Resurrection! – The Appearances of Christ

Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him. He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”

They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?” “What things?” he asked. “About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive.

Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther. But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.

They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.

While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence.

He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” (Luke 24:13-49)

The Eyewitnesses

In U.S. courts, those charged with crimes are either found guilty or not guilty based on the presentation of evidence and the testimony of eyewitnesses. To prove the resurrection of Jesus, Christians could point to the empty tomb and the lack of a body as evidence and to the testimony of a great number of eyewitnesses who had seen the resurrected Jesus.

The apostles spoke with great confidence about the Resurrection of Jesus because they actually saw him. The apostles said that Jesus had appeared hundreds of people who were still alive and could be cross examined about what they had seen. Paul said “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.
(1 Cor. 15:3-6)

Why does Paul mention that most of the eyewitnesses to Jesus’ resurrection were still living? Paul was inviting those who did not believe that Jesus had been resurrected to cross examine the eyewitnesses for themselves. There is no ambiguity in what Paul is saying. His testimony is very clear and his testimony can be backed up by more than five hundred other eyewitnesses who could be questioned by those who heard Paul’s testimony.

The Transformation

Further, what could account for Paul’s transformation? Paul was a highly esteemed Rabbi. He had been trained by Gamaliel, a highly regarded Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin (the highest Jewish council in the first century). Paul was a Pharisee, the largest and most influential religious-political party during New Testament times. Further, Paul persecuted the early Christians severely (Acts 7:51-8:1, Acts 8:3, Acts 9:1-2, Acts 22:3-5). How does a man like Paul (also known as Saul – Acts 13:9) suddenly change from a persecutor of Christians to a proclaimer of Christ? Only one thing could account for such a rapid change – he had seen the risen Jesus (Acts 9:4-5, Acts 22:7-8 and Acts 26:14-18).

The Decision

If you were a jury member in a trial to determine the truth about whether Jesus was resurrected, and you had seen the empty tomb and heard the testimony of over five hundred eyewitnesses who testified that Jesus had been resurrected, what would your verdict be?

Keep the faith, Jeff

Resurrection! – The Empty Tomb

We are in week two of a deeper study on the Resurrection of Jesus – the central event of Christianity. Without the Resurrection of Jesus, Christianity could not stand. In fact, the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Cor 15:14-19 “And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep [metaphore for death] in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.”

Some do not believe that Jesus was resurrected; others believe his resurrection was not physical. We will seek the truth as we explore various aspects of resurrection and return to our study of the Gospel of John when we finish this study, unless interested readers lead us in a different direction.

The primary source of my research is the Bible. The evidence for what the Bible says being true is extreme. The historicity of the Bible is well supported by events and people written about in other historical books, and by a staggering amount of archeological evidence, original transcript evidence and Messianic prophecy evidence. I also researched this topic using a book called “resurrection” by Hank Hanegraaff and other sources referenced in the book “resurrection”. If you wish to learn more about “resurrection”, the book is available for purchase at http://www.christianbook.com. Hank Hanegraaff heads the Christian Research Council. Thanks to Hank, our topic of study can be neatly arranged and memorized based on the acronym FEAT:

Fatal Torment
Empty Tomb
Appearances of Christ
Transformation

Jesus’ Tomb was Empty

It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid. When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?” But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’” Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid. (Mark 15:42-16:8)

The author of “The Case for Christ”, Lee Strobel – who was an atheist until he research Christianity for himself, said “when you understand the role of women in the first century in first century Jewish society, what’s really extraordinary is that the empty tomb story should feature females as the discoverers of the empty tomb.” In fact, “any later legendary account would have certainly portrayed male disciples as discoverers of the empty tomb, Peter or John for example. The fact that women are the first witnesses to the empty tomb is most plausibly explained by the reality that – like it or not – they were the discoverers of the empty tomb! This shows that the gospel writers faithfully recorded what happened, even if it was embarrassing.”

