Man Becomes Puffed-Up In His Ignorance

"...the less ability a man has, the more he tries to raise and swell himself out, as those of short stature exalt themselves on tip-toe, and the weak use most threats."

Quintilian's Institutes of Oratory, Book 2, Chapter 3

1 John And Assurance Of Salvation

          "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life." (1 John 5:13)

          The Apostle John spells out his purpose in writing this epistle. It closely mirrors the evangelistic appeal of John 20:30-31 in that Christ is said to lead us to eternal life. With His name, comes the good news that fallen humanity can have the kind of life that is enduring and otherworldly. It is not the result of natural birth, but comes from God. Throughout his epistle, John includes various standards (i.e. "these things") for us to use in evaluating our standing before God.

             *According to 1 John 2:1-6, assurance of salvation is based on whether or not we obey Him. One who genuinely knows Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior also does what He says. That man's profession of faith is grounded in the reality of his life. False professions of faith have no validity and such people have no right to claim Christ as their own.

             *A Christian life is characterized with a desire to serve God (1 John 5:2-3). This is not merely a matter of outward conformity to some abstract moral standard, but stems from hearts energized and empowered by the Spirit of God. Obedience to God is the believer's natural way of being. God's commandments are a source of joy and blessing to him.

             *If believers do stumble, then not all hope is lost for them. Jesus Christ is their advocate before God the Father (1 John 2:1). He pleads the sinner's case on his behalf. Christ does so on the basis of His own personal merit. This is analogous to an attorney who intercedes before a judge in a courtroom for a defendant. Christ is the one who made the forgiveness of sin even possible.

             *A lack of concern regarding one's status with God is reason to question his spiritual standing, if he professes to know Christ. Persistent negligence of the things of Him serves as evidence that such a person is a liar. This is a call for one to examine what has gone wrong in his spiritual life. A saved person will seriously confront the presence of sin in his life.

             *A person who loves God and loves neighbor can confidently assert being justified before Him (1 John 3:16-24). John appealed to the example of Jesus laying down His life for others. He did so to encourage his audience to live as Christ lived. It should be noted, however, that not even believers have power in themselves to love perfectly as God Himself loves. We can have assurance of salvation because God is greater than our hearts and knows everything. 

             *A Christian will love truth and is changed by the Holy Spirit (1 John 4:4-6). That God is greater than the things of this world, is the believer's greatest assurance that he is right with Him. His profession is rooted in truth, and God is the God of truth.

          This is not meant to be viewed as an all or nothing proposition. John's message is not intended to be some sort of a legalistic checklist. To use it in this way, is to turn the spirit of his message on its head. No one John's point of emphasis here is our current state of heart.  Are we striving to approach God on His terms? Is the focus of our worship centered on Him?

           If a person has doubts regarding his salvation, then he need not at that moment focus on sanctification. He needs to address the matter of justification. That is the very beginning of one having been reconciled to God. Such a person needs to find the root cause of his doubt by using Scripture and strive diligently to resolve it.

Jehovah's Witnesses And Blood Transfusions

          The Watchtower Society forbids adherents from receiving blood transfusions on the grounds that such a procedure allegedly violates commandments given by God in the Old Testament to not consume blood. Members who proceeded to do so in spite of official teaching have been expelled from their religious community.

           Blood transfusions were not possible during biblical times because they did not even exist. These procedures were only made possible due to technical advances in medicine and machinery. Even if blood transfusions technically did go against commandments to not drink blood, consider the instant of King David eating the shewbread to feed himself. The Law allowed for exceptions.

          The oral consumption of blood is not the same as intravenously transferring blood from one individual to another who has the same blood type. The first process involves digesting so as to nourish the body, whereas the latter involves a substitute to carry on the same bodily functions. Blood transfusions are not meals. 

          The blood itself is not sacred, but the life thereof. Blood transfusions are a voluntary undertaking, not coerced. No sacrificial offering or murder is done in the process. Blood transfusions are done to preserve life. Jesus Christ commended self-sacrifice for the welfare of others (John 15:13).

           Even if the Jehovah's Witnesses governing body changed its official teaching on this issue, that would only prove it is not guided by God as is claimed. They do not have prophetic insight like real prophets of God had. Both stances cannot be right at the same time, in the same sense.

