Matthew 10:28 and how to misread the Bible

It is always important to approach the Bible with humility and a desire to properly understand it.  Matthew 10:28 is a permament reminder to me of how easy it is to misunderstand something if you don’t read carefully.

Matthew 10:28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

The first time I zoomed through the Bible and saw that passage I inferred that the one who could “destroy both soul and body in Hell” was Satan.  I was using the stereotype of Satan being in charge of Hell.  Of course, the passage refers to God, not Satan, and Satan isn’t in charge of Hell.  He will get thrown there against his will along with other unrepentant sinners.

But notice my error: I mixed up God and Satan!  It doesn’t get any worse than that.  So we find two lessons there:

1. Read carefully
2. Be teachable

The problem with many of us isn’t our initial errors, but our refusal to be corrected when the evidence shows we are wrong.  If we find ourselves disagreeing with God then we are the ones who need to change views.

Back to the verse: This is a very powerful statement by Jesus.  Some people try to dismiss the concept of Hell, but it is a non sequitor to say that Hell is “just” [fill in the blank], when this passage is so clear: Whatever / wherever Hell is exactly, it is a place where body and soul are destroyed.  It is something to legitimately fear. 

The way to avoid it is by trusting in what Jesus did for you, so that your sins are transferred to his account and his perfect righteousness is transferred to your account.  You should take this offer very seriously, because eternity matters.

Shocking. UPDATED

Update: More quotes from Vicki Gene Robinson. 

Bishop Robinson said he had been reading inaugural prayers through history and was “horrified” at how “specifically and aggressively Christian they were.” 

“I am very clear,” he said, “that this will not be a Christian prayer, and I won’t be quoting Scripture or anything like that. The texts that I hold as sacred are not sacred texts for all Americans, and I want all people to feel that this is their prayer.”

Bishop Robinson said he might address the prayer to “the God of our many understandings,” language that he said he learned from the 12-step program he attended for his alcohol addiction. 

This kind of religious pluralism is intellectually bankrupt.  It is not a prayer for everyone, it is a prayer for no one.  He obviously doesn’t take prayer seriously or he couldn’t say such a thing.   To whom does he think he is praying?  He is making God in his own image.

If he read the texts he holds as “sacred” he might notice that worshiping other gods gets the Israelites in serious trouble in the Old Testament and the New Testament teaches about 100 times that Jesus is the only way to salvation.  Jesus is not a pluralist.

In a weird way I’m glad he is so transparent with his complete apostacy.  While pro-gay theology is thoroughly flawed regardless of who endorses it, when they put someone like Robinson out front they can’t even pretend that they are otherwise orthodox. 

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Original

By which I mean, not shocking at all.  Obama picks Bishop Gene Robinson for pre-inauguration event.  He’s the priest who left his wife and kids to be with his boyfriend and was punished by his denomination by promoting him to Bishop.  That’ll learn ‘em.

This is supposed to balance the selection of Rick Warren for the inauguration prayer.  I’m hoping that Warren grows a  . . . spine before then and prays to the real God with a real prayer, unlike what Robinson has promised to do:

“While that is a holy and sacred text to me, it is not for many Americans,” Robinson said. “I will be careful not to be especially Christian in my prayer. This is a prayer for the whole nation.” 

Well, he’s been very careful to not be especially Christian thus far.  And just who does he think he’ll be praying to?  And will that person be listening when you are explicitly denying him, not to mention how you teach the opposite of what He says?  Does Robinson even know what prayer means?  Has he read that text he is so fond of? 

Robinson said he doesn’t believe he was asked to participate to calm criticism of Warren. 

Uh, sure. 

I remember when the Robinson thing first was announced about five years ago.  I was in Kenya and our  church friends there just shook their heads and said how disappointed they were in the U.S.  

If you had a chance to speak to millions, wouldn’t you work in some truth?  Does anyone read the Book of Acts any more to see how we’re supposed to act before leaders and individuals?

From a previous post on Robinson: 

It turns out that I agree with Gene Robinson on a religious topic. 

Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, the first openly gay Episcopal bishop and an Obama supporter, was upset about Obama’s choice of Rick Warren to lead the invocation at his inauguration.

Gene was quoted by the Times as saying, “we’re talking about putting someone up front and center at what will be the most-watched inauguration in history, and asking his blessing on the nation. And the God that he’s praying to is not the God that I know.” 

That’s what we’ve been saying all along!  I’m glad we agree on this. 

I found Robinson’s comments ironic on multiple levels.  He spoke the truth for a change, even though he probably didn’t realize that. 

But consider how wounded liberal theologians get when you point out how they hold seriously different views from orthodox Christians.  Will they criticize Robinson for being so divisive? 

