Give five reasons to support your view of the divine inspiration of Scripture.
Question:
Give five reasons to support your view of the divine inspiration of Scripture.
Answer:
I am uncompromising in my stance of the Bible, as originally inspired, being the inerrant Word of God. I can base this statement on many facts (for a much more detailed study on this topic please see my post entitled “Validity of the Bible”) but in summary we can rest assured it is divinely inspired because of the following:
1. Jesus Himself spoke of the Scriptures’: Authority – Matthew 22:43, Reliability – Matthew 26:54, Finality – Matthew 4:4, 7, 10, Sufficiency – Luke 16:31, Indestructibility – Matthew 5:17-18, Unity – Luke 24:27, 44, Clarity – Luke 24:27, Historicity – Matthew 12:40, Facticity (scientifically) – Matthew 19:2-5, Inerrancy – Matthew 22:29; John 3:12, 17:17, Infallibility – John 10:35
2. Third-party verification – a plethora of external sources and facts outside the Bible corroborate what is found in the Bible.
3. Historical reliability – The Bible’s message is a sharp contrast to the pagan fertility religions and philosophies of the ancient world as revealed through history. It isn’t shy about mentioning dates and places that have never been proven false (or if they seemingly had later evidence has uncovered these claims to be false themselves thus proving the Bible true). Additionally, the multitude of manuscripts and breadth of textual criticism has brought us much closer over time to understanding the truly amazing accuracy of the Scriptures.
4. Fulfilled prophecy – Events demonstrate that the Biblical prophets accurately predicted events hundreds of years before they occurred.
5. Archaeological evidence – Physical evidence demonstrates the historical and cultural accuracy of the Bible.
6. Life …
Gospel Message: Anathema Against the Cross
Key verse(s)/quote(s):
“The philosopher puts his glass to his eye, looks at the cross, and then says, “I cannot see anything so very wonderful in it, — even with this splendid glass of mine, which more than can be seen by that poor, humble peasant; I do not care about such a system of religion as that; any simpleton can understand the cross.” So he passes by, and merely sneers at it.” - C.H. Spurgeon
“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” - 1 Corinthians 1:18
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” - Romans 3:23
Overview:
A few months ago, I was given the utmost of pleasures by being asked to preach my first ever “official” gospel message – it was also the first time I preached a message from the pulpit at my home church. We held an evening event for which we had established a theme of “It starts and ends at the cross”. It was an oddly nerve-wracking endeavor to prepare this message as I felt a weight from hosting such a lofty privilege as to handle a most poignant message carrying such extreme importance. Although there is an element of the Gospel in much if not all that I preach, it was different having a singular mandate to make the case for Christ and Christianity clear.
Please feel free to flip through the slides below or listen to the audio or simply watch …
Can you please share the evidence for the belief in the resurrection of Christ?
Question:
Can you please share the evidence for the belief in the resurrection of Christ?
Answer:
Incarnation ad infinitum: He that made man was made man
Key verse(s)/quote(s):
“Infinite, and an infant.
Eternal, and yet born of a woman.
Almighty, and yet hanging on a woman’s breast.
Supporting a universe, and yet needing to be carried in a mother’s arms.
King of angels, and yet the reputed son of Joseph.
Heir of all things, and yet the carpenter’s despised son.” - Charles H. Spurgeon
“It was the only way in which He could save us. So we cannot afford to take any risks about this doctrine. We cannot afford to say, ‘It does not matter what your precise statement is.’ That is to be utterly unscriptural. We must be precise and clear and certain and definite in all our statements, otherwise, without knowing it, we may make the doctrine of our own redemption quite impossible.” - Martyn Lloyd-Jones
“who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” - Philippians 2:6 – 11
Key takeaway(s):
- We should have
…
Can’t worry, be happy!
Key verse(s)/quote(s):
“by anxiety about the present life, the more do we show our unbelief, if every thing does not happen to our wish. Many persons, accordingly, who in great prosperity appear to possess faith, or at least to have a tolerable share of it, tremble when any danger of poverty presents itself…” - John Calvin on Matthew 6:30
“But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.” - Matthew 6:30 – 32
Key takeaway(s):
- Why is worrying so bad?
- Defames God
- Rejects God’s sovereignty
- Denies God’s omnipotence
- Belies God’s benevolence
- Leads you away from God
- Reveals our lack of faith
- Remedies of worrying:
- Seek His Kingdom (Matthew 6:33)
- Cast your anxieties on Him (1 Peter 5:6-7)
- Pray, supplicate, and give thanks (Philippians 4:6-7)
- Pervasive genuine Godly view (Philippians 4:8)
- Sanctified living (Philippians 4:9)
Overview:
One of the most common and perplexing phenomena that I observe these days in Christendom is that of worrying. I can readily accept that an atheist may worry about life’s struggles or how they will navigate much of life’s obstacles but it seems counter intuitive that a Christian who recognizes a sovereign God still can question and speculate knowingly or otherwise …
