400, there were things called bulletin boards. Although they still exist, they were definitely much more primitive. Atheists were out in full force in the Philosphy sections. It was then I learned what atheism is and how those who adhere to such a system of beliefs think.

Prior to this I had learned what might be called "Evidential Apologetics". That simply being that the evidence, scientific or historical or otherwise, favored Christianity. I used "Evidential Apologetics" in order to defend Christianity from within and without. I defended doctrines such as the Trinity against Jehovah's Witnesses. I defended the creation account from those who accepted an evolutionary world view. I defended the reliability of Scripture against those who say the bible is just a book of myths.

Then I discovered atheism. Not just the local guy who has doubts, but the really smart guys who swung philosophical baseball bats while I was playing whiffle ball. As with anything that is worthwhile, I hung in there till I could understand their position. It was then I began to form my own "Presuppositional Apologetics". It was extremely crude but effective. I simply brought the Atheist to the point he had to reject the Laws of Logic.

Just a few months ago, I came across a man who is apparently one of the pioneers of a developed "Presuppositional Apologetics". Of course, as with most authors and speakers I discover, the man passed away a few years ago. I now realize that there are fully developed works and thoughtful people who recognized what I only did in a primitive fashion.

If you would like to understand what in the world I am talking about, simply listen to this debate I will link below. It is a debate between an Atheist, Gordon Stein, and Christian Apologist, Greg Bahnsen. I am always being told that Christians are stupid by philosohphers and scientists. I challenge you to listen to this debate and listen for yourself who is outclassed.

Click Here to Listen.

Is It So Bad

Most Christians that I speak with would agree that not only is there a moral decline in the U.S., but also a moral and spiritual decline in the American church. People are theologically illiterate. The Bible is rarely expounded upon. Leaders are not called to preach the Word but offer entertainment in place of sound preaching and teaching.

In spite of the many problems in the United States, in spite of the fact we are following the "liberal" nations in the ideas of "hate speech" and "tolerance" and judicial activism, we surely do not suffer in comparison to our Christian brothers in the Sudan, China and North Korea.

I was listening to Dr. Sam Waldron preach on the nature of God's Kingdom from the book of Revelation when this story really gripped me. God has at times called His people to suffer greatly for Christ. I have come to believe that we as Christians need to recognize that we are in a war. Not a war of guns and missiles and bombs but a war of spiritual kingdoms seeking dominion over our souls.

Listen to this clip of Rev. Kim and his congregation as they stand for Christ to their death. This clip is about a minute and twenty seconds long. Listen Here and be encouraged by those who have gone on before us while contending for the faith with their very lives.

Sex Sells? Who Discovered That?

It's amazing. Sex still sells. The cable company Adelphia (a southern California company, surprise surprise) is now showing triple X movies. The National Coalition (Email) newsletter stated, "Adelphia spokeswoman Erica Stull was quoted in recent news articles saying, 'People want it, so we are trying to provide it. The more Xs, the more popular.'"

I would like to know how this is news? Perhaps bringing to our attention that a cable company is making big bucks on sex is news, but cable companies have been doing this for years. The question really is, "Where is the boycott of the cable company by those who are offended?" Is the boob tube so important that we can not forgo without it? The only TV I watched this week was the super bowl. By and large, it was fairly clean (sort of anyway).

I am wondering if God's people should try what Family Life Today suggested. Is it possible to live without TV for one month? COLD TURKEY! Maybe, just maybe, if God's people really repented (instead of just reading 2 Chronicles 7:14 all the time) and obeyed the voice of her Lord, then maybe God would grant repentance to this nation. What do you think?

When the Rule of Law becomes the rules of men

Was there a nuclear meltdown this past week or what? Our local NYTimer editorialist trashes Dr. James Dobson without knowing the facts. A New York Court decides to get on board with The People's Republic of Massachusetts and legislate from the bench on the homosexuality issue. And the Philly Five are in deeper trouble with a wacko judicial system.