The Female Factor

The testimony of women was regarded as so worthless that they could not even testify in a court of law. If a man committed a crime and only women witnessed the crime, he could not be convicted on their testimony. Women were on a low rung of the Jewish social ladder. Prior to the coming of Christ, women were so disparaged that one the early Jewish prayers from the era of Jesus stated “I thank you that I am not a woman”.

If Jesus had been the traditional Rabbi, he would not have allowed women to be his disciples. The biblical record is clear. Jesus not only allowed women to follow him; he encouraged it. There are other examples in the Bible where Jesus broke cultural norms as he encountered women. Consider for example that Jesus invited women to follow him on his journeys and spoke to the Samaritan woman (being a Samaritan [Jews considered Samaritans unworthy because they were not fully Jewish] and a woman, the typical Jew would not have spoken to her at all). Jesus didn’t think that it was odd for Mary to sit at his feet to learn and he encourage Martha to do the same. Jews segregated men and women in both the Temple and in Synagogue, but the early church did not segregate their congregations. The apostle Paul wrote, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). If someone had been trying to fictionally create the Bible, women would have never had a prominent place in the Ministry of Jesus. It is because the account of an empty tomb is true that the story features the women who discovered the empty tomb.

First Response

The first Jewish response to the empty tomb pre-supposes the empty tomb. Instead of denying the empty tomb, Christian antagonists accused the disciples of stealing the body of Jesus. Stories saying that Jesus body was stolen from the tomb continued for centuries. While these stories have no historical merit, they underscore one of the oldest evidences - the empty tomb. In fact, Christianity could not have survived an identifiable tomb with the body of Jesus still in it. If those who denied Jesus could have pointed to a tomb with the body of Jesus in it they could have quickly discredited the disciples and their teachings. Even antagonists of the Christian faith must acknowledge the historicity of the empty tomb!

Next week we will look at the Appearances of Christ, a special type of Empty Tomb proof.

Resurrection! – Fatal Torment

During the coming weeks we will be taking a break from studying the Gospel of John to take an in depth look at the central event of Christianity – Jesus’ Resurrection. Some do not believe that Jesus was resurrected; others believe his resurrection was not physical. We will take a look at the topic to seek the truth.

The primary source of this information is the Bible. The evidence for what the Bible says being true is extreme, but here are a few thoughts about the historicity of the Bible for your consideration. First the Bible mentions numerous historical characters that can be validated outside the Bible. The descriptions of some of these are very specific. Consider these examples:

• “In the year that King Uzziah died…”
• “This oracle came in the year King Ahaz died…”;
• “In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the year Evil-Merodach became king of Babylon…”;
• “They served in the days of Joiakim son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor and of Ezra the priest and scribe”.;
• (“This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria”.);
• “In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar–when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene–…”.

I could continue, but you get the idea. In addition, the archeological evidence, the original transcript evidence and the Messianic prophecy evidence is staggering. The Bible has exponentially more historical evidence than any other book, including Homer’s Iliad. Much more could be said about the evidence favoring the historicity of the Bible, but that is a topic for another day.

During the coming weeks our topic of study will cover four areas listed in the bullets below. My extra-Bible research is primarily from a book called “resurrection” by Hank Hanegraaff. If you wish to learn more about resurrection, the book is available for purchase at http://www.christianbook.com. Hank Hanegraaff heads the Christian Research Council (CCR – see www.equip.org). Thanks to Hank, our topic of study can be neatly arranged and memorized based on the acronym FEAT:

• Fatal Torment
• Empty Tomb
• Appearances of Christ
• Transformation

Jesus’ Crucifixion was Fatal

When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS. Two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him. From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”–which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.” Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.” And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. (Matthew 27:35-50)

As we begin to consider resurrection, the first thing to recognize is that Jesus actually died on the cross. The best medical minds have concluded that Jesus actually died on the cross (See “The Crucifixion of Jesus: The Passion of Christ from a Medical Point of View,” Arizona Medicine, March 1965, pages 183-187 & “On the Physical Death of Jesus Christ,” The Journal of the American Medical Association, March 21, 1986, pages 1455-1463.The torment of Jesus actually began before he was nailed to the cross. It first began on the Mount of Olives, one of Jesus’ favorite places to be alone in prayer. After an emotional last supper where Jesus identified his betrayer, Jesus likely experienced a medical condition known as hematidrosis. Tiny capillaries in Jesus’ sweat glands ruptured and he literally sweated blood.

