Where Did That Come From?

Jesus once asked some lawyers a simple question, “Why are you thinking evil in your hearts?”[1]

That is a good question.

The other day I was on my scooter at the drive up window of my bank. I was third in line. As I sat waiting, I thought, “I wonder if it’s weird for the car in front of me to see me on the scooter behind her? I am outside the normal confines of a car.” 

Then my thoughts changed directions.

“I wonder if she thinks I could just walk up to her passenger window and demand her money.”

My thoughts quickly flashed as to what that would look like, including popping back on the scooter and making my getaway. (I had been told once that a man held up that bank and escaped on a bicycle.)

Then I snapped back to reality. “What am I thinking about? This is crazy!” The motorist in front of me drove away.

The truth is, it was crazy.

But haven’t we all had thoughts like that before? I mean dark, off-the-wall thoughts? What is worse, haven’t we all done shameful or guilt-producing things?

I’ve heard it said, the one doctrine of Christianity that you cannot argue with is the doctrine of sin. We are all sinners with corrupt hearts. 

We have all experienced it. We’ve been on the receiving end and we’ve dished it out.

Although my thoughts that day were evil in nature, I did not sin. Had I dwelt on them, and eventually acted on them, it would have been sin. But just having the fleeting thought without premeditation, and then rejecting it, was not a sin.

The Bible says these evil thoughts come from our hearts.[2] My criminal thoughts originated in what theologians call my “sin nature.”

Spiritual philosopher Dallas Willard writes about the sin nature. “The condition of normal human life is one where the inner resources of the person are weakened or dead, and where the factors of human life do not interrelate as they were intended by their nature and function to do… The person is effectively turned away from his or her own good. The individual may and often does wish to be good and to do what is right, but he or she is prepared, is set, to do evil. It is what the individual is ready to do without thinking. In this condition, the mind is confused, ignorant, and misguided. The emotions are simultaneously dominant of personality and in conflict with one another. The body and the social environment are filled with regular patterns of wrongdoing and are constantly inclined toward doing what is wrong.”[3]

If Willard is right, we’re all out of whack. We’re crazy.

People can argue about who Jesus was and what he did. They can argue about teachings of the Bible. They can say this religion is better than that one. They can say there is no god.

But the one doctrine that cannot be argued against with intellectual integrity is the doctrine of sin. It’s our universal experience and is captured in phrases like, “Nobody is perfect,” “I don’t know why I did that,” or “My bad.”

If it’s true that we’re imperfect and bad, then what else in the Bible might be true?

Maybe this statement: “…he shall save his people from their sins.”[4]

I submit to you that Jesus, and Jesus alone, can save us from the truth of our sin nature.

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[1] Matthew 9:4 (Holman Christian Study Bible)

[2] Matthew 15:19 (HCSB)

[3] Dallas Willard, The Great Omission (Oxford: Monarch Books, 2006) 146-147

[4] Matthew 1:21 (HCSB)

The Sun is Really Bright Today!

“There was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.” John 1:9

Here the Gospel writer John calls Jesus Christ “the true light.” That would be the real deal. The true light. The light that makes the other lights seem minor or insignificant.

On a sidewalk in Annville, PA recently,  I thought the sun is the true light of this physical world. It is the one light we absolutely could not do without. The Earth needs to bathe in its light 24/7.

Many lights, - tail lights, a flashlight, a neon sign, help us in various ways. They offer us warnings, convey information, guide us, and make life convenient. We can and often do live without some of these. They are relatively minor lights that are made possible by the true light of the sun. It is the source.

So John calls Jesus “the true light.” The true light came into the world. The Light of God. The moral light. The example. The pattern. The true Illuminator.

 That light “enlightens every man.” He makes it possible for us to see. Just as the sun enables vision, so His inner light enables us to see reality. By it we can discern what is right. Every man and woman has received this light, to some degree. That’s what John says.

