Considering the Moral Code

I was discussing something with a co-worker the other day when she inquired about something jokingly. She asked about a policy at our work and whether or not I would be dishonest about it for the sake of the store’s convenience when I answered her (jokingly but honestly) that I wouldn’t lie. She asked if it was against my moral code. I answered before I considered and I simply told her yes. Shortly after this, perhaps fifteen minutes at best, I realized the answer I gave her was wrong and I offered a different answer, which took her a little by surprise, I think.

Life on Purpose

“Life had to have begun elsewhere in the universe; just look around at its vastness and you must confess that it is ignorant to think there is only life on earth.” This is, in a nutshell, the popular argument for aliens and UFOs today. The proponent argues from the scope of the universe and daunts the listener with the vast reaches of outer space to make them confess that, at least, the possibility of extra terrestrials is plausible. Is it? On the surface this is a good, if not simple argument by inferring from the size of the universe and our own existence to posit that life occurred elsewhere.

The Riddle of Theistic Evolution, Part 6

“And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day,” Genesis 1:29-31.

Here is yet another contradiction between Genesis and Evolution. Our primitive ancestors, according to the latter, were hunters and meat eaters from the beginning; they didn’t begin to cultivate crops or harvest the land for a long time after mankind’s arrival.

The Riddle of Theistic Evolution, Part 5

“And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good,” Genesis 1:24-25.

We have entered the sixth day, and just prior to the creation of man God creates cattle (domestic animals) creeping things (small animals that moved closer to the ground) and wild beasts (larger non-domesticated animals). Note that with the creatures in the sea, the fowl of the air, and the beasts of the earth God described them as “living,” but not so with plant life.

The Riddle of Theistic Evolution, Part 4

“And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day,” Genesis 1:17-19.

Here we have the clearest, most plain description of day-to-night transition chapter one offers. Follow the verses: God set the sun and moon in the heavens to give light upon the earth, and to govern both the day and the night; the end result was that the sun and moon separated light from darkness. Here we have a simple description by the writer of Genesis of a 24 hour day with the sun and moon rising and setting as they do every day of our lives today.

The Riddle of Theistic Evolution, Part 3

“And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the third day,” Genesis 1:11-13.

Here we have the first “after his kind,” which would be a species or genus, perhaps. This repeats some ten times. What is it saying? God created the seed bearing plants and trees in a moment, complete as they were with total ability to reproduce their own kind, “whose seed is in itself.” Mendel’s laws testify that genetic variation has limits. New gene combinations are formed, but not entirely new genes; in other words, “lower” species do not advance to “higher” ones due to genetic boundaries. This might be exactly what the phrase “after his kind” implies.

The Riddle of Theistic Evolution, Part 2

“And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day,” Genesis 1:4-5. There was a day-night progression before the sun or moon had been created. God divided light and darkness to teach us that God separates constantly. He separated Abraham from his homeland. He separated Noah from his former people. He separated Moses from Egypt and Israel from among the nations. He separates Christians from the unsaved by giving them a heavenly city and a divine heritage; things not of this present creation.

The Riddle of Theistic Evolution, Part 1

What is Theistic Evolution? The advocate of this doctrine might say that its explanation is simple. The theism implies God; the evolution implies how God brought the universe and all life into being. Is this a fringe religion challenging Christianity’s teachings about special creation? Hardly; Theistic Evolution arose within the very fold of Christianity, championed by well meaning professing Christians frightened in the 19th century by the rise of Darwinian Evolution.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ, Part 3

Our final case study can be found in Acts chapter 16. The Philippian jailor had been charged with keeping Paul and Silas prisoners, and to that end he bound them in fetters in the inner prison, Acts 16:24. That night there was an earthquake that freed all of the prisoners and roused the jailor from his sleep; he found to his relief that none of the prisoners had escaped. Fearing greatly, the jailor came to Paul and Silas and asked a telling question: “What must I do to be saved?” verse 30. Here the jailor revealed his understanding about why these men were in jail. He might have heard them preach, or listened to some of their hymns praising the God of Israel. Their testimony concerning this God was validated by the earthquake releasing the prisoners in a miraculous way. Here we see God the Holy Spirit at work on this man, convicting him of sin and drawing him to Christ, John 16:7-11.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ, Part 2