And don’t people like him think that all religions lead to God?  Why is he being so critical of “another” faith now?  Or is his claim that all religions except Rick Warren’s lead to God? 

I wonder if Robinson would have complained if a Muslim Imam or some other religion would have said the prayer?

A three-front war

Super-blogger Marshall Art commented on a recent post that the pro-life movement is fighting a multi-front war.  I wanted to expand on that here.

I see three main fronts or areas of concentration:

1. Service & support to help people and reduce abortions today
2. Legal — fight FOCA and all its subsets, more conservative Supreme Court justices, etc.
3. Education — homes, schools, churches, the media — anywhere!

1. Service & support to help people and reduce abortions today – Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs), which are also sometimes called Pregnancy Resource Centers (PRCs), are the most well-proved and effective way to reduce abortions today.  There are many, many children alive today who would have been destroyed long ago if not for CPCs, not to mention the women and men who would be grieving over their actions. 

Here is a thorough analysis of an article by Time magazine highlighting all the great things CPCs do for women and their families — all at no cost.

Even people who claim to be pro-choice should support CPCs.  After all, these folks claim to want to reduce abortions.  CPCs are non-political and are just trying to persuade women to exercise their option to choose life instead of death and to help the women during their time of need with pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, clothes, formula, all sorts of training (parenting, life skills, auto maintenance, etc.), post-abortion trauma counseling, etc.  They also share the Gospel with those who are interested in hearing it, though everyone receives the same love and care regardless of their religious views.

Churches and individuals should support crisis pregnancy centers like CareNet with prayers, $$ and volunteer service.  They save lives now and for eternity. 

2. Legal – fight FOCA (the disingenuously named “Freedom of Choice Act”) and all its subsets and continue the push for more conservative Supreme Court justices.  I’m not talking about a litmus test as Obama does (he will insist that they be pro-abortion).  I just want people who don’t invent things that simply don’t exist in the Constitution.

We had made tons of progress on the Supreme Court in the last eight years, but the uninformed pro-life Christians and the pro-abortion Christians (must . . . resist . . . urge  . . . to use . . . scare quotes) who voted for Obama set that back decades. 

Some people mistakenly thought that the legal route wasn’t working.  It was actually working well, but we needed to be patient.  It took many decades to stop the slave trade and many more to make slavery illegal.  In the same way, we must continue to fight the evil of abortion in a patient and systematic way.

It is a scientific fact that abortion kills an innocent human being.  Therefore, it should be illegal (except to save the life of the mother, of course).

3. Education — homes, schools, churches, the media — anywhere!  Make sure you are informed enough to defend the pro-life position.  It takes a little time, but it can be done by anyone. 

Pro-abortion reasoning is horribly flawed but with a 90%+ strongly pro-abortion media you don’t get a lot of balance.  People need to be equipped to spot the fallacies behind the pro-abortion arguments.  With a little training you can see the common themes they use.  For example, virtually all pro-abortion arguments ignore the humanity of the unborn, the very thing they should be proving first but can’t.

Our church is giving out Randy Alcorn’s book “Why Pro-life?” on Sanctity of Human Life Sunday (Jan. 25th).  Churches were able to get copies for only $1.60.  

See Abort73.com for an absolutely stellar presentation of the pro-life position.  Share it with friends.  Blog on it.  Add it to your blogroll.  It has persuaded many pro-choicers to reconsider their views.

I enjoy teaching pro-life reasoning classes for CareNet volunteers and any interested local groups.  It is amazing how little people know about how to defend the pro-life ethic and expose the fallacies of pro-abortion reasoning, but I’m always encouraged by how quickly they pick it up and are energized about being informed.

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Don’t give up!  The fight for life is worth it.

John 10

Greetings!  Jesus couldn’t be more clear here.  There are true teachers and false teachers, and saved people and unsaved. 

If you enter through Jesus you are saved (v. 9), otherwise you are not.

The Shepherd and His Flock

10     “I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. ² The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. ³ The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. ⁵ But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” ⁶ Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.

⁷ Therefore Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. ⁸ All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. ⁹ I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. ¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

¹¹ “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. ¹² The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. ¹³ The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

¹⁴ “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— ¹⁵ just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. ¹⁶ I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. ¹⁷ The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. ¹⁸ No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

¹⁹ At these words the Jews were again divided. ²⁰ Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?”

²¹ But others said, “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

Jesus’ miracles showed who He was.  He willingly gave his life.  It was not taken from him.  Some heretics call the cross “divine child abuse,” but they ignore that Jesus was a willing participant.  He made the ultimate sacrifice out of love.

The Unbelief of the Jews

²² Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, ²³ and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. ²⁴ The Jews gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”

²⁵ Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me, ²⁶ but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. ²⁷ My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸ I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. ²⁹ My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. ³⁰ I and the Father are one.”