Every culture has some norms of what is acceptable and what is not. There are some norms of decency acceptable in every nation or tribe. They don’t all agree, but they do exist. C.S. Lewis wrote, “The moralities accepted among men may differ, though not, at bottom, so widely as is often claimed…”[1] There is not an inhabited place on earth that does not have some acceptable standard or some concept of what is good and what is not good. This can be referred to as moral “light.” This is the light that Jesus, “the true light” has enlightened us with.

Just as the sun has enlightened all of us, so the true light, Jesus, has shined in our hearts and we have some vision. He is the one moral light we cannot do without.

John goes on to say, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name…” (John 1:12) Receive the full light of Jesus today. Believe in Him! The Sun is really bright today!

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[1] C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain,(New York: MacMillan Publishing Co, 1962)  21-22

You Can Count on Him

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet without your Father’s knowledge not one of them can fall to the ground. As for you, even the hairs of your head have all been counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than any number of sparrows.”[1]

God knows every random bird that “falls to the ground” or perishes, all over the world. That’s what Jesus said.

God knows how many hairs are on a person’s head. In fact, this applies to every person.

A 1951 estimate by an ornithologist estimated the worldwide bird population at “more than 100 billion individual wild birds in the world…”[2] That is 100,000,000,000 estimated. That is about fourteen birds for every human being. If 150,000 people die each day, then the number of birds that die every day would be 2,100,000. That is nearly 100,000 birds an hour “falling to the ground.” Over 16,000 a minute.  Over 270 birds die each second. Yet Jesus says “without your Father’s knowledge not one of them can fall to the ground.”

We’re talking an enormous knowledge base. An unfathomable ability to process information. Talk about attention to detail! Not one of them is missed. He is aware.

“… even the hairs of your head have all been counted.” Estimates of how many hairs are on a human head range from about 100,000 to 150,000. That is for one person. I am not sure a count has ever been done that exactly numbers even one head of hair.  Another factor is that about 100 hairs fall out per day, on average. The number keeps varying. So take the conservative estimate of 100 K hairs. Now multiply that times the number of people on earth, which is 7 billion. That number must come out to 7,000,000,000,000,000. If decades old, cob-web encrusted math is correct. That’s a lot of strands of hair. God has counted them. At any given time, he knows the number on my head, and on yours.

Why?

Why is he aware of every one of the 1000 birds that have died as I have written this sentence? Why does he know how many hairs are on the head of the proprietor of the Loop Plumbing Company in Mobile, Alabama?

Firstly there's the theological answer that God is omniscient, He knows all. He is capable of doing it and he does it. Secondly, and closer to our hearts, the best answer I can come up with is that He cares. He just plain cares. The things he's made matter to Him. They have value. This counting of impossibly high numbers of items, this awareness of innumerable happenings, is simply a manifestation of the fact that God cares. 

Birds have value. You have more value. “You are worth more than any number of sparrows.”

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[1] Matthew 10:29-30

[2] The Audubon Encyclopedia of North American Birds

Coffee ... a bagel ...and God?

Coffee … a bagel … 

When I wake up, I feel hungry. Today I had a bagel with cheese and a cup of French Roast coffee. 

Later, I got dressed, , putting on a collared, buttoned shirt and khaki slacks.  I felt ready to go  for the day

A half hour later I sat down and talked to a relatively new friend for about 10 minutes. It was nice, I feel the friendship is growing.

I'm thinking about my needs. Hunger. A desire to look presentable. The need for friends. Each has a way of fulfillment. It's the same with sexual desire, the thirst for knowledge, and many others.

For all of these there's probably a right way and a not so good way of fulfillment. For example four bagels with cream cheese would not help me.

The desire for significance is often met by achievement, success, by loving our family, or in other ways.

The desire for knowledge is met by education and practical experience. It's met by reading books.

Interestingly, the things we desire all have a corresponding something to complete them. Whether it’s hunger, or to be a parent, to have justice, or to be liked, -there is provision for each one.

Coffee … a bagel …and God?

So would the same hold true for the desire for spiritual “connection?”

Simple observation tells us every ethnic group on earth is spiritual. 