On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. (Luke 22:40-44 NIV)

The same night Jesus was betrayed by Judas, disowned by Peter, arrested by the temple guard, brought before the High Priest, mocked, beaten and spat upon. The Next morning Jesus was stripped and subjected to a Roman flogging. The Romans had perfected torture. Jesus was flogged with a whip made of several strips of leather woven with pieces of bone and metal near the ends of the leather strips (called a “flagrum”). Victims of a Roman flogging were beaten almost to the point of death and often did not survive. After he was flogged, the Romans put a scarlet robe on Jesus (a sign of royalty) and fashioned a crown of thorns for his head (likely made from olive branches – very long thorns). They pressed the thorns into his head and gave him a scepter. They mocked him mercilessly. After they mocked him, they took the scepter out of his hand and repeatedly beat him on the head, commanding him to prophesy about who hit him.

Jesus was undoubtedly in critical condition at this point. A heavy wooden beam (or cross) was placed on Jesus back for him to carry to Golgotha, “the place of the skull”, where he was to be crucified. We had to invent this word crucify and the word excruciating (literally “out of the cross”) to adequately categorize the suffering that occurs in death by crucifixion.

At “the place of the skull”, The Roman soldiers drove thick spikes (about seven inches long) through Jesus’ hands and feet. Jesus, now nailed to a cross, was in excruciating pain as the spikes cut through nerves in his hands and feet. The Roman soldiers then raised Jesus’ cross and dropped it into hole for Jesus to hang there and die. Breathing at this point is becoming extremely painful as Jesus had to raise himself up on his hands and feet to take a breath. For three hours Jesus suffered in this way until finally he uttered the words “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”–which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”He then said “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” and he breathed his last breath.

Shortly after Jesus breathed his last, a Roman soldier thrust his spear into Jesus’ side to make sure he was dead. From the wound rushed forth blood and water verifying that Jesus was dead. Blood and water flowing from Jesus’ side was likely caused by medical conditions known as pleural effusion and pericardial effusion. These conditions in Jesus would have been caused by his flogging as well as his crucifixion. What Jesus experienced resulted in a significant loss of body fluids. His heart would have begun to pump rapidly (trying to pump blood that was not there). In addition, his body would have begun to conserve fluids and would have tried to gain more fluids by making him thirsty. Those who suffer from these conditions often pass out and experience extreme thirst; which is probably why Jesus could not carry his cross all the way to Golgotha (a Roman soldier told a man from Cyrene named Simon to carry Jesus’ cross) and why Jesus said “I am thirsty” when he was on the cross.

I think from all this evidence we are very safe in concluding that Jesus actually died a physical death. Next time we will consider the Empty Tomb.

Father, I come to you in Jesus’ name asking you to forgive my sins. I am so sorry that Jesus had to suffer such a painful death to redeem me. I am extremely thankful that he suffered on my behalf so that I didn’t have to. Thank you for your grace, by which I am saved! Help me to glorify you in all I say and do and think. Thank you for adopting me into your eternal family. May your name be praised forevermore!

Keep the Faith, Jeff

Jesus’ First Disciples

The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him. It was about the tenth hour. Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter). (John 1:35-42)

Who were the two disciples? One is Andrew and the other is unnamed. It is probable that the second disciple was John. They had been disciples of John the Baptists and had been probably baptized by when, but when John the Baptist said “Look, the Lamb of God”. The two disciples left and followed Jesus. Knowing that Jesus was the Messiah (the Christ), Andrew immediately thought of his brother Simon. It was important to Andrew that he share the good news about Jesus with those he loved. We would do well to follow Andrew’s example and share Jesus, and the good news that he came into the world to save us, with those around us. Are you willing to follow Jesus?