I never noticed how Jesus said that true believers can’t be snatched out of his hand and the Father’s hand.  This section has more claims of Jesus’ deity. 

³¹ Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, ³² but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”

³³ “We are not stoning you for any of these,” replied the Jews, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”

The Jews knew that Jesus was claiming to be God!

³⁴ Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are gods’? ³⁵ If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and the Scripture cannot be broken— ³⁶ what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? ³⁷ Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. ³⁸ But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” ³⁹ Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp.

⁴⁰ Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. Here he stayed ⁴¹ and many people came to him. They said, “Though John never performed a miraculous sign, all that John said about this man was true.” ⁴² And in that place many believed in Jesus.

The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

V. 34-35 are sometimes misinterpreted.  Jesus is quoting Psalm 82, where the leaders were referred to as “gods” because they had authority over men.  The LDS (Mormon) church uses passages like this to teach that believers become gods, but that is false

Roundup

Tax stuff - The 2009 income tax rates are here.  The brackets moved up while the rates stayed the same (for now), so that should save you a few $$$.

The 401k limits increased to $16,500, so be sure to adjust your contribution %. 

I always use a spreadsheet to estimate my taxes.  There are often surprises, such as deductions being phased out, but it does help to ensure that I’m not over-paying.  I’d rather the money sit in my account all year than get a big refund. 

One year I literally got a $1 refund.  I should have framed the check.

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Best guitar picks ever – Seriously, they have a unique grip of soft little dots.  I was bummed when the guitar store quit selling them but was glad to find them on Amazon.

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Answering the top 15 lies of the pro-gay theological movement

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A common falsehood about the reformation and Protestantism is that the concept of Sola Scriptura (that scripture is our standard for what is true) has caused there to be 33,000 denominations.  James White has a good piece showing just how wrong that assertion is.

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Could it be?  Do I really agree with something from the Huffington Post?  See Mr. Gore: Apology Accepted, a nice summary of the falsehods perpetuated by Al Gore.

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Mortgage pariahs — turns out that some liberals who called for an end to predatory lending were the guiltiest of all, and the MSM gives them a pass.  Sarah Palin = fair game, profiteering hypocrites = hands off.

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Sarah Palin fights back — good for her!  The media was such an embarrassment with their outrageous bias against her.  In an odd way, they showed how much they feared her. 

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New adddition to the blogroll — Syinly’s weblog – she has a real heart for God, true transparency and challenging messages.

John 9

Greetings!  We often assume that misfortune is due to personal sin.  As we saw repeatedly in the Book of Job, sometimes even well meaning friends can assume that.  Sin does have very serious consequences in this life — and even more so for eternal life — but our suffering may be because of other people’s sins as well, or just due to the fallen nature of our planet. 

Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind

9     As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. ² His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

³ “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. ⁴ As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. ⁵ While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

⁶ Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. ⁷ “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

Why did Jesus use mud, when He usually healed with just words and even at great distances?  He may have been tweaking the Pharisees because using mud would make this healing on the Sabbath day seem more like work.

⁸ His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” ⁹ Some claimed that he was.

Others said, “No, he only looks like him.”

But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”

¹⁰ “How then were your eyes opened?” they demanded.

¹¹ He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”

¹² “Where is this man?” they asked him.

“I don’t know,” he said.

The Pharisees Investigate the Healing

¹³ They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. ¹⁴ Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath. ¹⁵ Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.”

¹⁶ Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.”

But others asked, “How can a sinner do such miraculous signs?” So they were divided.

¹⁷ Finally they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.”

The man replied, “He is a prophet.”

¹⁸ The Jews still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents. ¹⁹ “Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?”

²⁰ “We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we know he was born blind. ²¹ But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.” ²² His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for already the Jews had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ would be put out of the synagogue. ²³ That was why his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”

The young man was a witness for Christ.  He just told what He knew of Jesus.  We are asked to do the same.  His parents were too afraid to tell the truth.  May we all be courageous in our witness for Christ!

²⁴ A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.”

²⁵ He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”

²⁶ Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”

²⁷ He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?”

²⁸ Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! ²⁹ We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.”

³⁰ The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. ³¹ We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will. ³² Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. ³³ If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”

³⁴ To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.

The formerly blind man was so bold in his witness for Christ.  He didn’t fear the Pharisees.  He was blind but could now see, and now he wasn’t going to let their agenda steal his joy.

Spiritual Blindness

³⁵ Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

³⁶ “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”

³⁷ Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”

³⁸ Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.

³⁹ Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”

⁴⁰ Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”

⁴¹ Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.

The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Our real problem is spiritual blindness.  May our eyes be opened to all the truths of Jesus.

Trespassing doesn’t sound so bad, does it?