First, I give a public admonition to Rod Haxton. Please keep it up if you want your subscriber list to decline, or please check your sources for factual reliability. The New York Times is not a credible source and neither is Katie Couric. Did you atleast try to attempt to call Dr. Dobson's organization for their side? Oh wait, you are a jouranalist, never mind.

Second, a New York state court decides to rule against the will of the people. I am still curious how courts think it is their job to legislate from the bench. An article in worldnet daily stated this:

"This is a historic ruling that delivers the state constitution's promise of equality to all New Yorkers," said Susan Sommer, supervising attorney for Lambda Legal.

"The court recognized that unless gay people can marry, they are not being treated equally under the law," she said. "Same-sex couples need the protections and security marriage provides, and this ruling says they're entitled to get them the same way straight couples do."

Isn't this begging the question? How do we know homosexual unions should be treated equally? What is the basis of this? How does one say polygamy is wrong, since polygamists are using the same arguments that homosexuals are? Whatever happened to God's Law anyway?

Third, I pray for the Philly Five. When God's Word becomes hate speech, it is not long before the rest of us who preach the Word of God faithfully will soon join them. In Prison, that is!

Liberals are worried that they are being seen as not religious. They want to take God back far enough that God fearing people will vote for them. I am curious as to how this is going to happen. Perhaps Rod Haxton will enlighten me.

Salvation Part 7: Regeneration & Sanctification

So what about the question of getting saved for heaven and living like hell? Salvation is not equal to justification. It is not equal to election. It is not equal to sanctification. It is all of these things and more.

Eternal life is not just about living forever, it is also about a different kind of life. It is a God kind of life. It is a life in Christ. This life somehow comes to us by the work of the Spirit. In other words, the Spirit of God brings life to dead sinners who believe and are saved.

Some might respond by saying that means you get saved before you get saved. Regeneration does not equal salvation. Regeneration is this. God removes the heart of stone and puts in a heart of flesh. Regeneration is also described as a new birth or a new creation. Men do not create or give birth to themselves.

Therefore a man who has this new life, lives the new life. As Paul says, "How can we who are dead to sin live any longer in it?" Luther once said, "God does not justify whom He does not sanctify and God does not sanctify whom He does not justify." A sanctified life is a life set apart for God. It is also a life that comes from God and wrought out in us in order that we might be holy and blameless.

May we be found ready and awake and sober in that Great Day.

So Much Bad Luck

I can't believe I have so much bad luck. In just a few days, I have read a NYTimer doomer gloomer editorial about Iraq (in our local paper), a Jehovah's Witness end of the worlder and I was reminded of the earthquake and Tsunami thing again, and Hunt's calvinistic conspiracy. Maybe the world really is coming to an end.

I realize things may look bad at times. Think of it this way. Maybe God is using the evils in this world for His purposes. Yes, it is terrible that well over a hundred thousand people perished in the tsunami. Yes, it is terrible that God brought some form of judgment on America with the terrorists on 9/11. Yes, it is terrifying that muslims are murdering Christians in the U.S. while the press gives muslims a pass (click here for an interesting story by Christianity Today). And yes, Joseph's brothers did seek to murder him and then sold him into slavery.

As for Joseph, did not God save a nation? As for muslims, is not the gospel going into muslim places that it may have not before? As for the tsunami, is God's sovereignty and wrath not revealed from heaven above on all ungodliness, perhaps being the means by which men fear God and tremble and repent of their sins?

What about the crucifixion? Did not the Jews hand Jesus over to the gentiles to be murdered? Did not Pontius Pilate go against sound judgment in order to please the people? Did not the soldiers mock the Son of God who did nothing wrong? In the end, was Jesus able to use the evil intentions of men in order to accomplish the salvation of His people?

The problem of evil is a double edged sword. When you see it and experience it, remember, God is at work. If you are a sinner, then I admit freely, the problem of evil and judgment is a problem, and you are it. There is a solution though. Repent of your sins and turn to Christ for salvation.