Posted on Monday,

#30: How to Explain the Trinity to a Child

How to Explain the Trinity to a Child

How do you explain the Trinity to a child? For that matter, how do you explain the Trinity to anyone?

The first thing you need to know is that the Bible never uses the word “Trinity.” The word Trinity captures the various ways the Bible talks about the nature of God.

Also, the Trinity is one of the essential and foundational doctrines of the Christian faith. You can’t have Christianity without it.

I want to share a clear and memorable way to understand what the Bible teaches about the Trinity. I first came across this illustration from Norm Geisler.

One What and Three Who’s

There is one what and three who’s. There is one God and three persons. The “what” refers to the nature of God that all three persons share.

The belief that there is only one God is clearly taught in Scripture. For example,

“Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! – Deuteronomy 6:4

That there are three persons is also clearly taught in Scripture. We see all three persons described and at work in various passages, including 2 Cor. 13:14:

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.”

The Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is not the Father. Each is a distinct person. Three who’s. (more…)

Posted on Tuesday,

#15: What’s the Difference Between Knowing and Showing Christianity is True?

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What’s the difference between knowing and showing Christianity is true?

I was first introduced to this helpful distinction by Christian philosopher William Lane Craig.

The Bible teaches that a believer knows Christianity is true on the basis of the internal witness of the Holy Spirit.

The Testimony of the Holy Spirit

Passages like Rom. 8:16 and Gal. 4:6 make this clear:

“The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” – Romans 8:16

“Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” – Gal. 4:6

When we become a follower of Jesus, God’s Spirit (more…)

Posted on Wednesday,

#2: 3 Things Every Christian Needs to Know About General Revelation [Podcast]

Your Worldview Minute with Jonathan Morrow Episode 2

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Has God spoken? Why does God need to speak? What are the ways in which God speaks? Is general revelation enough? If Christianity is true then why are there so many religions? These are just few of the questions I talk about in this episode of Your Worldview Podcast.

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“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 people are without excuse.” – Rom 1:19-20

Are We Raising a Generation of Almost Christians?

Posted on Wednesday,

Does Knowledge Require Bombproof Certainty?

Must we have bombproof certainty before we can say that we know something? Is it all or nothing — 100 percent certainty (that is, it is impossible that I am wrong) or hopeless skepticism? I don’t think so, because this dilemma is a false one.

A skeptical approach to knowledge maintains that knowledge itself is impossible or that no beliefs can be justified even if they happen to be true. Not only is this view unlivable; it also seems self-contradictory, because even radical skeptics think they know enough to claim you are mistaken.

Our beliefs come in degrees of confidence, and some beliefs are more central than others; logical certainty is available only in mathematics. I may be very confident that God raised Jesus from the dead and have less confidence as to whether or not Christians ought to take the Lord’s Supper every week, but my differing levels of confidence don’t negate my beliefs. The all-or-nothing standard for knowledge gets us in trouble because it eliminates virtually everything that ultimately matters.

When it comes to God, one of the temptations is to withhold judgment until all the information is in and every possible issue has been investigated. To be honest, this is a pretty tall order. You will never know everything about everything. I sure don’t. If you wait until then, well, you will be waiting a long time! And the question of God is too important. (more…)

Posted on Tuesday,

How to Respond to the “All Religions Basically Teach the Same Thing” Slogan

Let’s be honest . . . we don’t like to offend people and we want people to like us.

Because of this, we let some pretty silly ideas go unchallenged in our culture today.

One perennial offender is the notion that all religions basically teach the same thing.

If anyone is to find the truth about God or ultimate reality, then this myth has to be dispensed with quickly.

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New York Times columnist Ross Douthat hits the nail on the head:

“The differences between religions are worth debating. Theology has consequences: It shapes lives, families, nations, cultures, wars; it can change 􏰀􏰁􏰂􏰃􏰄􏰅􏰆􏰇􏰅􏰇􏰈􏰉􏰄􏰊􏰂􏰉􏰋people, save them from themselves, and sometimes warp or even destroy them. If we tiptoe politely around this reality, then we betray every teacher, guru and philosopher—including Jesus of Nazareth and the Buddha both— who ever sought to resolve the most human of all problems: How then should we live?”

It is out of a sense of false tolerance that we think we are actually loving one another if we never challenge ideas that we believe to be false. In addition to this liability, we often lack the courage to (respectfully) say what needs to be said.