 The Lord’s prayer is often used with the word trespass instead of sin. 

Luke 11:4  Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’”

But we tend to think of trespassing as a misdemeanor at worst.  But is it really a petty crime in God’s economy? 

We tread on God’s territory by sinning, and many sin by de-classifying some sins and adding others to the list — as if we can judge God and re-write his word.  Even sins that seem to be victimless, such as coveting, are an affront to God because we are telling him that He didn’t order the world properly.

The crime of trespassing gets more serious depending on whose property you trespass upon and what you do there.  Trespassing against God is the ultimate crime.  We have all done that and continue to do it. 

Fortunately, God provided a way of forgiveness, through faith in Christ. 

This passage is more specific about trespassing:

Romans 5:15-21 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Roundup

New addition to the blogroll and my Google Reader — The Pugnacious Irishman – excellent content and humor.  Go check it out!

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Stealing an election, Minnesota / Democrat style — after all the whining about how Bush “stole” an election when he really didn’t, where are the Democrats now?  What about making every vote count?  How about a little consistency?

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There is a God, so repent and believe in Christ.  Then you can stop worrying and truly enjoy your life — now and forever.

OK, the title isn’t as pithy as the atheists’ bus signs with the slogan below , but it is more accurate.

There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.

Richard Dawkins, who told the BBC that the ad campaign was designed to make people think, an action he said was “anathema to religion.”

Actually, it is Dawkins who is not a clear thinker, while Christianity applauds reason, logic and evidence.  Among other things, he thinks he solves his problem of God by hypothesizing that life on earth could have come from aliens — as if that would accomplish anything more than moving the concept of a creator back one degree.

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You’re both wrong: The Denver Post removed a reference to “the Lord” from a quote by potential Illinois Senator Roland Burris (“We are hoping and praying that they will not be able to deny what the Lord has ordained.”) .   The paper appears to suffer from Christophobia for deleting the religious reference.  And if the Senator claims to speak for God then the burden of proof is on him to demonstrate that God really ordained this.

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John 8

Greetings!

8     But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. ² At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. ³ The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group ⁴ and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. ⁵ In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” ⁶ They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. ⁷ When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” ⁸ Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

⁹ At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. ¹⁰ Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

¹¹ “No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

As most Bibles note, the previous passage is not found in the earliest manuscripts.  Therefore, it may not have been in the original writings.  There are just a couple other examples like this, such as the last few verses of the Gospel of Mark. 

Does this mean we can’t trust that the Bible contains the original writings?  Not at all.  It shows that the process of textual criticism works.  When experts examine thousands of manuscripts found around the world from different centuries and find them to be 99.5% in agreement (the other 0.5% being the equivalent of typos and such), then we can be confident that we know what the originals said. 

This story, for example, would not change any doctrines.  It is easy to imagine Jesus outwitting the Pharisees this way. 

It may have been a real story that got dropped for a time in some manuscripts, or it may have been an authentic addition to scripture.

Does this passage mean that Jesus was against capital punishment?  Not at all, as it was his idea to begin with (Jesus is God, and capital punishment was God’s idea). 

Jesus was following the law here.  Two witnesses were required, and in his mercy and to prove a point He effectively chased the witnesses away.

Other items of note: What did Jesus draw on the ground?  We don’t know.  Perhaps he wrote “Where is the man?” and/or a list of the sins of those surrounding him.

Note that He told her to stop sinning!  Many people miss that point and just use this story as an excuse to sin.

 

The Validity of Jesus’ Testimony

Jesus really gets in the face of the Pharisees here, and it continues for some time. 

¹² When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

¹³ The Pharisees challenged him, “Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid.”

¹⁴ Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. ¹⁵ You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. ¹⁶ But if I do judge, my decisions are right, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. ¹⁷ In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two men is valid. ¹⁸ I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me.”

¹⁹ Then they asked him, “Where is your father?”

“You do not know me or my Father,” Jesus replied. “If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” ²⁰ He spoke these words while teaching in the temple area near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no one seized him, because his time had not yet come.

²¹ Once more Jesus said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.”

²² This made the Jews ask, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘Where I go, you cannot come’?”

²³ But he continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. ²⁴ I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins.”

²⁵ “Who are you?” they asked.

“Just what I have been claiming all along,” Jesus replied. ²⁶ “I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is reliable, and what I have heard from him I tell the world.”

²⁷ They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. ²⁸ So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am the one I claim to be and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. ²⁹ The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.” ³⁰ Even as he spoke, many put their faith in him.

The Children of Abraham

³¹ To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. ³² Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

³³ They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”

³⁴ Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. ³⁵ Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. ³⁶ So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. ³⁷ I know you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are ready to kill me, because you have no room for my word. ³⁸ I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you do what you have heard from your father.”