All but about 8% of the world’s population have some belief about a power beyond what can be seen. Churches, mosques, synagogues, temples, shrines, cathedrals, and stupas dot every nation in the world. Most of us say there is a God although there is no agreement on who God is. The Pew Forum reports that nearly 2.2 billion of the world’s 6.9 billion people are Christians,[1] making it the largest single belief system in the world. That’s one in three people who believe a Jewish Carpenter who lived 2000 years ago was God. So people definitely have a "spiritual" desire.

Once I took a dear lady to church. She did not normally go to church or practice any religious observance. The choir sang, “The King is Coming.” Tears flowed down her face.  She commented afterwards how touched she had been. What touched her?  Was it a desire to connect with something or someone beyond herself?

While still in Mary's womb, Jesus was prophetically called “Emmanuel” which means “God With Us.” He claimed to be the answer to that "God shaped hole" within us. He said he was the water for our thirst and the food for our hunger.

Doesn’t it make sense that there is a provision for our desire for something transcendent? British Bible translator J.B. Phillips wrote, “Arguing, as we must, from what we know to what we don’t know, we may fairly say that as food is the answer to hunger, water the answer to thirst, and a mate to sexual desire, this universal hunger for Truth is unlikely to be without its answer and fulfillment, however hard it may be to find.”[2]

  

That’s why they called Him “God with us.” He’s there.

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[1]The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life  http://www.pewforum.org/Christian/Global-Christianity-exec.aspx

[2] J.B. Phillips, “Your God Is  Too Small,” p. 71

Just One Small Difference?

A Christian friend was having a discussion with a Muslim co-worker. At a certain point, the young Muslim man said, “Our religions are basically the same. We only differ on our view of Jesus. We believe he’s a prophet, but not God. Otherwise, Islam and Christianity are alike.”

Is that really true?

It is sadly true that some equate “fundamentalist Christianity” and “fundamentalist Islam.” But that’s for a later blog. Here I write regarding the perception these two religions are basically the same except for what we believe about Jesus.

There are many differences between Christianity and Islam. To say they are the same except for one point is a statement of ignorance. For example, in the past three centuries, Christianity has promoted peace all over the world. Amy Orr-Ewing points out the dissimilar nature of Islam. “I could not agree that ‘peaceful’ was a good adjective to describe the religion as a whole either historically or in the present day.” [1]

But for the sake of argument let’s suppose what this boy’s view is true. There is only one difference. Our belief about who Jesus is.

Let me say, that if our belief about Christ is the only difference, that is a monumental difference! That one issue makes Islam and Christianity diametrically different.

Foundation of Christianity

Many of us forget that among the New Testament writings, Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians was the earliest. Paul penned that letter before the four Gospels were written. In the 15th chapter we have the first statement of faith regarding Jesus.

“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 last of all he appeared to me also …” [2]

Paul cites this gospel as “of first importance”. Jesus Christ actually died for our sins and His death was verified by the fact that He was buried. What is more, He was raised to life again, and appeared to many, including Paul. On these statements of first importance, our Islamic friends disagree.

They might say it this way. “Christ fainted on the cross and was temporarily placed in a tomb. Later he revived and he and his disciples duped the world into believing that he had been raised from the dead.” In the Koran Jesus is held to be a major prophet, although less than Muhammad. Muslims believe Christians are deceived and the New Testament is in error about what happened.

Paul’s version of events, written 700 years earlier than the Koran, is the bedrock of Christianity. This point “of first importance” is the all of the Christian faith.

Paul wrote that if the gospel facts are not true, as Muslims contend, then our whole religion is vain. “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.” [3]

So even if this one point is the only difference between Islam and Christianity, which it is not, it is a massive difference that forever prohibits these two faiths from agreement.

