Posted on Friday,

Is Something “More” True Because its in the Bible?

As Christians we sometimes do things that don’t help our cause.

Sure, they are done from good intentions and with a sincere heart. But they actually take our legs out from under us in the long run.

Sometimes this happens with the way Christians talk about truth. Unfortunately we can be too spiritual for our own good. Let me explain what I mean.

2 Dead Ends

There are two versions of how this plays out in our assumptions or conversations:

(1) Only the Bible gives us truth.

(2) Truth derived from the Bible is in a unique category.

Regarding (1) Only the Bible gives us truth. This is clearly false. There is general and special revelation.

To claim that the Bible is wholly true and without error does not entail that only the Bible gives us truth. I can learn truths about the city of Jericho from the book of Joshua and also other ancient historians / archaeologists.

The Bible does not reveal the elements of the periodic table. These are truths I can discover from outside the Bible.

Regarding (2) Only the Bible gives us truth. I like to ask a question which makes this clearer: Which statement is more true?

a.) Water is H20

b.) Jesus of Nazareth rose from the dead

It’s not a trick question. Truth is not a “degreed” property. Meaning that you either have it or you don’t. Either a belief or statement corresponds to reality or it doesn’t. Period.

Whether that is in a laboratory or a ancient document, the standard is the same. Does the claim math up with reality? We must push through that little tug in our hearts and minds that wants us to put the Bible in a different category.

Truth is Truth

Authority is a different question because some sources are more authoritative than others. But truth is a “univocal” term. Whether you are a Christian, a Buddhist, a Hindu or an Atheist…Truth is truth. Why? Because it deals with reality.

As Christians we think that faith is rooted in history (cf 1 Cor. 15). We believe that the evidence best supports the Christian worldview. So we don’t need to put the Bible in a different category.

In fact it increases our credibility when we don’t have special rules when it comes to religion or spirituality. A level playing field is an opportunity for Christianity to really shine.

That’s why we need to define our terms like “faith” very carefully and admit that it’s possible that Christianity could be false (though I think there are very strong reasons to think it is true).

So no, something is not more true because it’s in the Bible. And it’s certainly not “unspiritual” to say this out loud.

If you found this post helpful, you would enjoy How to Respond to the “That’s Just Your Interpretation” Objection

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Posted on Friday,

The Art of Persuasion (Video)

How do we share the gospel with people who are not willing to hear it? What does it look like to be creative and imaginative in how we engage our secular and skeptical culture? One of my favorite authors Os Guinness shares about the art of persuasion in this video.

The Apostle Paul on our “rules of engagement”:

“And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. 25 Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.” – 2 Timothy 2:24-26

If you found this post helpful, you would enjoy How To Break Free From Skepticism With One Simple Question

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Posted on Wednesday,

8 Things Christians Must Understand About Our Cultural Moment [Podcast]

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What are the 8 things Christians must understand about our cultural moment? What does it look like to think Christianly in today’s post-Christian culture? Are Christians angry, defensive, emotionally immature, and ignorant? How can we reject Sunday morning only Christianity? These are just a few of the critical questions I tackle in this episode of the think Christianly podcast. Learn how to prepare to engage the strategic historical moment God has placed us in.

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A quick response to the “who are you to judge” objection.

Give your graduate the gift of a confident faith.

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Posted on Tuesday,

One Word That Makes Christianity Different From All World Religions

One word can make all the difference.

It certainly did for me this past week…

Last week my older brother lost his battle with cancer. At just 40 years old, he was way too young. He fought hard and outlasted all of the predictions for stage 4 melanoma. He was courageous and positive. I am grateful he is no longer suffering, but I will miss him deeply. I will miss all the years we could have experienced together.

But as we talked often these past few months, we were confident that this life would not be the end. In a word, we had hope. Not wishful thinking mind you, but solid hope in a future reality.

And it is this one small, but exceedingly powerful word that sets Christianity apart from all world religions.

A Living Hope

No other religion offers genuine hope. But it’s at the heart of Christianity:

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” — 1 Peter 1:3-7

Hope provides the ability to suffer well.

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.” — Romans 15:4

God’s Word gives us hope because we see how God has acted in the ordinary lives of men and women of faith in the past.

“Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf.” — Hebrews 6:17-20

In the everyday circumstances of life our soul can wonder or want to shrink back, but we have an anchor of the soul to take hold of. Many times this anchor holds us.

Hope.

The Basis Of Our Christian Hope

The basis of our hope is the character of God and the reality of the resurrection. That is one of the lessons Easter teaches us. God does not lie and he has proven that this life is not all there is by raising Jesus of Nazareth from the dead.

Moreover, this life is not even our greatest good. Our greatest good is to know God and love him forever. My brother is now experiencing this in a way that I cannot yet. But one day we will share that experience. As will all who are a part of God’s forever family.

Islam does not offer hope because one could never be sure that one has a secure future and relationship with God.

Buddhism does not offer hope because desire is snuffed out along with your personal identity. You–quite literally–cease to be. Desire is then severed from hope itself and also your hope.

Only Christianity can offer genuine hope for the future.

I like how Gandalf puts it in the Lord of the Rings:

“End? No, the journey doesn’t end here. Death is just another path, one that we all must take. The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass, and then you see it…White shores, and beyond, a far green country under a swift sunrise.”

I am sad and hopeful. I grieve and am confident. So even as we live in a world full of not the way it’s supposed to be…take heart. As J.I. Packer puts it, “Though the Christian life is regularly marked more by suffering than by triumph…our hope is sure and our mood should be one of unquenchable confidence: we are on the victory side.”

Christianity is true. Jesus is risen. Our hope is secure…no matter what comes our way.

If you found this post helpful, you would enjoy Why Does Truth Matter?

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Posted on Tuesday,

A Quick Response To The “Who Are You To Judge?” Objection

Raise your hand if you want to be seen as judgmental. Any takers? Me neither.

But how many times have you been shut down by this little slogan–“Who Are You To Judge?” After all, didn’t Jesus say “Do not judge so that you will not be judged?” Hmmmm….that does sound like something from the Bible…

Yes, Jesus did say that. But most people have misunderstood the point that Jesus was trying to make there.

And if you’re able to master the context of this oft quoted but frequently misapplied passage then you will be ready to help your friends and family think more clearly about important spiritual and moral truths. And every step towards the truth is a really big deal!

Move Over John 3:16…

Many people today may know John 3:16 is in the Bible and has something to do with Jesus, but Matthew 7:1 has surpassed it as the most quoted Bible verse in our increasingly secular culture.

Let’s take a closer look at this famous passage found in Matthew 7. For the full context, we will examine verses 1-6:

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.”

Is Jesus’ point here that we are not to say that what someone else is doing may be morally wrong or spiritually misguided? The short answer is clearly and unequivocally no. How do we know that? Because if so, then Jesus disobeyed his own command within only a paragraph!
Look at verse 5. Jesus calls people hypocrites. Gasp! Jesus was judgmental too? Actually, lets be more specific. Given this group’s behavior, he makes the informed judgment that they are hypocrites.

And in the next verse he makes another judgement that dogs don’t deserve what is sacred and pigs aren’t worthy of pearls. By the way, dogs and pigs represent people and their attitudes towards what is truly valuable–ouch.

So what is Jesus against?
Being self-righteous…

thinking that you are morally or spiritually superior to someone else or earning God’s special favor by obeying the rules.

Jesus both assumes and illustrates in his life and teachings that making judgements is not only unavoidable but completely necessary and appropriate.

The Bottom Line

Bottom line: Jesus is for making judgments between good and evil, what is morally right and wrong, and what is true and what is false. What he was completely against was people using knowledge of the truth to beat people up with, belittle, or make themselves appear morally superior.

Once we look at the context of this passage, it becomes obvious that we need to grow in our ability to make judgments. But we need to be aware of our hearts ability to become self righteous. There is no room for arrogance in the Christian life.

The psalmist’s prayer is a good reminder to check our hearts:

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” – Psalm 139:23-24

But we also need the moral courage to stand for truth in the midst of these common slogans and not buckle under the pressure of those who think God’s revealed truth is outdated.

If you found this post helpful, you would enjoy How to Respond to the “That’s Just Your Interpretation” Objection

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