Pointing The Way

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.” Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.” The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” (John 1:29-36 NIV)

There goes John again, pointing the way to Christ. While John is baptizing he sees Jesus and proclaims “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” “Lamb of God” is a curious phrase for John to use to describe Jesus. It is only used here and in verse 36. Did john have in mind the Passover Lamb, or perhaps the Lamb that God would provide to spare Abraham’s son? Maybe he had in mind the Lamb of Isaiah 53 who was pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities or maybe the worthy Lamb of Revelation five sitting in the middle of the throne that looked as if he was slain. Clearly Jesus was the Lamb of God who took away the sins of the world!

John knew it was Jesus because God told him that the one on whom he saw the Spirit come down from heaven and remain was Jesus. John saw this happen at the Baptism of Jesus after which God said from heaven “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” John was physically older than Jesus, but John said “a man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me”. As we remember back to John 1:1 we think of Jesus as the eternal Word. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). Jesus may have been physically younger, but he certainly was before John and surpassed John in every way (as John was always quick to point out).

John opens this passage pointing to Jesus the Lamb of God and closes it with Jesus the Son of God. Let’s remember Jesus, the Son of God and the Lamb who takes away our sins.

Pointing the Way to Jesus

Now this was John’s testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Christ.” They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’” Now some Pharisees who had been sent questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” “I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing. (John 1:19-28)

The priests and Levites were sent by “the Jews of Jerusalem” to check John the Baptist out. They wondered on what authority he was baptizing. They asked him who he was and John was quick to point out (emphatically) that he was not the Christ. The priests and Levites remember that Elijah had not died. They remembered the prophecy in Malachi 4:5–”See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes.” They wondered if John was the “Elijah” or the “Prophet” who was to come.

John denied being either Elijah or the Prophet. When asked who he was he replied “I am the voice of one calling in the desert”. The priests and Levites would have understood that John was referring to the imagery in Isaiah 40 (verse three specifically) which has in mind the near eastern custom of sending representatives ahead to prepare the way for the visit of a monarch.

In all of John’s responses he removes attention from himself and points to Jesus, the one who comes after John “the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie” (verse 27). Jesus later confirms that John was the fulfilment of the prophecy in Malechi 4:5 (the Elijah or Prophet who was to come) I think John denied being the Elijah or the Prophet because he wanted all the attention to go to Jesus. He wanted all the emphasis to be on pointing others to Jesus.

We can all learn from John that we need to get out of the way and point others toward Christ. We must remember that it is not about me or you; it is about Jesus. He is the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through him (John 14:6). Praise the Lord that he has made a way for us to be reconciled to God!

The Witness

“There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God–children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:6-14 NIV)

John the Baptist was sent by God to bear witness to “the light”. John the Baptist was not the light, he came to testify concerning the light. Based on the context of the previous verses and verse 14 that follows we are to understand that John the Baptist came to testify about Jesus, the incarnate Word of God. Jesus is the “Word that became flesh and made his dwelling among us”. Jesus is the “true light” in whom we are to believe. How amazing! The Son of God, who is himself God, condescended to take on human flesh for us. Jesus revealed his glory to us in the miracles he performed. In everything that Jesus did while clothed in human flesh we see God’s glory on display.

Jesus came to his own, but his own did not receive him. But anyone who did receive him he “gave the right” to become children of God. Becoming a child of God is by God’s grace alone. God is sovereign and he knows who his children are. Yet our free will is involved in receiving Christ. This seems impossible for us to reconcile (God’s sovereign choice and our free will), but what is impossible to us is not impossible to God. We serve a God who calls things that are not as though they were. God made us who we are and we cannot deny what he has made us to be. God works his will in us even though every day we make free choices to do one thing or another. He is a truly awesome and amazing God!

I am so glad that the one and only Son of God who is full of grace and truth chose to dwell among us. It is only through Jesus’ crucifixion–the crucifixion of the Word made flesh–that we have the expectant hope of eternal salvation.