Ravi Zacharias closes this blog with a pertinent comment.“One of India’s leading “saints,” Sri Ramakrishna, is said to have been for a little while a Muslim, for a little while a Christian, and then finally, a Hindu again, because he came to the conclusion that they are all the same. If they are all the same, why did he revert to Hinduism? It is just not true that all religions are the same." [4]

[1] Amy Orr-Ewing, Beyond Opinion, Ravi Zacharias, Editor and Author (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Inc., 2007) 13
[2] 1 Corinthians 15:3-5 & 8 (New International Version)
[3] 1 Corinthians 15:19 (New International Version)
[4] Ravi Zacharias, Jesus Among Other Gods (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2000) 158

Words are Cheap

On a recent episode of Larry King Live, the host interviewed pop singer Lady Gaga. Acknowledging her Catholic roots, King asked, “What are your feelings toward the church and religion in general?” Lady Gaga answered, “in terms of religion, I'm very religious… I believe in Jesus. I believe in God. I'm very spiritual."[1]

“I believe in Jesus.” Simple words. Ask most Hindus in India, and they will say, “I believe in Jesus.” Children in Sunday school sing, ”I believe in Jesus.” But words are cheap. What does it mean?

The New Testament speaks of various degrees of belief, like there are degrees of karate belts. Some believe for a while, but then stop. (Blue Belt) Some believe, but various concerns of life take precedence over that faith and it gradually dwindles. Some believe and their life produces a “crop.”[2](Black Belt) Some are said to have weak faith. “Accept him whose faith is weak…”[3] wrote Paul. Others are described as “lacking faith” and still others have a faith that needs to grow.

And then some don’t believe at all. (White Belt) Jesus’ own brothers didn’t believe in Him at first.[4] John writes of some Jews who did not believe, “even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence…”[5]

Secondly, it is critical what we believe about Jesus. Mahatma Gandhi believed Jesus was a good teacher, but not the Son of God. I remember reading D. James Kennedy’s Evangelism Explosion describing some as having “mere intellectual assent” toward Jesus. Like I believe in Napoleon. That totally ignores the what.

According to the earliest record of Christianity, we are to believe that Jesus died and was raised from the dead and that true believers will be raised also;[6] we’re to believe all that the Old Testament prophets wrote about Him[7]; that He is the Messiah, the Holy One of God[8]; we’re simply to believe that He exists and rewards those who look for Him[9]; we’re to believe the Good News[10], and that Jesus is the actual Son of God[11]! This is the what of believing.

Belief in Jesus is not subjective. When Lady Gaga goes on stage, she sings a song with mostly pre-arranged, fixed lyrics and melody. Likewise the Bible says our faith rests on a specific objective content.

That content of belief is the message regarding Christ.[12] Paul writes to the early Christians about the faith they were “taught.”[13] That means faith based on a specific teaching about Christ. Paul refers to the “deep truths of the faith.”[14] These deep truths are the historic teaching of the church. They include doctrines taught from the very beginning about who Jesus is and what His mission is. The content of faith is not up for debate.

Believing in Jesus is not mere intellectual assent or self-defined belief. It is a commitment of the total life to a Person. Francis Schaeffer wrote, “To believe Him… every moment, one moment at a time, this is the Christian life, and this is true spirituality.” [15] That’s black belt faith! Words are cheap for Lady Gaga or for me and you except our faith be rooted in His truth.

With Paul, can we say “I know whom I have believed…?”[16] May our belief conform to a biblical standard, and not our own ideas.

[1] CNN Larry King Live, Interview With Lady Gaga, Aired June 26, 2010
[2] Luke 8:11-15 (All references from the New International Version)
[3] Romans 14:1
[4] John 7:3-5
[5] John 12:37
[6] Romans 10:9,10, 1 Thessalonians 4:14
[7] Luke 24:25
[8] John 6:69
[9] Hebrews 11:6
[10] Mark 1:15
[11] John 20:31
[12] Romans 10:17
[13] Colossians 2:7
[14] 1 Timothy 3:9; 4:6
[15] Francis Schaeffer, True Spirituality, p. 108
[16] 2 Timothy 1:12

The Ultimate Proof

I lay back looking up at the brilliant stars. No clouds obscured the view. There was Orion, 'the Hunter’, and to the left, the brightest star in the night sky, Sirius, in the Canis Major constellation. Sirius is twice as massive as the sun and 25 times more luminous. I thought, “Ever since man has been on this planet, he has looked up at this same view. It has not changed.”