The Omnipresence Of Jesus Christ

• Discussion:

          -One aspect of God's nature is that He is omnipresent. That means He is present everywhere at once. He transcends the boundaries of matter, space, and time. He is confined by nothing. No part of creation can contain Him in the fullness of His glory. He is not restricted to any section of the universe. There is no place where God does not inhabit. He is fully present everywhere. This attribute of God clearly shines forth in the Old Testament:

          "But will God indeed dwell with mankind on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You; how much less this house which I have built." (2 Chronicles 6:18)

          Solomon marveled at the incomprehensibility of God. He cannot be contained by a temple because He is immaterial. He has no physical parts.

          "Am I a God who is near,” declares the Lord, “And not a God far off? “Can a man hide himself in hiding places so I do not see him?” declares the Lord. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the Lord." (Jeremiah 23:23-24)

          God appeals to His infinitude in making the point that the wicked and deceitful cannot escape His judgment. He says outright that He is present in exactly the same way everywhere else. This results in paradoxes like God being both accessible to man and far beyond his reach at once.

         These expressions describing God as omnipresent are equally applicable to Jesus Christ in His deity. Consider these words from Paul about His relation to creation:

          "far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all." (Ephesians 1:21-23)

          The church is said to be His body, which can be found across earth. Christ dwells spiritually amongst people of faith. He resides in our hearts.

          One passage from Matthew records Christ promising to be with us always to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). He has resided with believers, who live throughout the world, during the course of history. This strongly implies that He in His deity is omnipresent.

           "For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” (Matthew 18:20)

           Christ alluded to His own omnipresence. In His deity, He is limited to no particular locale. It is also possible that in Matthew 18:20, Matthew echoes a saying popular amongst Jewish rabbis of his day. The New American Bible Revised Edition has this excerpt:

           "[18:20] For where two or three…midst of them: the presence of Jesus guarantees the efficacy of the prayer. This saying is similar to one attributed to a rabbi executed in A.D. 135 at the time of the second Jewish revolt: “…When two sit and there are between them the words of the Torah, the divine presence (Shekinah) rests upon them” (Pirqê ’Abôt 3, 3)."

            We never see in the four gospels Jesus Christ being in many places at the same time in His humanity. Such a statement would be true of Him only in His deity. Christ is both truly God and truly man, which is the hypostatic union. Just as God dwelt in the temple, so He has chosen to reside in a human body to make atonement for our sins. In both instances, He concealed His glory and dwelt with man for a time.

A Trinitarian Perspective Of John 17

        Jesus Christ petitioned God the Father to give Him the glory that both shared since before the timing of creation (John 17:4-5). God the Son expresses having a relationship with Him from eternity past (John 17:24). Note how God said in the Old Testament that He would give His glory to no other (Isaiah 42:8). That splendor is inherent to who He is. If Jesus is not God, then how could He share that same glory?

        The Son reveals an inextricable unity between Himself and the Father (John 17:11; 20; 22). Both have fellowship with each other. Both are one in essence. If the Father and the Son are one by nature, then does this not imply the latter to be divine? Just as everything belongs to the Father, so everything also belongs to the Son (John 17:10). The Father and the Son are co-equal and co-eternal while having different functions.

        Both share the same divine glory. Jesus oftentimes spoke from a human standpoint, which should not surprise us because He is a composite being. He is truly man and truly God. According to John 17:25-26, Jesus Christ reveals to us the Father. The knowledge and understanding of God transcends our mental faculties by an infinite margin. How could Christ reveal to us the Father if He Himself were not also God?

Is The Roman Catholic Eucharist A Re-Sacrifice Of Christ?

• Discussion:

          -The purpose of this article is to answer a number of claims made by Steve Ray over at Catholic Answers. He touches on a variety of topics, but the emphasis here will be limited to the dogma of transubstantiation. Following are quotations from the author in bold letters and critical analyses of each claim of interest:

          "The Catholic Church does not teach that Christ is "re-sacrificed" on the altar. Why does Ankerberg say that it does? The quotation he uses from the Catholic Encyclopedia does not use anything like"re-sacrifice," yet Ankerberg says it teaches "re-sacrificing." Words are important; smart Catholics will catch on to what he is doing- playing footloose with terminology to suit his own interests."