What great news: “If the Sons sets you free, you will be free indeed.” 

³⁹ “Abraham is our father,” they answered.

“If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do the things Abraham did. ⁴⁰ As it is, you are determined to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. ⁴¹ You are doing the things your own father does.”

“We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.”

The Children of the Devil

⁴² Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me. ⁴³ Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. ⁴⁴ You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. ⁴⁵ Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! ⁴⁶ Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? ⁴⁷ He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”

Jesus pulled no punches in explaining why they weren’t authentic believers. 

He spoke of Satan as a real person here, even though liberal theologians often deny that reality.  Once again they disagree with Jesus.

The Claims of Jesus About Himself

⁴⁸ The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?”

⁴⁹ “I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. ⁵⁰ I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. ⁵¹ I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”

⁵² At this the Jews exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that if anyone keeps your word, he will never taste death. ⁵³ Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”

⁵⁴ Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. ⁵⁵ Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and keep his word. ⁵⁶ Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”

⁵⁷ “You are not yet fifty years old,” the Jews said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!”

⁵⁸ “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” ⁵⁹ At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.

By saying, “I am,” Jesus made a direct claim to be God.  These Jews were experts in the Old Testament and would have known that Jesus was referring to Exodus 3:14 where God tells Moses that He is to be called “I AM.”  This is a gigantic theological point, made in many other passages as well. 

The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Why aren’t more people evangelical?

Pastor Timothy had a good piece on a Penn Jillette video (see the YouTube at the bottom of the post).

Apparently, a man gave Penn Jillette, of Penn & Teller fame, a Bible and it really moved Penn. No, he is not a believer. He is an atheist. But the kindness which the man showed towards Penn was enough to make him stop and think. Penn points out that if Christians really believe in heaven and hell the way that we say we do, then it is not very loving to not tell others about Christ. In other words, since we do believe those things, then we need to tell others of Christ. Realize, this is coming from an atheist. This should stir our hearts into action.

The man who gave Jillette the Bible did a good job of witnessing by his words and actions.

Let us also consider how logical it is for everyone to be more “evangelistic”, regardless of their worldview.  If you hold firmly to any religion or even to atheism, it seems logical to me that you’d want to share those truths with other people.  Of course I’m not saying that more than one can be true, because they all have mutually exclusive truth claims. 

But if you think atheism is completely true, wouldn’t you want to share that with others?  If you think Christianity is true, wouldn’t you want to share that?  Or Islam, or Hinduism, or whatever?  Eternity is a mighty long time, so if you are sure of your beliefs and think others are wrong then the loving thing would be to spread that truth in an effective manner.

Comment policy

I thought I would highlight this love note from a recent commenter as an example of why I am moderating comments more in 2009.  In short, I’ve found that my discernment is remarkably accurate in determining when conversations won’t be productive.  God has given me so many things and I need to be a good steward of them all, including my time.

Long time readers know that alternative views are welcomed here provided that they are communicated in an adult manner.  I do hold those who claim to be Christians to a higher standard, and have borrowed Carlotta’s policy on that:

For Believers – An intentionally different standard applies to those who name themselves followers of Christ: persons who claim to be believers in Jesus Christ yet bring manifestly false teaching on basic doctrines of the faith, and/or promote evil acts are not welcomed into discussion here.

I didn’t let this guy’s first comment through because it included pointless insults.  Then he added this second comment, which manages to cram in multiple logical fallacies and insults at the same time its very premise self-destructs.  Sadly, this is pretty common from the pro-materialistic Darwinists.  I expect these whenever I post anything on Intelligent Design or criticizing Darwinian evolution.

You like to delete postings that cut through your web of lies, don’t you?

No more need to prove that people who reject evolution in favour of creationism are among the biggest idiots in the world.

They are completely immune to fact and reason and dishonest to the bone. The scum of all religious believers.

First, he begs the question by stating that I have a “web of lies.”  He should demonstrate that first, but of course he can’t.  At worst, I could be mistaken on some points, but I have not lied about anything.

He has several ad hominem fallacies (attacking the person, not the content of their arguments).   Those are always telling.

He claims I am immune to fact and reason but I welcome anyone to scan my hundreds of posts and come to their own conclusion.  Christianity requires and applauds the use of reason.  Or just consider this post.  I have analyzed his views from various angles but haven’t called him a liar, an idiot or scum and haven’t said he was immune to fact and reason.

But here’s the fun part: If his worldview is true, then none of his comment makes any sense.  It completely self-destructs. 

After all, if he is correct that the universe came from nothing, life came from non-life, Darwinian evolution explains how we got here, etc., then there this process is responsible for my Christian worldview.   Fancy that!  Darwinian evolution led me to “imagine” that I see evidence for the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, the existence of God and the accuray of the Bible.  And not just any evidence –  I see cosmological, teleological, moral, logical, historical, archeological evidence and more (see the apologetics section to the right for more).