I often think about how God has made Himself known in nature. It’s there for all to see. General revelation. His Being, stamped on all that He made. It is so subtle, and yet it shouts at us. So easily ignored, yet so obvious. “… The skies display His craftsmanship… night after night they make him known… their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth…” 1

But the modern message, especially in academia, is that the skies don’t have a message. They just happened. There is no evidence of design or intelligent causation. This has been endlessly debated and will continue to be.

But one fact of God’s revelation stands above every silent signpost. It is His specific revelation. “But when the right time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman…”2 This was not inferring a Creator, as we might from the intelligent content in a strand of DNA. This was not merely the moon’s orbit insuring our climate stability. This was an exact representation of God in a human being. The One who made it all entered as one of us. Many years after the fact, John wrote excitedly, “We saw Him with our own eyes and touched Him with our own hands.” 3

Jesus Christ was a historical figure. It is beyond question that He lived in Palestine about 4 B.C. to 30 A.D. In addition to the four Gospel accounts of His life and activities He was mentioned by secular historians such as Josephus. That the movement He founded, and the people that believed Him to be God made a lasting impact on the Roman Empire is historical fact.

The accounts of His life written by contemporaries of Jesus and eyewitnesses cannot be discredited. From the 19th century onward painstaking efforts to do this were undertaken. The Bible has been maligned, criticized, and attacked more than any other book in history. Apologist Ravi Zacharias notes, “If a spiritual idea is eastern, it is granted critical immunity; if western, it is thoroughly criticized.”4 In spite of this our modern Bible versions are accurate to the best and oldest existing manuscripts. They have been meticulously translated. The Bible is not “full of mistakes” as so many erroneously say.

You may tell me that this planet, that appears to be custom-made by Someone for human beings, was not made for human beings. You may tell me that man’s appreciation of beauty in art is simply the result of billions of years of natural selection, and not a God-given capacity. But you cannot tell me that Jesus did not exist and did not do remarkable things, including claiming to be God and rising from the dead.

When I look at the night sky, it’s a general, unfocused revelation. But when I look at the Jesus of Scripture… the focus becomes sharp and clear.

1 - Psalms 19:1-4 (New Living Translation or NLT)
2 - Galatians 4:4 (NLT)
3 - 1 John 1:1 (NLT)
4 - Ravi Zacharias, Jesus Among Other Gods (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers,2000) vii

Answering Objections About Jesus' Birth

“I didn’t know there was a controversy,” my wife said the other morning over coffee. “Most Christians don’t,” I replied. She had been editing this article, and I was dealing with the emotions of being critiqued. Appreciating her insights and yet wanting her to just say, “Good job. I like it.”
We were talking about the controversy over some of the facts of Jesus’ birth. First of all, in Luke’s Gospel it is written that Jesus was born during a census. He reports, “This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.”[1] Critics argue that no record, other than the Bible, exists of a world-wide Roman census during Herod’s reign from 7 to 4 B.C. Secondly, Matthew’s Gospel dates Christ’s birth in reference to Herod. According to the Jewish historian Josephus, Quirinius began to govern Syria from 6 A.D. That is an apparent ten year gap between what Luke and Matthew have written. On this basis, some say Luke is in error. I’ve looked at some of the criticism leveled on Luke and have some thoughts. Do you have your coffee ready?

A Question to Ask

Once when my friend was preaching a sermon in India, he said, “back during World War II, in the fifties…” Another friend and I looked at each other and tried to conceal our laughter. For the next week we ragged him about that gaffe. Obvious errors have a way of becoming public. If Luke was in error, then I wonder why the early church did not correct him? The census and name of the Governor would have been common knowledge in that day.

The Author

We know a little bit about Luke. He was a physician. We know he intended to write accurately. He opens his Gospel with “It seemed fitting for me … having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order… so that you may know the exact truth…”[2] He writes like someone who recognized the significance of what he was doing.