To emphasize our point, let us examine several passages where people are evangelized by Christ’s followers. It is true that all one needs to hear is the gospel to be saved, but first one needs to understand what they are hearing before they can believe it. Clarification is in order regarding the nature of our language. We can hardly accept salvation from Jesus if we aren’t convinced we’re even in need of saving.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ, Part 1

What exactly is the gospel of Jesus Christ? Many quote Acts 16:31 stating “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved, you and your household,” but that isn’t the gospel. In context Paul and Silas are speaking with a repentant and fearful jailor who asks what he must do to be saved; Paul replies that faith in Jesus Christ saves. Then he and Silas go on, after being brought into said jailor’s house, to speak to his family “the word of the Lord,” verse 32. What is this word of the Lord referred to? Clearly it was the message in which the jailor and his household believed, for after receiving it with joy (verse 34) all of his household were baptized (verse 33) which is the first commandment Jesus gave to new disciples, Matthew 28:19. It is this message that we are most concerned with.

Cut & Paste, Part 5

The third topic I would like to address involves the very name of God; or more accurately, how that name is pronounced. This particular topic seemed too trivial to be pursued with all seriousness, but there seem to be sects within Christendom who want to make a divisive issue about the name of both Yahweh and Jesus, some going so far as to say that if you are not saying their names correctly you are following false gods and are deceived.

Cut & Paste, Part 4

Peter likewise describes physical baptism as a symbol (antitype, NKJV) and that the act itself does not save, 1st Peter 3:21. He explains that the act of removing the filth of the flesh avails nothing; but rather the answer of a good conscience in God’s sight that consents to be baptized, as is our Lord’s first command for new believers, Matthew 28:19.

Cut & Paste, Part 3

A second doctrine commonly taught by many Christian sects and accepted as the norm is strongly linked to works salvation: baptismal regeneration. I have posted numerous Scriptural arguments against this doctrine but will go on here to demonstrate how error begets error; in other words, if you begin with a wrong premise (salvation is by works and not solely grace) then you reach wrong conclusions (water baptism effects new life, even in infants.)

Cut & Paste, Part 2

But James writes that faith without works is dead, and that a man is justified by his works and not merely by faith. Taken from James chapter 2 and taken out of context, this does appear to be a valid argument for works salvation and is a favorite passage for Catholic apologists. But the key to understanding James chapter 2 comes with James 2:18: “Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.” The emphasis here is on men seeing whether or not our faith is valid and producing spiritual fruit as Jesus promised it would. It is justification in the sight of men; not in the sight of God.

Cut & Paste, Part 1

Where do Biblical exegetes go so wrong in dividing God’s word? This is a serious question that has haunted godly men and women through the centuries, and one that no commentator of Scripture can rightly escape, since everyone one of us is at some point guilty of error. There are innumerable doctrinal errors the writer can bring into Scripture through ignorance, bias, misinformation, poor study, lack of prayer, preconceived ideas, etc.

Do You Believe in Ghosts?

Do you believe in ghosts? There is a rising interest in the supernatural, with ghosts (discarnate human spirits) being one of the leading aspects of this fascination. Movies such as “Paranormal Activity” enhance in the public eye the reality of spectral figures, once living but long since passed away, moving among us day by day and occasionally interacting with us. Mediums and seers make a living off of “contacting the dead” and many Christians likewise have experienced meetings with what they deem are ghosts. But what does Scripture say about ghosts?

Connecting the Dots

Have you ever played Connect the Dots? The game is simple. A picture is defined by a series of so many dots, numbered 1 through however many are needed to complete the picture in question. What the person playing the game must do is use a pencil or pen to draw a line from 1 to 2, then from 2 to 3, and so on. Upon connecting the final line segment the picture is complete and you can see what the dots portray.

Doctrine, Part 3 of 3

We have our marching orders as Christians. A soldier without direct and clear orders is a confused and impotent one. The enemy of the church, Satan, would have it no other way than to beguile us with contrary gospels and faulty doctrine. Paul warned the Ephesian elders that he had not shunned to give them all of God’s counsel, and that with his departure perverse men would come to lead away disciples after themselves, 20:27, 29-30.

Doctrine, Part 2 of 3

Clearly, our Lord took doctrine seriously, as anyone giving the New Testament an honest reading would likewise conclude. It is actually very simple: God gave us His written and infallible word to be the basis and ground of our life. It contains the message of our creation, sin’s entrance, the promises and prophecies of the Redeemer, their realization, and the gospel that saves.