As always, his worldview can’t adequately explain the Christian worldview, but the Christian worldview can explain his:

Romans 1:18-20 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

And if his worldview is true, why would dishonesty be a bad thing?  Where is his universal morality coming from?  He obviously thinks there is such a thing as morality and that I should be held accountable to his version of it, but why?

And where does “reason” come into play?  If everything in the universe has a material cause, then why would we think in terms of reason or logic, which are clearly immaterial. 

And he makes the same mistake most Darwinists do: Even if Darwinian evolution were true, it still wouldn’t explain the start of the universe and the origin of life and it wouldn’t explain away God like its proponents want it to.  I don’t think that theistic evolution is supported by the facts, but even if Darwinian evolution were true it doesn’t mean that God doesn’t exist.

And then there’s the irony of him complaining about me not posting his comment.  If it is a moral flaw on my part not to post his insulting comment on this little blog, I wonder how he reacted to the movie Expelled!  Actually, I don’t wonder, as I’m pretty sure I know his reaction (based on the reaction of all the other Darwinists). 

But of course deleting his comment merely cost him a few keystrokes.  It wasn’t like I damaged his reputation or cost him his job or his tenure.  So is censorship bad or not?  If it is bad to delete a comment on a blog then what much of the scientific and academic community is doing is really, really bad, even by his standards.

So in conclusion, please save us all some time and don’t leave comments like that.

Roundup

Edgar asked me on my Facebook what the last five songs I purchased on iTunes.  What were yours?

1. Cleveland Rocks by Ian Hunter — Trans Siberian Orchestra played it in Cleveland as an encore.  Nice touch.
2. Fool for the City by Foghat — heard it on the radio in Cleveland
3. Beautiful Scandalous Night by Robbie Seay — the praise band at church played it
4. You Never Let Go by Matt Redmond — learned it on guitar for the Honduras trip and really liked it
5. Give Me Your Eyes by Brandon Heath — great theme about trying to see things as Jesus does

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New Year’s hope for post-abortive women and men — The author emphasizes that we should focus on the transforming power of the Gospel and not just the pain of our mistakes, and he has some good suggestions in the section about ”Preaching the Gospel to Yourself: Replacing False Beliefs with Truthful Ones.” 

Somewhat related topic: Cool billboard in San Francisco seen by 100,000 people per day

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Is Mormonism Christian?  No, despite the shift in the last 25 years from claiming not to be Christian to saying they are just another denomination.  Excellent video by James White explaining why.

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The church and the military — Many folks misunderstand church history and default to pure pacifism, which is not Biblical. 

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Palestinians boast of using civilians as human shields — it is amazing to me that the liberals still side with Hamas & Co.  In their own words:

Death has become an industry . . . We want death just as much as you desire life.

And here’s a must-read by Charles Krauthammer about Hamas and Israel. 

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New addition to the blogroll that I think orthodox Christians will like — check out Religion and Morality

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Ten thoughts Darwinists need to ponder before breakfast — great list.  A couple examples:

6. Darwin admitted that based upon the data published in his Origin of Species, one could come to “directly opposite” conclusions. For example, natural selection can prevent major evolutionary change from occurring on a gradual step-by-step basis by eliminating useless transitional stages thus explaining the lack of transitional sequences leading to all of the major body plans (phyla) in the fossil record.

“I am well aware that there is scarcely a single point discussed in this volume on which facts cannot be adduced, often apparently leading to conclusions directly opposite to those at which I have arrived. A fair result can be obtained only by fully stating and balancing the facts on both sides of each question, and this cannot possibly be done here.”

Charles Darwin
The Origin of Species
1859

10. The ultimate origin of Nature itself cannot be natural. Either Nature or a Natural Law Giver has always existed. Nature has not always existed. What do you conclude?

When scientists tell you that the origin of everything natural must be explained purely in terms of natural processes, we need to remind them that no natural processes existed before Nature came into existence. We hold this truth to be self-evident, don’t we?

Creation preceded evolution.

John 7

Greetings!

Jesus Goes to the Feast of Tabernacles

7     After this, Jesus went around in Galilee, purposely staying away from Judea because the Jews there were waiting to take his life. ² But when the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near, ³ Jesus’ brothers said to him, “You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles you do. ⁴ No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” ⁵ For even his own brothers did not believe in him.

Jesus’ brother, James, eventually became a believer and wrote the book of the Bible that bears his name. 

⁶ Therefore Jesus told them, “The right time for me has not yet come; for you any time is right. ⁷ The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil. ⁸ You go to the Feast. I am not yet going up to this Feast, because for me the right time has not yet come.” ⁹ Having said this, he stayed in Galilee.