A portion of his other biblical writing, Acts, was once labeled as error. In Acts 14:6 Luke states that the city of Iconium was located outside of the province of Lycaonia. The Roman historian Cicero had written that it was part of Lycaonia. Both cannot be true. In 1910 Sir William Ramsay (right) found a monument that showed that Iconium was in Phrygia. So Luke got that one right.

The Census

Records show that Augustus considered census-taking as one of his important accomplishments. The issue is whether one occurred during Herod’s reign from 7 to 4 B.C., the time when Jesus was born. Critics say there is no record. Some Christian writers disagree. Let’s say it’s still controversial. I like what historian Edwin Yamauichi had to say. “…there are many things that occur only in a given text without corroborative evidence of other texts or inscriptions." That is true.

The Governor

The 10 year gap between Herod’s death (Matthew’s account) and Quirinius being Governor of Syria (Luke’s account) is also a controversy. Matthew and Luke are literally and figuratively on two different pages here it seems. Let’s consider some evidence.

The historian Josephus (below) writes that before 6 A.D., Quirinius was “… a Roman senator, and one who had gone through other magistracies, and had passed through them till he had been consul…” “Other magistracies” means other posts. It is known that Quirinius was in Syria and neighboring Cilicia from 12 B.C. onward. Writer John Ankerberg says, “… Quirinius had a government assignment in Syria between 12 B.C. to 2 B.C. He was responsible for reducing the number of rebellious mountaineers in the highlands of Pisidia. As such, he was a highly placed military figure in the Near East and highly trusted by Emperor Caesar Augustus.”[3]Quirinius was definitely around and he was in leadership during the time Luke speaks of.
So I’ve taken my wife’s editorial advice. I’ve rewritten this article. My coffee cup is empty, and it’s time to move on with the day. I believe there is a plausible explanation for what Luke has written. But even if we only have partial supporting evidence, would that mean the facts recorded about Jesus are untrue? I mean we know World War II didn’t happen in the fifties, but hey, it did happen!


[1] Luke 2:2 (New American Standard Bible)
[2] Luke 1:3 (NASB)
[3] John Ankerberg, “Was Luke Wrong about the Census Under Quirinius?”, http://www.blogger.com/www.Ankerberg.com

Jesus Birthplace Predicted 700 Years In Advance

When our first daughter was born we lived in Kolkata. Within two weeks we had to take her on an airplane to Thailand. She was so small; I remember her sleeping for a few nights in a makeshift bed in the lid of our suitcase. I have a picture of her with my shoe beside her, and they’re about the same size. Why did we travel with her so soon? It was because our visa was expiring. Although it was not an optimum time to travel with a newborn and my wife just getting back on her feet, we had no choice.

Jesus travelled even earlier in life than my daughter did. The emperor Augustus had ordered a worldwide census. Joseph was required to enroll at Bethlehem late in Mary’s pregnancy. It was a risky time to travel and much less comfortable than our jet ride to Bangkok. This “forced” journey provides a subtle yet powerful verification that Jesus is the Son of God.

Old Testament Prophecy and Jesus

Christians say that fulfilled Old Testament prophecy substantiates Jesus’ divinity. The mathematical probability of one person fulfilling multiple old prophecies is very slight. It is remarkable that one person’s life events aligned with so many centuries-old prognostications. Consider just this one regarding Jesus birthplace.

The Gospel writer Matthew states, “And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; For out of you shall come forth a ruler, who will shepherd My people Israel.” [1] King Herod was hunting for the newborn boy who might one day threaten his reign. Where was the Messiah to be born? The experts in the Jewish law summoned to Herod quoted an Old Testament passage to answer his question. The Jews believed that Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (left) near Jerusalem. It had been spoken by the prophet Micah more than 700 years earlier. The Jews believed that Micah 5:2 was a Messianic reference. It is interesting that Herod didn’t know about Micah’s forecast. It was well-known by those who were informed about the Scriptures. After seven centuries, it is astounding that Micah’s words still bore authority.