          The eucharist is called a divine sacrifice (CCC, 1068). We are told that the sacrifice of the mass and the sacrifice of Jesus are "one in the same sacrifice" (CCC, 1367). The eucharist is believed to be propitiatory (CCC, 1367). It is believed to make atonement for sin (CCC, 1414). However, this "sacrifice" is done repeatedly. These sacrifices take place across the world. Thus, the Roman Catholic distinction between "re-sacrifice" and "re-presentation" is a distinction without a difference. The principle of Jesus Christ being offered "once for all" remains violated. He is not offering Himself for the sins of the world today because that has already been done (Hebrews 10:10-14). Even the presence of a sacrificial alter would seem to suggest a plurality of sacrifices being made.

          "Catholics teach that there was only one sacrifice and that the Mass is a re-presentation of that sacrifice, a partaking in and of the one sacrifice-the eating of the Lamb (Ex. 12:11, John 6:52-58)."

           The atonement sacrifices that were performed in the Old Testament pointed to the one sacrifice accomplished by Jesus Christ at Calvary (Hebrews 10:1). Steve Ray's use of typology is rather imaginative given that even pagans ate their own sacrifices of animals and those had nothing to do with us. On the other hand, there are valid connections made to Christ in Exodus 12, such as the bones of the lamb not being broken. According to the gospels, His bones were not broken during crucifixion. The blood of the covenant passages are not supportive of transubstantiation because they say nothing about a mysterious conversion of the consecrated elements at the mass into the literal flesh and blood of Christ.

          "So we have an anomaly: Christ seated at the right hand of the Father, and Christ, the Lamb of God, standing on the altar. In the temporal world, he was slain once-but in heaven, the world outside time, it appears that the sacrifice of Christ is an eternal event. We are even told that he was crucified before the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8)."

          The reason for the imagery of Christ standing on the alter in Revelation is to remind us continually of His sacrifice for our sins. The effects of His work are permanent. Christ does not need to be offered as a sacrifice today. Only He could offer Himself up anyway.

           "Why is the Protestant position on the Lord’s Supper at such odds with the universal teaching of the first Christians who called the Lord’s Supper “Eucharist”?"

           It should not surprise us when early Christian writers made statements similar to "this is my body" and "this is my blood," since they were alluding to the words spoken by Jesus Christ during the Last Supper. The focus should become what is meant by such language. A person, for example, can point to a country on a map and say, "This is Israel." In that instance, he would not be literally saying the place pointed at on the paper is that nation, but that is what it represents. Even if a church father believed in some mystical presence of Christ in the communion elements, that does not demonstrate he believed in transubstantiation. The former notion can be embraced without knowledge or acceptance of the later.

           Augustine, for example, in his commentary on Psalm 33, spoke of Christ “holding Himself in a manner.” That is to be understood metaphorically. The point of emphasis there is the deep mystery and significance of the eucharist. It does not imply a literal physical presence. This aligns with the broader theological perspective that Christ’s presence in the eucharist is spiritual and symbolic rather than a physical transformation. This view underscores the belief that the communion elements are a profound reminder of Christ’s sacrifice. They are a means of spiritual communion with Him, rather than a physical consumption of His body and blood. It highlights the idea that the true presence of Christ in the eucharist is experienced through faith and the Holy Spirit, rather than through a literal change in the elements of bread and wine.

           This excerpt from Church Historian Philip Schaff's work called History of the Church, Volume II, paragraph 69, is pertinent here:

          "The doctrine concerning the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, not coming into special discussion, remained indefinite and obscure [during the period from 100-325 AD]. The ancient church made more account of the worthy participation of the ordinance than of the logical apprehension of it. She looked upon it as the holiest mystery of Christian worship, and accordingly, celebrated it with the deepest devotion, without inquiring into the mode of Christ’s presence, nor into the relation of the sensible signs to his flesh and blood. It is unhistorical to carry any of the later theories back into this age; although it has been done frequently in the apologetic and polemic discussion of this subject.”