¹⁰ However, after his brothers had left for the Feast, he went also, not publicly, but in secret. ¹¹ Now at the Feast the Jews were watching for him and asking, “Where is that man?”

¹² Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about him. Some said, “He is a good man.”

Others replied, “No, he deceives the people.” ¹³ But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the Jews.

Jesus Teaches at the Feast

¹⁴ Not until halfway through the Feast did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach. ¹⁵ The Jews were amazed and asked, “How did this man get such learning without having studied?”

¹⁶ Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me. ¹⁷ If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. ¹⁸ He who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him. ¹⁹ Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?”

²⁰ “You are demon-possessed,” the crowd answered. “Who is trying to kill you?”

²¹ Jesus said to them, “I did one miracle, and you are all astonished. ²² Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs), you circumcise a child on the Sabbath. ²³ Now if a child can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing the whole man on the Sabbath? ²⁴ Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment.”

V. 24 is important to note when people insist that Jesus said not to judge.  They take Matthew 7:1 out of context and fail to read the next few verses, which teach that we should judge but not hypocritically.

Is Jesus the Christ?

²⁵ At that point some of the people of Jerusalem began to ask, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill? ²⁶ Here he is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying a word to him. Have the authorities really concluded that he is the Christ? ²⁷ But we know where this man is from; when the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from.”

²⁸ Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, “Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him, ²⁹ but I know him because I am from him and he sent me.”

³⁰ At this they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his time had not yet come. ³¹ Still, many in the crowd put their faith in him. They said, “When the Christ comes, will he do more miraculous signs than this man?”

³² The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about him. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him.

³³ Jesus said, “I am with you for only a short time, and then I go to the one who sent me. ³⁴ You will look for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.”

³⁵ The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we cannot find him? Will he go where our people live scattered among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks? ³⁶ What did he mean when he said, ‘You will look for me, but you will not find me,’ and ‘Where I am, you cannot come’?”

³⁷ On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. ³⁸ Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” ³⁹ By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

The believers received the Holy Spirit 50 days after the resurrection, at Pentecost.  Then they were empowered to go change the world.

⁴⁰ On hearing his words, some of the people said, “Surely this man is the Prophet.”

⁴¹ Others said, “He is the Christ.”

Still others asked, “How can the Christ come from Galilee? ⁴² Does not the Scripture say that the Christ will come from David’s family and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?” ⁴³ Thus the people were divided because of Jesus. ⁴⁴ Some wanted to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him.

Unbelief of the Jewish Leaders

⁴⁵ Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring him in?”

⁴⁶ “No one ever spoke the way this man does,” the guards declared.

⁴⁷ “You mean he has deceived you also?” the Pharisees retorted. ⁴⁸ “Has any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? ⁴⁹ No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law—there is a curse on them.”

⁵⁰ Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, ⁵¹ “Does our law condemn anyone without first hearing him to find out what he is doing?”

⁵² They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.”

Nicodemus, who we met in chapter 3, appears to be a closet believer at this time – or at least someone seriously investigating Jesus’ claims.

 

⁵³ Then each went to his own home.

The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

John 6

Greetings!

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

6     Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), ² and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick. ³ Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. ⁴ The Jewish Passover Feast was near.

⁵ When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” ⁶ He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

⁷ Philip answered him, “Eight months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”

⁸ Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, ⁹ “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”

¹⁰ Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. ¹¹ Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

¹² When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” ¹³ So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

¹⁴ After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” ¹⁵ Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.

Jesus met their physical needs by performing a great miracle.  There were twelve baskets left over – one per disciple.  But the people misunderstood his purpose and wanted him to be an earthly king.  He would make an outstanding human king, of course, but that wouldn’t have solved our problem of sin.  We tend to only think in the short term.  I write this as a presidential election is about to take place, and people are expecting their candidate to “save” them.  And Forbes magazine has a cover story about how capitalism will “save us.” 

Some candidates are far better than others, and some economic systems are far better than others, but Jesus has what we need eternally.

Jesus Walks on the Water

¹⁶ When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, ¹⁷ where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. ¹⁸ A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. ¹⁹ When they had rowed three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were terrified. ²⁰ But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” ²¹ Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.

The walking on water event is told here in a simple style, without hyperbole.  Just a simple description.  It was another miracle of how Jesus could control nature.

²² The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone. ²³ Then some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. ²⁴ Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.

Jesus the Bread of Life

²⁵ When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”

²⁶ Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. ²⁷ Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”

²⁸ Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”

²⁹ Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

What a powerful verse!  To do what God wants we should believe in Jesus.  Not Allah or Buddha or Krishna, but Jesus.