Bethlehem was not Jesus’ hometown. We know he grew up in Nazareth to the far north. Many assumed He was a native-born Nazarene, like his disciple Nathanael who said, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?”[2] There is no record of Jesus telling his critics he was born in Bethlehem.

Critics discount Jesus’ fulfilling of prophecies by saying that he maneuvered his life to fulfill the predictions. He and his disciples found Old Testament verses that fit His life and applied them. In other words, the cart came before the horse. Two facts make this theory implausible. First, the Messianic passages were identified long before Jesus lifetime. That is why Herod’s counselors knew Bethlehem was his predicted birthplace. Second Jesus had no control over his birthplace. Mary and Joseph were already engaged when Gabriel, the angel, spoke to her about Jesus so Bethlehem was fixed as Joseph’s ancestral home.

The Providence of God

Barring a human plot, we reflect on God working behind the scenes, many years in advance, to fulfill His word concerning Bethlehem. It was nearly impossible that Jesus would be born there. It took a series of events including the census decree by Augustus (left). Micah had to speak the words regarding Messiah’s birth. Joseph had to be of the lineage of David, for it was linked to Bethlehem. Another clan would have registered at another city. Additionally, the implementation of the census had to be synchronized with Mary’s delivery while they were in the city. What if Jesus had been born en route? All these events of divine/human interaction paint us a picture of God’s providence at work.

Perhaps God providentially guides our lives much more than we give Him credit for?

What are the odds that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem? Miniscule. Of all the places in Israel, His parents went to Bethlehem just before he was born. Later the Jews who believed in the Messiah, such as the Gospel writer Matthew, made the connection. This was not a flashy proof of His identity like raising the dead. Yet it demonstrates the power of a sovereign God working over the centuries.

In the concluding article I’ll look at criticism that has arisen concerning Christ’s birthplace and time.

[1] Matthew 2:6 (New American Standard Bible)
[2] John 1:46 (NASB)

The Exclusiveness of Christ

There are many ways to God

A popular opinion here in India states, “All religions are the same. For you Christianity is true, for me Hinduism is true, and for a Thai, Buddhism is true, but all religions are the same. They all lead to the same god. It’s like all the various rivers in the world that lead to the one ocean. (like in the Niger Delta at right) God is one, you call him Jesus and I call him Rama but all religions are the same.”

Some call this argument universalism. How would you reply to that statement? Would you agree with it or attempt to give an answer? Think about it for a second.

Universalism has been in the news in the US for the past few years. Rev. Carlton Pearson, a popular preacher / evangelist has begun to proclaim a “Gospel of Inclusion.” Pearson’s web site says, “Carlton Pearson has made a choice… to move away from the exclusiveness of the religious traditions he was raised in (Bible-believing Protestant Christianity) and adopt a more embracing, affirming, welcoming and inclusive approach to faith… Furthermore, Pearson, through both scriptural re-interpretation and heartfelt conviction, is absolutely convinced that God is not sending people to …hell nor does such a place exist except in an un-regenerated or unenlightened mind ... He believes that institutionalized religion has misinterpreted and misrepresented the infinite Intelligence called God, causing destructive and counter-productive fear and paranoia.” [1] The scriptural re-interpretation of Bishop Pearson is really just good old-fashioned universalism. It seems the only real bad guys for Pearson are those who hold to the exclusiveness of Jesus Christ. The teaching of Carlton Pearson has been widely condemned as heresy by many Christians.

The Bible teaches that there is one universal God. About 2000 years ago that God became man and lived among us. God became known to us in Jesus. He did not espouse a Universalist view. He demanded repentance, spoke of a real place called hell, and said He was the door to God. Christ claimed exclusiveness. At the same time, He was inclusive in loving and blessing all kinds of imperfect people. But Jesus clearly called people to holiness and to faith in Him for salvation.