          Robert J. Daly writes in his paper titled Eucharistic Origins: From The New Testament To The Liturgies of the Golden Age:

          "We do not know and cannot reconstruct in precise detail what Jesus did at his "Last Supper." The New Testament itself remembered and interpreted what Jesus did in quite different ways. Attending to these differences undermines the assumption that there is a single line of development that runs from Jesus to the later Eucharist of the Church, and that can be traced back by us toward Jesus. And indeed, if by Eucharist is meant what is now done in the Church, the farther back one goes, for example, to the "Eucharists" of James, Peter, and Jesus, the farther one gets from the Eucharist of the present. Indeed, if an exact reconstruction of what Jesus did at the Last Supper were possible, it would probably look quite different from what Christians now celebrate."

           This excerpt from John D. Hannah, Our Legacy: The History of Christian Doctrine, p. 274, summarizes the current of interpretation present amongst various patristic authors:

          "...they saw the Lord's Supper with a strong degree of realism, though with a spiritualizing tendency. The elements really and truly were the body and blood of Christ, yet not in such a way as to be identical with the historical body of the Savior. Christ's literal body had ascended into heaven, to be brought from heaven only in His return in the last great judgment." 

          This excerpt from the New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia online points out the ambiguity of the early development of what has been called the mass:

           "The Leonine and Gelasian Sacramentaries show us what is practically our present Roman Mass. How did the service change from the one to the other? It is one of the chief difficulties in the history of liturgy. During the last few years, especially, all manner of solutions and combinations have been proposed. We will first note some points that are certain, that may serve as landmarks in an investigation…Justin gives us the fullest Liturgical description of any Father of the first three centuries (Apol. I, lxv, lxvi, quoted and discussed in LITURGY). He describes how the Holy Eucharist was celebrated at Rome in the middle of the second century; his account is the necessary point of departure, one end of a chain whose intermediate links are hidden. We have hardly any knowledge at all of what developments the Roman Rite went through during the third and fourth centuries. This is the mysterious time where conjecture may, and does, run riot. By the fifth century we come back to comparatively firm ground, after a radical change. At this time we have the fragment in Pseudo-Ambrose, “De sacramentis” (about 400. Cf. P.L., XVI, 443), and the letter of Pope Innocent I (401-17) to Decentius of Eugubium (P.L., XX, 553). In these documents we see that the Roman Liturgy is said in Latin and has already become in essence the rite we still use." (emphasis added)

           Following are comments by John Darby regarding the substance and accidents Aristotelian philosophy on which the idea of transubstantiation rests: 

           "The doctrine of transubstantiation is simply the fruit of the scholastic use of Aristotle in the middle ages...this theory of a particular substance and accidents was a mere metaphysical theory, without any real foundation. We have got nowadays to molecules and atoms infinitely minute, which may be called perhaps substance or essential matter; but all this Aristotelian theory of an imaginary substance and accidents in material objects, is a mere groundless fancy. We see different qualities which awaken sensations in us; colour, form, hardness, etc., and the mind recognises there is something there. Of this conviction, which in relation to us creatures I do not dispute, Aristotle and the schoolmen, who were as a rule wholly under his influence, made a distinct but imaginary substratum in which the various qualities were inherent. There was the substance of bread, etc. But this was a mere philosophical notion, a mere theory of the heathen Aristotelian school, adopted by the schoolmen, and has no other foundation whatever. But the whole doctrine of transubstantiation, and even the word, depends on it, cannot exist without it, is the mere expression of it, only bringing in a miracle on the ground of it, as to the Lord's supper."

           Dr. Francis Nigel Lee highlighted ongoing debates and opposition to transubstantiation within the Roman Catholic tradition itself:

           "Even since A.D. 831, many Roman Catholics still opposed such transubstantiation. So: Ratramnus, Berengarius, John Scotus Eriguena, Rabanus Maurus, Walafrid Strabo, Christian Druthmar, Florus Magister, Eusebius Bruno (Bishop of Angers), Frollant (Bishop of Senlis), and Elfric. Also, according to the famous RC Cardinal Bellarmine in his De Sacramento Eucharistea (111:5 and 4 dII q.6 art. 1,2 and q. 3 art. 1,2 and I:5) - even the celebrated Cardinal Cameracensus said: "Transubstantiation cannot be proved from Holy Writ .... To this Cardinal Roffensis, Cardinal Cajetan and also Scotus all concur." Indeed, the RC scholars Gabriel, Nicolus, Cusanus, Tapper, Hessel and others all present the "Protestant" interpretation of John 6:54. See Dr. P.G. Logan's Ph.D. dissertation The History and Doctrine of Transubstantiation, Sydney, 1994, pp. 84f."