The Word

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.” John 1:1-5

What Jesus taught and what he did is inseparable from who he is. When Jesus took on human flesh, he did not give up any part of his deity. John tells us Jesus is fully God and was fully man. John tells us that Jesus was with God before the beginning of time. Jesus must be understood as fully God throughout eternity. Jesus deity is shown through the wonders of the universe that God created through him and in his mastery over it. His humanity is seen in his suffering as a man most notably shown in his crucifixion on the cross.

Jesus is the only one who is able to pay for our sins. He alone lived the perfect life that God required in the law. He understands the struggle between flesh and Spirit within those who are his. He is best able to intercede for us with God the Father because he is himself is perfect and at the same time understands our temptations for Jesus “has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet was without sin.” Heb. 4:15. We find life in Jesus and his life is light to us. In the light of Jesus life we see ourselves as we truly are…sinners in need of a savior. When we follow Jesus, we avoid walking in darkness, for his light leads us toward God and helps us to see the direction we should go.

Darkness and light cannot dwell together. Anywhere there is light, darkness cannot exist. Let us always follow after Jesus, the Word of life. Let us always walk in the light of Jesus’ path that we may avoid the darkness of sin. Let us always look to Jesus as our example, remembering that he has provided a way of salvation by paying the ultimate price once for all. Let us remember that in Jesus we who were dead in sin have been made alive with him. Let us praise him in all we say and do because of what he did for us.

Creation Evidence

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Gen 1:1 NIV)

In the beginning God… The Bible is very clear; before the earth was created God was there. God is self existent. That is why he is called the Great I AM. He was and is and forever more will be. He is truly infinite.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Again the Bible is very clear; God created the heavens and the earth. Whether you believe in an old earth, a new earth, a big bang or some other creation method, you must to understand that there had to be an uncaused first cause. That uncaused first cause was God.

Consider these creation evidences that there had to be an intelligent designer that created the heavens and the earth.

• Liquid water: For life to exist as it does on the earth, our planet must contain liquid water.
• Within galactic habitable zone: Our galaxy consists of “fingers” that spiral out from the center. Within the “fingers” the population of space objects is very dense (too dense for life to exist). There is significantly greater space between the “fingers” that would allow life to exist. Our entire solar system happens to be in one of the spaces between the “fingers”.
• Orbiting main sequence G2 dwarf star: There is only one type of star in the solar system that a planet could orbit around and still contain life. This type of star is not common in the universe. Our sun happens to be the right kind of star.
• Protected by gas giant planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are very large planets compared to Earth. Their gravitational pull is strong because of their size. Conveniently, Earth is protected from asteroid and meteor strikes by these large planets
• With circumstellar habitable zone: Our orbit stays within the inner boundary and outer boundary of an orbit that can sustain life
• Nearly circular orbit: If our orbit was more elliptical, we would literally freeze to death in the winter and boil to death in the summer.
• Oxygen/Nitrogen rich atmosphere: Our planet happens to have an atmosphere that we can breathe.
  Correct mass: If our planet was larger, we would be pulled to close to the sun to survive. If our planet was smaller we would drift to far from the sun to survive
• Orbited by large moon: Earth is orbited by a moon of the right mass to cause our orbit to remain round enough for us to survive (see “Nearly circular orbit”).
• Magnetic field: Earth is surrounded by a magnetic field that protects us from the harmful rays of the sun. If this protection did not exist, we could not survive the resulting radiation.
• Plate tectonics: The Earth’s crust consist of plates the move from time to time. The crust recycles itself thereby regulating the Earth’s temperature. Without the temperature regulation provided by plate tectonics, water could not remain liquid.
• Right ratio of water to land: Our planet has an amount of water and land that again regulates the Earth’s temperature to allow water to remain liquid.

Suppose each of these had a 1 in 10 chance of randomly occurring naturally (surely the odds would be much worse than that). That would mean that the odds of all of these occurring in the same place and time naturally would be 1 in 1,000,000,000,000.

Do you have a better explanation for how we got here?