The Exclusiveness of Jesus Christ

"Truly, truly I say unto you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber... I am the door; if anyone enters through me he shall be saved..." John 10:1,9

In the verse where Christ said “I am the door,” He himself claimed to be the one true way to God. This is the flashpoint of Christian belief in India and elsewhere. At this declaration, people are often offended. It smacks of arrogance. But nevertheless, it is a claim that Jesus and the Apostles made. It may rub some the wrong way, but it is either true or false. It would be contradictory to say that He is both the one way and also that all ways lead to God.

Logically then, it is possible that Jesus Christ is the only way. It is not a logical impossibility. Exclusivity is a valid principle in this universe.

“But all rivers run into the sea,” it is argued by the Universalist. Yes, but it’s also true that there are many possible answers to a mathematical problem. Some are closer to correct than others, but only one is the actual correct product. Of all the planets in the Universe, there is only one that we know of now that has a large reservoir of liquid water. At this point, that makes the earth the exclusive domain of water.

Where Universalism Breaks Down

On a purely logical basis, if universalism is correct, then even Christians would still be on a valid path to God. They would still be progressing toward the one ocean. But if Christ’s claim is true, and He is the only way, then all who reject Him are in danger of being separated from God. It seems that a Universalist approach is a little more risky if we reason it out.

The Universalist struggles to live consistently with their presuppositions. If all ways lead to God, then why the problem with conversions from one religion to another here in South Asia? A Hindu father probably would not want a marriage for his child with a Muslim or a Christian. Although Gautama Buddha was an Indian, his religion has not been embraced by Indians. Is it not one of the valid rivers that lead to the ocean? It seems that all adherents of the world religions show a bias toward their own. Universalists proclaim many ways but practically show bias toward their own thinking. Does this indicate that they believe one way is superior? If superior, then are all the ways to God truly equal?

Differences in the Religions

To say that “all religions are not the same” is more true to what we observe than saying “all religions are the same.” Christians, Muslims, and Jews do not claim that all the rivers empty into the same sea. Even the Dalai Lama, the head of Tibetan Buddhism calls his religion and Christianity “our two very different traditions.”[2] Christians and Muslims don’t agree on the identity of Jesus. Neither do Jews and Christians. Judaism, Islam, and Christianity all expressly forbid idolatry and condemn the practice. For Hindus, it is an integral part of their religion. The list of differences goes on and on.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Once in Kolkata, I saw a billboard with the Indian Guru, Baba Lokenath on it. There was a quotation, “Wherever you are, be it at home or on the battlefield, I am with you.” That is very similar to what Jesus said, “…I am with you always.”[3] I thought to myself, what’s the difference? It’s the same claim Jesus made. My fleeting thought was a seed of Universalist reasoning. In reality, anyone can say “I am with you always.” The difference is the authority of the one who said it. On what evidence can Lokenath or Jesus base that kind of a statement?

In conclusion, a compelling reason to embrace Christ as the one true way is the authority declared through His life and deeds. He stands unique among all the figures of world history. Consider the centuries old prophecies about the Coming One that were fulfilled in His life. The circumstances of His birth from a virgin are exceptional. The eyewitness accounts of miracles he performed, the nature and purpose of His death, and His resurrection after being dead and in a grave for three days. Finally, the way of salvation through Christ is unique. It is not man reaching out to God, but God reaching out to man. It is attainable, amazingly easily attainable! It is not what we do for God, but what He’s already done for us. Philip Yancey writes, “The notion of God’s love coming to us free of charge, no strings attached, seems to go against every instinct of humanity. The Buddhist eight-fold path, the Hindu doctrine of karma, the Jewish covenant, and the Muslim code of Law – each of these offers a way to earn approval. Only Christianity dares to make God’s love unconditional.”[4]

History has no parallel to this life and mission. If anyone could claim, “I am the Way… no one comes to the Father but by me…”[5] it is Jesus.


[1] www.bishoppearson.com
[2] Tenzin Gyatso, the fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet, Freedom In Exile, (Harper Collins Publishers, New York, 1991)
[3] Matthew 28:20 (NASB)
[4] Philip Yancey, What’s So Amazing about Grace?, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1997), p. 45
[5] John 14:6 (NASB)