           "Notice the sacrificial language being used. The term "table of the Lord" is a technical term which in the Old Testament always refers to a table of sacrifice. Why would Paul use such blatantly sacrificial terminology if he is trying to deny any association between the Eucharist and sacrifice?"

          The context of this passage is about appropriate conduct and the use of discernment in worship services, not having a correct view of the eucharist. The purpose and meaning, not the substance, of the communion elements are addressed in 1 Corinthians 10-11. Moreover, the communion that the pagans had with idols was very real, yet no evidence exists suggesting that their offerings were transubstantiated. Even granting that this text makes mention of the eucharist, that fact in and of itself does not prove the communion elements become the literal body and blood of Christ at the words of consecration by a priest.

Christians Should Not Belong To Sects

"If your church associates with a group of churches that requires exclusive allegiance to itself, you are part of a sect. Despite their boastful claims, sects do not understand the New Testament doctrine of the Church. They are in error. All sects are based on half-truths, faulty reasoning, doctrinal oddities, deceptions, guilt-manipulation, and fear, which are not of the Spirit of truth and liberty. If your church denies you your Spirit-given right and privilege to fellowship with all Christ-loving, bible-loving Christians and churches, you need to obey God rather than man and free yourself and family from these unbiblical chains."

Alexander Strauch, “The Interdependence of Local Churches.” From the book, Understanding the Church, compiled and edited by Joseph M. Vogl and John H. Fish III, p. 206-207

A Case For The Traditional Authorship Of 2 Peter

• Defining The Issues:

          -2 Peter has been rather controversial amongst critical scholars in regards to its dating and authorship. It was actually questioned the most heavily out of all the New Testament books in the early church. Many Christians in the conservative realm have been quick to dispute claims of this epistle being second century pseudepigraphical literature. Such claims, if true, would jeopardize the doctrines of biblical inspiration and inerrancy. This article strives to present evidences pointing in favor of the Apostle Peter being the author of the writing in focus. The fact that 2 Peter underwent such scrutiny in the early church and still passed standards of canonicity is an argument for it being genuine. Also, why would a forger produce a letter that speaks out against false teachers? Critics of the Bible are overstating their case here.

• The Internal Evidence For The Apostle Peter Being The Author Of 2 Peter Is Strong:

          -The author of the epistle claims to have been present in the transfiguration (2 Peter 1:16-18), which was not a major theme of later Christian preaching. Nowhere in context did the author claim to have received additional special revelation from this event. This is perfectly consistent with the Apostle Peter being the author of 2 Peter.

          -The author of this epistle describes Paul in 2 Peter 3:15-16 as being a "beloved brother," as if both were well-acquainted. 

          -The author of the epistle claims in 2 Peter 1:13-16 to have been ready to be martyred for his faith as Jesus Christ solemnly foretold. This is consistent with traditional authorship, since the Apostle Peter would have been an elderly man being held in custody under Roman guards awaiting his death sentence by the Emperor Nero. 

          -The author of 2 Peter claims to be an eyewitness of the risen Lord. The author in 2 Peter 3:1 even claims to have written a previous letter.

• Addressing The Rejection By Critical Scholars The Internal Evidence Of 2 Peter Being Authentic:

          -"Claims that personal references prove forgery are based purely on prejudice because unless the ink is still wet and the author long dead, it cannot be proved to be false. Charles Bigg says, “As regards what an author says about himself, we can ask only whether…it is possible or impossible. But no document was ever condemned as a forgery upon this ground.”15." (Hampton Keathley IV, "The Authorship of Second Peter")

          -"...At points it seems the critics almost expect Peter’s second epistle to be simply a rehash of the same material so that identical vocabulary and themes would reappear. However, this expectation is certainly unreasonable considering the very different circumstances and purposes behind each epistle. Another difficulty with these types of arguments is seen in the fact that Peter’s writing style is not so easily defined or identified as some other New Testament authors." (e.g. John and Paul)." (Michael J. Kruger, PDF document “The Authenticity of 2 Peter", pages 12-13)

• Similarities Between 1 Peter And 2 Peter:

          -Both epistles speak of Noah (1 Peter 3:20; 2 Peter 3:6) and Old Testament prophecy (1 Peter 1:10–12; 2 Peter 1:20–21).