³⁰ So they asked him, “What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? ³¹ Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”

³² Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. ³³ For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

³⁴ “Sir,” they said, “from now on give us this bread.”

³⁵ Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. ³⁶ But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. ³⁷ All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. ³⁸ For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. ³⁹ And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. ⁴⁰ For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

God is the one who gives us to Jesus, and Jesus will not lose us.  V. 40 shows once again that truly believing (i.e., trusting) in Jesus is what gives us eternal life – not our good deeds.

⁴¹ At this the Jews began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” ⁴² They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”

⁴³ “Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered. ⁴⁴ “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. ⁴⁵ It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. ⁴⁶ No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. ⁴⁷ I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. ⁴⁸ I am the bread of life. ⁴⁹ Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. ⁵⁰ But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. ⁵¹ I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

⁵² Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

⁵³ Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. ⁵⁴ Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. ⁵⁵ For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. ⁵⁶ Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. ⁵⁷ Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. ⁵⁸ This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever.” ⁵⁹ He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

Many Disciples Desert Jesus

⁶⁰ On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”

⁶¹ Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? ⁶² What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! ⁶³ The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. ⁶⁴ Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. ⁶⁵ He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him.”

⁶⁶ From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

⁶⁷ “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.

⁶⁸ Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. ⁶⁹ We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”

⁷⁰ Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” ⁷¹ (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.)

 The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Pro-abortion myths that just won’t die

These claims came from a post at another blog.

What of the deaths that occur when abortion is illegal?

If some murderers die while committing crimes do we make those crimes legal?  What of the deaths of the unborn that always die with “successful” abortions?

Seems abortions have been going on forever.

So have other forms of murder (see Genesis 4), but that doesn’t mean they should be legal, either.

I would rather my daughter who was raped (just an example) get a legal abortion in a very clean clinic verses a back alley wire hanger abortion.

How about if we kill the rapist instead of the child?  Also, pre-Roe v. Wade most abortions took place in doctors’ offices, not back alleys.  The back alley abortion with a coat hanger is largely an urban legend manufactured by pro-abortionists in the 60′s to advance their cause.  According to the CDC there were 39 deaths due to abortion in the last year of data avaiable for Roe v. Wade, yet it was marketed as thousands. 

The feminists bought it hook, line and sinker, and now consider it mandatory to have the right to kill their unborn children to prove their equality to men.

The clinics you refer to aren’t “totally clean.”  People like Obama fight the standards that hospitals must adhere to. 

Check out RealChoice to learn more about how “safe” abortions are.  The media just doesn’t tell you about the deaths that occur today.

I would rather that a daughter that was sexually abused get a legal and safe abortion than bear a totally unwanted child to term.

Abortions for incest / rape (including statutory rape) often hide the crimes.  Planned Parenthood is notorious for that. 

Is it moral to destroy unwanted children outside the womb?  Of course not.  So the only question is, “What is the unborn?”  If it is not a human being, then no justification for abortion is necessary.  If it is a human being, then no justification is sufficient (except to save the life of the mother, of course, which is in concert with the pro-life ethic).

I would rather a known badly handicapped/deformed child be terminated instead of bringing a soul into a life of constant suffering.

Is it moral to destroy handicapped / deformed children outside the womb?  Of course not.  See the previous answer for the rest.  Also, disabled people aren’t necessarily less happy than “regular” people, and they have lower suicide rates.

I would rather have the government keep out of, an off of, peoples bodies.

That ignores the human being getting destroyed.  Why shouldn’t the gov’t protect her?

So you are opposed to government funded abortions then?  Because Obama wants to repeal the Hyde Amendment and take away your “choice” of whether or not to fund abortions.

Stuff

The holidays went well.  We had a good trip to Ohio to see my wife’s family.  They are fabulous hosts and always fun to be around.  We played lots of Wii and went to a great Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert.

Doing lots of 2009 planning.  Our oldest daughter will be going off to college and trying out for ballet companies.  The youngest will start home schooling (really more of an online High School) in the Fall for her last couple years.  I’m trying to figure out how to fit in vacations, moving my daughter, auditions, a mission trip, etc. and still show up at work now and then. 

Work is going really well.  The commute is long (though I try to redeem it with lots of good Podcasts) but everything else is great.  I inherited a department that had 110% turnover per year and have had no voluntary turnover in 3 yrs., plus we just did a company wide employee satisfaction survey and my group had the highest ratings to go along with great productivity and performance improvements.  I may do a little blog series on all the things that worked so well at Compaq / HP and turned things around in this role as well.

I may also do a series on priorities from a Christian worldview.  Have you created a plan for yourself for 2009, with some actions/goals for family, study, service, giving, etc.? 

My exercise routine is getting a little stale so I’m trying to figure out what to change up while not losing the foundation.

I hope that your 2009 is off to a great start!