Biblical Teaching
The Beauty of Christmas MusicEach year I look forward to hearing the sounds of Christmas, especially the traditional...
Transforming Power of God’s Grace – Genesis 32
What’s The Big Deal About The Resurrection?
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Apologetics
Resurrection SummaryAfter posting a 15 part series on the historicity of the resurrection I thought I...
Was the Resurrection a Historical Event? Part 15 (Series Final)
The best explanation of these facts is that Jesus rose from the dead. This, of...
Was the Resurrection a Historical Event? Part 14
What is the best explanation of the facts Writers lied about the resurrection A...
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AA: Steve
Resurrection SummaryAfter posting a 15 part series on the historicity of the resurrection I thought I needed to write a summary defense of the resurrection. This is a tool to print out and hand to a seeker of spiritual truth. RESURRECTION OF JESUS…..Fact or Fiction? Some believe the Resurrection of Jesus is a story, myth, or legend. Others believe it is the truth. ... [Read more of this review]
Was the Resurrection a Historical Event? Part 15 (Series Final)
The best explanation of these facts is that Jesus rose from the dead. This, of course, was the account the eyewitnesses themselves gave, and I can think of no better explanation. The resurrection hypothesis passes all the standard criteria for being the best explanation of the 5 facts scholars accept. After examining each of the alternative theories... [Read more of this review]
Was the Resurrection a Historical Event? Part 14
What is the best explanation of the facts Writers lied about the resurrection A Discovery channel special, “The Lost Tomb of Jesus,” asserted the tomb was empty because the disciples stole the body and placed Jesus in a hidden tomb. What this means is that after the body was stolen, the Biblical writers formed a conspiracy and made up the stories... [Read more of this review]
Was the Resurrection a Historical Event? Part 13
What is the best explanation of the facts? Disciples suffered from hallucinations Some try to object to the resurrection by stating the disciples had some sort of hallucination when they saw Jesus alive. A key argument against hallucinations is they cannot be shared. Even if all the disciples had wished strongly for Jesus to be alive, hallucinations... [Read more of this review]
Was the Resurrection a Historical Event? Part 12
What is the best explanation of the facts? Jesus didn’t die theory The Discovery Channel recently had a special where “scholars” identified an herb that could mask the death of Jesus and hide the fact he was still alive. They believe he was taken down off the cross only appearing to be dead; for them this would explain the bodily resurrection... [Read more of this review]
Was the Resurrection a Historical Event? Part 11
What is the best explanation of the facts? Overall the 5 facts give us an historical framework for testing explanations. The best explanation is the one that can account for all 5 accepted historical facts. Remember the 5 facts are: Fact #1: Jesus was killed by crucifixion Fact #2: Jesus’ disciples believed that he rose and appeared to them Fact... [Read more of this review]
Was the Resurrection a Historical Event? Part 10
Was the Resurrection a Historical Event? Part 10 Fact # 5: Jesus’ tomb was empty Again an overwhelming majority of scholars, both liberal and conservative believe the empty tomb is a historical fact (75%)[1]. Here are 3 key reasons: The Jerusalem factor – Jesus was publicly executed and buried in Jerusalem and the resurrection is proclaimed... [Read more of this review]
Was the Resurrection a Historical Event? Part 9
Fact #4: The conversion of the skeptic James, Jesus’ half-brother The Gospels tell us Jesus had at least 4 half-brothers; James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon; as well as half-sisters whose names we don’t know (Mark 6:3-4). Concerning the brothers we read in John 7:3-5 “Jesus’ brothers said to him, ‘You ought to leave here and go to Judea,... [Read more of this review]
Was the Resurrection a Historical Event? Part 8
Fact #3: The conversion of the church persecutor Paul We know from multiple sources that Paul, known as Saul, was an enemy of the church and was committed to persecuting Christians. In Acts 7 & 8 Saul approves of the stoning of Stephen, a Christian martyr. After the burial of Stephen we see Saul continuing his hatred towards Christians. Acts... [Read more of this review]
A Pro-Life Challenge
Some try to argue for abortion by saying the unborn, especially in early stages, is not human. Josh Brahm is offering to shut down his pro-life YouTube channel if someone can successfully make an argument from science proving that the unborn is not a human being. Check out Josh at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4MnelFIJr8 to view his pro-life challenge. ... [Read more of this review]
Was the Resurrection a Historical Event? Part 7
Fact #2: Jesus’ disciples believed that he rose and appeared to them To establish this fact I will use 3 lines of evidence; 1) Paul’s testimony about the disciples, 2) oral traditions passed through the early church, and 3) written works of the early church. I will begin with looking at the writings of the Apostle Paul. Writing around 55 AD Paul... [Read more of this review]
Was the Resurrection a Historical Event? Part 6
Fact #1: Jesus was killed by crucifixion Skeptic James Tabor says, “I think we need have no doubt that given Jesus’ execution by Roman crucifixion he was truly dead.” Both atheistic New Testament critic Gerd Ludemann and agnotic Bart Ehrman, calls the crucifixion an indisputable fact. Why? First all four Gospels report it. They are either independent... [Read more of this review]
Was the Resurrection a Historical Event? Part 5
In constructing a case for Jesus’ resurrection, it’s important to distinguish between the evidence and the best explanation of that evidence. This distinction is crucial because in this case the evidence is relatively uncontroversial; it’s agreed to by most scholars. On the other hand, the explanation of that evidence is controversial. My conclusion,... [Read more of this review]
Saved by Grace through Faith
Last week, while teaching a class, I was talking about how we are saved by grace through faith and not by works. I mentioned we have this sense that when we wrong someone we need to do something good. An individual in the class asked where these feelings of doing good, whenever we do bad, come from. As I thought about it this week I sensed... [Read more of this review]
Was the Resurrection a Historical Event? Part 4
Since the individual books of the Bible are my primary sources of information, in support of the resurrection, I do have to defend why I think we can trust those books historically. This will be a brief defense. Much more could be said to support the historicity of the Bible. According to historians the closer the writings are to the actual event,... [Read more of this review]
Was the Resurrection a Historical Event? Part 3
I am arguing that Jesus physical rose from the dead after 3 days and appeared to many. What you have to understand is there is a lot at stake if I am wrong about this. The Apostle Paul states the problem in 1 Corinthians 15:17-19 “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen... [Read more of this review]
Was the Resurrection a Historical Event? Part 2
Part one on the resurrection ended with these questions: If they found the bones of Jesus would that destroy your faith? Would that destroy Christianity? John Dominic Crossan, professor from DePaul University, said, “It certainly would not destroy my Christian faith [if bones were found]. I leave what happens to the bodies up to God.” ... [Read more of this review]
Was the Resurrection a Historical Event?
An elderly couple took a trip to Israel and while they were there the wife died. The government told the husband he could have his wife buried in Jerusalem for $150 or shipped back to the US for $5000. He told them he would pay the $5000. They were taken by surprise and asked “Why would you pay $5000 when you can have your wife buried here... [Read more of this review]
Essential Doctrine 6: Jesus was resurrected from the dead
All Christians must believe Jesus died on the cross and on the third day was bodily raised from the dead. The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Cor. 15:17 “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.” Without the resurrection of Jesus, Paul says our faith is worthless and we are still in our sins; which means... [Read more of this review]
Essential Doctrine 5: We are saved by grace through faith
All Christians must believe we are saved by grace through faith and not by doing good works. “Saved” here means we are rescued from the penalty sin. Jesus dying on the cross paid the penalty we deserve, which if left unpaid, would have resulted in spiritual death and eternal separation from God. However, by trusting in Jesus Christ, through... [Read more of this review]
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