          -2 Peter contains allusions to Psalms (2 Peter 3:8), Proverbs (2 Peter 2:22) and Isaiah (2 Peter 3:13). Those sources are clearly cited in 1 Peter.

          -It is not unrealistic to believe that Peter wrote this epistle: "...there is good external evidence that it was written in the 1st century by someone like Peter who was a contemporary of the events. The noted archaeologist William F. Albright dated 2 Peter before a.d. 80. The discovery of the Bodmer papyri (P72, ca. a.d. 250) reveals that it was highly respected in Egypt at an early date. The book was cited as authentic by numerous early church fathers, including Origen, Eusebius, Jerome, and Augustine." (Norman Geisler and Thomas A. Howe, When Critics Ask: A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties, p. 454-455)

Multiculturalism And Moral Relativism

"Once the ideas and insights of an individual or group are disseminated, anyone can employ them. No one culture owns its accomplishments; they belong to everyone. When the knowledge is out there, we can all access it. There is no inexorable link to race or ethnic origin.

For example, even though primarily Western scholars have developed modern physics, it is not inherently Western. If a primitive thinks he can jump off a thousand-foot precipice and fly because the totem told him he can, he will die. His death is not caused by Eurocentric science but by his ignorance of the nature of reality Western scientists articulate.

Having said all of this, we must emphasize that if significant accomplishments have been ignored, we should redress the injustice-not because of the race or ethnicity of the thinker but because of the importance of the ideas.

George Reisman, an economist at Pepperdine University, has made similar observations. He argues that the trends toward "multicultural education" and "diversity" as well as critiques of "Eurocentric" or "Western" values are misguided and ill-informed.

For one thing, these trends imply that all cultures have contributed to human progress and knowledge equally. Reisman argues that this is false, since Western values-whether scientific, philosophical, economic, or moral-have proved to be vastly superior. These societies that have embraced Western values, whether geographically in the Far East or in the West, reveal this.

In addition, Western civilization is open to everyone, since it constitutes a body of knowledge and values that is not linked inexorably to any race, nationality, or region of the globe. For these reasons, Reisman contends that multiculturalism is a new form of racism because it reduces matter of the intellect to a matter of racial or ethnic membership."

Francis J. Beckwith and Gregory Koukl, Relativism: Feet Firmly Planted in Mid-Air, p. 94-95

What About People Who Have Never Heard Of Jesus Christ Or The Gospel?

• Discussion:

          -Whether or not people who never had an opportunity to hear and believe on the gospel for salvation are exempt from the judgment of God is more of an emotional than rational question. It concerns the eternal destiny of every individual. Everyone has to face the reality of death. How this question is answered shapes the way that we preach the gospel to people of different religions.

          God has inscribed His moral laws into our hearts (Romans 2:15). He has manifested Himself plainly through creation (Romans 1:18-20). He is not far from any one of us (Acts 17:26-27). The inability to hear the Gospel is not the problem. Our lack of knowledge is not what condemns us. The real issue is that our sins against God have merited eternal condemnation.

          Even though men like Cornelius feared God prior to receiving the message of the gospel, Scripture still records the Lord directing him to the Apostle Peter so that he could receive the good news of salvation. In addition, God does take into account one's ability to understand His commandments in judgment (John 15:22; Romans 2:12-13). Every person who has a rational mind is culpable.

          If every unbeliever is automatically saved just because of a lack of knowledge regarding the Person of Christ and His atonement, then the gospel that we preach would be needless. The concept of evangelism would be rendered nonsensical. We should be making the greatest effort possible to ensure that everybody gets a chance to hear the gospel. We should be grateful that God has provided even one way for us to be reconciled with Him (John 14:6; Hebrews 4:14-16).